Japan - The Long Journey Home

TRIP REPORT

Background:

In a previous blog post I mentioned that Japan is a destination you can typically find me heading off to at least once or twice a year. Not only is it my home away from home, but currently my mother is residing there. Is there a better reason to jet set across the globe then to visit your mom? The answer, dear reader, is no.

Despite having been to Japan a few times in the last two years, this visit promised to be a little unique. I had always traveled with friends or alone, never with family. This time, not only was my mother going to be meeting me in Tokyo, but my brother and sister were going to be making the long trek with me. As children we grew up in Japan, but when I was 13 and my siblings much younger then that, we moved back to the United States. My brother and sister haven't been able to return since then, so this was a big trip for them. The excitement was building as time ticked down. Despite planning a trip for everyone that was essentially a carbon copy of one of my earlier visits, I was excited to experience Japan with my family. We were going to start off with a few days in Tokyo, head over to some relaxing hot springs in Hakone, make a quick day trip to Hiroshima, and then attend the famous Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.


Getting There:

Despite its comparatively small size to other nations, Japan is extremely well connected to the outside world by plane. All major US airlines besides US Airways fly into Japan, in addition to the two big Japanese air carriers. If that isn't enough, you can always manage to connect north or south of the border with Air Canada and AeroMexico, or connect in major European and Asia cities.

While Chicago has direct flights to Tokyo on American, United, Japan Airlines, and ANA, the cheapest option for my siblings and I to get into Japan was to fly on American from Chicago to Tokyo through New York. Considering my brother and sister both list "broke ass college student" on their yearly tax filings, price was of the utmost importance on this trip. Having a few spare upgrades available on American through my elite status, I ended up moving the three of us into first class for our domestic flights and business class for our long trek across North America and the Pacific, while sadly our return from Japan would be in economy.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare and were quickly checked into our flight from Chicago to New York. We quickly grabbed some food to eat in the Terminal 3 food court before heading over to the Admirals Club to partake in some free wifi and assorted snacks. Not accustomed to flying very often, my brother and sister seemed to really enjoy putzing around in the lounge waiting for our flight to New York. Soon we were boarding our flight to LaGuardia and my brother and sister enjoyed their very first First Class flight. The crew was friendly and seemed to take a liking to our traveling troupe, even meeting up with us at the baggage claim and talking to us about our trip while waiting for taxis. We checked into a cheap Priceline hotel near JFK (the LaQuinta, Spanish for "Sometimes I don't change your sheets") and crashed.

Checking in at New York JFK was a breeze. We were able to use the premium passenger check in section which had no line. Anytime you can avoid a line while at the airport, its a good thing in my book. We were handed our boarding passes and quickly shifted our way through security before settling down at the Flagship Lounge/Admirals Club to wait out our boarding time. We grabbed some seats near the big windows and snapped a few pictures of our plane.

Boarding was finally announced and we schlepped our bags through the terminal and boarded the AA 777 that was taking us to Tokyo. We settled into our business class seats. American's business class on the 777 sits 2-3-2, which was convenient for us as we grabbed a row in the middle section. It was at this point that my brother and sister pretty much threw the little restraint they had left to the wind and really started diving into the experience. Pictures were taken, seats were converted into beds, and sparkling wine was offered.

The service on the flight was outstanding. Our flight attendant took very good care of us, always addressing us by name and always checking in on us after waking up from sleeping or periodically while watching movies. Food was ..... meh. You're on an airplane so what can you expect though? I've heard mythical rumors from across the travelsphere that there are some amazingly tasty airline meals out there. My hunt, sadly, continues....


Arrival:

Arriving in Tokyo's Narita is always a fairly easy experience. Generally speaking, landing in most Asian locations I've been to have been fairly easy experiences. The immigration procedure is efficient and painless, though the Japanese do require fingerprints and photographs to enter the country. Despite the hassle, we were all quickly processed through to collect our bags and were waved through customs in less then 10 minutes. While it would have been great to have our Mom meet us at the airport, it seemed silly for her to waste money on a pricey train ticket just to get back on a train and head back to Tokyo, so we agreed to meet her at our lodgings. We purchased local train tickets from Narita into Tokyo for 1000 yen each and boarded our train.


Tokyo:

Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo. A city with millions of people with a million things to do. I've heard a few people nonchalantly mention that despite its size, Tokyo really isn't that interesting of a city to visit. I wholeheartedly disagree. I've never been disappointed with my numerous visits to the Japanese capital, and this time was no exception.

We only had a few days to spend here, so we wanted to make sure we hit up a few of the big sites. We were staying at a little hostel in the Asakusa district, so the first morning we ended up walking over to Senso-ji Temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Its historic Thunder Gate with the giant red paper lantern has been the hallmark of numerous pictures and postcards from Japan. We wandered up the covered street lined with various shops hawking trinkets and tasty treats. The temple itself has a fairly large complex with a few sights to see. The giant straw sandal on a gate, the main building itself with murals painted on the walls and ceilings. Dragon shaped water fountains. Jizo statues galore. It's chaotic and frantic at most times of the day, but always an interesting and fun place to be.

We moved on from Senso-ji and hopped a few train stops over to Ueno Park. This green area in the middle of northern Tokyo is always an interesting place to stop by. They were hosting an ice sculpting contest in the open forum area near the National Museum campus. One section of the contest had already started by the time we wandered into the area, but we made sure to grab a good position to watch the second portion. The Japanese summer swelters; the heat is never too high, but it's high enough to make you feel like you're baking when you combine it with the awful sticky humidity. Sitting around blocks of ice while tiny chips from chisels and saws fly all over was a unique way to cool off.

We hopped back on the Tokyo subway system and made our way over to the Shinjuku/Harajuku area to take in the impressive Meiji-jingumae shrine. This is probably my favorite spot in Tokyo. Literally a few steps away from some of the heaviest trafficked streets in the most populous metropolitan area in the world, you have this quiet, forested oasis that offers shade and relaxation. Marked by massive wooden gates bearing the seal of the Emperor, you walk for almost a mile through a heavily wooded path before reaching the serene confines of the shrine. If you're lucky, you'll see a traditional Japanese wedding taking place as you walk through.

The next day we took the sightseeing a little easier. We marched around the Imperial Palace for awhile, taking in the famous Nijubashi bridge (said to resembled a pair of glasses) and wandered over to the parliament building, the Diet. Realistically there isn't much to do at the palace, so we headed over to the touristy Tokyo Tower, which resembles the Eiffel Tower for all intents and purposes. We shelled out for the overpriced tickets and headed up to the observation deck, staring out at the massive breadth of Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan building is a much better view if you want to see all of Tokyo, but the Tower was good enough to keep us entertained, especially my brother and sister who got a big kick out of standing on the glass viewing platform to freak my mother out. Feeling the grumbling in our stomachs, we decided to sit down for some nice Japanese food.

We ended the day on the unmanned robotic train to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. We got our pictures taken with the fake Statue of Liberty (notice a theme with fake replicas of other famous world landmarks?) and then did a little shopping for my sister at the all-women's mall, Venus Fort. Its interior is designed to mimic Venice, Italy. Wandering around, it really just reminded me of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.

Weary and exhausted from walking in the heat all day, we headed back to our hostel and prepared for our early morning trek to the mountains.


Hakone:

While at times it seems like a sleepy little town in the mountains, Hakone is a pretty major destination on the touring map, both with foreigners and with the Japanese. Tucked away into the mountains south east of Tokyo, its full of natural beauty, misty lakes, active volcano vents, and natural hot springs.

A very difference atmosphere then Tokyo and a welcomed change at this point in the trip.

Getting to Hakone is a little bit of a pain. You take a short bullet train ride from Tokyo to the town of Odawara where you then transfer to a local train or bus that winds up the mountains. We splurged a bit on the hotel for this location. After sleeping in a clean but cramped hostel in Tokyo, were were looking forward to something a little more luxurious.

The hotel we were booked into sat prominently on the bend of the river running through this region.

Keeping with the traditional Japanese style, shoes are removed when you enter the building and kept in a locker. We shuffled down the hardwood floors to our room, which had an open format and was tiled with straw tatami mats in all directions. We booked a corner room overlooking the river, and we had a wrap around enclosed veranda that allowed views of the mountains and river. On a separate balcony attached to our bathroom, we had our own personal outdoor hot bath. In total seclusion you were able to disrobe, wash yourself clean, and dip into the hot water while listening to the river flowing by and birds chirping in the greenery. Heaven.

Also included in the room was the traditional "gift" when you arrive in a Japanese inn, which for us included delicious hot tea and some citrus jelly snacks.

Having spend half the day commuting to our new location, the only thing we did the first day was enjoy the hotel's facilities. In addition to our personal hot tub, there were men's and women's hot springs on the bottom floor. The family split up and took turns trying the different baths, soaking in the ambiance and just relaxing. To cap off the night, we headed into town on foot and ate some delicious tempura.

The next day we managed to crawl out of the comforts of the hotel, though we did linger a bit to soak up some more of that warm water. The weather wasn't cooperating much, which made it difficult to do much sightseeing. The wind was kicking up pretty strong, which meant the cable car line through the mountains to a lot of the sights was shut down. Of course we didn't know that before we headed up to the cable car station, but that's what travel is all about, right?

We hopped on a bus to Lake Ashi instead. Situated at the top of the mountain, it was an odd change from what we'd seen all day: sunny and windy. Once we reached Lake Ashi, it grew much darker and misty, almost as if we had wandered on to the set of "The Ring". Then again, a foggy lake with a fake pirate ship floating in the middle of it isn't really all that creepy, is it?

After wandering around the lake for awhile, he headed over the to historic checkpoint further around the lake. During the age of shoguns and samurai, the Emperor erected a checkpoint in Hakone to control the movement of people in and out of the region. Hakone has erected a replica of this checkpoint with plenty of markers and mannequins to give you the general idea of how it functioned. Additionally, there is a cedar lined walking path through the woods that was erected to provide shade to travelers on their way between the two regions. We walked down the cedar path through the mountains in silence, enjoying the shade on a muggy summer day.

Before we knew it our time was up in Hakone and it was time to move on to the next destination. We did manage to spend a little time back in Odawara before we caught our train to Kyoto to visiting the castle there. Not as impressive as Himeji Castle which I saw on my first trip back to Japan, but still a cute and nice place to visit.

Hiroshima:

We were staying in Kyoto, but Hiroshima is a close enough train ride that you can make a day trip out of it, which is what we did our first full day out of Hakone. There isn't much to say about Hiroshima that doesn't cause me to get misty and reflect on what it means to be both Japanese and American. Needless to say, our entire time was spent in and around the Peace Memorial Park viewing the monuments and remnants of what the atomic bomb did to the city and its residents. I've been to Hiroshima before, but this was the first time I was able to make it into the museum to see the documents and mementos of that moment in history. It's difficult to explain just how it makes you feel. Sick. Awestruck. Angry. Thoughtful.

Kyoto:

Kyoto is essentially the city people think of when they think of old Japan. Geishas, tea houses, paper lanterns, and austere temples. Any visit to Japan should stop at least for a little while in Kyoto, so of course we did.

We managed to plan our time in Kyoto to coincide with the annual Gion Matsuri, the biggest festival in all of Japan. The night before the big event, we met with one of my mother's friend who lives in Kyoto. He's the manager of a grocery store and his friend owns some restaurants around Kyoto. We were treated to a delicious free meal at a German joint as a result of this fortunate connection.

The big meal helped fuel us the next day, which ended up being particularly fun, yet grueling. The main event of the Gion Matsuri was today, which included a parade. For the festival, different organizations build large "floats" which they drag and push down the street. The big thrill is when the floats get to a bend in the road, where bamboo slats are laid on the ground and doused with water and the massive floats, some of which are 3 or 4 stories tall (see below...), are pushed on the slats around the corner, bobbling back and forth on the verge of tipping. What makes it even more thrilling is the fact that the floats are stacked to the max with riders.

Leading the procession is a young boy who has been selected from a local merchant's family. For the entire week of the festival he conducts his duties and is not allowed to touch the ground and is carried at all times by men from location to location.

After the boy passed our location and a few floats careened around the corner, the heat became too much to bear and we had to retreat to the relative cool of the public transportation system and some lunch.

To finish out the day, we ended up climbing to Kiyomizu-dera, a temple near the top of a hill on the eastern edge of Kyoto. It's a popular destination, so as you laborously climb the hill you are constantly surrounded by people either headed up with you or headed down. The street is lined with shops on each side hawking souveniors, talismans, drinks, and ice cream.

Kiyomizu means "pure water", and this temple is definitely full of water. Though devoted to water, the most interesting piece of the temple is the "stage". Built with no nails, the stage sits on stilts hundreds of meters over a ledge on the hill side. Jumping from Kiyomizu's stage is the Japanese equivalent of the English "leap of faith".

Final Thoughts:

As always, Japan is a first class destination. I'm completely and utterly biased, so take that with a grain of salt. I genuinely feel that its a great destination that is both adventurous on the one hand, and familiar and comfortable on the other. It's foreign and friendly. It's difference but managable.

Its the ideal first point of entry for those who are looking to travel in Asia but are afraid of the language barrier and "chaos" many people associate with the Far East. I invite all of you to go, and to take me with you. I'm happy to play tour guide.

Safe Travels,

Leo