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Last day Tokyo/Homeward Bound

All the elevators in Tokyo have a female voice calling out the floors and when the door opens. She sounds just like Minnie Mouse and it sounds like she is calling Mickie. It's hysterical. We had to buy a new suitcase today because ours broke. In fact they both broke but one is hopefully going to make it home.

We went to the major shrine area today and it was fabulous. Lots of interesting things and people. So much to see and discover. We loved it and didn't want to leave. But it was finally time so we found our way to the Narita Express which took some doing navigating that humongous station. We got to this fabulous airport with time to shop and walk about nine miles to the gate. I sure got my steps in for today. We are about to depart.

This was a long trip covering many thousands of miles and several distinct cultures and sub cultures with loads of interesting things to see and do. I think my favorite was Japan. I would have liked to spend more time in Kyoto and I would have loved to stay in a riokan but Jerry was afraid he wouldn't be able to get up off the floor (that's where the beds are ). Oh well, maybe next time.

We are home now and have just completed one entire circumnavigation of the globe! We are so proud that we took everything in stride and didn't kill each other in the process. It was something we have always wanted to do and we've done it!

I will start posting photos shortly.

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Tokyo

So we went out to get our tickets for the airport express train and Jerry got us lost in the Tokyo Station, which is bigger than the Kyoto station. My directional skills got us out. We went to dinner which wound up being a Thai meal. Oh well, rice is rice.

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Back to Tokyo

Did I get a surprise when I sat down on the toilet this morning. It was hot and I jumped ten feet into the air. I guess that is what they do when it gets cold here and cold it certainly is. Anyway, we had a lovely day in Kyoto visit an ancient shrine and temple. There are loads of them here, but as Jerry says, you look at the outside and take pictures, then you take your shoes off and go inside and you can't take pictures so you go outside and put your shoes back on.

We returned to Tokyo just a few minutes ago. It is all lit up and there is Christmas music everywhere as well as people coughing and sneezing all over you. I think that is why they wear the masks. Tomorrow is our last day and we are going to a Shinto shrine that is very famous and where the surrounding area is like ancient Japan. It sounds very interesting. Anyway, we are really sick of malls even though the stuff in them is beautiful. We continue to interact with people and are loving it. We did,however, get lost in the Kyoto train station. It is massive and much bigger than any airport. The train system is phenomenal.

We have a cute room right near the Tokyo Station which is in a cute little neighborhood all decorated for the holidays and loads of people running around. In are room are the usual little gifts and amenities such as the cute little pajamas and slippers and little bags filled with cosmetics for the ladies. This certainly seems to be a prosperous society. Everyone is running around with packages. I do notice that many of the women seem to have osteoporosis. Maybe it's because when they were young children during the war they didn't have enough to eat. Everything went to armaments so I think people lacked the proper nourishment. Many people are bow legged and pigeon toed as well. It's really strange. Some of the teenagers are very tall but most people are quite little. And they all eat like horses. I don't get it. They order bowls of food that look like horse troughs and finish every bit. Yet they are so little. Am I missing something here? Well, we are about to take our evening walk in the freezing cold and get our usual Japanese bowl of soup with who knows what in it. If we both don't get pneumonia it will be a miracle!

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Kyoto

After a really neat ride on the superfast Shinkansen Bullet Train we arrived at the beautiful new Kyoto Central Rail Station. We dumped our bag, got some lunch and started our lightning fast Kyoto sightseeing. We walked around to familiarize ourselves with the area around the hotel and then decided to do the hop on hop off bus. Big mistake. It had no roof and we literally froze our asses off. We had three layers including our warm jackets and that wasn't even close. We were huddled against each other and couldn't wait to get off. I could hardly pay attention. We got hot tea as quick as possible and then did a really cool thing. We went on a night walking tour of the Gion District which is the home of the Geisha. It was just fabulous and we even got to see a few real live Geisha going about their business. What a wonderful treat. The guide was wonderful and she spoke fluent English so we didn't have any trouble understanding her. It was so interesting seeing this sub culture up close and personal after reading about it for years. And we were quite lucky to actually see several of them close up and they did not mind having their photos taken. I was so thrilled. After the tour we had our usual authentic Japanese dinner of soup with noodles and shrimp. We went to a tiny local place where they treated us like family. Our waitress thought she was our mother. After she gave us the loaded plates and bowls she ordered us to dunk the shrimp into the soup and then eat it. She kept coming over to see if we were doing it right. Then she brought us forks. It was so funny.

We decided to take the Metro back to the hotel and wound up somewhere in the suburbs but found our way back with the help of a Metro employee. We will be here one more day and hope to see some more sights before boarding the Sinkansen for the trip back to Tokyo where we will have one more day. I think we are finally getting tired and my eyes are beginning to slant a bit. I love the sights, the people and the food but it is really too cold. I had heard that people here were pushy and rude but that is not true at all. We found everyone very helpful up to the point of going completely out of their way to assist us and lots of people just wanted to talk to us and find out where we were from.

Tonight we have a huge hotel room with a balcony which we wouldn't dare use or we would freeze to death. They have all sorts of interesting amenities in the hotels here. I have yet to figure out what some of them are. They also give you slippers and tiny little pajamas. The toilets all have bidets and the first time I sat down I nearly jumped out of my skin. I really love Kyoto and wish we had more time to visit all the temples and castles. I have done a lot of ready about this period in Japanese history and to actually see these things is outstanding. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for hundreds of years including the Edo period during the height of the Samauri era so there is a wealth of historical buildings and areas to see. What an interesting and fascinating country Japan was back in those days. Photos and words don't do it justice.

One last tidbit: we were picked up by a black cab that looked like a limo but was really just an ordinary old Toyota cab. It was shiny and immaculate and ran like a dream. But the interesting thing was the driver. He wore a black business suit and white gloves! They all do. How very cute.

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To Kyoto

It is astounding that about half the population wear surgical masks in public. It looks like the land of bank robbers!

We just saw Mt Fuji...magnificent. Top covered in snow.

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Dec 7

It is Pearl Harbor Day here in Japan but we see no evidence of recognition on anyone's part. We seem to be the only ones aware of it as yet. It is a gorgeous sunny day and w are on Shinkansen 509 on the way to Kyoto. It's the Bullet Train. We are going through many cities as well as bypassing Mt. Fuji. We plan to get a good look at this Japanese icon.

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Tokyo

We arrived late yesterday due to flight delays because of bad weather. Bumpy all the way. It is winter here. I forgot how much I hate the cold. We dumped our stuff in our tiny little room and went out to explore the area and immediately proceeded to get lost. That's ok because people walk around all night here and it is perfectly safe. So we wandered till we found a good local eatery and had a Japanese meal which was delicious. By the time we found the hotel it was 12:45 in the morning. We crashed in our tiny little bed and slept very well. The staff is extremely helpful and everything is very clean.

This morning we woke up early, anxious to explore Tokyo. We found our new favorite restaurant and had an American breakfast with lots of cappuccino to fend off the cold. Off we went. We are extremely proud of ourselves after having totally mastered the Tokyo metro system without getting lost. It is massive and amazing and we even bought tickets from the machine. We were all over the city. We took three sightseeing busses so as not to miss anything. We saw the Imperial Palace where the Emperor lives. We couldn't go in because he is there with his family. We saw some things we will return to in two days. It is a very big city and, strange as it seems, it is all dolled up for Christmas. There are lights and Christmas music everywhere. The stores are amazing. The Ginza is amazing. We crossed the street without getting killed many times. Contrary to what we were told, it is not an expensive city. We have had no trouble eating delicious meals which were reasonably priced, taken reasonable cab rides and of course used the very inexpensive public transportation system. We are learning a few words and the people are so helpful and polite that they have been going out of their way on many occasions...total strangers in the metro and on the streets. Everything is very clean. People do rush around a lot. They don't stroll. They scamper.

When we arrived at the Ginza we found ourselves in the middle of a peace demonstration. There were literally thousands of peaceful anti-war protesters marching in orderly lines down the Ginza. That street is pretty overwhelming with its sea of humanity and the demonstration made it even more crowded. I don't love crowds and when they are coming at me from all directions I got a little wonky.

So we made it back to the hotel after being out from 7:30 this morning till 8:30 tonight. We are taking the bullet train to Kyoto tomorrow morning for an overnight in that ancient imperial city filled with castles and Geisha. I really wanted to take Geisha lessons but there is not enough time. The makeup alone takes hours. But at least we will see them and learn about them. Fascinating. I can't wait. Very excited.

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Tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon we pack up and head for Tokyo and Kyoto. This is the final leg of the journey. I will post many photos in about a week. Due to the enormous amount of photos I take I have to work with my home computer to upload the ones I want but trust me, it will be worth it. I will be looking for a camera in Tokyo since I will be buying a Japanese camera. Otherwise, it will be bought in the US.

I understand it is very cold in Japan so I hope this Southern Old Girl survives.

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Hong Kong Day 3

Today we took the hydrofoil express boat to the island of Macau. It was a former Portugese colony so there is a large Portugese influence in the culture and the architecture. Another part of the picture is that part of the island is filled with Las Vegas casinos. It is crazy. All the staff and guests are Asian. Almost no one speaks English. Then there is the old part of town which is strictly Chinese. So it is a mixture that works well.

We had a great Chinese lunch in a beautiful restaurant where they gave us chopsticks as well as Western utensils. I guess we confused them.

We made it back on the ferry. It was a rough ride and people were throwing up. Then hopped on the local bus and remembered where to get off. I guess we know our way around this town pretty well. We are, however, getting a bit tired. We have been gone for a month and miss the grandchildren.

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Hong Kong Day 2

OK so this is the worst traffic I have ever seen. It is like something out of a horror movie. Cars, busses, cable cars, taxis everywhere and nobody moves. They just sit there. Yesterday evening it it to over an hour to even get a cab and then we just sat in it with the meter inching up and up. The subway is much faster but unbelievably crowded. This place has the most people squeezed into the smallest place in the world. The amount of people is staggering and almost everyone wears a mask. They are pretty helpful and polite in general and the little kids are so adorable you could just eat them up.

Today I looked at cameras but think I will wait for Japan where they are all manufactured. The amount of stores and markets is just overwhelming. My head is spinning. And everyone loves to bargain. We went to the famous Ladies Market and I thought Jerry would fall down in a dead faint. Actually, it was almost too much for me. I never saw so much crap crammed into so small an area with so many people wandering around looking at all that crap! They come with suitcases and fill them up with all that crap to take home and give away as presents. I must admit that I bought a really cute pair of ballet flats that are both cheap and comfy. What else cane you ask for?

We took the subway and had to change trains twice. No problem. It's like the London Underground on steroids. We didn't even get lost. But it was so damned crowded that I almost got dizzy. It was like being in a sardine can with all the other fish. It is a very safe place despite all the swarms of humanity. You can wander around all night and nobody will bother you except maybe a begging Buddist monk shoving a bowl in your face. But the shopping is really quite outstanding no matter what you want to pay. And it's fun, although Jerry doesn't think so.

Tomorrow we are thinking of going to Macau, an island about an hour away by ferry where all the big casinos and gambling resorts are located. It was a former Portugese colony and parts of the old town are UNESCO world heritage sights. Sounds pretty good provided the seas are calm. It is Las Vegas without strip joints and caters to Asian high rollers.

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Hong Kong

We are now off the ship after a quiet passage to Hong Kong. I love it here, except for the traffic which is terrible. It is my second time here and I remember it well. I especially love the bargains and the food. It is one market after another. Shop till you drop is the operative word here. Tomorrow I will be camera hunting. We are totally exhausted after a day running all over HK island with a few hours at the Stanley Market thrown in for good luck.

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