From Ginza to Hakone: upmarket shopping extravagance to serenity

What a delight to have Yutaka Kimishima join us on an excursion! Yutaka was a university classmate of my son and became a close family friend.

As our tour guide of the day, he gave a list of options; we chose Ginza, an ultra-high market shopping and entertainment area--We can look, can't we! And we did!

But to reach Ginza we rode the train and saw this little fellow across the aisle from us; his baseball-style cap, photographed imperfectly and hopefully not understood by his parents, reads "drunken!"

We visited the new  Tokyo Events Center with its multi-storied atrium--

IN the outside courtyard below, there were food trucks!  Many, mini-food trucks!!

You can tell the quality of the fabrics by how they drape, not just hang, on the hanger. It was intriguing to see how beautifully distressed and shredded clothing could be in pricey establishments! But the stores were SO clean and smelled SO good! They had high ceilings and were spacious, not like the crowded shops in Shinjuku with merchandise stored from floor to ceiling. 

We had a fabulous lunch of udon, each enjoying the thick noodles in various sauces. Alas, the picture of our lovely meal on the tenth floor.

After a enjoying a peaceful meal and Yutaka's pleasant company, we rushed through the train station, to catch a train for Hakone that left a little sooner than we had anticipated! Though the rush was frantic, we made it aboard the Shinkansen, the super-fast 'Bullet Train!' After transferring the much slower train climbed a mountain, changing direction to employ switchbacks through forest of Japanese pines, maples--Japanese maples, of course!--and vast areas of hydrangeas of various colors. I hope the words relay an impression, because they often went by before I could twist around to photograph them. Besides I was tired and slow.

A mountain town is naturally built on a slope and we slogged our way uphill through rain to our peaceful ryokan, where Sam, Hideko, and James enjoyed soaking in the hot pools (here they are dressed in yukatas )

and an incredible feast of possibly ten courses!  

I kid you not! Some of the unusual items I ate and some I did not, but I tried most and often found them acceptable, even good! Overall, it was fantastic!

Before bed, since it was still early, we played Jenga until it was time for our private hot pool,which I enjoyed with Hideko and Sam. Thence to bed to the sound of rain. How restful is that!

Excitement of the City!

The fog of jet lag is pretty much gone, though we still get tired and refresh ourselves with local treats and drinks in the spirit of exploration; there are SO MANY foods we haven't tasted or enjoyed only rarely, that it is our obligation as conscientious tourists to sample as much as possible in our short time here. We begin our day with tasty foods from the convenience stores nearby (Not like our own convenience stores whose prepared food is pretty much inedible)--they have wonderful selections:

Different kinds of breads, like a doughnut filled with red bean paste, very good; Sam's enjoying kind of a marshmallow-y roll; Jame enjoys sushi; there's always Suspension, of course, green tea, coffee, on and on--a delightful and essential beginning to a day of touring!

Walk to the station, buy a train ticket from a machine like these at the bottom after deciding our route and fare from the map above

Board the train and go!

Sometimes we get seats!

Our destination today is Akihabara, a center for anime and manga--Japanese animated films and comic books--that Sam and Jamie particularly enjoy.  It is a truly vibrant area--or maybe my jet lag has just cleared enough for me to enjoy it--but there is palpable excitement in the air! Bright colors and paintings on the buildings certainly contribute-- 

 

Besides the brilliant ambience, the temperature was perfect--fresh and cool!

Jamie, Sam, and Hideko enjoyed time at a comic shop-

And an anime gallery with actual drawings by the artists

Back outside, what did we come across but the worldwide Golden Arches! McD caters to local tastes and here offers shrimp burger and teriyaki burger:

But we chose instead--okonomiyaki!  Somewhat like a stuffed pancake, there are regional variations, and we tried two--one with noodles (on the right), Fabulous!

More random wandering then another snack at a bakery

Where Hideko ordered exotic coffee brewed over a chemistry lab set-up:

Great fun!

Back on the train to Shinjuku, the nearest major station near us. It's another VIBRANT area, full of people, colors, tall buildings, and magnificent skylines.

Godzilla is peering over a building in the center above.

Quite surprisingly(!) I bought lovely Japanese fabric!!!

There is so much going on everywhere you look: flashing colors, people trains, the visual rhythm of the skyline... It's energizing-

But ultimately, tiring. We walked partway toward home, then succumbed to a taxi. Quiet time for a couple hours then off to dinner for ramen noodles!

I love this place and these people!

Began the day quite early and with a lot of energy

We were out wandering the city probably by 7:30 (jet lag will do that to you) after having munched on a fun breakfast from the market--suspension (which is gelatin with mandarin oranges, at least that's my favorite) and choco-bread--a yeast bread with chocolate swirled in it. Satisfying and interesting.

Our first destination was the government building of our section of Tokyo, Nakano. We were there before they opened the observatory, so wandered to a convenience store for a snack! Perhaps you can tell from my simple sentence structure that I am very tired again, although it is only 9:00 p.m! That's because we were on the move all day long--and it was a lovely day!

First: Here is Sam near our front door. This 'alley' is the driveway to our house and others beyond, also opens to a path along the river--handy and pleasant. 

A few interesting things en route to the government building:

1. Jamie examines a few of the ubiquitous vending machines. Almost anything can be purchased from them.

2. This is the part of the sidewalk for walking--not for bicycles, and there are many, many bicycles!

3. A shop named for ME!!! ('Momo' is what my family calls me.)

4. The government buildings and the blue sky! Observatory is at the top! And here is the view:

"Forever" is beyond civilization and not visible here. Impressive?!!!

A relatively short train ride to visit Meiji Shrine, located within the busy city in a small forest:

The tori, gate to the shrine, is the tallest of that style in Japan. Such a peaceful walk through the woods to the shrine, even with a lot of people sharing the wide path.

I've seen these symbols, hanging from the thick rope, at other shrines; sorry I don't know their meanings.  We washed our hands, then tossed a coin, clapped twice, and said a prayer. I liked it, saying a prayer is always good.

Before leaving we walked through the Iris Garden; silly me, I was surprised that they were all Japanese Iris, instead of the more familiar (to me) bearded iris from my yard back home.  Another classic 'Duh!' Moment--oh, right! We're in Japan, what else would they be?

Amazing lunch at a restaurant Hideko and Jame had enjoyed in New York City---Fabulous! And much less expensive!! Fried chicken and vegetable with a salad, rice, pickled veggies, and miso soup!

Now into the heart of Shibuya, where throngs of people congregate. 

Sam had wanted her picture taken with a statue of the dog Hatchiko, who waited for his deceased owner at the RR station for about ten years, until he too passed away. This statue was a meeting point for generations before the digital age.

Dinner tonight we cooked at our table: thinly-sliced beef, shrimp, squid, veggies, a rice dish with vegetables, cucumbers with plum sauce, four sauces for dipping--and for dessert: Suspension!

And now, my dear friends, I'm off to bed; I'm very tired, and my legs and feet ache, BUT I couldn't be happier!!!

Tomorrow Again and Again

We're in San Francisco now, waiting and waiting. A long layover here, but that's just what you have to do, isn't it?

 Awoke 3:45 this morning, left Reno at 6:00, leave San Fran at 11:40 a.m., when we arrive in Japan it will be tomorrow yet again. let me tell you it's not been an easy day.an hour delayed, no individual tvs, but a huge screen  that is almost impossible to ignore.

Still, we have a fantastic that the flight will arrive at Narita and we'll walk out into a new world--and a new day!

Exhausted, we did our airport errands--customs, immigration, picking up our wi-if device, getting Japanese money and took the Narita Express for 1 1/2 hours into Tokyo where Jamie and Hideko found their way through the immense Shinjuku station to our proper exit, then a taxi--two, actually, since they're small--winding around circuitous, very narrow streets to our humble abode. We wandered off for some dinner--

Then we settled into our own house! Jamie and Hideko's room is airy and roomy--

__Sam's and mine are also comfortable. The steps to the second floor are quite steep,

so I chose to be on the ground floor.

We're ready now to be off on our adventure--sunshine and blue sky, at least for the morning.  The flight was exhausting, as I said, but we are here! Excited and ready to begin our adventure in Tokyo!!

Graduation? Achieved! Japan? Tomorrow!!!!!

My dear grand-daughter graduated from high school yesterday.

Tomorrow we leave for Japan with my dear son and his sweet wife!

Watch for blogs, hopefully every day!