Wonderful Weekend in Japan

A week ago we had a long weekend here with 'mid-autumn festival' and 'national day' giving Mike and I Monday and Tuesday off. We took one of the few remaining windows for travel (before pending bambino alters travels for all time) and decided to check out Japan.

Our flight (ANA - Japanese airline) was equipped with a video camera on the nose of the plane, sharing live feed of our take off and landing on the in-flight screens.  I would imagine that would be scary for some who hates flying, but for us it was really interesting to watch.  After we landed, the guy with the glow sticks directed us into our gate, signalled for the plane to stop, and when we did, he bowed to the plane.  It was enough to start the giggles.  I was obviously not going to be very appropriate in Japan.

Foley, sleeping on suitcase, train to Kyoto.

After the three and a half hour flight on Friday evening, it took us another FOUR hours to get to our hotel.  That part was not the best start to the trip.  We had heard of the efficient trains and Japanese transit, so this was not what we were expecting, and it was honestly crappy luck.  We flew into Osaka and it was supposed to be about 1 hr 15 min train ride into Kyoto, where we were staying.  Unfortunately, due to a "human accident" the express train was delayed with no indication of when or whether it would run.  It was very difficult to find people who spoke much English, and the signs were mostly in Japanese characters... we were in a fog of confusion.  We were directed to a different train which would take us into the city of Osaka, where we would need to transfer to another train to get to Kyoto.  The problem was that this train was essentially the local subway line.  18 or so stops later (and about 90 minutes) we rolled into Osaka station.  We boarded another train to Kyoto... but oops, we didn't catch the express, we caught the one making 20 or so stops along a long and painful route.  Just after midnight we were finally dragging our luggage into our hotel.

The rest of the trip was wonderful.  Kyoto was stunning, people were incredibly polite and friendly and the culture was lovely.  The bowing continued to make me giggle, which is horribly inappropriate, but when a hotel staff goes into a 90 degree bow when putting you into the elevator, and holds it until the doors close, it's hard to keep a straight face.  I started to feel like royalty and I knew I'd miss the bowing when we left (I do).

Kyoto is a large city which was not bombed during the war so it still holds much of it's historic character and charm.  The government likes to encourage the richness of culture in the city, so they have random days when transit is free for those in traditional Japanese clothing.  As a result, you see many people around the city in full kimonos and traditional wear.  That was pretty magical.  Amongst this beauty, there was the trademark convenience of Japanese vending machines EVERYWHERE.  My previous life at Pepsico had me wondering who possibly services all of these machines that are literally on every street, in front of most shops and selling anything from soda pop, to cigarettes, to beer, to snacks, sandwiches and even electronics.  Crazy.

With a short summary of each day, I'll let the pictures tell you more about Kyoto.

Saturday: We toured the western outskirts of the city where the traditional city and temples meet the mountains and where we could roam through a bamboo forrest.  Lovely.  Saturday night we went out in an old part of the Japanese city, to an Irish pub, where Foley drank German beer, ate American pretzels and we listened to a live (Japanese) band playing East Coast / Irish music.  A truly international evening.

Sunday: Typhoon hit Japan.  We were not in the 'danger zone', we just had strong rains and some wind all day long (and for the first time in many months I had goose bumps with temperatures in the low to mid twenties!!  A welcome break from HK heat, which is still generally about 30 + humidity).  It meant that the city was quiet and although we ended up soaked, we toured around in the rain.  We spent most of our day touring Gion, the geisha district of Kyoto (and it looked like a scene out of 'Memoirs of a Geisha').  It was wonderful with traditional style houses, a beautiful temple where we had a traditional tea in the tea house, and unique little shops where Foley patiently waited for me to browse.  At dinner I discovered non-alcoholic beer, which although it doesn't taste the same, made me feel happy to drink.

Foley in sexy temple slippers.

Monday: We toured one more temple and walked along the 'philosophers path' which is a gorgeous foot path along a canal, lined with hundreds of cherry trees, and that links several temples within walking distance.  I would love to see this in April with the cherry trees in full bloom, but still it was stunning in October.  We then caught the bullet train to Osaka (arriving in under 20 minutes this time) where we checked in to a new hotel, met up with friends from Canada/Hong Kong, Rich and Aline, and took in a Japanese baseball game!  This was what Foley was looking forward to most and although the stadium was quite empty (we were watching two of the worst teams in the league), the fans were full of energy and the Japanese passion for baseball came through loud and clear.   Two highlights: the servers carry small kegs of beer on their backs and serve you in your seats (score!), and at the end of the game the entire team lined up and bowed in each direction to the fans!  Following the game we went out for dinner in Osaka and totally rolled the dice on our eating venue... with no English on the menu, a sweet girl who translated to her best ability, I somehow ordered (and ate a little) chicken neck with green peppers.  Not our best meal in Japan, but all part of the experience I guess.

Tuesday was simply our travel day back into Hong Kong, which went much smoother.  By mid-afternoon we were back in our HK flat, unpacking and preparing for a short week at work.  It was a lovely get-away and a highly recommended travel stop to make while in Asia.  Kyoto was lovely and Japan has much more to offer in the countryside and even excellent skiing in the winter.  I would certainly go back in a heartbeat.

As Foley kept saying all weekend "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto... athankyou" (Austin Powers, Goldmember)