After a hectic first half of the year that included both new challenges at work as well as moving to a new place for the first time in over a decade, it finally became time for a well-deserved time off in the form of the annual trip to Japan.
Ever since I studied Japanese as an undergraduate, I have been to Japan more or less every year and have grown to love the country and its unique culture and people intimately. And while I have been to Japan more times than I care to count, I continue discovering new things and places in Japan that I have yet to explore. This time, this meant arriving via Kansai International Airport, Osaka rather than Tokyo and going to Mie prefecture to see the Ise Shrine, one of the holiest sites of Japan's Shinto religion.
After an uneventful night flight that included some reading as well as enjoying some eel-themed horror on the in-flight entertainment system, I arrived at my hotel in Osaka late in the afternoon. I can really recommend doing this when travelling for Europe to Japan, as even the most experienced airplane seat sleeping connoisseur are going to be jetlagged out of his mind on the first day, and it is going to be much easier to settle into a normal sleeping pattern when you arrive so that you can check in to your hotel, eat some dinner and go to bed rather than having to drag yourself through a whole day sleep-deprived unable to enjoy anything and/or being cranky to your travelling companions. After a good night's rest and a long overdue trip to a Japanese barber that included a much-needed haircut, the best shave I've ever had and a hair wash with a peppermint soap so strong it made my eyes water, I boarded an express train bound for the city Toba in Mie Prefecture. The Japanese weather gods were unfortunately not playing nice, so upon exiting the train I was greeted with rainy and stormy weather that put any outdoor exploration off the table.
Susanoō, the Shinto God of Storms, were playing dirty that day - picture from Wikipedia
Luckily, Toba is home to a sizable aquarium that were located just a short taxi ride from the station, and provided a great opportunity for doing something other than riding out the storm cooped up in a hotel room, so off I went.
Besides the panorama fish tanks filled with fish and sea creatures of all sizes, Toba Aquarium also had its selection of beautiful mammals of the sea, such as sea lions, dugong and walrusses, and other mammals that would be unusual to any aquarium such as cabybaras and fishing cats:
A surprising variation of floof
The aquarium contained both local and more exotic specimens of many reptiles and amphibians as well:
Then came the more weird and wonderful specimens of the sea, from blue crayfish, sea anemones to the spiky deep sea balls known as sea urchins, whose sexy bits are called uni and are considered a delicacy in Japan:
I have no idea what the creature in the upper right corner is. If you know, let me know in the comments
The visit to the aquarium ended on a high note with a feeding session of the resident sea otter, who besides being absolutely adorable was able to both clap on command and make incredible jumps to catch food stuck high on the glass.
clap clap clap clap
Despite the weather being less than favourable for anything other than sitting inside, I am very happy that I was ale to go to Toba Aquarium. It is a great experience I can recommend to anyone visiting the area, who has some extra time on their hands!
Thank you all for reading! This is my Japan trip so far, but I hope to write many more updates as the holiday progresses. Please leave an upvote and a comment if you like my content and follow me for more updates from my travels!