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.

Haneda Airport

Naturally we took a few hours to check out Haneda Airport, Tokyo's smaller, mostly domestic airport. Amazingly, there is an observation deck on all three terminals that basically covers most of the roof. The decks are well outfitted with benches, snack bars, telescopes, and holes in the fences to stick a camera lens through! I can't imagine any other place that is so friendly for photographers. Another highlight was watching a couple groups of elementary school kids on a field trip eat their lunch. They all had mats that they unfolded and sat on, took off their shoes,and ate with chop sticks out of their bento boxes! All completely well-mannered and civilized.

More Christmas

We're flying back today, so not a lot of posting will happen. We'll post some more shots a little later.

Japan's Trains Aren't Always On Time

We assumed a little too much today that Japanese trains are always on time, rivaling the Germans (the average delay of the Shinkansen last year was 26 seconds!). We traveled from Kyoto to Toyota to get a factory tour and had to be there by 10:30 a.m.--our itinerary got us there by 10:00 a.m. 

Problem 1
It had snowed overnight and was snowing when we boarded the Shinkansen.  When it snows, the trains go slower. We were over 20 minutes late getting into Nagoya, our first transfer station.

Problem 2
Our second train was 10 minutes late which was good in a way because that allowed us to make our connection.  It was bad because we were supposed to take a Rapid Line but found out an hour later we had gotten on the local line and it took over 30 minutes extra for this leg.  This was Japan Railways fault because the platform sign said it was a rapid. 

Problem 3
It was past 10:00 a.m. by the time we got to the point of our last train transfer. We had our suitcases still because we had planned to store them in Nagoya but the delay on the Shinkansen didn't give us time to do that. So we had another 30 minute train segment and then a 25 minute walk, getting us there around 11 which is too late. 

We took a cab, which we NEVER do, but made it by 10:45 to the plant for the tour. It cost $75 but we didn't lose our planned day. Even when we showed up late to the tour (which left at 11 thank goodness), we were greeted by three gracious hostesses who took our bags, told us where to store our other items, and smiled the whole time.  The Japanese are so gracious and pleasant--it's a real treat. 

Toyota Trumpet-Playing Robot

Watch "Toyota Robot Playing Christmas Songs" on YouTube

It's pretty cool! The robot has artificial lungs and plays a real trumpet. Sounds pretty good!

This was seen at the Toyota Museum in Toyota, Japan

Nagoya

Very cool architecture in Nagoya. We saw this building from the train on the way in and headed over to check it out.

Nagoya

We had an hour and a half between trains in Nagoya. Not enough time to do much except roam the area close to the station. Especially since it was REALLY cold!

Toyopet Crown

Modern Toyota's first car, the Toyopet Crown, at the entrance to the Toyota Museum at Toyota Kaikan. As you can see, Christmas is HUGE in Japan, albeit without any Christian association.

Toyota Kaikan

After a series of late trains, and thus missed connections, put a huge wrench into our factory tour plans at Toyota, we almost didn't make it, and it definitely didn't go as planned. We arrived just in time as the tour was about to leave.

Snow!

We left the hotel this morning in Kyoto and walked to the train station under falling snow. It got heavier as we got into the countryside, and soon there was a good thick blanket around. This was the best photo I could manage through a wet train window, but it was beautiful.

Kyoto Departure

Our Shinkansen train pulls into Kyoto station for our ride to Nagoya. It was about 20 minutes late, presumably due to snow.

Geishas

Getting in a cab on Ponto-chō in Kyoto on their way to a performance.

Katsura River

Another panoramic, this one of the Katsura River in Arashiyama, on the west side of Kyoto.

To-ji Temple

Since discovering the panoramic mode on our phones, we've been going a little nuts with it. The pano does a bit over 180 degrees. Here's To-ji Temple again.

Kamo River

The Kamo River runs through the center of Kyoto.

To-ji Temple

Like most large temples, this one has a Japanese garden with koi.

To-ji Temple

The main attraction at To-ji Temple is the five-story pagoda which, at 187' tall, is Japan's tallest. You can walk around it, though you can't go inside or up it.

To-ji Temple

Just barely visible in this photo of Kondo Hall at To-ji Temple is the light snow that we had for a few minutes on Sunday afternoon in Kyoto. It didn't stick to the ground (the light ground is gravel, not snow) and Devin, on the subway somewhere, missed it. I wish it would have left a little on the ground for some interesting photos.

Bamboo Forest

Arashimaya's famous and wonderful bamboo forest. Paved paths wind through the bamboo.

Arashiyama

We discovered that Arashiyama has its own streetcar, using a variety of modern and antique equipment. Too bad we didn't have a chance to ride.

Arashiyama

Sunday morning we took the local JR Rail train out to Arashiyam in western Kyoto, for a tour around this beautiful area, including the amazing bamboo forest.

The Great Buddha

Massive bronze statue, one of the world's largest. In Nara, housed inside the largest wooden structure in the world.

Nara Park

Stone lanterns lead up to a shrine at the top of Nara Park. People used to donate the lanterns to the temple, so now there are thousands of them. They became too expensive, so now people make a donation and a paper in their name is used to cover the lantern holes when lit.

Nara Park

This lady just threw the cakes on the ground after being aggressively prodded by a half dozen deer. It was actually quite amusing to watch. And shows why the park cuts the bucks' antlers off!

What hantavirus?!

One of the most popular things to do in Nara Park is to feed the deer. You buy a little bundle of deer crackers for 150 yen and the deer coming tearing over. They are fairly domesticated and tolerate the pulling and poking of children. But they are pretty aggressive about getting food. When we had the crackers in our hands, they were gnawing at my sweatshirt and ate the entry ticket right out of Devin's pocket! None of Flash's commands seemed to work with them. Maybe I should have learned "go to place!" in Japanese.

Todai-ji

Todai-ji in Nara Park, about an hour south of Kyoto, was our first afternoon stop in Nara. The Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden structure in the world. It is really impressive. Check out the people on the steps for an idea of its size. It is even slightly smaller than the original, which like so many other temples and shrines around Japan, was destroyed by fire, sometimes several times over the centuries. Inside the building is a massive statue of Buddha.

Lunch Stop

This restaurant is located across the street from our hotel. We laughed when we first saw it because it looks completely out of place. Its classical Greek architecture is very different from everything around it. So imagine our surprise when our tour bus pulled up in front to stop here for lunch! Traditional Japanese fare, I suppose...fried pork and cabbage, chicken boiled in broth at the table, fried tofu, and assorted pickled and jellied side dishes.

Kinkajou-ji

Our final tour stop in Kyoto was the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. By now it was pouring rain so we made our tour brief. The gardens here are beautiful though, and warrant more time on a nice spring day. This building was constructed in 1955, a copy of the 1397 original, which was burned down by an arsonist in 1950. There is some question as to whether the original was so completely covered in gold, but it sure looks impressive today!

Nijo Castle

Our second stop on Saturday's tour, the Nijo Castle was a palace used by some of Japan's Shogun rulers from 1626 to 1867, when power was returned to the Imperial family. Various components of the palace compound have been destroyed, usually by fire, and replaced over the centuries. We had to remove our shoes here too, which is a custom in any Japanese home anyway.

The rooms inside the palace are totally sparse. The floors are covered with tatami mats and the interior walls have murals. But there isn't a speck of furniture. People sat on the mats on the floor, ate off of small tables set in front of them, and slept on mattresses and bedding kept hidden away behind the walls during the day. Quite a contrast from Versailles!

Nishi Honganji Temple

Exterior view of the main hall building.

Nishinomiya Honganji Temple

Buddhist temple formed in 1591 and the first stop on Saturday's guided tour. We had to remove our shoes to go into the temple. Wish I'd known that in advance, I would have worn a less tatty pair of socks!

Asakusa Skyline

While the Sensoji temple and the more interesting parts of Tokyo's Asakusa district are found on the west side of the Sumida River, the east side holds more recent commercial development, including the Tokyo Skytree and the Asahi beer headquarters.

The Skytree is the new digital communications tower, replacing the analog communications in the Tokyo Tower (Eiffel lookalike). It is also a major commercial enterprise with advertising everywhere and tickets to the top nearly $50! We skipped it.

The Asahi headquarters building is the black one, supposedly shaped like a beer glass, with the very large gold sculpture on top. That sculpture is usually referred to as a thing or object, but it informally has some other unparliamentary nicknames.

Nakamise

This shopping street in Asakusa leads to the Sensoji temple (background). It is absolutely packed with people and shops selling tourist trinkets and tchotchkes. It is also good territory for pickpockets, so we made our visit brief.

Sensoji Temple

Ceiling detail of the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.

Sensoji Temple

Another photo from Tokyo, this is the main hall of the Sensoji Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. The original temple was built in 645 AD, but almost everything here has been rebuilt since WWII.

Follow the Loofah

We took an organized tour today of Kyoto and Nara. Kyoto is known for the many hundreds (thousands?) of shrines, both Shinto and Buddhist. We saw three including the Shōgun's old palace. We then visited Nara where we were pleasantly surprised by the world's biggest wooden building, the Hall of Great Buddah, which included a huge statue of the Buddah (pics to come). 

Our tour guide was this cute lady who was very knowledgeable about the places we visited. Instead of holding up a flag like all other normal tour guides, she held up a loofah on the end of an antenna.

Mount Fuji

We really lucked out with the weather, as Fuji can often be obscured by clouds. We were treated to this great view from the ropeway and from Owakudani..

Egg Boiling

A worker at Owakudani checks the status of his black eggs. There aren't strong enough words to express how foul this place smelled. It was pretty unbearable. Because of the poisonous gases, they warn you not to stay for too long, but that can't be a problem for very many.

Owakudani

Steam seeps out of the ground all over these mountains. The area below these hills is called The Great Boiling Valley.

Owakudani

In spite of the warnings, we proceeded ahead to the hot springs.

Lake Ashi Pirate Ship

We decided that this was too kitschy even for us, so we didn't do it. But basically these "pirate boats" cruise around Lake Ashi and stop at several different towns along the way, from which people can do more tourist activities. We just got back on the Ropeway and headed up to the hot springs.

Hakone Ropeway

Awesome views from this cable car that took us over the mountain and down to Lake Ashi. Spectacular view of Mount Fuji from up here.

Hakone-Tozan Cable Car

This funicular took us from the top of the mountain railway to the bottom of the Hakone Ropeway.

Hakone-Tozan Railway

Devin boards a vintage car on the Hakone-Tozan Railway, a narrow-gauge mountain railway with three switchbacks where the driver switches to the other end and continues. Lots of tunnels, and bridges, and beautiful mountain scenery. The mountainsides are covered in cedar trees and Japanese maples, which are now vibrant yellows and reds.