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.
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.
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
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.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 