Japan Thanksgiving 2013

Japan Thanksgiving 2013

Monday & Tuesday, November 25-26:

Well, here we are again, on our way to Japan.  The trip is pretty same ole, same ole as far as the flying  goes.  Except that we hit a front and had a pretty bumpy ride for about an hour.  What was interesting is when I opened the shade and looked outside, I expected to see dark skies, turbulent looking clouds and lightning (it was pretty bumpy).  Instead, I saw clear blue skies with the sun shining brightly.  I guess I might be watching too many airplane crash shows on TV.  I love watching those shows as they always find the cause of the crash so I find it pretty comforting.

Someone gave me some dried scallops about a week ago.  So I would eat a piece every so often.  I guess the one that I ate Thursday night was the straw that broke the camel’s back as I woke up early Friday morning with an ache in my big right toe.  At first I thought I sprained it but the pain gradually became worse.

So I hoped that it would go away on its own but by Saturday, it was much worse so I decided to go down to urgent care.  The doctor agreed that it was gout and prescribed medication. 

When I went down to Long’s, I was told that the computer system was down so I would either have to come back on Sunday or pay full price and get a refund later.  Then I was told that even that was not an option as they had no way of knowing the price.

Well, to make this long story short, I’m still in mild pain and have greatly cut down on my beer.  Had only one Kirin so far so it’s been a long flight.  The flight was also delayed a bit due to headwinds.  Just before we reached Japan. I noticed a headwind speed of 186mph!  The pilot later mentioned the jetstream.

To summarize the flight over, it was one of the worst ever.

• Complementary first class upgrade to Hnl was no favor as we both had carry on luggage and our assigned seats had no overhead bins.  Talk about trying to swim upstream when the flight landed.
• Average airline food (flavors too bold), none of JJ’s spam musubi and minimal beer.
• Delays due to weather.
• Lots of free movies but pretty much all mediocre.  Some were really old like “Casablanca” and “Blue Hawaii”.
• Gout
• Crazy person next to me playing games on her IPAD and bumping my elbow and waking me up.  When I tactfully complain, Then she tells me that I’m over the center of the armrest.  How you figguh?

The Hokke Club in Kyoto is quite nice.  The rooms are quite large and modern looking.  The front desk is on the second floor and the first floor has restaurants and a coffee shop.  We reached the hotel about midnight, HST as the ride from the airport was only about 1.5 hours. 

Wednesday, November 27:

The hotel that we are staying in, the Hokke Club Kyoto, is located across the Kyoto Train Station.  It’s very close to the Post Office/Bank that we usually go to as well.  Speaking of which, when I changed our travelers checks , the exchange rate was over 100.  The rate at the Osaka airport and at Central Pacific Bank was about 98 a day earlier.

After staying here for one night, we decided that we would still prefer the Dormey Inn, even though our room now is at least 50% larger.  Here are some of our likes and dislikes of the Hokke Club:

• Set breakfast not as good as D.I.’s buffet and room only was not an option when we booked.
• Internet speed is ridiculously slow.  I just did a speed test and it is .49/.29 compared to our home which is 28/14 Mbps upload/download.
• The restaurant downstairs (where breakfast is also served) is a great Izakaya during dinner hours.

As we had checked in so late the first night, we weren’t hitting on all eight cylinders and could not find the light switch for the main overhead room light.  Our quick fix was to remove the room key from the master switch so all of the lights went out.  It worked but I ended up with a cold Toto toilet in the morning.  This morning, after reading the flyer that the front desk had given us, I learned that there is a remote control for the light next to the beds.

Breakfast was ok, nothing special, offering only two choices.  I hope it’s not the same two choices for our whole stay.  They were both Japanese style set breakfasts with no coffee (poor JJ).

The Otsu area, adjacent to Lake Biwa, is not a sleepy little town that we expected.  As we were walking to the Shrine and cable car, we spotted a good size tree full of fruit in a parking lot.  A man was there picking the fruit so I nodded hello before taking pics.  He then offered us about five Kaki!  After giving him a 2014 Hawaii Calendar, he even gave JJ one more.  To me, Kaki, like Mango, is just too sweet for my palate.  The man’s gesture and the Kaki sure made JJ’s day, though.

The shrine had beautiful autumn colors.  The day was mostly overcast, yet the reds, oranges and yellows seemed to glow from the inside.  I don’t think that the effect can  be captured by camera.  Once In a while, the sun would peak though and the area exploded with the warm, vivid colors of autumn.  The temp feels like mid-high 50’s so walking around is very comfortable.

There was a young monkey and a girl putting on a performance outside of the shrine.  Both were pretty cute but the monkey stole the show.  That little guy sure was stubborn at times.

The cable car ride was interesting but not worth the 1570 Y roundtrip cost ea.  There were quite a few Chinese people on the cable car.  Unfortunately, on the ride down, there were about 5 people who stood in the front and blocked the view of everybody else. 

Our plan was to catch a cab to go to the port of Otsu to see these fountains that are supposed to be one of the longest in the world.  I guess being a smaller town, cabs are not that numerous.  Even when we passed one of the smaller privately owned rail stations, there were no cabs waiting for passengers.  Luckily, we managed to flag one down.  We mistakenly thought that this area was small but the ride to the fountains cost over 2500 Y.  Good thing for the high exchange rate!  If we did better research, I think we would have caught the train at the station that we walked past. 

When we got to the fountain area, there were no fountains to be seen.  We walked along the shoreline, looking for both the fountains and a restaurant.  While we saw a lot of boats, we saw just a few people.  Even the restaurants were dark.  We kept on walking until we got to this huge shopping complex.  It too had only a few people and the first restaurant we found was closed.  After looking around more, we finally found a restaurant but communicating was a bit of a problem.  The place turned out to be a buffet and Chinese style Izakaya.  The food was outstanding.  We were so hungry and the food so tasty that we even forgot to take pictures of the food until after JJ reordered more of the sweet & sour pork.  The restaurant must be quite popular as we later noticed a line of chairs outside for waiting customers.

After asking the owner about the fountains, it turned out that the fountains were in front of the restaurant and only operated during lunch and dinner hours (we ate lunch at 3:00).

We continued our walk along the shoreline and I was telling JJ that everyplace we visit, we always learn one of two things, either we need to revisit or never visit again.  Right after that, I noticed buoys in the water with unlit Christmas lights and also, unlit lights on shore.  They must be a beautiful sight at night, especially if the fountains are fountaining and lit up too.  I love lights, boy, did I have the perfect job for me, working for the County.  Hopefully, we’ll stay a couple of nights next Thanksgiving.

Dinner was at the hotel Izakaya I mentioned earlier.  The most expensive item was my large draft Asahi, about 750 Y.  The food is not of the best quality as JJ’s Teka-maki was a far cry from what we ate at Nishiki Market and my roast beef, although flavorful, was a bit chewy.  But, it’s good enough for us to go back tonight, hopefully a lot hungrier.  We dishes such as toasted musubi and deep fried tako.

Tomorrow, we plan another day trip to the Lake Biwa area, on the opposite shore.  I hope the breakfast is different.

Thursday, November 28:

I got up at about 4:00 a.m., giving me about 3 hours of quiet time.  How I love that morning peace.  To make it better, the hotel has a really great green tea.  At home, I make at least a quart of a Gen Mai Cha + Roasted Green tea blend in the morning.  JJ is not a tea drinker.  For her, I make 4.5 (European measurement) cups of coffee, using her favorite Paradise Meadows Kau Coffee.  After I make her coffee, I add one cup of water to the coffee maker again and that coffee is for me.  Even though I’m not a coffee aficionado as JJ is, it is still better than any restaurant coffee that I’ve had coffee at.  BTW, Paradise Meadows’ dehydrated macnuts are really good.  Once you try it, it’s hard to enjoy it any other way. 

The hotel breakfast changed a little  as only the fish was changed to a Salmon.  JJ tried the other set and the main difference was that she had regular rice instead of rice porridge and they also added Nato and Dried Nori.

After breakfast, we talked over the possibility of starting our rail pass later to catch the train to the airport when we return home next week.  It turned out not to be feasible as the cost to forward our bags (about $25.00 ea) would offset any savings from MK Skygate Shuttle.  Their charge is 3500Y/person, one free bag and 1000Y for additional bags.

We activated our rail passes and went to Hikone, which is the opposite shore of Otsu, where we went yesterday.  It took about and hour to get there.  As soon as we exited the train station, there was a visitor info center with two very friendly and lovely ladies inside.  They gave us maps and directions to see Hikone Castle.  After a short 15 minute walk, we reached the castle.  The grounds were huge and again we were treated to brilliant fall colors.  We found that our glasses (the kind that gets dark based on sunlight) actually make the colors deeper.  Taking them off makes the colors less intense but more bright.

When we left Hikone, we dropped by the visitor center to thank the ladies and tell them how much we enjoyed the city and would return in April to see the Sakura.  They were genuinely happy to hear that we enjoyed the area and were really thrilled when we gave them each a “Longs Drug” Hawaii calendar.

We ate lunch in a “old shopping” area near the castle.  Again, it was about 2:30 in the afternoon.  We found a nice small place along a side street.  We were greeted in and told to go upstairs.  The stairs were very steep (reminded me of our friends stairs in Vancouver, BC).  As we planned on an early lunch so we could stuff ourselves at dinner at the Izakaya, we decided to eat lightly.  JJ ordered two desserts, a chocolate cake and Zenzai.  I ordered a steak and vegetable dish that we shared.  Besides the desserts that JJ ordered, we (I?) were treated to some “eye candy” first.

JJ did not enjoy the chocolate cake as it was not sweet and chocolaty, and the texture too, was somewhat claylike.  I thought it was quite good as it was not too sweet and would just gloriously melt in my mouth.

What was most impressive was the grilled vegetables.  They had broccoli, two types of peppers and two types of mushrooms.  I could actually taste the unique flavors of each vegetable.  It was as is dark glasses were removed from my tongue and I could actually taste every nuance of the flavors.  It was just an amazing experience.

When we first got off the train and started walking to the castle, it was so cold and windy that I had to stop to put on another jacket.  But the day cleared and a nice, warm sun appeared after a couple of hours.  That really made the colors explode.

It’s really helpful that I exercise daily but even though, my thighs ache a little from all the climbing and de-climbing (due to the odd step spacing, going back down is so hard I would not call it descending).  But exercising helps in getting my breath back quickly after those sometimes torturous climbs.  When we reach the top, we are almost always treated to an expansive vista of the area.  From the castle grounds, we could see the wind tossed whitecaps on Lake Biwa.

When we got back to the hotel, we used JJ’s Ipad and Google Translator to ask the front desk if they could store our bags until our return next week.  We were told that it could be done.  Because she spoke pretty good English, I asked her about the translator.  She kinda laughed and said that it was understandable but strange and that some people may not be able to understand it.  We all shared a chuckle after that.  Have you ever read translated foreign reviews on Trip Advisor?  Maybe we should try Siri.

Dinner at the hotel’s Izakaya was really good.  We enjoyed the cold roast beef again, fried Tako, Tuna sashimi and JJ ordered a Kal Bi Fried Rice on a “hot stone”.  If my gout goes away, I’m going to try their crab when we return.

Friday, November 29:

JJ pulled another one of her surprises this morning.  I was telling her that the internet was next to useless as it was too slow.  Trying to read the Honolulu Star Advertiser and the Hilo Trib just taxes my patience as the pages just take so long to load.  Reminds me of the “dialup days” of 28k modems.  Remember when we thought 56k was a modern miracle?

Anyway, she tells me “why don’t you try plugging in the cable”?  Voila!!  Would you believe its twice as fast as our home connection?  82 Mbps up and 19 Mbps down.  Wow!!

They changed the fish again for breakfast.  Today, it was marinated and tasted like a mild, juicy “Katsuo Boshi” and was quite enjoyable.

We left for Kanazawa this morning.  We are on the train right now and we should reach there in about 2 hours (left Kyoto at 9:42). 

We reached Kanazawa about noon.  It is windy and rainy, making us feel that maybe we should have stayed in Kyoto as it was clear and sunny when we left.

Our hotel, the Dormy Inn Kanazawa, is located very near to the train station and right across an indoor shopping mall.  As nice as the people of the Dormy Inn are, they have allowed us to check in early only once.  So we had about 2 ½ hours to kill.  We decided to go across the street to the shopping mall to find a place to eat.

The 6^th floor had many restaurants.  The first one we saw had Unagi which is one of JJ’s favorites so we went in.  They seated us immediately, showed us the menu and served us hot tea.

We looked over the menu, sipped our tea and waited to place our order.  And waited, and waited and waited.  JJ, the understanding one, tells me that the waitresses are doing everything, seating customers,  serving tea, taking orders, putting together the meal serving the meal and collecting.  I “patiently” tell her it’s not my problem.  I’m about to leave 200Y for the tea and leave.  The waitress then comes over and takes our order.  Our meal is delivered very quickly after that and it turns out to be quite good.  I was so hungry and impatient (maybe even cranky) by then that I forgot to take pictures.

As we still have some time before we can check in, I ask JJ if she wants another Yuzu soft drink as I want another beer.  Just then, she notices a push button on our table and all the other tables.  She has another epiphany moment and tells me that she thinks it’s to let the waitresses know that we are ready to order.  She pushes the button, we hear a “ding” and the waitress immediately comes to our table to take our order for the extra drinks.  Guess I’m going to have to hang on to her, huh?  (JJ, not the waitress)

The meal was a real bargain as it was very tasty, cooked perfectly and of adequate portion.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I ordered chicken katsu.  It was served with a shoyu based sauce and had daikon suri that I could add.  Classic Japanese seasoning, simple, balanced with layers of flavors without being too bold or overwhelming.

We still had a lot of time on our hands so we went window shopping, floor by floor within the complex, hoping to see a Muji store, as I was looking for an attaché case to carry my stuff instead of using a back pack which looks out of place in Japan.  We came across a Yoshida Porter store and went in.  After looking at all of the cases, my budget went up from $100.00 to $300.00.  But I didn’t buy anything as I still wanted to check out a Muji store as they have a reputation of offering quality goods with minimal “fu-fu”, resulting in reasonable prices.   

We finally checked in and as I write this, JJ is in the onsen.  The internet speed here is also awesome.  Speeds are 70/63 Mbps using the LAN and 54/45 Mbps using our wireless router.  Shinkansen internet, wow.

We saw a little bit of hail hitting our window.  It’s only 4:30 p.m. but pretty dark outside (whenever I see earlier than expected darkness, I always think of Joe Ono telling me in Vegas, “darkness is the absence of light”).   Mr. profound statement, heh, heh, heh (for those of you who don’t know Joe, he always used to chuckle “heh, heh, heh”).

We decided to eat dinner across the street at the mall.  I did some research online and found out that they have two Muji stores in Kanazawa but neither sells men’s goods.  They are also sold by my favorite store, Amazon, for a little more money.  So off we went to purchase the case.  Japan has really taught me the importance of looking proper.  I’ll work on my behavior next (I meant that as a joke, Babooz )   BTW, heck with the budget.  ^)_(^  smiley oldman

JJ ordered her favorite Bi Bim Bap and me a tofu soup.  She enjoyed hers but I thought my soup was a bit too sweet.  The base flavor of Chigae should spicy and sour, not spicy and sweet after all, I’ve never heard of sweet kim chee.  We had a great view of the train station and could see the trains come and go.

I decided to skip feasting on the “Singing Noodles” tonight so we can get an early start tomorrow to see the Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama.

Good night to all of you.  Hope your thanksgiving was a good one.  I don’t know about you, but as I get older, I’m becoming more appreciative of the many blessings of life that I (and my family) enjoy.  And when times seem bleak and depressing, I just remember the old adage, “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet”.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Saturday, November 30:

The breakfast buffet at this Dormy Inn was pretty good.  They do not offer the things that make the Kyoto Dormey Inn Hotel outstanding, such as fresh brewed coffee by the cup or the blocks of chocolate as dessert, but they are still pretty darned good.  Actually, they are significantly better than the Hilton Waikoloa that charges almost three times more for their breakfast buffet.  Can you imagine the shock of the tourists from Japan if they go to the Hilton?  Especially now when the yen is relatively weak.  Ai yai yah!!

The bus ride from the train station to the museum cost only a dollar, round trip!  The dinosaur museum was quite different from what I imagined.  I expected a small museum of local finds, similar to the Roswell UFO Museum.  Instead, it is a huge complex that dwarfs even the Mammoth Museum we visited in South Dakota.  I was a bit disappointed as many of the exhibits were from other countries such as China, Canada, Australia and the United States.  They had some dinosaurs that moved.  The amazing thing is that is was very smooth and lifelike instead of the robotic moves that I used to see in movies as a kid.

While waiting for the bus to take us back to the train station, I offered a young Japanese mother our inflatable seat cushion to sit on as the bus shelter was cold (there was snow on the ground).  As we started talking, it turns out that she was educated in the U.S. for high school and college.  She lives in SFO and visits her parents in Japan every year for about three weeks.  She is a UCLA grad and is married to an American.  I guess she must be pretty comfortable, financially.

She made a special trip from Yamaguchi to bring her son who loves dinosaurs.  We told her about our son, David, when he was about 5 years old, would carry around a big dinosaur model (about the size of a chicken) unlike most other kids who would carry around a stuffed animal and also that his twin boys have minimal interest in dinosaurs.  She laughed and said that it really depends on the child. (a quick check on Hyperdia showed that her total round trip travel time for today is about 11 hrs.)

The train ride from Fukui to Katsuyama was really interesting.  That route is about as country as you can get.  The many stations along the way are really small.  The view along the way is fantastic.  We could see mountains with a light snow covering, making them look space gray as well as one mountain that looked as though it was a ski run.  The area just breathes peace and tranquility.

Going back to Kanazawa was a bit worrisome as it was already dark (from the absence of light) and some of the stations along the way did not have lighted signs.  To add to the problem, some of the stops have words that include or sound like Kanazawa, such as “Nishi-Kanazawa”.  Fortunately, we knew that Kanazawa was the last stop when the driver started to thank the passengers.  At Fukui, I had asked a train agent which track to wait on for the train to Kanazawa.  He asked if “express” and I said yes.  He said to go on track 1 but when we got there, there was a train on track 3 that said Kanazawa on it (whose track # and time also coincided with my research).  We verified with the agent up there if the train was going to Kanazawa and he said yes so we went in and waited.  While waiting, I see a train bound for Toyama on track 1.  It is sleek and looks like what an express train should look like.  Upon returning, I check with Hyperdia and see that it was the train we were supposed to be on, if we had listened to the first agent.  Part of the problem is that I’m printing “snips” so the prints are not that clear.  I’m going to try taking screenshots on my Iphone of the Hyperdia schedule to see if that helps us in the future.  Of course, having a data plan would solve this problem.

We ate dinner as the same place that you need to press the button for service.  JJ ordered and enjoyed her Unagi again and I ate a Tonkatsu Pork/Shrimp combo.  It was quite delicious and knowing the bell trick made the service SUPER.

Katuyama is the first place that we’ve visited this trip that I would label “no re-visit”, the reason being that the Museum may be the only point of interest in the area.

Tomorrow, we plan on exploring Kanagawa.

Happy Singing Noodles,

Ps:  last night, I realized that I forgot the power cord for my CPAP at the Hokke Club Kyoto.  Couldn’t do anything as they do not have an email address and I do not know how to use a phone in Japan (or even speak Japanese).

Then I, not JJ (this time, at least) had an epiphany moment when I noticed that the cord for the charger for our Nikon cameras was the same as for my CPAP.

Sunday, Dec. 1:

Today is supposed to be a slow and leisurely day.  I let JJ oversleep a little this morning.  After breakfast, we purchased day passes for the loop bus and started the day by going to Kanazawa Castle.  The castle looked like really a big zero architecturally and the grounds were not impressive when first entering. 

Soon after entering, as I was admiring and taking pics of some huge timber structures and wondering how they managed to install them without modern equipment, I hear JJ say “oh”.  As soon as I take the shot, I turn around and JJ is nowhere to be seen.  Is she playing a trick on me?  I look for ninja doors, can’t find any and wonder, did the aliens take her?  I wait and wait.  No JJ.  This is strange.  I check inside the gate, outside the gate, no JJ.  Look all over the grounds, inside and out side the gate, no JJ. 

Finally, after about 4 hours, she reappears (well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit about the time) casually strolling from an observation deck she saw.

We thought, no wonder the Kobayashi tour didn’t bring us here when we visited Kanazawa as everything seems so plain.  But we decided that we may as well walk the grounds since we were there anyway.  Good thing as there were some really nice fall colors along the very tranquil trail as well as some great panoramic views of the mountains.  I guess the Kobayashi tour didn’t stop at the castle as you have to spend some time and walk the forested areas.

After walking the castle grounds, we decided to eat lunch before tackling the Kenroku-en Garden, which is across the street from the castle.  The restaurant we chose did not have an expansive menu but they offered two important things, zenzai for dessert and beer.  JJ ordered a shrimp fried rice and zenzai and I ordered a ume soba, grilled chicken and my beer.  When JJ got her fried rice, it turned out to be rice with a few tiny pieces of whole shrimp (smaller in size of most dried ebi).  Good thing I ordered the extra chicken!  But overall, the food was good although the somen seemed a little overcooked.

We then walked the garden.  For JJ, it was a bit disappointing as when she first saw it, it was during the spring when the sakura was in bloom.  I thought that it was not as good as the castle grounds, although we both got some pretty spectacular shots.

Caught the loops bus to Omi-cho market, which is like Nishiki Market in Kyoto.  I guess sporting my new bag instead of backpack makes me look more local as many vendors started talking to us in Japanese.  I got to practice my “nihongo wakarimasen” many times.  One lady even told me that I said it well.

While walking around, JJ spotted a container of cooked fish bones similar to those that I had really enjoyed in Guji-Hachiman this past summer.  I sampled it and thought that it was a bit too sweet.  But the finish of it was so good that I felt that I needed to eat more.  I’m eating it as I write this and I need to go back to buy more.

We also saw dried Kaki for 1000Y.  After thinking about it, I told JJ that she should try it to see what makes it so expensive.  So we go back to buy one Kaki for 1000Y and the lady tells us, the whole tray of four is 1000Y.  Oh well.  (JJ did buy a tray) How you figgah?  We were happy to pay 1000Y for one kaki and disappointed when we find out it’s for a pack of four.  HYF or WTF?

Surprisingly, we got back to our hotel early.  After a few cold ones for me and a soak in the onsen for JJ, it’s back across the street for Unagi and something else for me.  After coming back from the onsen, I don’t know if JJ is mad at me or if she had a mini stroke.  She keeps on calling me “Hick”.  Oh, she has hiccups.

JJ ordered her Unagi for the third time in a row.  I ordered a chicken Katsu bowl.  I don’t know what it is about this place but each time that we’ve been here, we start and almost finish eating before we realize that I didn’t take any pictures.  The food at this restaurant, named Shiroku, is quite good, the presentations very well done and the prices super reasonable.

As I run into that “Lyman Wall” again, I wish you all a good night.  I’m going to skip the singing noodles tonight as I cannot stay up another hour to 9:30.

Monday, Dec. 2:

I just remembered a story that I forgot to write about.  JJ really used to shuffle her feet when walking.  You could always hear her coming, shhhk, shhhhk, shhhhhhk.

She said it was because she didn’t want to step on any of our cats.  But as it was causing her problems by her stumbling over sidewalk cracks and dust particles, she learned to lift her feet.

So anyway, as we were eating our dinner at the Izakaya at the Hokke Club Hotel, I hear the waitress shuffling her feet and sounded just like how JJ used to walk.  So I told JJ that either that walk is in her genes (the Geisha of years past used to walk on these super high “Geta” and had to slide (shuffle?) their feet while walking) or she lived in Japan in her prior life.  Actually, it’s not that uncommon to hear women walking that way in Japan.

We did a day trip to Nanao and the day was perfect.  Blue skies and a cool breeze were completely different from our last visit there this past spring, where we encountered rain, hail and winds that turned JJ’s brand new umbrella inside out within minutes of buying it.

Our main purpose was to eat at one the local restaurants JJ read about and to visit a street that has many traditional stores.

Upon arrival, we walked to the port where they had gift shops featuring local products.  We saw a TV reporter interviewing people while we were there.  I had hoped to see a crab restaurant but we could not find any.

One good thing about being a senior citizen.  While JJ was shopping, I found a table with three chairs in the common area.  I don’t know what they were for (there was a box with Japanese words) but that was the only place that I could find to sit and listen to my audiobook.  I tried to look old (not to hard) and dignified (a little harder).  No one asked me to move or even gave me a second glance.

We decided to walk back to the train station where one of the recommended restaurants was supposed to be close to.  With the help of a young local guy, we found the place which was a teeny, tiny place.  We enter and are greeted warmly.

The owner immediately brings us water as soon as we are seated.  I ask for either an English menu or a picture menu.  He has neither.  Fortunately, another young guy interprets for us.  Still, it’s hard to order so I ask what would he recommend.  He tells us that he is having a grilled pork so we ask him to tell the owner that we want two orders, with rice and miso soup.  I also order a beer but am told that they don’t have any.

I thought the flavor of the pork to be a bit bold but JJ tells me to eat it with the rice (one of my quirks is that I usually eat one item at a time).  It works fine and I enjoy the meal.  I then ask the owner for Ocha (that’s tea for you Canadians).  He tells me that they don’t have tea.  This is the first restaurant in Japan that I’ve visited that doesn’t serve tea.

I see a contraption on the fountain that looks like an old vacuum coffee maker.  So I order a cup of coffee for JJ.  She tells me that it’s pretty good.  So here we are, having lunch at a Japanese restaurant, in Japan, they don’t serve beer, they don’t serve Ocha, but they serve gourmet quality coffee.  HYF?  And all that for 1420Y (two lunches and one coffee).  What a deal!!

The walk through the old shopping street was uneventful.  The most interesting thing that we saw was Kaki drying in peoples houses.  Oh, and I did see an Alpha Romeo (I didn’t know that they were still in production).  The owner must be super rich.  I wonder if he gets it repaired or just get a new one when he has problems?  Ah, the incredible burden of the super wealthy.

All in all, today was just a “kick back” day.  JJ and I were talking and planning our summer trip for 2014, when our son Dave and his fiancé Janet, will be joining us.  It will be the first trip with him since he started working and we are really excited about showing them the country that we just love visiting.  And I get to teach them to say, “Nihongo Wakarimasen”

We stayed up long enough to eat “Singing Noodles” for the second time during this stay.  Like the first night, the noodles are slightly overcooked and the dashi fabulous.  Still, it was a nice way to end the day.

Tomorrow, we head back to Kyoto.  I’m looking forward to eating the crab at the Hokke Club’s Izakaya.

Tuesday, Dec. 3:

Feasted on a “Oh, so good” breakfast. 

After purchasing the loop bus “free one day pass" for 500Y ea., we went to the to Omi-cho market to buy more of the pupu fishbones.  They are so “ono”.

Before boarding the train, we bought some bento lunches for ourselves.  JJ ordered a roast beef bento and I, a crab bento.  Both turned out to be surprisingly delicious. 

The train ride back to Kyoto was uneventful, perhaps even a bit boring as we’ve done this trip before.  Got to finish the audiobook, “And the Mountains Echo”.  It was ok but I thought that the jumping back and forth in terms of the timeline as well as the different characters made it more of a chore than pleasure to listen to(it demanded too much of my attention to understand it).

I’m trying to teach JJ how not to get lost.  She is so used to being a “passenger”, both while in a car or walking that she hasn’t honed her sense of direction.  So far, she is doing well but sometimes, she simply amazes me in her lack of direction.  Well, you know the old saying, “practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect”.

After checking in the Hokke Club, we walked to the Kohyo supermarket at the Aeon Shopping complex, so JJ could buy her fav dried Kaki.  She was shocked to see only a small gift box of the Kaki, so we then went to the market as the Isetan store in the train station.  Even there the supply was limited but at least she got the amount she wanted.

Interestingly enough, we also found cooked Takenoko.  These are normally found only in spring.  We got some and we’ll see how good they are.  Experience has shown that they are almost as good as fresh and much, much better than canned.

I’m sometimes amazed in that in some ways, JJ is more like my dad than I am.  For instance, they both enjoy sweets, they both love mangos and eat them by cutting of the rind in one long piece, and they both enjoy Kaki (I refer to my dad in the present tense but he died over 20 years ago, at a younger age than I am today). 

Speaking of which, we usually take flowers to my parents graves and JJ’s father grave every week.  We also take our grandchildren whenever they visit us so they know their roots and to learn that much of the comforts of life that they enjoy is due to the work and sacrifices of our parents.  Every so often, when I calculate how old they would be if they were still living, I get shocked.  Both JJ’s and my dad would be almost a 100 years old and my mom would be in her ninetys.  But  in my mind’s eye, they are all still in their sixties.

Ah, but I digress again.  After shopping and a fast, cold Asahi in our room, we went downstairs to the Izakaya and ordered fried Tako, Kim Chee/Pork, Chazuke for JJ and a whole crab for me.  Everything was good, expect the crab was served cold and was not very flavorful.  Even the miso wasn’t very tasty.  To me, cold foods somehow lack the fullness of flavor that characterizes warm food. 

As the crab I ordered was small and hard to eat, JJ finished eating far before I was.  So asked her to dig down to her Geisha roots and take out the crab meat for me so I could finish eating sooner.  Ah, life of a Samurai!!

Tomorrow, we take the train to Osaka and plan to visit Minoo Falls.  The Autumn colors and the falls are supposed to be quite nice.  It’s a 45 minute walk each way, I hope it’s not all uphill.

Wednesday, Dec. 4:

Got up at 4:00 A.M. and enjoyed 3 hours of quiet time.  It is such a great way to start the day and I’m amazed that more people don’t make it a part of their day.  But of course, if JJ wanted her quiet time in the morning, then neither of us would have our quiet times.  HYF? 

I spent most of the time researching train schedules to and from Minoo.  I think I finally found the solution for “on the go” schedules as the screen shots of the Hyperdia schedule was not practical as there were too may screen shots to go through.

The train to Minoo was a little more difficult that normal as there were two transfers.  The toughest part was soon after we first got to Osaka and walked to the Hankyu station. 

After purchasing our tickets, there were two tracks to Minoo.  We didn’t know which one to take.  We asked a guy and he was confused too.  So we listened to his best guess and it worked out fine.

When we got to Minoo, there was a large sign showing us the way to the falls.  The walk started by passing through some really neat shops.  One that caught our eye was a shop that seemed to specialize in Yuzu products.  We purchased a Yuzu custard, a Yuzu Cider and a Yuzu juice.  The flavor of the custard didn’t capture the essence of the Yuzu’s character, although the zest sprinkled on the top helped the overall experience, but the cider and juice were fine.  So here we are, just beginning our walk, and we’re eating already.

We continue our walk and after about 30 minutes or so, we decide to eat lunch.  The first place we visited had a very limited menu, mostly sandwiches and hot dog.  The hot dog was 1000Y but there was a lot of veggies on it so I told JJ that if they had beer, let’s eat there.  No beer.  We mistakenly believe that we have only 15 minutes more of walking.

We continued our walk and came across an area that had a shop and outdoor cooking/eating area.  I saw a mound of what I thought was chocolate (turn out to be bean paste) that they use to fill a fish shaped “manju”.  Of course, with JJ along with me, we are going to eat there.  So she orders her manju, I buy a large cup of chicken karaage, a beer and a coke.  Lunch in the cool mountains for 1300Y.  Life can’t get better then that.  The only thing missing was birds chirping or cats meowing.

The walk to the falls was supposed to take 45 minutes.  We found out that it’s true only if you are a Japanese native.  If you walk like us, it will be more like 1 ½ hours.  But, strolling slowly, stopping for pictures and snacks makes the walk much more fun.

The walk was very relaxing, yet challenging in some places.  The air was cool and crisp, the sun was out and painted the autumn leaves with a bright backlight, making them really rich and warm.  There were places that were pretty steep and just about when I started thinking, “I can’t take much more of this”, the path’s slope would lessen and would become “humane” again.

When I removed my case, camera and camera bag to walk to the bathroom, walking seemed so much easier, I almost felt light on my feet.  After that, I offered to carry JJ;s large handbag as she suffers from chronic knee pain.  Funny, with the load that I was carrying before that, one more bag made hardly any difference at all.

We finally reached the falls and it was quite magnificent.  The “totalness” of the area, the falls, rock formations, rays of sunshine, fall colors, greenery and the blue sky really made the ambiance of the area much greater than the sum of its parts.

The Minoo Falls area is supposed to have wild monkeys.  The only monkeys we saw were on signs saying don’t feed them.  On the way down, which was about 2:00 to 3:30 P.M., we still saw a lot of people going up.  We were surprised at its dark by about 5:00.

The train ride back got to be a little anxious as I made some mistakes in scheduling and we had just made it on time to catch the JR train back to Kyoto and did not get a chance to verify the train, destination, etc.  For a while, I thought that we were headed in the wrong direction.  I checked my compass and we were generally headed in the right direction but I was still a little anxious due to the lateness of the hour.  We made it back to Kyoto ok, but a little late.

I forgot to tell you about our room.  When we stayed here last week, we thought the room was large.  Well, the room we’re in now is humongous.  This is really a rarity for Japan. It is about the same size as the rooms at the Hilton Waikoloa.  If they had an onsen and a buffet breakfast, it would be almost perfect.  If you added “singing noodles”, it would be perfect.

It’s hard to believe that we leave tomorrow.  The time has just flown by.  I told JJ that I’d rather leave when I feel that I want to stay longer than leave when I’m eager to get back home.  I’m getting my wish.

Dinner was again at the Izakaya.  We ordered the basic things plus crab legs and claws and a belly pork (Rafute style).  Oh what a difference from the other night.  The grilled crab was very flavorful and warm and the belly pork was even better than at Satoya in Las Vegas.  The girls seem to be a little hesitant to wait on us because we don’t speak Japanese.  When we tried to order, they called the English speaking guy that we’ve ordered through before.

When we asked for the check, the girl asked us if we were guests of the hotel.  We got a 10% discount because of that.  This is after staying here a total of 5 nights.  HYF?  Well, better late than never.  But the food is so good and priced reasonably that I feel almost guilty in getting a discount.

This trip, as all others before this, has really been really enjoyable.  I enjoyed it much more than our last year’s fall trip, mainly because we visited new places outside of Kyoto.  While I am looking forward to our April trip, I look forward even more to our summer trip with our son Dave and his fiancée Janet.

BTY, the hotel did not find the electrical cord for my CPAP which I forgot when we checked out last week.

Thursday, Dec. 5:

Got up at 4:30 again.  After breakfast, packing and checking out, we plan on asking the hotel to store our bags so we can go to Nishiki Market to shop and eat lunch.  The subway is a fast and cheap way to get to Nishiki, although the subway station can be a bit puzzling when we get off as there are so many exits.

Caught the subway as planned but along the way, we decided to visit the kaleidoscope museum, which is a couple of blocks from Nishiki Market.

True to form, we got a bit lost when we got out of the subway station.  The map we had was a bus/subway map so the streets were not that clearly laid out.  One of the references was city hall so when I saw a guy with a digital camera around his neck and looking at a small blueprint, I figured that he knew his way around.  He pointed in a direction and we started walking.  After about 200 feet, I told JJ something is wrong so I told her let’s go back to the subway exit and start over.  I told her that we were supposed to go south on the road.  Just then, she sees a large map at the intersection corner.  Yup, we were headed in the wrong direction.  We found the museum after about a 5 minute walk.

Some of the displays were quite impressive, featuring bold colors.  But after a while, it was same ole, same ole.  JJ even started to get a migraine from the changing lights.

We then went to Nishiki to finish up our shopping.  We had a bit of a problem finding it as I forgot the name of the street that it was on, Nishiki Dori.  HYF?

We quickly found the Yuzu concentrate that JJ was looking for.  While waiting for them to pack her purchase, I saw some pickled plums.  The man said it was flavored by salt and rice vinegar so I bought a bag.

The plan was to eat at this sushi restaurant that we found a couple of years ago as they had the most fantastic Tekamaki, and beer.  We found the restaurant, but when we tried to enter, the lady stopped us and said something in Japanese.  It turned out that they were closed today for a reservation.

So on to plan B, which is Paris 21.  They’re ok but I really had my heart set on Tekamaki.  We ordered our usual steak lunch, which comes with soup, salad and dessert, all for about 1450Y each.

After lunch, we picked up my tea and headed back to our hotel.  The subway ride from Nishiki to the Kyoto train station is 420Y for the two of us.  Before we got familiar with catching the subway, we once caught a cab and it cost us about 2500Y.

After retrieving our bags, we repacked everything.  We decided not to scrimp and just pack everything rather than doing it at the airport to save on luggage handling fees by MK, which is only 1000Y per bag.  When we arrived last week, the driver wanted to charge us for two of our carry-ons but when I questioned him, he charged us for only one.  So on our return, we were looking at a possible 3000Y fee.

We had a few worrisome moments when the hotel clerk told us that MK had called and said that they would be 5 minutes late.  So after 15 minutes had passed, we were wondering what was going on.  They finally arrived about 35 minutes after the promised time.

Even though there were only four of us on the van, the driver had to put one of our bags in the passenger compartment.  Can’t blame them for charging for extra bags.  When we got to the airport, the driver told me that the fare was 7000Y (no charge for the extra bag).  He was very appreciative when I got the change and gave him 1000Y more for the extra bag.  He was even more happy when JJ gave him the last two Hawaii calendars that we had.

The one interesting thing about this trip is while it was fun, entertaining, adventurous and educational, there was not one highlight, such as seeing fireflies or feeling the heat of the torches while watching Cormorant fishing.  I guess we better do it again soon as the next highlight is just around the corner.

I write this journal primarily for me and JJ as when we are on a trip, the days become one huge blur.  Writing and reading not only helps us to recollect days, but to also re-enjoy the trip later.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

CYA all soon.

Epilog:

When we were going through the TSA line in Japan, the agent asked me to step aside and open my bag.  She found my Chinese made stainless steel  eating utensil, which had a fork, spoon, corkscrew, can-bottle opener and knife.  I’ve been carrying this around for every trip we’ve made, both domestic and foreign and never had a problem.  Of course, then, it was packed in my backpack that was full of junk.  Now that I use the Yoshida-Porter bag, everything is much neater and organized and of course, it won’t hold as much either.

So I tell the agent that if it’s a problem, just throw it away.  Instead, she tells me to wait and calls a policeman!  The officer starts questioning me, wants to see my passport, etc.  Then a second officer comes over.  After all that, they still kept the utensil!  HYF?

Until our next trip, take care, Dudes and Dudettes!