Boeing 787

Interior of the 787. Devin is on the left, second row up in the bright blue shirt.

Final Meal

I (Devin) really like udon noodles. They made a fitting final meal in Japan. 

Do Not...

+ No bikes
+ Do not kick Scottish Terriers
+ Do not knock cans over with wadded up balls of paper
+ Do not try to throw baseballs or soccer balls into roller blades OR do not guess which ball will fit into the roller blades.

Akihabara

This is night is Akihabar, aka "Electronics Town." Lots of arcades, young folks, and anime and toy shops. Ginza and Roppongi are better known names, but this is always what I thought of when I imagined what Tokyo would be like. A great place to spend an afternoon watching the action and browsing the stores.

Some random highlights of the trip:

+ Hakone-Tozan Railway: definitely want to do this again in spring when all the hydrangeas are in bloom, but this was great for fall color
+ Owakudani: the steaming mountainside smelled horrible but was amazing all the same. The views of Mt. Fuji from here were magnificent and the roasted sweet potatoes for lunch hit the spot!
+ Nara Park (Great Buddha Hall, stone lanterns, and feeding the reindeer)
+ Tokyo Bike Tour: fast paced, but an excellent way to see Tokyo and get oriented
+ Arishiyama, Kyoto: Really beautiful part of the city: shrines, gardens, teahouses, lakes, and the river; along with lots of shops and galleries. And a great little streetcar that we didn't have a chance to ride.
+ Lodging in Tokyo: An AirBnB apartment in Harajuku the first nights was perfect, with a free portable wi-fi device and helpful host. The Hotel Solaria on our return to Tokyo was an elegant hotel right in the heart of Ginza. More than we typically pay, but a nice splurge at the end of the trip.
+ The 787 and excellent service from Japan Airlines. Highly recommended!
+ Cleanliness: Japan is a very clean country...almost no litter; little graffiti; trains, houses, and hotels are all spotless.
+Tokyo Municipal Building: two different 45th floor observation decks, totally free, with great views of the Tokyo area. Not as high as the Skytree, but a much better location and you save about $50.
+ Haneda Airport observation decks: every terminal has an observation deck that covers the whole roof complete with cafes and shops. On par with Frankfurt's observation deck. Frankfurt has a much wider variety of airlines and aircraft, but is much farther from the city, charges admission, and has more limited hours.
+ Udon and ramen noodle shops. Inexpensive, fun, and delicious!
+ Mt. Fuji views: we sure lucked out with clear skies for some beautiful views of Mt. Fuji. Especially from Mt. Hakone, but even from Tokyo.
+ Politeness, courtesy, and helpfulness of the Japanese people

A few things that we won't miss or don't need to do again:

 - Weather: Tokyo was very nice (except our first morning when it poured rain), mostly in the 50s. But Kyoto and Nagoya were freezing (for us), in the 20s and 30s. (Though I prefer that any day to the muggy triple digits that it is in the summer.)
 - Sumida River cruise: pretty overrated by guidebooks. Views aren't that great from the river and the tour announcements were inaudible. Glad we did it once; don't need to do it again.
 - Asakusa: very touristy part of Tokyo. The shrine is impressive, but no more so than several in Kyoto. This area is overcrowded and where Devin almost got pick-pocketed.
 - Late trains: Japanese trains are notorious for running on-time to the second, but an earthquake and snow caused 3 of our 4 Shinkansen trains to be 20-30 minutes late. Not usually a problem, except the one time we missed a series of connections that wound up with a $75 cab ride.
 - Togendai: this terminal of the Hakone Ropeway isn't much more than a transfer point to the pirate ships at the edge of Lake Ashino. It's pretty, but unless you're actually going to take the pirate ship, your time and yen are better spent at Owakudani, the hot springs and the middle stop on the Hakone Ropeway.

Japanese Maples

We walked around the area near our hotel and Tokyo Station the morning before departure. This park near the Imperial Palace has amazing fall colors on the Japanese maple trees. This may be my new computer desktop!

Bike Parking

In Japanese cities, finding a place to park your bike can be as difficult as finding a place to park your car. There are signs everywhere prohibiting bicycle parking, and near train stations and other busy places there are pay lots for bikes. On oir bike tour, we parked our bikes for about five minutes outside Roppongi Hills and came back to parking violaton warnings attached. This picture is a pay bike lot next to the train station in Okazaki (our train transfer point between Toyota City and Nagoya).

Ginza Street

Tokyo's famed shopping street with big Japanese department stores and all the usual French jewelers and fashion companies (Givenchy, etc.) and American retailers (Gap, etc.). And now all lit up for Christmas.