Small shoes...

Today I decided to go on my travels alone. There is a castle about 10-15min away called Iwasaki Castle. Sounded good at the time so I got my map and left...

yes...not quite a gripping story yet but it gets a little better. Being from the States there is a certain attitude that goes along with obtaining and using a map. If you need to use a map to find where your going then it is obviously a very long long way away. Not only is it a long way away but it should very well be difficult and confusing to get too so that the reward of getting there is much more satisfying. Even in video games maps help but it still confuses everybody and the compass has to come and save the day.

All of this is to say that it is not this way in Japan. Rather, its quite the opposite. There are tons of signs and buses to get you to where you need to go. So I hop on a bus that is headed toward the long and far off destination, a whole 3 inches on a map scale. Not only am I from the states but also from Washington, where every inch on a map includes some mountain pass or long stretch of dessert or some forrest.

It is at this very moment that I conclude that I should pass the time practicing my Japanese with one of my fellow temporary companions on this bus, a slightly older Japanese woman that just happened to be sitting there at the time that I boarded the bus. Probably the worst person to talk to on the bus seeing as her voice was incapable of speaking louder than tiny tiny ninja mice walking ever so carefully. Regardless, I scramble my brain thinking for something to ask or say, and arrive at the conclusion to ask her where the Iwasaki Castle is and if this bus takes me there. The conversation goes as follows (translated for your viewing pleasure)

Me: "Good afternoon, Does this bus go to Iwasaki Castle?"
Lady: "Iwasaki Castle?"
Me: "Yes, does it go there?"
Lady: "Yes it does."
Me: "How long a trip is it?"
Lady: "Not long at all"
Me: "Oh grea--"
Lady: "There it is." ::points at the passing castle::

...I had been on the bus maybe 2 minutes and with this newly acquired information, realized that my "grand" expedition was probably a faster walk than bus ride. As a matter of fact the next bus stop was a fair way away from the castle, and being 93 degrees and 80% humidity, that was quite a long venture.

As I walk up to my very first castle that I have ever seen (post cards not included) I am in awe of how beautiful and big it is. Its really impressive it is. Theres just one problem. On the outside its big, but the inside is in fact quite small. Not just spatially but it seems like everything shrunk down inside. Even the nifty little shoes you have to where when your inside. (for those of you who didn't know you do have to change your shoes out for slippers when entering a museum or household). They wern't really slippers for me more as they were toe covers. And there is all of these old artifacts that are really cool and its nice to see some objects that were used in Japanese history and all that. Climbed up to the top and there was an overhang that I imagined archers and that sort of thing being on, fighting battles and whatnot. Truly it was fun. I couldn't read any of the explanations at all, my reading skills are all shot when it comes to kanji so I did my best to pretend. Everything looked cool though, despite their tiny features.

All things aside it was a very fantastic trip and everything was very beautiful and the bamboo around the castle was fascinating to see and the garden etc etc. Still felt silly about using a map to get there though. Turns out I might be able to see it from the second story of my dorm.

Yeah...lesson learned though, still don't think I'll ever get used to these maps...