As soon as I arrived at the YHA in Bondi I got a different vibe and people seemed more friendly straight off. I took my bags to my room and the girls already in there (Lotta and Anita) introduced themselves and invited me to join them for a surf day trip the next day which they were just in the process of booking. I declined, as it was late and I didn't know how I would feel or what I wanted to do for my first day in Bondi, but it was really nice to feel so immed...

For my final day in Tokyo before my flight to Perth I went to Odaiba - a man made island in Tokyo Bay. I took the unmanned monorail across the Rainbow Bridge and got off at the first stop. I walked along the Tokyo Beach (man made of course) and in to the Decks shopping mall, where I went to the indoor theme park Joypolis (owned by Sega) featuring simulators, games, arcades and a rollercoaster, which can perhaps be compared to London's very own Trocadero. After a ...

Due to the fact that I spent an extra half day in Kyoto, I arrived at Nagano later on that I had hoped. And then I still had a 40 minute train ride to Yudanaka - out in the Japanese Alps. I had also failed to take in to account the infrequent nature of trains to these smaller towns, having grown accustomed to the abundance and regularity of transport in the cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. When I finally arrived in Yudanaka, the very last stop on the Nagano De...

Karma came round to bite me on the arse! After mocking the Japanese sock and flip flop ensemble, my only pair of pumps were still soaking wet from the trip to Nara the day before, and I was forced to look like a total and utter retard of a tourist by wearing my jeans with running trainers! Nightmare. Little did I realise at this point, that things were to go from bad to worse… I arrived at Kyoto station, made a b-line for the tourist information office to gr...

I woke up Tuesday morning and decided I would make the most of Juliana's company by joining her on a trip to Nara. Given that we were both feeling pretty under whelmed by the repeated shopping districts of Osaka compared to Tokyo, it was a welcome break. We grabbed a quick breakfast at a small ramen bar in Fukushima, where you stand to eat. But unfortunately for me I was also stood next to the urinal! In Japan, most women stay at home to bring up the family, so ...