Japan, like to go to Japan, photo

© Travel Lebedev

It turns out that Japan is difficult to get there. You can not just do a visa to stay for the first night through the "expedition" and travel around the country, as you'd like. First you have to find a travel agency that wants to take the money (a lot, it turns out, they are not necessary). Then we need to come up with a route, looking at a map. And we must pay for hotels in Moscow on the double tariff, because supposedly the Japanese Foreign Ministry requires that all knew in advance - where and what time you will be at all times during your stay.

Then mozgoebstva page in the passport visa decorate with cherry blossoms and your photograph (why is she on the visa, despite the fact that one is already in the passport - a mystery).

About Japan, I knew little. Standard porridge from the general representations, journal notes on electronic novelties, random vocabulary (sushi Hiroshima-Mitsubishi-shuriken-hara-kiri suicide) and reports of the program "International Panorama", seen as a child, that regulators in Tokyo wear respirators It appeared on the streets oxygen stations, so shitty traffic. Still remember the transfer of rubber products on display, the successes of Cheburashka and Tatu. Japan in my mind was ideal as the Martian city, it was hard to imagine a crack in the pavement, not that garbage on Japanese territory. The only word I learned especially for the trip - "arigato" (accent on either of the last two syllables of your choice).

Aircraft flying from Khabarovsk to Niigata airport. Upon arrival it was found that in Japan, you can safely turn off the phone and forget because there is no GSM. All Japanese phones are designed for third-generation networks, all folding and all the size of a brick. In the unfolded form - as the two bricks.

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At the airport, I found an ATM. During the trip I met ATMs even five times, but none of them wanted to work with my card. It was not fatal, because the card can buy almost everything, except for tickets for the Ferris wheel. All graphics and navigation interfaces in Japan are amazing, and all, without exception, computerized - are terrible. Starting with the fact that ATM numbers arranged in a row instead of the usual block, and finishing machines for soft drink, a bottle of which is acquired can get only quirky professional pre-squatting. The natives told me that if you buy two cans at once, then do not get them out. I checked - and the truth. The two banks are somehow tricky block each other, and only natural persistence allows ten minutes to take the machine at delivery, picking invisible hand in the womb. ATM, incidentally, is also not able to give money to a human being. At first, I just do not understand exactly where he gave them, although the voice urged me not to leave behind anything («You have left something behind!»). Carefully inspect the entire surface, I found disclose the womb from which looked at me ten thousand ¥ in the profile (thickness 50 microns of bills). Externally, the place where the bill gets resembles the interior of the printer in which paper jams.

I take a taxi to the train station. The taxi - Monitor an unknown destination and lacy napkin that lined the entire interior, including doors.



The Japanese have surprisingly little knowledge of English.

From Niigata three hours have to whistle at Shinkansene to Tokyo. Shinkansen ("new highway") - broad-speed rail system (by Japanese standards) expression. Although locomotives design reminiscent of the "Shuttle", wagons are no surprise (and clearly not up for the convenience and napichkannosti to new "Siemens", on which I traveled in Germany). In the picture, all four different locomotive.



But this does not prevent them kissing.



When I drove to Tokyo and got off the train, I was stuck not a child. Every second, at different speeds at different levels, some of the ways of passing the compositions of different kinds - from underground to the trains and overexpression. The eye, accustomed to see a maximum of two trains in motion, do not have time to keep track of moving objects at the same time. Adapted for five minutes, illegal to smoke on the platform.



By the way, all the time that I was there, the temperature is below 30 ° C did not fall. Live succeeded rushes from one machine to another with a drink.

It looks like a typical main street of a large city at night (in this case - Tokyo). The width of all standardized signage, to avoid discord.



Even on the streets found a huge number of people whose work is simply amazing its senselessness. For example, a special person with a pointer. His job - to stand and hold the pointer.



By the way, almost all the toilets are electrified. The side of the remote control point is heated toilet seat and bidet. Heated toilet seat clear - works like a heated steering wheel. A bidet - is such a button, clicking which sets in motion a special damn, from which the right in the ass directed jet of warm water. A drain of the tub make the water dispenser that after draining the water, which should still get into the tank, can be hand washed. Brilliant.



But in the city electrician affects primitive. In several central streets of the wires are all underground. But take a step aside - and there is a striking picture: all the wires hanging on poles as if on a court yard the beginning of XX century. In addition, for this street can even make special lights, which are more in the city can not be found, that is, such as worry about the appearance of the city.



All traffic lights first glass - blue. It shines with the green. In all cities (except Niigata) lights are arranged horizontally.



Surprisingly care for the blind. It seems that every second person must be blind - all sidewalks lined with special paths with coding: straight line - the road, pupyrki - attention.



The skyscraper:



Imperial Palace in Tokyo, I was not impressed. How to shoot it failed because the lens is fogged up from the temperature difference (in figachit condo hotel and on the street - a terrible roasting). I went it was a crime, wiping both sides of the optics T-shirt, but condensation forms on the inner lens. Then I took the train and went to Kyoto.
The train toilets were found in two styles - the east and west (so read the sign on the door). Western-style toilet is not necessary to describe, but the toilet in the east turned out with a point in the floor, in the barracks. Local so prefer.

Station in Kyoto deserves special photo report. Railroad tracks are located below and above them built gigantic building, which houses several hotels, shopping malls, lots of shops, restaurants, escalators and sculptures. On top of all this - an observation deck the size of a couple of tennis courts, and a helipad. Climb to the station to see the city, you can apparently only in Kyoto. You can also go up to the station to see the train station:



In Kyoto, the imperial residence of the regime were found, which is necessary for the examination in a few days through the Ministry of Interior to order the next resolution. Residences were visited, but nothing more than beauty in them was not found.



On the group "Tatu" was not found even a hint. But on the shelves between the Terminator and Harry Potter showed up finally, "Chebchraschka»



All Buddhist temples are decorated with swastikas.



Parking spaces enough, but congestion is not visible.



Three days have passed unnoticed in Kyoto.



The next day I went to Ferris Osaku.Koleso picture above between electric poles, is on the seventh floor of the shopping center. Like, do not fit below.



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Review a wheel:



The street near the market:



The next morning I went to the airport to fly to Niigata, where after a few hours I had to fly to Vladivostok.

At the airport, I first encountered Japanese neproshibaemym pedantry. X-ray showed the presence of lighter in my carry-on luggage, and metal - on me. The rules of the local air transport indicated that the passenger can be lighter. One. The remaining five were illegal laid in a basket, and I offered them to say goodbye. I politely refused to give them to the airport. I politely shown the rules. I strongly manifested polite disagreement with the irrationality of the rules. My disagreement was politely but firmly met their confidence in their original disagreement. In turn resorted inspection staff, shift supervisors, assistants and inspectors. All of them spent their time to explain to me that I can not take even a second lighter, as I would have liked. Finally, all this politeness I Jam, and I flew to Niigata.

Before departure to the West had a few hours that were spent on the purchase of magazines, the Japanese version of the map of the world (Europe and Russia - to the left, in the center - Japan, the United States - on the right) and horse post reviews. And I was pleased marking the intersection.



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