Arashiyama/Monkey Mountain

There IS more to Kyoto than temples and shrines. Today, we went to a sweet small town outside of Kyoto called Arashiyama. 20 years ago, I came here to visit Monkey Mountain and I knew Elle and Liam would love to see the monkeys. It's been commercialized and developed now, before the monkeys were completely wild on the mountain, but it still made for a fun day out. We took two trains, walked through town and then had a 20 minute mountain hike to get to the monkeys. Just when I was beginning to question our adventure, a monkey popped out along the path. They were everywhere and completely adorable. Tourists are able to feed them by hand behind a wire fence, but otherwise you can interact with them freely in the wild. The only advice was "do not stare them in the eye". Elle and Liam were both a bit freaked out at first, but after the first monkeys greedily took peanuts from their hands they were greatly amused.

The children were out in full force Sunday in Arashiyama. It's the first time we have seen many children at all in Japan. Japan's birth rate is so low and the decline in births has been so dramatic over recent years that the Japanese have invented a word for it - "shoshika" meaning, childless society. The reasons for such decline are many, but include discrimination in the workplace towards women who bear children and various government policies. The population is expected to shrink by 20% by mid century unless the trend reverses. Recently, a former prime minister urged Japanese women to "stay home and breed". Predictably, woman weren't motivated by this command and in record numbers are choosing to not get married and breed, and instead to stay in the workforce. But yesterday, in Arashiyama, there were children.

Why Kyoto?

Kyoto served as the capital of Japan from the 700's until 1868 when it moved to Tokyo. As such, there are many important historical and religious sites to see here. Furthermore, during WWII when we pretty much obliterated much of Japan, we graciously left Kyoto untouched. It has an enormous amount of quality original temples, shrines, villas, etc. In fact, Elle and Justin were delighted to hear that there are over 2000 temples/shrines in Kyoto! Today, we visited just two.

We took the bus, remarkably easy, to Ginkakuji Temple. We then took a leisurely stroll down the Philosopher's Path to Nanzenji, about a mile away. I won't bore any of us with information about the temples, except to say they were both gorgeous buildings with amazing peaceful gardens. The Philosopher's Path is a great pedestrian only walk along a canal with quaint shops and cafes lining one side. All the trees and flowers were in bloom. Tourists and locals alike were out for afternoon strolls in the beautiful weather, finally!

Two sidenotes:

I remarked in Tokyo that the countries government sponsored recycling program was the most extensive I've ever seen. In our apartment, in all homes, there were 6 bins in which to separate your garbage. Each day of the week a different container is picked up. It's incredible. Makoto, our host, said "well it's a small country with a lot of people. We have to do this." It's true, Japan has nearly 130 million people, they have nearly half our population all squeezed into a country smaller than California. In Kyoto, I have noticed the same advanced recyling programs, even on the street there are separate receptacles for your trash.

And, the night before we left Tokyo, Justin was up late working and felt jolted by an earthquake. Makoto was unfazed when Justin told him, and why wouldn't he be? Japan has an enormous amount of seismic activity. An earthquake that is big enough to be felt happens on average every 3 days in Tokyo. It's enough to make LA feel downright stable.

Kyoto!

Seaweed anyone?

We have reached our last stop on this amazing adventure. We are already glad that we stuck it out and made it here, how beautiful Kyoto is! Though just a short distance from Tokyo by bullet train (2 hours), it was a surprisingly exhausting trip getting here. Everyone is just incredibly tired at this stage. But, we made it and Kyoto is lovely and it looks like the weather is turning for the better. We're all set for a fantastic last week.

The bullet train was very cool, incredibly fast (200 mph) yet so smooth that you don't feel it much at all. Hiroko, our host, met us at the station to bring us to our last home. It's a typical Japanese style home in the NE part of Kyoto. We had to park a short distance away and walk the final bit as it's tucked away down a small lane next to a creek bringing water down from the mountains. There is not a tourist in sight.

The house is called "Apple House" and the apple theme is carried throughout --not really sure I understand it, but Elle loves finding all the apples. It is tiny by Western standards, but so adorable and completely authentically Japanese. Our living room is just tatami mats with a low table, we sit on the floor. Our bedroom is one large area upstairs, with a divider to create 2 spaces if necessary. The beds are also just tatami mats, 4 of them on the floor with heavy duvets on top. The smell of the tatami is nice and the beds were surprisingly comfortable.

There is a small entry way with an area to remove your coat and shoes. This is one custom I wouldn't mind borrowing from Japan. You ALWAYS remove your shoes before entering any home and many restaurants. The Japanese could not imagine bringing the dirt from outside into their homes. The house does stay a lot cleaner this way and with a small baby on the floor, I much prefer it. There are always slippers at the front door to place on your feet to keep them warm.

Another custom that is different from ours is bathing. Japanese style baths are very short but deep. Elle can stand in ours and the water is up to her neck. The shower is outside the bathtub and it is customary to wash and rinse yourself before you get into the bath, then you are not bathing in dirty water. Typically, a whole family will use the same bath water each night. On this matter, I think I will stick to the Western way of separate bathing water.

We are a good distance from any restaurants, shopping or transportation, but it is a lovely walk along the creek, through the neighborhood. All the flowers are coming into bloom and it's cool to see the locals just going about their days. We stocked up on some groceries last night and had dinner at home. After easily putting both Liam and Elle to bed (both were dead tired), Justin and I watched Lost in Translation (in Japanese with English subtitles). I forgot what a great movie that is-- Sofia Coppola really got Japan right in that movie. We laughed again and again at the little nuances that she captured.

Tokyo was bringing us down a bit, but I think Kyoto will restore us and allow us to end our trip on a high note!

Can't think of a title

We have given up on trying to get home early, mostly because we can't for under 6k. And the kids seem on the mend, interesting though that they got sick in the cleanest, most hygenic country we've been too. Hmmmm... In Japan, people regularly wear masks to keep their germs to themselves and avoid contaminating other people. I guess they don't work so well. With both kids sneezing and spreading visible and invisible germs, I suggested that we get mini masks for them both and just continue on. (At the very least, it would be an amusing picture) The Japanese hugely frown upon public displays of illness. In fact, blowing your nose in public is one of the most taboo and disgusting things you could do.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day (finally!), hot and sunny and we had many things on our list still to see. Justin really wanted to go to the Tokyo Fish Market, the largest in the world, selling over 2000 tons of fish a day and home of the world famous tuna auction. The tuna market is now largely closed to the public due to crowding but the rest of the market is open. You have to get there before 8AM if you really want to see the action, and that just doesn't work for this family. So, we got there at noon. And saw nothing. We had read that the market is in action till 2, but all we saw were trucks driving off with their goods. However, we did find all the famed sushi stalls and mini- restaurants that line the area around the market. You can't get much fresher sushi. Justin had a feast and declared it some of the best ever, better be. Even my Kappa (cucumber) rolls were more delicious than ever. Probably the sticky rice was made with MSG.

In Shanghai I saw an advertisement on the Discovery Channel for Earth Day. It was stating that 90% of the fish in our oceans are gone and by 2048 they will all be gone if we don't do something to stop the overfishing. After seeing the asian markets and knowing that this represents just a small fraction of what is caught daily in the world and an even tinier fraction of what is caught and thrown back dead, I absolutely believe it and it terrifies me. I don't know what terrifies me more, that or the air pollution we have seen across Asia. Both are absolutely horrifying.

From the fish market, we hopped into a taxi (our first) and drove to Ginza. Ginza is the most upmarket, ritzy part of Tokyo, home to some of the most expensive commercial real estate in the world. We had a coffee, poked around, and hopped in another taxi and headed for Tokyo Tower. Justin says that in Tokyo all we have done is gone to an area, walked down a street to find a Starbucks, had a coffee and moved on. It's pretty true. Tokyo doesn't have a lot of good sightseeing. Tokyo Tower is one of the most popular attractions-- it's an orange replica of the Eiffel Tower, though not nearly as beautiful. When I lived in Tokyo, I saw the tower every day and night, but never once went to the base or ascended it. It's that kind of attraction. Anyway, we were looking to kill some time. Tokyo is a large, sprawling, but uninspiring city seen from above.

One of the things we have been astounded by in Japan, and also in China, is how many people they have working at attractions such as Tokyo Tower. Our tickets were checked and we were greeted by no fewer than 4 attractive, well dressed, and bowing women before we got onto the elevator. As we left the tower, we were thanked repeatedly and then received bows from 3 well dressed Japanese men standing together in a row. Imagine that job. I wonder what the unemployment rate is here in Japan. (4.9%, just checked)

Since our earlier cabs had been remarkably cheap and by now we were all exhausted, we hopped in one to take us home. One hour and $50 later we were home. This is the case for using the train systems in Tokyo. Yes, it's horrendously crowded and extremely confusing (there are two separate lines under the city) but it's by far cheaper and much faster.

Today it's raining and cold again, this is by far the worst weather we've had on our entire trip. It's been cold and rainy nearly every day we've been here and the forecast for Kyoto is the same. It's very hard to see a city and keep your spirits up in this dismal weather. It's our last full day though, so we headed out with a plan to have lunch and then see a show at the Kabuki Theater. The theater is historic and one of the few places remaining to see true Kabuki- a traditional sing/dance/acting performance, and it's set to be torn down next month! Unfortunately, I think the rain gave everyone else the same idea and after waiting in line for nearly an hour and all the way to the front of the line, they announced that the show was sold out! Even the best laid plans...

Time to pack up and head to Kyoto on the Shinkansen.

Ueno Park/Asakusa

We are in Tokyo just in time to see the last of the cherry blossoms. We went to Ueno Park a few days ago to see them, but unfortunately Ueno's cherry blossoms are a bit ahead of the rest of the city and most blossoms were on the ground. Still, we saw a few trees in full boom and they are gorgeous. Ueno Park is not quite up to the standards of the great public parks in the US, but it gave us a little respite from the crowds and Elle was happy to find a small amusement park!

We then made our way to Asakasa to see one of the few areas of old Tokyo that survived WWII relatively intact. It was packed with other sightseers though and not that enjoyable. It's an area crammed with religious shrines, historic buildings and lanes, tacky tourist stalls, real Geisha girls, gambling/betting facilities, bars, Japanese schoolgirls, and many strip clubs. How very Japanese.

I think I'm turning Japanese

Turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so. This kept replaying over and over and over in my head yesterday as we tried to make our way through the one million Japanese that filled Shinjuku station at 5pm. I actually still can't get it out of my head. The station was so packed with people that I felt the beginnings of an anxiety attack or fainting spell coming on.

For Justin, it's more wanting to complete the oft recited "Domo Arigato" with Mr. Robato. And now Elle, too.

After spending nearly 2 complete days indoors and clearly beginning to lose our minds, we finally got out yesterday afternoon.

First, we made a test outing, just down the street to Lee's. It turns out that our favorite (by default) restaurant in Japan is actually Chinese. I don't know why it wasn't obvious to me, I guess everything Asian is starting to blend together a bit. While eating today, I suddenly realized why everything there tasted so good, it was cooked heavily with MSG. I got really grossed out and in turn turned Justin off as well. It's our last time going to Lee's. Unfortunately, I think that much of the food cooked here in Asia is still heavily laced with MSG. Hours later the aftertaste is still with us.

However, our outing was a success, so later we headed to Roppongi, to check out my old neighborhood. I had read much about the changes to Roppongi and knew that many large indoor commercial spaces had been built along with lots of upscale housing. Since it was raining outside, it seemed like a good choice. I was happy to see that my old street has not changed, and it brought back a lot of memories... the walk towards Tokyo Tower, my old grocery store, the nightclubs... The newer developments were modern and beautiful with lots of gorgeous shopping and great restaurants and my biggest, happiest find in any Asian cities - an import grocery store! You can't find pasta, oatmeal, or good bread in typical grocery stores, amongst other things we deem necessary to life! So, we loaded up on goodies and headed home.

One thing I still can't find though is import baby food. I find the types on offer here amusing and sometimes disgusting. Liver, rice and pickled turnips anyone? Or strained rice, seaweed and shrimp? Luckily, Liam prefers real food to baby food anyway, but a few jars would be useful.

And it turns out that Tokyo-ites are just regular people too, the display we saw on Saturday in Shinjuku and Harajuku seems to be limited to those areas and to be reserved for a weekend show. During the week, and in most other areas, they are quite normal.

Meltdown

I suppose it was inevitable, full scale meltdown has ensued. Liam is sick with a fever and bad cough, leaving him rightfully grumpy. Justin's computer suffered a complete crash last night, leaving him also rightfully grumpy. We are limping along on this last leg of our trip. We have lost one computer, one iPhone, all our movies, and our DVD player along the way. Entertaining us all inside is difficult and our TV only offers up Japanese programming, which we do watch if desperate for distraction. If we didn't have someone living in our home we might return early, but we will press on, Kyoto awaits. We are spending today (the warmest and prettiest day so far, of course) inside all trying to recover physically and mentally for this last push through Japan.