Miyakojima, Okinawa – Sparkling Blue Waters And Sand As Fine As Sifted Flour

View From Our Hotel Room

June – July 2007

As I was planning our first trip to Japan with our girls, my husband looks at me and said, “I want to go to the beach while in Japan.” I looked at him and thought and remarked, “Are you kidding??? Who goes to Japan for a beach vacation???” I mean – we live in California for crying out loud! Okay, the waters in Northern California are too cold without a wet suit but still, the beaches are pretty and we don’t have to drive far to find them.

He was persistent…it’s actually his strength, unless of course I am the one being worked on, then it’s a problem. As I considered his unusual request, I recalled wanting to go to Okinawa when I was living in Japan. My family never did go to Okinawa. The airfare was too expensive back then. Now that I was living in the US I had an advantage…I could purchase internal airfare at a discount. (I think we paid perhaps as little as a third of what the Japanese would have paid for air.) I decided on Miyakojima, a smaller island south of the main island of Okinawa. We avoided the main island mainly due to cost. All the hotels and resorts I looked at on the main island were expensive. The Miyakojima Tokyu Resort was reasonably priced and I was happy with the email exchanges I had with one of the reservationists.

After a week or so in Tokyo we took the 5:45am flight out of Haneda Airport to Miyakojima. We had a taxi waiting for us to take us to Haneda Airport from Roppongi. We had a nice driver but not the one we would have chosen, if given a choice. He was a soba noodle shop owner who was driving a taxi on the side to make ends meet. I very much doubt he knew the best way and to make my point, he circled within the airport 3 times before getting us to the right terminal at a cost of JPY7000.

When I called to confirm our flight, the lady on the line had told me we could get to the airport 15min before departure – which seemed totally ridiculous so I decided we could get there 30min ahead of time. We left the hotel at 6am and arrived at Haneda around 6:35am. Our flight was at 7:20. There was no line. The airport was large and there were quite a few people, but it was very quiet. It’s something that you notice here – silence in large public spaces or restaurants. Unlike in the US where most people talk loudly, the Japanese are very respectful of noise. I appreciate the silence but I felt self conscious with our energetic and yes loud girls in tow.

The flight to Miyakojima took about 2hr45min on Transocean Air, an affiliate of JAL. No food was served but it still felt like a full service airline. They stocked kids books and candies. The kids got to pick a toy each from a basket full of toys the flight attendant brought. They served consommé soup in addition to the usual drinks. The hot soup was a hit with our girls. They asked for seconds!

Miyakojima was hot and appeared underdeveloped, natural – unmanicured. However, its beaches were amazing. The sand was soft as sifted flour and the water varying shades of blue. Perfect. The hotel itself was OK. The price was comparable to the Grand Hyatt Kauai but lacked the extensive pools and lagoon, scale and pristine landscaping. Our first room had a faulty air conditioner and a bathroom that was miniscule. I am not tall, 5’2” actually, and I could touch the walls of the bathroom both ways! with my arms out stretched. There were two things going for the hotel - Maehama Beach in front of the hotel with its creamy white sand and clear blue water and the Restaurant Shangri-La’s buffet. Both breakfast and dinner (we had the meal plan) were amazing!! My husband could not get enough of the steak at dinner and the first time he went back for seconds, the chef looked a little surprised. He must not get too many people eating such large quantity of meat in one sitting. (My husband grew up eating large chunks of meat everyday so seconds on steak was nothing for him.)

Despite the wonderful spread at the hotel, we opted to go into town one evening to soak up the local scene of Hirara. It was a very bad decision. When we reached the entrance of the recommended restaurant, Uomiya, my older daughter sniffed. I also smelled the odor and it did not bode well. She also remarked as we walked into the place “this does not look like other restaurants”. It did look shabby and smelled funny. We should have skedaddled out of there as soon as we smelled the place! We sat in a private tatami room and ordered the JPY3000 course.

We started off with a vinegary and sweet seaweed concoction. That was bad really bad. But the rafute or braised pork belly was good. Next was fish in cream sauce and sashimi. Sashimi was great but the most interesting thing about it was the umi budo seaweed. Cool. The highlight of the dinner the crab/prawn was not good. It was tasteless and cold. However squid ink gohan – rice - was good and so was the miso soup.

We had a 10 minute walk to town. The most distinctive thing about it was the smell of raw sewage. Not worth a visit at all. It was an expensive night as well, what with the taxi fare and dinner north of $80.

Overall, our family really enjoyed our visit to Miyakojima. We were very lucky with the weather during our stay. We found out that the rains just ended before we came and the weather would be dry until typhoon season in August. We loved our daily walks on the beach around sunset. The lighting was magical. I am so glad my husband persevered and didn’t let up on wanting to go to a beach in Japan. Okinawa is highly recommended. Keep in mind, there isn’t much to do in Miyakojima, but if you are looking for great beaches, Okinawa is the place.

Hakone - Cheesy Hot Springs, Pirate Ships, Ropeways etc...

Friday, July 6, 2007

On our visit first visit to Japan with the kids in 2007 we took two trips outside of Tokyo. One was to Okinawa and the other to Hakone. Okinawa entails flying and planning before you arrive in Japan (it is cheaper to buy air outside of Japan) whereas Hakone you can decide once you arrive whether you want to go or not.

There is absolutely no need to take the shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakone from Tokyo but our family really wanted to take the shinkansen so we did. If you have a JR Pass, by all means take the shinkansen.

Our shinkansen to Hakone departed from Tokyo Station at 9:56 am. The ride from Tokyo to Odawara took only 37minutes – too short to really enjoy the shinkansen. We arrived in Odawara and naturally my husband had to wait around on the platform after we got off to see more shinkansens pass the station. (No he is not 6 year old boy…but he might as well be.)

We took our time at Odawara station, buying food, buying the Hakone pass etc. By the time we got to Hakone Yumoto station via Hakone Tozan railway, I was really surprised that my sister and her family and my mom had not caught up with us from Kyoto. They were coming by shinkansen from Kyoto and meeting us at Hakone. Again we took our time at Yumoto, eating lunch etc. We then caught a bus to Hotel Kowakien. The bus ride took about 20 minutes, a twisty climb. The view was nice – very lush landscape.

Our introduction to Hakone was so so. The bus driver, although not in a very mean way, grumbled about the wrong bus stations being pushed. (That might have been our girls…) The man at the reception of Hotel Kowakien was a snob taking forever to find our reservation only to inform me that our reservation was at a sister inn – and he made it clear it was an inferior hotel. Anyhow we finally got the reservation cleared up and we arrived at the New Pegasus Inn. My sister and the rest of the group arrived about 20 minutes later.

http://www.fujita-kanko.co.jp/english/kowakien/pegasus/

The hotel is a virtual maze. We go up and down and on and on down long hallways and when you find yourself where you want to be, you have no sense of the relationship from where you started. We decided to check out Yunessan hot springs water park and leave the rest of the Hakone circuit for the day after.

http://www.yunessun.com/english/

Boy, were we in for a treat. The hotel is connected to the water park via long confusing hallways and elevators. Once we found it, we had to endure a 10min intro/info/rules of Yunessan. It took us what seemed like forever to find our locker rooms. And then it took another eternity to get to the various pools. We were now equipped with electronic wristbands which could open lockers, buy food and with bright color jackets to wear while in transit to various pool sections.

The outdoor pool and slides were disappointing for us because both girls were too short to go on the slide (they were then nearly 4 and 2 ½). The indoor pool (all pools are very warm since they are hot springs) had a Vegas type water show every 30 minutes. All of it was just cheesiest of cheese. The best part was the ‘natural’ outdoor onsens. Again the macha, coffee, wine onsens etc…were unbelievably cheesy but the natural pools were nice and the landscaping outside was actually in good taste. This is the kind of experience you can find only in Japan. Who thinks up hot springs made to smell and look like green tea, coffee, red wine etc??? The kids all enjoyed it though. The cheesiness was all lost on them.

Dinner at the hotel was buffet style but it wasn’t as good or high end as the one we enjoyed at Miyakojima Hotel in Okinawa. My older daughter ate a lot of French fries! And oh – to top it all off – really unbelievable, you just had to laugh about it, there was a chocolate fountain!!


Friday, July 6, 2007

We tried to get an early start but we were delayed by 40min. Our goal was to start at 9am from the hotel, do the Hakone circuit and end up at Yumoto station by 3pm.

The kids did well considering. First it was a short bus ride to Hakone Open Air Museum. The Pass gave us a measly discount and so we passed on it (not very cultural of us I know – but we had 4 kids under the age of 6, wasn’t worth the admission fee). Then it was a walk (should have waited for a bus) to Gora station where we caught the Cable Car to Sounzan. It reminded me of the Victoria Peak Funicular in Hong Kong. We then moved on to Ropeways – 2 sets of them to take us down the mountain to Lake Ashi. The views were spectacular and we got a Ropeway car all to ourselves.

We catch sight of the ‘pirate’ ships which ply the waters of Ashinoko – again only in Japan. If you get in the spirit of things, it’s quite fun. We break for lunch at the View Restaurant, aptly named for the full frontal view of the lake from its windows. The food was good too. My older girl ate 6 fried smelts. Wow!

The boat ride was nice – lots of fresh air and beautiful views. The only thing that marred our experience a little was the horde of Thai tourists who ran amok on the boat.

We disembarked at Hakone Machi where we had ice cream (and ruined a new shirt) and caught the express bus, a 20 min ride, to Yumoto station. We were able to change our tickets at Odawara for an earlier Shinkansen and we arrived back at Roppongi at 5pm. So that was our Hakone circuit experience…you can skip the cheesy onsen/water park and certainly have a more sophisticated experience. But then, no one back home would listen to your Hakone stories with a look of disbelief…what? you soaked in coffee??

http://www.odakyu.jp/english/sightsee/hakone/index.html

Ueno Zoo

Ueno Zoo doesn’t get very high marks for a zoo but we decide to visit anyway. From Roppongi it’s a direct shot on the Hibiya line to Ueno. The day of our visit was a very hot day. The walk to Ueno from the station was pleasant due to shade from large trees that lined the path in the Ueno Park.

Panda is Ueno’s biggest attraction and we saw the panda. Personally, the most interesting animals at Ueno were the snow monkeys. They were numerous, loud, active and crazy. We had lunch at the cafeteria and it was great! Air conditioned, clean with lots of nice high chairs, kid plates and spoons and forks, kid friendly bathrooms – could not have asked for a better rest stop.

After lunch we take the monorail across the zoo – a very short ride, break for shaved ice by the lake/large pond and then we see the hippo. The hippo my nephew was clamoring to see from the start. The hippo he had to see immediately even if it meant going all the way across the zoo from where we entered. We managed to stave off his need to see the hippo asap but naturally by the time we reach the hippo, it is totally anti-climatic for everyone.

The walk back to the station was a mini-disaster due to exiting the zoo from a different entry point. The walk from the zoo to the station was ridiculous. I think we were given bad directions and it took like an hour when it should have taken us 15minutes tops! Adults included, we were all hot, tired and cranky. Was the zoo worth it?? Not sure…I hear Tama Zoo is a great one to visit.


http://www.tokyo-zoo.net/english/ueno/main.html

Meiji Jingu Shrine

Harajuku Station

One of my fondest memories of growing up in Japan was our visits to Meiji Jingu Shrine at Yoyogi (closest JR station is Harajuku for the main entrance to the shrine). We would visit the gardens when the irises bloomed in June. We would also walk alongside thousands of Japanese on New Year’s Eve, close to midnight or New Years to make our wishes at the shrine. Many colorful booths would line Omotesando during the New Years festivities selling delicious Japanese snacks and food. It’s a beautiful tradition.

As far as I can tell, not much has changed since my childhood at Meiji Jingu, except for the numerous new subways and stations that have sprouted around Harajuku. It seems more complicated to get around in some ways but I take the tried and true ‘old’ way via Yamanote line and get off at Harajuku station. The morning of our visit was full of nonstop action at Meiji Jingu. We see a Japanese wedding, in fact a couple of weddings, at the shrine. The brides, befitting a wedding at a shrine are dressed in traditional white kimonos, walking slowly behind the priests from the shrine. Lucky us!

We also see tea sweets being made near the shrine. The girls enjoy throwing money into the large wooden offering box and wishing for who knows what…actually I think I know, a pet hamster.

My husband and I make another visit to Meiji Jingu, this time without the kids. We wanted to have a quiet time viewing the irises (shobu) which were still in bloom in the gardens (there is a small admission fee). We reach Meiji Jingu this time on foot from Shibuya via Aoyama to Omotesando. It is actually a very pleasant walk, a nostalgic one for me.

Unlike Asakusa Kannon Temple and its surroundings which is usually bustling with activity (see my post on Asakusa under June 2010) there is a sense of calm entering Meiji Jingu. Usually the only noise you hear are the cries of the crows and the gravel underneath your shoes.


http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/

Museums - Fune-no-kagakukan, National Maritime Museum, Science Museum, National Arts Center

(See posts on other museums Miraikan, Edo Tokyo Museum, Edo Tatemonoen – July 2010 and Fire Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science – June 2010)

We visited quite a few museums on our last couple of trips to Tokyo. You will note the conspicuous absence of art museums. Our girls don’t last too long in art museums. They do much better in interactive environments.



One of my husband’s favorite museum was Fune-no-kagakukan or the National Maritime Museum in Odaiba (you could make a day out of visiting both Miraikan- National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, also in Odaiba and a 5 – 10 minute away– depends on who is doing the walking…) The ride on the Yurikamome line from Shiodome is scenic. The views of the Rainbow Bride, Tokyo Bay and the futuristic buildings are not bad. The girls enjoyed the glass doors at the station and the view from the back/front of the train. It is an unmanned monorail.

The Maritime Museum has extensive exhibits on ships, shipbuilding etc. In fact the museum looks like a ship – you can’t miss it. There were quite a few interactive exhibits. If you were really interested in ships, this is the place to go. There is a Chinese restaurant in the museum with a nice view. In retrospect we should have eaten there. Instead we went to lunch at a mall nearby, though we had to take the train. The food was not good ; it was a bad idea. However, the girls were entertained by about 200 or so Japanese middle school students who came in for lunch after their field trip to Fuji TV.

http://www.funenokagakukan.or.jp/index_e.html


We usually travel to Japan during its rainy season. This means we are on the look out for indoor activities. One of our discoveries was the Science Museum situated in Kitanomaru Park near the Imperial Palace.

The first museum we encounter from the subway station is the National Museum of Contemporary Art. My husband decides why not go in since it is there and on our way to the Science Museum. I wasn’t too keen about the idea, mainly because I wanted to make sure we had time at the Science Museum.

This was not a kid-friendly choice! All the guards, mostly women, on the floors were so uptight. At one point, one of the women asked me to hold Stella’s hand for the duration of our visit. I refused! We made a quick exit from the museum, the kids found it boring and frankly we did too. We have seen better collections elsewhere.

We walked further in the rain to the Science Museum which was about to close in 10-15 min and Karim talks his way into letting us in for free. In contrast to the other museum, people were very kind and friendly. One of the women took pity on our girls and showed us the jumping/TV exhibit (very fun!) and the big bubble exhibit. The girls were able to stand inside a huge bubble! Had a lot of fun in 10 minutes!

We liked our short visit so much we went back to it. It is very kid friendly and there are many fun, interactive displays. However, if you had to choose between the Science Museum and Miraikan in Odaiba, Miraikan wins hands down. No contest!

http://www.jsf.or.jp/eng/

The National Arts Center is near Tokyo Midtown, smack in Roppongi, known for its night life. What a find since it is a stone throw away from where we were staying. It is the fifth national arts institute (probably a recipient of all the public works stimulus projects by the Japanese government). It is an amazing building consisting of glass and concrete. The concrete is smooth and we detected no cracks. The Japanese are masters when it comes to concrete.

The Arts Center does not have a permanent collection but shows rotating works of art. The building itself is interesting and provides a wonderful space for rest and contemplation. There is a restaurant and café in the museum. You don’t have to pay an admission fee to enter the museum, only for special exhibits. Until September, a collection of art from the Musee d’Orsay is being shown.

http://www.nact.jp/english/index.html

Edo Tokyo Tatemono-en (Open Air Architectural Museum) – It’s Like a Movie Set!

Another outing from last summer - Edo Tokyo Tatemono-en in Musashi Koganei. We met up with some friends for some culture and history. The museum is located a bit far from central Tokyo, an hour, with train switches and a bus ride from the train station to the park where the museum stands. The long ride was made tolerable for the kids when some nice middle schoolers got on the train. The girls loved the attention they received from the Japanese tweens. (I liked it too…anything to pass the time.)

Koganei Koen is large, quiet and beautiful. It is not meticulously kept, in fact it could use a lot more upkeep but it was nice to stroll under the trees and enjoy the space and greenery. The museum was interesting from the start. The kids all had sketches of their face done by volunteers.

Many, if not all of the structures had been moved to the museum. Some gorgeous homes! The kids’ favorite was an old streetcar. My older daughter totally got into it. She liked swinging on the handles. I have to stop her from doing it on the subways so she was so excited to see an empty streetcar with handles dangling. I really liked the recreated street scene and the large bathhouse. The bathhouse and the stationery store were inspirations for the Japanese anime Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. I am glad we went but it isn’t a must see if you are in Tokyo for only a limited time.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3032.html

Takaosan – Nature Within Tokyo

Last summer, we opted for nature versus man made attraction within Tokyo. I had read about Takaosan, a sacred mountain within the city limits. It offered hiking trails, monkey park, temple, botanical garden, views and most importantly, a cable car (you can hike up the mountain, but who are we kidding…with two soft suburban kids in tow, adults included, cable car was the way to go.)

We decide, even thought it is already 11am, to go to Takaosan. We headed to Shinjuku and had lunch above Keio Dept at a tonkatsu place, which was just mediocre (mediocre food in Japan puts me in a foul mood because I expect everything I eat in Tokyo to be fantastic). We took the Keio line to Takaosan guchi, a 50min ride on the semi express. It wasn’t bad because it is direct and once you get to the station it is a 3min walk to the cable car. Unfortunately for us, it started to rain and we were unprepared.

Undaunted and because it took us over an hour to get there, we forge ahead. The cable car ride was steep in more than one way. It cost ¥900 per adult for a RT but the ride was fun. It is the steepest cable car in all of Japan. At the top of the mountain, the rain came down steadily so we bought some cheapo umbrellas, ate some snack and trekked ahead. We saw lots of people but it wasn’t crowded…the rain and it was later in the day. By the time we got up the mountain, it was 2pm. We stopped by the monkey park and the girls were somewhat entertained by the snow monkeys and their babies. The monkeys were not roaming freely but were behind a glass space. (I don’t know if they roam freely on nice days or not but on the website it clearly states monkeys roaming freely.) After the monkeys, the whining started. The girls were tired, were wet and did not want to walk. We were not turning back so we coaxed them up to the Jinja, the shrine.

The place is beautiful and I would love to come back on a cloudy day without rain. You feel high up with lots of trees around you. Serene. We did see some nice scenery, lanterns and shrines and then we headed back down the mountain. If you are looking for something a little different, I would recommend this outing.

http://www.takaotozan.co.jp/takaotozan_eng1/index2.htm

Birth of Impressionism at the De Young, Yank Sing and Ghiradelli

Two days back in SF, I dragged my jet lagged family to the De Young Museum to see paintings rarely seen outside of the Musee d’Orsay. (Last time we were in Paris with the kids, we did not step inside a single museum…thought this would be a good chance for the girls to appreciate some art closer to home.)

I was excited about this exhibit and had made ticket reservations to see it (and the second exhibition from the Musee d’Orsay in the fall) before we left for Japan. I wasn’t really thinking clearly about jet lag. As it was, I wish I had reserved a later time than I did…oh well. (We all had our ‘breakfast’ in the car.)

Overall, I am glad we went to the De Young but I am reminded again why I actually don’t enjoy going to major exhibitions. It is always too crowded! It is not an enjoyable experience. Everyone decides they want to see the ‘show’ and have to see it within a certain time frame. My other pet peeve of major shows…the audio tours - people with huge headphones totally unaware of people around them, hogging up space in front of art works for really long periods.

Anyhow, we head to Yank Sing for lunch. We couldn’t persuade the girls to eat at the museum café. It isn’t hardship, though, eating dim sum – yes what parents suffer for their kids! We decide after our rather large lunch to walk it off at Ghiradelli. It was an absolutely gorgeous day in San Francisco, clear, sunny and 72F. It is good to be back.

http://orsay.famsf.org/
May 22, 2010 - September 6, 2010

Aren’t You Lucky Kids? Your Dad Doesn’t Tell You “The Bug Will Give Up”

On our last evening in Shimoda, we took the hotel shuttle to have dinner near the train station. The shuttle was full. A family, consisting of a girl about 9 or 10 years and a crying boy of perhaps 6 or 7 years, was the last to get on. The mother with the boy on her lap sat on the jump seat next to me. I was curious to know why the boy was crying and I suspected it had to do with something black stuck on his palm, on the middle finger. I asked the mother and she showed me her boy’s hand and biting the finger was a kuwagata or a stag beetle. Ouch!!! The beetle has strong mandibles and it was really digging into his finger…thus the continuous sobbing of the boy. He had stuck his hand into a hole (presumably to catch the beetle) and got bit instead.



I remarked it must hurt very much, thinking to myself, shouldn’t you try to take the darn thing off??? To this the father who sat in a seat in front replied in Japanese “Akiramerusa..” – it will give up. Right…when the boy’s finger is severed!

My husband seemed to be enjoying this whole spectacle and he was beside himself telling the girls “See how lucky you are? I wouldn’t tell you to take the pain and wait for the beetle to give up.” Of course not, the girls seemed to be thinking...we wouldn't stand for it! We're American! We would report you to the social services.

This story illustrates the Japanese attitude of “gaman” – stoic patience, perseverance, endurance. I suppose the father was trying to teach his son to be strong but really hard to watch a beetle with large mandibles hanging onto a little boy’s finger. After a little while, the father must have felt a little sorry or embarrassed for himself or his son (I couldn’t tell which) and somehow managed to take the bug off the finger. Thank goodness. Our girls were totally mesmerized by the whole crisis.

Respite From the Rain at Shinagawa Aqua Stadium

Our first morning back in Tokyo from Shimoda was a late one. My husband wanted to watch the World Cup Final on TV so we had a late breakfast (the live telecast was at 3am but they rerun at a more decent time 7am or so). By the time we got out the door it started to rain. And it wasn’t just rain, there was a lot of wind too. Stormy weather! We asked the concierge for kid friendly indoor fun suggestions and she mentioned the Aqua Stadium. It’s an indoor amusement center in Shinagawa with an aquarium.

Although we had just visited an aquarium in Shimoda, there really wasn’t anything else that we could think of doing. We have exhausted nearly all the major museums in Tokyo and our kids were not in the mood for any more of them. They wouldn’t have minded going to Kidzania again but that wasn’t going to happen. If we had not gotten a late start Disney Sea might have been a remote possibility since we have never visited (my husband is pretty anti-Disney amusement parks, hence remote). The rain would certainly have kept the crowd away. Kids were done walking and shopping too.

Aqua Stadium is located right across from the Shinagawa station. The Shimoda aquarium, although much older, has a nicer feel. The shows at Shimoda had a very heavy educational and environmental bent to it, not at Aqua Stadium. We saw a sea lion and a dolphin show. The dolphin show was a lot of fun with lots of jumps and splashes. My husband was on of the volunteers at the sea lion show to throw a ring to the sea lion. That was funny but he had a great throw! The feeding of the manta rays and sawtooth shark and other fish in the Ray Submarine Tunnel was fascinating. Other than that, there wasn’t much else to the aquarium. I don’t know that I would recommend this aquarium…only if you are looking for something to do on a rainy day that is within easy reach and not too taxing.

By late afternoon, the sky had cleared and we had glorious weather. Wonderful evening for our last night in Tokyo.

http://www.princehotels.co.jp/shinagawa/aquastadium/e/

Mo Ikai? One More Time?

My Japanese Breakfast at Shimoda

Day 5 and 6 in Shimoda: It rained a lot yesterday and last night but it was sunny when we woke up. It was actually a beautiful day. In fact, in the late afternoon, it reminded us of Northern California – which is saying a lot.

Another amazing breakfast…my husband and I just love the Japanese breakfast at the hotel. It might seem strange to many but we love rice, miso soup, fish, pickles and various vegetable dishes for breakfast. When I first met my husband he couldn’t really stomach eating Japanese style (he doesn’t complain much in general so he would eat it – just wouldn’t enjoy it) when we traveled to Japan but now he loves it. Our girls not so much but by their fourth breakfast, they were chowing down on grilled fish too…(although the promise of however many croissants they wanted to eat after eating their protein and fruit may have had something to do with it.)

Since it was our last full day and a nice sunny one, we decided to spend the day at the hotel pool. It was a good day for it, not only because of the reasons mentioned, but also since it was Saturday. Finally our girls would have lots of kids to play with! They weren’t disappointed. They met up with really cute sisters in the morning, 9 and 5 years old. They were really polite, friendly and energetic. Towards the end, the four of them were jumping into the pool holding hands together over and over again. They would say “Senno! (sort of ready set go)” and jump and then “Mo Ikaii! (one more time)”

This fun but strenuous activity did our younger one in and she couldn’t even eat lunch. In fact she just bawled herself to sleep. Our older daughter still had energy to spare and after some rest, she was back out. She met another set of sisters (this pair a lot more chatty than the pair of sisters in the morning). And play they did again in the pool. The girls had a lot of fun!

We are nearing the end of our trip and it’s a little sad. We’ve had a great time here in Japan. The older girl said to us today that she wished we could move to Tokyo. She thought Tokyo was a lot more fun and interesting than where we lived. It’s hard to compare Tokyo, a mega metropolis, to a small American suburb. I wouldn’t mind living in Tokyo again…I just need to find a good expat job!!

The train ride back to Tokyo on Sunday was a little more crowded than our train ride to Shimoda on Tuesday. Nearly all the seats were taken by the time we pulled out of Atami station. We still managed to find an extra seat however.

For our last two nights in Tokyo, my husband decided, for a change of pace, to stay at a hotel instead of returning to the fully serviced apartment I had booked. I was ambivalent about staying at a hotel. I wanted to return to our 2BR with washer and dryer. I enjoyed having the space to stretch out and having clean clothes to take back! He called around a couple of hotels and found a room at the Ritz Carlton for the same price as the 2BR apartment. (He is a good negotiator.) I am glad he did because our hotel room is probably one of the nicest I have ever stayed in. The girls love it because, yes the room, but mostly because of the access to an indoor pool!

The first thing we do when we arrive at the hotel from Tokyo Station…swim, with a view! Nice. Dinner was at the Tokyo American Club. One of my mother’s friends invited us out to dinner. It was a really good buffet, in fact much better than the one we had at the Imperial Hotel. Wow!

Who Knew? Wide Sandy Beaches…Shirahama Beach

Day 4 in Shimoda: I don’t remember very well the beach vacations that we took as a family when I was growing up in Tokyo. I do remember distinctly the crowds and the trash strewn about the beach. Our experience this time around is very different. It must be somewhat faulty memory and certainly the time of the year – rainy season versus summer.

Another wonderful breakfast at the hotel and we were off to explore the famous beaches (at least one of them) of Shimoda. We took the free hotel shuttle bus to Shimoda Station and then we switched to the local bus to Shirahama (leaving from bus stop 9 from the station). The day started off cloudy but we were actually pleased with cloud cover since from the pictures, the beaches do not seem to have any shade available.

By the time we got to Shirahama, a 10 minute or so bus ride from the station, it had started to drizzle. Since the plan was to get wet anyway it wasn’t too much of a problem except for our cameras, phones etc…Luckily we spotted some umbrellas with platform benches at the other end of the beach where we sheltered our cameras and things from the drizzle.

The beach was pretty and the sand soft. There were a few surfers in the water and about 10 or people on the beach – that’s it. This is a huge beach and we pretty much had it all to ourselves. The girls had fun playing in the waves. We didn’t last too long though…without the warmth of the sun and the light drizzle, a little over an hour was about all the water play that the girls could withstand. Packed lunch, ice cream at the convenience and we were back on the bus back to the station.

I was looking forward to a mellow afternoon of reading when we got back from our beach trip but not the girls. With some snack to fortify them, they were off to the pool – in the rain!

Dolphins, Seals, Sea Lions and Penguins…Oh My! – Shimoda Aquarium

Day 3 in Shimoda: The girls were a little disappointed that the Japanese family with a boy and a girl, 9 and 10, left yesterday afternoon. The Danish families left later in the morning. No one seems to stay too long…just a night or two. It is the rainy season in Japan and summer break has not yet started. The girls have so much more fun when they are around other kids.

Today we planned a trip to the local aquarium (we bought discount tickets at the train station). The walk to the aquarium from the hotel was beautiful! The path hugged the cliffs and the ocean; amazing view at every turn.

The girls’ spirits lifted when we arrived at the aquarium and heard the cries of the seals and sea lions. All morning long, we raced from one show to the next – the dolphin show, penguin feeding, fish feeding, another dolphin show and the sea lion show. Our older daughter looked at me and said she was having a lot of fun. We all were. The aquarium is small and intimate. We all learned a lot…like how to tell the difference between a seal and a seal lion (the ears, back legs, front flippers etc…).

Lunch at the aquarium didn’t look great, although it would have been fine. We opted to walk about 5 minutes away to a small Japanese eatery across from a small suspension bridge. It might have been a find but the place specialized in seafood and not the fried shrimp kind and it was also pricey (although from the outside it looked like a shack).

So we marched on towards downtown Shimoda. I thought it was a 10 minute walk but it turned out to more of a long, hot march with near mutinous children. The kids did better than expected, really…and we ended up having ramen near the train station around 2pm.

We caught the hotel’s free shuttle and off we were to the pool. The pool was wonderful after our long walk.

http://www.shimoda-aquarium.com/information/info/english-01.pdf

Pool Play

Day 2 in Shimoda: I didn’t add dinner to our meal plan just breakfast (dinner was ridiculously priced) and was so happy I did. The breakfast buffet featured both Japanese and Western fare. The food was very good, really good and there was so much variety. The Western buffet consisted of fruit, yogurt, breads, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, juices and the Japanese buffet had different kinds of fish, variety of cooked veggies, pickles, noodles, rice, miso soup – yummo!!

Predictably the girls were unfazed by the bounty and all they wanted to do was go to the pool and so we did. Besides three other families with kids, one Japanese and two Danish, we had the pool all to ourselves. You will find that if you travel before the summer vacation for the Japanese children start usually in mid-July, the rates are cheaper and places not crowded. (You will however find many octogenarians travelling…and there are many of them, all healthy looking and adventurous.)

The girls had a lot of fun with the other kids at the pool and at the beach. Around noon, the rain started and reluctantly we left the pool for a mellow afternoon indoors. We did enjoy ofuro and rotenburo, outdoor bath later in the afternoon. Although the ofuro at Hotel Japan was more luxe, I liked the outdoor bath feature at Hotel Shimoda. Despite the light rain, the girls and I placed towels on our heads and soaked in the outdoor bath while enjoying the beautiful of the ocean. Priceless!

Super View Odoriko to Shimoda

Day 1 in Shimoda: My husband, no matter where we go, wants to go the beach. Three summers ago, on our first trip to Japan with the kids, he insisted on going to the beach. I looked at him thinking (Okay…I didn’t just think that I might have actually said it) “Really? We are going to fly all the way to Japan so we can go to the beach???” I don’t recall Japan for being known as a beach destination. I am glad he insisted though. We ended up going to Miyakojima Island in Okinawa for about a week and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The sand was white and fine as perfectly bleached flour and the water a heavenly blue. We had a meal plan, breakfast and dinner, at the Miyakojima Tokyu Hotel and the food was amazing.

So when he once again insisted on a beach vacation while in Japan, I didn’t put up too much of a fight. As nice as Okinawa was I did not feel like flying to Okinawa again. (By the way, if you buy your domestic air ticket while still in the States, it is so much cheaper than buying air once in Japan.) I opted for Shimoda on the Izu Peninsula instead; a 2hr and 40min train ride from Tokyo Station.

The people who man the rail ticket office in Japan are very competent and full of information. One of the things they tell you is that you don’t need to buy tickets for your young children if they don’t take up seats. They don’t just mean infants…they are fine if a child is 6 if he or she does not sit in a seat but instead sits on your lap. There are also two types of tickets, reserved and unreserved. Obviously it makes more sense not to buy tickets if you have young children if you are taking the unreserved car. No one is guaranteed a seat so if you get to Tokyo Station and you are the first one on the train you get the seats. I thought about doing that until the ticketing agent talked me into taking the reserved train to Shimoda. He sold the Super View Odoriko train to me; he said “ The Super View is a beautiful train! For just JPY 700+ you get to ride on a really nice train. The regular Odoriko is old.” He said I still didn’t need to buy tickets for the kids and I decided to take the risk. (I believe there is no child fare.) As it was, round trip tickets for adults cost JPY 25,000+ (almost $300 with the current horrible exchange rate).

Since it was drizzling in the morning we decided to take a cab from Roppongi to Tokyo station instead of the subway. After the girls’ revolt yesterday, we decided making them walk through the rain with their umbrellas and rolling backpacks would not go over too well. We arrived at Tokyo Station almost an hour before our departure time. What to do with your time at the station is not really a problem. On B1 there is a large number of food stores selling a vast variety of goodies. It was heaven! I stocked up on snacks and lunch food for our train ride. Things were looking good!

As we boarded our train to Shimoda, I was glad I didn’t buy tickets for the kids. The train was fairly empty. It was Tuesday and the Japanese schools do not let out for summer vacation until July 20. In our car we had perhaps 6 others besides us – lots of empty seats. And the train was beautiful; lots of large windows which stretched from the top of the car to below the hand rest of the seat. Not many more people got on at the later stations (Shinagawa, Yokohama etc) and we rode in luxury all the way to the last stop, our destination, Izukyu Shimoda.

At the station, we learned that the hotel operated a free shuttle and lucky us, the shuttle was waiting at the station. The ride to the hotel wasn’t long but the road steep and curvy. The hotel was set on top of a hill and nothing else on the hill except for the hotel. The beach was all the way down across a narrow road. The setting was pretty…it isn’t Kauai but it’s quite nice.

My mother’s friend, who is also the widow of our former pediatrician in Tokyo, was a member at a vacation club which operated a hotel nearby, Hotel Japan. She invited us over to her hotel which had nice pools and a water slide. It also straddled two of the nicer beaches in Shimoda. We walked down to one of the beaches and had a great time playing in the surf and sand. There were quite a few surfers in the water. We had a great afternoon and were glad that we came to Shimoda.

The girls had their first ofuro/onsen experience – public bath/hot springs. The bath at Hotel Japan was very nice – large, zen like dressing room with massage chairs! And a large public bath with a manmade waterfall for a view. The girls had fun but found the bath temperature way too hot. I did too so we didn’t soak for long at all. The public bath is an interesting concept…everyone strips, scrubs a lot outside of the bath and then takes a long dip in scalding water. Obviously the Japanese find it soothing and calming. Personally with two kids and one of them with no control over the hand held shower head spraying everyone nearby, it wasn’t a soothing experience at all. One of the older women in the bath was definitely displeased we were there causing some commotion.

We stayed for dinner at Hotel Japan and ended up having a kaiseki type dinner, Japanese style multi-course menu. It was a nice experience but I had not planned on such a nice dinner (it wasn't really our choice). We were planning on simple meals during our stay at Shimoda...well that was a budget breaker.

An Easy Day…View of Tokyo From Tocho and Tempura at Shinjuku

Day 13 in Tokyo: Tomorrow we take off for Shimoda on the Izu Peninsula for a beach getaway…and none too soon. Our younger daughter was in full revolt. She did not want to walk anymore. She refused to leave our serviced apartment this morning. It took a lot of coaxing. Our girls are growing up wimpy in the American suburbs. They get chauffered around everywhere. They complain of their legs hurting. Yes we are walking a lot and we are out all day and it is hot and humid…I do feel for them but shouldn’t they be stronger than they are???

We decide on a mellow day and visit Tocho, Tokyo Municipal Government Offices, which are actually at least two huge skyscrapers in Shinjuku. From the 45th floors of the North and South Towers, you can get a 360 view of Tokyo. On a clear day, which it wasn’t today, you can see Mt. Fuji. Even on a cloudy day, it’s an impressive view. The entrance to the observatories is free.

For lunch we visit my favorite tempura house, Tsunahachi in Shinjuku behind Mistukoshi department store. I make it a point to visit it every time I visit Tokyo. The best place to sit is at the counter where you can watch the tempura being fried. The tempura is served as it is done to you…talk about fresh! Our chef has been working at the restaurant for 50 years! He started when he was in junior high school. It is hard to find tempura like this in the States, certainly not in the Bay Area where there isn’t (as far as I know) a restaurant that specializes in tempura. (see restaurant recommendations in Tokyo)

http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/observat.htm

Into the Future at Miraikan in Odaiba and Pigging Out at the Imperial Viking Sal

Hands On Model of Email



View From Front of the Train

Day 12 in Tokyo: I don’t know…but the kids are really acting badly. Despite that challenge, we decide to brave the potential weekend crowds at Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Odaiba.

From Roppongi, it isn’t hard to get to but it isn’t cheap to get to Odaiba. If you take the Oedo Line (which is expensive to begin with) you can get off at Shiodome and take the Yurikakome Line (which is very expensive). You see why as soon as you step onto the Yurikakome train. It must have taken billions to construct the train infrastructure (to a man made reclaimed land with lots of huge buildings with wasted space) but it is a cool ride and the view is quite nice. Get off at Fune-no-kakagukan stop (by the way, the Museum of Maritime Science is a really nice museum) and walk about 5 minutes to Miraikan.

(A side note on differences in culture perhaps. I asked when we got off how to get to Miraikan and the station agent told me the way. However when we got outside and started walking, we saw a street which looked like could be a cut through. I asked another family walking the same way if we could get to Miraikan this way… I do speak Japanese and the father understood my question but his response in Japanese was “It is our first time..” He did not say yes or no. He did not say that they were headed to the same place but that they weren’t sure they were going the right way, he just said it was their first time. Totally unhelpful. We decide to continue on our way anyway and of course we see the same family entering Miraikan just a little ahead of us. Strange…)

We ended up spending a little more than 3 hours at Miraikan. It has so many interesting exhibits. One of our girls’ favorites – a physical, hands on model of how an email is sent through the internet. Black and white balls represent the binary code used and you can decide which address to send it to, the message and run to the address and receive the message. Cool!!

Another exhibit they liked was the full scale mock up of the Japanese deep water sub, only one of four in the world that can dive 6500m! We also loved the mock up of the International Space Station. The girls were very interested in the sleeping quarters (the astronauts sleep standing up) and the toilet (you need to strap yourself in!). We also enjoyed a show of a full size robot called Asimo. The most impressive thing that Asimo can do, in our opinion, was run. Very strange!




After a quick change back at our place, we headed for dinner. Tonight we were celebrating our older girl’s birthday with a nice dinner and it also happened to be July 4. We were splurging and I booked us a table at the Imperial Hotel’s Viking Sal. I thought a buffet would be more festive and fun for the girls. No wait for food and if the girls kept moving around, no one at the restaurant would think that strange. The downside to a buffet, besides overeating, is that the girls get to choose what they eat. Our younger can be counted on to eat veggies, smoke salmon, fruit and pasta. Our older one does eat pasta but kept coming back to the table with white bread and dinner rolls and sliced cheese. Ughh!! Not only in terms of nutrition but expense! This being the Imperial, we were not getting much of a break for the kids. Kids are charged $50+ for 4 and above. Bread and 2 sliced cheese definitely do not cost $50!!

The atmosphere was nice and the service wonderful. We had a table with a view but I was disappointed by the food. It was fine not amazing and for how much you pay, I expected a little more. I had toyed with the idea of teppanyaki but I decided that the food would be good but the atmosphere at a teppanyaki establishment too adultish in the evenings and so, Viking Sal it was.

http://www.miraikan.jst.go.jp/en/

Toy Shopping in Ginza – Hakuhinkan and Fun at a Park

Day 11 in Tokyo: Today is our older girl’s birthday. She wanted to go to a toy store (she actually said Kiddy Land again but we talked her out of it) so that’s where we headed. Hakuhinkan is a large toy store located in Ginza. It is about a 5-10minute walk from the Ginza station. It has 5 floors of toys. Kiddy Land used to be like that but Kiddy Land now actually has just 1 floor devoted to toys and the rest of the floors are miscellaneous branded products. Still fun to visit but it isn’t really ‘Kiddy’ Land anymore.

Adding excitement to the day was a visit to the store by what looked to me like the old ‘Ultraman’. I think he was a much newer character but of course I would not know! There are a lot of toys the kids can play with in the store…a definite fun stop for all kids.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the main street in Ginza closes to traffic. It’s a wonderful time to visit Ginza. It is freeing to be able to walk down the wide streets. There is a festive air when pedestrians rule the streets.

After lunch, we visit Toyosu Park which is right next to LaLaPort Shopping Mall which houses Kidzania. Again, it’s our older girl’s birthday and that’s the park she wanted to visit. We tried to talk her into Hibiya Park which is close to Ginza but no go.

It turned out to be a good call. The park has a lot of fun play structures, including a wading pool for the itty bitty set. There were so many kids at the park probably because it was a Saturday. Our girls really love kids and they had a great time.

After dinner the girls enjoyed hanabi – fireworks on the balcony; an exciting finish to a fun birthday.

http://www.hakuhinkan.co.jp/contents/english.html

Kidzania Mania Again! And Birthday Celebration

Day 10 in Tokyo: Ok…one might wonder, really? Is there a need to go to the same place twice??? I get it but our girls really like Kidzania and I sort of think of Kidzania as a fun yet educational outing; plus they get a lot of Japanese. One would think that the zupervisors, as they are called, get paid by how much they talk because they yap continuously. I must admit I get impatient watching them explain to the kids…I’m usually thinking to myself “Just get on with the task already!!” (definitely not the spirit of Kidzania and Japan…)

The girls loved it and it may have been one of their favorite Kidzania days. Both girls loved playing photographer or as they call them in Japan – cameraman. They both had huge smiles on their faces (it also may be because they get to tote around and use real SLR cameras – we don’t let them touch ours…) They got to be vets, couriers, manicurists, mechanic and emts – they learned CPR and performed it many times on a dummy!

By the way, if as a parent you get bored watching your kids have all the fun, you can leave them in Kidzania, as long as one adult in the group stays behind, and venture out to the mall. I did just that and got some shopping done at Kinokuniya bookstore next door.

After a fun but exhausting day at Kidzania, we went back to Roppongi to meet friends at a park near Roppongi Hills. We’ve dubbed it the slide park because there are so many slides. The park is a lot of fun. The kids definitely had fun – they were so dirty with mud all over them (from running and sliding up the hill) to prove it.

We went back to our place and ordered in pizzas from Pizza Hut. The pizzas are just OK but we did get a chance to try interesting flavors that one would never find in the States. We finished the evening with cake for our older girl’s birthday (her actual birthday is the next day). All in all, a great day.

Edo Tokyo Museum, Yasuda Garden

Day 9 in Tokyo: A friend of mine from high school came to visit me this morning. It was so nice to see her after so many years and catch up. She and her family were living in the States but her husband got transferred to Tokyo. Lucky for me I got a chance to see her.

Following a quick lunch in our room, we made our way to the Edo Tokyo Museum. Our initial plan was to go to the Fukagawa Edo Museum but when I checked on its website to make sure I knew how to get there, I found out it was closed for renovation since last July and will reopen mid-July. Unfortunately for us, we will not get to visit it this time around.

The Edo Tokyo Museum is at Ryogokyu station on the Oedo line or the Sobu line. From where we were, it was one shot from our station and the museum was right next door to the Oedo line station.

Admission is JPY600 for adults and I thought it was well worth it. The outside of the museum looks strange but the space inside of the museum is wonderful. Large volume coupled with dim lighting and large scale models made for a serene and beautiful setting. I loved it. The kids enjoyed all the interactive portions of the museum. Our girls had fun playing the traditional instruments used in kabuki, riding on an old fashioned bicycle and rickshaw, making a call on a really old telephone etc…

(Warning: There is a section on World War II and the bombing raids over Tokyo which prompted my 6 year old to ask a lot of questions about the war.)

The museum has a lot of interesting and beautiful exhibits. I would recommend it. You can see art and science museums in many places but you won’t find a museum on Tokyo anywhere else.

After spending nearly 2 hours, we took a short snack break and walked a couple of minutes to the Yasuda Garden. It’s very small but has a nice little pond with koi, turtles and ducks. It also has quite a few stone bridges and a vermillion wooden bridge spanning the pond. It’s not a must see at all but if you are looking for a quiet place for a break outdoors, why not, it’s free and nearby.

On our way to the Yasuda Garden, we came upon a group of junior high students with their teacher shaking down trees with long sticks and gathering little red fruit that fell onto the tarp placed below. It looked like a lot of fun and we were also curious about the fruit. They called it ‘yama momo’ which translates to mountain peach. The fruit is red with little bumps. The students offered some of the fruit for us to taste. It tastes very fragrant and the ones we had were just slightly sour. My 5 year old loved them.

http://www.tokyoessentials.com/edo-tokyo%20museum.html