Journey to Japan, Third and final part

Days 4, 5, 6, and 7

Hurrying things along a bit: The second half of our trip, we based on day trips around Yokosuka. This was both for economical reasons and for sanity.  I initially had us staying at 2 or 3 other hotels and visiting 2 or 3 more towns, until I calculated the cost and trouble of transporting us and our luggage all around the countryside.  Staying at a home allowed us to relax, as well as have a great visit with a great and generous friend. It’s fun to visit a foreign place as a tourist, but it is more meaningful to visit a foreign country to reconnect with friends.

To make things even better, our friend wanted to climb Mt. Fuji with us, which was to be the highlight of the next part of our trip, if not one of our biggest reasons for coming to Japan. Our itinerary was arranged around it.  And since our friend had a car and had friends with cars willing to help transport us, planning was simplified, although because of tolls and gas, driving is no less expensive in Japan than taking public transportation.

Many people traditionally hike Mt. Fuji through the night and plan to make the summit in time for sunrise.  My husband and older boys really wanted to do this. They had heard people tell about looking back at a trail of lights coming up the mountain and of the glory of witnessing the sky lighting up from the top of a dormant volcano.  I had heard stories of altitude sickness, hypothermia, rain, and spending lots of money to sleep on a floormat and use the toilet.  (see video)

I made most of the choices about this trip, so in the interest of wifely submission, and because I started to catch their excitement and false hope, I caved in on climbing at night.  Friday morning we woke up, had breakfast, saw a bit of Yokosuka and headed into the base to rent rain gear for our hike, on the advice of our friend, and to buy energy snacks at the commissary. We also had to get the 6 year old new tennis because she was getting blisters, and we bought a few more headlamps and some fancy insulated socks. We loaded up on Powerbars, energy gels, and even bought a few 5 Hour Energy shots for when we were really desperate. A sadsack guy asked us what we were shopping for and then told us his sorry tale of failing to summit the mountain in the day.  He filled the kids’ heads with visions of dizziness, nausea, frozen toes and bleeding blisters. Not the kind of images we were needing.

We then were supposed to take afternoon naps to prepare to hike the mountain through the night, but you can guess how that went. Everyone was too excited to sleep much, although after 3 days of walking around Tokyo and then hoofing a load of groceries and rain gear across Yokosuka, lying down felt really good.

After a carb load of pasta for an early supper, we loaded our packs and stuffed into the tiny Japanese vehicles driven by our new friends, and headed to Fuji, about 2 hours away. At the bottom of the mountain, you get on a shuttle that takes you 7 miles up to the 5^th station, a little building with snacks and souvenirs, including the iconic hiking sticks, which my oldest bought. From there, you have about 6 miles to climb, which is supposed to take 5-6 hours.  

We distributed the energy food, donned our rain gear, and started off in high spirits, praying the gray clouds we’d seen on our drive would dissipate.  About 100m into the hike, the 6 year old asked when we were going to stop going up steps. You could still see the glow of the station behind us. Before too much longer the 8 year old announced he wanted to go to sleep.  Then the 10 year old was too hot with all her gear on.  So we stopped and ate some energy food. About the time we finally had settled into a comfortable, forward moving trudge, it started to rain, just a drizzle at first. By the time we reached the sixth station and stopped to go to the bathroom, the rest of our group had moved forward. We told them we’d meet up with them at the end of the climb and wished them well.

For about an hour more we hiked on. The rain picked up, and the wind blew harder as the trees became sparser. Finally, sometime after midnight, after my husband had tried carrying my daughter part of the way, and I had told two or three stories with the message of “Keep moving, one foot in front of the other,” we decided to turn back. We could see the lights ahead for another station house, but couldn’t see any value in going up any further. 

As we hiked down we got a little disoriented because the trail was covered in a rivulet of water from all the rain. As we slowly picked our way among the rocks, hiker after hiker passed us in the same direction, all giving up on making it to the summit. Even a platoon of Japanese Army guys marched past us.

Just before we arrived at the fifth station again, our older boys and friend caught up with us. Our friend who had been staying with them decided they all needed to turn around about an hour after we did. They were angry and disappointed because they wanted to keep going. I tried to give them encouraging words, like “At least you climbed part of Fuji. Many people don’t even do that,” but that just made everyone gloomier. 

We huddled in the station house bathroom with some other Japanese and some Australians who had come to Japan just to climb the mountain.  At least we still had plenty of energy food and water in our camelbacks. The shuttle bus wasn't due to start running for another 3 or 4 hours, so the station workers were allowing taxis to come and pick people up. We thought about walking down to the parking lot, but our friend decided to see if he could drive his car up, so he ran the 12 km down to the parking lot and snuck past a gesticulating guard, saying “I don’t understand!”  We were thrilled to see him after shivering in our soaked gear for almost 2 hours in the bathroom.  The kids crammed into his vehicle, and my husband and I started to trot down the mountain, shedding layers of wet clothing as the rain stopped, the winds died down, and the sun started to brighten the sky.  

It remained cloudy, but the rain was gone by sunrise.  I began to resent my decision to cave to my husband, and to resent him for being so optimistic.  He kept saying stuff like “At least we learned something.” and “We’ve had a memorable experience,” until the lack of sleep and disappointment got to me, and I cracked: “Just admit you were wrong!” Which he did. Which means now I forgive him for it, and agree that it was a memorable experience. 

A dry shirt, and a hot cup of coffee and a funny breakfast at the Japanese Denny’s restored my good humor. Or maybe it was the natto and eggs I had. Natto are fermented soybeans, which although  coated in a mucouslike substance, have a healthful nutty taste.

Restored with caffeine, after a long chatty and scenic drive back, we devoted the rest of Saturday to taking a nap and washing wet gear at the Laundromat.  We were going to try to visit the onsen nearby, but decided to go to Saturday Mass and ran out of time. Unfortunately the 8 year old was down with a fever, which I suspect was caused by an aggravated ear infection, so the rest of the group changed for Mass at the base. They caught up with some friends we didn’t know were already at the base, so they all went together to Kurihama for a fireworks display in honor of Admiral Perry and his black ships opening the Japanese harbor to foreign trade in the middle of the 19^th century. All agreed it was a great show, and I thoroughly enjoyed the three or four hours I had to myself in the quiet house.

The sick child was miraculously cured after 20 hours or so of sleep, so Sunday we could resume our touring.  Although I was ready to claim the traveler’s/ill person attendant dispensation, I dashed off to early Mass out of guilt before everyone was up, and ended up feeling I had had a message from the Holy Spirit because the priest, who seemed to be looking directly at me the entire Mass, gave an excellent homily about letting go of anxiety and fretfulness, which are all based on fear, which can be good when temporary but not when chronic.  He quoted Merton and Aquinas, and used apt metaphors and anecdotes, proving he was a scholar and a good preacher without being showy, if that makes sense.  Wish he would come to our base.

After that moment of grace, we had a great day visiting Yokohama, Japan’s second largest city, which also has plenty to see.  We got a peek into the art museum, and had lunch and an amusing tour of the Cupnoodles Museum. The restaurant at the Cupnoodles museum featured noodles from around the world, so we all tried different types. The Italian pasta was a little sweet but pleased the picky 8 year old. I loved the Vietnamese Pho, and one of the boys got a spicy Malaysian bowl that was a hit with everyone. We spent so much time we had to renege on the promise of taking a ferry ride, and take the train back. But we still had time to ride carnie rides (I was fun mom since we failed to climb the mountain) and watch some street performers, and try some shou paio in Chinatown.

We were on a schedule because we were meeting some other friends we had known in Virginia 5 years ago.  We were still embarrassingly late to their house, but no one minded, and we had a relaxing evening catching up and sampling varieties of sake, including my favorite, yuzu, which tastes a little like the citrus flavor of Fresca. Although we haven’t often been able to take advantage of it, we enjoyed the military perk of having friends all around the world. I have to admit I’d be happy to exchange duty stations with them. The day rated as one of the favorite with the kids.

Our final day was also a good one – a trip to Kamakura, which is a smaller town with many temples and a very large Buddha statue.  It also has lots and lots of cute shops and restaurants – more inviting than the large glitzy shops in Tokyo, if also a little touristy, where we found few small gifts for family and friends. We wished we had more time and more cash.

Hurried back to base to catch the shuttle bus back to the airport (another benefit of staying close to the Navy base).  I thought we’d have enough time to go into the town of Narita where there is another shrine and a street of shops with restaurants selling eel on a stick. But once we checked in our bags at the airport and went down to get the train from the airport into town, the kids rebelled. They just wanted to stay at the airport, even though we had over 3 hours to wait because of the timing of the (free) shuttle.  So we found a sushi train restaurant to eat at, and then went to get more snacks at another little shop because the sushi was mostly squid and sashimi that didn’t fill us up.  Then we checked out every wing of the Narita airport, including my happy little origami museum and another colorful art gallery space (truly a nice airport to get stuck in), before checking in for our 9 pm flight. 

We were all exhausted when we boarded the plane. This time I brought my oldest son up into first class as my guest, and instead of sleeping, he took advantage of the perks of first class to order soft drinks and enjoy his fancy dinner. I’m debating whether the upgrade might be worth the price.

Seeing all the Japanese on the plane, I wondered what could draw them from their lovely country with all its variety, to the little island of Guam. Snorkeling? Discount shopping? A cheap wedding?  I imagine they all return to Japan from their vacation here happy to be home.

And I was happy to back in our own comfortable bed in the wee hours of the morning. I loved our trip, even if the younger kids weren’t as impressed as I was with Japan.  Since returning I’ve been digesting Donald Keene’s The Aesthetics of Japan and I also finished Sawako Ariyoshi’s The River Ki on the flight, which is set during the transformative Meiji period near Osaka, an area we didn’t come close to. Both books only heighten my appreciation for the clean lines and awareness of beauty and impermanence in Japanese art and literature. I want to read some LafcadioHearn, who helped to introduce Japanese literature and art to the European world at the turn of the 20^th century.  I’d still like to learn some Kanji. The world is so full of a number of things…

The house where we staid in Yokosuka

Yokosuka seems to welcome Americans

Excited to be real mountain climbers.

Geared up and ready to go.

Still smiling but soaked to the skin. 

Fuji from afar.

Some legends of Mt. Fuji here.

Statue by Nara at the Yokohama Museum of Art.

Fun Capoeira exhibition in Yokohama former drydock.

Yahoo! Kiddie Coaster!

Super swings.

Fun at the Cupnoodle Museum.

World of Noodles restaurant.

Did you know cupnoodles came in so many varieties.

The inventor of cupnoodles, Momofuku Ando, is quite the inspiration

Would you like some noodles?

Noodle art

Talented balancing act.

And even the manhole covers are artful.

Yokohama

Landmark Tower in Yokohama, another tall building
with world's fastest elevator, which we didn't ride

Even Japanese children like to play in fountains.

Time for frisbee while someone seeks a toilet.

Shopping China town.

Why is the Bocca Della Verita in Kamakura?

Kamakura buddha

Buddha says thanks for the watermelon and flowers. 

Buddha's sandals.

Inside Buddha. Cool.

Even the gravel is swept in Japan.

Plastic food.

Another temple.

Yum! Friendly lunch place with Japanese/French/Italian fusion food.

Goodbye Kamakura

Yokosuka

What happens with multiple cameras at work.

Thanks, Japan!

Shopping in Narita airport

Goodbye Japan.

A quick diversion for an Olympic Ode

Quick interruption of the travelogue: Have I mentioned I love the Olympics? I love seeing commercials for the Olympics. I once even practicing race-walking because there was an extremely outside chance that maybe I could make it to the Olympics in a sport everyone else was embarrassed to participate in.  I love that this Ode will be recited at the Olympics Opening ceremonies by London's mayor.

More about it and the hidden references to athletes and athletic wear brands at The Guardian.

Journey to Japan: Tokyo, days 2 and 3

One of the challenges of planning for this a trip was having no idea how long to plan for transit times, viewing times, and stopping at vending machine times.  A travel book or site can only give you a rough idea, but when you are travelling as a family of 8, all these things take more time. I had an itinerary mapped out, but by day 2, we were already revising it.  In retrospect, I wish I had routed us a little differently, or moved a little more quickly through one area in order to have a little time to see the pandas at the zoo or visit Mt. Takao just outside of Tokyo, instead of some of our other stops on the metro, but we managed to see quite a bit of the city, as you can see from these 50 million photos from just 2 days. Since we had 3 cameras working at any given time, we now have to get some external storage for our computer for photos. 

Some notable facts about Tokyo:

*It is a VERY clean city. Rarely did we see even a cigarette butt on the ground.  Also, we learned after transgressing, that people do not eat or drink on the subway. They don’t eat or drink on the street, even though there are vending machines all over the place. I think people must consume their beverage just after buying it right in front of the machine so that they can dispose of the bottle in the recycling spot.

*Normally we are not big sugary drink purchasers. But in order to keep our younger children motivated, we bought them several drinks a day along our route. Fortunately, most of the machines carry more flavored water and teas than sodas. A favorite: Pocari Sweat, a beverage a little like Gatorade.

*We also stopped for snacks at convenience stores and for ice cream cones at small shops. We all decided that although Green Tea ice cream looks and sounds appealing, ice cream that tastes like grass is not really that refreshing.  Green Tea Kitkats are tasty, though.

*We were somewhat disappointed not to see sushi bars on every corner, but noodle shops were everywhere.  Our favorite place for lunch was a fastfood noodle shop: you put your money in a machine, punched a ticket, gave it to the waitress and in seconds had a tray with tea, noodles, and toppings artfully arranged.  We crammed onto stools between businessmen, and followed their example in slurping our noodles. Quick and filling.

*Although Tokyo is larger than New York City, it did not seem nearly as crowded.  Early in the morning and in the evening the subways were packed and “pushers,” men with white gloves, would push people onto the train. They just keep cramming in.  During rush hour, there are “women only” trains, which we quickly realized when my husband tried to get on one, and the ladies gave him surprised looks. Politely.

But, other than the packed trains, we didn't see a lot of people milling around the streets.  No traffic jams – although lots of fearless bike riders.  A homogenous population, unlike New York. And everyone was soft spoken, except the welcomers in the shopping centers.  I’m sure we were the loudest people around.

Our itinerary for Days 2 and 3:

Day 2: Wake early, head to the fish market and find it closed, backtrack and head to the Imperial Palace, home to the emperor.  You cannot go inside, but you can wander through the beautiful east garden. Although you'd think it is a major tourist stop, we were among only a handful of people in the garden.  Next up was the Meiji Shrine, where the Emperor Meiji and his wife, who ruled Japan at the turn of the 20^th century after centuries of shoguns and opened it to foreign trade, are enshrined.  Their shrine is in an immense and beautiful park, almost like a forest in the middle of a major city.  It had an interesting and informative display about the history of Japan during Meiji’s rule that was very informative. More fascinating is that within 2 generations of opening borders, Japan was a major force in WWII. It seems a quick change in cultural attitudes, but my history is sketchy.

*Another note: It really is much easier to remember history when you see the context. I couldn’t keep names and places straight until our visit.  A strong argument for field trips.

From the Meiji shrine, we could see the park where the Olympics were held in 1964, which were the motivation for rebuilding Tokyo after the bombings of WWII (Quick! Company is coming! Tidy up!), but we just pointed the area out to the kids, and headed over to the shopping district, another place where our timing was off. We strolled through Harajuku, the teeny-bopper “kawaii” area, but we weren’t really shopping, except for a place to get crepes and ice cream (Strong French influence still evident). But people watching was colorful.  Then we headed to the ritzy shopping area, where we spent too much time in Kiddyland, Tokyo’s answer to FAO Schwartz, just with less floor space but more cutsy bears and bunnies and Pokemons.

From there, we went to Odaiba, a neighborhood built on a landfill. This area wasn’t really for us: mostly shopping malls.  The Toyota Megaweb showroom was neat and interactive, but we got there too close to closing time.  If we were the type to spend money on video games and Pachinko or who loved to shop, this would have been great, but for us it was a disappointment. The best part was eating in the food court where everyone could try something different, and we could share flavors. My husband’s Korean food was a favorite.

After this long exhausting day, we returned to the ryokan and gathered our towels and shampoo and headed a couple blocks over for one more cultural experience: the public bath, or onsen.  The kids were reluctant, and I was a little nervous myself, but several friends had encouraged us to try it. We may have concerned the concierge a little when our youngest went barging in with her shoes on, but, at least on the ladies side, the other patrons were helpful. We were shown the toilet, Turkish style, and encouraged to use it, then given a basket for our belongings. The girls were shy and wanted to wear their towels into the bath area, but another elderly lady showed us how we should hang them up. She also encouraged us to wash first, which I knew. Once we were all sudsed up and rinsed, we got into the hot bath. Our new friend showed us how to add a little cool water in the corner of the hot bath for the 5 year old, who still was as red as a cherry when she got out.  I was enjoying a good soak in the black water, when the 10 year old announced she was ready to go and the five year old said she had to pee, even though she had adamantly asserted she didn't have to use the bathroom a few minutes earlier.  I didn’t want to scandalize any of the other bathers, if they understood English, so I left the bath way too soon.  It turns out the boys were also ready to go, except the 8 year old, who has having a fine time moving his naked little body from the hot bath to the cold bath and back again. I'd count this hour as one of my favorite moments of the trip, or at least one of the most memorable.

Day 3: We hit the ground running again the next day. We returned to the fish market early, but then had to kill an hour before tourists were allowed in. Did a little shopping in the vegetable dealers' area, where a flea market of sorts was set up, and then got to walk through what was left of the fish auction, which was lots of large and unusual creatures.  I wonder how any fish are left in the sea if they do this nearly every day.  The tuna auction is supposed to be quite the scene. The older boys tried a little of the super fresh sashimi at a small restaurant in the market area. The younger kids weren’t interested and the restaurant was small, so I walked around the market area again with them and bought some little gifts for the neighbors, along with some rice bowls for us.

From there we went to the sumo neighborhood to visit the Edo Tokyo museum, which focuses on the period from about 1550 to the turn of the 20^th century, and to see the great sumo stadium which has a small museum. The Edo museum was very child friendly, and the sumo museum was amusing, if not extensive, so this was a great morning. We hoped to eat Chankonabe, the sumo wrestlers’ calorie rich stew and see a wrestler or two strolling around the neighborhood, but we couldn’t find either. We did, however, have one of my favorite meals at a curry restaurant.  I think we finished off half a dozen large planks of fresh-baked nan.  The kids were all ferociously hungry, and the waiter seemed to enjoy our appreciation of the good bread.

From there we decided to walk back to a station on the metro line, instead of the private line we had come over on, since we had the all day metro pass.  But we underestimated the amount of time it would take us to get to that point.  That was when the zoo got crossed off our itinerary, as well as a potential stop at the Tokyo Tower exit (which is a recreation of the Eiffel Tower, only bigger).  By the time we found the metro stop, we decided to head back to the ryokan, get our luggage and make our way to the train that would take us out of the city to Yokosuka, where we were staying with a friend who used to be in the Navy. 

This evolution also took much longer than we anticipated, because it was nearing rush hour by the time we got our bags and back to the subway. We then had to get a commuter line out of the city which was jammed, but here we were with our bags. I’m sure we annoyed more than a few people, even though we tried our hardest to squish into the smallest space we could occupy.  I couldn’t help feeling jubilant, though, that we had navigated the 4 train transfers without losing any kids or luggage on getting on any trains going the wrong way.

Needless to say we were thrilled when we met our friend at the train station.  He was extremely sporting about meeting us, even though we’d given him little warning about when we were arriving, since we had no phone or internet access.  Instead we called from a pay phone at the station. Happily, pay phones are still pretty accessible, even in the technologically advanced area of Tokyo.  (It also surprised us that very few places accepted credit cards. Maybe it is because of a distaste for debt among the Japanese?)

Better still, he took us to a little traditional restaurant near his house where we ate our only splurge dinner. We sat at a low table in a little area partitioned off with a rice paper screen and ordered several courses, including sushi, an enormous bowl of miso soup to share family style, meat on a stick, and a few other dishes, along with a little sake, which I don’t particularly care for.  It was a delicious meal.

To be continued ---.

Artful small space gardening

Book vending machines in the train stations!

A view of the Imperial Palace complex.

Famous bridge to Imperial Palace grounds, closed to tourists.

Gate to the Imperial East Gardens

Just a few of hundreds of beautiful large hydrangeas

The girls and I enjoying the gardens

Water feature

Jumbo sized koe

Shove those people on

In Jinbocho, the bookdealers district. 

Early dispersal of commuters outside Tokyo Station

Offering of sake at the entrance to the Meiji Shrine.

Opposite the sake, is a similar arrangement of wine barrels.

Huge cedar tori at Meiji Shrine

Meiji shrine

A wedding at the shrine. Very Cool!

These children were getting their photo taken in traditional dress and lots of makeup

View towards Yoyogi park, site of 64 Olympics

Peaceful spot in Meiji Shrine gardens. 

Nike store in Tokyo

Harajuku district

Kiddyland display. Boys's dream!

Crepes: good. Mango ice cream: delish. Green tea ice cream: eh

Seen at Shibuyu station

If it had been open, we could have gone up in the gold ball for free!

View of Odaiba

At the fish market

Shrooms for sale

The largest fish market in the world

This friendly shop owner gave the girls drinks and pins

Tuna carcass

Display of a midwife at the Edo museum

One of several modes of transportation to try at the Edo museum.

  

Amusing subway signs. 

In the sumo area, Ryoguku

Don't be a demon man on the subway!

Everyone will yell at you if you litter your cigarette butt!

A photo from the Sumo Museum of a scene the boys had hoped to witness

A small street shrine

Lotus blossom at Ueno Park