Japan 2014 Discussion

[YFlower]

Love reading about how far off the beaten path you are and the photos. The one from the tower with the mountain was great; you could see how even more spectacular it would have been if those weeping cherries had been in bloom. I also enjoyed the one of the shinkansen...nearly gasped, since it's so unlike anything I've seen.

Hope to see some of the cherries blooming in your coming photos and of course am really looking forward to the upcoming stays in the tsunami-affected areas. Thanks again for taking the time and effort to do this!

[HostDave]

Thanks! That shinkansen was the nicest one we've been on. It looked brand new inside and out.

No cherry blossoms yet. They were getting ready setting up booths here today, but we didn't see any at all ready to bloom. There was a small tree in someone's yard that had blossoms ready to open, but I think it was other kind of tree.

I was disappointed in Kakunodate. I expected more based on the guidebook descriptions. I don't CARE particularly as we still get something out of wandering around the town, but there really is no compelling reason for a tourist to come here. I'm glad the hotel is nice and has fast free internet, so at least we are comfortable while doing nothing

[Marybeth]

I love how off the beaten path you are too. I could never stay in your current hotel. I'd never be able to get up off the floor/bed. And I laughed at the doorway picture. No wonder the natives are so in awe of you two. I'm loving your posts. Thank you.

[HostDave]

Well, Rikuzentakata is about as far off track as we can get! If it hadn't been for a nice Japanese man, we'd still be standing at the bus stop!!

[YFlower]

What an amazing post on your journey to Rikuzentakata. It brought tears to my eyes--sadness remembering what happened, but happiness that people were so kind to you along the way.

Re: Kakunodate, although the town was meh, those (bare) cherry trees did look pretty awesome. They must be incredibly old; the trunks were huge. I lived in Washington, DC for 25 years and there were some thick trunks, but nothing like the ones in your picture.

[pinfu]

Your photos of Rikuzentakata are just devastating. I will be waiting to read your views when you have a closer look at the sad remains tomorrow. It never ceases to amaze me how kind the Japanese people are, and it's interesting to note how they have come out of their shells and interact with foreigners now. When we lived in Tokyo in the mid-'70's, if I entered a shop unaccustomed to foreigners, the proprietor would run and hide in a back room. But that wasn't lack of kindness. That was fear of the unknown. There must be a lot of Daves and Bills who have wandered through Japan and opened the lines of communication.

As a side note, a "chuhai" is moonshine sake and carbonated water. Once scoffed at as rot-gut for day laborers, moonshine sake is as cool as you can get in the hottest bars in Tokyo these days.

Thank you so much for including the article from the Tokyo Weekender. The Weekender was started by Corky Alexander when his military gig was up with The Stars and Stripes. Corky loved Japan. I used to write articles for the Weekender about Tokyo International Players when I was there. When Corky died several years ago, it looked as if the paper would fold. I checked the website for over a year, but there was no sign of life. I'm so happy to see it has been resurrected.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. It takes a lot of time and effort, and I really appreciate it.

[YFlower]

Thanks for the great pictures of Nikko; it's on my list, and they only reinforced that.

I also was VERY excited by the picture of your gyudon lunch. Beef bowl!! Yoshinaya (in Tustin) got me through many hungry times when I was in graduate school. There used to be one in Manhattan, but it closed a couple of years ago...much to my huge disappointment.

Safe travels the rest of your land trip; can't believe it's drawing to a close. Thanks so much again for all the effort with the blog.

[HostDave]

We're sad that we have to go on a cruise soon! That's a first I'd rather stay here for two more weeks, but I guess it is an incentive to come back and do the southern part of Japan next time.

The lunch yesterday was SO GOOD! Actually, almost all of the food we have had is fantastic. I enjoy it so much more going to the cheap local places than something fancy. We get enough of that at hotels where the food is included. The baked goods are to die for. Wish I could eat all I want like I used to, but those days are over...now I get one per day max, but it does seem more special that way.

Stay tuned for the rest of the pictures. What I post in the blog is just the tip of the iceberg. There are 133 pictures from the shrines of Nikko alone. I won't be able to get them ready to post until we get home, so it is something to look forward to!

Thank you all for your encouragement. I really appreciate knowing that you are enjoying my efforts.

[Marybeth]

I am so surprised at how reasonable the cost of food seems to be. You have enjoyed almost every meal and the amount of food in the pictures is amazing. If I tried to eat all of that food I wouldn't be able to leave the restaurant. It will be interesting when you are able to post all of your pictures. You must be tired after all of your travels so a cruise will be a good rest. Thank you again for doing this for us.

Oh and I just read the blog on you first cruise. I was laughing so hard. It is always difficult to travel with family. Hell it's always difficult dealing with family. I can't wait to read the rest of your journals.

[HostDave]

It seems like food was way more expensive last time we were here, but I suppose this time we are out on our own at local places. The kaiseki meals served in hotels would cost well over $100 in a restaurant. However, it is VERY easy to find cheap places to eat in big cities and tourist areas.

We're not tired at all from traveling. I purposely padded the schedule with extra days so we didn't have to walk all day. We could have done Nikko in two long days, but having the extra one makes it very easy.

That first cruise blog had to be severely edited before I could post it