Up Next - Osaka, Japan

Today is Saturday. I can't believe the week is over already!

Our time in Hiroshima has been very low key. We went shopping on Thursday and on Friday we spent the day with some of Stan's relatives. We had such a nice time - they are so sweet.

FRIDAY

It was such a privilege to be invited to Stan's cousin's home. I finally got to see the inside of a traditional wooden Japanese home complete with wood floors and sliding room partitions. We took our shoes off just inside the door and we were offered slippers for our feet. We were led into the family shrine - a separate room with an altar, photographs of the parents (who are now deceased) and various religious articles. A tatami mat covered the floor and there were two large pillows on the floor in front of the altar for kneeling. It was just like the movies!

Cousin's House

Family Shrine

Rice field in the neighborhood.

After a few minutes, we migrated to a small family room which was furnished with a sofa, chairs and a coffee table. Stan and I were offered the sofa, the men sat in the chairs, and the women sat on the floor. They served tea and desserts and we enjoyed looking at photographs and recalling memories from the past. I asked lots of questions and we communicated through Stan and through our translator apps on our phones. It was hilarious when the app translated words literally and the thoughts we were trying to convey were lost. Example: Mitsuru was trying to tell me that one of the aunts was killed in the bombing but the app translated his words,  "she died in the manuscript". Huh?  At one point I was trying to tell Stan's uncle he had a sweet smile, but it came out "sweet tasting smile". LOL. We got a lot of laughs out of our app.

The evening ended with a nice dinner at a local restaurant and more laughs and conversation.

Uncle, Aunt, Cousins

Stan asked me if I wanted to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum but I didn't think I could handle seeing it. The devastation was so horrible and I could not bring myself to face it. We saw a few plaques around the city that depicted some of the destruction and just seeing those was enough for me. It's frightening to think about the pain and suffering we can inflict on each other in our diabolical quest for power, control and wealth.  May the God of Heaven have mercy on mankind and deliver us from ourselves!
 

SATURDAY

This morning was a moving day so I had a lot of packing to do. I started out with three bags and now I'm up to four! Ha! Ha!

Stan's relatives met us at the train station to see us off and brought gifts for him. (So sweet!) They invited me to come back soon and, departing from their usual custom of bowing, readily responded to my out-stretched arms with warm hugs when we said goodbye. We then boarded the Bullet Train for a 1-1/2 hour ride to Osaka.

Osaka has a high energy, fun, youthful but sophisticated vibe - not quite the formality of Tokyo. We are staying at the Hilton Osaka. As I write this, I am relaxing in the Executive Lounge and enjoying the view from the 32nd floor. (I love high-rises and big cities. You would never know I was raised on a farm in west Texas!)

Hilton - Osaka, Japan

My room at the Hilton, Osaka

Speaking of shopping (we were, weren't we?) . . .

I took this picture of a window display because I thought it was cool how the mannequins have straight, black hair - like the Japanese women.  I also loved these shoes and boots. Notice the cut-outs on the boots? Very chic!

Mannequins with straight, black hair.

On my Christmas list!

Tomorrow we explore Osaka!

Right now, it's bed-time for me. Zzzzzz.

Shopping!

Today's Activity - Shopping!

 

I only have one thing to share about shopping in Japan: After experiencing the level of customer service I received in stores today, it will be very difficult to be satisfied shopping anywhere else again.

 

Yes, it's that excellent.

 

Or maybe their customer service is average and it just stands out as excellent when compared to the mediocre (at best) service we receive in the states.

 

Either way, I loved shopping in Japan. 

 

Bullet Train to Hiroshima

Today is Wednesday.

 

Oh, I was NOT ready to leave Tokyo or the Conrad Hilton this morning! I didn't even get to enjoy the spa!

 

Nevertheless, I packed up, had a wonderful breakfast overlooking the city and the bay, waved goodbye to my room and headed out.

 

 

Next stop was the Shinagawa Station where we boarded the Bullet Train to Hiroshima. I love traveling by train because I get to see more of the country. I tried to take in as much as I could as it was whizzing past me at 200 miles per hour! I would have taken pictures but I think it all would have been a blur. LOL. 

 

Japan is beautiful. It is mountainous and very green. All the houses are built close together (like the suburb areas outside of Chicago) and the cities are densely populated. Since very few flat areas exist, the hills and mountainsides are cultivated all the way to the top. They utilize vertical space as much as possible in the form of tall buildings and multi-level housing.

 

The people of Japan are absolutely precious. They are so polite and courteous and customer service is very important to them. For example . . . on the train, attendants come through every once-in-awhile with a service cart offering snacks and beverages (similar to the airlines). When the attendant comes to the end of a rail car, she pushes the cart through the door, turns to face the passengers, bows deeply and thanks them for the opportunity to serve them. She then moves on to the next car. How cool is that? This type of attitude prevails the entire country, especially the older generation.

After a four hour train ride, we arrived in Hiroshima. We caught a cab to the hotel, got settled and changed for dinner with Stan's relatives. We had a wonderful evening with his family. Only one cousin spoke broken English but they all tried to make me feel welcome and did their best to communicate with me. I finally figured out I could use the translator app on my phone to communicate. Duh! I'm so glad I got to meet them all.

Another customer service story: When we were checking in to our hotel, a bell hop assisted us to our rooms. In the elevator, he identified himself as a trainee and apologized for not talking very much. When we got to my room, the card-key had apparently not been activated so the door wouldn't open. He was mortified. He apologized and apologized. I felt so sorry for him. All my assurances could not alleviate his embarrassment. He dropped Stan's bags off in Stan's room, bowed, and ran downstairs to correct the problem with my key. After a few minutes he returned with the card-key and thankfully, it worked. He carried my bags in, asked if I had any questions, and when he handed me the key, he bowed deeply and in a bowed position humbly apologized again. Bless his heart. The idea that he failed to deliver less than stellar customer service was embarrassing to him. He was shocked when he received a tip from Stan.

Wow. America could take a few lessons - myself included.

Here are a few videos I had a chance to upload while on the train . . .

Remember the famous Shibuya Crossing from a previous post? I took two videos - one from the window at Starbucks, and one from ground level. Notice the guy who runs out to the middle of the crosswalk and stands there with his hands out. What was that all about? LOL.

Shibuya Crossing from Starbucks window.

Shibuya Crossing at eye level.

Tomorrow - Hiroshima.

P.S. By-the-way, I finally got to see Mount Fuji from the train! Although it was a distance away, it is an imposing and impressive figure on the landscape. So glad I got to see it!

 

Mount Fuji - NOT

The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was reach over and push the button that opened my drapes!  Nice! I laid in bed and enjoyed the view of the harbor from my 30th floor vantage point! Ahhh. A girl could get used to this!

 

Stan and I had a nice (but quick) breakfast in the dining room and then we hopped on a tour bus for a guided tour to Mount Fuji.

 

I love guided tours because you learn so much about the area that you may have otherwise missed. As we drove through the city on our way out of town, our guide pointed out local landmarks, gave brief history lessons, and shared humorous and interesting facts about the local customs, culture,  dietary habits, and persons of interest.

 

Once outside the city we got to see the beautiful countryside which is densely wooded  and mountainous. There are little towns and farming communities tucked up against the mountains and fall colors are beginning to pepper the landscape.

 

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 12,389 ft. It is classified as an active volcano but it hasn't erupted since 1707-08. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well known symbol of Japan and Mount Fuji is one of Japan's  three "Holy Mountains".

 

This photo of Mount Fuji is beautiful and I wish I had taken it today. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy and rainy and we couldn't see the summit . . . or anything else for that matter.  Instead, this is what we saw:

 

 

 

Oh well. The drive to the 5th station was lovely and I did get to hold a piece of lava rock from Mount Fuji in my hand.

 

Our tour also included a short ferry ride on Lake Ashinoko followed by a tram ride to the summit of Mount Hakone.

 

 

Apparently summits were not in the plan for me today because the tram ride was a NO GO. When Stan and I arrived at the loading area for the stand-and-ride tram, it was absolutely packed full of people standing earlobe-to-earlobe! I couldn't believe how tight they were all shoved inside that tram. The ride was 7 minutes to the top and I didn't think I would be able to handle being sandwiched in there with all those people so I refused to board. We wanted to wait for the next tram, but the operator said the next one would be just as full. We decided to sit it out. It was overcast and rainy and visibility was low anyway so I didn't push the issue.

 

Our last adventure for the day was riding back to Tokyo on the Bullet Train. Wow! That thing is fast. I think it travels 200+ miles per hour. You get where you're going in a hurry!  While we were waiting for our train, another Bullet Train came through the station. I'm sure the conductor slowed down a bit so the air blast wouldn't blow everyone off the platform, but still, look how fast this thing travels:

 

Tomorrow we leave Tokyo and travel to Hiroshima. I better get to bed! It's late!

 

Shiodome - Moving East

Monday was a moving day.

 

Moving day means I have to pack up all my stuff, schlep it, and transfer to a new hotel. I'm usually not ready to switch locations but I always look forward to seeing what's next.

 

I dislike the packing part. My stuff seems to expand and get heavier every time I re-pack it. How does that work? And Stan dislikes the schlepping part because he ends up carrying not only his stuff, but some of mine as well! LOL.

Breakfast at the hotel before moving to east side of Tokyo.

 

Anywho, we arrived at our next destination which was the Conrad Hilton on the east side of Tokyo! Yes indeedy-heedy! This is a luxury skyscraper hotel in the heart of the business district where all the beautiful people are. The hotel is an interesting blend of contemporary luxury with a touch of traditional Japanese culture. Our rooms were on the bay side; the view was beautiful.

Room at the Conrad Hilton, Tokyo

Lounge at the Conrad Hilton, Tokyo

 

We spent the afternoon in Asakusa, a neighboring city. Our goal was to find a specific spice shop so Stan could buy a gift for a friend. After that, we walked around the area and checked out the local vendors and street market.

 

Stan found his spice store.

Rickshaw

 

At the end of the street we visited another shrine and I ran into three ladies dressed in traditional kimono.  They were so polite when I asked them if I could take a picture with them. The fabric on these kimonos was exquisite. The photo does not do justice.

Sensoji Temple

After a long day of walking, I decided to stay in and catch up on the blog. Here is the view I got to enjoy for the evening. Beautiful!

 

Shinjuku, Japan

I'll start off by saying that 11+ hours on an airplane is a very long time - even in First Class!

 

Our first travel day(s) started off at 4:00 AM. We had to be at LAX early for our first leg from Los Angeles to San Jose, California. I managed to get through security with all my baggies of liquids (which never ceases to amaze Stan) and we were off.

 

We had a three hour lay-over in San Jose which was spent very comfortably in the Premier Lounge. (God bless Stan and his gold card!)

At about 1:30 pm we finally boarded the airplane for our flight to Tokyo and before we left the ground I was transported to a whole new world. The Japanese flight attendants were so polite, so respectful, and started and ended every interaction with a bow. They went out of their way to ensure my comfort throughout the entire flight and by the time the flight was over, I wanted to grab my flight attendant and squeeze her precious self!

 

I wanted to, but I didn't.

 

The long flight time was spent catching up on movies (since I had my own personal TV monitor) - four movies to be exact - and we were served two meals along the way.  Still, with all the luxury, it is very difficult to stay put for 11 hours. I felt sorry for the people in coach who were crammed in tight spaces and were probably bored silly. I was very ready to disembark by the time the plane landed.

 

It took quite awhile to retrieve luggage, ship a package ahead to our next destination, purchase rail passes and get organized but we finally hopped on the train for a 45 minute ride to the city. Once in Tokyo, we walked a few blocks to the hotel, checked-in, grabbed a quick bite and CRASHED. We had been up for about 26 hours by then and I was exhausted.

 

My room at the Hilton, Tokyo.

 

 

 

DAY TWO - SUNDAY

 

Our hotel is located in Shinjuku, the heart of the downtown government / business district. This part of Tokyo has a "big city USA" vibe and I feel right at home.  We got a late start on Sunday morning so we decided to walk around, see the sites and keep it simple. 

 

View from my hotel window on the 28th floor.

 

 

Tokyo has an amazing, mind-boggling  subway network that includes I don't know how many stations all connected by under-ground walkways that are like shopping malls. It's crazy! Thankfully, my tour guide is experienced and knowledgeable so all I had to do was try to keep up . . . and I DO mean KEEP UP. Stan lost me once and I had no idea where he was. I stopped for a second to look at a billboard and when I turned around, he was gone! I decided to stay put and let him come find me - which he did. Ha! Ha!

 

Subway network.

 

 

We are where?

Times Square, Tokyo

 

 

Shibuya Station was our next destination. It's a shopping and entertainment area where all the young people hang out. It's high energy, noisy, and fun. The buildings are covered in brightly colored signage and on the day we were there, it was crowded and bustling.

 

This lovely costume was in the window
of a dance apparel shop.

 

You know the clothing store, Free People?
This is their van. Cute, huh?

 

Prominent landmark of Shibuya is this intersection.
It gets flooded by pedestrians when the crossing
light turns green. It is a popular movie film spot.

 

Next stop was the Meiji Jingu shrine.  The shrine is located in a forest that covers 175 acres. All of the trees (about 120,000) were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established in the 1920's.  The shrine was built to honor Emperor Meiji after his death in 1912 for his role in the Meiji Restoration. Here are some photos I took along the way. 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitors wash their hands before entering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spider web!

 

This picture is blurry but I liked the bridge so I included it.



,Th

 

After our visit to the shrine, we hopped on the subway and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening's activities. I took a few shots of the architecture in the downtown area near the hotel.

Cocoon Building

Notice how they drive on the incorrect side of the road?

Back at the hotel we had a quick dinner, changed, and headed out again to the (ah-hem) posh area of Aoyama for the Dave Koz concert. Blue Note Tokyo is a cousin to the famous Blue Note New York club. It only holds 300 people so seating is up close and personal. It was awesome. Dave always puts on a good show and now I can say I've seen him in three cities.

 

 

Dave Koz, Blue Note Jazz Club, Tokyo, Japan

 

 

 

It was a jammed packed day and by the time I got back to the hotel I was ready to be off my feet. As much as we saw, we only scratched the surface.

(PS - To enlarge the photos, click on one and slideshow mode will launch.)