JAPAN!!
The sight of land after 11 days at sea was amazing! We docked in Yokohama and after our passports inspected, pictures taken, and fingerprints gathered (took a while), in the terminal, we headed to the train station to catch a train to TOKYO! Thousands of people heading in all directions ---the opposite flow of “traffic” that we are accustomed to in the United States—you keep to the left when heading up or down stairs and likewise with the direction of traffic on the streets. We grabbed a few miniature waffles at Mr. Waffle at the station---delicious and ate them as we headed to the train. The train ride was fairly short and we got off at Shimbashi Station. We were staying in Ginza. Our hotel was a ten-minute walk from the station on the upper floors of a high rise and we were excited to see the lights of Tokyo at night from the windows overlooking the city.
We had arranged to meet the Takahashi’s and they arrived shortly after we found the hotel. Yuri has grown taller, but looks the same and it was great to see them! Yuri and Emma went to school together in Paris and were part of a group of 5 girls that were inseparable. She had taken the day off of school and we spent the day with them. They suggested we go to Asakusa which was ten minutes away by train. We emerged from the train station and after a short walk were facing the Thunder gate. Beyond the gate, in the middle distance was a great Temple and the way to the temple was lined with small shops and food vendors. We would explore the shops and Temple, but first lunch! We went to a small restaurant on an upper floor overlooking the chaos below. It was so quiet inside as we slipped off our shoes and went and found our places on short chairs placed on tatami mats. Yuri’s mom ordered a traditional lunch for us: tempura shrimp, eggplant, and green beans, rice, pickled radish, miso soup, fish, and tamago, a small portion of baked egg. It was as if very little time had passed since we had last seen them, although it has been four years since they moved to Chiba and we moved to Boulder. We caught up with each other as we ate and then we headed out to get dessert and explore! We slowly made our way towards the temple and saw a short wooden building with drawers covering its side and headed over to get our fortunes! We dropped a coin in a slot in the counter and then each of us picked up a heavy metal canister and shook it vigorously until a stick began to pop out of a tiny hole in the lid. After reading the number on the stick, we opened the corresponding drawer and took out a sheet of printed-paper, which gave us our fortune. We all had good fortunes and one Excellent except for Yuri’s mom so she explained that we would take our fortunes with us and she would fold hers and tie it to a set of wooden racks beside the building to leave it behind. After that, we gathered a few feet away around a huge raided vat of incense. The smoke helps any part of your body that needs healing and you can also wave smoke toward your head as we saw many doing. The temple was enormous and beautiful with deep reds and greens, lots of gold and painted frescoed ceilings.
Later we walked through the adjoining gardens and then rubbed another Buddhas head which was warm and shiny from the touch of all who passed by. Nearby, a rack held wooden “paddles” upon which were handwritten prayers---many of the prayers concerned the exam students take before high school to determine which level of school they would be allowed to enter. There is much pressure and Yuri attends cram school two nights a week where she studies in addition to schoolwork until 10:30 at night. We heard a speaker last night whom is currently advising the Prime Minister of Japan and he told us that they have begun a pilot program around the country which has altered the exams slightly---with a “single piece of paper” he thinks vast changes are in store. What paper? Well, in addition to the traditional testing, in several locations they are adding an essay portion to the test asking the test takers to describe their lives and experiences. They have seen that with this step, mothers and fathers will broaden the children’s education beyond cram school and add travel, camps, and other experiences.
After an amazing day, we parted at the train station ---they headed home and we went back to our hotel to relax until our 9:00 sushi reservation. It was so great to see them and proves that time and distance can’t put a dent in friendships. Emma was sad to say goodbye to Yuri, and we all reluctantly parted, but we will see them again!
SUSHI!!
We headed out to Dai Sun Harumi for sushi later that night. The restaurant was small—about 8 seats and a room upstairs. We were seated at the bar and requested sushi and sashimi recommended by the chef. WOW! At first it was a bit nerve-wracking---we did not know what was heading our way, they spoke very little English, and the chef was going to watch us eat (and we had read that he would not hesitate to correct us if he thought we were not eating something correctly—YIKES). Well, it turns out that he had a good sense of humor and we enjoyed it very much. He handmade all of the beautiful pottery on which the sushi was served and was quite proud of this and each day he spent about an hour and half writing the menu out in beautiful calligraphy on a large sheet of paper he placed on the wall (which he later presented to us as a gift!). We enjoyed Bluefin sashimi, a grilled fish we can’t recall the name of, cuttlefish, tamago, sea urchin, ikura(fish eggs), soup, 3 different kinds of tuna and a Japanese dessert. Somehow, despite the language barrier, we managed to communicate in a very basic way and there was laughter and a few moments of frustration as Alden balked at a few items placed in front of him (and frankly, we sort of understood the hesitation to eat some of the alien looking fish, although on every occasion except one (clam), we were glad that we blindly trusted him).
The next day, we explored Tokyo and had fun looking around and ended up at an enormous department store stocking up on tea, chocolate, pastries and perfume---all of the necessities.
Back to the ship on the train for the passage to Kobe. The ship was quiet and those on board were treated to a special dinner ---really good—which is impossible when everyone is on board (and the food is bland). Then we landed in Kobe. Alden went with a buddy to an aquarium and Emma, Laura and Chris wandered around and then treated themselves to a Kobe beef meal which was delicious! The beef really is so delicious and tender----pretty much everyone who tried it agreed. The following day we all headed to Kyoto! Emma and Laura went with a group to see ”culture and sweets” 3 temples and a class with a “master” making Japanese sweets. Kyoto is pretty magical when you find your way to the winding hilly lanes lined with tiny shops and restaurants. Temples dotted the town---really cool temples with 1,001 life sized Buddha’s, the water temple, the Golden Pavillion…long list, but its pretty charming. The next day, around 20 people headed to a place near the ship for an “American breakfast” and the Superbowl at 8:30 am! Spirits were not high when the Broncos blew it (but the Seattle fans were whooping it up). We wandered around a bit more had lunch (more Kobe beef.) Overall though it was an amazing and memorable experience in JAPAN!
The sight of land after 11 days at sea was amazing! We docked in Yokohama and after our passports inspected, pictures taken, and fingerprints gathered (took a while), in the terminal, we headed to the train station to catch a train to TOKYO! Thousands of people heading in all directions ---the opposite flow of “traffic” that we are accustomed to in the United States—you keep to the left when heading up or down stairs and likewise with the direction of traffic on the streets. We grabbed a few miniature waffles at Mr. Waffle at the station---delicious and ate them as we headed to the train. The train ride was fairly short and we got off at Shimbashi Station. We were staying in Ginza. Our hotel was a ten-minute walk from the station on the upper floors of a high rise and we were excited to see the lights of Tokyo at night from the windows overlooking the city.
We had arranged to meet the Takahashi’s and they arrived shortly after we found the hotel. Yuri has grown taller, but looks the same and it was great to see them! Yuri and Emma went to school together in Paris and were part of a group of 5 girls that were inseparable. She had taken the day off of school and we spent the day with them. They suggested we go to Asakusa which was ten minutes away by train. We emerged from the train station and after a short walk were facing the Thunder gate. Beyond the gate, in the middle distance was a great Temple and the way to the temple was lined with small shops and food vendors. We would explore the shops and Temple, but first lunch! We went to a small restaurant on an upper floor overlooking the chaos below. It was so quiet inside as we slipped off our shoes and went and found our places on short chairs placed on tatami mats. Yuri’s mom ordered a traditional lunch for us: tempura shrimp, eggplant, and green beans, rice, pickled radish, miso soup, fish, and tamago, a small portion of baked egg. It was as if very little time had passed since we had last seen them, although it has been four years since they moved to Chiba and we moved to Boulder. We caught up with each other as we ate and then we headed out to get dessert and explore! We slowly made our way towards the temple and saw a short wooden building with drawers covering its side and headed over to get our fortunes! We dropped a coin in a slot in the counter and then each of us picked up a heavy metal canister and shook it vigorously until a stick began to pop out of a tiny hole in the lid. After reading the number on the stick, we opened the corresponding drawer and took out a sheet of printed-paper, which gave us our fortune. We all had good fortunes and one Excellent except for Yuri’s mom so she explained that we would take our fortunes with us and she would fold hers and tie it to a set of wooden racks beside the building to leave it behind. After that, we gathered a few feet away around a huge raided vat of incense. The smoke helps any part of your body that needs healing and you can also wave smoke toward your head as we saw many doing. The temple was enormous and beautiful with deep reds and greens, lots of gold and painted frescoed ceilings.
Later we walked through the adjoining gardens and then rubbed another Buddhas head which was warm and shiny from the touch of all who passed by. Nearby, a rack held wooden “paddles” upon which were handwritten prayers---many of the prayers concerned the exam students take before high school to determine which level of school they would be allowed to enter. There is much pressure and Yuri attends cram school two nights a week where she studies in addition to schoolwork until 10:30 at night. We heard a speaker last night whom is currently advising the Prime Minister of Japan and he told us that they have begun a pilot program around the country which has altered the exams slightly---with a “single piece of paper” he thinks vast changes are in store. What paper? Well, in addition to the traditional testing, in several locations they are adding an essay portion to the test asking the test takers to describe their lives and experiences. They have seen that with this step, mothers and fathers will broaden the children’s education beyond cram school and add travel, camps, and other experiences.
After an amazing day, we parted at the train station ---they headed home and we went back to our hotel to relax until our 9:00 sushi reservation. It was so great to see them and proves that time and distance can’t put a dent in friendships. Emma was sad to say goodbye to Yuri, and we all reluctantly parted, but we will see them again!
SUSHI!!
We headed out to Dai Sun Harumi for sushi later that night. The restaurant was small—about 8 seats and a room upstairs. We were seated at the bar and requested sushi and sashimi recommended by the chef. WOW! At first it was a bit nerve-wracking---we did not know what was heading our way, they spoke very little English, and the chef was going to watch us eat (and we had read that he would not hesitate to correct us if he thought we were not eating something correctly—YIKES). Well, it turns out that he had a good sense of humor and we enjoyed it very much. He handmade all of the beautiful pottery on which the sushi was served and was quite proud of this and each day he spent about an hour and half writing the menu out in beautiful calligraphy on a large sheet of paper he placed on the wall (which he later presented to us as a gift!). We enjoyed Bluefin sashimi, a grilled fish we can’t recall the name of, cuttlefish, tamago, sea urchin, ikura(fish eggs), soup, 3 different kinds of tuna and a Japanese dessert. Somehow, despite the language barrier, we managed to communicate in a very basic way and there was laughter and a few moments of frustration as Alden balked at a few items placed in front of him (and frankly, we sort of understood the hesitation to eat some of the alien looking fish, although on every occasion except one (clam), we were glad that we blindly trusted him).
The next day, we explored Tokyo and had fun looking around and ended up at an enormous department store stocking up on tea, chocolate, pastries and perfume---all of the necessities.
Back to the ship on the train for the passage to Kobe. The ship was quiet and those on board were treated to a special dinner ---really good—which is impossible when everyone is on board (and the food is bland). Then we landed in Kobe. Alden went with a buddy to an aquarium and Emma, Laura and Chris wandered around and then treated themselves to a Kobe beef meal which was delicious! The beef really is so delicious and tender----pretty much everyone who tried it agreed. The following day we all headed to Kyoto! Emma and Laura went with a group to see ”culture and sweets” 3 temples and a class with a “master” making Japanese sweets. Kyoto is pretty magical when you find your way to the winding hilly lanes lined with tiny shops and restaurants. Temples dotted the town---really cool temples with 1,001 life sized Buddha’s, the water temple, the Golden Pavillion…long list, but its pretty charming. The next day, around 20 people headed to a place near the ship for an “American breakfast” and the Superbowl at 8:30 am! Spirits were not high when the Broncos blew it (but the Seattle fans were whooping it up). We wandered around a bit more had lunch (more Kobe beef.) Overall though it was an amazing and memorable experience in JAPAN!