JAPAN: Tourist Day 9

This is the penultimate day of the trip. I noticed there were 8 cycling days and 9 tourist days.  Not a good balance.  I think there should be more cycling days than tourist days.  Maybe it’s acceptable in a strange and distant land like Japan. But not ordinarily.

Last night we had the final two dinners planned: curry last night and then revisiting the “Lamb Chops and Wine Bar” on Friday.  But we discovered that  the curry shop did not serve alcohol so we went to the Lamb Chop place. It was even better this time and we had previously observed the gigantic potato salad side with bacon on top. Yum.  It looks like we’ll go there again tomorrow.  We’re getting friendly with the chef; maybe he’ll tell me the ingredients in his dynamite sauce on the chops.

We didn’t have specific plans for today.  Brenda naturally had lots she wanted to do.  But I’m tired and my feet have been hurting recently.  And things changed when we saw the rain.

Brenda had another of her good ideas: check out of the downtown hotel and get one near the airport.  The Narita airport is an hour’s non-stop train ride from downtown.  The hotel confirmed we could get a refund if we checked out early so the plan went into action.  We had some time to spare and spent it in Starbucks.  We had no difficulty exchanging train tickets, finding the correct train track and finding the  bus to our hotel at the airport.  Are we getting good or what?!

Tomorrow we have a 12 hour flight to Dallas, a 2.5 hour layover and a 2 hour flight to Denver. Not much interesting to write about there so maybe it’s time to close this blog.  I’ll give some of my  random impressions and then Brenda will give hers.  I’m sure they’ll be quite different.

• Many young people, and some older, wear t-shirts with some slogan or saying on it. (The old, sixth generation basket maker in yesterday’s blog had on a BIANCHI t-shirt!)  EVERY ONE OF THESE that I’ve seen are in English. Not one in Japanese!
• I don’t know what their unemployment is but most everyone seems to have a job, whether needed or not. Yesterday we walked by an intersection, not a very busy one, which had a traffic cop at each of the 4 corners. And our hotel in Tokyo seemed to have way too many staff. Every time you entered the lobby several girls would say “hi” and bow. Then one would push the elevator button for you.  BTW, these beautiful young girls all look alike. This morning I noticed they all have their hair styled the same way. Do they clone these?  Hum, make me one!
• Everyone is well dressed. Even the people who clean the bathrooms have uniforms.  A lot of people, including taxi drivers wear white gloves.  95% of the men walking downtown in the larger cities are wearing suites.
• Everyone is polite and helpful.  I’ve taken a shine to bowing; it seems so civilized.  Maybe I should try it in Fredericksburg!
• Although most of the Japanese don’t seem to speak English, we never had much of a difficulty communicating. I want food; they want money – pretty easy to communicate.
• They’re serious about not tipping.  We had this great guide in Tokyo the other day.  Brenda tried to tip him; he would have no part of it.
• This morning at breakfast I saw something I’d not seen in three weeks, a fat Japanese man.  How fat? I think his gut was larger than mine. So really fat.  The other thousands of people I’ve seen have flat tummies. Disgusting. Well actually I’m envious.  Maybe if I ate raw eggs, miso soup, fish, rice and pickled vegetables for breakfast – and if I ate it with chopsticks, I’d have a flat belly.  Fat chance that will happen.

Brenda’s thoughts, without looking at John’s

• Culturally Japan is so very different from the US and Europe.  Some things are good, such as no tipping, some are not understandable to me such as shoes for the tatami mat and different shoes for in the toilet/shower area, and some are endearing such as the constant bowing to show respect.
• The food can be really weird, especially the breakfast.  I am just not used to eating pickled things in the morning or soup or rice mixed with a near raw egg.  I grew to like the rice and egg but the pickled things were too much for me.
• The people were so friendly.  On many occasions when we were lost, strangers would step in and help.  I give a big thanks to them all.
• Japan is so clean.  This is curious since there are nearly no public trash bins around.  The Japanese take it home with them to dispose of.  Quite remarkable compared to the US.
• I really liked staying in the Ryokan lodging and the onsen baths.  Communal washing is not practiced much at home, but I really got comfortable using the onsens when available.  Think about it, when traveling we would only have 1 bathroom for the 2 of us,  With an onsen, I could wash and do my hair without being in John’s way, and vice versa.
• The Japanese in general are well dressed, generally suits for the men with starched shirts.  And no grunge for the young adults and also so visible tattoos.  The Japanese seem proud of their job and take pride in doing it.  The people in the service industry seem to bend over backwards to assist you, all without the expectation of a tip.

So that’s it.  Our next bike trip is in Italy in September.  We’ll be at the same hotel for 10 days so there might no be too much to write about.  But surely there will be some pictures.

JAPAN: Tourist Day 8

We’ve finally perfected “The Look”.  What is “The Look”?  It’s the look of being lost. Now you’ve got to be subtle. But you also need to convey “Where the “F” are we?” or “How the hell do we get to our hotel?”  It happened many times today.  Too many really. How can you walk into the train station, buy two train tickets, go to the department store for take-out lunch and then not be able to get out of the train station in the direction of your hotel a block away? Well it happened.  And once again we were helped by a stranger.  From France! So embarrassing.  It’s great that so many strangers volunteer to help.

We didn’t do much this morning other than sleeping until almost 8, a quick trip to the onsen for Brenda and some laundry and to breakfast before 9 but otherwise the morning was quiet.  This afternoon we went on a bike ride of the city.  This was much better than the bike ride of Kyoto, better bikes, not as crowded and a wonderful guide. The tour was by Miracle Cycling Tours and our guide was Aki.  His English was excellent and he could answer any question we posed.  Highly recommended!!!

We rode through the Ginzu area where many high end stores call home.  Then crossed the Nihonbashi bridge which is the oldest bridge in Japan.  It has been replaced 19 times!!! There is a brass plate in the center of the bridge.  All distances are marked from this point.  Next stop was Nigyochonin, or the previous Geisha district.  The geisha are gone but still remaining are long established trades.  This man in the photo below is spreading lacquer on woven baskets.  He takes the basket, applies rice paper to the inside along with persimmon juice which acts as an insect barrier.  Then paints the lacquer with a horse hair brush.  Another establishment we visited makes tofu.  I’m sure this tastes better than the store bought brands.

The next stop  is Ryogoqu .  This is where the Sumo wrestlers are having a tournament.  The guy in the blue yakata is a high ranking guy because he has 3 assistants with him.  Some of the wrestling rounds may last only 10 seconds.  Have to watch fast to see the action  These sumo guys weight in at least 150 kilos and go up.  They are big fellas!!!

The last photo was of us in front of the Tokyo Tower.  No longer the tallest tower, but a landmark all the same.

    

JAPAN: Tourist Day 7

Before I forget: there is another benefit (other than ATM machines) from the 7-11’s ; they sell wine and whiskey!!

When we arrived at the train station yesterday – it’s as large as a city, we tried to find the correct exit from the station.  With advice from the “lost and found” department – because that described us – we made our exit into an underground mall.  But what next?  We study maps and looked down the corridors when a Japanese man comes up and asks “Why don’t you try information?” pointing to an information booth nearby.  How many times have you felt stupid?

Today we had contracted with a guide via “Local Guides”. Our guide, Hiroshi, is a highly educated and well-traveled man who worked for 40 years for an international company.  He retired last year. You’ll see his photo later; he worked in Saudi Arabia in the early 1980’s, the same as me, but we were in different towns.

Our first stop was the fish market.  On Wednesday the wholesale part of the market is closed but the public part is open.  There is plenty to see and plenty of people shopping.  Next stop was a small shrine near the market.  It’s purpose is to calm the waves to keep the market from flooding.

Then to the Sensoji Temple.  This area of Tokyo was bombed in 1945 but quickly rebuilt.  The gate leading into the temple area is Kaminarmon Gate.  On either side is the God of Thunder and God of Wind.  The gate burned to the ground in 1856 and was not rebuilt until 1960, but the statues are made of bronze and survived the fire.  The gate just outside the temple is Niomon.  Nio meaning guardian and mon meaning gate.

There is a Shinto Shrine next to the Buddhist temple which is unusual.  In this case the treasure inside the Buddhist temple was discovered by 2 fishermen and brought to their village elder.  The elder recognized the importance of the small statue and had a replica made.  The original is never seen by the public but the replica is put on view one day a year in the Buddhist temple.  The Shinto shrine is honoring the 2 fisherman and village elder. 

Buddhism was brought to Japan in the 6th century, from India.  Shinto originates in mythology.

We took a water taxi to the Imperial garden area.  The afternoon was spent walking through gardens and going to the top of a skyscraper for views of Tokyo.  Also, we walked through new shopping areas then the oldest shopping areas in Tokyo.  The new stores look very modern and chic and the oldest department store reminded me of Harrods's in London.  There was a display of gold leaf and they insisted we have our pictures taken in a gold tomb, at least that’s what it looked like.

See photos from today’s tour.

   

We’re less than 0.5 miles from the Tokyo Train Station yesterday and there are dozens, maybe hundreds of restaurant.  We were surprised by the lack of English.  We were denied service on three occasions  tonight, supposedly because of prior reservations.

The trip is almost over; we’ve never had our credit cards denied and getting cash from an ATM has also worked every time.

This afternoon we’re scheduled for a bike tour of Tokyo.

 

JAPAN: Tourist Days 5 and 6

Last night we were in the Sheraton Hiroshima; the best hotel we’ve been in so far.  Two nights previous, after we saw the Geisha girls, our guide recommended a small lane parallel to the river for dinner.  Both sides of the street are lined with restaurants. Five of us found a good and reasonably priced dinner at one of these restaurants.  The next night Brenda and I went back to that area.  We had an Italian dinner, small portions.  Maybe one of our best meals ever. And service?  The waiter put on white gloves every time he delivered a piece of cutlery.

Our meals consisted of 6 courses plus 2 bonus offerings .  We began with a chef’s surprise which to my best knowledge was a custard with broccoli ash.  It was delightful.  Then a soup of creamed peas, drizzled with olive oil. Divine.  Then a raw sea bream layered with steamed red and yellow bell peppers.  Also divine.  Then a pasta course of tagliatelli with beef ragout.  Next was a pan fried fish served with a miniature corn in the husk and thyme foam. Very tasty. Then pork chop. Our dessert was a layered chocolate mousse.  By this time we are stuffed.  They asked if we wanted coffee, espresso, or tea.  We both selected espresso.  Then a chef’s final dessert of 4 tiny tastes came, which included 2 meringue bites, one hazelnut the other melon,  a chocolate mint tiny bit and a fruit tiny bite.  These were delicious even to our already full bellies

We’ve been in Japan for 2 weeks, first on the bicycles and then as pedestrians. We’ve used just about every type of public transportation,  We’ve never been lost.

Until today.  We took a local train trying to get the the island of Miyajima.  I followed the announcements of the stations we passed through on my map. I thought we needed to get off at the 5th stop and we did.  But it was not right. We waited for the next train and got off at the next stop. It was not right either.  We learned we were still 3 stations away from our destination.  Why weren’t those other stops on the map?  I’ll never know.

In town our ryokan was about 0.5 miles from the ferry.  We followed Google Maps and got lost. We debated on how to go.  I asked two workers sitting on the curb.  They studied it.  Several times they said “Ok Google” to their smart phone and a screen full of Japanese characters appeared.  We were maybe 0.25 miles from our destination and they gave us bad instructions.  Up hill; with our luggage. When we found it it was right in front of the ferry.  How could we miss it? Thanks Google Maps Japan.   So a one hour trip with train and walking took a lot longer.  Our worst navigation on this trip.

 

Both Kyoto and Hiroshima have free wi-fi throughout  the  city.  We’re now fairly far from Hiroshima but I can still get their free service.  It appears they’re ahead of the US.  Speaking of high tech, they have escalators here which are at rest until you approach, then they start.  And the bullet trans have bidet toilets. Where else?  If you’re a passenger in a taxi, you can’t open the door.  The driver pushes a button when it’s safe to exit. Love the Japanese technology.

   

 

 

Above is Torii Gate that leads to the Itsukushima Shrine (the shrine is to the cameraman’s back).  The shrine was first built in 593, then rebuilt in 1168.  A corridor of 280 meters spans more than 20 buildings. The shrine was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1996.  The vermilion-lacquered shrine is breathtakingly beautiful in contrast with the blue sea and the green hills.

I spent the day wondering about town looking for photos.  Brenda hiked up Mt Misen, a strenuous climb from sea level to 1650 ft. in less than 2 km.  It took her 4 hours, RT.

Yesterday (or is it today? I’m confused) was/is a travel day, first ferry then 3 trains. We left at 9:00 and didn’t arrive until 5:00 pm. It’s 800 km from Hiroshima to Tokyo. While Brenda did the laundry and went to the Onsen, I explored the area for restaurants. I found a “Lamb Chops and Wine Bar”.  The only mains were Lamb Chops 1 and Lamb Chops 2. There were plenty of sides; the chops were excellent. What did they season them with?  I don’t care; I’m happy.

JAPAN: Tourist Day 4

Most of the last two day’s text has been written by Brenda.  She will continue, describing the Hiroshima memorials and Peace Park.

 

 

We took  Shinkansen (Bullet) train from Kyoto to Hiroshima, about 2 hours.  The train is so smooth.  The train restrooms had bidet toilet seats which we are discovering all across Japan.  A streetcar took us to the Peace Park, about a 30 minute ride for 160 JY (less than $1.60).  The first site we came to was the epicenter of the atomic bomb landing in Hiroshima.  The bomb exploded about 600 meters above ground over the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall. This building was built in 1915 and had had many uses over the years, including an art gallery.  It was an administration building in 1945.  The dome of the building survived and some of the exterior walls.  There have been 4 renovations to the building to shore it up and protect it from further damage from earthquakes. 

Damage from an atomic blast comes in 3 forms:  heat rays, blast and radiation.  The heat from the blast was estimated to be 3,000 – 4000 C.  The blast force was around 984 mph.  The radiation lingered around 4-5 months.  For a 2 km radius from the building nearly everything was turned into ash.  All public records were destroyed which resulted in the inability to accurately determine how many people perished in the blast.  The estimate is 140,000 +/- 10,000.  That was the death toll from August 6-December 31 1945.  Many continued to die from injuries or diseases related to the atomic blast.

The next site was the Children’s Peace Monument.  There was one girls that lived about 10 years after the blast and was dying of leukemia.  As her health deteriorated she folded colorful paper into strings of cranes.  Today school kids come from all over to present their string of cranes.  There were probably 10 different school groups there today (which is Sunday), in uniform, singing, reciting and presenting their cranes.

Our last stop was a memorial for the victims.  There were pictures and verbal accounts. There is also a searchable library for those searching for lost loved ones.

One thing I forgot to mention about Kyoto.  Kyoto is considered a premier training ground for Geisha girls and practicing the art of being a Geisha.  We saw many tourists in rented kimonos.  Two different guides told us that these people are typically Chinese and they like to walk around all day in that garb.

It’s ironic to be in Hiroshima; a couple of months ago we were in the National Museum of Nuclear Science in New Mexico. This is dedicated it the Manhattan Project which developed the Atomic Bomb.

JAPAN: Tourist Day 3

It’s been hot in Japan the previous couple of days. Maybe only in the 80’s in the shade but it feels like the high 90’s in the sun.  We have a report of snow in Frisco, Co (schools were closed on Thursday) with 14 more inches forecast for today.  We’ll be back there in a week.

This morning we went on a bicycle tour of the city.  The bikes left a lot to be desired – heavy, slow, difficult to start and to steer. But there were 4 enthusiastic participants from Australia (Melbourne and Brisbane), a couple from Canada and us.  We again visited both Soto and Buda temples. We had a fairly good guide yesterday but the one today was REALLY GOOD.  His English was always clear and I’m pretty sure he has a vocabulary larger than mine.

This is the Heian-jingu Shrine is similar to the one we visited yesterday.  It was built 1200 years ago but this was rebuilt in 1888 on a slightly smaller site and is 5/8s the size of the original.  In 1888 there was an Exposition in Kyoto and may buildings and canals were built for this celebration.

Below is a replica of a Buddhist temple built around 1230.  This is a soto sect of Buddhism, which is more meditative. The guide said that people’s lives are celebrated in the Shrines (birth, 3 , 5 and 7 years of age) and afterlife is celebrated at the Buddhist Temples (death, 5 years and 7 years after death).  The Japanese culture is full of ceremony and superstition and symbols and have meanings that are usually not obvious to us.  Also popular today is for a bride to choose to have a western  (think Christian) wedding ceremony instead of a traditional one.  The funny thing is that the officiate at the western ceremony does not require any special certification and is given lines to be repeated by the couple but few in Japan are Christian.

This is our last night in Kyoto. Tomorrow we take the bullet train to Hiroshima.

JAPAN: Tourist Day 2

We’re out of the hotel at 7:40 am. Starbucks is not open which seems strange since hundreds of thousand of Japanese are already of the subway on their way to work.

I’ve since learned that there is a McDonalds at the tram station  that  opens at 05:30 but I’m sure Brenda won’t eat there.

Our 9 hour tour is more than exhausting. At the end I’m barely able to walk. We go all over town: 2 subway rides, 3 bus rides, 3 train rides and 2 tram rides.

Our first stop is the Nijo-jo Castle which was built in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was the founder and the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This began a period of 260 years of peace and prosperity following a long period of civil war. The Shogun rarely visited so samurai were usually garrisoned here.  The roof is made of cypress bark and the floor in the main castle building was made of wood and it chirped like a nightingale when we walked on it.  A security measure.

SIGNS ALONG THE WAY

  

                 

 

The Golden Pavilion was stop 2 and in 1994 became a World Cultural Heritage site.  This is a Zen Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect.  The buildings were built in the early 1400’s but some have burned down and been rebuilt.  The gold leaf on this temple was replaced in the 1980’s.

The most dramatic of all the sites today was the Fushimi Inari Shrine and the tens of thousands of vermilion gates that cover more that 4km of a trail up to a mountain top.  Each of the gates are the result of donations from individual, families and corporations.  This shrine was made famous in the film Memoirs of a Geisha.

 

 

 

Around 6pm we ended up in the area most likely to find Geisha girls, and we were not disappointed.  The girls often entertain their clients for a 2 hour period and 3 parties per night.  Mostly we saw geisha girls in training.  They wear their own hair and if decoration is hanging close to their face they are in the first of 5 years of training.  Girls decide whether or not to enter the training after the end of compulsory school which ends at age 15. First years also only paint their lower lip with red lipstick.

 

 

 

When a girls enters the geisha training she leaves her family and cell phone and lives in a training house with a geisha mother, such as the woman in the photo below.  The trainees get 2 days off a month and spend their time learning the art of dance and musical performance and also the ceremonial service of food and tea to their clients who are mostly wealthy men but can also be groups of women.

 

Five of us find a decent restaurant near where the tour terminates.   And then Brenda discovered we were only a few blocks from our hotel. Kyoto was hopping even more on Friday night.  We got to visit the grand opening of the MOMA Kyoto Design Center, just around the corner from our hotel.

JAPAN: Tourist Day 1

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We woke to a bright  and clear day on the Narada River.  Of course we had the typical Japanese breakfast.  You’d think I’d get used to it by now.  But no, I can tolerate it less and less.  I managed to get down the partially cooked egg on rice with soy sauce but that was it.  No more cold fish or other stuff which I can’t even identify. There was no coffee.  On my way back to the room I spotted a vending machine which had a can of cold latte.  That helped.  Then, at the train station, the first thing we spotted was a French bakery.  So I had a real breakfast with a cappuccino.

This is a travel day.  We’re travelling from Gifu to Kyoto by way of Nagoya.

We’re already learned that Gifu is the crossroads of Japan.  There are only local trains through here. Signs in the station are in Japanese only and it’s difficult for tourists to find their train. 

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is Japan's third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area. It is located on the Pacific coast on central Honshu. It is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Kitakyushu. It is also the center of Japan's third-largest metropolitan region, known as the Choky Metropolitan Area. As of 2015, 2.28 million people lived in the city, part of Chūkyō Metropolitan Area's 9.10 million people. Both the local and bullet trains come here. The electric signs, although  primarily Japanese, would occasionally flash English.

From Nagoya to Kyoto we’re on the Shinsanken, bullet  train.  These are things of beauty when their long sleek cars pass through a station.  Inside they’re whisper quiet and smooth, even at  high speeds. Of course there is free wi-fi on board.

I screwed up our hotel reservations in Kyoto.  They were supposed to be by the train station but the ones I made are by the bus station. This is a couple of miles and an $18 cab ride from where we wanted to be. However, our hotel is quite nice and the reception staff speaks good English.

At the Kyoto train station there were two taxi lines, one for Japanese  and one for visitors. We stood in the visitor line for 15 minutes and not one taxi arrived. During this time there were probably 50 pickups for the locals.  I approached the guy I thought was running the show to show him I had the hotel address in Japanese and ask if we could possibly get  in the local line.  But he turned away from me.  I had noticed a couple of taxis parked on the side and occasionally someone, someone important I imagined, would be directed to these parked taxis.  One of the drivers of these parked taxis saw me and came over. I showed him my directions and he said “come”.  And he took us to within a half block to our hotel.  Otherwise, I might still be standing there.

Our hotel location is adjacent to a gigantic mall which extends for blocks in several directions. We decide to explore and immediately discover a French  bakery  and a Starbucks.  There are many small restaurants.  And suddenly I spot something that I can’t believe, pictures of hamburgers! Hamburgers in Kyoto! They weren’t quite as good as in the states but they were good enough! I think I might just survive this trip.

A local map furnished by the hotel says we’re in the Gion area. Just a subset of this part of town, maybe 10 blocks wide and 6 blocks tall contain 4 7-11’s and 3 Circle K’s.

We go to the Mall for dinner and find PASTA.  Hamburgers for lunch and Penne Pasta for dinner. Life doesn’t get much better.  We check out the subway for tomorrow’s trip to the train station. I’m skeptical but Brenda thinks we can do it. We’re meeting our friends for a 9-hour walking tour of the town.  Kyoto is booming at 8 pm.  Stores are open. Everything is well lit. The streets are full of people. Makes you think you’re in New York.