Return to the Rising Sun, Days 9-10: Take the Last Bullet Train to Hiroshima

Day 9

Our time in Kawaguchiko had come to an end and now it was time to do a bit of cross-country travel.  We would be traveling over 1,000 miles to visit Hiroshima and to do so we would need to take the Shinkansen, better known as the bullet train.

The Shinkansen (bullet train)

The Shinkansen travels at speeds of 200 mph and its truly amazing to blur past buildings, people, and cars while traveling at a rate of over 3 miles a minute.  Before we boarded the bullet train I purchased a famed meal of Japan:  eki-ben (or the bento box).  Eki-ben is essentially a pre-packaged meal.  I picked up one with rice, chicken, pickles, dumplings, and some type of vegetable.  I was also amused by the Smurf-sized bottle of soy sauce for rice.  There was also a tiny packet of hot mustard and I mean HOT.  A little of that stuff went a long way.  I had a pinprick’s worth of the stuff and it cleared my sinuses.

The ride was comfy and fun as I watched the country fly by.  I had to time my photos very carefully so they wouldn’t become a blurry mess.  Amy had the most interesting travel partner as she was seated next to a Buddhist monk and they had a most engaging conversation.

About 4:30pm we arrived in Hiroshima.  We hopped a light rail and rode to the neighborhood where our next apartment would be located.

Our apartment in Hiroshima was well taken care of, but, man, was it tiny.  Supposedly it could sleep the original 6 who were to be part of our group, but getting the four of us in was a rather tight squeeze.  I found it difficult to believe that one person could live in this apartment for an extended period because there simply isn’t much room.

There wasn’t much on our minds except to explore the city a bit.  I was struck by the impressiveness of the city when most of the city had been wiped off the map nearly 70 years prior due to the dropping of the atomic bomb.  This was something we’d learn more about the next day when we visited the Peace Memorial.

Our group visited the main drag where we found a little toy and hobby shop that boasted a retro arcade on the second floor.  Now this was an arcade that suited me.  Pac-Man, Vs. Super Mario Bros., Rygar, Space Invaders:  these were games suited to my tastes.  I passed a bit of time playing Popeye while the rest of the group wandered about the store.

Food was the next thing on our minds so we found a Lotteria’s.  Lotteria’s is kind of an upscale burger joint.  I had a DX burger and fries which were OK.  I didn’t think the quality of the food matched the price.  From there it was more arcading, then back to the apartment for rest.

Day 10

I had washed my clothes in the apartment’s washing machine and left them to dry overnight.  With all the heat and humidity we’d been facing, I’d forgotten how good a fresh pair of clothes could feel as I dressed that morning.

We lounged around for most of the morning before getting some lunch at a nearby KFC.  I had a simple chicken sandwich with some Coloneling potatoes which wasn’t too bad.  After lunch, Mat led our little group to the Rihga Royal Hotel where he and Dave stayed 4 years prior.  It seemed quite luxurious and boasted an impressive staircase in the lobby.

After that we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial which made for the most moving day on this journey.  I can’t properly express the feelings I had as I walked around the museum, but it was very eye-opening to learn about the dropping of the atomic bomb from the point of view of the victims.  The exhibits were quite powerful, sometimes even grisly, as we were educated about the effects and impact of the bomb.  Several people working at the museum were survivors of that tragic day and hearing their stories added a depth and texture that I will never forget.  It was a moment I was glad to have experienced.

At the end of this haunting experience, we hiked back to the main drag where we stopped at Mister Donut for a chewy treat and then gamed a bit more.  Then we returned to our apartment to drop up the prizes of the others and burned a couple of hours before heading out to dinner.

Mister Donut

Hiroshima is famed for its okonomiyaki, but we didn’t get to eat any.  It was nearly 9pm when we ventured out and none of us knew that Hiroshima closed up early.  Most of the restaurants closed about 9pm so we were forced to visit a McDonald’s before returning to our apartment for the night.

Return to the Rising Sun, Day 4: Going Home Again. . .Well, Sort of

When it rains, it pours.

And I mean pours.  I awoke at about 4:15am and rain was just coming down in buckets over Shinagawa.  Still, there was something peaceful about listening to the rain pelt the ground as I went to the kitchen to post pictures and write yesterday’s article.

We ended up being pinned inside the apartment until nearly noon when the rain finally let up and cleared.  We decided to make our way to Ikebukuro which had been our base of operations for the Tokyo Maximum tour four years ago.  The place had changed a bit in the intervening four years.  A few new businesses had sprouted and the McDonald’s where we had eaten a few meals had been remodeled.

The first thing we tried was to relocate the Mountain Dew machine for Dave.  Alas, our efforts were for naught as the machine was no longer there.  Instead we walked to the ramen joint that always has a line out the door to find that there was a line out the door.

We debated waiting, but as it was already 1pm, we opted to have okonomiyaki instead.  I settled for a regular okonomiyaki and water while most of the other chose sets which included rice and cabbage salad.  We had a leisurely lunch and then left to start walking around the district.

The sky had clouded up during lunch and a few sprinkles began to fall.  With the sunshine, I had left my umbrella at the apartment.  Dave asked me if I were going to buy a new one, but I declined as a few sprinkles were not going to bother me.  Mother Nature proceeded to call my bluff as the rain began to intensify.  I ran into a nearby 7-11 to purchase yet another umbrella, but Andrew bought one big enough for us to share and we shuffled around the district to Tokyu Hands.

Tokyu Hands is a department store and I took a brief glance around the store before heading outside to wait and did some people watching.  Saturday was a good day to get an idea of the massive population size of the city as the streets were jam packed with people.

Eventually our group came together and began making our way to Sunshine City, though we had a brief stopover at Super Potato, a vintage video game store.  This time Mat’s GPS did not fail as we reached Sunshine City in record time.

Most of the group opted to go to a Pokemon store, but as I had no interest, I watched a rather interesting Hawaiian dance demonstration going on at the bottom of the mall.

When the rest of the group came out of Pokemon, we decided to grab some dinner at Café Miami Garden known for pasta and pizza.  I split a pepperoni pizza with Andrew who kindly picked up the tab.

After dinner, we spent the rest of the evening at the arcade.  I found a machine that had Elevator Action and played a few rounds on it before teaming up with Mat to do some major league damage on Luigi’s Mansion.

It had been a long day and we returned to the apartment for another night of rest.

A Journey Beyond Imagination, Day 2: Culture Immersion

Despite having been awake for most of the last three days, I still managed to awake before either of my roommates.  I felt greatly refreshed and felt only slight effects from the jet lag so my acclimation plan seemed to work in that regard.  I took a look out of our window and marveled at the fact that I was now on the other side of the planet.  Then I decided I would take a long, hot bath which unwound me a bit and helped clear up the slight fog of jet lag.

My cohorts were up and about by the time I had finished cleaning up and soon we were in the lobby meeting up with Yukie and the rest of the tour group.  Joining our little group were Kelly and Savannah Nicholes.  Yukie gave us our tour bags which contained swag, itineraries, and a little card worth 2,000 yen that could be used at Family Mart which is similar to a 7-11 in America.  These convenience stores can be found on nearly every street corner.  At one point during the trip, I found a Family Mart across the street from a Family Mart which was kitty corner from a third Family Mart.

We were given about an hour to kill before beginning our half day bus tour, so Dave, Mat, and I wandered around the neighborhood a bit.  What I found most amazing is that I felt safer in Japan than I have in parts of America.  A big reason for that is that Japan has a low crime rate.  This is probably because America is very egocentric, meaning that the focus is on the self.  But in Japan, the focus is on the family unit.  If you do something wrong, it brings shame to your family as well as yourself, so that probably helps keep the crime rate down.

There was a Family Mart right across the street from our hotel, so I bought a ham sandwich and a cocoa drink that was so tasty, I had it all, but one day that we were in Tokyo.  Mat had melon bread and Dave bought some little pancake sandwiches which two little pancakes about twice the size of a silver dollar that had the butter and syrup in between.  It was a nice day so we ate and chatted outside of our hotel.

Soon we had hopped onto a bus to begin our half day sightseeing tour.  We began by going to Tokyo Tower which looks exactly like the Eiffel Tower except it is a bright orange.  The top of the tower gave us a spectacular view of the city.  After exploring the tower, the bus took us to the Mejier Shrine.  Before entering the shrine, we went to a purification area to make us worthy to enter the shrine.

The purification area consists of a long vat of water and you take a ladle and pour water over your left hand, then your right hand, then you swish the water around in your mouth, spit, and tilt the ladle backwards to remove any remaining water.  In the shrine was a prayer board where people would post prayers they hoped to have fulfilled.  Once the board is full, the prayers are burned and offered to the gods.  Apparently, the board fills up pretty quickly around school entrance exam time as tests must be passed not only to get into college, but high school, as well.

I spent my first yen here when I bought a charm for my mother.  I was a bit puzzled at first when the clerk pointed to a tray instead of taking my money.  Mat pointed out that taking money from a customer was considered rude in Japan.  The customer places the money on a small tray because that means he or she is giving the money to the clerk.  As I placed a crisp, new 2,000 yen bill onto the tray, I saw Mat’s eyes flash in wonder.

“Did you just pay with a 2,000 yen bill?” asked Mat.

“Yes,” I replied, concerned that I was making a faux pas.

“Son of a b—–!” exclaimed Mat.  “I didn’t know they had those.  Do you have any more?”

“Yes, it was the only denomination I brought,” I said.

“I’m buying some as soon as we get back to the hotel,” said Mat.

From Mejier Shrine, we then went to the Imperial Palace gardens where I stared goggle eyed at the lush beauty of the grounds.  After soaking up the scenery, our tour bus then took us to Akhibara where we would begin an afternoon shopping tour.

First, Mat, Dave, and I had a light lunch in the Gundam Café, which is based on the anime series, Gundam Wing.  I had a light snack of a couple of chicken wings and some water and my companions played their 3DS machines while I snapped photos.

Soon we were walking the streets of Akhibara, visiting the numerous toy, electronics, and manga shops that littered the area.  In a place as massive as Tokyo, space comes at a premium.  You can’t even own a car unless you own land that you can park it on.  So most people get around Tokyo using foot power, bicycles, or the subway.  Consequently, one didn’t see a lot of traffic in the area.  The lack of space also means that businesses are housed in tall buildings.  Either multiple businesses will occupy an individual floor on the building or the business will have each department on a specific floor.

After wandering around and shopping, our group met up back where we had been dropped off and we caught a subway back to our hotel.  From there we took a night walk around Ikebukuro and ended the evening at an okonomiyaki restaurant.  Okonomiyaki is like a Japanese pizza.  The fillings are mixed into the dough and it is cooked in front of you.  I partook of a shrimp, octopus, and pork okonomiyaki.  The waitress really liked the Son Goku (a character from a series called Dragonball) shirt I was wearing and after dinner, we took a group photo outside of the restaurant doing the Kamehameha wave (Goku’s signature attack).

After an exhausting day, we returned to our hotel to rest and recharge for more adventures.