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.