E. and I dressed, packed our things to go and then went down for breakfast. The hotel has an exceptionally late check out time: three o'clock in the afternoon. My plane leaves at 3:30 so we will take the shuttle for the airport around noon. Breakfast was a presentation of two buffets. One japanese, the other western. E. ate from both. The Japanese traditional breakfast is different in many ways. They eat rice, soup, smoked fish. It reminds me more of a British style breakfast. I enjoyed the western style buffet, the fresh strawberries, bacon, home fries and toast. The eggs were fixed with cheese or something, like a casserole. Not my thing. They did have fresh sauteed spinach. I had three helpings of that. I love spinach or greens (even seaweed) cooked anyway, anytime!!
We met E.'s host family (from his first Japan visit in high school) in the lobby of the hotel at 10:30 a.m. They are grandparents and have a wonderful extended family.
I bought presents back in the States to give to their grandchildren and a beautiful coffee table book on Florida for them. They have provided accomodations and a family atmosphere on many occassions. He spent last Christmas with them.
It would be impossible to ever repay them for their kindness. E. also brought one of his bouquets of flowers from his concert on the 15th to give to Mrs. Matzusaka. She loved those flowers. So, we were so happy to finally meet each other. I invited them to come to Florida and stay with us. They said Kento, their 11 yr. old grandson was worried about alligators!! We all laughed at his. (I should have told them to worry about sea lice instead).They made E. promise to visit them before he leaves in August. He walked them out to their car to say goodbye.
At 12:20 we checked out of the hotel and waited five minutes for the shuttle to take us to Terminal one. This is where my Delta flight will be leaving from. At the Delta counter I checked two bags and held on to my purse and my tote. E. and I wandered around the terminal looking in shops and finding last minute gifts. The airport "malls" are state of the art. Many restaurants and shops of every type. E. finally found a pair of cooking chopsticks for R.J. I had been looking for those in many places but never found them. Who knew they'd be at the Narita Airport!! Great.
We found lunch at a small restaurant that we knew would not take long to be served. It was nice to sit and relax and eat a final meal with E. As usual he ate Japanese Curry!!
From there we found our way to a Starbucks to drink a tea and coffee and wait for my departure.
E. walked with me to the Security Checkpoint. All access to the departing gates was through this point. I said goodbye to E. (after kisses and hugs) and told him not to wait at the airport for me to leave. I made him head back on the train to Sendai. It would be a couple of hours for him, but then he'd be back to his adopted home.
At 3:30 I boarded my flight to Atlanta. It was a 14hr. test of endurance: A very full plane and a crying baby all the way back. My row mates were both Japanese exchange students, as luck would have it, on their way to Lawrence, Kansas and Boston, Massachusetts. We talked and enjoyed each others' company. Well as much as you can parked in a plane seat for 14 hours.
I watched two movies and several T.V. shows during the flight. I even played solitaire for a while. I was able to sleep off and on. The earplugs and nightshade the airline supplies help quiet the noise. Once in Atlanta, I easily went though immigration and customs. Delta had baggage handlers right there to take luggage tagged for connecting flights. I passed off those bags and headed into the terminal to find my connection to West Palm Beach. My long layover of four hours almost did me in. I sat in the airport Chilis restauraunt for about two hours and made calls to family. Not a bad way to kill time. About two hours before my flight left for WPB I headed to the gate. I kept falling asleep sitting up at the gate. I wasn't the only exhausted traveler. Finally they called our flight and again it was another fully booked flight. I guess this fuel crisis is to blame. I'm not complaining. I had a ticket and a seat to get home with.
R.J. was waiting for me at the gate in WPB. Wonderful to see him and be home!!
sendai station (wikipedia)
The Rest House is positioned between the two airport terminals. I figured there would be no way we would be late for my plane. Somehow we missed the shuttle bus for the hotel and decided we didn't want to wait another 30 minutes for the next one. We took a taxi to the hotel for a small fee. Our hotel room was very big and had three twin beds in it. E. immediately camped out on the first bed in front of the t.v. I think he really missed watching japanese t.v. He didn't have that luxury at the boys dorm.
E. spoke to the Matzusakas and arranged to meet them the next morning at our hotel. We ate dinner at our hotel, nothing fabulous, because we didn't feel like traveling out of our hotel.
Well off to bed, tomorrow is a big day.
I'm expecting E. around eleven a.m. at my hotel. Kumiko Suganami, director of exchange students and Evan's defacto Agent, will be driving E. from the dorm and picking me up for the event. The musicians have agreed to meet at the Kuwai concert hall at one p.m. to go over the program material. The downbeat is at four o'clock.
After reuniting with E. and Kumiko we head for the Ichibancho and a parking area near the Kuwai Studio. Kumiko is so gracious by dropping us off before she parks the van. I love her van. She has those cute lace covers for the headrests and tops of seats that the Japanese always use. Even the taxis have these. They have velcro straps to keep them in place. It really dresses up an ordinary car. Then she has extra clothes and shoes available in her backseat. (You never know when you need a fresh outfit or shoes, right?) Of course there are multiple umbrellas and a stuffed animal that reminds her of her beloved dog that has gone on to doggie heaven rests in the backseat. The smell of incense is always present and I noticed charms and medals decorating the dashboard. E. never misses an opportunity to catch a few Zs whenever possible.
As we entered the Concert Hall we were lead to the dressing room and E. hung up his suit, etc. This time around I brought clothes to change into so I could stay comfortable and look fresh at four. We were the first to arrive so we relaxed a bit in the dressing room. We unloaded the borrowed video camera and tripod, Kumikos bag and snacks. She has thought of everything. How kind. Kumiko came in from parking her van and immediately spoke with the Administrators of the Concert Hall arranging for a microphone, lighting, etc. I'm telling you, she is so organized and efficient, she's fantastic. How lucky E. has her arranging so many great opportunities for him.
As the musicians arrive, I listen for a few minutes then leave the hall to run errands. I needed to buy three flower bouquets to present to the performers. I found a nearby florist shop and spend about 45 minutes selecting fresh flowers to go into bouquets. I constantly ask the florist's advice as to the combination of flowers, colors, etc. She is very helpful and creates three gorgeous arrangements. I needed two shopping bags to carry them back without crushing them. They look so smart with the colored paper, celophane, and bows. It is important to me to honor all three of the performers after the concert. It is hard to believe I'm here in Japan going to my son's Jazz concert. I am truly blessed.
Sunday, July 13
In the morning we started our morning by sleeping in a bit. We planned to stay two nights in Hiroshima at Hotel Kawashima so we wouldn't have to lug our bags around. E. had stayed at this hotel before so it felt familiar to him. Since there was a big birthday and bon voyage party taking place back in the States at Resorts East ( around 7:30p.m. Saturday night EST) we made a Skype call to the family and friends at the party. My mother and E.'s Nana was pleased as punch to get our call. The webcam was set up and we proceeded to speak with everyone, starting with Nana. After that wonderful reunion we set out on our next adventure. We took a taxi from the hotel to
This is ground zero for the A-bomb that was dropped on August 6, 1945. The A-bomb Dome, is all that is left standing of the old bombed city. We started by visiting the
As we left the Museum we walked onward to the Cenotaph and the Flame of Peace. The Cenotaph contains the names of all who died, together with an inscription that reads “Rest in peace. We will never repeat the error”. Several women were chanting in front of the Cenotaph. The flame of peace will only be extinguished when all nuclear weapons are eliminated.
The Children’s
The pictures of artwork near the monument are made from small paper cranes.
We caught a taxi from the
Miyajima - after lunch, caught the street car (local stops) to
The island is symbolized by the looming torii (Shinto gate) set in the sea. This denotes that the whole island is sacred. The island is covered in virgin forest and felling a tree is forbidden. Tame deer are allowed to roam at will.
Since we arrived around 3pm we wanted to be sure and catch the ropeway( cable car) to the top of
The second station is at the summit of
We were warned in Japanese and in English not to let the “monkeys” grab your belongings. We laughed not realizing that the summit is an actual monkey sanctuary. Boy were there monkeys!! This rivals the canoe trip of P., D. and R.J. in
After we took the ropeway back down from the summit we found a shuttle bus that would take us to the Itsukushima Shrine.
This Shrine was founded in 593 A.D. It is built on stilts over a cove.
Part of the deck facing the bay includes the oldest Noh stage in
On a bluff overlooking the Shrine is a five story pagoda built in 1407.
Near the edge of the temple stood an incredible statue that E. took several pictures of.
Couldn't resist the chance to snap a picture of E. as a shogunate!!
Another Torii along the walkway back to the ferry landing.
Saturday July 12, Kyoto
Kyoto was founded in 794 A.D. and is the former capital of Japan. It was the capital until 1868. Kyoto is bounded by mountains on the North, West, and East sides. As we arrived at our hotel the evening of the 11th near the Imperial Palace we were greeted by friendly staff and shown to our “Japanese style” hotel room. The room E. reserved for us can normally accomodate up to six people. This is based on the number of tatami mats, slippers and yukatas provided.
We freshened up and took a walk to find dinner. We found a coffee shop that specialized in omelets. So of course I ordered beef teriyaki. It just sounded good. What I got was a full plate of shredded beef, stir fried vegetables, eggplant, home fried potatoes and rice. It came with a salad and soup. Enough for an army or one hungry traveler. Evan had an omelet and helped me eat mine. I couldn’t convince him to eat the eggplant. He did try it though.
We were not allowed to take any photos inside the temple. So I borrowed several photos from the museum's website to show you the amazing display inside.
Once inside of the main hall we were faced by 1001 Kannon wooden statues gilded in gold. Spaced in front of the Kannon statues are statues of the 28 deities. This is the only temple that contains all original 28 preserved together.
We next visited the Kiyomizu temple. This temple is built on mountainside. Each tier is another flight of steps. It is most famous for its sacred natural spring water at the summit. Kiyomizu means "pure water".
For over 1000 years pilgrims have climbed its steep slopes to pray and drink from its spring. I almost said “forget about it”. You can see how steep it is, even from the start of the climb. This gate that we passed was just the beginning.
However, there was a handicapped ramp running alongside the stairs that was convenient. So, I ascended the slope gradually, stopping to appreciate the view and small shrines along the way.
The main hall’s veranda is famous because it offers wonderful views of Kyoto. The veranda is also made without a single nail.
One of my rest stops along the way was this branch covered pergola. Only two trees provide all that shade.
Once we reached the top of the hillside near the main hall, we came upon the shrine to the sacred spring. E. waited in a line to take the healing waters of the spring called Otowa no taki. There were three streams that flow out of the hill into this fountain. They bestow wisdom, health and longevity. I think E. chose the middle one - health. Good for him!! Don't worry those metal cups are sterilized!!
After the "taking of the waters" we descended the hillside into the village below and found a cafe to refresh ourselves. It was very quaint and old. It overlooked the street below.
Our day in Kyoto was rich and rewarding. Although we initially wanted to see more than two temples and many other sites, we soon realized our time limitations. We thoroughly enjoyed what we experienced. We returned to the train station to collect our bags from a convenient storage locker and made our way to our next stop, Hiroshima.
shuttle bus into town. We went to the train station and stored our luggage in a coin locker. We planned to take the circular tour of Hakone National Park and we knew we would end up back at the station. First things first :Coffee and sandwiches at "Miami" coffee shop near the station.
Took scenic train (red train) that takes a path up the mountain through hedges of hydranges. This line is called the Hakone Tozan Railway. I borrowed a picture from the web that shows the steep grade that it takes up the mountain to the cable car (ropeway).
The train route is lined with hydrangea bushes on either side. These flowers are a trademark of this scenic mountain railway. There are different colors of these flowers on the route up the mountain.
The cable cars were continuously moving through the station. E. and I hopped into the next one and had the car all to ourselves.
As we ascended the summit we anticipated the view of the sulpher vents that line the mountainside. My camera lost power right after we reached the summit so I borrowed these pictures of the sulfur vents that were beneath us. This area is called Owaku-dani (valley of great boiling)
From the cable car ride over sulfer vents and mountain tops we reached our next travel stage. A ship on Lake Ashi. The ship reminded me of something right out of Disney World's pirates of the Carribean. We stopped to buy a disposable camera to capture the lake juncket.
As we boarded the ship we decided to pay an extra four dollars a piece to sit in the first class section. It afforded us a fabulous view of the lake and surrounding mountains and temples set in the hills. One of the majestic sights on this part of the junket normally is Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately as you can see in the pictures, it was hazy and cloudy. So, alas, no view of famous Mt. Fuji.
We had the best time just traveling around the National Park and realizing how great this sort of thing would be in our own park systems. Traveling by scenic train, cable car, boat, and returning by shuttle bus to the Hakone-Yumoto train station was very efficient and hassel free. We both loved being in nature and viewing different aspects of the Park.
Once returning to the train station we bought our tickets for Kyoto. Our next stop!!
After passing through the huge red gate E. posed with a huge rope sandal!!
The smell of incense fills the air as hundreds of people purchase bundles of it to light for good fortune. Wherever the smoke touches it brings good fortune. People were slapping there arms and legs with the smoke trying to envelope themselves with incense. I didn't know this at first and thought they might be in a trance or something. Well you never know!!
The entrance to the temple was lined with stalls selling everything. Special stalls selling the red flower,
hozuki, were everywhere.
The temple was crowded with people making offerings and just being tourists like us.
The grounds of the temple included many buildings and park areas that were picturesque. The picture below on the right is a shrine to honor children. I am touched by the simplicity and the sweet red bibs they adorn the statuary with.
Took train to Yokohama. Visited Yamashita park on harbor. Saw the permanently docked ship, Hikawa Maru, in the Harbor. Decided not to take ferry since we wanted to visit China Town. We knew we just couldn't do everything. So of course we stopped to eat again. We stopped and ate a snack about 4pm overlooking the park.
Visited China Town. This is a larger China Town than the one in New York City. It is a city in itself.
Found an amazing artist that painted the inside of glass containers. He had a booth on the street and saw us admiring a piece. It was a small flask depicting the year of the Rat (my other amazing son’s birth year). He said, I can add a person’s name to the inside if you like. We loved that idea. He had long thin brushes with bent heads that allowed him to paint inside, Very talented. A special gift.
Unfortunately, we couldn't spend all day in China Town. I'm not use to moving so fast between cities, but with the few days we could travel together I had to push on. Took train from Yokohama to Hakone. Along the way we were right next to the Pacific, beautiful. Soon we headed inland into the mountains. Hakone is a beautiful hilly hot spring town. I read about it in my travel book. I wanted to make a point of staying there one night. It has been popular as a resort town since the 9th century. The natural mineral springs (onsen) are a popular attraction. We arrived at our hotel , hotel Senkei, around 6pm and promptly took a nap. After awakening, I got a better look at the hotel. It is built into the mountain, about four floors all together. Our room was reserved on the fourth floor in the annex building. Needless to say, that wasn’t going to be possible for me to negotiate. So our manager quickly changed us to the second floor, much easier to access. We ate at a ramen noodle restaurant at the hotel. I have never eaten “real” ramen before. Very good. Not at all like the instant version.
In the main building of the hotel is a open air hot spring. This is on the top of the building which is serviced by an elevator. Tonight it was open for women only. So at 9pm I made the trek in my yukata and my Japanese sandals to the “onsen”. Wow, now I know where the hot tub idea came from!! The Japanese have this experience down to a science. You shower with soap before entering the spring. The showers are modern but they are outside next to the onsen. You sit on a stool and scrub yourself with soap and shampoo that is provided. Now on this night, I was a lucky lady, no one but myself at the onsen. After the shower I slipped into the hot, bubbling spring. Only about 3 feet deep the bottom was covered in smooth river stones. The pictures below, taken from the Hotel's website provide a visual of the bath. It was a lovely evening, stars were visible and so were the surrounding mountains. Whenever I got too hot I would sit on the slate rocks on the side and cool off. What an experience. The only thing missing was R.J.
Tomorrow we will tour the National Park Area in this region. There is a mountain railway, a cable car, and a lake boat that when taken together give a complete circle of the region. E. is looking forward to the excursion. This is the first time he has been to this area.
Wednesday, July 9th
Took bullet train from Sendai to Tokyo. Checked into Hotel Mercury in Asakusa district in Tokyo.
Took shower in hotel. E. sported his yukata for me while reading the teachings of Buddha!!
Visited the Akihabara section of Tokyo called “Electric Town” because it has a large electronics shopping market. One can buy any computer gadget or video game, camera, etc. in this district. We passed through small alley ways of stalls selling everything from cables, screwdrivers, microchips to ram. Very interesting.
Visited the Sinjuku district, like times square in New York, to find a shabu shabu restaurant.
Shabu-shabu is a Japanese meal where you cook your food at your table in a crock of boiling water. Specifically they serve very thin slices of beef or pork and vegetables. We had beef, cabbage, several types of mushrooms, leeks, mochi (a rice cake), udon noodles and greens.
Tuesday, July 8th Sendai
Today was a more relaxing day. I slept in.
I went for coffee at the doutor coffee shop across the street from the hotel. They make the biggest cappuccino I’ve found. Since it was already brunch time I ordered a sandwich with my coffee and sat and planned my day. Here's a picture of my usual cappuccino with a piece of Hazel Nut Cream cake. Yummm!
First things first, shopping at Ichibancho area.
I had no plans until the evening when E. gave a lecture at the Miyagi Music School on Jazz Education in America. He spoke to students and faculty about his personal experiences. Kumiko picked me up at 4:30 at my hotel and we met E. at the School. He spoke entirely in Japanese, extemporaneously. Kumiko translated for me. He fielded questions from the audience and never needed assistance. He introduced me and again I said a few words about the opportunities in public education for the performing arts. Jazz education is not available to the Japanese, so hearing about a middle school jazz band or combo is very American. Afterwards one of the music professors from Tohoku University spoke to me in English and said, (with a twinkle in his eye) he hoped E. might choose to return to Sendai to teach. He said they have never had a foreign student speak such a high level of Japanese before.
There were no big plans for after the lecture. It lasted from about 6:15 to 7:30pm. Evan had been invited to go to eat with Ryo, one of the guys from his dorm. In Japan, if you’re invited to do something with someone, you are not a liberty to just invite other people. Although Ryo insisted I come along, no one else did. So the three of us went to downtown Sendai and revisited the Japanese all-you-can-eat restaurant. Ryo is a music student studying Opera. He will be in the chorus of La Boheme this summer and participate in a mixed chorus performance. They boys ate three plate fulls of noodles, chicken, salad, tofu, tempura, shumai, soup and desert. I tried a pudding made of tofu that is wonderful. It’s sweeter and lighter than yogurt and nothing like ice cream. Totally different. I added wild blueberries in a light syrup to it. I couldn’t believe I was eating tofu. Ryo had never tried blueberries, he liked them.
The boys walked me back to my hotel and then shared a taxi to the dorm. How nice to give E. a bear hug goodnight before turning in.
Outside of Sendai (30 minutes) are mountains and valleys that remind me of the foothills to the Smokies. The air is clear and sweet and everything speaks of nature. E.'s friend Yuki, the photographer and hairdresser) planned a BBQ for Evan's birthday. Only seven people were invited and he planned the whole event. In the morning we all met at a super supermarket. Bigger than a Super Wallmart (and more upscale). I was questioned as to what American's ate for a BBQ and immediately requested to shop for those things. The others bought stir fry vegetables, meat and beer and drinks. I bought hamburger, buns, condiments, corn on the cob, watermelon. I asked Evan to pose with this giant radish.
We grabbed breakfast at the mega store and headed to the hills.
As we arrived at a Miyagi Park it reminded of our State Park systems. We checked in and got placards for our cards. Yuki had rented portable grills and a stir fry pan, tongs and charcoal was provided. We loaded these things into Kumiko's van and went to our appointed area. How beautiful!! We were next to a lake in the middle of a meadow with trees. E. and Yuki's friend assembled the grills and started the coals. Below Evan is fanning the flames with Kumiko looking on. The boys are wearing these grill gloves Yuki brought. Yuki thought of absolutely everything for this picnic.
We got such a kick out of these gloves I had to snap E. sipping a Kirin beer on his 21st birthday (a la Mickey Mouse or Al Jolson!!)
As the coals got ready I prepared fresh corn in the husk. I peeled back the husk and snapped the corn into two servings, reassembled it and bundled the husks back. After laying the corn on a piece of aluminum foil I added some water to steam. Yum. While Yuki and his girlfriend were cutting vegetables I mixed up some hamburger, garlic, molasses, ketchup and diced onion then made patties. When requested E. started grilling these. The grill was a bit low, so naturally flames ensued almost immediately. Everyone started to panic loudly. I calmly grabbed the water and started to flick water on the flames, calming the crisis. Everyone looked at each other and said ooooohhhhhhh. I felt like a magician.
The boys played soccer, frisbee and baseball. Yuki's friend, pictured above played on a high school baseball team and is very good. E. impressed everyone by hitting the ball two or three times. I was so impressed with this park. The policy is to leave nothing behind (no trash). So they have pavillions with gleaming stainless steel sinks. They also have a hose and stand to put out the coals and clean out the grill on site. The leftover coals go in a bucket with a lid that you take back to the rangers office.
After using the sinks every one wiped it down unti it gleamed. Before leaving E. was surprised by a handbaked cheese cake by Yuki's girlfriend.
Isn't she sweet!!!
As you can tell, this was a perfect Birthday for E.. Friends, family, the outdoors, and great food. I will edit this day later with lots of pictures. Suffice to say, it was the perfect day.
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