Day 5 (Wed) was our whole day in Nara. It started w/ an authentic Japanese breakfast cause we were staying in a ryokan. We had an assigned time to come to the dining area & were seated at a western style table – not a low one like in our room whose chairs has no legs. The table had lots of those cool little dishes (which aren’t looking so cool anymore) filled with all sorts of ‘goodies’. We had a covered bowl of rice w/water (porridge/hot cereal we guessed); a bowl of plain white rice but there was a strip of dry seaweed in a wrapper that should go in the rice to add flavor (we both passed on that caused we’d tried the seaweed as a sample at the fish market); a small bowl of salad w/ a small saucer of dipping sauce (we believe this was potato salad – not bad, about the only thing to crunch in the whole meal); there were more little bowls of stuff – pickled, green, white, tan & one red (that may have been a cherry but who knows); we were brought a covered bowl on stand w/’sterno’ underneath – it had a piece of tofu cooking in some very salty broth; they also brought a narrow dish w/what Sandy said were eggs; & a small grill for each that had a pice of pink fish & a whole small fish cooking. Glad to see cooked fish but only the pink one was sampled. We had chopsticks to use & a little net scooper thing, that when I asked the lady showed me it was for scooping the tofu out of its bowl/broth into the dish for eating. We’re getting better a the chopsticks – they’re really good for sticking a point into a little bowl to get a taste of whatever. I think I tried everything but the whole fish – even the plain yogurt w/spot of jam that came at the end – needed something to cleanse the salt, etc from my palate.
Rob was meeting us for a short tour before work & had promised to make a bakery run. He arrived just as we got back to the room & had to wait for one of us to get him. We straighten up & headed out to see the Todai-ji temple which is the largest wooden structure in the world & houses a huge Buddha. We walked around & saw all the deer that Rob had talked about. Many had their antlers sawed off & it looked like rutting season has started. They do bother everyone for food, so Rob & I just ignored them but Sandy thought they needed to be told no, so the deer took a bite out of the corner of the map she was scolding it with. Guess who won that round?
We walked around the park a little longer before Rob had to head to work. We rested for a few, then grabbed some snacks & went walking around in a different area of town. We found a shop that was selling kimono fabric scraps, so Sandy let me stop. The lady put my purchases in a purse ( leather bag) vs the plastic bags we had been getting elsewhere. She had quite a collection of bags so maybe that was just her trademark. The bag was rather bulky in the suitcase so we left it with Rob & he quickly passed it off to his manager.
We walked around some more & found a place to get pizza & salad for dinner – no way were we ready for whole fish again.
Our room, in Nara, was rather interesting – when you walked in there was a spot to remove your shoes & put on slippers. Then you walked across a hallway that lead to bathroom stuff into the living/sleeping area which was covered w/mats – it was a 10 mat room. The side walls had closets – for futons, robes, etc & the other walls had sliding panels to close the area off from the door we came in & the bath stuff & the area w/2 western chairs, the fridge & tea set, & access to a small balcony. When we arrived the low table & 2 seats were in the middle of the floor but at night, the staff pushed them to the side & laid out our beds. Fairly comfortable, except for having to get up off the floor. And such a contrast from Tokyo where we had to use the sofa bed because Rob was with us – the staff would open the bed & we’d close right away so we had room to walk & a place to sit.
Day 6 (Thurs) We walked to the Nara Museum in the morning to check out their gift shop (no cost to get in), but they didn’t have anything of interest. We checked out of the hotel – had passed on a 2nd authentic breakfast & grabbed pastries the night before. We took a taxi to the train station as the suitcases kept complaining about the bumpy terrain & headed to Rob’s station to see his school & meet his manager & co-workers. Our trip was rather uneventful – just a couple stops & we were earlier than Rob. The suitcases wouldn’t fit in the lockers very well so they went with us to the top floor where the school is located. Looks like a store in a mall w/an atrium – walkways around the opening & stores on the perimeter. They have pictures of the staff on posters as a means to advertise & welcome perspective students. Rob’s room is small but his max class is 8, so it’s comfortable. He had a monitor on the wall so lessons can be projected & he hung pages from an old MD calendar that I sent – photos of the bay bridge, buildings, horse racing & farmland. The staff was very welcoming & were pleased that we had taken the time to stop by. Classes hadn’t started yet, so Rob helped us back down stairs & pointed us in the right direction to Osaka, which was less than an hour away.
We arrived at the Osaka hotel about 1:30, left our luggage & went to our new favorite lunch spot – the department store basement. This time we got salad but had to stand up to eat. Room was rather plush but we still miss showers in the US & normal (room temperature) toilet seats. As it got dark we walked over to the river & along Dotombori, stopping at a fabric shop along the way. The store was several floors but their fabric was displayed as samples only. A chunk about a meter long was hanging on the floor & the sales person wrote down what you wanted, the quantity of fabric & attached a swatch of fabric to her sheet & mine. The order was placed & must have been cut upstairs because in about 10 minutes my fabric appeared at the checkout area. Quite different & not conducive to end of the bolt deals.
We wandered around & found a place that had chicken on skewers & spicy chicken wings – we ordered just 1 of each but since it was so good we got more. Then a walk back to the hotel after looking at more lights & shops.
Mother approved Japanese chicken on a stick
Day 7 (Fri) – we took the metro system over to the Osaka castle – just a couple stops over & 1 transfer so not too bad. The big challenge is when you’re in a car that is not showing the English names for the locations – they may be saying the words but my ears aren’t conditioned to catch the variations. Anyway, the castle was a couple blocks from the station – a huge area that the city has just grown around. The castle is now a museum with an observation area on the 8th floor. The elevator will take you to the 5th floor but you must walk the rest of the way up & all the way down, ideally stopping at the floors to look to the displays. As we walked to the castle there were signs about this being the 400th anniversary of a big battle at the castle. The castle grounds had a large area where it looked like they were preparing for a concert & in another area there were sports fields. We got to the castle ahead of most of the crowds, we got to the top you could see quite a bit of the city as the castle was 50 meters tall. We headed down & looked around – the displays were in Japanese unless you bought the English version of the guided tour. So we sat outside for a while people watched. Looked Iike this was a popular place for school tours. The kids were wearing uniforms & tended to be in groups of 6 – 3 boys & 3 girls & they had to pose for photos in front of the castle – right where we could see. Also got to see the local fire department do a practice rescue – they carried the rescue basket/stretcher up the castle steps & then lowered it empty over the wall to the ground. Was interesting to watch but then we headed back to the hotel for lunch & a short break.
Lunch was obtained from the local department store – this time is was dumplings & some chicken on skewers that we ate in our room. Before it got dark (and sunset is about 5:30), we headed out again toward the river. We wondered around a little but were aiming for the Bic Camera store, which is another multi-floor electronics store that should have those fantastic massage chairs!!! We went directly to the proper floor & the chairs were all lined up along the escalator aisle & were FULL !!! It looked like people stop by for a free massage after work/school on their way home. Of course it was Friday night so maybe this was prep for going out. Anyway we found 2 chairs open next to each other & sat down. Problem was as we looked at the control we had no idea how to turn it on. Looked like a cable/direct TV remote w/ lots of labeled buttons – if you pushed some the display came in & showed different body areas that would get the big roller balls & you could see it was going to be heated but other than that, the on/off switch was hidden. Sandy asked the high school aged girl next to her for help & she turned Sandy’s on – I started mine using some of what we could see. The guy next to me seemed to be asleep so he wasn’t available for questions.
The chairs were made by Panasonic & seem to be available in the US – on Amazon & Walmart.com – possibly more expensive than here but we weren’t able to compare all the features. These were good but somewhat rough – the balls seemed to be the size & hardness of pool balls & pushed you off the back of the chair. One part of the cycle grabbed your shoulders before the balls started pushing so you didn’t raise so far off the chair.
The store had people watching the chairs – making sure they didn’t stay too long unless they were perspective customers. So we got up when our chair cycles were done, esp because we didn’t know how to try a different cycle.
We wondered back to Dotombori – trying to see the Glico man billboard. Sandy read about him in some of the guidebooks – it’s an ad for some candy & the first candy made (caramel) contained the exact number of calories to run a certain distance. Since then the company has expanded to all sorts of foods, according to Rob. We wandered around for a while – checking out shops but really looking for the billboard/as. Then we saw it – the ad was now of a female (Rob said she was a famous Japanese actress) doing the same pose as the guy did. Not super impressive but Sandy got her photo (to be posted later).
Dinner was ramen at a little shop. You put your money in a vending machine, that spits out a ticket based on what you ordered that you give to the guys at the counter & they fix your dinner. The tables were like picnic tables on platforms so you were supposed to take your shoes off & knee at the table to eat – not happening w/these old bodies but we were able to sit on platform w/feet to the side & eat. Ramen is a food that you can pick up the bowl & shovel the noodles your mouth, slurping as you go, so sitting square at the table is not a requirement. Then after dinner we walked some more & found a Baskin Robbins which is always a good stop/break point.
Saturday we walked around the hotel for a bit before checking out. Stopped by Namba Parks (a shopping mall) which is something we could see out the hotel windows – it was more shops & Rob said there were eating places upstairs. It was also a park area on top of buildings.
We checked out & trekked through the station to find the right subway to get us to the train for Kyoto. Traveling between cities has been more tiring as our trip progresses – our bodies are more tired and the suitcases are getting heavier & and more worn by the roads/ sidewalks. These cities are tailored for the blind as they have tiles in the sidewalk w/ridges & grids to show where to cross the streets & where exits are in the subway/train stations.
We arrived at the Kyoto hotel before check-in, left our luggage & checked out the local grocery & convenience store for something to eat for lunch. Fruit is super expensive because everything is imported from other countries & salads are usually based with cabbage instead of lettuce. This room was good sized with 3 actual beds so Rob didn’t have to sleep on the couch this time.
Sandy & I wandered for a while after we got settled – found a ‘used kimono shop’ which was kind of cool but not something I could justify the purchase. Rob arrived around 8:30 from work & we found dinner up the street from the hotel. We ate at an izakaya , which is a place where you can get alcohol & a bunch of appetizers. We let Rob do the ordering so we had some adventures like horse meat.
Sunday morning was pastries & coffee as we headed out to the Toriis – all the orange gates that Rob showed in one of his early posts.
Mom and Aunt Sandy capturing memories.
Then we went to the gardens at Tofuku-ji.
Then went to Taramachi, which is another area of shops on covered streets. Grabbed some fried chicken to hold us over until dinner which will be at an all you can eat place. Next stop the Kyoto handicraft shop & Rob’s friend Koichi, met up w/us & hung our for the rest of the day. He was a big help – knows the language & helped Rob keep an eye on us & carry packages.
We then headed to Kiyumizu-dera, which had a nice climb up the hill & walk through some gardens. Sandy stayed near the base & took pictures of the sunset from there while the 3 of us did the walking & took photos from the top, by the temple.
We had agreed to go to the Korean all you can eat/cook at your table place for dinner, so the guys googled & choosing one ‘somewhat’ close. But it wasn’t so close that they turned down the suggestion of a taxi ride – of at least 10 min.
Dinner was good & I had forgotten how much food guys can put away in 90 mins. Rob & Koichi took care of ordering & cooking our food. Most of the meat we had was beef & it was identified by the body location. It wasn’t “Milchling beef” but if was rather good. We also had pork, chicken & shrimp. We had salads, rice (bibimbap) & a special dessert that Anne Morgan would love – ice cream over sweet potato!!! We took the bus back to the hotel – the $5 one day pass was a good deal.
Monday started a little slower – Rob & I hiked for coffee & pastries while Sandy enjoyed the room alone. Our 1st stop after breakfast was the golden temple,
then the bamboo forest & then we wandered around & did some more shopping & looking. One area had a kimono walk – this was near a train station & they had vertical plastic tubes lined w/kimono fabrics. I saw quite a few fabrics I wouldn’t mind taking home.
The “Dragon Pool” within the Kimono forest
“Kimono Forest”
We took the bus back to the hotel & chilled for a bit. Rob & I stopped by he corner liquor store before heading to the room – he got some beer & I got a bottle of sake that the store owner said he made himself. I’ll have to see how it compares to other home brews. The store owners recommended a local place for soba (buckwheat noodles), so we went there for dinner.
Tuesday – our last full day in Japan. Rob is helping us get to the Kyoto train station where we’ll get the bullet train & he’ll head to work. It’s been so nice to have Rob as we move within the stations with all of our bags as not every station has an elevator or escalator between tracks. Rob helped us get the bullet train tickets & we found the correct track w/o issue. We for on an earlier train than Sandy has found when plotting our course on line. But it was a ‘super express’ train which meant it stopped at all stations between Kyoto & Tokyo. But we didn’t have anything planned for the day & the train wasn’t very crowded – we each sat in a 2 seat row w/our luggage as there was no way we could lift it overhead.
So the trip that was supposed to be only a couple stops & under 2.5 hrs took almost 4 hrs. We did well on our 1st train transfer but the 2nd one – well let’s just say it made us really appreciate Ginger Tours with the smiling English speaking guide who has GPS on his cell phone. After a couple wrong trains – right direction but didn’t go far enough we got to the station by our hotel. The GPS directions written down while in the Kyoto hotel told us to leave the station from an exit that wasn’t marked in the same way. We went out the easy way – same level but then found we needed to be on the other side of the station & at a different elevation. Unfortunately this station has no elevators & escalators only in the direction that we weren’t heading.
But we had success – made it to the hotel, checked in, & scheduled the shuttle bus to the airport tomorrow. We wandered around w/ a map & found a great little place for dinner – I got fried vegetables w/ chicken & Sandy had ginger pork. We’re in the room now trying to get the TV to talk to us in English – Sandy made it happen in Osaka, so she thinks it can happen here too.
I’m signing off the blog now – need to get it to Rob so he can post after work. I appreciate him letting me provide the input these past 2 weeks & his showing us around. It was great seeing him & we’re looking forward to him coming home sometime after the end of March 2015.
This is Ginger’s Mom saying:
Sayonara Japan