We began our last full day here with a quick stop (our first, surprisingly) at the 7-eleven up the road to have some Japanese fast-food breakfast (i.e. nori-wrapped rice and salmon). When we returned to Ikoi no Ie, we looked forward to being dressed in antique kimonos and participating in a traditional tea ceremony.
Mari, our host for the morning, had us each choose a kimono to wear. C's had flowers all over a deep blue background, and I went for a sea green design. Then, Mari found a complementary under-kimono and obi, or sash, for each of us, and spent about 15 minutes wrapping each of us in these layers, each of which was tied with a different, smaller belt. By the time we were fully dressed, each of us wore 2 kimonos, 1 obi, 5 smaller belts, and 1 small pillow at the back. Bending over was not going to happen, but we were suddenly blessed with impeccable posture.
After this, we enjoyed matcha, or finely ground green tea powder whisked into a frenzy with hot water. There is a series of phrases and hand gestures involved in the tea ceremony, and both C and I struggled with the order, but did enjoy the whole process. The tea room itself was stunning and simple, with a tatami floor and beautiful windows looking out onto a traditional Japanese garden.
Once we shed our kimonos and said "Arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much," about a thousand times, we whipped out our JR passes and hopped a train to Kobe, hoping to enjoy some sea breezes and views. It was a nice outing, though we did not, in fact, eat the highest quality beef.
We spent our last night in Kyoto walking the river, and discussing things we've come to love about Japan-- from the careful job each shopkeeper does when wrapping a package, to the coexistence of past and present on each street filled with neon and shrines. We've also devised the outline of an itinerary for our next trip: (1) climb Mount Fuji (and yell BANZAIIII at the top), (2) relax at an Onsen and (3) take in a sumo match. But, for right now, our last Japlan is to take a shinkansen back to Tokyo, and change, for the last time, at Ueno station, in order to make our shuttle to Narita.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Kyoto and Nara
We left Tokyo yesterday morning, and headed for Kyoto. We made it to our new hostel, Ikoi no Ie, in the late afternoon, dumped our stuff and headed directly to Gion. This neighborhood is the central location for the book that C is currently reading (and one that I've read before), Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden. Of course, geisha no longer trip down the streets of this district, though we did catch sight of about a dozen kneeling beside tables on veranda over the river, serving tea to suit-clad men.
If Tokyo is like New York, then Kyoto reminds us both of Philadelphia. Its energy is less frenetic, and cutting-edge fashion seems to be less of a priority. However, it is beautiful, especially the eastern part of the city, which ends in a park abutting some major hills. We had a lovely time walking the streets at dusk, and got a chance, ourselves, to sit on a porch overlooking the river before we headed back to our hostel.
Today, we set out right away for Nara, home of a well-known Buddhist Temple, Todaiji. There, in the middle of Nara Park, amidst hundreds of wild deer who gently nudged our hands in search of food, is the largest wooden structure in the world, housing the largest statue of Buddha that I have ever seen. The particular representation is Vairocana Buddha, posed with one hand up, palm out, and one hand on his lap, palm facing upwards. Hundreds of people swarmed the based, lighting nag champa, snapping pictures, buying trinkets and staring in silent meditation. It was an incredible sight.
Tomorrow, a tea ceremony and our last full day here!
If Tokyo is like New York, then Kyoto reminds us both of Philadelphia. Its energy is less frenetic, and cutting-edge fashion seems to be less of a priority. However, it is beautiful, especially the eastern part of the city, which ends in a park abutting some major hills. We had a lovely time walking the streets at dusk, and got a chance, ourselves, to sit on a porch overlooking the river before we headed back to our hostel.
Today, we set out right away for Nara, home of a well-known Buddhist Temple, Todaiji. There, in the middle of Nara Park, amidst hundreds of wild deer who gently nudged our hands in search of food, is the largest wooden structure in the world, housing the largest statue of Buddha that I have ever seen. The particular representation is Vairocana Buddha, posed with one hand up, palm out, and one hand on his lap, palm facing upwards. Hundreds of people swarmed the based, lighting nag champa, snapping pictures, buying trinkets and staring in silent meditation. It was an incredible sight.
Tomorrow, a tea ceremony and our last full day here!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Catstreet and Japanese ink
A quick post before we pack up and head to Kyoto. We're both feeling a little sad to leave Andon, and Tokyo in general. We have defintely gotten comfortable with our subway route ("Oh yeah, we change at Shibuya, like always..."), and with our neighborhood (Need a post office? We got you. Soba recommendation? Easy. 7-eleven? We can tell you how to get to two.).
Yesterday, we went back to Harajuku and what is called Catstreet, and spent time searching for Cosplay, a gathering of young Japanese dressed to the nines, usually in a combination of goth and cartoon character. We were slightly disappointed with how that turned out, but were on cloud nine by the end of the day, after having found one ex-pat, his Japanese wife, and their music-industry friend who took us in. This trustworthy trio spent an hour helping us to find a tattoo parlor so C could get the wrist designs she's been dying for, stayed with us during the tattoo, then stuck around to show us the strangest art-gallery/restaurant, where we all grilled our own pizza/omelets on the table in front of us. I mentioned yesterday that our friend who has been here for about 10 months hasn't lost her sense of Japanese wonder. Well, neither has our friend who has made his home here for 13 yearｓ。
Yesterday, we went back to Harajuku and what is called Catstreet, and spent time searching for Cosplay, a gathering of young Japanese dressed to the nines, usually in a combination of goth and cartoon character. We were slightly disappointed with how that turned out, but were on cloud nine by the end of the day, after having found one ex-pat, his Japanese wife, and their music-industry friend who took us in. This trustworthy trio spent an hour helping us to find a tattoo parlor so C could get the wrist designs she's been dying for, stayed with us during the tattoo, then stuck around to show us the strangest art-gallery/restaurant, where we all grilled our own pizza/omelets on the table in front of us. I mentioned yesterday that our friend who has been here for about 10 months hasn't lost her sense of Japanese wonder. Well, neither has our friend who has made his home here for 13 yearｓ。
Saturday, June 26, 2010
From yaki tori to Crispy Nuts
Yesterday, we met up with a friend of a friend, who has been living in Japan and teaching English for the last 10 months. She has been here long enough to understand some parts of the culture that have been puzzling us, but not long enough to have fallen out of love with exploring and marveling. She took us to Nishi-Nippori, a part of Tokyo that reminded me of Ile-St.-Louis in Paris-- full of small shops with beautiful clothing and jewelry, as well as a million food vendors. We made the day into a culinary tour, since there was so much that we wanted to try. We started with yaki tori, a kind of Japanese shish kebab, and were also introduced to satsumaimo, a kind of sweet potato snack. We drank green tea samples, and accepted the Japanese cherries kindly pressed into our hands. Later, we stopped at an underground food kingdom, beneath the Shibuya station, and found a bakery selling bread with sweet beans (like kidney beans) baked in. Finally, we actually sat down at an izakaya in Sangenjaya, a kind of tapas place, and had a variety of foods from spring rolls to gobo, fried burdoch root, and each tried a grapefruit sour, made with the very light (don't worry, Ma) Japanese liquor called shochu.
From there, C and I hit a punk/hardcore show, one of her top priorities while here. It was at a place called Heaven's Door, and featured a band called Crispy Nuts. Though she is a major hardcore veteran, I'm definitely a newcomer to this scene, and loved every second. She was particularly intrigued by the number of women at the show-- considerably more than at American shows. As we have found everywhere, there was a lot of English, on signs, in lyrics and on t-shirts. My favorite example was Crispy Nuts' drummer's shirt, which read "Psycho food eaters". I thought it summed up our day incredibly well.
From there, C and I hit a punk/hardcore show, one of her top priorities while here. It was at a place called Heaven's Door, and featured a band called Crispy Nuts. Though she is a major hardcore veteran, I'm definitely a newcomer to this scene, and loved every second. She was particularly intrigued by the number of women at the show-- considerably more than at American shows. As we have found everywhere, there was a lot of English, on signs, in lyrics and on t-shirts. My favorite example was Crispy Nuts' drummer's shirt, which read "Psycho food eaters". I thought it summed up our day incredibly well.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Tokyo Dome
Yesterday began fairly leisurely, with a long conversation with Kayto, one of the women working at Andon Ryokan. She asked us about our plans for the day, and I asked her about one of the components of my meal from the night before-- something that reminded me of crunchy yogurt, with the most amazing runny, yet sticky consistency. She looked pretty confused, and showed me a whole picture book of various food items, and their translations, but we found nothing that looked remotely similar. I'm going to have to look into this one...
We spent the afternoon wandering in the Harajuku section of Tokyo, a little south of where we're staying. We traveled through time, from the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park, built around 1920 in honor of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, to a pedestrian walkway populated entirely by young Japanese sub-culture heroes. We spent at least 4 hours between the two places, and not only learned how to pay appropriate respect at the shrine (though, after the ritual washing, both of us only watched, since we were not convinced of the cultural appropriateness of engaging in such a rite), but also how to dress in a young Japanese style (I bought gray cloth pants that stop mid-calf and look like the ones favored by MC Hammer).
But our day was not done yet-- we were on to Tokyo Dome, for a game between the Giants and the Baystars. The game was the same-- it was the crowd that blew our minds. It can be somewhat captured by what we witnessed in the 7th inning. No stretch, but a woman in uniform who came to the bottom of each aisle with an enormous garbage bag, bowed, and proceeded up the steps, stopping at each to collect all the garbage people had generated during the game. Everyone passed their trash down the row, and she thanked every person, and they thanked her back. By the time she got to the top of the section, the ground was clear, and the bag was full.
Something to introduce to the Yankees?
We spent the afternoon wandering in the Harajuku section of Tokyo, a little south of where we're staying. We traveled through time, from the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park, built around 1920 in honor of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, to a pedestrian walkway populated entirely by young Japanese sub-culture heroes. We spent at least 4 hours between the two places, and not only learned how to pay appropriate respect at the shrine (though, after the ritual washing, both of us only watched, since we were not convinced of the cultural appropriateness of engaging in such a rite), but also how to dress in a young Japanese style (I bought gray cloth pants that stop mid-calf and look like the ones favored by MC Hammer).
But our day was not done yet-- we were on to Tokyo Dome, for a game between the Giants and the Baystars. The game was the same-- it was the crowd that blew our minds. It can be somewhat captured by what we witnessed in the 7th inning. No stretch, but a woman in uniform who came to the bottom of each aisle with an enormous garbage bag, bowed, and proceeded up the steps, stopping at each to collect all the garbage people had generated during the game. Everyone passed their trash down the row, and she thanked every person, and they thanked her back. By the time she got to the top of the section, the ground was clear, and the bag was full.
Something to introduce to the Yankees?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Rush hour traffic
On our first day in Tokyo, we woke up at 6:45 in order to give ourselves enough time to meet our bus to Mount Fuji, which left from Hamamatsucho Station at 9 am. After a quick and lovely breakfast at our hostel (there was delicious coffee, with milk to add, as a concession to Western taste buds), we set out, retracing our steps from our arrival, back to Ueno Station. This time, though, we found ourselves actually plastered to each other, and to the walls of the train, once we got on. It was rush hour in Tokyo.
From Ueno Station, we took a Japan Rail line out to Hamamatsucho. Once there, we promptly walked in the wrong direction. This ended up being a stroke of luck, actually, since we had to eventually walk against the flow of pedestrian traffic, and so, got the amazing opportunity to people-watch at high volume. White shirts and dark suits were, almost exclusively, the style for men, while women rocked far more exciting styles. Fortunately, there is a well-ordered sense of where to walk in croweded times like this, and everyone respected the small lane on the right side of the long tunnel out of the station, where pedestrian traffic from the less-traveled direction was herded. (Not only that, but when waiting for the JR line, we joined a two-person-wide line that formed exactly where the doors eventually opened, and that immediately parted as the train stopped, allowing people to get out of the traincar.)
We found our bus 15 minutes before it left, giving us time to carefully examine all of the vending machines set up in the bus terminal. Once aboard, we met our guide for the day, Katsu, and headed out of Tokyo, up to Mount Fuji's fifth station, via the visitor center, where we got a beautiful look at the highest mountain in Japan. We proceeded, on the bus, to the Hakone region, where we first ate a Japanese-style lunch (including miso soup, sashimi, rice and various unidentifiable vegetables and other blocks of a variety of colors and consistency), then boarded a boat on Lake Ashi. We finished that part of the day with a funicular ride, and then boarded a bullet train (shinkansen), which brought us back to Tokyo.
We finished with a walk around Ginza, which reminded me of Rockefeller Center in New York, and stopped for another dinner of udon (this time at a Japanese equivalent of a greasy spoon diner) before calling our first day in Japan quits. Back at the ryokan, we fell asleep immediately, feeling extremely pleased with ourselves.
From Ueno Station, we took a Japan Rail line out to Hamamatsucho. Once there, we promptly walked in the wrong direction. This ended up being a stroke of luck, actually, since we had to eventually walk against the flow of pedestrian traffic, and so, got the amazing opportunity to people-watch at high volume. White shirts and dark suits were, almost exclusively, the style for men, while women rocked far more exciting styles. Fortunately, there is a well-ordered sense of where to walk in croweded times like this, and everyone respected the small lane on the right side of the long tunnel out of the station, where pedestrian traffic from the less-traveled direction was herded. (Not only that, but when waiting for the JR line, we joined a two-person-wide line that formed exactly where the doors eventually opened, and that immediately parted as the train stopped, allowing people to get out of the traincar.)
We found our bus 15 minutes before it left, giving us time to carefully examine all of the vending machines set up in the bus terminal. Once aboard, we met our guide for the day, Katsu, and headed out of Tokyo, up to Mount Fuji's fifth station, via the visitor center, where we got a beautiful look at the highest mountain in Japan. We proceeded, on the bus, to the Hakone region, where we first ate a Japanese-style lunch (including miso soup, sashimi, rice and various unidentifiable vegetables and other blocks of a variety of colors and consistency), then boarded a boat on Lake Ashi. We finished that part of the day with a funicular ride, and then boarded a bullet train (shinkansen), which brought us back to Tokyo.
We finished with a walk around Ginza, which reminded me of Rockefeller Center in New York, and stopped for another dinner of udon (this time at a Japanese equivalent of a greasy spoon diner) before calling our first day in Japan quits. Back at the ryokan, we fell asleep immediately, feeling extremely pleased with ourselves.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Andon Ryokan
Here we are, in our beautiful ryokan, Andon Ryokan Tokyo. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese-style inn, and though traditional in a lot of ways, there are definitely some modern elements to this place. Our room is probably 8 ft. by 11 ft., and has tatami mat flooring (it looks like woven reeds with a cloth border). There is shelving on the walls, but no furniture other than a tiny folding table. Our futons are rolled up at the back of the room, and we will put them out tonight when we sleep. All this sounds totally minimalist, but the kicker is this: we have remote-controlled air conditioning for our spot.
Everything smells like a sauna, since many of the walls are made of cedar. Green tea is always available at the front desk, and we have been given slippers (thick-soled flip-flops with a felt upper) to wear as we walk around inside.
The trip was amazingly easy, and we were a great team as we navigated Narita airport to find the Keisei Express commuter rail into Tokyo, and then Ueno station to find the subway to Minowa, our local stop. Things got a little more complicated on foot, but after a lot of wandering as we zeroed in on our placed, C spotted the tell-tale willow tree (not a 7-eleven) that indicated where to turn, at last, to find Andon.
Off to find some udon, then to bed, in our snug and beautiful cedar closet.
Everything smells like a sauna, since many of the walls are made of cedar. Green tea is always available at the front desk, and we have been given slippers (thick-soled flip-flops with a felt upper) to wear as we walk around inside.
The trip was amazingly easy, and we were a great team as we navigated Narita airport to find the Keisei Express commuter rail into Tokyo, and then Ueno station to find the subway to Minowa, our local stop. Things got a little more complicated on foot, but after a lot of wandering as we zeroed in on our placed, C spotted the tell-tale willow tree (not a 7-eleven) that indicated where to turn, at last, to find Andon.
Off to find some udon, then to bed, in our snug and beautiful cedar closet.
Monday, June 21, 2010
And we're off!
I am sitting on the floor of C's bedroom, while she is wandering around, hopping my outstretched legs, singing a little made-up song to herself and kind of swaying back and forth. I think she's excited.
As for me, I can't believe that we are actually going to be in Japan in a little more than 24 hours. I printed out all sorts of directions to various places today, including a whole page of Japanese characters that we are advised to show our driver if we want to take a taxi from Kyoto rail station to our hostel, Ikoi-no-Ie. While a week ago I might have imagined this short story to be overkill, I'm beginning to think otherwise.
But before we get to Japan, we first lay-over in another new country for me: Canada. Two birds, one stone.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
"[she] becomes virtually helpless in Japan."
I am getting ready to get lost. I certainly do not mind being lost-- a few summers ago, I spent occasional afternoons driving the Connecticut coast, meandering through little villages, and eventually finding Route 9 again. I would choose a different CD for each drive, and would not begin to worry until I heard the first track repeat itself.
But this is something else. One of my books (Japan made easy, Boye Lafayette De Mente...a name implying greater familiarity with another destination) says the following:
No matter how brilliant or accomplished the foreign visitor might be in his own culture, he becomes virtually helpless in Japan...the addressing system in Japan has nothing whatsoever to do with any street the house or building might be on or near. Addresses are based on areas rather than streets. In metropolitan areas these "address areas" start out with the city. Next comes the ku, or ward, then a smaller district called cho, and finally a still smaller section called banchi.
C and I have been looking up directions and maps to our various destinations, and have found one shockingly consistent landmark to use an an indication of cardinal direction, where to turn, or when to stop, recommended by ryokan after guidebook after city planning map...
...the ubiquitous 7-eleven.
What?!
But this is something else. One of my books (Japan made easy, Boye Lafayette De Mente...a name implying greater familiarity with another destination) says the following:
No matter how brilliant or accomplished the foreign visitor might be in his own culture, he becomes virtually helpless in Japan...the addressing system in Japan has nothing whatsoever to do with any street the house or building might be on or near. Addresses are based on areas rather than streets. In metropolitan areas these "address areas" start out with the city. Next comes the ku, or ward, then a smaller district called cho, and finally a still smaller section called banchi.
C and I have been looking up directions and maps to our various destinations, and have found one shockingly consistent landmark to use an an indication of cardinal direction, where to turn, or when to stop, recommended by ryokan after guidebook after city planning map...
...the ubiquitous 7-eleven.
What?!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Japlanning
C and I have taken to calling our bi-weekly research and organizing sessions our time to Japlan. But here's something I discovered yesterday for which I have no idea how to plan: when we fly to Tokyo, we will be going so many time zones in reverse, that we will end up in tomorrow when it is still today, here.
This has truly blown my mind.
This has truly blown my mind.
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