Hanami at Osaka Castle

Hanami is a long-standing Japanese tradition of welcoming spring. Also known as the “cherry blossom festival,” this annual celebration is about appreciating the temporal beauty of nature. People gather under blooming cherry blossoms for food, drink, songs, companionship and the beauty of sakura (cherry blossoms).

 Whilst working in Japan I finally got the chance to view the cherry blossom in bloom. The first time. I came to Japan I missed it by a few weeks so I was pretty chuffed to see it this time.

A friend and I checked out Osaka Castle which was lovely to revisit but packed with tourists - understandably of course.

Getting my Working Holiday Visa for Japan

Yo!


After spending the Summer in the Yorkshire Dales working in a hostel my time like all things soon came to an end. I had been working as a seasonal position so come November I was done and ready to travel again. I'd always wanted to live in Japan and decided now was the time.

Off to London I went with my documents for my Working Holiday Visa;

• Passport
• Visa application form & recent passport photo
• My CV
• My itinerary for my whole stay
• My statement saying why I want to live/work in Japan
• Proof of £2500      or       £1500 & a return ticket.

 At the Japanese Embassy it all went pretty smoothly - had it in the back of my mind that I'd missed something or forgotten to do something. I passed through the airport-like security entry, collected my ticket number and waited. Ten minutes later I was called forward and asked to present my documents to the worker at the window. He carefully read through them and proceeded to put them into a pile -  except the final piece which was kept to the side. My heart stopped.  O no, what didn't I do? Or do that I shouldn't have done? The man pointed at my bank statement and was pondering why the money hadn't gone in regularly. Ah! I then quickly explained that it was my saving account and whenever I had £1000 saved in my current account (he referred to it as my salary account) I moved it across. He looked confused for a moment before appearing to accept my reasoning and gathered my documents and shuffled to a side room. I was left standing there, have I got the visa? Do I wait? 
Shortly enough he returned and pointed at piece of paper telling me to come back in a week with precisely £16. I asked if a friend could collect on my behalf. He nodded, only if I wrote a letter of permission and signed it. And that was that, a week later and £16 down I had visa sticker with the emblem of Japan and my face allowing me to live and work in Japan!
I'm keeping a Vlog of my Ventures here.

Kosovo

To Kosovo! So I walk to the bus station with Rba who is heading to Sofia. I get there to discover my bus is leaving in 30 seconds - I immediately buy my ticket, say goodbye and run out to the buses. I see it pulling out of the bay.
       "Wait!" I dive onboard and take up my seat relieved. I'm now on my way to Pristina. A few minutes later a man comes round to check the tickets. He gets to me and stares at my ticket for ages. He then asks for 5€ saying the ticket is wrong. Man....in my head a voice screams SCAM! What can I do?
I sigh and hand over 5€. A local man says I can use it on my return journey and that my ticket was wrong. Maybe the ticket booth lady thought I wouldn't make this bus so printed a ticket for the later one? I guess it didn't matter as I was on the bus. Still a part of me felt like I had Foreign Idiot on my forehead.
Alas the scenery that whizzed by in the distance was lovely as autumn was clearly beginning to take hold. Two hours later I found myself in Pristina, avoiding taxi men and walking to my hostel. It was a cool, relaxed place run by workawayers who were from all over. England, Denmark and the United States to name a few. I chilled for a while until I made friends with an Aussie woman who invited me out for a tour of the capital. She was a top level nurse and was taking some time out for herself. She had awesome dreads.

Monument of The Martyrs

Dorm from my bunk

Hanging out in the living room

 

 

 

European map of languages

I can't believe how cheap and trendy Pristina is. We make friends with an American girl and form a trio as we wander around. The sight seeing is swift and we end up chilling in a park on the outskirts. On the evening 7 of us go out for tea and the total cost is 12€! We order simple meals and not everyone gets a drink but still it's cheap!

One evening we go out to a club playing House music, not my choice of music but it's not bad. Everyone is allowed to smoke in the tiny club which after 2 hours of dancing I can feel my throat. As I lay in bed that night I can just smell a cloud of cigarette smoke hanging around me.

On the last day we head out to visit the Mother Teresa church as there is a view point from the roof. We take the lift up which we discover whilst in it that it only moves with a workers key - this we learn after the doors close and lock... Luckily for us, we have someone local who rings a number and speaks to someone who then speaks someone on site and within ten minutes the doors open and we're free. Our savour says he'll set the lift to go and down once allowing us to have a look from the top.
The weather is dismal but still we get a good view.

Two hours later I'm on the bus and have my 5€ ready. The exact change and this time it runs smoothly. Once back in Skopje I get the bus to the airport and stay awake till 5 am when my flight leaves. My mobile broke the first night in Skopje so I don't have anything to set as an alarm to wake me.

Mother Teresa

Protest from electric workers recently laid off

 

Newborn Monument