Japan April 2013

Monday, April 8: and Tuesday, April 9

After a bit of a stressful situation at the Honolulu airport, we were finally got on our way. What happened was that JJ had this great need to go back to a store to pick up pastries, after we reached the HA gate. When they started boarding, she was nowhere in sight. Just as I was about to ask the agent to page her, she showed up. She always seems to get herself into these situations. The last time, on our way to Los Angeles, she told me to meet her in front of the bathroom as I was still putting my stuff together after the TSA line. So I go to the bathroom, then wait for her as planned. I wait, and wait and wait some more. They are announcing pre-boarding and she is no where in sight. Then I see her at the top of the escalator, waving to me. How you figgah?

As soon as we boarded, I noticed that the Airbus seats were much softer than usual. I guess they finally got the message. The flight over seemed to take much longer than usual. It was 9 ¾ hours long. It was made worse as the movie choices were very limited. The plane also had many empty seats, even in business class. I wonder why Hawaiian only allows use of their 1^st class, space available coupons only for mainland routes?

Although the menu showed Pork and Peas as the entree, we ended up with a very bland chicken with salsa. Overall, it was a very bad air travel experience although we saw the most beautiful sun setting as it does only in Japan.

After clearing Immigration and Customs, we looked for a money exchange place. The place we normally go to was closed so we looked for another place. When I showed that I wanted to cash $1000.00 in travelers checks, the girl told me that they had a $500.00 limit so I should go to the bank nearby. When I got there, I was told that they do not cash travelers checks. How you figgah? So back I went. We ended up just making to the shuttle to our hotel. Just when I think I have things “wired”, something new pops up to humble me.

Wednesday, April 10:

I got up at 7:00 a.m., Hawaiian time (about 2:00 in the morning here). Am I hungry!! I've read the Honolulu Star Advertiser and the Hawaii Tribune Herald. I rummaged through JJ's bag and found left over snacks from our flight. They taste much better here at the hotel!

We ate breakfast at small shop just around the corner. It was surprisingly tasty and filling for a small meal that was a ham sandwich, a boiled egg, salad and coffee. All for only 600 yen.

We then walked to a small post office in hopes of mailing a box and cashing another travelers check. The staff were as usual in Japan, super helpful in helping us fill out the paperwork but unfortunately, they could not cash our t.c.

JJ wanted to see the Sakura at Japan Mint and Osaka Castle so we caught the subway and walked the rest of the way. The day was really nice for walking. The sun was warm and the wind mild and very cool. We came across a Takoyaki vendor and decided to try one. Turned out that they don't sell it by the each, but in a plate of seven. So we split a plate. The flavor was quite interesting. It was a bit too citrussy (sour) for me but I thought that the texture was like mochii. JJ, on the other hand, did not like either the flavor or the texture. We both couldn't understand why it is so popular.

The Sakura along the way was very sparse (following the Okawa River). However, we could see some great blooms on the other side of a fence but could see no entrance. As we walked along, this guy coming towards us stops and tells us (in Japanese) that we should keep on walking and go around the fence to the Mint Museum. PURRRFECT! The blooms proved to be bountiful, varied, and beautiful in their iridescence.

Following the river on the opposite bank, we were surprised to see several homeless men But they looked pretty well kept and clean and never approached us. Lunch at my former favorite crab restaurant was a bit disappointing. I used to enjoy the King Crab legs which sold for 2800 yen. The picture in the menu shows four legs (sections about 2-3 inches long), not the whole leg). What I got was a mix of leg, claw and shoulder. JJ's meal saved the day. She ordered a set that included two types of steamed crab legs, sashimi crab, a crab bisque, a kind of crab casserole, and dessert, all for 3500 yen! How you figguh?

We came back to our room exhausted. While enjoying my Asahi and going over our plans for Thursday, we realized that we forgot to exchange our Jr vouchers for our rail passes. So, off we went to catch the subway to the Shin-Osaka station. On the way back, we decided that although I really wanted to eat dinner at the Iyazakaya we found on our last trip, neither one of us could handle to subway ride to Umeda, then to long walk to the restaurant, then reverse the trip. Not worth it, so we stopped at McDonalds in the train station. The burger that I had at the Osaka aquarium (also McD) tasted a lot better with their mayo-wasabi sauce. Came back so tired that I didn’t even have another beer! Well, off to sleep while JJ figures out the packing.

Thursday, April 11:

Getting acclimated to the time change. Got up at 3:00. We need to get an early start to forward our bags, cash a travelers check and catch the train to Nanao so JJ will wake up at 6:30 which is super early for her.

JJ got up early as planned and we went back to the same small restaurant as yesterday. Ever notice that we have a tendency to go back to the same place or restaurant?

The owner was quite happy to see us again, although she made an error in our order (the language thing). But the coffee was really good and I asked her if we could buy two more cups. After we got the bill, the original order of coffee, toast, salad and a boiled egg was 450 yen each. The second cup of coffee was 350 yen each. How you figgah?

After arranging to have our bags forwarded to Takayama, I checked to see what the exchange rate was at the hotel. As it was only 2% less then the bank (93 to the dollar), we decided to just go ahead and cash our tc at the hotel rather than look for a bank as the exchange rate is so good right now.

We then decided to check out and catch an earlier train to Nanao. Although the train ride took four hours, the time went by really fast, especially as compared to an airplane. At the beginning, I felt really warm and uncomfortable. I might have gotten a little motion sickness from working on my laptop. But, that soon went away as the train got a little cooler as we started to climb to higher elevations. Traveling with our airline type hand carry luggage was easy as the train was roomy with only a few travelers.

Japanese people here are so varied in terms of manners. I saw this guy on the train traveling with about four elderly ladies. He openly was picking at his nose. I thought that amusing as I’ve seen so many people hiding their mouth with their hand while using a toothpick. How you figgah?

We bought a bento lunch on the train and were surprised when it cost 1100 yen. The presentation was awesome but I found the taste to be a bit too bold and sweet. JJ enjoyed most of it.

When we got to Nanao, it was raining and COLD. As our hotel was supposed to be only a 5 minute walk away, we decided to walk it. The route shown by Japanican was a lot different from reality. We had to ask for directions and finally got to the hotel. It's quite nice, even having a public bath as well as a furo in the room.

We decided to walk around the area as we could see the sun shining through our window. Down we went and to our surprise, it was raining again. We went anyway and found a Lawson's where we bought beer, snacks and an umbrella for JJ. Her 500 yen umbrella lasted all of 5 minutes as a gust of wind turned it inside out.

We found the Izakaya that was recommended by several internet sites but unfortunately, they did not open for about another hour or so. So back to our room we went. While JJ went to the public bath, I stayed back and did research online for Fridays trip to Wajima. There was a sudden flash and a thunderous roar of thunder so I went to look out the window. I could see streaks of white that turned out to be snow. JJ later insists it was hail as she could see small hailstones bouncing on the pavement while she was at the bath but I insisted that it was snow as I shot a video of snow accumulating on the tops of cars.

About 6:00 p.m., we decided to walk to the Izakaya. After about 30 seconds of walking, I told JJ that we should go back and eat at the hotel where they may serve Izakaya style food. I just could not picture us walking back in the cold after drinking large qualities of cold beer.

We ordered deep fried Tako, steamed clams, deep fried chicken wings, ume chasuke for JJ and a bowl of Ramen and a large Kirin for me. All this came up to only 3120 yen. For the most part, the flavors were too bold for me and enjoyable to JJ.

Every night, at about 6:30, I seem to hit a “wall”. I could barely find the energy to shower and even skipped drinking an Asahi.

Friday, April 12:

Awoke at 3:00. It is so quiet that I can hear the fan of my laptop. I've been up for 1 ½ hours. After writing about that Asahi that I did not drink last night, I decided to pop one open to go with the peanuts that I’ve been munching on. Ahhhh!

Breakfast buffet at the hotel was nothing great, except for the ume. Tomorrow, I might just make chazuke and eat it with the ume.

When we left the hotel to go to Wajima, the girl at the front desk had the bus schedule printed for us. It was really amazing that they would even think about our questions yesterday and research and print the data. Only in Japan!

We caught the train to Anamizu without any problems. The train is so small that the ticketing system is exactly like the buses in the cities, where you take a ticket out of the dispenser when you board, and your fare is on a lighted display next to the driver. When we reached Anamizu, we had to ask a couple of people where to catch the bus to Wajima. It turned out to be just a short distance away from the train station.

We were a bit worried when we started seeing snow along side of the road. But, it was not much but we kinda braced ourselves for he expected cold.

The bus driver was extremely helpful after I asked him where we should get off to go to the morning market. At first, he didn't understand until I told him “Asaichi”. Good thing I wrote it down when I researched it last night. He even drew a map for us to follow to the morning market.

As we walked to the market, there was a slight drizzle and boy was it cold! When we reached the market, the drizzle turned into a light rain so I immediately started looking for a raincoat. JJ suggested that I get a windbreaker and it turned out to be a great suggestion. It rained the whole time we were at the market. Actually, it worked out better for JJ as I never insisted for us to leave because I was wet and cold.

The most tiring part of shopping at the market, besides the cold sapping our energy, was constantly having to say “nihongo wakarimasen” to the vendors trying to get us to see or sample their products. It was also a good thing that I had a couple of heating pads in my backpack.

After we were done shopping, we decided to eat lunch in Wajima. The first place we saw, we asked if they had an English menu. The guy sez “no”. Then we ask if he has pictures. He again sez “no” and leads us around the corner to a large map of the area. He points to the map and tells us to go there. To be honest, I didn’t know whether we should have been offended or appreciative :-).

We ended up at a pretty good restaurant. Once we were seated, we noticed many framed autographs and even an enclosed garden inside. The ramen was one of the best I've tasted in Japan. JJ was also happy with her Katsudonbori. And the place was nice and warm!

As we walked back to the bus stop where we got off, I realized that I forgot to ask the bus driver if that is where we should catch the bus back to Anamizu. JJ thought that we should wait on the other side of the street and I thought that the bus makes a loop so we should wait on the same side as we got off.

After checking the schedule, we knew that we had only about a 10 minute wait. Standing in the cold rain was surely the longest 10 minutes that we've ever experienced. When the bus arrived, we asked the driver if that was the bus to Anamizu. He said that we should wait across the street, down aways, for about 10 minutes and he will pick us up. JJ then asks if we can board now. He says yes, but it will cost us 300 yen. We eagerly say OK and get on the bus. He then tell us, “samui” and we say yes! Turned out to cost us 300 yen for the two of us. What a bargain to get out of the cold. Note: if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you could also catch a taxi to the bus station, from the morning market.

Today turned out to be quite an adventure. If the weather was better, it would have been a great adventure. But, I still can't help but feel pleased with myself and JJ for overcoming so many obstacles and still manage to enjoy the day. Our frosting on the cake? A hot bath and a cold Asahi! Oh, the temp at the Anamizu train station was 39° F!

As we had enough of being cold for the day, we decided to eat at the hotel again. Same ole, same ole. Ramen for me, chazuke for JJ and sides of deep fried Tako and Chicken. BTW, neither one of us likes the moist, deep fried chicken that you find in Japan. We both prefer the more dried out type you typically find in Hawaii.

Saturday, April 13:

Breakfast was really great. The bacon was fried perfectly and the flavor was a perfect balance between sweet and salty with a light smokiness. I had to force myself not to eat too much for obvious health reasons. And the chazuke and ume were a perfect combination. JJ said that the bacon was bland and all of the beer that I drink must have ruined my taste-buds. I told her that I’m the one who can taste so all of her sweets ruined her taste-buds.

Even though we waited until this morning to pack our bags, we still were too early to check out and catch our train. We took a leisurely stroll to the train station and caught the train for the first leg of our journey. Everything went smoothly until Kanazawa. According to Hyperdia, we had 5 minutes to transfer. Actually, we had about 3 minutes. Just as we reached the track, the train to Toyama was leaving. According to the train attendant, we would have to wait about 40 minutes for the next train. But the info sign said that there was an earlier train. When we questioned her, she checked with an Ipad like device and showed in English that the earlier train was delayed 25 minutes. I think that there was a notice on the board about the delay as no one else lined up on that track.

We finally made it to Takayama. After getting off the train, we went to the tourist info booth and were advised that our hotel has a shuttle. As soon as we reached the area, the shuttle came in. Wish I was this lucky in Vegas.

The hotel is quite nice, and huge. The room is typical Japanese, small, comfy and efficient. Wifi is only available in the lobby. We have a great view of snow capped mountains. The temp is a bit on the warm side, right now.

Breakfast and dinner are included as part of our package. We had a choice of Japanese or Chinese dinner tonight. We chose Japanese at the first serving, 5:00 p.m. as I usually (always?) hit that wall at 6:30.

We finally realized that we tried covering too much ground this trip. The travel days eat up a whole day so it is like a day wasted. You'd think that after all of our travels, unescorted, we would know better by now. Part of being a senior, I guess.

JJ is at the onsen now, while I unwind with my second Asahi (a big one). We decided to take a short stroll before dinner to look for a Lawsons. We probably ended up walking in the wrong direction as the area seemed to become more light industrial. We stopped at a little convenience store run by an old lady. Unlike another old lady I know who works at a convenience store, this lady was nice. We ended buying my Asahi and a bag of their most popular potato chips. She knew enough English to say “most popular”. The temp also dropped and it was surprisingly chilly, even with the sun shining.

The dinner was Kaiseki. We were the first ones to arrive and the staff was very attentive. The food arrived in several courses and everything was delicious. For the first time this trip, the food satisfied both my and JJ's palate. The main dish was well marbled beef cooked in an iron dish over an open flame. The veggies cooked in the same dish came out fabulous, probably from the oil of the beef. Even the Salmon sashimi did not have the strong Salmon flavor that I don't care for (it was lightly seared).

After dinner, JJ wanted to go souvenir shopping and although I stated that I’d keep her company, I hit that famous 6:30 wall and went up to shower and sleep. By the time she came back, I was zonked out and didn't even notice her return.

Sunday, April 14:

I got up at 1:30 but fortunately managed to go back to sleep until 4:00. When I came down to the lobby to connect to WIFI, there was a guy sitting, looking at his Ipad Mini. When he said “good morning”, I replied “you must be on Hawaiian time”. He looked surprised and then said “yes”.

The breakfast buffet was pretty good, having a wide variety of dishes. What was really surprising was that there were so few people there. We were talking story with a young Japanese couple while waiting for the restaurant to open. The lady told us that the Sakura here is about a week away from blooming. They were happy with the macnut candy we shared with them and they even thanked us several times.

We go an early start as planned and got to see the parade and marionettes. Was it ever crowded! It's a good thing that there was a super cool breeze every so often but even then, I had to take off my fleece jacket. Started talking to a couple from Colorado who were traveling on their own and the guy told us that his Nikon got stolen in Kyoto while he closed his eyes to rest. I hope it was another tourist who did it rather than a local. They got a good laugh when I told them that the announcer asked that all people over 5' 9” move to the back :-).

The parade was so, so but the marionettes were pretty interesting to watch. Lots of action and vivid colors. Saw many Nikon FX series cameras in the crowd.

After lunch, we came back so I could take a nap as we hope to see the lantern parade that starts at 6:30 p.m. I ended up sleeping for 2 hours. Our dinner was at the hotel's Chinese restaurant at 5:30. Again, the restaurant was pretty empty. The food was good but too bold for my tastes. There was so much food that we stopped eating and left while there were two more courses to go. We explained that we were too full to eat any more.

We walked to town again and got to see the lantern parade. It was interesting but after a while, it was same ole, same ole. The best part was that many children were involved. The crowd was thick but subdued. The Yatai sometimes got dangerously close to us but that was part of the experience. We ended up walking back to the hotel. There were a few people walking with us, including a couple of young girls. No way would it be safe to do so in the U.S.

I ended up sleeping after JJ, but fortunately, still got up at 3:00 a.m. Listened to an audiobook until 4:00 and am now in the lobby as there is no internet connection in the room. As at home, I really enjoy my quiet time in the morning.

This hotel would be perfect if they had internet in the rooms and if they also offered a restaurant with simple comfort food. I am not really looking forward to another richly flavored or large dinner tonight. It's a good thing that we are not “jet setters”.

BTW, we didn’t even feel the earthquake.

Monday, April 15:

We were surprised when the buffet restaurant we went to yesterday was closed. So we went downstairs to inquire and were told to go to the Japanese/American buffet on the first floor. It was ok but not as good as the one yesterday.

We also found out that our dinner choices are either Chinese or Kanseki. Sigh!!

The front desk suggested that we catch a cab to the Hida Folk Village as it was “up and down”. Good thing we listened as it was all UPHILL. The village was very serene and cool. The most interesting thing was the old saw mill. They actually cut the planks from the tree trunks by hand. Amazing. There was also a live woodcarver who carved using chisels. His fingers looked so strong from holding the pieces of wood that they looked like muscle upon muscle. I had to force myself from buying anything are we are trying to cut down on our clutter at home. We met a couple from Berkeley who are vacationing here for a month. They were in Kyoto when the quake hit. The told us that there is always a disaster where they visit so I asked them please not to visit Hawaii.

We then caught a cab to the Yatai museum as I wanted to take a picture of this mannequin who I thought resembled my father in his wedding picture. I went in alone as JJ already saw it before. I looked around and even backtracked and could not find the mannequin. In fact, many of them looked Caucasian! No wonder no one agreed with me. Well, the good thing is that I got it out of my system and won't wonder about it anymore.

We then took a leisurely stroll back to the train station. On the way back, we found a gift or two, and also ate lunch at a Ramen restaurant. We saw a street carnival that was geared toward young kids in terms of games and food that catered to everyone. Once we reached the train station, we decided to wait for the hotel shuttle.

JJ is at the onsen now as I write this. So far, this trip has been more on the dull side. The highlight was supposed to have been Takayama but the festival was too sedate. It's hard to believe but the festival that I enjoyed the most was on our first trip with Kobayashi Travel. They made an impromptu stop at a mountain village. Besides the Sakura, the festival was very energetic and featured a chanter who was very charismatic. I can still hear his chants to this day. I wish we had gone there instead of Takayama.

The Kaiseki dinner was again great. We were expecting the same menu, I didn't even bother to bring my camera. But as was everything was different, I went back to our room to get it. Upon being seated, we were instructed to remove the top of a black box. Once the top was removed, the waitress opened the box by swiveling the sides apart to reveal the appetizers. I'm just amazed at how they can make such a simple thing so grand.

The only problem was that when the main dish finally arrived, which was Shabushabu cooked at our table, the Hida beef was just too well marbled and I could not handle the “buttery feel” on my tongue. It was just too rich for me. Besides, I was also full from the other goodies. The sushi too, was exquisite, which is even more surprising as there was no fish or seafood in it. The flavor and texture of it was just amazing.

Well, it's about 6:30 so my bedtime.

Tues, April 16:

We are in Kyoto today. It really feels great to be out of Takayama. For me, it's because it felt too much like a touristy town.

As soon as we checked in our hotel, we left for Ujii which is known for it's tea. We also ate a light lunch while there. We decided to buy most of our tea there as the small business should be more appreciative than the busy stores of Nishiki market. JJ also hoped that the Wisteria would be blooming. It turned out to have a small bloom, but more than we saw the other time we were there. The Sakura was ZERO.

JJ is at the onsen now, unwinding while I get my quiet time with my Asahi Super Dry and Junior (the name of my new laptop). Ahhh! (the Asahi, not Jr.)

The thing we love about Dormy Inn is that so far, they have an onsen for JJ and singing noodles for me. I just hope that it is as good as I had in Kumamoto. The locations are also good, both times being very near the bus stations. In Kyoto, it is across (more or less) both the bus and train stations.

Lesson of the day: if you have an Ipod Touch, bring it along. Many places have free wifi and you can use it to check train schedules via hyperida or email confirmations. We had to rush back to our hotel by 5:00 p.m. today to make sure we got an email confirmation from MK Skygate Shuttle. If you do as much walking as us, even an Ipad is too heavy after a while. My 4 lb. Laptop would be torturous.

Amazing. It is 6:04 right now and I don't feel close to hitting that famous “Lyman's Wall”. Must be the Kyoto energy. I even stayed up long enough to go downstairs to feast on the hotel's “singing noodles”. It was as I remembered.

Btw, the exchange rate in Japan and Hawaii was about the same today, about 95.2.

Wed, April 17:

JJ use the time waiting for the noodles last night to pack and put away our suitcases to get them out of the way. I ended up sleeping after 9:00 and got up at 4:00 this morning. As this is the last day of our rail pass, we plan to take a day trip to Toba and Iseshi.

After our breakfast, which was quite fabulous, we tried to catch the JR train to Toba. We were told that the train to Toba was not covered by the JR Pass. So back to our room we went to re-do our plans for the day.

We decided to skip Toba as we were now leaving an hour later. I did a new search on Hyperdia to eliminate private rail companies. Our new plans called for going to Iseshi, where the man and wife rocks resides.

The train ride down was without incident (are we getting good or are we just good?). We reach Iseshi and find out that we can either catch another JR train to a sub-station, then ask someone to call for a taxi or catch the bus which goes right to the place. We decide on the bus. We ate lunch that I picked up at the train station on the bus. It was much better than the expensive bento we bought on the train a few days ago.

On the way down, I start thinking that if we have to ask someone to call a taxi from the train station, how are we going to get from the man and wife rock to the train station? Uh oh!!

After we get off the bus, JJ starts walking. I ask her, “do you know where you’re going?”. She tells me that she's following the two girls who were sitting in front of us on the bus as I told her that they were getting off at the same stop. Huh? I tell JJ, “I said they were getting off at the same stop, not that they were going to the man and wife rock”. How you figgah?

So JJ goes into a store to inquire where the rocks are and she's told just go through the shopping complex and it’ll go right to the rocks. We were told that it's commercialized and found out that it's very true. But, there are some really good shopping within the complex.

It turns out that it's only two rocks connected by a rope. We could (or should) do the same thing in Hawaii.

The plan is that when we are done, we catch a cab to the JR Sub-station, catch the train to the regular JR station, then go back to Kyoto. We see a cab outside the shopping complex and tell the driver where we want to go. He tells us something in Japanese that we don't understand but it doesn't sound positive. We finally tell him the name of the station that we want to go to. Once we arrive at the sub-station, the ride proves very short so I tell the driver to keep the change from the 1000 yen bill.

We go into the train station and it looks abandoned. No workers, no people waiting, no nothing. YIKES!! We look at the schedule but it we can't make heads or tails out of it. So JJ sez, let's catch a cab back to the bus stop and catch the bus to the JR station. I calmly told her, “Let's ask the cab driver outside how much it would cost for him to drive us to the JR station. As long as it's under 3000 yen, let's do it”. Keep in mind that we had only about 30 minutes to catch our train back to Kyoto. It cost us 2810 yen and well worth it.

One more glitch. Although we thought we caught the train back to Nagoya via Hyperdia using only JR trains, when the conductor did his check, he told us that we had to pay about 1000 yen more for the both of us as the leg we were on was not covered by the rail pass. Still can't figure it out.

Lesson of the day: Research well. If I had asked JJ for more details, we could have saved time, anxiety and money and caught the JR from Kyoto to Futaminoura (where the Wedded Rocks are) and back. She had made some assumptions based on reports from Trip Advisor and assumed that we had to get off the train at Iseshi.

I don't know if it's the stress or lack of sleep but we both fell asleep on the train. But we are both happy that we made the trip to Iseshi. Mostly because we found some great omiyage. But, staying here for a few days might be a better plan, and far more relaxing.

We ate dinner at a Ramen place outside of the train station where JJ likes the Tan Tan Ramen. I ate Karaage Tori with two Sapporos. We then went to a supermarket across the street to look for cooked bamboo shoots. Found a bunch and had to make sure that it was from Japan and not China. They also accepted VISA.

After feasting on the hotel's “singing noodles”, we hit the sack at about 10:00. Slept soundly until 5:00 this morning. I guess we both are really tired.

Thus, April 18:

Our last day. We got up early and went to the buffet breakfast downstairs. We are still amazed at the variety of dishes that are prepared and served. This is probably one of the best breakfasts that we've enjoyed in Japan.

We went shopping across the train station at Aeon. We found more cooked takenoko so we bought whatever they had. We also went to Muji and found a couple of items. If you've never gone to a Muji, it's quite an interesting store. No frills, interesting items and good prices.

We then finished packing, checked out and arranged to have our bags stored. Then on to Nishiki Market. When I asked the front desk to show me on the bus/subway map Nishiki was, the clerk told me to catch the subway as it's must faster. His suggestion proved correct. We got a little turned around when we got there but managed to find our way to the market. We ate lunch at Paris 21, the restaurant we found the last time. It was ok but not as good as we remembered. Again, we got a little lost in trying to find the subway but got back ok.

I can't say enough as to how great the Dormy Inn is. This is the first choice whenever we visit Kyoto. It is the first and only hotel that we rated 5 for everything. After we got back, we still had about an hour and a half to wait for our shuttle to Kansai. We were going to ask about the availability of a lounge but saw a sign for a “relaxation room”. Beer is 300 yen but expresso coffee, tea and water is free.

Well, need to get our bags and re-pack now.

Finally reached KIX. After waiting for check in to open, we found out that the flight is canceled, no reason given. At first, we were told that we would be put on Delta. When we asked if there were other options, we were told that JAL was also an option. After waiting, we were told that they had a hard time changing our flight as they had already ticketed us on Delta. We finally to her that we were taking up too much of her time and she had others to help so we'll take the Delta flight.

While checking in, we were told that we are allowed only 2 bags and we would have to pay $200.00 excess baggage fee. At first, they told us we could carry our carry on and they even checked with Hawaiian. Finally, we all agreed that the easiest way was to pay it and work it out with Hawaiian when we get back.

We got the aisle and next to aisle seat we asked for, only thing is that they are in row 64!

Sunday, April 28:

We've been back home for over a week now. I ended up with strep throat and a cold so was under the weather for a while.

I wrote to Hawn Air about the flight cancellation and having to pay the $200.00 baggage fee but have not gotten a response yet. In retrospect, our trip would have been perfect if we skipped Takayama or stayed there for only two nights.

We anxiously wait for our next rip in November.