Day 1; Traveling to Japan: a funny airport story

My husband is Latin. He has a handsome face, distinct, and clearly Latin. So we arrive extra early at the airline (in typical husband fashion, our flights at 11:35 am and we arrive at 7:45 am!!!) We needed luggage tags and I could take the time to fill them out while we sipped our coffee & tea at Starbucks downstairs, instead of at the luggage counter.

He walked up to the Japan Airlines counter and said to the smiling attendant, "Hi, I need 4 luggage tags." She replied "BUT SIR (still smiling) this is Japan Air!" He looked at her and said "Yes, I'm going to Japan" (he smiled big). She kept smiling big at him.

Meanwhile I'm by the escalator and this Japanese guy in a nice suit quickly walks right by me and my 4 luggage pieces and leans on the escalator directly behind me. My red flags went up, I'm from the city, what's he doing by me? He's looking and says "Hello." I reply Hi. "Are you going to Japan?" I'm puzzled...

I am standing in front of Japan Airlines right? And a city girl. Some guy I have never met ran up behind me and leaned against the stairs and is asking me where I'm going? "Yes," I reply and turn away. "For vacation?" he asks. (My minds racing in the crazy thoughts I have. And quickly a scene runs through my head where next he asks me 'Can You take this Package for me on the airplane?') "Yes" I said and turn away.

Husband walks up and we both stare at each other with that something. weird. just. happened. to. me. face. (after 10 years you can read each others body language like a book). We head downstairs and we both say "guess what happened."

We realize this guy is probably our greeter from the airline maybe (?). Well, after our tea break & filling in our luggage tags, we returned upstairs an had a whole welcoming committee!!! The President of Japan Air division personally helped check in our luggage We met him at the initial meeting). My friend from the stairs is the President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce (to whom I later explained my hesitancy). Our travel agent too. We feel so taken care of. It's a wonderful start to a great amazing experience.

Fun and funny, Happy Travels!!

Day 14: Tokyo Tour Sunday Afternoon from Hamamatsu bus terminal

Today we are taking a bus tour of Tokyo's famous sites.

¥5,000 (approx. $50 US per person for a group of 20 people which they consider a "small" group on the 100 person bus). The tour runs  1:40-5:40pm

Visit Key Tokyo Sites.

- Seaside top world trade center

- Imperial palace place formerly Edo Castle

- Nakamise Shopping district (famous shopping strip)

- Boat tour, includes bridges of Tokyo River and Tokyo Tower view

- Return to Tokyo Station

Then tonight we will take a taxi to Haraku neighborhood and trendy area.

See my post on Japan Shopping: 

Nakamise street in Asakusa is the best place in Tokyo to buy souvenirs. The street leads to Sensoji — Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple. 

Go to the Uniqlo U.T. Store in Harajuku. It is pretty much the best clothing store in the world. (great for tshirts) well I don't know about that because its rather pricey!!

At the start of the tour when we entered the bus they first handed out free advertisements, a cell phone cleaning cloth with a brochure inside. We see people on the street passing out napkins with brochures in plastic bags.

Then she read an advertisement from a local high end retailer store inviting us to visit them for typical Japan Summer Sweets. Then they jumped into the schedule for the day.

It's hot, really hot. 90 degrees feels like 100. But it's not humid like in Osaka.

We totally needed our sweat tags today! And my umbrella!!

After the Edo castle we are going to the Nakamise Street Shopping district and the Asakusa Shrine (including Buddhas statue, who reached enlightenment, and the  Bodhisattva Statue, who's on the process to enlightenment).  

Bathroom Break - Japanese Style

Bring your own napkins!!

We passed a famous kabuki theatre (where performances are only by men) and we are hitting the Tokyo expressway.

There's a campaign election July 21 so in all the major cities we have been hearing their advertisements and campaign promises. The actual politician is in the mini bus, covered in ads and there using a live megaphone (not a recorded message).

A fisherman found a figurine and he went to his master with it. The master built the shrine.

It's raining again as we leave Nakamise shopping area, torrential down pour!! Didn't Tokyo get the official announcement that the rainy season is over? 

Smart salesman busted out all his umbrellas. It's a small island, so these umbrellas, the clear ones, the long fancy ladies version and the small handelds are all the options - seen everywhere!! 

From JapanGuide.com about Tokyo's Sites & Population

Asakusa's main attraction is Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century. The temple is approached via the Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.

Fast facts about Tokyo Prefecture versus Tokyo City

According to the 2010 Japanese census, the 23 wards that make up the city of Tokyo have a population of 8,949,447. 

The 23 wards made up the boundaries of the historic city of Tokyo, which was officially dissolved in 1943 when it merged with the prefecture. The Tokyo prefecture, into which Tokyo city was merged, was home to 13,047,446 people in 2010. But the story doesn’t end there – the Tokyo urban area extends beyond even the prefecture’s boundaries.

Happy Travels, and Happy to go home!

Day 12: DRIVING 4-Hours to Miyagi from Kamaishi

Today Miki rented a mini van for our 4-hour drive to Miyagi (yes, we Remember the city name by Mr. Miyagi from karate kid). The drive is very mountainous as we move along the coast. There's a GPS in the car, telling Mikisan to slow down. Haha. Small hillside villages are everywhere. They have mountainside gardens and farming similar to Peru. The mountainside has "steps" to allow for irrigation, otherwise the water would simply wash away. Its a beautiful drive!

This is clearly a logging and fishing community. Japan is a slow to change culture, so after the tsunami they didn't move there homes up hill, instead you "put more effort" and persevere as before. We are hearing that people are rebuilding their communities where the foundations are. They are not moving away from these communities or up hill in the same community, instead going back to exactly where they were. This is still shocking to me.

Happy travels!!

Day 11: Kamaishi Volunteer Project: English Conversation, Post Tsunami Life in Temporary Housing, Conversation in English

Unfortunately while blogging, posting pictures has been challenging. During our stay I will keep up the posts, but pictures will follow after we get back to the States! 

People who live in Kamaishi (pronounced  comma-ee-she) temporary housing range from families to elderly. Our conversation was with the seniors group, ranging in age from 50's-74. When we announced our ages they said being in your 30's was so young.

We brought Chicago themed books, our was a coffee table book with pictures of downtown. The teachers brought some kids themed books more conducive to learning English (so well prepared :-). 

After chatting we decided to start with introducing ourselves "I am..." And what our favorite food is " I like..." Asking perhaps family questions or what type of work you do/did might be too difficult. We are all very sensitive to their needs. Most likes were bananas, sushi, rice and Husbands pizza. The class was silly, a lot of laughing and the ladies covering there mouths giggling. But everyone participated. 

In the temporary housing they have issues still tied to the tsunami disaster. So many friends and relatives lost their lives. Many people don't even leave there homes and there is no mental health support. So holding this "conversation" activity is simply to help change the pace and give them something fun to do which they can have good memories of later. 

We moved away from the Chicago book to some family pictures. After teaching "sky scraper" "open" bridge and "street" we showed family on the iPad. The Japanese mentioned America has many parks and playgrounds for kids. Their impression was also that there's so much to do.

Sharing and sitting with them around tables on tatame mats was fun and memorable.

Happy travels!

Day 7: Tanabanata Star Festival Japan

The Famous Romantic Star Festival

July 7, 2013

In the center of our hotel is a giant bamboo plant with color Prayer cards hanging from it. The star festival is when vega, a weaving girl and Altair, a cowherd boy, who fell deeply in love. They enjoyed eachothers company and spent so much time ogether the stopped wirkig hard. So the King seperated them by a river. Now the can only meet on the milky-way once a year. We mere humans can write prayers on the cards and hang them on the banboo tree so Altair and Vega can grant your wish.. 

Our hotel the Grandvia is also symbolically supporting the Sundai area which suffered the earthquake and tsunami.  After the festival the hotel will send their bamboo plants to Sundai.

No longer a part of the ceremony for conservation reasons, Japanese used to take bamboo from there home and float it down the river which then flowed to the Milky Way.

3.11 Tsunami

The tsunami that hit Japan is talked about often by our guide. She always introduces tha stop with "When we go to Sundai, which was hit By the tsunami..."

I am preparing myself to see people who still live in temporary housing. And children who lost one or both parents.  We will be holding a "volunteer effort" while we are here conducting English Practice and Conversation. JEEP last year held a "hot dog" event making over 2,000 free hot dogs for a local festival. People are still depressed in that area having lost so much!! They often stay inside their homes, so the local government and organizations hold events to bring people out and help them move on, and heal.

At the Hiroshima Grand Via Hotel

At the Kyoto New Miyako Hotel

Safe Travels with much reward. Happiness.

Day 7: Japanese Women's Big Bag Fashion an Furugi (Old Clothes)

The Japanese women would be appalled that I put their stylish selves in the same post as thrift store shopping!

Here are some stylish bags an their ladies

And some Kimonos at the Chicago Furugi. Japanese don't like used clothes because of the "spirits" that could linger behind from their previous owners. But these young shoppers don't seem to mind. 

Happy Shopping and Travels!

Day 6: Kyoto Hanamaki Tour of Shinto and Buddhist Shrines

We are on a 3-hour tour of Kyotos Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. There are 1,600 Shinto Shrines and 300 Buddhist Temples in Kyoto. This type of group tour runs ¥12,075 per person, about $127 US. We stayed on the bus through the first two stops, then we bailed to do some shopping and walk to a restaurant.

Leaving our New Miyako hotel there is a celebration of the Star Festival Tanabata as well. 

Shinto Shrine. Entrance 

Panoramic Pictures

Tree with the good luck and bad luck chances, sianara!

Lotus Flowers are in Bloom

Walkway over the water

School kids throwing bread to the turtles

And a pleasant treat, a traditional wedding in Kyoto. 60% of Japanese hold a western style wedding after their traditional vows.

Happy Travels!!

Day 5: Hiroshima Hotel Grand Via Breakfast, Bathrooms and Star Festival

The Hotel Grand Via has a great lobby attached right next to the Shinkansen Bullet Train station. It is NOT located in downtown Hiroshima.

They have two restaurants. A traditional Japanese Breakfast at the American Buffet. Can you guess which plate is husbands and which one is mine?

The morning newspaper in English from the Japan Times Los Angeles.

The buffet area options

As you know already Japan has western style bidet toilets everywhere. These photos are from the hotel lobby toilet. I hadn't talked to the kids in 18 hours and I was balling my eyes out in the hotel lobby when I hung up. So I hit the rest room. Twice. When Husband came down from the room I cried.again!! 

These are the controls on the walls when you walk in the stall. Immediately the sound of running water turns on. No shame making bathroom noises here! Running water is on for about 45 seconds with a restart button if needed. Feel free to pee.

To the right of the door is a foot rest, us Ganji don't need them unless you enjoy peeing with your chin resting on your knees? 

The Japanese Star Festival, popular in the Tsunami affected prefecture, is July 7. The festival celebrates when once a year the vega god meets another god on the Milky Way. So guests can sign a colorful tag, which is hung on a bamboo tree, so they can send there prayers up to the gods. No longer practiced for environmental reasons, bamboo branches used to be floated down one of Hiroshimas 6 rivers so they would float to the gods as well. 

The polite waiting in line still amazes me. We Americans stampede the door, rushing to the front to wait, in a half circle around the bus entrance. The Japanese wait single file in line - so proper!

Chinese Fruit - Yummy. Mikisan our guide said the coffee machine was labeled "weak coffee" in English, but it said "American Coffee" in Japanese Kanji. 

Husband Texting our kids with Ninjago and Red Eye Tree Frog.

Our bathroom toiletries. The hotel room was nearly exactly the same as the hotel in Shin Yokohama. It's a little Stepford Wives again!! Same toiletries, same bed sheets, pillows and duvet. The headboard and decor was different (phew). It was a nicer hotel, for a lesser price. We asked for a large bed (instead of twins) so the put us, after some fuss, on a non renovated floor. Husband said the hallway smelled like feet. It was yucky-ish. They don't really do a good job cleaning the rooms. It gets the basics, but I don't think they ever shook the rugs, or visible scuff marks from the walls. 

Hotel shiping shop and store.