Out after 10 Years (20): The Sliding Phone

I do not believe in ghosts, paranormal activities, spirits and basically nothing that cannot be scientifically explained and physically perceived. With that said, something happened in the first hotel I stayed in during my trip to Japan which caused a sort of surprise. Japanese hotels are usually small. At least the ones I stayed at, majority of them were small. Let us review them all, one by one. It also helps the people who have a plan to go to Japan to, perhaps, select one of the below ones:\

1) Galois Hotel, Shinjuku, Tokyo: Nice and helpful staff. They understand a few English words. A little issue with cleaning but not bad. Just a little dust. Quiet. Less than three minutes to Shin-Okubo train station that can take you anywhere in Japan. Cheap shopping and cheap eats around. It's not a great neighbourhood but it's not bad either. It's not luxury. Smallest of the hotel. No window opens to the street or yard. Somehow a foreign worker neighbourhood, mostly Nepalese and Pakistanis.  The latter are a nuisance. 

2) Hotel Sagano, Ukyo, Kyoto: Huge room but old building. I have a separate post for this hotel.

3) Hotel CLS-SS, Hiroshima: Great hotel: Clean, specious, lots of stuff including kitchen and all the required appliances

4) Hotel Forza, Nagasaki: Nice hotel, great staff, quiet, close to shopping and some other places that you would want to see, small room.

5) Hotel Tobu, Narita International Hotel: Clean and nice hotel, good room, bigger than other numbers 1 and 4. Food service is not good. Shuttle service is great. 

The house in The Grudge (2004). I did not see many houses as big as this anywhere in Japan. The movie is a remake of the Japanese version which was made in 2002

Now that I have introduces the hotels, lets go to the telephone issue. I took two phones to Japan: My phone which is an old Blackberry and a new phone which bought before the trip a Motorola. The latter was used to navigate after I bought an SIM Card. The old one, mainly, for photography. I kept them both on the desk in the first hotel. A couple of nights, after I went to bed and I don't remember if I was asleep or was going to go, I heard the phone falling on the floor! I was too tired to think about that, usually. So, I'd would go back to sleep! 

You might have seen The Grudge. This is a movie that I cannot watch again even today. It's a very creepy story that happens in Japan and I don't want to spoil it but the Japanese have lots of movies like that and I don't know why I'm saying this but why should something like that happen? The table was not inclined. Why didn't the other phone slide?

(Photo, top: Hotel CSL-SS in Hiroshima was the best and nicest of hotels in my trip to Japan)

Out after 10 Years (19): Lessons Learnt

The recent trip to Japan was great. I put it over the top, over my trip to Bavaria, Germany, perhaps because I saw more places and stayed longer, not that Germany isn't great! However, I made a few mistakes which I would like to list them here, as a reminder to myself, as I'm going there again next year(!) and whoever is travelling soon:
1) Book your JR Pass before the trip, if you're going places, and pick it upon your arrival. I traveled more than 2,900 km (roughly 1,800 miles). It helped a lot. Besides I care about comfort. 
2) Do not haul too much. It will hurt and you won't enjoy your trip. Space is limited, particularly in hotels. When I was leaving Tokyo for the southern part of country, I had three baggage! My big pack, which was not heavy and distributed alongside my length(!), computer bag, this was a mistake as I intended to stay in touch with work and that's a heavy one and a full bag of purchases, including souvenirs! 
3) Leave most of your shopping to the last day, if you're traveling around the country like I did, or you'd haul a lot. Since the majority of flights land in and depart from Narita, you can assign the last day to shopping. 
4) be prepared for the food that you're not used to. I don't eat Rice, Noodles, most of the seafood or perhaps I shall say I don't eat seafood every day, White Bread or anything made of White Flour, raw fish and I basically starved most of the time during my trip! I need to have a plan for the second trip!
5) Have a second mobile phone with you to purchase a SIM Card in the airport. You'd be paralyzed without it! Bear in mind that the Government of Japan does not give you the permission to use that SIM Card for making phone calls! You'd be only allowed to use its internet feature. There were a few times that I needed to use a phone and I couldn't. Public phones are available throughout the country because unlike North America nasty, money grubbing, greedy telecommunications cannot disconnect them! So you still would be able to make a phone call but it's a bit inconvenient. 
6) Dress is very important. I hate heat and can cope with cold easily. I also hate shorts, baseball caps and short-sleeve shirt, but that's the national costume of Westerners! So, if you like to dress like that, go ahead but check the weather before you leave and take the appropriate clothing. 
7) A good camera and film recorder are both must. My camera took a few good pictures but it is old and has had an issue for the past 8 years or so! I should've replaced it or fixed it and did none. I took some good pictures but could've taken much better ones, had I had a good camera. A Clip recorder is important as well. The majority of people use their mobile phones these days. If you're happy with that and or on budget, go for it. You also can buy the best cameras in the world in Japan. However, if you do not know much about cameras, you'd need to go through lots of translation, perhaps using Google Lens, to find out about the features of the camera as the manuals are in Japanese. You might be able to find the manual in PDF format online too. 
If I remember something else, I'll update.

(Photo: This beautiful citrus tree was seen on my way to the resting place of the great Tushiro Mifune in Kanagawa. I took this photo with my Motorola g play, my second mobile phone. If an object or seen requires adjustments, a camera like that would absolutely be useless!)

Near Misses in Japan and Canada

When I was in Arashiyama, a neighbourhood or suburb of Kyoto, just for a short while, I went to what it is known as Bamboo Forest, which in fact is, I would like to call it flystrip! It's a pathway of nearly 250 meters, perhaps, a little more than 800 feet where bamboo is grown, naturally, at both sides, alongside other plants. Most of the area is private property, houses and temples and you obviously cannot trespass, and they even have put signs in broken English to warn people. No one really jumps over the fence as it's quite high and the bush is thick. I was there one early morning, and a few flies(!) were there too! I took a few pictures and carried on. It is a very beautiful and quiet path, but I was not prepared to go to the summit of Mt. Ogura, which the path takes you to, but I went up a little bit. It was hot and humid, and my shirt was stuck to my chest. I could see the whole town from there, despite the fog. I took a few more pictures and head back down. By the time I was down, the path was crowded. I passed everyone and headed back to the hotel. 

A tribute to the departed. That is how it is shown in Japan. This was at the side of the path

There, the lady, at Hotel Sagano, was waiting for me and handed me a small pack of a few sandwiches! I remembered that I had read that it was part of the service, but I pretended that I did not know and asked her how much I should have paid. She said that it was included in the cost of the hotel. We have a proverb in the old country which goes " When you're hungry, you eat sand and rocks"! I was so hungry that I devoured the sandwiches, although I doubted that they were made in a hygiene-concerned facility or anything like that, but they tasted very good! I took a shower and then later that night I went for a walk. 

When I came back to Canada, I felt a sharp pain in my chest area, left side, both front and back but only when I moved. I quickly became worried: I damaged my heart! But how? I didn't do heavy exercises! I didn't do heavy lifting, and my sleep generally was good during the trip. The only explanation for that was that there were two factors involved:

1) I caught a cold when I was coming down the trail all sweaty.

2) My body was weakened tremendosuly due to lack of nutritious food and enough water. 

What else it could've been? So, I made an appointment with a family physician, and he told me that he did not believe it was my heart. He thought it was a muscle and told me to continue my joggings and come back if I feel anything. I went for jogging yesterday and not a thing. I'm not saying that the doctors cannot have a wrong biognosis, but I feel better and I'm going for a run again today. That was danger number one! 

I usually have the radio or the CD player on (I know both sounds very old! That's because I drive a very old vehicle) when I'm driving. I, at times, listen to the news on CBC 1, although most of the time is nonsense! And I get some good songs on different channels from time to time. 

With that said, I was driving home last week, with the music on and up, while I heard a bang! At first, I thought someone just hit me, but it was a quite road! So, I pulled over to see what it was but not right away as I didn't want to, obviously, block the road. I dismounted and there was a line on my rear door! Kind of like a long scrape but not too deep! No vehicle was around! I don't know if I had misheard something, and it was way before that point or what? I'm happy now that there was nothing significant or it would've affected my insurance, especially now that I'm trying to buy a new vehicle. That was danger number two!

Do I deserve a celebration?!

(Photo, top: A sign which points at the trail to Mt. Ogura. I, obviously, found out later. I didn't summit but it certainly is part of my second trip in next year, or perhaps a higher pick in the area)

Out after 10 Years (18): The Return to Narita

I had one night left before flying back to Canada and I was nearly 1200 Km (~750 miles) away from the airport! The only good thing is that I had already purchased all my tickets from Nagasaki to Narita International Airport. My trip from Nagasaki Station to Shinagawa Station was very smooth. That was where it turned out to be a disaster! I rushed and got into the wrong train and instead of going to Narita directly, I ended up in Tokyo Station and had to get into a very crowded train! It was so congested for a few stations that I really felt embarrassed being onboard with three bags! I was lucky that the train almost emptied in the last few stations. I eventually reached Terminal 1 of the airport after nearly 75 minutes! the reason was missing a direct ride by Shinkansen! Trouble was not over in Terminal 1. I still needed to know how to get to the hotel that I had booked. I knew that the hotel provides a shuttle bus but where the hell is the station?! The information booth had a note indicating that I can have a video chat with the attendant! I think she was working from home as the airport would not be considered a safe place(!) or perhaps she lived too far away! Nevertheless what she said was not helpful because I barely understood her! I then decided to follow the map until I reached another information booth with a guy attending it and he told me where the damn bus would pick up the passengers. 
The bus was on time and the trip and checking were all great but the hotel itself was a bit of let down. I was given a 20% discount coupon for tomorrow's breakfast. I think the breakfast something in the vicinity of ¥2500(!) (which equals to approximately CAN $24! but despite the fact that I didn't want to eat that as I knew it would not be something I usually eat, I went down just to see what they serve and I realized that they had a ¥3000 buffet or something like that! This kind of trick, I had never seen anywhere in Japan. The people and businesses are all straightforward, polite and nice. I was a little surprised but didn't bother me as I simply ignore that! The checkout time for the hotel was 11:00 while my flight had been scheduled for 16:45. I think it was another plan of the hotel but it's okay. I checked out around 10:50 and got on the same bus and went to the airport. I think Air Canada accepted the bags around 14:00 or some time after that so I was a little relaxed for about one and a half hour. I wanted to buy something but you know how airports usually are. I ended having something in an expensive cafe: Mediocre food but very expensive for what you pay. It was not even tasty as much as I expected but it's done and I don't have to do that any more! 

(Photo, top: Nagasaki Station is usually not a very crowded station compared to the other stations)

Out after 10 Years (17): Other Beverages in Japan

Vending machines are everywhere in Japan. Even in small towns you can see them on narrow streets. Is that because of the hot and humid weather that Japan has for a number of months or companies simply intend to make more money? These machines sell different types of water (mineral, carbonated, flavoured, etc.), juices and maybe alcoholic beverages, as I never paid much attention to the last.

A small vending machine and the first one I saw in my first hotel in Tokyo

Nevertheless what I was looking for was Sake but since I never went to any restaurant for lunch and dinner (I don't think anyone drinks Sake for breakfast!) never had the chance to have any. I only bought a can from a 7-Eleven store and drank it but it was so strong that I couldn't finish it in one sitting. I knew there're different types of Sake and the good quality shall be expensive but never tried to by a high quality from a teal liqueur store or supermarket as they sell alcoholic beverages just like the American ones do. 

(Photo, top: 300 Ml Sake cans in convenient stores are sold for ¥259.6 which is nearly CAN $2.45, It has nearly 14.5% alcohol. Is it not too much?)

Out after 10 Years (16): Nagasaki

Going south, the next part of trip was to go to Nagasaki, the city which if I had not been to, I would have been deeply regretted it. The city, which if I travel to Japan again, I will visit again, certainly. However, this part of the trip, on train, as usual, was a little bit more stressful than the other parts. If you miss your train, there shall be usually no problem. You go and adjust the ticket, meaning getting permission to get on board another one but still have to go through the process and I don't know what you would do, if you're in a remote area where there's no office. 

When you're going to Nagasaki, you are transferring to Kyushu Shinkansen, which although a different company, you still can use your JR Pass. However, at one point, or two, you need to be fast, jumping out of one train and jumping into another one! 

I, again, decided to get a cab after I arrived at the station. My mistake, from the beginning, was taking the big and heavy computer from work, because I was making sure I wouldn't miss major things from work. Then I bought a few stuffs in Tokyo and by the time I was in other cities, I had two heavy bags in addition to my backpack! The problem was that I had forgotten to register for Mt. Fuji climb. So, half of the stuff in my backpack were useless! 

Nevertheless, the taxi did not make a mistake this time and I was at Hotel Forza in a shopping area of the city. This actually happen to be a good part to land, shopping, dining, seaside park, almost everything was close by. But I'm sure there are other parts of the city that you can stay and enjoy.

Nagasaki was the second city which was targeted by Americans using Atomic Bomb. However, because it's too far away from Tokyo, not as many tourists visit it. I also learnt that Nagasaki was one of the major cities that the foreigners land many years ago and that was Spanish and Dutch, but they never had the same impact that on a country such as the Philippines. There also, appears, to be a neighbourhood that only foreigners from Europe lived and that area was even governed by themselves. Chinese also was part of the city and there still a is small dining and shopping area exists. 

This picture shows a moment that men are pushing a sort of cart while drums and other instruments are being played. I do not know what this, ceremony, if I can call it is called but it was very exciting the way they beat those drums, they were shouting and yelling, throwing their fist in the air and of course Japanese flute is amaxing

It is a beautiful city, and it is also hot because you're closer to the south. In fact, you're 1200 km (745 m) south of Tokyo! Most of my time was spent in viewing what is left from the atomic bomb attack and the related monuments and for that, I walked all the way from the hotel which was nearly 1 hour walk but gave me the chance to see parts of the city as well! I also rested in a cafe near the Peace Statue and had a cup of (horrible!) coffee and a few pieces of (not so appealing!) cake and bought a few small souvenirs. The problem with these tourist spots, in every country, and specially in a populated country such as Japan is that it's just enough that a couple of schools decide to bring the student for a visit, and you're done! That, of course, happened when I was there but I still was able to see most of the things and take a few pictures. The interesting thing about the memorial section for the victims of atomic bomb in Nagasaki was the number of statutes and pieces that the former Eastern Bloc countries, as a sign of opposition to the US, has donated to the City of Nagasaki! 

My rest gave me the strength to go all the way, and, on my way, I checked a shopping mall and its food sections and stores, but I didn't buy anything as the same story was narrated there: The kind of food that I usually don't eat and also expensive! 

This, probably, is not such an important shrine but I was walking around the city in the first afternoon after my arrival and I noticed that. There was an old man whom I approached by saying Sumimasen, which means excuse me. He turned back to me and I showed him the sentence that I had typed on my phone saying: Am I allowed to go up to see the shrine and he confirmed

One of the most interesting things that I encountered, amongst many others in Japan, happened in Nagasaki. There were groups of people who had some sort of street traditional performance with traditional music and dress. I don't know exactly what it was about but I saw them a few times on the streets and people loved them and cheered on them. I know something like that could rarely happen in, for example, in Tokyo, considering the congestion and population. Not that it's totally impossible and I think they have their own street performances and festivals but it was something really interesting. Unfortunately I only can post pictures of that here in this post but I might post a clip to YouTube one day, although the quality of them is not so good as I used a cellphone camera. I'm thinking of buying a video camera and perhaps a new camera to replace my old Canon. Some might say that they shall be purchased in Japan as that where they are designed and manufactured but the electronic equipment that the Japanese companies manufacture for exporting is different from what they make for domestic use. I bought a Casio watch and despite the fact that the store treated me very nicely and even gave me the warranty card, I realized that all the instructions were in Japanese after I unwrapped the box! Besides, it might have difficulty finding battery for that. Nevertheless, if I can't fix the old camera (a sort of hair-like object appears in photos!) I will purchase one before heading to Japan or shortly after my arrival but I need to do a good study.

The other time I went to Seaside Park and then I decided to go and see Magami Bridge but soon I realized that I had made a mistake! My plan, as usual, was to walk to the bridge, cross on to the other side, by walking of course, take a few pictures and then walk back but after a few blocks I realized that I was walking beside Road 499, a very busy highway-like road and it'd not be so pleasant to do that, neither safe! So i simply turned back and headed to the hotel! This already is listed on the To-do list for the time I'm going back. 
Glover Garden is one of the main destinations in the Nagasaki area. I didn't go inside. I simply didn't want to pay the admission but now I think I shall go on my next trip. Apparently it is a complex that the foreigners used to live, as I stated above and now has been turned into a revenue spot for the locals! You shall check the area, even if you have no intention to see the garden. There are plenty of very nice stores where you can buy food and souvenirs. That, pretty much, is all I can tell about Nagasaki. I walked back to the station, It was not hard and since Nagasaki is a smaller station compared to the other major cities, it was not hard to find Shinkansen. My destination was Narita International Airport.

Out after 10 Years (15): Hiroshima

I head south after the one stay in Kyoto-Arashiyama area. I will go back to the area on my next trip for sure. My first destination was Hiroshima. This city is a destination for Western tourists for what happened to it in Aug. of 1945. An atomic bomb was dropped on the city in the 6th day of that month and detonated above the city. It turned the city to ashes, basically. I, as usual, had booked a hotel in the city and I have to write about this hotel a little bit because it was an interesting experience. This was a contact-less hotel! What it means is there was no receptionist. You are given a code, after you book and pay, first, of course and you use that to open the main entrance. Then you enter your information into a screen when you're in and then you use a code to get to your own room. The door then closes and automatically locks behind you!

The best thing you can do is going to a Japanese antic store and buy unique and nice stuff

It is a very nice room: Two beds, which one of them of course was used. A small kitchen with stove, utensils, refrigerator and other required items for cooking, a toilet and a separate bathroom. This is ideal for someone like me who does not eat outside and likes to cook but I didn't get the chance to use it. If you're going to the city then Hotel CLS-SS could be where you rest. This for another reason was my favorite: There's no lobby or bar so you don't see the drunkard and annoying asshole you always see around and inside the hotel handing out! I must add that it was where the stupid taxi driver missed first when he picked me up! So, please avoid taxi in Japan, anywhere, as much as you can and it's not for the cost. It's for not understanding English! Leave the Japan's taxis for the Japanese!

Hiroshima is a very green and beautiful city like everywhere else I have been to in the country

My main focus in Hiroshima was whatever is on display regarding the bombing as well as the temple but the actual temple was vaporized after the bombing! So there was some substitute building! The transportation is done by Tram and for that I was not very comfortable. I went to a major electronic store, which I don't remember the name and bought a DVD set of Kurosawa films! When I asked the fellas whether they had any more of the director the answer was negative! It was mostly raining during those day and it was not very pleasant. People who visit Hiroshima also go to the harbor but I didn't! I just walk around a little bit and took pictures. That was where I saw Hiroshima Expressway and was stunned. The road is located nearly 20 meters above the ground. I think Hiroshima is the city that I would not go back to. It just doesn't have enough for me to make another trip but certainly worth visiting for at least 3 days, once.

(Photo, top: Some victims' ashes are kept here in the city)

Out after 10 Years (14): When I Feared for my Life!

I went to this hotel which is technically considered to be part of Kyoto but in fact is closer to Arashiyama and that was the scariest night of my entire life! I was shopping online before my trip, of course, for the hotels in different cities and came across this hotel called Hotel Sanago (Adults only)! I never paid attention to the last part and didn't care much about the low rating given by the reviewers. I thought to myself: I will be only spending the nights in the hotel. I'd be mostly out. So, I would not bother me much. Wrong! 

My plan was just to stay in the area for one night which now I know it was wrong! It's such a beautiful area and I will certainly go back the first chance I got! In fact it's already in Japan Trip No. 2 Plan! So I get off from the train and this guy, according to the message he had sent me, is supposed to pick me up but I need to let him know I'm there. There's a telephone both right next to the station and I have some change. I try the damn number but there's a massage in Japanese which, of course, I don't understand a word of it! I don't know how he expected me to call them! The thing about the mobile phones in Japan is you cannot use them for calling. They're only for use of Internet. That's what I was told when my SIM card was sold to me. 

So, now the call isn't going through and I wonder what I shall do. It's a hot afternoon in Kyoto and not very pleasant like most of the days I was in Japan, in terms of weather! I started walking to the hotel through the small town. I took some 20 minutes. The problem is the hotel's check-in time is 18:00 and I'm there around 14:00, I think. So the lady whom I communicate with through translator(!) tell me that I can leave my bags there and come back at 18:00. I agree. What the hell else could I have done?! 

I go out and walk alongside Katsura River. It's a very beautiful area but before that I need to get some water. The lady gives me a bottle and then I buy another one from a convenience store. I spend the next 3 to 4 hours in Arashiyama area, walking and enjoying the beautiful area. There're lots of tourists but it's not bad. 

The path was really quiet, led to a short peak but I didn't finish it

Then I go back around 18:10 and tell the lady that I would be going out for a walk around 05:00 or so the next morning. One might ask why I did that. Why would the hotel wants to know what I'm doing at 05:00, the next morning?! What the hell business of them, that is?! The answer lays here: The rooms gets locked when you go in and the only way to open it is to call the office to ask to open it! The door had a small window, exactly like the ones in prison cell's, which you would be, probably served your meal at different times through the day! I still regret that I didn't take any photo of that but I guess I was so anxious to get out of there alive(!) that I forgot to snap a photo! Now the second question must arise: Why a hotel should have doors that lock when you go in and why those doors shall have cell windows?! The answer is in the last two words in the bracket after the hotel's name: This is a hotel that adults can do stuff! The room has a big double bed, perhaps even King size! It has painted pink and it has a TV with access to adult films! I think that is a mechanism to prevent the person to leave without paying, probably!  There was also a menu for cosplay! I was quiet shocked because this means that hotel has full control over you! What if in the morning they do not open the door and say I owe them something from the night before?! What if the person is out for any reason and I keep calling without any result!? This would not be very pleasant! 

with that kind of thought circling in my skull, I decided to give the number a call. I think it was a little passed 20:00 that I called and asked the warden(!) to let me out for a walk! She opened the door. It was already dark. I decided to try the other side of the town. There were a few lights seen in distance. I started walking parallel to the river and towards the lights. I noticed lots of people were jogging in pitch dark, next to the road, without any light or reflective clothing! It appeared that there were a few small Japanese style bistros and a convenience store. There was also a gate or as the Japanese call it a Torii. I went back to the hotel, took a shower and went to the bed while was really uncomfortable. I woke up early in the morning as I wanted to go for a walk and see the famous bamboo forest. Happily it was not very busy and by the time I got there, which was only a few minutes walk, there were only a few people. I then continued on the trail to the point that there was no one at all. The path led to a local summit, not too tall, but beautiful and uncrowded. I didn't reach it as I feared I might be lost(!) and I also needed to check out in the afternoon and go south. So went back down and toward the hotel. A sandwich was ready for me upon my arrival, which although not the type I usually eat, it saved me time and money and gave me some strength. I took a shower and then asked the jail guard(!) to open the door. Here I had been told that I needed to pay ¥200 upon departure as a kind of tax. I paid the amount and then asked the lady about a cab. She asked a guy who could be her husband to give me a ride to the train station. It saved lots of walking and probably some taxi fare. 

I know I will be going back to the area once day soon because I would like to see more of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and all the smaller communities in the area and do at least a couple of hike and lots of photography but I don't think I will stay in that hotel, despite the good service that I received and the price I paid. It's simply not worth the stress I got because that's all a trip is about being from stress and relax.

(Photo, top: Togetsukyo Bridge at Arashiyama over Katsura River. I will go to the other side, next time!)

Out after 10 Years (13): Communication Breakdown!

It's hard and time-consuming to find the source which accurately says how much Japan made from visitors in the past year, but I can say for sure that is bouncing back from the Covid-19 area. I remember reading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website regarding tourists just a couple of years back and it was way after Covid had been considered under control. Visiting was still not allowed. Now I think they can benefit from tourism although over-tourism is what they call it and complain about. One of my plans was to climb Mt. Fuji but I acted late and lost the opportunity to register. I guess I will have to go the next time, if there will be a next time!

With that said, what I still don't understand the inability of speaking English within the Japanese society. I always had a problem communicating with people, even the one who spoke English! They never understood what my intention was and that was really frustrating!

This post cannot be completed without mentioning one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Led Zeppelin. Their song name, which was released in 1969, more than 55 years ago and still is one of the best, is used in the post's title!

An old taxi driver in Hiroshima took me to the wrong hotel first despite the fact that I bought pronounce the name and showed him the map on the phone. A hotel receptionist who spoke English barely understood what I meant! So, if you're planning to travel to Japan try to plan in a way that requires minimum human contact or you would be lost, tired and upset! 

(Photo: I got screwed by this old foolish taxi driver in Hiroshima! What I did on my way back to the station to continue my trip? I walked!)

Out after 10 Years (12): Food in Japan

I was at the brink of starvation during my trip to Japan, a few times! As silly as it sounds, it's true. I'm a very picky eater. Japanese cuisine contains lots of seafood, noodles, Tufu (Soy), high-fat Beef and some other things that I rarely eat! I didn't step in even one Japanese restaurant during my trip and it's just not because of the food. The restaurants and bistros are so tiny that people are divided by partitions! Besides the lack of communication always can be a problem like everywhere else in the country.

I bought one of this small slice Pizzas in a very nice and fancy supermarket next to Tokyo Tower one night that I was very hungry with some other stuff, but it was really bad. The bread was like a piece of plastic and no matter how you sank your teeth into it, it would not come off! 

I went to a breakfast place only once and that was the time you could say I tried a Japanese food. The result was not good! There're lots of different types of prepared meals available in convenience stores and supermarkets (which are not everywhere, by the way) but they are very expensive, and portions are very small. One thing I can say for sure is variety. Lots and lots of variety. But I think food is generally expensive in Japan, regardless of what type we are talking about because land to cultivate food is very limited. I eat salad, nuts and Whole Wheat Bread, the food which are expensive and scarce in Japan!

The only place I decided to go and sit for a meal was a few minutes from my hotel on the outskirts of Kyoto, mainly because I was very hungry(!), it was very close, it was very quiet and uncrowded place and it was reasonably priced, only ¥ 1,000, almost CAN $9.5 but it was closed!

Bread is not part of Japanese eating culture, and I don't know if Wheat and other grains to make bread are cultivated in Japan or not but if they are, they shall be very limited and for that, baked products are ridiculously expensive and mostly not delicious! 

(Photo, top: The only time I ate in a Japanese bistro. This breakfast cost nearly CAN $9 and was not so bad. I think it was somewhere in the Hiroshima main train station. The coffee was as usual: Not so good! The bread tasted good, but I hate White Bread and had to eat it! The salad was why even bother! The yellow liquid tasted really good and a right amount of salty and fatty but probably not very good for your health. I think it was a kind of soup or broth, but I couldn't taste any meat. The sausages were tasty but probably not so good for you either. I was served good milk for the first time, but I had to ask the waiter to refill it for me and still didn't help with the strong and unpleasant taste of the coffee!)

Out after 10 Years (11): Coffee in Japan

I didn't know I could find coffee in Japan to that extent. Tea has always been the popular drink in eastern culture: From western Asia, all the way to eastern part of the continent. Now the disgusting Starbucks and McDonald's, both, have branches all over Japan! The prices are ridicules, and the taste is awful, but people go there! 

Coffee has been part of my life for nearly 20 years now. I actually drink too much, at times, but I've recently reduced it to two cups a day and only add 3.25% Milk and most of the time, organic. So, wanting good coffee is natural for me. I buy roasted coffee bean, grind them with a burr mill and brew that. I also bought a good Espresso Maker, but that machine requires patient and precision to produce a good result! So, it's not used very often! 

A coffee at the first hotel that I stay, in Tokyo. I didn't see any difference between the two coffees they offer here and the espresso! Didn't even bother trying the tea! The amount of coffee is seen in the cup and usually is not much more than this anywhere else! 

With that said, I barely found a good coffee in Japan. Their coffee is very strong and there's no milk available and cream is fake, tasteless! A small (which they call it large!) cup of coffee goes for CAN $ 4 and tastes bad, most of the time. I tried one of the major Japanese coffee chains, Dotour and it was not good. A very small piece of pie for CAN $4 and small (large in their view!) same price! So, your coffee and pie will cost you nearly CAN $9 and is mediocre! The cafe is nice, and the people are very nice and helpful as well. They have tried to make really hard to make a nice environment similar to Western cafes, but space is limited in Japan and probably very expensive too! There's no doubt that the Japanese eating culture is way different from the Western's and even mine. That's probably why I didn't enjoy eating and drinking out. In fact, rather than a few times that I went for coffee and breakfast, and I almost got disappointed(!), I never ate out.

(Photo, top: Pies for Japanese people's size! You see the prices. Every Canadian dollar at the time was nearly ¥ 106, at the time)

Out after 10 Years (10): The Annoying Japanese!

Majority of the Japanese people are very disciplined and respectful people. They rarely speak loudly, and repeated messages asks passengers to put their phones on silent mode and refrain from speaking while on a train. Just an example of how they behave in the public. On the other hand, there're times that you see Japanese people load and even somehow irritating! I was quite surprised myself:

1) In the markets, salespeople continually advertise the merchandise by chanting and holding banners and signs, loudly and at the same time!

2) Local elections. People at public places such as train stations with loudspeaker, banners and pictures have election campaign!

3) Charity and non-government organization with donation boxes at public places. In cases of such assistance is sought from students. So when you're approaching a train station, for example, as many as ten students, who are standing with donation boxes, yell at you! 

(Photo: I saw this group of young fellas, probably students of a school, on my way back from Kamakura with, probably, their teacher. They were collecting donations, I would assume, for Red Feather Organization which is a Japanese non-profit organization for resolving social issues. I took it from far away as you can see from the top of the stairs and still could hear them clearly! I think their approach would mostly scares and throws away people but maybe that's how I feel as an outsider. I even wanted to donate some money but didn't know what their reaction would be and didn't although I think they would have appreciated it. I also saw their PM on TV wearing a red feather.)

Out after 10 Years (9): Garbage and Recycling in Tokyo

Tokyo is a city of 37,000,000 inhabitant and this number of people create a tremendous amount of garbage every day, to the extent that is beyond everyone's imagination. Why? Because everything is wrapped in plastic! It's worse than the US and Canada! 

Garbage and recyclable items are separated and neatly put at the side of a sidewalk, waiting for the collector. Some bags have labels, probably to inform the facility what they are. Japan is just amazing

If you go out early in the morning, bags of garbage are everywhere and shortly trucks show up to collect them and they truly do a good job because most of the places are clean after that. The interesting thing is you cannot find any trash can in the entire city of Tokyo except for hotels or perhaps some other places. I think the idea behind that is to discourage people to carry something with them which needs to go to a public garbage bin and ultimately reducing the collection cost, which is great. 

7-11 convenience stores are part of daily life in Japan. I don't eat the regular meal that is consumed three times a day in Japan! I don't eat noodles, boiled cabbage, raw fish and stuff like that. So, I had to resort to nuts and fruits which are not easy to come by. Here you see a small bag of nuts I bought, and the amount of plastic garbage is overwhelming!

I never saw anyone littering but people leave the recyclable containers at the side of roads or sidewalks. There are small boxes for throwing recycling bottles and cans in them but there are very limited compared with the number of vending machines! 

(Photo, top: Garbage truck in early morning in Tokyo. It's probably shortly before 06:00. This although not a dangerous neighbourhood but is relatively poor, I'd say. Lots of Nepalese and other people from Indian sub-continent live here but, again, is safe and clean. You just get irritated by the annoying and squeaking voice of them! Garbage and recycling is not as bad as Tokyo in smaller cities)

Out after 10 Years (8): Meiji Jingu

Emperor Meiji is credited for modernizing Japan. He imported western culture and technology and kept Japanese culture, preserved and valued. He is admired a lot in Japan and although he died in the old Japanese capital, Kyoto, there's a big shrine in Tokyo for him: It's called Meiji Jingu and is located in the western part of Tokyo in Shibuya. Tokyo is divided into 33 boroughs. This place is a big forest in the heart of the city, so dense that if someone took you there blindfolded and then took it off, you wouldn't believe you still were in a very populated city. 

Emperor Meiji in his younger age in Western attire. He also grew beard as was not and still is not customary in Japan.  

The reality is that this dense forest did not exist at the time the shrine was planned to be build. This is the volunteer work of many admirers of the emperor. This shrine, like many sacred places in Japan has its rules and guarded by people. It also gets tourists, so you need to be there early. Photography of the main shrine is forbidden. It is protected and served by men and women in traditional Japanese custom. Japanese people go there to pay their respect. The ritual is long but the short version of that, which is expected from tourists, if they are willing to do that, is:

1) Deposit money in the provided box

2) Bow twice.

3) Clap your hands twice

4) Bow once deeply, again.

5) Say your prayer. 

I'm not religious but I'm respectful of all the religions and I get along with everyone from every religion and faith as long as they don't force me to join them or start an awkward and useless argument about how good their religion is or topics like that. I almost followed the rituals at Meiji Jingu but accidentally and unknowingly dropped three Quarters in the provided box! So, I don't know what the monk's reaction would be, when he sees that. Photography of the main shrine is forbidden as usual, but tourists take selfies and pictures of almost everywhere that they can. 

(Photo, top: One of the gates in Meiji Jungi. These gates are called Torii and are seen as an entrance gates into shrines and temples. Japanese, stop, bow and enter the gate from the sides, not in the middle. This is surprisingly a rare photo as many are not seen!)

Out after 10 Years (7): Paying Respect to Kurosawa and Mifune

Japanese movies, particularly Akira Kurosawa's, were amongst very few foreign movies were shown on TV when I was growing up in the old country. Films such Yujimbo, Red Beard and most notably Seven Samurai which was the inspiration to make The Magnificent Seven by John Sturges! Other foreign movies shown were WWII war movies where Slovak people of different former Eastern Bloc countries were fighting the Germans, at times some heavily altered and censored British and American movies. Going back to the subject, majority of Kurosawa movies which were shown are about old feudal Japan where people fought over territory, money and generally everything worth fighting for and hired Samurai warrior. Women do not have major roles in majority of the plots. There're some movies with women having role including Rashomon and Hidden Fortress but those movies were never shown because the authorities would have had to remove the majority of the scenes! Kurosawa had a long collaboration with Tashiro Mifune who had many first roles in his movies including all the above.

This week I decided to pay my respect to two of my all-time favorite artists Kurosawa and Mifune by visiting their graves. I visited their related cemeteries in two different days. Kurosawa is buried in a small cemetery in a very beautiful and small town called Kamakura in Kanagawa. 

It is quite surprising that the town has no mentioning of this great director! It's impossible to find someone's grave in Japan if you don't know Japanese and I only had a photo and as I said the cemetery is small, so I found it! It's probably only 15 minutes' walk from the train station and of course because no foreigner goes that way, people look at you strangely, although there was barely anyone on the street on that side of the town! The cemetery is surrounded by residential buildings and the background of the picture helped me to easily find the grave quickly. No picture, no flag, no banner, no nothing! Kurosawa is rested there 1998. He is buried like an ordinary man but he's no ordinary, this man, who is regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema!

Mifune's grave in another. He was born in China but of course he was a Japanese. This is the discussion I always have with people: Your birthplace does not tell you what you are. What you do and what you believe tell what you are.

I went to Kawasaki in another day, and this is surprisingly part of Kanagawa but all the way at the other side! getting there was not easy either. I mean going everywhere easy in Japan as long as you follow the train route but it's not always possible! To get there I went over Tama River and at the last station there is supposed to be a shuttle but to take you there but considering the trouble I had to go to make them understand where I was going, I scratched that and followed Google Maps in a rainy, humid and hot day! 

The cemetery that is known in Google Maps as 春秋苑(!) is less than 15 minutes from Ikuta station and is a huge cemetery and is built in multiple steps. There's also a funeral home adjacent to it but I didn't even think of asking anyone! The background again and the shape of the next grave, in this case, both help me to find the resting piece of Mifune but this time it took much longer, and it was raining. I almost was ready to leave as I always fear I might be late, even on a trip that you cannot be late for anything, but the next visit and I suddenly found it. I took a few pictures and headed back to the station. Thanks Kurosawa and Mifune for what you did nearly 60 years ago. You gave me lots of fun when I was a kid in a society that nothing else was available. I still have to watch every movie at least once again.

(Photo, top: Kurosawa's grave in Anyo-in Temple in Kamakura)

Out after 10 Years (6): Tokyo Subway Sarin Gas Attack into 30 Years

The rise, development and decline of Aum Shinrikyo, the group which did the deadliest attack on Japanese soil after the WWII, is probably one of the strangest things in the history of this country. However, Japan, has seen other interesting events in its history such as bringing the Western culture by Emperor Meiji and admiring that while sticking to ancient culture of Japan to the surprise attack on the USA and occupation of different countries in WWII.

I don't know when exactly I got familiar with this group but I think it was before my immigration. It must be a surprise to many that when I was growing up there was only one TV channel and there was not much on! There was one hour, if I remember correctly, show for kids which consisted of some domestic and some foreign cartoons. There was, I think, once a week a movie and they were mostly censored old American movies or censored Japanese ones, mostly Akira Kurosaw's! So I can say that his movies mostly occupied my mind. I remember that we were fighting with a couple of my classmates in grade 7 or 8, using imaginary Samurai swords! My closest friend in those years with whom I had the most Samurai fun(!) was killed as a volunteer during the Iran-Iraq War but that is beyond the point. All I'm saying is that is all we knew about the Japanese. They are very technologically advanced but I never thought of visiting the country one day. We all knew Japan by big names such as Sony and trade names such as Walkman®. We never knew about the history of what the Japanese did in the Pacific during the WWII or Aum Shinrikyo, later when we grew up. 
Then I read and saw a couple of documentaries about what happened in March of 1995 in the Tokyo subway system. I have been to a few other big cities but nothing like Tokyo, before. I've got lost a couple of times so far and had it not been because of Google Maps which at times misleads you instead of guiding(!) and the kind and helpful Japan Transit people, I would have lost many more times! I was quite surprised to see how a blind man who lived in a small Shibuya apartment, not too far away from the hotel I'm staying, and started as a Yoga and meditation teacher, could be responsible for such a deadly attack in one of the busiest transit systems of the word. So I decided to see the stations. 
The attacks happened in a few stations near the Japan legislature. The legislature, also called Japanese Diet is not too far from Imperial Palace, so I walked there after my tour. The building is surrounded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police members but not such a tight security. Of course you cannot go in but I walked by the walls and was let to take a picture. Then from there I went to Nagatacho station, one of the stations that was attacked. I don't know if it was time or something else because the station was not busy and no one but a few ordinary people and some from the assembly were walking through. I didn't see any plaque or anything like that. Perhaps it's somewhere else or maybe the Japanese have a different tradition but releasing a deadly gas in a busy time in such a confined area would be catastrophic and it was.

(Photo: Nagatacho subway station is located at the west side of the Japanese Diet building)

Out after 10 Years (5): The Imperial Palace

I always have avoided tours and, as far as I could, the places that tours take people. It's just not for me. I understand many people pay for that to make it easier for them and be comfortable. With that said, I thought I should visit the Imperial Palace. So I planned and was there way before the starting time, probably 45 minutes. The only reason one would want to see this palace is that it's free! Otherwise all the hassle would not worth it. No disrespect to the Japanese people, to the organizers and certainly not to the royal family!
When I reached there, only a handful of people were lined up and as I said after nearly 50 minutes eventually the organizers came and distributed a form to be filled out with the basic information of the applicants. The form basically represented the ticket after it was reviewed and approved. Then it was introduction and preparation in a few languages and we were all sitting like prisoners who listen to the warden in the first day of incarceration! The only good thing , both for the visitors and the organizer, or perhaps for the royal family was the availability of gifts. I bought a couple of small thing for Mom. Then people were divided to different groups based on their language and followed the lead. This, certainly was unnecessary because the tour is available in different languages in an App and people could simply download that and listen to it. The leads and groups are for keeping people from going to certain areas and disperse. You do not see much but a few buildings and trees and perhaps a couple of bridges but you know how people, especially Western tourists are! They were taking pictures even from the administrative building! 
I was very happy when the tour ended. I could eventually keep away from crowd. It would be up to you but don't expect much from this tour but saying to others that you have visited the Imperial Palace, when you go home. They don't know you saw nothing! I was exhausted after the tour. Standing makes me tired really fast. Do not plan much for after this tour. The best thing to is having a delicious meal in a nice, lovely and quiet place. I didn't! 

(Picture: This probably could be presented as one of the good pictures of the Royal Palace)

Out after 10 Years (4): Toyota Museum Fails to Impress

I planned to go to Toyota Automobile Museum since I though of traveling to Japan. Not many tourists go there because it's more than 03:30 travel while on one of the fastest trains in the world, for most of the trip: Shinkansen, reaching 320 Km/h (199 mph). Let me write a little about this train now: I have also been on ICE of Germany which travels as fast as 350 km/h (217 mph) but on much shorter trips. Shinkansen is as nice and even looks better and nicer inside and the people, without a doubt, are politer but that didn't ease the pain! I guess I was bored! I could've brought my laptop to watch a movie but I never thought of that. I guess I wanted to travel lightly.
I ride a local line from my hotel to a major station called Shinjuku and from there got on Shinkansen which I had already book a seat in there. I must say that the pass for the train cost a lot and if you don't travel that much, it'd be a waste. I paid ¥110,000 which is even more expensive because I looked for comfort. With that said, Shinkansen goes to Nagoya and passes alongside the Japan's south cost, partially, as the museum is there. The train travels the 345 Km (214 miles), distance in almost 02:00 hours and that includes a few short stops in between. It's pretty impressive. 

Shinkansen train leaving the station. The front aerodynamic shape is fantastic

The trip continues at Nagoya by taking a train line from start to end and then switching to another to reach the museum after only a few stops. The train system of Japan is amazing and I'm saying that as someone who has been to some major cities with train system such as Munich but Japan's is more complex and easier to get lost in it! I've seen Japanese who are walking with their phones, looking at the signs, changing their directions, you name it! 
It's only a 5 minutes walk from the station to the entrance and there're you're welcomed buy pretty, smiling, Japanese, tiny girls and you pay ¥1200 for admission which is really good but despite the cleanliness, organization and politeness of the staff, the museum failed to impress me. I also was a bit tired and I still am. So after visiting the gift shop where I found nothing to buy(!) but they have good things, decided to head back. The only problem was because I had a bad timing for my return ticket, I had to change the time by going to a JR office. There was no charge. I don't want to say not to go to the museum. It's all up to you. My main problem is the majority of vehicle on display were not Japanese or Toyota brand That is what you think you would see but maybe I have high expectations. It's not that bad. 

(Photo, top: The major early Toyota model was manufactured based on American car's design and appearance)

Out after 10 Years (3): Lack of Good Planning

I always plan all the details of my trips well in advance and execute them precisely. It started to fail nearly two years ago when I went to Las Vegas with Alphonse to do the hike of Boundary Peak! I've written about my failure so there's no need to humiliate myself! Then just a month ago I even missed my flight and didn't even go to the destination. I think one of the reasons is the amount of time I spend driving. It really tires me out. 
For this trip though I started planning two month ago but today it was proved that it was not working well! I needed to get JR Pass for my travel between different cities, so went to a train station. I was told there that I needed to go to Shinjuku Station which is only 10-15 minutes walk. So I said why would I pay ¥150? I can walk. So I went there and I was told I had to purchase online! I went back to the hotel, purchased the pass, transferred the information to my phone in a PDF file format and walked back. I was told that they needed the reservation number which I had not saved! I tried to retrieve that from my phone, but I couldn't and I walked back to the hotel! I wrote the reservation number on a piece of paper and walked back to the office. I got lucky that the number was closed but I had booked my return ticket for today while my departure ticket was for tomorrow! The girl was very nice and corrected it!
I walked back to the hotel and decided to go to Imperial Palace after a little eat. It was there that I was proven to be a horrible planner for this trip! The Imperial Palace is not an amusement park that everyone can go inside easily. There're morning and afternoon tours at certain hours and you need to provide an Identification card. So, again, I went back all the way to the hotel but by train and I paid!

You can have an advanced Sony camera by paying ¥445770. It is only CAN $4195!

I then decided to use my last trip of the day by going shopping in a major chain electronic store in Shinjuku named Yodobashi Camera. I find myself in the store almost at the desired time despite the fact that the GPS in the phone, again, was not very helpful! For people of Canada who first saw Future Shop and then Best Buy, they shall see this store to understand what a real electronic store is: This is a store in 8 floor and you can find everything in there! Just don't forget that you need good amount of money. I wanted to buy a Casio wristwatch and I did. It was again lack of a good communication but I got it! Too bad that I had purchased a laptop and a handset before the trip. Otherwise it was a good place to buy those! I'm going to get ready for sleep as tomorrow I will have a trip outside the city of Tokyo and I'm very tired.

(Photo, top: Shinjuku is considered one of the main entertainment cities within the city of Tokyo. Drinking, eating, karaoke, girls, you name it but I think I'm too old for all. I just passed through to do my shopping. I haven't even tried a restaurant, café or bar!)

Out after 10 Years (2): Roaming around Tokyo

The second day of the trip was not so good but there were some progresses. It's 06:05 here and I returned to the hotel last night around 04:30 as I was so tired. The nigh before the flight I didn't have a good sleep and then this big time zone difference ha affected me significantly. I tried to find a tourist office to ask a few questions and also familiarize myself with the area but that led to hours of walking cluelessly! I think I wasted some 2 hours! Found no office of such! The Google Maps on the phone was not helpful or I don't know how to set it up on the phone.
Then after a short rest in the hotel, I headed to the city center where Tokyo Station is located. Downtown Tokyo, at least the limited area that I visited is similar to any Western main city: Men and women in professional attire, cabs, tall buildings, expensive shops, bars, restaurants and cafes, nice gardens, only enjoyed and maintained by Japanese people and a few foreigners. 
I then headed to Imperial Palace although I knew it was closed, just to see the area. Many businesses that tourist intend to visit are closed on Monday. So don't waste your time going there. Beside it would be somewhere very crowded as usually main tourist spots are, all, these days. The outside walls of Imperial Palace where the Emperor and his family lives are impressive. The capital was transferred from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869 and so did the royal family. I hope I can visit the palace before I leave Japan. 

Then I got on subways, for the first time, and headed to a shrine called Yasukuni-Jinja. Japan has lots of temples and shrine which are frequently visited by the Japanese to pay respect and pray and visitors just to see. This shrine which has a museum adjacent to it is open to visit to the public at no charge. I was too tired to go to the museum but the museum is about the people who sacrificed their lives for their country, probably some of the WWII who are greatly admired and respected in Japan. I might go there if I get a chance. After that I just headed back to the hotel, got something to eat and couldn't even sit at the table! 

The good thing is now I have a much better idea of how to use the Tokyo transit system. 

(Photo: Yasukuni Shrine's side door. That is why there is no person in front of it and make it a good picture! Japanese slowly approach the main gate, claps their hands, bow and pray and then when leaving pay their respect as well. There are a few guard in the area but none are armed as far as I remember. I think there would be no need for that. Westerners believe this place holds and admire the Japanese who committed war crime. I believe the Westerners always forget what they do or pretend what they have done and blame others. If this shrine promotes war crime then every Vietnam War memorial and American cemetery for the military does the same! Right?)