Nagano, Japan

When life tells you no, listen.  Don’t fight it, watch as it unfolds.  And you end up in places like Mikawa.  And Ainakura.  And Hakuba.  They weren’t on your list, but well, somehow you were exactly where you needed to be.  Like drinking whiskey with your host family until midnight.  Bathing naked with strangers who love Ichiro.  Walking alone in a snowstorm on a deserted road.  And, it’s either tomorrow or not in this life.  But let me back up.

As a planner I don’t set out on an adventure unprepared.  Except for this week, in which we 1) lost our transportation (see last week's post on our driver's license issue), 2) didn’t research accommodations, and 3) got hit by a huge snowstorm.  The train station in Kyoto was a mess in this order: incorrectly paid for the wrong ticket and got booted from the platform by security.  Found a kiosk and paid for the correct train fare.  Got booted a second time because the train only has reserved seats.  Walked all over the station looking for “green” to reserve seats, missed our train only to find out: it’s sold out anyways.  Unknowingly purchase the only seats available on the upcoming trains (first class --- it was either that or ???).  Ride first class (it’s brilliant), and then illegally transfer onto a local train without paying because your child’s dream is to see Red Pandas and a fortuitous small town apparently has a zoo?

 

Frantically get your luggage out of the lockers and jump on the train to a town no one knows, but it has an available B&B.  There is only one track, so you must be going in the right direction?  It’s starting to rain.  Stop for 45 mins at the transfer station.  Pick up an adoring conversation with three 16-year-old girls (they’re smitten with your son) and do their English homework.  

Have the most exceptional dinner of poisonous puffer fish (your host drives you around because it’s a small town and he doesn’t trust Google Translate) and then drink whiskey all night with him and the other B&B patrons.  Your son loves the Japanese room because he thinks he’s a character in Demon Slayer.  Also, your host thinks you’re poor and you eat dinner at the 7-11.  Hit up the local “onsen” (Japanese bath) with naked-uninhibited-jovial-elderly men.  And now, it’s seriously snowing.

Go to the next big town, but then get on the local, and I mean local, bus.  Track your location on Google Maps like your life depends on it.  Get off at a small station and go to the bathroom.  Oops, you missed your bus.  Just kidding, your husband does “his antics” and you get on the bus.  You’re now on the tourist bus (Greyhound coach with English speaking driver) but the snowstorm arrives as you climb higher and higher up into the mountains.  Depart the bus in a ghost town as the sun sets.  Your host doesn’t speak English.  You eat bear meat and try not to get bitten by Stink Bugs.  A foot of snow comes down and you’re singing Christmas songs in March.

At 11pm (remember it’s a snow storm) realize you’re six hours from the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics and your annual ski pass (which you purchased but didn’t use in Seattle) is valid for this exact resort in Japan.  Wake your wife from slumber and tell her it’s either tomorrow or never (warm rain is forecasted in two days so, “you gots to go now”).

 

So now valued friends, it’s Choose Your Own Adventure with: A) Hillary to trek through remote mountain villages, or B) Ken and Everett to the site of the 1998 winter Olympics (Tara Lapinski wins gold, anyone ?!?!?)

 

Adventure A: Hillary

It’s the next morning, and you get off at the wrong bus stop, on a deserted mountain road at 10am in a snowstorm.  And you’re wearing tennis shoes because they’re the only shoes you own.  You’re carrying a heavy pack, and there’s no sidewalk, so just walk on the snowy road and try not to get hit from behind. Seriously, begin to question your life choices and get a lump in your throat as the bus pulls away, because you won’t cry, damn it, but this was a mistake.

Adventure B: Ken & Everett

Realize Hillary got off at the wrong bus stop (in a snowstorm on a deserted mountain road). Frantically call and text her 20 times but she doesn’t pick up or respond.  Classic Hillary.  Realize she might be gone forever.

Adventure A: Hillary

Trek into a remote village of grass-thatch houses.  Walk alone.  You’re transported back into time like a fairy tale.  Enjoy the peace, the rich cultural heritage, you’re soaked but the storm stops, and the sun comes out.  And no one is here.  Breathe the fresh air with a sigh of relief.  

Adventure B:  Ken & Everett

Take the bus, then a train, then the bullet train (run out of money, no ATM)…. and then another bus.  Ok, it’s 6 hours later.  Your hostel host picks you up and takes you to Lawson’s (your favorite convenience store).  Stock up on fried chicken and candy, lots of candy.  ‘Cuz Mom ain’t here and we need Dad Energy for the Boys Trip! Rent skis and gear (you have nothing), play video games at the hostel, and sleep in bunk beds.  Fall asleep with confidence because You Can Do This!

Hostel had a pin for every guest and was thrilled when Everett posted their first Ugandan pin

Adventure A: Hillary

Ride the bus to another village of stunning landscapes and traditional buildings.  Walk around charming 200-year-old houses.  It’s filled with tourists but you don’t mind at all.  Drink coffee.  And then more coffee.  Relax after another bus ride to your final destination.  A quaint town in the mountains with wooden houses from the 1600’s.  Walk down the narrow streets of the Old Town (a less touristed version of Kyoto).  And then some wine and cheese.  Then order a Mexican burrito for dinner because 1) you have been on the road too long, and 2) You Do What You Want.

 

Adventure B: Ken & Everett

Ski the Olympic slopes (your son out-ski’s you at ten years old), nearly break your knee because you’re too tall for the ski lift, stalk the elusive snow monkey, and spend too much time in the onsen … “awkward.”  Take the bus back down the mountain into the city and relax at the hotel… you could see another shrine, but really… haven’t you seen enough?  Instead watch a season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Adventure A: Hillary

Bask in the winter wonderland as you gaze out the bus window (you’re in a snow globe unaware of time) and arrive at the station 30 minutes late (unheard of in Japan!).  You only have a 39 minute connection to catch your train, so high tail it across the station like you’re a former high school track star.  Arrive at your train platform, out of breath, but with just enough breath to get a coffee from the vending machine (what are you a savage?), then collapse into your seat.  Reconnect with your family… see they survived without you… have they been playing you this whole time and they are totally capable and self-sufficient on their own?!?!?  Smell something weird, and realize you have been wearing the same outfit for seven days straight.  

Until next week, friends.

Kyoto, Japan

In Hiroshima we stayed in a quieter neighborhood (a la Outer Sunset of San Francisco), while all the crazy action was downtown (we renamed it The Wharf).  While the city was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb, it has been largely rebuilt.  There are reminders of the Atomic Bomb (for example ruins of a dome, as well as trees with signs that read: this tree survived the bombing).  Everett enjoyed the castle with kitana displays, and we strolled through the city’s shopping markets (code word: way too many hours at the Pokemon card store).

We liked our second bullet train, just as exhilarating as the first.  This one was 16 cars long (the Nozomi), and we arrived in Osaka (“the kitchen of Japan.”).  We visited some famous eateries, including this one featured on Netflix (Street Foods, Asia) where the chef uses a blowtorch to cook the fish. He even dips his hand in a bucket of ice which allows him to put his hand directly under the blowtorches flame for up to 10 seconds at a time.  We also took a day trip back to Kobe to a wonderful anime “Naruto Theme Park” – Everett’s top choice for activity of course.  (Shout out to Auntie Lia! for sponsoring the day).  He learned to be a real ninja, climbed through a ropes course, searched for hidden Akatsuki, and studied all the Naruto hand signs.  The Osaka Dotonbori canal-area neighborhood was completely overrun by tourists, neon lights, and crowded restaurants… but as the moniker suggests, we found great food.

Next, we headed to Kyoto, just a short 30 min train ride to the north.  We walked around the Gion district (famous for geisha and gorgeous traditional architecture) but to be honest, it was so crowded we couldn’t really enjoy it.  We did love that people were wearing the traditional Japanese kimono costumes which added to the charm.  The Bamboo Forest, one of Kyoto’s famous sites, was also immensely overcrowded, but Ken managed to hike his way into a remote area to get out of the madness.  (Sidenote: we came to Japan in March thinking we were arriving before the famous spring “Cherry Blossom” festivities (April), but everyone must have the same idea to try to beat the crowds).

How about those crowds

Our favorite day in Kyoto we rented bikes and purposely rode away from the designated Tourist Sights.  We ended up at a really nice Train Museum, full of local families mostly with young children, enjoying a park and learning about trains.  The cutest local lunch spot served up fried chicken “Katsuya,” but we didn’t have cell signal so we couldn’t use Google Translate on our phones.   We were really stumped and couldn’t even order.  Everett became our translator, who seriously knows only ten phrases, but somehow, he communicated with the chef!  

In a twist of fate, Everett struck up a conversation with a Black Pilot from Seattle! They were kindred spirits, quizzing each other on obscure aircraft terminology and bonding over their love of all things aviation.

We ate so much conveyor belt sushi, have accumulated bags of change (coins galore!!!), visited a million shrines (they are everywhere), and we are still laughing at Ken’s mysterious “evening walks” --- turns out every night he has been secretly window shopping at the 4-Story Electronics Mega Store nearby.

 

Today we had a stressful day because we planned to pick up a rental car and drive into the mountains for the next seven days.  Unfortunately, we realized Ken’s international driver’s license isn’t valid in Japan so we spent the day frantically canceling and rebooking transportation and accommodations.  Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal but everything desirable (near a train line) is sold out.  We also realized the 10-day forecast is freezing rain and we are seriously under-prepared for mountain weather.  Stay tuned for next week’s update because we are primed for either a huge debacle or a miracle.

Fukuoka, Japan

We opted for a one-night stopover in Manila in order to avoid a 5am flight and tight connection.  While we didn’t see much of the city proper, we enjoyed our evening at the Mall of Asia and happily dined at Din Tai Fung (a favorite of ours – a Chinese restaurant with multiple locations in Seattle). 

Guys, I can’t tell you how happy we are to be in Japan.  Everett has been talking about Japan for years and we finally arrived.  We decided to fly into a southern island (Kyushu) with intentions to make our way north (and depart from Tokyo).  First, we did not anticipate the weather – it is barely 50 degrees and we have no warm clothes.  We’ve been in the heat for the last few months so it’s a nice change.  Cue: Uniqlo shopping.  Second, there is very limited and sporadic English.  Japan is our 13th country and it’s the first time we are using Google Translate daily.  While the language is already posing some challenges, we are getting by with a lot of hand gestures and laughing.  Third, money – a 10,000-yen note is $67 and they are going quickly.  “We’re not in the Philippines anymore.”  The best part so far is finally arriving in a “normal” city (e.g., no tourists) where we aren’t the center of attention (constant, uncomfortable stares), and we can feel like regular people.  The city is so clean, everyone is uber-polite, and since Everett is learning Japanese (Duolingo) we receive the most heart-warming giggles of surprise/affection at every interaction.  We feel so welcomed.  With a sigh of relief, everything is easy again.

 

Week 1 Highlights:

On our first night we ate at Ichiran, a well-known ramen chain.  Food was ordered via a vending machine and served at individual dining stations.

That evening at our hotel we happened upon a gathering and we did a Zoom call to a school in northern Thailand.  Our hotel had a delightfully weird “cat and nautical” theme.  I can’t make this up.  

We rode on a boat shaped like a swan (with a sign that read: “If you drop your phone into the lake, you will not get it back”).  

We visited our first shrine – Kushida.

The toilet seats are heated and have interesting washing features.  Toilet game is on point.

NO ONE crosses the street until the sign says Walk, even if there are clearly no cars coming and it is totally safe to cross.  

We got lost in the Hakata Train Station (it’s massive!) and visited an underground mall (such beautiful clothes, ceramics, and home goods).  

We ate sushi and met the cutest elderly couple who have been running their restaurant since 1970!  That’s 54 years!!

People work late here; streets are full of business people (full suits with briefcases) leaving work at 7pm+.  

Every day we eat something from a vending machine – on every street corner, sometimes multiple machines, with everything you need (hot coffee, ramen, fried chicken, sushi, ice cream, etc.).

The food is next level (favs so far: ramen, udon, sushi, sake, and a bunch of stuff in unidentifiable packages that we don’t know what it is) and even convenience stores sell delicious options -- our new Go To Item is $1 fried chicken at Lawson’s (like a 7-11).  

The trains are so clean and QUIET – Ken and Everett are way too loud to be Japanese. 

Everyone is fashionable and precise in their fit; we are frumpy, homeless backpackers in comparison.  

People are strangely helpful… not just pointing to what we need… but actually walking us to where we need to be… and then giving us a friendly wave goodbye and smile.

The food portions are tiny.  Like toddler-sized.  Combined with the chopsticks… will we lose weight here?

There are NO trash cans – anywhere.  We have been carrying our garbage for blocks or even bringing it back to our hotel.

People patiently wait in lines in places that are super crowded (train/bus/bathroom queues) and nobody gets upset about it??  

We rode on a bullet train (200 miles per hour!) from Fukuoka to Hiroshima.  It felt like we were flying.  Incredible.  Actually, we felt queasy looking out the window.

Bullet Train Baby!

We had a hilarious conversation (entirely via hand gestures) with a spunky grandma (who spoke no English) as she cooked in front of us a delicious lunch of BBQ cabbage pancakes.  We sat next to a Japanese Bruno Mars impersonator and an American air force linguist.

And we drank coffee made on a bicycle.

EVERY DAY is a unique experience and we are beyond grateful to be here.