Day 8 Pictures Japan

Nara

The Fushimi Inari Shrine is pictured on countless travel brochures for Japan. Rows of torii gates course up a mountain side filled with shrines. Over 3 million Japanese visit during the new year celebration January 1st-3rd each year to offer prayers for business success. It was our first stop Sunday morning led by a professional local guide.

The group split but most of us traveled next to Nara, home to the famous Todai’ji Shrine and large indoor Buddha. The grounds and park surrounding the area are filled with deer which the students enjoyed as much as the statues.

Nearby we climbed the hills to the Kasuga Taisha Shrine notable for the thousands of stone and metal lanterns lining the pathways. It was also a chance to interact with more local deer.

After a late lunch we drove back to Kyoto for free time in the city center. Students spent their remaining cash on souvenirs for themselves and friends/family. 

Our last dinner was ramen served family style with fried meat dumplings. No one left hungry! Tomorrow morning we depart for the airport in Osaka. The first leg of our flight home takes us to San Francisco. We will be in the air for 14 hours, have a 3 hour layover, and only arrive in Houston a couple hours later Monday. The international time zone stole a day from us on the way over but gives it back on the return.

Thank you to everyone who has been following our trip—we will see you Monday night at IAH!

Day 7 Pictures

Kyoto

Odd numbers are good luck in Japan—newlyweds are gifted 30,000 or 50,000 yen, never an amount starting with an even digit. In the US we avoid 13th floors but in Japan you might not find a 4th floor. 

We stopped at the Golden Pavilion briefly along with hundreds of Japanese tourists to start the day. Then it was off to a Kimono fashion show at the Nishijin Textile Center where they manufacture beautiful silk goods. 

Nijo Castle was the highlight of our Saturday. Students removed their shoes before touring the home of the medieval shoguns of Kyoto. It was remarkable in its elegance and stands as a preeminent example of royal architecture and art from the shogunate era. It was an opportunity for students to experience the essence of Japan’s culture and see how it differs from traditional Western art and architecture.

Arashiyama is located on one of the three major rivers coursing through Kyoto. We ate lunch quickly before walking through the nearby bamboo forest. Afterwards, students shopped, drank green tea, ate more, or hiked to Monkey Mountain.

Kyoto City Center was our final official stop for this busy day. It’s a place for shopping malls and watching the energy of this city of 1.5 million march by in throngs. 

At the hotel we discovered it was the last night of a local “Lantern Festival.” You only get one chance! So off we went into the night to hear live music and stroll through the beautiful lantern-lined streets in the hills dotted with pagodas.

What a full day! We wouldn’t have it any other way...

Day 6 Pictures

Hakone to Kyoto

We will never forget Hakone and the pampering we received at the hot springs hotel. Students will also never forget sleeping on tatami mats in traditional Japanese style rooms. The views were obscured this morning by a persistent rain and wind. The cable car and lake cruises were closed due to weather. Instead, we visited a volcanic area (Owakudani) famed for its steamed black eggs. It was cold and VERY windy! Last year we visited a volcano in France and had equally bad fortune with the weather that day. Though we have yet to reveal our 2019 destination, rest assured no volcanoes will appear on the itinerary.

Next we stopped at the Hakone Open-Air Sculpture Museum. This was a pleasant surprise. Sculptures from famous artists around the world dotted the well-designed landscape. There was a special Picasso Pavilion and many of the students warmed themselves by relaxing in the hot foot baths outside the cafe. 

It was a full day. We climbed to the top of the 15th century Odawara Castle before driving to the rail station where we boarded the bullet train to Kyoto. Two hours later, we were navigating the nighttime streets in taxis to our final hotel for this trip. Two additional things we have learned while in Japan for those of you willing to read this entire post: A “quarter past” six means 6:15, not 6:25, and red bean paste is a poor substitute for chocolate or Nutella in many desserts.

Pictures from Day 5

Tokyo to Hakone

Just when we were learning that “Air Con” = heater and that you walk to the left not the right (same way Japanese drive), it was time to depart. We drove south along the coast taking in the harbor view on our way to Kamakura, home to the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. The weather continued to favor us in this small, seaside town reminiscent of Galveston with its beaches, great restaurants, souvenir shops, surfers, and throngs of tourists including visiting groups from other parts of Japan. This week is a school break in the country and a lot of schools take “field trips.” 

Dinner tonight included wearing traditional kimonos and a karaoke machine. Some of the videos might be available for blackmail one day! The girls definitely outperformed the boys. We can see Mount Fuji in the distance and the peace of this rural area is palpable. The only stressful thing the students had to face today were the rules for the Japanese onsen here at the hotel...No tattoos, no food or drinks, and absolutely no clothing in the hot springs. Sayonara!!

Akihabara

Tokyo Day 4

Today was jam-packed with activity and adventure from start to finish...students were unsure what sardines were until 1. We rode the subway to the FISH market and 2. We rode the SUBWAY to the fish market. The ride there helped them empathize with the salty delicacy and helped explain the Japanese habits of wearing a face mask and lacking any conception of personal space. The market itself was ripe with sea urchins, fried squid by the handfuls, and every other seafaring creature you can imagine. Even though it was mid morning everyone at a lot at the food stalls!

Our next stop was the iconic Skytree, the second tallest man-made structure inu the world and a distinct part of Tokyo’s skyline. It is primarily a signal tower but the first eight floors contain shops, restaurants, and a small technology exhibition. This was our lunch stop though no one was really hungry.

The favorite destination of today was Akihabara, the anime and video gaming district. Japanese subculture was on high display as students saw an owl cafe, maid cafe, and hard core gaming enthusiasts sweating at their craft. 

Dinner was Korean BBQ grilled by each guest over an open flame at the center of the table. To get there, we had to pass Shibuya Crossing, one of the craziest intersections you will ever witness. A few students stayed out late shopping with Mr. Neighbors while the rest headed back to bed. After 9 miles of walking and standing on packed subway cars it was a well-deserved respite. 

Tomorrow we drive to Hakone to see Mount Fuji and to get away from the city, but Tokyo was superb and we are sad to see her go.

Asakusa

Spirit Monkey is the unofficial mascot of the trip. Here he poses with a sumo wrestler outside the stadium. This is across the street from our hotel.

Ball High Group with REAL sumo wrestler!

First Full Day Tokyo

Day 3: Tokyo!

First, let’s talk about the bathrooms. The sinks are not made for anyone of standard American height. This subtly forces you to start your day in a humbled, praying, monk-like stature. Then there are the luxury toilets connected to both cold and hot water lines as well as plugged in to the nearest outlet. You feel like you are sitting on top of a Ryobi power washer. 

Breakfast was a combination of American and Japanese cuisine. That means French fries and miso soup. The students also found a bakery across the street with chocolate croissants and hot cocoa. 

Our first tour spot was the 43rd floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan building. The skyline was amazing! It was also the initial encounter with souvenirs so of course that couldn’t be completely passed over. We could see construction in preparation for the 2020 Olympics far in the distance.

A short drive took us next to the EF offices in Tokyo for a presentation by a former professional sumo wrestler. A local tour guide translated for us. The former athlete is now a model and actor! James tried unsuccessfully to take him down.

Lunch was on our own on the crowded Takeshita Street near the Meiji Shrine. Crepes were popular. Just across the road we walked into a serene forest to see the Shinto shrine to Emperor Meiji who led the modernization of Japan in the 19th century. Asakusa, a Buddhist temple, was the final stop for the day. Tourist shops lined the path into the large square and garden where incense was burning and coins could be heard rattling into wooden receptacles. Today was a terrific introduction to Japan...now we are ready to tackle the daunting trains and subways on our way around the city tomorrow

All Safe and Sound

Day 1-2 Flight to Japan

Terminal D? Terminal E? Who knows?! It was a good omen of things to come (and those sorts of things are important in Japan) that everyone was at the airport and checked in by 9:15. The Flight was on time and 13.5 hours later we were in Tokyo...or so we thought. We stood in three lines before getting our bags then waited twice for bathroom breaks before loading the Joyful Bus #168 to the city of Tokyo. But beware—better get to know your bus driver’s face quickly—because there are many Joyful Bus #168s in Tokyo. When something is good luck or fortune for you, keep going to the well! 

There were lots of movies to pass the time on the way over, but one student asked, “Now what do we watch on the way back??!”

Dinner tonight was fried chicken with sticky rice, soup, salad, and grapefruit for dessert. Each family in Japan takes pride in his/her family recipe. We got our bearings, grabbed a drink from one of the multiple vending machines in the hotel and on the street, and called it a night.