Mom (Salazar) Japan Visit - Part II

ARISUGAWA KOEN

In the bustling city of Tokyo, what better place to relax and enjoy a peaceful stroll then in a Japanese garden. While taking my mom on a tour around the district of Hiroo, we stopped by to Arisugawa Park for an ice cream break. Interestingly, Arisugawa Koen is a popular site for filming Japanese soap operas. However, that day, we didn't come across any film crews.

The main reason I enjoy this park is for the several hills and plateaus to enjoy the greenery. Near the entrance is a fairly large pond where you'll often find fishermen perched on boulders waiting for fish to bite. Toward the back end of the park there are many rock paths that lead to small bridges.

Gorgeous! I could spend hours staring into this beautiful space.

Markus put on his charm for this adorable little girl we met on the bridge.

He must have left some impression on her. Here, she took a photo of Markus. She kept saying, "Shasshin, shasshin!", which means, "Picture, picture!". And of course, Markus was happy to pose for the shot...oh my!

Enjoying yummy Baskin Robbins treats!

Mom and Markus enjoyed hopping from rock to rock, while avoiding the muddy trail.

I know I'll definitely miss the beautiful landscapes of the many gardens we've enjoyed during our stay here.

ASAKUSA & THE SENSOJI TEMPLE

We just had to take a trip to Asakusa...again. Since we were having such pleasant weather, I thought the Sumida River Boat Cruise nearby would fair well with mom. Our great friends Hiromi-san and Taro-kun met up with us at Asakusa Station to join us for the day.

The Tokyo Cruise Line cruises under 12 bridges over the course of the of the 80-minute ride. We spent most of the time in the shaded main enclosed deck. Taro-kun and Markus enjoyed exploring and wandering throughout the three levels of the boat with Hiromi-san, while mom and I relaxed as I pointed out some city attractions.

Overhead, the Chuo-ohashi Bridge

Seconds before sailing beneath the Azuma Bashi Bridge

We sat on the upper deck until the kids had enough of the hot sun, then headed below on the main deck. That's the Komagata Bashi Bridge in the distance.

Admiring the neat-looking fishing boats docked along side of Sumida River

Beyond is a partial view of a city scene. Many of the buildings you see are condominiums which I've been told cost a fortune to live in. Sugoii takaii ne!

My wonderful mother!

In Asakusa Station at the famous mural

Customs to follow at a Buddhist Temple

Basically most, if not all, Buddhist temples in Japan operate with the same basic rituals important to their varied purposes. In many of my posts, visiting several temples all over Japan, you may have noticed the typical customs of a worshipper's behaviour we have followed.

Within the temple grounds, you will likely find a purifying station, where you would rinse your hands from a spout of running water. It is common to find people rinsing their mouths at the station, as well. A large insense bowl, usually placed before the temple can be found. You can purchase sticks of insense to place in the ashed pit, then breathe in or fan the wafts of smoke over yourself as a sign of blessing and cleansing. You'll also see omikuji stations, which are fortunes written on sheets of paper. For a small donation, Reg and Haris shook a metal canister and pulled fortune sticks from the omikuji station in Asakusa when they visited in February. Positive fortunes are often taken home with you. Whereas, if the fortune is negative, you fold up the paper and tie it up onto the ropes or trees on the temple grounds with hopes that the bearer of bad fortunes will take it away. In addtion, you may find prayer plaques made of wood called ema, on which you can write wishes and prayers. These too, are left hanging on the temple grounds.

In the most sacred space of the temple, you will find people tossing coins into the donation chambers, followed by two claps, then bowing in prayer. Many temples may also have a bell hung before the temple, attached with a long rope that visitors can ring and offer a prayer. These are just some of the basic rituals, which I have been taught from my Japanese friends. Many more traditions can be witnessed when you visit the temples.

Along with many souvenirs and Japanese trinkets, cute kokeshi dolls can be found in many stores down Nakamise Dori, Asakusa. I've collected several of these adorable wooden figures.

The Sensoji Temple has been one of our most visited temples in all Japan. For one, it's closest to our home. Secondly, the surrounding Asakusa area has sort of the old Tokyo vibe happening, which separates it from the rest of the city and I always seem to notice something different each time. And furthermore, it offers many other attractions for tourists. After all, we are still tourists in this magnificent country.

Mom (Salazar) Japan Visit - Part 1

We were thrilled to welcome my mom to Tokyo. Overall, it was a pleasant trip for her despite catching a bug from someone on the 14-hour direct flight from Detroit. She arrived the same day that Rodney's mom and Aunt departed for the Philippines. I tell ya, we've become experts in the hospitality industry. It has been more than a pleasure to host our many visitors here in Tokyo.

On April 14, Markus and I picked my mom up by car...yes, I braved the Tokyo highways and drove from Itabashi (our area) to Narita Airport, which was nearly a two-hour drive. Naturally, I was nervous since first of all, besides the fact that our car navigation system is outdated, it's all in Japanese. Secondly, in Tokyo I find many folks can be erratic drivers and it doesn't help that motorcyclists are permitted to split lanes, which is prohibited in our hometown. Thirdly, I'm not so familiar with the roads and getting lost would terrify me. Bearing it all in mind, we made it safely to and from the airport with no problems. Since then, I've built enough confidence to drive more often, taking chances navigating to unfamiliar locations.

My mom's very first ride on the Tokyo Metro Train system. This was taken at Kamiitabashi station heading for Ikebukuro on the Tobu Tojo Line.
















UENO ZOO


On April 15, we took a trip to Ueno Zoo. Everytime is like the first time for Markus. He gets so excited when we arrive at the familiar Ueno Station. He held onto my my mom's hand eager to show her the animals, as if they were his own. I swear he memorizes the locations of most animal exhibits. He could be a junior tour guide, I'm sure of it!

Our last photo of "Ling-Ling", the Giant Panda

(September 1985 - April 30, 2008)

Sadly, Ling-Ling, the giant panda donated by China, passed away about two weeks after our visit. He was the main attraction at the Ueno Zoo and served as an important symbol of friendship between Japan and China. Daily, patrons would line up to see him in his cove. Most times he would be asleep, but on his genki days, he would roam around the outdoor space, chewing bamboo. Ling-Ling was the oldest panda in Japan. He died at the age of 22 due to heart failure and old age. We were lucky enough to see him one last time.

We spent a warm sunny day enjoying the sights of beautiful animals.

Our child absolutely LOVES anything related to animals!

This eccentric-looking animal is called an Okapi. It has a unique tongue long enough to reach his eyelids. Its' natural habitat is in the Congo in Africa. Markus just loved watching the okapi reach up as it lashed its tongue out to grab leaves from the tree.

Markus thinks the rhinos resemble dinosaurs. I agree.

In the Vivarium, the temperature is kept at high humidity levels important for the survival of the animals. On display are many reptilian species, amphibians, fish, turtles, snakes and a very large crocodile.

Yikes!

Though my mom arrived just a week short of the cherry blossom season, one sakura tree in all of Ueno park continued to bloom beautifully.

The following day we had breakfast with Keiko at a Hawaiian-themed waffle restaurant in Ikebukuro. After satisfying our appetites, I just had to give my mom a shopping tour around town.

After some powerful shopping, I treated mom to a reflexology foot massage. Below, the therapist is preparing mom for her 30-minute session. My mom loved the first-time experience, claiming her body felt relaxed and her feet refreshingly soothed.

According to Wikipedia, "reflexology, or zone therapy, is the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands or ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health."

You can find reflexology boutiques at just about every corner in Tokyo. The practice has become quite popular to both women and men. Being pregnant, I was advised by the therapist that I should wait at least six months into my pregnancy before having it done.


We enjoyed my mom's company during the 12-day visit and brought her to many places to maximize her short stay, while absorbing as much of the Japanese culture as possible.

More to come...

Touring Tokyo with Tita Jasmin and Mom (Frijas)

With the West Japan Tour blogging out of the way, I'm relieved to move on and catch up with posting more of our spring events. It can be rather tedious going through hundreds of photos. However, I can't complain - looking back at previous posts and dwelling on our sweet memories and experiences of Japan, makes it all worthwhile. With only less than two more months, we have much more planned on our agenda before we head back abroad. It's unfathomable how quickly time has passed over the last two years.

The following mixture of photos were taken during the 17-day visit from Mom (Frijas) and Tita Jasmin (Rodney's aunt).

Enjoying the view in Meguro Gajoen's courtyard

Beautiful landscape of a temple in Meguro honoring unborn babies

Sensoji Temple - Hozomon main gates

As mentioned previously, there are recurrent hotspots where we prefer to take visitors to get a good taste of Tokyo, such as the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa; Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building including the Shinjuku area; the shopping district of Ginza and some of the beautiful gardens within in the city; just to name a few. During the week of April 7th, we toured the famed city attractions with Tita Jasmin. Rodney's mom had seen many of these places before on her previous visit in the autumn of 2006. On April 14, they departed Tokyo and flew to the Philippines to visit their family. Rodney's mom would return to Japan after two weeks, while Tita Jasmin extended her stay in the Philippines for a month.

My PEACE child!

The Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Dori is often filled with tourists and locals alike. We've been here numerous amounts of times and still enjoy it.

One of my "must-take-photos" at Asakusa Station

Adorable canines making friends at the temple grounds

Saying a little prayer after offering small change into the donation chamber at Sensoji Temple.

SHINJUKU & TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING

JR West Entrance gates of Shinjuku Station - the busiest station in all of Japan handles over 2 million passengers daily

At the Shinjuku Station, Markus loved the animal-themed coin lockers and insisted he had his photos taken at each one we walked by.

Riding the long conveyer walk in Shinjuku Station west corridor, heading toward the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and the Skyscraper District. Markus calls it the "special escalator".

Unfortunately it happened to be a rainy day and the view was not as spectacular as it could have been. Nonetheless, the tall skyscrapers were visible and you could definitely recognize massiveness of Tokyo beyond the grey skies.

A view from the 45th Floor of the TMGB

It must be revealed that the cafe in the North Observatory of the TMG sells the most delicious blueberry gelato I've ever laid my taste buds on. Sugoii oishikatta!

On the train ride home during the beginning of rush hour, Markus was nearly sandwiched while riding the JR Saikyo Line from Shinjuku. Yet, he didn't utter a word during the 5-minute ride back to Ikebukuro. Mom and Tita Jasmin was jostled toward the center of the train. Tita Jasmin was content and mesmerized by a nice-smelling man she was crammed against!

INOKASHIRA PARK

As part of celebrating my 32nd birthday, we took a trip to one of our favourite parks, Inokashira Koen in Kichioji. We enjoyed a relaxing canoe ride in the pond.

It was a crowded typical Saturday in the park with people enjoying the spring weather. Given that ohanami season was already over, I was quite surprised to see all the people picnicing.

Since the boats were limited to carrying three passengers at a time, mom and Tita Jasmin took a nice stroll in the park in the meantime.

There are times where you really wish you had eyes on the back of your head. I nearly slashed my face with this low-lying tree-branch. Markus and Rodney (my navigators) were too distracted by the ducks, while I was paddling away.

My knights!

Markus of course, urges to take his turn paddling.

Shopping in the Kichioji district. Markus loves the gumball machines. He feels half the fun is putting the money in the slot and turning the dial.

After a day of sight-seeing and shopping we had a delicious DIY dinner at one of my favourite restaurants, Fugu Shabu-Shabu in Ikebukuro. Gosh, I'll really miss this place!