Our Japanese whistlestop route. Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Nagano and back to Tokyo
Our daughter and her family arrived very late on December 21, and we caught up at breakfast on the 22nd. Smiles and hugs all around! This was their only day in Tokyo, so we hit the ground running...slowly, because each of us was either under the weather or exhausted from traveling across the ocean. Looking back, I am shocked at how much we saw and did in one day.
To keep our audience (children) engaged, we took the train to the Shibuya area in the morning. We started by strolling down Takeshita Street, what can only be described as one of the most visually enticing streets...for a kid...or anyone interested in shopping! Welcome to capsule stores, Anime, food stalls, cute toy stores and many souvenir shops. We were a bit early, luckily, and many shops were not open yet otherwise we may never have seen anything else that day! Japan is a haven for toys! There are so many small, kitschy toys just screaming to be purchased everywhere you go. I am still not sure what the deal is with all the little stuffed animals hanging from the purses and backpacks of men, women and children everywhere. I did not feel the need to join the trend.
What cuteness!!!
My winner for cutest store.
So many capsules to choose from!
So many crepes to choose from... all plastic examples, and all so beautiful!
We walked...a lot...saw a lot...and headed back for naps all around. We went back out that night to explore counter sushi, convenience store snacks, a gigantic retail store with an entire floor of toys (I hear Santa did some of his shopping here), meat on a stick and more food on the Omoide Yokocho Memory Lane. A historic alley for street eats and spirits. We all squeezed into one of the tiny places to have some meat and drinks. The city is very alive at night! I am sure we could have stayed out later, but with jet lag setting in for some and a full day of Tokyo sensory overload, we called it a night.
Anthony Bourdain ate here, we did not.
So much sushi and he ordered like a pro!
Food and drink alley
When jet lag hits, it hits hard 💕
Christmas cake to go! The one on the right was amazing!!!
Our next stop was Hakone. We took the bullet train and were seated in the Romance car. This is the car at the front of the train with huge windows across the front. Perfect bullet train intro for 2 train loving little boys...and their grandparents. We did the Japanese thing and got our bento boxes and drinks for the ride. Still amazed at how so many people eat and drink on the trains and leave no evidence behind. Impressive. We all enjoyed the ride!
The Romance Car
Bullet train food to go!
Hakone, a small town of about 11,000, is famous for its hot springs. We stayed in a ryokan which is a traditional inn, complete with tatami matted floors (which were so nice to walk on), Onsens (hot spring baths), sliding doors, futon beds, traditional meals and traditional attire provided to wear during your stay. This was our full immersion experience, and it was lovely. I will admit, for some reason I was a bit apprehensive about this experience before we arrived. I felt like it was a very immersive experience and not knowing the language, how to honor the customs, what to expect as far as the meal...and my first Onsen experience were all playing into my apprehension. I shyly entered the peaceful ryokan and we were greeted by the polite bowing host and led to our room. After his instructions, which I understood "most" of, I explored our very spacious accommodations! Wow! Very large bedroom, 2 futon mattresses up on a wood platform...that should be fun in the middle of the night...a living room with a traditional low table and floor chairs, a balcony with chairs looking out over the valley to the mountains, and then the bathroom. The 2-room bathroom with a private (yes) Onsen! There were two kimonos with wool jackets and those Japanese socks with the thong toes for us to wear to dinner. It was peaceful and we felt like we were back in time. The welcome beverage eased my anxiety about making any cultural mistakes.
A lovely view!
Here is a video tour!
A word or more about the Onsen experience. It is luxurious! A natural hot tub! Like really hot tub. The fact that there is cold water to add to cool it off says something. The minerals naturally in the water make the water extra buoyant. It felt like an anti-gravity tub in addition to the heat and the mineral treatment. No wonder the Japanese people live so long. I really appreciated these little surprising ways to get warm in the winter. This may be TMI but sitting in an Onsen with its anti-gravity effects makes your body feel many years younger...all your parts feel like they are back to their original locations. We both agreed that we need an Onsen in our lives!
We stayed at one more ryokan on this trip. It was near Nagano and it was our last night together. It was a similar yet different experience. A much larger facility with more people staying the night. The Onsens were public not private, but you could use them privately for 45 minutes at a time, which we did. They were large baths! The place seemed much more traditional with our futons right on the floor and a smaller room with two low chairs at a low table. This was the point, or maybe it was just the end of the trip fatigue, that I decided I am just too tall for Japan. Maybe too tall and too old. I got tired of folding myself up to sit or go to bed. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, but everything just started feeling low and small, and I am neither. I am very thankful the tables and chairs for meals were "regular" height.
Finally, the food in a ryokan. You better come hungry...and be on time. Dinner was a multi course affair of about 20 different foods! Each in individual small portions for each of us. I tried everything but I can't say I loved everything. Definitely had my favorites, for example the oyster in the shell baked with sauce on top and a broccoli bite. Any and all fish was good. Some of the vegetable/sweet potato dishes were not my favorite.
A+ for presentation!
This display was just the beginning!
Definitely one of my favorites that night.
Again, when jet lag hits, it hits hard. He was so excited about this meal and after he ate his tamago and sushi, he was done.
Breakfast was a similar display of foods! I definitely preferred dinner. I was not quite ready for the number of different savory and fishy dishes we were served in the morning. I was quite surprised that we were each served an entire fish at breakfast! I hesitated to dive in but did so reluctantly. I will admit, it was one of the best fish I have ever eaten...and probably the only one I have ever eaten for breakfast! Another breakfast treat was the tamago (thin layers of egg omelet and Augie's favorite) served with 3 different condiments. My personal favorite was the pickled or fermented cucumbers and daikon radishes.
The winner...or loser my least favorite food...of the entire trip! Fishy broth, tomato, some kind of other root vegetable, a soggy fish cake and a whack of kale or seaweed on top... for breakfast!
A little more like a real breakfast food, tamago with sides.
Winner of most "surprising deliciousness", especially for breakfast!
I can't believe I ate the whole thing.
I love this! Breakfast shenanigans!
As you can tell, I could go on a lot longer, but I'll stop for now. I'll continue in the next post with Kyoto, Kanazawa and Nagano. We are definitely glad we had our son-in-law to plan so much of this trip! He made reservations at the ryokans and booked the trains along the way which made the trip so easy for us! It was nice to be led around instead of being the leader. I am sure he may have felt like he had 4 kids at times! It was a treat for us!
Let's just start with a few statistics. The population density of Tokyo is 6,224 per square km and the population density of Sugar Land, TX is 2,434 per sq. km. The population density of the Shinjuku train station is 18,232 per sq km! My initial impression of Japan was shaped by this reality. So many people! Shinjuku Station was the first place we visited on our first morning in Tokyo following our 14-hour flight. We dove right into the deep end! We wandered the crowded halls of the station, with a wide-eyed lost look on our faces, for what seemed like an eternity. We wanted to get a Suica card (a multi-purpose card used for subways, buses, taxis and some trains...and convenience store purchases!) and find the subway to see the Meiji Jingu Shrine. After several "discussions" about where to go for the things we needed and finally successfully procuring them, we left the station for some much-needed fresh air with a feeling of accomplishment. How that many people can commute in relative silence and order, in an immaculately clean station is amazing!
We had two days in Tokyo before our daughter and her family arrived. On our first day we explored a bit of Tokyo, a drop in the bucket, and managed to walk over 11 miles. We saw the Meiji Jingu Shrine and beautiful grounds surrounding it. We happened upon a traditional wedding procession. We walked back to our hotel...long walk. We also visited the food floor of a nearby department store, it's a thing! We are talking world class food...chocolates, pastries, sushi, Kobe and Wagyu beef, bento boxes, all artistically presented and gorgeous! It was overwhelming between the amount of beautiful food and the number of people shopping! We took a quick nap before our 5 p.m. food tour. We love food tours and love taking a tour on our first day. We get a lay of the land and a bit of inside information. The food tour was perfect! I needed an education in Japanese food anyway. Boy did I get an education! 3 stops and at least 15 different foods plus drinks.
The beef...oh, the beef!
Lisa learns to drink sake... At this place they fill your glass until it overflows into the box exactly to the brink. The sake in the box is exactly enough for another glass once you finish the first one. Yikes!
Where sashimi is delicious and fresh grated wasabi is next level delicious!
I guess it is an iconic location.
The crowd parted and made way for the bridal party.
Entrance to the shrine. Every shrine has a well where you wash your hands before entering. Shrine or temple? Shrines are Shinto and Temples are Buddhist
Just a small display in the food floor.
The next day was spent catching a cold. We took the bus to a village near Mount Fuji, hoping to see Fuji in all its glory and to visit the village of Oshino Hakkai in the five lakes area. It is known for its crystal clear eight ponds throughout the village. Yes, it was a bit touristy! Still beautiful. Fuji was shrouded by clouds, and we just had to imagine it. We climbed the 400 steps to the Churieto Pagoda hoping the clouds would break and we would get that iconic view of Fuji but no luck, all we got was a good workout. We managed the bus, train, bus gauntlet and filled our day with some interesting sights and noodles! On the ride home I felt a tickle in my throat...that tickle took a couple of days to develop into a full blown cold. Merry Christmas to me!
Churieto Pagoda
Just pretend!
The water is as clear as glass!
Soba noodles to warm me up!
This concludes the adult portion of Japan. Once Kelly, Chris and the boys arrived we shifted to family mode. Family mode made us very glad we arrived a few days early! With some good sightseeing and sleep under our belt we were ready for the energy level to change.
First Impressions at a glance-
Looking back, I would say arriving in Tokyo was overwhelming for me. I thought I was prepared. I knew it was a huge city and had no aspirations to see all of it, but I did expect to be able to see more than we did. I expected to struggle with the language and believe me...I did. Seldom do we go to a country that I make no attempt to learn at least some of the language. Aside from "arigato" and politely bowing, I had nothing! Thank goodness the signs we needed had English subtitles...and we had Google translate!
The people are so quiet! No one talks on the train or the subway. There is not a low hum of conversation in the stores. They speak quietly, which was not good for my increasingly hard of hearing husband. I have a new role..."his ears". The streets are relatively quiet, many electric cars which are quiet and not many sirens.
Everyone wears black or navy...mind you it was winter and everyone was wearing a coat. At least all the neon lights at night brightened up the world. With our first couple of days being overcast, it initially seemed a dark and dreary place. Once the sun came out the world changed.
Everything is so neat and orderly! I really liked this. The food is artfully plated. The merchandise in the stores is beautifully displayed. Everything has an order and the order is followed.
Talk about artful plating!
Convenience stores...namely 7-11 and Lawsons. Not your mother's convenience stores. There was a 7-11 in our Tokyo hotel (they are everywhere), a nice upscale hotel, and it had everything! I love going in and just browsing. The prepared food section was extensive and yes, the egg salad sandwiches are epic. I also discovered another favorite sandwich, paper thin pork ham, cream cheese, cucumber and wasabi. True confession, I can't tell you how many quick snacks we consumed from 7-11. From breakfast to road snacks to quick lunch to wine...yes, wine.
My personal favorites.
Bowing. I still am not clear if I was supposed to bow back...but I did. There is something about a person bowing to you that makes you just want to return a bow. It is both a sign of respect and a sign of humility. It seems gentle and kind. I appreciate this. My heart warmed at every bow. A simple acknowledgement of the other. Something our culture could use a little more of.
And now I digress...the toilets! I had heard about Japanese toilets before we went. Let me just say, I am sold! First, in winter...heated seats! Even in public bathrooms, the toilets are clean, warm and include many wash and dry features. Go to a nice hotel room and wow! Lights, music, heat, wash, dry, and then sanitize after use. I still wonder what it is about a culture that puts such an emphasis on pottying. No arguments from me. I am a believer.
The food...well, that will have to be another post.
I will leave you with this little video of an iconic location to make a point. There are a lot of people here! Our last night before the kids arrived...we did the Shibuya Scramble!
Family and particularly mothers were on my mind while I walked one day listening to my book way back before Thanksgiving. Something in the book made me think of my mom. I had a great idea about something to write here. I sat, hours later, and couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. That may be why the blog has been idle. Those great, but fleeting, ideas never get from the brain to the computer. It takes a long period of quiet solitude for me to think and develop a thought. Life, lately, has not been full of quiet solitude. Not really complaining though.
As much as I can recall, the great thoughts had to do with baking, family recipes, and passing on things from generation to generation. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the time of year we pull out those recipes from our mothers, mothers-in-law, fathers...if they were the cooking types, and maybe even our grandmothers if we are lucky enough. I have my mother-in-law's stuffing recipe, my mother and mother-in-law's cookie recipes for Christmas and a few of each family's traditional dishes for the holidays. Our traditional family meal became a hybrid of both our family traditions melded together with an addition or two to make our own family tradition.
A new experience this year, a turducken! Our friend's family tradition!
Cooking a turkey will always and forever remind me of my father and the first Thanksgiving I, as a young wife and mother, hosted a joint Thanksgiving meal for our families. I asked my dad to help carve the turkey, as it was his expertise. Well...humiliation upon humiliation, he called me into the kitchen to point out, "You are supposed to take the giblets, OUT of the turkey before you bake it!". I thought I had... but did not know there were 2 cavities with bags of "goodies" stuffed in them. Every single Thanksgiving from then on, my dad...chuckling, asked me if I took the giblets out of my turkey. I never lived that one down!
Through the years, we have added our own flavor to the holiday meals. My kids use some of our family favorites at their meals. I love when they call for the Breakfast casserole recipe, Mimi's Cut-out cookie recipe, the spinach Madeline recipe, and the monkey bread recipe. Now, about 100 versions of each can be found on the internet. I still love pulling out the vanilla-stained cookie recipe card or turning the page to the butter splattered spinach Madeline recipe in the original River Roads cookbook. I am sure that making something from a much-loved written recipe card will be much superior to one found on a random website. Call me old fashioned!
The "much loved" collection of our holiday "go to" recipes!
All of these traditions remind me that we will not be having a traditional Christmas this year. We are embarking on a journey to a faraway country where Christmas is not exactly celebrated the same way we celebrate. So, while I am home, I am totally embracing all things Christmas and trying to make the most of the season! I decorated the house...a little! I am not cringing when I hear carols play on repeat everywhere I go. My cards and letters have all been mailed. I did all of my shopping very early, especially for me...Last Minute Lisa. I have worn all of my special holiday blouses and jewels. I am sitting here wearing an ugly Christmas fleece just to give it a little time out of the closet. At night I often fall into my guilty holiday pleasure of watching hokey holiday movies! At least on Netflix the couples kiss before the last scene and they try to add a little more content. "Try" but often fail! For the time I have in town before our nontraditional Christmas begins, I am embracing it all!
Hope you and your family enjoy everything you love about Christmas! Eat the cookies, drink the nog, wear the ugly...or super cute Christmas sweater, fill your house with the delicious smells of holiday baking, go to Christmas services at church and cry at the beautiful music (just me?), sing the carols, drive around and look at the lights, smile at the joyful faces of children at this time of year and have a very Merry Christmas!
Yesterday I said goodbye" to what feels like a small part of me. It was more emotional than I expected but necessary in order to move forward. I sold my camera, after 3 years of trying to love it as much as its predecessor (the beloved camera) with little success...it was time to say "goodbye" to the imposter. The imposter was a replacement for the beloved camera that was unfortunately dropped on a set of dark stairs in Italy..."repaired" and subsequently lost later in 2022. I kept trying to make it work and was continuously underwhelmed. What happened? Did I lose my skills or my "eye"? Was it an inferior piece of equipment? Was it the subject matter? I don't think so...we have been to a lot of picturesque places and we have some pretty good-looking grandkids! Regardless of what I tried, it just never measured up. This camera made me lose my joy in photography because it was always an exercise in patience not to mention a lot of bad photos. There were small parts of me that got tired of being the person with the camera in her face and I made some efforts to be more present. More and more I just started to rely on my cell phone. The camera stayed home from more trips than it took and started collecting dust.
I found myself thinking about our upcoming travels and feel like they are more worthy than just my cell phone, so I started researching cameras. I still wasn't sure I was selling the current kit, but it just isn't what I want to schlep around for weeks in my backpack and ultimately be disappointed with the results. After a few sleepless nights, yes, I overthink big purchases and breakups, I woke up this morning and decided to say "goodbye". I also unloaded my beginner camera, the one that is responsible for turning me on to Sony mirrorless cameras. With a relatively small down payment for my next new toy, I am spending way too much time watching YouTube videos about cameras.
When I left the shop with a check in my hand my head was spinning. Why was this so emotional and dizzying? I really did feel like I was losing part of myself. I have so many fond memories of photography classes, field trips for photo shoots, having pride in my efforts, printing favorites that brought me back to many special moments and portraits of grandchildren that make my heart swell. For some reason, the photos from the camera (mostly from the beloved one) hold a more special place than the ones on my phone. Not to say the phone doesn't hold a lot of my life in my gallery!
Sure, I probably could have gotten more $ for the cameras with a lot more effort and agonizing. I'm just not up to it! I had to rip the band-aid off and move on. I did enjoy talking to the girl at the shop about possible replacements. The world of photography or should I say cameras has changed since I started playing with photography about 10 years ago. Now all the popular cameras are the ones made with vlogging in mind. They are lightweight, have a screen that flips up, out and around so you can walk, talk and video your life and those around you. The cameras are so much more focused on videography than still photos. I just want to take beautiful shots of landscapes and capture the beauty of the people and places around me. Sure, I post enough stuff on social media, but I am not in line to become the next senior citizen vlogger. That being said, there is something to the smaller multi-faceted cameras available. I want something small and still better than a cell phone...which is becoming more and more difficult to find with the advancement of cell cameras. The next toy has to be one that I don't mind carrying around in my backpack on long trips. It can't feel like another piece of luggage. I want to bring back the joy in photography. If you have any ideas, please share!
Still in mourning, I looked through some of my photos and some of my books to confirm that I was not mistaken about the replacement camera. Photos taken with my beloved camera are still some of my favorites! Maybe it was just the right combination of inspiration and equipment. It was a sweet spot. The ones with the replacement that I just sold had a low success percentage. Sure, there were also some good shots but just not as many. So here I sit, searching for that lost inspiration. I let the creative side fall asleep over the last few years. Time to awaken.
Something nice from the beloved camera.
While beautiful, just not as clear or focused as it should be...and this after many attempts.
I do realize that to the naked eye these two pics are both nice and probably don't warrant comparison. Maybe it is just me...maybe it is the fact that snapping many pics with a cell phone is just so easy and the camera, no matter which camera, takes a little more effort and in this time of instant gratification we have gotten very used to instant gratification. I might need to dial my expectations back and take it all a bit slower and more intentionally. This subject my friends would be something to discuss on another day. Thanks for reading about what I know is definitely a "first world problem". I am lucky to be able to even be considering a new "toy". Hope I make a wise choice.
Fast forward through July, which was lovely. We basked in the plentiful sunshine. Visited with cousins. Made it through what we thought would be the hot and humid "week" of the summer...for two weeks. Said "goodbye" to a few cousins and "hello" to even more friends and relatives who arrived in time for "the Games". With each passing day it felt like every sequential day went faster, and faster!
Pugwash on Canada Day, July 1
The buoys caught my eye! Leaving Bar Harbor, Maine
The flower "pot" is doing great this summer!
So is the fennel!
Can't make these colors up! One of the good ones.
We spent a lot of time watching our diligent tree swallows, build their nest, populate the nest, feed the babies and raise them over the month. "Must see tv"
The view from the lawnmower, back when the grass was green and needed to be mowed. I'll get to that in a minute. Plus, my favorite clouds.
Another sunset...why not?
We did take a little trip down to Boston early in July, to help our daughter move to a new place. It went well and they are settled into a nice neighborhood! We drove down memory lane back and forth remembering the many years of driving those same roads with a van or a ginormous SUV loaded with 4 kids, one or two dogs and all the luggage for a summer of fun. We stayed in nicer hotels this time and ate better food. We added a stop in Bar Harbor on the way home because TJ had never visited Acadia National Park. Checked one more off the list this summer. Although I am not sure we can really count it as all he saw was a road, a lot of fog and some misty water. We did however get the obligatory photo in front of the sign.
This makes it official!
July shifted gears the last week when Rachel and the three grandsons arrived. Suddenly the table was set for 6 or 7 or 9 depending on who joined us. The garden started providing side dishes and summer was in full swing. Their week culminated with...THE GAMES. If you are unfamiliar with THE GAMES, read this post...it says it all. Suffice it to say the days are jam packed with activities and the nights don't let up. This year the Browns (our team) won and there was happiness and joy along our beach. It's been a few years since we were the winners!
You would think after THE GAMES we could sit back and relax...but NO. Add to the family, our daughter Katie and her two kids and we were now a table for 9. All good, it was a brief overlap and then we had to say goodbye to Rachel and the boys. Time flies up here!
Last week, was all the events for the kids. Mini Olympics, the 50th anniversary! Think about it...THE GAMES celebrated 50 years last year and this year the Mini Olympics turned 50! We like to play games and compete up here. All in good fun too! These games were followed by a Walkathon to raise money for the Koolaid Kids. Then, we finished the week with the Sandcastle Contest.
Softball players
Getting ready for the 3-legged race
The Red Solo Relay not what you think...
Water Relay, swim, push a kayak, SUP, Canoe
Mini Olympians and Alumni Mini Olympians
The Koolaid Kids!
Serious work being done here!
All of this brings me to today. Have you noticed how nice the weather has been in my photos? I was counting my blessings for a while when every day was sunny and warm. After a while, we noticed we needed to water the flowers more and the garden needed more water. Well...then the grass quit growing and then it started to turn brown. The cars are all coated with dust. If the windows are open, you can forget about passing any white glove test. My skin is beginning to resemble that of an alligator. The province has issued a fire ban and has closed all hiking in the woods, all trails in the province are closed to hikers. We are living in a giant tinder box. One spark and it could all go up in flames. The skies have been hazy from the smoke out west that has blown this way. When was the last time you were on "vacation" and prayed for rain?! We need a good soaking...soon. Normally, looking at my weather app and seeing nothing but sunshine in the forecast would make me smile broadly. Now I scroll across the week just hoping to see that rain icon or a thunderstorm. So far...August 23rd is the first day with even a hint of rain predicted. Yikes! It is crispy out there. Please send rain.
Life has taken a bit of a slower pace this week. With THE GAMES in the rear view and there are only weeks until Labor Day, we are all savoring the time we have left here. I want time to slow down. There are things I still want to do and people I want to sit and have a nice chat with. There are vegetables in the garden that need to be made into deliciousness. I find myself sitting on the beach later and later each day just dreading going up and saying goodbye to another day of summer at the shore. Usually, I write at least one summer post on a rainy day, because I am forced to stay inside. Today I am seeking shelter after a hot and dry game of golf. My skin felt like it was frying, and I am indulging myself with the AC running. The other part of my brain says the sun is shining and it is time to go visit on the beach. Guess I'll apply a gallon of moisturizer and sunscreen and head to the beach. That part of my brain always seems to win.
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