Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
HONEYMOON IN JAPAN
THE LOW DOWN
With all the air miles Johnny had saved up for many years, we had been planning an escape from the New York winter this February with a trip to Sri Lanka and Thailand for our belated honeymoon, but since the surprise of the bun in the oven this summer, we had to put off that idea.
With the stresses of the new news, work, being kicked out of our place from our landlord, finding a new place, going into contract to buy a house, we couldn't even begin to think when we would be able to find time for ourselves again. The last real vacation we had together was 2 years ago in Nova Scotia. We had a lot of family obligation trips in the last year- we love our family, but we needed a place for some much needed getaway.
At the last minute in the beginning of August, we decided a trip to Japan: Tokyo, Atami Hot Springs and Kyoto. Also a long awaited visit to see Johnny's university friend, Acekay. It might not be the best season to visit, hot and humid and coinciding with O-BAN, an important Japanese Buddhist holiday that honors the memory and ancestors, but it was the only time we could see fit.
I want to thank all my friends for their recommendations, especially three of my high school friends that had the opportunity to live in Japan for many years - Justin, Joseph and Zia - for their in-depth tips and advice. A special thanks to Acekay for all his help and hospitality and thanks to Tom for letting us borrow the Hasselblad again.
DAYS: August 11 - September 1, 2009
WHAT WE DID:
TOKYO:
08.13.2009 Arriving a little too early in Tokyo, we found ourselves in the awful situation of enduring a 23 hour journey of airports and planes and not being able to check into our hotel room until 3 pm. Brain dead and jet lagged, we dragged our beaten bodies through the hot subtropical humidity around the Shibuya neighborhood. The sounds of the crickets and cicadas chirping were deafening and the humidity was like soup. To pass the time and heat, we checked out the local quirky Tobacco and Salt Museum, that had dioramas of salt production throughout history and cigarette packets, pipes and smoking paraphernalia from around the world. Next stop, we wandered through a small street to Tokyu Hands, a department store chain that carries just about everything: from kitchen tools, stationary, hobby kits, hardware, toys, pet supplies----
designed in that very Japanese way that makes you want to buy everything! We easily strolled and killed a couple of hours in this store. We examined all the different variations of paper clips, travel alarms, hinges, chopsticks, etc in awe. It's not just any department store; this store also had classes and workshops you could take, a wall of pamphlets teaching you DIY and repair techniques. I couldn't help but to succumb to this country's cult of cuteness. This is the best store ever! Later tonight I had read in the Ikebukuro branch, that they have a Nekobukuro - a cat house, where customers can play with the 20 some cats roaming around. It's like a petting zoo or an alternative to pet ownership. Crazy cool. I'll post some pictures soon from Tokyu Hands.
08.14.2009
OHAYO GOZAIMASU, JAPAN! Breakfast in Japan
Harajuku Morning Walk. An easy walk from Shibuya, we explored the Harajuku neighborhood. It's a fashionable neighborhood with its main boulevard, Omote-sando, lined with high end boutiques and haute couture. But here is also where you can spot street styles of the Gothic Lolitas or Little Bo Peeps gang of girls hanging out to meet friends.
Here are a few highlights from our walking tour:
There's no escaping Brooklyn. NeckFace makes an appearance in Tokyo:
View from Meiji-Dori, where our hotel is located:
The Shibuya Commuter Bus:
Walk through Yoyogi-koen Park: The torii gate en route to Meji-jingu shrine. Meiji-jingu is a Shinto shrine. Established in 1920, this shrine is dedicated to the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his Empress Shoken. It is situated in a forest of some 170,000 trees of 245 species. The shrine itself is constructed of cedar and permeates a wonderful scent in this humid weather.
Manner Street Sign : Watch where you smoke, please. Designated outdoor smoking stations. Funny thing is, there's no designation for smoking indoors.
Jangara Ramen. If Johnny could eat here everyday, he would. This place has some of the tastiest, if not best ramen! It's pretty easy to find. Just a few minutes away from the Harajuku Station, walk to the right of a big street that sort of curves left and it's a few stores down. Jangara Ramen specializes in Tonkotsu Ramen, made of savory pork bone broth, served with extra thin noodles. We ordered the Kyushu Jangara bowl, which came with really, really good slices of pork - that melted in your mouth, soy hard boiled egg and cod roe. So so so so good, we left craving for more.
Archway that marks the beginning of Takeshita-dori street. A very busy pedestrian street, with shops marketed towards teen fashions and underwear stores that pump Japanese hip hop. We quickly took the smaller side streets that wind through the neighborhood and fade away the madness of this main thoroughfare.
Design Festa 1. A converted house with sets of rooms to rent for young artists or galleries.
House from the backstreets of Harajuku:
Dinner at Sakana-Tei. Another wonderful meal. We wandered up to this homey sake pub (izakaya) with the most amazing homemade dishes. We were early to the pub and it seemed like we had just awaken the owner. His wife greeted us at the door, while he shot out from behind the counter, as if he had been sleeping on the floor. They were so super nice, spoke very little English, but were able to recommend dishes and sake.
A dry sake for Johnny, nothing for the preggers.
Appetizer of smoked fish, salted tofu and pickled cucumbers
Fresh leeks with homemade miso paste
Cold tofu
Broiled chicken with mushrooms with homemade sweet miso on haba leaf
Location the 4th floor of this building, across from Tokyo Department Store in the Dogenzaka area of Shibuya:
08.15.2009
Japanese vending machine product update or why didn't I think of that:
Nikka Black Whisky and Water in a CAN
PRICE:
- No tourist visa needed
- RT Flights with Luftansa (JFK-Frankfurt-Narita) - from U.S. Airways Dividend Miles
- Accomodations - Given the short notice, our lodgings were based on what was readily available and the most economical package deals. We were happy with all our choices- great locations, near transportation and sightseeing, comfortable and clean. In Tokyo- Shibuya Tokyu Inn, Hotel Gracery Ginza. In Kyoto - Westin Miyako. (The Heavenly Beds were the best beds we have ever slept in!) In Koyasan- Temple lodging in Shojoshin-in
- As a rough guide, we budgeted 100,000 JPY per person to cover basic costs for a 2 week trip. This should cover meals, drinks, local transport and entrance fees
EXCHANGE RATE: 1 U.S. = 95 JPY
ESSENTIALS AND TIPS:
VISITING KATSURA
Since my university course on Japanese architecture, I have always wanted to visit the Katsura Imperial Villa. This is an outstanding example of 17th century Japanese architecture. The protocol that regulates visits to this villa in Kyoto, property of the Emperor of Japan since the late 19th century, has remained unchanged. Special permission is required to pass through; it takes between 6 months to 1 year advance notice to make reservations. However, this didn't keep us from trying at the last minute. You can visit the Imperial Household Agency in Tokyo or Kyoto upon your arrival and see if there are any openings. We were able to reserve a spot.
Other places we had hoped to visit, but weren't able to book on this trip:
Hoshi Onsen in Chojukan (north of Tokyo - a secluded in the woods with indoors / outdoors baths)
Hokkawa (south of Tokyo) This link will take you to a wonderful family run accommodation near this coastal town. You will need to know Japanese or have someone who speaks Japanese book this. Language will definitely be a barrier, but I've heard from experience that despite this, it's an accommodating and amazing experience. Here's a translation of the webpage: "Please enjoy our fresh Izu's seafood that are picked every early morning. Our open-air rooftop hot spring features a panoramic view of the ocean, allowing you to relax and heal your stress." Sounds right up my alley. About 105,000 -135,000 JPY per person and includes dinner.
Kokedera Temple or Saihoji Moss Temple in Kyoto. Permission to visit only through application by snail mail. It also has the highest entrance fee of all the temples, 3000 JPY. To apply send your dates, number of people, name and a return postcard with mailing address to the temple address:
Saihoji Temple
56 Jingatani-cho, Matsuo
Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8286, Japan
Other affordable accommodations in Japan:
Unless you have the money, staying in a Ryokan will hurt your budget, albeit an amazing luxury. If you're not moving around, finding "weekly" hotels, which will rent you nice rooms for about 5000JPY / week.
For example, here's a hotel, which they call, weekly-monthly mansions, in Shibuya, Tokyo: Prior Maruyama or in Kyoto: G-style BB
They have an "X-Box" symbol system to show vacancies when you're making reservations on-line. If you play X-Box, the buttons will be familiar to you: "X" shows that it is full, and "△" shows that there are few rooms left and "O" show there are many rooms left.
Claska Hotel Designed and produced by a collaboration of Japanese designer Shuwa Tei of Intentionallies, architect Iku Hirose of Urban Design System, Hikaru Okada and Sadahiro Nakamura of Transit, T.C.K.W. and UK design firm Tomato. It's damn near impossible to book a room in this hotel, as there are only 12 rooms, but if you're able, the prices seem reasonable, so book early. They offer weekly residence rooms and other design-centric accommodations. It's located in the hip neighborhood of Nakameguro, away from all the Tokyo hoopla. We'll be booking early next time.
Navigation through the city streets:
Our maps proved pretty useless. Most streets don't have names and the buildings are not necessarily numbered sequentially. We actually used a combination of maps that had Japanese characters and our compass, which proved to be very useful. We saw a few people walking around with GPS. Despite all this, Tokyo and Kyoto are a relatively easy cities to navigate and the public transportation is first rate, leaving us pining and jealous.
Money money money:
Our maps proved pretty useless. Most streets don't have names and the buildings are not necessarily numbered sequentially. We actually used a combination of maps that had Japanese characters and our compass, which proved to be very useful. We saw a few people walking around with GPS. Despite all this, Tokyo and Kyoto are a relatively easy cities to navigate and the public transportation is first rate, leaving us pining and jealous.
Money money money:
Make sure you have access to or carry a fair amount of cash, since credit cards aren't quite as widely accepted as they are here in the U.S. When changing money in Japan you will get a much better rate if you exchange foreign currency traveller's cheques rather than foreign currency cash. Avoid using cash machines at banks as these do not normally accept foreign-issued cards. Instead use the Post Office cash machines or ATMS at 7-11 convenience stores.
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