Stuffing Our Faces in Dotonbori Market!

Oooh animated gif! Trying out new things!

So…it’s been over two weeks since I left Japan. The post vacation depression is now in full swing. I have, what I can only describe, is low level depression mixed mixed with existential dread and social anxiety. Ok, I might exaggerate a bit. I just miss seeing and experiencing cool shit, in a country that doesn’t want to cudgel me with stupidity and ignorance on a daily basis.

After the Osaka Aquarium we rushed back to the city via taxi. Once again, we didn’t want to deal with buses and subways today. We’ll spend the extra and get there fast and easy. We had a bit of time before the street food tour, so we did what any rational person would do, we drank beer until it was time to eat. I also took the time to work on the blog. OMG, I’m so far behind, that appears to be one of the Hakone posts! Slacker!

At around 6pm we went downstairs to the lobby where our guide, Ayako was waiting to take us on a culinary adventure through the street market of Dotonbori. Granted, Barbara and I had already familiarized ourselves with the area the night before, we just didn’t know what we were doing or where we were going. We just wanted to get out and experience it.

First stop, finally, is this crab joint! Not sure it was intentionally our first stop, but I forced the issue. We had seen this same sign in a Kyoto food market and had to know more. Unfortunately, that knowledge has already faded, but this is the original restaurant. It started here in Osaka. The sign is fully articulated and is a site to behold. Thanks to Google Maps, I can find a nice exterior shot and the name of the place!

Kani Doraku Dotonbori Main Branch

We stopped here, because I had to have the crab ice cream. I’m sad we didn’t eat here, though. Crab, unfortunately, triggers a nasty flare up of gout, and I don’t wish that on anyone. Particularly, myself. I’ve RUINED IT FOR EVERYONE!

Ayako hashing out the deal to get me an ice cream…

According to Google Translate, this is “Dobori specialty CRAB ice cream with crab meat CRAB original!” I would’ve eaten it right there in the street but it was rock hard frozen. The little wooden sliver of a spoon, there, wouldn’t even scratch the surface. So we moved on to our next item. Gyoza, Japanese dumplings and a bit of fried chicken!

Yes, those are gigantic Gyoza on the sign. For some reason, we didn’t get ANY shots of the food. We just stuffed our faces. Cool thing about these tours is that we didn’t have to pay for the food while actually on the tour. The guides have a budget and tailor the experience around that budget. Getting us a taste of everything! The Gyoza a Japanese riff on Chinese post stickers. I have to say, I like em better.

Next up is Barbara’s favorite. Takoyaki! Scalding balls of lava hot octopus! Absolutely delicious for the those with asbestos lined mouths. Good lord! Or guide Ayako shame us both, stuffing a full takoyaki into her mouth with no problem. Like she was eating a Cheeto. Insanity!

This place had a little something special up its sleeve. Not the usual takoyaki. This place stands out from the crowd by layering on crumbled bits of tempura on top. Adds a nice bit of crunch to the whole thing. I liked it quite a bit and it’s a good evolution of this particular street food. You can see the lady pouring the tempura on top of the cooking squid balls.

It’s just a glorious thing to behold. The smells all around are intoxicating. I love this market!

Next up is….more takoyaki! Only, this time, the more traditional variety. Usually topped with takoyaki sauce (Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise), aonori, and bonito flakes. Also served hotter than the surface of the sun.

This joint had quite the production line going. Also, one of the few places we saw that had an American working in the restaurant. They were outstanding takoyaki and it’s hard to choose the best of the bunch. Barbara wants no part in it. She swears, even today, the flesh has not grown back on the roof of her mouth. Pain is just another form or pleasure…to some people. Apparently I’m one of those masochists. DELICIOUS!

Here we have something that Barbara and I had seen on the streets and at the 7/11s, but had no idea what we were looking at. Well, it’s melon bread, and holy cow, you have been missing out. They’re tender and ready on the inside, crispy on the outside, and overall imbued with a melon sweetness. Combine that with a slab of strawberry, matcha, or chocolate ice cream, and you’re in for a treat. I should have bought one of those bears. So kawaii!

Now on to the final treat. What we’ve been waiting for. The thing everyone must partake when coming to Japan to make you realize that your country is doing everything wrong. The society that brought you into this world is on the verge of collapse with no hope for salvation. For when you allow yourself to taste the culinary perfection of Kobe beef, you will come to the conclusion that western civilization is built upon a foundation of barbarism and self loathing. Yes. Kobe beef is that good. Even cooked on the street and served on a paper plate.

Ignore the crass commercialism of throwing a Spider-man on their sign. I’ll overlook it. Don’t look at it. Don’t!

Look at this guy. He’s pleased to be serving us a delicious helping of happiness in a fatty, marbled, meaty form. It wasn’t cheap…and probably cost more than the last two meals Barbara and I ate together, but what the hell. YOLO!

Needless to say, this wasn’t our last stop for the night. We ended up in yet another colorful establishment. The final stop. The real meal. A place with such a vibe, I just didn’t want to leave. I mean, look at this!

Once again, Google Maps saves my ass. The place is called Kushinobo Osaka Hozenji. A Kushiage and kushikatsu restaurant, meaning breadcrumbed and skewered meat, fish, and vegetables. It’s right up my alley with the Tengu and Noh masks everywhere. It just fills me with joy.

The atmosphere was fun and the food just kept coming. Add on beer and sake, and I was in my happy place.

I’m telling you, the designers of this restaurant had me in mind when they came up with the decorations. 

And, like everywhere you go in Japan, you come across a random shrine.

Can’t leave a blog post without posting more pictures of architectural chaos! My new favorite thing to shoot!

And with that, we’re sadly saying goodbye to Osaka. Quickly becoming one of my favorite cities on this entire trip. I must come back. These two days were not enough! I will eat may way through this city on my next visit. There’s no stopping me!

Here in Reno, reality has set in. Blog post complete, I’ll finish up my coffee and donut and think about what to do for the rest of the day. Laundry? Maybe wash my bike? Find a stool at Chapel and wait for AAA?

So long, Osaka!

Oh The Little Fishies, In Osaka!

Day 13 of the whirlwind tour of Japan starts with our second day in Osaka. It’s another mostly free day, We’ve got a short street food tour of Dontonbori Market scheduled for 6pm, so Barbara took the initiative and got us tickets to the Osaka Aquarium. It’s the largest in the world! They have a whale shark in the main tank!

Clearly, that is not a whale shark. But it is a shark hanging over the lobby when you first enter the building. Funny thing happened on the way to the aquarium. We decided to save ourselves some time and call a cab. Usually, I’d be the one to do it, since I don’t have an unhinged hatred of Uber. Barbara is more a Lyft supporter, unfortunately, their service is not available here. She quickly install the app, calls an Uber, tracks the guy to the location we’re supposed to meet him at, then sees that the Uber has picked someone up and they’re now leaving the area. It wasn’t us. Someone bogarted our damned cab. Uber here is actually Uber Taxi. So, you hit them up on the app and it’s just a normal cab that shows up. Same routine as in the states. They arrive and ask your name and then they let you in. It would seem that that aspect of failed us on Barbara’s initial use of Uber. Damnit. Luckily, it was easy to cancel and she was not charged. Still, a stressful thing to have happen in a foreign country and when you’re on a time schedule. So, I ordered us a new Uber and we met at the same location as where we were supposed to meet the other.

Was pretty busy this day, and the streets were not designed for picking people up in cabs. Everything is some compressed here. Luckily there are areas for meeting up with your cab. An interesting thing about cabs here. You’re not supposed to open the door on your own. They cars have doors that open on their own. You walk up and the door just pops open. If you have luggage, you hand it to the driver and they place it in the trunk. Some cabs even have the door handles inside covered up. Once again, thanks Google Translate!

Seemed like a pretty long ride to the Aquarium. Barbara had suggested the Uber because we would’ve had to ride the subway and then catch a bus to get where we needed to go. We’re still a bit too new to this whole thing to feel comfortable getting there in a timely fashion. Fine with me. Less unnecessary stress is a good thing. Besides, we’re still feeling a bit rode hard and put away wet. We’ve been through the wringer over the last week and a half.

Thought the fancy Lumix S5 woulda been good for getting some good fish shots, but my lens really isn’t fast enough for it. I probably could have increased the ISO, but I didn’t think of that at the time. The iPhone works fantastic in low light situations, especially when shooting video. 1080p, 60fps HDR video! Looks incredible.

There were some otters in here, but they were sleeping and hiding in a tree stump. I got some video of them a bit later when we moved downstairs.

The lunch menu, thankfully, was not sushi. I had my doubts when we first approached the cafe. Turns out its hotdogs! I suddenly had a hankering for a hotdog. I ordered the Long-shaped “spotted garden eel” fried noodles hotdog.

The “spotted garden eel” hotdog is a damned lie. There was no hot dog anywhere near that thing. Just a bun full of soba noodles. Sadness ensued. Luckily, Barbara couldn’t finish her legit hotdog and gave me the leftovers. Slapped that sucker on top an finished it off. We also had beer. In Japan, you can get beer anywhere! It’s glorious.

I was curious about the seaweed salt soda but not enough to actually go for it. The Japanese do interesting things with see water. One of the ryokans had an oyster in saltwater jelly. Lots of odd things in jelly form. They really double down on that texture here.

I was going to continue on with the food tour that happened at 6pm this day, but I’m currently in a coffee shop listening to an insipid conversation about “chick rock” between the barista girl and some rambling millennial dude. Even the Air Pod Pros can’t cancel out this nonsense. I need to finish recounting my globe trotting adventures, but at what cost to my sanity? No one should sit through this deep, cringey flirt session that’s happening right now.

Osaka, For A Change Of Pace

We leave Miyajima, so far, one of the most beautiful places we’ve visited on this trip. I’d say it was away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo or Kyoto, but as we headed over to the ferry station, we see the coming onslaught of tourists from Hiroshima. Hundreds of people first thing in the morning. I feel bad for them, though, it’s been raining all morning.

I’m not sure if my blogging is getting lazier or what, but the number of videos have increased as I’ve gone along. Have I run out of snark and sarcasm to fill these accounts? Am I losing my touch? Perhaps I’ve just been fooling myself this whole time. Oh god…I’m boring!

One thing I wasn’t prepared for when coming to Japan was all the damned snacks! The endless variety of chips and bagged crunchy stuff. Not to mention the full compliment of 7-11 cuisine. Today was not different for us. We stocked up on provisions.

Another thing that has helped me piss away the time on these long train rides is MidJourney! Talk about a time suck. As long as you have a halfway decent internet connection, you can amuse yourself for hours! Each blog post for this trip has a header image created in MidJourney or Adobe Firefly. Before each post, I’ll spend an hour or more messing around with ridiculous scenarios. On this occasion, I was in a group chat with my friend Vern and he was explaining the Blend option in MidJourney. You can combine 2 images using generative AI.

It’s me, but it’s not me. It’s freaky and it needs more exploration, but for now, back to the events of the day.

Osaka is like all your expectations of what a big crowded Japanese city should be. Huge, in your face signs, crowds of people on narrow streets, food and shopping in every available space, masses of power cables just overhead, and an organized chaos. I absolutely love it. It’s even raining! I can’t get enough of those rainy night shots, but that’s later. We’re headed to our hotel and this is the way…

At first glance, this Cross Hotel seems a bit tacky. Red tinted windows, a weird round reception desk, and kinda trying too hard to be cool. Like this goofy table.

Luckily that’s just the superficial details. The beds were outstanding, the Wi-Fi was blazing fast, and the restaurant was damn good. All these hotels we’ve stayed in have had fantastic breakfast arrangements, the Cross Hotel might be the most western styled we’ve come across. The lack of a bar at night was disappointing, but at least they had vending machines with beer!

Anyway, we get to the hotel and immediately decide we need to find some beer and check out the area. We have nothing lined up for the day, so why not check shit out. If anything, we’ll get some great city shots. Unfortunately, it’s been drizzling all day, so the big fancy cameras stay in the room.

We’re finding out that Osaka is bit more gritty than Tokyo and Kyoto. It’s louder and dirtier and more intense. Like the side streets and alleyways are even more tight and packed full of wonders. There’s graffiti and cigarette butts on the street. Bikes everywhere.

We found a cool joint for a beer, and I really wanted a burger, but the guy was closing shop and getting ready for a big party at 6pm. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try the impressive looking burger.

I mean, goddamn that looks good. The shop owner spoke perfect English, as he had lived in the States for a while. One of the things he said he missed about America was the BBQ. You can’t get the same cuts of meat in Japan, unless you go to Costco, but it costs a small fortune.

The restaurants here are so narrow, but there is a small dining area in the back. There was a lot of love for American culture in this joint.

Even though Osaka is a bit rough around the edges, no one locks their bikes up. I mean, no one’s riding around on fancy expensive road bikes or anything like that.

I might have a thing for power lines and cables.

So many bikes! More than any other city we’ve been to. In Tokyo, it seemed like the cyclists rode in the streets, in the very narrow bike lanes. But here, it’s all on sidewalks. Skillfully weaving in-between the crowds of people. Impressive, really.

All this traveling and walking around today has left us starving. Barbara finds a joint for us to stock up on junk food. It’s called Don Quijote. A multi-story general store, but the snack floor was something to behold.

I’ve been obsessed with Japanese Kit Kats for years, so it was nice to finally stock up!

After a couple hours back at a the hotel to chill out (naps were had), it’s time to find our Shabu Shabu dinner. We’ve been wanting this since day one. We hit the streets once again, we’re on a mission.

We scoped out a Shabu Shaba joint, but then found the reviews were actually quite terrible. We dug up another place, but it looked like it had been shut down for quite a while. We took to the Googles again and found this absolutely dynamite joint.

Unfortunately, Barbara and I were slackers and did’t take proper photos of the main course. We were drooling over the plate full of razor thin slices of Kobe beef that was dropped off in front of us. Shabu Shabu is a hot pot dish. You throw the veggies  and meat into the pot of boiling water and go from there. Doesn’t take long. There’s ponzu and some other sauce for dipping. It’s messy affair and I had no idea what I was doing. 

As it turns out, we were lucky to get in. Our restaurant, Shabuchin, usually requires reservations. We had just walked in off the street and they seated us right away! By the time we left, there was a pretty impressive line outside.

Well, that was a full day, damn! Kinda went overboard with the photos and videos. I’m sure you don’t mind. 

I’ve been back in Reno for almost a week and I’m ready to go back. Time to start planning the next trip. Still, got another couple days of the trip to recount, so stay tuned. 

We Climb A Mountain In Miyajima!

Our 2nd day in Miyajima starts with a fancy breakfast.

Rice, miso soups, tofu, and various other gelatinous mysteries. Overall, pretty good, if mysterious.

We’re heading to the ropeway, at the top, there’s a trail that heads to the peak. Even though Barbara and I have ruined our feet and knees from walking the entirety of Japan, we’re determined to do this thing. It’s a test of our endurance. YOU WILL SEE EVERYTHING THERE IS TO SEE! No way we’re sitting around and taking time to recover. We’re no wimps.

The trail route to the ropeway is all forest and shrine filled eye candy, mixed with a cafe and a random residence in the woods.

Some of the ropeway video.

Some awesome views of the Hiroshima Bay. We took some pictures and got us some beverages from the vending machine at the ropeway station before we committed ourselves to the hike. Vending machines are everywhere in Japan, even on top of mountains.

Nothing to worry about. Although, we saw some of those bees buzzing around and they were HUGE! We both tried to get good video of them but they were hard to track.

One thing I didn’t expect to see on the hike was a submarine. Not sure I’ve ever actually seen one in the ocean, before.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting was a Buddhist temple on the way to the top. Seems like a remote location, but then I’m not a great judge of these things. I’m fat an old and would assume that this would be too much of a commitment for anyone to have to hoof it up this mountain every day. Maybe the monks live up here. I don’t know.

I thought this was the peak, but I was mistaken. Onward!

Barbara took this trippy shot from the top of the observation deck. Turned out great. It’s confusing and it’s hard to tell what the hell is going on or where it was taken from. Very cool.

We’re pretty much toast at this point. It was incredibly humid this day and it always looked like it was about to rain. Luckily, it never did. Not that it would feel bad, on the contrary, it’s very refreshing. The stone path on the way down would be the world’s most treacherous slip n slide. You wouldn’t want to see me sliding to my doom, now would you?

It was a relatively uneventful return to town. We were hungry and thought we’d grab a bite to eat. There were all kinds of food stalls in the main part of town, but it all looked a bit too unsettling. Odd things on sticks. We’ve been eating a lot of stuff we’re not used to, so we found something a bit low key. Some egg and rice bowls. We just needed something to tide us over until our fancy dinner at the ryokan.

Some decent grub and emotional support beers, we were in better shape to go back to the hotel and collapse. But first, time to mug for the camera!

Otorii Gate on the Seto Sea. Quite a sight and an imposing structure. These photos don’t do justice to the bright orange color of the gate. Glad I was able to get out there. Wasn’t sure we’d get out there before we left. Any later and it would be too dark. We’re leaving in the morning for Osaka.

You can really get up next to that thing at low tide! It’s rather overwhelming.

Oh, yeah, here’s me with a dear that couldn’t be bothered. He looked a bit mangy.

On that note, so long. See you in Osaka!

Sobering Hiroshima and the Natural Beauty of Miyajima

Another early day of forwarding our luggage to Osaka, packing our backpacks for a couple nights stay in Miyajima, and getting aboard the Shinkansen. Kyoto to Hiroshima. Obligatory bullet train footage follows.

Written on the plaque:

World Heritage Site
Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

As a historical witness that conveys the tragedy of suffering the first atomic bomb in human history and as a symbol that vows to faithfully seek the abolition of nuclear weapons and everlasting world peace, Genbaku Dome was added to the World Heritage List in accordance with the “Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention)

December 7, 1996, Hiroshima City

Before we head over to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum for a dose of sobering reality, we need to get a bite to eat. Not to be missed, situated by the river, is this weird little Italian styled cafe.

I have mixed feelings about eating here. I came to Japan to experience the Japanese food. I really didn’t want to get a pizza. Barbara, I think needed a break from some of the weird food we’ve had over the last few days. It was either McDonalds french fries or this. I had a mushroom and bacon pizza that surprised me. It didn’t have any damned sauce on it. It was good, but could’ve been so much better. Whatever, it’ll tide me over until later.

While waiting for the food to arrive, there was suddenly loud music being played throughout the city. I’m wondering if this is similar to the music that plays at 7am and 5pm in some of the other cities we’ve been visiting. Music in the morning indicating school is starting and music at night to tell the children to go home. One of our tour guides said it was more or less meant as a test of the emergency alert system. A daily check to make sure it works. Whatever this is, it’s pretty somber stuff.

The cafe was right next to the bridge that this photo was taken from. It is yet another historical site.

Now we’re heading over to the museum portion of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. Here’s a view looking at the eternal flame and the A-Bomb Dome.

An hour later…

I don’t know how many reading this blog have ever been to this museum, but my god, it is a sobering experience. The first thing you see going into the exhibit is a huge panoramic shot of Hiroshima City right after the atomic bomb was dropped. It is a vast landscape of destruction that wraps around the room in gritty black and white. The subsequent photos and testimonials don’t get any better.

I was in a room that has a bit model of the city, with roads and the surrounding hills. There is a projection of what the city looked like before the bomb overlaid onto the model. There’s an animation of the bomb falling and the explosion. When the smoke clears you see the devastated city. It then transitions to a photo modern Hiroshima. As this is happening, the room is filling up with middle school kids. Like hundreds of them. I’m completely surrounded by these kids. I suddenly got choked up and emotional. It’s actually affecting me now as I recall the moment. I had to get out of there. I made my way the next room. Or course this is where all the photos of the victims are on display. Men, women, and a bunch of children. Fragments of children’s clothes and toys in display cases. Brutal and didn’t exactly help my state of being.

We didn’t take any photos in the museum. There weren’t any signs saying not to, but it seemed rather callous to do so. The whole time we were there we had to make our way around all these school kids. They seemed completely unfazed by all of it.

Needless to say, after that, Barbara and I needed some booze. Barbara immediately found a cool rooftop bar that we could get a view of the city and throw down some cocktails to quash our collective guilt. Not that we personally dropped the bomb, but our country did, and with half the country sucking Putin’s knob, and embracing authoritarianism, we may do it again in the near future. For fucks sake.

So, here are some views from The Knot Hiroshima. Not just. bar, but a hotel as well. The front desk also served as the bar. I’ve never seen that before, but whatever.

A view of the museum from the rooftop of the Knot.

Hiroshima long arm, Kompai! Sure do like those gin fizzes. Sufficiently lubricated and our moods enhanced, it was time for use to move on. We need to get to Miyajima and check into our ryokan. We’ll be there for a couple nights before we make our way to Osaka.

We hopped on the tram back to the Hiroshima station and then a short Japan Rail ride to Miyajima-Guchi station. It’s only a 5 minute walk to the ferry.

The floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine. I’ll have more pictures of it in the next update of the blog.

Toyokuni Shrine Five-Story Pagoda!

10 minute walk (7 if run a little!) To Ropeway Station.

Finally at the Iwaso ryokan. Time to check in and get some food. We were lucky we didn’t miss our fancy multi-course traditional dinner!

Don’t mind if I do. I’ve never had Yebisu beer before coming to Japan and I like it. I may have to see if Total Wino has some available in Reno.

No idea what this is, but it was tasty.

Oysters in seawater jelly. We’ve had quite of bit of jellied stuff since being in Japan. They seem to really like that texture.

If you’ve ever asked yourself “just what part of the chicken is the grunt?” Well, it’s not chicken. It’s a fish called Isaki.

A lot of the desserts included with ryokan dinners consisted of fruits. This one had grapefuit, I want to say that’s a plumb, ice cream with a sake syrup, and some kind of yogurt with red bean. Delicious.

Ok, time for bed. I’m back in Reno and took an extra day off to recover from jet lag. Hasn’t been too bad, so far. Spent the day doing laundry and working on these posts. Been a relaxing day. The rain in Reno is already getting old. Bring on summer, please.

Impressive clouds today. See you on the next post where we hike up a mountain!

Kyoto Has A Few Shrines, Right?

After a long day of getting wet running around the streets of Kyoto doing touristy stuff, we’re hungry. We have no plans, so we stopped by this okonomiyaki joint near our hotel. I did not get a shot of the joint from the outside. Maybe a geo tagged photo will help me…

Thanks Google and Apple Maps! It’s an izakaya restaurant called Ikkakuju – Shijo Shimmachi. Friendly service and delicious food. So good, I ate here twice. Once with Barbara, and once by myself because I didn’t want more 7-11 food again. I came to Japan for the sights, the culture, and the food, damnit.

Gyoza was out of this world. Crispy and full of porky goodness. No idea why there’s a potsticker mixed in. Not cool!

Okonomiyaki was filled with fish, plankton, sea greens, and protein from the sea…or something. Had shochu again, and every time I’ve ordered it, the waiters look all confused or concerned when I do so. Is this not something people order? I mean, I have no idea what shochu is, but it’s pretty boozy and works for me!

Okonomiyaki is a teppanyaki dish, meaning it’s cooked on a flat griddle, that is made up of a wheat flour pancake, stuffed with an number of ingredient, like seafood, topped with a kind of Worcestershire sauce, dried bonito flakes, pickled ginger, and Japanese mayo. So rich and delicious, it may have been one of mg favorites of the trip, so far.

Wet streets in Japanese cities are always a treat. Instant cyberpunk street noir delivered by nature. I could spend hours taking this kind of shots and never be bored.

The city is also pretty gnarly during the day, too. I may be weird, but I get a kick out of these narrow streets and complicated power lines over head, the alleyways that lead to mysterious culinary enlightenment or just a place people park their bikes.

You’re in Japan and you’re in desperate need of an Irish pub? Kyoto’s got you covered!

And seriously, what is going on here? How does this kind of building chaos happen. I’m sure it’s decades in the making. I absolutely love it.

Next thing you know, there’s something beautiful a block away.

Wasn’t I talking about shrines? Kyoto has shrines. So many shrines. They put them everywhere. You’ll know a shrine when you see one, it will have one of these gates. This one is smack dab in the middle of a crowded shopping district.

Finally, we’re getting over to the Fushimi Inari shrine. It’s pretty famous for its crazy amount of torii gates. It was getting dark when we went and it was difficult to capture the colorful spectacle. I’m not complaining because it took on more moody vibes at night. It got more and more quiet as you walked up the mountain. You could hear animals scurrying around in the forest.

OMG! A cat! How perfect.

The WiFi on this Delta flight was excellent. I mean, it cost me $40 but I’ve been able to not lose my mind on this 9 hour flight, and I’m able to catch up with the blog posts. This one’s a long one, too. I’m about to test the in flight WiFi again with a video upload to YouTube.

Hey, what do you know, it actually worked. Delta has solid internet access in flight.

And on that note, I’m outta here. This flight has another 2 hours to go. I’ve used up my time nicely on this blog. A solid distraction that made the time fly. You’d think typing and dropping photos and video for the blog would be a piece of cake. Well, it isn’t. WordPress does not do video, unless you pay them, so I have to upload to YouTube and then paste links. Half the photos are on the iPhone and the others on the Lumix S5, so extended Lightroom session need to happen. Not a big deal, in and of itself, but we’ve. been taking a metric fuck ton of photos on this trip. Then there’s the whole enjoying my vacation during the day and writing at night. Poor me, I know. It’s ok, though. I do this mostly for posterity. Reading these in 5 years will be amusing.

So, I’ll be signing off for the night. Hopefully I’ll stick to the updates once I get back to Reno. If past trips are any indication, I’ll give up the ghost and return to my dull and unfulfilling life. No motivation or impetus to complete this blogging effort.

Kyoto, Palaces, Shrines, Oh My…Continued

We’re sitting in the lobby of the Gate Hotel in Tokyo. We’ve got a couple hours to kill before the shuttle bus takes us to Haneda airport, so we can wait 3 more hours for our flight. Figured I’d take advantage of the blazing fast WiFi! Seriously, 259Mb upload speeds!

Back to my fading recollections. After the tonkatsu in the Nishiki Market, we headed out to the Sanjūsangendō Temple. It has 1001 golden statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. It’s also the longest buddhist temple in the world? I may need to check my facts on that one.

‘Measuring 120 meters, the temple hall is Japan’s longest wooden structure. The name Sanjusangendo (literally “33 intervals”) derives from the number of intervals between the building’s support columns, a traditional method of measuring the size of a building.” -JapanGuide.com

I was close.

The building is so long, that they used to have archery competitions along this side of the building. During the tour inside, they have a display case of the mangled wood beams caused by so many arrow hits. I’d show you, but there’s no photography allowed inside the temple. Which leads me to the main feature of the temple. The statues. An impressive room filled with 1001 human sized golden statues. They’re carved out of wood, in many pieces, and individually assembled. The statues are so elaborately detailed, the amount of work that had to go into their creation is staggering.

Once again, my research assistant, Barbara, did a thorough search of the Googles and found these early internet age photos of the main room of the temple.

It is an impressive and intimidating sight. Buddhism is so confusing to me and there is so much to it, that I won’t embarrass myself by relaying false, made up, or misinterpreted information. I’ll leave that to ChatGPT

Japanese Buddhism is a rich and diverse spiritual tradition deeply rooted in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. With a history dating back to the 6th century, Buddhism has played a significant role in shaping Japan’s culture, philosophy, and way of life. Japanese Buddhism encompasses various schools and sects, each with its own unique practices and beliefs. From Zen Buddhism, emphasizing meditation and direct experiential insight, to Pure Land Buddhism, centered on devotion to Amitabha Buddha, and Shingon Buddhism, focusing on esoteric rituals and mystical practices, there is a wide range of paths for practitioners to explore. The integration of Buddhist teachings with indigenous Shinto beliefs has given rise to a distinctively Japanese form of Buddhism, emphasizing harmony, mindfulness, and reverence for nature. Today, Japanese Buddhism continues to be a vital part of the nation’s spiritual landscape, offering solace, guidance, and enlightenment to millions of people.

Thanks, OpenAI

And with that, we’re headed back to the hotel to think about dinner. It’s been a wet day and packed full of sights, sounds, and Japanese history.

Looks like our shuttle bus is coming in a few minutes, so I’m outta here. Hopefully the airport has good WiFi. I’ll keep updating, as I’m gonna have a lot of down time. So long, Tokyo!

Kyoto, Palaces, Shrines, Oh My!

Not sure which day this was, but it was raining in Kyoto. It rained all day. Continuous heavy drizzle as we headed out for our private tour.

Our guide, Akimi took it all in stride and changed up our destinations to mostly interiors. A quick bus ride to Motorikyu Nijo Castle or Motorikyu Castle Castle. Unfortunately, no cameras allowed inside.

This place was originally built as a villa by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the 1600s. He forced all the feudal lords to contribute to its construction. The Tokugawa shogunate used Edo as their capital city, but Kyoto was still home to the Imperial Court. This castle was used as the residence for the shoguns.

Interesting feature and or anomaly of its construction is that the floors would chirp like nightingales when anyone would walk on them. Acting as a kind of warning system against intruders trying to sneak into the castle. Something to do with the kind of joints and nails used on the floor. We noticed the sound as we walked around inside the castle. It does indeed sound like birds, not like any other creaking floor I’ve heard in my life time.

Not my video, but it gives you an idea of what I’m talking about. I’d like to thank my research assistant, Barbara, for scouring the YouTubes for an example of this auditory phenomenon. The video is quite old, hence the potato quality compression. The floors now have a carpet covering them, so the chirping is not quite as intense anymore.

My video editing team threw together a little compilation of shots on the palace grounds.

Yes, I know, I am the video editing team.

Now on to the Nishiki Market for some tonkatsu! Basically, Japanese schnitzel. This is also another opportunity to mix in some gritty, rainy street shots.

Our guide took us to Katsukura Tonkatsu, somewhere inside the Nishiki Market arcade. Details are fading fast. That market is pure chaos. I don’t now how people in this town keep track of where all their favorite restaurants are. They’re hidden in all corners, side streets, and alleyways. Usually they’re multi floor affairs, too.

We walk into a nice looking joint and it’s crowded, so they usher you to a very narrow stairway downstairs. Thanks to Google Maps for the reference photos!

A hideaway you’d never know existed. Don’t even want to think about what it would be like to escape a place like this if there were a fire or an earthquake.

I may be a bit hyperbolic when I say this, but that may have been the best tonkatsu I’ve ever had. Before you get your food, you get a bowl of sesame seeds that you grind down with a little wooden pestle and then add a good helping of the brown sauce. I’m drawing a blank here, but the end result is transcendent.

Before I continue, let me share a little of this crazy ass Nishiki Market. So many food stalls and restaurants and knick knack stored crammed into a covered street, the arcade

I’m also fascinated by these beautiful fake food displays. I want to meet the people that make these props. They surprisingly realistic.

I wasn’t brave enough to try the whole fish on a stick. A missed opportunity that I’ll probably regret for the rest of my life.

One of these days I’ll figure out what this little guy is all about. I may have been distracted by meat on sticks when our guide explained it. Oh well, I’ll wait til after I post this for Barbara to tell me what it is and then I’ll update the blog and you’ll be none the wiser to my forgetful nature.

Now where was I? Oh right…

Is that green bean ice cream? Wasabi? Don’t be crazy, its my new favorite, matcha ice cream!

Next up is…

But I’m too lazy and a bit buzzed here in the hotel. Our internet here at the Gate Hotel in Tokyo is outstanding 160Mb down and 259Mb up! I’m taking advantage. Only problem now is the the WordPress app in the browser is seriously lagging, so I’ll cut it off here.

Gotta Get To Kyoto!

For gods sake, we gotta get to Kyoto! Hurry! A return the the unbridled chaos of man. Wet streets, samurai castles, geiko and maikos, and sweet bread BBQ!

“I want to speak to the manager RIGHT NOW!” Whatever, Karen!

I kid the Barbara!

Hotel Intergate Shijo Shinmachi! Nice place. Horrible laundry facilities. Comfy beds. Good breakfasts. Terrible view from the room.

The staff at the front desk let us know that the windows would not open, to protect the privacy of the people living around the hotel. Not opening and not being able to see out are not the same thing. Bummer.

Speaking of laundry, the 2nd day we were here, we wanted to do a couple small loads. I only brought enough clothes for 7 days, but occasionally we have to forward our main luggage to the next big city, and pack a backpack with enough for a couple days while we stay at the in-between city. So, I was running short on underwear, socks, and shirts I’m not ashamed to wear as a fat man in a city of ridiculously lean people.

The hotel has a whopping two combination washer/dryers. They wash and dry in the same unit. I don’t know if you’ve ever used one of those machines, but they’re garbage. Good for washing and drying a small t-shirt and a single sock. Otherwise everything comes out…

Barbara and I go down to the machine and both machines are full. Not running. There’s a sign saying management will empty machines if left unattended. I go to the front desk and let them know about the abandoned clothes. As I head back, I see that the owners of the clothes are back and whining that their clothes aren’t dry. They load the machines with more money, no fucks given to the people patiently waiting. Ugh, we go back our room to wait the half hour for their clothes to dry. This time I go back by myself with out clothes. The machines have 5 minutes left. There’s another woman already waiting for one of the machines. Damnit.

The guy from before comes back, I hadn’t noticed he’s a real macho bro with some kind of CrossFit nonsense on his shirt. He starts emptying the machine and then starts acting indignant “oh…they’re not dry. Sorry, another 30 minutes” and he drops more coins in the machine. 30 minutes more!

Needless to say, my patience was being tested. I gave up on this BS and found a coin laundromat on Apple Maps that a 15 minutes walk from the hotel. To make it even more fun, it was pouring rain, I’m super tired, and I truly deeply hate doing laundry. Loaded the bags in my suitcase, grabbed my umbrella and hoofed it over to the Wash and Dry Aqua. carrying an iPhone giving directions, holding an umbrella and dragging a suitcase requires more than 2 hands.

These machines were cool. They’re the big boy versions of what the hotel had. They wash, they dry, they even automatically add the detergent, which is included in the price. That one machine did all our laundry and dried them perfectly. Like all things we’ve seen in Japan, so far, the place was immaculately clean. It was also air-conditioned. No graffiti on the walls. No broken machines. A surprisingly pleasant experience. No douche bros, either.

Nice tangent, Jack, get back to the good stuff. We did some stuff while we were here, like photos. Kyoto is gorgeous. Even the ugly bits are beautiful.

Shinto Shrines are everywhere in Japan. They’re tucked into every side street, between shops, in gardens, in all kinds of unexpected places.

We took a tour of the the geisha district and even learned a few things. There are 2 kinds of geishas. Geikos and Maikos. The latter being the geisha in training. Most Geikos and Maikos live, train, and work in Kyoto, in the Gion District. Tokyo also has Geikos, but there are no Maikos. We learned that Maikos wear wigs and Geikos don’t. There are even more nuisances between the two but I was not taking notes.

You are not allowed to harass the Geikos and Maikos, not even to take a picture. You can only do so from a distance and as long as you don’t interfere with them.

The Maikos live and train in boarding houses in the district. They do not get a normal public school education, but one that is only focused on the arts. Dance, singing, and learning to play an instrument.

Along the way, more crazy street photos. Kyoto has a look!

Once again I’m up late working on a thing that happened a week ago. We’re on our last night in Takayama and will be riding trains for several hours, back to Tokyo. And then, sadly, we leave for the States on Sunday. Back to our mundane lives, American toilets, and job uncertainty. Who doesn’t love living at the whim of faceless shareholders. But that’s a whole other story.

Wet Wanderings In Hakone

First night spent in an ryokan, the traditional style Japanese hotel. The futon and super puffy comforter were quite comfortable. Did I sleep long enough? Probably not. My limbs are sore. My lower back aches. I’m probably dehydrated, too. I’ve been surviving on beer and coffee this entire trip. It’s a beautiful day, if a bit wet. Damp. Humid…moist.

I’m dressed in my yukata, so that means it must be time for breakfast! Let’s head to the dining area…

Not sure if I mentioned it yet, but our ryokan has some incredible garden grooming going on. All the bushes and trees are immaculate.

With our bellies full, we head to the bus stop. Barbara wants to go over to the visitor center again to find a certain park. We figured we’d do a bit of a nature walk and take some more pictures, but otherwise we had no agenda this day.

Not a whole lot to see out in the woods, but it was a pleasant walk. We’re getting hungry, it’s been a few hours since lunch. Time to head back, maybe we’ll find place on the way back.

We’re serious about the food now. Plus, we’re a bit parched. Beer is required. We have no idea if there is even a restaurant around here.

Finally a place that’s open! We know this place is open, because we saw people leaving the joint. How’s the menu?

I’m gonna have to pass on this one. Besides the fact that it’s horse, I’ve never been a fan of eating raw meat. Maybe they’ve got ramen or something.

This place looks legit. The waitress had a voice that sounded like the Japanese equivalent of whisky and cigarettes for decades. The place felt like it had been here since the 80s. Quite small and in need of polish.

Beers were had! I gotta say, Japanese beers are quite nice. They’re not real strong and they have a really light flavor. Great thirst quenching qualities. A thick peanut butter stout would not have worked for me at this moment. Barbara and I have been walking for days and we’re so sore. It’s a going concern throughout this whole trip. PAIN!

I had duck and udon, it was quite good. Barbara had some kind of soba noodles and a side of tempura vegetables.

We paid the nice weathered old lady and went about our business. We were suffering a bit and were still paying for the 8 miles we walked on our fist guided tour with Masa, in Tokyo. The rest of the night was much like the previous. Too exhausted to do anything interesting. Barbara took a nap, I messed around with the blog. Dinner time arrived rather sooner than I needed it to. Barbara bailed on the elaborate multi-course meal, but I soldiered on. I took one for the team.

That pot roast made with fancy beef was next to godlike.

The meal was EPIC and I was so incredibly full afterwards. I retired to my chambers and called it quits. Speaking of which, I need to call it quits as well, I gotta wake my ass up at 7:30am tomorrow and it’s already 12:49am. I need a little sleep, we’re hitting the bullet train outta Osaka for our next destination, Takayama. The Japanese Alps. We’re supposed to do a guided bike ride, if the weather holds out.

Why do I do this to myself?