Japan: Day #4 (September 24, 2008)

I'm collecting such happy memories of Japan. One of my happiest was watching my mother spend quality bonding time with her "baby" brother who took time off from his busy schedule to be with us. I also especially loved getting better acquainted with my young cousin who I've never had the opportunity to connect with. She promised to visit us someday in Hawaii so that we could have another "Cousins' Party."

Morning came early on the 4th Day but we all managed to sleep until 6:00 AM and grab a quick breakfast at the hotel. We were out the door by 8:00 AM.

We met our friend, Kobori-san at the train station and after a few transfers was headed to Nikko in comfort on the Shinkansen (Bullet) Train.

Lonely Plant: "Nikko's history as a sacred site stretches back to the middle of the 8th century, when the Buddhist priest Shodo Shonin (735-817) established a hermitage there. Eventually it became a mausoleum for three shoguns."

Nikko is a World Heritage site as well as a National Treasure and I can certainly see why. It was hard to stop taking photos. The intricate carvings and paintings, much of it influenced by China were magnificent.

Once back in Tokyo, Kobori-san was a lifesaver in helping us fill out countless forms in Japanese to reserve our JR Bullet train tickets throughout Japan.

Here are just a sampling of the incredible amount of photos we took in just one day!

We are really loving our stay at the New Sanno in Tokyo. We usually stay at Motel 6s in the U.S. so this is luxurious by our standards.


The Shinkansen (Bullet) train is extremely efficient.


We loved seeing this rather "subtle" way of asking people not to smoke on the train.


We liked seeing two train conductors in front of us who were concentrating the entire time on our having a safe trip.


Uh hunh! Squat toilets! I'm actually getting used to them.


Nikko's 5 story pagoda Tosho-gu dates to 1650 and was reconstructed in 1818.


Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. These famous monkeys demonstrates the three principles of Tendai Buddhism.


Nikko


More Nikko!


More and more Nikko.


More, More and More Nikko.


Here we are with our wonderful friend, Sam.


Before going into a sacred area, we needed to remove our shoes.




We don't know what kind of flower this is but we thought its fragile beauty was worth capturing.


Here's Sam working on all our train reservations for us. Thank heavens for fabulous friends!

Japan: Day #3

I'm finally caught up!
It's Wednesday and we've had another incredibly busy but wonderful day!

My uncle and aunt met us at the Hachiko Statue at the Shibuya JR Station.

The following story is a compilation of several articles I’ve read about Hachiko on the web and in the Tour Book. It’s such a touching story that I felt I really wanted to share it with you.


The Hachiko Statue is one of the most famous landmarks in Tokyo. Located right in front of the Shibuya Station, it serves as a popular meeting place.
Hachiko is a bonze statue of an Akita dog, located in front of the Shibuya Station.

Hachiko was born in November, 1923 in the city of Odate in the Akito prefecture. In 1924, Hidesamuro Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo brought Hachiko to Tokyo. The dog followed his master wherever he went. As Hachiko grew, he acquired all the traits of an Akita dog. Its ears grew upright and its tail was curled to the left.
During his owner's life, Hachikō saw him off at the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. Even after Ueno's death in May 1925, Hachikō returned every day to the station to wait for him. Hachikō's devotion to his lost master moved those around him, who nicknamed him "faithful dog". Others at the station initially thought he was waiting for something else or roaming around, but later realized he was waiting for his dead owner. This continued for over 10 years, with Hachikō appearing only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.1]
One of Ueno's former students saw the dog at the station and followed him to the relative’s home (where Hachiko had been living) and learned the history of Hachikō's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachikō from Shibuya Station.
Ueno's former student returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachikō's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's largest newspaper, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachikō became a national sensation. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachikō's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.
In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling.


After joining my uncle and aunt we traveled to Ueno Park's National Museum to see many of the beautiful artifacts important to Japanese history. My mother had a great time sharing so much of what she knows with my brother. I loved seeing them together.

We then went on to Asakusa which was packed with visitors because today was a National Autumnal Equinox holiday. Still it was wonderful to soak in the atmosphere.


Next stop was the Mori Building in Rappongi where we took an elevator to the top to view the City from up high. The day was clear! No rain and the view was breath taking.



My uncle and aunt then took us to a vegetarian restaurant where we were again treated to a feast that was fun, interesting and delicious. My cousin met us there and it was wonderful to meet her again after 12 years and to renew our acquaintance.



Our parting today was sad since my uncle does not like to travel and this could be the last time he sees his eldest sister. Still, I was just so happy and content that they were able to have these two days together.

Japan: Day #2

September 22, 2008 Monday

Our room at the New Sanno is wonderful. It has many helpful amenities but because it is a hotel for U.S. military personnel, there is an armed guard at the entrance which always makes me stop to look as I pass by the entrance.


With the 1 day, 5 hours difference, we woke yesterday at 1:00 AM. It didn’t matter that we were tired, we were up and ready at 4:00 AM. Therefore, Art decided to switch our plans and we took the train and trek to Tsukiji Market to see all the seafood being brought in to be auctioned and distributed around Japan.


The cacophony of sounds with the little delivery carts around us scooting through narrow aisles wet with bloody fish water was quite an experience.


After taking tons of photos, we stopped at a little counter and stool restaurant booth. It was the first time I’ve ever had fresh sashimi (raw fish) and ikura (ikura) for breakfast over a bowl of rice with miso soup. I’m not a fan of sashimi but it WAS delicious.


We returned to the hotel, took a tiny nap and were ready to meet my uncle who is a retired High Court Judge at 10:00. He led us to Meiji Jingu on more trains as well as the Harajiku which is Japan’s version of New York’s Fashion district.


We watched a bride and groom having their photo taken in the Meiji Jingu temple courtyard.

Our next stop was to my uncle and aunt’s beautiful home to relax and wait for the arrival of our friend in Tokyo who came to pick us up in his VW.

He took us to a very fancy Japanese restaurant where he had rented a room for all of us and his large extended family. I gulped to realize that he must have spent too much on this luxurious meal. The meal consisted of course upon course of exquisite delicacies, delicious and beautiful to gaze at.

Konnichiwa from Japan!

September 21, 2008 Sunday
We’ve arrived in Japan safe and sound. We left Saturday morning at 7:00 with John’s Taxi for Honolulu International Airport and due to the time change arrived in Japan on Sunday at 11:55 AM.

Japan Airlines was fabulous! We got two delicious meals and our own personal movie monitor in Economy. My mom was able to choose her own movies in her choice of language and had a blast watching Indiana Jones #4 in Japanese. She managed to watch three different movies and couldn’t believe how quickly 7.5 hours went by.

We changed our dollars to yen, bought our bus tickets to the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo, bought prepaid phone cards, called my uncle and then boarded the bus to take the two hour ride to the hotel.

Unfortunately, it is raining. It’s not a drizzly rain like we have in Hawaii but a downpour like we have in Chicago. It’s forecasted to rain for the whole week. Apparently, there’s a typhoon that has chosen to sit right on the east coast of Japan where we are and may follow us up north. I sure hope not!

Geisha

We were sitting at the food court of the Ala Moana Shopping Center today grabbing an early lunch before taking my mom to the Senior Fair to get a flu shot. We noticed a child with a back pack which looked like a disguised child safety leash. It reminded me of the time we nearly lost our son in a crowded gathering in Chicago when he was about 3 years old. The terror of my tale triggered a memory for mom. Here is her story translated.

“Did you know I got lost once? I was about 5 years old and we’d come back to Japan from Molokai. We were walking through a huge department store in Yokohama and there was so much to see. That’s when an exquisite wedding doll caught my eye. I’d never seen anything so wonderful before. I couldn’t stop staring at it. When I finally looked up everybody was gone and I started to cry. I didn’t know what to do. It was then that the most beautiful geisha you will ever see came to me. She had on a luxurious kimono and her hair was elaborately fashioned. She was more beautiful than any movie star and very kind. Taking my hand and speaking in a soothing voice, she took me to the department store management who called the police. When I was older your grandma laughed and told me that they’d asked me what my name was and I told them, “My name is Hiroko and my father is the honorable priest Stupid Head.”

I’m not sure how to translate that phrase but it showed the temper that my mom is on some occasions capable of having.

Mom says she remembers her grandfather carrying her home from the department store. I’m thinking she may not have quite forgiven her father just yet.

It was interesting to me as I listened to this story that it shed some light on how some of my mom’s feelings were shaped by that early encounter.

When I was growing up, nobody was allowed to denigrate geishas in front of my mother. You could never ever intimate that a geisha was a prostitute. My mom always made it clear that geishas were extremely gifted and trained woman of elegance and beauty. It was more than an explanation, she was very defensive of her childhood champion.

Therefore, I guess my point is that every little thing you do for someone else may have far reaching consequences for good or bad. It’s something you have to think about when you make your choice.

A Lesson in Kindness

The last time I was in Japan, my cousin told me a story about her mom. Her mom is my mother's youngest surviving sister. She said that my aunt always told her and her siblings to never give up in life. No matter how bad things look, something may happen to turn it around.

To illustrate this my aunt related an incident that she remembered from their flight out of Korea back to Japan. My grandfather was a prisoner being used for labor in Siberia at the time and my grandmother, mother and her siblings were trudging back to Japan with a long trail of people. I've heard many stories of them eating locusts and seeing piles of dead bodies around them. My grandmother tried her best to keep her family together. However, at some point, that littlest sister was left behind.

My cousin told me that her mom at about 5 years of age realized that her family was gone and she sat down knowing that all was lost. She would not be able to survive without them. She anticipated her death with tears.

Then out of nowhere, a very old Korean man came up to her and told her to take a little bicycle he had to catch up with her family. What a glorious act of kindness that was because the Koreans hated the Japanese for occupying their country. Yet, this man saw beyond the hatred to care for this little girl. My aunt said that she rode the bicycle to catch up with her family who were happy to see her again. Therefore, my aunt told her children when she grew up, "Never give up. You can never tell what will happen next if you keep hope in your heart."

When I went to Hawaii, I told my mom and her two sisters this story. At first they were puzzled and then they all spoke at once. They remembered that day very well. They had all been so exhausted, hardly able to keep moving one foot in front of the other, starving. The disappearance of their little sister wasn't even noticed at the time. Then suddenly, they heard a young Korean teenager calling out, "Does this little girl belong to anyone?" They looked up tiredly and saw my little aunt riding on his handlebars happy to be back with her family again.

I told my cousin by e-mail what I learned from her mother's sisters and we marveled at how a five year old perceived the episode. The lesson remains the same, however. Whether an old man or a young teenager, it was an extraordinary act of kindness that saved the life of my beautiful, fearless aunt who keeps trying to pass on the message of perseverance and hope.

I have to smile because my daughter is married to a young man of Korean descent so I do have a half Korean/Japanese American granddaughter. We love our son-in-law and I know that despite the history between the two countries, my daughter is also loved by her Korean in-laws. Growing up in Hawaii, I was quite oblivious to the history that is the foundation we stand on. Now, however, I think it's important to learn from it and move on.

Leprosy, War, Family and Hope

My mother was born on the island of Oahu and lived on Molokai, often known for Kalaupapa where victims of leprosy were forcibly sent in the past to quarantine them. Father Damien was the Christian minister famous for ministering to the dying and then contracting the illness himself. My grandfather, a Buddhist priest went there to help Buddhists who were also dying of the disease.

(This is a photo of my grandfather riding toward Kalaupapa which was situated in a valley to make it difficult for its inhabitants to escape. He's the one without a hat.)

My mother, her two sisters and a brother (who died at 3) were born there and loved the islands but my grandmother was homesick and constantly worried that my grandfather would contract the dreaded disease. After about 8 years, they returned to Japan.

I won't go into the whole history of my mother's life back in Japan and then her family's move to Korea where my grandfather was a minister in a large temple compound. The Japanese were occupying Korea then but I'll stay out of the politics of that situation. The war, my grandfather being sent to Siberia, mom and her family's harrowing trek back to Japan, several times nearly being killed by Russian soldiers, starvation, etc. are all stories my brother and I grew up with.

When they returned to Japan, poverty and starvation threatened. They were forced to live with the support of relatives. At 18, being the eldest, mom was sent to Hawaii to marry so that she could lighten the burden and perhaps help. I can't imagine what that must have been like. Eventually, her two sisters came to Hawaii because they also had their American citizenship and wished to be with their sister.

In Japan, the family survived and eventually did well. My grandfather became a priest to a large prestigious temple. My mother's baby brother became a highly respected judge. The baby sister who remained in Japan is a historian and married to a retired newspaper editor.

I grew up hearing stories of this mythical family but they were really a nebulous sort of connection that was attached to us only by letters that I could not read and packages that contained exotic things.

While in college, I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Japan. Three weeks would be course work and we would have independent travel for the other three. My uncle, so important a High Court judge now was then only a student not a whole lot older than me. He came to pick me up to deliver me to the temple where I lived under the careful supervision of my grandparents, aunt and her newspaper reporter husband. It was an incredible time of discovery and a sort of enlightenment for me.

My mother did not return to Japan until my grandfather who had survived Siberia was on his deathbed. That is another story but hers to tell.

I returned to Japan again with my own family a dozen years ago. I thought then that it was almost like coming full circle but now I see that it wasn't so. I remember my aunt telling me before I left Japan with my beautiful family that she wanted me to understand what a wonderful husband I had... that I should know that they were very happy for me. I remembered then that I had been suffering a bit of romantic angst when I was there the first time.

So now Art and I return again, but this time with my brother and mother. It will be my brother's first time. He will now see with his own eyes what I have seen and feel what I felt. My mother will be able to share all the history she has held inside her all these years. Now, perhaps, this is full circle.

Packing for Japan

I can hardly believe we're leaving for Japan on Saturday! We started packing our suitcases yesterday. My mother, brother, Dennis, Art and I will be going. As all our trips are, it will be economical. No fancy hotels, no grand tour. Art has done all the planning and made the reservations. We'll be visiting relatives in Tokyo and Sendai and then driving around Hokkaido on our own (shiver!) before heading down to Hiroshima. The prospect of driving on the opposite side of the street is daunting. We did it in England and in New Zealand and it was scary both times.

We were worried that all our gifts and essentials wouldn't fit into just 4 pieces of luggage. This photo isn't accurate actually. The small one is my hand carry for our laptop. We'll have an additional suitcase about the same size as the bigger ones. They're medium sized luggage but the expansion is wonderful and we could fit everything in without a problem. What a relief!!! Once we unload our gifts, it will be a whole lot lighter.

We're trying to bring everything we need. With all the bad news on Wall Street and the worry that it will affect the value of the dollar abroad, we want to make sure we don't have to buy anything in Japan. What a difference when I went to Japan while in college. The exchange rate was 360 Yen to a dollar back then. It's now 105Yen to the dollar I think. So depressing. I imagine we'll be eating a lot of noodles and curried rice.

Testing the Computer Time

This is so weird! My posts keep getting dated 3 or 4 hours ahead so sometimes I end up with posts that I did on Saturday night coming out as being posted on Sunday, etc. I just jiggled around with the computer time and updated the synchronization. Let's see if it worked. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Aaaack! It didn't work. It's actually 8:12 PM right now but it came out as 11:08 PM. What the heck!

Voggy Day

When we left Chicago, we left behind some hot smoggy days. However, Hawaii is not total Paradise by any means. Today we had VOG! It's the first time I've seen it so bad since we got here. I've heard that Halemaumau is erupting on the Big Island of Hawaii and is spewing out massive amounts of pollutants into the air.

I could use that as an excuse for being a big cranky today. It's hot, horribly humid and now VOG!

Bedtime Thoughts

(This is a photo from a catalog. It's not our actual bedroom. I wish...)

I hate making decisions. What's even harder is to persuade Art to follow along after I've made the decision. He does get a teeny bit testy saying that I'm asking for his opinion when I've already made up my mind.

Well... We're slowly furnishing our home and we need some bedroom furniture for our master bedroom. I'm thinking I'd like to get a King sized bed. We've always had a Queen but I figure we're at that time in our lives that we could enjoy something rather frivolous like a King size bed... if we can get it up the bend in the stairs someday.

Art thinks the sheets will be too expensive, that it's too big and unnecessary... etc....and we don't need it.

So we went to Homeworld to check out their King sized beds. That's when I found out there were more decisions to make. Sheesh! There's the California King and the Eastern King! Good grief! Donna, our sales associate informed us that the California King is 72 X 84 while the Eastern King is 76 X 80. So Art says, "The California King is for taller and skinnier and the Eastern is for chubbier, shorter?"

Donna said, "Hunh?"

Donna then said it's harder to get Eastern bed sheets in Hawaii. I checked online and read that the Eastern King is the regular King sized bed. I'd better go check this info out also.

Ah well... with the Presidential campaign going on, Hurricane Ike wreaking havoc, I know this is a silly thing to write about. However, with our DSL going kaputs and giving me only moments of being online I decided to just write whatever was crossing my mind right now.

We didn't buy the bedroom set. There wasn't anything we really liked. I'm just waiting for Art to think it was his idea all along.

Graduation Day for My Sister-in-Law!

My sister-in-law, Nancy has been working very hard to achieve a promotion to Assitant Manager at Walmart. Today, she made it! The training graduation ceremony was supposed to have been held outside but incredibly, it rained... a lot! They call rain liquid sunshine in Hawaii but today... it was just rain. Therefore they held the ceremony in the garden shop area. It didn't have quite the same ambiance but the feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction were there just the same. Nancy got a lot of beautiful leis to crown her achievement.


There were a lot of gorgeous orchids in the garden area. I have to admit I was tempted.


Poor Nancy had to go right back to work after the ceremony. I sure hope Walmart treats her well because she is a very hard worker. The picture below is of Nancy, my brother, Dennis, my mom and Art.


It was fun to be able to go to a family celebration since we've missed so many having lived on "the Mainland" for the past 34 years. Tif made sure Aunt Nancy got a lei from KC also. Can you imagine how much KC would have loved to have seen all those flowers?

Webcam Aloha!

Isn't technology wonderful? It was 8:00 PM our time but 1:00 AM their time. Tif called on Skype using the webcam and I was able to answer KC's request to sing Eensy Weensy Spider to her. It was wonderful to see her and interact as she pointed to us.

Tif says she paid for an Economy Upgrade and was lucky to have 3 seats next to her that were unoccupied. The 9 hour flight from Hawaii to Chicago on United went very well and they survived it beautifully. Unfortunately, KC is still on Hawaiian time and didn't feel it was time for bed. As we were talking to her she put her thumb in her mouth when I asked if she was tired and ready for bed. She nodded, threw us a kiss and waved "bye bye." Our neighbors must have been wondering what was going on with all the happy laughter spilling out of our windows.

Brainy Blog Award and Smile Awards

At a time when I was feeling pretty darn melancholy I received two awards. Apple Debbie of Planet Ollie-wood presented me with the Brainy Award and Joyce of Justified Journey gave me the Smile Award.

I've given out quite a number of awards and I'm afraid I'd have to send the awards to people I've already sent awards to. You know I love you ALL! I really do! You keep me smiling and you keep me thinking. You all deserve every award there is out there. Therefore, I've placed the awards on my side bar and I'd love for you to copy these awards and send them to 5 people you feel deserve them.

Joyce and Apple Debbie, thank you for your kindness. I am truly honored.

Good Bye...

It's incredible how quickly seven weeks can go by. KC made the most of the morning playing with her water buckets. We enjoyed just watching her enjoyment.


Too quickly it was time to go to the airport. I was amazed that Tif could carry that bulky car seat on her back as well as hold her backpack, baby diaper bag while pushing KC's stroller. We could see that KC knew things were happening but couldn't quite figure out what. I could handle the parting OK until Tif broke into tears. Now... that was hard.


When we got home Art and I put away KC's toys, and took down the baby gate. I feel as though I can hear the echo of her laughter somewhere upstairs. I sense Tif's voice telling me something else that we could do that would be fun. Gosh! It's quiet around here.

What Aloha Means

Aloha has a lot of meanings. I suppose it's sort of like Shalom. It means Farewell, Hello and Love.

Tomorrow will be a day of Aloha. How could it come so quickly? Tif told me tonight during our evening walk that it seemed like we had such a long, endless time together. And yet, they'll be leaving tomorrow and we won't be seeing them until January.



KC had fun with her great grandma this morning on their last day together for a long while. Great Grandma gave her an orchid to play with and KC held on to it for a good long while just enjoying its beauty. She loved tagging after Great Grandma to see what she was doing and find ways she could help.



Our evening walk was very poignant. KC visited all her favorite flower bushes and seemed to want to gently touch each flower and leaf that fancied her. Tif said, "You're collecting your memories, aren't you?"

I was collecting memories also just watching them and taking photos to sustain me after they leave tomorrow. How will I bear it?

Aiea Soto Mission Zen 90th Anniversary Country Fair

Here's another outing that Tif decided we all needed to go to. It was a 90th Anniversary celebration for the Soto Mission Zen temple in Aiea. I was surprised at how much they packed into a small courtyard. They had a little farmers market, crafts fair, muffin decorating, entertainment, watermelon eating contest, plant sale, etc. I was surprised that it was actually raining...sort of. There's a joke that you can tell who the tourists are. When it rains in Hawaii, locals keep on walking while tourists run for cover. Rain here is usually light and short in duration.

There was a huge plant sale that included pikake (Jasmine), banana trees, coleus, sunflowers, ixoras, etc.

The rummage sale was a lot of fun. It was hard to stop ourselves from buying toys for KC since she and Tif would be leaving in just 3 days. It's going to be so quiet without KC's squeals and pattering feet around the house.

There was some Japanese dancing that we saw going on in the "basement" area.

Canstruction

For six hours today in Pearlridge Center's Uptown Center on Oahu, 13 teams of local architects and allied design and engineering professionals "canstructed" giant structures made entirely out of canned foods in the islands' third annual Canstruction competition.


Members of the public participated in the People's Choice Food Drive by visiting Canstruction and bringing canned food donations to support Hawaii's hungry families.


We were pretty impressed with this canstruction of the Olympic symbol but our favorite was the Aloha Tower.

A Dose of Reality

Somebody just sent me a Forwarded e-mail that said:


Attached is a little dose of reality.

That moment just before the pain begins...

Then came a series of graphic photographs of the painful moments just before "the pain set in." There's photos of a man being gored by a bull, a man on a motorcycle as the tire is coming loose, a cyclist's arm being run over by a car, ETC. The last photo is of Barack Obama giving a speech in front of the Capitol building.

This was my reply to this person who I love very much and respect despite our differing opinions.

Juuust a little information for you. :-)
We happen to be Independent/Democrats. We think Obama is the only solution to get us out of this mess right now. He may not be able to do it but at least he'll try. With the Republicans in power we have gone from the biggest surplus in history to the biggest deficit. We've got a war that was brought on with deliberate misinformation. We've got inflation. We've got a huge breach in our constitution. Obama might not be able to fix all this because what's been done is too awful. When we've traveled around the world and talked to people, we have been surprised to find that they are more often better informed than Americans are about our political system. They cannot understand WHY Americans would support Bush and his policies.

We're in pain now.
Sigh.
Anyway, that's how we feel in this household.
But we respect the right for you to believe as you do.
Love,
Kay

To all that, I'd like to add that I love the way Obama goes to top intellectuals for perspectives and knowledge before making a crucial decision. He has a brilliant mind and he doesn't go half cocked into making an important decision.

Forgive me. I didn't want to do a political blog but I do have strong feelings on this. And as I said before, I respect everyone for their own feelings and beliefs. This is mine.