On New Year's Eve, we went to Osaka Castle, expecting the annual fireworks and a laser show, but unfortunately it was cancelled for some reason! It was still fun though, as lots of people had congregated there, and most of them took great delight in wishing us gaijin a Happy New Year! We ended up going out for a drink with friends and stayed out very late, so it was late when we rose on Jan 1st. We met some friends and had all you can eat conveyor sushi and desserts for tea, and then, due to most places being closed, we had a go in some of the games arcades that dominate every street - and James won me a cuddly Winnie The Pooh!!!!
Everything shuts down for New Year here, including the cash machines (!!!) so we had to remember to withdraw enough cash to last us a while! The shops do seem to be having the January Sales though - the best thing is "lucky bags" (fukubukuro) for which you pay about 10,000 yen, but receive goods worth much more than that. For example, we found digital cameras with built in mp3 and video camera for only 10,000 yen when they should have been 35,000!!! The only problem is they never tell you exactly what you're getting, so I'd never buy one from a clothes shop - especially since I don't think most Japanese fashions would suit me! Another New Year tradition in Japan is cleaning everything - a bit like spring cleaning, I suppose, only they really do take it seriously - people clean their houses, train stations, road signs, offices, the pavement outside their shop etc. so that they really can make a new start in the new year. However, having always thought Japan a very clean, tidy, litter-free country, I was amazed to see the amount of rubbish on the streets when the cleaners were on holiday for New Year's day - obviously it is that they have very efficient cleaner-uppers - not that the public are tidy in the first place!
Today we went to Arashiyama, known as "Monkey Mountain"! It was a lovely place a short train ride away, with boats on the river and forest covered mountains and pretty little shops - a lovely break from the concrete city! We went to the monkey park, where Japanese monkeys just run freely up and down the hillside! It was a little scary at first as the first monkeys we saw were fighting and chasing each other down the hill, but we soon found some much gentler, tamer ones, and some really cute little baby monkeys! you could feed them, but only through the mesh windows of a little hut, so we did this, and then went outside again to watch them running round, playing, and snuggling together to try and keep warm! The weather has been freezing here lately - although it is quite sunny, there is a really bitter icy wind, and we felt it all the more on top of the mountain!!! But it was worth it for the view and the monkeys! Having never seen monkeys in the wild before, it was incredible! Have a look at my photos.
Tonight we went to see the Harry Potter film (again!) Before that, we ate at a ramen stand on the street. The bowls of hot soup and noodles were quite spicy anyway, but I added loads of garlic and kimchee to mine to try and help my cold! After a day spent freezing on a mountainside, this was a welcome meal!!!
Tomorrow we are hoping to go to Universal Studios Japan., so we've got a very early start in order to make the most of the day!!!