Japan
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Final thoughts, suggestions & observations about Japan
I have already summarized some initial impressions of Japan based on the initial three or four days we were there and those favorable impressions were borne out in spades during the additional time we spent there. But here are some additional thoughts or elaboration of what I have previously stated including some tips for anyone who is thinking of visiting Japan:
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“A Fantasia of Culinary Delights”
My brother, George, suggested the above title based on some WhatsApp postings that I shared with family while in Japan as I commented on the variety of cuisine we experimented with and, for the most part, enjoyed. A couple of the images shown below are stock photos mainly because we started eating what was served before taking pictures. First, we have sushi – surely no trip to Japan can be complete without sushi. Now I am not a great fan of sushi – and neither is Mini – but what we had was surprisingly good. Mini and Lekshmi who was with us were not overly adventurous but I pretty much…
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Kyoto
With the benefit of hindsight we should have spent about 4 days in Kyoto, made a day trip to Hiroshima and perhaps included a two day visit to Osaka which which was missing from our itinerary. As it worked out the itinerary we made in the US resulted in us spending only two days in Kyota which was really not sufficient to do justice to this magnificent city with its old world charm and lots to see. Anyway we arrived here from Hiroshima on an unreserved train which involved changing at Osaka. We left booking a reserved seat until too late and by the time we tried reserved seats were…
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Hiroshima
Hiroshima is worth visiting though it can be done in a day trip – we stayed here overnight but we could have spent the extra day in Kyoto instead. There are two things worth seeing in Hiroshima, as a tourist – the Peace Museum which brings out vividly the trauma and tragedy of the first ever atom bomb that was dropped on a city as part of a war. There are two places that I have visited over the decades that I found profoundly moving: one was the Dachau concentration camp near Munich where tens of thousands of Jews were exterminated and the other was Hiroshima. There are pictures of…
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Shibuya Crossing
Today was a rainy day but after being cooped up in the apartment through much of the morning, we decided to venture out even though there were occasional rain spells. We used the Tokyo Metro to go with Lekshmi and Brito to see the famous Shibuya Crossing – a remarkable experience by any definition. This is a famous crossing just outside Shibuya Station that is surrounded by shops and dining establishments. When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction – essentially crosswise and diagonally. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides, in what…
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Tokyo City Tour – Part 2
We then proceeded to the Imperal Palace where the Emperor and his family live. Again, our timing was not optimal because much of the Palace grounds were closed since on the day following our tour – April 30th 2019 – the Emperor was going to abdicate and for three days thereafter there were events involving the abdication and the coronation of the new Emperor. What we learned is that although the Japanese follow the Gregorian calendar, they also have “eras” that are given a name – and each era starts with the coronation of a new emperor. For example the era associated with Hirohito who was the emperor during the…
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Tokyo City Tour – Part 1
We spent much of Monday – the 29th – on a city tour seeing some of the major tourist spots. Among the places we saw was a Shinto shrine: Shintoism is the major religion of Japan. It is a faith that has no religious scripture or founder. It is a difficult religion to describe – they don’t believe in proselytizing which is why it is not found outside of Japan. Here is a link that explains Shintoism: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2056.html
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Karaoke & Dining
We went from the sake festival to a karaoke bar – karaoke is a big thing in Japan and there are facilities offering karaoke all over the city. We went to one not far from where Lekshmi lives with Karina – Lekshmi’s friend who bought the Christian Louboutin shoes. What happens is that one ends up renting a private room which was assigned for our use for an hour. The price we paid – about $75 – includes the use of the room and an alcoholic drink for the five of us. We select what songs we want to sing and then whoever wishes can join in the singing. Several…
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Sake Festival
This was one of our major activities on Sunday – experiencing a wide variety of sake that was being served in the arena of a major shopping center nearby. It resembled a huge food fair but the emphasis was on different types of sake though there were some “upscale” food trucks serving different types of cuisine ranging from Japanese to German and Italian. Interestingly we did not see any Chinese which is a staple at such events in the US. There was something akin to burgers and hot dogs that we avoided.
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Initial Impressions of Tokyo
We have now been in Japan for three full days and I have to say that I am impressed with just about everything about the country – at least what I have seen and experienced. The people are non –interfering and somewhat reserved – in part because of limitations with English – but they are respectful, helpful to the extent they can be and have a strong civic sense. The city – to the extent that we have seen it has to be one of the cleanest cities I have seen. Brito, the day we arrived, said the Japanese strive for perfection and he is right. As I mentioned previously,…
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Our Visit to Japan – April/May 2019
Inspired by my brother Peter’s detailed narrative of his trip to the Holy Land, I decided to emulate his example and record our visit to Japan – our first time to this part of the world. As opposed to the daily account that Peter followed, I am going to record key highlights of our visit here which was from April 26th to May 8th when we will be returning to the USA. We were fortunate in being able to stay with our niece Lekshmi and her husband Brito. Lekshmi who works for the US State Department has been posted to the US Embassy in Tokyo and been provided with an…