Tokyo Days 3 & 4

The next two days of our Tokyo Adventure took us to a modern, interactive art exhibit and back to ancient Buddhist shrines.  We took a fancy cab and a classic electric rail system.  We saw flowers that “bloomed” in tea and and colorful hydrangeas.

We started day three by taking a cab down to the teamLab Borderless exhibit.  We were expecting a run of the mill Uber ride, but got a luxurious Mercedes with a white glove driver. It felt very fancy. The exhibit was something else. The space is largely black but there are high resolution projectors everywhere which create art everywhere – on the floor, ceiling, and visitors. Some of the lights are interactive – swiping at Japanese characters flowing down the walls in the waterfall room could create new colors or weather patterns for instance. Projections flow between rooms, but each major area has a theme. Most of the space is open and people wander from area to area but a few had limited space and needed to have a line.  We were fortunate to get there early and didn’t have to wait for the lantern room our on our first pass (we liked it enough to do twice – for anyone who was able to go to the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit, it was similar to that, but on a much larger scale). We enjoyed almost every room, and although there were a lot of people there, we never felt crowded or like it was too full. The colors were spectacular and the rooms innovative. We both enjoyed coloring a jellyfish and then watching it come to life and float away into the digital sea. Ashley’s favorite was called Memory of Topography and was a sloped room full of waist high lily pads with images of koi or birds or rice projected on them. A couple of the mirrored rooms felt a bit vertigo inducing but otherwise the exhibit was peaceful and relaxing to watch the colors ebb and flow around you.

From there we made our way to Shibuya to have lunch and watch people cross at the scramble. We chose a restaurant focused on food and ingredients sourced from across Japan. Ashley got the better lunch with some delicious fried mackerel. The cross isn’t fantastically busy at two in the afternoon, but we still saw plenty of people going hither and thither. After lunch, we headed over to Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The palace grounds are largely off limits (more on that in the next post), but we walked through the green spaces and took some iconic pictures before heading to Tokyo Station to buy Kit-Kats and have a tasty dinner.

The next morning we hopped the train to Kamakura, a little beach-side town about an hour south of Tokyo. We wanted to go down to see one the largest Buddha statues in Japan and just to get out of the city for a day. What we didn’t know is that Kamakura celebrates a major hydrangea festival each year in early June, and fortunately there were still plenty of blossoms out (and hordes of tourists… it’s the summer equivalent of cherry blossoms). We initially followed the crowd to Hase Temple without knowing what was there and enjoyed walking among the flowers and taking in the scenic views of the town and the ocean.

We continued down the street to the Kotoku Temple to see one of the largest free standing Buddha statues in Japan. The grounds were lovely and the statue is very impressive. Even better, the statue is hollow so we could go inside and see how the copper pieces were joined.

From there, we found one of the popular Instagram spots in Kamakura, where the local tram passes out of a tunnel through a parcel of hydrangeas.  Like anything popular on the internet, it was crowded with people but we were able to get a couple of good shots.

After lunch, we visited one last temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, before taking the train back.  Of the three, this was the most impressive in terms of color and size. After a peaceful train ride back (Drew traveled like a local and fell asleep), we stopped at Tokyo Station for a quick beer before heading back to the hotel to make a dinner of tasty snacks from 7-11. Oh, but that meant navigating the japan rail system during… rush hour.

Yes, the reports of pushing, shoving, and general sardine-ness are 100% accurate. Ashley and Drew were crammed cheek to jowl with locals commuting home. The crush of humanity makes the DC metro at its most packed feel cozy. Despite the close proximity, it didn’t feel that awful, which is a good thing because we would get experience one more time before our trip was done.

Pictures are here and we’ll share some more adventures from Japan soon.

Japan – Days 1 & 2

With the Bangkok adventure behind him, Drew began his trip back to the U.S. with a short detour in Tokyo. Ashley flew out to meet him and spend a few days on vacation together. They met up in the airport and jumped onto a train to head into the city – a decent way to get around town, but a bit complicated for non-Japanese speakers. Fortunately, everyone has been friendly and helpful in pointing us in the right direction. We think more English signage will probably go up in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics though.

We started our first day by walking through Yoyogi park and visiting the Meiji Jingu shrine. It was lovely to wander through the trees, although the shrine itself was packed. The paths were well maintained, and there was something interesting around every curve, from the massive shine gates to barrels of offertory sake. We couldn’t stay too long though, as we had a reservation at an owl cafe. Animal cafes are fairly common in Japan, and we were excited to try out something more unusual than a dog or cat cafe. We enjoyed a tasty nibble (waffle and green tea) before getting to visit with the avian stars. They had small, medium, and large owls, and we were able to stroke, hold, and feed them. Well, all but the grumpy gus. As you might imagine, owls are soft and fluffy and a great time was had by all.

After the owls, we walked down the Takeshita street which is crammed with stores selling everything from cameras to housewares to a variety of fashion sub-cultures. And people. Soooo many people.  There’s no way to go any faster than the slow plod of the crowd. In between shopping, we found a good burger joint by winding through some charming back streets and alleys.  It’s amazing how going just a short walk off the main street eliminates the noise and crowds.  It really makes you feel like it’s completely different city. We rounded out the day with some good craft brews at Baird Beers and headed back to the hotel for an early dinner of sushi and tempura before giving in to jet lag and heading to bed.

Day 2 was a trek to the opposite side of the city for the Studio Ghibli museum. We took a detour once we arrived at the train station and walked a few extra blocks to pick up some gourmet coffee. So gourmet that the barista tasted the pour over before serving to ensure it was made properly. In fact, it was delicious – it actually tasted fruity (a word we often hear used to describe coffee but rarely ever taste ourselves). A quick walk though the peaceful Inokashira Park and we arrived at our destination.

We couldn’t go in right away, so we picked up some snacks at the local convenience store and sat on a park bench to enjoy the morning.  Drew particularly enjoyed the cool breeze after the humidity of Bangkok. No photos were allowed inside, to encourage visitors to experience it in person, not through a lens. On a practical note, there were enough people that cameras and selfie sticks would have caused major headaches, but we still would have enjoyed capturing a few of the details. The architecture was one of the cooler features – the inside featured wrought iron staircases and even a bridge spanning the center atrium.

Studio Ghibli is the home to films Like My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, and Princess Mononoke. The museum is a mix of history lessons on animation and film and an exploration of the studio’s work. The museum was designed by studio founder Hayo Miyazaki and much of the design feels like it flows from his movies and favorite things.  Two rooms seem to replicate his personal office or studio space and the books scattered everywhere provide clues to his inspiration and the breadth of things he studied to provide details in all his movies. The short film included with our ticket, Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess, was cute with an easily recognizable witch. The takeout counter was good with excellent beer, available only at the museum with labels done by the studio. And in the blink of an eye, it was getting towards rush hour and we wanted to get to the hotel before the crowds hit. We snuck into a sidewalk gyoza stand for delicious dumplings and fried rice, ordered by pointing as we haven’t picked up any Japanese.  More pictures from the first two days are here and we’ll post more soon.

Thailand: Last Weekend

Well, its down to the last weekend. Time to tick off those last few remaining items of touristy, must do or you didn’t really go items. Despite the start of the rainy season, it’s still too hot here. So rather than make myself miserable and sweaty, I chose to do them at night.  Via tuk tuk. What could be more touristy than that?!

The answer is not much but I still had great time.  We started just south of the old city and wound our way through alleys and back streets to one of the local markets.  Compared to Chatuchak, these markets are tiny.  But it was picking up steam at around 1900.  Had my first meat on a stick, which is omnipresent street food, but I have always been a bit leery of. The sausage was pretty good; bit spicy but it went great with a fresh slice of ginger. Don’t think I could pick out this particular type off a different cart so this will likely be my only taste.

From there we snaked our way to the river front for a quick history lesson and then off to the first temple.  We stopped by 3 temples in all and I will say they know how to light them at night. All of the ones we rode past sparkled and glittered from every angle.

We hit the Giant Swing area next while we waited for our table to ready.  I guess our group moved fast because we made it all the way to Grand Palace before we ate.  The street leading up to the palace is festooned with white LEDs that gave the area a very festive feel.

When we finally arrived at dinner, one of folks on the tour noticed that we were right next to the Michelin star street food stall made famous by Netflix and others. Sadly, they were booked through July so that wasn’t our dinner. Between that and our restaurant, the side walk was packed with people and smelled of freshly fried food.  We ate at Thipsamai and I have to say, it was probably the best pad thai I’ve had here.  It comes out a bit on the sweet side but add some pickled chilis and a good dash of fish sauce and it was delicious.

We finished the night at Wat Pho and the Flower market.  We didn’t get to see the famous statue at Wat Pho, which I guess means I should go back? The grounds were still impressive and definitely something to see.

The flower market was interesting as a place but it struck as part of an economy that is rarely seen in America.  The ability to wander whole sale markets that are bustling throughout the night to prepare for the next day is a unique experience. It’s far removed from the mega-marts and Costcos back in the US.  Part of me thinks it would be awesome to be able to go a pick up fresh food and flowers at a place like this and bring them home. The rest of me realizes that involves being up around midnight to do my shopping which sounds awful.

And that wraps up my time in Thailand. It’s be a good trip but I’m ready to head home.  The rest of my pics from the night (including probably my favorite of the trip) are here.

Thailand: Chiang Mai

Woops! Let this one slip a bit past the events. Spent Memorial Day up in Chiang Mai. It’s northern Thailand’s biggest city, a popular destination for American tourists, and a welcome change from the hustle and concrete of Thailand.

I took the sleeper train up from Bangkok.  For anyone traveling without small children, I’d recommend it. The rocking motion of a train makes for a good night sleep and the bunk was fairly comfortable. The food is terrible but you leave Bangkok late enough to grab dinner and get in early enough to get breakfast in Chiang Mai.

After arriving Saturday, I walked around the old city. The central part of Chiang Mai is a walled city about two kilometers square.  Inside are, of course, more temples and some really great graffiti. 

 

The predominant motif of Chain Mai would be elephants.  They adorn a lot of things, from temples to pants. I visited a number of temples but found the weather just as hot as Bangkok.  That forced me to find some local places to cool my heels and recover in the shade.  Doing so helped me appreciate the slower pace to everything in Chiang Mai.  There was a much more chill vibe to everything going on and people seemed to be in less of a hurry. There is a huge night bazaar (not to  be confused with the weekly night market) near where I stayed with anything you could want for sale. But I had to be up early for a a sunrise tour.

Sunday started at 0500 with a sunrise tour of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The temple is at the top of a mountain along a windy road and then a climb of 300-ish steps. At that hour, the road up is popular with cyclists and runners. 5AM is morning prayers for the monks. No one was at the temple so the only sound was the peaceful drone of chanting.  All around the temple, wild jasmine was blooming and the air was fragrant with it’s calming scent. Between the quiet, the smell, and the early hour, it was the most relaxed and calm I have felt since arriving in April.  It was definitely a moment I wanted to last longer that was possible.

From there, we headed down the mountain, stopping at two more temples, one still in operation and one ancient ruin.  Both were interesting, particularly because they were in the middle of the jungle. It is very different to see a mountain river running through the temple grounds and compare it to the grand buildings in Bangkok.

After lunch, we visited an orchid nursery.  My guide suggested it as some place to get great pictures.  There were just rows upon rows of orchids in bloom.  It was a nice touch and I appreciated the suggestion based on an obvious interest.

After that I was worn out. I put my feet up for a few hours before heading to a cooking class.  It was largely the same as the other class I took but it was still fun.  Everyone else in the class with one exception was an American college kid who just graduated. It was a unique experience to be in the same foreign location with people in such a different place in their lives.

Monday was a train ride back.  All 11 hours in an old, Chinese made train. I would probably recommend flying back to Bangkok instead.  I posted a couple of videos from out the window to try and share a glimpse of the country side.

My time in Thailand is winding down. Probably only one or two more posts before I get to head on back to the good ol’ US of A. As Always, photos here.