japanese bath

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th (cont'd)


We were greeted at the ryokan by two older women. One was obviously a manager-type; the other was a maid. We took our shoes off and were each given a pair of slippers to wear inside the ryokan, then the maid took the luggage Jeff had been carrying and led us to our room. Jeff later said he felt very strange letting a small elderly woman in a kimono lug our suitcase down the hallway and up the stairs. Neither of us were confident enough to wrest the suitcase away from her, however...she didn't speak any English, and was clearly used to doing this.


Upon entering our room, we were instructed to take off our slippers before stepping on the tatami mats (Alison had also warned us to do this before we left). There was a small bathroom with a tub (VERY deep tub, yay!), shower, sink, and one of the über-toilets I had seen in Tokyo's Akihabera (see photo later on this page). The maid also showed us a small closet which also contained yukata (light cotton summer kimonos) and obi, socks (the kind with two toes, not sure of the proper name), toiletries set, towel. The main space was divided into two areas: a larger one that was obviously meant as the main room, and a smaller one divided from the former by a shoji (sliding rice paper screen).





The main room had a low black table as the main piece of furniture. Two zabuton (cushions) were provided on zaisu (legless chairs) beside the table. In one corner of the room were two woven chairs (either chairs or low tables; Jeff and I never figured out which), and in another corner was a vase containing artificial flowers. There was also a television and a rotary dial phone, neither of which we used during our stay (well, we did try out the tv out of curiosity, but could only find a few snowy stations).


The smaller room had a small, legless vanity table (see photo; there was a cushion in front for kneeling) with a mirror, two small drawers, and a number of containers of lotions I couldn't identify except for a moisturizer. Two were Shiseido products, one with the English words "Hair Tonic" and the other "Hair Liquid". If any of you know what these are, I'd love to know. :-) My guess is that the Shiseido products are for men, perhaps for before and after shaving.


At the other end of the room hung a piece of Japanese artwork, and a low bench with a single empty vase on it. I had read in several "Ryokan Tips For Foreigners" that this was NOT for storage of any kind.





After turning on the air conditioning, the maid poured us two cups of green tea and also gave us each a Japanese sweet cookie of some kind. She left a laquered container beside the table with a thermos of hot water and more tea leaves.


After getting changed, we decided to take a bath. Alison had told us to try the public bath rather than the one in our room, so we asked the front desk. They told us it would be ready in about ten minutes.


Ten minutes later, we were downstairs in the public bath room. It was a small area separated into two rooms. The first contained a sink and a number of storage bins for our clothes and other belongings. After getting undressed (we were wearing our yukatas, since we had been told it was okay to wear them around the ryokan even outside our room), we went into the other room, which contained the tub.





I assume the wooden tub was traditional Japanese style. The maid had filled it to the brim with hot water, with the hot water tap left on to just a trickle. As warned by the guidebooks and others, we washed ourselves before getting into the tub. Sounds weird to Westerners, I know, having to wash before taking a bath, but it's the norm in traditional Japanese households. Everyone uses the same bathwater, so after finishing our bath, we knew NOT to drain it. There was a sign with these instructions in English in the outer room as well.


It took some fiddling with the faucet controls before Jeff figured out how to turn them on (the instructions were all in Japanese). I had left my glasses in the other room, so was useless in helping out. He did figure it out, however, and we washed up, making sure every bit of soap was off before getting it the tub.





The bath was WONDERFUL. Very hot water (guidebooks warned about this as well)...the trick is to get in slowly and then not move around very much. The tub is much deeper than it looks in the picture at the top...part of it is embedded in the floor. Jeff and I could both fit, with some minor maneouvering.


By the time we got out, put on our yukatas, and went back up to our rooms, we were both feeling incredibly relaxed. And a little hungry. :-)


Next: ryokan feast!





Today's Blatherpics:


- Me and a Japanese-style tub.


- Small room that was separated from the main room with a shoji.


- Controls for the toilet (!). Yes, I felt compelled to try all of them. :-)


- Our slippers in the ryokan. Jeff kept cursing his because they slipped off his feet a lot. Personally, I'm amazed that they fit him at all!


- The other half of the room with the Japanese tub. The faucets are for washing before taking a bath. Shampoo and body soap in the corner. The wooden benches and pails are also for washing.


- Main area of our ryokan room.


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Have you checked the batteries in your fire alarm recently?

kyoto arrival

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th (cont'd)


Kyoto shinkansen station is very large and full of a zillion interesting little shops. I forced Jeff to wait while I browsed a few. There were shops of Japanese delicacies, beautifully hand-painted fans, laquerware, chopsticks...a souvenir-shopper's dream, or at least one with a lot of money. I ended up not buying anything here (though I did do a lot of drooling) because of the prices. A child's fan cost about CAN$30, for example (yikes), though I'm sure it was a good quality fan. If you're looking for high-class Japanese souvenirs to take home, however, this is definitely the place.


Jeff used the washroom facilities in Kyoto station, and came out looking somewhat odd. He said that a woman started cleaning the urinal beside him in the men's bathroom, very matter-of-factly. Definitely not something that happened very often back home in Toronto. :-)





The Kyoto tourist office was excellent, with a ton of useful maps and information. All the staff spoke English.


Despite the heat, we decided to do a 50-minute walk from the station to our ryokan rather than take a bus so we could enjoy looking around our surroundings along the way. Very interesting people-watching opportunities, and the scenery was already much prettier than in Tokyo despite the fact that we were so near the train station. In such an idyllic area, Jeff was self-conscious about the sound of the wheels of his carry-on rattling on the road, feeling compelled to pick it up sometimes and carry it by the handle instead.





I saw my first crane while we walked along a shallow river...I was pretty excited; I'd only seen cranes in Japanese artwork and books, after all. It was wading on the rocks, looking for things to eat in the water (small fish, maybe? insects?). From time to time, its head would dart forward as it grabbed something.





Soon we came to an area with small streets and more traditional-type buildings. On the way, we passed four women dressed in kimonos, sweeping leaves from a street. The scene was so unexpected, so enchanting, that I felt like just standing there like a gaping tourist (which I was, of course). But it was hot, and Jeff and I were anxious to get to the ryokan, and I took a "stealth picture" instead. I'm getting pretty good at taking stealth pictures, where I take photos with my camera without making it look like I'm taking photos. Not all of them turn out, of course, but it's a way of getting interesting people shots without sticking my camera in their face.





We found the street where our ryokan was supposed to be located, Shin-monzen dori", and found the Yoshi Ima itself by recognizing the kanji symbol on a banner by the entrance.


We were finally here, woohoo!


Next: Our first experience with a Japanese bath, first night's feast!


Today's Blatherpics:


- The entrance to Yoshi-Ima, the ryokan we stayed at for two nights.


- Fashion-conscious Kyoto youth. Jeff and I have both seen many girls like this in Japan so far.


- Kyoto intersection. One of the things I've loved about Japan is seeing women in traditional costume mingling casually with the bustle of regular traffic.


- There were a LOT of cyclists in Kyoto. Like Tokyo cyclists, none wore helmets (including infants!!). This photo shows a double-rider style we saw quite a few times in Japan.


- Scene we passed on our walk from Kyoto train station to the ryokan: four women in kimonos, sweeping leaves.


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Do you feel you live in a safe neighbourhood?

shinkansen

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th (cont'd)


We decided to try making the next train to Kyoto, which was due to leave in about ten minutes. Ruth had told me I should try the bento boxes available on the train platform, so I grabbed two medium-priced boxes at the ekiben stand. The word "ekiben" is a contraction of the words eki (train station) and bento (lunch box). The first ekiben were served in the late 1800s and consisted of pickles and rice balls. Now there are apparently close to 3000 varieties, and some stations are famous for their ekiben. Our ekiben cost 850 yen each (CAN$11.44); some of the best ekiben cost 1000 yen and upwards.





We found the line-up for what we hoped was going to be a non-reserved, non-smoking car. But was it for Kyoto?


I've grown pretty shameless about asking strangers for information in Japan, so I turned around and asked the man standing behind me. Not knowing the correct phrase by heart, I pointed out the correct sentence in my small Japanese phrase book, using Kyoto as the train station name. He nodded and said, "Hai", smiling.





I've found the locals to be -extremely- helpful and friendly when Jeff and I have asked for help or information, very patient with my abysmal accent and frantic flipping through my Japanese dictionary and phrase book.


Not one person has answered "yes" when I ask (in Japanese) whether they are able to speak English, even if it turns out a few minutes later that they do know a little. Most people shake their heads apologetically and smile, a few say "sukoshi" (a little)....the latter usually turn out to be much more fluent than I had expected.





Our shinkansen experience was wonderful. Remarkable quiet, clean, comfortable, fast. Women frequently strolled up and down the aisles with carts selling snacks, drinks, ice cream, and bento boxes. There was also a section at the front of the train selling more food and products. I bought a small container of green tea icecream (aisui creamu), and Jeff bought some iced coffee.


I had fun people-watching on this train. Many had cellphones which they used frequently for e-mailing and a few calls. This was something we've noticed a LOT on our trip so far, at least in Tokyo. Almost everyone seems to have a cellphone (one of those tiny ones still rare in Canada) with a wrist strap. Straps are often combined with some kind of fashion statement; many have small toys or other ornaments attached. Alison has a small basketball and NBA logo tag on hers (she works for the NBA). Another cellphone comment: they seem to work pretty much everywhere, unlike cellphones in Toronto. We've even seen people using them on subways.





But back to the shinkansen (which translates as 'new trunk line'). These trains reach speeds of up to 300 km per hour (!). There has never been a fatality. Jeff and I were both incredibly impressed by the efficiency...the train pulls in within about 10 seconds of its scheduled arrival, and the train door opens exactly where it's supposed to (door locations seem to be marked on most platforms so people know where to line up). Everyone lets passengers off the train before trying to get on themselves (unlike in the Toronto subway).


Jeff and I bought Japan Rail Passes before embarking on the trip (using a Japanese travel agency my dad recommended). The pass lets us use any JR service for seven days for about 28,000 yen (CAN$380). Just our trip to Kyoto and back made the cost of the pass worth it; Jeff and I also opted to use the pass to travel to other places as well.





Sadly, Mount Fuji was shrouded in clouds when we went by, but we did see a lot of interesting scenery along the way. Fascinating to watch the contrasting types of towns, cities, and rural areas flash by, some nestled between mountains and steep hills.


Using the bathroom on the train was another unique experience. It was a Japanese-style toilet (I later discovered that there were also Western style available elsewhere on the train), and a small sign advised me to hold onto a handle in the wall for my own safety. It was quite the challenge to use this type of toilet in the rocking compartment, holding the handle with one hand and holding up my skirt with the other. I think I'll be wimpy and go search for the Western style next time. :-)


Next: Arrival in Kyoto and our ryokan!





Today's Blatherpics:


- Bento box.


- Ekiban stand.


- Train snack lady.


- Stealth photo of the woman in the seat in front of us, using her cellphone.


- Green tea icecream and iced coffee.


- View out the train window during part of the trip. Rice fields, I think?


- Kyoto train station platform.


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Is vanilla your favourite flavour of icecream?

kyoto trip prep

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th


Before we took the train to Kyoto, Jeff and I visited the Tokyo International Forum. The building is architecturally VERY cool both inside and out (designed by architect Raphael Vinoly). Our favourite area was the main hall, which is boat shaped with a ceiling ribbed like a ship's hull and covered in 2600 sheets of supposedly earthquake-resistant glass.





The Tokyo Tourist Information Centre was in the basement of the building, so we paid a quick visit and picked up some maps and info. I also bought a manga and a snack in the AM/PM (the equivalent of the Canadian Shopper's Drug Mart). The manga was one aimed at a very young crowd; I wanted to practice reading and understanding hiragana.


Next, we walked to Tokyo station, where we located the JR (Japan Rail) office. I have to give major credit to Jeff, by the way, for his incredible navigational abilities in Japan. It would have been confusing enough in any non-North American country, but even more challenging in a country where most of the signs were in another language.





We had half-hoped that someone in one of the travel centers or the JR office would be able to speak English but were mistaken. The man at the JR office was very patient, however, and with a lot of pointing and sign language and a few bits of broken English and Japanese thrown in, we were able to get our passes (already paid for back in Canada), get "ordinary class" tickets for our trip to Kyoto, find out which cars were non-smoking, what time the trains for Kyoto departed, and from which track.


Next: our first experience on the shinkansen, and our arrival in Kyoto!


Today's Blatherpics:


- Jeff at the Tokyo International Forum.


- A tech conference we glimpsed in one of the halls at the Forum.


- Rail is THE way to travel in Japan. Jeff and I both loved the shinkansen super-expresses or "bullet trains". They were fast, efficient, comfortable, and incredibly on schedule (within 10-15 seconds of the times listed in the printed schedule). Also expensive, but it was worth it. :-)


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Are your teeth sensitive to cold?

Edo Tokyo museum

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


This will be a many-part Blathering which I will post several times today and perhaps tomorrow. I may end up simply catching up when I get back to Toronto, since I don't want to spend the rest of my stay here on my computer. :-)


Tuesday, September 4


After visiting the fish market, Jeff and I went to the Edo Tokyo Museum. Impressive architecture, lots of space. After figuring out where and how to buy our admission ticket, we took the many escalators to the top floor and worked our way down through the exhibits, which cover Tokyo's history from the days of Tokugawa shoguns to post-war reconstruction.





Although the reconstructions of Edo-period buildings and landmarks were fascinating, both Jeff and I found something lacking in the overall exhibit. Relatively little space was devoted to the war, for example, and certain aspects of social history were left out.


However, it was nice to find that most of the exhibits had English translations (the only one that didn't, oddly, was a display of a Japanese air balloon weapon used against the U.S. during the war). The museum also provided many good people-watching opportunities, especially with regards to the hordes of schoolchildren . Some had written assignments directly related to certain exhibits; others seemed to be free to run anywhere they liked.





Alison, Jeff and I went out for yakitori and ramen at a nearby restaurant. VERY yummy, with vegetables and thin slices of tender pork. The broth was heavenly. Drool.


The noodle shop was in an area full of "gentlemen's clubs", many with provocatively-dressed young women out in front handing out flyers or just looking sultry. Also popular were pachinko parlours, a sort of vertical pinball game which appears to be a Japanese craze these days. Pachinko is estimated to take in over 26 trillion a year (1 in 4 Japanese play it) and is also supposed to be a major source of tax evasion and yakuza funds. In pachinko, players control the speed of small steel balls falling through a machine, with the aim for the balls to fall into the right holes so they can win more balls, which can eventually be traded in for prizes.





Anyway, I got a huge kick out of watching Alison order for us, speaking so quickly that I couldn't distinguish individual syllables. She even helped out an English-speaking tourist who had forgotten a bag at the restaurant but wasn't sure how to communicate this to the staff. Alison rocks. :-)


Next: Tokyo International Forum, Japan Rail office challenge...


Today's Blatherpics:


(all from the displays at the Edo Tokyo Museum)


- From a Kubuki exhibit.


- From a wartime exhibit.


- Reproduction of a 17th-century daimyo residence.


- Ramen restaurant.


Today's Poll:



Do you like going to museums?