Out and About

Bad Grass

Begin the day with a trip to Kanda Myojin. This is the head shrine for a bunch of shrines jn the area, and dates back to ~700 AD, though not in this exact location. There is a matsuri (festival) that’s held every other year, involving a large parade and portable shrines, which is happening this Saturday, so we got a look at the portable shrines.

Kanda Myojin shrine, through the torii gate.

Then we headed over to Asakusa and Senso-ji temple. Both names use the same kanji, one being the Japanese reading, and the other being the Chinese reading. Etymology is not super clear but prevailing opinion is that it means “poor grass”.

Regardless, Sensoji is a large temple complex and big tourist attraction. While we were there, what I can only describe as “temple summer camp” was going on, as preschool children were being organized (as well as can be done) into a festival procession, complete with matching costumes and scaled-down portable shrines (or temples? Senso-ji is Buddhist…)

Nearby is the Asakusa Kagetudo bakery, famous for its melon pan, really just a bread with a sweet cookie-like top crust. Fresh, hot, soft, and tasty.

Lunch was just combini onigiri on the top floor of a train station department store that has been around in some form since before the war.

Then we we put the past in the past and got on a boat that looked like a spaceship for a trip down the Sumida river into Tokyo Bay, toward a building that looked like a spaceport.

Naturally at that point we headed toward the giant robot, before returning over the Rainbow Bridge.

Anyway… needed a beer and some food after all that. Found a place called Andy’s Shin Hinomoto, under the train tracks near Yurakacho station. Got there before the kitchen opened but they kindly set us up with beer and edamame until then. Sushi, tempura scallops, grilled prawn, and swordfish in a tasty soy-garlic sauce. Where are the photos? Well… we were hungry.

Hello Tokyo!

Start of a new adventure in Japan! Though definitely a mixed start, as the flight over was relatively bumpy and I think they scaled back food/drink service as a result.

On the plus side, because my son is in a walking boot due to recent foot/ankle surgery, Delta (or Haneda airport) supplied a person with a wheelchair to get him around, and she was extremely helpful in getting us through customs and navigating the airport. After a long flight those tasks are challenging for the overtired.

As for Tokyo it was kind of a grey day, not great for picture taking. Also we really didn’t do much other than check into the hotel and walk around the neighborhood a bit. We did take the monorail from the airport though, recommended as it winds along the manmade islands and channels from Haneda airport to Hamamatsucho station.

We’re staying in Akihabara, famous for electronics and “otaku goods” (like figurines of your favorite anime character etc). Shortly after the war, this neighborhood is where most of the sellers of electronic goods and parts were. There is still a place called “rajio kaikan”, i.e. radio building. We’re a little north of “downtown Akihabara”. Also found a surprising amount of military-replica type stores in this area, which was… odd.

First of the scooter/motorbike shots. These 3 wheeled pivoting scooters are common.

First meal of the trip, soba noodles and broth, and some gyoza. Really hit the spot after a day of travelling (and not much eating). Then after walking around, stopped by a local izakaya for a beer and yakitori skewers but forgot to get a picture. Nice little locals spot, we’ll be back.

Hyakunen Honpo Akihabara. Succinct menu.

A Reset

After a long time without travelling, I’m finally getting back on the road.

Testing... this is only a test...

Last Day in Seoul

Yesterday we checked into our traditional hanok room:

It’s very much a b&b operation, though we didn’t elect to have breakfast here since the neighborhood has many coffee shops and restaurants, not to mention small art galleries.

Today we walked through the 2nd and 3rd royal palaces (apparently 1st royal palace was believed haunted, what with young princes meeting untimely ends, Richard II style). The hanok, incidentally, is located in a neighborhood between the 1st and 2nd/3rd palace grounds.

We did get a glimpse of 1st palace, but it suffered (more) during Japanese occupation of 1910-1945, and security presence was high due to protests so we didn’t hang around. BTW the mountain behind the gate is one of the significant mountains that formed kind of a defensive ring around Seoul.

Along the way we came upon this re-created stream that runs through the middle of “old” Seoul (now office towers), and walked along that for a while.

That’s the end of my trip, though my wife spent another week in Vietnam.

Tokyo Day 3

Today we headed down to Kamakura to see the Dai Butsu (big buddha) and the beach. We took JR train most of the way then transferred to the quaint Enoden train.

After walking up the hill with all the other tourists, we arrived:

And yes they still let people go inside (which my dad did as a GI), but we didn’t.

After that we headed to the beach, which I suspect Dad and fellow GI’s headed to for recreation. It’s not a soft sand beach, but it’s popular with surfers and sailboarders.

We found a “California” style 2nd floor bar/cafe with open windows and had lunch in the shade with a nice cool breeze off the ocean.

After this we headed back to Tokyo, and then I set off to take a photo to emulate one Dad took from a hospital I think he trained at.

This is sort of the best I could do to emulate Dad’s photo, not having access to the hospital of course, and with the overpass encroaching on the view. In Dad’s photo you can just see Asakusa station in the distance. Here, it’s lost among all the new buildings. Along the way, found this pagoda-style structure which I think Dad also has a photo of:

Lastly, one of the futuristic tourboats that ply the Sumida river.

Finally we’re travelling to Seoul for a short stay at a traditional Hanok b&b before I head home and my wife heads on to Vietnam.

Tokyo Day 2

Weather was better for day two so we took the train up to Omiya. When my dad was stationed here it was “Camp King” but is now a Japan Ground Self Defense Force base. Walked out to the base and got a few surreptitious pics but nothing impressive. Then again I wasn’t detained either, so that’s a win. Nothing I saw, though, matches my dad’s service photos (yet).

After that we took the train back into Tokyo. Dad most likely passed through this station several times.

We walked through part of old Edo Castle towards the Diet. It was a longish walk, so it was a Diet and exercise day (!)

We didn’t get any closer to the Diet than that. Highlights the difference to the level of access my dad had as a GI – his photo is from on the roof of the Diet.

We also went to where the 1st Cav 8th Division(?) HQ was. Only a corner of the building remains.

After that we returned to Ueno and I found some corresponding locations to Dad’s photos there.

Farther up in the park is the museum Dad photographed. The other museum to the left is now engulfed in trees.

(Comparison photos to be added later…)

Tokyo Day 1

We had a rainy day so we didn’t go too far. Started out by going up to a couple of malls in Shibuya, with a cool mural and near the famous “scramble crossing”.

Then we headed to Asakusa. This station is a landmark (in the distance) in one of my dad’s post-WWII Army photos.

There is a large, famous temple Sensoji that was also refuge from the rain.

On my Japanese teacher’s recommendation I got a “melon bread” (shaped like melon but just a slightly sweet bun) at this place, open since 1945!

After that we went back and did laundry (travel is exciting!). Actually it was quite handy to have a washing machine handy at Coco Grand, also the spa/bath was nice to have since the en suite bath was tiny.

We had dinner at a yakitori, which grills little skewers of meat, primarily chicken. The place was called “daruma”, and the little dolls were on the pattern in the wallpaper.

Travel Day – Tokyo

Yesterday we travelled to Tokyo, taking the Hida Wide View Express from Takayama to Nagoya through picturesque valleys.

Hard to see but there are fisherman in the photo above, with almost comically long poles, longer than fly fishing poles.

Then in Nagoya we changed to shinkansen, which zipped by Fujisan though it wasnt even partially visible.

Arrived in Tokyo. Very busy here! Comparisons to NYC or Paris are apt. Pace is faster and my phrasebook-japanese is barely getting me by.

Outside our hotel (Coco Grand) is Ueno park, which has a lake where you can rent swan pedal boats:

It was rainy the next day, but we felt a small earthquake so we thought maybe we should get going…

Takayama Day 2

We went to the Hida No Sato folk village, which was more of an open air folk museum as it gathered structures and crafts from around the country.

This display both showcased a home, and also traditional woodcutting equipment. There were also weaving, papermaking, etc. live displays. My grandparents would have loved this place.

Here, a collection of the iron hooks (irori) that the cook pot would hang from, over the open fire in the middle of the house (seen above).

Also, they are growing rice, among other things.

Following this, a travel day to Tokyo. We will pass by Fujisan, remains to be seen if we will see it though?

Takayama Day 1

I like trains, which is good because this trip involved a number of them. First, we had to get going relatively early to catch the “Thunderbird” from Kyoto to Kanazawa.

From there we needed to find and transfer to the Shinkansen, but only for a short trip to Toyama. From there we picked up the Hida Wide View Express to Takayama. More photos of this on the Takayama – Nagoya leg, but this felt like one of those “Great train rides of the World” as it followed a river up into narrow, forested valleys.

Below is Kanamori Nagachika, who built Takayama castle atop the (very steep) hill behind our ryokan. I hiked the hill to see what’s left, answer is not much and it may be reconstructions. Below are the messenger gate and main building foundations (I think).