Asian Sabbatical - Day #7 - Kyoto, Japan

Wednesday, July 6th

Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kyoto

Metro in Kyoto

Traditional Japanese dinner

Gion District

Restaurants lining the walkway in Gion

Busy streets of Gion

Temple in Gion

Hotel Brighton

Very spacious room at Hotel Brighton

Transition day for us today.  We awoke in Tokyo and tonight we end the day in Kyoto.  After a few great touring days in the Japanese capital city, today we took a 2 hr, 20min bullet train (high-speed train) to the city of Kyoto. 

Kyoto is south of Tokyo - very near the much larger city of Osaka, Japan.  Kyoto itself has about 1.5 million people - significantly smaller in population than Tokyo.  Kyoto has more of a traditional and cultural feel about the city.  We had an 11:30am departure train - so the morning was mostly spent packing and then getting a nice breakfast before departure.

Upon arrival into Kyoto, we took a metro to the closest stop by our hotel.  Unfortunately, our hotel is several blocks away from the nearest metro.  We struggled a bit - but were able to get our heavy bags through the city streets and sidewalks to the Kyoto Brighton Hotel.  A couple good samaritans gave an assist by providing directions on our walk.

Wow!  That's my impression of our new hotel.  The staff ran out the door to grab our bags.  They were so helpful and all spoke English.  We were again escorted to our room and introduced to the features, lights, etc.  This room is very spacious - allowing us to really spread out our gear.

A few things to note about the Japanese culture:
(1)  Very respectful ---  people line up at the train station, they adhere to all road signals (even waiting to cross a side street with no traffic), they bow after communications.  Ex:  A couple of days ago, I went to buy a pass to the sky deck at the Mori Tower.  I had mistakenly not provided the agent with the correct change.  I just waited for her to take the money and give me the pass.  The agent just stood and folded her hands very peacefully.  About 30 seconds later - I realized I was short on the fare.  She did not want to disrespect me by telling me I was incorrect on my money - she just waited. 
(2)  No tipping.  Everyone appears to go out of their way to be helpful - and accept no tip in return.
(3)  Organized/Clean - streets are manicured and clean.  Very orderly

After a little rest and some research in our room, we decided to head out for dinner in the Gion District.  We took a free shuttle to the metro and than walked a very popular section of town.  We found a great spot off the main street.  This was my first very traditional Japenese meal.  We had to take off our shoes and then crawled into this smaller table seating area.  The table was separated by a screen from the other tables in the restaurant.  The food was outstanding!  We had some great appetizers and than I had a rice/beef meal.  Really good and very filling.

We next walked the streets of the Gion District - red and white paper lanterns decorating the walkways.  We must have passed over a hundred restaurants.  Several of which outlined this stream that ran through the town.  There was a nice walking path that we strolled on after dinner.  The night was perfectly calm and cool, with a nice breeze.  The Gion Disrict is a cultural area where you can see the famous geishas - women who are trained in traditional music and dance and entertain at private parties.  It certainly is a tourist destination and a great evening location to visit upon arriving in Kyoto.

We grabbed an ice cream cone and headed back to the hotel after a few hours of walking and seeing the sites.  Until tomorrow - good night from central Japan.

Asian Sabbatical - Day #6 - Tokyo, Japan

Tuesday, July 5th

Tsukiji Fish Market

Numerous stations thoughout the facility

All kinds of fish

Lunch location

Imperial Palace -we worked hard to get this shot

Entering the East Gate of Imperial Palace

Tokyo Dome

Interesting food selections at game

Cheerleaders at Game

Fans in constant participation

Overview of stadium

Postgame interview

Final score

Shinjuku

Busy night streets in Shinjuku

Final full-day in Tokyo.  I woke up feeling surprisingly good after the long hike from yesterday.  A little soar in the legs - but not too bad all considering.  We all slept in a bit this morning and started the day around 9am.

First stop - the Tsukiji Fish Market.  This is the busiest fish market in the world and handles 90 percent of all the fish consumed in Japan.  Unbelievable!  It's located near the downtown pier in Toyko in a huge oudoor warehouse facility.  We were able to walk the floors and see the different processing stations.  Shellfish, tuna, eels, salmon - you name it, it was here.  We had arrived around 11am.  The stations were entering the packaging phase of the day.  The day generally gets started around 3am for the market.  A big tuna auction takes place around 5:30am.  The number of workers dedicated to this business is astonishing.  Small delivery lifts constantly move throughout the facility.  Countless coolers are everywhere.

After our tour, we decided to stop for lunch near the market.  We had probably the freshest sushi we will ever have in our lives.  I really enjoy susui - and this was exceptional.  I had the fresh tuna - made up of 4 different kinds.  The seared tuna was my favorite.

Next stop for the day - the Imperial Palace.  Located about a 10-minute walk from the Tokyo metro stop, the grounds of the Imperial Palace are massive. This was the former residence of the emporer of Japan.  A moat surrounds the stone-walled enclosed palace grounds.  The perimeter is literally miles in length.  The public is restricted from the main part of the grounds, but the East Garden is accessible to visitors.  We went in for a long walk around the complex.  Really interesting to see.   Much of the original grounds have been destroyed due to fire.  But the photos of the previous residence clearly create a picture of the elegance and significance of the area.

After the Imperial Palace we headed back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes in preparation for our next item on the agenda - a professional Japanese baseball game at the Tokyo Dome.  We saw the Yomiuri Giants play the Hanshin Tigers.  Randy, Wendy and I are all huge baseball fans and thought it would be really fun to see a game while in Japan.  There are a lot of famous players in the US to come out of Japan - with Ichiro Suzuki being the biggest name.  We took the N-line metro which stopped right at the Dome.  As we exited the underground metro - the Dome appeared in front of us.  We bought a $23 ticket on site, located in the upper deck, but behind home plate.  Going to this game was an excellent decision.  Wow!  Let's just lay out some major differences between Japan baseball and the US.  #1 - fan participation.  The entire game, there were chants and a band playing.  It had a similar atmosphere to an international soccer match.  There were cheerleaders, beer vendors carrying kegs of beer on their backs, and food choices galore (sushi, noodles, the common hot dog/burger, nachos, ec).  They had no bullpen for relief pitchers to warm up.  They just stood on the side of the field tossing the ball.  After the game,they have an immediate press conference on the field with the stars of the game.  They put up a quick stage and interview the players.  Then, the players are escorted around the field on carts.  The atmosphere was somewhere between a playoff game and opening day in the states.  NOTE - this was a Tuesday night regular season game between 2 below average teams.  Unreal stuff! We couldn't have been more happy to have gone to the game.  A lot of fun was had and an experience you can't get elsewhere.

After the game,we took the metro back to the Shinjuku Station.  We wanted to see the big lights and flare of the busy Japansese streets at night.  Check this off the list.  Wow - endless activity!  My thoughts coming into the trip about the busy nightlife were confirmed.  Times Square++.  We ended up walking around for an hour or so and were close enough to walk back to our hotel. 

A great final day in Tokyo.  We got a glimpse of the history (Imperial Palace), the economic stability (Tsukii Fish Market) and the social flare (baseball game and nightlife) of this incredibly efficient, non-stop city.

Asian Sabbatical - Day #5 - Tokyo, Japan

Monday, July 4th

A look at Mt. Fuji from my hotel

Amazing views today

The Yoshida Trail

Great views

A picture half way up

Tough walking conditions on much of the ascent

The final few steps to the peak - through a tori gate

One of the huts on the mountain

At the peak - looking into the depressed cone

At the peak - exhausted, but happy

A look down the mountain from the peak

Happy Independence Day!  I really like this holiday.  I've done a lot of fun things on this day.  Today was no exception.

I awoke this morning at 5am at the Fujison Station Hotal in Fujian, Japan.  After prepping my day pack, I walked over to the 7/11 and got some money from an ATM & food/water for the day.  Today I climb Mt. Fuji.  I left the bus terminal at 6:30am from Fujisan and took a 1-hr ride to the Fuji Subaran 5th Station.  This is where I will start my day hike via the Yoshida Trail.

Unbelievably great weather today.  Sunshine, white puffy clouds - great picture taking weather.  And - the temperature was comfortable all day.  I didn't change clothes 1 time - even on the summit.

Mt. Fuji - the highest and most recognized mountain in Japan.  At 12,300ft in elevation - it's not a joke to climb.  The route I chose - the Yoshida Trail - is the most popular route.  You start at an elevation of 7,600ft and you ascend 4,700 ft in 6km (3.6 miles) to peak at 12,300ft.  What does this mean?  Mt. Fuji is VERY steep.  Just for comparison purposes - the last 6 miles to the peak of Pikes Peak in Colorado has a pretty equal elevation gain - around 4500ft.  That's in 6 miles however - Mt. Fuji does it in 3.6 miles. 

Usually there are tons of people on the mountain.  I chose to hike during the day on a Monday (versus at night on a weekend).  Most hikers climb at night so they can see the sunrise in the morning.  I'm not one to always go with the norm - so I decided to shake it up a little.  I've climbed mountains in the dark - I'd rather have 5 hours of perfect views on the way up versus staring at a spotlight on the ground and hoping for a clear sunrise.  I think it's actually safer to hike in the daytime as well.  You have more site views for your next step.

The hike was challenging - but doable.  I took a ton of photos on the way up - something I would definitely not have done if I was really struggling.  4 hrs, 5 minutes to summit.  I then spent about an hour on the summit, walking around the depressed cone filled with snow at the peak.  Amazing views!  The return took a different path - made mostly of a scree field.  So I basically slid a lot of the way down.  2 hrs, 10 minutes on the return.  6 hr, 15 minutes total hike with another hour at the summit.  I was sort of anxious about this climb - really glad I did this.  There were very few hikers today - I was not inhibited at any time of the day.  I was able to go my own pace the entire way.

One of the traditional things to do on Mt. Fuji is to purchase a wooden walking stick.  Then - as you progress up the mountain to the different stations (Station 6, 7, 8, etc), you get the stick stamped.  This symbolizes you made it to a particular height.  It's a great souvenir so I decided to take part.  (not sure what I'm going to do with it the rest of the trip however).  But, I'm sure I will never forget this day and the walking stick will bring back some great memories. 

There are several huts on the way up, as a lot of people hike part way, sleep over, and then complete the hike late at night before sunrise.  I know the travel books suggest this and state this is the way to complete the hike.  If I ever did Fuji again or spoke with anyone prepping for the trip - I would 100% suggest the way I did it today.  I think there's plenty of time to day hike the mountain at a relaxing pace and enjoy yourself along the way.

After reaching the 5th station on my descent (my starting location), I had about 45 minutes until my return bus.  Perfect timing for some much needed food.  Noodles and soup were the selection.  Really hit the spot.  A 50-minute bus ride back to Fujisan and then a 2+ hr train to Tokyo.  I arrived around 8:15pm.  Randy/Wendy are out on the town.  I'm staying in tonight for some needed rest - and I get to catch up on this blog as well.  Great, great stuff today!  I needed a few challenges on this sabbatical - today qualifies for sure.

Tomorrow we have a lot of great stuff on the agenda, as we tackle more of Tokyo and what it has to offer.  Until then - good night from a really big city!

Asian Sabbatical - Day #4 - Tokyo, Japan

Sunday, July 3rd

Torii Gate of Meiji Jingu

Great park for morning walk

Popular street in Tokyo

Yoyogi Park

Shibuya Crossing

Times Square effect in Shubuya

Tokyo Tower

A view from Sky Deck of Mori Tower

Chilling in the subway

After getting to bed at 9pm local time - I woke up around 3:30am on Sunday, July 3rd.  I couldn't get back to sleep, so I worked on my blog using my headlamp to keep from waking Randy and Wendy.  About 45 mintes later - they were both up as well.  It was an early start to the day to say the least.

Tokyo.  What do I know about Tokyo?  First off - I like to look at things big picture.  Here's an interesting fact.  Tokyo is the most populated city in the world -- and it's not even close.  Tokyo has roughly 38 million people.  Dehli (25 million), Shanghai (23 million), Mexico City (21 million), and Sao Paulo (21 million) round out the top 5.  What does this mean?  In 4 days - we are only able to scratch the service of this HUGE city.

We got out of the hotel early - 6:30am early.  We started the day at the Shinjuku Train Station.  Randy/Wendy were patient with me as I worked out plans for my Mt. Fuji hike set for Monday (4th).  I decided to take a train on Sunday night so I could get an early start on my hike.  We all ended up getting lost a couple times at the Shinjuku Station.  Interesting fact.  The Shinjuku Train Station is the busiest train station in the WORLD.  Only 6 of the top 51 busiest train stations are located outside Japan.  Did I mention that Tokyo has a few people in the city?  With the multitude of people and the almost complete language barrier - it's easy to see how it took us a little while to negotiate the metro system.

After our comedy of errors at the train station, out first stop of the day was to a really interesting park/shrine - Meiji Jingu Shrine.  This shrine is dedicated to one of the famous emporers of Japan - Emporer Meiji. It lies in a beautiful park - perfect for an early morning walk.  Huge Torii gates lead to some shrines in the park.  A torii gate in Japan is very common - symbolizing that you are entering a sacred area after passing through the gate.  After a coupe hours of exploring, we headed down to one of the trendy streets in Tokyo - the Takeshita Street.  Action personified.  Tons of people everywhere - shops, restaurants, vendors, etc.  We opted for a waffle breakfast at Neo Restaurant.  Excellent - the fruit waffle I had was right on time.

Next, we went to Yoyogi Park - one of the biggest parks in Tokyo.  A lot of things going on.   A running group made up of blind runners were making loops around the park.  Really interesting.  Not sure if you have ever witnessed this - but a guide runner has a rope that the blind runner holds onto to lead the way.  Amazing and so inspiring.  We saw yoga groups, entertaining groups practicing routines, etc.  The Hyde Park or Central Park of Tokyo.

We next headed to an area of town called Shibuya.  I'll call it the Times Square of Tokyo.  There's a famous crossing that connects about 5-6 different main streets.  One of our travel books mentioned a Starbucks that overlooks the area - a perfect spot to take a break and watch the action.  We made this happen.  We happened upon the best seat in the house at Starbucks - as a couple was leaving upon our arrival.  We took it all in over some hot tea and a cookie.

Next to the Roppingi Hills District.  A really neat area - kind of a small city by itself.  We went up to the City View Deck and Sky Deck in the Mori Tower.  Wow!  We actually could now see this massive city laid out below us.  There were skyscrapers in every direction.  Unlike any other city I've seen in my life.  The Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree are amazing sites - resembling the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Seattle Space Needle respectively.  We then walked around Roppingi Hills - seeing a huge spider (Maman) and roamed around the Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel - one of the most elite hotels in all of Tokyo. 

By this time, it was about 3pm.  I needed to be back at the hotel around 4:30pm to get my stuff ready for Fuji.  We took the train back and walked around the area where our hotel is located - Shinjuku.  This area is one of the most popular draws in Tokyo - with it's own "Times Square" effect with a ton of shops/restaurants.  We're really just hitting some high points.

Back to hotel.  I completed packing and I was off to Fujisan.  Randy/Wendy will be spending the day in Tokyo tomorrow so I'm on my own for the next day or so.  About a 2.5 hour train got me to my final destination about 9pm.  Side note on my train trip.  I was completely wiped out last night when getting on the train.  So, I ended up falling asleep.  My understanding was that I was to be on the same train the entire time.  When I fell asleep there were a lot of people aboard.  When I awoke, the train car I was on was completely empty except for an older gentleman.  At the next stop, the older guy gets up to depart the train -- he looked over at me with an expression that said:  "Dude - you need to get off this train".  Of course he didn't speak English or say anything - but my instinct was that there soon was going to be a problem.  A minute later, one of the train guards comes in my train and tells me I need to get out.  I'm not understanding - I show him my ticket.  He just points out the door.  So, I get off the train.  Where am I going to go?  I walked up a few train cars.  There were people on these cars.  So - I just jumped back on the same train.  I'm thinking the last cars were being removed from the main train because I got to my destination anyway.  It's amazing how much you have to trust your instincts when you can't read or speak the language.  During my time in Europe I became very good at doing this.  But, just like most things, it takes a while to get it back.  I'm thankful my gut told me to get back on that train.

Upon arriving in Fujisan, my hotel was 1 minute from the train station - good thing -- otherwise, I may still be looking for it.  Early to bed - a big day tomorrow. 



 

Asian Sabbatical - Day #3 - Tokyo, Japan

Saturday, July 2nd

Hotel Rose Garden Shinjuku

Hotel Lobby - nice place

Small rooms

Street view outside our hotel

Restaurant around the corner for Sat dinner

We're not in Kansas anymore

Interesting

We started today aboard our 12hr, 30 minute international flight from Chicago to Tokyo.  Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the central time zone in the US.  Therefore, alot of Sat, July 2nd didn't really happen for us.

We arrived into Tokyo about 3:35pm local time on Saturday afternoon.  We had a lengthy 2 hr line through imigrations/customs.  By this time, we had all been up for about 24 straight hours.  Sleep deprivation was kicking in.  Everything went really smooth overall today, the line was the only challenging part.  We next exchanged some money and took the Narita Express train into the City.  The international airport is actually about an hour train ride into the main city center.  We arrived around 6:45pm.  We next hopped on a metro train to Nishi-Shinjuku. - about a 30 minute metro ride to our final destination - Hotel Rose Garden Shinjuku.

7:30 pm checked into the hotel.  We each got some sort of complimentary welcome kit and were escorted to our room to help with setup.  Temperatures here are a muggy 90 degrees F.  After figuring out the toilet (toilets in Japan are complex - techy), we maxed the AC and just crashed for a few minutes.  We ended up going around the corner to grab a bite to eat.  I had a beer and some ham.  Randy/Wendy had some mussels.  We didn't feel like researching stuff too much - so we rolled with it.  100% Japanese menu - we kind of pointed to our selections.

Bedtime at 9pm.  Travel days like this are always amazing to me when you look back.  I started "here" and look where I am "now".

Tomorrow we start to make some things happen!

Asian Sabbatical - Day #2 - Travel

Friday, July 1st

A big travel day started around 7am after a great nights sleep at Wendy's pace - close to Wrigley Field in Chicago.  After a pineapple breakfast, we hailed an Uber to O'Hare airport around 8:30am.  An interesting start to the day, as our cab driver was a self-proclaimed "singing cab driver".  He proceeded to sing 2 songs that he had personally written on the way to the airport.  Unique for sure - something tells me that semi-intoxicated riders late at night might take to this better.  It was good though - I enjoyed it.

We got to the airport with time to spare.  Smooth baggage check and quick security lines.  United Flight 881 left Gate B17 at 12:35pm on Frid, July 1st. 12hr, 30 minute flight.  I'm writing this post about 10 hours into the journey.  My time so far has been spent watching movies (Miracles from Heaven, the 33, and the Big Short), reading some travel books, and listening to music.  Flight has been good - a little choppy for the first couple hours - no worries.  We are set to arrive at Nirata Airport in Tokyo at 3:30pm local time on Sat, July 2nd.  I need this trip to just clear the mind and put things back into perspective.  I left "stress" somewhere over Alaska - time to have some fun!

Asian Sabbatical - Day #1 - Travel

Thursday, June 30th

Today I start my 40-day Asian Sabbatical.  Every 5 years, my company gives us the opportunity to take 4 consecutive weeks away from work - a sabbatical.  I was able to add 1 week of vacation and schedule around the July 4th holiday - effectively maximizing as much time as possible.  Over the next few weeks, I'll be visiting 7 countries (Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Phillipines, Cambodia, and Thailand) and will then spend a few days visiting with family in St. Louis & Denver at the end of the trip.  

I've been looking forward to this date (June 30th) for a long time.  It's been 5 years since my European Gap Year.  I still look back at my posts to this day.  It was a special opportunity and I'm very thankful I did this.  I'm really excited to get it going again - albeit on a much smaller scale.  Hang with me as I explore an area of the world greatly unknown to me.  

I write this aboard a 12hr, 30min United flight bound for Tokyo from Chicago O'Hare.  My trip started on Thursday, June 30th when I hailed my very first Uber.  Well - a have a lot to lean about the whole "Uber thing". $102 to the airport - ouch!  I was expecting about $60. I ended up ordering an UberXL unknowingly and we went on a toll road where fees were even higher than normal.  Lesson learned.  When we arrived at the airport, the driver's phone errored out and I didn't know my fare until about 2 hours later.  I didn't feel great about the situation - but, I'll call it a learning experience.

I flew out of Denver to Chicago Midway via Southwest where I met up with Randy & Wendy.  They will be joining me for the first 2-1/2 weeks of my trip.  I met Randy at the airport as his flight in from St. Louis arrived about the same time as mine.  Wendy graciously picked us up and then we stayed at her house on Thursday night.