Hiroshima--Day Two

Day Two
We headed for the bullet train—the Shinkasen—to Hiroshima, after breakfast at the hotel (rice, fish, vegetables, fruit).

We were quite happy that after we reached the platform the train stopped and we could get right on. Unfortunately the conductor came to us asking for tickets and said we could not ride this train as it was a Nokia line train, and Nokia lines are not covered under the JR contract. Though we knew we couldn’t take that line, we had missed the signing on the train (a smallish window on the cars which are in Romanji text but then switched back quickly to English). We saw later that the main sign on the platform also says what sort of train it is, but live and learn. We got off at the next stop and found the correct train for Hiroshima. (Note: you can place your larger bags—don’t bring more than one or two—behind the last seat at the back of the car. Small bags can easily fit under the seat in front of you or on the baggage rail above the seat. You have plenty of leg room on one of these trains.)
We walked around a bit, walking from our hotel across a bridge over to a park and canal (looking suspiciously burned…A-bomb?) here and found this tiny noodle place that was wonderful. I loved these noodle counters. I saw them preparing eggrolls and tried to get the cook’s attention but failing the requisite word for “eggroll” I settled for just the ramen. Still, great ramen. Back to the hotel.

Things to ponder concerning Japan

A few things to ponder when in Japan:

• No tipping. For Westerners this is such a convenience. No one has to guess what is the appropriate amount to tip in a foreign land. No worries, just pay the bill and say "Arigato gozaimash'ta."
  
• No littering. You will find that Japan is the cleanest country on earth. There simply is no garbage around. This was a complete mystery to me, given my knowledge of human tendencies, and the scarcity of waste receptacles on Japan streets (and the ones I did spy were small and full). Do people just carry their trash around with them for blocks? Are the receptacles disguised? But even cigarette butts (and the Japanese like to smoke) are rarely seen. Nice. After some more education on the Shinto religion, it became apparent that cleanliness is part of the culture of Japan, as Shinto puts a premium on purity and cleanliness.
  
• No soap. Another mystery, especially as the influenza virus was at panic level during our time in Japan (many, many people wearing masks: all school age children and teachers). Masks are not that useful for preventing viral transmission, but hand washing with soap and water is quite proven as preventive maintenance. A few days into our trip we did start to see alcohol solutions in stores and tour buses. But you will not find soap in many public restrooms.
  
• You will need an instruction manual for the operation of the toilets in Japan, and fortunately they will be found on the hotel toilets themselves. Public restrooms will often have a Western-style option, along with the more traditional Japanese squat-type. The hotel versions are typically European-style, bidet toilets. Find out how to stop the thing first! Another facet of some public restrooms that you will find in the gardens and parks: they are completely viewable, even the women's section. For such a seemingly private culture, this is unfathomable to me. Perhaps people tramping by simply continue to look forward and down at the ground, as is a Japanese person's wont. I suppose, in that case, doors are entirely optional. But they should know this puts us Western folk at a decided disadvantage. We were told that one of the necessities for Japan travel was a handkerchief for drying the hands in restrooms, as paper towels are not available (though sometimes blowers are). This isn't a big deal; you can dry your hands by air drying or by running them through your hair, as I do.
  
• Breakfast, Japanese-style. If you go to Japan, I cannot imagine that you would want to have Western food, so a note on the Japanese menu: expect anything for breakfast. Breakfast is an important Japanese meal. The hotels I have stayed at included both Western and Japanese buffet lines. You will find spaghetti, fish (mainly salmon), salad, gelatin, and, of course, tofu and rice. Rice is the main dish in Japan and is included in all meals; you eat it last, generally. You will find boiled eggs: put this in a bowl of rice and mix it around (quite yummy) with your chopsticks—learn to use these—don't be a tourist! There is a kind of compressed, rolled egg that is kind of like scrambled eggs. Tofu with sauce. Vegetable concoctions. Miso soup is a staple. Noodles. Hot dogs (called sausages, but they're hot dogs) with a spicy mustard (again quite yummy). If you are wondering what to do with some kind of food, just ask: the Japanese are very accommodating and they seem to know we haven't a clue. Coffee is included along with fruits and tea. As I said, breakfast is a big deal here.
  
• Language. You can get around if you don't know a lick of Japanese, but it does help to know some, especially "Arigato," "konnichi-wa," "hai," "credit cardo?" and, if you are like me and a coffee hound, "kohee." You will find "kohee" in the vending machines, but often cold. (Try the milk tea, it is quite good.) You can bring an electronic translator along, a dictionary, or just wing it.
  
• JR rail system. The best way around the station (not the subway—see below—but the country wide Shinkasen system—is to find the Shinkasen sign and show your pass to one of the attendants there. They will smile and wave you through. Find the ticket office for the JR trains and tell them your destination. They'll look it up, tell you or show you the next train and issue you a ticket. You don't need the ticket, but take it anyway, as it gives you a reserved seat and the chance to ask for the platform number and directions. The first three cars in a Shinkasen train are all unreserved and you can sit anywhere, but if it is a busy time of year you might be out of luck, so get the ticket. Note on the ticket the time of departure and the car number. Before leaving the ticket counter ask for the track number! This makes it much easier to find the train. After, simply find the track and wait for the train. Easy.
  
• Subways. Our experience with the subway system was limited to Tokyo so these comments are for that city's system. Once you enter the station find the ticket sign and go to the ATM-like devices. Look at the map above, hopefully in English. (It might be a good idea to print out an English map of the Tokyo subway prior to leaving and have it handy: you can get it here http://www.tokyometro.jp/rosen/rosenzu/pdf/rosen_eng.pdf ). Find the station for your destination. You will see the number (in Yen) next to it. Put a 1000 Yen note in the machine and click on the number of tickets you want and the amount of the ticket. If you are unsure of the amount you do have the option to select the lowest amount and when at the destination station you can make a fare adjustment. The Japanese like to make things simple and workable. They succeed. Find the correct train and put the ticket in the first slot. The ticket will come out at the farther end. Don't forget to pick take it. Get on the train and when you've arrived at your destination go to the exit and put the ticket in. You won't have to pick it up; your fare will be correct (unless adjusted) and the machine will keep the ticket.
  

Escalators. In Tokyo you stand on the left, allowing those in a hurry to pass on the right. In Kyoto, the reverse is true. Don't know why. Of course, this also applies to stairways.

A Word About Japan

Of course it is best to avoid generalities, but I will offer up some of my own with the proviso that they are indeed generalities and probably shouldn't be made too much of. Still…

• Japanese women. The women in Japan are indeed the most beautiful I have ever seen. Their skin is youthful (a phrase bandied about now is puru puru or soft youthful skin), probably due to their avoidance of the sun (something American women still haven't learned: you can see many women in Japan carrying parasols) as well as their diet and avoidance of tobacco (11% of women smoke, 40% of men). They are generally very slender and sleek and know how to dress in a fashion that focuses on their flowing figures. The coinage fashionista comes to mind. Fashion must be a very important quality to Japanese women, as many will dress for show rather than comfort: witness our climb up Mt. Misen, a difficult, sweaty task, that some women performed…in high heels!They are also quite congenial, happy looking (though Asian demeanor often masks underlying unhappiness: people do not wish to burden others with their problems), and quite helpful. Most of the workers in department stores and other retail outlets, as well as hotels, and most other sectors of the service economy, are women. And that is probably a very good thing.
  



• Japanese men. Smoke. A lot. I guess not as much as they used to, but they still do light up more than they should. It's nice though that they don't litter; I couldn't find many cigarette butts lying around, and those I did were in front of hotels, probably laid there by Western tourists. By all accounts of the many fires that have destroyed so much of Japan's historical structures you'd think smoking might be more looked down upon by Japanese society. Japanese men too are quite congenial and helpful. This indeed seems a happy country (on the face of it: economic times are hard). An addendum: We didn't see too many homeless in this country, perhaps a half dozen. You'd see more on one New York City block than in the entire city of Tokyo (which has double the population of NYC). All the homeless we saw were men.
  



• Children. I did notice something else while in Japan. No one seemed to dote on the children as they do in America. I am speaking of strangers, not the parents. In America strangers often will be playful with children; in Japan they were pretty much ignored by the other Japanese. Not sure what this says. Probably nothing.
  

The elderly. The elderly still seem quite able to get out and move amongst the younger set. I saw many crossing streets and getting on the subways and buses. I take it the health care system in this country is much better than in America (but then what country can't say that?). I've read that the elderly are more respected in Japan than in America, which has turned into a youth focused society.

Travel Japan

Day one, Tokyo. We had reserved a day guide (tokyofreeguide.com) which is a free tour guided by a Tokyo resident but speaking in your own native tongue. You are only responsible for the guide's meals and any admission fees. This is a terrific service, free since the guides are benefitting too: they are seeking to better their language skills in a foreign language. If you reserve the guide for your first day, you can then become acquainted with the subway system which can be daunting for many travelers.

Our first stop was at the Imperial Palace and Gardens. The palace is only open to the public on New Year's Day, once a year. But there are some nice places to have a photo taken and then walk around the gardens. The garden is vast, so we picked a section and walked that only.

Our guide then took us to the Imperial Hotel for a tea ceremony. The cost was approximately 30 yen for the three of us (guide included).

Next we went to the Ginza, mainly just to see it and walk about. We did visit the Sony building and see the new products. (I was hoping for a new, cheap Sony digital voice recorder, but no luck.)

We then had lunch at a buffet style Japanese restaurant, which our guide said was frequented mainly by women (our guide was a young professional woman). This was important as women in Japan tend to eat healthy, low calorie meals, and as traditional Japanese cuisine is low cal we had a nice traditional meal.

After lunch we took the subway to the Asakusa district to see the Kannon, or Senoji Temple. In front of the temple are souvenir shops where you can purchase Yakusa (Japanese type robes) and various shirts, ties, candies, and knickknacks.

We finished our tour at the Tokyo City View from Roppongi station. On top of the building is a closed in 360 degree viewing area and then, if the weather was good—it was—you can go on top of the building itself for an open air view. The Mori Museum is also in the same building so we then visited that collection of very modern, cutting edge art. Not to my taste, but some might say otherwise (see my comments on the 21^st Century Museum in Kyoto).

Our guide left us to our own devices and we somehow made our way home via the subway without any major or minor mishap.