Trip to Japan: Day 7

Everyone was getting enough sleep now and having joyful, delicious breakfasts.

We departed the hotel at 8:00, ready for the adventures ahead. Reiko would give us a wonderful cultural lesson on each bus ride and then show us a map showing where we would be going. She would highlight each day's journey with a different colored marker. Today was black.

Our first stop was the Ise Grand Shrine which was once considered the most important shrine for Amaterasu.

"According to the Nihon Shoki, around 2000 years ago the divine Yamatohime-no-mikoto, daughter of the Emperor Suinin, set out from Mt. Miwa in modern Nara Prefecture in search of a permanent location to worship the goddess Amaterasu, wandering for 20 years through the regions of Ohmi and Mino. Her search eventually brought her to Ise, in modern Mie Prefecture, where she is said to have established Naikū after hearing the voice of Amaterasu saying "(Ise) is a secluded and pleasant land. In this land I wish to dwell." --Wikipedia

Before entering every shrine you had to wash your hands and mouth properly at the Temizuya.

Reiko told us that every 20 years, the shrine and everything in it must be remade/rebuilt alongside it. The latest rebuilding was in 2013 and took 7 years to complete. It cost 480 million dollars. We offered our coins and made our wishes there. This top photo is the Grand Ise Shrine.

The entrance to the shrine was a good place to have our tour photo taken and it does make me smile to see the friendly faces we got to know so well in such a short time. It was certainly a perfect day for photo taking.

We had a cafeteria style lunch at Shufu no Mise. Lunches with Kobayashi Travel were the only things we had to pay for ourselves, but they were relatively inexpensive and fun to choose.

The shops were great places for me to buy little trinkets for the grandchildren.

After a 1 hour 20 minute bus ride, we were able to board a small boat and enjoy the beauty of Katsuura Bay on the way to the Hotel Urashima. This is why we had to pack the overnight bags. It would be hard to cart all of our luggage there on the small boat.

Reiko called Katsuura Bay the Matsushima of the the Kii Peninsula. Matsushima is a group of 260 tiny islands in the Miyagi Prefecture. Many of the islands there are covered in matsu (pine trees), hence its name and is ranked as one of the Three Views of Japan.

We'd been to Matsushima several times since it's close to Mom's family so I was looking forward to seeing Katsuura which has 130 small islands. It was lovely on a smaller scale.

Hotel Urashima is a huge older hotel with an onsen in a cave. You know we had to try that. I went with Ann and Wendy. Like I said before, we were best of friends now because we couldn't hide anything from each other at an onsen.

There are 200 hot springs in the Katsuura. I only tried the one in the cave and that was enough for me.

The one thing I remember most about this hotel, I'm ashamed to say are the bon bons. I know. I know. Those were my favorite dessert and if we weren't all counting how many bon bons we were having, I would have had more. The above photo shows only one bon bon. Ummmm.... I went back for more.

The tour members were all feeling like our adventure was now winding down. The days were passing fast, and we knew we'd be sad to say goodbye to each other.

Trip to Japan: Day 6

My Fitbit announced that I'd gotten 5 hours of sleep! Not great, but getting better. I checked my glucose monitor to find that the chocolate fountain and multiple desserts had caused my glucose to jump to 122. Oops! I would restrain myself (sort of) in the following days.

We were taken to Nagoya Castle after breakfast and walked through five floors of exhibits. The photo on the left was taken from our hotel window. The right is at Nagoya Castle.

The display of food that were eaten long ago seemed awfully similar to what is eaten in Japan now.

I was positive that we'd been to Nagoya Castle with Mom and Auntie Grace in 2010. Art was equally convinced we'd not been there before and made a bet with me. As a measure of how far technology had come, I was able to text my sister-in-law and ask her to ask my brother to give Mom a call and find out if we'd been there. Mom said we'd definitely gone there, but checked the photobook we'd made for her to confirm it.

Within a half hour, I got the text back and soon after got my soft serve cone. I should have bet for something bigger, but oh yes... my glucose.... right....

There was a display of a royal couple clothed in chrysanthemums.

After lunch, we traveled to the two symbolic and sacred rocks called Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks). Meoto Iwa stands offshore from the village of Futamigaura just south of Ise. The larger rock, named Izanagi, is the husband. Izanagi has a small Shinto torii gate at the top. To his right is Izanami. They are joined by the sacred ropes particular to Shinto shrines and holy places, made of braided rice stalks called Shimenawa.

We were going to have a tour group photo taken there but the typhoon had caused such a blustery, slightly dangerous wave condition that we could only see the rocks from a distance and the photo session was postponed for the following day. The shimenawa rope had also been damaged by the typhoon waves and would have to be replaced soon.

Next stop was the Mikimoto Pearl Island. I'd gone there in 1970 with a college tour and bought a pearl ring that now belongs to my daughter. This time the prices were so high that we didn't buy anything. Back then the exchange rate was 360 yen to a dollar. Now it was about 113 yen to a dollar.
Ah well...

We got a demonstration by women pearl divers. I wondered why it's always the women and not the men. Do men have smaller lung capacity?

It was fun to see artistic creations using the Mikimoto cultured pearls.

We had another amazing kaiseki (traditional multi-course) dinner at the Ise-Shima Royal Hotel. When we travel on our own to Japan, we stick to very small, more affordable business hotels. The Hawaii tour companies must have a special deal going to be able to afford to stay at these rather plush places. Art says I was getting spoiled.

Tour members were all told to pack an overnight bag for our next stay because we wouldn't be able to bring all of our luggage to the Hotel Urashima Resort and Spa in the Wakayama Prefecture.

The weather forecast for the following day was 72 degrees F with no rain. Awesome!

Trip to Japan: Day 5

I woke up at 5 AM. Yay! Breakfast was the usual excellence and we were all told to put our luggage outside the door to be picked up by the hotel personnel.

Since we were told that service workers do not expect tips in Japan, we left macadamia nuts and a thank you note in each room we stayed in.

There would be 127 miles of total driving distance for this day.

The Kakegawa Kachoen Bird Park is located less than an hour away from central Hamamatsu, and is a flower and bird park offering visitors a close up view to see and interact with a selection of birdlife, especially owls. There was also a demonstration of some birds of prey.

Lunch was at the Aeon Mall in Hamamatsu where we saw a group of children all dressed up for Shichigosan.

"Shichi-Go-San (七五三, lit. "Seven-Five-Three") is a traditional rite of passage and festival day in Japan for three- and seven-year-old girls and three- and five-year-old boys, held annually on November 15 to celebrate the growth and well-being of young children." -- Wikipedia

I asked the mother of these adorable children if I could take their photo. Yes, I did ask in Japanese, but she seemed to say no which I thought I understood perfectly and returned to my tour group. About 5 minutes later a man in a suit came up to me and said his children were ready for me to take their photo. Apparently, the mom just wanted me to wait while she prepared her children for the photograph. The Japanese are the nicest, politest people we meet during our travels.

When we were told we were going to the unagi pie factory, I wondered what an eel pie would taste like. And yet, everyone who'd tasted one before said we would like it. They said it was like a palm leaf pastry. That didn't help us since we'd never had a palm leaf pastry.

As it turned out, the very fragile cookies were not made with a whole lot of eel. They just used a little eel extract powder. It's a good thing the cookies were packed in sturdy gift boxes because they were very delicate and fragile.

We were really impressed with the cleanliness of all the factories we visited.

Skies began to darken and then it poured! Luckily, our next stop was the Tokugawa Museum in Nagoya.  The museum did not allow any photography inside and because of the rain we have no photos of our visit.

 "...the Tokugawa Art Museum houses the hereditary collection of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan, which ruled the Owari Domain in what is now Aichi Prefecture. The museum is operated by the Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation, which was founded in 1931 by Yoshichika Tokugawa (1886–1976), 19th head of the Owari clan, in order to preserve the clan's priceless collection of art objects, furnishings, and heirlooms."  -- info and photo from Wikipedia

It was a good thing we were indoors on this day because it rained almost the entire time.

The buffet dinner at the Westin Nagoya Castle Hotel was outstanding. Would you believe TWO chocolate fountains? Dark chocolate and white? Awesome!

The view from our room was absolutely breathtaking!

The weather forecast for the following day 62 degrees F with only 20% chance of rain.

Awesome!

Trip to Japan: Day 4

Oh nuts! I woke up at 3:00 AM! Art was doing much better than me.

After another awesome breakfast we traveled to Shuzenji.

Shuzenji is a town located in the Tagata District, Shizuoka Prefecture in central Izu Peninsula. The town is in an inland region of the Izu Peninsula and is noted for its numerous onsen spring resorts, production of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and shiitake (mushrooms).

The bottom photo is an onsen for for your feet. Everyone there is having a lovely hot spring foot soak.

I wish I'd known about the shiitake because I could have bought some for mom. Not to worry. I got her a ton of other stuff. As it was, I did get some wasabi treats for my brother and family.

We next went to the Mishima Skywalk. It's about a mile (a windy swaying mile) over a beautiful mountain landscape on a suspension bridge. That's me waving.

People apparently go over the bridge to see Mt. Fuji. It was too cloudy and drizzly to see Mt. Fuji, but it was still fun.

All the photos taken from high vantage points are done by Art as you might have guessed.

Miho no Matsubara was our next stop. It's a beautiful area on the Miho Peninsula in the Shimizu Ward of Shizuoka City.

"Miho no Matsubara is known as the site of the legend of Hagoromo ("The Feathered Robe"), which is based on the traditional swan maiden motif. The story of Hagoromo concerns a celestial being flying over Miho no Matsubara who was overcome by the beauty of the white sands, green pines, and sparkling water. She removed her feathered robe and hung it over a pine tree before bathing in the beautiful waters. A fisherman named Hakuryo was walking along the beach and saw the angel. He took her robe and refused to return it until she performed a heavenly dance for him. As the angel could not return to heaven without her robe, she complied with Hakuryo's request. She danced in the spring twilight and returned to heaven in the light of the full moon leaving Hakuryo looking longingly after her." --Wikipedia

We arrived at Associa Hotel & Resorts and went to dinner at 6 PM. We sat with Bradley and Ginny. As we ate dinner and got to know each other, they had so many interesting things to tell us about the lives they led before retiring. In fact, we were finding that everyone on the tour had led or were leading very interesting, exciting lives. It was so much fun hearing all their stories.

Art was really loving the rakkyo or pickled onions. I am all about crab legs!!!

Reiko told us that the weather the next day would be about 72 degrees F, but 90% chance of rain. Actually, we were very lucky on this trip. There was only one day of drenching rain. The rest were sunny or occasional drizzles.

I wondered if I'd get more sleep soon.

Trip to Japan: Day 3

OK...
I got up at 3:30 AM so it was getting a little better. Our Japanese tour guide, Reiko said we would be traveling a total of 77 miles that day.

Breakfast was awesome again. You'd think I'd gain weight, but eating all that healthier Japanese food and walking everywhere to see different sites had me losing 2 pounds by the time we got home.

While having our breakfast, the two ladies we'd met at the onsen the night before came to say hello. Good gosh! How did they recognize me with my clothes on? (I'll be blurring out everyone's faces on the tour because I never got their permission to put their faces online.)

Our first stop was the Seven waterfalls of the Kawazu area. It was very pretty. You do know, of course, that Art had to walk and climb up quite a few more stairs than the rest of the tour group.

He did get photos of several more waterfalls than the rest of us. I confess he often got better shots than I did because he was always looking for the best vantage point for his photos. He says he was thinking of my blog.

Reiko explained Japanese money to us. She said that although American money has mostly politicians on them, Japanese money has artists, literary people, educators and scientists printed on the front.

The next tour site was Perry's Road and Perry's Landing in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. There was a monument to document Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan with all his fleet threatening to destroy Japan unless they opened up to trade. The monument was to also now celebrate the friendship between the two countries.

Our bus driver then took us to Dogashima in the Shizuoka Prefecture. We went for a 20 minute boat ride to see several of the scenic islands. Zoshima (Elephant island) was one of the highlights.

Our hotel stay for the evening was Dogashima New Ginsui Hotel. It was a Japanese style room with the friendliest hostess, who came to make us tea and provide us with some snacks before dinner.

At 4:55, we met up with new friends, Dan and Wendy and watched the sun go down. Everyone who gathered to watch the sunset were presented with a glass of wine to enhance the moment. My stomach was empty so the wine definitely elevated my spirits.

Dinner was a full kaiseki meal with a HUGE assortment of dishes! Good grief! Ummm...

There was a clear covered dish with a LIVE abalone in it over a grill. Yikes! The burner was lit and the abalone squirmed while being cooked. Yiiiikes! I couldn't eat it. OK... I took a sliver and then gave the rest to Art. I know crabs and I don't know what else are put into a pot of boiling water to be cooked alive around the world, but I couldn't bear watching it.

The Dogashima New Ginsui Hotel is built on the side of a cliff so we entered the hotel on the 7th floor. It took a bit of time to get used to it.

The onsen (hot spring bath) was even hotter this time. You can only stay in it for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time and once a day is good enough for me. You are supposed to wash yourself completely before entering the bath and you are NEVER to put a towel into the onsen water. You cannot enter the bath if you have any tattoos on your body because they are a sign of the Yakuza (Japan's Mafia). You could pay extra, however, and go to the private onsen bath.

It was a lovely day and everyone was getting to know each other better and better. It's amazing how a Hawaii Tour can have everyone becoming a family in such a short time.

Trip to Japan: Day 2

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.

"The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of  Amitabha Buddha located at the Kōtoku-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?

Trip to Japan: Day 1

Long time readers usually get an inkling when I'm gone on another trip or am swamped with too much to do. This summer and fall are no exception. We were gone to Illinois during the summer, returned home to Hawaii for a bit and then was off to Japan on a tour.

The following posts for the next couple of weeks will be about our trip through the Izu and Kii Peninsula on the island of Honshu in Japan with Kobayashi Travel.

When our friends, Morris and Jane dropped us off at the airport at 7:30, we thought we'd be way too early for the 8:00 meeting time. Ummm.... nope. We were one of the last ones there. We'd soon learn that Hawaii people tend to arrive early so they don't keep anybody waiting.

Friends and relatives in Japan worried for us because of the typhoon that had swept through Japan and another one that was expected.

We took off on JAL (Japan Airlines) at 11:00 and arrived in Narita (Tokyo) after an 8 hour 15 minute flight. I watched four movies and didn't sleep a wink. Our Japanese tour guide, Reiko whisked us off in a large tour bus. She told us that there would be no bottled water in the hotel rooms because water everywhere in Japan was safe to drink. Awesome!

Our first hotel was the Yokohama Bay Sheraton. It was a huge, luxurious departure from the Motel 6s that we usually stayed at when the kids were younger.

Dinner buffet choices had us turning our heads this way and that trying to figure out what to try first.

Before we could go to sleep we had to send out gift packages to relatives and friends in Japan. The Yamato takkyukin service is found at just about every hotel in Japan and is inexpensive and EFFICIENT! In the past, when traveling on our own, we've even sent our luggage to the next hotel stop for what I remember as being about $30. I think... Whatever the case, it was worth it not to have to lug the suitcases on the trains.

Since I wasn't able to sleep on the plane, I hoped I'd be able to sleep until 4 AM. I fell asleep at about 11:00 PM and woke up at 1:30 AM. Arrrghhh... And no matter what, I just couldn't get back to sleep.

For the first few days, tour member morning greetings usually began by asking how many hours of sleep we got.

Talking to Alexa

My birthday was celebrated this summer in the most wonderful way. I got up to this.

Since we were at a hotel at the time, I was surprised that my daughter and granddaughter was able to do this while I was sleeping and then setting it up without making a sound.

I do happen to be a pretty light sleeper.

The birthday cake was presented in the evening with my son and his family.

Our son gave this to us. Art and I celebrated within 2 weeks of each other so Amazon's Alexa was something we could both have fun with.

All we have to do is call out, "Alexa!" and it turns her on. We can then ask her for the news, play music or answer a few simple questions.

I say few because we do too often hear her say, "I don't know that."

Alexa can tell you a joke though, if you ask her for one.

I'd complain but my iphone Siri ("Hey Siri") is really only marginally better.

Art's Android ("OK Google") surpasses both by a mile.

Sigh....

I just asked Siri to tell me a joke and she said, "I can't. I always forget the punch line."

Very funny.

Why am I talking to a machine?

Making Silly Putty

My favorite granddaughter, KC (OK, so she's my only granddaughter) offered to teach me how to make slime for my blog readers.

KC first collected all her supplies. Borax, glitter glue (any kind of glue will do, I think), warm water and hand lotion.

She added the Borax to the warm water and then sprinkled it onto the glue.

She mixed it until she got the consistency she wanted and then made it into a ball and coated it with baby lotion. Again, I think any lotion will do.

In the end, I think it's more Silly Putty than slime. I looked online and there's a ton of websites that give you directions for Slime. I'm adding one below. Just clink on the link.

I got this more careful explanation from the Home Science website.

• School glue
• Borax (Sodium tetraborate)
• Food coloring (optional)
• Water
• Two bowls

WHAT YOU DO:

1. In one bowl mix 1 oz. glue (about ¼ of the glue bottle) and ¼ cup water. If you want colored slime, add food coloring to the glue and water mixture. Lift some of the solution out of the container with the stir stick and note what happens.
2. Add ¼ cup of Sodium Tetraborate (Borax) Solution to the glue and water mixture and stir slowly.
3. The slime will begin to form immediately. Lift some of the solution with the stir stick and observe how the consistency has changed from Step 1.
4. Stir as much as you can, then dig in and knead it with your hands until it gets less sticky. This is a messy experience but is necessary because it
   allows the two compounds to bond completely. Don't worry about any
   leftover water in the bowl; just pour it out.
5. When not in use, store the slime in a plastic bag in the fridge to keep it
   from growing mold.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The glue has an ingredient called polyvinyl acetate, which is a liquid polymer. The borax links the polyvinyl acetate molecules to each other, creating one large, flexible polymer. This kind of slime will get stiffer and more like putty the more you play with it. Experiment with different glues to see if they create slime (e.g., carpenter glue, tacky glue, etc.).

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody! 

I'm so very grateful for all the wonderful people in my life of which you are a big part and wish you all a very fabulous Thanksgiving celebration!

Trees In the Neighborhood

One of the things that Art really misses on Oahu are the tall trees. Oh yes, we have trees in the mountains and some neighborhoods have lots of trees (especially on the windward side of the island). Some towns have an association that takes care of the maintenance so they have some trees.

We just don't see a lot of areas with as many trees as on the mainland. I think it's because the maintenance is so much more expensive in Hawaii.

We really loved walking around the neighborhood under the shade of the large, gorgeous trees and imagining what it will look like in fall and spring.

Sigh...

Then again, we don't have to worry about shoveling snow either.

Cars That Thieves Love

Before we returned to Hawaii, my brother told me we shouldn't buy a Honda Civic because that was the most stolen car in the islands. We bought a Toyota Prius instead and it's worked very well for us.

His son, Cody, on the other hand bought a Nissan 240Z which he worked hard to rebuild. He spent a lot of hours (and dollars) on it only to have parts of the car constantly being stolen. And then someone actually came and stole the car itself. Sigh..

It was awful!

He now drives a regular car. Ummm... I forget what kind. I just know thieves are probably not looking for it.

I'm bringing this up because during his morning walk, Art came across this sad skeleton of a car. Now this is what I called a stripped car.

I wonder if it's a Nissan 240Z.