April 13, 2014

April 13, 2014

We had a western-style breakfast this morning at our ryokan. It was good but the view out the window was better. Unfortunately it is also rainy. We are so glad we had good weather yesterday and were able to see most of Miyajima Island. The weather report says clear skies are to the east, so we check out and catch an early train to Kyoto. That is one of the benefits of a Japan Rail pass. We flash the pass and board any train.

We read that during a few days in cherry blossom season, the Old Imperial Palace in Kyoto is open to visitors. So we take advantage of the opportunity. The palace grounds are behind walls inside a huge public garden. This has not been the home of the imperial family since it was moved to Tokyo in 1869, although coronation ceremonies are still held here. The outside doors/walls on the large wooden buildings have all been slid open showing empty tatami-matted spaces with nice painted walls. We are underwhelmed. The surrounding garden was nicer.

My stomach is feeling a little uneasy so for lunch we stop at McDonalds. I order Chicken McNuggets only because I am not sure how to order a burger plain.

After lunch we take the subway to the Gion area. This is Kyoto’s most authentic area. Like Takayama, it has lots of older more traditional wooden buildings. Gion is also geisha central. Geishas are traditional female entertainers skilled in conversation and the arts. A tourist is unlikely to meet a real geisha, but during Cherry Blossom season a show for tourists is performed at the local theater. We buy two tickets and then find a spot to have some beer while we wait.

Our last-minute seats are in the balcony where we sit on tatami mats. The show is a snoozer for me. It is akin to ballet, geisha style. There are a couple dozen geishas performing an operatic dance while a group of older retired geishas sing and pluck a three stringed banjo. While leaving Gion, we ran into a real geisha running to an appointment.  I didn’t think anybody could walk so fast on getas (wooden clogs).

Back at the hotel we walk around the neighborhood looking for something to eat. We settle on a dive bar/grill where we have the combo yaki skewer. The menu picture looks good but half the meats turn out to be something less desirable (probably chicken gizzards.) At least the beer was cold.

April 12, 2014

April 12, 2014

From our hotel we take a trolley car to the center of Hiroshima. Within yards of our stop is the famous T-shaped bridge that was ground zero for the first drop of an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945 8:15am. Hiroshima was wiped out. In the intervening years Hiroshima has been completely rebuilt. Except for one domed building left behind as a memorial. This iconic structure only survives with the help of bracing.

An adjoining area was left free of redevelopment. This Peace Memorial Park has a number of monuments to the victims. At the opposite end is the Peace Memorial Museum.

We spent the rest of the morning there. It turned out to be very interesting. One wing is dedicated to history. Hiroshima was a military center and was spared from conventional attack during WWII so the A-bomb’s destruction could be evaluated. I was amused by several references to how Japan was selected as the target (as if there was another enemy still fighting) and how the US only dropped it to justify the huge cost of development. The other museum wing was devoted to the effects of the blast. It contained lots of melted artifacts, including watches permanently stopped at 8:15.

From Hiroshima, we took a local train south along the coast and boarded a ferry to Miyajima Island. Located in the Inland Sea, it is celebrated as one of the three most scenic spots in Japan. Miyajima has long been a sacred island and home of Itsukushima Shrine and its famous floating Torii. As we approach, we can see it is not really floating. The tide is out and the huge gate is in the middle of a mud flat surrounded by a horde of tourists.

Our ryokan has a shuttle waiting to meet the ferry. We are too early to check in, so we decide to explore the island in the interim. We buy some chicken skewers for lunch. We have to eat them quickly as several aggressive deer roam the area. When they aren’t begging for food handouts, they are eating the cherry petals on the ground. After taking a few photos of the Torii, we ride two cable cars up to the central peak of the island. At least it was supposed to be the peak. It was still a long uphill climb to the true island top. Once there we were blessed with great views of the other islands in the surrounding Inland Sea.

Instead of riding back, we hiked down a trail back to the harbor.  While scenic, it was not stunning.  But then again we are jaded after seeing so many of America’s National Parks.  I was hoping to see some of the Japanese wild macaques that inhabit the island but they were nowhere to be seen.  Near the end of the trail, we stop at Daisho-in Temple.  This temple has it all.  Built on the side of a steep hill, it has gardens, statues, koi pond, a large bronze bell, and a lantern hall.  It also has a bunch of metal wheels inscribed with Buddhist sutra.  I give them a speed-read spin.

We check into the ryokan and find it to be our nicest accommodations by far. Our room comes with a sitting room facing the Floating Torii and Hiroshima Bay. The restaurant was very accommodating in the Kaiseki menu and allowed us to substitute lots of cooked alternatives. Still it had many items uniquely Japanese. The meal included a tiny glass of Plum liqueur, Kobe beef we cooked ourselves on a hot stone (sukiyaki), eel boiled in a pot of broth, and baked oysters.

After dinner, we walked out to take evening photos of the Torii. The tide is in and it is truly “floating” now. First built in the 6th century when commoners were not allowed to step foot on the sacred island, the torii was built in the water so pilgrims could sail under the gate and approach the shrine without landing. As I try to take photos, the tradition continues, as I have to fight tour boats cruising under the torii.

Of course after we return to our room, Aimee wants to visit the onsen. She can’t wait to bathe naked with the geishas again.

April 11, 2014

April 11, 2014

We meet up with a guide in the lobby of our Osaka Hotel and take the train to nearby Kyoto. Kyoto was the capital of Japan and the home of the Emperor for over 1000 years. For being a major tourist attraction, Kyoto doesn’t have a very good transportation system. We take a long city bus ride across town to Kinkaku-ji “Temple of the Golden Pavilion”. This beautiful structure was first built by a Shogun around 1400 AD and later turned into a Buddhist temple. Since it is a sunny day we enjoy walking the nice gardens that surround it.

We have an early lunch at what would pass as a Denny’s at home. Aimee and I both have the Friday Special of tempura with rice and noodles. My stomach is doing pretty good to be eating Japanese food again.

After lunch we took another bus to Nijo Castle. This was the Kyoto home of the Tokugawa Shogun who governed from Edo. While double-moated, this primarily wooden structure’s main purpose wasn’t defensive. Its lavish decorations were designed to intimidate and awe the feudal lords who came to pay homage to the Shogun. It is filled with large tatami-matted rooms for meetings. A couple of the rooms were filled with Samurai mannequins that make me think of the Shogun TV mini series of my youth. The most amusing part of the “castle” was the wooden flooring. It creaked terribly, like a flock of chirping birds, on purpose. It is called the nightingale floor and it creaked to warn of intruders (think ninjas in the night). The medieval version of a burglar alarm.

From Nijo Castle, we walked thru a shopping area and then on to a tea ceremony. Apparently how you brew and pour the tea is important in Japan, especially for a geisha. It was cute but not my cup of tea (pun intended).

From Kyoto, we took the Shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima. At the train station, we looked around for some snacks to buy. We are a little hesitant as most items were fish-flavored or had fish in them. We bought something green hoping it was wasabi flavored. It turned out to be pea or asparagus flavored instead. While not good it did go well with the beers we bought for the ride.

As we shoot past the countryside on the bullet train, I am shocked at how little living space the Japanese have. Japan is the size of California, but with three times its population. 75% of the terrain is mountainous, so everybody is squeezed into the little bit of flat land available. Urban areas are mostly apartment buildings while rural areas consist of small houses built right on top of each other. This may be the reason the Japanese are so polite. It is the only way to survive crowded together.
In Hiroshima, we have a dinner of teppanyaki. Yaki means grilled, so we are safe whenever we see that word.

April 10, 2014

April 10, 2014

At 6:30 the monks of Koyasan summoned us for their Morning Prayer service. It was fifty minutes of constant chanting, burning of incense and occasional ringing of a gong. Afterwards we had breakfast. Since my stomach is still queasy, I watch Aimee eat. She tells me it's ok, but not as good as dinner.

After breakfast, I slept for another two hours, before checking out.  We walked the cemetery path again to see what we missed in the dark.  Most of the graves are marked with a stone pagoda.  The temple at the end where Kobo Daishi is said to rest in eternal meditation is now open.  One room has 10,000 donated lanterns kept eternally lit.  We left by the south exit and took the bus to the center of town.  There we visited two Buddhist temple complexes, Kongobuji, and the Garan with its colorful Great Stupa.

Afterwards we retraced our journey taking the funicular down the mountain, and a train to Osaka. Like Tokyo, Osaka has an extensive subway network. We took it to Osaka Castle Park. The castle is a massive double-moated fortress with a beautiful Japanese style keep or donjon in the middle. The donjon is a concrete reconstruction with a very detailed history museum inside. Osaka Castle played a major role in the unification of Japan.  We are approaching the 400^th anniversary of the Siege of Osaka. We climb the eight story structure whizzing past the exhibits. Aimee won’t let me read about the feudal wars waged from here.

We spent the night in Osaka. My stomach is feeling much better, so have pizza for dinner. It is still too early to try Japanese food just yet.

April 9, 2014

April 9, 2014

I woke up this morning with the room spinning. I had a bout of vertigo a couple months ago. What a terrible time for it to recur! This time it makes me nauseous. I skip breakfast. Aimee goes without me and says the Western-style meal was great. I can’t even think about food.

We are on the move again. We check out, send our luggage ahead and board the long train back south. I am glad it is a long ride, as I have to run for the bathroom several times. Since the nausea is persisting I am guessing this is more than vertigo. I must have eaten something a westerner shouldn’t have. Aimee blames the raw firefly squid.

In Osaka station we take the subway to the main southern train station. There we stroll the covered pedestrian shopping streets. The area is high-intensity modern. Surprisingly in the middle of it is a little cultural oasis called Hozen-ji Temple. For lunch we eat at McDonald’s. Aimee has a burger while I sip a Coke and eat an ice cream cone. That is the most my stomach can tolerate.

We spend the day making our way to Koyasan. To get there we take a local train south from Osaka. Koyasan, now a World Heritage Site, is a revered Buddhist enclave. In ancient times, pilgrims traveling there would climb a trail to this mountaintop oasis. Since I am under the weather, we take the modern way, a funicular train up a very steep grade. At the hilltop station, we catch a bus to one of the many Buddhist monasteries offering shelter to travelers.

A monk showed us to our room. We are invited for dinner at six. Since most Buddhist monks are vegetarian, there is no raw fish at this meal. At least that is what Aimee told me. I tried a little miso soup and had to immediately run for the exit, and not because I mind a vegetarian meal occasionally.

Temporarily feeling a little better, or needing some fresh air, we walk the mile trail to the 9^th century shrine and mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, a monk famous for bringing Chinese Buddhism to Japan.  The pathway is illuminated with stone lanterns.  Lining the path are thousands of graves, Japan’s largest cemetery.  Everybody wanted to be buried in this sacred spot, next to Kobo Daishi, including Emperors and Shoguns.  The dim light, moss-covering, and towering cedar trees make this an especially spooky journey.  I forgot my stomach hurts.

April 8, 2014

April 8, 2014

We are served our Japanese breakfast in the public eating area of the ryokan. Aimee initially groans but we are both pleasantly surprised at the selection of foods. It is less fishy and more palatable for western stomachs. We are quite pleased. One dish was a local specialty, miso paste and onions cooked on a magnolia leaf. Tasty!

Takayama is a cute town in the Japanese Alps that still has more traditional wooden buildings than are normally found in today’s modern Japan. We start out at the morning market perusing the handmade goods, and local foods. We toured Yoshijima, the preserved house of a Sake brewer from the early 1900s. It is a large open house with many rooms, all empty and lined with tatami mats.  A Japanese room is multi-functional changing with the furniture moved into it.  The house is cold walking thru it without shoes.


We stroll the area stopping in many small stores including several Sake breweries, all distinguished by a large cedar ball hanging over the doorway. We taste the different varieties and then buy a larger portion of sake that is served in a traditional square wooden cup filled to the brim. Aimee doesn’t like the wooden cup as she finds the wood aroma interferes with the taste of the sake. She has become a sake connoisseur now. We buy a bottle of sake packaged in a miniature version of the brightly painted barrel.

Takayama used to be a regional government center. We toured the restored administrative buildings, but it was mostly uninteresting. In Shogun times, tax was paid in the form of rice. Apparently the amount of rice paid was so high that the local farmers starved and rioted on several occasions.

Aimee and I shared a tempura lunch and then went back to the ryokan to rest. We finish the day with another soak in the ryokan thermal bath.

For dinner we were served another kaiseki-style meal. Like the breakfast, we enjoyed this dinner much better. Besides a better variety, the ryokan also gave us a listing of what we were being served in English. That took a lot of the mystery out of the food. One of the items was Hida beef.  Like its more famous Kobe cousin, this meat is intensely marbled, shaved thin, and very expensive.  When cooked, it almost melts in your mouth.

After dinner we walked down the street to a pachinko parlor. Somehow my father acquired one of these Japanese pinball machines when I was a kid so I am familiar with it. What we didn’t expect on entering was the blast of loud music. It is too overwhelming and we quickly exit after only a few minutes.

April 7, 2014

April 7, 2014

We woke early today. Right away, Aimee tells me she wants take a soak again. And she was the one who was so against nude public bathing. I guess she is going native.

We had breakfast served to us in our room. I guess I was expecting something simple. Instead it was like last night, elaborate courses of many small items, most of which we would normally not eat, especially in the morning. I am beginning to realize why Japanese restaurants are not common in the US. Of course we had fish, raw and cooked, but also soft-boiled egg, miso soup, meat on a stick, fruit roll, pickled veggies, tofu, rice, and tea. Aimee ate the rice. Again there were items we couldn’t quite identify. I was eating some white dish that looked a little like wet rice. I made the comment to Aimee to try it because it had no taste. She took a long look at it and she said the rice had eyes. I told her that was probably pepper but upon closer examination, the rice turned out to be tiny infant sardines.

After checking out, we were happy to see no clouds in the sky. That is so important for today’s exploration of the nearby National Park. From Hakone we take a forty minute train ride to the mountain town of Gora less than five miles away. The train isn’t slow, we just gained elevation the hard way. Three times the train switch-backed uphill by reversing direction and heading up a different track. At Gora we loaded onto a funicular train to go higher yet again. We are still not at the top so we take a cable car up over the ridge of Mt Hakone. As we crested, we were blessed with a glorious view of snow-capped Mt Fuji. What a beautiful mountain, probably the most perfect on earth. We were in the cable car with a group of young Korean girls who screamed when they saw it.

If I needed reminding that Fuji not only looks like, but is an active volcano, all I had to do was turn around. I am standing on the edge of Owakudani, the smoking crater of Mt. Hakone. There are dozens of sulfur-smelling steam vents below me. I hope I can get out of Japan before one of them blows again.

Instead of returning the way we came, we take a cable car downhill to Lake Ashi. There we board a replica pirate ship for a cruise to the other end of this crater lake. After we disembark we walk to the Hakone Checkpoint. In feudal times, the ruling Shogun (military dictator) would ensure peace with the other Daimyos (Samurai lords) by making them reside part of the time with him in Edo (Tokyo). When they went home they had to leave their wife and eldest son in Edo as hostages. The Tokaido road connecting Edo with Kyoto climbed this narrow Hakone Pass. A checkpoint was setup here to make sure that no wives were smuggled home. The wooden structures of the Checkpoint were rebuilt to show what it looked like. Afterwards we walked a stretch of the Tokaido road thru a grove of massive old cedar trees.

Finished we take a bus back to Hakone. We stroll the town and then have Tempura and Sake (rice wine) for lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. Our next destination is the Japanese Alps. To get there we take two local trains, then a bullet train (past another view of Fuji) to Nagoya, and then a long express train north, arriving in Takayama just before dark. This last leg up the granite gorge of the Hida River was beautiful. I would think I was in the American West except for the cherry trees and bamboo forest lining the tracks. And of course the many houses. We arrived 40 minutes late. Shocking! So far the trains in Japan have been extraordinary. Normally you can set your watch by their departure and arrival times.

We are staying at another ryokan tonight. Since Aimee is the big soaker now, we take a bath before retiring. The onsen at this ryokan is tinier and doesn’t have the scenic view of the previous one.

April 6, 2014

April 6, 2014

We checked out of our Tokyo Hotel and had our bags sent ahead to another hotel. This is a nice service in Japan. It doesn’t cost much and lets us navigate the trains and sites carrying only a small backpack.

We take the train 35 miles south to Kamakura. This coastal valley was the seat of the first Shogun after he seized power from the Emperor in 1185. It contains lots of historic and cultural sites. Because of this it was spared from bombing during WWII. Our first stop is at Kotoku-in Buddhist temple. This place is renowned for its Great Buddha. This 40-foot tall bronze statue is almost 1000 years old and big enough to climb inside. The hall that used to house it was washed away by tsunami several times, so now it sits outside.

Down the street is the Hase-dera Buddhist temple. Built on a hillside overlooking the ocean, it has beautiful gardens. It is famous for its thirty-foot wooden statue of Kannon, a Buddhist goddess.

From the Kamakura train station we walked up the main street to the Tsurugaoki Hachiman-gu shrine. Dedicated to a legendary emperor and guardian spirit of the Samurai, the shrine sits on a hillside at the end of a long promenade.

Shinto is the ancient religion of Japan where people venerate “kami”, the divine spirits of nature and ancestors. Fifteen hundred years ago, Buddhism and Chinese culture was introduced to Japan. The two religions became melded. Today the Japanese typically think of Shinto as governing everyday life and Buddhism, the afterworld. Thus, they get married at a shrine and buried at a temple.

And we saw several weddings today. They were held in a large gazebo-like structure on the promenade. Just as we have elaborate wedding dresses and tuxedos, the Japanese bridal party was decked out in fancy kimonos and sandals. The music was a traditional drum, three-stringed banjo, and wooden flute.

After a little window-shopping down the main street, we had a pizza lunch with a bottle of Kamakura dark beer.

After lunch we took the train thirty miles down the coast to Odawara. Around the corner from the station high on a hill is a Castle. Odawara was a typical castle town during Japan’s feudal era when local Daimyos (like an English lord) ruled the countryside and warfare was common.  The castle looks and functions like a European one except the top of the central keep is wooden with distinctive Oriental architecture. The castle is reconstructed because all castles were torn down with the Meiji Restoration and the overturning of feudalism. Inside is now a museum of artifacts, including Samurai armor and swords.

From Odawara we took a train up into the hills to the nearby resort town of Hakone. It sits in a steep river valley. We are spending the night at a ryokan. This is a type of traditional Japanese inn that used to serve travelers. After checking in, we are escorted to our room by a kimono-clad lady to a nearly empty tatami-matted room with sliding doors. After removing our shoes, she serves us green tea on a very short table.

Since Japan sits on volcanic land, hot springs abound and public bathing is a tradition. So we partake before dinner. Aimee and I put on our Yukatas and head to the “onsen”. There I find several Japanese sitting on little overturned tubs scrubbing themselves down. Only then do they enter the hot tub. It is a nice relaxing soak in very hot water with a great view of the river below. It would be awesome if only there were a few naked geishas with me. Alas separation of the sexes was a Western practice the Japanese adopted after WWII.

At six our room hostess returns with our Kaiseki dinner. It consists of many small beautifully displayed courses. I thought it was great. Aimee didn’t appreciate it. To her everything tastes like fish, raw fish. Duh, it is raw fish, mostly. We had sushi, cooked fish, a pot of boiled fish, and tempura fish. Along with it were tofu, rice, soba noodles (again), pickles, and lots of things we couldn’t identify. Aimee for the most part only ate the rice. For desert we had a small pastry filled with sweetened bean paste.

There is no bed in the room. After dinner a man comes in and sets up a futon on the floor. It is comfortable but the big comforter is way too hot. In the middle of the night, I find and turn down the thermostat.

April 5, 2014

April 5, 2014

Today we are traveling ninety miles north of Tokyo to explore the World Heritage sites of Nikko. We meet a local guide, Ogi, at our hotel and catch the Shinkansen bullet train for the first leg. At 120 mph the scenery whips by. What a great way to travel. The second leg is a local train that lasts as long but travels a fraction of the distance. This second train climbs into snow-capped mountains. Uh-oh, I am pretty sure we are not dressed properly with just a shirt and raincoat. It is cold, especially in the shadows.

Our first stop in Nikko is a dive restaurant for an early lunch. Noodles, again. Good but just like yesterday. We have had our fill of Japanese noodles. We had a giant slice of tofu for appetizer. Dipped in soy sauce and wasabi, it was tasty.

After lunch we cross the Daiya River and hike up the hill toward the shrine complex. We pass by the Rinno-ji Temple that is completely covered in a tarp for renovation. Past the temple is the Tosho-gu Shrine dedicated to Shogun Tokugawa. Up a hill is his actual gravesite. All the buildings are of medieval Japanese architecture; they are very ornate and covered in gold leaf. The shrine complex is built into a beautiful mountainside filled with huge cedar trees. A side building has a series of eight carved reliefs with monkeys meant to teach certain morals to children. One is of the famous three monkeys depicting “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

We finish our tour of Nikko at Taiyuinbyo, the mausoleum of Tokugawa’s grandson, who built the shrine to his grandfather. Our female guide today was delightful. She drew us pictures, and gave us little gifts and treats. She kept calling me a Ninja because I walked so fast!

Unfortunately I woke this morning with a slight sore throat. Back in Tokyo we stop in a 7-11 and buy some salt. Sometimes gargling with salt water can prevent the onset of a real illness. I am sure being underdressed today for the cold isn’t going to help!

April 4, 2014

April 4, 2014

Our internal clocks are still off, so we are up before dawn, and the first ones at breakfast. Afterwards we take a commuter train clockwise around Tokyo getting off at Yoyogi park. It is all pretty easy as Japanese trains are very modern with electronic signboards that alternate between Japanese and English.

We are here to visit the Meiji Shrine. We enter the park under an enormous wooden torii. The shrine is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji. He was the one in Tom Cruise’s movie “The Last Samurai” who wrested power from the ruling Shogun and samurais overturning the feudal order and restoring imperial rule in 1868. This change was precipitated when American Commodore Perry and his “black ships” sailed into Japanese waters forcing the country to open up. Humiliated and made painfully aware of their backwardness, Japan embarked on rapid reform and modernization under Meiji.

We are starting to see the sun peek out so we head to Ueno Park to enjoy the cherry blossoms. This is festival time or “hanami” for the Japanese. Many of the cherry trees have tarps under them with locals feasting and drinking their favorite beverage. We are in awe as we walk through the park along cherry blossom-lined paths. I could take wonderful photos but all of Tokyo seems to be doing likewise.

Aimee is getting hungry so on the way to our next destination, we stop in the Akihabara ward for lunch. Our guide yesterday recommended soba (buckwheat) noodles. We easily found a diner that served a bowl of these noodles topped with tempura. We have seen many people enjoying this meal, but both of us are left bewildered. We are eating a bowl of wet spaghetti noodles with chopsticks! And flavor; there wasn’t any!

On to Tokyo Station in the heart of downtown, we walk west toward the Imperial Palace. The grounds are immense, more than a square mile. It is surrounded by a wide moat and walls made of large stone blocks. We pass through a gate to find yet another moat and yet another wall. In feudal times this fortress must have been impregnable. We can see part of the present palace atop a hill in the distance. Since the current emperor lives here it is not open to the public. Only the east garden is open. In the middle of the garden is the hill and foundation of the original Edo castle. A few watchtowers are all that remain.

Edo is the original name for this city. It was established by Shogun Tokugawa (of James Clavell's Shogun fame) who reunited all of Japan. After the Meiji Restoration, the emperor moved the capital here from Kyoto and built a new palace atop Edo Castle. Edo was renamed To-Kyo (Eastern Capital).

After wearing out our feet today, we leave the palace grounds by the northern gate and visit the Yasukuni Shrine dedicated to those who died fighting for Japan before heading back to our hotel exhausted.

April 3, 2014

April 3, 2014

Despite our best efforts at getting some rest on the plane, we wake in the middle of the night. Oh well, it gives us a chance to check up on our email.

We head for the restaurant buffet as soon as it opens. We fill ourselves up with American food and then give the Japanese breakfast a try. The Japanese usually have Miso soup and a piece of dried fish. It is very good, especially the soup, but I am not sure I would want to eat it every morning.

Since it is still early we walk to a small park hidden between some nearby high-rise buildings. The park is loaded with cherry trees and is simply gorgeous. The trees look like they are full of fresh pinkish snow. Japanese gardens are pretty but with the cherry trees abloom they are spectacular. If only the skies would clear and drive away this spitting rain.

Since this is our first day in a foreign land, we have a local guide to help us get acclimated to Japanese travel. Tokyo transportation is superb with lots of English but the rush hour throngs would have made our lone efforts much harder.

Our first stop is the Tsukiji Wholesale market. The Japanese are voracious fish eaters consuming four times what the rest of the world does. And Tsukiji is where much of it is sold. To see the famous auctioning of huge tuna, we would have had to get here before dawn. Instead we come later, when the sold fish are being sawn into smaller sizes. We dodge dozens of forklifts while working our way past hundreds of stalls selling every imaginable type of seafood. Much of it still alive…. and trying to crawl away!

Our next stop is Roppongi hills, an upscale area, where we ride to the 52nd floor observation deck of Mori tower for an eagle's view of Tokyo. Unfortunately it is very overcast and we can't see far. Most of the buildings are not skyscrapers, surprising for one of the largest cities on the planet. I guess with all the earthquakes Japan gets, I would be leery of tall buildings too.

Our next stop is the Ginza district where we stop at Tokyo's main Kabuki theater. It is Oriental ornate with a stack of colorful Sake barrels in front. For lunch we have a traditional meal of Kushiage; deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables. It is served with cabbage, pickled vegetables, and Miso soup. At the fish market I learned Miso soup is made with fish powder. Somehow it doesn't taste as good now. After lunch we walk thru the food section of a Ginza department store. It is all expensive, and elaborately displayed.

Unfortunately as the day progress, the rain gets heavier. It must rain here a lot as everyone has a large umbrella and many stores have plastic covers for the rain gear.

Our feet are getting tired so we taxi to the Sumida River for a cruise. It is unexciting and hard to see with the rain-spotted windows. At least we are out of the rain for a while. Aimee and I grimace as we watch Japanese families snacking on dried fish.

We disembark in Asakusa. This old entertainment district has Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple (Senso-ji). To see it we first have to make our way down a gauntlet of food vendors and umbrella-wielding tourists. Others tempt us with a ride in a modern rickshaw.

At the temple our guide gives us a little intro to the Buddhist and Shinto religions. The Buddhists have monks and temples with tower gates, bells, and pagodas.  Shinto has priests and shrines with Torii gates.  He shows us how the faithful first purify themselves with a ritual washing of hands and mouth. They then light an incense stick for healing part of the body, get their fortune told and buy a good-luck charm. When it is time to say a prayer, they bow, clap twice to get the gods attention, and then bow again. It all seems very commercial and pagan, but I bet Christianity must seem that way to outsiders.

We finally take leave of our guide and head back to our hotel, comfortable that we can make our way around Tokyo by ourselves. We have a dinner of Chinese pot stickers at a dive around the corner. Tasty!

April 2, 2014

April 2, 2014

As we fly west we cross over the International Date Line and lose a day. Aimee and I keep ourselves amused watching three movies and trying to readjust our body clocks.

One of the reasons we picked this time of year to come to Japan is for the Cherry Blossoms. Our original plan was to go see our Capitol’s blossoms, but with the severe winter they are having, who knows when spring will arrive. It turns out those Washington DC cherry trees were gifts from Japan in 1910 and 1965. As we land in Japan, I can already see cherry blooms lining the airport runway. I think our timing is good.

After going through customs, we are met by a greeting service representative, who provides us miscellaneous travel tickets, and gets us on the right bus to our accommodation. I am happy to find our Tokyo hotel room has a great view of Tokyo Tower, a modern twin of the Eiffel Tower of Paris. Every night it is lit up differently.  To immerse myself in this new culture, I try on the hotel-provided Yukata summer kimono and drink a Japanese beer purchased in the hallway vending machine.  I feel like a modern Shogun (military dictator of Medieval Japan).

April 1, 2014

April 1, 2014

We are up way before dawn to catch our 5am flight to Los Angeles. After a long layover at LAX, we board the ten-hour flight to Japan. Japan is on my bucket list but I know very few people who have traveled there for pleasure. Mostly because I think Americans know so little about the country. Japan had a long period of isolation from the outside world and that attitude still seems to pervade the country. Japan does little to promote tourism to Americans. Add in the inscrutable Oriental writing system and we are in the dark. Our goal is to shine some light on the country. I have some lingering trepidation because we signed up for an independent tour. A travel agent provided the itinerary and made our hotel accommodations. But after that we are on our own in making our way around the country.

Even though the plane ride is the part of travel I don't look forward to, I am happy to find we are boarding one of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This is the new graphite composite plane. Besides being much more fuel-efficient, it has larger passenger windows (oddly blue tinted) and more comfortable cabin pressure. My summer intern job with McDonnell Douglas 35 years ago was involved with gluing carbon components together for fighter jets. I can’t believe it took this long for the technology to make it to commercial aviation.