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Steve's Journal

Japan 2006

Posted on December 27, 2006May 27, 2016 by steve
japan-map.gif (27051 bytes) Wednesday December 27, 2006

This trip to Japan sort of snuck up on us. Between having hardwood
floors installed, buying new living room furniture, painting and
redecorating the guest room, getting ready for Christmas, and entertaining
my Dad, suddenly it was the day after Christmas and we were packing for
Tokyo.

The 4 am alarm was an unwelcome sound, but our trip to the airport and
flight to Atlanta were uneventful. By 10 am we were boarding Delta flight
55 for the 14-hour flight to Tokyo’s Narita Airport.

The Boeing 777 was a lovely plane, with business elite seats that
nearly reclined flat. I exchanged 360,000 frequent flyer miles for the
tickets back in March, when I thought Delta might be going out of
business. Even though they are still in bankruptcy, it was gratifying to
see that their international service has really improved — a necessity to
compete with foreign carriers on their many new routes. As a result, the
food and service was excellent. The Japanese meal I had was particularly
noteworthy, with a dozen small ceramic dishes of tasty mysteries.

We were able to nap for several hours, which helped make up for the
early morning and ten time-zone shift (Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of
Orlando). Dani took advantage of my new
laptop’s 9-hour battery to add 3500 words to her novel, The Last
Telepath
, which is now past 20,000 words.

The flight path took us over Alaska — I know, it doesn’t seem like a
shortcut until you look at a globe. We arrived a bit after 2 pm Thursday,
having lost an entire day somewhere over the Bering Sea, when we crossed
the International Date Line.

 

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fuji_view.jpg (701880 bytes)
The view from our room, looking west toward Mt. Fuji.

It was very windy in Tokyo, which made for an
exciting landing. I was struck by how much the airport — and much of the
city’s architecture, for that matter — looked like Frankfurt. In fact,
all of Tokyo looks much more European than I was expecting. Except for the
signs in Japanese, the sea of 5-foot tall, black-haired people, and the
cars being on the opposite side of the street, it would be hard to
distinguish it from any major European city.The people are very different, though. Friendly but reserved, and
extremely focused on doing things right. This was in evidence from the
moment we arrived at the airport. Waiting for the bus to the hotel,
industrious porters arranged and tagged our luggage and positioned it (and
us) just so, in anticipation for the spot-on arrival of the bus. There was
much more spoken English and English signage than I was expecting, although this
changes dramatically, away from tourist-frequented areas. In the city
there are lots of English names on stores and buildings, but they’re
mostly just words that sound good to the Japanese, and don’t convey any
meaning.The topography of Japan is similar to Southern California, although one
guide book described it as looking like a perpetual construction site.
Certainly the land is thoroughly used, with every acre of the 45-mile
drive from airport to hotel occupied by either a rice field or a building.Speaking of guidebooks, here are some things I learned by reading the
excellent Time Out Tokyo during the flight:

Japan is an archipelago that stretches from the latitude of Miami to
Montreal. Tokyo is about even with Atlanta.

The Japanese literacy rate is 99%.

There is no tipping in Japan, an odd but refreshing experience.

All but three of Japan’s 3000 streams and rivers are dammed!

Approximately 100 million Japanese practice the traditional Shinto
religion. And 100 million practice a version of China’s Buddhism.
Impressive, considering the population is 127 million. Clearly these
people are hedging their bets.

On the drive from the airport we passed a Carre Four (French)
supermarket, Tokyo Disneyland, a very, very large Ferris wheel, The Ginza
shopping district, and Tokyo station. By this time the sun had set (at
4:30!), and
the city was a mixture of Vegas neon and brightly lit office buildings.
Workers were still hard at it in most of the buildings, but there were
also a lot of office parties in progress. December 28th is the last day of
work for most people, and culminates in a traditional Japanese-style blow
out. Many of these workers won’t go back to their jobs until January 4th.

Central Tokyo was a literal tangle of streets, bridges, causeways and
canals. It was amazing to see vending machines glowing in the darkest
corners of these concrete mazes. In a city with low crime, these machines
are safe from vandalism everywhere. And they are everywhere,
vending, soft drinks, beer, cigarettes, condoms and even used teenage
girl’s panties (although we didn’t actually see any of those… sorry,
Dave).

At the hotel I was bemused that, in a city with little crime, procedure
still dictated that every last baggage tag be matched to our
luggage as we disembarked. This was all done for us, but it had to be
done.

I didn’t realize it when I booked it, but we’re staying at the hotel
where Lost In Translation was filmed. The Park Hyatt is a stylish,
modern facility occupying the 41st through 51st floors of one of the western-most
high rises in Shinjuku, Tokyo’s “skyscraper” district. At over
300 square feet, the rooms are among the city’s largest. The staff is
extremely efficient (of course) and friendly, and well-versed in English.
A measure of their efficiency was that when we checked in they didn’t have
a record of the third person in our room. By the time we were escorted to
the room, there were already three people there making it up for the extra
person.

Our luggage was delivered moments later by a young lady who apologized
profusely when I had to help her heft the largest piece onto a shelf to
prevent her from being flattened — but better to lose face than life.

 

mt_fuji.jpg (283936 bytes)

 

The wind had swept away the clouds, providing infinite
visibility in all directions. Given how even the locals lingered at the
windows, I suspect this is a one-a-year event. As promised, our room
looked directly onto Mt. Fuji. I wonder how many guests have never spotted
it?We had an early dinner in the lobby restaurant, Girandole, which
specializes in
American food. It was okay, but expensive, more attributable to the hotel
it’s in than the cost of Tokyo these days, which after fifteen years of
inflation isn’t nearly as high as it once was. The exchange rate is pretty good — 118 Yen to the dollar
— but this is still going to be an expensive trip: a bottle of San
Pellegrino water is $15.By 7:30 pm we were in bed, and didn’t surface until 7 am. 
pocari_sweat.jpg (486724 bytes)
A can of “Pocari Sweat.” Doesn’t that
sound delicious?
Friday, December 29, 2006

The next morning we awoke to find Tokyo dazzling. Still breezy, and
with few commuters to replenish the smog, visibility remained infinite.
Dani and I had an American breakfast in the lobby restaurant, with
delicious croissants, scones and other pastries.

 

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A gift of toilet paper.

 

The most notable feature of the room is one
the Japanese take for granted. No, this isn’t the captain’s chair on the
bridge of the Starship Enterprise, although it has more buttons. Don’t
press them unless you like surprises. It’s typical of most toilets in
quality establishments in Japan. Because the Japanese don’t like rude
noises, it is also the habit of women to flush the toilet multiple times
to mask the sound. Because this was wasting water, many public toilets are
equipped with audio players that make a flushing noise when their button
is pushed!There is an entirely different type of public toilet that provides a
far less pleasant experience. As you walk around Tokyo, you are often
handed packets with advertising on them. The advertisers know you won’t
throw them away, because they contain toilet paper — a necessity in this
other caliber of public facility.
shinjuku_station.jpg (500362 bytes)

 

After a visit with the concierge, Crystal
Wong, to organize our week, we set out to explore. A twenty-minute walk
East brought us to Shinjuku Station. Thanks to careful reading of the
guide and a few leaps of logic, we were able to use the automated kiosk to
purchase three Suica passes, essentially wireless smart cards with pre-loaded
fares. These will work on the Japan Railway trains, but not on the other
three competing systems.Shinjuku Station is the one that often appears in films of rush hour in
Tokyo: white-gloved personnel pressing commuters into trains so the doors
will close. Fortunately for us, the New Year holiday means the trains are
almost empty by Tokyo standards, with only a few people in each car.The Yamanote line is a particularly easy way to get around Tokyo, as it
makes a loop, and stops in most of the places that interest
visitors. 
jr_train.jpg (493092 bytes)
Linda was pleased to discover a train on which she
can actually reach the overhead hand-holds.
calpis.jpg (477929 bytes)
Another yummy Japanese beverage name, Calpis.
Most Tokyo streets aren’t named, which makes it a
bit of a challenge to get around. Navigating the rail system is quite
easy, once you get the hang of it, because routes — and the corresponding trains — are
colored. Stops are named, but not always in English. Recognizing the Japanese characters is very difficult, but you can get off by counting stops. And the trains are so timely you can also tell where you are by how long the ride has been.But once you come out of the station, you have to navigate by the
names of buildings or businesses. Addresses are a combination of the ward,
district, chome, block and building, sometimes named, but mostly numbered arbitrarily. This means maps
are of only limited use. But if you stand staring at a map, looking lost,
someone will probably offer assistance. Of course, they may then have to ask a
policeman!Two stops to the South brought us to Harajuku, an upscale shopping and
restaurant district. We strolled up and down the street looking for a
Japanese restaurant with English menus, finally settling — by mistake
— for one that turned out to be Chinese. It was a nine-course affair of
mostly unfamiliar stuff. I can’t say I found anything spectacularly
wonderful, but there were a few tasty things.

 

fans.jpg (653086 bytes)
These girls — and many others — were avidly
photographing some celebrity through a storefront window. Others had been
standing in line for hours to see whoever it was.
One thing about Tokyo — you never have to
feel self-conscious about taking pictures. Everywhere people were snapping
photos and taking videos. We saw very few foreigners, but there were
either a lot of Japanese tourists, or they just like to document
everything.
condomania.jpg (433460 bytes)
The girl in the foreground isn’t wearing a mask
because she’s passing Condomania. It’s because she has a cold and doesn’t
want to give it to anyone else.
We visited a store called Kiddy Land (you can’t
count on the name implying the contents in Japan) that specialized in
animated gizmos (including radishes) and radio-controlled gizmos, and
kitsch. After exploring one floor we discovered there were five more and
gave up.
mangastore.jpg (680492 bytes)

 

Dani discovered an
enormous Manga (comic book) store. 40% of Japanese publishing is Manga,
and there are titles that appeal to boys, girls, men and women. When
translated they cost about $10 a book in the US, but many are under $2 in
Japan. How frustrating: 10,000 titles, and not one in English!We later learned the Japanese write two different ways. The traditional
vertical technique is read top to bottom, left to right. But young people
prefer to read left to right, horizontally, and many books are now being
published this way. This is also how text messaging on the phones work.
(Text messaging is quite popular here, because voice calls may not be made
on public transportation, as it annoys fellow travelers.) How you text
message in Japanese using a ten-key pad is beyond me, though.The nearby Takeshita Dori specializes in
shops for teenagers (sample name: Goth and Lolita). More on this later. 
mt_fuji_sunset.jpg (235861 bytes)
The sun setting behind Mt. Fuji — and Dani.
The high today was in the 40s, and it
continued to be breezy, so as the sun set we retraced our route to
Shinjuku station — spending only about half an hour reorienting ourselves
as we re-emerged through a randomly selected exit. Back at the
hotel our heated toilet seat actually felt good.We had a nap and then a late (9 pm) dinner in the hotel’s Japanese
restaurant, Kozue. This is a fairly famous restaurant, where each dish is
a unique ceramic work of art. There were eight courses, some of which contained many
individual items themselves. Many dishes were based upon broth, and there
were many new flavors. In the end, it was the sashimi that I liked best,
by a wide margin. Not coincidentally, it was the only thing that seemed
familiar. Dani has been quite adventurous food-wise, but I think she found
today’s lunch and dinner a bit challenging. I know I did. Linda, following
the philosophy “when in Rome do as the Phoenicians do,” tried
some Japanese white and red wines. They reminded me of the Florida wines
Blanc du Bois and and Noble. On the whole I thought the meal was just
okay.I stayed up late, catching up on my journal. 
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This window washing technique is not OSHA approved.

 

Saturday, January 30, 2006

Continue cool and clear, although not quite the dazzling clear of
yesterday. After some nice pastries in the lobby we set out for Akihabara. This
involves taking the Yamanote line halfway around its circuit of Central
Tokyo, a thirty-minute trip.

On the walk to the station I saw someone washing highrise windows.
This is done by essentially rappelling down the side of the building. As
dangerous as it looked, it was topped later by a guy clinging to a ledge
washing the windows outside his restaurant.

 

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akihabara_2.jpg (429094 bytes)

 

Akihabara is Tokyo’s “Electric
Town.” It started as a black market center for tubes and other
electronics after World War II, and has since become the place to
buy consumer electronics. There are over 600 booths, shops and stores
crammed into a few blocks.For me, the most interesting ones are the small booths right beneath
the train station. Reminiscent of a permanent flea market, each specializes
in one category of component, such as LEDs, transformers, or even screws.
Unfortunately, this was the least interesting area to everyone else.There were no deals on consumer electronics. The Japanese versions of
some products were a bit cheaper than in the US, but the export versions
(which have an international warranty and English menus) were the same
price they would be for a savvy Internet shopper.Dani bought some T-shirts and souvenirs at Llaox, a seven-story
duty free electronics and gift shop. Duty free means the store carries
export merchandise, and will refund your 5% tax on the spot if you spend
more than 10,000 Yen (about $80).

Because of its appeal to the young male otaku (nerds), Akihabara
is also filled with Manga and Anime shops. The one we visited consisted of
seven floors, each about 1000 square feet, with approximately
100  nerds per floor. Navigating the three-foot wide stairwells was
interesting. The ground floor offered the most varied selection, with the
other floors devoted almost exclusively to porn in all its variations,
Lolitas and tentacles (or a combination) being the most popular. (There’s
no stigma against reading porn in public here. The shelves of the am-pm
mini mart are lined with it.)

 

tokyo_station.jpg (490364 bytes)

 

Having found no deals, no English Manga, and
no appealing restaurant in Akihabara, we got back on the Yamanote line for
two more stops and disembarked at Tokyo Station. Built to look like
Amsterdam’s Centraal station, it is one of Tokyo’s oldest buildings, although it dates
from only the late 1800s.The station opens onto the Marunouchi district and beyond that the
Imperial Palace. The Marunouchi Building is 36-story high rise with many
floors of gourmet food shops and restaurants. In the lobby a large orchestra was
playing classical music. It seemed odd that at the end of the pieces none
of the spectators applauded.We found a tempura restaurant on the sixth floor, and had a nice meal
that involved a lot of pointing and nodding. Personally, I liked it better
than last night’s extravaganza. 
elevator.jpg (63633 bytes)

 

On the way back to the lobby, a sign in the
elevator warned us not to put our fingers in the door.
imperial_palace.jpg (692596 bytes)

 

Two blocks north, we posed in front of the
Imperial Palace grounds. They are open two days a year. Today wasn’t one
of them.
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feet.jpg (243786 bytes)

 

On the way back, Dani used the new camera
Grandma Marjorie gave her for Christmas to take some art photos.By the time we completed the circle of the Yamanote line it was
approaching rush hour, but because of the holiday, traffic was light. The
walk back to the hotel after sunset was a bit cool, and we stopped at a
mini mart for cans of coffee. I hadn’t realized that coffee was so popular here. It seems there is a coffee house on almost
every block. So far they are holding their own against the encroaching
Starbucks.After such a busy day and a late lunch, our 6pm nap turned into
bedtime, and we didn’t venture out until the next morning.
honeycomb.jpg (704636 bytes)

 

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Another cool and fairly clear day, with highs in the 40s. Up a bit before sunrise, we watched Mt. Fuji change
from purple to white in the morning light.

We had breakfast in the
lobby. One thing on the buffet that I’ve never seen before is a complete
honeycomb rack, removed from a bee hive. It drips into a collection tray,
then runs into a serving dish.

 

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Don’t get your tail caught in the subway door.eggplant.jpg (229090 bytes)
This billboard in the subway caught my attention.
This guy has a really big eggplant.
short_escalator.jpg (467057 bytes)
Yes, this escalator is four feet tall.

 

Linda was feeling a bit under the weather, so
she opted to relax in the room today. Dani and I decided to visit
Roppongi Hills, a new shopping development in what used to be mostly the
sleazy sex district. We took the subway, which is like a clean version of
the London Underground. Like the train system, it’s easy to buy tickets
and navigate, once you get the hang of it. And like the train system, the
biggest problem is figuring out what exit to come out, when the streets
have no names.Roppongi Hills is a network of malls, on six levels. I have no idea how
many stores there are, but the map is 12 pages long, and the separate
restaurant guide is at least thirty pages. We spent a couple of hours
wandering around, and Dani found a Japanese copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
Stone. For someone who liked shopping, this place would be paradise.
diya.jpg (524849 bytes)

 

We selected an Indian restaurant named Diya
for lunch, and had an excellent meal of curries and tandoori-grilled
meats. No trouble communicating there.
takeshita_dori.jpg (686502 bytes)

cosu-purei.jpg (506339 bytes)
These are not Halloween costumes.

 

After lunch we decided to return to Harajuku
and Takeshita Dori’s funky teen neighborhood. We took the subway to the Yamanote train
line; total travel time: 15 minutes including the connection. This transportation system
works great. It sure was deserted most of the day, because of it being New
Year’s Eve.But Takeshita Dori wasn’t. The place was packed with teenagers, many
dressed for cosu-purei or “costume play.” 19th century French
maids, lolitas, and leather abounded. There were an equal number of
tourists checking out the funky shops. Dani bought some umbrellas with
plastic animal handles. At the Manga store a helpful salesman directed her
to the titles she was looking for, which were unrecognizable from the
English editions. A whole bagful cost less than one book in the US. Too
bad she can’t read them.Back
at Kiddy Land she bought a few more gifts for friends, and a plush radish
(we didn’t have one of those).Then we headed back to the hotel to rest our feet and get ready for New
Year’s Eve.

The hotel’s approach to housekeeping is interesting. A team of five
housekeepers — men and women — descend upon the room and completely
remake it in under ten minutes. This includes carefully wiping every edge
that could possibly collect dust.

The hotel staff has also been leaving small gifts in our room: a box of
candied chestnuts, mint chocolates shaped as leaves, a chestnut pie, an
artisan-crafted flask of sake.

 

bamboo.jpg (196004 bytes)
For New Year’s, Japanese families gather for
traditional foods, give pocket money in colorful envelopes to children,
and decorate entrances with these bamboo, pine and plum tree ornaments.
gonpachi1.jpg (464890 bytes)gonpachi2.jpg (778241 bytes) 
We took a twenty-minute taxi ride to our 8 pm
dinner at Gonpachi. It was quite fun zipping through the narrow, winding
streets of Tokyo at high speed in the light traffic. The taxi was equipped
with a high resolution gps screen that appeared to display live street
condition information.Although there were quite a few locals dining there, Gonpachi seems to
be oriented toward clueless tourists. When George Wacko Bush was in Tokyo
he dined there, and if anybody is clueless, it’s him.The restaurant is a two-story affair. We sat on the second floor, a
mezzanine surrounding the food preparation area below. We removed our
shoes and climbed into our booth which, like the rest of the restaurant,
was constructed from very old wooden beams.Down below, the restaurant was a lively space, filled with chefs
grilling things on sticks, making tempura, and a wide variety of other
traditional foods. Tapas style (it even said tapas on the menu), we tried
a variety of things, and it was all tasty. Prices were very reasonable,
less than $3 a skewer. The Louis Roederer Champagne was good, too, and a
bargain at 8500 Yen.

A line of cabs waited out front, so it was easy to get back to the
hotel.

Dani watched the New Year arrive on our room’s high definition flat
panel TV. The New Year’s countdown involves Japanese pop music, and
banging a giant gong. It seemed a little
strange to welcome the New Year, knowing the Times Square Ball won’t drop
until tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm!

For the Japanese, New Year’s is
a time for leaving the old year behind, and starting fresh, so we’ll say
“Sayonara” to 2006.

 

shinjuku.jpg (722021 bytes) Monday, January 1, 2007

After a room service breakfast Linda and I set out to explore while
Dani stayed in the room to do some writing. It continues cool, but the
smog is encroaching, and our view of Mt. Fuji is history. We now realize
how lucky we were.

Because of the holiday, the streets are almost
deserted. This trip timing  has worked out really well for us. Everything
we’ve wanted to see or do has largely been available, but with one tenth
the normal crowds.

We were expecting everything
to be closed because of the holiday, but quite a few shops and many
restaurants were open. We began by walking through the twisty little
streets not far from the hotel. There were actually quite a few people in
the electronic stores. It must be a madhouse on a normal day.

We walked through the train station
to the east side, which is the true Shinjuku: a maze of shops, department
stores, cinemas, love hotels (rented by the hour), restaurants, pachinko
parlors and arcades. It goes on for about one square mile!

We wound our way through the streets for a couple of hours, looking for
a restaurant with either an English menu or pictures of the food. Finally
we selected a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. You sit at a counter and
small plates of sushi travel past on a conveyor. You simply take what you
want, and are charged by the number and color of plates in your pile at
the end of the meal. No English required. A box of green powder proved to
be tea (not wasabi, as we discovered the hard way) which we placed in mugs
filled from the hot tap at each seat. The sushi was fresh and delicious,
and ten plates of it came to only $15.

On the way back we walked past the Hilton and made a reservation for
dinner at Twenty One, their French restaurant. It’s normally closed on
Monday, but they are serving a set menu for the holiday. It seemed
unpopular, and the Maitre d’ told us a reservation would be no problem, as
the Japanese guests all wanted the traditional New Years menu served in
the Japanese restaurant.

Dinner proved quite good, not exactly French cuisine, but certainly not
Japanese either. Closer to what I’ve come to call new American cuisine:
seared fois gras, braised short ribs, and so on. Prices were comparable to
upscale prix fixe menus in the US.

As I headed to bed it was funny to realize that the Rose Parade won’t
happen here until January 2nd.

 

shinkansen.jpg (459416 bytes) Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Kyoto

We met our guide, Ms. Junko Matsuda (Jun), in the hotel lobby at 8 am. Ms.
Matsuda is a lovely Japanese woman who has lived in Hawaii for a year and
Kansas for five years. Her business, Jun’s Tokyo Discovery Tours, specializes
in personal guided tours of Tokyo, but she also takes clients to other
cities. Although she goes to Kyoto several times a year, this is the first
time she has gone during the New Year’s, when many (many) Japanese journey
there to visit the shrines.

We walked to Shinjuku Station and took the express train to Tokyo
Station, where we transferred to the Shinkansen bullet train. This high
speed train glides on welded rails at 276 km/hr, making the journey to
Kyoto in two and a half hours. We had reserved seats in the ‘green’
section, which were very much like first class airline seats, but with one
additional trick. Any pair of seats can be rotated 180 degrees to form a
four-person grouping. Perfect.

Traveling through the low mountains that
divide the east side of the main island of Japan from the west we passed
through agricultural areas and saw snow- dusted fields of rice. Lines of
snow hung on the tile roofs of the houses.

Arriving in Kyoto’s modern
railway station we found the city crowded with Japanese visitors. We stood
in a long but fast moving line, waiting for a taxi. There was a slight
drizzle as we waited, but it stopped during the cab ride and didn’t
return.

Each of our four taxi drivers during the day was obviously quite
proud of their beautiful and historic city, and enthusiastically provided
information along the way. Jun translated for us, and we enjoyed the
driving almost as much as the places we visited.

 

tofu_restaurant1.jpg (553988 bytes)

tofu_restaurant3.jpg (494865 bytes)

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Our first stop was at a Zen rock garden.
Before visiting the garden we had lunch in a tatami room. This was our
most authentic traditional Japanese experience of the trip, and I wondered
if it was for tourists. I suppose the answer is both yes and no. Many
Japanese use Western style furniture in their homes, so when visiting
Kyoto they enjoy the traditional ways. But we saw almost no other
westerners during our entire day, so this is clearly something they like
to do.Before entering the tatami room we placed our shoes in storage cubbys
in the entryway.We sat on woven tatami mats. Their standard size, one by two meters, is
used to designate room size. For example, a bedroom might be a six tatami
room.In the center of the mat was a burner used to heat a large bowl filled with tofu
cubes and vegetables. In addition, we were each served a small tray/table
with a variety of tofu preparations, Japanese pickles and other tasty
items. I had never had very good tofu in the States, so I was somewhat
skeptical, but everything was tasty, and we all enjoyed the experience
very much.

 

zen_garden.jpg (717264 bytes)
Steve, Junko Matsuda, Linda and Dani rockin’
After lunch we strolled through the peaceful
landscape of woods, skirting mirror-like ponds. A mossy carpet covered the
ground beneath the trees. At the Zen garden we again removed our shoes and
donned slippers. Benches line one side, allowing visitors to sit and
contemplate the fifteen stones surrounded by smooth-raked gravel. It might
seem silly to a generation raised on video games, but I found it quite
peaceful (except for the large crowd coming and going).
golden_temple.jpg (431402 bytes)

good_luck_charms.jpg (661567 bytes)
If you enlarge this photo, you can read the names of
some of the good luck charms.

good_fortune.jpg (486899 bytes)

bad_fortunes.jpg (853551 bytes)
Bad fortunes are tied here, so the bad luck may be
left behind.

 

Our next stop was at the Golden Temple. This
Buddhist shrine is a popular spot to visit when seeking luck for the new
year. It was burnt by an obsessed monk in the 1950s, but has been
reconstructed exactly as it was. Although not allowed to enter the temple,
hundreds of pilgrims were making a procession around the site, and we joined
the flow of traffic.Visitors fanned incense from a brazier onto themselves for its good
luck properties.Along the path many small booths sold a variety of items. It is a fad
in Japan to add “accessories” to cell phones. These small charms
or souvenirs dangle in clumps from almost every teenage girl’s phone. They
might be a Hello Kitty, a Disney character, or a traffic safety charm.Dani bought one for scholastics, just to be on the safe side.

Fortunes were also for sale, printed on small scrolls. Not all are
good. Jun helped Dani read hers, which was favorable.

Linda’s advised her not to volunteer for anything!

gion_shrine.jpg (795960 bytes)
Geishas in training make offerings at this shrine.
Another taxi drive found the streets of Kyoto
approaching gridlock. We wove our way through back streets to Gion, the
neighborhood described in Memoirs of a Geisha. There are only about
100 geisha left in Kyoto. They entertain at private parties, at a cost of
about $3000 an evening. Although we saw no geisha, many, many of the women
were dressed in beautiful kimono to celebrate the new year.
pagoda.jpg (527502 bytes)

kimono_trio.jpg (201143 bytes)
For me, these three women are the perfect symbol of
modern Japan, with their cell phone cameras, special occasion kimono, and
high spirits. 

 

Nearby we posed in front of a famous pagoda,
and walked up a winding street lined with shops, many of them making and
selling beautiful — but expensive — ceramics. The area is known for its
art and literature, and this was evident in the beauty of both merchandise
and neighborhood.Vendors stalls also sold homemade food items, and Jun bought us each a
freshly made rice cracker wrapped in seaweed. Delicious, and very
different than the bit sized rice crackers we are used to; this was more
like a rice cake.
origami.jpg (473598 bytes)

 

A final taxi ride of the day returned us to
the station where we boarded our Shinkansen for Tokyo. Jun had purchased
some origami paper at the station, and spent the train ride teaching Dani
how to make cranes. It is a tradition to make 1000 cranes for various
occasions, such as a sick loved one. Dani has about 997 to go.We could have easily made the journey to Kyoto on our own, but without
Jun’s help we would have seen very little and understood less. We are very
indebted to her for her guidance and especially her friendly and fun
attitude.
mouse_handle.jpg (279298 bytes)
Mickey hand-holds on the Disney monorail.bonk.jpg (13918 bytes)
That would hurt. 
Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Tokyo DisneySea

We decided to spend our final day in Japan visiting Tokyo DisneySea, a
project we’ve heard a lot about, but didn’t really know much about. I
always enjoy visiting places where our equipment is in use, trying to
guess what is backstage. And indeed, we wouldn’t be going backstage, as
none of Linda’s co-workers had been available to let us in, so we’d be
going as paying guests.

Feeling fairly comfortable with the Tokyo rail
lines, particularly with some new insights from Jun, we took the Chuo
express train from Shinjuku to Tokyo station and then transferred (after
what seemed like a mile walk) to the Keiyo line for the trip to Maihama
Station. The total journey took less than an hour, and was very easy, even
with almost no English signage. I wouldn’t have wanted to try it a few
days ago, though!

At Maihama you take the Disney monorail to one of two theme parks or
the resort complex. The monorail seems a bit less like a ride when you’ve
just taken two similar systems to get to the park!

We were afraid Disney would be very crowded because of the
holiday, but the parking lot was less than half full. That’s not to say
there weren’t long lines — nearly every attraction involved a wait of 30 to
90 minutes. But the Japanese don’t seem to mind queues. There was even
about a 30 minute queue to play redemption games!

 

tds1.jpg (387739 bytes)

tds2.jpg (527126 bytes)

 

Tokyo DisneySea is the world’s most expensive
theme park, and it shows. With a budget of over $2 billion, every detail
is simply perfection. It’s hard to believe this park was done by the same
people and at the same time as the low-budget Disney’s California
Adventure.We began our visit with lunch in the steamer that is docked in the
American Waterfront section, dining on those American favorites grilled
prawn sandwich, bouillabaisse and roast beef on graham. Those crazy
Americans!Then we ventured over to the park’s central feature, a giant volcano. A
castle at the base housed interactive science exhibits themed to the era
of the alchemists. Rooms were devoted to the Coriolis force, the rotation
of planets, lenses, and a working copy of Leonardo’s flying machine.
Really neat!Inside the volcano’s caldera is the best themed area ever. A lagoon
bubbles and froths, and occasionally holes open and water simply
disappears into the abyss. A 20,000 Leagues sub is docked at one side.
Overhead an earth boring machine hangs poised to drill into the mountain
side. Steam oozes from crevices in the rock, and strange metallic noises
echo around the rock faces. Everywhere there are strange, hand-wrought
metal structures that look like something out of the computer game Myst.

Descending into  a dark tunnel we entered a heavily-themed queue
for Journey to the Center of the Earth. The wait was about an hour, but
there was lots to look at. The ride vehicles are large earth borers that travel
through a number of fanciful scenes before encountering a giant, highly
articulated creature. The ride then accelerates rapidly, bursting out of
the rim of the caldera for a moment before dropping back down into the
caverns and unload. Very well done.

 

rope_trick.jpg (543547 bytes)

 

Next we wandered past the Mayan pyramid that
houses Indiana Jones, and then spent some time shopping in the Arabian
marketplace.
caldera.jpg (496247 bytes)

20k.jpg (602540 bytes)

 

When our Fast Pass time came up, we returned
to the caldera, now even neater with evening lighting, for 20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea.For this ride you enter a diving bell vehicle that seats two people at
each of three large domed windows. Bubbles swirl as you submerge.
(Actually the bubbles are trapped in the domed windows, and the ride remains
dry, a real maintenance saver. It’s a superb illusion.)You encounter various undersea life and discover a lost city populated
by strange creatures before “resurfacing.”
By 6 pm the cold air off of Tokyo bay was
pretty chilly, but a new crowd of visitors was just arriving to take
advantage of the after 6 pm rates.It was time for us to retrace our steps by monorail and train, back to
the hotel. We rested for an hour, then headed upstairs to the New York
Grill for our Tokyo farewell dinner. The restaurant is a stylish mix of
metal and glass, with two-story-high glass walls on all sides. A jazz combo
played old standards in the lounge on one side, their backdrop the solid
glass wall and twinkling vista. The multi-course meal was tasty (and
pricey), and the 360 degree view of Tokyo’s lights superb.
Thursday, January 4, 2007

Sitting by the window finishing this journal, I’m contemplating what a
great trip this has been. We’ve crammed a lot into our six days in Tokyo.
And as I look out at the city — just now gearing back up to its normal
bustling level — I realize what a perfect time of year this was to come.
We had a chance to explore without crowds, and the holiday didn’t
interfere at all.

I really like Tokyo and its people, and definitely want to return for
another visit.

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