Friday the 21st was spent getting to know other passengers after the initial embarkment in Osaka I was assigned to a large tatami room with 5 other ladies and 2 children. it is 2nd class much like the people who did NOT survive the Titanic.
I quickly made friends with a young Japanese girl of 23 named Naoka who, in true Japanese form, took me under her wing. I spoke very slowly in the manner I've heard my kids speak numerous times and she gets about 10 percent of what I say. But she knows I get 0 percent of her Japanese and, the truth is, very little of her English.
The two children were an annoyance at first because they stared so much. Staring by the Japanese apparently is not considered rude as I've learned on various buses and subways. I've discovered staring back produces some comical results with some flustered looking away with darting eyes to see if it was safe to stare once more. Children aren't programmed like adults. The staring contest became a no blink contest with both the six year old boy, Hayate, and his 4 year old sister, Lin Then came the giggles. I had created a couple of little monsters. Hayate would come over just to entice a contest and run away with glee when I obliged. This was going to be fun.
Later that evening, Hayate, with Naoka's help, taught me some kanji. A lot got lost in translation. On one symbol, Naoka said "bowl" and I stood up, put my fingers to my head and shuffled my feet like I was a bull which was my understanding of the pronunciation Fits of laughter......and I'm just shaking my head at this remarkable experience I'm having.
Earlier in the day, I became aware of a couple of Japanese men with an affinity for Chinese beer They were loud and obnoxious and as the day wore on I was not proven wrong. Ordering another beer was a banging of the empty on the table which was not the behaviour I had come to expect from the Japanese. One looked fairly normal but I was very certain the one with purple hair was a true eccentric. I like eccentric people but I like to know what same eccentric people are saying. Purple hair joined Naoka and me for dinner last night and it was hilarious. It turns out Purple hair (who wears a ladies white bangle bracelet watch and was really quite harmless and charming) owns a Japanese restaurant and a $3 a night guesthouse in Bangkok frequented by westerners in Thailand (which I thought at first was guesthouse with tiedowns... Naoka was interpreting his English). I also understood Naoka to be telling me his restaurant had no menus. I was glad I wouldnt be frequenting that restaurant as it is hard enough WITH one). That turned out to be her warning to me as "no men". Apparently Purple hair was wanting me to spend some time with him in Shanghai. How do you say "Mamacita, he sounds like fun." in Japanese??
I awoke several times last night with rolling seas. I don't have a propensity for motion sickness so it seemed a little like being rocked to sleep. This morning we were really rocking and rolling. I could barely open the exit door to go out on the deck to feel the delicious sea air on my face. It was hard to walk across the deck without hanging on to something. My guess was around 6 foot waves which I actually thought to be outrageous thinking to keep strictly to myself. No one would believe that. After a short time at breakfast, I spotted a freighter bobbing up and down front to back in the distance like a child's toy in a wave pool. A young Chinese staffer came over to speak to me at that time who told me the freighter looked like it could be in danger and the seas were at 3 to 4 meters. Not 6 feet. It was closer to 9 to 12 feet. Alrighty.
We were still in Japanese waters at morning, soon to depart. I had no idea the country extended so far to the southwest. At around 10 am, the only land I could see were distant port side Japanese islands. The next time I see land, I'll be in China.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thoughts of Japan ....... make me smile
The past couple of weeks have been the closest I have ever felt to being an alien on my own planet. Japan is so different from any place I can imagine. Not only is there a language barrier, both written and spoken, but there is a custom barrier as well. They may be very modern with all the perks (That's not a camera. THIS is a camera.) but it is mixed with what a lot of us westerners would call "old world".
There are no trash cans on the streets. Somehow that works. There is no trash on the streets. That includes festivals and places where there is a lot of street food (such as squid and unagi on a stick!) consumed. Japanese don't walk around eating or drinking. They will eat or drink at the point of purchase and give the trash to the vendor or take it home. Most of them think to bring a plastic bag with them just in case. I chuckle at the horror a proper Japanese matron would feel watching state fair attendees anywhere USA eating a huge turkey leg.
Being clean is a Japanese custom tenet.
1) Anytime you eat out you are given a wet paper cloth in plastic and at a few you will get a warm moist cloth This is for your hands not your face. Me...fail.
2) In a lot bathrooms, in both private hotels and homes, there are slippers to step into so your feet don't touch the floor.
3) I thought my son was being utterly ridiculous about using a different sponge for dishes, pans, and surfaces until I saw the same rules posted at the hostels
I am so impressed with police officers in Japan At one time I saw a police officer talking to an older man who seemed a bit disoriented. Another time, just yesterday, I saw a man asleep on a bench in a train station. A police officer was there moving some packages back closer to the wall. He never disturbed the sleeping man.
Both beer and cigarettes are sold in vending machines. No nanny state here.
Speaking of nanny states, my daughter -in-law and I went to some old castle ruins in Matsusaka one day. In parts of these ruins there are very steep precipes with no guardrails in sight. Definitely no nanny states.
The most WTF moment of my time in Japan came last evening when I came out on the subway to find out where I was supposed to be this morning. An older lady timidly walked up to me and asked me if I knew where I was going. I guess a little confusion showed as I was on a subway change. I showed her the hotel brochure and tried to explain I was first going to Cosmosquare to find out where the shuttle was for the ferry. She was fixated on the hotel and was literally yanking me back to prevent me from boarding. I tried to explain I wasn't going to the hotel at that time because I couldn't check in just yet. It was completely lost on this lady who seemed so timid at first. An official was nearby and I broke free long enough to point to my destination. After his nod I was able to board the subway. But the lady got on board to keep an eye on me. Who needs a nanny state when they have such watchful people like this?
There are no trash cans on the streets. Somehow that works. There is no trash on the streets. That includes festivals and places where there is a lot of street food (such as squid and unagi on a stick!) consumed. Japanese don't walk around eating or drinking. They will eat or drink at the point of purchase and give the trash to the vendor or take it home. Most of them think to bring a plastic bag with them just in case. I chuckle at the horror a proper Japanese matron would feel watching state fair attendees anywhere USA eating a huge turkey leg.
Being clean is a Japanese custom tenet.
1) Anytime you eat out you are given a wet paper cloth in plastic and at a few you will get a warm moist cloth This is for your hands not your face. Me...fail.
2) In a lot bathrooms, in both private hotels and homes, there are slippers to step into so your feet don't touch the floor.
3) I thought my son was being utterly ridiculous about using a different sponge for dishes, pans, and surfaces until I saw the same rules posted at the hostels
I am so impressed with police officers in Japan At one time I saw a police officer talking to an older man who seemed a bit disoriented. Another time, just yesterday, I saw a man asleep on a bench in a train station. A police officer was there moving some packages back closer to the wall. He never disturbed the sleeping man.
Both beer and cigarettes are sold in vending machines. No nanny state here.
Speaking of nanny states, my daughter -in-law and I went to some old castle ruins in Matsusaka one day. In parts of these ruins there are very steep precipes with no guardrails in sight. Definitely no nanny states.
The most WTF moment of my time in Japan came last evening when I came out on the subway to find out where I was supposed to be this morning. An older lady timidly walked up to me and asked me if I knew where I was going. I guess a little confusion showed as I was on a subway change. I showed her the hotel brochure and tried to explain I was first going to Cosmosquare to find out where the shuttle was for the ferry. She was fixated on the hotel and was literally yanking me back to prevent me from boarding. I tried to explain I wasn't going to the hotel at that time because I couldn't check in just yet. It was completely lost on this lady who seemed so timid at first. An official was nearby and I broke free long enough to point to my destination. After his nod I was able to board the subway. But the lady got on board to keep an eye on me. Who needs a nanny state when they have such watchful people like this?
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Cute socks..............make me smile
Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. John Lennon
Sometimes things happen that you didn't expect and hope you never forget. This afternoon, after studying a map and trying to determine what I had time for (and energy!) in Kyoto, I set off to explore the neighborhood around the hostel. There were numerous restaurants, a small boutique hotel and a dog boarding establishment (Score!!). I glanced across the street to see a couple of child manikins dressed in traditional kimonos I crossed the street to see if it was at all possible they might have anything I could afford. Oh, and big enough to stuff my American sized body in.
While there I noticed the socks. In Japan, it is very important to wear decent socks since you never know when you will have to remove your shoes. I learned this the hard way one day when I wore some holes held together by threads that I was still calling socks. An older man walked up to me and I tried to communicate that I was not sure of the sizes. I know my size in shoes in Japan but not socks.
When I said something about the socks being "cute" that seemed to really chime in with them. They looked at each other quizzically and kept repeating "Cute?" To explain what it meant I motioned to the young girl and said "Cute!". "Ummmmmm". They seemed to understand somewhat.
Next I pointed to the socks and said "Cute!". "Ummmmmm". Understood again. After that I said "Cute socks!". They caught on so well they were pointing to everyone's socks and everyone was repeating "Cute socks! Cute socks!" and raising their feet. I felt like I was in the middle of a crazy Bill Murray movie.
I walked away with the biggest smile on my face! They were all doing that cute little side to side Japanese wave. The older lady grabbed my hand and said something my ears did not understand but my heart did.
Japan is a strange country full of ironies and it could use a warning label. About the time you decide you don't like it and it is just too different, you start falling in love with it.
Sometimes things happen that you didn't expect and hope you never forget. This afternoon, after studying a map and trying to determine what I had time for (and energy!) in Kyoto, I set off to explore the neighborhood around the hostel. There were numerous restaurants, a small boutique hotel and a dog boarding establishment (Score!!). I glanced across the street to see a couple of child manikins dressed in traditional kimonos I crossed the street to see if it was at all possible they might have anything I could afford. Oh, and big enough to stuff my American sized body in.
While there I noticed the socks. In Japan, it is very important to wear decent socks since you never know when you will have to remove your shoes. I learned this the hard way one day when I wore some holes held together by threads that I was still calling socks. An older man walked up to me and I tried to communicate that I was not sure of the sizes. I know my size in shoes in Japan but not socks.
When I said something about the socks being "cute" that seemed to really chime in with them. They looked at each other quizzically and kept repeating "Cute?" To explain what it meant I motioned to the young girl and said "Cute!". "Ummmmmm". They seemed to understand somewhat.
Next I pointed to the socks and said "Cute!". "Ummmmmm". Understood again. After that I said "Cute socks!". They caught on so well they were pointing to everyone's socks and everyone was repeating "Cute socks! Cute socks!" and raising their feet. I felt like I was in the middle of a crazy Bill Murray movie.
I walked away with the biggest smile on my face! They were all doing that cute little side to side Japanese wave. The older lady grabbed my hand and said something my ears did not understand but my heart did.
Japan is a strange country full of ironies and it could use a warning label. About the time you decide you don't like it and it is just too different, you start falling in love with it.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Dear God!!! Deer and gods...........make me smile
Have you ever heard of Nara Japan? Before I came to Japan as a visitor, I hadn't. Nara was the capital of Japan before the USA was a twinkle in her forefather's eyes and before a lot of forefathers were a twinkle in...well, you get the point. Nara celebrated it's 1300th anniversary just a few years ago. This is the home of the largest housed Buddha and several other very large warrior statues.
The park is home to hundreds of freely roaming deer. Considered in Shinto to be messengers of the gods, Nara's nearly 1200 deer have become a symbol of the city and have been designated a natural treasure.
Like the deer on Miyajima, Nara's deer are surprisingly tame, although they can be rather aggressive if they think you will feed them. Deer crackers are for sale around the park, and some deer have learned to bow to visitors asking to be fed.
So many of the deer seemed almost comotose. I found out later
they had been slightly anesthetized because their antlers had been removed
that day.
Greedy little buggers.
I don't want this guy to be angry at me.
Remember these statues are over 1300 years old.
Gigantic!!
The Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden buildling in the world and the Buddha housed within is the largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana known in Japanese as Daibutsu. It is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara.
They missed this little guy!!
The entire park is part of the experience. Thick with tall, old trees, you couldn't help but gape at the beauty.
For a small country, there are some really large things here.
Traditional dress.
Friday, October 7, 2011
A sushi bar for the non-lover of sushi...makes me smile
My best experiences with Asian food has been sketchy at best. The only times I have ever believed myself to have suffered from food poisoning has been directly related to Chinese buffets eaten at inopportune times. I learned a long time ago to make sure I go at 11:00 am or shortly thereafter when the offerings were fresh and not wilting under pressure of heat lamps. It didn't hurt to make sure it was a popular place with adequate food turnover either. Food sickness rates right up there with a trip to the proctologist in the pleasure department.
With that on mind, I thought it would be quite simple to continue my weight loss mission on a trip to Japan and China. That was before I met Sharon and Bernie aka Shinozaki and Katauo.
Today they took me to a sushi bar complete with food on tiny plates that were on a conveyor line. There was more on the menu but it was not "western friendly" as my lunch companions admitted.
There was Katsuo fish which was quite comical to Sharon as it is also her husband's name. She could never resist calling him a fish when she told me on several occasions what the dish was called. Then there was chawan mushi which I can only explain as some kind of mushroom with flan. I love mushrooms. Hate flan. Mushrooms definitely won that one. Then there was abi and salmon sushi. It was 4 for sushi and 0 for my diet mission. Kutsuo was the only one who ate the really pretty one which was raw egg and raw tuna. Um, just no.
The bill was tallied by how many plates and bowls were stacked You can see we had quite a collection. And then what did I hear but music, beautiful music, to my ears!!! Pumpkin cheesecake. Is this the promised land or what? I would have been eating sushi a long time ago if I had known that was my reward in the end.
I'm now at a point that I'm only hoping to maintain my weight loss. It's a certainty nothing else is coming off. Unless it's the top button of my jeans.
Tomorrow morning I will be leaving and joining my son in Nagoya. While I look forward to seeing Zachary for the first time in over a year it will be hard to say goodbye to Sharon and Bernie In a couple of days in their home I have laughed so much and we have shared details of our lives. Bernie just went to work and thanked me for accepting their house. He was quite happy that I thought his house was great and it was him and Sharon who made it so. I was honored to be their guest and am hopeful to maintain a friendship with them for years to come. I am grateful to airbnb for making it happen.
With that on mind, I thought it would be quite simple to continue my weight loss mission on a trip to Japan and China. That was before I met Sharon and Bernie aka Shinozaki and Katauo.
Today they took me to a sushi bar complete with food on tiny plates that were on a conveyor line. There was more on the menu but it was not "western friendly" as my lunch companions admitted.
There was Katsuo fish which was quite comical to Sharon as it is also her husband's name. She could never resist calling him a fish when she told me on several occasions what the dish was called. Then there was chawan mushi which I can only explain as some kind of mushroom with flan. I love mushrooms. Hate flan. Mushrooms definitely won that one. Then there was abi and salmon sushi. It was 4 for sushi and 0 for my diet mission. Kutsuo was the only one who ate the really pretty one which was raw egg and raw tuna. Um, just no.
The bill was tallied by how many plates and bowls were stacked You can see we had quite a collection. And then what did I hear but music, beautiful music, to my ears!!! Pumpkin cheesecake. Is this the promised land or what? I would have been eating sushi a long time ago if I had known that was my reward in the end.
I'm now at a point that I'm only hoping to maintain my weight loss. It's a certainty nothing else is coming off. Unless it's the top button of my jeans.
Tomorrow morning I will be leaving and joining my son in Nagoya. While I look forward to seeing Zachary for the first time in over a year it will be hard to say goodbye to Sharon and Bernie In a couple of days in their home I have laughed so much and we have shared details of our lives. Bernie just went to work and thanked me for accepting their house. He was quite happy that I thought his house was great and it was him and Sharon who made it so. I was honored to be their guest and am hopeful to maintain a friendship with them for years to come. I am grateful to airbnb for making it happen.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Surviving the longest shortest day of my life.......makes me smile
October 4, 2011, started at midnight in NYC at the meet and greet party after the concert with Il Volo at the Beacon Theater in the upper west side.
I left around 12 30 a.m. and had no idea how the subways ran after midnight. I only had to go 70 blocks but with delayed subways, missed stops, a very interesting incident on one subway involving a guy who was upset over an unpaid debt and another who denied, denied, denied, it took all of two hours. Had I known what was ahead, I would have sucked it up and taken a taxi at around $15.00.
I got to my hostess:s apartment in the West Village around 2 45 am and had to wake her because she had engaged her security lock and my key wouldn:t work. I should say I woke her AND her neighbor as well. I decided to just get all my things packed up and walk the four blocks to the subway stop that had an elevator as I have two suitcases, a backpack and a purse and stairs are decidedly unfriendly places at this point. I might pay an outrageous unnamed sum to meet 3 teen singers from Italy but I refuse to pay $50.00 for a cab ride to the airport when a $2.25 subway fare would do. I have my priorities.
After doing my research the day before on what subway to take to JFK I found that the E train was not running. I came close to having a breakdown when the attendant started talking about changes and stairs. After viewing my distress, he told me the A train would take me out there but it would take over an hour. I only had to be there at 6 am and it was 3 am so I had plenty of time, right? I got there at 5 am and the airtram was not working. I had to ride the bus. At least it was free. Airtram would have cost me $5.00. I think I know now why New Yorkers are always in a hurry. Something along the way probably quit working.
Check in went smoothly which was a good thing with my agitated sleep deprivation. When I got to my gate, I kept watching for more people to show up for the flight. Apparently, the plane going to Tokyo was only at 20-25% capacity. I was able to stretch out in the middle section and get some rest.
Around what was 4 pm New York time, we crossed the International Date line. October 4, 2011, was history for me. The longest shortest day of my life. But wait!!! I have 8 more hours!!! Not to worry. The universe is saving them for me for when I return in November. That:s when I get Marycharles, Janice, Jenny, Sandy, Pam, Nancy and Ruth together to party. I hope they remember to bring the captain with them. What captain? Why Captain Morgan!! Who else??
I left around 12 30 a.m. and had no idea how the subways ran after midnight. I only had to go 70 blocks but with delayed subways, missed stops, a very interesting incident on one subway involving a guy who was upset over an unpaid debt and another who denied, denied, denied, it took all of two hours. Had I known what was ahead, I would have sucked it up and taken a taxi at around $15.00.
I got to my hostess:s apartment in the West Village around 2 45 am and had to wake her because she had engaged her security lock and my key wouldn:t work. I should say I woke her AND her neighbor as well. I decided to just get all my things packed up and walk the four blocks to the subway stop that had an elevator as I have two suitcases, a backpack and a purse and stairs are decidedly unfriendly places at this point. I might pay an outrageous unnamed sum to meet 3 teen singers from Italy but I refuse to pay $50.00 for a cab ride to the airport when a $2.25 subway fare would do. I have my priorities.
After doing my research the day before on what subway to take to JFK I found that the E train was not running. I came close to having a breakdown when the attendant started talking about changes and stairs. After viewing my distress, he told me the A train would take me out there but it would take over an hour. I only had to be there at 6 am and it was 3 am so I had plenty of time, right? I got there at 5 am and the airtram was not working. I had to ride the bus. At least it was free. Airtram would have cost me $5.00. I think I know now why New Yorkers are always in a hurry. Something along the way probably quit working.
Check in went smoothly which was a good thing with my agitated sleep deprivation. When I got to my gate, I kept watching for more people to show up for the flight. Apparently, the plane going to Tokyo was only at 20-25% capacity. I was able to stretch out in the middle section and get some rest.
Around what was 4 pm New York time, we crossed the International Date line. October 4, 2011, was history for me. The longest shortest day of my life. But wait!!! I have 8 more hours!!! Not to worry. The universe is saving them for me for when I return in November. That:s when I get Marycharles, Janice, Jenny, Sandy, Pam, Nancy and Ruth together to party. I hope they remember to bring the captain with them. What captain? Why Captain Morgan!! Who else??
Monday, October 3, 2011
Turning a Facebook friend into a real friend ....makes me smile
I've met a lot of people on Facebook. Yesterday one crossed over from virtual to real.
Carolyn picked me up where I was staying and we set off to explore Brooklyn. Have I ever had breakfast at a Ukranian/Jewish restaurant? I was was pretty sure that was a no.
We had blintzes and dumplings and funny conversations with a Ukranian waitress!
It was a Sunday and we passed a beautiful church so we stopped in for peek. Much to Carolyn's chagrin, lighting a candle no longer requires a match!
We happened on the Atlantic Antic which is a bit like Pioneer Days in Fort Worth with a Brooklyn accent! Instead of cowboys it was Tony Soprano!
I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to see Flatbush Ave. I remembered a lot of movies about the 50s involving that street. Carolyn thought it was a negative. No just retro. It was from my time.
Brooklyn is many times bigger than Manhattan. I had a great time and really appreciate Carolyn taking out a day of her time to make that happen. The next time someone says something to me about Facebook being a waste of time, I'll smile and remember this day.
Thanks, Carolyn!
Carolyn picked me up where I was staying and we set off to explore Brooklyn. Have I ever had breakfast at a Ukranian/Jewish restaurant? I was was pretty sure that was a no.
We had blintzes and dumplings and funny conversations with a Ukranian waitress!
It was a Sunday and we passed a beautiful church so we stopped in for peek. Much to Carolyn's chagrin, lighting a candle no longer requires a match!
We happened on the Atlantic Antic which is a bit like Pioneer Days in Fort Worth with a Brooklyn accent! Instead of cowboys it was Tony Soprano!
I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to see Flatbush Ave. I remembered a lot of movies about the 50s involving that street. Carolyn thought it was a negative. No just retro. It was from my time.
Brooklyn is many times bigger than Manhattan. I had a great time and really appreciate Carolyn taking out a day of her time to make that happen. The next time someone says something to me about Facebook being a waste of time, I'll smile and remember this day.
Thanks, Carolyn!
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