Is it over so soon? (July 3)
On my last morning, I stored my luggage at the hotel and stayed in Asakusa. I visited Sensoji Temple and Asakusa Shrine and strolled past all of the small food booths and Nakamise shops leading into the temple. I wandered in the close-by neighborhoods to a craft museum, exchanged enough money to get me to the airport, and just relaxed. Then I went bag to the hotel, changed into dry (nonsweaty) clothing and took off for the subway. I went down the elevator and then figured out that this was the wrong station, and that there were 2 different stations in Asakusa. So, I found my way to the other, but I could not find any elevator, so I had to lift and drag by 2 heavy bags down, and up, about 50 stairs. I got to the right place finally, but needless to say, by that time I was drenched in sweat. I had just missed the limited express, so I had to wait for a while for the next one. Luckily, I had left much extra time to get to the airport. At the airport, I realized that I was almost done with my book, and was worried about the United flight being like the one coming to China with no entertainment, so I decided to buy a book. I found a good one, but, like everything in Japan it was extremely expensive ($16 for a paperback). (Note: it was nice during the trip, as there were many readers in the group, so we were able to switch out books when we finished and had a good supply.) While waiting, I met up with 3 members of the tour group who had completed the post-tour and were heading back to the states. It was nice catching up with them. The return flight was much improved. They had just installed new seat-back entertainment systems, so I was able to watch a couple of recent movies during the flight. Everything went smoothly, although the food was still mediocre. The customs and immigration system at O'Hare was very well organized, and it went smoothly. Now for just a few days of relaxation and dealing with the return jet-lag. Then I can catch up with things and work on my photo book and blog of my trip. What a memorable time!
Family Reunion (so excited!) (June 2)
I spent the morning wandering the Yanaka section of Tokyo. This is an older, more historical area filled with many temples, shrines, and cemeteries. I had a map, and there were many map posted, but it still was an area with many small lanes and difficult to travel. I asked for directions a number of times, but managed to visit dozens of sites, including a huge cemetery which was many blocks in each direction. I wandered for about 4 hours through this area. In addition to the sites, I enjoyed just watching everyday life in this older neighborhood. I took many pictures and saw a number of schools, including a primary school with panda school buses.
In the afternoon, I had to return to the hotel to change for my special reunion dinner with the family that I lived with 45 years ago. I did visit them twice since I left, but have not been back for over 20 years. We have kept up once a year at Christmas/New Years time, but it has become less frequent in recent years. I made sure I contacted them well ahead of my trip and we decided to meet for dinner. I traveled to Omiya where they live now.
When I lived with them, the parents were in their 40s, and the boys were 10, and 16. Now, the eldest, Jun is a successful dentist with a wife and 2 grown sons, and the younger, Mako, is also married with 2 daughters and is 9th Dan in judo. The Otosan (father) of the family is not doing well with his health and was not able to come, but Okasan (mother), who is now 82 was there and very excited to see me. Since my Japanese is mostly forgotten (although I was able to get around ok asking for directions and such), and their English is gone from lack of practice, Jun had an interpreter friend there to help with communications, and cousin Tonami, who acted as our interpreter on my first visit, was able to join us. We took some pictures to remember this special get-together. We reminisced and the family had fun remembering special quirks or things that I did when I lived with them. Some of our shared memories included: family visits to the neighborhood bath and the Pachinko parlor, my nickname by Mako of the 'great bear' (tall and hairy), my picky eating habits (when I first came to live with them, I didn't even like rice-I still don't eat sashimi/raw fish), visiting their schools, and so much more. Mako, who does not remember any English, wrote out memories in Japanese and used a translation program, so we all had a good laugh at the strange translations. I gave them the gifts that I had brought for them (and carried all the way through Chins), and they gave me even more. Okasan started crying out of happiness of seeing me one last time. It was a very special time for all of us.
Biggest/Tallest/Newest (July 1)
I headed to Shinjuku today. Shinjuku station is the largest station in the world. It goes on for blocks and blocks, miles and miles. There are stores, restaurants, even whole department stores, and multiple subway and railroad lines. You can walk for well over a hour and still be inside the station. There are multiple exits in all directions, but luckily, it is well-marked in Japanese and English, and maps are found along the way. My goal was the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which is the tallest office building in Japan. The new Tokyo Skytree has the tallest observation room, but it is expensive to visit. This building has an observation floor (45th floor) in each of the 2 buildings, and it is totally free. Unfortunately, the day was hazy and the view was not clear. On one side, it showed where Mt. Fuji would be in the distance, but nothing could be seen past about a mile. Thank goodness the observation floor here is free.
While I was in the government building, I noticed many signs beginning to advertise the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Since my wife Kathy is a national coach of the USA Paralympics Boccia team, I started checking around to see if there were any products available yet. I found a small display where they had just started selling pins, key chains, and towels from the Olympics, but most were for the Paralympics, so that was perfect. Since they were so new, there was a limit of 2, but I was excited to get those for her. (Note: she was thrilled to get these. They are not available online or anywhere else in the world yet.)
I wandered over to the Kabukicho area which at one time was more of an exotic entertainment district. There are still girlie shows, and such, but it has become more of a touristy area with movie theaters, small cafes, and such. There were robot cafes, cat cafes, maid cafes, and much more. I visited a Don Quixote store which is a discount store of 4 floors which is totally packed (you can barely walk through the maze of aisles) with merchandise of all types. I also stopped in a number of game arcades. Their crane machines are very difficult, with only 2 claws instead of 3, and the drop holes are tapered, so it is almost impossible to win.
In and Out of Tokyo (June 30)
Since I am interested in the art and architectural of old Japan, I ran across an interesting museum in my research. IT is called Nihon Minka-en (Japanese Folk House Museum). It is a way out of Tokyo in the country. They have salvaged a number of houses and buildings from the area and other regions of Japan, and reconstructed them here into an outdoor museum setting. I had to ride 3 subway lines and trains to get there, and then a long walk to the museum. Even with a map, I had to ask for directions. It is very interesting that the Japanese people as a whole are very willing to help a stranger, even going out of their way at times. They also are able to handle some basic English. This is quite a change from China where people were mostly more offish and not wanting to help or attempt any English. I also noticed that all costs in Japan seem to be much higher than I have been used to in China. I visited dozens of houses and out-buildings. This museum is fascinating and very beautiful. I saw many school groups visiting the park next door to the museum. It was interesting to see that children have many universal behaviors which are the same all over the world.
On my way back to the station, I saw a Pachinko parlor, so I went inside. When I lived with my Japanese family 45 years ago, one of our favorite activities was to go with Otosan (father) to the Pachinko parlor and play for a long time. He was usually very good and won many balls which he would trade in for small items or even groceries. Pachinko is a game with tiny metal balls which are flicked in a machine and they then drop to the bottom. If they go into small holes in the board, you get lights and sounds and more balls come out. Later the balls can be traded in. The new version is video Pachinko where the pachinko balls and holes are only on the outer part of the machine, with the center having a video display which is interactive when the balls go in the holes. It probably is more alluring to today's players, but I prefer the old style. (I do have 3 Pachinko machines of my own at home.)
Upon returning to Tokyo, I made my way to Harajuku Station and visited Meiji Shrine, a famous Shinto destination. There was much construction at this time. I also visited Takeshita Doru, which is a street with many souvenirs, restaurantsand activity. There were a number of costume shops to cater to the cosplay group. It was very crowded and there were many gaijin, which was a stark difference to the Folk Museum where I was the only foreigner.
After this long day, I was tired and headed back to the hotel. Upon request after the uncomfortable night, the hotel staff had piled double futons, and this made a cushiony bed that was much more comfortable.
Asia Hopping (June 29)
I had an early flight to Tokyo, and wanted to allow extra time to be sure the check-in problems were solved, so I was the first to leave in the morning. Rick, the local guide went with me to be sure I got to the right place. At the airport, all procedures and lines went smoothly. The ANA (All Nippon Airlines) plane was very nice with good legroom and seat-back entertainment. The food was ok, and I would definitely use ANA again. It was a smooth flight and I was able to visit Taiwan on the way (at least by visual peeks from the air).
I landed at Narita, the customs went well, and I found a money changer to get my yen. I took the semi-express train into Tokyo, which takes over an hour, but just missed one, so I had to wait about an hour at the airport. On the train, I struck up a conversation with a Japanese man who told me that I needed to get out at the station before Asakusa to get to the right neighborhood. I could not find an elevator, so I had to lift/drag my 2 heavy bags up about 50 stairs to the street level. When I got there, I was in the wrong place, so I had to take a taxi to my hotel-so much for getting advice from a stranger.
The Kaminarimon Hotel is located near the entrance to the Sensoji Temple, a famous and beautiful old temple. All of the rooms are in ryokan style with tatami mat floors, futon bedding spread out on the floor and a chair where you sit flat on the floor. In Japanese style, you take off your shoes at the door, and use special bathroom sandals while in the bathroom. During the second part of my flight, my nose started running and just dripping almost constantly. This continued the rest of the day, and was very annoying. I walked the neighborhood and bought some dinner as well as items for breakfast, as that was not included. There are many foreigners (gaijin) in this area. I did not get much sleep during the night as the futon mattress was thin and my back and tailbone hurt all night. So much for the romanticized idea of the traditional ryokan. I had forgotten that I am now 45 years older than when I spent my Junior year in college here in Tokyo.
Plans are dissolved in the rain (June 28)
Today was a totally free day, with not even an optional tour. I was excited to get out into the countryside to visit some temples and walled villages. But as I asked around, it turns out that most of the walled villages have modernized and lost their charm. But I still wanted to get out, but as I started out, it started to rain steadily. I was concerned about having soaking wet clothing and shoes to pack into my suitcase for the rest of the trip to Tokyo, so I headed back to the room and spent time journaling and packing. As I saw the rain stop or lessen, I tried 2 or 3 more times to head out, but every time that I get within a block away, it started again, so I gave up and just grabbed some food and did a little shopping close by the hotel. The afternoon was also a bit frustrating as I had trouble checking in for the flight to Tokyo tomorrow on All Nippon Airlines. I also got word from home that there were some problems with my sons' registration for summer camp, and they would not be able to attend after having this planned for months. It was very frustrating being far away and not being able to deal with problems at home. A special dinner was planned in the hotel as a farewell meal for the tour group. There were many hugs and farewell wishes, as this group really clicked and were good travel companions. I think it will be hard to find another group of people this size who get along so well.
We reach the Peak of the trip (June 27)
Our tour of Hong Kong started out with a visit to Victoria Peak. This is the highest point in Hong Kong (1300 feet above sea level) and gives a nice overview of a large area. We stopped a few places for various views. On the Peak and the southern side of Hong Kong Island are the expensive residences at 100 million dollars and above (including Jackie Chan's). We then drove to the southern side to Repulse Bay with its beaches and residences. We stopped briefly at Aberdeen fishing village which is not super modern and the only evidence of a fishing village is the junk with the tour sign on top. These areas were used as movie locations for many movies such as; Enter the Dragon, Die Another Day, and Dark Knight. From there, we went to the Star Ferry terminal to get the experience of the commuter ferry across the bay. This gave good views of both the island and the peninsula.
The guide was asked when rush hour is here, since there was much traffic. His response was, "from 7 am to 7 am the next day". 40% of the people here live in government housing. In the early days, the garment industry was big, but this changed to wig and shirt manufacturing in the 1980's and now the focus is on shipping and jewelry. No manufactured products are now made in Hong Kong, but has moved to China instead. An interesting fact is that Marco Polo first brought tea to China, and took noodles back to Italy-who would have known.
For my free time this evening, I decided to walk down to another market at the Temple Street Night Market. First I visited the Temple but found that derelicts and homeless people now use this as a hangout place. The market itself was very much like the Ladies Market. Most of the items were the same, but there were also some different things for sale also. I did not want to take the time for a sitdown meal, and I was still leery about trying street food, as I still have a week more to travel, so I stopped at McDonalds. I found one of my favorite desserts in pineapple fried pies. I hope they consider to start serving them in the US, as they are very tasty.
