This was the final day of our trip.  It simultaneously feels like it’s been forever, and that it’s gone past in the blink of an eye.  We’ve been keeping busy on the outskirts, but today was the first time we headed into Tokyo proper.  We were riding in at rush hour, so we definitely got a feel for what Yoshie called the “real Japan”.  We had to take a couple of different trains, and on the final one we crammed ourselves into a train car that seemed impossibly full already.  But diminutive Yoshie sailed into the melee — and Margaret and I had to follow, for fear of being left behind and lost forever in the complex subway system.

We met up with the rest of the group near the Meiji Shrine, built in 1920 in honor of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.  The shrine is surrounded by a 170-acre forest that was planted at the same time, 100,000 trees of more than 350 different species were donated from all over Japan, and over 100,000 youths volunteered to help with the planting.  Now the forest provides a shady oasis in the heart of the city.  It was amazingly quiet on the wide, tree-lined paths.

Our first destination was the archery center located within the forest.  We saw three archers do an impressive demonstration of traditional Japanese archery, where they were able to hit a very small target from very far away.  The archery demonstration had a very ceremonial feel, as there was a long set of prescribed movements that were done in sync prior to any arrow being fired.

Then it was our turn to try it out.  The archers assisted us with holding the bow, lining up the arrow, and pulling it back.  We were firing at much larger targets that were much closer, but did not manage very impressive results.  I was just happy that I hit my target at all.  After everyone had tried it out, the center presented us all with tote bags and books.  (This was very convenient for many of us, since we had quite a few extra items to get back home.  The following day there would be many black archery bags getting toted onto the plane.)

Eating our “salary man’s” lunch with a view

For the afternoon, we had a decision to make.  The Tokyo club had outlined three separate itineraries that we could choose for the afternoon.  Margaret and I, along with Judy and Mark and Joan, elected option 3 — the Tokyo Metropolitan Building observation tower, and the Rikugien Gardens, one of Tokyo’s most famous traditional Japanese gardens.  (Attractions covered by the other two groups included the famous Tokyo Scramble intersection, the imperial palace, the famous Tokyo Station, and a huge fish market.)

When we heard we were having lunch at the government workers’ cafeteria, I admit I wasn’t particularly excited.  (We heard this isn’t generally open to the public, but our host group had somehow gotten special permission for us to visit.)  But it turned out that this is a lovely space on the 35th floor of the building, with large windows overlooking the city in all directions.  Plus the food — a ramen bowl with pork for me — was delicious, filling, and very cheap.

After lunch we headed back down to the lobby, then up another elevator to the observation deck on the 45th floor.  The building we were in is one of two twin towers, and there were bag checks and security measures to go up.  (Our hosts told us that there was a lot of worry after 9/11 that the Japanese twin towers would be targeted as well.)  At the top was a huge room with windows on all sides for looking out over the city.  In the center of the room was a gift shop (where, now that I had my tote bag, I couldn’t resist picking up a few more things) and a grand piano that seemed to be open to the public to use.  We heard an amazing piano player do a few songs, then another not-so-amazing wanna-be piano player just banging on the keys at random.

After heading down and taking a short train ride, we arrived at Rikugien Gardens.  This was a beautiful place, with a large pond and manmade hills providing a lovely backdrop for all the meticulously-maintained landscaping.  We’d come at a non-ideal time, in the short window right after the azaleas were finished blooming and before the next flowers hadn’t started — but it did mean a total lack of crowds.  This place was absolutely beautiful even now, but I can’t imagine how breathtaking it would be with whole hillsides of azaleas in bloom, or fall colors in the many Japanese maples.  In any case we were very happy with our choice of itinerary, and felt that the serene garden was a great way to end the day.  (Apart from the train ride in, we didn’t see big crowds at all — in fact, the streets around the garden were practically devoid of both cars and people.  So I guess maybe we didn’t see the “real Tokyo” — but felt we could live without it.)

After returning to Yokohama, Margaret and I took Yoshie out for our last dinner.  Her favorite is sushi, so she brought us to one of her local haunts.  The “kitchen” was in the center of a large room, surrounded by counters.  On top of the counters was a conveyor belt, and outside the counters were tables.  So you could sit at your table, watch the sushi go by, and grab what you liked.  (We did this a couple of times, but Yoshie preferred to order the sushi directly from the chef to ensure it was absolutely fresh.)  There was also a hot water tap right at the table, along with a box of green tea bags.

We let Yoshie do most of the ordering, and tried lots of different things.  I’m not someone who generally eats a lot of sushi, but this was absolutely delicious — definitely the best Margaret and I had ever had.  There was also a big vat of pickled ginger in the center of the table, which was so good that we pretty much ate the whole thing and had to ask for another vat.  We also ate a lot of sushi; Yoshi was slightly horrified when we counted up the plates.  But this being Japan, we still only paid about $50 for the whole meal for the three of us.  It was a fitting way to end our culinary adventures here.

The next morning we got up bright and early for the airport, which Yoshie kindly drove us to (and even parked and came inside to see us off — definitely above and beyond the call of duty).  I calculated that we spent 31 hours in transit (door to door) before getting home, at around 2:15am NH time.  (On the plus side, Margaret and I got to enjoy three more airport lounges, all of which had food far superior to what we were served on the plane.)  We have so much to reflect on and absorb from these two whirlwind weeks — we know that the impacts of this trip will be with us for a long time.

Airport lounge breakfast

We’ve been talking about how different it is to travel with Friendship Force, and stay in people’s homes, than it is to travel as a regular tourist.  We feel we’ve experienced so much more of the culture and have had such deep and meaningful experiences here.  Today was a good example.

Our host Yoshi’s brother-in-law Kimi, in his retirement, took up the hobby of making soba noodles.  He became so good at it that he now teaches at a cooking school.  (He also does amazing woodworking and wood carvings — another example of how the Japanese seem to never stop learning and exploring.)  Today he came to Yoshie’s house to teach us.  His wife, also an excellent cook, came to demonstrate making tempura (battered and deep-fried vegetables, fish, or meat).  We’ve had a fair amount of tempura here, and have been amazed at the light yet crunchy texture — never heavy or greasy.  No matter what’s inside the batter, it’s invariably delicious.

We were also joined by Debbie and Caroline, while the other half of the group went to a Japanese drumming show.  Kimi arrived with a large pile of gear, including a chef’s outfit, a big wooden surface, a long skinny wooden rolling pin, a beautiful homemade box for holding the noodles before they were cooked, a wooden plank for holding the dough steady while cutting it, and a big-ass knife.  He and his wife didn’t speak much English, but we were able to communicate through Yoshie and with Google Translate.

Kimi followed a very precise process of mixing, kneading, and rolling the dough, with us attempting to follow him.  We added water to the flour in four separate steps, mixing after each.  Then it was time for a LOT of kneading.  Once the dough because a smooth spherical ball, we shaped it into a round disc, then used a special rolling technique to transform this into a large, very thin square.  When he thought it was ready, Kimi brought out two metal sticks 2 mm thick and set them on either side of the dough, then used the rolling pin to ensure that the dough was thinner than the sticks.

Kan pai!

The square of dough was then folded three times to form a stack of dough, and then it was time to cut.  The trick is to make the noodles very thin.  A wooden plank holds the dough steady, and you want just a little to peek out the edge to be cut with a very large knife.  Then you tilt the knife very slightly against the plant to move it over just a tiny bit, and cut again, proceeding this way until all the noodles are cut.  Our noodles weren’t quite as thin and uniform as Kimi’s, but we comforted ourselves that Yoshie and Misora didn’t really do any better.

Meanwhile, Kimi’s wife had been in the kitchen making tempura for hours.  She cooked at least seven different types of vegetables — corn, carrots, eggplant, mushrooms, lotus, sweet potato, pea pods — and I’m probably forgetting some.  Once the soba noodles were cooked, it was time for a feast.  We each had a bowl of broth/sauce that we used for dipping our tempura and noodles in.  Everything was delicious and as usual we ate way too much — especially when dessert came out.  There was a fruit salad, and Yoshie (who’s taking an international cooking class) had made a tiramisu.  Margaret and I had to go for a walk after lunch to work some of it off.

After what seemed no time at all, we were told that it was time to head off — for dinner.  We’d been invited to another hosts’ home — the Togasakis’, where Joan and Annie were staying.  There was not parking at their apartment, so we had to park at a nearby supermarket.  Yoshie was kind enough to let us make a quick run in there, as I’ve been on a mission to find and buy Japanese KitKats, which come in myriad different flavors.  (Why does the US have to

Toga was also an aspiring magician

survive on one measly KitKat variety?)  This was Nadia’s particular request, as she remembered the ones I’d bought as stocking stuffers in an Asian store in New York City a few years back.  I’d already bought some special edition Mount Fuji ones in Hakone that were blueberry cheesecake flavor (and declined to buy the sake and wasabi flavors).  In the grocery store I found FIVE more varieties — matcha, caramel, milk tea, chocolate orange, and strawberry.  I’d later find cookies and cream ones in the train station, bringing my haul to a total of seven flavors.  (The airport also had cherry and banana, but at exorbitant prices.)

The party was lovely.  In addition to us and the Togasaki’s, several other members came by.  One of them brought his daughter, her niece, and grandchildren, so their was a big, cheerful crowd.  The Togasakis had a grand piano (that I would estimate took up about 25% of the floor space in the apartment), and Toga and Mitch played throughout the evening.  There was also an encore performance of the ukelele club, with everyone singing along.  The member’s daughter performed a mini tea ceremony for us — her family has been doing them for generations — and people told funny stories.  It was a great way to spend our second-to-last evening.

We’ve been pretty lucky weather-wise on this trip.  We had a little rain on our second day in Kyoto, but since then, the skies have been clear.  If anything, most days we’re feeling overheated.  But today our luck ran out.  We awoke to a steady drizzle, and things went downhill from there.

Undaunted, after breakfast we headed to our first stop, the Hakone Open Air Museum.  This was an amazing place, even in the rain.  The setting (nestled into the mountains), the landscaping (precisely designed and meticulously maintained, as only the Japanese can do), and the sculpture dotting the grounds combined to make this one of the most stunning places I’ve ever visited.  It was so stunning that we decided to spent our allotted time outside in the rain, exploring the gardens, rather than retreating into the two small indoor museums on site.

It seemed that every time you turned a corner (or turned your head), you would see an interesting new view.  We particularly loved a tall stained glass tower that you could climb, with views across the park from the top.  (On a clear day we probably would have seen Mt. Fuji, but this day was definitely not clear.)  By the time we left we were pretty thoroughly wet, our sneakers sloshing with every step.  (One unfortunate aspect of this trip was that

we had our overnight bags with us, and of course those bags, and everything in them, got pretty thoroughly wet as well.)

I’m not sure exactly what we were supposed to do after the open-air museum, but I know it was supposed to be outdoors, and the Japanese hosts called an audible and decided to head to the nearby art museum instead.  The first floor contained pottery from centuries ago, and we spent way too long looking at it, not realizing the museum had three other floors.  By the time we had to leave we only had a few moments to breeze past some beautiful tapestries and painted wooden screens, and quickly check out the gift shop.  (I’m not usually much of a vacation shopper, but we’ve

seen so many unique and beautiful things here that we’ve all been buying more than we intended and are becoming very concerned about how we’ll fit everything in our suitcases — especially since we’ve also received many gifts from our generous hosts.)

At the restaurant

There was a bit of confusion about where we were going to have lunch, but we eventually headed up a very steep hill to a restaurant behind the museum, located in a beautiful garden with glass walls all around.  It was raining quite hard by now.  The restaurant was a pretty small place and we had to wait a while to get in, removing any last traces of dryness from our bodies and clothing.  But it was a delicious lunch, served with cups of hot tea that we sorely needed.

After lunch it was time to head back to the city.  We slid very, very carefully back down the wet cobblestones to the bus stop.  By this point we were in a full-blown monsoon.  The rain was pouring down and the wind was whipping it into every crevice.  Rivers ran down the street and people were shrieking as their umbrellas turned inside our and they were instantly soaked.  We all heaved a sigh of relief when the bus finally appeared.

Debbie broke the machine! After this they collected our tickets by hand.

Our trip back involved several legs, though interestingly it was a different route than we’d taken to get up.  After the bus we took a local train to the main station, and then another train back down the mountain (instead of the bus we’d taken up).  The loudspeaker on the train informed us that it had the second steepest grade in the world, and that we’d be traversing a series of switchbacks.  We weren’t sure exactly how that was supposed to work, but it was fascinating.  The train went down and across the hill for a ways, then stopped.  It then reversed course and traveled backwards down another downhill path.  It repeated this series of moves a couple more times and thus was able to zig zag back and forth down the mountain.

After two more train rides, we were finally back in west Tokyo.  (When you take a train here, you have to feed your ticket through a machine both entering and leaving the station.  Our tickets were so wet that they broke the machine.  Fortunately Japanese stations always have someone who instantly appears when any sort of problem occurs.)

Margaret and I were very happy to see Yoshie waiting for us at the station, as we were not sure about navigating the extremely complex train system on our own.  Yoshie and Misora (Debbie and Carolyn’s host) had decided to take us to dinner near the station, to what Yoshie called a “typical Japanese pub”.  This place was quite a scene.  Like many Japanese restaurants, it had tables that made it look like you were sitting on the floor (but in reality had benches that were sunken into the floor).  People were actually smoking, which was a real throwback to the eighties.  And we saw groups of partying Japanese businessmen in their suits and ties.  We got several dishes to share and sample — we generally make Yoshie order for us because the menus are too confusing.  And then finally, we were able to get home, change into dry clothes, and hang everything we were wearing or carrying up to dry.

What a treat we had in store for us today!  The Tokyo group had arranged for us to spend two days outside the city in Hakone — an area of mountains, lake, and natural hot springs.  We got up bright and early and Yoshie (who didn’t go on this trip) kindly brought us by train to our meeting point at Machida Station.  From there we took another train (called the “Romance Car” for some reason) into the Hakone region, then a bus that wound up into the mountains, climbing steep switchbacks on a narrow road.  (It reminded me a bit of our trip into the cloud forest of Nicaragua, except that both the bus and the road were in considerably better condition.)  The Tokyo group had procured us a magical ticket called the “Hakone Free Pass”, which covered all of our transportation and several other things as well.

Our day covered a lot of ground and was so well planned.  We used several forms of transportation to explore all over the Hakone area, never retracing our steps.  Our first stop was the Old Tōkaidō Road Ancient Cedar Avenue.  This was a forest footpath that used to be the main route all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto, and a small section has been preserved here.  It’s lined with giant, ancient cedar trees that were supposedly planted in 1618.  It was amazing to think that this same route had been walked by countless Samurai soldiers several centuries earlier.

At the end of this section of the path was a reconstruction of an ancient checkpoint that used to control the movement of people and goods into and out of Tokyo.  In addition to the historical exhibits, there are some fascinating shops lining the streets.  We went into one and saw a demonstration of a craft called Yosegi Zaiku that’s been practiced here for centuries.  It involves combining different types of wood into elaborate patterns, then using a special blade to shave off thin slices of the design.  The result looks like thick paper and can be glued into furniture, boxes, wall hangings, etc.  The shop specialized in Japanese puzzle boxes, which use Yosegi Zaiku to create beautiful boxes that require an elaborate series of steps, or other clever mechanisms, in order to be opened.  We saw a demonstration of several, including one that involved 54 steps (the craftsman demonstrating got through it in a matter of seconds), and one that started out as an oval and had to be twisted into a heart shape in order to be opened.  The craftsmanship was amazing.

We had another delicious lunch in the same area — I had tonkatsu, a Japanese fried pork cutlet, and others who had the fish option gave it a big thumbs up as well.  Then it was time for a cruise on Lake Ashi in a pirate boat.  One of the big draws here is the ability to see Mt. Fuji looming over the lake, but unfortunately it was too cloudy at the time we were there.  The boat functioned as both cruise and transportation, as we were able to get out of the other side of the lake to continue our tour of the area.

The boat dropped us off near one of the stations of the Hakone Ropeway, a series of cable cars that traverses the mountains and allows you to get from place to place without relying on roads (while also offering spectacular views in the process).  During the ride, one of our hosts cried out “Fuji!” and we all turned around to see that the famous mountain had emerged from the clouds and was looming dramatically off to the side of the car.  Never have I seen such a dramatic

There was a small shrine with the usual hand-washing purification station — but in this one, the water was warm from the hot springs!

mountain.  Photos don’t entirely do it justice, but in person it seems impossibly large, floating in the sky above the layers of clouds that always seem to ring the base.

The cable car took us to Owakudani, a volcanic area reminiscent of Yellowstone.  There were large terraces overlooking the steaming landscape and a strong smell of sulphur in the air.  Far below we could see boiling pools in the barren landscape.  We also discovered that from here we could see even more dramatic views of Mt. Fuji.  (This is where Margaret took the amazing photo at the top of this post.)

We continued further along the ropeway and stopped at a mountain terrace with another populate feature of the area — a hot foot bath.  You could soak your feet in the mineral water while overlooking a view of the mountains, wisps of clouds floating in the foreground.

Our last transit on the ropeway brought us to our hotel.  This hotel features an “onsen”, Japanese hot baths.  At the hotel’s dinner buffet, many guests were wearing their spa kimonos and slippers.  One of our hosts told us that traditionally, people changed into their spa wear as soon as they arrived, so they could immediately switch into relaxation mode.

After dinner, most of us decided it was time to try out the baths.  It was a bit of a strange experience for us Americans, because no clothing is worn (though men and women are segregated)!  We first had to shower thoroughly and scrub with a special towel, to ensure everyone entering the baths is clean.  Initially we waded into the indoor tub, and it was HOT.  Most of us did not last long in water that temperature.  Fortunately, someone figured out that there was another bath in a sheltered area outside.  This one was much more bearable, with somewhat lower temperatures and the cool night air providing relief from the heat.  Afterward was another shower, and then we had to sit in the lounge area for a while guzzling cold water.  It was an amazing way to relax before heading, exhausted, to bed.

This morning we set out to explore Yokohama, the city where Yoshie lives. Though a suburb of Tokyo, it’s also the third-largest city in Japan. We set off on the train with just Margaret, Yoshie, and I, but over the course of the day we gradually met up with other group members.

Yoshie had told us we were in luck, because Yokohama is known for its roses, and we were here in prime rose season. We went to an amazing garden, all free and maintained by volunteers, where we were surrounded by bursting blooms on all sides. Photos don’t really do it justice, but it was lovely strolling along with lush paths and under the rose-laden arbors. We came across a whole procession of people with tiny, elaborately-styled dogs in baby carriages, lined up waiting for professional photographs to be taken. The garden was also along the coastline, so we could see the harbor and the Yokohama skyline on the far side. The harbor breeze was a relief, because the day was quite hot. (Most Japanese women carry double-layer umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun — maybe that’s why they all look so young.)

By lunchtime most of our group was back together, and we headed to lunch. Yokohama

Creepy dogs

has Japan’s largest Chinatown, and it was a great place for both a meal and a stroll. We went through the elaborate gatemarking the entrance, and walked down narrow streets lined with Chinese shops and restaurants, paper lanterns hanging overhead. We had an excellent “lunch set” meal, containing soup, dumplings, an entree, rice, and dessert for about $6, in our own private room in the restaurant. Afterward we went around the corner to see an elaborate temple, with colorful dragons carved into every corner of the exterior. We came across a group of Japanese middle school students who chatted with us for a bit (they were just starting to learn English) and posed for a photo.

Right down the street was yet another beautiful rose garden, bursting with blooms. We took a quick stroll through then went to the nearby ship terminal. The top of the building is a small park where you can see nice views of the harbor. This is a major stop for cruises, and is built to accommodate large ships, but there were none here today.

In the afternoon we traveled to the government offices of nearby Machida. We were introduced to a few of the government officers (I can’t remember what their title was), and sat in the room where their city council meets. It felt more like a visit to Congress, with a room full of desks for each member with microphones and voting buttons. We were able to ask questions about how their system works and what challenges they’re facing. Apparently the biggest problem right now is drastic population decline. The man speaking to us said that in his birth year, 70 years ago, there were 7500 babies born in the city — and last year it was under 3000. Young people are not getting married at very high rates. Based on what we’ve gathered about the system here (men are required to goout drinking with their boss until all hours, while women go home after work to take care of children and the house), it’s somewhat understandable to us why more of the women aren’t signing up! Machida, like everywhere in Japan, is having to close and consolidate schools. (This was somewhat counterintuitive to us, because we saw hordes of schoolchilden EVERYWHERE. If there were three times as many, I’m not sure how the trains and streets could accommodate them!)

It was then time for the welcome party, a dinner buffet in the same building. We met many more of the West Tokyo Friendship Force members, and enjoyed delicious food and drink. This club has a ukelele group who have been meeting together for the past couple of years. About 13 members gave us a lovely concert of ukelele music and singing. As in Nara, they had learned a mixture of Japanese and American music. (Edelweiss is a big hit here! Everyone can sing along.) As with Nara, we’re so impressed by the spirit of the people in this club — even those at pretty advanced ages cheerfully took on the challenge of learning a new musical instrument.