Osaka

March 20 - Travel to Osaka

Imabari Castle

After our eventful bike ride and attempts at drying out our clothes, this morning we had a short time to explore Imabari.  Since it wasn't raining we took the short walk from our hotel was Imabari Castle.  This was quite impressive 5 story castle, very typical of a shogun's palace that is seen in many of the smaller towns in Japan.  It was also a museum with many old shogun army outfits but unfortunately without any English explanations.  The gardens and temples were quite lovely.  The walk allowed us to stretch out our legs before the long day of train rides traveling from Imabari to Osaka.  It was raining again by the time we arrived in Osaka (the weather has turned against us) so after checking in at our hotel, we found a small curry place for dinner and called it a day.

March 21 - Remaining in Osaka allowed us to get a later start to our day.  We traveled by subway to two different shopping centers (covered street malls).  The first was quite typical of what we have seen in other cities and areas of Japan but we did find the 100 yen ($1) store and had fun wandering around looking at the items.  In particular we have noted the laundry hanging from the apartment building balconies as we pass by on the train. 

The "100 Yen" store

We have seen all sizes and shapes of laundry clamps from the typical close pins to some that are a foot long to clamp bed comforters to the balcony.  We wondered where you buy them and now we know... the 100 yen store had a full selection.

The second shopping street was devoted primarily to kitchen and restaurant ware.  Every small dish, plate, bowl, etc. that we have seen throughout our meal journeys was available for purchase along with the charcoal grills, bamboo steamers, knives, octopus ball grills, restaurant signs, lights and anything else one might need to set up a restaurant.  It was a truly amazing collection of restaurant equipment and supplies.

"Clothes pins" of all sizes

We had planned to make a trip to Kobe from Osaka (about 40 minutes by train) as Ted has some good memories of his time there but we are both getting tired of the crowds in the train and subway stations.  It's hard to imagine millions of people using public transportation on a daily basis.  The images of packed subway cars and pushers to get as many people on as possible are all true.  It is pretty much a game of frogger just navigating the crowded subway and train terminals as 6 tunnels merge into one large intersection and people hurry on their way to their next train.

Tomorrow we return to Tokyo and will depart early on the following day to return to Albuquerque.  This has been quite the trip and a fascinating vacation.

A sampling of knives available at one of the kitchen supply stores

Hiroshima, Cycling the Shimanami Way

This is not on sale... a $100 cantelope
Perfectly grown fruit is given as special gifts in Japan

Before we move on, we have to back up a little because we forgot to tell you about our "fire sale" dinner.  We had written about the large grocery stores located in the bottom of the department stores at train stations and the choices are quite overwhelming.  The stores close at 8PM so at 7:30 or so all of the pre-made items are put on sale (often at 1/2 price) because they will not resell the following day.  So for dinner in Kyoto we experienced the "end of the day fire sale".  We got a great beef bento (lunch) box, meatballs, sweet and sour chicken and steamed buns all for about $20.

The following night after visiting Nara, we found a yakitori (stuff grilled on a small wooden skewers) restaurant just around the corner from our hotel.  It was a real hole in the wall type place with maybe 15 seats total around a small bar/kitchen.   Initially we were the only customers but the two workers welcomed us in and even provided us with an English menu.  There were a few set dinner menu combinations and a couple of "let the chef pick", but in general you just order items by the "stick".  There were some odd items like chicken feet, beef tongue, lots of intestinal parts, so letting the chef pick might be a little risky. So we started ordering items, one by one to sample all kinds of grilled and deep-fried meats.   It was a great experience and great food!  This place must have a regular customer base because there was one price listed on the menu for walk-ins and a slightly lower price for members.

March 19 - Hiroshima

A-Bomb Dome

Even taking the bullet train from Kyoto to Hiroshima, it was a two hour journey, mostly in tunnels or troughs so not much to see.   Hiroshima is, of course, known for the first atomic bomb used in war, so the must see places include the A-bomb Dome and the Peace Park.  The A-bomb Dome is portion of a public building that was near ground zero which withstood the blast.  The covering of the dome of the building was blown away, but the steel structure of the dome and most of the building remained.

We found another small Korean-style barbecue (small charcoal grill at your table) for dinner and enjoyed grilling our own meat and vegetables on the table top grill.  Again, the staff was great providing an English menu and helped with ordering.  Ted has noticed that finding limited English speakers is more common than his previous trips.  English is taught in the middle and high schools, so most young people speak at least limited English and feel comfortable talking with us.  Also, the widespread use of the internet has probably helped as well.  Just like in the states, everybody is glued to their phone on the sub-way, train or bus.

March 20 - Cycling the Shimanami Way

Beth modeling her $5 rain coat

After breakfast we arranged for our luggage to be transferred to Osaka where we will be staying on the 21st.  Then with our backpacks loaded for one night, we took two local trains to arrive at Onomichi, the beginning of our cycling route.  We'd been watching the weather all week and the rain prediction was correct.  The morning started with spitting rain which continued all day increasing in intensity from around 1PM on.  Although we had brought raincoats with us, we found out early on the trip that they weren't very water-resistant any more.  So we spent some time in Hiroshima looking for cheap raincoats.  At the ever ready convenience store (FamilyMart) we found 500 yen ($5) clear plastic raincoats and they really saved the day.  And yes, we found one that fit Ted,,the sleeves were a little short, but it sure beat nothing and did the job.

The cycle ride started with renting bikes in Onomichi and then a very short ferry ride to cross over to the next island.  About 4 miles into the ride, Ted had a flat.  The rental bikes had no spare tube or pump.  We saw several more cyclist, but none with a pump.  We

Bike "selfie" climbing up to one of the
 bridges...  had to keep thinking...
"ride on the left!"... just like the UK

were a long way from any bike terminal, but were fortunate enough to have a friendly Japanese bike rider, with a reasonable amount of English, stop and use his phone to call the emergency number.  After a lengthy conversation in Japanese, describing the problem and our location, he ended the conversation and indicated it would be about 30 minutes but we would get a new bike.  Ted's first bike was small for him and the next one was even smaller.  He raised the seat to the maximum and was still probably 2 inches short of being tall enough, but he made it work.

One the early bridges we crossed

In all, the ride is 50 miles linking multiple islands by 6 suspension bridges. Although the route is generally flat the climbs up to the bridges were not!   Despite the rain, the views were spectacular and well worth the ride.  It would be simply stunning in good weather and in better weather many of the small towns had temples and castles that would be fun to visit.  The last bridge, the Kurushima Kaikyo, was 4 km long and has 6 towers, the longest suspension bridge structure in the world.   By then it was raining harder, the wind was picking up and getting cold but we endeavored to persevere and made it all the way to the Imabari rail station to turn in our bikes.

Sadly, we walked into the nicest hotel in Imabari (4+ star) looking like dripping wet dogs covered with road grime.  After dripping all over the check-in counter, we slogged our way to our room to shed our wet clothes and clean up.  That night our bathroom was a sauna, what with trying to dry out all the wet clothes, our backpacks and shoes using the hotel hair dryer.  As tired as we were neither of us wanted to go out to dinner (in the rain) so again the ever ready convenience store (Lawson's) a block from the hotel provided dinner.

The Kurushima Kaikyo bridge is 4k long and fades into the fog.  The bike path spirals up from near sea level on both ends to get to the bridge.  It is an engineering marvel.

Kyoto and Nara

Friday - March 8

Our origami handy work.  The card say "Ted" and "Beth"

Our day today was packed with activities! 
We were met this morning by a guide dressed in full kimono from the Women's Association Of Kyoto who took us to our host's home by taxi for a lesson in origami.  What fun to actually see a typical household and to spend some time with several local women folding paper.  The instructor's "It's easy" was not quite true but we ended up with some reasonable creations.  Our guide spoke excellent English, her husband had been a middle school English teacher (now retired), our instructor and the other observer spoke reasonable English; definitely more than we spoke Japanese.

Our guide and observer then took us by taxi to Nijo castle where they left us to explore on our own.  The castle was built in 1603 as the official residence of one of Japan's first shogun leaders.  It is famous for its "nightingale floors"  that squeak as you walk across them.  They do sound like birds, but were actually designed so no-one could sneak up on the occupants.

After a lunch in a local cafe, our next stop was Nishijin Textile Centre - a museum dedicated to the
weavers who for decades created the textiles used by the Imperial family.  We took in the kimono show, which showed kimonos for the four seasons.

It was then a walk to the subway and back to the hotel before heading out with an evening tour with Peter MacIntosh.  He is a professional photographer and world-leading expert on geisha culture.  Peter is probably most know as working as a location scout for the movie "Memoirs of Geisha".  The walking tour of about 90 minutes took us through the giesha districts.  Peter is a characher himself and had great stories to share.

Peter was raised in Nova Scotia and had a short lived professional soccer career 25 years ago.  So before joining the everyday work world, he decided to tour several countries which included Japan before settling down.  But as fate would have it, he never made it past Japan and has lived in Kyoto since.  He became a bar owner with an ex-gisha, then a professional photographer and is one of the few foreigners with personal knowledge of the gisha culture.  He knows many of the people in the district and is frequently used to photograph the gisha for ads or promotions.

He plans the tour so that we may have the opportunity to see some of the girls as they head out for dinner appointments.  His timing was impecible and we were able to see several gieko/maiko leaving the houses to go to their evening's engagements.  We learned that a maiko is a gieko in training and that it takes 5 years to make the transition.  Most girls begin their training around the age of 15 (the end of compulsory education in Japan).  They must interview with a "house mother" who will invest close to $500,000 dollars in a maiko's training, kimonos and education.  The young girl must sign a contract turning over all of her earnings for the 5 years to the "house mother".  At the end of her training, the now gieko can choose to work for herself or, more typically, request sponsorship from any of the house mothers or tea houses.  This is a true job, they have a union and a pension plan.

Saturday - March 17

Beth gave this girl some rice crackers to feed the deer.

Our schedule today was a day trip from Kyoto to Nara.   We are seeing Japan's capital cities in
reverse order.  Nara was the first capital of Japan.  While the guide book says that Nara is relatively unchanged, in our opinion, Nara is a major of a tourist trap.  Nara Park is famous for the Sika deer, supposedly wild, but really tame and fed so much by people that they are quite determined you feed them if you've purchased the deer rice cakes.  The deer are considered quite a "must-see" but if you wander anywhere in the park you can't miss them.  Inside the park are many temples and shrines, the most famous, the Todai-ji Temple, which has the world's largest Buddha.  It was quite impressive.

Why do Japanese hold up the "V" or peace sign in photos?
Google it.... but they all do it all the time!

As we walked around Todai-ji Temple, there was a massive support post that had a hole cut in the
base.   Mostly it was kids that would get down and crawl through the post but there was the occasional adult who felt the urge to see if they could squeeze through... frequently with embarrassing photos being taken as they tried to squeeze through.  Maybe they were reliving some childhood memory or something?  Beth did catch a great photo of a very young girl who just peaked out of the whole before she backed up to the other side... too many strangers out there!

Where's mom????

Really big Buddha!

Kyoto

Stairway in Kyoto Station that produces images at night

Weds., March 14 -
Time to say goodbye to Fukinomori Ryokan and start the 3 1/2 hour train trip to Kyoto.  We started with two local trains to Nagoya and then onto the bullet train to Kyoto.  The local trains filled up quickly and the second train announcements were only in Japanese.  Up until now the amount of English (written and spoken) on all of the trains, buses and subways has been impressive and made the travel quite easy. 

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years up until the 1860's and remains the most culturally important city in Japan.  It has 1,700 Buddhist temples and 300 Shinto shrines, as well as palaces, castles, canals and gardens.  But you would never know that when you pull into Kyoto station.  The station is a large, modern, glass structure built in 1997.  It is an 11 story building and includes a hotel, shops, restaurant, access to the subway station and the bus station.  Our hotel is located about 0.7 of a mile from the station and only 1 subway stop away.  We walked to the hotel, checked our baggage and took the subway back to the station to find lunch and explore.  It is very convenient that the subway card from Tokyo also works in Kyoto as well as 8 other cities.  We still had several hundred yen of credit on our cards from Tokyo so we are using them here as well. 

One of many very old temples in Kyoto

Surprisingly large grocery stores are located on the bottom floor of department stores at the train stations.  And of course there is a large department store in the train station, so it was a lot of fun wandering around to see all the selections.

We returned again to the station for dinner and to see the "Big Stairway".  In an open-air area in the center of the building from floor 8 to floor 11 is a concrete stairway with LED lights that create changing and moving pictures.  The top of the station offers terrific views of the city from all angles.

Thursday., March 15 -
Our schedule for today included a private half-day tour of Kyoto by bike organized through the Kyoto Cycling Tour Project.

On our bike tour in front the Heian Shrine

Our guide, Hideki, spoke very good English, having spent some time at Boston University.  He took us through the back streets of Kyoto stopping at many points of interest along the way.  Our first stop was Higashi-Honganji Temple, a very large Buddhist temple.  Our second stop was a smaller Giesha area, followed by the much bigger and busier Gisha area of Gion.  Then we wondered our way over to the Heian Shrine, a Shinto shrine.  We biked to Imperial Palace along a canal, and saw our first cherry blossom tree in full bloom.  Parking our bikes we toured the Imperial Palace and gardens before returning to Kyoto station area where we started. 

Ted was worried that it would be hard to find a bike to fit him but he ended up with a Cannondale Mountain bike that was only about 2 sizes too small, but rideable with the seat extended to the limit.   He liked the kickstands on the bikes so well that after a quick and tasty lunch of Raman noodles(nothing like the packaged stuff) at one of the many restaurants in the train station  and dumplings we went to Bic Camera to purchase a bike stand to take home.

We are a little early, but there are a few Cherry trees that are starting to bloom

Hiking the Nakasendo Way

Monday, March 12 and Tuesday, March 13– 

Our bed is made up while we are at dinner

Our journey to Tsumago was a slightly convoluted one, but we got to see more alpine scenery and the Kiso Valley.  We took 4 different trains to make it to Tsumago ending up at Nagiso station where we were picked up by our hotel’s shuttle.  

Our hotel, Fukinomori, is a traditional Ryokan about 3 miles out of town on the mountainside.  We are sleeping on tatami (mattresses on the floor), enjoying public bathing in the natural hot springs and eating traditional kaiseki food.  Here is one evening's one-and-a-half hour, 9-course menu:

This is just the appetizers...

1. Zensai (Appetizers):  Umeshu:  Japanese Plum wine; Koi no umani:  Boiled down carp fish with mixed soy sauce; Otaguri:  Boiled own horse’s intestine with mixed miso and soy sauce; Wakasagi no Nabanzuke:  Rolled deep fried smelt fish wrapped in Japanese radish; Soba-gome Goma Tofu:  Sesame flavored buckwheat tofu; Sijimi no Tosani:  Simmered freshwater clam with dried bonito

2. Yuki-masa no Sashimi:  Local yuki trout

3. Kamo Nabe:  Hot pot dish of sliced duck, tofu, vegetables and buckwheat noodles

4. Yurine Manju:  Steamed lily bulb with mixed soy starch sauce

5. Shinsyu Salmon no Yuanyaki:  Grilled Marinade shinsyu salmon

6. Wakasagi no Tempura:  Deep fried smelt fish and vegetables

7. Rino-wagyu no Salad:  Japanese style salad with sliced wagyu steak (cold)

8. Iwana no Kamameshi:  Cooked rice with Iwana fish, pickled vegetable and miso soup

Traditional Japanese breakfast with salad and a filleted fish

9. Dessert:  Custard and greentea coated gelatin

Today after a traditional Japanese breakfast, we walked the Nakasendo Way from Magome to Tsumago. This involved taking a shuttle from the hotel to Tsumago and then catching a local bus to Magome.  

The Nakasendo Highway was established in the 8^th century to link the areas around the capital, which at that time was in Nara. This was an attempt to unite the growing empire.  It became several highways during the Edo period in the 1600's, by which time the political center for the country had moved to what is now Tokyo.  

Start of our hike in Magome

The highways served as a link between Kyoto and Tokyo and as a way to move messages, goods,  personnel and spies across the empire. Villages were chosen to be post towns, responsible for the upkeep of the road and to provide food and lodging for travelers. These are steep mountainous roads with many streams, so they were most likely frequently washed out.  We had to walk through a number of muddy areas on our hike.

Although the highway covers 531 kilometers, we only walked 8k between the 2 towns.  We added another 3k to the Tsumago castle ruins and back.  All in all a long day. 

The view from Tsumago Castle Ruins back toward Nagiso where we arrived by train yesterday.

Mt Fuji Area (Fujikawaguchiko)

Girl sleeping on the bus
Common sight in Japan

March 11 – Time to move on!  This morning we had to pack up and leave Tokyo.  We took the train to Tokyo station where we caught a bus to Kawaguchi-ko (approx. a 2-hour bus ride).  Not long after leaving the Tokyo area we entered the mountainous foothills of Mt Fuji and the industrious ingenuity of the Japanese is on full display with arching bridges and mile long tunnels through the mountains. As we approached our final destination we rounded one corner and there was Mt. Fuji filling the whole window on the side of the bus.

Mt Fuji viewed from across Kawaguchi Lake at a small shrine

Kawaguchi-ko is located near the base of Mt. Fuji and the views of Mt. Fuji are considered some of the best in Japan.  We were extremely lucky to have a clear and sunny day and Mt. Fuji was at its best.  We took a 5+ mile walk around Lake Kawaguchi, one of the famous Five Lakes of Fuji, enjoying not only the nice day but the great views.  Our hotel room at My Stays-Fuji looks out over Mt. Fuji and a nearby amusement park. 

Japanese barbeque

For dinner, we found a Japanese barbeque place just down the street from the hotel (thanks TripAdvisor).  Japanese and Korean barbeque seem to be very similar.  A small charcoal barbeque grill is brought to your table and you order a selection of thinly sliced meats and vegetables to grill.  This is a great way to spend the evening and the food was really good.

Paddle boats for rent on the lake.  The wind today was going
to make this a tough go, but there were a few hardy souls trying.

The view of Mt Fuji from our room on the 6^th floor of the hotel is spectacular.  We were up early and watched the sunrise on the mountain.

View of Mt Fuji from our room at the hotel with roller coasters in the foreground

Exploring Tokyo

Friday, March 9 – 

Outside Tokyo Palace

We started the day with an interesting buffet breakfast at the hotel.  The buffet is described as Western and Japanese, so the selection contains many items Americans would not consider typical breakfast items such as pasta, salad, chicken nuggets, rice, fish, cheese, etc. along with more typical selections like hard boiled eggs, bacon, pastries and fruit.   Because we were up early we walked to Shiba Park and explored our first temple, Zojoji, and shrine, Shibatoshogu.  These are both Buddhist from the Edo period and were very impressive.   Also, near our hotel is the Tokyo tower, which has served as a good landmark to keep from getting back.  Then it was time to meet our private guide for an orientation tour. 

Ms. Muranaka took us through our itinerary and the 21 (yes 21) different tickets and vouchers in our packet.  And we don’t have vouchers for several of the planned activities.  After making sure everything was in order, she proceeded to take us to the subway system to demonstrate the use of our Pasmo card.  This card is a preloaded subway ticket that allows us access almost all of the public transportation in Tokyo.  Tokyo, like many large cities, is actually made up of many neighborhoods and small towns that have their own identity.  

Temple at Asakusa

With Ms. Muranake we traveled to Tokyo Station by subway so that she could point out where to meet the bus for our next leg of the trip in a few days and then onto the Imperial Palace to visit the gardens.  Unfortunately, it was still raining, and the gardens were closed on Fridays.   So the backup plan was to visit Asakusa or “Old Town”.  Asakusa is home to the Asakusa Kannon Temple which is one of the more famous of Tokyo’s temples and often seen in photographs.  From here we were left on our own to explore at leisure.  The temple, while impressive, is very touristy.  We did see many young women in kimonos, mostly taking “selfies”.  If you felt the urge, there were even shops where you could rent kimonos for wearing to the temple grounds. 

Finding a place to eat is not a problem, the area (and Tokyo in general) has small eating establishments everywhere.  Knowing which to choose is the problem.  Unlike in the states, each shop specialized in one type of food so if you want buckwheat noodles you find a buckwheat noodle shop, or if you want rice noodles you look for a rice noodle shop.  We learned that there are more noodle shops in Tokyo than restaurants in New York City.  And they have more Michelin Star restaurants than any other major city. 

Tokyo Tower, near the hotel

After leaving Asakusa, the challenge was to navigate the subway system back to the hotel area on our own.  Ted has some experience with this from his previous trips to Japan many years ago so that was helpful, and we made it back successfully.

For the evening, we took the train back to the Ginza area a short way from the hotel.  The travel agent had recommended looking for “yakitori alley” around the station in hopes of getting some roasted chicken-on-a-stick.  We found a couple of places, but they were packed on a Friday night.  So we ended up at a small Chinese restaurant with an open table which was very good.  Ginza is famed for classy shops (of note is Mikimoto Pearl) and the area is similar to Rodeo Drive or 5^th Ave so after eating we walked around to take in the pricy shops and high-tech glitzy billboards. 

Saturday, March 10^th

We started the day back at the Imperial Gardens for a quick walkthrough of only the bottom section. 

Massive stones of the Imperial Garden walls

The entire area is roughly the size of central park and we did not have sufficient time for more than a quick look.  Our scheduled destination was Nippori station to meet up with a quide for a “foodie” tour of the area.  Along with one other tourist, we sampled local food as we walked through the market.  Some of the food we sampled were rice crackers, savory red bean pancakes, fired cutlets, curry bread and then Beth’s favorite red snapper sashimi and octopus balls.   Yes, I managed to down the sashimi and octopus.  These were washed down with warm Saki.  Then onto a ramen noodle shop with ramen and a dumpling, followed by a coffee shop then steamed strawberry filled rice flour pastry for dessert (kinda like eating a less than sweet filled marshmallow).  The food is nothing short of unique.  If that  It was over 3 hours of food tasting.   Nippori also has a textile section so we wandered over for a quick look at a couple of fabric stores.

Octopus balls on the griddle - far side nearly done

wasn’t enough we finished with beer and edamane.

After Nippori we headed by train to Shinjuku, home to the busiest train station in the world!  It is  Once you follow the herd to the street, the crowds continue to busy streets with many famous department stores, tourist shops and skyscrapers.  When we were walking out of the station, we really didn’t have a lot of choice of what direction we were going until we were well outside.  Once you were in the flow, that was the way you were going.  It was pretty much organized chaos with people texting and talking on their phones as they walked.

estimated that the equivalent of the entire population of Canada passes through this station every day.

After a quick walk around Shinjuku, we headed back into the mass of humanity to find our way to the  Again, a successful day of navigating the subway system and seeing several more areas of Tokyo. 

Beth "enjoying" an Octopus ball

train platform that would get us back to the hotel.

Like a lot of the convenience stores in the states, the 7-11, Family Market and Lawson’s all carry a pretty complete menu of prepared and hot food items.  After our long day touring Tokyo, we opted for a quick, light meal from the Family Market around the corner from the hotel.