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Published: September 16th 2008
Itadakimas!
Literally means " I am about to receive", or Bon Appetit. It doesn't seem like that long since we were blogging in Beijing, but we've already been here in Japan now for over a week. Part of the reason for the lack of blogging of late is that the internet costs are prohibitively expensive here (at least compared to the $1-1.50 per hour we've grown accustomed to in other countries), not to mention the fact that there are so few internet cafes here. The other reason is that there is so much to do here and we've been trying to take in as much as possible. Japan has been such a beautiful adventure, we can't recommend it enough.
We arrived on September 3 at Tokyo's Narita Airport and had an uneventful train and subway ride to our hotel. We were impressed with the mass transit here which is clean and VERY efficient (you can time the trains to the second) -- our only selfish complaint was the sometimes confusing time we had figuring out the subway system (in which very little is in English, unlike the Olympics-fresh Beijing). The most confusing thing is that there is the subway, the JR local lines and some other private train lines all mixed
together rather than one comprehensive system. We did a lot of asking to figure things out at first. However, the Japanese are extremely ready to help. Many times so far in Japan, a local has seen the befuddled looks on our faces and asked us if we needed help (the answer always being "Yes!"). Then they don't just point the way ... they walk you there themselves. This happened several times during our stay in Japan, and we were amazed at how unfailingly kind and courteous peope are.
Our other impression has been the amazing cleanliness of Japan everywhere -- even Tokyo. The couple times we've seen any litter on the ground at all, a passerby picked it up within seconds. And they aren't hosting the Olympics like Beijing, it's always that way. Other countries could learn a lesson from Japan (that means you, India).
We checked into the Sakura Hotel near the Jimbocho subway stop and had our first Japanese sushi at a place around the corner recommended by a guy at the hotel front desk. It was good, but we realized that raw octopus doesn't taste any better to us in Japan than it does in
the US. It was worth another try, at least. A nice, cold Kirin beer helped us forget the taste of tentacles quickly.
Ｔhe next day we started our sightseeing with the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Even though the palace of the Emperor's family (there is a constitutional monarchy here) is usually closed to tourists, the surrounding gardens are open. It wasn't too spectacular except for a beautiful little koi (japanese carp) pond complete with waterfall. But it was a relaxing place to walk around for a while and get away from the city.
We took lunch at a small ramen shop near our hotel. In Japan, ramen shops are very common (you can even find little ramen stands right on the train platforms in Tokyo and other big cities). This isn't the stuff you get in the little 20-cent packets back home. It's usually a huge steamy bowl of beef broth with tons of noodles, green onion, maybe a little tofu or veg, and some sliced pork loin on top. It is cheap (by the usually expensive Japan standards) -- $6-7 per bowl, filling and delicious. And as particular as the Japanese are on etiquette, the one thing
Strolling in Tokyo
The Imperial Palace Gardens they don't mind -- actually encourage -- is slurping the noodles. The Japanese slurp, and they slurp with passion. So what were we to do but join in. We didn't want to offend them.
At the end of the meal, we gave the cooks and staff a hearty "Gochi-so sama deshta (It was a real feast)!", which will ALWAYS get a happy and surprised response from the staff as they repeat it back to you, smilingly. We say it every time we leave a restaurant, and even the sleepiest of restaurant staffers (which does not describe most of the people we've met), will give you an approving response.
That night, after a little rest from the afternoon heat, we took the subway to Shinjuku district, an area alive with lights and nightlife. Perhaps similar to Times Square, it was a feast for the eyes. It is filled with clothing stores, karaoke places, restaurants, bars, pachinko parlors (a japanese game combining elements of slot machine and pinball), and everything in between. We had dinner in a crowded little yakitori joint. All they serve is yakitori -- different food grilled on skewers. We tried everything from chicken to pig cheeks.
It was all so good (we didn't even realize which skewers were the pig cheeks), and washed down with cold sake and beer. The pig cheeks were actually better than one of the offerings we saw at the local McDonalds which was a hot dog with teriyaki sauce and mayo. Hmmmm...
We left the next morning by train to the city of Kyoto, getting as much use out of our Japan Rail cards as we can. We paid for two weeks of unlimited train travel and we intended to use it. We boarded the shinkansen train (one of the famous Japanese bullet trains that can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph). The ride was noticeably faster and smoother than traditional rail. We reached Kyoto by early afternoon, found a little Udon noodle soup shop near our hotel. One of the interesting things about Japan is they don't just have restaurants specializing in soup. They actually have separate places for different KINDS of soup. Ramen, udon, soba -- you can find a small restaurant that does just one very well.
After dinner, we took a walk from our hotel to the Philosopher's Path, which is a neat, tree-lined
path following a stream that has been popular with locals and tourists alike for generations. It was pretty quiet when we were there. It was actually less remote than we pictured and in places abutted some neghborhoods of very nice houses. Well, we guess the philosophers were doing pretty well for themselves. It was a pleasant walk, and we were pretty tired after that.
When we returned to our hotel it was time to shower up from the heat. We knew that our hotel had a public bath ... not a public pool, but, yes a BATH. Actually, it's surprisingly common in Japan. Since we were planning on visiting some onsen (natural hot-spring public baths) later in the trip, we figured it might be good to practice some of the etiquette of bathing with other naked adults. We repeat，this is very common in Japan. If you've seen the movie Gung Ho, you know what we mean. Usually, the bathing is separate-sex, but there are quite a few onsen in Japan that are co-ed (a great reason for you single guys to visit). Of course, since Cosmina was feeling shy, and I (Aaron) had already read the chapter on public
Yakitori Meal
Kebabs with a variety of meats and vegetables. bath etiquette in our guide book, I was the guinea pig. I suited up in my robe (yukata) and slippers and marched down to the bath like a kid to the principal's office. When I got there, luckily it was empty. I removed my slippers and robe in the entry/locker area and left them in the locker. Then I made my way to the shower are where there were a row of showers (10 on each side of the room). All the shower head are the handheld removable type and built about three feet off the ground because you actually sit on a very low stool while you shower. Soap and shampoo are usually provided. The reason, according to lore, that you shower first and go in the bath naked is so you don't contaminate the bath water with outside germs. We think that the it's because the japanese are perverted --just kidding. So after the necessary ablutions, I got in the hot water and sat. The reasoning behind this type of bathing, and the japanese have a term for it that I forget, is that you are shedding any sign of social standing and this makes all the people
equal and can more easily socialize because of it. The two people talking in the tub could be a CEO and a janitor, but in the tub they are equals. I was thinking "Tell that to they self-conscious white guy in the tub." Nobody else got in, which was fine by me for my first time, and there's only so much quiet sitting you can do, so I got out after ten minutes, showered again, and went back upstairs to report to Cosmina.
The Higashiyama and Gion Districts were are sightseeing targets for the next day. We strolled south from our hotel through the Higashiyama area which is a neat and orderly area with japanese and tourists alike strolling the traditional streets, parks, shrines and shops. During our walk, we happened upon a shinto shrine in which we got to see a traditional wedding procession up close. The ladies and men were all wearing traditional outfits with traditional music, and traditional surroundings. It felt like being on a movie set, but there was not script. It was an unplanned treat. Cosmina got so into it, that when we turned the corner and found a lady selling used kimonos, she
Pachinko Games
Tokyoites are obsessed with this very addicting game. decided to try one on. For just $40, she got a beautiful black kimono with a japanes garden scene on it along with the wide "obi" belt worn with the kimono. We thought it was a great deal, and japanese people we met later told us that it was indeed.
Shopping usually isn't a priority for us when travelling (especially now, with so little extra room in our luggage), but you can't help but browse through some of the amazing shops in the Higashiyama area. The Japanese are masters of all things cute. It's hard to explain, but everything in the stores here and elsewhere puts an emphasis on craftwork that can only be described as "cute". The way they individually giftwrap each item that you purchase. That goes for food presentation (sushi is cute; so is delicate presentation of the udon we had for lunch). The cartoon characters with their oversized head and eyes are cute. The quaint little traditional streets with their low doors that are easy for westerners to bump their head on are cute, too. The japanese girls and the way they stereotypically giggle and "ooh" and "ahh" at a story is ... cute. We
Shinkansen Bullet Train
So fast and so punctual! find ourselves repeating this word over and again in Japan. We even read an article in a magazine here about the japanese obsession with all things cute. We browsed for a couple hours (and I, Aaron, didn't complain once) and chose some nice little gifts for family and ourselves.
Another fun thing is that whenever you buy a gift or two at one of these beautiful little stores, you are always given a little extra gift. In our few purchases we received a beautiful cloth Kleenex-dispenser, a origami tootpick holder in the shape of a geisha and a little picture.
After Higashiyama, we made our way to the Gion district, which seems to be a more modern extension of the Higashiyama area, but traditionally is where the elegant geisha plied the trade. They still train the geisha today and they we actually saw a couple during our time in Kyoto.
On our way back to the hotel, we saw a dentist office, and (even though it was a Saturday), we thought we'd go in and say "Hi". Luckily for us, he was just finishing for the day and (though his English was fairly limited -- though not
Soba
Soup with buckwheat noodles and shrimp tempura. nearly as much as our Japanese) we talked to him for a few minutes and graciously showed us his office. It was a very beautiful, modern office. We explained to him what we do as dentists in the United States, and we exchanged business cards. A really nice guy, and we're sure he's great with his patients.
We had dinner that night at a small restaurant called Asuka. Even though it was comparatively cheap for Japan, the place did not spare on atmosphere or hospitality. There are just four tables, all traditional sitting-on-the-floor style on tatami (japanese wicker floor mats). We removed our shoes and sat on the floor at our tables. The staff are five cute older ladies doing all the cooking and serving. They were so sweet, even if we didn't understand most of what they said. We had sashimi and tempura which came with miso soup and green tea. Everything was delicious, of course. We ended up going back the next day.
We capped off the night with some authentic japanese karaoke. Unlike the american version, here you actually get your own private room and set up. For $8/person/hour for ther room and all-you-can-drink. Now
Cozy Udon Restaurant
Where we had udon and soba in Kyoto we figured that since this place was listed in the Lonely Planet guide, that english wouldn't be a problem, but in the hour we were there, it took us about 40 minutes to figure our the machine (almost all in japanese) and how to find a song we actually new. But after that frustration, we finally rocked out three songs. It actually ended up being a lot of fun.
On our walk back through a very busy entertainment section of Kyoto on a Saturday night, we mused about how people still follow the rules. No matter the fact that it was late at night and there were very few cars out, people still wait for the pedestrian crossing light to turn green before crossing the street. Several times in Japan, we've seen pedestrians waiting to cross small intersections with NO cars going in either direction ... and they wait until the green stick figure comes up. That really amazed us because we know that in the US we'd be crossing as soon as the coast was clear.
The next morning we were to leave by train to go to a festival in Matsuo, a nearby suburb. We stopped
Holy Aaron
Washing hands before praying at the shrines. first at a kaiten-zushi which is a sushi place where the you sit at a counter and the sushi comes continuously around on a little conveyor belt. This was perfect for us, because we don't always like all the daring stuff that the japanese like. So this way all the fresh sushi came to us and we could pick what we like. Each little plate of sushi (usually two pieces per plate) was only $1.30. We filled ourselves with 16 plates of tune, salmon, eel and it cost us just a bit over $20. Spectacular!
We took the subway to the stop where we were supposed to transfer to our train to the suburb of Matsuo, but couldn't find the train. A japanese man with his wife saw this and asked if he could help us. We told him where we were going and (after telling his wife to wait there for him) had us follow him out of the subway station, cross the street, and after five minutes following him we were where we needed to catch the train (the two stations were not connnected as we'd thought). The friendliness and courtesy of the japanese is astounding. From
It's Rainin' Men
Aaron on his way to the public bath the cheerful greetings of "Irasshimase!" whenever you enter a simple convenience store to the lengths people go to to help out travellers, we've been so impressed.
So we boarded our train and arrived in Matsuo, and went to the small Shinto religious festival celebrating harvest time. It was an amazing shrine adorned with lanterns all around it. There were also some food and game stands for the kids to catch their goldfish (some things are cross-cultural). Everything was pretty laid-back for the first half hour we were there, but then we heard shouting and commotion, and soon we were surrounded by a mob of white-uniformed women jumping up-and-down, chanting, carrying a portable shrine on their shoulders. We stayed for a couple hours and got to see some traditional musical and dance performances. It was a great way to get out and see some cultural aspects of Japan that you know aren't just put on for tourists (of the hundreds of people there, we saw maybe eight other whities). Really a wonderful time.
The next morning we boarded a shinkansen followed by a local train to get to the small town (pop. 9500) of Tsuwano. We'd heard of it, through travel
blogs and guidebooks, as a quaint little hill town to get away from urban Japan. It's also a great place to stay at a traditional japanese guesthouse (or "ryokan"). We'd decided on the Ryokan Meigetsu, though we didn't have a reservation. Luckily, most train stations in Japan have a tourist information building nearby, and they gladly phoned the ryokan to make sure they had a vacancy before we walked over. So far on this trip, we have managed to spend no more than $90 a night for lodging (probably $40-50 average). We knew that ryokans were expensive, so we were prepared for the $200 bill for the night we spent here. However, included in this price is an amazing multicourse dinner and traditional Japanese breakfast (hint: its not cornflakes and OJ). We figured the food was worth at least $70, so the amount we paid for lodging wasn't so bad. This is, we told ourselves, the reason we scrimped and saved all that time in Rhode Island, so we shouldn't feel guilty splurging one night. We were greeted by a sweet old lady who, after we left our shoes at the door and put our house slippers on, took us
on a tour of the ryokan. We saw where the men's and women's public baths were, the breakfast room, and finally our room. We left our slippers at the sliding rice paper-windowed doors so as not to damage the tatami mat flooring. Barefoot, we made our way to the entryway, through another sliding door to the "second entryway" which contained our small bathroom, through another sliding door to our bed/living/dining room. Simply decorated with all-tatami flooring, a small TV, and a low table with cushions for us to sit on the floor. Our hostess offered us green tea and left us a thermos so we could have as much as we liked later.
After tea and freshening up, we went to a nearby bike rental and set of on our bikes to see the sights. Tsuwano is a traditonal and charming town, surrounded by hills with a channel running along its main street containing hundreds of colorful koi fish. We followed the channel past a historical catholic church (instead of pews, there was only tatami mat on the floor for seating), and on along the peaceful river. Eventually, we made it to a hilltop Shinto shrine. To get to
it, we had to walk uphill though a pathway of 1,000 torii (the ornamental orange gateways that are seen outside shinto shrines) What a view we had from the top, and what a relaxing day.
We returned the bikes and went back to the ryokan, and were ready to wash up after being in the sticky heat all day. We donned our yukata and went our separate ways to the public baths. After washing up and going in the large tub (about 10x10), sure enough there was a visitor. A guy probably in his early 60s. I greeted him in Japanese, and luckily he spoke pretty good English and told me his name is Saito. So we chatted it up for 15 minutes or so before I got out to get ready for dinner. It was a pleasant chat and not nearly as awkward as I'd expected. Cosmina had her bath all to herself and soaked in peace.
We returned to our tatami room and the old ladies of the ryokan (all wearing kimonos themselves) insisted on dressing Cosmina up in one of their kimonos. Cosmina told them that she had just bought her own kimono, so two
An Adorable Couple
Strolling the streets of Kyoto of the ladies went to work on Cosmina. One lady seemed to be the boss and kimono expert, and tied Cosmina up very tightly while shouting curt instructions to the other lady. After what seemed like a half an hour of knot-tying that would make an Eagle Scout proud, Cosmina looked like a true japanese princess!
Then we sat on the floor on cushions at the low table in our tatami room as they brought our dinner. It kept coming, and coming and coming until we had a feast of about eight courses apiece in front of us (taking up virtually the whole table). We've never seen such a dizzying array of beautiful food: a broccoli rabe sauteed in soy, four types of sashimi (raw fish, though we didn't know what types of fish) on a plate, a large grilled sardine (with head, tail and flippers still attached), some type of gelatinous soup, and also a potato and broth soup, and rice. Most dishes came with their own individual sauces on the side. The piece-de-resistance was a do-it-yourself dish for which we each had a little iron skillet-like disk on a stand with a flame underneath. On the iron
disk we grilled our own shrimp, beef and assorted veggies. All this washed down with green tea and a little pickled fruit for dessert. There must have been fifteen little plates apiece in front of us. It looked so good, we hated to eat it (but did) and took a lot of pictures.
After dinner, the ladies shooed us out of the room (Cosmina still in her kimono and me in my yukata robe) and out to the street to go for a walk while they cleaned up our room and transitioned it from a dining room to a bedroom. The futon cushions in a traditional japanese in are stored in the closet during the day. At night, the low table is pushed to the side andt the futon with comoforter and pillows are brought out and set up on the floor. It is also very common for the guests to go for a walk or hang out by the hearth (irori) while this is happening. As strange at it is to be walking outside in your robe and flip-flops through the streets, we saw other guest from other inns doing the same, so we didn't feel too weird.
Antique Kimono Shopping
My very own kimono at a very reasonable price. We walked out to see the koi again and hopefully lost some of the calories we gained during that meal. The problem for me, Aaron, here and throughout Japan was that I am just too big. All the slippers we encountered in Japan (usually meant to be a "one-size-fits-all") were to small for me, and at a size 10.5 shoe I'm no Shaquille O'Neal (see picture below). I also hit my head a few times on some low-hanging beams -- these beams were at about 5'10" and I (again, no Shaquille at 6 feet) hit my forehead when I wasn't paying attention.
Then we got back to the ryokan and saw my friend Saito from the bath with his wife/daughter/girlfriend (? -- we never did find out and didn't ask). We talked to them and the ryokan ladies (who switched Cosmina to a looser style of kimono wrapping) for an hour or so by the hearth and turned in for the night.
The next morning we were treated to a japanese style breakfast of similarly epic proportions. We had another frilled sardine, miso soup, a raw egg, mushrooms, a salad, rice. The centerpiece of this meal was a
Shaved Ice
One of Japan's Summer Foods. little ceramic pot bubbling over a flame with tofu steaming inside as well as a cermic flask of broth bubbling away. When it was ready, we poured the broth over some dried seaweed in a separate bowl and added the tofu. Yummy. It was definitely different having sardine and mushroom for breakfast, but it was an amazing experience, and the perfect end to a great stay in Tsuwano.
We boarded the train bound for the mountain town of Takayama next. Actually, more precisely, we boarded the first of five trains to Takayama. We took two local trains, the two shinkansen, and then another local train to finally arrive in Takayama around 6:00 pm. The trains were comfortable, and it wasn't as bad as it sounds. They booked our train reservations so tightly that we only had 7-15 minutes between trains, so we went right from train to train. We relaxed and read the whole time.
In Japan, the customary greeting is to bow, and throughout our time in Japan, we bacame very used to bowing to people when meeting them or saying goodbye. Even when a news anchor on TV "signs off" from his broadcast he will bow.
Geisha Spotting
A rare treat for the eyes. Real geishas walking around Gion in Kyoto. Interestingly, whenever one of the train conductors or the ladies with the snack carts enters of leaves a train car, they will bow to the passengers. The passengers don't have to bow back, bu it was a nice touch we thought.
When we arrived in Takayama (a small city on the border of Japan Alps National Park), we visited the tourist information desk at the train station and they called to arrange our lodging. We found a vacancy at the Murasaki Ryokan, which is a small and simple traditional inn. It wasn't as nice as our Tsuwano ryokan, and didn't include the meals, but was a lot cheaper and a good place to hang our hats for three nights. We stayed in a traditional tatami and futon room again here. We also had access to a public bath (though it only fits one person and the door locks, so you have it to yourself. The whole front of the building is covered in flowers and bonsai trees. It looked like Mr. Miyagi's summer home. The innkeeper spends all day tending to his garden, and it is really spectacular. We couldn't help but think that both our moms would love
this place for the garden alone. We went to a local restaurant to wolf down a few grilled yakitori skewers and went to sleep.
The next day, Wednesday September 10, we woke up a little late and rented a couple bikes. We biked to the post office first. In our hasty exit out of the ryokan in Tsuwano to get to the train, we forgot to turn in our key. We felt really bad about it, so we went to the post office in Takayama to send it back to Tsuwano. We then went to a great ramen place (Jingoro Ramen) to slurp elbow-to-elbow with the lunch crowd. Then we spent the rest of the day biking along the rivers of Takayama and peeking in some of the shops in the traditional shopping district. For dinner, we went to a Japanese Restaurant called Suzuya. They specialize in meats that you cook yourself at your table. Cosmina had the sukiyaki (beef and vegetables that you simmer in soy broth right at your table, dip in raw egg and eat). I had the amiyaki (slices of local Hida beef and veg that I cooked on a little mini-grill at the table.
We met a German guy travelling by himself in Japan while waiting for our table, so we had him join us. It was a lot of fun trading travel stories with him and made for a pleasant end to the evening.
Our main reason for coming to Takayama was to use it as a base point for visiting the mountains nearby as well as the many onsen. Japan is a center of volcanic activity and because of all the lava underground, it is a vast reserve for natural hot spring. Because of this, it has become the activity of choice for japanese vacationing in their own country. Outdoor onsen (or "rotemburo") are particulary popular, especially those overlooking the mountains. In winter, people like to watch the snow fall from the comfort of their natural hot tub right outside. We decided to see for ourselve and took a bus for an hour to a very small town in the Japan Alps, then a 15 minute cab ride to the onsen town of Shirahone. This onsen town is known for its milky blue sulfurous waters. It is said that bathing in the waters for three days will prevent you from catching
a cold for three years. We didn't have time for three days, but we figured it can't hurt. First of all, the town of Shirahone is very small and quiet. There are a handful of ryokan, a general store and some hiking trails. The rotemburo is right beside a bubbling river. It cost us each $5 to enter. We paid and each went to our respective "sides", as this is not a co-ed bath. We had the onsen to ourselves for 15 minutes or so and relaxed in the warm waters, listened to the river flowing by 20 feet away, looked up at the trees and mountains and relaxed. Then the other naked people decided to arrive. But it was OK, we met some friendly college students still on break from Kyoto University. We chatted for 20 minutes or so, and got out. When we were both ready, we walked to the general store to get some snacks for lunch. Then we walked toward the forest and found a stunning hiking path. We only walked it for 30-40 minutes, but it was all trees, moss and waterfalls ... exactly what you expect idyllic Japan to be like. We were exhausted
Tempura Meal
At Asuka Restaurant after that 30 minute hike, so we felt the urgent need to go back to the rotemburo to soak for another half hour or so. So we did.
Once we were content with our onsen trip, we got the cab back to the bus and then back to Takayama. We got some dinner and a good sleep and checked out of the ryokan the next morning to take two shinkansen back to Tokyo and checked into the same hotel as we did our first time through Tokyo. Unfortunately, when we booked this the week before, they told us we could stay only one night, because they were booked the next two. They got us a reservation at their sister hotel (Sakura at Hatagaya) for the next two nights, our last in Japan.
The next morning, September13, we got up particularly early to see the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo's (and Japan's) largest fish market. They say over 90% of the seafood in Japan makes its way through this vast maritime warehouse complex. We walked, and tried to stay out of the way of the people there actually working and transacting business, and gaped at all the incredible (and
sometimes unidentifiable) seafood. Afterwards, we went to a sushi restaurant adjoining the market to taste sushi as fresh as it gets. It was a feast.
By the time we finished, we took the train to the Tokyo Dome. We had decided to see a Japan League baseball game, so we went to the Dome, which is the home of the Yomiuri Giants to get two tickets to that afternoon's game against their in-town rivals the Yakult Swallows. We were succesful in getting the tix, and went back to switch over to our new hotel. We made it back to the Dome just a few minutes after opening pitch. Our seats were behind home plate (albeit 10 rows from the very last row), but the view was perfect. The japanese fans really are not as complacent as in MLB crowds. There were cheers and songs, just like you see in european soccer games. And since there were fans from both Tokyo teams there, we got to hear the cheers and songs of both teams (accompanied by brass-and-drum pep bands. One of Yakult's songs was actually to the tune of the US Navy's "Anchors Away", which was a little strange. The
Deciphering Karaoke
All we wanted to do was sing! Yakult section also uses small umbrellas in some of their chants. They open up the umbrellas and pump them up and down to the beat of the chant.
The food at the game was mostly japanese (noodles and sushi), but they did have hot dogs (and so did we), and there was definitely plenty to drink. There are actually beer girls (all cute girls in their late teens/early twenties) who come around with these small beer kegs strapped to their backs and they pour you a draft right on the spot (to the tune of 8 bucks, of course). If beer isn't your thing, there are other girls who come around the stands selling tiny liquor bottles.
The game was a lot of fun and actually very exciting. It was tied at eight until the seventh inning when Yomiuri (our home team) pulled ahead by one. Then the american relief pitcher (Kroon) almost blew the save in the 9th inning by loading the bases with no outs. But the good ol' Giants managed not to disappoint us and won the game 8-7. That night we went back to the Shinjuku area, bought a book at the huge bookstore
Kaiten Sushi
The sushi comes around on the little conveyor belt, and you grab what you like. there, had some soup for dinner and turned in.
The next morning, our last full day in Japan, we had the idea of trying to get tickets to the opening day of the sumo tournament. We made it to the stadium by 11:00, but they were sold out except for the $90-100 seats. We considered it for a moment (and Cosmina actually really did want to go), but decided it was worth the money for 2-3 hours. Maybe we should've just gone for it, but we know this won't be our last time in Japan, so we didn't sweat it. We did get some pictures of some of the sumo walking to and from the stadium in their traditional garb and hair pinned up, so it wasn't a total waste. Then we went to check out the Roppongi area which is a shopping and nightlife area. We didn't participate in the nightlife, but did see some evidence of the previous night's partying in puddles on the ground that looked like cat food. Not too good. We passed by a pet store that had about 30 puppies, so it was worth the trip for Cosmina. We then headed to the
Playing Games
Harvest Festival outside Kyoto Shibuya area, where there are a lot of stores catering to younger people. It is famous for its people-watching, and some of the really offbeat fashion senses of some of them. We strolled around and hit another conveyor-belt sushi place for dinner. We went back to the room and watched "I Am Legend" and "Blood Diamond" On Demand into the wee hours of the night.
We had a safe (but legroom-free) flight on the mediocre-at-best Air China to arrive in Bangkok, Thailand around midnight (as good a time as any, we suppose, to arrive in Bangkok). We are here for the day, and leave for Chiang Mai, Thailand tomorrow where we are planning to do a mahout training course to learn how to ride the elephants as well as a Thai cooking course. We hope to update in a few days. Thanks to everyone for continued comments and e-mails!
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Melissa
non-member comment
Fun!
Of all the places you guys have been, this is where I really want to go!! It looks so pretty and clean and there is so much cool stuff to do. Love all the pictures.