Life as J

Having some time to reflect on the trip, I must say I enjoyed touring Japan immensely - it is definitely a country worth visiting. From this trip, I learned that my priority when travelling is food - I am motivated by food, I will go out of my way to try new/recommended food, and if I do find something that tickles my palate, I appreciate it. Japan is a haven for eating a wide variety of culinary treats - from the saucy okonomiyaki, to the artful sushi, and the delectable cream puff - there is no end to adventurous (and relatively healthy) eating. But my memories aren't limited to just what was on my plate, and I wanted to take some time to recount some of the highlights. Upon first arriving at Narita airport, I decided to use the bathroom before lining up for customs and baggage. Imagine my surprise when the toilet seat was warm! In North America, we do not have heated toilet seats, so when I encountered this in Japan, it was quite shocking. As the trip wore on, I did eventually...

Today was my last full day in Tokyo. Looking back on what I enjoyed most about Japan so far, I definitely recalled fond memories of all the food, and I also remembered the gardens in the Tenryuji Temple grounds back in Kyoto. Therefore, today was the "victory lap" - a visit to two gardens to relax and not feel rushed, and a sampling of whatever food I could find in between. First, for breakfast, I decided to try some Japanese fast food - similar to a ramen restaurant, there was a vending machine to put in and prepay for your order. This particular joint had soba, so I paid about $3, found a seat, ate my soba, and left within minutes. Efficient, fairly tasty, and something I wish we had at home. That gave me enough energy to visit the Rikugien gardens near the Komagome train station. I picked the Rikugien gardens because it was listed as one of Tokyo's best classical Japanese gardens; and it wasn't really close to any other tourist attractions, so there was a ...

After a hectic day in Asakusa yesterday, I figured I'd get the craziness out of the way early today, then relax for the rest of the day. First, I went to the famous Tsukiji fish market in Chuo-ku. Granted, I could have taken it up a notch, compromise sleep, and try to make it to the tuna auctions in the wee hours of the morning. Last night, and this morning, I decided sleep was more important (a good thing too as there was a small earthquake)! The only logical reason to wake up before 5 is that you have to catch a train, or a plane. I ended up getting to the market after 10am, and there was still lots to see (though I know most of the wheeling and dealing would have been done already). Going through the main entrance, I saw the vegetable and fruit wholesale section first, which also had a sprinkling of small restaurants already serving up food to customers. Following the herd of tourists, we eventually ran into the seafood wholesale area, which had a lot of empty (maybe it...

I decided to explore the Asakusa area of Tokyo today since it had 3 of the must-see things on my list: Sensoji Temple, Kappabashi Street, and [a short subway stop away] Tokyo Skytree. My impression of Tokyo is that it is a metropolis like I've never seen before - people everywhere, all the time, rushing; buildings sprawling and competing to be the tallest, sleekest; lights of all colors giving a noisy life to the streets at night. When I was making my way around the subway today, I was actually appreciative of the mandate for silence on the train and informative screens displaying the name of the next stop, which side to exit, and which stops are transfer points. On the streets, walking around there was never any doubt of safety or how to navigate my way around - I saw no bikes with locks, traffic controllers wherever there was any construction, no jaywalking pedestrians, trains always punctual (screens list the reason for delay if any), signs showing "you are here" ...

Instead of taking the Shinkansen from Toyama to Tokyo (the Shinjuku neighborhood) which would have taken less than 4 hours, we chose to take the more scenic Tateyama Kurobe alpine route . Today was actually the first day that the route opened this year and we took the first train out of Dentetsu Toyama station at 8:00am. I had no idea this particular route held so much significance until I saw a news team at the train station, filming the crowd (us!) as we gathered to board the train taking us on the Toyama Chiho Railroad. That news coverage could be excused, but as we rode this first leg of the journey, we saw groups of local children and elders at multiple towns waving as the train passed through. It made it a very heartwarming experience, seeing how much preserving this route meant to the local people. Just to explain, the route starts in Toyama and ends in Ogizawa, while ascending and descending Mt. Takayama - but the best part isn't necessarily the views, but rather the dif...

I was really excited to be showered in cherry blossoms today in Takayama, so I didn't mind the early wake up to catch the 6:42am train out of Kyoto. As we speed towards Takayama on the train, I saw more and more cherry blossoms in the countryside as we gained elevation, and my expectations of the cherry blossom festival rose... I also found out from the Fujioka sake brewery that Takayama was another hotspot for sake, so there was more sake awaiting! We arrived in Takayama around 10 and immediately, I headed towards the streets of the festival to see what interesting activities were happening. Since I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, I was happy to see food stalls, and bought myself some sweet potato bread to try. I thought it was alright, not as sweet as I would have imagined though. Further down the street, I saw a Takayama specialty - charbroiled fish from the river. This turned out to be quite tasty, and while waiting for the fish to cook, I chatted with the stall owner becau...

The mission for today was to relax and have fun!   First, there was a buffet breakfast in the hotel, which thankfully had a decent selection of Japanese foods to choose from. One thing new that was served: pumpkin! The miso soup was plain... but for some reason, it tasted slightly fermented? Perhaps I was anticipating the sake that would be had later...   After breakfast, I made use of my rail pass to visit the Arashiyama bamboo grove. At first, I wasn't sure I'd be able to find my way because there were tourists walking in all directions in the area, seemingly lost. Eventually, I did end up on the right road and soon found myself surrounded by a forest of tall green stalks! As I walked through the alley, I slowed down to listen as the wind blew through the bamboo and made gentle music - almost like nature's chimes, as the hollow stalks swayed and bumped each other. (I also briefly recalled scenes from House of Flying Daggers.)   At the edge of the bamboo gro...

We took the bullet train from Hiroshima, and made it to Kyoto by noon, just in time to drop off our luggage at the hotel and then have a bowl of ramen for lunch.  There is a floor full of ramen restaurants in the building adjacent to the Kyoto train station, and it was packed. I used my experience with the ramen vending machine from Shinagawa and ordered a bowl of ramen with extra chashu and an egg (just for full disclosure: insert your money first, then pick the items you want, then press the button to conclude your order, then the machine will print the appropriate tickets and spit out the change). Ordering was fast, but the wait to get a seat was at least 20 minutes, which seemed like forever with a rumbling stomach! When we finally got seats, the ramen was placed in front of us within 5 minutes. I found the broth (which was chicken-based) a bit too salty, but otherwise, it was a very tasty bowl of noodles!   With that meal in my tummy, I left to explore the Kiyomizu...

Today was the only full day we allotted for Hiroshima, so it was packed. There were places to see and things to eat! First, we grabbed the prepaid breakfast in the restaurant next to the hotel - which ended up being pretty good. Though I suppose anything other than a western-style breakfast would have made me happy! It was a simple tray of grilled salmon, some veggies, tofu, rice, and miso soup - enough food to energize us for a morning at the peace park. My traveling companion had the idea of eating bento boxes for lunch at the peace park, so following another recommendation, we hunted for a specific homemade bento box shop that was located at the north end of the train station. Eventually, we picked up our bento boxes and hopped on a tourist bus bound for the peace park. Luckily for us, the bus fare was waived for JR pass holders! At the peace park, I explored the park grounds because it was such a nice day - taking my time appreciating all the memorials and reflecting o...

It's the last day of the tour! I woke up feeling pretty tired from all the traveling we've done so far, but excited for the opportunity to cycle one last time with the crew (heroes in spandex!). After a simple western-style self-serve breakfast at the hotel, we actually got off to a bit of a rough start: I misplaced the key for my bike lock and my rear tire was flat. Luckily, the tour guide had an extra key for the lock, and he was super quick with the tube change. (There were some laughs as he was using the hand pump to inflate the tire, while a Japanese stranger looked on from behind. It made for a very strange scene.) With all the bad luck used up for the day, we thoroughly enjoyed the actual cycling. It was a short ride from the hotel to the ferry over to Mount Sakurajima, and we were able to cycle right onto the ferry with no problems. I was surprised when we arrived at the island because it seemingly took less than half an hour to cross the water. The best part abou...

I have to say, the owner of the Saiki ryokan we stayed in was the best hostess we encountered on the trip. She was personable and really tried her best to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. When she found out I had stressed my knee, she gave me ice, medicine, tape, ... and she was super helpful to do whatever she could to help me out. It was really sweet and I was deeply touched by her genuine kindness and hospitality. If I ever come back to Japan, I'll have to drop by Saiki and stay at that ryokan again. After a wonderful breakfast, instead of cycling, I took the train from Saiki to Nobeoka with the other member of the group who opted out today. Once we got to Nobeoka, we tried to find a restaurant that served Chicken Nan Ban, which was quite challenging. Luckily one of us (not me) knew enough Japanese to get directions to a restaurant, and we were able to find our way there in a few minutes.  Unfortunately, the entire menu of 3 items was in Japanese. ...

Note to self: if going on a multi-day cycling tour, bring my pedals and cycling shoes. Today, I made sure to load up my plate at the hotel breakfast buffet and check my knee before getting back on the saddle. All seemed fine, and with a volunteer transporting our backpacks to our destination (Saiki), we would be traveling light again. The sun was shining, we managed to stick to an early start, and the route was mostly flat. All clear! We cycled along a wide bike path through Oita city, which was lined with cherry trees, but no more blossoms. It was still a pleasant ride, made even more so once we got back to the coastline. We were treated to panoramas of sparkling blue sea, almost cloudless skies, and magnificent mountains. The road we took hugged the coastline, reminding me of the bus ride I took along the Amalfi Coast in Italy, except this time, I was the crazy cyclist! Oh, and the road was much more hilly in Italy. Eventually the route drew us away from the enchanting s...

I have to admit, I wasn't quite as excited this morning when I got up compared to yesterday. I knew that it would be another tough day of climbing, and we wouldn't get the awesome food we got at the Hita ryokan. The great thing about lower expectations is the increased opportunity to be pleasantly surprised.   When I got up before my alarm, I had time to check out the automatic massage chair in the hotel - it was definitely a relaxing way to start the day, complete with a TV in the background showing a Japanese cooking show! I think I can make the fried chicken we've had a couple of times back at home now.  After that, breakfast was served for the entire crew, and it was a decent meal: similar to the one at the ryokan - with lots of small dishes, rice, and miso soup. The day was looking a bit more promising.   The previous couple of days, we were lucky to have support vehicles driving beside us, carrying all our backpacks. The tour guide had somehow found volunte...

This morning, two things drove me to get up with a bounce in my step - a breakfast that promised to be amazing and cycling. I was not disappointed with either. The ryokan provided a bountiful spread for breakfast, including grilled salmon, a fried egg, a special soybean dish, nori, preserved vegetables, a hearty miso soup, and rice. Yeah. I wish I could have all my meals prepared by this ryokan for the rest of the trip and then bring them back home! The soybean dish consisted of fermented soybeans and then this special sauce, which you poured in and then whipped vigorously with the beans to produce a frothy, sticky, slightly sweet, slightly salty mixture which went really well with rice. I was extremely satisfied with the food, and energized for the ride ahead (unlike a certain someone who died cycling yesterday and decided to opt out today... I'm not going to say who... someone...). Our tour guide warned us that the route today would be much more climbing, beginning almos...

Today was the first day of the cycling tour and it was amazing! Last night, we all had dinner together so I was already familiar with the other two members of the group: an older guy from Ottawa and a younger guy from Connecticut. Including the tour guide (hailing from Portland), we were a compact crew of 5.   After a light Western-style breakfast provided by the hotel, we made our way out of Hakata to the Dazaifu Shrine. I was impressed that all the roads had bike lanes, and the cars were generally quite considerate to cyclists. When we got to the shrine, I was excited to see all the traditional architecture, both inside the gates of the shrine and outside, accompanied by luscious greenery. Apparently this shrine is extremely popular with tourists, and on this particularly sunny day, the grounds were packed with people. We also found out that wedding parties are common too - stumbling upon one just as we were exiting the shrine area.   Once past the shrine, we quick...

It was an early wake up call for me in order to catch the first bullet train out of Shinagawa - my alarm rang at 5:00 am. I was out of the B&B before 5:30, walking to the 24-hour Family Mart convenience store to grab breakfast. Walking around to see what caught my attention, I was reminded of Europe when I saw alcohol sitting on the shelves right next to other non-alcoholic beverages. As I browsed the aisles, I saw lots of snacks, dessert buns, sandwiches, lunch boxes, and onigiri. It was too much choice! But something smelled really good - there was a station for oden! I was sold - I picked out as many ingredients as I could to fill a cup, grabbed a few snacks, and was on my way back to the train station. I wasn't really sure where it was appropriate for me to eat my oden, so I hung out near some other people standing around and made quick work of my breakfast while it was still hot. The train platform was a few steps away, and as I sat waiting for my train, I marvele...

Whew. I made it, after quite a rough start. I suppose I should be thankful though that I'm no worse for the wear - just tired. Let's backtrack to the beginning...   I was lucky enough to be chauffeured to the airport, arriving at YVR more than 2 hours before the scheduled departure. After a near miss of forgetting my cellphone, I was not too excited to see an entire school of Japanese kids queued up at the baggage check. They were well behaved and orderly - I just wished that Air Canada had posted more than one employee to handle the crowd... which they did eventually remedy. Patience was a good partner in line as I tried to remain upbeat, and I managed to get my bag tagged more than half an hour later.   Security was nothing too bad, and I found myself at the gate with 45 minutes to spare before boarding began. I was about to sit down and relax when I realized I had not included earphones on my packing list! A hurried trip to the airport tech store yielded a choice b...