Final Bits & Pieces

Unusual sites:  black Q-Tip's, go cart city tours, sink on toilet tank cover, auto open car doors, buttered bread packaged & sold at store, eating while standing up at counter in McD

 

Things we noticed:  lots of dark clothing & thick heeled shoes; red lipstick contrasting black, straight hair & white complexion; mostly traditional tiled roofs; solar panels; lots of cell phones; rice paddies & fish ponds often in center of town/group of homes; sculptured trees; gas $5 a gallon; wild bamboo forest; face mask fairly common; many  men dressed in suits & women in skirts; most homes in central location & similar to all homes; only a couple luxury homes

 

Public Transportation:  efficient; cheap ($16 for 4 hr train ride); spotless, even the windows; loud speaker announcement:  No leakage of music.  Take your trash home;  People lined up, entered & exited in a single line quickly & orderly.

 

Japanese people:  quiet, reserved, orderly, neat, kind, law abiding (bikes generally not locked up anywhere)

 

Final Thoughts:

We had hoped to experience a different culture.  We certainly did.  We, again, felt extremely fortunate to have had another great trip…and glad we could quickly get home. 

Update #18

I've been home a week now.  Yesterday we buried my sister, Sal.  It's been a sad whirlwind.  Here's the rest of our trip:

 

Another train trip got us to Fukuoka, a major port city.  We found our Airbnb & enjoyed the afternoon sun sitting on our balcony over this large, modern city.  Around 4, we headed out to find the central park.  Lots of people were there many jogging, strolling, and walking dogs.  A couple of islands had connecting bridges so you could cross to the other side of the large pond.  Lots of large swan paddle boats were filled with smiling people and the ducks swam close begging for food.  Quite pleasant.  It was time to find dinner and to my delight, we found pizza!!   Rog got roti—good but not as good as my pizza!   Back at our Airbnb, we filled the washing machine available for our use and then hung our clothes to dry.  Imagine how satisfying it felt to put all clean clothes back in our suitcases.  First time since we left Pittsburgh on Feb 13.  It's times like this that make us appreciate all our luxuries at home.  Though we both agree that the warm toilet seats & bidets are a luxury we need.  We had a folk museum on our agenda today where we walked through a traditional machiya (house) that was the home to a silk merchant.  The weaver was set up and many items made from the fine material on display.  Loved the enclosed garden.  An attached building housed lots of local items and we watched a film about the annual festival, The Yamkasa.  To honor the sun god, men carry a massive, tall & overly decorated float (think Madri Gras but with no wheels).  Must weigh tons! Each part of town builds one and then they race with each other.  The film caught the excitement of the crowd and the exhaustion of the men who carried them.  The after sun was bright as we climbed into a boat 😊 and cruised down on the several canals in this town nicknamed Canal City.  It's also called the Food Truck Central so after dark, we took a walk through that chaos…and the got a sandwich at the local bakery and went back to our Airbnb to eat. 

That's when we got the news that Sally had taken a major turn for the worst.  She'd been in the hospital over a week & I'd talked to her just a couple of days ago.  I slept fitfully with my phone by my head.  By morning, she was gone.  Rog cancelled the reservations we'd made for the next couple nights, we packed up & headed to the airport.  Luckily, we were in Fukuona with a large airport.  We got lots of help from a kind lady at the ticket counter who in the end, advised Rog to just get a ticket online.  Within an hour, we had new tickets.  We flew to Tokyo, (about a 13 hour flight, so we landed a half hour before we left thanks to time zones…), then Atlanta and finally Pittsburgh.  Jake picked us up, we got to bed around 1, got up to hug the kids & Sarah as they left for school and then got in our car and headed home.  Home to my heartbroken siblings & their families and my kids & gkids.  In 2012, I was in China when my mom died.  You can be very far from home…but family is always close to your heart. 

Pics #18



Sad

We are on our way to the airport. My sister, Sally just died. She had a heart attack and was improving until she wasn't. My heart is breaking for her 3 kids and 3 young gkids. Sally is 5 years younger than me. It makes me realize how quickly things can change.

Update #18

We got off the train in Asa. Gotta be honest, after walking around a bit and getting blank stares when we tried to ask about attractions, we wondered why we'd reserved 2 nights here. The hotel room was ok & we did each to to the onsen in the hotel (men/women separate). Since you don't wear bathing suits, I was glad I was the only one in mine! We found a local place to eat where an older woman was working as fast as she could making okonomiyaki…a traditional dish that combines noodles, cabbage, eggs, bread crumbs & shrimp. On the hot griddle at our table, she cook the bacon for short minute and then poured the mixture on top of it. After 10-15 min, she flipped it and cooked the other side another 10 minutes. Then she brushed it with a thick sweet sauce (like Hoisin) & sprinkled spices on it and tada…ready to eat. We'd had this once before so we knew it'd be good. Back in our room, we played some cards & tried to figure out how we'd fill the next day. Thought we'd hop the train & head to a nearby town. Our hotel had a huge buffet breakfast (think dinner). Rog filled up on a variety of local foods while I ate some yogurt. Then we headed to the train station. On the way, I noticed a group of men setting up what looked like a stage. I went over & a sky why & thanks to Goggle translator and a guy who spoke some English, found out there was going to be a Hina Doll Festival starting in an hour. So we scrapped the train plans. Rog had noticed some bikes by our hotel, so inquired about renting one & for $1.50, he was a happy biker! The town ladies were setting up bazaar & food tables so I checked that out. One table was set up so kids could do origami art. As I looked on, I was given the materials and thanks to the kids around me, I now have one myself. Around 11, Rog came back and the drumming started…loud & with a great beat. Most of the drummers were young & the guy setting up who knew some English, well he was the drum teacher. As we were watching the performance, a young lady who heard us speaking English approached us and introduced herself, Juicy Mae (Jumae Lina's). Soon we were best friends. She is from the Philippines and is here teaching English. She hung with us the next couple hours often introducing her students to us and encouraging them to practice their English with us. We were in lots of selfies! After the drumming ended, about 20 girls (3-18 yrs old) dressed in elegant kimonos lined up and after lots of pictures, paraded single file to the shrine that overlooked the river. Once there, a prayer for good health was said & then each girl was given a paper boat with an emperor & an empress inside. One by one, the boats were lowered into the river. Because Juicy & I were standing close, we were each given a boat too! We trailed ours as they went down the river & over small waterfalls cheering when they popped up after each. We both were happy that our boats were still afloat for as far as we could see! Surely good health for all my girls…the symbolic meaning of the event! We then headed back to the center of the festival & Juicy got a bowl of noodle soup & I got popcorn!! It wasn't buttered or salted rather peppered & sprinkled with ground parsley but close enough and since there was a Coke machine close by (which there is on most every corner), I got my Coke Lite and I was a happy girl. We sat chatting about school. Juicy says she loved teaching here as she has NO discipline issues and pay is much better. She said the Japanese are taught young to live in harmony. Harmony-what a beautiful word. Rog joined us after a bit and caught the tail end of a group of kids dancing to hip-hop music. Juicy had to leave to teach an online class but first we exchanged contact info. Spending time with her had been such a lucky experience! Rog then went to buy some soup & the women were so excited they bowed & laughed like teenagers. Around 2, clean up began so we were finishing up when the drummer teacher came over to introduce us to his young son. We gave him a balloon & he just belly laughed & started blowing it up. With just a few more hrs of daylight, I also rented a bike & off we rode through several neighborhoods getting an up close look. Rog spotted a barber so we stopped in as his hair needed a trim. An hour later, after a major trim, hot lather shave of his neck, chin & forehead and a massage of his head & shoulders…he was a new man and just $23 less in his wallet. Today was a great example of the reason we don't get too rigid in our planning & just grab on to whatever pops up!!

Update #17

Our next train ride took us to Iwakuni. As we stood talking about how we'd get to our hotel, a man came over & after chatting a bit, we were in his car headed to our hotel. Thanks Brian from Indiana! We picked this stop mostly because we wanted to stay in a shipping container. Called The Yard, there were two rows of 15 each facing each other and about 2 ft between them. These shipping containers were still on wheels with the trailer hitch. There were called Rescue Containers and designed to be moved quickly to any disaster location. There are about 25 similar set-ups in Japan. Great idea! Inside was amazingly spacious with double bed, narrow desk with chair, small frig, microwave & what seems the usual tiny bathrooms we've had almost everywhere. It even had a window! When we checked in, we were given two frozen dinners. Bonus!
We had arrived much before check in time so went in search of lunch & found an Indian restaurant with naan that melted in your mouth. Next we headed toward the 3rd most beautiful bridge in Japan, Kintaikyo with its 5 stone arches. As you cross, you climb up & over the arches enjoying the fast running river below. On top of a mountain overlooking it, sits the castle, of course. We rode a tram up the mountain getting a great view of the bridge & valley below. We skipped the castle. Kinda castled out. Back at The Yard, we popped our frozen dinner in the microwave and called it a day…a good day!
Back on the train @ 9:30, we slowly passed through mostly small town & fields with mountains on one side & ocean on the other. It was an easy way round get a glimpse of the lives of people outside a big city. Gardens, cloth lines & the occasional person going in or out of their home or store gave me a tiny window into their lives…which I love.


Pics for #17

Update #16

Hiroshima Peace Museum. It's hard to put into words how I felt today as we moved slowly & silently shoulder to shoulder along the route that took us past first a large wall showing Hiroshima before 1945…and then after Aug 6, 1945. The pictures were gruesome and horrifying. The photographers who took them told how their tears made it hard to focus their cameras but felt the world needed to see this. The extreme pain & fear in the eyes of the victims bore a hole in me and the words of the survivors tore at my heart. Why keep looking, I kept asking myself. But it seemed so disrespectful, so unfair to the victims for me to walk away. Also, most of the crowd around me were Japanese. How would they feel if I just walked away? Like I didn't care? The museum honored the victims by not only displaying photos & film and plaques with explanations…but also clothing, personal items, parts of buildings & bridges found in the rubble. The stories of the survivors were raw with pain. One section traced the life of Sadako. I had read that story to my students many times. I knew it well. But seeing pictures of her when she was 2…at the time of the explosion and then several before she died of leukemia at 12…made it so much more real. Many of the tiny cranes she had folded were also there. She had so hoped that the folklore that said a person who folds 1000 cranes would be granted a wish was true. We have seen so many strings of folded cranes in windows, shrines, temples & in displays. Her spirit is so alive still. The numbers of others who died on Aug 6 and later as a result, is staggering. It's important to note the Japanese did not portray the US in a negative light. In fact, they stated that "their country initiated hostilities against the US and other countries." The final area of the museum was dedicated to the need to reduce the number of nuclear bombs and in hope to eliminate them totally. It was a strong cry for peace.
As we excited the museum, it was raining. Really the first rain we've had in Japan. It seemed so appropriate & symbolic like walking through the tears that have fallen in this city.
The next day, the sun came out so we headed for Peace Park filled with memorials: the cenotaph with the names of known victims, eternal flame, praying family, Children's Peace statue of Sadako, Peace Bell, a pillar ( which was the only remains of their school) with the names of the 650+ students & teachers who were killed there were etched, several trees that survived and fountains representing the thirst of those burned. Looming in the background is the skeleton of the A-Bomb Dome. As I approached the center of cenotaph for the victims, about 40 very young Japanese students stood in front of it singing a sweet song. Though I'll never know the lyrics of the song, I'll never forget the moment.
From there we went down into the National Peace Memorial Hall where pictures of the victims & stories of the hibakusha (explosion-affected person) were stored. One huge, round room had a 360 picture of the destroyed city with a waterfall in the center as the cry for water was heard throughout the city on Aug 6. Sobering…and yet we had been approached twice today by excited students wanting to practice their English by interviewing us. They laughed & were having a great time & then let us take their pictures before giving us origami gifts with thank you neatly printed on them. They gave me a generous dose of hope for the future. As you look around Hiroshima, it's quite astonishing to see how they've rebuilt this city which now looks like so many other modern cities. They also rebuilt the castle originally built in 1590 & the Shukkeien gardens. Visiting them was soothing. Lots of blooming cherry & plum trees greeted us there. Here also, hope bloomed in my heart!!

Update #15

We took the train from Nara to Himeji. When we came to one of the stops on the way to Himeji, everyone got off which clued us in that we should get off. We noticed most crossed to the other side of the platform, so we did too & after questioning someone, found out that the train we were on would be going back to Nara. This happened one more time before we finally arrived in Himeji. We dropped our bags off at our hotel & then headed to the Himeji History Museum…but one the way, we found ourselves in the middle of a crowd where we saw all these people dressed up in elaborate costumes! We started snapping pictures which they seemed to encourage. Imagine seeing kids dressed in outrageous, darling, clever, silly, scary, remarkable and darn right funny costumes. We did not recognize most of the characters they were dressed like but it was sure entertaining!! (Later I looked it up & they were a cosplay mix of a popular anime movies). There was a two stage shows with performers singing & dancing. And a parking lot full of cars also "dressed" up! Just a unique spot to just happen to run into. To top it off, they sold those most delicious waffles mothered in whip cream & chocolate! The History Museum was not nearly as exciting but we did learn more about this area especially the 1995 earthquake. Next morning we headed out to see why we came to Himeji, the castle. Who doesn't want to see the castle known as the White Heron Castle?? It 's perched on the top of the highest point around & surrounded by a moat. After being asked to take our shoes off, in our stocking feet, we climbed up seven narrow & steep staircases with each floor empty but it you sure got the feel of the vastness of each floor. From the top you got a bird's eye view of the city and the castle garden, which is where we headed next. Known as the Koko-en, it was designed with lots of benches where you could rest and take in the beauty…which after climbing up & down 7 stories, we thoroughly enjoyed. the garden was just ready to fully pop with just the daffodils & camellia bushes blooming. The many stone pathways led you by manicured trees & bushes and over & around a fast moving stream which dumped into a large pond where colorful carp were swimming. Lovely hardly describes it. In the exit building, we were treated to several blossoming cherry & plum bonsai trees!! So we did all that we came to Himeji for…and more…so tomorrow we're taking the bullet train to Hiroshima.

Update 14

You might be getting this twice?!

Nara was the first capital of Japan in 700 AD so it is filled with ancient buildings most of which have been or are being reconstructed. Original audience hall, shrines & temples galore to see. All humongous, decorative with traditional curved roofs. Unfortunately the palace & 5 story pagoda were tented & being worked on so we didn't get to see them. We stayed 3 days so we visited most of the rest of them. The Todaiji Temple was the most impressive with its 17' tall bronze Buddha flanked by two bodhisttua (soon to be Buddhas). The temple is the largest wooden structure in the world. In 728 AD, the emperor decreed that everyone was to help build it so over 1/2 the population at the time (2 1/2 million) worked on it! Long ago someone gifted deers to the emperor so today hundreds of them roam freely over the large grounds. Somehow they keep the poop cleaned up. While we were there, a group of elementary school kids with their clipboards interviewed us and we in turn, interviewed them. Great way to practice English! Close by was the lovely Isuien Gardens. Peaceful, well groomed green space with a frolicking stream running through it which has stone bridges you could cross on. Our next stop was to admire a display of darling porcelain face dolls dressed in traditional clothing. Some serving tea and others playing instruments. The cultural center was our next stop which was home to several statues & articles found during the excavation around this area. Yakushiji Temple was another temple in the area which has been around for just 1300 yrs. It was flanked by two 3 story pagodas. I love seeing pagodas! That temple also had a huge Buddha and had recently been restored. The building next to it was set up for monks to copy sutras (sacred Buddha teachings) which they sell and use the money to pay for restoration. It was time for another view of the area so we just walked around a small town just outside the temple. It appeared to have lots of nice single family homes with just a few unkept apartment buildings. There were several large gardens which seemed to be for the community surrounding it. The gardens had onions & lettuce growing and lots of space for more spring planting. Also we saw several rice paddies with cement sides not in use. Maybe later?? We had one more shrine to see, Kasugataisha Shrine famous for the thousands of bronze & golden lanterns that adorn it. Walking up the hill to it you pass hundreds of cement pillars with lanterns on top that are covered in moss and have plants growing out of them. The whole temple is surrounded by a dense forest. Here too deer roam freely as they are believed to be messengers of deities. Each year in December since 1136 AD there is a huge festival with dancers, monks & horses. That's one long time tradition!
Just a quick side note: our Airbnb is like living in a RV! Just a little space on the side of the bed, TV trays to set up next to bed, and the smallest, shortest frig I've ever seen. The bathroom sink faucet can be turned to fill the half size tub & turn on the shower. You can brush your teeth sitting on the heated toilet seat! It's close to the bus stops & train station so it's been a fun little, truly little place to be!




Update #14

Nara was the first capital of Japan in 700 AD so it is filled with ancient buildings most of which have been or are being reconstructed. Original audience hall, shrines & temples galore to see. All humongous, decorative with traditional curved roofs. Unfortunately the palace & 5 story pagoda were tented & being worked on so we didn't get to see them. We stayed 3 days so we visited most of the rest of them. The Todaiji Temple was the most impressive with its 17' tall bronze Buddha flanked by two bodhisttua (soon to be Buddhas). The temple is the largest wooden structure in the world. In 728 AD, the emperor decreed that everyone was to help build it so over 1/2 the population at the time (2 1/2 million) worked on it! Long ago someone gifted deers to the emperor so today hundreds of them roam freely over the large grounds. Somehow they keep the poop cleaned up. While we were there, a group of elementary school kids with their clipboards interviewed us and we in turn, interviewed them. Great way to practice English! Close by was the lovely Isuien Gardens. Peaceful, well groomed green space with a frolicking stream running through it which has stone bridges you could cross on. Our next stop was to admire a display of darling porcelain face dolls dressed in traditional clothing. Some serving tea and others playing instruments. The cultural center was our next stop which was home to several statues & articles found during the excavation around this area. Yakushiji Temple was another temple in the area which has been around for just 1300 yrs. It was flanked by two 3 story pagodas. I love seeing pagodas! That temple also had a huge Buddha and had recently been restored. The building next to it was set up for monks to copy sutras (sacred Buddha teachings) which they sell and use the money to pay for restoration. It was time for another view of the area so we just walked around a small town just outside the temple. It appeared to have lots of nice single family homes with just a few unkept apartment buildings. There were several large gardens which seemed to be for the community surrounding it. The gardens had onions & lettuce growing and lots of space for more spring planting. Also we saw several rice paddies with cement sides not in use. Maybe later?? We had one more shrine to see, Kasugataisha Shrine famous for the thousands of bronze & golden lanterns that adorn it. Walking up the hill to it you pass hundreds of cement pillars with lanterns on top that are covered in moss and have plants growing out of them. The whole temple is surrounded by a dense forest. Here too deer roam freely as they are believed to be messengers of deities. Each year in December since 1136 AD there is a huge festival with dancers, monks & horses. That's one long time tradition!
Just a quick side note: our Airbnb is like living in a RV! Just a little space on the side of the bed, TV trays to set up next to bed, and the smallest, shortest frig I've ever seen. The bathroom sink faucet can be turned to fill the half size tub & turn on the shower. You can brush your teeth sitting on the heated toilet seat! It's close to the bus stops & train station so it's been a fun little, truly little place to be!