Mom, Rochelle and Keith - Japan Vacation Part 1

We were very happy to welcome Mom (Frijas), Rochelle and Keith on October 14.

They couldn't have asked for better weather. During the 10 days of Keith and Rochelle's stay, it was sunny and warm - just perfect for our daily sightseeing travels.

They seemed to have adjusted to the time change with no problems. Markus also shared in the excitement of their arrival.

He was showered, or shall I say spoiled with new toys and clothes. Again, the week-and-a-half flew by so quickly, yet our days were filled with nothing short of excitement. There seemed to be no rests in between.

Keiko was especially kind enough to take us on one of our first excursions to a town called Shibamata, which is little over an hour away from home by trains. It had the ambiance of old Tokyo and areas of Kyoto. There we visited the beautiful Taishakuten Daikyo Temple and also strolled through a lovely Japanese Suikeien garden. Along the exterior walls of the Taishaku Hall there are ten wood-carved panels that depict scenes from the Lotus Sutra. These pictures do not do our experience justice. It was such an amazing sight to see. One highlight of the trip was Keith eating a grasshopper delicacy saturated in some kind of sauce.

Bowl of grasshoppers sauteed in mystery sauce!

Going...Going...
Gone!

Of all people, I would never have expected Keith to pull off such a Fear Factor-ish stunt! Yikes!

The beautiful Suikeien Garden

Wall art in Asakusa Station

The following day, we took the Sumida River boat cruise then ventured to Asakusa to see the infamous Sensoji Temple and shopped down Nakamise Dori for traditional Japanese souvenirs. (For more info on Asakusa, check out previous posts.)

On Wednesday, Keith, Rochelle and I toured and shopped in Shinjuku. It didn't take them long to realize just how much Tokyo really is a shopper's paradise. We then enjoyed a 360-degree view of Tokyo high atop the Tokyo

Metropolitan Government Building then ended in Ginza at The Sony Building where we checked out the latest and greatest technology and gadgets which included home theatres and PlayStation3.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Hey, we're on TV!

Keith testing out PlayStation3, due out in November

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Rodney's Chigasaki Fishing Trip

Early Saturday morning on October 7th, Rodney went charter fishing with a group of Honda members in Yokohama Bay. For 10,000 yen person, they were provided as much shirmp bait as needed to catch as many fish as they could.

The whole week prior to the fishing trip, we were hit by torrential rains from the typhoon, however, Saturday turned out to be a hot and sunny day. The beautiful back drop of Mt. Fuji in the distance added a nice touch to the trip.




Unlike his first fishing trip in August, luck was on Rodney's side. He was happy to catch seven fish called Aji and Bonito, plus three other "junk" fish, which were actually much larger in size, but was advised to throw them back in the water. That evening, Rodney cleaned and gutted the fish out himself (I wouldn't dare touch it). Thank goodness we have a sink conveniently located on our balcony.

After fileting the fish, I cooked it in broth and vegetables and made a soup dish. Oishikattadesu. (It was delicious). However, we've been told that preparing it as sashimi is most delicious. Guess we'll have to try that out next!

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!!

Hi Turkeys!

Just wanted to wish all my Canadian Family and Friends a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We miss you guys and wish we could join you for a nice turkey dinner (since turkey is so rare here...ugh!)

CHEERS!

Kyoto Weekend

Aboard the bullet train early morning on September 21

Kyoto Station

Entrance to Kiyomizu Temple

Overlooking the amazing horizon from atop Kiyomizu Temple

For 2 days, we crammed in a lot of sights and of course a lot of walking in Japan's former capital, Kyoto. With a population of over 1.5 million, Kyoto seemed a lot more urbanized than I imagined. When we arrived by bullet train after a 2-hour ride, I was in awe of Kyoto Station's modern architecture. The station was huge! In our travels, we learned much of Kyoto's rich history. After checking in to our ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel room, we headed to the Kiyomizu Temple where lush forests surrounded the perimeter. Narrow sloped streets lead up to the temple with several souvenir shops all around. I'm sure the folliage will be a phenomenal site during the autumn season.

After an early tonkatsu dinner (pork fillet), we then headed down to Gion where we saw real geisha walking to famous teahouses. We were amongst other foreigners snapping photos of geisha as they swiftly walked pass the crowds heading toward their engagements. Just around the corner, on Shijo St., we found ourselves walking through the crowded shopping districts and Kyoto's Craft Center. After all the walking, we finally found Island Parlor, a posh restaurant/bar where Rodney had gone to the first time in Kyoto in 2003. There we enjoyed great beer and appetizers for a hefty price. The bar's deck overlooked the Shirakawa River, where there happened to be a filming crew shooting a movie scene that night. It ended up being a late night but Markus was a trooper.

Geisha heading to teahouses in Gion

Markus browsing through souvenir shop

Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion)

Our next day consisted of visiting more temples and shrines. The first stop was the Kinkakuji Temple, known as the Golden Pavilion - a definite must-see. The castle's second and third floors are literally covered in gold leaf on Japanese lacquer. It's a gorgeous site especially with its reflection off of the Kyoko-chi (Mirror pond) surrounding the castle. Visitors were not permitted enter the castle, but we thoroughly enjoyed our walk through the Zen gardens.

Zen garden scapes

PEACE!

Entrance to Nijo-jo Castle

Other sites we saw included the Nijo-jo Castle (photos were not allowed to be taken within the building), Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto Tower, and more Zen garden.

Outside Nijo-jo Castle's well-manicured gardens

To complete our trip, I had the Maiko geisha makeover done at the Yume Koubou Studio. Maiko is the term used to refer to apprentice geisha. The make-up artists literally used a brush to paint the my face and neck white. I was able to select my own kimono and obi, out of hundreds they had available. Although it took over an hour to get made-up, fully dressed and photographed, it was really a neat experience. I do have to say that the wig felt like it weighed a ton and the kimono was tied up very tightly. Needless to say, not very comfortable at all. I couldn't imagine putting forth these efforts of getting dressed on a regular basis. The photographer was kind enough to let Ritchie in the studio to take pictures after he was done.

Mt. Fuji

The clouds and rolling hills beneath

Ritchie and Paul arrived in Tokyo on the 9th of September. The last two weeks flew by and as expected, we were busy as ever touring in and around Tokyo.

It was great exploring new sites and restaurants with Ritchie and Paul. After learning the Tokyo Metro and Japan Rail Systems, they explored much of Tokyo themselves.

A view of the exhiliarating sunrise, from high atop Mt. Fuji

I'm sure they would agree with me by saying that our Mt. Fuji climbing expedition on September 15, was most memorable. Indeed it was an arduous journey and we were so happy to have made it to the top at over 3,776 feet (12,300 feet) high. A group of us including Rodney's co-workers Monma-san, Ian Haggerty and Tark Martin, along with Ritchie, Paul and myself (Rode) started the ascend at approx. 1:45am. Rodney stayed home with Markus since he'd done the climb back on a previous visit in 2003.

Ritchie and I trailed, but we made it in time close enough to the top to see the breathtaking sunrise above the clouds. Absolutely spectacular! Words cannot explain the sense of peace and awe I felt gazing at the expanse of blue sky above and white clouds beneath me. It was unbelieveably quiet up there, I could hear my heart thumping underneath all the layers of clothes. We experienced drastic temperature changes on our ascend. We climbed during the off-season, so huts or stations were not open as usual. At one point, (can't remember if it was the 8th station), it was so cold that I shivered so much I felt I was going to keel over. The altitude's thin air didn't help much with my feeling of lightheadedness. The thought of turning around and heading back crossed my mind, but at that point I was so committed, I had to continue. It was almost 8:00am when we reached the summit.

Breathing in oxygen

Ironically, the descent proved to be more difficult, though taking less time. Climbing down was much like a balancing act stepping down on unstable lava rocks. Ritchie slipped and had a rough tumble. Luckily no major injuries, just some small rock debris embedded in this palm and not to mention a nice gaping hole in his pants at the knee. Paul claimed he had a religious experience on the mountain. Up ahead in the distance, we could see Paul wobbling down the mountain and at times hunched over huge boulders, perhaps praying to the Mt. Fuji gods to end the misery!!

Paul taking a last break at the summit of Mt. Fuji before descending

Ritchie struggling to get up shortly after his tumble

Looking back, it was a fulfilling challenge both physically and mentally. I'm happy we did it and happy it's over! Special thanks to Monma-san for driving us out to Mt. Fuji.