Final Thoughts

As expected the ten days went by in a flash.  Japan is a wonderful country and the people are special.  So gracious and thoughtful.  It is a wonderful country to travel in.

Along with getting to see another country and another culture, travelling is a great family activity.  The boys enjoyed the independence of being on the road.  Managing the trains, heading to the hotel room on their own, keeping track of their bag and backpack.

It seems fitting to finish with some of the fun images that remind me of the little things that make Japan unique.  Toilets, trains, vending machines and gadgets...

Ticket machines for the train - so that's how they work!

Mommy's next outfit

Pocari Sweat - our favorite drink in Japan

Vending machines everywhere

Ancient Japanese expression

Cream puff machine on Miyajima



 

Shinkansen selfie

Heading home from Osaka



Enjoying Kyoto

Two more cold days in Kyoto enjoying the city.  Japan experienced the coldest weather it had seen in a decade.  Definitely more than we had packed for.  Luckily it was dry, and we even had some sunshine for the reflections off Kinkakuji (the golden temple).  More temples on day two.  The boys were relieved that it was castles only on day three.

We met up with Baaba's two sisters on Thursday and enjoyed a stroll through the old streets of Geion.  No geisha sightings, but wonderful narrow twisting streets and old buildings.  Then enjoyed a nice dinner at Mimiu, with Udon cooked at the table.

It was a wonderful and memorable stay in Kyoto.  Lots of train rides commuting from Osaka to Kyoto each day.  The boys are now expert train riders.

Baaba's old house in Osaka

Kinkakuji (gold temple)

Cherry trees at Ryoanji in the afternoon sunlight

Nijojo (Nijo castle) - home of the Shoguns

Garden at Nijojo

Chrysanthemum roof tiles at the Imperial Palace.  Sixteen petals (eight is a lucky number) making up the Imperial family crest.

Imperial Palace

Yet another kind of cherry tree

Eating Udon at Mimiu (off Shijo in Gion)

Baaba and her sisters

First Day in Kyoto

It was really fun to be back in Kyoto and see all the familiar sights.  I was surprised at how much came flooding back after 24 years.  The Kamo-gawa (river), Mos burger, Pig and Whistle, Daimonji.  The intersection of Shirakawa and Imadegawa where I spent so much time.  Crazy how all of these memories sit just under the surface and come rushing back with the right triggers.

Kyoto is such a special city.  The beauty of the hills and rivers.  The history of the temples and shrines.  And the ease of being a foreigner.  The cherry blossoms are just winding down, with as many on the ground and in the ponds as in the trees.  It is still beautiful.  And crowded.  Apparently we were not the only ones to think this was the week to visit Kyoto.  The fun part is seeing all the Kimonos out as people celebrate the cherry blossoms.  Walking through Kiyomizu amidst kimonos and wooden sandals was very special.

The boys seeing what Tatami mat living is all about.

Kiyomizu temple, perched on the hill.

Cherry blossoms!

The pagoda at Kiyomizu

Jacob and Sam experiencing the true meaning of Kiyomizu - literally "pure water"

Grandpa and Mom in front of a pond filled with cherry blossoms

The "kimono selfie" - not a term in use when I was here in 1991

This captures so much of Japan in one shot.  The love of high tech toilets, and the creativity of managing small spaces.  No room for a sink?  Add it to the top of the toilet.  Wash your hands and refill the bowl at the same time!

Heian-jingu

Hanging cherry blossoms at Heian-jingu

Gardens at Heian-jingu

Trying to stay warm at Heian-jingu

Hiroshima

It is hard to know where to start with this post.  All of the emotions and reflections on man's past and on our future.  Both the devastating reality of what we are capable, and at the same time the hope of what might be. 

A four hour Shinkansen (bullet train) ride might as well have been a transport machine from the strange modern chaos of Tokyo to the beautiful and haunting landscape of Hiroshima.  Hiroshima is gorgeous, reminding me of my time in Kyoto with its criss-crossing rivers and green, volcanic hills.  Oysters are the delicacy of choice, with floating beds stretching across the inland sea.  And in the middle of everything sits a stark reminder of the incredible destructive power of mankind.

Boarding the Shinkansen to Hiroshima

Enjoying a bento box on the Shinkansen.  Getting good with the chopsticks.

We arrived around four o'clock and checked into the Hotel Granvia, located conveniently adjacent to the train station.  We took advantage of the afternoon sun and caught a bus down to the Peace Memorial Park.  Powerful, beautiful, haunting.  I am not sure I can name another place that brings out so many conflicting emotions.  The terror of the individual experiences; the fascination of the incredible science at work; the physics of the heat, force, and radiation all working together in fearsome and unpredictable ways; the realities of the politics of World War II; the ultimate question of how this could ever be justified.  And at the end the incredible beauty and simplicity of a people that in the end have dedicated themselves to making sure something similar never happens again.  That feels like the only thing we all can agree on.

The A-bomb dome (under scaffolding for routine maintenance).  Located directly under the bomb blast, it stands as a powerful reminder.  The bridge behind Sam was the specific target - easy for the pilots to spot as it marks the confluence of two rivers.  The bomb missed by 300m; not important when everything within a 2km radius was essentially vaporized.  140,000 people killed instantly; at least that many again of after effects.  All from about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of uranium that actually reacted.  Within one second a small sun was created with a radius of 200 feet and temperatures as hot as 2,000 degrees Celsius.  The weight of all this history is immense.  The boys asked if they should smile for this picture - I wasn't sure what to say.  Their forced expressions speak volumes.

After a fitful night of sleep it was on to Miyajima, one of the truly beautiful and reflective spots in Japan.  A shrine originally built in the twelfth century, rising up out of the water.  The peace and tranquility was a welcome salve to the images from the day before.  A reminder of the beauty and reflection that we are capable of.

Roommates in our Japanese PJs!

 

Enjoying the train to Miyajima

 

Oyster beds off Miyajima

 

The world's largest rice scoop

 

Miyajima's O-torii (big gate)

 

Exploring Itsukushima-jinja on Miyajima

 

Selfie!

 

Itsukushima-jinja

Enjoying Miyajima

 

 

 

Now on to Kyoto for the final stop in our trip...

Tokyo Reflections

Sitting on the Shinkansen (bullet train) headed to Hiroshima after three very full days in Tokyo.  So many sights and sounds, it is hard to recount them all – let alone make sense of such a sprawling density of people. 

 

Sam looking out over Shinjuku from the 45th floor of the TMG building

 

The peace of the train is a relief after three days shoulder to shoulder with thirteen million people.  Watching Japan hurdle by at 200 miles per hour in a quiet cocoon, sitting in a comfortable chair swaying gently with the turns.

The real magic of Tokyo comes from the unexpected encounters.  Watching the women line up to meet the Takarazuka actors each morning outside our hotel.  The stalls of electronic gadgets and gear in Akihabara.  King Kabab in the teen throng of Harajuku.  The meticulous order and control in the gardens of the Imperial Palace.  All of it is a reminder of the courtesy, respect and unrelenting pursuit of order of the people.  Everywhere the reminders that order and duty drive this society, not the individualism that is so celebrated in the west.

Leaving a prayer tile for Tiffany at Meiji-jingo

 

 

Sam at King Kebab with the teenage girls at Harajuku

 

 

Lining up for the Takarazuka stars outside our hotel

 

 

Tuna fish head at Tsukiji - the world's largest fish market

 

 

East Garden at the Imperial Palace

Cherry blossoms at the Imperial Palace

 

It was magical to get to explore the city with the boys and see them experience the newness of it all.  They loved the trains, loved the electronics in Akihabara, and enjoyed miso soup and curry rice for breakfast.  They also enjoyed the responsibility that comes with traveling.  Carrying their bags, keeping a room key, and managing the trains. 

With Baaba at the Imperial Palace

 

 

Meiji-jingo

 

 

The magic of Akihabara

What a way to spend a twelfth birthday!

 

 

Shabu shabu in Ginza was a great way to complete our stay.  Dinner with Aunt Fumiko celebrating Jacob’s twelfth birthday and Baaba and Grandpa’s fifty first anniversary.  Great service with an authentic Japanese feel - tatami mats and charcoal pots.

The ladies enjoying shabu shabu at Zakuro in Ginza

Happy Birthday - Omeditou Gozaimasu

Happy Fifty First Anniversary!