Asukusa - Night Cruise

Naoko took me shopping in her neighborhood. Neighborhood is a bit of an underestimate because the shopping district is bigger than downtown Philadelphia or Seattle. The shopping there is overwhelming -- floors of beautiful food products. I took many pictures of the creative packaging. Think thousands of iPhone covers, thousands. And there were rows of vending machines dispensing toys in plastic eggs. I think it is a child's paradise. I bought iPhone jewelry in the shape of a sumo/monk mushroom. 

Throughout the day I word the "mushroom" hat -- the Amananita Muscaria hat and Naoko posed me for pictures throughout Tokyo.

Afterwards we took the train to "old Tokyo" where we met up with Togo and Kyon for a Rickshaw ride. While on the ride, we ran into a famous Japanese comedian, Pei. Kyon started yelling at him -- Pei, Pei, here is famous American Mushroom fellow (or something like that). He actually came over to us (remember we're in a rickshaw). A crowd started gathering and people were taking pictures of us. Pei then took a picture of us with his pink camera. I am told this is his signature move -- it is a great honor to have Pei take a picture of you!.

Afterwards on the rickshaw ride, we felt like we were in a parade. As we went through the drinking district, people cheered, we cheered, it was hilarious.

Naoko invited her friends, plus people who had visited me in the United States for a dinner cruise of Tokyo harbor. The boat was lined with tatami mats (I think all around to provide cushioning) and the 

tables were low so you sit on cushions on the floor. This was a bit of a challenge for the 64-year-old me, not least because I am double the size of everyone else.

Dinner was cooked by the guests on a grill in the middle of the table.

The view of Tokyo was stunning and I felt very lucky to be with so many very nice people and also to experience a Tokyo that only the Japanese see.

Favorite Things About Japan

This trip has been amazing. I feel so privileged to have an insider view of Japan. At most of the places I visited, I was the only Westerner:

1. on bullet train to Kyoto

2. at 5 out of 6 temples visited

3. at every restaurant in Kyoto

4. At Kusatsu (the entire town)

5. On all busses and trains to and from

6. On the Tokyo cruise boat

Even though I speak no Japanese and can't remember words like "good morning," I still was able to enjoy thanks to kind Japanese people around me ---Naoko, her friends, and her family. Thank you!

Other favorite things about Japan:

1. clean, abundant public restrooms

2. vending machines on every corner selling coffee, tea, water

3. sliding doors -- most doors slide rather than open out or into the room. Many doors in America are designed to slide, but it is my experience that these are frequently broken, making the doors an inconvenience. Sliding doors save space! I love them.

4. food - I had so many wonderful meals in Japan. It is truly a foodie country.

5. The slurp of ramen eating -- love it!

6. Japanese rice - so delicious, I realize it is my favorite kind of rice

7. Onsen - wow, what a wonderful resource. Naoko says the onsen make up for the earthquake risk. This may be so. And of course the abundance of onsen are because the country is so active geologically.

8. Peekabo - it's always a party when peekabo is happening.

9. to be continued, but it goes on and on.

Bus to Jinda-di temple, Tokyo; Kichojoji for Shopping

On city bus with Aikou on my last day in Tokyo. She speaks no English and I speak even less Japanese. 

The lady at the soba restaurant laughed when I told her -- I speak no Japanese; Aikou speaks no English. We had quite a day trying to communicate.

Basically I followed her lead and said "okay" a lot. I tried to use Google translate, but the application kept getting stuck so we were only able to communicate basics -- bathroom, food, bus, buy.

I did manage to buy a few souvenirs in Kichojoji.

We were supposed to meet up with Naoko at 6:30, but gave up and took a cab home. 

In preparation for tomorrow's flight, I took a long nap!

Hot Springs - Kusatsu

Kozue and I took a bullet train and then a bus to this lovely hot springs town. As everywhere in Japan, we take our shoes off when entering the hotel. The hostess immediately serves us coffee and a pastry while she collects information -- in Japanese of course. 

Our room is simple, large, very simple and elegant. There is a sliding paper door separating the beds from a small sitting area, and another wooden sliding door taking  you to the toilet and sink. New slippers are required for each room it seems. 

The hot springs are downstairs and they are hot! IBut wait! We are given kimonos, sashes (very long) and overcoats to wear while we're in town. Kozue and I went out last night in our kimonos and explored town. 

But the hot springs -- I know now how crabs must feel in the pot -- the water is so hot, it is hard to stay submerged for more than a few  moments at a time. Kozue explained to me (via iphone translate, the principle of heat shock protein, which cancure you of most illnesses it seems. So this hotel has it in the "heat" and "shock" department.

We had dinner in our kimonos and what a dinner! I counted 19 dishes and have them cataloged.

Dinner

Plum wine

Corn and yuba

Lettuce caviar roll

Sashimi perilla

Pepper mushroom

Scallop squash

Inagi

Soybean

Green bean, x,x

Okra

Pork

Chicken bitter melon

Food gras

Pork belly salad

Beef with citron pepper

Noodles chicken hot pot

Akadashi Miso soup and rice

Matcha jello

Go chichi and sencha

After that dinner, we went back to the room and immediately fell asleep. I believe it was 8:30 PM!

To make up for it, we woke up early and went down for an additional boiing.  

Then, breakfast! More food! And it was just as delicious as dinner with multiple courses. The consistent thing with Japanese breakfast is miso soup, fish, and rice (and green tea of course).

The weather couldn't be lovelier!

Onsen

Kozue and I rode a bullet train and bus to the hot springs town of Kusatsu. Arriving in town, the smell of sulfur was everywhere -- this is a hot spring!

Our first Onsen -- whose name I never discovered -- was small and stylish. We were greeted by a very polished woman who served us coffee and pastry while Kozue filled out registration papers. And the coffee was delicious.

Our room was very simple and elegant with a separate sitting area separated by a paper screen. In this Onsen, there were no showers in the room -- only a toilet -- the assumption being that all your bathing would take place in the in-house "bath."

The bath was comprised of two tubs -- one had highly sulfuric water and the other was less so. Both were hot enough to boil lobsters. It took concentration and fortitude to submerge yourself in these waters. We found that by place a wet washcloth on our heads and keeping our hands out of the water, we were able to tolerate the heat better.

Kozue explained (via google translate) one of the benefit of the waters: heat shock protein (HSP). In looking through a few internet articles, it seems that the cells have proteins that are shocked when exposed to heat -- not hot enough to kill. This creates a preserving cell adaptation. 

Kyoto

I walked several miles - started out from Ryokan and walked across the river and up into the hills where the temples are located. I was trying to get to Kyomizudera, but was only able to locate outbuildings. Signage was everywhere, but not always helpful. Of course the journey was lovely and I got plenty of exercise climbing steep steps on wild good chases. There were many picturesque blocks with traditional Japanese style housing. Very lovely. Pictures are difficult because of narrow roads.

I saw one house where there were piles of what looked like salt on each side of the doorway. I must look that up. And little collections of statues -- shrines.

I did manage to locate Chion-in Temple and Shoren-in. Inside Shoren-in (the signage not in English, the temples close by) there was beautiful chanting in the Temple -- hard to leave after hearing that.

I finally had a meal at 2:00 pm at a lovely restaurant overlooking a garden with a Koi pond (note: all koi ponds have wire strung over them, I am sure to discourage maurauding birds.. Lunch was a tofu noodle stew -- broth tasted slightly smoky, had a very different flavor. Also had a bowl of rice with mushrooms and carrots. Delicious.

After that I was gont to take the train into downtown, but the trains were closed (again, signage an issue). So I walked some more. Went to a Daimaru department store and the Nishiki Market, which is right n the middle of town and extends seeral blocks, but only one level deep - think Italian Market, 9th street, without the cars. Saw some wonderful sights and now regret not buying a few things -- perhaps I go back today.

Today I want to see the Higashi-Hongani Temple which is across the street from my Ryokan as well as a selection of world heritage temples. I think you need several days in Kyoto to do it any kind of justice because everything is so dense.

Kyoto

So, new hemisphere, new hair, new clothes, I'm now a Kyotite!

Tobago Cays

Tobago Cays is comprised of a horseshoe-shaped reef and several small islands. Turtles swim by at the rate of one every fifteen minutes. There is a turtle sanctuary a short dinghy ride away. There you can swim with the turtles. We are told these are Green Turtles. They have very sweet faces and don't appear to mind the intrusion into their habitat. The turtles dive down to the floor, nibble bits of sea grass and swim up for air. The island near the turtle sanctuary has iguanas, century plants (autographed by visitors), and lovely yellow finches. All around us is water in shades of aqua and blue. Anchored nearby is a Brigantine. I only know this because of the sailors we have on board. She's an old wooden boat with a pirate flag flying.

Snorkeling was okay--the reefs were not in great shape, but adequate to support a diversity of marine life.

Last night we went to a "beach party" sponsored by folks from Union Island. For $44 they pick you up, transport you to a lovely beach, and serve you fish, lobster, plantains, rice, potatoes, and fruit. The guy who set us up is Mandyman and his son Neil sang for us.

Back on the boat, our sailors sang seafaring ditties -- heave ho and so on. Need to grab the lyrics to say no.

Today we're off to Bequie to spend our last two nights aboard the Betty Blue.

Mustique

We finally sailed today between St. Vincent and Mustique. With four plus experienced sailors on board, I just sat and watched. The sailing was very exciting - it's been a long time.

We swam to shore and sat on the beach. There was a "pack" of goats -- mothers and babies. If you know the collective known for goats, let me know.

Mustique is a private island owned by "The Mustique Company." There was an emergency phone on the beach with instructions to pick up the receiver and notify the person who answers. Of course this means there is a whole lot of security on this island.

Catch the photo of the boat that just pulled in next to us. Maybe they'll invite us over for cocktails?

We're just preparing to pile into the dinghy to go to dinner at Basil's. Apparently Mick occasionally makes an appearance, we will see.

St. Vincent

Yesterday we travelled all day -- Melissa, Rob, Paula, Bill, Amber, Greg, Pete, Rob. This is a new experience for me, I am so used to transporting solo. Quite fun to have an entourage to turn to -- a moving party of sorts.

Right now it's 7:00 am and I'm sitting on the balcony of our hotel looking our at the boats -- which one is ours? We set off at noon today for a week of very close quarters.

The island straight ahead is Bequie (sp), our first stop.

The night was very noisy with call and response dog barking peppered with cock-a-doodle-doos. My favorite was the truck blaring reggae rap. Made me feel at home on IQL to hear inappropriately loud rap music muffled through a car.

Mining the attic - Penpals

In 1964 I was 14 and pen pals were popular. I found letters from two -- one from Japan -- a boy -- and a girl from Illinois. Apparently neither piqued my interest because there weren't too many letters. Once the Beatles came, things changed a bit. I somehow got a pen pal from the UK -- Newark to be precise -- and I have stacks of letters from her. In a letter from '64 she enclosed cancelled UK stamps, a baby picture, and an adult picture. Ann Boyd is tall and thin and had a strange expression on her face--goofy, frightening. I remember being alarmed on seeing her photo because I couldn't really see her face. I'm not sure if I wrote after that -- or for a long time after. Somehow I feel like a Seinfeld character, wanting my pen pal to be stunningly beautiful. In her last letter, she said p.p.s. "I luv you." She made a "J" with tiny x's at the bottom of the page like cross-stitch. Now I would say she had a great body -- nice and lean and probably looked great in clothes. And I would ask her to send a smiling head shot.

We were both passionate about the Beatles. I was fascinated by the Beatles' home, and she was interested in America. Reviewing her letters, I can imagine her as an academic or perhaps a schoolteacher, now retired. 

She sent me a pin from Scotland -- one of those pins that you use to hold your tartan skirt together but in miniature. I still have that pin -- obviously it was a treasure.  I think I sent her perfume, but always feared it did not arrive safely in spite of her assurances. I have a box from Newark. I had assumed this was New Jersey, but now realize it's Newark, England.

I can tell from her letters that she was very motivated, a good student. I wonder where she is now?

In my stash were also a few letters from my sister and one from my brother. He lived in Long Beach - working for Lockheed -- and she was visiting for the summer. I also had a few letters from Jenny's boyfriend -- actually he was just a "friend" to her, although he wanted to marry her. One of them is a proposal of marriage to me. Of course it was a joke, but it had me going for a moment -- did I date him? Carl? No - I did not and I was 15. I do remember, back in those days. I still shared a room with my mother (why?) and I remember going to bed with a vague sex fantasy about Carl. I wasn't so sure what to fantasize about, but I made the best of it. In looking back at the letters, it appears my mother was quite taken with Carl, as apparently I was, but my sister did not care for him in that way.

The letter from my brother is short, a rarity, perhaps the only letter he ever sent to me although I did get Christmas cards -- which I did not save.

Off to the Grenadines

....tomorrow morning.