Japan - Hakone

 Thursday, September 18, 2025

Breakfast at the hotel.

Bus to A Day in the Life. On the bus ride, we got our official view of Mount Fuji. We drove by a love hotel. Japan is very crowded, including housing. When couples want some alone time, they go to a love hotel

Along the way, it was funny to see something so American in Japan as a Denny's.

Arrived at the Tea and Rice farm and listened to a lecture, translated by Remi. The chairs were a bit wobbly on a dirt floor. At one point, we looked around and saw Donna on the floor. Surprising and luckily, no injury. The day was quite warm. The fans helped keep us cool.

We walked to the rice field. Rob rode the tractor to help cut the rice and shuck it.

Moved to the tea field, where we all pinched tea leaves (for our lunch, later). Fuji was visible in the distance.

Tim rode the tractor to add manure to the field. Many funny comments. Matt drove the tractor back to the barn. Bobbi wanted to drive it, but all the opportunities were gone. 

We made rice balls and ate them. Lunch was tempura tea and vegetables with tofu.

After lunch we could buy kimono pieces and t-shirts.

Afterward, we went to the local community house and explored. Tatami matts on the floors. A beautiful garden. A display of a water wheel from the past.

Drove to Hakone and checked in. Hakone is known for hot baths. Most of us went down for a bath before dinner. Baths are very serene in Japan. Men and women bathe separately. Loud talking is discouraged. Take a complete shower before and after the bath. The baths are fed by local springs. We all wore our kimonos to dinner.

Hot pot for dinner with veggies and tofu. 

Friday, September 19, 2025

Drove to Lake Ashi. 

Hopped on a ferry for a short cruise across the lake.

Passed the location of Tim's "Fuji" photo. Unfortunately, Fuji was not visible on this day either. 

We could see the cables and tower for the gondola as well as the pirate ship on the lake.

Went to the outdoor museum that Tim had visited so many years ago. 

The train station for the Gondola was down the street.

We went to a wood worker who creates the puzzle boxes. The same technique is used to create scenes. We bought a scene like the view of Fuji that would be visible on a clear day. We bought some chopsticks, too. Bobbi bought a lovely necklace. The streets of the town had tiles in the sidewalk that looked like the wood art.

During the time, Tim was given a puzzle box to try. He was able to open it, but not close it.

Lunch at a local hotel with a hot pot of veggies and ramen with rice. The hotel was next to a stream with rapids. The hotel had a koi pond.

Met with two geishas in the afternoon. We had an interesting discussion and were given two dancing demonstrations.

Back to the hotel for baths, watching sumo and a buffet dinner. Most people skipped an optional evening of caligraphy and origami with Remi.

Japan - Time in Tokyo

 Monday, September 15, 2025

Happy birthday, Mike. 

Western breakfast in the hotel was good. Eggs, tiny waffles, many small servings in tic-tac-toe plates. Walked around the terminal and checked the gacha vending machines. They dispense small collectibles. The more you spend, the more valuable the collectables. Tim tried one and got a pin with a medieval dude nest to a unicorn.

Checked out and took the train to the Vista hotel. We used our Pasmo transit card that was recommended by Remi. We followed Remi's instructions to take the express train, but had to debark at a nearby station and switch to a local for one stop. It was confusing. First, we got on the same train back to the airport going in the other direction. We went one stop and then returned from the station we just left. Then we found the local and took it one stop to the Higashi-Ginza station near our hotel.

The stations are vast underground cities. We wandered around a bit to locate the closes exit to our hotel. We were a little early, so we left our bags in the lobby. We walked back to the Ginza to change money.

We went to the basement of a big department store on the Ginza to eat a sushi lunch. We ordered 10 pieces of sushi, without any English. We went to the 9th floor to eat. On our walk, we passed the Kabuki Theater.

We took a bus to the Harumi district, where Tim performed 30 years ago. We walked by the old hotel, which wasn't so old back then. It used to be the big building in the neighborhood. Now it is dwarfed by 40-story buildings. We walked to the site of the Yume Kojo fesitval. The old site was demolished for Special Olympics housing. There is a monument that shows the layout of the old site. 

We returned to the hotel and checked into our room. We thought the room at the airport was small. This one was like the bedroom in Green Acres.

Returned to hotel by bus. The transit system in Tokyo is very good. 

Remi dropped by to say hi. She is very friendly.

We ate dinner at a sushi restaurant around the corner. We ordered by pointing at things on the menu.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Good breakfast. Automatic waffle maker, but small waffles. Something like a toaster over that toasts on a moving belt. Wave your hand to start it.

The breakfast room was clean with stations for all kinds of food, including fish. The room was long, with a row of stools at a counter against a sheet glass window.

Orientation walk around the neighborhood. We walked by the Kabukji Theater again and to the Ginza. Remi said that typical Japanese do not understand the language used in Kabuki, as it is an old form of the language. Maybe it would be like English speakers hearing anglo-saxon.

We took a bus to the sumo arena. A statue across the street from the arena commemorating past sumo champions.

Three or four times a year, there is a sumo competition in a city in Japan. The tournament was in progress in Tokyo. We went to the suma arena and saw an example of a sumo ring. 

We met a sumo wrestler and had a picture taken with him. Remi likes being with a group of tourists. She would never dare to ask a sumo wrestler for a photo. Sumo wrestlers are superstars in Japan.

We went to a school for sumo wrestling run by a retired sumo wrestler. We were given an understanding of the basic rules for sumo and how to wrestle. Sumo wrestling from the Tokyo tournament was on television every day. After our sumo lesson, we appreciated the competition and looked for every day to watch the matches.

The retired wrestler prepared a hearty soup for us for lunch, like a soup that sumo wrestlers would eat. In addition to soup, the sumo wrestlers in training consume 10000 calories a day, including a lot of rice.

We were given a chance to try to push a wrestler backwards. Impossible.

Next stop was the Shinto Meiji Shrine, located in a beautiful park. 

This is the shrine that Remi visited most often. Many offerings were displayed with sake and wine.

We could also purchase offerings.

We were introduced to the proper way to pass under a Torii gate, never directly in the middle, but off-center, closer to the pillars. We also learned how to clap before and after making our offering at the shrine. I was touched deeply be the reverence shown at the shrine. No pictures are allowed in the shrine.

We left the group and walked to a local yoga school. We were invited into the studio and talked with the Iyengar teacher for 15 minutes. We took the train back to the hotel. We only missed our stop by one, then got back on at the next station.

We had a delicious welcome dinner at a hotel on the Ginza. We were allowed onto the roof for a quick view. Only a few people were allowed up at a time, as there was a bar up there and a limit to the maximum people allowed.

Short walk back to the hotel. Home by 9

Wednesday, September 17

Good breakfast again. Discovered some granola. Looked like rice crispies. Not bad.

Hot day. Took cabs, instead of subway, to Asakusa. This is Tim's third time here. We saw an overview from a building near the entrance. This was our first glimpse of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

The entrance had two guardians on either side.

The pagoda by the temple used to be the tallest building in Tokyo. Remi pointed out a symbol on a nearby monument and emphasized it is not a swastika.

We walked to a drumming school and learned all about Taiko drums. We were shown many kinds of drums, from small to big to huge. 

We ate lunch at a local restaurant with Matt and Shelby at a noodle shop. We had a delicious bowl of rice and unagi. It is difficult to order food. Basically, we point at the menu. We took a taxi home for $21. We did laundry at the hotel. The machine is a washer and a drier, all in one. It didn't dry so well. We needed an extra hour to dry.

We barely caught up with the Ginza walking tour with Remi. We went to an observation deck overlooking the Ginza. It has changed in 30 years. It is not as overwhelming with neon signs. We shopped for T-shirts at Uniqlo, where Remi buys some of her shirts. We bought peace shirts. The window display was interesting. Imagine these shirts swinging like pendulums.

On the way to the Ginza, Remi remarked that Japanese men do not wear beards, just as a Japanese man with a beard walked by. At the observation deck, she commented that they do not hear many sirens in Japan. When we left the building, a police car was outside with its siren blaring.

Back at the hotel, we bought egg salad sandwiches at the 7-eleven. Many people at home told us we had to get egg salad sandwiches. They were good. White bread with no crust. Homemade is better. The 7-eleven are very popular. They have many convenience items, including socks.

We packed a small bag for a two day overnight and took the bag to the lobby.