New York, New York Day #3 “Our Final Day in the Big Apple”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Today we headed out to have a New York treat, a corned beef sandwich on rye.  We decided to share a sandwich after our experience yesterday at Carmine’s.  The waiter at the Majestic Delicatessen (200 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019) asked if we wanted mustard to which I said “Of course”.  Patrice then asked if we could have Russian dressing.  I quickly looked around to see if anyone heard this sacreligious request. Luckily no one was nearby and apparently the waiter was used to dealing with people from California and said “No problem”. Patrice here: Maybe I don’t know what is the proper dressing for a corned beef on rye when eating in New York but I do know how to spell “sacrilegious”.

After lunch we headed to Broadway and saw “Neil Diamond, A Beautiful Noise”.  The show was a bit of a downer.  I didn’t realize that his life wasn’t just filled with love and happiness.   The music was incredible of course. Well, with the exception of the guy behind me who would join in at times. I guess he didn’t realize Diamond was a solo act. 

Neil Diamond’s life had so much more than mine in many ways. He created a myriad of successful records, earned millions of dollars, and attained international fame. But there’s one category he exceeded me in that doesn’t make me at all envious. Diamond has had 3 wives. I am happy with just one. Patrice here again: “He better say that!”  

After the show we headed to dinner. Patrice is in charge of dining selections when we travel and she always does a great job.  “Tonight” she said, “we are going to USC for dinner”. I said, “Fight On!, that sounds great”. To which she replied, “The Union Square Cafe”.  Patrice here again: Did I really think it out when this guy asked me to marry him?

We arrived early and they were happy to tell us that they would seat us promptly.   Promptly at the time of our reservation that is. I’d like to tell you that they had a comfortable place for us to sit and wait.  I’d like to tell you that but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.  Well, we had the option to take a walk around the neighborhood.  With the current temperature being 41º that would be a no.  So I decided to use my influence and told them “I’m Robert Reiss, author of REISSTRAVELBLOG.COM”.  The hostess immediately replied “What?”   So I repeated myself a little louder suggesting that she might not have heard me.  To which she replied “I heard you allright, I just never heard of your blog!”   I was duly insulted and told her that my followers will have a word of two for her. To which she replied “Really? All 12 of them?”   Ha!  Not only had she heard of my blog she knew how many followers I have.  

As it was she did seat us early.  See I am an influencial blogger. Patrice here again: “The person Robert spoke to must have been on a break because someone else led us to our table, 2 minutes early.”

The dinner was spectacular.  I think the restaurant might be trying to conserve energy in that three of the appetizers were uncooked (tuna crudo, steak tartare, and seared scallops). 

We shared a Caesar salad. 

They divided the Caesar Salad for us. Good not great (the salad, not the dividing).

Patrice had the trout.

Patrice said it was delicious.

I had the duck.

The duck was fantastic. At least I thought it was fantastic, I can’t speak for the duck.

We shared the Brussels Sprouts.

The plate was empty when we finished.

For dessert we had Baklava Sundae.

This was good but the name had me expecting something a little more special.

Overall USC, I mean Union Square Cafe was delightful. Very good food, excellent service, lovely dining hall, but prices to match.

We took a cab back to the hotel and I have a little travel tip here. Friday night we took a cab back to the hotel from Gramercy Tavern. The driver did not appear to take a direct route. Tonight’s restaurant was one block further from the hotel. When we entered the taxi I put on Google maps with the volume audible. I don’t know if it influenced the driver but tonight we took a direct route which resulted in a lower fare.

Tomorrow we will be waking early to head home. This was a short trip so I didn’t get a chance to collect a series of interesting photos for my final post as I usually do. So this is it. Not sure when we will be posting next but if you are subcribed to the blog you will be notified.

Ciao,

I mean sayonara,

I mean bye.

New York, New York Day #2 “Broadway Overdose?”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Today we planned to get an early start. So at 12 o’clock we finally got our act together and entered Carmine’s Italian Restaurant (200 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036) for breakfast and lunch.  This is an NYC icon and famous for its “wow-size” portions. Sorry I was a bit absentminded and forgot to take a picture of our eggplant parmigiano before we started to eat it.  We both ate more than we should have and we still had enough for another lunch.  See below. 

This was how much was left after we both ate a ton. It was amazing.

We also had bread pudding. Loyal followers of the blog know that we are on a quest to find an equivalent to our definition of the perfect bread pudding which you can find at Masa of Echo Park Bakery and Cafe (1800 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026). On the “Masa Bread Pudding Scale” with 10 being best, the Carmine’s bread pudding rates an eleven. Yes, Masa has found it’s match. 

Carmine’s Bread Pudding. The picture does not tell the whole story. My mouth is watering as I type.

After breakfast/lunch (and possibly what might be our dinner tonight) we strolled down the street past Times Square and all the street performers.  As expected we saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Spider-Man, Elmo, among others.  Superman, Darth Vader, and Batman were absent. Someone said they were at a bachelor’s party for the Incredible Hulk.  Apparently the Hulk is marrying one of the Jolly Green Giant’s daughters. His parents only let him date women of their own color so it limits his field. 

There was one guy out there that I hadn’t seen before. Armed with a guitar, cowboy hat, and little else he billed himself as “The Naked Cowboy”.  See below 

We didn’t hear him sing. I was too cold just looking at him so we had to move on.

A few steps after seeing the Naked Cowboy we went to see “Six” a musical about the 6 wives of Henry VIII. It was a very energetic musical with 6 very dynamic women singing about each of Henry’s wives. The choreography, music, and singing were all very good. There were also some humorus moments. The production was based on historical fact but I think there might have been a few inaccuracies. For example as I recall 4 of Henry’s wives were not Black, were they? After the show we waited for the majority of patrons to leave so as to not get crushed as we exited. One thing we noted as we left was that we are not in Japan any longer. See below.

Blog followers will remember seeing Japanese baseball fans bringing their trash out of the stadium and disposing it in trash bags.

After the show we decided that we didn’t have enough of Broadway so we then walked a short distance and got tickets for tonight’s performance of “The Play That Goes Wrong”. We saw “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” with our son and his family just a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it so we signed up for its predecessor.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” was funny and enjoyable but I think I liked the Peter Pan version more. I guess seeing three of your grandsons giggling and having a good time makes the experience much more fun.

Enough for tonight. What’s on tap for tomorrow? Broadway of course.

New York, New York Day # 1 “I Love My New Job”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

As many of you already know, in January Robert “Fight On For Old SC” Reiss became Robert Reiss, MD employee of UCLA Health.  You are also probably aware that I am really enjoying my new work environment. The staff and doctors have been incredibly welcoming and making this old man feel young again.  I’ve been very busy seeing a full schedule of patients every day. Since many of my patients are new to me I frequently look ahead to get familiar with the medical histories of these new people.

Last weekend I checked my schedule for Wednesday and Thursday and saw a full line up. When I got to Friday my slate was blank.  No one scheduled to see me?  How could that be?  I checked the other doctors and their schedules were blank as well.  Hmmmm, I thought for a second and then immediately yelled to Patrice. “The office is closed Friday for Veterans Day let’s go somewhere!”  Patrice gave her usual answer by the time I said “Would like to go to …..”, she interrupted me with YES!   We gave it some thought and decided on a trip to New York.  

I quickly found a hotel then I looked for a flight.  Unfortunately the business class tickets were insanely expensive even if we wanted to use miles so being the travel snobs that we’ve become (flying business class for anything longer than 3 hours) we decided to just chill at home.  The next day I received an email from American Airlines promoting flights to New York.  It got my blood boiling again and we booked two coach tickets hoping we would get a complimentary upgrade.  So today we took off for the Big Apple but no upgrades were offered so we were seated in the back. The last time we took a long flight in coach I was seated next to a 17 year old kid who was bouncing his leg up and down the entire flight. This time I sat next to a guy who slept the entire way – a significant improvement. We watched two movies “Shortcomings” which Patrice would recommend but I would not and “Jules” with Ben Kingsley and Jane Curtin which both of us enjoyed very much.  

Much to my surprise they served us a meal on the flight.  We had a choice of three items all served cold #1. Waffle and yogurt #2. Oatmeal #3. Fruit and cheese.  Waffle and oatmeal served cold?   I opted for the fruit and cheese.  It was not bad and it satisfied my tummy for the duration of the flight.

The flight was smooth and uneventful other than when I spilled a glass of water onto Patrice.  She was very undertanding. I offered her my water so she could reciprocate but she graciously declined. No way would I have made the offer if I thought she would take me up on it.

Stepping out of the JFK terminal we were quickly reminded that we were no longer in Los Angeles. Temp in NYC 51º while back home it was 72º. We got in line for a taxi and were quickly on our way to Manhattan. The ride took over 1 hour for the 15 mile trip to our hotel.

We are staying at the Algonquin Hotel. The room is nice but incredibly small. The bathroom is even smaller than the one we had in Bologna in 2022. I didn’t think that was possible.

Small even by European standards.

We decided to look around the hotel and found ourselves in the fitness center. Patrice did some curls with some light weights. See below.

Patrice doing some curls.

I scoffed at her use of such tiny weights and tried to hand her something more appropriate. Unfortunately my eyes were bigger than my biceps. See below.

A weight lifter I am not.

After touring the hotel we headed off to dinner. Tonight we ate at the Gramercy Tavern (42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003). We ate there for Patrice’s birthday in 2019 and we were just a few days late of repeating that event. If you want to review that post this link should take you there: https://wordpress.com/post/reisstravelblog.com/7631

The place was as spectacular as we remembered. It has a Michelin star rating and it is well deserved. We walked to the Gramercy Tavern because we knew the caloric intake was going to be extensive.  I remember the meal being amazing in 2019 and tonight was no different.  See below. 

Squash with sunchoke. I thought the waiter said Squash with “Sancho” and when I looked up Sancho all I found was an English Soccer player.
Next I had a salad that was delicious.
Patrice had the beets. Her’s looked prettier but mind tasted much better.
Corn Agnolotti followed for me. It was like a ravioli. It also had shrimp.
Patrice had the gnocchi which again looked beautful but my corn agnolotti was far superior.
We both had the sea bass with cauliflower and bok choy. Another taste delight.
The lamb followed and it looked much better than it tasted. Maybe our expectations were pumped up by the previous dishes.
Finally a little birthday gift for my bride.

The walk to the restaurant was enjoyable. The meal wore us out and we had to take a taxi back to the hotel. Now we will try to crawl into bed. See you tomorrow.

Halloween Away From Home 10/31/23

by reissmd, posted in Uncategorized

At our house halloween is very quiet. We live on a very dark street not far from the local bars. in the 21 years I have lived in this place I have not see one trick or treater. That does not include the drunk who tried to get into our place at about 2:00 AM on a November 1st. As our local police officer said to me (after the guy was in handcuffs), “Someone just really wanted to see our jail tonight”.

Although things are quiet at our place on Halloween it has been rumored that my son and his wife have a little more action at their place. So this year we decided to check it out.

Our daughter-in-law, Robyn, is a very smart, creative, and talented woman. When she decides on doing a project she becomes committed. Halloween at her place is not an exception. She has decided to make it an experience at their house and to this end she is committed. Although some might phrase it differently. They might say not only is she committed, she should BE COMMITTED. Yes the happenings here are truly off the grid.

First check out some of the surroundings.

I think the woman in the chair is someone I dated in college.
Local greeter at the event.
Another welcomer to the house.
Hearse in the front yard.
Aunt Annette in charge of giving out candy. One per child. There were 1,000 pieces to start and grandma Patrice was sent out on an emergency refill mission at 7:30!!!!!

Check out this video of a local witch.

A little outside greeter.
A quick tour of the haunted house before the hoards of kids arrived.

Finally the culprits responsible for this extravaganza, Ken and Barbie

Ken and Barbie aka David and Robyn

During all this mayhem I was assigned to take Charlie and a couple of his friends around the neighborhood so they could do some trick or treating. At one point we met up with another one of Charlie’s friends whose father asked me, “Have you been to the haunted house yet?” To which I replied, “We live in the haunted house”.

Land of the Rising Sun Day #15 “Sayonara, Special Pictures, and a Request”

by reissmd, posted in Hakone, Hiroshima, Japan, Kamakura, Kyoto, Lake Biwa, Miyajima, Nara, Tokyo, Yokohama

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 Tokyo
In 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.

Until next time, sayonara.

Land of the Rising Sun Day #14. “Our Last Night in Japan”

by reissmd, posted in Hiroshima, Japan, Tokyo

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.

Until then, sayonara.

Land of the Rising Sun Day #13 “Hiroshima, Need I Say More?”

by reissmd, posted in Hiroshima, Itsukushima, Japan, Miyajima

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?

Sayonara (heck I know three)

Land of the Rising Sun Day #12 “How Does This Float With You?”

by reissmd, posted in Itsukushima, Japan, Miyajima

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 tofu
Salmon, eggplant, simmered sardine, crab, and pine needle.
Pike conger (don’t ask, I have no idea) and matsutake mushroom (again don’t) clear soup
Steamed sea bream and prawn.
Citrus grilled Spanish mackerel and lotus root.
Deep fried sesame tofu in yuba and duck loin in thick soup
Steamed oyster.
Clam miso soup and rice.
Cheese cake with seasonal fruit and tea

Are you exhausted? I am, see you tomorrow.

Land of the Rising Sun Day #11. “A Wonderful Day”

by reissmd, posted in Japan, Lake Biwa

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.

Land of the Rising Sun Day #10 “A Cultural Experience”

by reissmd, posted in Japan, Kyoto

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.

Linguine

Ciao.