Canada trip day 2: August 25, 2009

We woke up at 9:15am because we went to bed near midnight. We missed the breakfast time at the hotel, so we ate breakfast at Sunset Grill restaurant near the hotel. The portions were generous, but my vegetarian omelet was tasteless. Their freshly squeezed juice was good.

Printed VIA tickets. Walked to the Hippo tours station. Missed the 1pm bus. Took the skywalk to CN tower. Bought Citybook passes. Did not enter the tower because they told us that we need to wait 30 minutes. Looked for a restaurant. Found one after 2pm. Dan and I ordered Angus meatloaf, which was good. The weather was comfortable. Not too hot, and not humid. Much better than the weather in Japan or New Jersey at this time of year.

Dan walked back to the hotel after lunch. The four of us visited the CN tower. The view from the lookout floor was nice but not spectacular. We did not wait in the long line to go to the top observatory. The glass floor was not amazing either. Bought a shirt for Shirley in the gift shop downstairs, and bought two postcards for Rena. Our picture was not ready when we tried to pick it up. We asked the attendant to pick it up the next day.

We missed the 5pm Hippo bus, so we bought tickets for the 6pm bus. Dorit and Rena ordered shakes in a restaurant, while Shirley and I went to a soft ice cream stand. Shirley liked her chocolate-vanilla swirl. Then we tried to pick our pictures from the basement of the CN tower. We got our pictures after 40 minutes and 3 conversations with the attendant. She was either extremely confused or inept.

Took the 6pm Hippo bus tour. The Hippo bus is an amphibious bus, which can drive on the road and travel on water with ease. The guide gave detailed explanations of the sights and included recommendations of attractions, restaurants, and current events. The highlight of the tour was splashing into the inner harbor.

We walked back to the hotel and bought food for dinner at the local 7-eleven store. It carried a much smaller selection of food than the Japanese counterpart. The selection was similar to the US selection.

Canada trip day 1: August 24, 2009

We took two limos to New York Penn Station for the 5 of us. The limos arrived at 5:30am as scheduled. The trip to NY Penn Station was only 50 minutes long. Shirley forgot her glasses at home. We arrived almost an hour before the train departure time. We had to get our passports inspected before boarding the train. We could not find cheap plastic replacement glasses for Shirley in the drug store at the station. They carry only reading glasses with a positive number, whereas Shirley needed a negative number.

The train departed at 7:19 am, which is 4 minutes late. The view of the Hudson from the left side of the train was amazing. However, the train started to accumulate delays. At one point the train just stopped to allow a freight train to pass. The conductor said that they want to keep the train safe and upright. The train shook violently when it was traveling at any speed. We eventually arrived to the Canadian border with a 1.5 hour delay, which increased to a 2 hour and 15 minutes delay when we arrived to Toronto. We arrived to Toronto at 10pm instead of 7:46pm. The comparison with Japanese trains was not flattering (at all) to Amtrak. The lady who was sitting on the other side of the aisle said that even the trains in India have shorter delays!

One mistake I did before the ride was to staple the tickets together. I got 10 tickets: 5 tickets from New York to the Canadian border, and 5 tickets from the Canadian border to Toronto. I stapled the pair of tickets of a single person together, and then I stapled the 5 pairs together. The conductor took the first 5 tickets, which means that he took 3 New York to Canadian border tickets, and 2 Canadian border to Toronto tickets. I did not understand how he could tear the 5 interleaved tickets in one motion, but I did not notice his mistake until we already crossed the border to Canada. I explained to the cheerful Canadian conductor that the American conductor took the wrong tickets. I was afraid that he would cause us much grief, but he just accepted my explanation and got his superior's approval.

We got two connected suites at the Cambridge Suites Hotel in Toronto, which were very spacious.

Lesson learnt: do not staple two kinds of tickets together to avoid confusion. Staple only identical tickets together (to the same destination).

Fallingwater trip day 3: August 17, 2009

Drive back to home. 3 stops. About 7 hours on the road. 9 hours total. GPS is cool.

Fallingwater trip day 2: August 16, 2009

Visit Fallingwater. Arrived at 10:15am for the 11am tour (very fortunate that I thought that we had the 10am tour). Ate lunch in the visitors center. Empty gas tank. Drove to Kentuck Knob. Late for the 2pm tour. Got tickets for the 3:15pm tour. Visited the sculpture meadow. House visit. Beutiful scenery hidden by the 5000 trees planted around the house. Dinner in the hotel.

Fallingwater trip day 1: August 15, 2009

Drive to Summit Inn Hotel in PA.

Lessons Learnt from the Japan trip

• The main cities in Japan are hot and humid in the summer. If you or your companions suffer from the heat, you will be able to visit only two or three places a day instead of six to seven places in a typical daily plan found in most guide books.
• If you travel with small children, expect to spend a day or more in a doctor's office or hospital.
• If you travel with small children or somebody who suffers from motion sickness, you should avoid long travel by bus and most organized tours. You must have the flexibility to alter the plan if somebody feels sick.
• Pick hotels near or on top of train stations. For example, Hotel Granvia Kyoto which is located on top of the Kyoto train station. We could reach the train platform in 8 minutes from our hotel room. Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel near Shibuya station in Tokyo was also convenient.
• You need to visit alternating kinds of attractions to keep your children interested. For example, you cannot visit 5 shrines and temples in a row, which is the typical plan in Kyoto.
• You can save a lot of money and keep your dietary restrictions by eating store-bought food in your hotel room. There are many convenience stores in major cities, and the minuscule minibar refrigerator in the room has enough capacity to hold food overnight. You will need to restore the content of the minibar in the morning to avoid being charged for missing items.
• Before you visit any attraction, pay attention to the days it is closed. It is written in the guide book.
• Pay attention to the exit number from the subway/train station of the attraction. Some subway and train stations have more than 10 exits, and they point at all directions.
• Two triangular rice balls and a yogurt are a satisfying dinner after a day full of activities.
• Have a person in the hotel write your dietary restrictions in Japanese, so you can show it in restaurants and food shops. Once you recognize the food you can eat, it is easy to do your own shopping.
• Buy a Japan Rail Pass if you travel between cities or have frequent side trips. It will save you the hassle of buying individual tickets, and it enables much flexibility. You can just hop on the next train and sit in the unreserved car just by showing your pass at the entrance to the station. The ordinary pass is sufficient if you avoid the peak travel period (around the Obon festival and New Year).
• Your hotel concierge team can help you much by recommending restaurants and events, making reservations, and finding medical help as needed.
• There is no single best guide book for Japan. The two best books that I found are Frommer's Japan (by Beth Reiber) and Lonely Planet's Japan. The Frommer's book ranks the attractions in each area and across Japan, which is essential for preparing your own trip plan. The Lonely Plant book contains more up-to-date information based on the personal experience of a large team of authors that live in Japan. However, it does not rank the attractions. I found that the combination of these two books to be extremely useful.
• You can ship your luggage from one hotel to the next or from your hotel to the airport. It takes one day. It reduces the hassle of carrying luggage on the train. I did not use this service in this trip.
• If you rent a phone in Japan, you should use a discount call rates and not the default call rate. Otherwise you will pay ¥5-6 per minute. You need to program the discount call prefix into your phone. The company that you rent your phone from will typically give you this information.
• A netbook or a small laptop is useful during the trip to keep in touch with your friend and family and to get information about attractions. You can also download the photos and videos from your camera to the netbook or laptop to make room for new pictures and videos. If you have a teenager, he or she are likely to use your netbook or laptop extensively.
• Buy a few simple souvenirs representing your country before you start your trip. Postcards of famous locations or magents with similar pictures are handy when you want to thank a person in Japan. Since Japanese do not accept tips, this is a good way to show your gratitude. In addition, people on the street may help you, and you may want to thank them this way.
• Get good street maps. The maps in the guidebooks are often inconvenient or lack details. Get the "Bilingual map of Tokyo, Yokohama, Tsukuba, Makuhari Messe by Shobunsha Publications, Inc". Print the Tokyo subway map from their web site.
  

What we missed in the Japan trip

I prepared a detailed plan for the visit. However, we did not accomplish everything in the plan mainly due to the hot weather. Dorit and Shirley could not tolerate the hot weather for the entire day. Here are the major attractions that we missed in the trip:

In and around Tokyo:

• Kabuki play at Kabukiza Theatre
• Sensoji temple and shop for souvenirs along Nakamise Dori.
• Visit Tokyo National Museum.
• Visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum
• Stroll through Akihabara (electronics shops).
• Day trip to Yokohama:
  • Visit the Landmark Tower, which is the tallest building in Japan.
  • Visit the Sankeien Garden.
  • Eat in Chinatown.
  • Visit the Raman museum.
• Hot spring bath at Odedo-Onsen Monogatari or Azabu-Juban onsen (maybe go to a public bath in Osaka instead).
• Hakone open-air museum.

In and around Kyoto:

• Jizo-In temple near Saiho-ji (moss temple).
• Ginkakuji, the temple of the silver pavilion.
• drink tea along the philosopher's pathway.
• Heian Shrine and Shinen garden.
• Kiyomizu Temple.
• Bamboo grove.
• Taking a boat ride with fishermen. Cormorant fishing at night (optional).
• Eat a Kaiseki meal.

In and around Osaka:

• Osaka castle

What I would like to do in my next visit to Japan:

• Learn flower arrangements.
• Visit an automated car factory.
• Visit National parks (in the northern part of Japan).
• Attend a festival.
• Stay a night in a Ryokan (traditional inn).

What did we like and dislike in Japan

We liked:

• Public transportation: the trains, subways and buses are punctual and clean. All street and station signs are at least bi-lingual (Japanese and English). Bus stop signs in Kyoto are quad-lingual (Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean). All electronic signs and automated announcements in trains, subways, and buses are in Japanese and English. An English speaker can find his/her way around with little problem without help.
• Shrines and temples: Japan has an abundance of well-maintained old shrines and temples. A priest in Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto told me that his shrine is renovated every 21 years, and they collect donations for the periodic maintenance.
• Gardens: Japanese gardens are beautiful. Many of them contain ponds, streams, bridges, waterfalls, islands, old trees, and well-maintained paths.
• Food: Japanese eat a lot of fresh fish. The sushi is fabulous, including the one you buy in convenience stores. The portions are small, but then you realize that the portions in the USA are too big. Many pastries in convenience stores have a delicious filling, like bean paste. We especially liked the soft rice cakes with bean paste filling (mochi).
• Ubiquitous vending machines and convenient convenience stores: There are vending machines for drinks in almost every other building in big cities. If you are thirsty, there is usually a vending machine in sight. Note that some of the drinks have a weird taste, like Pocari Sweat. There is a convenience store (7-Eleven, Lawson, Family Mart, etc.) in every block in big cities. There are several convenience stores in every train station. You also have kiosks on the platforms of bullet trains (Shinkansen).
• Tokyo never sleeps: When we went to the Tsukiji fish market at 5am, the roads had considerable traffic and the subway was full (not congested). Same as at 11pm. When do the Tokyoites sleep?
• Courtesy and helpfulness: Japanese are courteous and helpful. We were much impressed by the taxi driver who took us from the hotel to the Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital. The concierge person told the driver something when we boarded the taxi, and the taxi driver got out of the taxi and explained our problem to the reception person at the hospital, who in turn led us through the hospitals bureaucracy.
• High-quality and cheap health care: Rena was treated in the outpatient clinic of the Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital. We had to wait more than an hour in a busy waiting room for the pediatrician. The pediatrician used the latest technology (a portable ultrasound machine) and took a urine sample to the lab. The total hospital bill was ¥7,450 (about $75), and the medicines cost ¥5,250 (about $52). This is about the same as our co-payment in the USA for a similar hospital visit.
• A heaven for bicycle riders: There are many bicycle drivers in Tokyo and Kyoto. People ride their bike to the local supermarket and carry the food in front and back mounted baskets. Kyoto has parking lots for bikes near subway stations. You pay to get your bike locked in the parking place.
• No theft: people leave their bikes on the street without locking them.
• Traditions: Japanese keep many old traditions, like the Japan-style date (the year from the coronation of the current emperor). All official documents (like Taxi licenses and JR free passes) contain the Japanese date. Other documents (like receipts and expiration dates) are Gregorian (civil) dates.

We did not like:

• The heat and humidity. Worse than New Jersey in the summer. People who are prone to headaches suffer a lot.
• Smoking in restaurants and public places. Most restaurants allow smoking, and trains have smoking cars. We often had to leave a restaurant because of the smoke.
• Lack of English menus. Most restaurants had no English menus. It is almost impossible to keep Kosher if you do not know what are the ingredients of a dish.
• No towels in most public bathrooms. Most Japanese carry a small towel with the size of a handkerchief. I suppose this is how they dry their hands.
• Large amount of (recyclable) waste. Since there are vending machines at every corner, I have not seen any Japanese who drank from a reusable container. On the positive side, there was a recycling bin near almost every vending machine.

• No bicycle helmets. No bike rider had a helmet. Don't they know it is dangerous?

Japan Trip Highlights

• Shinkansen (bullet trains). They are fast (250 km/h), punctual, convenient, frequent, and spotless. Why can't we have them at home?
• Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto.
• Walking inside a dense cloud in Owakudani (the highest point of the Sounzan-Togendai ropeway in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park).
• Kobe beef meal at Itoh Dining in Kyoto. The beef melts in your mouth after chewing it 2-3 times. Amazing!
• Osaka Aquarium (especially the large tank of Pacific Ocean fish and octopi) and eating sweet fluffy ice afterwards.
• The A-bomb dome and peace museum in Hiroshima.
• A private tour of the Kamigamo shrine in Tokyo and speaking with the priest.
• Visiting the great Buddha and feeding assertive deer in Nara.
• Visiting the International Manga Museum in Kyoto.
• Visiting the Hama Rikyu garden in Tokyo.
• Visiting the Sanjusangendo Hall in Kyoto with its 1001 Buddhas and 28 guarding deities.
• Attending the show in Kyoto's Gion corner.
• Watching the tuna auctions in the busy Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
• Watching the English version of the 6th Harry Potter movie in Tokyo.
• Visiting the Tamozawa Imperial Villa and its garden in Nikko.
• Visiting the Nijo-jo castle and the shogun's palace (Ninomaru Palace) in Kyoto.
• Visiting the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (near Tokyo).
• Buying realistic fake plastic food models in Tokyo's Kappabashi-dori.
• Buying handkerchiefs in a Tokyo department store.
• Eating a tofu meal in Ryoanji Yudofuya restaurant while seating on mats around low tables and watching the pond (near Ryoanji temple in Kyoto).
• Youth watching in Tokyo's Harajuku on Sunday.
• Getting pampered in the hotel. New slippers and nightgowns every day.

Japan trip day 21: Kyoto (August 5th, 2009)

Checked out from the hotel in the morning. The hotel staff took our luggage on a cart to the entrance of the Kyoto Shinkansen station by using one of the hotel's escalators (very impressive). The hotel staff told me that we could have shipped our luggage ahead of time from one hotel to the other or even ship it to the airport, so we do not have to carry it around.

We placed most of the luggage behind the last row of seats in the car as we boarded the train. We then transferred our luggage to the Narita Express (NEX) train at Shinagawa station (the first stop of this particular train).

In the airport my ornamental sword was inspected by a Japanese policeman to ensure that it is fake. We ate small yet delicious tuna sandwiches for lunch in a coffee shop. I then bought Japanese candies for ¥4000 to use our remaining cash. We flight to the US had no noteworthy events.

The van that we reserved ahead of time arrived late. The driver did not have $3 to pay for the toll to exit from the airport's parking lot. He then drove too fast. After we arrived home I called to complain about him.

Japan trip day 20: Kyoto (August 4th, 2009)

Took Dan and Shirley to Nara early in the morning (around 8am) to avoid the heat. Rena stayed in the hotel with Dorit. Took a bus from Nara train station to the park instead of walking in the sun. Visited the Todaiji temple and saw the great sitting Buddha, which is Japan's largest bronze Buddha. The great Buddha is housed in the largest wooden structure in the world. Shirley passed easily through the hole in one of the columns, which means that she will be enlightened. Bought deer cookies and fed the deer on the way. The deer are quite persistent, and they bite your pants back pocket to get more cookies. Returned to Kyoto around noon.

Dan and I took the Shinkansen to Tokyo in the afternoon. We went to Kappabashi-dougugai Dori street, which is Japan's largest wholesale area for cookware and restaurant supplies. We bought realistic plastic models of a bunch of grapes, a persimmon, and a cup of iced tee. We also bought long chopsticks for cooking. We took the Shinkansen back to Kyoto. On the way to the room we bought desserts at the hotel's pastry shop. They were not as good as they looked.

Japan trip day 19: Kyoto (August 3rd, 2009)

Packed everything as we moved from the family room to two separate rooms. Finished packing and returned the keys around 11:30am. Got the key of one of the new rooms around 12:30pm.

Then I went to the Kyoto Handicraft Center to buy a matching long sword and a stand. This purchase made Dan very happy, because a pair of swords is much more impressive than a single sword. However, Dan is not paying for the swords either. Ate a quick lunch in the train station with Dan.

I got the train schedule to Nara and found that we have about 10 minutes to board the express train to Nara (which takes about 45 minutes) instead of the local train, which takes about 90 minutes. Called Dorit on the phone to send the girls down. We were able to board the train in time, which is a new record. The girls went from the room to the station's platform in 8 minutes. Impressive.

Took Dan, Shirley and Rena to Nara by an express commuter train. Shirley felt bad from the heat, so we had to turn back a few minutes after arriving to Nara train station. Maybe she felt worse because I did not have any water with me during the train ride.

Japan trip day 18: Kyoto (August 2nd, 2009)

Dorit wanted to visit a museum, so we decided to visit the Kyoto National museum and the nearby Sanjusangendo Hall.

We took the bus to the Sanjusangendo Hall. As usual, the day was hot and humid. The Sanjusangendo Hall has 1000 small Buddha statues and one huge Buddha statue in a long hall, and additional 28 guarding deities. The Sanjusangendo Hall was the site of archery competitions over the last few hundred years. We bought a two anti-headache charms in the temple's store for Dorit and Shirley.

After visiting the Sanjusangendo Hall, we crossed the street to the Kyoto National Museum. The main collection of the National Kyoto museum was closed for renovation, so we decided to skip it.

We took the bus to the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts (Fureaikan). We ate lunch in a small restaurant/cafe on the way to the crafts museum (cafe 68 if I am not mistaken). It served hamburgers, but they did not taste or look like American hamburgers.

Dan and I entered the exhibition hall of the Museum of Traditional Crafts, while Shirley and Rena made a few crafts, and Dorit stayed with them. Dan and I saw many amazing hand crafts, including carpentry and home altars. A short movie showed the process of building a traditional chest of drawers. This piece of furniture is so exact that pushing in the last drawer into the chest creates air pressure that pushes out the other drawers.

From the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts we walked to the Kyoyo Handicraft Center, which is a 7-stories building containing many shops selling Japanese crafts. I thought that the handicraft center closes at 6pm, so I rushed through the store. Fortunately, it closed at 7pm (summer hours). We bought many souvenirs there, including chopsticks, dolls, a glass plate, and a short ornamental sword. I decided to purchase only one sword because I did not know where we should place it. I though that we will hang the sword on the wall. Dan wanted me to buy a set of swords.

Japan trip day 17: Kyoto (August 1st, 2009)

I took Dan and Shirley to the Osaka Aquarium in the morning. Rena stayed with Dorit. We went straight to the Aquarium from Shin-Osaka station. The Aquarium was congested. We started at the top and we followed the spiral path downwards. I think that the most impressive display was the large central tank containing Pacific Ocean fish. It contained several schools of fish, including very large ones. There were a few large whale sharks, manta rays, flat Sunfish, and several large octapi.

On the way from the Aquarium to the subway station we stopped at a restaurant serving fluffy sweet ice with syrup. It was extremely tasty. It is much lighter than ice cream (no fat) and it melts quickly in your mouth. Yummi.

I asked Dorit to make reservations for us in a restaurant that serves Kobe beef. The concierge made the reservation at Itoh Dinning for us and supplied a detailed map. They also said that this restaurant may be congested on the weekend. It was not.

We could have never found the place on our own, because it is located at the end of a narrow alley the opens behind a gate on the street. As we walked on the street, a waiter asked us something. I ignored him until Shirley recognized the restaurant's name on a small sign besides the gate.

The meal was fabulous. We had 7 courses, including a clear fish soup, fried tofu, fruits over frozen champagne, and the beef. We had a fruits sherbet for dessert. We explained our dietary restrictions to the waiter, who talked to the chef. The waiter told us the ingredients of every course before he placed it in front of us. We had a small piece of beef (about 120g), but it was excellent. Kobe beef melts in your mouth after chewing it twice or three times. I never had this sensation with any other beef. The dinner was expensive: about ¥72,000 ($748) for 5 people including soft drinks, but well worth it.

Japan trip day 16: Kyoto (July 31st, 2009)

(Friday)

We visited Osaka in order to visit 3 places: the floating garden observatory, the Osaka aquarium, and Osaka's Doguya-suji arcade (to buy plastic food models). I bought a combined free-ride ticket and aquarium entrance ticket, which are especially cheap on Fridays.

We first went to the Floating Garden Observatory (or Umeda Sky Building). It was hot and humid on the way to the observatory. We went to the top observation deck, but Dan and Dorit stayed below in the air-conditioned observation gallery below. I took Shirley and Rena to the observation deck. The view was not special. This is a famous spot for young couples at night, but when we visited it it was almost empty. I do not know why it is called "floating garden", because there was no garden to be seen on the top of the building. The ascent through the glass elevator and the glass-walled escalator was nice.

I later found out that the basement of the floating garden observatory had many restaurants arranged in a replica of an old Japanese market street. We should have eaten lunch there. It was not mentioned in my Frommer's guide, but it was mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide.

We ate lunch in an Italian restaurant on the 7th floor of a nearby mall. We visited many restaurants until we found one with an English menu and no smoking guests. My pasta was mediocre. Dorit and Rena enjoyed their pizza.

We took the subway to Doguya-shji arcade in Minami. Dorit, Shirely and Rena stayed in the underground shopping arcade. Dan and I visited the kitchen supply stores. It was much smaller than Tokyo's Kappabashi-dori and more cramped. We did not find any plastic food models, but Dan found a store selling chopsticks (among other things). This shop had more than 100 different styles of chopsticks. Dan bought a few chopsticks for his friends, and I bought two boxes containing two sets of chopsticks each as gifts. I also bought very nice chopsticks for Dan. We bought enough chopstick rests for every chopstick pair.

When we came back to Dorit and the girls, Shirley did not feel well, so we returned to the hotel. The Shinkansen took about 20 minutes to cover the distance from Osaka to Kyoto.

Lessons learnt: do not buy a combination pass and an entrance ticket for an attraction unless you visit the attraction first. In our case, we did not visit the Osaka Aquarium that day, so the entrance ticket expired.

Japan trip day 15: Kyoto (July 30th, 2009)

(Thursday)

Took Dan to visit the Nijo-jo castle, which we missed two days earlier. We took the subway to the castle. We rented audio guides for the visit. We first visited the Ninomaru palace inside the castle. This palace and castle were built in 1603 as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. The palace has many large rooms and beautiful paintings on the walls and sliding doors. Some rooms contained life-size dolls that depicts scenes involving the Shogun: the Shogun accepting several vassal lords, and the Shogun in his living quarters. The palace has many nightingale floors, which squeak when you walk on them. They were intended to alert the guards for intruders. We then visited the beautiful garden around the palace and climbed up the castle tower.

On the way back from the castle I took Dan to a swords shop, were he bought 3 metal throwing starts as gifts for his friends.

When we returned to the Kyoto train station we bought underwear at the JR Isetan department store, which is located above the station. I asked the clerk to find me additional XL underwear (but not the expensive designer ones). It took him some time to find the extra pairs. I also bought a belt for myself, since I lost some weight in the trip.

After we completed the purchase, Dan and I visited the amphitheatre in the station.

In the evening we attended a show at Gion Corner. We arrived at the last minute, and we spent some time find the place because many street corners did not have English street signs.

The show at Gion corner included an abbreviated tea ceremony, a demonstration of Koto music (a 13-strings instrument), a short demonstration of flower arrangement, a demonstration of Gagaku (court music), a part of a Kyogen (comic play), Kyoto-style dance, and Bunraku (puppet play). All of the above fit into a one-hour show. After the show ended we participated in a tea ceremony with two instructors.

Japan trip day 14: Kyoto (July 29th, 2009)

(Wednesday)

We took the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. We had to change trains in Kobe, as recommended by the JR agent. She said that changing trains in Shin-Osaka is more difficult, because the Shin-Osaka station is much larger. We got seats only in a quiet car on the Shinkansen from Kobe to Hiroshima. A quiet car means that no talking is allowed, no announcements are made, and the person who sells food from a cart does not make any announcement. You have to watch the electronic message board carefully to know when to get off. There was no room for us in a regular reserved car. I was afraid that Rena will not be able to stand the enforced 90 minutes of silence, but she managed well with the help of the DVD player and earphones.

We got lost in the underground passages below the Hiroshima train station on our way to the tram. A uniformed employee showed us the way out to the tram. We took a tram to the A-bomb dome site.

We visited the A-bomb dome (the old industrial promotion hall) and took many pictures around it. We also visited a small statue that became rough from the radiation, except for the piece that was in the shade. Then we crossed the bridge to the Peace Memorial Park. We visited the Children's Peace Monument, which commemorates Sadako Sasaki, a 12-years old girl who was exposed to atomic radiation when she was two years old. She fell ill with radiation-related leukemia ten years later. She believed that if she will fold 1,000 paper swans she will be cured. Despite her effort, she died after an 8-month struggle. We also visited the peace clock tower.

Dorit and Shirley stayed in the tourist information center because of the heat. I took Dan and Rena to the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. It has many exhibits showing the experience of the bomb survivors. From there I took Dan and Rena to the Peace Memorial Museum. After a few minutes Rena said that she has a stomach ache, so I told Dan to complete his visit in the museum in one hour, and I returned with Rena to the tourist information center. Dorit used this opportunity to visit National Peace Memorial Hall and the Peace Memorial Museum by herself. When Dan came back, I took Shirley to visit the Peace Memorial Museum. It had several exhibits showing the role of Hiroshima in the military buildup before and during the second world war. It explained the politics behind the bombing, and the restoration efforts afterwards. A large section of the museum was dedicated to the horrors of the A-bomb itself. It showed pictures of wounded and burnt people, as well as full-size diorama with wax figures of atomic bomb victims. Shirley did not like the detailed models and pictures.

We left the museum when it closed, and then we took the tram back to the Hiroshima train station. The girls bought something to eat while I got the seat reservations. We arrived in time to board the Shinkasen to Osaka. In Osaka we switched trains to Kyoto. We bought two boxes of Osaka sand pies, which were not tasty at all.

Japan trip day 13: Kyoto (July 28th, 2009)

(Tuesday)

We had a traditional Japanese breakfast in the hotel. The breakfast included many small portions in multiple ceramic bowls. It included several fish, pickled vegetables, soup, dried sardines, and grapefruit and spinach drink. I liked the drink, but Shirley abhorred it. The dried sardine was almost too much for me.

Dorit and I decided to extend our stay in Kyoto until the end of the trip instead of moving to Osaka on Friday. We felt that it will be easier for Rena to stay longer in the same hotel instead of moving. The hotel was able to extend our stay in the room by 3 days, but then we had to move to two adjacent (not connected rooms) for the last two days of our stay.

We decided to miss the scheduled guided tour in the Kyoto imperial palace because one of the guide books said that visiting Nijo-jo is more interesting, and you can set the pace yourself. We took the bus to Nijo-jo castle. When we arrived the castle was closed. I missed that small print in the guide book that mentioned that it is closed on Tuesdays. Too bad.

We decided to visit the Kyoto International Manga Museum (IMM) instead. While we were planning to leave Nijo-jo, I noticed an elderly person who tried to get his picture with the castle background while holding the picture in front of him. I asked Dan to help this person. We started talking, and he volunteered to show us the way to IMM. He told me that he is 60 years old, and he recently retired from the Kyoto University, where he worked as an accountant since he graduated from school. He also told me that he did not speak English at all since he graduated from school. His English was pretty good for a person who did not speak the language for more than 30 years. He also said that he has 3 children. When we arrived to IMM I gave him a postcard as a token of appreciation.

We bought one-day passes for the museum, and then we looked for a place to eat lunch. The museum did not have a cafeteria, so we got out and looked for a restaurant in the basements of the nearby buildings around the intersection. We had no luck. We then walked along a main street, and then we followed a narrow street into a dense neighborhood of garages and small shops. We eventually found a restaurant that served us lunch around a low table.

We returned to the manga museum, and we spent the next few hours there. Dan, Shirley, and I chose a few manga volumes and read them in the courtyard. Dorit could not find suitable manga books for Rena, so she took her to other parts of the museum. We left the museum close to 6 pm.

Japan trip day 12: Kyoto (July 27th, 2009)

(Monday)

We had a private visit of the Kamigamo shrine in the morning. It was arranged by the hotel. We got a detailed schedule, including arriving at the lobby at 7:10am, getting the taxi at 7:15am, meeting the priest at 7:50am, and starting the ceremony at 8:00am. When we arrived at the lobby the person took us to the waiting taxis. Everything occurred on schedule or slightly ahead of schedule.

The priest met us when we left the taxi. We were the only guests at the morning ceremony. The priest spoke very good English. He wrote down our names, then gave us white ribbons to place around our necks. He wrote something in Japanese on these ribbons. After that we washed our hands for purification. Dorit also washed her mouth, since she was the only one who mentioned it to the priest. We walked to the main shrine and watched the morning ceremony. The main part of the ceremony is the presentation of food to the deity in the main and backup locations, and then the removal of the food.

The priest explained the history of the deity which is enshrined there, the history of the shrine, and the festivals that are associated with the deity. Interestingly, the shrine undergoes renovation every 21 years. The shrine collects donations between the renovations to finance the next renovation. They have to completely replace the roof of the shrine, which is made of hollyhock.

We took the bus back to the hotel. Since Rena complained that she is bleeding when she urinates and a lot of discomfort, Dorit wanted to take Rena to a pediatrician. We went to the concierge desk and asked for their help. The concierge staff, Mr. Kawabata and Ms. Yamamoto, recommended that we see a pediatrician at the Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital. They spoke to a nurse at the hospital and then arranged for us to speak with the pediatrician before we even left the hotel. They also signed us up in the hospital and arranged a taxi to take us to the hospital. In addition, Mr. Kawabata explained the situation to the taxi driver, who in turn explained it to the reception person at the hospital. We did not expect the taxi driver talk to the person at the hospital.

The person at the entrance to the hospital spoke some English. He explained that we have to obtain a patient card for Rena before she gets any treatment. He spoke to the clerks everywhere and ensured that we did not wait in any line. He then brought us to the waiting room of the pediatric department and spoke to the nurse. The nurse apologized that we have to wait about an hour, because Monday is the busiest day of the week. We sat on the bench among many other mothers and sick children. After about 80 minutes we entered the pediatrician's office. He spoke better English. He said that it is rare to have bleeding from the vagina, but it is more likely to be the result of a bladder infection. He used a portable ultrasound device to look at Rena's bladder. He then wanted to send a sample of Rena's urine to the laboratory. It took Rena some time until she was able to urinate. We gave the sample to the nurse, who took it to the lab. In the meanwhile we bought soft drinks and snacks at a counter close to the waiting room. The results came back from the lab after about an hour, and we spoke to the pediatrician again. He said that the results do not show any active infection, so he believed that the infection was already abating. He gave Rena a prescription for antibiotic powder and a pain medicine, also in powder.

The nurse showed us the way to the front office, where I paid for the doctor visit. The person who helped us enter the hospital now took us to the nearest pharmacy, where they filled the prescription. When I asked them for Glucose tablets, they could not answer in English. After some discussion in Japanese they gave me about 20 packets of Glucose tablets free of charge.

The cost of the doctor visit and the medicine where amazingly low considering that we did not have any Japanese health insurance. We paid ¥7,450 (about $75) for the doctor visit and the lab, and we paid ¥5,250 (about $52) for the medicines. I suppose that national health care can be cost-effective and high quality as shown in this example. You just have to wait in large waiting rooms with many other patients.

Dorit and I were very impressed by the willingness of the Japanese we encountered during this ordeal to help us. Every person who helped us along the way handed us over to the next person and ensured that we were not stranded along the way. This was a chain which started with the concierge staff, the taxi driver, the person at the entrance to the hospital, the pediatrician's nurse, and the person at the entrance to the hospital again. They really help tourists.

After we returned to the USA I wrote a letter to the general manager of the Granvia Hotel and commended the concierge staff.

Japan trip day 11: Kyoto (July 26th, 2009)

(Sunday)

Bought a day pass for buses at the bus station in front of the train station. Took the bus to Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion). We ate a small snack when we got off the bus because it was noon time. The coffee shop was filled with smoke, which forced us to stay there for a short time. Walked to the Kinkakuji temple. Walked along the recommended path and took many pictures of the Golden Pavilion and the surrounding lake. The lake is the home for many large gold fish. Stayed in the gift shop at the end of the path mainly because it had good air conditioning. Bought a few gifts there. On the way out found a big sign in Japanese which ended with "Thank you very much" in English. I suppose that the rest of the sign was lost in translation. Bought more cold drinks and ice cream along the way out.

Walked from Kinkakuji to the Ryoanji temple. Frommer's Japan guidebook claimed that it is a 20-minute walk. I think that is is much closer to 50 minutes. Stopped on the way in a gallery that sells Japanese block prints.

When we arrived at the Ryoanji Temple, we looked for a place to eat lunch before visiting the Zen rock garden, because it was already late (about 4pm). We found another sign that raised our eyebrows, which warned against "walking smoking" and asked to place the cigarettes in the nearby ashtray.

Bought tickets to the Ryoanji Temple, but walked along the rim of the pond to the Ryoanji Yudofuya restaurant, which serves vegetarian yudofu (tofu simmering in a pot). We sat on mats and the food was placed on low tables. From the restaurant we walked back to the Zen rock garden. The rock garden was a big disappointment. It contained 15 rocks set in waves of raked white pebbles. Rena made a picture of it, but everybody else in the family was bored.

After the Zen garden we took a bus to the hotel. This was a JR bus (a long distance bus), so I presented our JR passes when we got off.

Japan trip day 10: Kyoto (July 25th, 2009)

(Saturday)

Packed and checked out. Took two taxis to Tokyo train station. Took Shinkansen to Kyoto. The train stopped exactly at the spot marked on the platform. Placed our luggage on the top rack in the car. I later learned that you can store your luggage behind the last seat in every car.

The Hotel Granvia Kyoto is built on top of the station. When we arrived to Kyoto train station, I asked for directions from a uniformed person, who showed me the entrance to the hotel. The hotel employee at the entrance placed our luggage on a cart and showed us the way to the lobby.

We got a family room, which had 5 beds and one large bathroom with two sinks. The room had silk bathrobes and disposable slippers, which Shirley used every night.

After settling in, I explored the station with Shirley. We found the Kinetsu mall below the station. Shirley bought a shirt at Uniqlo, which is the Japanese equivalent of Gap. The prices there were very reasonable, even compared to the US. A cotton T-short was about ¥2,000. We also found convenience stores and a small high-end supermarket (Harves). Unfortunately, the Harves supermarket did not carry chocolate milk or disposable utensils, which we had to buy at Family Mart. We bought freshly-baked bread in a bakery on the main level of the station.

Japan trip day 9: Tokyo (July 24th, 2009)

(Friday)

Made train reservations for the trip to Kyoto. Bought a memory card for the digital camera and a power supply for Nintendo DS at BIC Camera. Dan went back to the hotel. At lunch at a Japanese fast food restaurant. I had to buy a ticket describing the meal from a vending machine, then sat around a counter. I gave the ticket to the waiter who was standing behind the counter. The food arrived in a sizzling hot pan. The food kept cooking in the pan while we were eating. It was pretty good. Then went to Shibuya 109 store with Shirley and Rena. Shirley was looking for clothes for her, and Rena was frustrated that she could not buy anything for herself.

I took Shirley to see a Kabuki play at the Kabukiza theatre. We arrived a few minutes before the show started (at 4pm). There were no tickets to the current show. We were asked to wait until 6:30pm for the next show. Shirley did not want to wait, so we took the subway to Kappabashi-dori, which is Japan's largest wholesale area for cookware and restaurant supplies. I wanted to buy a few realistic plastic food models. Shirley suffered from the heat, so we entered the first shop with air conditioning that carried a large selection of plastic foods. We bought a bunch of bananas, an orange, an apple, corn on the cob, and two doughnuts. Everything looked realistic.

Bought cold drinks from a vending machine on the way back to the hotel. The machine had sample green tea bottle on display. It said that it has 12 different harbs and 4 different tea leaves. I could not stop chuckling.

Japan trip day 8: Tokyo (July 23rd, 2009)

(Thursday)

Got the JR passes from the information booth at Shibuya station. The process of issuing the passes was long, mainly because Shirley's first name was misspelled in the voucher. It took about 45 minutes to issue all 5 vouchers.

Bought a watch for Dorit at Loft (Saibu's department store annex).

Took the JR Chuo line from Shinjuku to Mitaka. Walked to the Ghibli Museum from the train station. We should have taken the community bus to avoid walking in the heat. When we arrived, Dorit and the kids were hungry and thirsty, so we waited until we could sit at the restaurant. We sat under a large tent waiting for our turn. The restaurant provided ashtrays that looked like Porco Rosso. The restaurant served OK but expensive food. However, they were extremely polite. They even provided a chair for me to place my backpack on. After lunch we visited the exhibits. The museum is rather small, so I could go through it quickly. We saw a movie in the theatre, but it was in Japanese, and it did not explain anything about the studio or Hayao Miyazaki. Rena spent some time jumping up and down on a large cat bus from Totoro. We bought a few souvenirs at the gift shop. Shirely and Dorit waited inside the museum while Dan, Rena, and I walked around the museum and visited the large Castle-in-the-Sky robot statue on the roof. We then took the bus back to the train station, and then we took the Chuo line train back to Tokyo.

Japan trip day 7: Tokyo (July 22nd, 2009)

(Wednesday)

Bought Hakone free passes and boarded the Odakyu Romancecar express train from Shinjuko. When we arrived at Hakone-Yumoto, we first ate a snack at the train station. Then we went outside the station to the tourist information center to get a detailed timetable and map. Then we took the Hakone Tozan train from Hakone to Gora. This was a slow train, and it waited for the train on the other direction to pass before proceeding. From Gora we took the cablecar train to Sounzan.

From Sounzan we took a ropeway to Owakudani. The clouds were very low, so the gondola rode through the cloud in a strong wind. Visibility was extremely low. We could barely see the gondolas passing in the opposite direction when they were close. We could only see the cables carrying the gondola and nothing more.

The highest point of the ropeway, Owakudani, was inside the cloud. We ate lunch in the sky restaurant in Owakudani station building. Then I took Dan and Shirley outside the station building in order to walk along the nature trail and cook eggs in the hot water spring. Once we exited the station building, we walked inside a thick cloud. Visibility was limited to a few yards. Somebody in a convenience store showed us a sign to the nature trail. We followed the signs downhill until visibility improved. After 30 minutes of hiking down the trail we did not reach any destination, so we decided to backtrack. We walked up the steps to the station building. We probably did not walk along the correct path after all. Dan filmed a cloud spilling over a valley and filling it completely within 10 seconds.

From Owakudani we took the ropeway to Togendai. I planned to take the boat across Lake Ashi from Togendai, but the boat ride was cancelled due to the weather. We then took a bus back to Hakone-Yamato station. I could not get seats on the express train back to Tokyo, so I got tickets to a slower train. This train took more than two hours to reach Shinjuku station in Tokyo. Most other passengers used the long train ride to eat their dinner.

Japan trip day 6: Tokyo (July 21st, 2009)

(Tuesday)

Watched the department store opening ritual at 10am in the Q-Tokyu department store: all employees bow to the customers. Bought a belt and hankerchiefs for Dan at Q-Tokyu. Visited the Loft (Saibu Annex) store. Saw a watch that Dorit liked. Ate lunch in a small restaurant in the Shibuya 109 store (a fashion store for young women).

It was raining constantly. Everybody placed their wet umbrellas in thin plastic bags before entering stores, and threw away those bags on exit. This is a terrible waste of resources!

Watched the English version of the 6th Harry Potter movie in Shibuya.

Japan trip day 5: Tokyo (July 20th, 2009)

(Monday)

We took the Tobu line's Limited Express train to Nikko from Asakusa station. I bought a day pass for bus. We got off the bus to get money at the local post office. We ate lunch in a small restaurant owned by two elderly women. The walls and ceiling of the restaurant were covered with business cards and thank-you notes of past patrons. We had Yakitori (pieces of chicken on wooden skewers), which were very tasty. We then walked to the Toshogu Shrine.

At first we visited the Rinnoji Temple, and we joined a guided tour of a Japanese group. We could not go past them. We then asked directions to the Toshogu Shrine. By the time we reached the shrine both Rena and Shirley were exhausted. Dan did not want to climb the steps to the shrine, so I went up to see the shrine and take some pictures.

We walked downhill from the Toshogu Shrine to the bus station among tall trees. Then we took the bus to the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa. It is a large structure with many rooms and interior gardens, but devoid of furniture. The floors were covered with mats. We then walked around the villa's garden. The villa has wooden shutters, which are installed at night or inclement weather.

We took the bus back to the train station. There was no room in the express train, so I got tickets for a regular train. We bought some food for the train ride back to Tokyo.

Japan trip day 4: Tokyo (July 19th, 2009)

(Sunday)

Went to Starbucks across from Shibuya crossing (Hachiko exit), which is considered the busiest intersection in the world. Ate sandwiches with English explanation of the content. The intersection did not seem to be so busy.

Took Dan, Shirley and Rena to Meiji Jinju shrine. When we arrived to the shrine entrance, Rena complained about a foot pain. Returned to the hotel with her. Then took only Dan and Shirley to the Meiji Jinju shrine. Only the entrance gate to the shrine was impressive. The rest of the shrine was not very special. From the shrine we went to Harajuku for people watching. I wanted to see the famous cos-play girls. We saw only few of those, but we saw many other young people with fashionable cloths. Went back to the subway station in the narrow streets lined with clothing stores. Shirley fell bad because of the heat, so we entered a 7-eleven store to stay cool.

From the Shibuya station we went to the Vegan Healing Cafe. It is a very small restaurant with a single waiter, who is also the cook and the cashier. The food was good. Shirley fell so bad when we left that I called a taxi to take us back to the hotel (about 20 minutes of walk time).

Later Dan and I visited a few music stores (HMV), a manga store, and tower records book store.

In the evening we had a typical "lost in translation" situation in the 7-Eleven convenience store in the hotel. Rena wanted me to buy her a big fan which did not have a price tag. The store manger refused to ring it, and he started explaining in broken while waving his hands. I could not understand the problem. He then said in perfect English: "Do you speak Japanese?". I said no, and he continued in fluent Japanese. Fortunately, Dan somehow understood his intent. It appeared that the fan is the prize for a raffle for Pokemon products, and you cannot buy it. Since I bought one Pokemon product, I was allowed to participate in the raffle. I did not win this raffle, but then I was asked to pick cards for a different raffle (for buying at 7-Eleven). I won two bottles of bear and one bottle of vodka for buying a few trinkets for Rena.