This was a wonderful trip but what would it be with out a series of interesting photos. They are in no particular order. Some I found funny, some I found interesting (usually from a cultural standpoint). At the end of this post I have a very important request.
We were given these at one meal but help me here, why are they needed?If you are not interested in bread or yogurt for breakfast, how about some “serial” at the Gate Hotel in TokyoIn Nara, beware of deer. Fashion statement in Kyoto.If your wheelchair can’t handle stairs how about a ramp at about a 60° slope?Tired from too much walking in Nara? Try this rest area.We saw these things EVERYWHERE.Sorry, this has me speechless.We were told laundry drying machines are not seen in Japan. Instead you see this.If the lightning fast elevators in our Hakone hotel are too slow for you, have a seat.Would you like some water?Or would you prefer detox water?If you want to used the public baths in Hakone you better not have any tattoos. Again I am speechless.The Gate Hotel in Tokyo watches you when you are in the elevator. Look at this balding guy taking a picture of himself.I have no clue how this works. If you are looking for a “bathroom” you will get a blank stare. If you ask for the “toilet” they will lead you here. They might open the door for you as well but luckily after that you are on your own.Many of the hotels have a small bedside flashlight. Very convenient.2 in 1? Get a haircut while you have your teeth cleaned?That does it, it is time to go home!I leave you with this photo of Kyoto Tower. Quite an amazing picture if I do say so myself.
We are now home but I need your help. Please send me your recommendations of where to travel to next. We are thinking about Norway, Sweden, and or Finland. If you have been to these locations please send me your “Must See” list.
The hours are counting down but although it will be good to get home it will be difficult to say goodbye to Japan. I am sad to report that our hotel in Hiroshima was a huge disappointment. We were at the Granvia Hiroshima which is located at the train station (big plus), has a gorgeous lobby, and a wonderful staff. The room was awful. It was very small with a bathroom that makes your typical European bathroom seem spacious. Also the breakfast was very disappointing. I’m sure you remember me raving about breakfast every day of the trip, well this was the exception.
We left Hiroshima early because the bullet train to Tokyo is a 4 hour trip. Finding the train was easy (damn we are getting good at this). Our trip company alerted us that we might be able to see Mt. Fuji from the left side of the train. They wisely got us seats on the left side and we got a great view of the mountain which now has a slight snow cap. The train was moving too fast for us to get a decent picture but we enjoyed the view even if you can’t. The bullet train zips along at quite a pace in order to cover about 520+ miles in 4 hours (with about 4 stops prior to Tokyo). In order to achieve these incredible speeds and still maintain a comfortable ride the train takes advantage of “semiconducting maglev” (short for Magnetic Levitation). As the train leaves the station it is rolling on wheels. But as it speeds up, the wheels retract, and the power of magnets allows the vehicle to hover 4 inches above the ground. This is what permits the train to reach high speeds but still maintain a smooth ride. I hope that is clear to you. I know I can get a little technical at times when we discuss science. (Patrice here: I can’t believe this guy, the last section was copied and pasted from the internet. I am sure you probably already realized that).
Immediately upon exiting the train in Tokyo we were met by our “Tokyo Greeter” see below.
Our Tokyo greeter with sign in hand.
The young man welcomed us to Tokyo then took Patrice’s rolling backpack. The two of them started walking to the car. Patrice was quite concerned about me carrying my heavy backpack as you can see from this picture.
“Hey guys!, Don’t forget about me!”
We then had a short ride to the Conrad Hotel and were able to check in (nice surprise). This place is amazing. Our room wasn’t going to be ready until 5 PM so they upgraded us to a suite. I feel like we went from the basement to the penthouse when we compare our Hiroshima accommodation. Here is the view from our room.
Incredible room but still some room for improvement, the toilets don’t salute (yes, there are two).
With the help of the concierge we went on a little outing. First we went to Yelo (recommended by my friend, Fred) and had Kakigori (shaved ice). This was spectacular. See below.
Patrice and I getting ready to eat our Kakigori (looks huge but the shaved ice had a lot of air)As you can tell, I really liked it.
We then set off for the “Times Square of Tokyo” called Shibuya Scramble Crossing. It was reminiscent of the New York landmark. See for yourself in the 4 pictures below.
You might recall seeing it in the Bill Murray movie, “Lost in Translation”. If you prefer to see the area in live action, check out this video.
Shibuya Scramble in Tokyo. Times Square? You decide.
Our last dinner in Japan was at a fantastic restaurant called Guyan (6 Chome-13-6 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061) which was recommended by the hotel concierge. We both had Kobe beef filets and they were scrumptious.
I asked for medium rare and it was a bit too pink for me. The plate was so hot that I just used it to cook the meat a tad more.
If you would like to read about Kobe beef and what in the US we call Kobe beef but is really “Kobe-Style” beef here is a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef
Time to call it a night since we need prepare for our departure tomorrow afternoon. I will have lots of fun photos for you tomorrow and a very important question I hope all of you can help me answer.
We had a very restful night in Miyajima. The hotel is a ryokan so wearing the hotel provided pajamas or robes is acceptable attire anywhere in the hotel including the dining hall. The hotel and staff were lovely similar to what we have experienced at all our accommodations throughout this trip. On our way to breakfast one of the staff members noted that Patrice did not have her robe on correctly so she assisted with an adjustment.
Patrice being helped with her robe. As I said, the staff at all the hotels have been amazing.
We got a late start because breakfast didn’t start until 8. I think the late start time is to give the staff some rest. Yes, the same people who served us dinner were here for breakfast this morning. Below is what we were served.
Except for the salad and fruit the only item I can name is the yogurt (white stuff with 2 purple dots).
If I ever get serious about losing weight, one month in Japan should take care of things.
After breakfast we got our things together and checked out. The clerk thanked us for our patronage, walked us to the elevator, and pushed the button sending the elevator to the exit floor. Just like in the USA, no?
Exiting the hotel we were stunned by how quiet it was outside with virtually no one on the street. But we soon saw hoards of school children in large groups marching our way. When we arrived at the ferry station we saw loads of tourists as well. Looks like another big day on the island.
After exiting the ferry we took the train back to Hiroshima. In order to find the correct train we again needed a lot of pointing from the station staff. I find it humorous that the workers in addition to pointing give us a myriad of instructions in Japanese in spite of my vocabulary being limited to two words (thank you and delicious).
After dropping off our bags at the Hiroshima hotel (again we were too early to check in) we headed to the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park. The Dome is the remnant of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall which was located 490 feet from the hypocenter (ground zero) of the first atomic bomb ever dropped (August 6, 1945). It is a very sobering experience and I promise no jokes will follow. We saw people taking pictures of themselves in front of the memorial. Sorry, I don’t understand this behavior. I wanted to tell Patrice I’m not taking pictures of us in front of the memorial but I couldn’t get the words out because I started to get choked up. We are talking about the site where over 140,000 died or were sentenced to death within seconds. It reminded me of people taking pictures in front of the 911 Memorial in New York. These are memorials to the dead who were victims of tragic events not a ride at Disneyland! I’m tempted to ask these people if they would take selfies in front of their relative’s gravesites.
Atomic Bomb Dome. (previously the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall)Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (circa 1921-1933)
We then visited the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. The park was beautiful and a wonderful tribute to those who lost their lives and for the hope of peace in the world.
The Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph. Through the center of the memorial you can see the Peace Flame and the Atomic Bomb Dome.
In the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum we saw some horrific pictures of the post bomb Hiroshima and the victims. It reminded us of the holocaust museum. I wouldn’t begin to compare the two but both were very moving.
After we became incredibly depressed at the museum there was only one possible remedy. You guessed it……. Food.
Our tour company had recommended we try okonomiyaki while we were in Hiroshima. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese teppanyaki, pancake dish with all sorts of yummy things inside (cabbage, pork, seafood, shrimp, oysters, squid, etc). We went to a Michelin star restaurant called Icchan which is very close to our hotel. The meal was very affordable (about $7 per plate) and absolutely “OISHI” (I had to use one of the two Japanese words I know, see above, and I’ll give you a hint, it doesn’t mean thank you). This morning I was feeling ready to go home but after this meal I think another day or two would be just fine.
Patrice opted for the udon noodles.I chose the soba noodles.I am adding this in case you would like to read the Michelin review.
We are down to our last 2 nights of the trip. Hopefully some more magic moments are still to come. Possibly I can learn a third Japanese word?
Last night we had another lovely dinner with our new friend Tomoko. We bid her farewell then got back to our hotel where we prepared our luggage to be shipped to Tokyo while we set off on an adventure to two different towns. One thing I have to say about this trip is that the hotels have been fantastic. The Thousand in Kyoto has been especially nice in that the staff seemed more proficient in English, the hotel is conveniently located near the Kyoto Station, and the facility was beautiful. In addition to the room being superior check out the staircase leading from the first to second level. It puts on quite a show at night.
Day time: Stairs look functional but ordinary.At nighttime the stairs get dressed to kill. They also put on a show. Check out this video. See below.
After breakfast we caught the 8:03 train to Hiroshima. We have come to depend on the agents at the train stations. We typically think we are going to the correct train track but we fear putting our ticket in the machine and then finding out we’ve made an error. To avoid this complication we check with the agents and they confirm that we are at the right spot. With that reassurance we are on our way. The agents have been incredibly helpful in spite of not speaking much English. A point of the hand can go a long way.
Today we set out to go to Miyajima (also known as Itsukushima). To access this area you take a train to Hiroshima and then a ferry to Miyajima island. It is known for a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Floating Torii Gate. See below.
The torii gate as seen from the ferry from Hiroshima to Itsukushima (Miyajima).The torii gate as seen from the shore.
Soon after arrival at the island we used the “What 3 Words” app to locate the hotel. We were not previously aware of this app but our tour company let us know about it. According to the App’s instructions every 3 meter square on Earth has been identified by 3 words. For example The White House is identified by “goods.enjoyable.loft”. My office is located at “foster.knots.applied”. I have no idea how these locations are assigned these 3 word addresses but it can come in very handy when the address you are looking for is very difficult to understand (e.g. the majority of addresses we have tried to find in this country). We used the hotel’s W3W location and found it with Google maps. We first tried to locate the hotel using Google maps but without success. We then asked W3W to find the hotel on Google maps and then we were on our way. We were enjoying the walk looking at all sorts of shops when Google said, “Look Around” and sure enough we were at the hotel.
We left our bags at the hotel (too early to check in) and decided to go on a discovery tour. As I said before we saw lots of souvenir shops and places to eat. We also stopped into the tourist information center. The guide there was very nice but if he spoke any English it was well hidden. Patrice asked about where we could fine okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) in town. He seemed to understand but his ability to explain how to find the restaurant was limited. So he just left the tourist bureau and took us about 75 yards to the restaurant. Again I am amazed by the kindness of these people.
We ventured on to the Rope Roadway which is a cable car that takes you to the top of Mt. Misen. This is the highest peak on the island and it is 1755 feet high. There is a free shuttle that brings you up to the starting point of the cable car. We saw a bunch of young people lined up waiting for the shuttle. Rather than waiting, I said to Patrice let’s just walk. At first we weren’t sure we were going the right way but then we saw this sign.
I wanted to run part way but Patrice would have no part of that. (Patrice here now, Robert is full of it. He was whining the whole way about how much his back hurt and wanted to stop to rest repeatedly. IT WAS A 10 MINUTE WALK UP A MILD GRADE! He is such a baby!)
We reached the start of the ropeway and boarded one of the cable cars. The views of the forestry, water, Hiroshima were spectacular. (Patrice here again. I don’t know what views he is talking about. As you probably remember from previous posts he is terrified of heights. This was his view the entire trip to the mountain top (see below).
This is what Robert was looking at while I was enjoying the views and trying to calm him down.Here we are at the top of Mt. Misen.
We then returned to the hotel to check in. This is another superb hotel. It seems to be a little boutique ryokan on the island. It has a public bath (onsen) that is not as ornate as the one we had in Hakone but still very relaxing.
After the bath it was time for dinner. We took the elevator to the dining room and another guest joined us. I let him enter the elevator first and he said thank you. I tried to impress him with my Japanese and said, “Oishi”. He smiled and after he exited the elevator Patrice said, “Do you realize you just said delicious?” Oops. Maybe I am clairvoyant and I was thinking of the dinner to come. Breakfast and dinner are included in the stay and tonight’s food was fantastic. Not only was the food excellent the number of courses was embarrassing. Sit back and relax. You are not going to believe what is to follow.
Persimmon with tofuSalmon, eggplant, simmered sardine, crab, and pine needle.Pike conger (don’t ask, I have no idea) and matsutake mushroom (again don’t) clear soupSteamed sea bream and prawn.Citrus grilled Spanish mackerel and lotus root.Deep fried sesame tofu in yuba and duck loin in thick soupSteamed oyster.Clam miso soup and rice.Cheese cake with seasonal fruit and tea
Today our travel company had arranged an excursion to a farm where we would learn how mochi is made and have lunch. We were to take the 10:11 train to the Ogotoonsen station near Lake Biwa, (the largest freshwater lake in Japan), and located a very short distance away, northeast of Kyoto. Based on our experience with the cloth dyeing and the tea ceremony I was thinking “Ugh, do I have to?”
Now that we are “experienced” Japan travelers and very familiar with the Kyoto train station we decided it would be best if we left our hotel at 9 AM to make the 5 minute walk for our 10:11 train. As you can predict we arrived at the track one hour early. At least we got some reading done before leaving Kyoto.
The train left promptly at 10:11 (such a surprise) and we looked at the travel booklet as we left Kyoto. We noticed that the booklet said our farm experience was from 10:00 to 2:00. We thought that was very odd since our train wasn’t due to leave until 10:11. I told Patrice that this must be a super bullet train.
A few minutes into our ride I received a call from our tour company asking if we had decided to cancel the farm trip since we weren’t there yet. I told the agent about the plan as outlined in our travel guide. He checked our itinerary and said they made an error (such a shock) but everything was fine. We should just continue on to Ogotoonsen.
On arrival at the Ogotoonsen station we were greeted by our guide, Asami. Let me first say I wish Asami could be our guide for the entire trip. Her English is superb and we had no difficulty understanding what she said. She first took us to a Shinto shrine. I’ve seen enough shrines to last me 3 lifetimes but this was better because I could understand what the guide was telling us. Of course at my age I will probably forget everything anyway so I shouldn’t be so picky.
We then went to the farm house of Tsuji San (San being the Japanese equivalent to Mr. or Ms.) and his neighbor Sumiko San. They explained (as interpreted by Asami) the ins and outs of preparing different types of mochi. Mochi (also called glutinous white rice) is steamed and then pounded. It can then be served with various fillings or sauces. Tsuji showed us a machine that is used for the pounding but demonstrated the traditional pounding method. He gave Patrice and I a try at the pounding. Lucky for me, Patrice did not video my attempt at pounding. Unfortunately for her, I did film Patrice doing the pounding. She warned me if I post it on this blog or anywhere else I will be talking an octave higher in the morning. She did give me permission to post a screen shot. See below.
Patrice pounding the mochi. “Look out Sumiko San, here I come”
We were then given some samples of mochi with a variety of combinations (red beans and a bunch of other things that I was so busy eating that I failed to write down).
Patrice laughing because this is the first time I have eaten anything with chopsticks without having my face about one inch away from the plate.
Then it was time to go indoors for lunch. We removed our shoes at the entry and then rotated them facing outside to make it easier to put them on when we leave. We sat in a traditional manner (directly on the floor). For those of you who don’t think I got on the floor, here is the proof.
I know you are wondering how many people it took to get me up. In order to be totally transparent I have to admit I did opt for a chair. Since breaking my hip in a bike accident in 2011 sitting on the floor has not been my favorite activity.
Tsuji then proceeded to make some chicken sukiyaki with the help of Sumiko. We were told that many of the vegetables being used had been grown on the farm.
Chicken Sukiyaki. It was “oishii” (delicious) and I am stuffed (I don’t know the Japanese word for that).
During lunch we asked all sorts of questions about life on the farm and Tsujii was very open to share. He showed us the floor plan of the farmhouse. See below.
Tsujii holding the farmhouse floor plan.
I was specifically interested in this part of the house. See below.
This is the cow stall. Patrice said it was big enough to add a bed if I was interested.
We then retired to the living room for a picture. We also were able to add a greeting in their guest book which I wrote in Japanese (thank you Google Translate) and have dessert.
Tsujii, Sumiko, Robert, and Patrice after lunch.Mochi dessert.A gift from Tsujii to Patrice, an origami crane.One final picture as we were leaving Tsujii’s home.
Then it was on to the train station. A taxi was waiting; it was 2:00 and our train was leaving at 2:13. We arrived at Ogotoonsen station in time and actually had to wait 5 minutes for the ontime train to arrive. Yes, we are not in Los Angeles.
Tonight we are once again getting together with Tomoko, then tomorrow we leave for Miyajima.
I won’t bore you about breakfast again today (although it was quite wonderful) but rather discuss the cultural experience we have had on this trip. I am not talking about shrines, Buddhas, or castles but rather just everyday people. I also want to add some random thoughts and experiences. Sorry if they don’t all tie together but neither do I.
One thing that has been quite evident in our travels has been that the Japanese culture is very distinct from what we are used to in the USA. I am not saying it is better (although many would say it is) I am just saying it is different.
For example in general the people are incredibly polite. We were at a train station and I saw a young girl drop something. At first I thought it was a candy bar so I instinctively called out to her. “Excuse me, excuse me!” (Sorry, my Japanese is a bit underdeveloped). Luckily, this got her attention and she turned around. I pointed out the item to her. She looked at me first then at the item then returned her glance to me with a look of horror. She rushed to pick up what turned out to be a piece of trash and not a candy bar. On her way to pick it up she said “Thank you, thank you” in English, realizing that I was not Japanese (Hmmm, I wonder what tipped her off?). She returned to her friends and again thanked me, as did all three of her friends. Since murder is rare in Japan I assume they treat littering as a heinous crime and I had just saved this young thing from a life of shame and despair. I wonder how this same interaction would have played out in the United States? Possibly she would have said, “Kiss my A!”. Or maybe, “What do you want old man?”
Another curious activity that has repeatedly happened revolves around asking for directions. In yesterday’s blog I told you about the two young women and a security guard who escorted us down the street looking for our restaurant. A similar thing happened yesterday. When we returned to Kyoto Station from our outing in Nara I suggested we locate the place we planned to have dinner so we would be more relaxed when it came time to go. First we needed to locate an elevator. We asked a woman where we could find the elevator and instead of pointing us in the correct direction she reversed the way she was walking and took us to the elevator. Later we found a bunch of restaurants but their names were not readily apparent. So we went into one and asked a host if this was the place we were looking for and he shook his head no. He then walked out of his restaurant looked back at us making me think we were supposed to follow him. He looked back at us one more time then made a turn, pointed to a restaurant and bowed his head. I don’t think you would find either of these behaviors in the USA. A person could get used to being treated this way. They could also pay it forward and treat someone else in this manner. Who knows what might develop. Possibly people would stop disparaging others because of their race or religion. Possibly people would stop inflicting physical harm on others. Possibly people would stop stealing or cheating others. Possibly we could have a kinder and gentler America (That’s from George H.W. Bush. I was not a big fan of his but I really love that concept).
Speaking of being kinder and gentler it was my idea to look for the restaurant while we were at the train station last night. Since it was difficult to find the place and we were able to make a reservation while we were there, Patrice said, “That was a good idea. You are full of good ideas. Yes, Robert you really are full of it”. Hmmm, I think that was a compliment. Or maybe she needs some more time in Japan?
We had one other interesting interaction with a local. It involves Patrice and her attempt to use some Japanese phrases. When we came through airport security on arrival she tried to say thank you to the agent. He looked at us somewhat confused so I instinctively uttered, “Gracias” to which he immediately replied “¿Como estas?”
This has been a great trip with all sorts of fun things happening. Yesterday in Nara Park a deer nosed up to Patrice’s butt. She said “Robert, not here!” and started to swat me away when she realized the culprit walked on four legs not two.
I mentioned in one of my early Japan blog posts that part of our trip preparation was to read “Learning to Bow” (lent to us by our friends Ginger and Don). The book presents this interesting thought: “If you dream of a snake, it’s bad luck. A fish without scales is worse. But the best dream of all, is to catch sight of Mount Fuji.” I am happy to say we have done that.
The book also states that 80% of the Japanese are Shinto, 80% are Buddhist, and 80% have no religious affiliation. Please tell this to those idiots who assume someone is good in math just because they are Japanese.
Today we were driven to the Miho Museum. It is about 27 miles south of Kyoto but because much of the ride is on a long and narrow rode it took us close to an hour to get there. The museum is gorgeous. It was designed by I.M. Pei and is named after the founder of the museum, Mihoko Koyama. I was not able to find out much about the benefactor and our guide (Nobu) was either not knowledgeable about her or just hesitant to talk. I got the impression it was the latter because he seemed to imply that the money behind the facility was not hers and that she was not married to the man who was the donor.
The museum exhibits were okay. Nothing all that impressive to me. I am sure others who are into ancient art would have been jumping up and down but that just isn’t my thing. Below you will see the most interesting thing I saw at the museum.
In this country famous for its safety and honesty we have found numerous examples of these structures in which people lock their umbrellas. Are you saying I will return your lost wallet but be careful because I will grab your umbrella 5 minutes later?
Before I sign off I want to send my food lovers a picture of what I had to eat tonight. A traditional Japanese meal.
When we left you yesterday we were about to venture out to dinner. You might recall that Patrice got us a useless map from the hotel. I said, “How hard could it be to find this place? We will make a left out of the hotel and walk until we find the restaurant”. Unfortunately we were a significant distance from our hotel when I realized I had forgotten our portable wifi and could not get cell service. We were lost and in trouble.
I saw two women and I hoped since they were young they spoke English. They did, but very little. They didn’t know where the restaurant was located but found it on their cell phones and started to lead us to the location (Yes, lead us. Not just point and say goodbye, actually take us to our destination). After a short time they seemed a little confused on how to proceed. I saw a security guard and pointed him out to the ladies as a possible source of information. The guard said something to the young girls and started walking with us. We now had 3 escorts on our journey. Shortly after that, Patrice spotted the restaurant across the street and we could dismiss our entourage with our deepest gratitude. (The Loin Restaurant in the New Hankyu Hotel at 579 Higashishiokojicho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8216. Now do you see why we had trouble finding it?)
The restaurant was recommended by our new friend, Tomoko. The meal was expensive but excellent. All the cooked items were made on the skillet in front of our seats, not quite the Benihana-like show but you get the idea. The staff members were great. In addition to the chef there were two others who helped fill our needs, for example trying to help us find the English words for what we were eating. At the time I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. For example what do you think of this tidbit?
Any thoughts what the rectangle with the cute little cow shape cut out might be?
Today we decided to try the Western style breakfast. Similar to yesterday the food and service were excellent. The one main difference was the sound volume. Yesterday was quiet, serene and relaxing. Today was as noisy as your typical New York City diner. Yesterday after breakfast we just chatted and enjoyed the surroundings. Today we said, “I am done eating, let’s go”. Maybe we Westerners should try some of the Zen principles?
After breakfast our first activity was planned by our tour company. We went to a small shop to learn how to dye clothes. The shop was a $20 cab ride from our hotel (I was already not excited). The people there were INCREDIBLY nice but only spoke a modest amount of English. So what was supposed to be a lesson in the art of dyeing cloth was more like a children’s ceramic class where you make a piece of “art” for your parents to enjoy. My parents have both passed away so I made something for my son-in-law, Robby. I hope he likes it. There were about 6-8 others in the “class” and the owner (a jewel of a man, named Jun) was hustling around to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to do. When it came time for us to leave he called a cab and had us sit until it arrived. He saw on his phone that it was approaching and he then took us outside and made sure the taxi driver knew where we wanted to go. Like I said, a jewel of a man.
That was the end of the activities planned by our travel agent (pretty sparse, no?) but Patrice and I were not finished. We had been told that the town of Nara, with its large Buddha, was a must see attraction. We were also told that there were some deer in the town that might interest us. Last night Patrice contacted the famous travel blogger Robert Reiss and asked him to arrange this excursion. I got busy on the internet and figured out how to get to our destination. I also developed a plan for the afternoon.
We took the taxi from the dyeing class to Kyoto Station and got tickets for our trip to Nara (many thanks to our guide from yesterday, Kiyoko, who showed us where to go to buy the tickets and which trains would be best for us to use (even famous travel bloggers need help sometime). We boarded our train and 35 minutes later we exited at the Nara Station.
Our first stop in town was the Todaiji Temple which houses a very impressive Buddha (larger than the one we saw in Kamakura). The temple was built in the 8th century under the direction of Emperor Shamu. Oops, I mean Shomu (I think Shamu was a whale). Apparently using x-rays some relics were found in the right knee. Among these artifacts was a tooth presumed to have belonged to Emperor Shomu. See the Great Buddha below.
Notice the right hand is up signifying don’t get too close. Apparently there weren’t a lot of showers in the 8th century and Buddha was very sensitive to body odor. Also note the left hand is extended with the palm up. From what I understand Buddha, like pretty much every God, was not a good money manager and always needed more. So his palm is up so you can give him a donation.
As I said, we didn’t have a guide today so all of that last caption information was totally made up. But it sounded good didn’t it?
On our way to visit Buddha we saw a few deer in town. As I said before we were told we might see some. As we walked we saw more and more. It was unbelievable how many deer we saw. With so many deer you need to tread carefully because they left samples EVERYWHERE. Here are some pictures of the lovely creatures.
Two cute little deer, just hanging out.Patrons buy cookies so they can feed the deer. They can quite aggressive looking for the cookies (the deer, not the patrons). This stag seems to be saying, “You know what you can do with your damn cookies!”
Following that we headed to the Nigatsudo Hall. This is a Buddhist temple also built in the 8th century. The view from the hill at which it stands was nice but there was not much to see at the temple. We also visited Kasuga Taisha Shrine which is a Shinto structure similar to others we have seen. After that is was back on the train to get to the hotel.
Tomorrow we will have another day trip. I am not sure where we are going so no spoilers are possible.
Last night we had the kind of experience I love when we travel. We had an interaction with the local people. We were introduced to Tomoko, a friend of one of Patrice’s biking buddies. We simply met for dinner at a local restaurant and it was delightful. I could tell immediately that this was my kind of experience. When we walked in I didn’t see anyone who looked like a tourist (except us of course) and they didn’t have any menus in English. If we were alone it would have been a nightmare but with Tomoko’s assistance we were able to order a delicious meal at an incredibly inexpensive cost. When I think back to the meal we had at the Sky Tree restaurant that was EXTREMELY expensive and not nearly as good it makes me a bit nutty.
At the restaurant with our new friend. Tomoko is the one in the middle.
This morning we decided to start with my favorite activity of the trip…. Breakfast. The hotel offers a choice between a restaurant serving a traditional Japanese breakfast or another with a Western breakfast. Today (at the urging of my friend Fred) we decided to try the Japanese style. See below.
We were told what each item was but please don’t ask me what is what. I know the words tofu, seaweed, miso soup, were spoken. One thing is clear, nothing was said that I associated with breakfast or any other meals.
The breakfast was good but I certainly recognize why there are not many (if any) obese people in Japan. The Japanese diet is one of very lean foods. This reminds me of one of our earlier guides who compared the geography of Japan and the USA. “Japan is a very thin country and America is a very wide country” she said. I told her that Japanese are very thin and Americans are very wide as well. We have only seen two overweight Japanese people here. One was from Seattle the other from San Jose. We did see one rather obese boy in a group of school children today. The only possible explanation would be that his father moved here from the USA for work.
Today’s guide, Kiyoko, was supposed to meet us in the hotel lobby at 9:00. We were in the lobby at 8:55 when we found out she was going to be late since her train was delayed. Hey, I thought Hiro told us the trains might be about 15 seconds late? No matter, she arrived and we were on our way. Our first stop was the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kinkaku Ji Temple. The building was constructed in the 14th century and was burned down by a novice monk on July 2, 1950. It was subsequently rebuilt (obviously, otherwise we wouldn’t be here) in 1955 and the gold leaf was replaced from 1986-1987 at 5 times the original thickness. I am sure you will agree it is a fantastic sight.
I asked Patrice to look at this great photo I took. She thought I was joking and it was a stock photo which I downloaded. Maybe I missed my calling in life?
Here are pictures of two famous couples who have visited the temple.
My brother Stephen and his wife Fayla circa 2015 (we lost Stephen in 2016).Patrice and I tried to recreate the photo but unfortunately we can’t recreate him. He is missed by many.
Sorry if that was a downer moment for what I typically like to make a funny experience for my readers. I suppose I can be forgiven because after all we have been taught that Buddhist temples are typically used for funerals since the Zen Buddhist philosophy deals with the hereafter as opposed to Shinto shrines which deal with happy occasions such as weddings and birthdays.
Our next stop was Ryoan-Ji Temple which houses another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rock Garden. I have to admit this didn’t do much for me. I don’t want to be disrespectful but playing with rocks never appealed to me. What do you think? See below.
The Rock Garden.
Our third stop was at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. This place was really cool. I mean temperature wise. Today was a very hot day and the bamboo provided a lot of shade to cool us off. See below.
We were told that bamboo can grow close to 3 feet per day maxing out at about 65 feet when fully mature (Hmmm, 22 days to reach full height?)
Our final stop of the day was the Inari Shrine. This is a Shinto shrine which boasts of having thousands of torii gates. It was explained to us that torii gates are at the entrances of all Shinto shrines but this one takes it to an extreme.
Main entrance, oops I mean Torii, of the Inari shrine.Patrice and me in front of a long line of toriis. We were told that companies pay to have information written on the toriis. I have no clue what any of these say. We saw a woman posing along side of one. Do you think her loving look was next to a post that said, “Eat at Burger King”?
Then it was back to the hotel. The front desk made reservations for us at a restaurant recommended by Tomoko. I am excited to go but a bit concerned because we won’t have Tomoko to order for us like she did last night. The front desk printed a map for us which includes directions on how to get there. They just delivered it to our room. See below.
Can you help us get to the Loin Restaurant in the Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto?
Maybe you need a closer look at the instructions?
Is that better? Maybe this will help (see below).
ホテルを出たら左に進みます。 300メートルほど歩くと左手にレストランがあります。
Now do you have it? We better leave early since I think this will be an adventure.
Today we are off to Kyoto. Our train was scheduled for a 10:07 departure. Hiro (our guide from yesterday) alerted us that it might be early or late by 15 seconds. You don’t mess around with the Japanese when it comes to their trains. Hiro warned us to be sure not to board the 10:02 train by mistake and be ready to board at 10:07 otherwise we might be staying another day in Hakone.
It’s with much regret that we leave the Ten-Yu hotel and bid farewell to their Onsen, their foot baths, but most of all their breakfast.
Arrival at the train station was uneventful. We headed to the Starbucks for a place to sit and some air conditioning. I then pulled out the station map that Hiro drew for us. See below.
He drew this while we were having lunch. Note that he drew the locations of the Starbucks, the Ticket Counter, and track 13 (from which our train would leave). The map was incrediby valuable since it oriented us and let us know exactly where we needed to go.
We found our boarding area and were overwhelmed by the speed of the trains whipping by. Since we were early we decided to wait in the air conditioned waiting room below the tracks. Everytime a train would zoom by without stopping the entire building would shake. Our train arrived on time as predicted and boarding was not a problem. The seats were very comfortable (see below)
Just getting ready to head to Kyoto.
Shortly after the train left Hakone we were offered treats for purchase.
No thank you, I am still stuffed from breakfast. Check back with me in another day or two.
The trip took about 2 hours and was very smooth. We had three stops prior to reaching Kyoto. It was easy to follow our course because Hiro made a train schedule for us. See below.
His drawing included times of departure and arrival, the stops prior to arrival in Kyoto, and even a seating chart.
We learned yesterday that Kyoto served as the capital of Japan for over a thousand years and is known for its temples, shrines, and beautiful gardens. Sounds like some long walks, a lot of standing, and a lot back pain are in my future.
According to Hiro, and further explained to me by my friend Fred, the Japanese use a series of about 2,000 characters in their written language. These characters are called Kanji. In Kanji “To” means eastern and “Kyo” refers to the previous capital of Kyoto. So when the capital was moved to the eastern city of Edo it was renamed Tokyo. Kyoto is a UNESCO world heritage site and apparently is famous for many things including its tea ceremonies.
We again arrived too early to check into the hotel but we had a tea ceremony scheduled to take up the time. This was a quaint activity where we were instructed in the history and significance of making and drinking tea. The people were nice but I wasn’t all that interested in the activity.
Here is our tea master giving us our lesson.
After our tea lesson we returned to the hotel. Unfortunately there was a long line to check in but we finally got that accomplished and made it to our room. This looks like another wonderful place for us to rest. I haven’t checked everything out yet so please let me fill you in on the details later. One thing is evident and very much appreciated is that we again have a toilet that salutes you upon arrival. I will spare you a video this time.
Tonight we have dinner plans with a friend of one of Patrice’s biking chums. More about that tomorrow.
As you might recall I left you last night after Patrice and I had spent a relaxing evening in the hotel onsen (spa). We both slept like babies and when we awoke this morning in this incredibly picturesque and romantic environment we both had the same thing in mind…………… BREAKFAST!
OMG does not do justice to the breakfast buffet. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is the case let me cash in with these.
Nice fresh fruit to start?Don’t forget your veggies.How about some protein in the form of grilled salmon?Oh, do you prefer your salmon just smoked and sliced?Salmon not your preference, maybe grilled fish marinated with miso paste is more to your liking?Or do you prefer crab?Not a fish person? Try the salami instead.Or the cured ham.Maybe chicken is all you need this morning.How about topping everything off with some pastries.
That was not all. They offered Japanese omelette (very good I might add), fried horse mackerel (not my favorite but I did give it a try), coffee, juices, cereals (I guess if you travel with your 6 year old), flan, yogurt, and a host of other things too numerous to name. Actually too numerous for me to remember.
After recovering from breakfast we met our guide, Hiro, for a day exploring Hakone. Hiro is a retired mechanical engineer and a great guide. He introduced us to our driver, Yoshi, telling us he is a very good driver (“He didn’t have an accident all day yesterday”). Our first stop was the Hakone Ropeway. When we approached the area we could see the cable cars traversing high above what is a dormant volcano. Hiro reassured us that the volcano has not erupted in 3000 years. Well except a small eruption about 8 years ago that destroyed a large portion of the hillside. That was comforting until I saw the line to get on the cars. See below.
Not much of a line to get on the tram. Does someone know something we don’t?
Once we entered the car Hiro told us the best place to sit and asked if we where okay. I said I was fine except I have a tremendous fear of heights. The ride was very smooth and we got some great views.
Those white smoke clouds are vapors escaping from the “dormant” volcano.This view of Mt. Fuji from the cable car was magnificent. It was also fantastic seeing it from the ground. See below.What a gorgeous sight (us not the mountain).
In addition to Mt. Fuji we were able to see the famous Hakone Black Eggs. Apparently these are just normal eggs but they are cooked using the local water which has a very high sulfur content. This results in giving the shells a black appearance while everything else about the egg is perfectly normal.
The famous Hakone Black Eggs.
After some more touring it was time for lunch. Unfortunately we went to two places that were both very busy. So we shifted gears and did some more sightseeing before heading to lunch. Patrice expressed an interest in having soba noodles since we had already had the other two popular Japanese noodles, udon and ramen. With our failure to find a table at two prior locations, Hiro was cautious this time and sent Yoshi in to see if the next place could accommodate us. Yoshi gave us the okay sign and we were on our way. When we entered we saw that the entire restaurant consisted of two tables, yes two. The owner, chief, hostess, waitress, and cashier was this sweetheart of a woman named, Tsuchiya. We ordered shrimp tempura with soba noodles.
The soba noodles and shrimp tempura were delicious.
I waited for the food to cool down before I started to eat and I think Tsuchiya must have misunderstood my delay and brought us two forks. Although I politely declined the forks (I am getting darn good if I don’t say so myself) I did ask for some napkins, Tsuchiya brought us this.
This is not the only restaurant in which we were given Kleenex instead of napkins. Is this a Japanese thing? Are we supposed to use our shirtsleeves instead?
We finished our meal and then it was off to continue our adventure but not before we said one more goodbye to this delightful lady.
Tsuchiya bidding us goodbye from her charming restauarnt.
Our next stop was the Open Air Museum. This is a must-see stop if you visit Hakone. In addition to a plethora of outdoor sculptures it has a Picasso pavilion with an incredible collection of the master’s works. They have some of his early works when you can see his amazing talent rather than his cubism phase when his works looked like he had a visual deficit.
The focal point of the outdoor exhibits is a bronze by Auguste Rodin of the French author Honoré de Balzac.
Rodin was able to make a superb recreation to honor Honoré and I was able to cut off part of his head.
That was supposed to be the final stop of our tour but Hiro wanted to show us an exhibit of 500 stone buddhas. It was a little out of the way so he needed to check with Yoshi and before you knew it we were on our way. At the entrance we took walking sticks. I was exhausted at this point but made my way throughout the exhibit while Hiro was bouncing around effortlessly. I asked him how old he was and found out he is only 2 years younger than I am. Hiro was definitely a colorful guy. He had no problems asking complete strangers if he could take a picture of them with us.
This couple asked Hiro if he would take their picture which he did and next thing we knew he had them posing with us.This woman was visiting with her husband and their daughters from Hong Kong and Hiro asked if he could take their picture with us. He took several. Here is one with just Patrice and the women.
I would love to write more but it’s dinner time and you know what a feast that is. Tomorrow we are off to Kyoto.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 