Our last day in Japan

We of course went back to the Tsukiji Market so that Greg could once again experience amazing sushi.  I mean, melt in your mouth sushi!  And, while I love the sushi, I really love all the weird things in bags and boxes.  Like, the bag of fish eyeballs below. Hmm, fish-eye stew?  No, football fish-eye chili?

Here is the sushi slicer, cutting out the fatty tuna pieces. Which is incredibly, incredibly good.  It melts like butter in your mouth.

Greg makes friends with the sushi maker!!!  And, after two stops at this incredible sushi stand, and Greg eating probably 342 pounds of sushi and sashimi...I finally dragged him away.

Just like this Japanese man carting away his goods from the fish market, we packed up and headed to the airport!

A subway train, a monorail and 3 flights will bring us back to all the people that mean the world to us.  As with any travel, our souls have shifted some having seen the moon shine on another spot of this great earth.

See you soon! All our love.
JoAnn (writer) and Greg (photographer and technical technician)

Lessons from Japan

Some things that I learned from Japan:

A gazillion people can live together in the utmost cleanliness,  without a single piece of litter.  I may have seen a total of (literally) 3 pieces if trash during the entire trip.  Every single nook and cranky, meaning streets, stores, every inch and every corner-clean.  It is the cleanest place I have ever been (besides my mom's and Greg's mom's house).

A gazillion people can live together without any loud noise.  Tons of cars, no horns beeping.  No radios too loud, no loud talking, no invading of your space.  It's quiet.   Even the train station bells are like wind chimes.  The airports, murmurs of voices but quiet.  Even being among so many people, I feel so relaxed.   A gazillion people and its incredibly peaceful.

A gazillion people can take pride in everything they do.  I had read that in Japan everything is 'pretty.'  But, I think it meant to say that everything is a work of art.  And, with art comes pride.  Every bag, every piece of food is a piece of art.  Even my tiny cookie bag was so beautiful.  It was a cheap butter cookie.  But, the bag showed the pride of what was inside.

A gazillion people and I never smelled anything offensive.  Not trash from restaurants, not a person on the train/bus/streetcar/taxi had an odor or too much perfume.  If you have ever been to any city, you know this is not an easy thing to do.

A gazillion people and the balance between modernizing and preserving is maintained.  The new and the ancient.  A culture moving forward, but respecting what came before them.

In Japan, every sense--sight, smell, hearing, taste--was nurtured.  

Castles and crossings

This morning we went to see Nijojo Castle in Kyoto.  The three pictures below show some of the outside grandeur.  No photographs were allowed inside.

On our way back to Tokyo, Greg captured the BEST picture of Mt Fuji!!!

After dinner Greg and I made a very looooong night walk through the back roads of Hiro-o.  A very quiet, peaceful walk to Shibuya Crossing.  Shibuya Crossing is rumored to be the world's busiest intersection and while this picture shows the expanse of the place - being there surrounded by a sea of people is quite an experience!  The picture shows the huge shopping district and massive amount of people crossing the street.

This picture shows our astonished faces!  Don't worry moms we held tight to each other!

Sardines and mermaids

Conversations:

Greg:    I really enjoyed the eel last night.
JoAnn: Um, it was okay.  Too fishy and tasted like sardines.
Greg:    Have you ever had a sardine?
JoAnn: No.
Greg: So, how do you know it tasted like a sardine?
JoAnn:  Because I have smelled them.

Heido (our tour guide in Hiroshima)
Heido:  (showing us a picture of three women protectors) They say that the floating torii is protected by these three women.
JoAnn:   Are they out in the water?
Heido: Yes, to protect the torii.
JoAnn:  Why don't they call them mermaids?
Heido (looking confused).  Greg trying not to bust up laughing.

Thoughts on food

People really eat light over here.  Small meals, small portions.  I mean, we had two guides drag us around for hours and we'd eat a small piece of fish and a scattering of rice.  Maybe they do this because we are obviously tourists?  Because I am telling you, by day 4 as a tourist you are so darn hungry you will eat anything.  Example, today I ate a rice ball full of little fish.  Whole, little, eyeballs-still-in fish.  They looked like small mealworms.  What did I do?  Noticed them, showed Greg (read: bragged some) and ate them.  Would I have done this on day 1?  No.  Do you know why? Yesterday I walked southern Japan for about 14 hours and do you know what I ate? A few oysters, a rice ball, 2 coffees, green tea and a couple pieces of nigiri.  Dessert?  Apple juice.  (I opted out of eating the jiggly square they called sweet dessert.  No, it was not jello and it had little black dots in it which could have been anything including fish eyes). So, in my absolute hunger of this afternoon, I ate whole, little, eyeballs-still-in fishes.  And, I would (will) do it again.

In the railway stations you can pick up little sandwiches. They are small, crust-free squares of surprise.  They are about 2-inches x 2-inches stacked 6 high and each one is different.  Sandwich surprises, think box of chocolates, but sandwiches.  We had a egg salad one with ham, crazy delicious!  Who knew?  I had a tomato, mayo (yup they have mayo here) and corn one.  So good!  Soft boiled, flat egg? In there too.  Piece-a-sumpin' you can't figure out, bright red with a crunch of lettuce.  Check.  To paraphrase Forrest Gump, life is like a stack of sandwiches in Japan, you never know what your going to get!

Greg loves his tempura.  He thinks it is very Japanese.  We walked miles to find a tempura place.  It's fried anything--peppers, shrimp, vegetables.  It's essentially carnival food.  Think it, fry it, dunk it in some 'special' Japanese 'tempura sauce.'  It is good, but I truly don't get it.  It is oddly American.  I was kind of walking around looking for a KFC sign.  However, I would happily walk until the end of the world to find it for Greg. (Awwww.)

Hiroshima

Another whirlwind day!  14 hours of touring, shoo wee!  Probably our most memorable day for many reasons.  We started off in Kyoto and took the bullet train to Hiroshima where we met our guide Hedio (pronounced he-day).  Together, we took another train and than a beautiful ferry ride to Miyajima Island to see the great floating gate or Itsukushima Shrine.  As you can see, the torii emerges from the sea and appears as if it is just floating.  And, to some extent it is.  Only the weight of the structure (60-70 tons) anchors it in the water.  This shrine is a World Heritage Site.

This part of Japan is known for its Samurai warriors, so of course Greg threw me in to fight one before we could get onto the island!!!

This is a picture of our guide Heido.  He was fantastic; very organized and knowledgeable.  We learned a lot.

Oh, on the island are lots and lots of unencumbered, free- roaming deer.  I think he wants something in my rucksack!

Here you can see how glorious the torii looks with the mountains in the background.
Photographer: G. D. Sutton

In front of the torri is the shrine which feels as if it is floating on water.  Again, the mountains frame this island and make it seem even more majestic.

Greg and I on the floating shrine with the pagoda behind us.

A view of the shops in the small island village.

Next, we took a train to the A-Bomb Dome.

Below are various pictures of the A-Bomb Dome.  Prior to being bombed the the A-Bomb Dome was a market.  While much of this structure is melted, charred or evaporated -- the remainder is still standing is because the atomic bomb exploded directly overtop of the A-Bomb Dome meaning some of the structure was spared.  As you know, the entire surrounding area was vaporized.

This picture shows how Hiroshima has grown and overcome to be a flourishing city by the sea.
You can see the A-Bomb Dome Building in the back drop.

We also saw: the Peace Clock Tower (which rings everyday at 8:15 am the time the bomb was dropped), the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound (where 70,000 body remains are buried), the Flame of Peace (which will not burn out until nuclear weapons are abolished and has lit the torch for 2 Olympic games), a tree which survived the atomic bomb, and the Peace Memorial Museum.  All very moving and emotional.

On a lighter note.....on our way home Greg met some friends!!!

And, I battled Pokémon!

WWWssssssffff

We finally did it!!! You would be so proud of us!  What am I talking about? We can actually slurp our noodles.  It has taken a couple days, but we did it this morning at breakfast.  Again, we ate a hot noodle soup breakfast at a packed place in the train station.  Crowded and full of slurpers.  Greg did it first (of course), it started with a "wfff."  I looked at him, head in his bowl and thought, huh.  Then looked around to see if anyone was looking at him.  No one heard him because they are all slurping too!  Then it happened, Greg did a full-on longer slurp "wwwsssfffffffff."  So, I could not help myself.  Wssssffffffssssffff.  

Greg: Wsssfffsfffsf.
Me:  Wssfftttssssfff.
Together: Wsssffs, wsssff. Wsssffttfffff. Wsssssssf.

It happened. We became noodle slurpers.  Authentic Japanese noodle slurpers!!!  If it weren't for Greg being 3 feet taller than most Japanese people and me having blonde hair, we might actually blend in.  Wssssfffts.

Problem we learned with noodle slurping is this: napkins are a rarity.  So, slurp at your own risk.

Thank heaven for 7-11

Howdy all in 'Merica.  Just wanted to send a few thoughts prior to getting this day started.

I wanted to congratulate Greg for wearing a new outfit yesterday.  He finally changed out of the outfit he was wearing since Virginia Beach.  Yep.

I wanted to shout out to Japan for having convenience stores that are 24/7 because if you are not open 24/7, you just are not convenient.  Do you hear me CVS and Walgreens?

Greg is really working on his Japanese, Bob and Dawn you would be proud.  But, for the life of him he can't get anyone to say 'ohayo' (good morning) back to him.  He cheerfully says it and people mumble something back that is not 'ohayo.'   We wonder what they are really saying?

The Japanese fruits are on steroids.  All of it looks awesome-- big and brightly colored, making me afraid to eat it.  Is this what fruit is supposed to look like or should I be scared.  Their green grapes look like golf balls.  In any case, I am munching down on clementines that look like balls of fire, in case I grow 2 feet, no questions please.

Coffee does not happen in this country until after 7.  Are the Japanese really working that hard if their coffee shops are not open until 7?

Well folks, that's it for now.  Headed on another tour this morning.  Yeah, we set our alarm for 5:30.  Scurried around looking for coffee already.  The front desk told Greg that most places don't open until 7 for coffee, he looked at me and said, "that's not okay for my girl."  Yeah, baby, it's not okay.  Thank heaven for the Japanese 7-11.

Sending big hugs and kisses to everyone--enjoy your coffee! :)

Kyoto with Goto

Meet our new Japanese friend Kazuhiro Goto, or Goto for short (pronounced go-toe).  He was a very nice tour guide and never ran out of energy!  We actually went to all of the destinations on our tour and he took us around to other sites because he said his wife would be upset if he came home early! We went to several World Heritage sites (shrines and temples) and had a traditional Japanese lunch with him.

Our first stop was the Fushimi Inari Shrine, built in the early 8th century, was dedicated to the gods of rice and sake.  It has endless numbers of red gates (torii) spread across a wooded hillside.  One of the oust impressive sights in Kyoto.

While at Fushimi Inari, we tried our luck at wish stones.  Legend has it that you make a wish and then lift up the stone, if the stone is lighter than you expected your wish will come true.  Um, that stone was heavy.

When I came out of the bathroom, there were several schoolgirls waiting for me...I thought, yeah--they know I'm famous!  Asking me questions for a school field trip about my thoughts on Japan.

Then, I came out of the bathroom again and there were school kids asking Greg the same questions! He is famous too!

Goto had us taking buses throughout many small neighborhoods in Kyoto.  He also had us walking all over the place to get to those buses which was awesome because we really got to see Kyoto up close.  This is a typical street in old Kyoto...small, narrow and with an assortment of wooden houses and stores.  There's me teaching Goto some things about Kyoto! (Kidding)

Our second stop was the Kiyomizudera Temple, a World Heritage Site.   It is a Buddhist Temple located in the hills north of Kyoto.  Visitors can drink water that is believed to bestow health and longevity.  We didn't, we weren't feeling thirsty.  :)  Oh, the orange color at the first shrine and at this temple is supposed to ward off evil.

Kiyomizudera Temple pagoda.  Oh, and by the way...as if the entire structure wasn't already impressive, no nails were used in its construction.

A view of the city of Kyoto from Kiyomizudera Temple.  This temple is set up so high on the mountain you feel close to the gods.  We had to walk about a half-mile straight up hill (literally) to get to the steps that take you even higher.

The third spot, Kinkakuji Temple, another World Heritage Site.  This was absolutely breath taking.  It is Kyoto's famed Golden pavilion, built in, oh...just a mere 1397.  It was built as a retirement villa for a shogun whose son turned it into a temple.  They say the sun setting on the golden temple reflecting off the pond is an incredible sight.

While this may not be one of our funniest blogs, oh my goodness Greg and I could not stop laughing all day.  Like those belly laughs where you cry and the people around you just stare.  Part of the reason is we have perfected our Spa-Jang-Lish.  Spa-Jang-Lish is our ability now to speak really good Japanese Spanish and English in the same sentence.  Wait until we get back to tell you the stories, they will crack you up!

In any case, here is a picture of Greg's quiet new girlfriend.  Because, I'm not.

The last stop was an amazing Zen Buddhist Temple with an aesthetic sand and rock garden.  We were not allowed to bring our camera inside to show pictures of the sand and rock garden, but it was incredible.  A true art form.  While inside, we got to meet one of the highest holy men at the temple.  He was taken aback by us saying, "....you two are so happy.  The happiest couple, the best.  Stay happy."

Nothing sums up the day better.  Happy.

We are so exhausted we did not proof-read.  Zzzzzz.

Kyoto All Night-o!

(Forgot to mention in our last blog, Greg had a shrimp and onion lollipop.)

Well, well, well...it seems the only time we were able to have any kind of rest was on the darn train!  We had an awesome packed day.  We made it to Kyoto!  We had some time before meeting our guide, so we went for a walk and stumbled upon the Nishiki Market--it was on our list anyway so we went on inside.  Again, we had some good (strange) food and I think it was the first time I saw Greg turn green--from a fish/potato stick with cheese in the middle!  We thought we saw some geisha, but it turns out it was some girls dressed like geisha for tourists.   Okay, Greg wants us to think they were geisha. 😃

On the way to meet our guide, we got to see the Kyoto Tower.

We really lucked out, our guide Ryoji was awesome--he spoke great English and had a good sense of humor.  Thank goodness because I asked some questions that had Greg and the tour guide laughing out loud! :)....like 'isn't there a famous noodle resturant in Japan?'  I can explain people!  We had suggested to him to take us on a night walk in Gion, but he suggested we go to a Lantern Festival in Arashiyama.  One of the things I love about Japan is the lanterns, so this was absolutely incredible to see an entire old wooden (yet modern) town lit with hundreds of lanterns.  We walked several hundred year old staircases leading to shines lit by lanterns. It was so cool.  To get to one of the shines, we crossed the 'moon bridge,' both are below.  

At the top of one of the stairways, we got a great picture of us with Kyoto in the background.  Look carefully and you can see the Kyoto tower.

Finally, our tour ended by walking through a lit bamboo forest.  This picture only does a small amount of justice to the huge bamboo grove.  

After our tour guide left, we found a Mister Donut---remember that place?  We had a donut on our train ride back to the hotel.  Feeling so fortunate to be having this amazing experience.

Tomorrow is another busy day....

Floaties, Fish, Palace and Fuji!!!

Good morning 'Merica!  It is good to be in the land we don't understand anything that is written.  It makes every meal an adventure!   Thank goodness for pictures of food, so at least we have some idea of what our food looks like because God knows we have no idea what it is made of!  This is breakfast! I have zero idea what the floaty thing is, but it's fried and my noodles, accompanied by that floaty thing, was heavenly!  Greg even got a hot noodle bowl with some type of triangular orange thing he had no idea what it was--what did he do?  He ate it, of course.

Post-breakfast we made it back down to the Tsukiji Fish Market! I could walk around there all day!  Apparently, they have about 450 different kinds of fish or sea creatures they sell.  And, each one is cooler then the next.  I took a bunch of photos, but then I started looking like a fish-picture-taking-creeper so I stopped.  (Actually we left.).  Here are a few of the things we saw:

This is an octopus arm in case there is something you want to make with a red octopus arm.  Sliced burger style or just to fry up like octopus tenders.

I had to capture a picture of the little guys Greg ate in his seaweed last night (one of the three weird things).  This picture shows what happens when people like Greg do not eat them while slimy...they get dried out and eaten like popcorn.

Next we headed, with a honey-milk latte coffee of course, to the Imperial Palace.  This is Greg trying to make it into the picture after setting the timer!  Second time is a charm. Oh, right before this picture was taken we saw our first Tokyo runner.  An old guy about 70.  As he went past, I said 'konichiwa!'  He busted up laughing.  What did that mean? :)

This fortress was originally built in the 14th century!  Pretty old, eh?  Buuuuuut, only the walls and moats (pictures below) are original.  The palace itself has been re-built several times due to destruction.

Lastly, we needed to get to the bullet train for Kyoto.  Greg of course worked his miracles in reading symbols to get us on a reserved green line train at 11:33, car 8, row 11, seats C and D.  I just follow him, smile and try to talk to people.  In the train station we both got 'surprise sandwiches.'  Mine looked like ham and mayo---but I am not sure there is mayonnaise here so it could have been anything.  It had a tangy weird taste.  Greg, he got, well we are still not sure.  But, he ate it.  The bullet train is awesome (I am writing this on the train)!  We, meaning Greg, had his eye open for Mt Fuji because at some point during our ride we were expected to pass it.  We (he) saw it covered by clouds....then by some miracle the clouds lowered and we got a GREAT picture!  Highest peak in Japan and one of 3 sacred mountains here (the others include Mt Tate and Mt Haru).  Snow-capped and breath taking!

KYOTO HERE WE COME!!! Stay tuned for more adventures.