Trip Report *COMPLETED* I've climbed the mountain, I've crossed the river, and I'm almost there!

Introduction

We've only been back from Japan since Saturday night but I am just itching to get started on this report! We had an absolutely AMAZING trip and I'm not ready to let it go, and writing my TR is one way for me to delay the inevitable return back to "the real world." This was the longest vacation I've ever taken, and like any long trip-or any new experience, for that matter-there were ups and downs, good moments and not-so-good moments. There were mistakes, mishaps, mountains, and monkeys. Yes, monkeys! There were surprises and there was DRAMMA!* There were things we will do differently next time we visit Japan, and believe me, we knew less than halfway through the trip that there WILL be a next time someday!

In case you missed the PTR, here it is: Bee's Big Birthday! There you can read about the cast, the general plans, and the reasons for planning this particular trip.

Now about the title: It's a reference to this song from The Princess and the Frog:

​

I have been kind of obsessed with this song lately and I found myself singing it in my head repeatedly during the trip. You'll see why soon!

So, if you're ready for a journey halfway around the world, thousands of photos, and Double Disney bookends, keep reading!

EDIT: The Tokyo Disney stuff starts here.

*I've mentioned it in previous TRs, but I like to spell "dramma" the Italian way because I'm an opera singer and what's more DRAMMAtic than Italian opera?? So please don't think I'm an idiot (for that reason anyway )!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

This little building is a bathroom!

Although many hotels, airports, restaurants, etc., have fancy electric toilets with all the bells and whistles, many public toilets in Japan look like this:

For a humorous take on the squat toilet, watch the video below. The channel is made by a married couple; the wife is American and the husband is Japanese and they live in Japan and both speak both languages fluently or near-fluently.



I completely understand and respect the use of the squat toilet, but I certainly did not have time to learn how to use one!

Luckily for us, one stall had one of these:

Complete with "flashing lever"

Something we learned this day: Many Japanese bathrooms have a sink for hand washing, but NO SOAP!!! I am not here to judge an entire country or culture, but it seemed odd to me since the Japanese are generally into cleanliness and hygiene (see: face masks, fancy showers and toilets, taking off shoes in homes and some places of business...). Luckily at least two of us were carrying hand sanitizer at all times!

With our toilet adventure out of the way we continued admiring this beautiful place.

I think we ended up walking back through the Bamboo Forest to get to our next destination: the Tenriyuji Temple and Garden.

Up next: A magical fairytale place!

 

[amjt660]

I was wondering how long it would take until you mentioned the Japan style toilet

8 trips to Japan , over 16 weeks in total-
Never used one- either found a North America style or just held it

Then again I can write my name in the snow so holding it is not a big issue for me!!!

Loving the pics and the fact that you kept falling behind the group to take them
I do the same thing with my family

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

Goal: Learn something new every day.

Today I learned how to use a squat toilet.

I feel much smarter!

Never stop learning.....even if you never intend to utilize the information.

 

[Rista1313]

oooh I can't use squat toilet because I have a big booty... LOL

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Day 5, cont.

M and I joined our friends at the 7-Eleven near the Indian restaurant.

All of the premade foods (salads, sandwiches, etc.) are very fresh. This is nothing like US convenience stores where you have no idea how long something has been sitting on the shelf!!

Cheap wine! We didn't buy any here but we would take advantage of 7-Eleven's alcohol selection later in the trip...

M and I got some sandwiches and sliced fruit for breakfast. Some more Japanese things we learned today: The Japanese are very clear and honest when dealing with money (at least in all our experiences). There was always a clear display of the total on cash registers, and if there wasn't, the sales person had a calculator and typed out the total so everyone was in clear agreement about the amount to pay. Most checkout stands have a small tray on which to place your money. If there is no tray you can hand the cash directly to the cashier and they will accept it with both hands and a little bow. When giving change, the cashier counts out the change very clearly so there is no chance of a mistake. Once we miscounted and overpaid and the cashier counted the change in the tray and took only the correct amount and kind of slid the extra coinage our direction so we could take it back. I love honesty and respect!

With tomorrow's breakfast in hand we walked back to the hostel.

This guy is EVERYWHERE in Japan lol

More vending machines in a very residential area

M and I were totally exhausted and I think we went to bed around 8, while S and J stayed up and watched something on their computer with headphones. Even though our room was small, it was really nice to have a little separation and privacy. Although, S did tell me she was afraid to drink water after a certain point because she didn't want to have to descend the ladder in the dark to use the bathroom!

Day 5 Stats
Distance: 3.7 miles
Steps: 9082
Flights: 3

Up next: Day 6, when my TR title is most relevant!

That is the nicest 7 eleven I ever saw, and I bet you didn't leave smelling like coffee and old hot dogs.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Day 6, cont.

I am happy to report that we made it into Kyoto Station!

We found it pretty easy to use Google Maps to get transit directions. It even told us which platform our train would be on! Once we got to the platform S asked a conductor which train we needed by showing him the app and he confirmed that we were in the right place. We hopped right on a train and left almost immediately. The train ride was very comfortable and smooth, even during arrival and departure. We were standing the whole ride and, unlike in New York, I could actually reach the handholds! I am not even short (5'5") but I can almost never reach them on buses or trains here!

In a few minutes we were arriving at Saga-Arashiyama Station.

We noticed these in a lot of big stations! It was quite helpful during busy times!

Today established a precedent of me staying behind to take a million photos and catching up to the rest of the group later.

Up next: Our first destination of the day! It's magical!!

A piano museum? With your background, did you have any urge to go in?

 

[bee]

I was wondering how long it would take until you mentioned the Japan style toilet

8 trips to Japan , over 16 weeks in total-
Never used one- either found a North America style or just held it

Then again I can write my name in the snow so holding it is not a big issue for me!!!

Loving the pics and the fact that you kept falling behind the group to take them
I do the same thing with my family

Max

In our experience it was never difficult to find a bathroom, unlike SOME places I have visited (Europe!). I also don't think we encountered any bathroom that didn't have at least one western toilet.

Goal: Learn something new every day.

Today I learned how to use a squat toilet.

I feel much smarter!

Never stop learning.....even if you never intend to utilize the information.

I hope that by the end of this trip report you feel EXTRA smart because you will have learned so much!

oooh I can't use squat toilet because I have a big booty... LOL

SAME!

That is the nicest 7 eleven I ever saw, and I bet you didn't leave smelling like coffee and old hot dogs.

We surely didn't!

A piano museum? With your background, did you have any urge to go in?

I did! But it was early on a Saturday morning and it was closed!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Day 6, cont.

This little building is a bathroom!

Although many hotels, airports, restaurants, etc., have fancy electric toilets with all the bells and whistles, many public toilets in Japan look like this:

For a humorous take on the squat toilet, watch the video below. The channel is made by a married couple; the wife is American and the husband is Japanese and they live in Japan and both speak both languages fluently or near-fluently.



I completely understand and respect the use of the squat toilet, but I certainly did not have time to learn how to use one!

Luckily for us, one stall had one of these:

Complete with "flashing lever"

Something we learned this day: Many Japanese bathrooms have a sink for hand washing, but NO SOAP!!! I am not here to judge an entire country or culture, but it seemed odd to me since the Japanese are generally into cleanliness and hygiene (see: face masks, fancy showers and toilets, taking off shoes in homes and some places of business...). Luckily at least two of us were carrying hand sanitizer at all times!

With our toilet adventure out of the way we continued admiring this beautiful place.

I think we ended up walking back through the Bamboo Forest to get to our next destination: the Tenriyuji Temple and Garden.

Up next: A magical fairytale place!

Squat toilet? Umm, no thanks. I will hold it like @amjt660 . After all, I held it pretty much all through high school.

 

[amjt660]

oooh I can't use squat toilet because I have a big booty... LOL

For the win!!

Max

 

[NessNewt]

I was in Tanzania this past summer and used a squat toilet MANY times. Sometimes it was the only option. Sometimes I elected to use it to give some of the slightly older members of our group faster access to the more traditional toilet. The one you have pictured looks really nice!

 

[LadyBelle]

That Bamboo forest is amazing!

The toilet.....not so much.

 

[MinnieM123]

I really like the hostel you stayed at. It seemed so cozy and welcoming--I like the little signs they put out in English for you.

Kyoto is beautiful--love the pictures!!

 

[DisSplash]

I am loving all of your pictures! Love the stroll through Kyoto, the walk through the Bamboo Forest, and the park along the river! Truly beautiful, especially the forest and the park ... I can only imagine how gorgeous it is in the Spring!

My only question is where are all of the people in Kyoto?!

 

[fractal]

Squat Toilet = unlimited potential for disaster.

JMO.

 

[bee]

Squat toilet? Umm, no thanks. I will hold it like @amjt660 . After all, I held it pretty much all through high school.

I mean...if that had really been the only option and I really needed it I would have used it. But I never needed to!

I was in Tanzania this past summer and used a squat toilet MANY times. Sometimes it was the only option. Sometimes I elected to use it to give some of the slightly older members of our group faster access to the more traditional toilet. The one you have pictured looks really nice!

I’m sure I COULD HAVE if I really needed to, but luckily for me I didn’t need to! They were all pretty nice/clean like that.

That Bamboo forest is amazing!

The toilet.....not so much.

Hahaha! That bamboo WAS amazing!

I really like the hostel you stayed at. It seemed so cozy and welcoming--I like the little signs they put out in English for you.

Kyoto is beautiful--love the pictures!!

Even though it was small, it was well-appointed and a great value!

I am loving all of your pictures! Love the stroll through Kyoto, the walk through the Bamboo Forest, and the park along the river! Truly beautiful, especially the forest and the park ... I can only imagine how gorgeous it is in the Spring!

My only question is where are all of the people in Kyoto?!

This part was on a Saturday morning. They definitely appeared over the next few hours! I also tried to frame my photos so as to get as few people in them as possible. Sometimes I waited behind for people to move out of the way.

Squat Toilet = unlimited potential for disaster.

JMO.

Hahaha!!!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

After a short walk we arrived at the Tenriyuji Temple and Garden. While many or most temples are free to visit, some require an admission fee. We decided to pay for just entry to the garden because a lot of the temple was open air and we could see inside without going inside. I did my best to conduct the admission transaction only in Japanese so I could get used to hearing common words and phrases. I later realized that I said "Konnichiwa" (good day) when I really should have said "Ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning) which I'm sure was a dead giveaway that I'm a foreigner (not that I look AT ALL Japanese) but I learned my lesson and tried to use time-appropriate greetings the rest of the trip.

A quick note about admission fees: all the museums, gardens, parks, etc., that we visited had very cheap admission fees compared to American museums. This garden was only 400 yen per person (about $4) and something like this in the US would have cost waaaaay more! When I remember the entry fees for certain things I will post them in my TR.

Onto the garden!!!

When we got to this pond, my jaw literally dropped and I stopped breathing for a second because it was SO. BEAUTIFUL. The photos don't even do it justice. I felt like I was in a completely different world.

A bit of the temple:

As you can (maybe) see from the gif above, it was lightly raining while we were there. It was still early and there were hardly any other people there.

Up next: More temple and garden!!!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

We had heard than in Japan you have to bring your own TP or buy it at the bathroom. This was actually the only place where we encountered this, but we came prepared with wetwipes and tissues just in case.

I kept seeing these pink flowers everywhere. I asked but neither S nor J knew what they were. Maybe Max knows? @amjt660 ?

Up next: MORE!!!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

In the garden we saw signs for an all vegetarian restaurant, but sadly it wasn't open yet and we wouldn't be able to come back. Although vegetarianism is not big for the general population of Japan, many temples have a veggie restaurant due to Buddhist beliefs about animals and nature.

Up next: Wrapping up the temple and garden, and visiting a shrine!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

After we had taken in all the amazing garden we could handle, we said goodbye to the temple and headed toward our next destination.

More vending machines!!!

This was delicious! It was kind of like Sprite if it were less corn syrup-y and more lemon-y and more fizzy.

Next we arrived at a shrine. What is the difference between a shrine and a temple, you may ask? They are from two different religions: Shinto (shrine) and Buddhism (temple). Here is an article that explains it better than I could:

http://www.nihonsun.com/2008/11/14/temple-or-shrine-whats-the-difference/

Though my photos don't show it, there were waaaaay more people at the shrine to pray. Shrines get very busy around the end of the year and especially at the beginning of the year as people come to pray for good fortune in the new year. An article on shrine praying:

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/how-to-pray-at-a-japanese-shinto-shrine/

Up next: More temples! More shrines!!

 

[Darstarr]

This is a good trip report