2024 - Bonnie's Journey to Japan
Bonnie’s Journal - Japan, 2024
Day 0, March 18 And 19 – Travel To Japan
Itinerary
March 19-21 Tokyo
March 22 Tokyo to Nagano
March 24 Nagano to Kanazawa
March 26 Kanazawa to Takayama
March 28 Takayama to Kyoto
April 2 Kyoto to Hiroshima
April 4 Hiroshima to Hakone
April 6 Hakone to Shinjuku
April 7 Tokyo to USA
David and I are intrepid world travelers and have visited
all seven continents. We had previously planned to visit Japan, but were
delayed because of COVID, when Japan closed its doors to all incoming tourists.
We planned this trip with the help of Audley travel agency,
which arranged for all of the lodging, purchased the train tickets and arranged
for some special excursions, including two days with tour guides.
Ultimately, however, this trip was unescorted on our own.
Despite our extensive travel experience, we were sometimes challenged, but
ultimately successful.
We enjoyed the trip. I enjoyed recording it, and hope you
enjoy reading about it.
Our daughter Tammi arrived at 3:45 AM to pick us up and take
us to the airport. She helped load the car and then navigated the traffic to
Sky Harbor. We took our bags inside, located the Hawaiian Airlines desk and
checked them. It took some time to go through security as there were long
lines.
As we approached our gate, we stopped for breakfast. We had
more than an hour to wait before boarding. David was reluctant to order
breakfast because he thought we would eat on the plane and as it turns out he
was right.
This is the first time we have flown in first class in all our travels. We took our time getting settled in our space and learning to
use the features in a first-class cabin.
Flight attendants brought us something to
drink and took our breakfast orders. They introduced themselves and took our
names to call us by name throughout the flight.
We each have a spacious seat, which has a folding tray table and a pole
that can be pulled up and then folded sideways to form the platform for our
tablet, which we will use to watch movies. We have a blanket and a pillow. The
seat is movable and will lay completely flat. There is a small shelf to the
side, big enough to rest our feet on when we are lying down.
This radio tower reminds me of the Space Needle in Seattle. Opened in 2011 to mixed reviews. This 2000+ foot tall skyscraper has become a symbol of the ongoing revival of the eastern side of the city.
Day 1, March 20 - Tokyo
When it opened, tickets to the observation decks were booked for months in advance and the tower along with the adjacent shopping complex continues to draw shoppers and tourists to the area.
We returned to the room to get ready to meet with our tour
guide, Miho Arita, at 9 o’clock in the lobby. She is sometimes an English
teacher, sometimes a tour guide, and has done a lot of traveling herself. She
will be our guide until 5 o’clock this afternoon. She was there ahead of us and
seated us at a table nearby. Her job is a full-day “Tokyo orientation and
private tour.” She is prepared with maps and other handouts; David and I are
full of questions.
We want to learn about the complex Tokyo subway system as
well as the train system that runs throughout the country since we will be
using both forms of transportation during our three weeks here. Except for
today, we will be on our own, so we need to understand how to navigate the
transportation systems.
Miho answered our many questions and began an education of
the subway system using the maps. We spend about an hour at the table. She said
she would explain more as we use the system during the day today.
We learn the subways are, of course, underground and vast.
They link to the Japanese Railway (JR) system, which has two types of trains,
the slower local ones and the bullet trains. The bullet trains run above ground
and are therefore on the higher levels at the subway stations.
Our welcome packet has the train tickets for the entire trip
already purchased and bundled together by date, each with a rubber band. Miho
reviewed the tickets and offered information so we understand that there are
times we will need to transfer to other trains on some days.
We decided to head out.
Because we have no local currency, she took us to an ATM at
the 7-Eleven to withdraw about $350 US in ¥50,000
Japanese yen. The yen is about 66 cents to $1.00 US.
The first attraction takes the rest of the morning to visit the Sensoji
Temple. Even for travelers with little interest in history or temples, this
complex is the heart and soul of this area of Tokyo and it’s without a doubt
one of Tokyo’s must-see sites. The huge complex houses the oldest temple in
Tokyo said to have been built in 628.
It is famous for the main Kaminarimon Gate, where giant lanterns hang.
Miho tell us this is called the thunder gate and has a huge carved red god of thunder on one side and god of wind on the other.
Near the temple is a five-story high pagoda from the same period. The area also offers interesting shops, winding backstreets, and an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Tokyo.
Many young women rent kimonos for the day and appear in full makeup with beautiful hairstyles and wear sandals over socks with split toes for the sandal straps.
The walkway to the temple is lined on both sides with shops
selling all sorts of souvenirs, crafts, and food. This is called the Asakusa
shopping street, the oldest shopping district. It is from the Edo era. Miho is
eager for us to try new experiences, so shows us how to use a large vending
machine device that sells souvenirs. She also encourages us to buy flavored
rice crackers. I chose sesame. David chose spicy.
The area is very crowded, and it is Wednesday, not even a weekend.
Miho tells us that the school term has just finished so many local young people are visiting here as tourists. This is also Vernal Equinox Day, a
holiday in Japan with offices closed.
The temple itself is a place of worship, so some of the vendors are selling incense. Most Japanese stop at a huge bronze incense burner in front of the main hall to bathe their hands and face in the smoke as a charm to ward off illnesses before they climb the stairs to offer their prayers. Japanese bow before approaching, then fold their hands praying before the Buddha.
Miho tells the history of the Edo time which is the earlier name of Tokyo. Shoguns were the rulers then. Miho gave far more information than I can record here.
We used the subway to move to other sections, called precincts, of this
eastern side of Tokyo.
We went first to Ginza, the high-end shopping district.
This is an area of skyscrapers. The Nisson building houses
many prominent brands. As we ascend floors we see the newest models of
automobiles. On the Sony floors, there are state of the art cameras, huge
televisions and little robot puppies, who respond to petting by turning their
heads, moving ears, wagging tails, walking around and barking.
Another building has fashions, Seiko watches, fancy
chocolates, cosmetics and perfumes, all in dazzling displays. There are many salesclerks
promoting their products. On the lower level is fresh food, like a deli, but
fancier. People stop on their way home from work to buy full meals, selecting
choices like lasagna or sliced roast beef, salads, breads and pastries, desserts,
and fruits. We wanted to buy lunch and eat it on the roof terrace, but it was
raining so we changed plans.
We watched pedestrians cross a huge intersection in all directions in a
location called the scramble, then went upstairs to take a video of it from
above. We stopped for a drink and a quick bite of lunch.
By now it is 2:00. David and I are growing tired. This is
our first day in this new time zone and we woke very early. We decided to
cancel our evening plans of a street food tour, sort of a Japanese-style
food-crawl. Miho called her office to cancel.
We continued the tour to the Meiji Jengu Shinto Shrine located in the middle of the megacity of Tokyo. Thanks to the donation of 100,000 trees from all over Japan, the manmade forest is self-regenerating. Many sake barrels and Western wine barrels are displayed at the two sides of the approach and are offerings to the shrine.
We asked Miho to take us to Tokyo station where we will get on the bullet train on March 22, to practice arriving by subway and getting on the train. We figure this will take the remaining time we have and to get back to the hotel for Miho to be done by 5:00. Actually, it took longer. We stopped briefly at a market next to our hotel so David could buy Johnny Walker Red. She said goodbye to us about 5:30. Tipping is rude in Japan, so we gave her a gift of a small Arizona flag as a thank you.
We relaxed in the room for a while before going to the hotel
restaurant for dinner. We were back in our room before 8 and David was asleep
by 9. I tried to stay awake to work on this journal and finally went to sleep
about 10:30.
Day 2, March 21 - Tokyo ¶
I slept well, waking at 4:00 but just turning over and
sleeping until 6.
Our first order of business after breakfast was packing our
luggage to ship to our next destination. That is the suggestion here because it
is difficult to take bags on the bullet trains. We kept out what we needed for
today, tonight, and tomorrow. This will go in our backpack. Everything else is
in the luggage.
We took the bags to the front desk, where they were
measured. It will cost about $20 per bag for them to be sent ahead.
We came back to the room and were planning our day when we
felt the building tremble several times. We looked at each other and our phones
sounded an earthquake alarm. I read the hotel guide which essentially said stay
put. We felt nothing further and resumed our business. We heard later it was a
5.3 quake.
We discussed several options for activities and decided to
go to the fish market. We made plans for which subway to take.
Today’s high will be 50 with strong winds. The locals have
been wearing long winter coats. I’m glad my jacket had gloves in the pockets.
We passed the information center and I stopped to ask
directions to the fish market. She drew on my subway map and then handed me
some literature about the area. David was miffed that I asked, since we had
already made a plan.
It took a few minutes walking to find the subway stop. We
went downstairs and studied the maps to figure out which direction to go so we
knew which side of the station to stand on.
We made the right choice, rode two stops and got off to
transfer to a different line taking us closer to the market.
The market as you might expect, sells hundreds of varieties
of fish. There are big wholesale markets where restaurants come to buy, and
dozens and dozens of smaller specialty fish shops. Not only are there different
varieties of fish, but many ways of preparing them. Many were wrapped in fancy
packages to take home to cook. Many were single serving size sushi fish.
Customers crowded the area, and most were munching on something. The markets
extended for several blocks, all filled with crowds of people searching for the
perfect buy.
This area is actually a food “town” with all kinds of
traditional Japanese foods as well as various types of kitchenware associated
with Japanese food. We stopped in a knife shop and were impressed at the many
types of knives and blown away at the costs!
We stopped at a little coffee shop and sat on stools
enjoying Darjeeling tea and Jamaican coffee.
We found shop selling
packaged tea and admired all the varieties.
We finally decided to move on to our other attraction for
today, the nearby Hama-rikyu Gardens, originally created by an ancient Shogan.
There is a 300-year-old pine tree there which he planted. We paid the entrance
fee and got a senior discount. It is still too chilly here for the Cherry
blossoms, but we looked and found the Cherry trees had buds. Maybe when we
return to Tokyo in three weeks, the blossoms will have bloomed. I hope so, but
given the temperature today, I understand they aren’t ready to come out.
We wandered the garden, still in its winter mode. We heard the ducks and saw that duck hunting with nets only is permitted here. I wonder how that works.
As we leave the garden, there is a sign with a map to the
closest subway station.
We made it most of the way, but finally needed to ask for
help from a man walking down the street. He kindly pointed toward the station
area and says just keep walking straight.
We discovered the entrance and went down several flights of
stairs to get to the correct level. We boarded at A18 and got off at A11. We were
supposed to transfer to a different line but couldn’t seem to find it. Finally,
we saw a sign that said, “Transfers above ground” and figured we must climb
upstairs to get outside to locate the connecting line. Who knew?? We got
outside and searched for the sign for the other station, getting frustrated
before we finally saw it.
We have walked over six miles today and David’s knee was not
happy about all these stairs.
We found the correct side to stand on to go in the right
direction and got off when were supposed to, following exit signs to the
surface. But nothing outside looked familiar. We must have come out a different
exit than the one from which we originally boarded. David opened the GPS to try
to find it, but the instructions kept changing. We spotted one of the buildings
in the Temple complex tour with Miho two days ago and recognized it as a
landmark. We headed in that direction while I pulled up our hotel on my GPS.
David was tired and wanted to sit a while. That was ok by
me. He took more photographs of the temple area. My GPS still had the hotel in
it. And we followed it carefully with success. Whew!!
Japanese drive on the left and walk on the left. This very
tidy city has no trash cans. Everyone takes their trash home to dispose of.
Day 3, March 22 - Tokyo Travel¶
I woke up a couple of times during the night thinking about
how we would find the bullet train. I just took deep breaths and prayed for
peace. This will work out.
We woke at 6:30, dressed and had breakfast. David checked
out. The cost for transfer of the luggage was $26 total, so less than we
expected. The clerk who tried to locate a Japanese man we used to know was not
successful.
We stuffed everything into our backpacks and of course now
they were heavy.
We reviewed our train tickets and instructions. It leaves at
10:22, but we wanted to head to the station early to figure out how to get on
the train. We left about 8:00 so we wouldn’t be late.
Navigating the two subway trains to get to the Tokyo station
went well, not that we yet are pros, but at least have improved problem-Solving
skills. The subway train lines are color coded, and signage uses those colors.
We just had to be alert to watch for arrows saying go up here or turn here.
There is lots of walking inside the subway stations. There are restrooms and
vending machines.
We took the orange Ginza line from stop G-19 to G-9. It
sounds like playing Bingo! Now we transfered to the red M line for only one
stop, exiting at Tokyo Station.
Remembering our coaching from Miho, we know we need to go up
and to look for the green JR train. We ask directions from station staff a
couple of times.
The best help came from a female agent walking around with a
green information vest on. She showed us how to read the ticket to get our
train number, then read the departure board like at the airport to find a track
number. We were so early it is not even showing yet. She pointed downstairs to
a seating area where we can wait. There was a board there too.
When we saw our train appear on the board, it would be on
track 20, but where is that? Add this to our list of questions for staff.
I tried putting the wrong ticket into the gate and red
lights flashed. An agent came to show us the correct ticket to use. They look
alike, but the wrong ticket just shows seat assignments. She pointed to an
escalator to track 20. We went to the outside platform to wait.
Miho told us to stand by our car number on the platform, so we found 11 painted on the concrete. We still had about a half hour to wait, so took pictures and people watched.
The train arrived and a big crew of cleaners climbed aboard
to vacuum, wash sinks and mirrors, collect trash, generally cleaning. They got
off the train together facing waiting passengers and on cue nodded their heads
to bow.
We could board now, and our seats were at the other end of
the car. The train was sleek and handsome with tall comfortable seats.
Announcements were also made in English. It’s good we were not late. The train
left exactly 10:22.
We knew we will need to change trains in about ninety
minutes. The first part of the ride was in Tokyo, passing apartments and
commercial buildings on and on.
I caught a glimpse of Mount Fuji and asked David to snap a
quick picture. Even from the moving train with all the buildings in the way, he
managed to get a couple. Lucky he did that because when we returned to Tokyo at
the end of the trip, the clouds obscured Mt. Fuji.
As we got out of town, we began climbing and soon saw snow.
It was early spring, and the snow has been here a while, but big patches remained
in the shade. It was not likely to see cherry blossoms in these mountains,
which they call the Japanese Alps.
The train was full of mostly locals, I guessed. I did spot a
few people with travel guides. There were a couple of well-behaved children.
Public toilets here usually have a place like a highchair mounted on the wall
where moms can strap in a toddler to keep him safe while she uses the
facilities, and this was available even on the train.
Stops were announced in advance, so we were prepared when
ours came for the transfer. We grabbed our backpacks and hurried off.
There was a train employee nearby who spoke little English.
I showed him our connection ticket and he said track 9. He soon caught up with
us to correct himself, saying track 6.
We saw the sign for 6. David started down the stairs, but I
spotted an elevator and called him back. We went to track 6 and our train was
already there. We expected an hour layover but boarded and found our seats.
A couple from England, also traveling with Audley Travel had
brief conversation with us. We were going to the same town, Kiso. She said she
had confirmed the train with the driver. She said they found Tokyo station
daunting and we agreed. Nice to have confirmation that we weren’t the only
ones.
This second train was called Shinano limited express. My
thinking was that it had some local stops, so limited the express. We were
still climbing and going through lots of tunnels. We passed through many towns
and could see schools and playgrounds, cars waiting at the RR crossing, even
McDonalds and Starbucks.
The rural sections were cultivated with huge vineyards. I
didn’t know grapes grew this high.
We reached the Kiso stop and followed the British couple off
the train. They were not staying where we were, and someone was waiting to pick
them up.
Kiso Fukushima is a high mountain town in the central
mountainous region west of Tokyo. (A larger nearby town is Nagano.) Mt Ontake
is 3067 meters or 10,062 feet tall. The town was one of the four main
checkpoints on the road made by the Edo Shogunate Government. Called a “post”
town, because travelers during that era had to check in at the border control
gate, it was prosperous, playing a central role in the Kiso area both
politically and economically.
David and I opted to stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan.
Directions told us to cross the street from the train station and walk a few
steps to the right. We found the place, but no one answered the door.
We had just passed a
tourist information center so walked back to ask for help. One of the women
spoke English and promptly led us back to the ryokan. She shouted but not
getting a response, just opened the doors and went further inside continuing to
call out.
Finally, a man responded. He said in broken English. “This
hotel check in time 3:00”. It was 1:45. We had heard nothing about this restriction,
but he was serious. We said we wanted lunch. He said, “Japanese noodle shop 300
meters”, and pointed left. He allowed us to leave our backpacks. We walked down
the street, feeling the cold. The places looked deserted, and we were not
seeing anything that looked like an open cafe.
We saw a man enter a door ahead of us and when we got there,
we saw signs in the window for take-out dishes.
We went in and were welcomed by the two women who were running the place. It was a small room with two tables in it, and it appeared they lived above.
One brought a menu and I pointed to a picture. David said
two and held up two fingers. We sat down and were served hot tea. David ordered
a beer. We were glad to get in out of the cold.
The food tasted great! Breaded fish with rice and a side of noodles they called spaghetti. There was a tiny blob of what tasted like potato salad, and a slice of tomato.
The entire meal or both of us including the beer was about
$12 US. We took photos of our hosts and the shop.
Back at the ryokan, and after 3:00, the host had us take off
our shoes and sign in. I was surprised he didn’t ask for passports. Another man
rattled off all the services available and took us to our room. We rode the
elevator. He took the stairs. Dinner will be at 6:00. Breakfast at 8:00.
The ryokan is supposed to be traditional Japanese lodging.
The room had a short table in center with chairs (seats?) with backs but no
legs.
The table is moved at
night to put down the futon cushions for sleeping. The room has kimonos for
each of us. We have a private toilet. Heated toilet seats are standard in
Japan. There was a cedar box for a hot tub.
There was a shower and a closet. Yes, a TV. There was a small refrigerator and a room AC/heater. Our forwarded luggage was in our room. We were glad for a break. We put down one of the cushions so David could nap. I soaked in the cedar box. It sure relaxed me!
Dinner was almost beyond description. It was nine courses of tiny servings.
Each served on different lacquer ware dishes, or in a little box like serving
tray.
The appetizers were in tiny dishes almost like a doll tea set. A bite of
this and sip of that. I will add the menu.
We were certainly full at the end.
The sushi fish was trout, farm raised in the cold mountain
waters. I liked it ok. David ate the tiny raw squid, but I couldn’t make myself
try it.
I had been trying to send photos and mostly they fail to
send! Drat!
When we got back to the room, it was transformed for
sleeping, with the futons on the floor, table in the closet, and comforters for
a cover. Pillows were stuffed with straw or something similar. Nevertheless, we
slept well.
Day 5, March 23 - Kiso¶
Of course, if you sleep on the floor, you have to get up off the floor! David and I each had our own ways of getting upright.
As soon as it was light outside, we saw it was snowing! It
was 30 degrees. The forecast called for snow all day. It had just started but
was piling up fast.
We had planned to take the train today and then a bus to get
on an old Samurai trail and hike three hours back to the train. Looked like it
was time for a plan B. We were not prepared for hiking in the snow. Travelers
need to be flexible.
But first, Game Changer popped up on David’s phone. This is
the app that streams great granddaughter Madison’s softball games. So, he was
set for the next hour until breakfast watching it. Isn’t technology amazing?
Here we were in the Japanese Alps, hunkered down against the spring snowstorm,
and the game was live streaming. (meantime I couldn’t get my photos to
send-lol).
Breakfast was much like dinner except all the courses came
on two large, partitioned serving trays. The 12 sections held vegetables,
yogurt, different fish with sauces, sardines with a sweet glaze, a poached egg
we were instructed to open and pour into a bowl of broth, many unidentified
items. I tried most of them. There was a serving of miso soup simmering on a
small hibachi. We also were served rice.
David had coffee. I got hot green tea. We had a small glass
of an unnamed juice. Good food and filling.
The host came with her translator device asking if we were
going out today. We said no. Since we were staying in, they aren’t cleaning.
Later they brought clean towels and other items they would have replenished if
we were not here.
Back in the room, we watched the snow piling up.
David enjoyed
Madison’s second game. He was impressed with the varsity coach.
We shipped our luggage ahead this morning and I regretted
not keeping out the book I brought to read. When I mentioned this, David
offered to connect my Libby app to the Maricopa Library system and soon I was
listening to an audio book.
We never got around to going outside. We had a large picture
window, so I watched traffic and the snowplows and people parking to shop at
what must be the grocery. David took a nap. We had a serious discussion about
my new medical news and what we might anticipate. David wanted to know how he
can best support me.
We talked about going out to find lunch, but we don’t have
snow boots. I remembered I had some snacks in the frig which we brought from
Tokyo, so we ate them instead.
Late afternoon the snow stopped. The mountain across from us
behind the town looked frosted.
We reviewed plans for tomorrow, a travel day, and got our
tickets ready.
Dinner was at 6:00. Different foods but similarly served.
They must spend all day preparing the food. The raw salmon was excellent dipped
in a lemon sauce. I tried the octopus, but it was too rubbery.
We took a photo with the hostess. Her most common
communication was “Thank you very much”.
Day 6, March 24 - Kanazawa¶
I woke about 4, turned over and made it to 6. We got up, dressed and began packing our backpacks. David found a way to stream Madison’s game from the middle of the night Japanese time on a replay, so he was occupied until breakfast at 8:00.
The hostess told us last night that breakfast this morning
would be served western style. She brought us a plate of scrambled eggs with a
salad on the side. There was a bowl of mixed fruit, a heated bun, and a heated
slice of bread. There was butter and jelly and a piece of cheese. We had
ordered coffee and tea for breakfast, and it was there, but both of them were
served cold in glasses. We asked for hot drinks which she promptly brought to
us.
There were several other guests in the dining room this
morning. Some were Japanese; one couple was not.
We returned to the room to finish packing our backpacks and
waited for time to walk to the train station across the street. We said goodbye
to our host and hostess. They presented us with two pairs of chopsticks as a
parting gift.
We put on our shoes which had been waiting outside the lobby
the entire time we’d been here.
This train station is by far easier to navigate than Tokyo.
There are only two tracks and the signs included English. Our train will be on
track 12. Our tickets gave us a car and seat number. We rode the elevator
upstairs. We were the first people on the platform, and others slowly began to
arrive, stretching along the platform to board their specific car.
The train arrived, we boarded and found our seats. David
stowed our backpacks in the overhead. We settled into the comfortable seats for
the 90-minute trip.
Our route follows the Kiso River through the valley. We
passed many small towns, went through tunnels, and passed open fields. The
train was traveling at about 220 miles an hour.
I noticed as we passed graveyards that the tombstones
usually were round granite like a stove pipe sticking up.
David and I talked for a while before I started listening to
my audiobook again.
I listened carefully when the announcements were made for
the stops. I knew that we’re supposed to arrive at 11:59. These trains are
always on time so knowing that, timing is a good clue for when we will be at
our destination.
When we got off the train, we were needing one piece of
information. Our tickets told us the name of the train we will be riding was
Hakutaka 561, but not the name of the train line. We stopped to look at our
Audley travel guide, which told us Shinkansen.
We were becoming more familiar with using the train system
and find the name Shinkansen in English over the departure board upstairs with
an arrow pointing where to go. When we arrived at the Shinkansen area, we
watched the departure board until Hakutaka 561 appeared with a track number.
We knew that there will not be a restaurant near the hotel
where we’re staying tonight so we bought sandwiches and chips for lunch and
some snacks to take with us. By now, David had collected a lot of loose change.
I laid it all down on the counter for the clerk to pick the coins to make the
payment for my purchase. She was very pleasant to do this. Maybe she needed the
change or maybe she is simply Japanese. Everyone has been so kind.
There were no ticket takers or machines for our tickets when
we boarded the train in Kiso, so we still had them with us as we transferred. I
tried putting the ticket into the machine to enter the area to board the train,
but again got one of the red error lights. An agent approached and I waved to
him. He came to look at our tickets and seemed puzzled that we hadn’t used them
before. He explained that we should put all the tickets including the transfer
tickets into the machine at the same time, I didn’t understand that that was
what he meant, and I put only one ticket in and of course got another red
light. The agent patiently took our tickets put them together and explained
again that they needed to go into the machine together. This time I was
successful.
We found our boarding location and waited for the train to
stop.
Many people got off the train before we were able to board. This train was probably the most completely full train that we’ve ridden so far. We were glad to have assigned seats.
We ate our lunch on the train, and remarked how delicious it
was to have some salty potato chips.
Now we noticed that we had reached the West Coast of Japan
and are traveling south to Kanazawa. It is definitely warmer here at 30 feet
above sea level. We follow along the shoreline of the Sea of Japan, which
separates Japan from North and South Korea.
When we got off the train, we entered the station which had
a huge shopping area. We were thinking we wanted to get something to eat for
this evening. We wandered around looking for sandwiches or some takeout food
but finally spotted a sign for pizza and David wanted to stop and eat there.
That sounded good to me.
We both ordered the Caprice pizza. I thought it would have
mozzarella cheese and it did. But it also had shrimp and octopus. Not exactly
what I had in mind. I pulled the octopus off and ate the pizza. It was
delicious.
Our Audley directions said we could meet the hotel shuttle
outside the west entrance of the station. But the directions did not specify
where. We looked in the area where many buses were parked but didn’t find it. I
called the hotel to get directions. I held down the 0 on my phone to get the
plus sign. I looked at U Tube to find out how. David said he already knew, and
I asked then why didn’t you tell me? The receptionist said that the hotel shuttle
buses were behind the taxi stands to the right as you came out of the entrance.
This additional specific information helped us to find the shuttle. I will
suggest to Audley that they add that piece of information to their travel
guide.
The shuttle quickly got us to the hotel, where we were met
by a young woman who insisted on carrying our backpacks inside for us. She took
our passports to check us in. She gave us our room keys and explained about the
public baths, breakfast area and the Wi-Fi. She confirmed by saying, “Two
people, two nights, two beds?”
All these accommodations include public baths, separated for
men and women. It is not permitted to wear clothing into the bath. I’m going to
find time to check it out.
The young woman took us to our room. We found our luggage
waiting for us. We got comfortable to relax and read.
We tried to use the TV but could never
figure out how to get English subtitles. The room was too warm, and I messed
with the thermostat. I couldn’t read text but I could move the temperature
numbers up and down, so got us comfortable. In for the night. ¶
Day 7, March 25 - Kanazawa¶
Today is March 25 in Japan, one day different than home.
We woke to a gray overcast day with light rain. The high
will be 55. It felt cooler because of the humidity near the coast, but still
much warmer than in the mountains.
We showered and repacked our luggage to forward. David said
he is tired of repacking and travel days and offered that maybe he will opt for
cruises in the future.
Facing my health concerns, I don’t know how much travel I
will be up to, but I am not borrowing trouble.
We checked the bags and ate breakfast. This was a very nice
hotel, and the included breakfast even had an omelet station. We had plenty to
eat and finished with two little dessert servings, one chocolate and one called
Swiss roll.
Our hotel room was as spacious as one in the United States.
It was furnished with two double size beds. It had a two-person sofa and a
desk. One especially nice feature was at the foot of each bed there was a flat bench
convenient to put our suitcases on. There was a closet. The bath had both a
shower and a tub. Of course, the toilet had a heated seat, and I was getting
very fond of this luxury, especially when coming in from the cold. There was
also an electric hot pot for heating water for hot tea. I could hardly have
been more pleased.
We always took off shoes when entering our room. There were
sandals provided or we walked in our stocking feet.
All the lodgings included kimonos or pajamas for guests. Here there
were brown two-piece pajamas for men and women. You could wear them anywhere in
the hotel except in the lobby.
This was a lovely hotel, beautifully decorated with local
crafts
and gardens. Some of the artwork included kimonos on
display.
We spent time this morning roaming around the hotel, taking
pictures of the gardens
and the rooftop
terrace. The terrace had a sign with arrows pointing to New York, Paris, and
Tokyo.
We were near the area of Mt Hakusen, which we saw as a snow-covered
Alp on the way in on the train. Today with the overcast and fog, there was no
view of the mountains.
When we finished our self-guided tour of the hotel, we
stopped in the hotel lounge for coffee and tea. I wrote postcards and bought
stamps at the front desk. I also texted pictures to friends and family.
Kanazawa is known for its artisan heritage. It represents
the best of Japanese craft makers and is renowned for its arts and crafts,
particularly lacquerware, porcelain, ceramics, gold- leafing, and silk-dying.
The hotel was decorated with museum quality examples of these crafts.
We were sitting in the hotel lounge when our tour guide
arrived. She introduced herself as Izumi, which means fountains in Japanese.
She is a lovely 57-year-old woman. She is well prepared for her task, carrying
with her a notebook of maps and other important local information.
She asked hotel staff to call a taxi for us. This is our
first time in a taxi in Japan. I was impressed with how sparkling clean it was.
The seats were covered with a white fabric, trimmed in lace. The driver even
wore white gloves.
By the way, traffic
lights in Japan, hang horizontally, not vertically.
The tour today was four hours, starting at 12:30, with a
private guide, first to Gyokusen-en gardens to enjoy a Japanese tea ceremony,
and then a second tour of Kenrokuen gardens.
This was a custom tour for just me and David, so the guide
was flexible, allowing us to take our time when we wanted more pictures or
moving on when she suggested a rest.
There is no way I can record all we saw and learned. It was
an amazing afternoon. The gardens are over 350 years old. Some of the ancient
pine trees are propped up by timbers or ropes. They are considered deities.
The gardens are filled with ancient pagoda-shaped lanterns
which used to light the gardens. The lantern is the symbol of Kanazawa.
There are ponds and other water features including the oldest Japanese fountain, built in 1861, which has no motor or pump. It works by natural pressure caused by the difference in elevation of two ponds.
The plum trees were blooming and gorgeous. Izumi said last
year March was the time for Cherry Blossoms. This year it was not warm enough
yet, but when we move further south to Kyoto and Hiroshima, they will likely be
blooming there.
We reached the tea house by stepping on large stones,
careful not to disturb the moss-covered ground.
We gradually climbed uphill. Izumi pointed out numerous
trees and plants and explained tradition and the history of the gardens. We
took lots of pictures.
The tea ceremony was exquisite. A woman with excellent
English told us step by step what would happen and what to say. For example,
when it is your turn to drink tea, you turn to the person on your left, whose
turn will be next, and say a word in Japanese which means, “Excuse me for
drinking ahead of you.”
Then you say thank
you to the woman who prepared the tea. Then you drink your tea from a small
bowl in three swallows, draining the bowl. Then you make a huffing sound into
the empty bowl to signal you are finished.
Much more to it than this. Everything is served with great ceremony and bowing. You finish all with a haiku.
We walked about two blocks to the Kenrokuen garden which is one of the three largest and most beautiful landscaped gardens in the country. Again, we received detailed history. We watched the landscaping staff all dressed in blue. The guide encouraged us to stop to enjoy the views.
We told Izumi we wanted to eat dinner before returning to
the hotel and discussed options. She said she could show us sit-down
restaurants at the train station, and we could take the hotel shuttle back from
there.
She got a taxi to the station and showed us restaurants and
shopping. Then showed us where to catch the bus for tomorrow’s trip, telling us
that the Audley book is not up to date and has the wrong information. Good to
know!!
She has been the most gracious considerate hostess, with
attention to our every wish and comfort. We give her our parting gift like
Heidi taught us, and Izumi said she would treasure it.
We had a great meal, shopped for a couple of gifts, and were
lucky enough that the hotel shuttle was waiting when we arrived at the pick-up
spot. Perfect timing.
I wanted to see the public bath. I went there taking some
photos on the way. There is a changing area with lockers. There is an
instruction guide about how to use the public bath saying that you should clean
your body before getting into the bath. The bath itself is like a small
swimming pool or large hot- tub. The instructions caution you not to stay too
long. There was no one using the bath when I was there, so I took pictures even
though the instructions said no pictures allowed.
As I left the public bath area, I noticed a small freezer
chest. I peeked inside to discover some small fudgesicles. I grabbed a couple
and went back to the room. They tasted really good. David was watching a
documentary about sandhill cranes in Europe.
When I finished my journal, we were ready for bed. ¶
Day 8, March 26 - Travel Day By Bus: Kanazawa To Takayama¶
We woke to pouring rain and we were glad we were traveling
indoors at least part of today on the bus. ¶
We are headed into the Japanese Alps and will stay in the
Kiso Valley. This deep narrow valley is walled in by the central Alps to
the east and the northern Alps to the west. From 1603 to 1867 the area was
called Nakasendo or center highway because it connected western Japan and Kyoto
to Edo (present day Tokyo.)
Once the highways and train lines were built to connect the
west to Tokyo, the 11 once-bustling post villages, where travelers and traders stopped to refresh themselves and share news became ghost towns. (This
sounds similar to what happened in the US when Interstate highways left small
towns nearly stranded on the byways.) In some of the old post towns,
traditional houses have been restored. Walking through the historical areas, one
can almost imagine life centuries ago, when the rustic shops were stocked with
supplies for the travelers instead of the traditional crafts now offered for
sale.
We ate breakfast and I tried green tea bread, which had slices with
swirls of green and tasted good. ¶
I asked the hotel concierge to double check our departure
gate for the bus. She used her phone to pull it up. Yes, the Audley book is
wrong. I sent Audley an email with the correction. She also told us to expect
it to be cold at our destination. We are headed back into the mountains. ¶
As we left the hotel, I gave the woman a wrapped parting
gift of a Native American design bandana. I explained what it was. She was
appreciative, bowing many times. ¶
We took the hotel shuttle to the train station where the bus stops are outside and found gate 4. We were early but wanted to be sure not to miss the 11:10 bus. It continued to rain, and a cold wind was blowing, but at least we found a bench near the gate to wait. And there was cover overhead to keep us sort of dry.
We watched people line up at other gates, board, and depart.
Soon folks were lining up at our gate. We had assigned seats, so no need to
give up our bench. We waited until the end of the line. I asked the agent to look
at our ticket. He checked it and said give it to the driver. ¶
Others were loading luggage in the compartment under the
bus. We were happy not to be struggling with it. ¶
We gave our ticket to the driver. He looked at it for so
long that I begin to worry there was a problem. Finally, he nodded his head
that we could board. I asked for my ticket back, but he kept it. ¶
Someone was sitting in our seats, but moved when we asked
them to. The seats were quite small and with our jackets on we felt crowded and
struggled to get our seat belts on. ¶
The bus pulled away fully loaded. Most folks looked like
tourists, several with large backpacks. ¶
It rained all day, sometimes not as hard as this morning,
but plenty wet. I noticed flooded playgrounds and parks. There was backsplash
on the streets. ¶
This was an express bus with only one quick stop for a bathroom break before reaching our destination.
Again, we were puzzled at the Audley instructions which
suggested the layover would be long enough for us to explore the villages at Shirakawago,
a UNESCO heritage site town. But 10 minutes is hardly time for the toilet! Of
course there was a line. Maybe Audley meant we could catch a later connecting
bus, but we had no information and no ticket. ¶
We were off again at 12:35. Still more rain, pouring in sheets down the windows and the chill causing them to fog on the inside from all the warm bodies. I tried wiping the windows so we could see outside, but they fogged up again quickly. ¶
We are driving through multiple tunnels, gaining elevation. One is called Hida Tunnel, which opened in 2008. This feature of Japanese engineering is the second-longest tunnel in the country. I didn’t know its length to compare to Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado. ¶
I was again listening to the audio book. I didn’t need to
focus on announcements. We got off at 1:35 at the end of the line in Takayama.
¶
We were ready for lunch and wandered briefly down one street looking for a restaurant. Seeing none, we headed back to the station and spotted a tourist information kiosk. Thank you, Lord!
We asked about a taxi to the ryokan as Audley recommended,
but the info desk said the hotel shuttle would be a better idea. She called the
hotel to say we would meet the 3:00 shuttle, then told us how to get to the
other side of the train station to the west exit gate to meet it. ¶
Now that we had transportation arranged, we asked about
restaurants and were told there were several down the street in front of the
kiosk. ¶
We walked a couple of blocks and chose a place that served croissants. The name was Brand New Day Coffee. They had three types of sandwiches and that worked for us. We ordered and ate and made it to the west exit of the station by 2:50. ¶
Once on the shuttle, which had the ryokan name clearly written in English, we felt like too much of the day was spent problem-solving, and while we were successful in finding help, it was wearing us out. ¶
Our travel experiences have served us well to keep calm and
carry on, but maybe managing on our own is more of a challenge than we want to
continue to sign up for. We have traveled successfully unescorted across
Eastern Europe without language, but somehow Japan seemed a lot. Maybe we are
getting older? Just a thought. ¶
The new ryokan was much bigger than the last and was more welcoming, with many more staff.
We took off our shoes and had a welcome drink while producing passports and checking in.¶
Our room was 201. We had our own private dining room and
chose 6:30 as dinner time. ¶
Haruki showed us everything in the room like Wi-Fi, closet,
and ryokan clothing. There was a thermostat for room temperature and one for
floor temperature! Wow! We could only walk in stocking feet so heated floors are
a nice touch. ¶
After we settled in, we decided to look at the gift shop,
which was mostly food, unless you wanted to buy a ryokan kimono. We explored the ryokan taking photos. We met two women from Australia who were using
the foot bath, and chatted a while. ¶
By the way, Haruki showed us a laminated card with
instructions about how to wear the clothing. The right side should go to the left
hip, then the left side over. Never the other way around! Somehow that conveys a
bad message! ¶
I want to describe the futon beds. There was a mattress pad
of sorts on the floor with a fitted sheet and pillow. The comforter on top has
a fitted sheet that faces the sleeper and makes an envelope frame around the
edge of the comforter. ¶
We went to our private dining room furnished with a regular
table and chairs. The first course was set out for us. Haruki kept bringing
course after course like we had at the other ryokan. He lit a little hibachi
for each of us to cook our own pieces of cut-up steak. Soon we were full! And
then dessert! ¶
In the room, David read and I journaled before we crashed. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry and I was ready ¶
Day 9 March 27 - Takayama¶
We were visiting Takayama (formerly called Hida) because of its rich history. For its small size, it has a super-sized historic identity. Takayama presents a generous slice of old-time Japan. Once it was the home of a huge castle surrounded by homes of peasants and merchants, but the castle was destroyed by warring Samurai. The surviving Sanmachi residential and commerce district is designated as a historic preservation district and is a warren of preserved shops, museums, galleries, sake breweries, and 17th-century store houses.
Takayama is a tranquil town whose rustic charms are the
result of hundreds of years of peaceful isolation in the Hida Mountains.
Downtown shops and restaurants mingle
with museums and inns along rows of traditional wood-lattice buildings.
It felt like we were walking through a chapter of history, where the narrow streets and traditional merchant houses are wonderfully preserved and gave us a glimpse into Japan’s Edo period.
This heritage area is also home to several museums.
Takayama is also famous for its twice-a-year festival floats parade, where 12 floats in the spring and 11 in the fall, are paraded through the narrow streets. These festivals are one of the three most beautiful in Japan. These elaborately decorated and ornate floats are huge mobile displays of life in historic times. They are housed during the year in special storage units, like tall garages and some are also kept at the museum. The spring festival is in April, so we will not see it. Look it up online. Very impressive!
The city is divided by the Miyagawa River, with its central bridge, Nakabashi, painted crimson red.
Another tradition at Takayama more than 200 years old is the
morning markets, which line the river, and sell not only produce, but
traditional foods, souvenirs, chopsticks, wood carvings, spices and homemade
pickles. Many vendors were dressed in traditional Japanese cooking aprons.
Also of huge historical significance, with none other like it in the
country, is Takayama Jinya, a sprawling complex showcasing local history in
former government office buildings, civil and criminal courts, outer buildings,
related gardens and storehouses dating from the late 1600s. This rare
collection of stately buildings housed the 25 officials of the Tokugawa
Shogunate who administered the region for 176 years.
Of course, the city has many shrines and temples built
during the 16th century.
The natural features of this local region are nestled in the
Northern Japanese Alps and surrounded by the mountains of Hida. These include
rich forests and rivers with crystal clear waters. There are five hot springs
villages in the area.
We saw all of this and more with our guide and on our own.
We were up early as usual and Hooray! It was not raining. We
took our luggage down to the front desk to forward. I made an error filling out
the date on the form, but the clerk found it and tracked me down at breakfast
to get it right. Such great customer service!
We had a western breakfast with fruit, muesli and milk,
buttered toast and jelly, and an egg for us to cook ourselves on the hibachi.
Haruki lit the flame. There was a round piece of parchment paper lining the
little skillet. It had a pat of butter on it. When the butter melted and began
to sizzle. We cracked the egg and dropped it in. Eggs in Japan have a much
brighter orange yolk than those in the US. We wondered which breed of chickens
produce these eggs as we watched them cook.
I wanted to also cook the top of my egg, so once it was set
up, I transferred it with the paper into my dish, placed the paper back in the
pan, and flipped over the egg from my plate in for the other side to cook. It
came out perfectly.
According to our Audley directions, we planned to take the
8:30 shuttle to town to meet our guide at 9:15. But when we got to the lobby to
board the shuttle, a woman approached us with an Audley sign, telling us she
was our tour guide. The sign had a name starting with W. We said that we were
surprised to see her here at the ryokan because we understood that we were to
meet our guide in town. She ignored that as she was eager to begin her
narrative and told us her plan for the morning while we were putting on our
shoes. We made a reservation for the shuttle to pick us up at the train station
at 4:30 for the return to the ryokan.
She boarded the shuttle with us, and we all got off at the
train station. She showed us the place where we catch the train tomorrow.
We walked toward the old historic part of town stopping at a shrine on the way. We took photos while she explained history.
There are old preserved trees, considered deities and carefully tended.
She also mentioned that this area did not pay taxes with rice in the Edo era, but by sending carpenters to work for the government in the capital. In this way, this region became famous for carpenters and wood working.
As we came to the river, she pointed out that it was running
much higher than normal because of the unusual amount of rain yesterday.
I left my scarf in the room, so when we came to a shop that looked like I
could find something to cover my ears, I asked the guide to help us find
something. I bought a pair of earmuffs which really helped me get more
comfortable.
We covered some of the areas of town mentioned above, especially the day market kiosks,
She hurried us along and we finally arrived where the other
guide was waiting with three others. David objected, saying we were
supposed to have a private tour. But our options were to join guide #2 or go on
our own. We decided to stay. The guides talked rapidly in Japanese and guide #1
took her leave.
The three other tourists were a family from England. We
walked along with them, although by now we were passing things we had already
seen. We were making the best of it when guide #1 returned saying her agency
instructed her to finish the tour with us. That was a good solution for us, and
we continued with guide #1. Travelers must be flexible!
We learned much from this knowledgeable guide.
Also, David loves fountain pens, and had picked up a
brochure at the visitors’ center for a pen shop. He asked if she could help us
find it so we could return later on our own. She was not familiar with the
shop. In fact, she had travelled by bus to come to Takayama to do this tour.
The brochure had an address and a map. We could tell it was near the river.
We eventually did come across it and went inside. What a magnificent place, two floors of all things related to writing, pens and pencils, pencil sharpeners, stationery, notebooks, over 500 kinds of writing implements. We could have browsed all day but bought some stationery and left. David and I did return later in the day on our own for more browsing and shopping.
The guide completed our tour on the dot of 12:30 to catch her bus.
She gave us verbal directions to get back to the station to
catch the shuttle.
We have walked over four miles in the cold all morning. In
fact, my hands were so cold that when I stopped to use the restroom, I couldn’t
get the button on my fly closed, so had to walk outside to David and have him
button my pants for me!
We headed back looking for a restaurant. I didn’t want sushi. We found a popular place by looking on the outside menu and David wrote his name on the waitlist. We stood outside in the sun until our turn came. We had pork sliced very thin with noodles in a broth. Hot and delicious. I wrapped my hands around the bowl to help warm them up.
We walked slowly toward the station, looking for an ATM, but didn’t find one. We still had more than a week to go and were running low on yen.
We stopped at a convenience store to buy chocolate and a
razor, then agreed we were tired of walking and ready to return to the ryokan.
We made our way to the west gate at the train station. A van from the ryokan
was there. It is 3:00, not 4:30, but David spoke to the driver, and he invited
us to board.
After getting settled back in the room, I went down to soak
my feet in the foot bath. The water was hot, so I had to ease into it.
We had dinner at 6:30, served privately in our dining room.
We had pre-ordered Sukiyaki for David and Shabushabu for me. Either would have
been enough for both of us.
Our server tonight is female with good English. We told her
this is too much food and ask her not to bring rice and the miso soup. We also
asked for only half of the noodles. Still, we had lots left over.
The dishes were prepared and sitting on gas fueled hibachis
on the table. She lit the flames and when the pot was bubbling, showed us how
to cook the thinly sliced beef. There were sauces to dip it in. The sesame
sauce was our favorite. ¶
Here are the names of the dinner courses: Appetizer: bamboo
shoot marinated with Japanese peppers, Sakura colored sesame tofu, Boiled shrimp, Kokomo ( local edible plants) dressed with perilla sauce, Oromo carp stewed with
Japanese pepper, Lily bulb with plum paste, Baby Seabream sushi with Sakura, rice
Soup, Icefish tofu with clear soup, Uncooked Sashimi raw seafood of the day, Side
dish Hida roasted beef with strawberry flavored sauce, Stewed Bamboo shoot
stewed with dried Bonito Cherry, snapper wrapped in egg yolk, Main dish: Hida beef
steak, Intermission: Seasonal vegetables and rainbow trout dressed with
vinaigrette sauce, Baked Spanish mackerel and salmon roe, Staple: Local steamed
rice, Miso soup with Manila clam, Preserved horseradish with miso, Variety of
vegetables salted and pickled, Dessert: White berry wasabi-mochi ( like a
custard) and setoka orange
Day 10, March 28 -Transfer To Kyoto¶
Our train left at 12:35, so I hoped to schedule a massage
this morning before we left, but they don’t do morning appointments and the
evening was fully booked last night.
We had western breakfast, frying our own bacon on the hibachi.
There was an assortment of fruit, toast and jam, a salad, muesli, and milk.
We left a parting gift at our table for our host and
returned to our room. I brought the pot of tea with me. She soon came to our
door asking if we forgot something. I told her the gift is for her and thanked
her. She thanked me in return.
I went to the front desk to ask if there was an ATM or money
exchange at the ryokan. I was told no but given a map and instructions to find
the ATM near the train station.
Today was a travel day to spend 5 days in Kyoto. It is a
large city with many attractions. Audley has arranged a couple of excursions,
but we were considering adjusting the itinerary to spend some time with a local
guide.
As we studied the Audley guide, we saw there was an
excursion planned at 1:00 tomorrow. So, we waited to see how that goes before
making additional plans.
We often like to ride hop on hop off buses, so we might see
if that option is available.
I learned from the front desk where the closest ATM was to
the train station. We were headed there first, but after we boarded the
shuttle, a ryokan staff came on the shuttle asking for Wilson. David had left
his device for charging camera batteries plugged in behind a screen in our room
and we missed it ourselves when checking out.
It sure was a life saver and a relief to have it. David said
we might not get that service at a Marriott!
We rode to the station and walked through the crowd to the
east gate and down a block to the bank for the ATM. We waited our turn. David
had to look up exchanges to see how much to get. We agreed on about $300 US.
I took pictures of our tickets and David kept the tickets in
his pocket. We will make one transfer before arriving in Kyoto. I found it so
convenient to refer to the phone for the ticket information rather than pulling
out the tickets over and over.
We walked back to the station and sat outside for a while.
There was a big crowd inside for the next train. After they left, we went up to
the waiting room. I bought sandwiches and chips for lunch on the train. We plan
to arrive in Kyoto about 4:30.
I showed our tickets to the agent. He pointed to his watch
to show when the gate would open.
This station did not use a machine for submitting tickets.
Instead, the agent at his window stamped each ticket as he validated it was
time to board. Announcements are made in English although with the background
noise at the station it was hard to hear.
Finally, it was our time to board. We got our tickets stamped
and went downstairs to track 2. Our tickets said Car 1, so that’s where we sat.
After the train started, a conductor came to look at our tickets. We have
reserved seats, but somehow car 1 is not for reserved seats. David didn’t want
to move to car 6, where it seemed we were supposed to be. The conductor used
his translator device to say these are less expensive seats and we couldn't get a
refund. We said fine. We will stay where we are.
We ate our lunches. I finished my audio book.
We rode through the mountains, following a fairly large
river, gradually losing elevation. The scenery is beautiful with rushing
mountain streams, sometimes with waterfalls, flowing into the river. We began
to see blooming cherry blossom trees.
From time to time, we made a brief stop, but usually we
raced through the towns and rural areas at 220 mph.
We saw a scrolling
announcement at the front of the car in English telling us that there has been
an accident, and some trains are being delayed. We didn’t know how that might
impact our connection with our next train.
But we will sit tight and see what happens. All went
smoothly until we reached the next to last stop. The final stop was supposed to
be Nagoya where we transfer. We thought we had it made. But at this next to
final stop, the train began moving in reverse. What did this mean? Maybe we
were being rerouted.
We traveled some distance and a woman conductor walked
through our car. I stopped her to ask if we are going to Nagoya. She speaks
English and answers yes. We sat patiently waiting.
The conductor came to us to say that the next stop will be
Nagoya. We thanked her and began to gather our things to get off.
Our next concern was whether there has been a delay in
either our own train or our connecting train. Will we be able to make the
connection?
We lined up at the door of the car to be the first to exit.
We stepped out on the platform and hurried down the escalator. We started
looking at the departure signs but could not find our train. We spotted a train
agent and showed her our tickets. She indicated to go down the escalators and
turn left. We rushed down.
At this level, we saw ticket gates to board trains. There was an agent at the gate. We showed her our tickets she indicated for us to go through the gate and up the escalator to track 17. We knew from our ticket that we wanted train Kamada 727. There was no train on the track. We were still in time for the departure. Soon an announcement came that a train is approaching. When it stopped, we boarded and found our seats. Whew!
We rode this train for about an hour with the final stop in Kyoto.
We got off the train down the escalator and walked through the train station to find the taxi stand. There must have been at least 100 people standing in line for the taxis. I guessed we were not in a rush, as from here we will go to the hotel.
Finally, at 5:15, it is our turn for the taxi. We handed the driver a paper with the address and told him the name of our hotel. He nodded in agreement and took off.
I was glad I was not having to navigate these narrow, busy
streets, but the driver skillfully took us to the hotel in about 15 minutes.
David paid about $15 US. There is no tipping in Japan.
It was raining, so we hurried inside the hotel, produced passports, and checked in. This is a very attractive, modern hotel. It is scheduled to close in June for updating. Our room was 611.
The room was so tiny it gave David claustrophobia. We went back to the front desk to see if we could upgrade to a larger space. The clerk said nothing larger would be available until day after tomorrow. We decided to make the best of it. We have already prepaid this reservation for the smaller room. They will move us to the bigger room in two days.
The room had the bed in one corner so that it was possible
to walk around the bed only on one side. There was a tiny table about 18 in.
wide and a chair. There was a folding luggage rack. Opposite the foot of the
bed is a cabinet which contains a small refrigerator, the safe and a shelf with
a hot pot and cups. Above the cabinet is the television. This was the first
place we have been able to get an English Channel on the TV. It was called
CNNUS.
By now it was 6:30 and went downstairs to the restaurant.
David ordered a hamburger which turned out to be a single patty of meat in a
hibachi which he cooked himself. I ordered fried chicken which turned out to be
chicken tenders.
We crossed the street to the 7-Eleven convenience store. We bought individual cups of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, then returned to our room and got ready for bed.
We got a phone call from our guide for the excursion
tomorrow afternoon, confirming that she would meet us in the hotel lobby at 1
o’clock. This outing consists of an orientation walk in the local neighborhood
and a visit to Gion, the geisha district. ¶
Day 11, March 29 - Exploring Kyoto¶
Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan. It is
home to numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and gardens, some of
which have been designated collectively as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
We slept in until after seven. The hotel had a large
breakfast buffet. Most of it was Japanese food, with lots of fish. There was yogurt
with blueberries and pancakes with syrup. There are French style pastries, and
David found French fries!
David was working on his hearing aids which are controlled
through his phone. He had to restart the phone but was successful in getting them functioning again.
I wanted to go to the room to take a long shower and
rearrange my suitcase. (Yes, luggage was here when we arrived.)
David wanted to avoid the small room, so he stayed in the
lobby checking emails.
I joined him in the lobby at about 11. Our tour guide comes
at one. We wanted to try an adventure on our own before she arrived.
Fortunately, the sun is shining today. It is a beautiful
spring day about 70 degrees. We left the hotel, turning right and David noticed
the Chiso gallery next-door. There were three artists on display at the
gallery. The art is focused on decorated kimonos. Some of the decoration is by
dyeing and some by embroidery or painting. We were enchanted by the
beauty of the kimonos on display and took a long time viewing each one and
reading the descriptions. The designs display scenery in different seasons.
There may also be birds, but not people.
The gallery also was selling handbags, hair ornaments, and beautiful silk scarves. I chose a scarf that David was pleased to buy for me. it was expensive but I’m worth it.
We decided to get lunch before we met the guide and looked around for a nearby café. We chose one with the sign that said Latin food. We climbed the stairs to the second floor. The server pointed out a table near the window. The menu was only in Japanese. We told the server we wanted one spicy dish, and one not spicy. I recognized the brand-name Corona for the beer and David ordered it, but later the server came with a can of Japanese beer. She asked David in sign language if he would prefer the Japanese beer. David decided to try it and liked it.
I was concerned that we would be late to meet with the tour guide, but our food finally came. It was a bowl with noodles on the bottom, then covered with cooked meat, cheese and avocado. David put hot sauce on his. We both liked our food and hurried to finish it.
When we returned to the hotel, the guide was not there yet.
I went to the room to take off my warm vest, and when I returned to the lobby,
our guide was there. Her name was Tokie Tanaka. She was a pretty young woman
with a two-year-old son. She spoke English well.
We told her we wanted to hire a guide for tomorrow and asked
if she was available. She said she does not work on the weekends because she
stays at home with her son. We asked for other options. She suggested we might
be able to hire a taxi driver to take us around the city, I also asked about
the hop on bus.
Tokie spoke to the concierge to make arrangements for a taxi
tomorrow. She also got a brochure for the hop-on bus.
The hotel called a taxi for us. Soon we were on our way to
the Gion geisha district. There are five geisha districts in Kyoto.
Tokie guided our walk along historic houses which have been
turned into cafes and shops. She explained many features of the buildings. The
area was busy, filled with tourists and with local families whose children are
on vacation from school.
Geishas are entertainers, not prostitutes. Young girls make
their own decision to train as a geisha. They begin training after finishing
junior high. They apprentice, called a Maiko, for five or six years before
becoming an independent geisha.
We walked for about an hour before coming to the location
where our geisha demonstration would take place. A woman dressed in a kimono
invited us inside and showed us where to sit. The chairs had very short legs,
so we weren’t very far off the floor. When it was time for us to stand, we had
trouble getting up, so they brought in stools which were a bit taller.
The woman who met us was a narrator, telling us what was
going to happen. She explained the differences between the Maiko and geisha.
One difference is that the Maiko apprentice wears her own hair ornately styled
on top of her head and decorated with many hair ornaments. Geishas wear wigs
with fewer decorations. The women live together like sisters in a dormitory
like setting.
After providing much background information, the narrator invited the Maiko to come into the room. She was a beautiful young lady with white make up. She was dressed in a lovely pale green kimono with a bright orange obi. The obi is seven feet long.
The maiko performed a dance for us, accompanied by recorded
music, and then performed a tea ceremony. We had an opportunity to ask her
questions.
After the Maiko left the room, the narrator showed us how to
make the tea ceremony ourselves. She first demonstrated the techniques for
preparing the tea, and then assisted us in our own preparation.
We took many pictures throughout the afternoon.
Tokie used an app on her phone to call for a taxi to take us
back to the hotel. When we arrived, she checked with the desk to confirm that
they had been able to arrange for a taxi for us tomorrow. We gave her a parting
gift, thanked her for the good afternoon, and said goodbye.
We were hungry and ready for dinner but had not made a
reservation. We asked at the front desk about a place to eat. The receptionist
spoke English only a little and recommended the restaurant across the street,
but when we got there, they said they were full and take reservations only.
We walked down the street looking for a place to eat and
stopped in at Hollie’s café. The menu had a picture of pasta dishes, and that
is what we ordered. We also had a piece of sponge cake for dessert, which the
menu called a pancake.
We were ready to return to our room and make final plans
for tomorrow. This has been a successful day of touring.
Day 12, March 30 - Tour Kyoto By Taxi¶
Our taxi driver, Mitsuo, arrived a few minutes before nine
to pick us up at the hotel. He was about 50 and spoke little English but used
his translator on his phone. He encouraged us to do the same. I downloaded
Google translate and used it successfully although I could only get it to show
text for him to read. I couldn’t figure out how to have it speak in Japanese.
We had done some research and told him that we wanted to
tour today in an area called Arashiyama, a semi-rural hillside area on the west
of town. The gentle foothills of the mountains, covered with cherry and maple
trees, were splendid. It was a pleasant touristy area that has been enjoyed by
visitors since olden times when nobles came to enjoy nature.
Mitsuo told us it would take about 45 minutes to get there.
During the drive, he used his translating device on his
phone to give us information and to allow us to ask questions. He said if it
weren’t for this translating device we would have never met. He also said that
he hoped he could make this our best day in Japan.
As we passed a large building on the way and asked what it
was, he said cemetery. People are cremated and only bones are buried.
Our first stop was the Togetsukyo Bridge, a well-known central and iconic landmark. The name means moon crossing. Mitsuo parked the car and ushered us along the banks of the river to a perfect spot for picture taking. He asked for my camera and took pictures of us at the bridge. He was directive, motioning me to stand just here, not there. And taking my camera from me to get a good shot.
I do not have time to write all the details of the day. We booked him for five hours, from 9 to 2:00. He sure knew his way around and took less crowded back streets. He showed us four major shrines and gardens, each famous for something specific, such as the oldest shrine in Kyoto.
Of course, at each
place, we had to take off shoes, so finding a place to sit to take them off and
later put them on again was not convenient. We either stored them on shelves or
put them in a plastic bag to carry with us. Japan had shoehorns everywhere and
now I saw why. They have a little wooden stand for the shoehorns to stand in.
The horns are about a foot long.
One UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Zen temple of
Tenryuji, the most impressive Zen temple in Kyoto. It had a blaze of cherry
blossoms, with crowds of tourists beneath snapping selfies, foliage-heavy
trees, flowing streams, and a small lake circled by white stones.
The famous Ryoan-ji is a dry garden that consists of just 15 rocks arranged in three groupings and surrounded by gravel.
The Gioji Temple had an unusual luxuriant moss garden under
a grove of maple trees. Inside the temple is the Buddha of Light.
The most unusual feature of the Adashino Temple is its cemetery, where about
8,000 stone images stand, a solemn sea of silent mourners.
We also visited Jojakkoji Temple and Nisonin Temple. Of
course, these are all places of worship, and we saw people praying, lighting
incense, and dropping coins in offering boxes.
One site had an area where people could sit to copy the
Sutra. After filling a page, they held it above the incense before placing it
in a special box.
The Arashiyama area had a renowned bamboo grove, some of the best gardens in Kyoto, and lost-in-time townhouses on the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street.
At one temple, I bought two lovely Japanese-style notebooks.
The pages are all connected like an accordion. Our two great-granddaughters
like to journal, and I thought these would be a good souvenir. Little did I
know of their special significance. These are called goshuincho, a way to
document your visit to each shrine.
There is a title page inside inscribed using a brush and
ink, with the name of the temple.
Our guide was very excited. He said in all his years of
guiding no visitors before had purchased these items. He said this would ensure
that we would join him in heaven.
Later at another shrine, I had left the notebooks in the
taxi. Mitsuo went back to the taxi to get them and brought them to me so that
they could be inscribed with the name of the current temple we were visiting. I
had no idea these had such religious significance. We paid a small fee and
watched as a woman scribe used her brush to effortlessly create the stamp for
this temple.
One of the temples had a large rock garden, which is one of
the most famous Zen Gardens in the world. It had raked sand designs and
positioned on the sand were 15 rocks of different sizes. Fifteen is the number of
completeness in the Zen religion. Yet from no place around the garden is it
possible to view more than 14 stones at one time.
It was time to return to the hotel. Our guide said we would
be there in about 20 minutes. When we arrived, David went across the street to
the 7-Eleven ATM to get cash to pay 29,000.
The driver took our pictures and said he would remember us. Of
course, he had photo-bombed some of our pictures during the day, so we will remember him. We wished each
other good health and said goodbye.
When we returned to the hotel, our room exchange was complete. We now in 604, a room with two beds and a bit more space. At least there is
room to walk between the two beds. And there are two pillows on each bed.
It was now after 2 o’clock and we were hungry. We looked around
for a restaurant, but everything seemed closed. David sat down to wait while I
researched a bit further away. I was able to find a restaurant that opened at 3
o’clock. We decided to go there. It was listed as a liquor museum but was a full-service
bar with a light menu. We walked up the stairs. The ambiance was very nice with classical music playing. David ordered a beer. I had iced tea, a salad and
a margarita pizza. David had fish and chips. The bar was reminiscent of a 1920s
bar complete with walls lined with huge numbers of bottles of alcohol all
types, whiskey and bourbon and lots of sake wines.
We enjoyed a very relaxing meal and left a positive Google
review. When we left, we walked by a massage salon and made an appointment for
me for a massage at 5:30 which we both promptly forgot even though we left a
deposit.
When we went out later in the evening to get ice cream at the 7-Eleven, we stopped at the massage salon. The staff were very kind to reschedule for tomorrow. We also made dinner reservations for tomorrow night. We have learned without a reservation you don’t get dinner. ¶
Day 13, March 31 - Kyoto On Our Own¶
Because Japan gets so much rain, they do not have forest
fires. Many lawns are made of moss not of grass.
We had been talking for a couple of days about how to spend
this free day. Audley suggested a day trip to Nara, taking the local train out
of the city to visit the former capital of Japan.
We had more conversation this morning and decided to stay in
Kyoto. We will take an excursion to Nara tomorrow.
We had not yet tried the local subway but thought we could
figure it out. The station is just around the corner from our hotel, and the
fare cards Audley provided us when we arrived are valid all over Japan on
subways and the local JR train lines. (But not the bullet trains.)
We first wanted to see Nijo Castle, the official residence
of one of Japan’s first Shogun leaders. The castle dates from the early 1600s,
its Edo style construction and architecture deliberately clashing with the
understated aesthetic of Kyoto.
This castle is another of Kyoto’s World Heritage sites. It
is a grandiose and unequivocal statement of power by the first Shogun. The moat
and towering walls are intimidating enough, but once inside, a second moat and
defensive wall assert the power of the warlord.
What seems a second
line of defense has less to do with defending the castle than reinforcing the
structure’s social statement. Access to the inner sanctum depended on a visitor
status within the shogunate hierarchy. Once inside, a guest was as much as a
hostage as a guest, a point driven home by the castles ingenious Nightingale
floors, which chirp as people walk across them, revealing their movements.
Entrance is through the impressive Kara-Mon gate, whose
sharp angles were intended to slow an attack. The path from the gate leads to
the palace, whose five buildings are connected and divided into various smaller
chambers.
We found the subway entrance and read signs as we went down
to find the correct subway line. We were at first confused, but finally figured
it out.
When we reached the castle, we took lots of pictures, paid
our entrance fee, and rented the audio guides. David was not able to hear his
guide and got a refund. We also had a written guide to the castle.
Of course, we took our shoes off and explored the castle on
our own pace. It took us about an hour. As we exited the castle we turned right
into the impressive gardens with crane and tortoise shaped islands, symbolizing
strength and longevity. There are beautiful waterfalls and ponds.
Signs led us to a teahouse where we took a rest with tea and
Japanese sweets. David said he wished he could have a beer.
We retraced our steps back toward the front gate to turn in
my audio guide and had the good fortune to encounter a performance competition
underway.
Several groups of colorful costumed people took turns,
dancing wildly in choreographed motion. Sometimes they resembled a cheerleading
squad. Sometimes they resembled a martial arts group. Many of them had planned
into their routine a quick-change feature to turn their costume jackets inside
out to display another color in a flash. They were definitely high energy.
We stood and watched several groups while we took pictures
and videos, but tired of standing, we finally sat in the chairs to watch where
opportunities to take pictures were more limited because of the crowd in front
of us. We spent more than an hour watching these groups perform. We found this
unplanned opportunity to be one of the highlights of our day.
We decided to leave, and as I turned in my audio device, we
discussed whether to return to the hotel, but there was another site I wanted
to visit.
We returned to the subway and made our way to the correct
subway line and exited for the next attraction. As we came above ground, we
knew we needed to walk a couple of blocks. We weren’t sure which direction to
turn so I asked a young woman walking by who did not know but pulled it up on
her phone and pointed in the right direction.
The Higashi-Hongan-ji is the Eastern Temple of the Initial
Vow. The high walls, immense wooden gates, and enormous roof of the
headquarters of the Jodo sect of Buddhism are sufficiently impressive to
convince some newcomers they’re looking at the imperial Palace. The main hall
is the second largest wooden structure in Japan and dwarfs everything around
it. During the temple’s construction, female devotees offered their hair, which
was woven into strong, thick ropes, used to set heavy timbers into place.
By now, our energy is flagging, and my phone camera is dead
from taking all the videos of the performers.
This is another site where taking off shoes was required,
and David did not want to do this. He stood outside, taking photos with his
camera while I took off my shoes to look inside. It was similar to the other
temples we have seen except for its massive size.
We wanted to take a taxi to the hotel but were not sure how
to do that. We saw a row of taxis parked, but there were no drivers in them. We
walked along the street, and I waved at a taxi that stopped for us. We gave him
the name of our hotel and must have been close by because we were soon there. We returned around 3:00. It seemed 5 hours on our feet was enough as usual.
We relaxed in the room for a while. David reminded me I have
a massage scheduled at 5:30. I worked on my journal until time to go.
The massage studio is across the street. I walked over and
they were waiting for me. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but they showed me
to a room and told me to put on the massage clothes, which consisted of an
oversize T-shirt and some cotton pants. The therapist put a sheet over the top
of my clothes. Otherwise, the massage seemed similar to those I get in the
United States.
After my massage I went back to the room to meet David. We
had dinner reservations for 7:30 at the AO restaurant across the street.
It turned out to be a great decision. The food was great,
and the service outstanding.
As we left the restaurant, we turned to look back and two of
the chefs were standing on the sidewalk, bowing goodbye to us.
When we got back to the room, it was time to get our luggage
organized to be checked tomorrow for forwarding.
I also consulted the Audley book for instructions about
meeting the guide tomorrow.
Because someone asked about the toilet experience, the two jets
of water are aimed precisely, one at the back and one in front. This doesn’t
eliminate the need for toilet paper because it leaves you wet. Public toilets
have the same amenities with heated seats. They are always clean and free.
There seem to be plenty available, at least in the subways and tourist areas. ¶
Day 14, April 1 - Farm Visit In Nara Outside Kyoto¶
This is our last full day in Kyoto, and actually it will
begin outside the city visiting a local rice farmer couple for a home-hosted
meal and learning to make mochi, a specialty type of rice pounded into a sticky
paste.
We woke up before the
alarm, dressed and took our bags down to check in for forwarding to our hotel
in Hiroshima. The hotel clerk was not busy and completed the forms. David paid
the fees, and we went to breakfast.
In a few minutes, the clerk came to find us at Breakfast to
ask us to check back with her at the desk. When we finished eating, I met with
her at the desk. She told me that when she called the hotel in Hiroshima, they
did not find our reservation. She asked us to provide documentation of our
reservation.
We brought the Audley book. She photocopied the page and
said she would fax it to the hotel. She asked if we had time to wait while she
sorted it out, but I told her we were meeting a tour. She said she would follow
up and we could check at the desk when we returned from the tour. What great
customer service!
I asked her to call a taxi for us, and when it arrived, she
walked outside with us to confirm with the driver that we wanted to go to Kyoto
station to the JR line.
The Kyoto station is a huge building, including several
hotels. By reading the directory on the wall we were able to learn we needed to
be on the second floor for the JR line. When we got there, I stopped at the JR
information kiosk to ask directions for our specific train. The agent told us
to take track three and pointed upstairs.
We rode the escalator up and found track three. There was a
train already there, so we boarded, using our travel passes from Tokyo. We knew
we would be early but were glad we found the right track and train. Better to
be early than late!
We looked at the stations on the route listed on a sign
inside the train which indicated we wanted the fifth stop. Thankfully, the sign
had an English translation. We were told that hosting the Olympics was a great
push for Japan to start using more English on signs.
Speaking of stops, stop signs here are red triangles.
David suggested sitting where we could see the scrolling
messages at the front of the car. What a great idea! We counted the stops, and also watched the
scrolling signs which showed in English the names of the stops.
We wanted Ogoto-onsen stop which is near Lake Biwa, the second
largest lake in Japan.
We learned later from our guide that this lake supplies the
water for about a 10th of the entire Japanese population, and therefore people
referred to it as the mother lake.
We went through several tunnels as we were moving away from
the city center. We are still in a populated area. We began to see the lake
in the distance.
We got off at our stop, and when I used the restroom at the
station, it was my first encounter on this trip with the Asian squat toilet.
Like the name implies for ladies this is like squatting to pee in the woods.
There is fully connected plumbing, and toilet paper.
We were nearly an hour early so sat at the station watching
people while we waited. Two women guides approached us, but they were looking
for six people as a group. Eventually, four more people from Texas arrived, and
we join them to make the six the guides were expecting.
There was only one taxi, so it had to make two trips to get
us all to the starting point for our walk through the village. We began at the
entrance gate which is protected by a shrine. Because today is April 1, local
worshipers will all stop here at the shrine today to pray for good fortune for
the coming month.
The village “tour” turned out to be a walk through several small shrines and temples outside the residential area. Our guide informed us about different forms of prayer and worship and showed us how to ring the bells.
When we finished the temple walk, we started up the hill toward the house of our host.
The guide pointed out the rice fields along the way. They
have not yet been planted. She said families usually own several separate rice
fields, which they are responsible for farming. She had a chart which shows the
four seasons and the aspects of rice farming that happened during each season.
She called this a rural area, but there are many houses with
rice fields in between.
When we reached the host home, we were greeted by the host couple, a man and woman who are 83 and 77.
We were served a cup of tea while we were seated on benches outside the home.
We were sitting here because this is where the demonstration
took place of how to make mochi.
A large stone bowl was supported in a frame. The woman brought out a bowlful of soaked rice, which she pounded into mochi. The host gave instructions about how to hold the mallet and how to swing it, which was interpreted by the guide and we each took turns using the huge mallet to pound the rice in the stone bowl.
This took a lot of effort, because the mallet was quite heavy. Each of the six of us took turns pounding with the mallet. Several people took more than one turn. Either the host or his wife put water on the rice between each time it was struck with the mallet. Sometimes they folded the rice over like you would if you were kneading bread. Finally, they pronounced it finished and they give each of us a small portion on a saucer to taste. They tell us that it is quite sticky, to take small bites and chew well. It has the consistency of a glutenous blob. The taste is rather bland.
They invited us inside the house for lunch. We took off our
shoes. We sat on short chairs around three hibachi cookers. The food was
already diced, ready to cook. Our host lit the burners, put in sugar and then
the chicken, placing vegetables on top. It took about a half an hour for the
food to cook. We visited while we were waiting, asking questions of the host.
When the food was ready, we served ourselves, using tongs to take food out of the pan and place in our own bowl. We were also given a small bowl of rice.
After lunch, I used the restroom at the home, which had a Western-style
toilet.
When it was time to leave, we thanked our hosts, and I gave
them our parting gift of the Arizona flag. (Thanks, Heidi, for this tip.) The
host gave each couple a gift of a small package of rice.
We rode taxis back to the station and rode the train back to
Kyoto.
We wanted to get back to the hotel to be sure that the
reservation for tomorrow had been confirmed. We were relieved to find out that
it was.
We were back in the room by 3 o’clock, and did not want to end our day, so decided to go to an area recommended by Fodor’s travel guide.
We asked the hotel to call a taxi to take us to the Philosopher’s Path. This pedestrian walkway is tucked away in the lush foothills of the eastern mountains of Kyoto. It winds along a canal lined with cherry trees and through a quiet residential neighborhood. There are notable Buddhist temples, imperial tombs, Shinto shrines and quaint shops along the way. The route has become one of the city’s most popular walking courses.
We exited the taxi directly onto the path. It is full of people with cameras, busy taking selfies with the cherry blossoms. The entire pathway is only about a mile long. We walked along leisurely, took our own selfies, explored the shops and bought green tea ice cream.
As darkness began to fall, the shops began to close, and we
looked for a place to find a taxi.
Near the end of the path, we spotted a taxi sign, but there
were no taxis there. We stood there for a few minutes, and sure enough, a taxi
pulled up. The current customers exited, and we climbed in.
When we returned to our hotel, we decided not to go to the
room but instead went directly to the liquor museum bar where we ate
yesterday.
Staff recognized us as repeat customers and welcomed us
back. We ordered the same meal we had yesterday and enjoyed it just as much.
We’ve had enough activity for the day, so returned to the
hotel room to Journal and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is a travel day. ¶
Day 15, April 24 Kyoto To Hiroshima
When you shop at the Seven Eleven, the clerk scans items
like usual, but the customer puts payment money into a machine which gives back
change. No human calculations here!
Also, entry to a taxi is on the left side away from the
driver at the right-side steering wheel.
The taxi door opens and closes automatically. Both riders get in
on the left and slide across the back seat. The seats are covered in a white lace
fabric that looks like a lace tablecloth.
BTW, Taxi is one of the words universal in any language.
Our train to Hiroshima leaves at 12:02 PM. We were not in a
hurry to get up, but when we did, we headed to breakfast and then packed our
backpacks.
We decided to leave the hotel at about 10 o’clock and sat in the room after breakfast. We were reading ahead in Fodor’s to learn more about what to see at Hiroshima.
We checked out of the hotel, using a kiosk under the careful
eye of a staff member who was there to assist. We asked the hotel staff to call a
taxi and waited about 10 minutes. A pushy Asian woman with her two daughters
grabbed the first taxi that came even though it was our turn. We still have
plenty of time.
At the Kyoto Central Station, we were becoming more familiar
with how to use the system and followed signs directing us up the escalators
towards the bullet train tracks. We stood for some time watching the departure
boards, waiting for our train to appear, but we were too early. We could see
that other trains bound for Hiroshima were using either track 13 or 14 and
decided to take the escalator up to the platform for those tracks. We found
seats nearby and watched people exiting and entering the trains while we
waited.
People watching really was interesting. Of course this was a
very international crowd. Many languages could be heard. There was really no
concept of a dress code. Everything was casual to say the least. I was
surprised at the number of couples who are traveling with small children.
I was puzzled about hearing chimes at every station while we
waited. The chimes sounded like a doorbell with a pause between each of the
tones. It went ding, pause, dong, pause, ding, pause, dong, constantly chiming
the entire time were in the station and at every station. I could figure out no
reason for this background noise. It just seemed to contribute to the chaos.
Finally, our train, Nozomi 65, appeared, with only about 10
minute’s notice. We both took pictures of the approaching train, then walked
down the platform to the gate for car number eight where we had reserved seats.
Trains stop at the stations for less than five minutes, so
allowing people to exit and then finding time to enter created a bit of
anxiety.
We were barely in our seats before the doors closed.
Announcements for future stops always said, “the train will be stopping only a
few minutes. Be sure to be ready to exit the train before the train stops.”
Our first-class seats are very comfortable and roomy. They
recline more than airline seats. There were outlets to charge electronic
devices. I brought water and a few snacks on board, so we had a bite to eat. I
tried to watch the scenery, but going through so many tunnels interrupted that
task.
The Hiroshima terminal is the end of the line for this
train. The announcement on the loudspeaker before we got off the train said,
“this train is out of service.”
We followed signs inside the station to try to find taxis,but still wound up having to walk a long way to get to a taxi stand.
We had the Intergate hotel name and address ready for the driver, and he delivered us quickly. Reception was on the 14th floor. We went up, produced passports and checked in. We made sure that our reservations were for a room with two beds. David had a hard time with smaller rooms.
We went to the room. Our luggage was there. It was nearly 3:00. We deposited our backpacks and headed out for lunch.
At first, we thought we might find a café near the hotel but
were not successful. David pulled out the Fodor’s book, and we chose a place
recommended. We took a taxi there.
The specialty dish in the Hiroshima area is Okonomiyaki, and we were hungry and ready to try it. We entered the restaurant and sat down next to the flat griddle cooking surface. We watched the three women cooking the food. The first step was to ladle some pancake batter onto the griddle and spread it out to form a very thin crepe. The griddle was only a medium temperature. On top of this pancake was piled a huge mound of finally shredded cabbage. A special sauce was poured over the cabbage. Spices were sprinkled on top of this. three slices of bacon were laid across the top of the cabbage.
The cook broke an egg onto the griddle, broke the yolk and spread the egg out so that it was the same round size as the original crepe. She placed the cooked egg on top of the bacon. With the crepe on one side and the egg on the other, it created sort of sandwich. She used a large spatula to flip over this “sandwich.” We selected the cheese option for our dish, so she finished by placing two slices of cheese on top. It was warm enough for them to gently melt. Now the cooking was done, and she slid the sandwich still on the griddle over in front of me. The griddle was my serving platter. I have in front of me a small saucer, a narrow spatula about 3 inches wide, and chopsticks. I use my spatula to cut the sandwich into sections small enough to fit on my saucer. I’m not good with using chopsticks. David asked for a fork for me which the cook gladly supplied.
The sandwich was a very generous serving. David was able to eat all of his, but I could not finish mine. It was delicious.
When we left the restaurant, we entered a small plaza which had public restrooms. There were three high school age girls sitting there. We approached them to ask directions, showing them our map and asking if they could point out where on the map we were. David asked if he could take their picture and they gladly complied, they were no help reading the map.
We wanted to go to the Hiroshima Peace Park so decided to take a taxi. We saw a taxi pull over so someone could exit and waved at him to indicate we wanted a ride. When we got in, we said we wanted to go to the peace park. He seemed not to understand. I had the map with me, so pointed to the place on the map where we wanted to go. He still seemed puzzled. He picked up his phone and called for help asking someone on the other end where the peace park was.
This seemed very strange. The Peace Park must be one of the
most popular tourist attractions in town. It seems unusual that a taxi driver
would not know where it is. He finally nodded his head and took off. He drove
the taxi in a very jerky manner, pushing on the gas, letting off, on and off so
that we proceeded down the street in a very jerky motion. Is this man just
learning how to drive?
He dropped us off at the Peace Park, and we made our way to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
We paid our admission fees and entered this somber sanctuary. A visit here may be too intense for some, but to appreciate the horror of the bombing and the hope that made Hiroshima into the city it is today, the museum is highly recommended. In many ways, it reminded me of the holocaust museum.
Displays of charred fragments of clothing, melted ceramic
tiles, lunchboxes, and shocking photographs tell Hiroshima’s story of death and
destruction.
The interior was dimly lit. People were very quiet. One
display showed an aerial view like a video of the city, and the bomb falling on
the city and the aftermath of the bomb. Sobering.
There were other buildings and sites to see in the park. I was impressed that the focus of this entire park is about peace and the complete elimination of the use of atomic bombs. There was also a special display created by children.
One display followed the history of the various movements
over time to stop nuclear proliferation. The clear message is never again.
We took a taxi back to our hotel and went to the 14th floor for happy hour. It was impressive that this hotel provided free coffee, tea, wine and snacks for people to enjoy in the late afternoon. David and I sat enjoying our snacks and looking out over the city as the evening lights came on.
Day 16, April 3 - Miyajima
We readied our bags to transfer and took them to the front
desk. The clerk completed the paperwork but told us that because this was high
season and the next stop was far, it might take them two days to get there.
This is not the news we wanted to hear, but we have no control. We paid our
fees and enjoyed breakfast.
It was raining today and 58°. I was glad I kept my Alaska sweatshirt
jacket to wear instead of forwarding it. The forecast was for rain all day. We
couldn’t let that interrupt our plans to go and visit the icon of the Hiroshima
area near the island of Miyajima, a 50-foot tall red (some say orange) gate in
the water called Torii. (O-torii means big gate.) It is made of several stout
rot-resistant camphor tree trunks.
Lying just offshore in Hiroshima Bay, the historic island of Miyajima is the location of the shrine that is one of the area’s most famous sights and identified as one of the top three sights in Japan. The entire shrine called Itsukushima Shrine, is designated as a World Heritage Site. There is a shrine building, like a temple or church, with the red gate in the water in front.
Founded over 1400 years ago, the Shinto shrine seemingly floats on water at high tide. At low tide, it sits on the beach.
According to a local tour guide, the gate is not imbedded in
the sea floor. It has six “legs” and stands on its own on the beach.
We traveled by taxi to the Hiroshima Station to ride the 10:00 JR local train to the Miyajima station, which took about 30 minutes. This is such a popular attraction, the trains run every 15 minutes.
At the station, there was a five-minute walk to board the JR ferry to the island. David was wearing his Dry Joy golf rain jacket, but in the heavy rain, he was soon soaked. I had a raincoat and an umbrella, but David did not. We searched among the local shops and were able to buy an umbrella at the Seven Eleven. (Where else??)
We boarded the ferry, which took about 15 minutes to cross
to the island. Even though we had our red JR traveling fare cards, there is a
special tourist tax required to enter the shrine. We paid the tax, and when we
tried to go through the gate with our red cards, mine failed. I went to the
local ticket office to ask why, but in this remote station, they were not able
to answer my questions. We decided to continue with our day and deal with the
issue later.
The ferry was very crowded with only about half enough
seating for the huge crowd. I found a seat, but David had to stand.
As the ferry crossed the water to the island, the red gate
came view. Since it was on the right side of the boat, all the tourists pushed
to that side to get their selfies taken.
We walked down the long ramp from the ferry with a horde of
other tourists, all carrying umbrellas and bumping into each other. The ground
was soaked and covered in puddles. There was no way to avoid getting our feet
wet.
Soon we encountered the famous Sitka deer who live in the area. They were believed to be messengers from the gods. They were constantly seeking food and pestering the tourists. The children found them more of an attraction than they did the shrine. I admit we also got our pictures taken with the deer.
We walked partway around the shoreline closer to the gate to take more pictures. We also took photos of the lovely five-story pagoda. Then we turned to walk along the little streets lined with tourist shops.
It took some effort, but David was able to find a quaint little Tea Shop where we could go inside to get dry, have a cup of tea and a cookie and enjoy the calm of a lovely garden and koi pond. There was art on the wall with the symbols of the Asian Zodiac.
Thus refreshed, we walked on closer to the red gate,
stopping occasionally to look at the souvenirs.
The cable car to Mount Misen was not running today because
of the lightning.
We both took several pictures and decided that we were ready
to return to the mainland. We sloshed through water puddles, boarded the ferry,
and returned to the dock, where we immediately saw a sign in English, saying
“JR train has stopped.” A staff person said there had been an accident.
We were directed to get on an alternative form of
transportation, which was a trolley-car-type vehicle on tracks with many local
stops. The final destination was Hiroshima station, but it took us nearly two
hours to get there. We had some concerns on the way that maybe we were on the
wrong train. I spoke with a couple next to us who had a transit map and they
confirmed that this train was going to Hiroshima station.
An additional clue I spotted was a sign over the door that
showed that this train started at Miyajima and ended at Hiroshima station.
Many people got on and off the trolley. Two men in business
suits got on and one of them spoke English. He confirmed that the train stopped
at Hiroshima station. He said that he had been twice to the United States. He
was interested in sports and talked about the NFL and baseball. Of course, all
of Japan was in a twitter about Ohtani. I guessed that the United States was
too. The man was very friendly. I thank God daily for the kindness of
strangers.
We got off the trolley at the end of the line and went into
Hiroshima station. We stopped at the JR ticket office to ask if there was a
problem with my ticket. They examined it and made an adjustment. We tried it
and it worked. I hoped we have no further issues.
It was about 4:00. We decided to take a taxi to the hotel
and wait a while before going to dinner. We went to the 14th-floor lounge for
tea, coffee, and a cookie. (It’s too early for the free wine.)
David wanted to find a nice place for dinner but kept
running into dead ends. He asked the front desk to call one place for a
reservation. She called and found that it was closed because yesterday they had
food poisoning! I’m glad we missed that one!
Finally, we decided to walk someplace close to the hotel,
and the clerk gave us directions to turn left, walk two blocks, and turn left to
the restaurant. Of course, when we tried that, the restaurant wasn’t there.
We thought maybe we had miscounted the blocks, so went a bit further. We turned a corner, found a noodle restaurant, and decided to eat there. The food was good. We even had dessert.
When we left, we turned on the GPS to get back to the hotel but just got confused. It seemed to keep recalculating the route. We hailed a taxi and had him take us back to the hotel.
We went directly up to the 14th floor for hotel happy hour. David had a glass of red wine, and I had 2 cups of tea. We sat in the outside area for a while, but the temperature was dropping. From the vantage point of the 14th floor, I took a photo of a nearby cemetery.
The Italians sitting around us were having a very loud good time, so we decided to go back to the room for some quiet.
I took off my wet boots and socks and hung them to dry. (Of course, I packed another pair of shoes, but they were in the luggage I forwarded this morning.) I soaked my cold feet in warm water. I put on the hotel loungewear and crawled into bed to write my journal. I am finally cozy, warm and dry.
Tomorrow is a long travel day.
Day 17, April 3 - Travel To Hakone National Park
Good
morning! It wasn’t raining! Hooray!
(But the rice farmers we met wanted more rain.)
And incredibly, our clothes were dry. The insoles of my
boots were still a tiny bit damp, but the uppers were dry, and they were
comfortable to wear again today. God is good!
I forgot to mention yesterday that while we were on the slow
trolly train, someone became ill. They were in another car, so we had no
details. The man who spoke English told us the conductor announced he had
called an ambulance. The train waited at this stop until it came. Everyone was
calm and patient.
We had our final breakfast at the Hiroshima hotel, then
returned to our room to take pictures of our tickets for today and the Audley
itinerary. We packed up our backpacks, then went to the 14th floor. They only
allowed us to check out when we were ready to turn in room keys.
At the street level, David quickly hailed a taxi. We asked for the Hiroshima Station. He asked Shinkansen? We said yes. We now know this means the bullet train line.
Inside, we followed the Shinkansen signs to the bullet train main entrance. We showed the agent our tickets and he pointed us through the gate where we used our cards in the machine.
Up another level, our train was not yet showing on the departure board, but we asked an agent who told us it will be on track 14. We went there to wait.
There is no smoking allowed in public or on the trains. The train stations do provide smoking rooms.
Again, we were about 90 minutes early for our train. We are
getting better at navigating the system, but certainly didn’t want to miss a
train.
We boarded and found our seats. We watched as people struggled to lift their baggage above their heads into the overhead racks. There was space that can be rented to store baggage, but with an extra cost.
I had no problem with motion sickness while in my seat and
the train was moving, but when walking to the restroom on the moving train, I
felt a bit dizzy.🥴 It was better to stay
seated.
The directions from Audley gave us a beginning station and
an ending station but failed to mention the need to transfer to another train
in the middle. We could tell by looking at our ticket that a second train was
indicated. After we boarded, I asked the conductor to help us understand when
to change trains. He told me getting a response would take a while, so to wait
in my seat.
Later he came and showed us a message in English on his tablet, which gave us specific directions about where to get off this train, and what train to board next. When we got off the second train, we transferred to a third train, which was operated by a different train company. This long travel day included riding on three different trains for more than 600 miles.
Having those clear instructions, we were easily able to find our next connecting train.
As usual, these trains flew through the county. There were often walls along the tracks, limiting the view, and many tunnels. There was not much open space between towns. Except for the mountains, most of Japan is densely populated.
We learned that there is flight to the cities from the “rural” rice field farms. Ten percent of the total Japanese population lives in Tokyo. No wonder we felt overwhelmed there. The locals we talked to said they don’t like visiting there either!
At our third train, we hit a snag. We were changing train systems,
but they are co-located at Odawara. Signs show how to get to the other system.
So far so good. I asked an agent at the new system, and she said track 11. We
went there and boarded. We knew it should only take about 15-20 minutes to our
stop, and it wasn’t coming up. I asked the couple next to us and they said we
were going the wrong direction.
We got off, went to an agent who told us to go back to the
Odawara station where we boarded the third train, get off, and find the correct
train. We did that. Again, an agent told us track 11. He even gave us a transit
map. How had we gotten on the wrong train?
There was a train sitting on the opposite side of the
platform and we asked the driver. He told us to board his train. This train
headed in the same general direction as the other but was curving more to the
left. Sure enough, we were at our stop in 20 minutes.
We knew to ask at the visitor center for them to call our
ryokan to pick us up. The woman also gave me maps and information about Hakone
National Park, which is what we came here to see. This is an area of volcanic
activity, with mountains and a lake. It is close enough to Tokyo that locals
come here for day trips on holidays and weekends.
Transportation arrived and we were soon at the ryokan. Lots of cherry
blossoms blooming here! We got checked in and oriented to the place. Dinner was
at 6:00. Much like the other ryokan, it was a 10-course meal!
The ryokan has kimonos to wear for lounging and I had to try one!
We have a full day here tomorrow and part of the next before we head to Tokyo where we end the trip.
Day 18, April 4 - Sightseeing? In Hakone National Park
Good morning from Hakone National Park! The Park is near Tokyo. In fact, the Fodor’s book lists it as a day trip out of Tokyo. It is touted as a resort area and good place for a close-up view of Mt. Fuji, weather permitting. And there’s the rub.
We arrived at our second Ryokan of the trip yesterday afternoon. Our bags were not there, but we were prepared for that.
We had a three-day pass to the park included in our Audley travel packet. The pass covers all the forms of transit in the park, buses, trains, a gondola ride, a cable car like San Francisco, and small cruise ship on the lake.
We awakened to thick fog and rain. We could see the cherry blossom trees in the courtyard, but clouds filled the valley and covered the tops of even the smaller hills. Not a chance of seeing the mountain. I took a photo to show on the blog.
We had the traditional ryokan breakfast, but we were both getting tired of raw fish, especially at breakfast. It didn’t look appealing. There was rice and steamed vegetables, so we had something to eat. I didn’t mind tofu, but David doesn’t like it.
We hoped the clouds would clear even though rain was forecast for the day. We wanted to at least go for it. We took the ryokan shuttle to the station and waited for the #2 tourists’ bus. We chose it because it was next to arrive. We boarded and got seats. Despite the weather, the bus was full, and some passengers were standing.
The bus had a fixed route up and over some hills on a narrow and very curved road with many switchbacks. We could barely see out the window. The mist and fog covered the trees.
The stop numbers were also announced in English. We followed along with our route map. Our plan was to get off at the lake for the cruise. The ships, according to Fodor’s, are “astonishingly corny Disney knockoffs.”
Today we both had umbrellas. We got off the bus near the lake and walked a couple of blocks to the pier. The lake is covered in fog, with limited visibility. I decided not to go. Why take a chance getting motion sickness on the water when there is nothing to see? We took pictures of a ship that looked like Pirates of the Caribbean.
We tried to find a cafe for a break, but most were closed.
We found one that was take-away only with no seats. I smiled as we passed one
closed cafe that had a sign, “spectacular views of Mt Fiji.” We could barely
see down the street!
We went back to the bus stop where we got off, but the sign said in English that buses don’t stop here between 10 and 2. There is a map to another stop.
We walked to the other stop which was more like a transit center. It had a sign for the various routes along with route numbers. There are bus parking lanes painted on the parking lot with numbers. We had given up on touring and decided to go back to the main station in town. Bus K-4. A bus is parked there but out of service. We asked a woman standing nearby who looked like she was waiting. She said the driver would be back soon. He arrived and we boarded.
We returned to town ready for lunch. I asked at the information center and said we wanted Italian. The staff here speak excellent English. She pulled out a map and showed me where to go. The main town street is lined with shops and restaurants, many selling wrapped food items. There are souvenir shops, jewelry stores, and shops with local products. Lots of color and lots of people carrying umbrellas.
There is so much rain in Japan that shops and businesses all provide a community umbrella rack outside to park your umbrella before entering. An alternative is that some shops provide a plastic sleeve at the door for you to slip your umbrella in to, so it doesn’t drip on the floor.
While I am discussing Japanese customs, another is that restaurants provide each table with a woven basket sitting beside the table to put your things in: cell phones, jackets, purses, etc., so they don’t sit on the table or on the floor! Ingenious!
We found the restaurant because of its Pizza sign. We got in line. It is a busy place. The server speaks English. I ordered the potato soup which sounded good and hot. It was thick like pea soup. I also had a Margarita pizza. David had pizza and beer. We were satisfied.
He paid with Yen cash and counted what he had left, trying to come out even at the end of the trip, and deciding for now he didn’t need to get more at the ATM. We were to head back to the US in about 48 hours.
We spent time window shopping, admiring fine crafts like
ceramics and wood products. I remembered I left my umbrella outside at the
pizza place, and when we went back, it was there. We bought some chocolate cake
to enjoy after we got back to the room.
We went back to the information office to meet the shuttle
back to the ryokan. David got in the hot tub to warm up. It is still cloudy,
foggy and raining. I took another photo at 4:00 for the blog. We relaxed in the
room until 6:00 dinner.
At dinner, we asked if we could have a western breakfast. The server went to check, returned and said OK.
David played a Netflix movie on my phone for us to watch before heading to bed.
Day 19, April 5 - Travel To Tokyo
Our bags arrived at Hakone yesterday. We planned to keep them with us for the last leg of the journey to Tokyo today. We didn’t want to stress about them not catching up with us if we forwarded them. Boy, did that turn out to be the right decision!
When we got to the train this afternoon, we hoped to figure out how to pay for the bags to stow in a luggage compartment on the floor, rather than trying to lift them over our heads to the rack.
Speaking of bags, even though I packed less than usual, I still packed too much. Often my travel bag weighs close to 50 pounds. This time it weighed 35, but with the leap frogging forwarding system, I could have packed even less. Part of the reason was that David and I were wearing the same clothes often and joking about wearing our “uniforms”.
We asked for western breakfast and got corn soup, runny scrambled eggs, sausage, a croissant and a roll, coffee and tea. We gave the server one of our parting gifts. She was pleased. I have two left.
We returned to the room to pack to check out by 10. We started streaming Madison’s softball game. (They won, 11 to 1!) The shuttle to the train station was at 11.
Our train tickets today to Tokyo were for 2:36. We could have been touring this morning, but the weather is not much better than yesterday, and being so unfamiliar with the park transit system, we could get stranded, and we didn’t want to miss our train. We headed to the station. As it turned out, another good decision. Thank you, God, for answered prayer.
It was disappointing that bad weather had impacted our trip
so often. Feels like mud season in Steamboat! We chose this time to travel
hoping to see cherry blossoms, and we have seen them, though in the mountains
it was too early. They have been lovely here in Hakone. We anticipate seeing
them in a better stage of blooming in Tokyo this time than when we were there
three weeks ago.
We took the shuttle to the train station, went up the
escalator to the platform area, which was crowded with people.
Our tickets were for a train that would go directly to
Shinjuku station in Tokyo, which is very near the hotel where we will be
staying for our last night. Since we were at the Hakone station early, we
wanted to see if we could take an earlier train.
Not only could we not take an earlier train, but there was
also a question about whether the train for which we were ticketed would be
able to run. There had been a fatal accident on this line ahead of us, and it
is closed until further notice. No wonder there was such a crowd at the
station. An entire train load of people was stranded here.
An English-speaking agent at the station informed us that we
needed to get a refund on the tickets we were holding and buy a ticket back to
Odawara station. There we should buy tickets on the JR or Shinkansen train into
Tokyo station. (I thought the railway should cover the cost of our detour, but
apparently not!)
We bought the tickets to Odawara and squeezed into the
crowded train. A kind young woman stood and offered me her seat. I am
continuously thanking God for the kindness of strangers.
At Odawara, I stood in a long line at the Shinkansen ticket
office, along with dozens of other redirected travelers. The agent spoke
English. I thanked her for good service during this busy crisis. I bought
tickets for two that included space for baggage behind the seats.
The train leaves in 20 minutes. She asked if that was ok. I
said yes. She told me track 14 and pointed to a sign pointing to 14.
On the platform was a family speaking Spanish. The language
sounded comfortably familiar after so many days of hearing mostly Japanese.
I tried to take a video of a passing bullet train, but there
was such short notice one was coming, I only got about half of it as it whizzed
by.
The Japanese Railroad system operates two types of trains.
One is the Shinkansen bullet express trains. The other is the JR trains, which
are slower and local with more stops.
Our original tickets were for Shinjuku station near the Keio Plaza hotel, and we know that Tokyo station will be on the opposite side of the city from the hotel where we were booked.
We either needed to navigate the subway system with our luggage or hire a taxi to take us across town to the hotel. We opted for the latter. We arrived at Tokyo station and more rapidly this time found the exit to get a taxi. It cost $25 and was well worth it.
This trip made us focus more on each day as it presented itself. Enjoy what is before you now. Think about tomorrow later. We had no way to predict what we might encounter, so don’t worry about it. Deal with the moment in the moment. Today was a good example.
We arrived by taxi at our destination about 2:30. The Keio hotel is a two-tower 47-story high-rise and over-the-top full-service hotel filled with 15 restaurants, boutiques, tea rooms, a huge conference and business center. It sits in the upscale entertainment district of Tokyo filled with young people. Our room was 2029.
We went to a hotel restaurant that serves all day and had pasta for lunch. This was a fun place to people-watch. A group of three classy women a bit younger than myself sat near us having coffee and dessert after shopping. They were laughing and having a good time. I considered approaching them but decided against it. I did take their photo.
We watched CNN cover the East Coast quake, the eclipse, women’s basketball and other breaking news. I wandered around the hotel a bit taking photos. David researched tours for tomorrow morning, but they were full.
About 7:00 we rode the express elevator to the 47th floor to take pictures of the city lights. Unfortunately, the reflections on the plate glass windows interfered. We went to the restaurant on the 45th floor for coffee, tea and dessert. We watched the colored lights display on the skyscraper next door. There was a light show and animated pictures. It reminded us of similar displays when we were in Hong Kong.
Days 20 And 21, April 6-7- Final Day In Japan And Travel Home
We liked this hotel. The Keio Hotel bed was luxurious.
(Especially after the futons on the floor at the ryokans). Breakfast was
included. We enjoyed a full western breakfast buffet, including pancakes and
French toast. The scrambled eggs were runny. That seems to be standard in
Japan.
Audley arranged our transfer to the airport leaving the
hotel at 2 o’clock so we have the morning free. David did some research to find
some places to spend our time.
First on the list is Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We took
a taxi a short distance and saw a line of people. This must be the right place.
As we studied the signs, we realized that entry to the gardens requires a
reservation. However, if you arrive between 9 and 10 AM you can be admitted.
Unfortunately for us it’s 10 minutes after 10.
We grab another taxi and direct him to the Tokyo Sea life
park. We watched the mounting fare on the meter as the driver drove and drove.
David thought that he had selected a place in the Shinjuku area, but we later
realized that he had turned the page in Fodor’s to one titled General Tokyo. We
did not plan to be so far away from the hotel and asked the driver to let us
out because we didn’t have more fare.
He pulled over and communicated with us with his translator
device, which wasn’t working very well. We said that we were hadn’t expected
such a long ride and had only enough yen to pay to this point. He offered to
take us back to the hotel, which we agreed to do. He said he wouldn’t charge
us. When we arrived at the hotel, he gave us a message that said, “enjoy your
stay in Japan.” I gave him a message that said “we apologize for the confusion.
Thank you for understanding.” David gave him all the cash that he had, which
was the fare one-way. We parted as friends. He was a good PR person for Japan.
We were back where we
started and still had time for an activity before lunch. We went to the ATM at
the hotel and got about $50 US dollars in Yen.
The hotel was near the Shinjuku station and some big
department stores. We got a local area map from the concierge and walked about
three blocks watching all the activities on the street and observing businessmen
and women in their dark suits looking for lunch. David priced shoes and found
them as expensive as in the US.
It was getting quite warm. We both took our jackets off. I
put mine in my backpack. David tucked his in the strap of his leather bag.
We went into a toy store and watched two small boys playing with a Match Car parking garage. The store glittered with dazzling displays of toys stacked nearly to the ceiling.
One store looked like a gambling Mecca with lottery cards.
Might fit in with the seedy night life David read about?
David read that this area has a very active night life and
wanted to find the neighborhood on the west side of the station. We tried to
figure out how to get from one side of the department store to the other to
exit on the other side but were not successful. The aisles didn’t go straight
through.
I suggested I could navigate better outside the building
where I could see landmarks. We went outside and walked halfway around the
building to see the neighborhood on the other side. We were getting our steps
in today.
We walked in this west neighborhood full of shops and cafes, but it didn’t appear much different than the one we had left, and we wanted time for lunch, so we decided to retrace our steps.
At least walking outside, we didn’t get lost. We slowly made
our way back, browsing at shops on the way.
Back at the hotel, we went to the restaurant where we ate
lunch yesterday. This is obviously a popular gathering place for women who are
out shopping. I ate lunch, but David wanted only a large beer. When David paid
for lunch, the cashier asked if we were staying at the hotel, we said no, but
then added that we had just checked out. He recalculated our cost giving us the
hotel discount. David marveled at how courteous and respectful we have found
the Japanese people to be.
By now, it was approaching our 2 o’clock pick up time. We
went to the Bell captain to collect our luggage. David noticed that he did not
have his jacket. He went back to the restaurant, but it was not there. We
checked at the front desk to see if it had been turned in, but it had not.
Neither of us had noticed when the jacket fell off the strap. Maybe when we
were at the shopping area. He was distressed!
We told the door attendant we were expecting the airport
pick up. He checked with staff outside and our limo was waiting. We loaded up
and drove for over an hour to the airport. The driver got a luggage cart for
us, unloaded our bags and put them on the cart. He nodded his head and so did
we, saying thank you and goodbye.
Terminal two is the international departure terminal and it
is vast. I asked at the information counter to learn that check in for Hawaiian
airlines is at Q at the far end of the terminal.
David has been trying all day to complete our check in by phone,
but the Hawaiian airlines app is not cooperating. When we arrived at the letter
Q there were a few people standing there and no agents at the desks. The sign
says that the gate for check-in will open at 16:55, more than two hours from
now!
Two young women, who were Hawaiian Airlines agents,
approached the group and divided us into lines of business class and main
cabin. We were all asked to fill out a form the Japanese government required to give our contact information in the United States.
We filled out our form and waited in line for two hours.
Frustrating to arrive so early! I could understand Audley not wanting us to get
caught in traffic, but this was ridiculous.
Finally, we checked in, still well ahead of departure time.
We qualified to use the first-class lounge which has free food and drinks.
We had missed seeing Madison’s other games because they were
on in the middle of the night in Japan. David was able to stream them as
replays so watched them when we waited.
Our flight to Honolulu was 6 hours and 45 minutes. We
cleared customs and immigration there. The second flight was about five hours.
We had an amazing trip. It put our travel skills to the
test. But we managed.
The Japanese people were friendly and wanted to help even if
they didn’t speak English.
We learned many Japanese travel tips, such as when you use
your subway ticket to get on, hang on to it because you will need it to get out
the exit gate.
I will certainly miss heated toilet seats and admit to a
surprise when I first sat on a cold one on the plane!
No matter how great the trip, it’s always good to get home.
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