Hello Japan!

NARA

2009-10-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

I've been holding off writing about our visit to Nara, Japan's first capital, hoping for inspiration that would do justice to historical and artistic treasures we were lucky to see there. I keep saying that this or that experience of our visit to Japan is the highlight, but in terms of art, this one tops it for me. Nara is a small city by Japanese standards, with a mere 300,000 plus residents, but it is monumental in terms of its imporance in the artistic history of Japan. Part of the reason is its location at the end of the Silk Road that brought new ideas, art and artifacts from China, Persia and elsewhere.

Before arriving in Nara itself, we decided to get off at a small town about an hour south called Horyuji, renowned for its huge temple complex. Time was short because we had planned to meet an English-speaking guide in Nara at 1pm, so we rushed to see not Horyuji temple but its sister temple next door, Chuguji, the oldest nunnery in Japan founded by the consort of an early emperor. There we saw the image I posted in my earlier blog and include here as well. It is Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu, an enlightened being who, according to the brochure, is "thinking calmly about how human beings can be saved from suffering." Her smiling lips are an example of the "archaic smile" shared with other treasures of art history as the Giaconda and the Sphynx. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy this beautiful image in the quiet of this small temple while the crowds milled around the more famous neighboring temple of Horyuji.

At first sight, many Japanese cities seem drab as you emerge from the railroad station into the busy streets. But the deeper you get into Nara, the more it seems to surround and absorb you. The main attractions are mostly concentrated near a huge park where small deer roam freely all around you. In Buddhist tradition, the deer is a divine being and so the park is teeming with them and they can become quite aggressive looking for scraps of food and emit an unearthly howl during the fall mating season.

Nara has a mountain backdrop and is teeming with important historical sites, boasting no less than eight World Heritage sites, including a primeval forest and palaces and temples we unfortunately did not have time to visit. Residents of Nara like to refer to their city as "the perfume of a flower in bloom," evoking a sense of timelessness and impermanence. And time was our friend during our visit in many ways. We actually had planned to go to Nara the previous week but we delayed our visit to acommodate other trips. The main attraction for most tourists is the Todai-ji temple, which houses Japan's largest bronze buddha (16 meters high) in the world's largest wooden building. One day a year a large window at the top of the building is opened to reveal the face of the buddha. We trotted there on our first afternoon accompanied by our guide Kieko Harimoto, a housewife who had lived with her husband in Singapore and the UK. Her English was perfect as was her knowledge of the history and art we were about to see.

Seeing the Todai-ji was just the tip of the Buddha so to speak on this warm and sunny aftgernoon. As luck would have it, we had arrived in Nara the day before the opening of the annual Shosu-in exhibition of the Emperor's treasures which are displayed for only 3 weeks each year. Our overnight stay also coincided with the first display in the round in 110 years of the Ashura treasures of the Kohfukuji temple. The unforgettable statues in the latter exhibition include several by the renowned 13th century sculpture Unkei. The centerpiece of the exhibition, however, is the spectacular three-faced, 6-armed bodhisattva, surrounded by figures of monks and guardians that date back to the height of the Nara period in the 7th century.

We were not allowed to photograph the Ashura treasures but here is a link that shows some of the amazing works we saw that day: http://www.kohfukuji.com/property/photo/index.html My favorite were the figure in the first three rows (most Japanese have never seen the side faces because the display in the Nara Museum only showed the statue from the front. The face on the left is biting its lower lip but no one I spoke with could explain its significance). I also was spellbound by the life-sized statues of the two brothers in rows 11 and 12 by Unkei. Keiko's in-depth knowledge about the exhibition and the art of the 7th through the 13th centuries on display was like having our very own art historian as guide.

The next day we stood in line to view the imperial treasures. You needed binoculars to make out the details in some of the prized objects, which included intricate marquetry on the backs of mirrors and tiny pen knives with decorated scabbards. But the crowds soon overwhelmed us and the works in the Shoso-in show, while striking, simply could not compare with the impact we felt from the previous day's Ashura treasures. So we headed away from the crowds to enjoy the natural beauty of Nara by touring Insuien, a small Meiji era (1868-1912 or so) garden. Our guide that day was Yoko, a retired high school English teacher who narrated our walk with wonderful details about the three happy trees found in many Japanese gardens (the pine for longevity, the winter-blooming plum for courage, and the heaven-seeking bamboo for purity) and the three man-made objects (lantern, bridge and pond). The entire garden, front and back, was created in the shape of the Chinese character mizu, which means water (looks something like this: >I<). As we walked the back garden, we came across a summer house fronting a pond, with a backdrop of fall-colors in the trees, with the great south gate of the Todaiji (great buddha) temple peeking through. Three mountains in the background seemed to complete the garden. Yoko told us that this was an example of the Japanese concept of "borrowed scenery" in which the surrounding scenery is incorporated in the design to add depth to the garden. Our stroll was accompanied by the sounds of running water, the grinding of the gravel under our feet, and the chirping of the birds in the trees. A very peaceful end to well-timed visit to Nara.

OUR LAST TWO ADVENTURES

2009-10-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

Three days ago we set off without our beloved guide to Himeji, where of all things the Himeji castle is located. It is a most imposing fortress and because when it was restored it kept the original design and detail, it was the first World Heritage site in Japan. We started by going to an outer wall and walking the inside corridors where we saw the slits and tiny openings for arrows, guns and, of course, throwing stones and boiling oil.

While walking what must have been a 1/4 mile corridor we saw the women's quarters and a separate tower built by the Princess with her dowry. It was the only space that was filled with tatami mats that showed the relative comfort she lived in. We then continued to the tower and it was most impressive. We climbed up and up from the basement and through five floors to reach the top and impressive views of the modern town that grew between and beyond the three moats of the castle. There were a number of wells and store houses within both the outer walls and tower so a long siege could have been withstood.

The most impressive part for me was the size of the beams that held the structure upright though all the years and earthquakes (in fact, all of the 3, 5 and 7-level pagodas in Japan have survived intact to this day). The two main beams were at least three feet thick and supported 200 tons (yikes)! There was also a model showing all the wood used in the construction and to say amazing is so inadequate. A number of years ago they took it apart piece by piece to replace any rotted or defective wood and rebuilt it exactly like the original. From the looks of it they must have used 100 acres of forest to obtain all the posts and beams and flooring necessary. My guess is they could have manufactured 100 billion billion set of chopsticks and an equal number of match sticks, but this looks like a better use of the wood. The architectural feat gets a 5-star wow rating from the Clara and Ron team!

The next day we traveled with Sawako to a temple in Kyoto for a vegetarian cooking class. The temple complex was most impressive and looks like a university campus with lots of programs, walking and bike-riding monks and activity amidst the narrow paths. It is not a tourist destination but a working educational center. We arrived a few minutes early for the 10 a.m. class. Sitting in a room were 9 Japanese housewives waiting patiently kneeling on tatami mats. Oh no, say it isn't so! I chose to sit on an elevated step just inside the main entrance, the place where the changing of shoes into slippers takes place, to wait as my stiff-as-board legs could not tolerate sitting in the floor. Remind me to tell you the fun I have had sleeping on the floor 3/4 of this trip -- like camping but at least it did not rain on me and there were hot showers and delightful green tea every morning. I could already see myself standing throughout the entire 3-hour class.

But my divas were with me and we were led into a very large kitchen that was fully equipped with stools to sit on at two tables. We were divided in three groups of four. In our group were the three of us and one of the other ladies who probably cursed the day she was lumped in with the back-benchers. We sat facing another row of four smiling middle aged housewives. On the table were all the ingredients we needed to prepare 3 of the dishes we were going to have for lunch.

Then the main man- a lively Zen Buddhist monk came in and greeted us. We were served the ceremonial tea to help form a bond. He asked if Clara and I understood Japanese but when Sawako translated his question to us the answer was obvious. He then began his 30-minute introduction in the most rapid-fire Japanese I have ever heard and I sat there with my eyes closed in meditation, sensing my body in the hopes that something might be absorbed. It wasn't!

Sawako did the best she could to take some notes as he talked far too fast for her to translate and it was difficult for her to write many notes. He wanted us to be mindful to the origin of our lives and to be aware of the foods we were going to eat. We were to eat the appropriate amount with mindfulness. He also advised us to use all parts of the food that we prepared (including much of the water that we cooked some of the vegetables in). If we need to peel, don't throw away the skin or roots but stop and think if there is any way to use them. To do this we must sharpen our sensation/feeling and be mindful. There are five ways of cooking (Sawako did not write them down) and try to use at least five colors. Eat without much seasoning to savor the flavor of the food and get the entire nutritional value of it. Be mindful of what you are doing and what you are working with. Eat seasonal foods (within a 30 km radius) and enjoy each season with locally grown foods. Obviously he has not lived in Baltimore and especially the inner city.

After his talk and my meditation it was time to prepare our lunch. We were in three teams of four and would be making our own food, so we'd be eating our mistakes as well. The kitchen became a flurry of activity and with all the chatter and movement I am not sure how much mindfulness was being practiced.

My first job was to grind sesame seeds, I did not know what the end result was to be but eventually, with much pointing and gesturing from a helpful classmate, found out I was to make a paste. I used a Japanese-style mortar and pestle and set about my task. One of the ladies in the other team coached me to put the bowl on a cloth and then to grind and grind and grind some more (at home I will be buying sesame paste in a jar!!!). I thought many times I could not grind it any further but each time was told by her and the leader of the kitchen to keep going and going and going. We then needed some daikon radish and ginger grated so I took a break from my grinding. With the grating completed I again resumed my grinding. As I was doing this the rest of my team members were cooking the other ingredients on one of the four stoves.

In one hour we all had cooked and plated our dishes. The temple staff had made a number of other cold dishes, such as pickles, soup and rice. The seven or eight plates were placed on a tray and we carried them to the dining room -- a tatami dining room. Thankfully, my dear friend Sawako made sure they had a little tiny seat for me and I became the lord towering over my harem (OK, wishful thinking) and we proceeded to devour our meal after a few more words of wisdom from our monk/teacher.

It was a vegan feast and the second we have had in a Buddhist temple. I could get used to eating like this and I am sure my body would jump for joy also! Lunch was over in the allotted time and the monk came back to ask if we enjoyed it. Of course, his laser-beam gaze detected that I had left one of the two pieces of cold/sweet tofu and wanted to know why I did not eat it. I had asked Clara if she had wanted it but unfortunately she declined and now I was on the spot. Through Sawako I told him quite simply it was too watery and sweet.

We then all marched back to the kitchen where we cleaned up the dishes, kitchen and put everything in its proper place. The monk spoke to us one final time as we had our last cup of tea together. More words of wisdom that I am sure were received telepathically. We finished exactly on schedule (just like the trains), bowed and said our goodbyes. A wonderful time was had by all-- I think!

I am not sure how much I learned as I just did pieces of each dish as the recipes and instructions were in Japanese but Clara and I intend to look for a Japanese cookbook so we can create our very own 10-course meal while having a glass or three of sake. That is another story.

By the time we post this entry we will have begun our 30+ hour journey home from Sawako and Nao's condo. It will include a taxi, two trains (the first one being the Nozomi, the fastest of all the bullet trains), three airplanes and a ride from the airport in the wee hours of Saturday morning by our dear friend and neighbor Jerry. By the time it is all over, we will be certified sherpas.

May all your journeys be happy ones!

ODDS AND ENDS

2009-10-27T05:07:00.000-07:00

We are down to the last day of our wonderful visit to Japan. We have been amazed, surprised, enthralled, tickled and so much more. I am sure we are going to miss telling you so many things that are so very different here but in a good way. I thought I'd jot down some impressions of odds and ends I didn't get to include in prior posts.

One day we were on a train and I sat next to this terminally cute young man (age 8 or 9), dressed in his school uniform and cap, feet dangling from the subway seat. Amidst the crowd, he sat engrossed reading what looked like an illustrated textbook. As with many other children, I surprised him by greeting him with "Konnichiwa" (hello in Japanese). After getting over the shock of why this giant with a moustache would be talking to him, Sawako told him we were Americans. Feeling more at ease, he started showing us the very scary pictures of fire and people suffering which I thought was some sort of horror comic book. This and a companion textbook he pulled out of his school bag was part of a unit he and fellow students were studying on the use of the Atomic Bomb in WWII. I immediately said "Gomen nasai" (I'm sorry). He then sweetly turned to me and said it was okay as all of his family were living in Osaka and were not hurt in the war. What an encounter!

There are so many neat things (gadgets) in this country. How would you like to sit on a heated toilet seat in winter not just at home but in restaurants and train stations? Press a button and the lid goes up, another button and the seat goes goes up, and for all you women who hate when the man in your life leaves the seat up, you can now train him (good luck) to press a button and the seat goes down and press it again and the lid follows. On many toilets there are buttons so it acts as a bidet and another button that will focus a stream to clean your bottom. I love these toilets and hope they make it to the U.S. one day. Then there is Nao and Sawako's bathroom in their condo. There is a jacuzzi tub and then the area right outside acts as a shower, a sauna, and a clothes dryer. Life does not get any better than this.

Then we have the talking and beeping gadgets: appliances, traffic lights, emergency vehicles, vending machines (thank you for buying).

And then there's my case of sticker shock -- an easy way to spend a small forture quickly. The drop in the value of the dollar from around 100 yen/US$ to 86-88 yen/US$ has added an additional 15% to all our costs today. But even if the dollar were stronger Japan would still be the most expensive country I have ever visited. It is much more expensive then NYC in many ways, and makes prices in Baltimore seem like a real bargain. When I was in the Army in Okinawa the ratio was 360 yen/$ but when I was medivac'ed to a hospital in Toyko the prices, even with that exchange rate, were still expensive. Here is a sampling of some of the prices we have paid this past month for everyday items:

Small bottle of water-$ 1.25 to 1.75
Small draft beer-$ 7-8
Lunch-simple bowl of noodles with a little veggie-$ 9-11 and with some seafood $ 11-15
Mister donut donut-$ 1.65-2.30
Inexpensive bottle of wine-$ 20 to 45
Dinners were always at least $ 35 per person and some went as high as $ 100 or more
Dinner roll in Bakery-1.85
Small coffee $ 3.5 to 5 (no refills)
Fuzzy tiny toy stuffed squirrel-$ 17 (no, we did not buy these but saw them in a hotel gift shop)
Small fuzzy toy fox-$ 90
60-minute massage-$ 85
Water bottle with simple holder-$ 35

Transportation is also much more expensive than in the states. In San Fran you could ride for 3.5hrs with unlimited transfers for $ 1.50. In Baltimore you can ride from the East side to the West side for $ 1.55 but here the same rides would be $ 20 or more. Just to go one stop maybe 3 blocks is over $ 1.60 and even the subway costs much more than in the states.

Please don't get me wrong. We are loving our trip but a monthlong stay even when we have stayed with our friends for two weeks will cost more than any other vacation we have ever taken except for an Insurance company junket that I was given which included First class around the world air ticket with stops in Bali, Thailand, Nepal, India and Italy where we stayed in many 5 star hotels, dined as kings and greeted by elphants to take us to our hotels in India, Nepal and Thailand

I checked and found wages in Japan are comparable to the U.S. so it is quite perplexing how the average Japanese person can make ends meet. The restaurants and bars are filled with lots of people. It is a real puzzle!

We are so glad we came and had the oportunity to be guided in many places by our dear friend Sawako. There are few signs and menus in English so she was a giant help to make us feel comfortable in a very alien environment. With her guidance, we ventured out on our own quite a few times and SURVIVED!

INTIMATE KYOTO

2009-10-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

We had passed by Kyoto on the train several times before actually entering this vast repository of tradition and history last Wednesday and Thursday. Founded in the late 7th century after Nara's 75-year-term as the first capital of Japan, Kyoto remained the capital for the next millenium, the stage for one of the most refined courtly eras of this ancient country.

After the tall concreteness of Osaka and Tokyo, this city feels much and intimate than one might expect from its population of 1.4 million residents. It helps that it is surrounded by mountains and criss-crossed by a river and several wide boulevards that lead into the narrow paths of what remains of old Kyoto, much of it actually reconstructions from repeated fires over the centuries. The huge park surrounding the Imperial Palace complex boasts 50,000 trees, each one numbered and the whole a refreshing respite from the surrounding traffic. It is also much easier to get around Kyoto because its design was based on Chinese urban planning; the streets are fairly parallel in a checkerboard (or for us newbies, chessboard) pattern. The buildings also are much lower to the ground, not sure if by government decree so as not to dwarf Kyoto's spectacular pagodas, or because it thankfully was spared bombing during WWII and was not rebuilt with wall-to-wall skyscrapers like Osaka and Tokyo.

We thought we would be templed and shrined out by the time we arrived in Kyoto but we found renewed energy, inspired by spectacular sights such as the Imperial Palace, Kiyomizu temple that provides great views of the city, and the huge Higashi Honganji temple that is the headquarters of the Amida buddhist sect, the largest in Japan probably because it promises that everyone, no matter what their deeds or inclinations, will ascend to heaven.

Ron and I ventured on our own for our first day (by commuter train, the trip from Osaka takes about 45 minutes to the northeast). We had gotten a tip from our Lonely Planet guide about a 5-hour walking tour led by an English -speaking Japanese guide who goes by the name "Johnny Hillwalker." He turned out to be a delightful 80-something gentleman who guided our group of 10 through the backstreets of old Kyoto, stopping every so often for brief lectures on Buddhism, Shintoism and geishas, and breaks for vegetarian sushi and green tea and a pastry in a sweets shop. We did visit Kyoto's largest temples at the beginning and end of our tour but mostly we walked the back streets, traversing artisanal neighborhoods, one street specializing in ceramics, another in fan-making, another in tofu products, etc. We picked up a couple of teacups left in baskets outside some of the shops for self-service purchasers.

The next day we returned to Kyoto with Sawako, who graduated from the women's university that borders the grounds of the Imperial Palace and knows the city's back streets as well as Johnny Hillwalker. For most of the year, only foreigners are allowed entrance to visit this national treasure --- residents of Japan can apply months in advance if there is space or may come on one of the two designated dates a year that the palace grounds are open to the general public. Ron and I put on our best "We don 't know anything and we need Sawako's help "look and so they let her come in with us. We trotted the grounds with a guide who herded the 150 or so foreigners like a four-star general leading a bunch of unwilling conscripts.

Earlier in the day, Sawako had arranged a treat for me: a visit to a weaving workshop specializing in silk obis, the sash that secures the kimono at the waist. What spectacularly detailed and delicate craftsmanship, a world away from the simple navajo style I practice where all you need are two trees and some wool! The owner of this shop, which has only been in operation for 80 years (some of the ceramics workshops have been in continuous operation for a dozen or more generations), took us to the top floor where a dozen weavers, men and women, worked in rows of looms amidst a racket of thump-thumps, air conditioning, and other noises. Since the weaving is done from the back, the weaver uses a mirror placed beneath the warp so actually see the emerging design, hopefully catching any errors early on. In ancient times, the patterns were documented in large charts that indicated color changes, number of rows for each color, etc. Now it is all done by computer but the weaver still must insert the silk by hand, responding to the beeps and lights that tell him or her what to do. The owner explained that this shop has a special license to make obis for the Emperor and showed us a basket that held the colors of silk yarn that can only be used for objects woven for the royal family.

Some more walking in the back streets took us to Kyoto's huge market, an arcaded pedestrian walk that spans at least 5 blocks. Everything from tofu makers, produce, fish of every kind, seaweeds, tea, mochi balls, rice crackers of every variety imaginable .... and countless items we could never hope to identify were on display. You had to be careful about trying some of the free samples, though - it might be sweet, it might be sour or salty. We've had this experience a few times - what looked like a tasty breakfast pastry turned out to be filled with pork or fish!

Our day ended with a visit to a pickle shop where Sawako had worked during her college years. While she caught up with her friends there, we were given some samples of radish, eggplant and another type of pickle to savor, finished off with a clear broth. Sawako's friend also handed us a postcard of a beautiful Buddha image. At the time we did not know what to make of this, but a day later it all became clear during our visit to Nara, Japan's first capital and a rival to Kyoto as one of the most beautiful and treasure-filled cities in Japan. But Nara deserves its own blog. I leave you now with just the image.

LUNCH IN HEAVEN

2009-10-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

We met Sawako's mother two years ago when she traveled to Baltimore to see her daughter in her home and to meet her friends. At the time she told us how good she felt that Sawako was well taken care of. Now we are the ones being well taken care of, and it was such a pleasure to see Minato-san once again in her home territory. She and Sawako had debated what would be the most fitting gift for her friends visiting from Baltimore. Well, Minato-san's choice of a lunch in a Buddhist temple in the mountain-top town of Koyasan was heaven-sent.

Our daytrip began as we arranged to meet Minato-san, who lives in Nagoya, at the Namba subway station in Osaka at the near peak of the choreography of rush hour -- I keep fearing that one day we will witness a humongous crash of bodies but it never seems to happen as hundreds of people skillfully avoid any contact whatsoever. While Ron and Sawako went in search of a bathroom, I stayed behind, rehearsing the phrase "Matta aete ureshii desu," ("I am glad to see you again") in my mind. And then there was Minato-san coming up the escalator. After a very un-Japanese hug I managed to blurt out my little greeting to her great delight, expressed in a deluge of incomprehensible Japanese. And then, as Sawako and Ron reappeared, she tentatively said, "I am glad to see you" in English. We laughted as we realized that we had been practicing the same expression in anticipation of our seeing one another again.

We thought our trip a few days ago to the Kii Hantoo peninsula had been the most gorgeous scenery we had seen thus far, but this trip seemed even more spectacular as we climbed even higher mountains by train to Gokurakubashi, literally "bridge to heaven," to reach the village of Koyasan by a tram that took us even higher up the mnountain. Koyasan is a Unesco World Heritage site, home to many temples, Koyasan university, and a huge cemetery that is the burial place of shoguns and emperors. The higher our little commuter train went, the slower its speed, the greater the silence, punctuated by the screeching of the rails that resembled some ancient flute greeting us into this lofty atmosphere.

Our goal was lunch at Sojiin temple, renowned as a place of retreat and meditation but also for its vegetarian cuisine, known as shoujin-ryori. Ron was truly in vegan heaven! It was clear the temple was quite prosperous as we were ushered in to a waiting room furnished with wooden chairs inlaid with mother of pearl. Not the ascetic buddhist ambience we had expected. After a short wait we made our way in our stocking feet and slippers to our tatami dining room, set for four with two long tables facing one another and short-legged chairs, another answer to Ron's prayers not to be asked to sit cross-legged on the floor. The meal was not just a feast for the palate but also for the eyes, as some of our photographs attest. We realized quite a while ago that we definitely lack the visual and oral pixels to appreciate this rich culture fully, but we are doing our best to take it all in.

After our sumptuous lunch served by one of the monks, we toured the rooms and gardens of the monastery. We seemed to be the only ones there, so it was quite peaceful and we delighted as we meandered down corridors that revealed vistas through shoji screens into interior ponds and a garden that was layered in corrugated gray gravel, the greens and reds of the trees, and the silvery ripples of a pond.

We then headed down the main street of the town and found ourselves at the Koyasan cemetery, which has monuments dating back more than 1200 years and is still in use today, even by corporations touting their wares in burial plots that tout their claim to fame, be it electronics, coffee-making or rocket engineering. As we stopped to examine one particular burial plot belonging to Ishida Mitsurari, a skilled administrator for the 16th century shogun Toyotomi, Sawako and Minato-san stopped to chat to a lady who was emerging from the complex who revealed that she was a descendant of Ishida. It took us at least one hour to walk along the cedar-lined path and the graves extended as far as we could see on either side and up the hillside.

It was chilly up in the mountain, but our hearts were warm with gratitude for this special experience, and for being in the company of two gracious ladies, Sawako and Minato-san.

ENCOUNTERS WITH OSAKA

2009-10-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Having spent over a week exploring the natural beauty of Northern Japan we now find ourselves in the middle of a large, urban, bustling city of 6 million people. We are taken by our guide extraordinaire Sawako to her and Nao's 29th floor condo with panoramic views of the city including the mountains and the rebuilt Osaka Palace. What a sight both day and night high up in the sky! This is living at its finest.

Our first day is supposed to be a relaxing day but who wants to sit around when there is so much to see and experience. So off Clara, Sawako and I went and our first stop after a stroll through the narrow streets of the city was the Osaka History Museum, the finest, most complete and imaginatively displayed collection of dioramas and artifacts I have ever seen, bar none. It only deals with the history of Osaka which is quite separate from say Toyko or other areas of Japan. You start at the top (10th floor) and work down for four floors, beginning with the archeological remnants from the stone age and endings with the modern era at about 1930. You can easily spend a few days and gain a very complete understanding of this area's people and history.

Two fun and unexpected aspects of our visit. First, as we walked in, they handed us a 12-inch wand that contained an audiotour in perfect English in which you punch in a number from 1 to 52 to hear the narrator explain the exhibit in front of you. The second was stunning: as a very high-tech animated film describing the archaeological digs, city plans and findings made at Osaka Castle and other nearby ruins was being projected on the entire upper wall of the exhibit space, suddenly shades covering the lower half of the wall rise up, exposing massive windows that actually look down on the site today, with Osaka Castle as the centerpiece of the panoramic view. Should you ever find yourself in Osaka and love history, plan to spend a day or two going through this spectacular museum. I am so glad that I only had to learn 200 years of American history (not the easiest subject for me) and was not born here and had to learn over 1500 years of a very complicated history with Shoguns, Emperors from many eras, etc.

We then walked a few blocks to walk the grounds of Osaka Castle's walled fortress, built by the shogun Toyotomi, who was the first shogun to come from the peasantry instead of one of the powerful families. It was built, burnt down, was rebuilt, then destroyed, and now lives on in a perfect replica of the original. It is an imposing multi-storied structure complete with a very large moat.

While there we had one of the cutest experiences so far. As we walked the park, which was filled with tourists and school groups, we saw some young school girls run up to an obviously Western couple. I commented that it looked like they had some sort of an assignment and was sorry they did not run to us. We had not travelled more than 50 ft. when a different group of young girls ran up to us and with little pieces of paper in their hands started by saying "Hello!" with great enthusiasm and then asked if they could ask us some questions in English. They were terminally cute and we loved the little quiz: "What country are you from?" "Do you like Japan?" "What do you like most about Japan?" "How long will you be here?" We had another similar encounter in Kamakura from an elderly gentleman riding a bicycle who stopped to ask if he could practice his English with us. He only kept us for a few minutes and then handed us a letter in English telling us a little about himself and his family, and asking us to write to him when we returned home as his greatest wish was to receive a letter from the United States. (It's interesting that whenever a Japanese person has asked where we are from, if we answer the United States there is little reaction but then if we say America there is great excitement and this has happened on numerous occasions. People here seem to like us! We also found it interesting that little girls seemed much more outgoing and friendly but the boys of the same age never approached us or said hello.)

That evening we went to see the house and future surgery/medical education center that Nao and Sawako are building in the outskirts of Osaka. It overlooks the moat of another Emperor's tomb and even by American standards it is quite palatial; by Japanese standards it is off the scale. My words will not do it justice -- suffice it to say that the design, construction and materials are of top quality and their home will be even more stunning once Sawako has completed the design of the garden surrounding the building. It is open and airy with all the comforts of a beautiful home. It even has two dining rooms -- a modern area off the open kitchen next to the living room, and an enclosed tatami room in the traditional Japanese design for entertaining honored guests. There is a separate wing for visitors like us and I think there are at least 3 1/2 bathrooms including the wonderful large bath tub for long relaxing soaks. On the first floor will be the clinic complete with operating rooms and staff space for Nao's ophthalmology practice. Maybe I will have my next eye surgery here!

And then came the coup de grace, Nao took us to his favorite Sushi restaurant near his current practice. I do not remember when I have had a more delectable meal from start to finish. I did skip most of the raw sushi but Clara, Nao and Sawako had the works. And even though I skipped one course I did not feel I missed anything. We started with a beer and some edamame. We then had a dish called Denaku, made with seitan and absolutely delicious. This was followed by a soup called Dobin mushi which had among other things mushrooms (costing 7000 yen each), ginkgo nut, lily bulb and fish. I have got to find Ginkgo nuts, which taste a little like potato but sweeter -- they are delicious and my IQ was raised considerably. This was followed by Puffer fish (yes, the very one that if not prepared correctly by a licensed sushi chef will take not just your money but your life). Fortunately our chef and owner was certified so we all lived to talk about it! As we were eating all of these dishes we had two different types of sake, the rice wine that is drunk most often in Japan, along with shouchu, a potato-based liquor. Very tasty! The three carnivores were served sushi consisting of red snapper, flounder, squid and fatty tuna (tuna cheeks that were no longer smiling). I was given a heart-healthy natto (fermented soy beans) maki roll. I love Natto and have had it four or more times since I have been here. Google it or get the supplement nattokinase as it is very good for the heart.

We were then all given Anago (grilled snakey fish -- hey, I don't make up these names) and Yamagobo maki roll. Finally this feast concluded with Daikon pickles, green grapes and green tea. Nao most graciously paid the bill and I can only imagine how much it cost, Thanks again Nao and Sawako, for one of the most memorable meals/feasts of our lives!

I might mention that the chef/owner was a delight. We sat at the counter as he prepared much of the food and we have enclosed his picture as part of this blog. He was so warm, kind and friendly, as was all of the staff of this tiny three-table and one-counter restaurant. Words cannot express how wonderful the entire experience was. It will be remembered and cherished for a long time.

WALKING THE WALK

2009-10-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

We are back in Osaka after a weekend in the hinterlands of the Kii Hantoo peninsula, about 1 hour 45 minutes east of Osaka by train. After riding along the coast with spectacular views of the Pacific on one side and the mountains on the other, we boarded a bus for another 90 minutes to get to our inland destination: Younomine Onsen, a sleepy village that has about 4 small, family run onsen and the oldest hot spring destination in Japan, dating back to 23 A.D. The whole region is very mountainous and mysterious. Japanese folklore says that these forests are inhabited by many gods, called Kami in the nature-worshipping Shinto religion that preceded Buddhism in Japan.

But for me the main attraction of this overnight trip was to walk part of the Kumano Kodo, the ancient road that for more than 1500 years has connected Kyoto, Osaka and Nara; Nara was the first capital, for 75 years in the early 8th century, before Kyoto and then Edo (Tokyo). Not much is left of this hilly path, but to my delight, one entrance was immediately across from our ryokan.

We arrived on a rainy day and the village was partly hidden by the mists that were trapped in this little crag of mountain. After a lunch of udon with mochi (stick-to-your-ribs stretchy rice cakes), we decided to brave the weather and try climbing the stony path for a bit. We wanted to reach a temple at the top of the mountain. But after a half hour of careful stepping, the rains won out and the allure of another onsen bath beckoned. But not all was loft because the next day we would be traveling to another section of the Kumano Kodo.

Although we had stayed in large hotel-like ryokans before, this was our first experience in a small, family-owned one. Many of these small ryokans are renowned for their fine cooking, and the folks at Yoshino-ya Ryokan did not disappoint. Ron was graciously offered a small stool to sit on and Sawako and I sat on cushions with our legs to the side. In addition to fish, sashimi, and rice, Sawako introduced us to various roots, plants, seaweeds, and radishes -- this cuisine really takes advantage of almost everything the land has to offer so there is an immense variety. We slept in our corner second floor room with windows wide open to hear the hot spring rushing by. The guide books say you can actually boil eggs and vegetables in one section of the hot spring. We didn't indulge in this rite but we found a hot-spring-boiled egg in our breakfast the next morning.

Ron and I agreed that this would definitely be a place to come back to and spend a few days in a future trip, but our schedule was tight and we headed out early the next morning (a sunny one!) to catch another bus and then a train to cross back to the coast at Hongu and meet Nao, Sawako's husband, who joined us on his one day off. We skipped lunch and decided to move on with our day, thankful for the great weather.

The bus dropped us off at the beginning of another section of the Kumano Kodo that is much wider and easier to climb than the previous day's section, and is lined with 800 year-old evergreens. But it still ended up being an arduous climb. As we climbed, I kept thinking of the many royal and lowlier souls that have traversed this path over the centuries. For many the destination was the glorious temple and shrine complex at the top of the mountain that affords a spectacular view of the entire valley. One retired emperor was said to have made the pilgrimage 33 times with an entourage of 1000 men and 200 horses each time. (About temples: they generally are not very peaceful places, as I had hoped; many are overrun with visitors and little shops selling trinkets, incense and the like. But the architecture is beautiful and the settings, like this one, often are as well.)

All in all, a glorious weekend and a great dip into the wilds of Japan.

TIME TRAVEL

2009-10-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

In the past two days, we have traveled from the northernmost part of the main island of Japan in Tohoku, southwest through Tokyo and ending up in Japan's third largest city, Osaka - we began at 9 am and arrived at Sawako's home around 7:30 pm. The next morning, in order to take advantage of our last day of the JR Rail Pass, we left at 7 am for an overnight trip to Takayama, in the Japanese Alps. The town of 60,000 is dubbed "Little Kyoto" because it has preserved its historic architecture and boasts nearly a dozen Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. It also specializes in several crafts, including woodcarving and laquerware. So starting from the night lights of Osaka to the stone lanterns of hilly Takayama, it was a 4-hour trip up and into the past.

The train ride took us through a gorgeous river gorge as we ascended into the mountains from Osaka. The countryside is dotted with tidy rice fields and tea farms, and it seems that every available spot of land is cultivated. Even though the population density is much higher than we had encountered in Hokkaido and Tohoku, the landscape here is much more dramatic and one understands why people would want to live in this area. You really feel the presence of the forested moutains all around, and they are huge greenscapes that have been folded by the movement of the earth over the millenia.

What made our stay in Takayama so special was the guidance of Mr. Ohnu, Sawako's father's dearest friend and a retired English teacher who had traveled to the U.S. several times. All had been arranged a few days in advance when Sawako texted her mother, along with a phone camera picture of us, so that Ohno-sensei could meet us at the train station. Sure enough, Ron spotted him as soon as we disembarked and we waved, bowed, shook hands, bowed some more, and were on our way to a wonderful introduction to the city by this delightful gentleman.

After a quick lunch of nooodles, we began our walk across the river to the old section of town and uphill to visit several temples and shrines. Each one is different yet packed together so you move from one to the next situated almost next door. We meandered through narrow streets rather than the noisier main avenues, and passed private homes and businesses with the typical "flip-edged" shingle roofs we had seen during our train ride.

After an afternoon of walking up and down the narrow streets and enjoying the panoramic views of the town, which is dwarfed by a huge gate, Ohno-sensei took us to dinner at a marvelous down-home restaurant. A second of panic overcame us as we entered through the shoji screen as we saw the low tables and imagined Ron's contortions trying to accomodate his long legs underneath. But we soon spotted space at the bar and sat side-by-side as the owner served us a round of three different types of sake to taste. I couldn't understand much of what she said, but her demeanor and tone of voice told us she was "The Boss," so we were in good hands. After a bowl of soba into which I cracked a raw egg, Ohno-sensei ordered a succession of local dishes for us to taste, including some tiny pickled eggplant, wasabi leaves, lightly fried oysters, sashimi of octopus, tuna, and a couple of other fish, all washed down with some good local beer. According to Ron the vegetarian, these were the best oysters he has ever had!

The next morning we met again for a tour of a village that showcases a typical architectural style of the region called "praying hands" because of the steep angle of the thatched roof to keep the snow off during the winter. I can't write about all we learned and saw, but one highlight was an exhibit of the silkworm cultivation on the upper floors of these tall houses that brought from other villages in the region and reconstructed to form a small village.

But by far the best part of our stay in Takayanma was getting to know Ohno-sensei, whose gentleness, spark and carefully enunciated English provided a delightful backdrop to our time in Takayama.

So now we are back in the hustle and bustle of Osaka, waiting for Sawako to come home from a long day of lectures and an interview with a reporter in Tokyo. Tomorrow will be a relaxing day and we look forward to visiting her favorite places and discovering another slice of the multi-layered life of Japan.

ROCKIN' AND ROLLING

2009-10-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

Our goal during our month in Japan is to experience the culture and country as fully as possible. We are making progress, sometimes in ways we hadn't expected. Two days ago we bore a sideswipe from Typhoon Melor that made its way from the Philippines. We crossed it in Kushiro, in southern Hokkaido and thankfully were on the train most of that windy and rainy day. As we headed south, Melor headed north, disrupting train and other traffic.

And as we have enjoyed the wonderful hot springs that dot Japan -- you can even find hot spring spas in downtown Tokyo -- we just now experienced an integral part of Japanese life, the flip side of all those continental plates coming together: our first earthquake. I didn't believe Ron at first when he said: "Woah, the building's shaking." We had just returned from a long day of sightseeing on the Pacific coast, so I thought maybe he was just getting his sea legs back. But it was strong enough to make the hangers in our hotel closet rattle loudly in a back-and-forth movement that lasted about 20-30 seconds as we took in the experience. A quick google told us it was a mere 3 on the seismic chart where we are, 5.1 at its epicenter in a faraway eastern province.

But the Japanese, who experience over 1000 earthquakes a year (and probably many more that are never felt) have mastered the art of building on such shakey ground, so our 9th floor hotel room felt more like it was swaying rather than shaking. Ron looks foward to future rockin' and rolling as long as they're not stronger than a 5 and don't hurt anyone!

TRAIN STORIES

2009-10-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

You can set your watch by the Japanese train schedule, and expect an apology over the intercom if the train happens to be a minute late. This predictability, along with the usual cleanliness, has made the transportation part of our trip efficient and pleasant. And with a vast network of public and private rails, you can get almost anywhere in Japan if you are willing to make the connections.

So far, in addition to our experience with Tokyo's urban rail system, we have ridden through Hokkaido and Tohoku, the northern part of the main island of Honshu, using everything from a one-car train, local commuter trains, and the Limited Express trains, which are very fast (I'd guess around 200 kph) and smooth. Before leaving the U.S., we purchased a JR Rail Pass so for the next seven days we simply need to show the pass to get tickets on any JR system train.

One of the highlights was passing through the Seikan tunnel that connects the two islands. Seikan is the world's longest tunnel, and it took us 32 minutes at top speed to make the crossing 100 meters under the sea. You can't think about it too much as you move through the darkness - you can feel the train descend gradually and then a blue light lets you know that you've reached the deepest portion of the tube before the ascent.

The trains are also full of expressions of the typical Japanese politeness and consideration for those around them. The attendant assigned to our car bows upon entering and leaving the car. No one acknowledges it but it's a nice gesture. Use of cell phones is forbidden on subways and trains and, although the Japanese are way ahead of the U.S. in terms of their use of the little gizmos, they thankfully have avoided the annoying habit of gluing them to their ears while walking on the street, in restaurants or while driving.

Many times I wish I had had the gumption to whip out my camera when traditional and modern Japanese culture met on the train. One time a lady in full kimono regalia, including wooden clogs and foot mittens, sat across from us and spent the entire trip texting on her cell phone. Another time four giant Sumo wrestlers boarded wearing the traditional cotton robes and sandals, slicked back hair, and smelling of baby powder. Although I could tell they resisted as long as they could, they finally grabbed a handrail to keep from landing on a passenger's lap. The youngest fellow must have been about 14 or so, already developing the blubbery look.

Riding the rails has also presented us with a microcosm of Japan. We have ridden through the potato and cabbage farms of Hokkaido, rice fields ready to be harvested in Tohoku, through small fishing towns and large cities. The sea is never far away, nor are the mountains. It's a great way to travel and see the landscape. In a couple of days, we will experience the ultimate in rail travel, the Shinkansen bullet train, whose speed approaches 290 kph (about 200 mph but you do the math), which will take us from Hachinohe, where we are now, through Tokyo and on to meet Sawako in Osaka in about 5 hours.

HOKKAIDO CULINARY DELIGHTS

2009-10-08T05:04:00.000-07:00

Clara and I have just had one culinary experience after another. Three nights ago we had dinner at a little out of the way restaurant in Shiretoko that was run by a mother and her son. He is also a fisherman as is his brother and father so you can imagine how fresh the seafood was. But I am getting ahead of myself.

When we arrived the only seats available were the cushions on the floor and a very low table. I had great trepidations when I saw the set up and as I tried to contort myself to sit at the table I knew there was trouble ahead. Given the fact that I am as loose as a one inch thick piece of steel, it was all I could do to sit and get my legs under the table. But when in Rome...

And then the fun began with the appetizers of edamame and pickled veggies. By now my legs had gone numb while cramping up at the same time and all I could think about is how am I going to get up to go to the bathroom as the ice cold French wine was making me want to get up. I could not imagine sitting through the next five courses. Then a miracle happened! Three people sitting at the counter that faced the open kitchen suddenly got up and freed up some seats. The owner graciously moved us to the counter(my howls of pain sitting there might have been a factor). (I might add that it is an interesting phenomenon in Japan to serve ALL wine ice cold. We spent a quite a bit of time holding the bottle to get it a little closer to a root cellar temperature.)

With my legs dangling from a real chair, I was in heaven from then on. We were amazed at how easily the mother (also a grandmother) prepared all the food for us and ten other people. The son did all the serving and helping whereever he could. Every single dish we had was better than the last, especially the whole grilled fish (hake or hako) that had been caught that day or the previous day at the latest, dried, and then grilled before our eyes. We also had some grilled salmon which was to die for, along with some wonderful pork dumplings and salad. Grand-mom also gave us a piece of chum (a very rare species of salmon) so we would know why it is so prized here.

The next night we stumbled by accident into a Japanese chain restaurant that was light years better than anything America has to offer in that vein. Here again we had a whole fish but the dish that Clara loved and will try to recreate was edamame tempura, edamame wrapped in a won-ton-type wrapper in the shape of a French fry and deep fried. It was so light and totally delicious. If we could have gone back there again we would have and ordered a double. Another interesting dish was the curried fried rice with kim-chee (Korean spicy fermented cabbage). Again, we received another ice cold bottle of wine this time a Cabernet from Chile which once it warmed up to 50 degrees was quite good.

Tonight in the coastal town of Hakinodate in southern Hokkaido we found ourselves in a restaurant that specialized in squid. We sat down next to a tank where four or five live squid swam around -- talk about fresh! So we ordered grilled squid dish called "dancing squid," and before we knew it a cover was lifted and there was a grill in the middle of our table. Well, we thought they would then come and grill some squid table-side. Before we could count to three a platter with a still-living squid was dropped off, moving slowly off its platter, garnished with some squid rings from its own upper body. Sawako, having had experience in these matters, just started throwing the rings on the grill but when it came to the body Clara and I had a hard time watching it recoil from the flames and were glad when it finally died. It is not something we will be ordering in the future. We enjoyed our meal of many fresh vegetables in two salads and grilled asparagus but were still taken aback by the death in front of us, another good reason to be a vegetarian. I confess I have not been a good vegetarian as I want to experience all aspects of Japanese life and culture.

ONSEN ORIENTATION

2009-10-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

We have escaped the crowds and muggy weather of Tokyo. Here in Hokkaido, we are 15 or so degrees fahrenheit cooler and a world away in a spa hotel in Shiretoko National Park, one of the wildest and most pristine areas of northeastern Japan.

Our hotel is a large destination hotel for Japanese, Koreans and Chinese families; Ron and I are the only Westerners I have seen so far. Sawako has booked us in a traditional Japanese room, which consists of an entry foyer with a shelf full of slippers that gives way to a raised platform with 10 rectangular tatami mats and a large low table with two chairs. Tonight, our room will become our bedoom when they lay out the foutons, comforters and surprisingly comfortable pillows filled with hulls from a seed whose name escapes me. Here we had our first chance to also enjoy a favorite Japanese tradition: the onsen, or hot spring bath.

Like most group activities here in Japan, there are rules about how to enjoy this timeless ritual appropriately from start to finish. It's not a simple dip in the pool. Ron was on his own as the men`s and women`s baths were separate. I was lucky to have Sawako to guide me through every step. The good part is that no one is really paying attention to you; that Japanese quality of sticking to your own space is helpful here as I peek around me to make sure I'm doing things right.

We begin by changing into a specialized robe, or yukata, that is in every hotel room, and, for modesty's sake, we cover up with a short jacket made of embroidered flannel or a similar material. Everyone walks around the public spaces wearing this uniform. And here is where Ron and I had to quickly rewind as Sawako arrived in our room to take us to the baths. Ron's robe reached slightly below his knees, and mine was dragging on the floor. No problem, there is a drawerful of robes in various sizes. And our second oops of the evening: no wearing of slippers on the tatami mat.

So we arrive at the bath, slip off your slippers, deposit our belongings in a basket and find a personal washing station where, for about 15 minutes, we super-scrub ourselves until we are squeaky clean, including washing our hair and using an exfoliant to rub off dead skin. All this while sitting on a small plastic stool and maneuvering a bowl and handheld shower. We wrap our long thin towel around our wet heads and head for the bath. In Ron's version, the small towel simply sits atop his head. But nothing but your naked body must come into contact with the pool water.

This particular onsen had indoor and outdoor pools, so we opted for our bath under the stars, with the ocean not far away. I was surprised to find that the temperature was quite bearable, as I had read they could get as hot as 110 or higher fahrenheit. I then realized that the further away from the beautiful waterfall that is at one corner of the pool, the cooler the water.

After you have had enough of the bath, you don your robe again and can either lounge around the hotel as is or change before dinner. We did as most of the other guests did, and stayed in our yakatas to enjoy our buffet dinner. The baths are open from 3pm until 9 am the following morning, so at 6 am the next morning, I ventured by myself, more confident now that the mystery of the onsen had been revealed.

MOTHER SAWAKO THROWS US OUT OF THE NEST. YIKES!

2009-10-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

Even though we have only been here two days it feels much longer. Not because we are bored but because we have packed in so many experiences in such a short period of time. Jet lag has helped as we sleep little and wake up early. Today we were up at 5:30 a.m. and out the door by 8:30 a.m. Sawako is attending a conference this weekend but let us down gently by delivering us to the Tokyo central station to make sure we would catch the right train to Kamakura, which is the home of many ancient Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. It is a delightful little town (although not much is little in Japan except food servings and, compared to my 6' frame, some of the people). As we have since the start of our journey 5 days ago, we walked and walked and then walked some more. We saw the giant Daibutsu Buddha (over 30 feet high sitting). The statue had been inside a temple until some winds came along several centuries ago and blew the temple down. One source had said that the temple was destroyed by a tsunami. As Clara and I walked uphill to the temple complex, it seemed impossible for a wave to come up this far and this high. Finally, we settled our doubts with more definitive information that confirmed that the winds had actually removed the temple.

I might add as we walked many miles today we were besieged by very heavy rain and even a thunderstorm ourselves. Thank God I remembered to check the weather which called for a chance of rain as it was a bright blue sky early in the morning. But even with an umbrella my arms, back and legs were soaked not once but three different times. This followed being soaked yesterday as well. and to think they are calling for torrential rains in a few days. I may be sorry that I did not bring my scuba gear.

One highlight of the day was a wedding we happened to witness at the town's major Shinto shrine and it was very different than anything I had seen before. We then went to the Zen Kencho-Ji Temple and it was most impressive. Much of the complex dates back to the thirteenth century with further reconstructions from seventeenth century. Probably the most impressive complex I have ever seen and the monks are still training others in the art of Zen meditation.

We found our way back to the Tokyo station where we met up again with Sawako and went out and had a delightful vegetarian dinner. It was a long day and a little challenging at times with the rains and trying to read Japanese maps plus many misdirections as we walked the town, but we survived and found our way to our delightful hotel room for another night of tossing and turning but maybe less than the last two nights.

I do want to say how impressed I am with Japan and its people. I have never been somewhere that is so clean and well mannered. There is not a piece of litter on any train, metro, station, or street. It is so nice not to see trash thrown everywhere as it is in the U.S. There is no talking on cell phones or eating and drinking on the rail cars, little smoking on the streets and the trains all run like clockwork. Hundreds of trains run every minute-and-a-half on weekdays, with a more "relaxed" schedule of every 4 or 5 minutes on weekends, with 15 cars in each train. The roads are not filled with beeping horns or discourteous drivers. Courtesy seems to be a way of life here and I love it.

DIVING IN

2009-10-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Tokyo on Thursday late afternoon. Less than 36 hours later, it feels as if we've been here a week. Part of the reason may be that with Sawako's guidance, we dove head first into the ocean of humanity that seems to be in constant motion in this metropolis of 20+ million people. For our first day on Friday, Sawako's goal for us was to experience the commuter life in the city along with the millions that move about each day with the precision of a marching band, or more like a choreographed dance.

Our hotel is in central Tokyo, near the Suidobashi station for those of you who've been here before. It is new and lovely, with many traditional design touches, such as a shoji screen on the window and a traditional tea set for our morning libation. But the $29 dollar per person breakfast price tag impelled us out early for our first excursion on a rainy Friday morning. The streets were packed already by 8:20 am. Our first challenge came almost immediately as we stood facing a sea of umbrellas on the other side of the street. The light changed, we took a deep breath and braced for the clash. But none came. Instead of the expected swerving and avoiding, it was as if the seas had parted to let us through with nary a brush or crossed umbrella. It was my first inkling of that amazing ability of the Japanese to create a space around themselves, both to protect their own space but also aware of their relation to others at all times, allowing for quick adjustments. The same experience occurred on the subway -- although visually we knew the train was packed to the gills, our experience of it felt calm and our personal space protected.

Sawako tells us that there are rules for everything you do in these public arenas. Arrows point to which side of the steps you should ascend and descend. Posters show a line drawing of a man eating a cup of noodles on the train, with the caption "Do it at home." As a train drives up, two columns form instantly on either side of the opening door to allow passengers to disembark. On an escalator, one should stand on the left side to allow people in a rush to move past you. I only saw this law broken once, when Sawako pointed out a lady just to her right who simply stood there, suddenly halting the line of moving passengers behind her. Although I barely noticed it, Sawako leaned over and said: "The passengers behind her are fuming, but they won't say anything." Definitely not a "Me, First" culture.

Our lesson in commuter culture continued with an attempt to make sense of the Tokyo public transport system. There are 13 subway lines, the Japan Railways system, and multiple private rail systems criss-crossing like a bowl of noodles tangled up in one big colorful mess. You learn here to appreciate the small gifts of having the names of the stops in Roman letters, though that is not a uniform practice in all the stations. And then there are the colors. Not just red, blue, green, yellow, but three different shades of orange, a light and a somewhat darker blue, a pink that sort of looks red, etc. The test of how well we learned our lesson comes today, Saturday, when the chicks leave Momma Sawako and venture out on their own for a day trip to Kamakura, an hour southwest of Tokyo and the site of dozens of temples, including one that boasts the largest outdoor Buddha in Japan.

One more item that I can't do justice with words so I simply included a picture: Sawako's welcome dinner at a lovely French restaurant that specializes in vegetarian and fish dishes. A multi-course meal that was a symphony of flavors and textures and visually stunning.

READY, SET, WAIT

2009-09-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm glad that Ron suggested we break up our trip with a day in San Francisco. The day could not have been more beautiful: 64 degrees, a sparkling blue sky and a constant breeze (more like wind) that swept the air and kept us alert, especially late in the afternoon when East Coast time tempted us into sleepiness.

By 9 am we were aboard the BART on our way downtown and west by bus to Golden Gate Park, a large expanse of green over several square miles where you'll find the California Academy of Sciences, the DeYoung Museum of Art, a Japanese tea garden, and much more. We focused on the aquarium, planetarium and natural history displays in the Academy, a masterwork of light, soaring space, and sustainable design by Italian architect Renzo Piano. Before we knew it we had spent 5 hours meandering around the displays. One of the highlights for me was the building's "living roof" that is not only a beautiful greenscape overlooking the city but also helps to cool the building. Also high on the list is the equatorial rain forest, a 3-level construction that one ascends gradually to reach the canopy, where you find yourself amidst a swirl of tropical birds and, magically, butterflies darting all around. As we exited the enclosed environment, security guards scanned visitors for stow-away butterflies. Californians sure know how to showcase the planet's and their state's natural treasures. The Academy is a close rival to the spectacular Monterey Aquarium, which seems to emerge out of the sea.

We left the complex on foot to catch another bus that took us to ocean beach and then north to Lincoln Park and the Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum, which sits astride one of the finest panoramic views of the Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge seen through the evergreen woods that line the shore.

The more Ron and I visit SF, the more we enjoy riding the bus and touching the city with our own two feet to better appreciate the residents, architecture and fresh air. It's much more intimate and slower that way. I have a thousand snapshots of the day in my mind: the young boy and his older sister riding the bus home from school, who engaged in a lively conversation punctuated by loving teasing from sis, and gentle pranks with his school texts from little bro. And on a darker note, the life-worn young woman sitting next to Ron who spent much of the ride facilitating a drug deal via cell phone. "Everything's got to be on point," she counseled her friend...or else, one imagined.

A full and tiring day but we're not complaining as we'd appreciate getting a good long sleep aboard tomorrow's long flight.

WELCOME TO OUR JAPAN BLOG

2009-09-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi, Folks! Here’s a way to keep up with us during our month long adventure in Japan so we don’t have to subject you to endless slide shows and faulty memories once we get back. Check back periodically for our updates.

Love,

Clara and Ron

MEET OUR FRIENDS AND HOSTS, SAWAKO & NAO

2009-09-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun. We’ve managed to squeeze, tuck, twist and stuff our clothes, shoes and toiletries for the next month into just two small rollaways, one backpack and one shoulder bag. Unlike most of our other trips, we’re not renting a car this time so we must maneuver all of our belongings onto subways, buses, and trains amidst the inevitable crowds. Did you know that Japan has half the population of the U.S. squeezed into a landmass the size of California?

Speaking of crammed, our minds are oozing all of the assorted information and preconceptions gleaned from guidebooks, travel documentaries, and the personal accounts of friends and acquaintances. We are eager to actually experience firsthand the reality of the people, land and culture. I’ve been learning Japanese since February and have distilled my knowledge of the language into a few useful sentences: “The meal was delicious”; “The weather is nice today, isn’t it?”; “How much does that cost?” (and its corollary “That’s really expensive!”); “Is this the Ladies’ or Gents’ hot springs bath? (and its corollary “Oops!”). I also have some handy phrases for when I don't want to let on that I have no idea what’s going on: “Ah, great!”, “Yes, that’s right,” Thank you’s in increasing degrees of politeness, and the “Ace of Spades” of the Japanese language, the almighty word “Domo” which can be used to lubricate any number of social situations.

But we won’t have to rely just on my limited communication skills and cultural incompetence to get around. There is no better way to experience a culture than to be guided by a native. That’s why Ron and I feel so fortunate that our dear friends Sawako and Nao will be our guides on our first journey to their homeland. Ron was stationed in Okinawa during the Vietnam years and spent a little time flirting with nurses at hospitals in Yokohama and Tokyo, but this will be our first in-depth experience of Japan. Sawako has created a detailed itinerary of sights for the entire month and will join us for part of our trip, translating, explaining, and otherwise making it possible for us to get the most from our experience.

I have known Sawako and Nao for over 13 years, ever since Sawako and I worked together at Johns Hopkins Hospital’s international division and Nao was completing an ophthalmology fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Over the years, we have fantasized about traveling together to one another’s countries, Chile and Japan. The pairing isn’t as far-fetched as one might imagine: both are coastal Pacific nations with a strong trading relationship, and there are historic links between the two countries dating back to the 19th century when Chile’s finance minister was of Japanese extraction. There are sizable Japanese communities in Peru and Brazil and several thousand have slipped down into present-day Chile. We even share periodic earthquakes.

Japan is first on the list for many reasons, one being our promise to help Sawako and Nao inaugurate their new homes in Osaka -- a 26th floor condominium in downtown Osaka and a house in the city's outskirts that will also include a medical education center and ballroom dance studio. Nao now spends most of his time in Osaka running a very successful eye clinic. Sawako splits her time between their home in Baltimore, which has one of the most beautiful flower gardens in the city; their home in Osaka; the university in Tokyo where she is doing research for a Ph.D. in health communications; and assorted cities all over Japan where she speaks to groups of patients, doctors, nurses and hospital administrators to empower Japanese patients to become more involved in their health care.

Somehow Sawako has found the time to make all of our hotel reservations and create a fascinating itinerary that includes a trip to the pristine northern island of Hokkaido, settled over 20,000 years ago and home of Shiretoko National Park, a World Heritage Site, and its beer-making capital of Sapporo; the hot springs mecca of Tohoku in northern Honshu, the main island ; an overnight stay and vegetarian cooking class at a Buddhist temple; a 4:30 am visit to a fish market; and much more!

So tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 28th, we finally depart for our month long immersion into the ancient and enigmatic land and culture of Japan. To break up the long haul, we’re spending a couple of nights in one of our favorite cities, San Francisco, visiting the new science center/aquarium/planetarium, walking in Golden Gate Park, and otherwise moving our limbs in preparation for the 10-12 hours of immobility aboard our Japan Airlines flight on Wednesday. Lots of time to clean the mental slate, drop down, and prepare ourselves for the encounter. More later!