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:

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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 )!

 

[LittleTuna12]

Loving your report @bee! The pictures have been fantastic and yes making me hungry as well!

 

[bee]

I don’t have enough discipline - for me reading TRs is like reading a good book - I just HAVE to keep reading as soon as an update is available to know the next installment of the story

Haha, I do understand the need to just keep reading!

Japan has perfected tiny home living.

I thought Ikea had done that. Lol

To be fair I imagine a lot of non-US countries have figured this out.

Loving your report @bee! The pictures have been fantastic and yes making me hungry as well!

Thank you!

 

[bee]

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!

 

[Rista1313]

Oh my, I wouldn't be able to resist all those japanese goodies .... I would have bought lots... .. I love the picture of what I think was Stationery? And whatever had Mickey Mouse on it!

 

[Swissmiss]

Wow - 9.7 miles for day 5? Wasn’t it primarily meeting up with your friends at the airport and getting to your hostel? And most of this is while dragging your suitcases?

 

[bee]

Oh my, I wouldn't be able to resist all those japanese goodies .... I would have bought lots... .. I love the picture of what I think was Stationery? And whatever had Mickey Mouse on it!

It was so hard not to buy everything!

Wow - 9.7 miles for day 5? Wasn’t it primarily meeting up with your friends at the airport and getting to your hostel? And most of this is while dragging your suitcases?

EDIT: Corrected above!

 

[Kiwiduck]

Day 5, cont.

S and J took a nap but M and I stayed up so we would be able to sleep that night. Around 6:00 everyone was awake and ready to go find dinner. M and I knew going into this trip that we would have a difficult time finding vegetarian foods since seafood is so ingrained in the food culture in Japan. I am positive that we inadvertently ingested fish or pork broth on our trip. Even though at home and throughout the US we are able to be particular about it, we knew we didn't want to be rude and waste food here and we knew there would be a language and cultural barrier. That said, we did our best and tried to find vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the various places we went.

When I searched for "vegetarian restaurants" on Google Maps, some Indian places came up on the map. Most Indian places have lots of veggie options because it is common to be vegetarian in India for religious and cultural reasons. M and I love Indian food and, lucky for us, so do S and J! We picked a nearby Indian/Nepalese restaurant and made our way there.

On the way...

Another interesting thing about Japan: people actually cross at the crosswalk and wait for the walk signal, even if no cars are coming. Sometimes there were no crosswalks for a good bit, even at intersections, so we had to go a somewhat roundabout way to get where we were going. Often Google was aware of this and told us to cross earlier than we would have thought.

We soon arrived at Partik Restaurant.

The owner/host/server greeted us and seated us.

This is for an all you can eat menu, I believe. We ordered a la carte instead.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE VEGETABLE CURRIES!!!

Beer was cheap and we were on vacation!

M and I shared a beer so as not to get too drunk/sleepy.

After we ordered but before the entrees came out, we were served a complimentary salad.

This is apparently a common Japanese salad and it was really good. I don't know what was in the dressings but they were great!

My palak paneer (cubed cheese in a spinach curry)

M's paneer chili (cheese in a tomato/pepper curry)

NAAN!

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this naan was huge!

Both of our curries were delicious. My palak paneer in particular was SOOOO good. It was probably the best palak paneer I've ever had!

In general I didn't take any photos of our friends' food, but I asked to take a photo of the following because it was something I'd never seen before:

Cheese naan

I tried a bit of their cheese naan and didn't really care for it. The cheese was very sweet and it didn't really compliment the curries. S and J both said that cheese naan is typically not sweet. After the meal they asked what kind of cheese was in the cheese naan and the owner told them what kind (I don't remember) and said they put sugar in it also. That explained the overwhelming sweetness!

Many restaurants in Japan are cash only, but this one accepted credit cards. Japanese restaurants do not allow tipping and the service (and usually tax) is included with the meal charge. Here, like at most restaurants we visited, we paid at the cash register at the front.

As we were checking out, the owner asked where we were from. We told him the US and he seemed interested. Unless you live under a rock you probably know that the US does not have a great reputation internationally (made worse by recent events) so we were surprised that he didn't react negatively. Japanese people in particular do not like Trump, not necessarily because of his politics or policies, but because he is impolite!

The owner thanked us for coming to his restaurant and asked how long we would be in Kyoto. We said only three more days but he gave us fliers and invited us back. If we had had more time there we probably would have gone again! Everything was excellent (except the overly sweet cheese naan) and the prices were very reasonable.

After dinner we headed toward a 7-Eleven to get breakfast for the next day. It had been raining throughout the evening and I was glad to have my raincoat. We were almost to the store when M realized she had left her umbrella in the restaurant. She and I walked back and grabbed her umbrella, then met S and J at 7-Eleven.

Up next: The surprises continue!

In New Zealand we also usually pay for our meals at the cash register as we leave. I like it as it is nice and quick. In the US once you decide you are done the whole process of getting and paying the bill takes so long!

 

[MinnieM123]

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

What caught my attention in this group of photos was just how uniformly displayed everything was. All items were lined up perfectly. It's almost like you didn't want to take anything off a shelf, because it would create this gaping hole (empty spot), and ruin the perfection of the display?!

 

[dizfan917]

What caught my attention in this group of photos was just how uniformly displayed everything was. All items were lined up perfectly. It's almost like you didn't want to take anything off a shelf, because it would create this gaping hole (empty spot), and ruin the perfection of the display?!

That is exactly why the retailer I work for doesn't allow anything to be displayed in straight lines or in a formal manner. We don't want customers to have to worry about "ruining" a display when they take one off the shelf. We display things casually in "clumps" not like soldiers in straight lines. I thought it was odd when I started, but it makes a lot of sense to me now and doesn't allow for anyone feeling funny about taking something they are interested in off a shelf. I'm all for less stress in my world.

 

[bee]

Wow - 9.7 miles for day 5? Wasn’t it primarily meeting up with your friends at the airport and getting to your hostel? And most of this is while dragging your suitcases?

I was surprised, too! We did a fair amount of wandering around the airport trying to get my bottle back, finding the train, and then we spent way too long wandering around Kyoto station.

Okay, I figured out the problem! My phone activity log was showing me 24-hour blocks that reflected a day here in the US, not a day in Japan. I've updated my last post with correct numbers, which make way more sense. Thanks for catching that!

In New Zealand we also usually pay for our meals at the cash register as we leave. I like it as it is nice and quick. In the US once you decide you are done the whole process of getting and paying the bill takes so long!

Yes the US process can be infuriating! I also liked that in Austria the server will never bring the check until you ask, but as soon as you ask they are there ready to settle the bill almost instantly.

What caught my attention in this group of photos was just how uniformly displayed everything was. All items were lined up perfectly. It's almost like you didn't want to take anything off a shelf, because it would create this gaping hole (empty spot), and ruin the perfection of the display?!

The Japanese really seem to take pride in organization and neatness. It makes it very easy to find what you need!

That is exactly why the retailer I work for doesn't allow anything to be displayed in straight lines or in a formal manner. We don't want customers to have to worry about "ruining" a display when they take one off the shelf. We display things casually in "clumps" not like soldiers in straight lines. I thought it was odd when I started, but it makes a lot of sense to me now and doesn't allow for anyone feeling funny about taking something they are interested in off a shelf. I'm all for less stress in my world.

Haha, I'm on to your tricks!!!

 

[amjt660]

Just a few things:

Only crossing at a designated location and only when allowed is just the Japan way
Do the right thing

Small house and using every possible sq metre of space is a necessity when your country is small and densely populated

Order and cleanliness is always the Japan way

Paying for a meal
2nd trip I paid and left thinking I had given exactly 1200 yen
I actually had given 10200 yen ( gave the wrong bill with the coins
The lady chased my out on the street to give me my money back!!
I was totally impressed

Loving it all - keep it coming

Max

 

[MinnieM123]

That is exactly why the retailer I work for doesn't allow anything to be displayed in straight lines or in a formal manner. We don't want customers to have to worry about "ruining" a display when they take one off the shelf. We display things casually in "clumps" not like soldiers in straight lines. I thought it was odd when I started, but it makes a lot of sense to me now and doesn't allow for anyone feeling funny about taking something they are interested in off a shelf. I'm all for less stress in my world.

Well, goodness knows, I'm right at home with clumps (or clutter) or anything that's not neat and tidy!

I know what you mean about a more relaxed retail experience. As much as I admire the neatness of the lovely Japanese displays of merchandise, I'd probably (subconsciously) feel like I had to be on "best behavior" while shopping in there, and not touch or move anything out of line!

 

[Doc Disney]

Oh man - this sounds awesome ! However, its also giving me anxiety I dont think I can ever go to Japan - at least not without someone who knows it well. The train situation alone would confuse me and I probably would have just cried This is also why I typically don't go to NYC either even though I dont live that far enough

 

[Zipadeelady]

I thought of you today at our local Hobby Lobby as soon as I saw this

 

[bee]

Just a few things:

Only crossing at a designated location and only when allowed is just the Japan way
Do the right thing

Small house and using every possible sq metre of space is a necessity when your country is small and densely populated

Order and cleanliness is always the Japan way

Paying for a meal
2nd trip I paid and left thinking I had given exactly 1200 yen
I actually had given 10200 yen ( gave the wrong bill with the coins
The lady chased my out on the street to give me my money back!!
I was totally impressed

Loving it all - keep it coming

Max

Yes! Order and cleanliness! And honesty!

Well, goodness knows, I'm right at home with clumps (or clutter) or anything that's not neat and tidy!

I know what you mean about a more relaxed retail experience. As much as I admire the neatness of the lovely Japanese displays of merchandise, I'd probably (subconsciously) feel like I had to be on "best behavior" while shopping in there, and not touch or move anything out of line!

Oh man - this sounds awesome ! However, its also giving me anxiety I dont think I can ever go to Japan - at least not without someone who knows it well. The train situation alone would confuse me and I probably would have just cried This is also why I typically don't go to NYC either even though I dont live that far enough

We definitely had some train mishaps, but by the end we felt like pros! Between multiple human brains and Google Maps we figured it out!

I thought of you today at our local Hobby Lobby as soon as I saw this

View attachment 344606

Cute!

 

[bee]

Day 6: Saturday, December 22 (MY 30TH BIRTHDAY!)

We set an alarm for 6am but both M and I were awake before it went off. We began the morning with our 7-Eleven breakfast:

Egg salad sandwich, instant coffee (actually provided by the hostel, not from 7-Eleven), and pineapple

This was the microwave/"coffee" setup from the hallway:

I am a coffee lover and I am very particular about what coffees I like. I don't tend to like fancy beans/roasts that have too many floral or fruity notes to them. For reference, at home we usually drink Chock Full o'Nuts. In my coffee I like a bit of real sugar and half and half. I don't usually like flavored non-dairy creamer because it tastes too sweet and fake to me. I like espresso as an occasional treat but I don't like lattes as my stomach gets upset at so much milk in one sitting. (I'm not lactose intolerant-I just don't enjoy milk and haven't since I was a child.) All this is to say that I normally do NOT do instant coffee because...what's the point? And yet, the Nescafe instant coffees provided by the hostel were pretty decent, and did the job while we were staying there.

Everyone was ready to leave by our planned departure time of 7:00am. We set out in the hopes that getting INTO Kyoto Station would be easier than getting OUT of it had been.

Mailboxes

Umbrellas outside the hostel entrance. Side note: I always notice umbrellas everywhere because I run an instagram account with pictures of broken and abandoned umbrellas in and around NYC. If you are interested: https://www.instagram.com/umbrellas_of_newyork/

We're on our way...

As you may have gathered from the umbrellas and the wet ground, it was a rather wet day!

Up next: Will we make it into Kyoto Station???

 

[bee]

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!!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

Soon we arrived at the Bamboo Forest, our first destination of the day!

A non-bamboo among the bamboo

Up next: Get ready for more bamboo!!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

Another not-bamboo

We saw several of these poles on the trip, in and near sacred places.

As you can see, there were lots of cool places to visit in the area!

Up next: How is EVERYTHING here so BEAUTIFUL???

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

After the Bamboo Forest we walked toward the nearby river.

(after we climbed down these stairs)

Today is the day we started saying, "This is a good rock," or, "This is a good tree," etc., to whatever pretty things we saw! It probably just sounds silly but it was funny to us at the time.

Hi, river!

"This is a good statue!"

Up next: The Japanese Squat Toilet Encounter!