Oct 17, Tokyo, too good to be true, back to rain...

AS if on cue, the Fosters are here, it should be raining...our last day is defined to be wet and dap all over again. Although 24, its dreary so we drag our feet getting out after 11am.
  After wearing all these nice comfortable cotton yukatas (like summer Kimonos) I am on the hunt for one to take home. Ted is bored to tears with my shopping but finally at Takashima I find not only a nice yukata but some lovely touristy souvenirs too.
  Later I return to the food floor at Isetan. We buy glorious chocolate cake, French cheese, rice crackers and lots of inure, salmon eggs for a snack later.
  After an afternoon rest and a bit of a repack, it;s off back to the little sushi resto we have been to twice already, but we have a reservation and it's not so busy this evening. But the whole area of Shinjuku is jumping. I have been very impressed with the mackerel up at the Sea of Japan but we find it unbelievably expensive as a sushi order here, and probably not so good. One set dish, several individual  sushis and 2 beers is $100.
  Back to our hotel, we savour the silky chocolate cake, finish the sake and the cheese and crackers.
On CNN news here the US election is sheer nonsense. Glad we don't have to listen to much of that.
  Next morning we wake to sun, damp at first, but it;s too late for us as we return to Calgary today.
  We are booked on Air Canada's direct Tokyo Calgary flight in Premium Economy. There are 8 of us in the 16 seats so Ted and I both have 2 seats (window and aisle) to ourselves, which is a comfortable way to come home. The food onboard is not Japanese! But the steak is very good probably their kobe or hido beef.
  However, much to our chagrin, there is a computer problem on the Dreamliner and we sit 1.5 hours on the tarmac before lifting off. The pilot makes up half an hour by taking a southerly route south of Russia and Alaska but we still come in an hour late. I get about 3 hours sleep on the 9.5 hour flight, Ted none. I also watch a young and very amusing Nicholas Cage in "Raising Arizona" which whiles away a few hours.
  Our house guest Deb Young is there at Calgary airport with our car at 11:20am so it's gonna be a long day before we hit the sack.
  It's been a wonderful 70th birthday trip, many beautiful places, culturally so different from anywhere I've ever been before. I can't rationalize why so many nations still hate the Japanese or understand the things they did to people in the wars, when they are such nice, friendly, orderly people in their own country. Service everywhere was amazing even when they could not speak English. But the herd mentality is definitely still there, from kindergarten, and school children and adults dutifully lining up for everything.

Oct 15-18 Tokyo in sun - as a tourist at last

We wake to blue sky, sun, 24 and finally sightseeing weather. The hotel is full so people are all traveling here in Japan. First off to the modern Tokyo Municipal building and up to the 42nd floor viewing area, free. It's hazy from pollution and still no sign if Mt.Fuji. But a good overview of this huge city, largest in the world, and some of the nice downtown buildings. Its not a patch on Shanghai's Pudong, but attractive all the sae.
  Way off you can see the dome which is probably in preparation for the 2020 Olympics. Unlike Beijing, Tokyo is not selling Olympic paraphernalia big time yet. I had hoped to pick up a small memento or two but prices for small things are still a bit outrageous. No sign of their mascots yet!
  But the popularity of all these little furry toys and toons is unbelievable. Everyone has them hanging from everything, extraordinary really.
 You can see some large green spots in Tokyo and we know that Shinjuku park is waiting for us out there. The cocoon building is a marvel of elliptical steel and glass but we skip touring that.
  We walk back up through the busy shopping area - similar to Oxford and Regent Street in England. We follow the Insight guide recommendation of an old established tempura restaurant in an old wooden building tucked into this frantic shopping area. We have to wait in line with the other locals, no sign of tourists, and enjoy a very good feed of freshest fish and seafood and veggies in a light tempura, but it's expensive. We order a set meal of soup, rice, pickles, plus tempura shrimp, mushroom bouquet, lotus, small fish large fish, as well as some wonderful shrimp stuffed mushrooms.
  We then walk it off strolling around the beautiful Shinjuku park, with its separate Japanese, French and English style garden. People are all out strolling, picnicking (it's Saturday) and enjoying this lovely fall day. The colors have not started to turn so it will be a picture in another 3 weeks!
  Back to the shopping area, we go to Isakaya where I check out the white canvas Balenciaga bag I spotted someone sporting recently. turns out it is C$1000+. Pass!! But Ted finds a sake he likes in the marvellous food floor in the basement, equal to anything Harrods and Fortnums can offer.
  I've also found the great little snack food of almonds mixed with tiny crispy fish that go well with the sake or beer. After a soak and a few tot of sake it is off to bed at 10:30 and sleep soundly  til 7:30.
  Sadly, the CNN news program runs an article about our previous premier Jim Prentice being killed in a small plane crash in Kelowna. Even more sadly my wonderful optometrist who has improved my visual quality of life for over 30 years, went down in the same plane.
  It is sunny and cloudy but 23 and we stoke up at the great breakfast buffet for a heavy day of sightseeing. First the subway, with is really easy to get the hang of, to Tokyo station and walk to Imperial Park gardens. This is where the imperial family actually reside in a huge park, populated by many many Japanese out enjoying the day, and lots of tour buses too.
  First we run the gamut of huge crowds out for a Tennis anime, more young people outfitted in gear to support their favourite toon characters.
  We enjoy the red brick tony Craft Museum, which is really a lovely art gallery, then use the same ticket to tour the National Art Gallery of rather mediocre art.
  Over the highway bridge, we enter the massive Imperial Set Garden area, and later to Kitanomaru Park, former home of the imperial guard. Some of the original buildings still stand.
  Within walking distance is the famed Ginza shopping area. We tour the impressive Tokyo International Forum Building, then visit the Sony building, home of futuristic electronics. In the basement we have a beer and franks at the German style pub, then back on the subway exhausted at7pm. At 8:3 I muster the energy to walk over the tracks to have a disappointing crepe in the lovely rooftop garden at the Brittany restaurant. We pick up fruit and desserts at our local Family Mart and crash after a soak.

Oct 14: Sunny Nikko!

We are delighted to wake to sun shining through our window and view of blue sky over the top of the local hills at last. We checkout at 10 leaving our bags there, and take the bus back to the Treasure Museum we missed yesterday. It is set in a gorgeous garden where colors are just starting to turn. It is mall but has some exquisite art pieces and many portraits of the 13 some shoguns who ruled here.
  There is a big festival coming up on Sunday. This is why we had to play around with our dates in June to get hotel accommodation. They are prepared the site with a huge pile of soil up the middle of a long uphill drive to the main temple. Horsemen/archers will gallop up this track here on Sunday, shooting arrows at targets at the end of the run. thousands of people are expected so we are glad we won't be battling them. There is also to be a peony show, a cake competition and plenty of food and entertainment for the masses.
  We return to town where I shop for lunch (cream caramel, fruit in jello cookies and nuts and raisins to sustain us over the train train back. The train ride back is very orderly, reserved seats, quiet - no cellphones on trains here. When you board they announce - turn off ringers on phones, make calls in the corridor, etc. the toilets are immaculate as usual. There are no big battles through Tokyo station with bags this time, and we know where we are going.
  Back to the hotel at 6:30pm, our bags are back in our room, we unpack and I find my ski jacket at last. It's no so cool this evening but I am glad of it and cosy for the walk over the tracks. Nightime in Shinjuku is much like the Ginza, huge buildings, neon lights, action, lots of young active people out and about clubbing in this huge entertainment district.
  The older part of it used to be seedy, it probably still is, but we have missed out going down Piss Alley this trip! We return to the little sushi restaurant where we had lunch on ur earlier stay, but have to wait for a table. Its all very fresh and good, all lashed down with sake and beer.
  We have a nice quiet corner room so back at 10:30 I soak in my big bath and we are out cold until 8am in our very comfortable bed.
  

Oct 12 Nikko, first capital of Japan

We are up at 8am in sun ready for an adventure to Japan's famed first capital. It takes 3 trains to get there, the local JP (free to us with our JP passs) and served seats on the 1hour fast train to the nearest large station, then a local 45 minute run (like London underground trains) to Nikko. Our hotel is right opposite the station and within 20 minutes, at 3pm, our room is available. We are much higher, it is much cooler and we are regretting that the down jackets we brought for cooler weather are left in Tokyo!
  Its $200+ for the night in a so/so hotel but the buffet breakfast is big and good and the room is warm and cosy.
  The sun we were promised is hiding. We can't really see the mountains surrounding the town. We walk up the main street which has a lot of touristy restaurants and shops, closed and a lot of rather seedy run down looking houses in between. there are many many shops selling candies and cakes, it seems to be a speciality of the area and this time of year. Chestnuts feature everywhere, as does wood carved touristy items.
  We walk up to the local noodle shop recommended by the hotel and Lonely Planet, a sort of greasy spoon, but warm and cosy and steamy, and busy. The dumplings are to die for, although they don't serve a dipping sauce, we make one up from soy, vinegar and child on the table. They don't speak English but their menu is in English so you point to the same thing on the Japanese side of the menu, and you're rolling. The bowls of ramen noodles are huge, Ted's with taste pork and mine with vegetables. We can't finish but we are warmed up and cosy before we leave.
  After we get home, I soak in the bath (a big one for a change that I can lie in) and Ted goes out to find sake. Back at the hotel, we find an English station (CNN) on the TV, catch the news and are in bed by 10.
  We wake to a cool cloudy, raw, cold day! We put on everything we have brought,  and eventually I have to give Ted my cashmere scarf/wrap to warm him up. I have my gloves, his are back in Tokyo!
  We pick up a daily bus pass to visit all the sites. There is a famous lake and hiking up the mountain, where on good days you can see Fuji, but it's not going to work today!
  There are many many tourist buses in town and some very high end hotels, so lots of tours and especially big tours of school children, learning about their country's history. It's impressive the way the Japanese take their kids to all these important historical places.
  First we go to famous Rinnoji Temple, over which a total building has been erected to renovate the temple. We think a lot of this work is being done prior to 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Inside we see the huge 3 gold, yup its gold, covered buddhas and its interesting to watch the renovation work being done. The beautiful patina on the dark red lacquer takes something like 40 different stages to perfect. No photos everywhere so I have no record of any of this, part from in our heads. You also have to remove shoes everywhere so Ted is challenged tying his laces everywhere! I have my flying slippers tucked into my camera bag so its easy to ski them on and off, as I don't want to be in my socks.
  The famous new Treasure House museum is closed today!!
  We walk up the mountain/hill to the famous Togeshu Shrine, home of the first shogun, leader of a 250 year old dynasty. The main temples complex of many other temples is a mass of gorgeous carvings, thousands of bronze/stone lanterns, intricate painted wood screens (3 monkeys, sleeping cat, sleeping dragon, crying dragon, roaring dragon.) It's a haven of tourist mementoes, the monks here are skilled merchants selling everything to get you to heaven and enlightened on the way!I buy a lucky charm for my purse and a bell to go with my bell from Llasa in Tibet, but it doesn't sound so sweet.
  Monks demonstrate in one temple how you bang two metal sticks together to create a sound but it only echoes a certain way if you do  it under the painting of the roaring dragon. Go figure!
  Up the hill we continue to climb to the Futurasan Shrine and famous Taiy-In, the burial site of the 3rd Shogun. We walk through the avenues of massive cedars planted hundreds of years ago, but its all rather dull without sun.
  There are no colours to the trees yet, it is coming soon, but its not quite cool enough overnight to start the maples.
  I am glad I have brought my merino wool hoodie, wool cardigan and rain jacket. But by 3:30 we are chilled and bus/walk back to town for hot soup (soy milk, broth and local specialty yuba (soy skin.) Then back to the noodle shop for gyoza, edamame beans and return to our cosy room at the hotel. And bed exhausted at 11pm.
 
  

Oct 11: Back to Tokyo - finally sunny!

After our sojourn in the Onsen and another beautifully presented sushi/sashimi dinner at Orizura, where we were virtually the only people there, we find the town practically deserted after the big Japanese holiday.
  We wake to 24 sun and a few clouds today and enjoy wandering around Kinosaki but are unsuccessful finding anywhere open for breakfast! We settle for street food of buns filled with crab or beef (very tasty) and yogurt, fruit and coffee from the local 7-11 style store. I buy food for the train trip which is going to take us all day to get back to Tokyo.  But first we visit one of the hot pools and are bowed out of the hotel, first by the men who later disappear to their chores, and later the ladies. All very formal and caring. We ask for a cab for the 5 minute ride (cobbled streets, heavy suitcases, not an option to walk...) and find the hotel has paid for it for us!
  The local train takes an hour to the nearest small terminus Fukuyama?, then 1.5 hours in a speedy, flashy looking bull-nosed train to Kyoto, a quick change to the 2.5 hour Tokyo train. then the local JR train from busy Tokyo station in the rush hour!!! back to Shinjuku. We shlep our heavy bags through all these stations and are glad it's a wee downhill walk back to our hotel. Even though we miss the right exit from the largest train station in Japan.
  We arrive back at Hotel Sunroute at 6pm to be told our bags are already in our room and we have an upgraded room ($300 extra for 4 nights) where we an at least lay our two suitcases on the floor to pack.
  We cross the rail track over the bridge to the big Takashima department store and pick an Italian restaurant with good pizza, sort of caesar salad and great gyoza dumplings, which we are getting addicted to. Its windier now but weather is supposed to stay warm for our trip north to Nikko so we pack an overnight bag, Ted his backpack, with very little for the 2 day jaunt.

JAPANESE ONSEN EXPERIENCE

First, let me say, to have the Onsen experience, you have to have o qualms about walking around everywhere in the nude. There are no clothes in the onsens, which ar2e separate for men and women, fortunately. You have the tiniest towel to take in and you fold it and put it on your head so as not to get wet. It's a faux pas to put it anywhere near the water.
  There are 7 different onsens in Kinosake and the hotel gives you a pass to get you into all of them. One is two levels with Arabian baths, saunas, jacuzzi, and is Norma ally closed but it's a holiday so it's open for us. WE don't manage to go to them all as its a tiring experience in all this hot water.
  Protocol is everything. YOu go in take off your shoes and put the in a locker, or leave your clogs (which have your hotel's name on them but I can't remember what that looks like...so I lock mine away withTed's sandals.
  You part company, he to blue you to pink. There you put all your clothes, etc  in a locker and get a key. You then sit on little plastic stools with a plastic basin, in front of a tap, spray and scrub yourself like crazy. You wash off your stool for the next person!
  The hot oils are extremely hot so I just dipped in and out mostly. Other water features were good, sitting on a bench with hot water running over the top all over you, sitting with your feet in a warm bath, sitting on a rock outdoors at a lovely waterfall, sometimes looking at the view over town.
  AFter a mastectomy and breast reconstruction, I wondered if I could do this. In fact, it was easy, nobody stared, a child looked quite seriously at my body at one point, but women of all shapes and sizes just carried on with their daily ablutions. It is obviously still a place ordinary people come, but there were also a lot of lovely bodies in there, obviously glitterati in for a trip. Of course, the high end hotels all have their own pools, some rooms even have their own private ones, and they have all their meals there too, so you would never see the at the public onsens I am sure.
  Each hotel has their own pattern for yukata, overjacket and clogs. At night it is charming seeing and hearing everyone clopping along the cobbled streets going from one onsen to another, restaurants, etc. Everyone wears their yukata so it's OK to do that.
  I read that one hotel has its own black Oondon taxi to take you from one to the other wearing only your yukata and clogs, an interesting feeling for sure...
  This is a big seaside resort in summer, we are not far from a very sandy shoreline but we didn't have time to go there.
  Back home I fall asleep in a chair at 9pm and am asleep at 10pm. WE sleep well o the floor that night.

Back north to Kinosake Onsen (hot springs) on the Sea of Japan

A highlight of our trip is the 2 days jaunt back north to the Sea of Japan and the famous hot spring area. WE take a ab to the unbelievably impressive Kyoto station, a destination in itself and wait in a comfortable waiting room til our JR train arrives. It looks like a bulletin train but it's only the 2nd class bullet trains, sleek and stylists, quiet and fast. A very comfortable way to travel, we didn't need the green seats, first class.
  We went to the JR station to check on our schedule a day or so ago. We have one minute to change trains at the sort of half way point. 86 minutes, first train, 64 minutes second train. They assure us it is doable, you get off, cross the platform and gets on the other one. Car 3 to Car 2, fairly close. It works like a charm.
  Into Ryokan Yamamotoya, a 350 year old spa hotel, we have a gorgeous corner room with a wrap around verandah over a private cliff garden. WE are finally doing the Japanese thin with futons on the floor to sleep. But they come and make up and take away your beds so it's not so bad. If you order breakfast it comes in your room, all set up just-so eautifully on your low table, so you do have to sit on the floor for it, but Ted pulled up a chair all the same. Lots of little interesting tastes, a whole fish with head, hard to eat with chopsticks, but interesting.
  They supply you with a gorgeous blue/white pattern yukata (cotton kimono robe) and wooden geta clogs. They take a it of getting used to, Ted doesn't even try, just takes his sandals everywhere. Those feet would never fit into anything else...
  Our ryokan has its own small pool but we never actually try it.
  WE find out on day 2 (it's almost $1000 for 2 days here...so not spending any more time here...) that if you don't have breakfast in your room, you are screwed as there is really where else open in the morning. Lots of restaurants for lunch as there is a big day trip crowd here.
  WE have dinner at the recorded restaurant above a small fish shop where the sushi/sashimi is fresh and good (clam, bream, salmon, ahi, sea urchin, mackerel and whitefish. All decorated with shreddeed daikon. WE also order a set meal with sashimi, tempura, rice, pickles, miso soup for $24, very reasonable. It's busy at 6pm because, like most things here, it closes at 7!

Ryoanji and more temples...

Ryoan Ji is famous for its Zen garden so we take a long bus trip (an hour) but have seats out to the north west of the city. Its simple, with lily ponds, scenic bridges, the odd shinto shrine in the bushes or at the pond edge. We take the wrong bus back and it's SLOW. But I am too tired to try anything else.
  After that we are ready for a return to the Kyo-Chabang restaurant where you cook your own on the gas hotlate set into your table. It's noisy, and busy, and the food's good. We order friend noodles with avocados, veg and pork. The pork turns out to be a few bits of very tasty bacon. They don't eat much meat here and it's expensive.

NISHIKI MARKET

A visit to Kyoto is not complete without a visit to the market. It's a bit like a Turkish market, closed in and a cacophony of stalls, especially everything pickled. From there we walk to famous PontoCho the geisha area, expensive restaurants and nightclubs, alive at night but calm during the day. I shop for nice fabric bag and scarf souvenirs at a good price.
  That night we revisit the resto that Ted & Tony visited 6 years ago for old times' sake. It's a sushi restaurant and we are served a beautiful array of sashimi decorated with a whole fish only the2 tail and head left intact. I am sure he goes back into the freezer for the next tourists, but impressive all the same. I m getting the hang of this sushi and sake routine...
  We wander home through the warm streets, lit up for a festival at the temple near us for 2 weeks with lanterns along all the streets, charming really.  We have found baby huge juicy figs, bananas, and the big sweet grapes that are famous here (you can go grape picking at the farms if you want...) and - more sake! WE sleep well...
  It's the first time in 400 years that our local temple has been lit up at night, and we go the first night and are given a special memento from a buddhist monk, not sure what it says but we are protected now...all very inpressive and makes returning home each evening lovely in the otherwise soso backstreets between two major temples.

NARA, FIRST JAPANESE CAPITAL

An hour's train trip, again free for us on our Japan Rail pass, is the first capital of Nara. Loads of school trips go to all these important Japanese historical places and here there are also droves of tourists fro Japan and elsewhere. Formerly, the capital moved with each emperor but the founder of the Japanese feudal system decreed it would stay here, as it did for many The object of the trip, the huge Golden Buddha in the massive Todai-Ji temple. Bronze and gold plated, it is revered by many. You can attempt to reach enlightenment by crawling through Buddha's toenail here, only the kids seem to be able to get through the small space! And there is much hilarity as they all try to do it and get their photos taken coming out the other side.
  It's a 2k was up through a kitschy tourist main street up the temple. AT the top deer roam free in several park areas, you are supposed to buy deer biscuits to feed them so there is deer poop everywhere and delighted kids squealing in delight as the friendly deer nuzzle them. Protected, they seem to know they have the run of they place.
  Near the shrine are two small gardens and an elderly guide comes along with us at the first, explaining some interesting features of the garden that we would not have known about otherwise. The second is wilder. Shells on the grass roofs are there to reflect sun and ward off birds from nesting up there, clever!
  Alike everything here, in 3 or 4 weeks this will all be full of fall color and splendid to see. But also colder then so we satisfy ourselves with some hints of color to come.

INARI MOUNTAIN SHRINE FESTIVAL

WE take the JR train system (free for us wth our month pass) slightly out of town to this famous Shinto shrine. It's on what we find is a huge festival at the famous red Tori's gate shrine there. The local dance/drumming group has assembled to perform just as we arrive in this very crowded place.
  All the parishioners of this temple are dressed in their finery, men in big long skirts, dazzling white big sleeve shirts, no samurai swords...Ladies in their beautiful kimonos. You come here to pray for success especially in life and business so even if you're it a thorough believer you are out here buying a prayer to tie on a tree or stand or an amulet to take with you. I finally find a Japanese flag headband with "Fighting Sppirit" on it. Gotta have one of those..
  Like the pilgrims, we climb up the hill, towards the ponds and the impressive walkway of 100 red Torii gates.  Its a lovely sunny day and everyone is out in full force but although busy, we get some good photos. Stop at the cafe at the bottom for the macca green tea ice cream we are really starting to like. And its sweltering today, with the heat at 27 and high humidity making it tropical steamy, Not good on the blister on my heel either...

Birthday Lunch at Awato Sanso..

Since it's my birthday trip, I'm like the Queen and celebrating officially today. The hotel has booked us in for lunch at a famous ryotei (hotel and restaurant) - can't get dinner at this late stage and even lunch dates are limited. You have to be in by 11:30 an out sharp by 1pm.
  It's set in the hills up a tiny sidesetreet that the cab driver finds by winding back and forth in the near or hood. Greeted at the bottom of the steps by two handlers, they show you up, take your shoes (no shoes anywhere inside homes with tatami mates anywhere.
  We are show into a private room with a low table and two chairs, overlooking a beautiful garden and the glass doors are fully opened to enjoy the view and birds. Sadly it rains and we can't go out in the garden, but it clears up by the time we leave and we can explore the rest of the neighborhood.
  It's near an area with a famous temple and they warn you about the monkeys here, not to photograph them or encourage them in any way, but none join us for lunch!
  We have our own server who speaks enough English to tell us she has been to Toronto, and to explain everything we eat in the 30 different tastes and dishes that comprise lunch for $150. Ted washes it down with beer, I try their own sake which goes well with all the food. I don't quite finish every morsel, but of course Ted does.
  I still can't figure out how to insert photos here so you'll just have to believe it was a marvellous experience in every way...the array of food wears presented with different textures, colours, in different sized and colored containers, all very beautiful and tasteful both sipid and visual.

Golden Pavilion in Kyoto

One of the most sought after spots is the Golden Pavilion Rukuon-JIM Temple. Although crowded and raining, we enjoyed seeing this beautiful temple and its gardens. Then crossed the city to a totally different Daito Kuji Monastery, a huge complex founded in 113199, dedicated in 1546 by a Japanese lord who later became Christian. Some temples like Daisen-In famous for their rock garden don't allow photos so you just have to remember it all.
  Some of the entry fees are quite steep (900Y, about $12) but you often get a beautiful entry ticket which looks nice enough to frame.
  Kyoto was never damaged in WWII so many of the historic places are untouched by time, amazing really.
  I forgot to mention, that at the Kyoto Station, once darkness falls, there is a sort of son et lumiere light show on the stairs, people can be projected walking in the lights and they project all these little animal toons that the Japanese are mad about.
  Even men are taking photos of their little stuffed monkeys at special sites, everyone wants to be in their photos, not photos of other things, some want us in their photos, or be taken with us...And everyone has these little stuffed animals and figures hanging from their bags, purses, coasts, etc. Quite extraordinary really. I don't get it. I haven't bought a stuffed fish yet..

Beautiful Kyoto

I had heard so much about Kyoto that ai was glad we set aside 8 days to visit. It truly is a marvelous city, but arriving at the station you are blown away by the 12 story structure of steel and glass. Not just a rail and bus station, it's flanked by a huge hotel one side and a department store the other. Top floors are all restaurants, looking out over the downtown area, a huge variety of food, especially superb fish and seafood. We ate in the station one night and found succulent black cod on the menu.
  Our nice little 30 room ryokan was near the station, close to two temples and a nice park, which we never really had time to investigate fully. But walking distance to tons of restaurants too. We had a western room, i.e. Two single beds, so didn't have to sleep on the floor and pack our beds away.
  We eventually got the hang of the bus and subway systems but spent too much time on wrong buses getting to the outskirts of the city sometimes.
  There are so many beautiful temples and especially gardens here, shogun palaces, fortresses, gold leaf wall paintings galore. And of course, its famous for its geisha district, where I bagged 4 one afternoon - but you ahve to have your camera at the ready as they swoop from one appointment to another on the old street. They do performances for tourists now, a thing unheard of in the past when you spent vast sums of money to have them entertain you.
  One of the interesting things about the buildings and the Japanese fixation on security, was the Nightingale floors, which are made to squeak when you walk, warning of approaching threats...
  One afternoon we chanced upon a flower arranging contest (ikebana) at one of the famous temples. There was a tea for special guests, but anyone could view the magnificent arrangements and the matrons of Kyoto were out in ful swing in their gorgeous kimonos.
  Vast temple precincts are scattered all over the city, along with exquisite smaller ones with mesmerizing Zen gardens and beautifully laid out water, dry and moss gardens too.
  It is the centre of many Buddhis sects, one interestingly set up for followers just to repeat the name of Amitabha - that would concentrate the mind I'm sure...
  All this walking has brought out a heat rash on the back of my legs again and the only way to combat it is to wear support socks (per the dermatologist) so I am trying that, with cortisone cream. It is hot and humid, near 30 and heavy rain some days.

Eating at the Sea of Japan

The seafood here is superb. The things you are eating were probably swimming an hour ago. Some restaurants have live fish tanks, like in China. But the market array of fish is astounding. Winter crabs are the speciality here but I don't think they are as tasty as the Oregon coast crabs cooked outdoors...

And at $7 a pop I don't think we wil be trying any...

  On top of the market on the 2nd floor, there are a bunch of great little restaurants with English menus and wonderful  sushi chefs. I don't want to think about it but I believe they cut up some of the seafood live...certainly all our shrimp are raw, hard to eat as they flip around with just the tail end to hold on to. 

   The first night there were all sorts of lineups so we ate in the sushi bar, good because we didbn't have to take off shoes and get under he table...and we could watch the action at the bar too. Second night, we went to a booth and enjoyed the true Japanese experience. era food was wonderful

  At lunchtime we went into a little place that was almost deserted after the main lunch rush. You order on a tablet, and the sushi comes to you via a mini bullet train along the counter, neat. We were near the sushi chef who just served us personally. Other things go round on a conveyor belt but we ordered fresh each time. The servings were very generous and super fresh fish.

  Last day in Kazayama we got sunshine so did the tourist thing at the gardens and castle. We figured out the bus system and visited the geisha area, similar to Kyoto, with old houses now converted to stores and restaurants for the myriad tourists. That night we also took the us down to a restuarant Ted found in LP Lonely Planet It was a simple sushi bar, but the owners came to visit each guest and there were only 4 others that night. The chef places your orders separately on the bar along with a pile of pickled ginger  - you hope it's squeeky clean.

  We had the chance to visit both the home of the Lord's wife in the famous gardens, simple, elegant with beautiful gardens of its own. It was constructed in such a way that the roof overhang was supported on a cantilever basis so as not to spoil the view of the garden...

  Visiting the geisha area, we also visited a geisha house - you can pay a fortune and stil have an hour's entertainment in some of them. Also on the route was the treasury that held all the gold, as Kazayama is the country's largest producer of gold leaf, used in many fine handicrafts and also to decorate food. I didn't blow the bank buying a jar of edible gold leaf to impress my guests in future!

Kanazawa, 2nd Geisha area of Japan and home to Japan's 3rd most famous garden

WE're off north to the Sea of Japan and Kanazawa. And it's pouring with rain again! WE change trains at Toyama, fairly easy 15 minute connection. We follow a scenic river through locally far and but it's foggy and wet. My camera has spent most of this trip in it case...

 WE booked into the Holiday Inn right downtown, opposite the famous fish market that is said to compare with the fish market bin Tokyo. You have to get up at 4am to see that one so I'll settle for this one. I' been trying to contact this hotel since June to book the extra night. Everyone in Japan books really early so you can't expect to change, and that's what happened here. No sig of being able to stay on an extra day and you certainly can't go to Kyoto without a booking either! 

  After much pleading, our friendly receptionist Ishakaya gives us a lovely corner suite but for two days. Later she tells us she has booked us next door into a boutique hotel REsol Trinity for the 3rd night at a good price with breakfast, so we are happy we have a home for 3 days.

  Unfortunately after a long bath that night, our bathroom floods at 10pm. The night manager mops up as best he can, offers to change our room (no!!) and we agree to change rooms tomorrow. Another change.

  By morning I get the lovely Miss Ishagaya to book us into the Resol today for 2 days (avoiding changing every day!), she agrees we can stay in our room til 2pm then transfer down the road, and we are all happy. They all take their jobs very seriously here and it was a point of insult that our bathroom flooded - a bit like the dirty fork skit from Monty Python...- and we could not stay the third night. 

  I have to say, the breakfast here was sumptuous, a huge arrange of lovely Japanese and western fare, including superb sushi and a sous chef waiting to cook your eggs or omelet to order.

Takayama Festival

This town has 100,00 residents but twice a year, one of them in two weeks' time, another 300,000 arrive for the big event, a parade of local neighborhood floats. They are magnificent creations all adorned and carved, drawn by 30 men under the iron bases and some 30ft high. The front one, which has been going since the 17th century holds the big drum and two flute players sit on the platform about 20 feet up. Neighborhoods created these to fight fires in past ages, and it's a competition between them all now. At night they are festooned with lanterns, it must be quite a spectacular sight. We had to rearrange our trip to avoid that time, already fully booked in June, but we enjoyed visiting the museum to see 6 of the floats and watch the video of the festival. 

  Takayama also has an ancient city administrative centre that has been lovingly restored and describes life in medieval Japan and the taxation system based on robbing the farmers of excessive quantities of their rice, which led to a massive revolution eventually - isn't that what happens in mall suppressed societies?

  

Historic Takayama

WE check into the nice Rickshaw Inn, a small friendly place out of Loney Planet, to Ben greeted by transplanted Brit Nick, a mine of local info. With only about 6 rooms, it is very personal service here. You can walk to everything in this quaint well preserved town, full of many temples and ancient well preserved merchant homes. Day tourists come here from bigger cities but we have the advantage of enjoying it when they have gone home. We find a lovely little friendly restaurant. 

Hida Beef and wonderful local veggies,  and exotic mushrooms

The big draw in this agricultural area is the fresh mountain array of vegetables and the famed Hida marveled beef. The latter pretty expensive but on all the menus. They even eat it on sushi. Fatty and rich, it is melt in the mouth but hell on the arteries in any quantity I am sure.

  Suzuka is run by a friendly staff especially the affable Teppei who takes great photos of all the customers us included! We order the local specialty,individual ceramic stoves fueled by coals. On the grill is a huge mulberry leaf with sweet miso and a pile of mixed veggies on top , including lots of interesting mushrooms. Ater a few minutes you store and eat. The other dish is a bowl of stock with a pile of veggies and a slice or two of pork on top. You wait for the stock to boil then stir in all the ingredients. 

  The local specialty this time of year, apart from chestnuts in everything, is baby eggplant marinated and served with copious quantities of sake. We do a good job on that.

  It's interesting wandering around the old houses, you can recognize a sake producer by the ball of dried grasses hung above the doorway. You can go in and for a small fee, taste and buy. We settle for a small bottle of smooth local hooch for $8. The sky's the limit but we can't tell the difference...

  The two small morning markets are fun, tasting some of the local fare one morning instead of hotel breakfasts, flowers for my room, fruit so precious each apple or peach is wrapped separately. We do get fruit with our nice served breakfast at the Rickshaw Inn.

  Ted has read about the buckwheat noodle houses so we take one in one evening, We didn't slurp like we should. I didn't add the spicy seasoning so found it all verblandcompared with Vietbam noodle dishes but we've done it now.

The Train Experience

Day 2 in Tokyo we exchanged our Japan Rail Pass ($1600 for the two of us for 3 weeks) for all the tickets we need to travel around Japan. We bought the white pass (not first class green)) and it is perfectly sufficient, even with Ted's long legs, lots of room for us and the carry-on bag in front of me. We reserved seats and have found it really easy. Trains go punctually to the minute, the guards bow to the driver when he enters the station, they bow to passenger when they leave your car. All very formal. We have to show our JR pass even when using the tickets but it's a cursory glance. On busy lines, it's hard to stow lots of bags but they don't seem to use the front seats so you can put them there too,

  The first trip is out to Takayama, west to Nagoya, change trains (bit chaotic for us but enough time) then north into the 'mountains' (2000ft). We brought all sorts of gear for cold weather, but it was 30 and raining up there! A brief view of Mt,Fuji poking out of a cloud, then everything disappears into the mist again. We will get another chance on the way back to see it.

  Rolling through lovely small farms, rural landscrapes and then following a rushing river up to Takayama was nice as it had finally stopped raining. But as soon as we arrived it started up again..Ted now has a big see-through umbrella and I've bought another folding one so we are set for serious rain now. I have a full length raincoat and rain jacket but it's too hot to put on much - light clothes, umbrella and good shoes does it.

Tokyo - round 1

After 4 days in Tokyo we have not seen the sun and in fact, it has been mostly raining. So we have not done the tourist things yet. Hopefully when we come back two more times...

  With nothing better to do, we check out the shops and in particular the clasy Isetan dept store. HIgh end goods and a food store in the basement like Harrods Food Floor on steroids, Beautiul food and also lots of take out food. I can see how Jana and Paul easily eat at these places all the time. 

Eating Out

  But at least eating out at restaurants gives us a better idea of life in the big city, and we enjoy lots of really good sushi. It helps that menus in English with photos.Set meals include pickles, rice, miso soup (varies a with resto, some extremely good), an egg custard dish (with a shrimp and fish, topped with mushroom slices and slivers of teen veg) and tea.Beer is good,both draft and bottled and about $ for a double size bottle, sometimes we share, sometimes we quaff one of our own..the sake is also inexpensive so we are getting expert at tasting that too...

Politeness

  Everything here is very much based on ritual, respect and sameness. Even though Tokyo is a happening city there is a lot of measured politeness to everything. Still a lot of bowing. You certainly know you are not in China or SE Asia by the general noise level. And streets are clean and clear, no jumping out of the way as a motorbike nearly takes you out on the sidewalk here. But bikes do ride everywhere, it's a popular form of transport.

Shoes Off!

  Taking off the shoes for everything is a pain. I don't like going barefoot anywhere so I've had to buy new socks. I also have my airline slip-on slippers in my camera bag. Ted is trying to get away with sandals as they have Velcro. You get slippers or indoor shoes at all hotels, but they are all too big for me so I wear my own flip flops indoors. With all the rain, I can see you don't want to wear outdoor shoes inside. But there are also a special pair of slippers only for the bathroom too...

HIstoric Takayama, and more rain

Hoping to see sun today, we were once again disappointed. Maybe tomorrow...We get fed a substantial breakfast then it's off to the local markets. Lots of local veggies and fruit, mainly huge apples. I buy beautiful red flowers like velvet for our room and put them in the only container I can find, somebody's empty red beer can.
  There are some fascinating things to eat at the market, maybe we'll try them tomorrow when we won't have the big hotel breakfast. Little octopus stuffed There is lots of tourist kitsch here and later we see bus loads of tourists around town but nothing to stop us enjoying the ambiance of the whole place.
  It's a historic region with several National Historic site designations so we trot around in the rain, ho hum, visiting the nearest Buddhist temple, the Jinta - the oldest city administrative complex, beautifully restored to its 17th century simple architectural style - Kusudama sake factory, and the beautiful Museum of History and Art, practically deserted.
  Ted has read about the Ebisu buckwheat soba noodle maker, in business since 1898, so we find the place and order huge bowls of noodles. That's it for eating for the day. Mine is pretty dull as I don't want to try the spicy mix you add for taste, but Ted enjoys his. Been there, done that.

Cook your own - hibachi style

Our first dinner in Takayama is in a nice little restaurant up the road where you cook on personal hibachis and gas powered stoves. It's pretty hot in there with all those people each with their own hot plate!
  The speciality this time of year is teeny baby pickled eggplants the size of your middle finger. You eat them with sake, delivered in a huge glass, there are many sake makers here in this town. Ted's dish is mountain vegetables piled on a huge mulberry leaf on sweet miso paste. It includes several exotic mushrooms and fresh veggies. Mine is a bowl of stock/soup with all the veggies piled on top then very thin slices of pork. You get it boiling, stir it up and dig in. Served with miso soup and rice, and small dishes of pickles and salad, this is a satisfying meal all right.
  But the star of this show up here is the Hida beef. It is reared with tons of fat marbled through it. Everyone comes here to sample it. We have yet to try it. I don't think we had better say we come from Alberta, with the best beef in the world...

Takayama, mountain paradise when not raining...

Sunday we take off in plenty of time to walk to the Sunjuku railway station, the largest in the world apparently. We had Sussex out some of the lines so used our rail pass for the first trip to Tokyo station. Changing there to the JR national line, we have a comfortable 3 seat row and keep our bags with us. Later we realize you drop them at the back of the train car, which is better when you only have two seat and can't load your bags overhead, too heavy by far. Igt's very light load on both JR trains today. But we have the added challenge of changing trains in Nagoya. But we have about 15 minutes to do so.
  It is all very efficient, trains leave on the dot. The train inspector bows before he leaves your carriage, still lots of bowing and scraping here. You are told to switch your phone to silent and not make calls. What a heaven of peace to travel this way. The 1.5 hour then 2.5 hour train rides pass easily enough, the second route taking us up a beautiful River valley into the mountains, which are not as impressive as the Rockies but we get a tiny glance of Mr.Fuji on the first leg of the trip, above the clouds, which dog us completely here. Lovely rural landscapes fly past the window, rice fields and small crops that we look forward to eating soon.
  Fighting our way out of the station through a throng of people waiting to get on to return to Nagoya - this is the end of the line - we find a friendly taxi driver, no English but we have the hotel name printed out so a 5 minute ride gets us there.
  Into the pleasant little Rickshaw Inn run, surpringly, by a Brit, Nick from Yorkshire. It's more like a glorified hostel but comfortable enough with our own tiny bathroom and a 15 sq.ft room, which is the norm I guess.

Isetan Department store, Harrods on steroids

Ted has read about this amazing dept store so we wend our way in the rain up there. WE have one umbrella and in the deluge, pick up another one for $5, but it's huge so we are on the lookout for a cheap portable one from China! We hop into a tiny sushi bar and get a really good lunch  with beers for $50.
  Into Isetan, we first checked out the lower food floor, which is huge and incredibly impressive, and busy. Senior Tokyo ladies get their groceries here, but everyone seems able to pick up a treat or two. We venture up the other 10 or so floors and find kimonos at $3,000, and that's just the basic wraps. You still need the obi, slippers, hair adornment, small purse, etc. Some beautiful fabrics and tapestry type designs too.
  That night we returned to the sushi restaurant we visited our first night, but had to wait 30. minutes for a table on Saturday night.
  The rain eased off tonight, I am out of sleeping pills now so I hope we are tired enough of schepping around in the rain to sleep through the night on day 4. Almost packed, we are ready to venture further afield tomorrow.

Tokyo, a happening place

We take our time coming to in the morning, enjoy the wide variety of breakfast food, Japanese and Western at the hotel buffet and decide we'll do that every day here, rather than search for other breakfast options before our day begins. Having booked through an agency, breakfat was not included.
  Later we find the Japan Rail booking office and after very little waiting or delay, leave with a bundle of train tickets and seat bookings for the 3 week duration of the pass. $1600 gets us two regular price tickets as Ted doesn't think we need the first class ones. I had printed out the schedules before we left Canada so it was easy to check it all fit together.
  Times Square is a huge shopping complex so we strolled around, and checked out the top 3 floors of restaurants. After a wash and nap back at the hotel we smarten up a bit for the first time and enjoy dinner at a nicer busy sushi restaurant, with dinner including one beer for $70. On the way out, we stop at the French style patisserie for chocolate mousse, decadent.
  We have a big bathtub in our room, which I love, so I soak every night and hope it helps me sleep and get over jetlag which is still there for us both.WE also get one CNN news channel and a Japanese version of NY Times in English so are getting world news, if depressing.

About sake...

Sake is the national drink, there are some 300,000 producers apparently. But on the way home after dinner, we hit a sake festival. Pay 500 yen ($6) and you get to choose 3 of the 10 or 12 producers to sample. This is just off the main railway station, people heading home, kids around, no qualms about alcohol here. A lovely young hostess corralled us, maybe she sensed Ted was just the guy to evaluate their sakes...Along with a bag of teeny dried fish (great accompaniment) and nuts, you trekked around the stalls sampling dry or sweet, cold or hot. You could have got blind drunk on $18...in fact some ladies seemed to be getting there rather fast.

  Ted filled in his evaluation sheet and off we stumbled back to our hotel. Now if we can only remember the name of the 3 he liked...they are often packed in lovely woven casks (like Italian Chiantis used to be) maybe we will bring some home. 

  We have good wifi here in the hotel so we are hearing about all the culinary and drinking delights of Barcelona, Córdoba and now Seville from the young Elders who are touring there right now. But they are doing it far cheaper than here in Japan. 

  Uhoh. After the beers, the sake and now we find cheap beer in the vending machine down the hall, Ted has passed out twice already at 9pm so it's off to bed tonight and hope we can sleep through.

About the toilets...

Of course, the first thing I spied when I hopped into the toilet after arriving at the airport was a squat. But there were also plenty of other western toilets. Seems ladies here still like their squats, tho what you do when you have bad knees I don't know. I have my ShePee device along just in case..

  First, on the Dreamliner, I should note the toilets have a window that I guess guys can look out when they pee. Gals can look out after. It was quite a nice touch. The main windows are touch screen. I don't know how it works but you dial down on the nob under the window and it darkens, no screen covers to pull down. Very effective and nice ambient light at the tough of your finger.

  Here in the hotel we have Cadillac toilets. The minute you sit on it, the water heats up. You have a choice of bidet or spray with soothing warm water. Why can't we put these in all our toilets I ask...I haven't heard it talking to me yet, but we will wait and see what else it does...hahaha

Sep 21: Jumping in

After half an hour of wrangling, we upgrade our teeny room to something bigger and having joined the Sunroute travel club, got a free upgrade again and will get 10% off our future bookings in October. As we hadn't unpacked much, it was an easy move down a level, overlooking a garden at the 3rd floor. Not quite the tropical paradise in Hue, we are still staring at more buildings, but a much larger more comfortable room (they quote you sq.ft. on the Internet booking site and it's hard to imagine the 15 sq.ft of the original room til you see it.

  Here in the business/tourist end of town (Prada and Coach abound)) Ted steered me to the shopping and restaurant area. There are hundreds of restaurants but strangely not a lot simply Japanese. It's very affluent, lots of families, like Singapore, it appears they don't eat at home. Lots of groups of young women, I guess the men are all at the bar together...

   We had lunch at a French Crepe Bretagne place - fish soup (like lobster bisque, excellent), pea soup and Bretagne cider. Must go back for crepes. $40 Cdn.

  Later to a pizza place, so efficient, lineups everywhere esp just after people get out of the offices at 5pm. You line up and they bring the menu on the street. Pull in customers as fast as they can serve, not necessarily to fill restaurant then keep you waiting. Good philosophy. Pick your base (green: pesto) then choose from a huge selection arrayed in front of you (prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, exotic looking mushrooms) into the wood burning stove for 5 minutes max and away you go. Washed down by their own tasty brew of beer. Again $40.

  As Ted says there were 8 greeting customers ad making/serving pizza and service is amazing here.

  In the reception they have a robot named Pepper. I need to go talk to it tomorrow. See how it compares to all the lovely young people looking after us here.

  

Welcome to Tokyo, London weather style...

It was cold and overcast when we took off from Calgary with the prospect of nothing over mid teens all week. And it was overcast and soggy when we arrived in Tokyo - but at least the temp was 20.

  We had the decided advantage of riding the new Boeing Dreamliner. What a nice way to spend 11 hours on a plane. 

 We were surprised at our route. Japan looks opposite San Fran and LA on a map, but we hugged the BC coast to Sitka, over the Aleutians (couldn't see a thing all day!) along south of  the Russian coast and down to Japan. 

  Yeah, the Dreamliner was something else. Some neat gizmos (esp the Windows), very comfortable seats, half empty plane, OK food, and quiet as a mouse in front of the engine. Watched two lousy movies en route, had about 3 hours sorta sleep, and pleasantly surprised that Narita airport wasn't a zoo like Heathrow. Very well organized. Had to wait an hour for the express bus right to hotel, and promptly left my down vest on bus! Not found today! Oh well, at least I have a down jacket for the mountain bit of trip.

  The 1.5 hour drive took us past grey, dull buildings, not til central Tokyo do you see some interesting buildings. 

  We went out exploring briefly, but I was too pooped to take in any amount of it, so we bought me a Quiche Lorraine (as good as anything in Paris) and yogurt and I came home, ate in room, soaked in bath (nearly fell asleep!) found CNN newson TV, then bed at 10:30pm, Slept well for a while then fitfully til 8:30 so not bad. 

  Ted went back out last night, found  a Mexican place he thinks he ate at with Tony 6 years ago! Quesadilla and beer and check out some other places for later. We are here 4 days so have to get out and arrange all our train tickets before long.

  Now it's pissing out there, just like being in England. Our view from hotel window, more windows and walls.

  Our room is tiny, a real challenge to take anything out of the two reasonable-sized suitcases. Two people can't pass in the hallway. Not a cupboard or drawer in sight.

  Everything so well organized and orderly here, not like China at all! Even a line on the bath telling me where to run water to! they are very economical here, not so bad.

   Great buffet breakfast of both Japanese and Western food, more pain au choc and croissants like in France. Yeah. So I guess we won't be wandering out to find better breakfast anywhere else. When we come back 2 more times, it is included, but at $12 they didn't make any $$$ out of Ted today....
  I started my log last night so will now try to start on the blog, just copy what I write.

  I see it is shitty weather in Calgary too. Sorry about

My eyes were already drooping, it's nearly noon, midnight in Calgary, but I am going to resist napping today...Ted Is doing well as usual, once he has found the cheapest beer near the hotel, he is all set...

Sep 20 2016: off to Japan for a month

Since Air Canada has a direct link from Calgary to Tokyo, it will be an easy flight for 10.5 hours (9.5 hours on the way back) beginning at 1pm and arriving at 2:30pm. Although Ted ah visited for a week a few year back, it is my first visit and I'm really looking forward to this different culture.
 Working from info from various friends (mainly Jana and Paul from 6 weeks in Fall 2015) I have put together a schedule the sees us in Tokyo 3 different times, with 3-8 day visits to other prominent cities. Kyoto ha so much to do and see we will spend 8 nights there.
  We will also do something new, travel by train everywhere. So I'm busy trying to pack one manageable suitcase for the trip!