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All posts for the month April, 2017

Mark with our new friends Natalia and Luba, Russian women who are great traveling companions

Mark with our new friends Natalia and Luba, Russian women who are great traveling companions

We’ve started a 14-day bike trip in Japan with Grasshopper Adventures, a great little company that specializes in Asian bike trips. We’ve used them before to do a two-week trip through Myanmar, along with a couple day trips in various places, so we’re confident they do a good job. We start in Kyoto, the old imperial capital on the main island of Honshu, then quickly make our way down to Shikoku, the smallest of the four major Japanese islands. We love these bike trips because we love biking (or, well, I love biking and Mark likes biking), because it’s a great way to see the countryside up close, and because we often meet interesting people, some of whom on occasion become friends for life. We hate these organized bike trips because we pay more to stay in hotels that someone else has chosen and that aren’t as nice as the place we would stay, and we eat at someone else restaurant choices on their schedule, and we pay too much to put up with these restrictions. Typically the good outweighs the bad, but you’re never quite sure until you get well into the trip.

The first five days brought us from Kyoto down to Shishikui on the southeastern coast of Shikoku; lots of biking, some good, some great, and some brutal; a fair amount of train and van riding that we don’t particularly like; some incredibly frustrating hotel experiences; and food that ranged from good to great to way too minimal. In other words, everything that we both love and hate about organized tours.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, one of 17 sites in Kyoto that make up a UNESCO World Heritage designation. The original building dates to the late 14th century, but the current building dates from just 1955.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, one of 17 sites in Kyoto that make up a UNESCO World Heritage designation. The original building dates to the late 14th century, but the current building dates from just 1955.

Day 1: This was just the arrival day for the start of the trip in Kyoto after a fast train from Nagoya. Nothing interesting except that again, for the second time with Grasshopper Adventures, they assumed Mark & I wanted separate twin beds. But this time we’d emailed them a month ago, when we saw their mistake, and explained that we’re a married couple, not Bert & Ernie. They apparently ignored the email. So instead of having an hour or two to poke around Kyoto before the evening initial meeting and dinner with the group, we dealt with the hotel and Grasshopper to fix the situation. The good news is that the only available room to suit us was a nicer room. The bad news is that now we know that they’ve made poor arrangements for the next 13 days.

Day 2: Still in Kyoto, the day was a simple 20-mile ride around Kyoto. On a Sunday in cherry blossom season. Thus the crowds were intense and biking was much more a chore than a joy. The sites were packed, the roads and streets were packed, and there was nothing particularly fun about it. Lunch was a sushi restaurant, one with Harry Potter-esque conveyor belts delivering sushi to your table. To Grasshopper’s credit, they treated it as an all-you-can eat experience. Like a piece of sushi you see going by on the conveyor belt? Take it. Want something from the menu? Order it. Repeat. I wasn’t crazy about the biking part, but lunch was good. When we finished the ride, I felt as though I wanted a little more exercise so I walked down to and along the river. We’d biked on it earlier and it was mostly unpleasant, just trying to avoid hitting the many, many people walking along it. Walking, though, was fabulous; I was just struck by how beautiful it was and how I had essentially missed all that while biking and trying not to run anyone down. Clearly a case where walking was more joyous than biking.

A really red tree along the river. Biking through I didn't have time to enjoy it, taking care not to run over people. Walking by later, though, it was lovely.

A really red tree along the river. Biking through I didn’t have time to enjoy it, taking care not to run over people. Walking by later, though, it was lovely.

And a cherry tree on that same walk. We're pretty much at the end of cherry blossom season, but there are still the occasional, if increasingly rare, tree in bloom.

And a cherry tree on that same walk. We’re pretty much at the end of cherry blossom season, but there are still the occasional, if increasingly rare, tree in bloom.

Day 3: Now the real riding starts. We started by taking a train out of Kyoto about 75 minutes, while a van drove the bikes and luggage. Then a really brutal day of riding in weather that was cool and on-and-off rain. Only about 50 miles, but three pretty brutal hills included. The first one was tough, but OK, we can do this. Then down, flat for a while and back up. Now it’s getting hard. Finally the third one, and this one is a killer. Not massively steep but long. In fact, of the 13 riders who started, only six of us made it to the top. I finished it but it took absolutely everything I had to do it.

When we finished, then, we were staying at a Buddhist monastery. Unusual, but maybe interesting. Except not, really. It was a public inn, where anyone could stay, but I could tell I wasn’t going to be happy when the sign at the front gate indicated we couldn’t roll our bags; they had to be carried. And for us it was up three or four flights of stairs and along numerous hallways. Total pain in the ass after a brutal day of biking. And to make matters worse the meal was not only vegetarian on a night I needed protein but remarkably meager. I can’t remember a time I’ve ever gone to bed hungry, ever, until that night. And the meager vegetarian breakfast didn’t help things. I’m starting to think I just don’t like Buddhists.

Our Buddhist monastery in Koya San. Beautiful and serene, but annoying rules, thin futons on the floor, minimal meals, and the monks never smile or seem happy.

Our Buddhist monastery in Koya San. Beautiful and serene, but annoying rules, thin futons on the floor, minimal meals, and the monks never smile or seem happy.

Day 4: A much easier day, 40 miles, much of it downhill, to a two-hour ferry across to Shikoku Island. Not much to say except I ate too much at the breaks trying to make up for my massive calorie deficiency caused by those damned Buddhists. The disaster was when we got to Tokushima and checked into the hotel. Instead of a normal hotel room, we were in what was essentially a single room. Yes, it didn’t have twin beds, but that’s just because there was no room for beds, as in plural. It was about 8 feet by 10 feet, just a tiny room for one person except they were squeezing two of us in there. No room to put clothes or move around or anything, while other couples had nice, normal rooms. And on top of that dinner tonight, after a picnic lunch that had consisted of five (count them, five) pieces of take-out sushi, was going to a ramen noodle place where meals cost, at most, $7. We actually took a look at the offer and said “To hell with this. We can get decent food on our own.” So we went to a restaurant nearby and had Japanese steak that was incredible, along with some Italian appetizers, German sausages, and a Montepulciano wine that was heavenly. A great meal, but now we’re really not happy – really not happy – with this organized tour: cheap food, lousy hotels, and way more expensive than it should be.

OK, I'll admit, this doesn't look very Japanese. But sometimes after a tough day and a really lousy hotel, you just need good meat. So for dinner we had Japanese steaks, great Italian wine, and German sausages. Who said we don't know how to live well?

OK, I’ll admit, this doesn’t look very Japanese. But sometimes after a tough day and a really lousy hotel, you just need good meat. So for dinner we had Japanese steaks, great Italian wine, and German sausages. Who said we don’t know how to live well?

Day 5: Ah, this is why we bike. Mark’s still angry about the hotel and meals yesterday, but the weather has turned beautiful, 70 degrees and clear, and the cycling is close to perfect. It’s a long day – well over 60 miles – and much of it is uphill, but it’s a very gradual uphill. And at some point we come around a bend and suddenly we’re on the coast, with great views of the Pacific Ocean. Not a lot of pictures, because who wants to stop and take pictures when the cycling is so great. But this was a good day, followed by a great dinner at our beach-side inn (where the Northern Minnesotan in the group was the only one to go for a swim in the very spring-like weather). We’re still not at all sure that the experience is worth the expense, but today was a great day.

We've made it to the sunshine along the Pacific coast and we're pretty happy

We’ve made it to the sunshine along the Pacific coast and we’re pretty happy

Day 5 started in Tokushima (sister city: Saginaw, MI) with a tour of this beautiful cemetery and shrine. They explained why it was important so it must be.

Day 5 started in Tokushima (sister city: Saginaw, MI) with a tour of this beautiful cemetery and shrine. They explained why it was important so it must be.

Walking through that shrine/temple/cemetery outside Tokushima

Walking through that shrine/temple/cemetery outside Tokushima

More of the shrine

More of the shrine

And more

And more

And here we are, with lots of layers on because of the cold and rain. Soon, though, the weather would turn beautiful.

And here we are, with lots of layers on because of the cold and rain. Soon, though, the weather would turn beautiful.

Temples and cemeteries are often beautiful

Temples and cemeteries are often beautiful

View from lunch one day in a place where they like red bridges

View from lunch one day in a place where they like red bridges

Our new friend Ethyl, a semi-retired Broadway orchestra conductor. She's mostly retired but if you go see the Rockettes' Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall, you'll still see her performing.

Our new friend Ethyl, a semi-retired Broadway orchestra conductor. She’s mostly retired but if you go see the Rockettes’ Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall, you’ll still see her performing.

And the very, very common site as we travel through Japan. A bunch of bikes lined up as we stop for a break to eat lots and lots of snacks. Gotta keep filling up our engines for all that biking!

And the very, very common site as we travel through Japan. A bunch of bikes lined up as we stop for a break to eat lots and lots of snacks. Gotta keep filling up our engines for all that biking!

There was a St. George church in Nagoya. I'm not a big fan of worship, but I'm OK with it if it's St. George worship.

There was a St. George church in Nagoya. I’m not a big fan of worship, but I’m OK with it if it’s St. George worship.

We spent four days in Nagoya, the original home of Toyota and Japan’s third largest city. There are some interesting things to see and do in Nagoya, but to be honest the city is a surprisingly unattractive place, just a mess of big, uninteresting buildings. To a degree that’s not entirely surprising, as he city was largely wiped out during the bombing raids of 1945. But even things that the Japanese typically do so well, like beautiful parks, weren’t that nice.

Still, there were some interesting sights. High on the list was Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace, dating originally from the early 17th century and for 200 years one of the most important castles in Japan. The castle and palace were both destroyed in the bombing raids of 1945, but the castle was rebuilt in the 1950s and the palace has largely been rebuilt; it is expected to be completed next year.

Mark outside the Nagoya Castle

Mark outside the Nagoya Castle

There was also both an unexpected gem and a huge disappointment. The gem was a museum and craft center from Noritake, Japan’s leading ceramics company for the last 100 years. The description in Lonely Planet didn’t sound particularly interesting but on our last day we weren’t leaving until a mid-afternoon train, so in the morning we walked down there. Who knew Japanese porcelain could be so interesting?

For instance, I learned that “bone china” has that name because it has (or at least had) actual bones in it? Chinese porcelain has an ingredient that is not available in Europe – or wasn’t in the 18th century – but some smart Englishman figured out that cattle bones would substitute and thus bone china was created. The china made by Noritake in Nagoya was exported, primarily to the U.S., and the museum section had a nice collection of the various designs throughout the 20th century. It was fun looking at the different pieces and seeing how time-specific they were. The 1981 design practically screamed Nancy Reagan. The 1965 version was slightly psychedelic. The 1927 pieces had a ragtime feel to them. I’ve just never appreciated porcelain and china collections before walking through this small museum.

A wall of Noritake china from the entire 20th century. We loved looking at individual designs and seeing how well they corresponded to the art and culture of the time.

A wall of Noritake china from the entire 20th century. We loved looking at individual designs and seeing how well they corresponded to the art and culture of the time.

The big bust was the Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Wait, a Boston MFA here in Nagoya? We used to have a membership at the MFA! And yes, there’s a partnership between the two museums, so off we headed. The Nagoya version includes Japanese art but also has pieces from Boston’s permanent collection. How fun, we thought. Until we got there, paid our admission fee, and discovered that there was no Boston collection. The half of the museum dedicated to Boston was closed. As I learned afterward reading the fine print on the website, there are two exhibits a year from Boston, each lasting for five months. But for two months a year the exhibits are in transition and apparently we hit the wrong period.

Still, there was a Japanese section and you would think that it was a Nagoya/Boston collaboration that there would be some attempt to make the Japanese exhibit accessible to non-Japanese speakers. Right? Wrong. Not a word of the Japanese exhibit was in English. We learned at the very end that the exhibit was some wood-block art, and Mark even figured out that one section kind of showed you how the wood blocks created this art but by then I was so annoyed by something that advertises itself as a Boston Museum of Fine Arts collaboration that 1) had nothing from Boston and 2) had nothing in English that I just left.

Mark with big tall straight trees along the Magome-Tsumago hike

Mark with big tall straight trees along the Magome-Tsumago hike

The other big highlight was a beautiful five-mile Magome-Tsumago hike a bit outside of Nagoya. The day trip consisted of a bus to a town outside of Magome, a hike of maybe a mile to the start of the official hike, a gorgeous walk through tiny towns and waterfall and forests and farmland, and then another two miles to a train station to take us back to Nagoya. To our surprise and delight the two-mile addition at the end of the “official” hike was the prettiest part of the whole trail with more flowering trees and cute buildings than on the rest of the trail. So that was a delight. And since we got an early start on the day we were still back in Nagoya in time for a late lunch!

Finding the right food was a challenge in Nagoya; somehow we found it more difficult than in other cities we've been. But if you work at it, you can still find lunches like this.

Finding the right food was a challenge in Nagoya; somehow we found it more difficult than in other cities we’ve been. But if you work at it, you can still find lunches like this.

Now, as we complete our first two weeks in Japan (we’ve been here before, but the first two weeks on this adventure), some observations about Japan.

• They work really hard here. When I would leave the hotel at 6:00 AM to go for a run, there were lots and lots of suit-clad Japanese already hustling into and out of the train station for their to get to their jobs. And when we’d come back to the hotel at 10:15 PM, there were lots and lots of suit-clad Japanese finally heading home after work. Obviously they were not necessarily the same people, but still, people are starting early and working late here.

Random temple we stumbled across in Nagoya

Random temple we stumbled across in Nagoya

And yes, we're definitely reaching the end of cherry blossom season. Fortunately, though, it's not over yet.

And yes, we’re definitely reaching the end of cherry blossom season. Fortunately, though, it’s not over yet.

One of the many, many, many sake sets we'll need some day

One of the many, many, many sake sets we’ll need some day

• The whole surgical mask thing here is bizarre. Lots of Japanese – not a majority, but a lot of them – wear surgical masks. Enough that if you Google “Why do Japanese w” the first item that pops up is “Why do Japanese wear surgical masks”. There is a tiny and in truth insignificant legitimate justification: if you’re sick and don’t want to spread your germs (but still want to work) you wear it to protect others. In fact, there are not that many sick Japanese. They may believe the surgical masks protect them from the germs of others (they don’t really), but really it’s almost a fashion thing. They wear them because others wear them. The most amusing thing is to see people – and you see it a lot – wearing the surgical mask pulled down so they can smoke. Yeah, that’s the road to health!

• Speaking of smoking, we saw it in Nagoya, Tokyo, and other places in Japan. Smoking is banned on the sidewalks; big signs saying no smoking. In restaurants, though, you can find yourself right next to a whole bunch of smokers. My assumption is that the sidewalk bans aren’t about health or second-hand smoke or anything like that: it’s just that they don’t want cigarette butts. You can smoke all you want in a restaurant, but God forbid you would toss a cigarette butt on the street.

• And what’s with the challenges in finding deodorant here? Again, apparently it’s a thing; if you Google it, you’ll find we’re not the only ones who can’t figure out where to buy deodorant. I’m not sure what’s going on, but all the international brands that we find all over the world just don’t exist here. Maybe they bathe so much in the onsens and so on that they just don’t need to use it. Strange.

And finally, one last observation from our time in Japan. Some day we’re probably going to have a home again. Don’t know when, but some day. And when that day comes we’re going to need a lot of storage space for Japanese dishes and sake sets. They’re all so cool and beautiful and we’ll need a lot of them. Some day.

From here it’s a quick train ride to Kyoto where we’re joining a Grasshopper Adventure group for a two-week bike trip, mostly on Shikoku Island, the smallest of the four major Japanese islands. There will be a lot of one-night stops and we’ll have a lot less free time than usual so I don’t know how much I’ll be writing here. We will be taking pictures though, so there will be some history of what we’ve done.

My favorite part of Nagoya was the day we spent outside Nagoya, hiking through land like this

My favorite part of Nagoya was the day we spent outside Nagoya, hiking through land like this

From the hike, how quaint is this?

From the hike, how quaint is this?

An old cemetery along the hike

An old cemetery along the hike

This was perfect hiking weather

This was perfect hiking weather

One last view of our trail. Not exactly roughing it.

One last view of our trail. Not exactly roughing it.

Back to the Noritake museum, these dishes were fun. The designer? Frank Lloyd Wright. Yup, him.

Back to the Noritake museum, these dishes were fun. The designer? Frank Lloyd Wright. Yup, him.

And I loved this memorial to the time Babe Ruth came to Nagoya

And I loved this memorial to the time Babe Ruth came to Nagoya

Some of the art they are replicating in the Hommaru Palace

Some of the art they are replicating in the Hommaru Palace

Sashimi plates here could be fabulous

Sashimi plates here could be fabulous

I didn't know what this was when we ate it and I still don't, but it sure was beautiful

I didn’t know what this was when we ate it and I still don’t, but it sure was beautiful

And finally this shot along a small river running through downtown Nagoya. That's not dirt or pollution, it's fallen cherry blossoms. How sad, knowing that these weeks of cherry blossoms from Yunnan Province through Japan are coming to an end. But, as youth does, it's coming to an end.

And finally this shot along a small river running through downtown Nagoya. That’s not dirt or pollution, it’s fallen cherry blossoms. How sad, knowing that these weeks of cherry blossoms from Yunnan Province through Japan are coming to an end. But, as youth does, it’s coming to an end.

Here I am on the Daishoji River on a lovely little walking path

Here I am on the Daishoji River on a lovely little walking path

From the delightfully urban Kanazawa we were off to Yamanaka Onsen for an onsen experience. With its active volcanoes, Japan has thousands of natural hot springs or “onsens” scattered around the country and Japanese love sitting around soaking up the natural minerals. These onsens – some indoor, some outdoor, mostly sex-segregated but some mixed – have become a major part of tourism here as towns and inns and restaurants and all that have developed around the best of them. And as we’ve learned from previous trips to Japan, the tourist towns with great onsens often have it right in the name, thus Yamanaka Onsen.

Onsens have a lot of cultural rules you need to learn before using them. First and foremost, you must shower and clean up before getting in; it’s completely unacceptable to just hop in the same water that others are soaking in. Clothes are explicitly prohibited. Most onsens ban people with tattoos, oddly. But once you have that all figured out they can be wonderfully relaxing.

A view of the Daishoji River and some cherry blossoms from Cricket Bridge (don't know where that name came from...)

A view of the Daishoji River and some cherry blossoms from Cricket Bridge (don’t know where that name came from…)

Along with onsen towns you’ll often find ryokans as well. Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns typically featuring tatami mats on the floor, communal onsens, and breakfast and dinner served on small tables in your room. After dinner the staff remove the dishes, move the table aside, and roll out the futons to sleep in. In the morning, then, they roll the futons back up, store them away, and bring the table back for breakfast. It’s a fun was to live for a couple days, but one of the implications of all that is that during the day there’s no bed in your room to relax or nap on. They have a couple modest chairs, but that’s all.

Our room - tatami mats give it a nice earthy smell. That's the table on which breakfast and dinner were both served, and we'd have to squeeze our legs under it for the duration of the meal. Not easy at this point in life, though apparently the Japanese have no trouble at all.

Our room – tatami mats give it a nice earthy smell. That’s the table on which breakfast and dinner were both served, and we’d have to squeeze our legs under it for the duration of the meal. Not easy at this point in life, though apparently the Japanese have no trouble at all.

The meals are a big thing in a ryokan. The style is called “kaiseki,” roughly equivalent to the Western notion of haute cuisine. Dinner will consist of multiple courses – in our case, nine courses for dinner – and each course can have three or even four different dishes. You sit at the table – a table that’s about 12 or 14 inches off the ground, meaning you’re sitting on the floor the whole time; I discovered that that’s getting harder and harder to do as I age – and the woman comes in wearing her beautiful kimono, kneels down, serves the course, and leaves. You eat, she comes back, kneels to clean the dishes, serves the next course, and leaves. You eat, she comes back in, kneels, etc., etc. It’s quite the production.

These are just seven courses from our nine-course dinner on night one. Quite the impressive spread!

These are just seven courses from our nine-course dinner on night one. Quite the impressive spread!

The two mysteries for me are how she can keep kneeling down and getting back up over and over and over again (and yes, it’s always a she), presumably for other guests in their own rooms as well. I’d be utterly exhausted by it. The other mystery is how big the storage area in the ryokan must be to keep all the dishes they use. Like I said, nine courses, multiple dishes for each course, and we never saw the same dishes twice in the two days we stayed there. That’s a lot of dishes.

For our onsen experience we chose Yamanaka Onsen, a beautiful little town on the Daishoji River in western Japan. The river ran right next to our ryokan and at night, with the window open just a little to let the cold night air in, the sound of the river was like a sleeping pill. The town has developed a wonderful little parkway along the banks of the river with a path that runs maybe a three-quarters of a mile or so. Cherry trees, picturesque bridges, colorful flowers, pretty much the image of Japan in the spring you’ve always dreamt of. Our ryokan had its own lovely and private outdoor onsen on the top floor of the hotel so that’s where we would soak after our walks around the town.

Wait - did I mention cherry blossoms? Here in the mountains spring is just arriving and the cherry trees were practically exploding.

Wait – did I mention cherry blossoms? Here in the mountains spring is just arriving and the cherry trees were practically exploding.

To be sure, there’s not a lot to do in these onsen towns beyond little walks, eating, and soaking. On the other hand there’s a lot to be said for days of little walks, eating, and soaking, particularly when it’s all done in a beautiful town up in the Japanese Alps. Unfortunately, the ryokan/onsen experience is also really expensive, so we limited this to a two-day splurge. Amazing food, beautiful environment, lots of cherry blossoms, but then it was time to move on. We have one more stop on our own in Japan, in Nagoya, and then we join a Grasshopper Adventures bicycle tour for 13 days on Shikoku Island.

Mark is on the Ayatori-hashi Bridge here, an S-shaped bridge over the Daishoji River that appears to have no purpose except beauty. It doesn't connect anything important on either side and there is a smaller, decidedly low-tech bridge below it. So yes, it's all about beauty.

Mark is on the Ayatori-hashi Bridge here, an S-shaped bridge over the Daishoji River that appears to have no purpose except beauty. It doesn’t connect anything important on either side and there is a smaller, decidedly low-tech bridge below it. So yes, it’s all about beauty.

A walk outside of town took us through this cherry tree grove

A walk outside of town took us through this cherry tree grove

Mark down on the Daishoji River walk. The hotel provided us with the pink umbrellas, a nice touch as the rain came and went.

Mark down on the Daishoji River walk. The hotel provided us with the pink umbrellas, a nice touch as the rain came and went.

We each had one of these little sashimi sets for lunch one day, an amazing deal at just $9. We often struggle with language barriers at small restaurants in Japan but if you can find sashimi on the menu you're set.

We each had one of these little sashimi sets for lunch one day, an amazing deal at just $9. We often struggle with language barriers at small restaurants in Japan but if you can find sashimi on the menu you’re set.

Another day, another $9 lunch plate. In this case the sole woman working there was essentially running to serve the half-dozen guests on her own - cooking, plating, serving, cleaning, all of it.

Another day, another $9 lunch plate. In this case the sole woman working there was essentially running to serve the half dozen guests on her own – cooking, plating, serving, cleaning, all of it.

A breakfast feast. You wouldn't want to live like this all the time - you couldn't afford it - but for a couple days it's a nice treat. And for the record, you wear the bathrobe (technically a yukata) for all your meals and to and from the onsen. So no, I wasn't just being too lazy to get dressed for breakfast. In fact, I was always amused in the evening when it was time to change into my yukata for dinner. "Time to get undressed for dinner" I'd say. So funny.

A breakfast feast. You wouldn’t want to live like this all the time – you couldn’t afford it – but for a couple days it’s a nice treat. And for the record, you wear the bathrobe (technically a yukata) for all your meals and to and from the onsen. So no, I wasn’t just being too lazy to get dressed for breakfast. In fact, I was always amused in the evening when it was time to change into my yukata for dinner. “Time to get undressed for dinner” I’d say. So funny.

Spring flowers

Spring flowers

And one more view of cherry blossoms

And one more view of cherry blossoms