Category: Japan

Land of the Rising Sun Day #5. “Hakone Heaven”

by reissmd, posted in Hakone, Japan, Tokyo

Before I tell you about today let me catch you up on last night. We had a very enjoyable food tour (Arigato Travel) with a local guide from the city of Ottawa. In what part of Japan is that located you might ask, the part that is in Canada. Our guide Hanna, was not Japanese but she was very nice and quite knowledgeable about the local cuisine and culture. It was nice getting the insights from a native English speaking person who has lived here for 6 years.

This was a good food tour but not our favorite (Lance and Tasting Round Town in Memphis remains our favorite by far). We visited 5 establishments (that seems the usual number for most food tours and we have been on a lot). At the first stop we had appetizers. See below.

Front row (L to R) Pork and Lotus Root, Back Row Pickled Ginger and Rice Cake Mochi.

The mochi was okay but the others were not to my liking. I had a draft beer (yes, I had a beer) and it was very good. We then moved on to another restaurant for the main course. This place was much better. We had a number of small dishes. See below.

The potato salad was my favorite but the cucumbers (in the back), and the chicken with Japanese tartar-like sauce (not shown) were also very good. The main dish is in the picture below.
Can you guess what it is?

At the next restaurant we enjoyed some udon noodles followed by a stop for some sake at a different location. I would describe the sake as “Yuck”.

I didn’t realize sake was clear but I guess it makes sense since it is made from fermented rice.

We finished the tour with a dessert of a waffle in the shape of a fish filled with custard. It was delicious.

This morning we arranged for our luggage to be shipped to Kyoto and took some clothes in our backpacks to wear for the two nights we will spend in Hakone. Our experience with trains paid off today as we walked to Tokyo Station and found our train very quickly. This was one of the so-called bullet trains and that is a very appropriate description. These babies move and if you are sitting in a window seat when you pass a train going the opposite direction it is quite the thrill. The trains have a reputation of running very efficiently and today was no exception. We left on time and reached every stop on schedule. It took us 33 minutes to go about 50 miles from Tokyo to our destination, Odawara (stopping twice to board new passengers and let some off). At the Odawara station we were greeted by our driver who was waiting for us when we arrived in the lobby (a major improvement from our experience at the Tokyo Haneda Airport). The drive from the station to our hotel took about 50 minutes. The driver was great and we didn’t die, both good outcomes. We didn’t get to see much of Hakone on the ride but what we did see was very beautiful. Upon arrival at the Ten-Yu hotel we were informed that we couldn’t check in for 3 hours. In retrospect it would have been nice to spend more time in Tokyo instead of hanging out at the hotel waiting to check into our room.

Making the wait a little more pleasant was Patrice’s discovery of these lovely machines with a sign saying “Ask the front desk for a free token”.

Seventeen Ice: Each machine has 17 choices of ice cream.

Luckily we were able to go to our room a bit earlier than the expected time of 3:00. We were checked in by a delightful young man named Ken who after having us sign some forms escorted us to our room. He told us that our luggage was already there. We pointed out that our luggage was right next to us which prompted him to give us a very endearing laugh of slight embarrassment. Ken then brought us to the room and proceeded to explain all the amenities. See below.

Here is the entryway. Please remove your shoes and only wear sandals, socks or your bare feet in the room.
Room view: Notice the tatami mats that traditionally were made of rice straw and meant for sleeping. As you can see we opted for a room with a bed. The mats are the reason for the “No Shoes” rule.
PJs in Large, Medium, and Small. Hmmm, three sets of pajamas, are they supplying a guest?
Robes and socks that can be worn in the public baths and elsewhere in the hotel including the restaurant.
Private bath on your balcony if you are too shy to use the public bath.

Patrice and I opted for the public baths called “Onsen”. We got prepared but neither of us was clear if we wore the socks to the bath, or sandals, or both. The women’s Onsen is on the same floor as our room so I suggested that Patrice go into the bath and ask the correct protocol. Before Patrice was able to enter the spa we met a hotel employee named, Hideki. Unfortunately he didn’t speak English but he seemed to understand our question. He explained everything we needed to know at about a 1,000 words per minute but I can’t give you an exact count since it was all in Japanese. Hideki followed us to our room but never stopped talking (seemingly not even to breathe). When we opened the room door he pointed to the sandals and then escorted us back to the women’s Onsen. Lots of arigatos (thank yous) and bowing followed and we parted ways. Patrice went inside the Onsen and I got on the elevator. Upon reaching the lobby I made a right turn and waiting for me outside the Men’s Onsen was Hideki. He restarted his Japanese instructions and explained where I should put my sandals. Then he showed me the lockers for my belongings, where to get a towel, and where to enter the spa. This entire time he spoke continuously in Japanese and the weird thing was that I understood everything he was telling me. I got into the water and it was indeed very hot (40 degrees Celsius according to the thermometer) and so very relaxing. I also experienced the outside spa and dipped my toes into the cold tub.

Patrice and I are now back in the room telling each other about our experiences which were very similar. Neither one of us want to move. Yesterday we spent the day taking a train to another town and walking for hours. Then returned to Tokyo and took a walking food tour. Today we took a short train ride, a rather long car ride and then a spa experience beyond belief. No question which we prefer. We already informed our children we won’t be leaving this hotel until we have spent all their inheritance.

Dinner is approaching. I need to rest up.

The Land of the Rising Sun Day #4 “Seeing the Buddha”

by reissmd, posted in Japan, Kamakura

Breakfast was again wonderful. An interesting thing that we have noticed here is that the egg yolks look more orange than yellow. We have been told that this is because the chickens here are raised on carrots and peppers, two vegetables that are very high in carotene. In humans if a person eats excessive amounts of vegetables containing carotene their skin can turn orange. Apparently a similar process occurs in chickens.

The photo doesn’t do it justice. The yolks look even more orange than this picture.

After breakfast, we were then off to Kamakura for another day of exploring Japan. We had a little hiccup when our instruction guidebook told us to take the train from the Tokyo station but our tickets had a hand written note telling us to board at the Shinbashi station. Unfortunately our maps only showed a Shimbashi station. Apparently the Japanese are trying to make people like me crazy (I know they don’t have to work too hard to do that). Shinbashi is pronounced like an M (as in Shimbashi) but is sometimes spelled with an N (as in Shinbashi). I can’t give any further reasons since I stopped listening at this point.

At the train station we felt like we were not going with the flow. Hoards of people were walking in the opposite direction and maybe one or two individuals were walking the same direction as us. Check out this photo of the hall and of the escalator heading to and from the trains.

Do you see anyone else walking in our direction?
Think that one other person on our side is as confused as we are?

We boarded our train at the Shinbashi/Shimbashi station and we were off for Kamakura. We arrived in Kamakura early and walked around a bit before meeting up with our guide Ko-Zee. This lovely man previously worked in the Japanese steel industry but retired from that job to act as a tour guide for steel-headed individuals like me. Ko-Zee was full of lots of fun facts and was very considerate of this old man (me not him). We first visited the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. It was built in 1063 but moved to its current location in 1191 by Minamoto the founder of the Kamakura shogunate.

The real gem here was the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This stunning sight was completed in 1252. It is made of bronze and has withstood numerous natural disasters. It was previously enclosed by a number of temples but all the temples were destroyed for various reasons. Since 1498 it has been unsheltered and still looks astounding. The pictures don’t do it justice but I will try

Impressive, no?
I liked it so much I had to add a second shot.

Our last stop in Kamakura was the Hasedera shrine. This structure houses the 11 headed guanyin. The entire body is covered by gold leaf. See below.

The 11 Headed Woman. A one-headed woman is too much for me to handle. Damn, Patrice just saw what I wrote. I am in deep trouble now.

After finishing our visit, Ko-Zee escorted us back to the train station so we could return to our hotel. On the trip back I was sitting next to a young man reading a book. He seemed to be annoyed, see below.

Do you think he was upset because he thought I was reading over his shoulder?

The 50 minute train ride was over and it was great to get back into bed. We had accomplished a lot for one day. Just as I put my head on my pillow Patrice said we need to get ready for the food tour. I asked if this was a joke but she said no. I think I am going to need a vacation when I get home from this vacation.

I will let you know how the food tour went tomorrow.

Sayonara

The Land of the Rising Sun Day #3 “Play Ball!”

by reissmd, posted in Japan, Yokohama

Today we had a wonderful day. We started with another magnificent breakfast at the hotel. Following that we were met at our hotel by our guide for the day, Seiko, and our driver, Mr. Moto (excuse me, “Moto San”). Seiko asked us a few questions about goals for the day and then we were off to Yokohama. En route Seiko gave us all sorts of interesting facts about Japanese history and culture.

Our first stop of the day was a tour of Sankeien Garden. The garden was quite lovely but the best part was something Patrice taught me. She showed me that if you take a picture with an iPhone you can view the picture, tap “info” and then you will see the name of the plant or animal you have just photographed. See below.

Picture of a Grey Heron taken with my iPhone. If you think I would have known that this was a Grey Heron without the aid of my phone, you obviously don’t know me.

From the garden we headed to the Ramen Museum, yes Ramen Museum.  The main reason to go there was to have lunch.  Check out this display outside the museum.

Fun with ramen.

The museum has about 6 different ramen restaurants on the ground floor and each had a 20-30 minute wait to be seated.  

Who would wait 20-30 minutes for ramen? Patrice and I would.

The meal was worth the wait.  And I don’t want to brag (yes I do) but I’m starting to get pretty good with chopsticks. 

After lunch we headed to the main reason for coming to Yokohama.  Okay, my main reason for coming to Yokohama………………Baseball 

As many of you know I’m trying to get to all 30 MLB stadiums (22 down 8 to go) so why not add a Japanese stadium to my list?

We had great seats at Yokohama stadium to see the hometown Bay Stars play the Yomiuri Giants from Tokyo.  It was a fascinating experience.  It was very similar to an MLB game with a few exceptions. Most apparent was that each team had about 3 or 4 sections filled with their most rabid fans.  They were equipped with large team flags and percussion and brass instruments.  When their team was at bat there was almost nonstop chanting. All I can say is that I’m glad we weren’t sitting any closer to this area.  Check out this video to get an idea. 

I love baseball but I think if I had to sit through this I would watch on TV instead.

Just prior to the bottom of the 5th inning the home team rooting section pulled a blue banner over entire section and sang a song while cheerleaders egged on the fans from the field. 

Under that banner were hundreds of fans singing a song in support of their team. Didn’t work so well, they lost 6-0.

There were concession stands selling a myriad of items but in the seating area only beer was being sold.  The beer sells for 800 yen (about $5.40) as opposed to the $16 at Dodger Stadium.    Here is a video of one of the salespeople.

The young men to my right kept these ladies busy.

In 7th inning the cheerleaders came onto the field led the fans in singing but no one got up for a stretch like we do in the states.  

When the game ended the people sitting in our area didn’t get up to leave.  With some help from Google translate I was told that the fans of the winning team stay to hear the “Hero’s interview”.  Since my Japanese is limited to “hello”, “goodbye” and “thank you” we decided to leave. 

Upon exiting I saw fans take all their trash out of the stadium.  Here is a photo of a woman holding a large bag waiting for fans who filed by with their trash.  See below. 

I could just see this happening at Dodger Stadium. Actually I could.

We were among a large crowd heading to the train station for the ride back to Tokyo.  Thanks to our amazing guide, Seiko, we knew exactly what to do.  At the station the security team was spectacular.  They would limit people checking through the turnstiles until the previous group had exited the loading lobby.  Once we were allowed to proceed there were another group of security people who allowed passengers into the boarding zone. The process was seamless and we boarded a train very quickly. Once on the train, we heard announcements in Japanese and English prior to every stop.  I followed our progress on Apple Maps but it wasn’t necessary since Seiko had done such a wonderful job of preparing us. 

A great day in Yokohama.  The only thing that could make it better would be if I don’t wake up at 3 AM again 

Until tomorrow 

The Land of the Rising Sun Day 2 “Where Am I?”

by reissmd, posted in Japan, Tokyo

The time change has been a challenge.  By 6:30 pm last night (2:30 AM in Los Angeles) we were done.  We did get a chance to walk around the neighborhood and catch some of the local flavor before heading to bed.  

Traditional Japanese coffee just steps from our hotel

We also explored the hotel.  We went to the restaurant where we were greeted by their very friendly staff.  The manager came up to me and remembered meeting me at the Gate Hotel in Osaka.  Of course I had to tell him this is my first time in Japan. 

The room is very nice.  Included are pajamas for use during our stay.  Here is Patrice modeling hers. 

So stylish don’t you think?

Here you can see me in my pair.

Notice how short the pant legs are. I suppose I am taller than most men in this country. Heck, I could get used to that.

 In addition to a variety of niceties to make our stay more pleasureable the room has an amazing toilet. The machine says hello everytime you approach. Check out this video.

In addition to saluting, the seat is warmed, has an optional bidet, and flushes once you get up. Fantastic, better than a wife!

Today was our first day touring.  Our guide, Silvia, and our driver Ogawa San, arrived promptly at 9:30. Actually they came early. Both were a delight. Silvia had us walking all over Tokyo and filled us with all sorts of interesting facts of which I remember very little. At the end of our tour Silvia walked us to our restaurant 634 Musashi (131-0045 Tokyo, Sumida City, Oshiage, 1 Chome−1−2) with is 350 meters above street level in what is called Tokyo Skytree. The structure is very impressive giving you fantastic views of the city.

The view from our table.

The food at the restaurant was very attractive in its presentation but I didn’t think it tasted all that great. The portions were incredibly small but as my friend Mike likes to say they make up for it with very high prices.

After lunch we used Apple Maps to get us back to the hotel. I love navigating on public transportation when on a trip. It makes me feel like part of the community. So I set my phone to take us to the Gate Hotel and received perfect instructions on how to get there. Unfortunately there was one small detail that I failed to consider. I used the wrong Gate Hotel for my directions. Upon exiting the train station it was immediately evident that we were nowhere near our hotel. Luckily I was able to flag down a cab and he was able to get us back to our room.

I have to stop writing now because Patrice said she couldn’t wait to get into bed. This kind of wife is better than any automated toilet. So bye for now. 

I’m back, I misunderstood her plans. She is fast asleep.  I guess I will read my book

On the toilet. 

See you tomorrow. 

The Land of the Rising Sun Day #1 “Japanese Efficiency?”

by reissmd, posted in Japan, Tokyo

Today Patrice and I embarked on our next adventure, a trip to Japan. Patrice is quick to inform you that this destination was my idea. Hmmm, does that mean that she has her doubts? She likes to remind me about our trip to Africa where we boiled during the day and froze at night (“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO COME HERE!” she daintily told me on a regular basis during that trip).

I guess it was my idea to come to Japan. My good friend Fred (who was born in Tokyo) and I frequently talked about a trip together. I finally got tired of trying to plan a mutual time for us and just said to Patrice, let’s go. In preparing for this trip our friends Ginger and Don recommended we read the book “Learning to Bow” by Bruce Feiler. The book was an interesting read and we learned a lot about Japanese culture. It stressed how efficiently everything is run in the country. Unfortunately the book was written about 30 years ago and I assume things have changed a lot since then. It will be fun to do a comparison.

My biggest concern about going on the trip was trying to eat with chopsticks. This is a skill I never even attempted to learn (Isn’t that why we have forks?). I was told that in smaller towns forks might not be an option. At my new workplace (UCLA Palos Verdes) my co-workers have invited me to join them for several lunches at a local Pho restaurant. The first time there I embarassingly requested a fork while everyone else used chopsticks. With our upcoming trip in mind I decided to use this opportunity to try to learn this new skill. With the support of my co-workers and some special tutoring from Dr. Choi I was able to feed myself. I also had lunch with Fred and his wife and they too gave me some tips. Fred did have one very good suggestion for the trip, “Order a lot of soup”.

Our flight from LAX was via Delta Airlines to Tokyo – Haneda Airport (HND). Followers of the blog might remember that we have been loyal American Airlines customers. We had heard a lot of wonderful things about Delta so we decided to switch. In reality the real reason for the switch was that Delta was much cheaper than either American or Japan Airlines. Delta offered a nice choice of dishes for lunch. Check out the menu (see below)

I chose the エビ. The food was good and I was given a fork.

The flight was pleasant (if 11 hours on a plane can ever be considered pleasant). At HND we retrieved our luggage and breezed through customs after which we were supposed to be met by our driver. Our tour agent warned us that our driver might not speak English but he would get us to our hotel in a timely manner. Unfortunately no driver was to be found. We called the local contact for the travel company who found out that the transit company said our flight was early and a driver had not be sent yet. Wait, wait, wait didn’t they read “Learning to Bow”! In addition to the book, many of our friends told us how efficient things were run in Japan. We were cautioned, “Trains are on time, don’t arrive late, you will miss your ride”. Having a driver be a no-show was not what we expected. So instead of a personal driver we went outside the airport and found a cab.

To make things easier this trip Patrice decided to get a backpack on wheels (see below).

If this works out I might get the Hello Kitty model.

The rolling backpack worked quite well but it made it difficult for her to also roll her luggage at the same time. Lucky for her she brought a sherpa (me) who rolled her bag, his bag, and wore his backpack. Definitely great planning on her part.

After dragging our luggage outside to the taxi area we only waited seconds for an available cab. The driver loaded our luggage for us. When Patrice tried to board from the traffic side he immediatedly stopped her saying “Not safe, this side please”. I was very impressed with his concern. There was some heavy traffic on the ride to the hotel, but other than that it was fine.

We are staying at the Gate Hotel. So far things seem very nice. The room is spacious. The shower/tub area is very interesting. I am not sure if this picture is adequate.

The shower and tub are in a room separate from the rest of the bathroom.

Tonight is a free night. Right now all I can think about is sleep. I think it is around midnight back home. Here it is about 4 pm. I assume most of you won’t see this until the morning which will be about midnight here. The next few days could be very interesting until our bodies adjust.