Arriving in Japan

Japan may be 13 hours ahead of east-coast time, but we’re more than 10 days behind in our journal. We apologize to those of you who joined Polar Steps, it was not as user friendly as we had hoped. For future trips we’ll continue to search for an easier platform for us and you. So let’s start from the beginning of this ride.

On Monday, March 24th, we took the NBTA from Wickford to Boston and spent the night there as we had an early morning flight from Logan the next morning. We had a low-key dinner at Eataly’s Piazza, followed by a fitful night’s sleep, fueled by pre-trip jitters. As advised, we wanted to arrive at the airport at least two hours before an international flight. \240As a result, we were up by 3:30AM on Tuesday the 25th, in our Uber by 4:45AM, and through security by 5:00Am.

First meal in Japan

As you can guess, the check-in process in Boston was unremarkable. When we arrived in Montreal, their computer system was down, causing long lines and huge delays. Subsequently, we spent over an hour on the plane, waiting to disembark. Because none of the border control kiosks were working, one person was manually inspecting passports.

Shiagawa train station

We had built in a long layover, because the next flight from Boston to Montreal would have made the connection too tight. \240Despite the delays we had three hours before our Tokyo flight boarded, so in our sleep deprived fog, we made our way to the Air Canada lounge. After relaxing a bit, we headed over to the bar area for a pre-flight cocktail. I intended on having a bourbon and quickly realized there were no American made spirits at the bar. I was a little disappointed I couldn’t have a Basil Haden but I was so proud of the elbows up Canadian’s. We guess these are the realities of a trade war with our friendly neighbors in the North.

9:30AM? This early bird caught no worms.

Because of the computer issues in Canada, we were delayed in boarding our Tokyo flight by about thirty minutes. The subsequent fourteen hour plane ride was spent reading, watching movies, and trying to sleep. Despite the delay in Montreal, we landed in Tokyo at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, March 26, nearly a half an hour earlier than expected.

e-bike tour group at the Imperial Palace

Unlike most countries we’ve visited, getting through immigrations in Japan was long and tedious. Supposedly, they have a new online process that is meant to expedite entry into the country. We had to pre-register on their website and get a QR code before arriving in Japan. In theory, once you arrived they could simply scanned your QR code when you went through customs and immigrations and you were done. Au contraire, mon frère, after scanning your QR code, they took your fingerprints, scanned your passports, and took a photo. The only thing missing was the good old body cavity search I was so longing for. I’m still not quite sure what the QR code was for other than an added layer. The whole thing was a little cumbersome, confusing, and like “the department of redundancy department” definitely redundant. \240 Because some \240tourists seemed confused with the \240QR code application it caused additional delays.

Tokyo Train Staion

After immigrations, we headed to baggage to grab our bag and go through customs. Unfortunately, because of the computer glitches in Canada, our bag, and the bags of everyone connecting through Montreal, we’re \240lost. Unless you departed directly from Montreal, bags for connecting passengers never made it onto the plane.

Aoyama Cemetary, Best Cherry Blossom viewing without crowds

The Air Canada agents in Tokyo were as pleasant as could be and appeared genuinely concerned, but could offer no concrete information of when the bag would arrive. The next scheduled flight from Montreal was not scheduled to arrive until Friday. After completing the claims form and meeting our driver, we finally made it to our hotel after 8:00 PM.

Hachikō’s gravesite

Ueno and Hachikō’s cemetery plot

Although tired, and jet lagged, we headed out to get the lay of the land and hopefully, something to eat. Our first stop was the 7-eleven. From what we read and heard, 7-eleven is the best place to get provisions and they have the best ATM rates in Japan. The store was packed with young travelers grabbing beers and Bento boxes. We hit the ATM, bought some emergency toiletries and headed off.

Tokyo’s Gokart tours in anime outfits

Our hotel, the Prince Sakura Tower, was about a block and a half from the Shinagawa Train Station. Like Washington DC’s Union Station or NYC’s Grand Central Station on steroids, Tokyo’s train stations are a shopping and eating hub. We found a promising restaurant, The Asian Kitchen, on the third floor and proceeded to point at pictures of meals that looked appetizing. The pictures did not disappoint, we had a delicious meal.

Shinjuku’s 3D cat

Luckily, the hotel had pajamas for the guests. Well, pajamas is a stretch, they were more like moo-moo’s or that thing Ebenezer Scrooge wore in the Christmas Carol. Either way it served a purpose since our bags were still somewhere in Canada. \240We fell asleep right away, but our systems were so screwed up, we were both up early.

Ordering a meal from a vending machine

On Thursday, March 26th, Mary spent some time with the airline and our travel insurance company trying to rectify the lost bag issue. We eventually showered and jumped back into the same clothes we traveled in. We were becoming very intimate with these items of clothing. We had a 2:00PM electric bike tour, leaving from Shiba Park, so we once again headed for Shinagawa Station. A restaurant named Sarabeth’s had an Early Bird special from 9:30 to 10:30AM. Yep, we thought the same thing, early bird at 9:30? As it turns out, few businesses open before 10:00AM in Tokyo. We reached the train station at about 9:10 AM however, not even the escalators were on at that time. Despite the hustle and bustle of the station most businesses and store were closed until 10:00AM.

Vending Machine restaurant, cranking out noodle dishes.

After breakfast, we took our first subway train ride to Shiba Park. Thank God for Google Maps. It not only told us what train to take but it also told us the platform the train would be on. Before our e-bike tour, we explored the nearby Tokyo Tower, a structure that looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Cherry Blossoms

While we waited at the entrance to Shiba Park, we watched a group of young being videotaped, practicing their disjointed dance moves. They seemed to be having a great time despite the fact that their rhythm was lacking and their choreography was absent. They needed Armand from The Bird Cage directing; “You do an eclectic celebration of the dance! You do Fosse, Fosse, Fosse! You do Martha Graham, Martha Graham, Martha Graham! Or Twyla, Twyla, Twyla!” Although I’m not sure that would help.

Cocktail on the Tokyo Sky Tree

We had about eighteen people in our e-bike tour, thankfully we had three guides. The first indication that we weren’t in Kansas anymore was the absence of bike helmets. We were emphatically told bicycles in Tokyo ride on the street with the traffic, however, shortly after leaving the park, we were playing Frogger with pedestrians on the sidewalks. I was frenetically ringing my bike bell warning people until we realized how eerily quiet the whole city was. Unlike Cairo, that is a perpetual cacophony of horns, Tokyo traffic is quiet. No horns blowing and conversations at a low murmur.

The Tokyo Sky Tree

One of our stops was Tokyo’s Aoyama Cemetery. One of the guides mentioned that there is a five year waiting list to get into this cemetery. A few of us looked at each other and half jokingly asked, do they have to wait for an opening before they can die? He explained that the individuals buried there are very wealthy and the cemetery plots have to be financially maintained by the family. If the families refuse to or are unable tto pay, the remains are moved to a less prominent cemetery creating openings for someone else’s remains to be moved to the cemetery.

Among the notable people buried in Aoyama Cemetery is professor Ueno Hidesaburō, who taught at the Tokyo Imperial University and his famous dog. In 1924, professor Hidesaburō bought a dog named Hachikō from a farm near the city of Ōdate. Ueno wanted Hachikō to be his home companion in Shibuya, Tokyo. Every day the faithful dog Hachikō would meet Ueno at Shibuya Station after his commute home. However on May 21, 1925, the professor died at work of a cerebral hemorrhage. For \240nearly ten years, from the time Ueno died until March 8, 1935, when Hachikō died, the dog would walk to Shibuya Station every day to await for Ueno to return. He has become a national symbol of faithfulness and dedication. The dog is buried along side his master in Aoyama cemetery and everyday people visit and leave gifts for Hachikō.

Knife Sharpening

Our bike tour ended in Shibuya so we took the train to Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world, with an average of 3.6 million passengers per day. With 51 platforms and over 200 exits, you can only imagine the bedlam in this station. \240We found the east exit and headed outside to see Tokyo’s famous 3-D cat. It’s a computer animated, larger-than-life cat projected on the side of a building. In between advertisements, the cat will sleep, wake up, play with toys and look at passersby.

Amazing Japonese Knives

While in Shinjuku we found a tiny local restaurant down a small alley. All we can say is that it was a strange and unique experience. The entire menu was in Japanese with a handful of pictures. You ordered and paid for your meal at a vending machine outside the restaurant, then presented the ticket generated by the machine to one of the clerks inside at the counter. We managed to order two Ramen bowls, but had no idea what we had ordered as a small plate. Luckily, it was a delicious cabbage and tofu salad that tasted better than it sounds.

Parisol sales lady

As we still had no luggage, we headed back to Shibuya to do some shopping. We did the obligatory Shibuya Scramble Street crossing, where hundreds of people converge to cross the large intersection in every direction, at the same time. We stopped at numerous stores and bought some essentials in the hopes our bag would arrive the next day. Fortunately, when we returned to our hotel, we were presented with our bag, fresh off its international tour.

Fast asleep vendor

We had had a very full day on Thursday, and despite experiencing the effects of the time change we had another full day scheduled for Friday, March 28th. We had 9:00AM tickets for the Tokyo Sky Tree and were then heading to Kamakura to visit our friend Yoshi and her son Ken. We grabbed a few pastries at the train station and were at the Tokyo Sky Tree at about 8:30 AM. However, as we mentioned, nothing opens early, even the coffee shop didn’t open until 10 AM. The views from the Tokyo Sky Tree tower were good but not great. It had rained that night and lingering clouds limited visibility. After a few hours, we took the subway back to Shinagawa Station and took a train from there to Kamakura.

Sukuras at night

We arrived around noon and as soon as we exited the station, Yoshi and Ken were there waiting. Since Yoshi’s house is near the shore, we did a walking tour of the town and stopped at their favorite neighborhood restaurant. Initially the only two western style tables were occupied, \240so we were seated in a traditional Japanese one. As you may know, this is a low table with floor cushions for seats. Because of my aftermarket knees, I was given a tiny stool so I didn’t have to sit on the floor. I looked like Gandalf in Bilbo Baggin’s house. Luckily, \240by the time we finished our teas, a big-boy table opened up.

Lunch with Yoshi and Ken

After lunch, we walked to Yoshi‘s lovely house. \240It was her family’s home and the house she grew up in. It is very traditional and a quintessential Japanese house. Japan has modernized and contemporary condominiums have popped up all around her, so even her Japanese friends say they feel nostalgic when they visit. We spent the afternoon strolling through town, visiting shrines and doing some shopping. By early evening we were exhausted, so we bid our farewell and headed back to Tokyo. We bought some snacks at the Shinagawa Station and headed back to the hotel.

In Kamakura with Yoshi and Ken

Saturday morning March, 29th was cold, rainy, and foggy. \240We had pre-booked tickets for another observation deck, the Shibuya Sky, so despite the rain and fog we decided to go out and explore anyway. As evidence of Japanese courteousness and politeness, before allowing us up to the observation deck, they held up placards indicating that it was cloudy and rainy and apologized for the lack of visibility, as if it was somehow their fault or not obvious.

Yoshi’s home in Kamakura

After Shibuya Sky we headed to the Tokyu Plaza to see a Hokusai exhibition. Hokusai is one of Japan's greatest artists. Two years ago, when we visited Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France, we saw a few of Hokusai’s paintings in Monet’s collection. Hokusai’s work influenced many of the impressionist painters, including Monet. After the exhibition we had lunch in Shibuya and headed back to the Hotel to arrange to have our large suitcase forwarded, and to relax. One of the conveniences in Japan is that you can forward your luggage from hotel to hotel. Getting on and off trains with large suitcases is not only cumbersome but some trains lack the space for oversize bags. For $15.00, they ship your bag to the next hotel, so you only have to travel with your small bags.

Government Building

After a short nap, mine not Mary’s, we headed back to Shinyuku in search of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. There is a music and light show projected onto the building every night. It took some effort navigating the labyrinth that is the Shinjuku Station but we eventually found the right subterranean exit. Watching the government building’s light show resembles sitting at a giant outdoor drive-in. The music is mostly techno and the graphics anime, including Godzilla and Pac-Man, but it was still an amazing sight. The huge building serves as the canvas for the projections and the event holds the Guinness World Record for the largest permanent architectural projection display. Very cool.

Train station near Ginza

We had nothing specific planned for Sunday, March 30th. In the morning, we took the train to Ueno Park for some of the best cherry blossom viewing. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones with the same idea. The park was teeming with locals and tourists alike. Despite the crowds there was definitely a festive atmosphere. Numerous food vendors lined the park entrance and singers performed onstage.

Ueno park crowds

From Ueno Park we walked east towards the Taito area where numerous knife vendors could be found. Among many others, there are two things Japan is known for, great knives and exceptional whiskey. Every knife shop we visited was a bit different. One shop even charged a ¥500 cover charge, their knives started at eleven hundred dollars, they were beautiful but not practical. Some of the shops were large, many small but all packed with shoppers. After hours of wandering through shops and markets, we took the train to Ginza. Ginza is on the complete opposite end of the shopping spectrum from Tiato. Ginza is like New York’s Fifth Avenue or LA’s Rodeo Drive. We window shopped and strolled in and out of shops for hours.

Ginza shopping Mecca

After a very long day, we were too tired to stop and eat, so we picked up wine, cheese, bread, and assorted other snacks in Ginza and headed back to the hotel in order to pack for tomorrow’s trip to Hakone.

Ten-yu Hotel Hakone

On Monday March 31st we made our way from the Shinagawa Station back to the vast Shinjuku Station. We booked 11:20 AM tickets for the Romance Car, as it would take us directly to the Hakone-Yamato Station, rather than stopping and switching trains at Odawara. If we stopped in Odawara it would mean taking three trains to Hakone instead of two. We know this sounds like minutiae, but we’ll talk a little more about Odawara later.

Jazz performance with lights and blossoms

We know that when we say, Romance Car, some of you are thinking about fogged up windows and the back seat of a Studebaker. However, Romance Car is a misnomer, as it has nothing to do with romance. It’s actually a very plush sightseeing train that takes you to Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Hakone is a mountainous town known for its hot springs baths (onsens) and, on clear days, views of the iconic Mount Fuji.

Tuna head Breakfast at Ten-Yu

Once we reached the Hakone - Yamato Station, we walked across the platform and boarded a small clanky train that zigzagged its way up the mountain to Gora Station. When we arrived in Gora, it was snowing and the temperature had dropped significantly from Tokyo. Once we figured out how to access the shuttle, we made our way up to the Ten-Yu Hotel.

Symphonic Sculpture

We chose the Ten-Yu because it had western style beds, rather traditional Japanese floor mats, and its own onsen. Before planning our trip to Japan, we had no idea what an onsen was. In a nutshell, an onsen is a public bathhouse that uses water from hot springs. Bathing in an onsen is part of Japanese culture and it’s believed to have relaxing and therapeutic effects. It’s supposed to help relieve muscle tension, promote blood circulation, and soothe the mind — kind of like what bourbon does for Stan P.

Four seasons of the stained glass tower

Because the hotel is nestled in a mountainside, the lobby is on the fifth floor. \240Shortly after settling in, we headed to the lobby for an afternoon concert featuring a contrabass and clarinet duet. It was an interesting combination since the contrabass is lower in pitch than a bass and has a much deeper sound than a cello, however the combination worked beautifully. They played mostly jazz standards and some pop music. In addition to the obligatory hotel bar, the lobby was stocked with snacks, an ice cream machine, assorted ice teas, a sake dispenser and a sparkling wine tap. It made for a very happy concert. There was another concert scheduled for early evening, so we opted to visit the onsen before the next performance.

Picasso Pavilion

Visiting an onsen requires certain etiquette. This includes thoroughly washing yourself before entering the bath, quietly entering and leaving the bath, and no loud talking. Oh yeah, and being completely naked with your bad self. This means no swimsuit, loincloth or fig-leaf. \240The onsens are gender-segregated with separate areas for men and women; at the Ten-Yu, the men’s and the women’s onsens were on different floors. The whole idea of bathing with a bunch of naked strangers was disturbing and intimidating, however we both found the experience to be not only relaxing but meditative and almost spiritual. There are multiple indoor and outdoor pools and the onsens are dimly lit. At times it is so serene you feel like you’re the only one there.

The Ray-Ray outdoor art instillation

After the onsen, we attended the evening musical performance which was in celebration of light and in commemoration of the Sakura. The same clarinet and contrabass player again regaled us with Jazz tunes, except this time ornamental lights and faux Sakura blossoms were strewn before the musicians; same dress, different shoes? Regardless of the farcicle props, they sounded great, with or without the free flowing sparkling \240wine. When the concert ended we grabbed a quick bite at one of the hotel lounges and headed up to the room. After a long day of travel we were ready to call it a day.

Hakone (wet) Torii of \240peace

April 1st

Hakone is beautiful and peaceful. On a clear day, you have breathtaking views of Mount Fuji. We were so excited to tour the area that when we woke up and realized we had fog and rain, we grabbed umbrellas and headed out. We had purchased a Hakone Free Pass, which provides \240access to all forms of public transportation in the Hakone area. \240We took the hotel shuttle to the Gora Station and from there we boarded a bus to Hakone’s Open Air Museum, yes an open air museum in the RAIN. There are some remarkable outdoor art instillations including a stained glass tower with twin spiral staircases, one for ascending and one for descending, called the Symphonic Sculpture. As you ascend or descend you are bathed in the colors of the four seasons. Also notable is the Picasso Pavilion. The pavilion opened in 1984 featuring a collection of 188 ceramic works acquired from Picasso’s daughter, Maya Picasso.

Cleansing Fountain at the Hakone Shrine

After the Museum, we boarded another bus back to Gora Station and from Gora, took a cable car up to the Sounzan Station where we transferred onto the Hakone Ropeway. From the Ropeway’s gondolas we should have had views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Ashi, absent that we entertained ourselves with the fog and mist. On the way down to Lake Ashi, we stopped in Owakudani, which is an active volcanic valley, famous for its black eggs. The eggs are boiled in the sulfurous waters, which give the egg shells a black color. Of course we had to try one.

Black Egg

Eventually we made our way down to Togendai Station via the Ropeway \240and boarded a ferry, disguised as a pirate ship, for a tour of Lake Ashi. We disembarked on the opposite lake shore in order to see the popular Torii of Peace. This is an iconic Torii Gate which sits in the water on Lake Ashi. After trudging about a mile in the rain to the Torii Gate, we climbed up to visit the Hakone Shrine.

Amazing Meal at the Gora Brewery

By the time we finished touring the Shrine, we were cold, wet and hungry. We googled recommended restaurants in Hakone, and the Gora Brewery popped up. Ubers are not as prevalent in Japan as they are in the US and other countries, \240so we downloaded Japan’s GO Taxi app. We ordered a cab and when we jumped in, we asked the driver to take us to his favorite restaurant in the area; without hesitation, he dropped us off at the Gora Brewery.

Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Kanazawa

Train car

The restaurant specializes in Nobu cooking, which is a fusion of traditional Japanese techniques with Peruvian ingredients and flavors. All the tables were full, so we sat at a counter directly in front of the prep kitchen. To date, the best meal we’ve had in Japan.

Higashi Chaia (Geisha) District

The next morning, April 2nd, we were up very early and headed back to the relaxing onsens before breakfast. At that early hour there was only one other person in the onsen, and he left before I made it to the pools.

Oriental Brewery - hip joint

We had forwarded our large bag from Tokyo to Kanazawa, so we were packed and checked out by eight-thirty. Unfortunately, the first shuttle for Gora Station did not leave until 9:00 AM and a substantial line for the shuttle had already formed. We decided to grab a cab, but because of the remote region we couldn’t find a cab at that time of day. Instead, we opted to be adventurous and take the commuter bus to Odawara Station rather than going to Gora Station. By doing so, we avoided the small mountain train from Gora to Hakone-Yakamoto and the regional train to Odawara.

Beautiful Sakura leading to Kanazawa Castle

When we boarded the bus it was almost full with a few locals and numerous tourists and their luggage, apparently with the same idea of going directly to Odawara Station. With every stop, more tourists and more bags piled onto the bus. At one point, we didn’t think they could get one more soul on the bus, but somehow they managed to pack them in. The ride down the mountain, with numerous switchbacks, was like a slow motion, roller coaster ride. \240About 45 minutes after boarding the bus, we all spilled out at the Odawara Station. We booked tickets for the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Odawara to Kanazawa, switching trains at Tokyo Station. It was nice transitioning from a hot crowded bus to the plush luxury seats of the bullet train.

Yoshi, Ken and their friends

Soon after arriving in Kanazawa, we headed to the Higashi Chaya District, where traditional tea houses and Geishas could be found. Kanazawa is renowned for traditional crafts, particularly gold leaf and the well maintained architecture in the Higashi Chaya District. After wandering the narrow streets until dark, we found a packed little dive with a small bar and about four tables, called Oriental Brewing. Three young kids cooked and served up beers from the tiny space behind the bar. You ordered everything on your phone and magically your food and drinks appeared. The place had good food and a hip vibe we enjoyed.

Goldleaf Icecream

On Thursday morning, April 3rd, after breakfast we headed to Omicho Market in search of a good cup of coffee. \240We then headed to Kanazawa Castle. We walked the expansive grounds and eventually entered the castle. Looking down from one of the castles turrets, I spotted a familiar face. \240A problem with being a gagster, when you try to be serious, people think you’re joking. So when I told Mary “I just saw Yoshi” she ignored me, thinking I was pulling her leg. Sure enough, as we were about to leave the castle, Yoshi, Ken and their friends from Kanazawa were walking in. It was wonderful to see them again and a delight to meet their friends. Yoshi’s friends are both former professors and the husband had been a visiting Scholar at URI. After leaving the castle, we spent the rest of afternoon wandering Omichi Market, sampling the local fare including gold-leaf ice cream.

Omichi Market

April 4th

We made our way to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Their collection of art is focused on works produced since 1980. Among the large scale works on permanent display is Leandro Erlich's, Swimming Pool. With advanced tickets, one gets to spend time inside the faux pool, giving the impression that you are submerged underwater.

21st Century Museum, not the Dead Rabbits

From the museum, we stopped at Omicho Market for lunch then headed to the Nagamachi District, which was Kanazawa’s samurai quarter. Nagamachi is located at the foot of Kanazawa Castle and is where samurai and their families used to live. It’s now a historic area with narrow lanes and beautiful water canals. As modern militaries emerged, the samurai were considered obsolete and too expensive to maintain. Government policies abolished the samurai class in the 1870s, and many former samurai became members of the shizoku class, which ranked them above the commoner class. This allowed them to move into professional roles after their class was eliminated. However, in 1947 the shizoku class was eventually abolished.

Swimming Pool 21st Century Museum

Inside Swimimg Pool, 21st Century Museum

That evening we headed back to Higashi Chaya. We managed to get tickets to a Geisha show, that was being performed in the Kaikaro Teahouse, one of the oldest Teahouses in Kanazawa. The show was wonderful and very informative. They talked about the geisha lifestyle and the difference between a maiko and a geisha. Maiko are in essence geisha trainees, typically in their teens or early twenties. They undergo training in traditional geisha arts like dancing and playing traditional instruments until they eventually become a full fledged geisha.

Samurai House

Canal in Samuri District

As the show went on, the geisha had audience members participate in drumming and a traditional dance. The last activity was a comical drinking game, sort of like rock, paper, scissors, but without the scissors. A small wooden bowl is placed \240face down between two contestants. As long as the bowl is on the table, each contestant takes a \240turn placing a closed fist, representing a rock, on top of the bowl. Whenever the bowl is removed by a contestant, the opposing player must place an open palm down, representing paper. If at any time a player puts down a \240closed fist after the bowl has been removed, \240or a flat palm on the bowl, the \240player loses. The audience claps to establish the tempo of the game, gradually increasing the speed. The loser has to drink a small bowl of sake. \240I can see this game being replicated in Narragansett amongst friends. The game started with geisha against geisha and then audience members played against geishas.

Performing Geishas

After a few rounds they picked two audience members to play against each other for the championship. Despite how hard I stared at my feet, I was selected by one of the geishas to play. I played against a young man from Texas, who I managed to beat in two out of three rounds. As the “loser” he got to drink sake while I as the champ, got a small figurine of a geisha; somehow, I think he got the better end of that deal. After the geisha show we ended up back at the Oriental Brewery, where the same three kids were cooking and serving drinks. \240It felt oddly familiar and comfortable. Kanazawa was incredible, tomorrow morning we are off to Kyoto.

Geisha Drinking Game

Champion, will defend his title in Narragansett

Cleanest Train Stations we’ve ever seen

On Saturday April 5th, we jumped on another Shinkansen, \240bound for Kyoto. The train ride to Kyoto was slightly over two hours and we arrived around 1:10 PM. Walking out of the station, you realize how impressive this city is. Kyoto served as Japan’s capital for over 1000 years. When the Samurai established the Shogunate, power shifted from Kyoto to Kamakura (Yoshi’s home town). Although the power transferred, Kyoto remained as the Imperial Capital. When Japan returned to Imperial Rule in 1868, the capital was moved to Tokyo. Although it’s no longer the capital, Kyoto is still a major cultural and historical hub.

Nishiki Market

Parade in Nishiki Market

Procession of Monks

After arriving in Kyoto, we visited Nishiki Market and explored the Pontocho area adjacent to the Kamo River. As city hall was close to our hotel, we walked past it several times. An earlier demonstration about taxes morphed into a some sort of passive and silent choreographed demonstration, mostly by women. Although we didn’t understand the underlying meaning, it was fascinating to watch.

Protest at City Hall

After hours of exploring, we found a tiny restaurant in an alleyway near the river. We wrote our name on a sheet of paper and the number in our party. Eventually, someone came out and seated us. The menu was limited to a few appetizers and some ramen and rice dishes. Since they spoke almost no English and we spoke no Japanese, we ordered by pointing and hoping for the best. The meal was fantastic and reasonably priced.

Hole in the wall Restaurant

Point and Shoot Menu

After dinner, we took a leisurely walk back to the hotel along a canal with some of the most beautiful Sakura we had seen in Japan so far. The area was packed with people admiring the Sakura and the street, Kiyamachi Dori, was bumper to bumper with traffic. Despite the traffic, not a single horn could be heard. The two loudest things on the street were a vintage 1959 Corvette Convertible in pristine condition (I thought it was a 1961 so I asked) and a fully dressed Harley, driven by a slight Japanese man wearing \240white go-go boots. You gotta love Japan.

Joe Ferra’s New Motorcycle Outfit

On the morning of April 6, we headed to the old section of Kyoto, the Gion District. On the way we stopped at a park where people were setting up for \240some sort of Sakura Festival. By the time we got there, only a handful of things were set up. Like most things in Japan, it didn’t look like it was going to start any time soon. A few tables were set up with Go boards, and a couple of people were playing. \240Go is a strategy board game for two players. The aim is to either get five in a row or fence off more territory than your opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game. Despite the fact that we have no idea what we were doing, Mary and I had to try it. After playing a game, we continued on to Gion.

Playing Go

Once we reached the heart of Gion, we toured the Kennin-ji Temple, which was constructed in 1202 and is considered to be the oldest Buddhist Temple in Kyoto. We then headed to the Ryozen Kannon Temple, with a towering 78 foot concrete statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. The Temple serves as a memorial to those who lost their lives during the Pacific War. \240After a great deal of walking in Gion, we had a late lunch at a restaurant called Namaste Dhaulagiri, an Indian - Nepali restaurant. It felt a little weird having Indian food in Japan, but Japan enjoys a very diverse culinary landscape.

Kannon, Goddess of Mercy

Indian fare with a Japanese twist

From Gion we headed to Kyoto Station as we needed to take a train to the Torokko Arashiyama Station. Running to and from Torokko Arashiyama, there is a "Romantic Train", on the Sagano Scenic Railway. This scenic train, with its wooden bench seats, travels through a forested ravine along the Hozugawa River. The train ride is slow with plenty of stops for photos. It’s extremely popular with tourists and locals and it fills up quickly. We booked the tickets nearly a month before leaving for Japan, and were only able to get 6:20 PM tickets. Despite the wooden seats, the ride was breathtaking.

Romantic Train Museum

Romantic Train Cars

Wooden Seats

Views from Romantic Train

All the major sites in Japan get packed by mid morning. To beat the huge crowds, we scheduled an early morning tour. On Monday April 7th, we met our guide, Mona at 6:45 AM at Kyoto Station’s Central Gate. There were eight of us on the tour: a very tall Australian dad and his pink-haired teenaged daughter, two women from Germany, and a very interesting May-December couple, currently living on the small Spanish Island of Ibiza. Iranian born, though her piercing blue eyes and blond hair suggest she isn’t of Iranian heritage, she has lived around the globe, including Monaco and the US. She owned a summer home Ibiza and now lives there full time. He, a young physician from Nicaragua, was raised in Miami Beach. His parents had been Somoza loyalists who were exiled to the US when Daniel Ortega overthrew the Somoza regime in 1979 (it would have been rude to ask, but I was curious if they had any involvement with the Contras in the mid eighties). He had worked as a pediatrician in Madrid, but claimed \240the meager salary of a pediatrician was less than that of a Spanish bus driver. He decided to open a family practice in Ibiza, where his clientele are exclusively celebrities and the wealthy who summer on the Island. We suspect that’s how they met. Since the Island is mostly shuttered in the winter, they travel extensively in the off-season.

Mona and our tour group

Our guide Mona, like many tour guides in Japan, is a University student. \240She grew up in the Sagano region of Kyoto, so she is intimately familiar with the area. She’s very excited because she’s spending the next semester in France. In many respects, it was a very interesting tour. First, we enjoyed all of the places we visited, but how we got from place to place was a little unusual. The pre-tour instructions advised us to have an IC card or a rail pass (we had Suica) and cash for temples and incidentals.

Our e-Suica Card Even worked in convenience stores

We all left Kyoto on the same Sagano bound train we had taken the night before. Our first stop was the Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for thousands of Torii Gates, located behind the main buildings. Despite the increasing \240crowds, it was a very serene walk. From the Torii Gates we walked to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Mona claimed her grandparents, who were probably our age or younger, walk the forest grounds every morning before the crowds arrive. From Sagano, we jumped back on a train to Kyoto Station and boarded a crowded city bus to Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavilion.

Thousand Torii Gates

Bamboo Forest

As we’ve mentioned previously, Kanazawa is known for gold leaf. The \240top two floors of the Golden Pavilion are completely clad \240with gold leaf from Kanazawa. It was originally built in 1398 as a retirement villa for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third Shogun. Whenever the Emperor stayed at the pavilion, he was relegated to the lower, non gold leaf level, to demonstrate the Shogun had more power than the Emperor. After our tour, Mona and some of our group headed back to Kyoto Station, Mary and I headed in the opposite direction to the Philosopher’s Path.

The Golden Pavilion

Philosopher’s Path

Street Art Philosopher’s Path

Artist, at Philosopher’s Path

The Philosopher's Path is a scenic 1.5 mile-long path that follows a canal, lined with cherry blossom trees. It’s a popular spot for walking and viewing nature. It was named after Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan's famous philosophers. Kitaro practiced meditation while walking this route, on his daily walk to Kyoto University. The entire area has a peaceful quality. \240Temples, shrines, street artists and small shops and eateries dot the path.

Human Propelled sightseeing canal boat

Signs Lie!

After a very long day of walking and touring, we made dinner reservations at a popular Northern Italian restaurant. We took a leisurely walk from our hotel along the cherry blossom lined Kiyamachi Dori (Dori in Japanese is street or way) and arrived at the restaurant about 10 minutes early. Unfortunately, \240when we tried to check in, we realized we had made the reservations for a restaurant in Tokyo rather than Kyoto (same exact letter just in a different order — actually, it’s the same word if you’re dyslexic). Sadly, they had nothing available for the rest of the night. A quick google search led us to a much smaller, \240but similar restaurant a few blocks away in Gion. However, when we arrived, a sign on the doors said they were full. \240Resigned to eat in our room, Mary walked inside to order takeout. Somehow someway, something got muddled in the translation and the next thing we knew, we were seated with menus in hand. So much for the sign. Totally unexpected, we had an enjoyable time and a great meal.

From no openings to front row seats with the Pizza Chef

On Tuesday, April 8th we got a little later start. As a practice, we avoid American chain restaurants when we travel. All over Japan, you’ll find Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy’s and KFC, we even spotted a Pizza Hut. However, on Ninen Zaka Path in Kyoto, there is a Starbucks tucked away in a very traditional Japanese structure. If you aren’t specifically looking for the Starbucks’ sign, you would never know a Starbucks was there. A few days earlier, while searching for that Starbucks, we spotted a Rickshaw stand. \240So mid morning, we made our way to the Higashiyama Rickshaw stand.

Rickshaw Ride

Funny and cute Rickshaw Driver

Our rickshaw driver was a very cute and fit young man, who spoke English with the intonation of a game show host — with a heavy accent; think Agador Spartacus but with a Japanese accent. As he muscled his way up hills, he would stop at the top, panting and sweating profusely and proclaim, “I very strong”. \240With beaming pride he asked if we knew Hideki Matsui, when we said of course, he exclaimed “great American baseball, very good”. We asked him if he played baseball, but he chuckled, patted his thick thighs and said “I rugby player”. We guess lugging oversized tourists up and down Kyoto’s hills is good training for rugby. After our rickshaw ride, we spent the day visiting shrines and temples, sampling street fare, and darting in and out of shops.

Shrine in Gion

Ancient Pagoda in Kyoto

We made reservations for the same Northern Italian restaurant as the night before, but this time made sure we picked Kyoto rather than Tokyo. When we were done touring and walking the streets of Kyoto, we called for a cab to take us back to the hotel. To our surprise, our driver looked like a cross between Goldfinger’s bodyguard, Odd Job and a retired sumo wrestler. It was comical to see him wedged behind the wheel of a cab. I half expected a razor-edged bowler hat to come flying our way. \240We eventually made it back to the restaurant and enjoyed a very relaxing meal. Although the food was good, I can’t say it was any better than the restaurant we stumbled into the night before. After dinner we \240packed and got ready for an early train ride to Hiroshima.

Odd Job Driving a Cab

On the morning of April 9, we ordered an early cab bound for Kyoto Station. There are multiple entrances to the station, so if one is traveling on a Shinkansen (bullet train), cabs have to drop you off at the rear of the station, otherwise you have to traverse a labyrinth to get to those platforms. \240As we loaded our bags into the trunk of the cab, the driver questioningly said — Kyoto station? I said hai - yes, the Shinkansen entrance. He cocked his head like the RCA dog and I again said, Shinkansen! Shinkansen!!! Like telling a contractor you don’t want carpeted steps and he gives you blank stairs, I kept getting a blank stare from the driver. Again I said, Shinkansen! S h i n k a n s e n!!!! Imitating Dori speaking whale, Ahhh Shinkansen he says, Jiminy Crickets! isn’t that what I’ve been saying?

Needed footwear to visit oldest shrine in Kyoto

Kennin-ji Temple

First look at Miyajima

Wild Deer begging for food

Despite the pronunciation mishap, we made it to the station and boarded the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Our hotel was adjacent to the train station, so we dropped our bags off and took a 40 minute train ride to Miyajimaguchi Station, where we boarded a ferry for Miyajima Island — Miyajima in Japanese roughly means "Shrine Island". The island has been regarded as a god within the Shinto religion. It’s home to a torii gate that appears to float on the water during high tide. For centuries the island was home only to wild animals and the occasional high priest. Now its waterfront streets are lined with food vendors and curio shops. A unique aspect of the island are the wild deer walking among the tourists, begging for scraps of food — like puppies begging for treats.

Ropeway

Top of Mount Misen

We hiked up to a Ropeway (or gondola) that took us to the highest point on the island. After standing in a long queue, we finally made it to the top of the mountain, just shy of 4:00PM. The views were spectacular, but unfortunately the last ropeway down was at 4:30PM, so after a very abbreviated visit, we once again queued up and headed down the mountain. This meant we had to skip the Reikadô Pavilion. In 806, a Buddhist monk named Kobo Daishi began meditating on Mount Misen, the highest point in Miyajima. The monk lit a [holy] fire, which has been burning at the Reikadô Pavilion for over 1,200 years. The flame has been kept alive throughout the centuries by monks. Before leaving the island, we toured the waterfront shrine and enjoyed some spectacular views of the floating Torii Gate.

Temple Guardian

Floating Torii Gate

Floating Torii Gate at Sunset

Because Thursday April 10th, was our only full day in Hiroshima, we scheduled a bicycle tour in order to capture all the major sites. Our tour started from a bike shop called Cycle Hiroshima, near the Peace Memorial. Our guide was a 30-something PhD student from Pakistan who worked as a tour guide to help pay his way through school. He had already defended his anthropology dissertation and was slated to graduate in May. He was extremely knowledgeable about Japan, the Second World War, and events pre-and post the bombing of Hiroshima. As a side note, we find people’s life choices fascinating. After graduation, he planned on expanding his tourism business, and he hoped to open a Halal/Japanese restaurant in Hiroshima. He claimed the nearest Halal restaurant was in Tokyo. We imagine that’s putting your PhD to good use!

Bike Tour Group

We learned a great deal about the devastation caused by the atomic bomb on the city of \240Hiroshima and the exceptional stories of survivors. \240We visited the basement where Eizo Nomura, a municipal employee, was working looking for documents when the bomb detonated. Of the thirty-seven people working in the building, he was the sole survivor. Despite radiation exposure, he lived well into his 80s. We also visited the Atomic Blast Dome, which is one of the few buildings near the blast zone to survive. They speculate the dome roof deflected some of the pressure from the bomb. We also stopped at the site of Ground Zero, where the bomb detonated.

Atomic Blast Dome

The Basement Eizo Nomura was working in

Memorial, Eternal Flame of Peace and Blast Dome, Perfectly aligned

In the center of Peace Memorial Park there is a perpetual flame called The Flame of Peace. It was lit in 1964 and will continue to burn until all nuclear weapons are eradicated. Coincidently, the flame used to light The Flame of Peace, came from the 1200 year old flame burning on Mount Misen, on the island of Miyajima.

Ten Gates representing Dante’s nine circles of hell, \240plus the tenth that Dante missed was Hiroshima. \240Peace is written in every language on every gate.

At the entrance of The Peace Memorial Museum there are two clocks; one that counts the days since the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and one that counts the days since the the last nuclear weapon was tested. The last nuclear weapon was tested nearly 300 days ago. We all took turns trying to guess which country was the last to test a \240nuclear weapon, Mary guessed correctly, sadly it was the USA.

Finished tour in a beautiful park

Feeding Turtles

Ended the tour reflecting while feeding Koi

It was an emotionally and spiritually draining day. The tour ended at a beautiful park, where we all had time for a peaceful and reflective walk, while feeding the turtles and the koi fish. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a rooftop bar for a quick cocktail, then took a slow trolley back to our hotel. Tomorrow we are heading to our last stop, Osaka.

Views from Osaka Hotel

Friday April 11th.

The Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka dropped us off a stop shy of the Osaka station, as it continued to Tokyo. Instead of boarding the required connecting train to Osaka Station, we accidentally boarded the subway, which dropped us off at the Umeda station, right next door. It sounds like a simple mistake, but each of these stations are huge complexes of stores, shops and restaurants. Eventually we found our hotel, which is connected to the Osaka Station, hence the name The Station Hotel. The hotel is located in a skyscraper with the reception desk on the 29th floor. The views from the hotel lobby were stunning, but our room was on 36th floor, the views from there were even more spectacular. The area surrounding our hotel and the Osaka Station is replete with fashionable stores and trendy restaurants. However, we had read that the Dotonburi District was a must see, so we headed there soon after arriving. On our way to Dotonburi, we had to make a connection at the Temma Station and ended up in a local market on our way to the connecting train. We found a shop that specialized in Samurai swords, but now makes high quality Japanese knives. The manufacturing is done by a father and son and the counter is operated by the mother and daughter-in-law. They spoke no English, we spoke no Japanese. After a lot of pointing, bows and smiles we managed to complete our purchase. After leaving the knife store we boarded the connecting train to Dotonburi. Loud, gritty and flashy, it resembled a carnival or a low-rent Times Square; however, when in Rome!! We found an oval Ferris wheel, which we thought was interesting, but after purchasing tickets, we realized we had bought tickets for a canal cruise. So after our canal cruise we managed to buy tickets to the strange Ferris wheel.

Osaka Knife shop with history of making Samuri Swords

Family run shop

Canal Tour

The Ferris wheel is a promotional gimmick for a store called Don Quixote. If you combined the Dollar General, Ocean State Job Lot and the old Railroad Salvage you would get a close proximity to Japan’s Don Quixote. You can get just about anything, from food to cosmetics, including sex toys and plastic gallon jugs of alcohol. \240I’ve been of fan of Miguel de Cervantes since reading Man of La Mancha in high school and Mary and I are huge fans of the play Man of La Mancha, in which Don Quixote battles windmills, mistaking them for giants. To see the name reduced to a junk store moniker is a little sad.

Don Quixote Ferris Wheel

From Dotonburi we took the subway back to Osaka Station and decided last minute to walk to the nearby Umeda Sky Building. The Umeda Sky Building is so complex, it’s difficult to conceptualize. It’s a two-tower skyscraper consisting of two 40-story towers. The towers are \240interconnected at the top via glass bridges with escalators and elevators that crisscross an open atrium. Once at the top, you can walk from tower to tower via a circular sky bridge. After exploring the towers, we settled down \240with a cocktail to watch a spectacular sunset and the subsequent twinkling lights of the city. A totally unplanned and unexpected pleasure.

Umeda Sky Building

Night view from Umeda Sky Building

On Saturday April 12th we took the Osaka Loop Line from Osaka Station to Sakuranomiya Station. \240As the name suggests, this train stopped near the Riverbank Park, which is lined with Cherry Blossom trees. When we arrived in Tokyo, the Sakura had not yet fully bloomed. By the time we arrived in Kyoto, the cherry blossoms were in full-bloom and we enjoyed spectacular views everywhere we went, especially on Kiyamachi Dori and the Philosopher’s Path, and by the time we reached Osaka, the blooms were starting to diminish. We were truly blessed to enjoy the cherry blossoms from the start of their bloom to the end. As we walked along the park, we stopped to watch a group of young men and women play mixed doubles beach volleyball. It was fun to cheer them on. A little further on we watched two organized teams play baseball. In stark contrast to the grittiness of Dotonburi, this park was alive and vibrant. There were boats, crew teams and paddle boards on the river and joggers and families enjoying picnics along the path. With gleaming modern buildings as a backdrop, you could think you were walking the banks of the Charles in Boston. Osaka is unquestionably the most eclectic city we visited in Japan.

Teams Playing Baseball

Volleyball game

We followed the Riverbank Park to the Osaka Castle. It was the largest castle in Japan when originally built in the 1580s; however, the current structure was reconstructed in 1931. \240We had a wonderful lunch at the terrace lounge on the castle grounds and witnessed a bride and groom perform a “first look” ceremony. After lunch we took a short cruise around the castle moat and got some spectacular views of the castle and the castle walls.

Osaka Castle

Moat Cruise

First Look Ceremony

First Look

From the Osaka Castle we headed to Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street and Americamura, a street with vintage American second hand shops. Near the end of Shinsaibashi-Suji we found a 3-D electronic billboard of a lion roaring and swatting at patrons on the street, it was a very cool experience. After a long day of window shopping, we headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow was a very big day. We had tickets for the opening day of the 2025 Osaka World Expo. We were both so excited.

3D Lion

We only had one and a half days to explore this diverse city. Unlike some of the spontaneous things we did, Sunday April 13th was completely scripted. It was the opening day of Osaka’s 2025 World Expo and we not only had tickets, we had won a lottery to one of the coveted expositions. \240We verified what trains to take and donned our raincoats. Although it called for rain, we hoped we would be protected from the elements once we arrived at the expo. We boarded the Osaka Loop Line heading for the Bentenchō Station. At the Bentenchō station we would jump on the Chou line, directly to the Expo.

Chou Line Train

Heading to Chou Line Train

The Osaka Loop Line to Bentenchō was a little busy but nothing remarkable. However, as we got closer to the Chou Line, people were pouring out of everywhere. By the time we reached the Chou Line train they were jamming people onto the cars. Trains jampacked with visitors were arriving at the Expo about every 15 minutes. As we were ushered into pens, the rain started to intensify. They were only allowing a certain number of people through security at one time. We very slowly snaked our way towards the entrance gates as the heavy rains continued. By the time we finally made it through the security checkpoint, we had stood in the pouring rain for nearly three-hours. Despite \240wearing raincoats, we were soaked through. \240Soon after going through security we headed to the restaurant pavilion to grab a bite before heading to our exposition. Instead of one large food hall, they had individual food vendors. Each line was so long you would have to wait at least 45 minutes to an hour just to reach the restaurant entrance. We abandoned the thought of eating, and headed towards our exposition. By now, the winds and the rain were so strong that even under the covered circular walkway we were being buffeted by wind and rain. As we walked past expositions, lines were so long it would take hours to enter. \240We finally ducked into an open information building packed with other soaked and shivering visitors. We waited for the rain to subside but after twenty minutes or so we decided to cut our losses and headed back to the hotel. By the time we reached our hotel, we were soaked to the bone, freezing cold and hungry.

Crowds Arriving at Expo

As we mentioned, our hotel was located in a skyscraper called the Kitte building. The subterranean floor, the fourth, fifth and sixth floors, all house restaurants. After changing into warm clothes, we headed down to find something to eat. We had spent our time exploring Osaka and never bothered to explore where we were staying. We found a great sushi and rice bowl restaurant on the lower level of the building, and had an amazing meal.

Conveyer Belt Sushi Restaurant

As we travel, the things we plan don’t always work out, and that’s okay. It’s those unexpected and unplanned activities that make a trip an adventure. We are so fortunate we are willing to go with the flow and never get frustrated when something doesn’t work out. Instead, we laugh a lot. Where we are, or where we end up, is where we were meant to be. For those of you who have gotten this far, thank you for being part of the wonderful and crazy adventure that is our lives.

Coffee Shop playing old Vinyl Records

Waikiki Beach

Views of Hawaii

We have spent the last four days relaxing in Honolulu, allowing our bodies to gradually acclimate to a new time zone. We fly home tomorrow and arrive Saturday morning. Although we still face a six hour difference, it’s slightly better than the thirteen hour difference we had in Japan.

A Chicken protecting her chicks during a North Shore Rain Shower

Aloha, and we’ll see everyone soon.