The Passport Photos

"When you look like your passport photo, it's time to go home." Erma Bombeck

I realized yesterday, through our travel agents at work, that my passport expires this year. Not until October, but anyone who travels much knows that as long as it is in the same year some countries will not let you in  (OK, they say within six months, but I have learned to be extra cautious because if something can go wrong, I will find it out . I am easy-going about most things, but could very well stage an international incident over such a thing.

So this procrastinator, who often misses deadlines in her personal life (most recently my car tag renewal), would never knowingly not have a passport in good standing. You never know when someone may say "Hey, do you want to go to Antarctica?" ....and you must be prepared to say "Sure!" (That is the only possible answer, from where I sit.)

But today as I was waiting at the CVS, where I believe all of the passport photos of my adult life have been taken, I remembered a Dad story. I don't think there have been many, if any, days of my life since my dad has been gone that something hasn't brought him to mind.

Dad was almost always calm, cool, and collected.....and seldom wrong. He also was a bit thrifty. Some of you are grinning because you know I inherited that particular trait. It was time for Dad's passport to be renewed and he thought "Why should I go out and pay someone else to take a passport photo of me? I'm a pretty good photographer."

So Dad read all up on all the requirements.....he was the type who would not miss a detail (I did not inherit this trait.) He knew the backdrop he needed, he knew the size his head needed to be, he had each and every detail down. He set up a white sheet with a chair in front of it, set up the tripod, and started the process of taking his own picture. He found it wasn't quite as easy as it looked. This was back in the days of film, so there was film cost and processing that needed to be done. Dad kept making adjustments and taking more photos until the roll was ready to be developed.

When Dad got the pictures back, I don't think one was usable. The pictures were hysterical. Sometimes it took before he was seated. Sometimes he was leaning one way or another. Sometimes you could see the sheet draping, and other times wrinkles in it. Yes, we laughed until we cried. Not Dad....he wasn't around when we saw them....the rest of us. I think he had left them on the counter. And yes, our mom was the ringleader.

If I remember correctly, that did not stop him. It just gave him more data to make sure he got it right. He got the picture.

So me....CVS has always been my passport place, because I learned from Dad how I didn't want to do it.  Even after all of that, and knowing my inability to do anything crafty, Dad would have still told me I could do it myself. Most who know me, know better. Sometimes his faith in me was misplaced.

I wanted to hug the young guy who took my picture today when it was over, not because the picture was so great, but because the process was fun. He had to remind me "You can't smile".... which made me purse my lips in a way that makes me look a bit suspicious. We laughed after he took it and I really had to laugh when I saw it. I may be patted down or strip searched in my future, because of that look on my face. But my photographer was proud of his work But he further said "They do call them mug shots. And they're the ones who say you can't smile, wear glasses, or have your hair in your face." I rolled my eyes at him a little, but acknowledged "I'll be traveling. If I looked too good they wouldn't recognize me."

Thrifty me found a $2 coupon online when I checked to make sure CVS still did took passport photos (since it had been 10 years.) So I didn't pay full price....that is a good thing. And truly....as bad as my photo is, I know Dad's were far worse. Sometimes 'Do it yourself" is not smarter or cheaper.

Now to mail it all in and get ready for more adventures. It's fitting I am doing this in February. Is there anything I love more than travel? A few things, but not many.

Mom and I Go to the U.K. - Part 1

I'm an unusual traveler, I know. I don't make a lot of plans. I try to book airfare and accommodation, but usually. I do not do this months in advance....because....things happen. It seems to make more sense to me to decide where I am going and go soon.

I believe I started talking to Mom about going to Wales in March. It took her a bit by surprise, but she agreed. So here we go in a whirlwind two week trip, our main destination Newport, Gwent, South Wales, where my mom was born and where our family on her side still lives. She is trusting me to get her there. I think we'll do it....though we'll see if one if one of us kills the other before it is all over.

I have a travel rule.....we are all responsible for our own good time. Which means I will do what I need to do to have fun. You can join me or not. I won't feel personal guilt if you choose to be miserable, nor will I join you. I won't be offended if you want to spend your time differently than I do, and decided a long time ago I won't do things I don't want to do. Life is too short to fail to spend limited vacation time your way. I don't enjoy traveling because everything has always gone right. Some of my favorite memories are when things have gone horribly wrong. They usually turn out well.

I love flying and most of the travel process (other than packing and carrying luggage.) I don't mind wandering aimlessly, and figure I will spend much time lost. Mom hates flying, likes a plan, and likes when things go as predicted. We'll see how things go!

Travel is crazy these days. I booked through Expedia because rates were lower. (And I get Exoefia points and still get frequent flyer points.) Our flight over was an American Airlines flight, booked through Iberia Airlines. Mom was suspicious. She thought I was booking her on a cut rate airline with a sketchy safety record, even though I kept reminding her it was actually going to be American Airlines. She finally believed me. I think because her sister Beryl told her she had flown Iberia many times.

For for some reason I still don't know, they woukdn't let me book our seats in advance. People in our lives didn't help me here. They kept saying "They probably overbooked and you won't have seats." I scoffed....though a tiny part of me prayed. If it was just me, that would be OK. I'd go with it. That's not good enough when Mom is with me.

But it worked out fine. The first seats we were given were middle seats, but Mom mentioned she wanted an aisle seat and the woman changed our seats to an aisle and window seat close to the front of the plane. Score! Even better, leg room was ample. Even the food in the plane was tolerable ((I usually rank airline food in the same category as hospital food.) Mom, who never sleeps on planes, slept much if the way. I, who usually sleep on a flight from Charlotte to Greensboro, could not get comfortable. I barely slept at all.

Our hotel stay ended up being free in an Expedia deal. We read a couple of reviews and picked it together. It's called the Corinthia.....and is about a block from Trafalger Square. To get here we took a black cab. It is one step up from Uber, but cheaper than a regular cab. Our cost, with a generous tip, was 10£ less than a regular cab ride without tip. Still, a long ride so a bit of an expense. Not carrying luggage on the train....worth every penny. (Or rather pound.) Our cabdriver (who Mom was teasing about his testosterone when he carried most of our luggage himself, said he didn't have much since he was 33. He was from Bulgaria and enjoyed arguing politics with Mom on the drive. I think that helped keep her mind off his driving, which scared her and delighted me. He would fly down narrow streets where it looked like there was no room for one car, let alone two. Be did a three point road turn in the middle lane of a crowded London street. And he showed us his two pence coin, suitable for throwing at the cars of rude or crazy drivers. He claimed to have never really thrown one. I don't necessarily believe him. But he got us to our hotel, and we got a nice city tour besides.

The hotel is gorgeous. Great location, but for these two exhausted travelers, our plans of shopping at  Harrod's and going to a show lost out to the need for sleep. The desk clerk said he gave us a triple upgrade in our room. Who knows? But it is great. Mom says it is the nicest hotel she has ever stayed in, I admit I got quite excited when I realized the bathroom floors and towel racks are heated. And there is a TV over the bathtub. It's the little things.

We napped for a couple of hours, then went out looking for fish and chips. We got them at a place called Garfunkels. (I remember that because of Art.) Fish, chips (French fries y'all), malt vinegar, a bit if extra salt, garden peas instead of mushy peas, and a pot of hot tea with sugar and milk. One reason we love it here. After a walk around the block, we came back to the room. I write, while Mom sleeps. Days 1 and 2.....a success.

Heading Home

While we loved our time in Japan, Maggie and I agreed that we were not upset about going home. When you like your life, it makes it easier to accept the trip is almost over....and we are tired!

We left our hotel in rainy Tokyo around 10:30 a.m. on Monday (which was Sunday at 9:30 p.m. in Statesville). We'll arrive in Charlotte on Tuesday morning around 10:30 a.m. Yeah....pretty grueling!

Besides the time factor, add into it things like carrying your luggage, all of your luggage, on two subways and then a train to get to the airport, and then you have to find the right spot to check in at that airport and dump the checked luggage. I'm used to these things, but they are very foreign to Maggie so there are times she hasn't liked me very much as we have done them. Layovers are a pain....having to wait all day in the Vancouver airport to catch a flight at 11;30 tonight? Not fun. Then to have to travel to Toronto, have a short layover, and then go to Charlotte, where we will go through customs yet again? Like I said, grueling. We checked out the day rates for the airport hotel in Vancouver..$342 for a 6-hour stay. Yep, really. That's "only" about $267 U.S....but still. $45 an hour. No. But I hear it is very nice! 

Narita Airport in Tokyo is huge. We found entertainment as we left the area where we deposited our luggage. I'm not quite sure what it was....but it was loud. And it got the attention of this cute kimono-clad little girl.

We got interviewed by a Japanese TV crew as we were finding our way to the gates. It was fun. They would ask us questions in Japanese, then in English. They wanted to know where we had been and why we had been there. Then they wanted to see our favorite vacation picture. I showed them the one with the sumo wrestlers. They seemed a bit surprised to see it. I guess what our Japanese friends told us is true...not many people get their pictures taken with sumo wrestlers. 

Maggie showed them one of her selfies with the deer at  Miyajima on the day we had gone to Hiroshima. She told them that was the closest she had been to deer when they hadn't been stuffed and on a wall! That photo was an especially funny memory for me. Maggie saw the crowd of deer and started taking selfies. She didn't notice the guy whose lunch bag they had attacked...and him and his friends trying to rescue it. 

There was even unintentional entertainment at the airport. Things like this bathroom sign cracked us up. I guess they don't want you to get confused with the squat and regular toilets. They had both.

The airline upgraded us to the emergency row, so we got a bit of extra legroom. That's nice on a long flight. The flight itself was uneventful. The food was awful. I'm not a fan of airplane meals. Luckily I don't want much food when I travel. Flight time was 9-10 hours, but the time passed quickly. I slept 4-5 hours on the plane. Maggie only slept one. She was busy watching movies. We were both surprised when we saw our flight was almost over.

We could do a tour in Vancouver or go to their outlet mall if we had the energy. We don't. Maggie curled up between two seats (more like a couch, really) when we got in and slept for a few hours. She's awake now, watching a movie and charging her phone. I expect she will sleep some more. We do have wifi, which works well. I wish all airports had it! But there aren't enough outlets in these comfy areas so you can keep your devices charged. I am sharing with a guy who grabbed the one I had been stalking before I could get to it. Maggie has gone to one of the cafes.

If you have to hang out in an airport, the scenery around this one is pretty spectacular. The airport is also well equipped and has some decent food options. It could definitely be worse.

But we just want to be home. We will be two happy women midday tomorrow. It has been a great trip, though, and we have great memories for a lifetime. But home is a good place to be....until the next adventure.

Kim's Choice - A Day in Hiroshima

Yesterday was my personal indulgence....the one "must do" for me on this trip to Japan. It was a visit to Hiroshima, one of the two sites bombed by the Enola Gay in 1945. I became fascinated with World War II in high school. It is a time in history that I think shows us the worse of humanity, but then of the power of hope and peace. Hiroshima is a great symbol of that for me.

Hiroshima has been in the news lately with President Obama's visit, and people got up in arms about a supposed apology for the bombing. Personally I didn't get the outrage (especially since the apology was another thing that by all accounts didn't happen). I believe I know why our military made the choices they did and have read some of the accounts of the folks making the decisions. Most do not regret the action, but tremendously regretted the impact on the Japanese people....especially the many women and children who perished or whose lives were forever changed by the aftermath. Sometimes apologies do not mean you think the action was wrong, but you deeply regret the impact of the action. That is how I feel about Hiroshima and I don't understand those who can't think of the destruction caused and regret it too. Even if it was necessary destruction to end war and preserve peace, even knowing Pearl Harbor happened. Killing innocent people is horrible and wrong, regardless of who does the killing. War is full of horrible paradoxes of life and I struggle with it.

I was trying to explain to Maggie a bit of how I felt before we left. I just wanted to be there...pray on their land, and leave behind a bit of love and peace. Just as I felt when visiting Pearl Harbor, or walking through the Holocaust Museum.

We took one of the bullet trains. A journey that would take more than five hours by car (maybe less if I were driving), takes just over two on the train. We maneuvered the subway and the train station and together found our track. Once again, Maggie is a great travel partner. I often feel like high fiving her. If I miss it, she catches it. We have really had few missteps and all of them have just been a matter of steps. I believe we are about ready for the Amazing Race. I know I would have to eat the gross stuff.

The trains really are amazing. So very smooth. You ever realize how fast you are going until you are at a stop and another train passes. They are very comfortable, with air conditioning. The announcements are in Japanese and English and the English is easy to understand (not the case everywhere in Japan.)

It's fun to see the scenery as you pass. Even the small towns have many high rise buildings. They certainly build up in Japan. Many of the buildings are narrow...they told us in Kyoto that at one time the Japanese taxed based on the width of your entrance, so buildings were long and narrow. The architecture still seems to embrace it.

727 Cosmetics signs are everywhere along the route. They have evidently embraced the South of the Border style, albeit a bit less tacky. Maggie and I said we need to look for them in the stores here. See?, Advertising works.

We got to the Hiroshima terminal and decided to take one of the streetcars to the Peace Park. It was a short ride from the station. The park is unbelievably beautiful and serene. We wanted lunch, but nothing was appealing to us, so we got gelato (I will eventually decide that was a mistake since food options did not improve). We eventually made our way to the destination I most cared about, the Victim's Museum. I publicly apologize to Maggie for this....the depressing nature was out of scope with our trip, but still I needed to experience. 

This picture is an amazing room that is round, with scenes of Old Hiroshima on the walls, bricks with names of some of the casualties. There is a fountain in the middle, symbolizing healing for the people. It is a great place to sit and reflect and pray.....a special time and place for me. Then to the survivor's stories. There is a film that talks about the impact it had on some survivors, and also audio, video,,and written accounts from others. 

One of the most touching to me was a man whose account I read, He kissed his wife and his baby daughter before he left for work, and then headed on his way. He actually got a bit off schedule or he would have surely been killed. Afterward he describes how he searches for his family. His two older daughters (who were at work themselves) survived, his wife and baby daughter perished. What grabbed my heart was his narrative about how he searches everywhere for them all. His agony and helplessness, mixed with with his resilience and persistence. It reminded me of accounts of people searching for their loved ones after 9/11, but with less communication available to them. Such sadness. As I said before, though I think I understand why it happened and trust the military made the best decision they knew to make at the time to keep our country safe, the fact that moms and their children (or single women of the childless or men, soldiers or not) faced such fear and death and injuries that impacted them for years to come....how can we not have regrets?

I could have spent days in that place, but Maggie needed more fun. We headed to Miyajima. We're at the total exhaustion part of the trip and everything seems like too much effort for the reward. This was a long day. Going to Miyajima required we take a bus back to the station, a 40-minute train ride across town, then.a 10-minute ferry ride to the island. Oh.....and remember. I haven't fed Maggie a meal all day (just gelato). We kept looking for places, but she needed Western food and choices were slim. So during the 40-minute train ride across town I think she hated me a bit. I had no clue whether it as right to push her do do it or not, but I knew she didn't want to explore the Peace Park or museums, so this seemed like a good bet. She perked up a bit on the ferry ride. It was beautiful. She said "I've never seen anything that looks like this." Then we got off on the island. 

When we left the terminal, we walk out and see a couple petting a deer. We try to get closer. The woman warns "They love paper." Maggie was holding a brochure and in her excitement she dropped it. The deer went wild. It's evidently their snack of choice. They were a riot. Even funnier was Maggie trying to get them to pose with her. We soon realize deer are everywhere....and they are in the prowl for snacks. We watched them destroy a sack lunch of a Japanese tourist. They definitely lifted our moods and restored our energy. What a great time.

Miyajima is also known as Shrine Island. Since Hiroshima was a day trip for us, we didn't get to spend enough time there. We finally found a possible lunch spot, but walked by to look for another. Then we could never find the first one. We ended up eating strawberry ices. Yeah, still not real food but refreshing. And we had to hurry back to make our train. We had three more hours of train rides before we got back to our hotel.

When we arrived back to the station in Kyoto, Maggie stopped dead in her tracks as she rounded a corner. MCDONALD'S!!!!!! OK....it was 8 p.m. and she hadn't eaten a real meal all day. She had already decided on Pizza Hut, but that was an additional two blocks from our hotel. It was dinner time.

We made our way through the two additional subway stops to our hotel, exhausted but happy. While it had a few difficult moments, overall it was a fun and meaningful day. 

Today we head back to Tokyo. We wished we could stay in Kyoto (and this beautiful hotel) longer. But there is never time to explore enough and we want to spend more time with Maggie's friends over the weekend. The taste we got was wonderful and we would love to come back and see more.

We'll do today slow. Our goal is to get to our next hotel room in Tokyo, which will be much smaller than this one from what I can tell. We don't have to check out of our Kyoto hotel until noon, so I will let Maggie sleep as long as she needs and we will try out the buffet breakfast in the hotel and eat our fill before we set out. I will not starve her again today!

A Rainy Day in Kyoto

We hadn't made strong plans for our Hiroshima trip, so when I could tell Maggie was enjoying sleeping in, I decided she probably needed the rest. Well, until I needed to check out the very loud expresso machine for a caffeine fix. I didn't know it was loud, but yeah....think jet taking off in the room. Any regrets about waking Maggie? No....I am a bit selfish when it comes to the first in room coffee I have had on our trip.

Travel is tiring. Maggie wanted to wake slowly. Well, after the initial shock of the coffee taking off shocked her awake. Plus it was raining....not ideal for touring Hiroshima. So, we decided on a lazy day in Kyoto,

Oh, I know we're supposed to go to the golden shrine and the silver shrine and such and I am sure we would have enjoyed that. We learned they were about a 30-minute cab drive away (we're staying in central Kyoto) But as I keep reminding myself, this is Maggie's trip and needs to reflect who she is now. Maggie is not really about shrines and history and such. She is 21, and still very in touch with her inner child. She loves to play. I do, too. So we went for a fun day in Kyoto.

Maggie was smart enough to pack a rain jacket, and she wasn't even aware rainy season was starting. I was, but yeah....never packed one. So I get wet. We'll see if I buy one before the trip is over. Strong possibility.

We first went to the food markets. So many interesting things, I wish we had her friends around to tell us what some were. We tasted a sweet sake from one of the vendors. It was good....but we didn't want to carry a bottle around. We started looking for somewhere to eat. We were looking for a Okonomiyaki (savory pancake) restaurant that the concierge had recommended.....one of the things I had not yet tried. We never did find it, but Maggie saw a "real" pancake house. OK....I knew dinner was possibly not going to be to her liking, so it was local and not an American chain.....I was in! The pancakes were thick. Not very sweet. I had carmelized bananas, she had fruit and chocolate sauce. There was whipped cream....something I would normally say "no" to....but we both agreed it was great. OK....not the typical lunch, but we were full when we left and it really was good.

So then it was time for the high point of Maggie's day. Time to play dress up. We went to a place where she was made up and dressed up as a geisha. Well, actually as a maiko....a geisha in training (she liked the outfit choices better.) I opted to watch (I had done something similar with my friends the Bradys when they lived in Okinawa) and truthfully it is pretty fun to watch and relax,You wouldn't believe the layers of fabric that it takes to make a geisha. Maggie said she could barely breathe.

A Japanese mother and daughter were there when we were and I believe they were fitting them for their "to keep" kimonos. I knew Maggie would covet the pretty pink one of the daughter....and she did. 

Maggie's friend Shino tells us she mostly wears a kimono on ceremonial occasions.... most recently her college graduation. We have seen many on the streets, though.

After the maiko adventure, we ran back to the hotel to relax before our evening. It was then I realized we had not gotten tickets for Hiroshima tomorrow. The concierge had recommended we do so because she said the lines in the morning can be long. So while Maggie got ready for the evening, I took off running for the subway. I easily found the station at the directions of one of our bellmen (have I said how much I love the staff here?) and made my way to Kyoto station, where the train office is. I tried to remember the stop and the subway line and even landmarks to where it was. It's easy to get screwed up and go on the wrong line. The train office was through a mall area and then out across the street in another building. I only stood in line a minute, completely knew what train I wanted (thank you precious concierge), had the necessary passports and passes, and within a couple of minutes I had tickets. 

I ran back across the street and where I needed to catch the subway, but my first issue was all the subway signs were in Japanese. Usually there is something with English, but I couldn't find it.  I then try the machine, find the English button (we have been doing it in Japanese after watching Shino a few times) and tried to find the station. I should have written it down. What I thought it was....it wasn't. I'm starting to get anxious because we were supposed to leave at 5 to get to the meeting place for our dinner tour we had planned. It's about 10 minutes 'til. So....I try to find something on the internet that shows the station. Nothing. 

I must have looked perplexed because a sweet Japanese guy touched my elbow to get my attention and looked at me as if asking if he could help. I showed him the hotel name and he didn't know it, so he took me to the tourist information booth and waited to make sure a very slow agent helped me. (God bless that sweet man!) While the agent started typing things into a computer,  I saw a diagram of the stations in English and said "That one....that's what I need. It's 220 yen, right? Where do I get that ticket?" She acted like she didn't hear me, and finally as if in slow motion, pointed to a machine. I was off. I get the ticket, run down the subway stars, and realize I don't know what direction I am supposed to head. The one I think is right doesn't match up with the diagram I find on the wall. So I go with the diagram, and chose right. I text Maggie and tell her to meet me in the lobby. 

Luckily I remember the direction I am supposed to leave the station and run back to the hotel. I tell the doorman we will need a taxi but I have to go to the lobby to get Maggie. I go into the lobby. No Maggie. She had run back upstairs because our internet doesn't work in the lobby and she wanted to text me again (she didn't get my second text because she had thought I was already in the lobby.) I texted her and told her to run down fast, and she did. 

We managed to arrive at the meeting place at another hotel close enough to the time that we could fake out the tour guide that we had been looking for her. She comes and points us into another cab, with another couple of tour members, Terry and Sue from Australia. We started talking with them and fell in love with them immediately. They were an older couple who were very well traveled. We stuck with them through the evening show and on the walk to dinner.

The evening show....it was essentially a cultural tour of Japan. Not too long, but started with a short demonstration of some of the womenly arts (tea ceremony, flower arranging and Japanese harp playing). Next was a demonstration of court music, a comic play, dance, and a puppet play. So OK....it was all fine, but the ADD side of me got obsessed with a couple of Japanese men and their cameras. The one in front of me had an awesome camera with a great telephoto lens. He used it like an point and shoot...no zoom and pretty bad pictures (I could see what he was shooting), I wanted to hold out mine and say "Wanna trade?" The other guy was using his cell phone to record the acts. In between he would turn it on himself. I don't know....cracked me up.

We walked through the streets of Gion, where the geishas are usually hanging out. I think they stayed in because of the rain. We head over to dinner and poor Maggie....it was a vegetarian tempura meal. Lots of tofu and soy and strange leaves and vegetables, She liked the green pepper. And the rice. I thought it was all interesting....though most of the time I didn't know what I was eating. I meant to bring the menu home, but forgot. Anyway, the bossy folk in charge separated us from our buddies Terry and Sue. We didn't like that. But we were grouped with a young woman from Singapore (there by herself) and a couple that seemed to only speak French.

After dinner there was a tea ceremony and they led the five of us there. It was not handicapped friendly and the French lady seemed to have Parkinson's or something similar, The young guy that was leading the intro to the tea ceremony seemed oblivious to this couple. Maggie kept staying behind to help, but there were wet rocks and the terrain was uneven. Finally the guy got a clue. Eventually we all made it to the tea house.,.,where those of us besides the French couple had to go in a dog door. So maybe it wasn't a dog door, but it felt like it. But that's evidently how the tea houses work, That was the doir and what looked like a door was actually the window. (They did let the French couple in that way.) The French couple continued to do the tea ceremony their own way, which made us giggle a time or two. They disobeyed all of the ritual and simply drank the tea down. We enjoyed them. The ceremony was fun overall and a good ending to our evening. They put us in a cab back to our hotel and now we're enjoying night two of our three-night stay. Tomorrow really us Hiroshima, though we haven't made strong plans for the day. But we have our tickets and we will see what we can find. 

On to Kyoto

We....OK I.....had decided we needed to go to Kyoto for a few days to see a different side of Japanese life. I knew this was going to be a hard day. I had bought seven-day Japan Rail Tickets back in the states because you can't buy them in Japan. They are a bit pricey, but the Kyoto trip itself almost covered the fare. Plus I wanted (needed?) to go to Hiroshima....and since it is closer to Kyoto we will travel there from here. If we figure out somewhere else we want to go in the train in those 7-days, we travel for free on the pass. Anyway, Kyoto and Hiroshima were my idea,.,,I admit it. I did plan it during the week so we could spend weekends with Maggie's friends in Tokyo, however,

We go have been waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. Maggie usually goes back to sleep for a while after this. We had to check out if our Airbnb apartment by 11, but dreading this trip I decided we needed to leave by 10. Around 8:30 I woke Maggie up. She wasn't quite ready to be awake, so I did feel a bit guilty....but there were a lot of steps to our day and I figured she could sleep on the 3-hour train ride to Kyoto. We had a couple of different options for stations where we could redeem our rail passes. Maggie mapped it out and we set out. She is quite the expert.

While we planned luggage pretty well in one sense (big bagpacks and a carry on), they are still rather heavy and they are getting a bit heavier as time goes on. Especially with the million subway stairs you walk up and down while carrying it all. We maneuvered the subway, then had about a 15-minute walk to where we redeemed the voucher. Keep in mind that Maggie had not had a full meal since lunch the day before because I wasn't feeling well that night....and Maggie likes her three meals a day. And I woke her up before she was ready. We knew the walk to the next station wasn't too far, but the map wasn't good. It started to get stressful. We definitely didn't need extra steps. There was a line of cabs there, so I decided it was time for Maggie's first cab ride ever. Definitely money well spent. The route would have been a bear to walk with luggage. 

We take the taxi to the service center, and find the place where they give us our vouchers and a ticket for a trip to Kyoto. Problem was it was getting ready to leave. No time for lunch. Maggie agrees it will be OK (and I verified there were McDonald's in Kyoto and there were none close to the station where we were), so off we go. We headed through the station, but there us absolutely nothing on our tickets that match up with the signage around us, We keep asking folks and each advances us a bit more. The last was a fare agent, so I felt fairly confident we got on the right train, but without sugn confirmation I wondered. I only confirmed it about an hour into our journey.

The train was great. Clean, well maintained, racks overhead for our large luggage. It was quiet and peaceful....conversation is really frowned upon on public transport here, especially loud conversation. We passed some beautiful scenery and some big farming and industrial areas, The three hours flew by and it actually was a very enjoyable experience. Maggie caught up on some sleep and re-gained most of her zen.

We arrive in Kyoto, and by then we just want to dump our luggage and find Maggie her McDonald's. Neither of us felt like thinking at that point (and finding your way requires your full brain here), so time for our second cab of the day. We arrive at our third accommodation of the trip and it is a definite upgrade from our first two. Our room is beautiful, The staff is attentive. It will be a wonderful place to rest for a few days. 

As I checked us in, Maggie is getting directions to the nearest McDonald's from another staff member. We put our things in our room, and set out to find it. It was about a 10-minute walk away. We are almost there (the Golden Arches are in our sight) and I am greeted by five children, one who solemnly tells me they are junior high students studying English and asks if I would answer some questions for them. They take turns asking me questions. "What is your name?" "Where are you from?" (North Carolina was a bit advanced....I quickly added USA, America. I think America made the cut.) "Why are you here?" "What do you like about Japan?" They took turns and all were excellent in their delivery. They asked if they could take a picture of me at the end. I said if I could take a picture of them. We told them they were speaking English very well, and their giggles were precious. As we left I said "Come to the USA and visit us sometime and they looked like they liked the idea of that." (And for my UNC Model UN'ers....no, I didn't tell them where I lived. Oops.) It was a wonderful encounter and they made my day. I wish their teacher had been around....they were obviously very good at their job and I would have loved to tell them.

But then in a few steps we were in a Nirvana....also known as McDonald's. As we ate (and it admittedly was good!) Maggie  contemplated whether she should get an extra burger to eat later. I talked her out of it. Cold McDonald's? Ick. But I suspect we may see McDonald's again. Along with the Pizza Hut that is just a block away from our hotel. But really....she is trying Japanese food, too, so I'm going with it. And she is loving the Japanese chocolate and finding her favorite snacks Shino sent her over the years and eating plenty of them....that counts!

Walking home we went into two different grocery stores. One didn't have the snacks she sought, but we found a bargain there on water (33 yen per bottle). At the other store I waited outside while she collected snacks for Kyoto. She came out with a filled bag. She's afraid I am not going to feed her!

When we got back to the room I drew Maggie's attention to our fancy Japanese toilet (really....I have to bring these up each place we stay because they are all different and fascinating.) Her squeals when she pushed buttons had me laughing so hard I cried.

Then Maggie decided to try the in-room massage. This tiny little Japanese lady came, and she packed some power! Maggie said it hurt at first, but then started to feel good. The foot massage especially looked awesome. I'm trying to hold out for Diana time when I get back (Diana is my friend and awesome massage therapist), but yeah....if tomorrow brings as much pain to my feet as prior days have, I just may cheat on her!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will visit Hiroshima....at the top of my list to see in Japan since reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in high school. It's a two-hour train ride there and back, but worth it, I think. Of course we have made no real plans, so if we wake up too late or logistics seem too burdensome, we will tour Kyoto tomorrow and wait until the next day. We're flexible...we're on vacation!

(View from this room.)

Sunday With Yuka and Yasu

Sunday came. Jet lag has fully set set in. After 12 hours of sleep, I still felt like I needed more. Or maybe coffee. There was no coffee in our apartment and a 2-day withdrawal is worse than one. In case you wondered, coffee withdrawal and jet lag have the same symptoms for me.

We had more friends of Maggie's to meet that were lovely enough to act our ur tour guides for the day. Maggie met Yuka when she signed up to meet internationals for English conversation when Yuka's husband was in MBA school in Chapel Hill. A very precious couple Yuka and her husband Yasu were to meet us at the train station at Shinjuku. With very clear directions from Yuka we managed to get there rather easily. We were early enough that I could get a coffee when we waited (Yea!!!!) My choices appeared to be black or with soy cream. I chose the soy cream....go for the new. Good choice. It was delicious, though a bit sweeter than I normally take my coffee. Ahhhhhh......something to take away the headache. I will have it again while we are here. Interesting thing I noticed.....no open trash cans anywhere in sight. We finally found one underneath a table at the coffee stall (a nice lady enlightened us.

Yuka and Yasu found us and we walked out in the famous square there that I would call the "Times Square of Tokyo." Sensory overload. It was so crowded  on Sunday (especially when we were leaving late afternoon), I cannot imagine it during the week when they nay proclaim it "crowded". But it was interesting!

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Yuka and Yasu took us to lunch at their favorite restaurant. It specializes in fried pork. This was the first meal that Maggie proclaimed good. It began with different kinds of pickles. Bean sprouts, cucumbers, and white radishes. The radishes were my personal favorite. They gave us some kind of tea, and Yasu and I shared some Japanese beer. It was very good. Then they brought on the main course....the pork and rice and miso soup. Such a great and very filling meal.

Yuka works for some sort of government agency doing data entry, while Yasu works for NTT, the largest telecommunications company in the world. He has worked for them for 10 years now, and they were the ones who paid for Yasu's UNC MBA. Because of this, he will have to work for them for four more years (total of five). Yasu says that most people will work for the same company all of their careers. Yasu works incredibly long hours, sometimes going in as early as five in the morning and leaving at 1 a.m. I'd read a bit about the Japanese work life before and Yasu confirmed it. He can't leave work at night until after his boss leaves.  I confirmed with Yuka a lot of working long hours for these Japanese men is the socializing required.... having meals and drinking together.ling into the night. While we certainly have some of that in our culture, it's not even close to what they live. Yasu said part of the reason for the long hours is the current state of the Japanese economy.

After lunch Yasu walked us over to this huge mall (8 stories high, I think), then left us to work some more when the women went shopping, Those who know my feelings about shopping, know I would have gladly gone to work with Yasu....but into the shopping I dove. Maggie was in her element, darting from place to place. I amused myself by looking at the outfits worn by the customers - amazing people watching. The fashion is eclectic, but mostly appears to be very comfortable. Shirts with English sayings are all the rage - we cracked up at some of the attempts. The stores themselves? Some were so incredibly loud I needed ear plugs. Oh....and you take your shoes off when you enter the dressing room and some stores also required you wear a face mask to avoid getting makeup on the clothes.

(Which reminds me....surgical masks. Yes, folks are wearing them everywhere, Shino told us that sometimes it is because they are sick, sometimes it is because they have allergies, sometimes it is because they are germaphobes, but sometimes the women just don't want to be seen without makeup. That made us laugh.)

When at the mall, Yuka introduced us to the lounges. It's not good form here to eat and drink in public, so when Maggie got a water she escorted us into a coed lounge that had chairs and tables where you could relax or eat. After that she showed us the women's lounge.....which had dressing rooms and makeup stations. Opulent and fascinating! I haven't quite figured out why you would need to dress and do your makeup at the mall, but people were using it! 

After the mall, Maggie was insistent we find a purikura booth....a photo booth which from (from what I can tell), you can distort your pictures and then draw on them at the end. So OK....I don't quite get the fascination...Maggie had seen a Japanese friend post pictures and thought it was hysterical! Yuka said she had loved it in high school, and was happy to join Maggie in her quest. I just tried to stay out of the way. It was crowded with teenagers. I still don't quite get it all, but here is the result of their session. They are fun!

Our last stop for the day was the 100 yen store, our equivalent of the dollar store. I had enjoyed these on my last trip to Japan. Maggie said she could have stayed there all day. I survived for a while, but then started feeling the effects of the day. The jet lag, the fried food, the endless walking, the shopping...I hit the wall. Yuka took us back to the train station, where we began our journey "home". Another subway triumph, thanks to both of our brains and the kindness of strangers.

I meant to drink ginger ale (did you know you can get it with extra ginger?), take a quick rest and revive enough to go to dinner, but I was out for the count. Poor Maggie was relegated to eating crackers and chocolate for dinner. Sometimes I am a bad aunt. 

Today we try to figure out our Japanese rail pass and make it to our hotel in Kyoto. That is our only goal, but I think a lofty one. And food. I am going to try to make sure that niece of mine gets all of her meals. I think Maggie has earned a trip to the Anerican chain of her choice. We'll see where we end up,

Time With Shino

Our first full day in Japan was amazing! We met up with Maggie's best friend Shino from grade school. We were meeting her at the subway station on the corner, but we had a problem figuring out exactly where to meet because evidently there are about six entrances. (Who knew?) As we walked up a street we hear a voice say "Maggie?" And then the joyous reunion began.

It was especially good to spend the first full day with Shino because she was the one who first instilled in Maggie her love for Japan and the desire to come here. Shino came 2 1/2 hours from where she is currently living to meet us. We appreciate the full day of travel,  plus getting to spend a significant amount of time showing us around, that it took for her. What a great gift.

Shino is in training for a job with Xerox. The trainees live at the corporate site, in a dormitory like setting. Next week she will "graduate" and be moving into her own company-provided apartment. She is lively and gracious and patient and kind. Nothing but complete joy spending time with her.

We decided we were hungry and first went out to lunch. Maggie agreed she was up for trying "real" Japanese food, though that is the most difficult part of this trip for a girl who'd rather be eating Zaxby's. I had grilled swordfish, Maggie chicken. There were three choices of rice - white, black and white, and a flavored multigrain. We opted for the black and white....a good choice. Here is our lunch delivered...

Let's see - the big bowl is miso soup. The tiny black bowl were little pickle strips, the little white bowl is salt and pepper. The rice is in the blue and white bowl. Next to the swordfish in what Shino called a potato salad, and next to that green beans. On the very back tray was salad and tofu. I loved it all....Maggie loved the rice. So we had to gave dessert....Maggie going for large buckwheat crepes with chocolate brownies and bananas whipped cream and ice cream. Shino and I each ate the mini crepe, flavored with tea and tiramasu. 

Then it was time for the Ueno Zoo. 

The pandas are the biggest attraction at the zoo here. This security guard was trying to shoo people away from taking too many pictures. We got our fill, though. We don't understand Japanese, so can choose to be blissfully ignorant. The pandas were so very cute and worth the trip! We saw a lot of other animals, including elephants, orange flamingos, lions, and for Ursula pygmy and regular hippopotami.

We tried to see a temple after the zoo but it was closed for renovation, so instead we went to a nearby market and Maggie found some souvenirs.  I mostly people-watched. I enjoy seeing the different forms of dress, including the kimonos that some still wear.

Dinner was conveyor belt sushi. Maggie had only tried sushi once, and it is not her favorite, but she was a good sport. Trying to avoid raw fish, she tried egg first. (Ick!)  She took a small bite, then played with her food thinking we wouldn't notice. She ate some of my salmon, then also tried shrimp. Ienjoyed  it...,she will probably opt for McDonald's in the future! (I am allowing one or two visits there during our trip.)

We then went snack shopping. Maggie has a few favorites that she used to eat with Shino or that Shino would send her when she moved back home, so they found those so Maggie could get her fix. Maggie also bought a chocolate pastry for breakfast this morning, which she said tasted like cream cheese and chocolate and pronounced it very good. (I had Greek yogurt and nuts,)

We slept about 12 hours Maggie tells me (I was asleep before she got out of the shower), but jet lag has hit and I could still sleep longer.) Those who know me know just how rare that is! I am missing coffee and as soon as I can get roused enough for a shower (or maybe just enough to throw clothes on), I just may try the coffee shop around the corner. (Keep in mind we are 13 hours ahead of you.)

Today we are meeting Maggie's friend Yuka and her husband for lunch, then I understand we girls are going shopping. My poor aching feet and knees.....we have certainly been getting our steps in. But the day with "our" friend Shino was perfect and we cannot wait until the day we get to see her again.

Making it to Tokyo

So we left Vancouver and had a bit over a 9-hour flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo. The flight was fine. I don't mind long flights, and ough Maggie was dreading it she agreed it was fine. You have your personal entertainment center and since I rarely get to movies these days, I had plenty of choices. I watched two during the flight. We napped....not enough, but a bit. We were fed two meals, chicken or beef. One was with an Asian twist, one more Western. As much as I love air travel, my body doesn't....so I mostly ate bread and butter and fruit and some nuts I had packed. 

We sat in the middle aisle of seats and our seat mate was a Japanese guy from around Kyoto. He is a soon-to-be-Masters grad in film at UCLA. He was headed home for just a week to attend his brother's wedding, then back to UCLA for graduation. He was the perfect seatmate. We talked movies, and laughed at the differences in reviews that you get from different folks, especially in film (my college major was Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures, so my classmates were mostly creative types.) Maggie and I have so few plans for our time here that we ask everyone we meet from an area what to do when we get there. His recommendation in Kyoto was visiting several shrines....Maggie took notes.

So we get to the airport and start the trek through immigration. There was a medical station at one point, and Maggie said it took our temperatures as we walked through. I guess we made the cut. There were drug dogs sniffing around....at least this time they didn't force them to my luggage (story for another time.) But I loved watching the dogs handle their handlers.

Maggie had her first encounter with a Japanese bathroom. Her question....what is the difference between "spray" and "bidet"? I have no clue. I figure one of you will enlighten us,

We picked up our backpacks (our "big" checked luggage) and as I removed the rain case from mine a pair of glasses fell out. I must have looked a bit stunned baecause Maggie said "Oh, your glasses." But they weren't my glasses! We took them to an agent. Well, took them to one, who sent us to another....you know the drill. Someone finally accepted them.

We made it out and tried to buy train tickets. We needed cash, so changed money. I believe the exchange was somewhere around 105 yen to the dollar (liking it up online that probably wasn't the best exchange rate. But not bad, I'll be calculating based on 100yen to the dollar...because that is close enough for me. 

We then bought our subway tickets. Well, Maggie did. I am making her do all the hard stuff. The subway was a bit tricky, mainly because we had to change lines (the guy whose apartment we are renting said we wouldn't need to), but we made it. This time we walked about a block out of the way, but some nice ladies sent us straight and we found our building. (Maggie asks for directions sooner than I normally would, Definitely not a bad thing.)

We chose an Airbnb apartment for our first accommodation, I figured it would be a good way to see how the Japanese live. The guy we are renting from gave us detailed instructions. So....to get the key we go in the front door and there are some mail boxes to the left. Found easily. You stick your hand in a slot in the mailbox (which did not have the number on it shown in the picture he sent us), and there is a container that holds the key. But you can't open the mailbox itself.,..you have to stick your hand in and put in a combination and the key container opens. Maggie got the combination in and the box opened. Then you have to get the key out. It took us both taking turns to get it. I got it out of the box, but it fell. Maggie was able to eventually grab it. Whew! The directions didn't seem that hard, We inserted it in the front door and were able to make our way into the apartment building and take the tiniest elevator ever to our apartment.

The apartment is small, as we expected. You take your shoes off at the front door, where there is a closet with assorted slippers (and umbrellas and such...the guy definitely is hospitable.) You walk through what seems like a hallway, but is an efficiency kitchen, and two doors on the other side for the very small toilet and shower rooms. I'm including a picture of the toilet room. When you flush, the water on top turns on to wash your hands, while the water flows into the tank of the  toilet. They recycle. Smart.

The living room contains a futon, which is our bed. Figuring out how to use it, when exhausted, had us laughing  in frustration. But we did it. It's tiny and we haven't quite figured out how to use it comfortably, but it's fine. We slept. 

We figured out the air conditioning, which works but not as cold as we would like it. It only goes down so far. But better than our Vancouver room!

I can't wait to explore our neighborhood, which is near the sky tower pictured above. We have a view of it from our window, though Maggie snapped that picture when we were on the street.

As I write this, it is around 8 a.m. on Saturday the 4th....we are 13 hours ahead of our NC folks. Maggie has gone back to sleep for another round. She woke up and we ate the yogurt we purchased at the convenience store last night and she decided she could get a bit more rest. 

We meet her grade school friend Shino at 11. She is traveling 2 1/2 hours by train and will return home tonight because she works tomorrow. Maggie has not seen her since she returned to Jaoan when they were in 8th grade. We are going to the zoo, where we will have lunch, and then visit a few of Shino's favorite places that are around there. We will have lunch in a noodle shop....I suggested that as I think Maggie may actually enjoy them. Shino is going to locate a good one. Maggie has only tried sushi once before and had a mixed reaction...but she will try it again! And if we don't find any she likes, there is food of all kinds, and we will make sure she eats. I like that she is willing to go out of her comfort zone, though. To be a real traveler, you don't have to like things....but you really should try things. I think that's good life advice in general.

The picture in the wall here in our room says "One day I found the truth. I was not living in the past nor in the future. I was living in this very moment. And the moment was precious. So I thought 'Life is good.'" We're trying to live that on this vacation. I wish the same for you, wherever you are, whatever your circumstance. More later!