Impressions of Japan

When I first arrived in Japan, (well, I was in Shinjuku, one of the busiest areas in Tokyo after all), I felt that I wasn't even jet lagged! It wasn't until the next morning when I woke up at 5:30 am. Even though Tokyo is the biggest city in the world, and about the same population as Canada itself, I felt very safe there and I wasn't very overwhelmed, as I was in New York City, (clutching on to my dad while strolling around Times Square). As we ventured on into the small, peaceful town of Ena, (about a 2 hour train ride from Tokyo on the Shinkansen), I found that it was MUCH different from the busy city of Tokyo, and far more calming and relaxed. There was even something about how the people dressed there that was even slightly more laid back than the hustled business men in Shinjuku. I loved Ena and the stay with Koda-San and Karo-San was really fun. My family and I got to experience what it's like to stay in a Japanese style traditional house. I soon realized that Japan has many cities and they're all so different. There is the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku and Shibuya and then the calming and laid back town of Ena and the peaceful city of Hiroshima. When someone says, "Japan", most people might think immediately of Tokyo, shopping and cherry blossoms. Well, the truth is, is that Japan isn't all shopping, cherry blossoms and sushi. What about Mt. Fuji? How about the bombings in Hiroshima? Singing toilets? What I'm trying to say, is that there are so many different areas of Japan, and I think that's what makes it beautiful and special. 

If you've watched my interview on my thoughts about Japan, (posted on this blog), you would remember me saying that the food in Japan is much different from the Japanese food in Canada. I find that here, there is much more of a variety of Japanese foods, (soba and udon noodles, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, octopus balls, sushi, rice balls, ramen, and so on), but also a lot of Italian and Indian food as well. Some of the foods here in Japan I'm not a fan of, but others are just delicious. Some of my favourite Japanese foods are kappa maki (cucumber sushi), yakisoba (noodles mixed with vegetables smothered in a sweet, sticky sauce), and miso soup. That's one of the reasons why I love Toronto. Toronto has a lot of culture and lots of different kinds of food. Although I may not be a fan of some dishes here in Japan, it's still cool to experience the Japanese culture and the foods they eat here.m

The last topic I'll be talking about is the transportation here compared to Canada's. If you've ever been to Japan, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The way to get around here is to walk, bike, or to use public transport (busses, trains, subways, streetcars, etc.). Almost no one gets to school or work by car. The public transport here is just so efficient, there's almost no reason why someone should use a car to get somewhere. For example, if your train is scheduled to arrive at 2:47 pm, it will come EXACTLY at 2:47 pm. No joke. In Canada, if your train is scheduled to come at 2:47 pm, you just might be lucky if it arrives at 2:30 pm. Perhaps even 2:35 pm. I just don't see why the prime minister of Canada shouldn't come to Japan and use some of their ideas to make the transportation in Canada much more efficient. Not that Canada is a bad place, of course not! Just...you know...improve the transport.

Overall, Japan is an AMAZING place, and I'm so sad to be leaving in about 5 days. Well, I have a big adventure ahead of me!

Day 12: Back to Tokyo

Today was a transfer day.  We had 4 and a half hours on the bullet train from Hiroshima in the West, back to where we started in Tokyo.

We decided to visit Himeji Castle on the way to break the journey up a bit and get in later for our late AirBnB checkin.

Himeji castle was recently renovated (roof and other repairs) and reopened to the public in late March.  It was built in the late 1400's and it is one of the few true relics of ancient Japan that was totally unaffected by the American bombing in World War II. 

The crowds were out today.  It was Saturday, a brand new tourist attraction and a beautiful day.  Most of my group was pretty restless and hungry by the time we got to the top (7 steep, narrow stairways up!) So we kind of moved right through it.  I really loved all of the wood post and beam construction (2 massive trees were used to support the structure from basement to roof and they still stand) and the all-wood original floors polished by hundreds of years of bare or socked feet.

Lunch, an hour of math, and we were back on our beloved Shinkansen - our last leg... sniff....  In no time we were passing Nagoya where we spent time with Koda-san, passing Mt Fuji quickly shedding it's snowy cap, passing through Shin Yokohama where Beth and I would spend weekends when we lived here, and finally to our final destination in Japan... Harajuku.

I will go into Harajuku a bit later, but basically it's the "hippest" area of the city that sits next to the "champs elysees" of Tokyo.  We checked into our AirBnB near Takeshita Street (picture below), grabbed dinner and are watching the finale of Survivor - thanks Alex!

The carps game

Yesterday my family and I went to the carps baseball game. When we got to the baseball game, we went to our seats and we're ready to watch the game.👀After the introduction of the game we went to go get some French fries and karage chicken (a type of deep fried chicken) for dinner. The fries were amazing but with no ketchup, and the fried chicken was okay it was a bit slimy.  The middle and a bit to overly dry on the outside, but with no ketchup, but I guess you can't complain. 

Okay, so after we had our dinner we sat back down in our seats the had begun. Towards the middle of the game everyone went to get there umbrellas out of the seats because at the start of the game the people gave umbrellas out to the first 3 thousand people (and we were one of them), or something like that. As we took our umbrellas out, everyone had already been twirling there umbrellas in the air, that was so fun to see all of that. 

Towards the end of the game it had been a tie between the carps and the other team the________. This very nice lady gave us a couple balloons, one for daddy, one for Abby, and one balloon for me. The balloons were used to blow them up and sing a cheer that the crowd made up and then let the balloons zap into the stadium. My dad has a video of the balloons floating into the Japanese air. Well that is about all that happened in the stadium tonight folks. Well bye now.😃 

P.S.the carps WON!!! 2-1 them

😃😃😃😃😃😃😍😃

Random thoughts from the train

We are back on the Shinkansen en route to Tokyo via Himeji. We can't check into our place until this evening so decided we would break up the 5 hour train ride with a stop to see the largest castle in Japan. Newly renovated in March of this year. We are hoping that there are lockers at the station to keep our bags!

Final leg of our trip in Japan. It's been so awesome. For anyone reading this who had thought of travelling in Japan but that price would be prohibitive, think again. We are averaging under $95 a day for meals for a family of four. I'm sure that's a far cry from prices in Europe. That said, we do know how to eat at a convenience store but haven't deprived ourselves from Starbucks or the odd fancier meal. The air bnb experience here is amazing and the rail passes for foreigners are extremely economical.  So would encourage anyone reading to consider a family trip to Japan. We have a great itinerary for you to follow!

Had a very vivid work dream last night. Must be thinking of all my colleagues! Hoping all is going well and reminding myself that while we have experienced so much in two weeks away, the world at home moves much more slowly. Thank goodness. Have had news of one baby girl being born to a team member and am awaiting details. Also waiting for the second that is due any day! Wishing the new mom and mom to be well. 

Steve and Kris return to Toronto today.  Definite highlight of our trip was the news of their enagagement in Kamakura the day we arrived and the 4-5 days we spent with them. The girls are so excited to welcome Auntie Kris into our family officially. Craig and I are too. 

The baseball game last night did not disappoint. What a fun experience. We only saw two other foreigners and it was definitely an unusual experience to be part of. The fans around us were as welcoming and hospitable as we've come to expect from the Japanese. They gave us balloons during the balloon portion of the 7th inning. They high fived us and included us in the festivities. There was an awesome super fan who did not stop cheering and chanting the entire time. I could have watched him all day. 

We have had down time but not the hours to kill that we experienced during our south east Asia tour in 1997. Japan is more like travelling in Europe. Lots to see and lots of walking throughout the day. I expect things to get a bit tougher in the next legs but am also excited for the new experiences. 

Final thought is the amount of togetherness. I haven't spent this amount of time with the kids in such a concentrated amount since my maternity leaves. When we have had to split into two rooms, Robin has been my roommate which has been pretty fun. We are the early birds. The amount of togetherness certainly has its challenges and I find I need a good 30 minutes of silence at the end of a long day of sightseeing. Overall the kids have been pretty good. Some days they fight more than others and some days I have more patience with the bickering than others. Generally speaking though, no stressors in my life at the moment so finding myself a more patient person. Wonder if the kids would agree? 

Hiroshima Carp vs Yakult Swallows

If you've ever seen Mr Baseball, an older movie featuring Tom Selleck as a washed up Major Leaguer who tries to revive his career in Japan, you'll probably appreciate this next story.

I got tickets to the Hiroshima Carp vs Yakult Swallows game a few months ago via Japan Ball tickets.  The tickets were waiting for us upon checking into our hotel as promised.   We were really looking forward to this game and we could see around the city that there was a lot of local support for the Carp.

The game was fantastic - wacky, fun-filled, great fan interactions and a Hollywood ending to boot!   I've posted three videos below on different moments of the game, but really, I could have posted 3 hours of video.   MLB in North America is struggling with an aging fan base and apathetic interest at best.  They could really learn from the Japanese.  They've created a really family friendly atmosphere - organized cheers throughout, giveaways, mascots, bring your own food if you want (one guy had a Costco pizza in line!), cheap and diverse food options to buy, kids zones with playgrounds.... It was fantastic.

The quality of the baseball is also top notch and the game tonight was amazing.  First, here's one of the spontaneous cheers that broke out for the audience to use with the prize giveaway of the night... Red Carp umbrellas for everyone....

Next came the 7th inning blow up balloon' wave it in the air and let them fly in some weird, hilarious, atmospheric insemination ritual....

Last video... Bottom of the 10th, ballgame tied 1-1, and we get.... A WALKOFF, GAME WINNING HOME RUN!!!! Watch...

Day 11: Miyajima

We spent the day in Miyajima - an island not far from Hiroshima that is famous for it's "floating torrii" ( seen below).  We were surprised by how much there was to do there.  The island has a mountain, Mt. Misen, that could be climbed or transported near the top by cable car.

Though we were thinking walk, Beth's back was a little sore and we had other activities later on, so we didn't want to force a hike down the kids throats!  

When we got to the top of the cable car, we took a 30 minute hike to get to the summit observatory.  There we kicked back for a few minutes and took in the view.  It was breath taking, and not in a Seinfeld-way.  Japan really has a lot of natural beauty to offer that I don't think Beth and really appreciated when we lived here.

On the ferry back to the mainland, we realized we were fortunate to have left early... The hordes were just starting to ferry over to the island and it was closed to 2:30pm.  We trained it back to the hotel for a little chill time before our next "experience" - more on that in another post.

Here are the two clowns in the cable car!

VLOG: Live from Hiroshima