Breakfast was at 6 AM and yes, we found most of the tour group already at the tables. Others had also gone to bed around 10:00 PM, woken up between 1:00 to 3:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. This would happen for several days.
I met a woman named Miriam at breakfast who was going on a Princess cruise and coincidentally was from the hometown where I grew up! I couldn't believe it! We would all be leaving in a couple of hours for our respective tours. It was such fun comparing stories with her.
When we joined our tour in the lobby, Miriam saw me and waved me over. She wanted to give me a little gift. It was dish washing scrubber that she'd knitted herself. Time and again, we have found that Hawaii travelers are the friendliest people around.
Our first stop of the day was the Landmark Observation deck in Yokohama; at 971 feet it is the 2nd tallest building in Japan. There are 69 floors. From the top of the building, we were able to get a bird's eye view of the area. We could even see Mt. Fuji!
Back on the ground, we loved seeing this little Day Care expedition with toddlers in carts.
The Nippon Maru training ship was docked right next to the Landmark Observation tower.
Reiko also showed us a woodblock print of Commodore Perry who played a key role in forcing Japan (1852-1854) to open up from its isolationist policy. The Japanese had never seen a blue eyed person so they couldn't believe that anyone's pupils could be blue. They therefore colored the whites of his eyes blue in this woodblock print instead.
Our tour guide, Reiko also told us about General MacArthur being so beloved by the Japanese people because of his decency and fairness after WWII. They loved him so much that they hoped he would be voted the next U.S. President. They even put up a big sign on the Ginza that read "WE PRAY FOR MACARTHUR'S ERECTION." (The Japanese have difficulty with the sound of the letter l.)
Our next stop was Kamakura where we saw the huge statue of the Buddha called Daibutsu. We'd been here before and it was nostalgic to see it again.
We arrived in Atami which was once considered "Monaco of the East." It used to be a popular honeymoon destination.
That evening I went to the onsen with a new friend. Ann said we could go together to give each other courage. Why courage? It's because everybody (men and women have separate baths) takes off all their clothes and goes into the communal hot springs bath together.
The most awesome thing was the onsen on the outside. When Ann and I went out, we were surprised to find the onsen pool filled with rosebuds. It was incredible! I can honestly say I've never, ever been in a bath filled with rosebuds and petals! The amazing thing is that the onsen water was hot, but the rose buds were not wilted at all. How can that be? We met a couple of friendly ladies there who were surprised and impressed that we were from Hawaii.
Mom had told me in past that it would be safer if I don't speak Japanese because although my accent might fool someone into thinking I know what I'm saying, ummmm.... well... it's not a sure thing and I could put my foot in my mouth without knowing.
Whatever, the case... there were lots of smiles and laughter so it was OK... I think.
Ann and I were now good friends even though we'd just met a couple of days ago. Once you see each other totally naked, how can you not be good friends?
I met a woman named Miriam at breakfast who was going on a Princess cruise and coincidentally was from the hometown where I grew up! I couldn't believe it! We would all be leaving in a couple of hours for our respective tours. It was such fun comparing stories with her.
When we joined our tour in the lobby, Miriam saw me and waved me over. She wanted to give me a little gift. It was dish washing scrubber that she'd knitted herself. Time and again, we have found that Hawaii travelers are the friendliest people around.
Our first stop of the day was the Landmark Observation deck in Yokohama; at 971 feet it is the 2nd tallest building in Japan. There are 69 floors. From the top of the building, we were able to get a bird's eye view of the area. We could even see Mt. Fuji!
Back on the ground, we loved seeing this little Day Care expedition with toddlers in carts.
The Nippon Maru training ship was docked right next to the Landmark Observation tower.
Reiko also showed us a woodblock print of Commodore Perry who played a key role in forcing Japan (1852-1854) to open up from its isolationist policy. The Japanese had never seen a blue eyed person so they couldn't believe that anyone's pupils could be blue. They therefore colored the whites of his eyes blue in this woodblock print instead.
Our tour guide, Reiko also told us about General MacArthur being so beloved by the Japanese people because of his decency and fairness after WWII. They loved him so much that they hoped he would be voted the next U.S. President. They even put up a big sign on the Ginza that read "WE PRAY FOR MACARTHUR'S ERECTION." (The Japanese have difficulty with the sound of the letter l.)
Our next stop was Kamakura where we saw the huge statue of the Buddha called Daibutsu. We'd been here before and it was nostalgic to see it again.
"The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitabha Buddha located at the KÅtoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The bronze statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, according to temple records." --Wikipedia
We arrived in Atami which was once considered "Monaco of the East." It used to be a popular honeymoon destination.
That evening I went to the onsen with a new friend. Ann said we could go together to give each other courage. Why courage? It's because everybody (men and women have separate baths) takes off all their clothes and goes into the communal hot springs bath together.
The most awesome thing was the onsen on the outside. When Ann and I went out, we were surprised to find the onsen pool filled with rosebuds. It was incredible! I can honestly say I've never, ever been in a bath filled with rosebuds and petals! The amazing thing is that the onsen water was hot, but the rose buds were not wilted at all. How can that be? We met a couple of friendly ladies there who were surprised and impressed that we were from Hawaii.
Mom had told me in past that it would be safer if I don't speak Japanese because although my accent might fool someone into thinking I know what I'm saying, ummmm.... well... it's not a sure thing and I could put my foot in my mouth without knowing.
Whatever, the case... there were lots of smiles and laughter so it was OK... I think.
Ann and I were now good friends even though we'd just met a couple of days ago. Once you see each other totally naked, how can you not be good friends?
I never really knew how much they liked General MacArthur, me not so much. A Republican is a Republican
ReplyDeleteYou both look great!
ReplyDeletei think i'd skip the baths but what a glorious trip...
ReplyDeleteThat naked thing...not sure about that.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Christine on this one!
DeleteOnce one has gone to a California PE class, naked no longer bother's you. What a beautiful country.
ReplyDeleteWow! You're adventurous with the baths.
ReplyDeleteCracked up at the MacArthur prayer. Not sure I could do the naked thing but who knows.
ReplyDeleteMacArthur's erection, oh how funny that is. I am still chuckling.
ReplyDeleteMacArthur was sure not popular with President Truman.
ReplyDeleteAll of the rose petals in the bath sounds lovely. Yea, wondering why they don't wilt or look like cooked spinach. I use plumeria bath suds, but not the flowers of course. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteLots of chuckles here, from erections to nudity to language confusion, to a really pretty pot scrubber??
ReplyDeleteI'm finally catching up with your trip report, Kay. Wow, so much you do and see, every trip day!
ReplyDeleteThose carts are the same as kibbutzim use for the toddlers. It's a good idea.