wake.eat.sleep

I have been dying to go to a proper onsen and ryokan. (I did get to try an onsen out in Hiroshima during this trip.) So as I was putting together the itinerary, I wanted to target a place that would be nice, without being overly tourist-y. Thus, I avoided Hakone / Atami. I have heard from locals during the trip, that it's quite nice too.

The risky part of this trip was the fact that since it was a little bit off the beaten path, it wouldn't quite have the same type of "support" infrastructure that a heavy tourist area might. In this case, instead of having a single shinkansen (bullet train) that would take me to a major station. I would have to take a local train for half the trip.

(The bottom ticket is from Tokyo Station to Takasaki Station. The top ticket is travel from Takasaki Station on a local train to Minakami Station.) It is possible to set up the trip yourself using one of the automated machines. Armed with my broken Japanese, I got a little bit of assistance from one of the JR workers, who threw the train times. I did partially threw her off when I kept saying "Minamikami" instead of "Minakami". (That's what I get for watching a show called Minami-ke for a while!)

In case you haven't realized it already, one of my favorite things to do on a shinkansen is to have an ekiben:

This was quite filling! Then once we arrived at Takasaki, we transferred to the smaller local train on its way to Minakami:

We were greeted by a good wall of snow and wind as soon as we got into the area:

Thankfully, I wasn't planning on leaving. Why leave when your room looks as relaxing as this?

I'll talk about onsens, and the food in the subsequent parts in this series.

See you then!

Japan is such a nice place, that they threw me a party for my birthday.

So after a quick visit to the Tsukiji Outer Market, we made our way to the Sushi "school". A local sushi-ya decided to start a culinary and cultural school, to teach aspiring sushi chefs, and to share Japanese culture with everyone else.

The five of us had the kitchen all to ourselves for about an hour, before a bigger group was to arrive.

A bigger bowl of rice was prepared as a result:

Our sushi assistant, who made sure that we were doing things correctly, and not about to cut our fingers off:

And the sushi rice preparation begins:

Don't forget to cool off your rice once you get that nice vinegar shine showing (I always miss this step at home):

Sensei shows us the two-step process for the filet cut. A light cut, followed by a deeper to the bone cut:

And a quick rundown of an inside-out roll (cut the roll with the plastic wrap still on):

And my attempt:

And the completed sushi platter:

(Feel free to let me know what you think I was trying for with the platter arrangement.)

All, in all, we had a great time. Here's a picture of the five of us with our Sushi Sensei.

In a couple of hours I'll be heading over to Tsukiji Market to do this:
http://blog.japanican.com/en/staffblog/2008/1010_sunrise_tsukiji_sushi_tour_report_446.html

Wish me luck!

I have to admit, I had some preconceived notions of Kyoto from my Japanese culture class in college, and layered in with manga and anime references (like

Love Hina is a manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. The series was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, premiering in the October 21, 1998 issue and running weekly until its conclusion with chapter 118 in the October 31, 2001 issue. The individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, with the first volume released on March 17, 1999 and the last released on January 17, 2002.^[1][2] The manga was also later released in Japan in a partially colored format known as "Iro Hina version" (literally "Color Hina version") at an increased price.^[3] In November 2010, all 14 volumes of Love Hina were offered for free in the beta test of Ken Akamatsu's J-Comi website.^[4] Kodansha has also published a bilingual (English and Japanese) edition under its Kodansha Bilingual Comics label,^[5] with the English translation provided by Giles Murray. Eight volumes were produced under the bilingual format.^[6] Kodansha stopped publishing the bilingual version in 2001.^[7]

The series is licensed for an English language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop, which released the 14 volumes between May 7, 2002^[8] and September 16, 2003.^[9] The English release was one of Tokyopop's first releases in the "Authentic Manga" lineup of titles using the Japanese right to left reading style. In doing so the artwork remained unchanged from the original.^[10] The series has appeared consistently in Tokyopop's top five selling manga and has been reprinted several times.^[11] In August 2009, it was revealed that Tokyopop's license had been left to expire by Kodansha and would not be renewed.^[12]Kodansha Comics USA, Kodansha's American division will re-release the manga in omnibus format, with a new translation in September 2011.^[13] It is also licensed for an English language release in Singapore by Chuang Yi^{[citation needed]} and for regional language releases in France and Québec by Pika Édition,^{[citation needed]} in Spain by Glénat,^{[citation needed]} in Singapore by Chuang Yi,^{[citation needed]} in Brazil by Editora JBC,^{[citation needed]} in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid,^{[citation needed]} in Poland by Waneko,^{[citation needed]} in Greece by Compupress,^{[citation needed]} in Germany by Egmont Manga & Anime,^{[citation needed]} in Sweden by Bonnier Carlsen,^{[citation needed]} and in Norway by Schibsted Forlagene.^{[citation needed]}

). I didn't get a chance to see the entire city and area, but I enjoyed a lot of the places I saw, and I definitely left a lot to go back and see.

Kyoto is an interesting blend between the modern:

The ancient:

And sometimes a combination between the two:

Tons of shopping:

Lots of food:

But you can't beat the Higashima Hanatouro. All the temples usually close at dusk. But during this period, they keep special night time hours, lighting up the temples with small lanterns along the way. What a great atmosphere!

I can't wait to go back again! Bye bye! See you again soon, Kyoto!

Today was an odd day of sorts when I thought about it. It marked my arrival in Hiroshima, the first city in history destroyed by a nuclear weapon. (

Hiroshima (広島市, Hiroshima-shi?) ( listen (help·info)) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is best known as the first city in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II.^[1] Its name 広島 means "Wide Island".

Hiroshima gained city status on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1980, Hiroshima became a designated city. Kazumi Matsui has been the city's mayor since April 2011.

Hiroshima was founded on the river delta coastline of the Seto Inland Sea in 1589 by the powerful warlord Mōri Terumoto, who made it his capital after leaving Koriyama Castle in Aki Province.^[2][3]Hiroshima Castle was quickly built, and Terumoto moved in, in 1593. Terumoto was on the losing side at the Battle of Sekigahara. The winner, Tokugawa Ieyasu, deprived Mori Terumoto of most of his fiefs including Hiroshima and gave Aki Province to Masanori Fukushima, a daimyo who had supported Tokugawa.^[4]

) Meanwhile, in the United States, President Obama was signing a bill that would mandate health insurance for all Americans for the first time in history.

What's the connection you may ask?

* Note: If you aren't comfortable reading opinions that may differ from yours, or be political, philosophical, moralistic or religious in nature, feel free to skip this post. It's okay.

I'm wondering that in the decades since the bombing on whether or not our morals have been evolving or devolving. Are we now willing to fore-go certain actions to avoid public disapproval, and yet absolutely willing to do any action as long as you can avoid the direct responsibility of its repercussions? In the Catholic faith, there is a concept of the sin of commission (willingly acting a particular way: e.g. shooting someone to end their life) and sin of omission (willingly neglecting to act in circumstances when you can and ought to act: e.g. knowing that someone is about steal or kill, and simply allowing them to do so.) More here: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm#ii. To me, A-Bombs were a sin of commission, and Health Care was a sin of omission.

Now, I'm no World War II expert by any means. I've only read a smattering of materials and seen a few documentaries (from either side). And yes, I did tear up a bit (or my non-existent allergies kicked in) when I watched Grave of the Fireflies (

Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓, Hotaru no haka?) is a 1988 Japanese animated drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Ghibli. It is based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka.^[2] It is commonly considered an anti-war film, but this interpretation has been challenged by some critics and by the director. The film stars Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara and Akemi Yamaguchi. Predominantly set in Japan during World War II, the film tells the story of Seita, a young boy who has to take care of his younger sister Setsuko when their mother dies.

Grave of the Fireflies received positive reviews from film critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times considered it to be one of the best and most powerful war films and, in 2000, included it on his "Great Movies" list.^[3] Two live-action remakes of Grave of the Fireflies were made, one in 2005 and one in 2008.

The film opens on September 21, 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, at Sannomiya Station where Seita (清太^?), a 14-year-old boy, is seen dying of starvation. Later that night, a janitor digs through his possessions, and finds a candy tin containing ashes and bones, which he throws away into a nearby field. From the tin spring the spirits of Seita and his younger sister Setsuko (節子^?), as well as a cloud of fireflies. The spirit of Seita continues to narrate their story, which is, in effect, an extended flashback to Japan in the final months of World War II, beginning with the firebombing of the city of Kobe in March 16–17, 1945.

). The decision to utilize nuclear weapons and on two cities essentially came down to the following logistical reasons:

1) Based on the experience of Allied forces at land and at sea, Japanese forces were not readily surrendering.
2) If it came down to a land invasion, the fear was that it would be a long and costly war in terms of casualties.
3) The idea to bomb a remote area was proposed, but was ultimately tabled since it would not likely cause the type of measurable damage that would be possible comparing to bombing military targets.
4) The ultimate goal was to create a psychological impact that would force the surrender of Japan.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were both port cities with ties to industrial / military capacities and were taken off the air raid list so that the weapons could be properly assessed.

You can quickly read through the wiki, if you'd like:

Central Pacific

Southeast Asia

Southwest Pacific

It wasn't a trivial decision by any stretch of the imagination. In this particular sense, I'll take the optimistic road and believe that the primary motivation was to try limit needless casualties on both sides rather than the depressing notion that this was a way to cement military superiority for decades. Never before (and hopefully never again) was a decision on that many human lives made at a single time. Almost as a testament to the difficulty of the decision, especially for its ethical and moral implications is the fact that it is still a topic of debate. In this day and age, I couldn't imagine such a decision being made. There is no way that any nation of citizens would accept that type of decision.

And yet, until the Health Care reform bill was passed, providing universal health care was not seen as a universal priority. The government for the people, and by the people should only care for its constituents until a certain point. If you can't afford health care, you must not be working hard enough to make enough money to afford health care. In effect, you chose to get sick and chose to die if you can't get better. How many people suffered and died because of limited or inadequate access to health care? How many pharmaceutical and health insurance companies have been making a steady and healthy profit for the last decade or so? We didn't logistically choose a city, and send a plane off to denote a bomb over a bustling city filled with men, women and children that chose to live in that particular city, but are we willingly choosing to ignore one group of people with a quieter voice, for the benefit of another set of people with a louder voice?

I am hopeful that we as a people are gradually learning our lesson. I pray that in any of our lifetimes, we will never have to see memorials like this again.

* Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound which houses the remains of over 70,000 victims discovered in various locations throughout the city, temples or graveyards whose identities or surviving relatives are unknown.

You might be thinking "Day 4? What the heck happened to Day 2, or Day 3? Much less the supposed to be continued of Day 1?".

Well tough luck. You get what you pay for.

Anyway, I got it in my mind to go to Osaka today. And when I saw the forecast for Kyoto, I thought I was was being slick.

Except, I wasn't so slick after all.

Read more »

Sometimes you get thirsty, but you don't want to drink just any old thing out of a vending machine. Then you think...WWTLJD*?

* what would tommy lee jones do?

So you pop in your 120Y and select a drink befitting your status in life:

None of that pesky sugar. Just straight up cold black coffee, without all that pesky cream or sugar to mess things up.

Refreshing...makes me feel LIKE A BOSS!

Unrelated public service announcement: The Day 3 photo set is up, but abnormally large. Please proceed with caution.

-- ウェス

As far as first days go, I have to say I'm pretty pleased with how things worked out today. It wasn't a perfect day by any means, but once the city and I figured each other out, we got along pretty well.

Let's switch into Q and A mode for a moment.

How was the flight?
Relatively uneventful except for the 40 mph winds that made landing less than smooth, and young 3 year that seemed to cry over every little thing for a majority of the flight. (Even though she was in my row, my noise canceling headphones suppressed about 80% of the volume.)

How was customs?
You fill out forms that you get on the plane. Answer some brief questions, let them scan your fingerprints and take a matching photo. Pick up your luggage, and if you aren't declaring anything you go through the duty free declaration line, and you're free to go! The longest line took about 20-30 minutes, and if you are traveling with children, you'll get processed in a priority line.

How was travel from the airport?
I think I could have gotten out sooner, but I oddly felt like operating in a relaxed pace. I got some traveler's checks converted at the currency exchange. This is definitely a great deal especially if you can get them without the transaction charge. I got charged 2%. The currency exchange gave a higher rate for TCs and it's much more secure to carry around. I almost talked myself into a wireless 3G modem, but thankfully they were out of stock of those rentals. After picking up my IC Suica Card and N'EX ticket (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html), I was on my way to my first hiccup of the trip.

Hiccup?
Well, I thought it was out of my system when I hesitated before going through the train turnstile. (Everyone has similar problems the first time with Japan train turnstiles.) But actually I had a more fundamental issue. So the express train always used the words "reserved". For whatever reason, (and feel free to blame jet lag for me) that concept never stuck in my head. Thus it never occurred to me that my ticket had my assigned seat printed on the ticket.

In fact, I was so puzzled, I had trouble figuring out why they made such a big deal of showing you where a particular car was going to stop on the tracks.

Thus, I hopped on a random car, sitting in a random seat, until I got kicked out (nicely of course) by the true assignees of the seat. I had jumped in Car 7, and finally reading my ticket correctly I found out that I was meant to be in Car 9. Although I could have made my way over. I either would have had to drag my large bag across 2 cars, or leave it temporarily. I elected on grabbing an open seat instead, I got lucky that this wasn't a full train.

Any other travel issues?
The only additional one was that I didn't quite memorize what the tipping etiquette is. I took a (pricey!) cab ride from Tokyo Station to my hotel as recommended. I didn't tip him, but now I wonder if I should have since when I tipped the bell boy he was pretty happy.

Where are you staying?
A pretty nice spot in the Akasaka area. I had worries that I should have picked a spot that is closer to one of the major stations (Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku), but I think this will make for a good central base of operations for the most part.

Are you speaking a lot of Japanese or English?
Somewhat of a combination of the two. As you may recall, I did take Japanese classes briefly. Thus, that supplemented with all of the anime, manga and live-action media that I watch, and a refresher thanks to JapanesePod101, gives me a pretty rudimentary base of conversation. Additionally, I think that one of my hidden abilities is to have nondescript features common to most races. This allows me to look Mexican in Hispanic neighborhoods (back when I worked for McDonald's in West Town), and to pass off as somewhat Japanese on this trip. Most people have directly talked to me in Japanese, which I've mostly been able to get through, if a bit clumsily. For common situations, I've been somewhat ok so far. I may have a separate post detailing phrases and conversations I've been through on the trip.

(To be continued...)

I made it, and the travel was a little bit more tiring than I expected. As you look at some of the first picture, just imagine that I was playing a "bingo" of sorts as I started to look around.

Look, a vending machine!

Look, sailor uniforms!

Look, McDonalds!

More travel stories after some more decompression and exploration.