Dear Japan...

I miss you!

Stuff The Japanese Like

While on our trip we kept a running list of things we noticed the Japanese liked... Not to be confused with the website Stuff White People Like, especially b/c that website made me a bit annoyed (ie. before we went on our trip I read that apparently white people like Japan and REI, 2 places I was headed... I don't want to be considered stereotypical... grrr.)

So anyways, while this is all just my opinion there were just many things we kept seeing over and over again in the cities and towns we visited. By no means is this meant to be negative, we loved Japan and the Japanese and we loved everything they loved!

Stuff The Japanese Seem to like:
- high heels - most women were wearing cute heels or heeled boots, the shoes I saw were just inspirational!
- thigh highs - lots and lots of thigh high socks/stocking/etc. They were always paired with super short skirts, dresses or shorts.
- knee high socks - not always worn with school uniforms, also paired with short skirts, dresses and shorts.
- stirrup tights - I fell in love with this look and saw it everywhere! Women old and young wore these tights. Stirrups were the most common but to be fair tights were also a hot item.
- tights - see above comments
- English writing on shirts - the best versions of these were the ones that were in English but not English that made sense. However there were many shirts on men dn women where there was large printed words usually about love, peace or some sort of combination of the two. We had fun looking for "Engrish" versions of shirts, I brought home 3 as gifts (see above picture).
- boots - as mentioned before, there were some hot boots and had they actually had my size I may have come home with a suitcase full of them!
- mini socks - not sure this is the correct term for them but here in the States I have seen them called peds but have not seen any as cute as the ones in Japan, I bought 2 pairs and WISH I had bought way more! They basically allow you to wear a sock type of material with your heels or flats. In Japan they had so many variations for straps, thong sandals, etc. They are so smart!!
- beer - beer ads are everywhere and in these ads people (typically men) are actually drinking beer or really enjoying it (as seen here). You can buy beer out of a vending machine, drink it on the train, etc... Beer is popular.
- plastic bags and containers - everything comes in some sort of packaging whether it's a small clear bag or in a box. The Japanese are very clean and seem to be pretty eco friendly but all of these bags and containers create a lot of waste. On the flip side their packaging is always really cute so maybe it will make you want to save it and not waste it.
- trains - their trains are amazing. We bought a rail pass and spent so much time using their trains to travel the country. They are clean, easy to figure out, ALWAYS on time and so much more.
- surgical masks - we saw a lot of people wearing the surgical masks while we were there. I wasn't sure if it was due to them being ill or afraid of getting sick from others. Could be a mixture of both.
- hand wipes - you get one with every meal you eat and it comes in a little plastic package bag, unless of course you go somewhere where they give you a warm wash cloth. They may create waste but they are so nice to have!
- alcohol - not the drinking kind but the sanitization kind. When you enter a store, station, hotel or basically anywhere there is a small table with a container on it so you can squirt the alcohol on your hands to then rub in and kill the germs.
- cell phone charms - EVERYONE has a cell phone charm, some have many... I even saw 80 year old men with cute little bear charms on their phones. They basically tell a little story about you and what you like. I saw one that looked like a curious George monkey, a rice bowl, lots of Hello Kitty, bears, a shoe... I could go on!
- anime - it's everywhere... posters, tv, kids bags, etc... Anime is super popular but you should know that, unless you've been living under a rock.
- anything cute - this was one of my favorite things to look for, cute things. Advertisements used cute little characters to get the point across (ie. a dog scooping it's own poop (see picture), and alligator looking sad b/c some kids music on the subway was to loud, all kinds of animals pimping out drinks, food and snacks...
- cell phones - everyone has a cell phone and they are by far cooler than any cell phone I've seen in the States. People are constantly texting, playing games, checking email, watching TV, etc. on their phones.
- short skirts - mentioned earlier
- shorts with tights - mentioned earlier
- being fashionable - "fashionable" can mean many things in Japan, just depends on the style of the person. That being said I saw some really cool fashion choices and some really different choices, none the less, all cool!
- neon signs
- vending machines - they are everywhere!
- sugary drinks - can be purchased in the above vending machines or basically anywhere. I tasted some of the best drinks ever in Japan!
- green tea
- McDonald's/Starbucks
- bikes/scooters - way more popular than cars and apparently not expensive to have
- small cars
- uniforms
- tennis shoes - saw some really cool tennis shoes and so many different styles.
- snacks
- tissues - they hand out tissues on the streets as promotional items - you will never need to buy kleenex again!
- chimes - every subway station has it's own chime and they even sell little charms that have those chimes on them for souvenirs.
- beauty - everything seems to be maintained, organized, cleaned, and the presentation of pretty much everything is just beautiful.
- gardening
- pickled food - you gets lots of picked side items and every one we had was yummy!
- specialty foods - according to hubby most all of the cities have a food specialty so we tried to make sure to taste those when we visited.
- bathhouses (onsen) - the bathhouse is a wonderful experience and seemed to be loved by everyone we encountered while at them.
- cleanliness
- organization

I don't think the Japanese are stereotypical at all and this post isn't meant to make them look that way, just highlight some of the cool things I observed them enjoying on my trip. Thanks for such an amazing time Japan, we can't wait to come back!

UPDATE: I forgot to add one of the most important things that the Japanese liked; ICHIRO!!! Anytime people found out where we were from they would screach "Seeater Mariners, Ichiro, Japanese Hero, 200!" Ichiro saved our trip and helped us make many friends, Thank you Ichiro Suzuki!

Day 14 - Tokyo

Today is our last full day in Tokyo so we tried to get in a few items we missed last time. We ended up sleeping in till about 10am due to being out so late last night (and drinking a bit much) - we were even a bit grumpy until we got some food in our bellies. Noodles today and they were great (cold noodles that you drop into the bowl of hot soup)!!

We hopped a train and headed to Ueno to check out this shopping market (Ameyoko Market) where haggling is acceptable and they supposedly have great deals on items - even fake bags and such. I have been looking for a hard case suitcase to take back all the goods we have bought. I see them everywhere and they come in such wonderful colors. They have been running between 125 and up so I was hoping for a bargain. We found a few places and by the 3rd place I found the one I wanted, hot pink hard case and he gave it to us for 9500 yen - score!! I love it!

After the market we headed to Harajuku in hopes of seeing some of the Harajuku kids. They are supposedly all over the place on a Sunday but since we haven't been in Tokyo for a Sunday we thought we'd see what was happening in that area... Sadly, not much. tons of people shopping, a few fashionable questionable and even cool people wandering... Honestly thought I feel like I saw more foreigners there than any of the other areas of town... Especially in the toy shop we stopped in. I'm still glad we went though as it offered some interesting shops which we haven't seen before.

We stocked up on a few Hello Kitty items and then called it good. I hate to admit it but I'm a bit shopped out and I haven't bought any clothing or shoes for myself... which is killing me! The shopping and food here are by far some of the best I have seen. The shoes seem to be a .5 size to big and their largest size is one size to small for me. Boooo! I haven't really looked very hard though so maybe somewhere in Japan they have a store suitable for me. I am going to try and re-create some of the cool fashion ensembles I have seen here!

After our big day out we headed back to the Westin to relax and nap before our dinner date with our new friends. We cleaned up and headed back to Manta where they were waiting for us with 2 saved seats. We had our Orion beers and were given a delicious pork and something appetizer. Then we were given this amazing grade A7 fatty tuna that Gushi Kawa-san had gone to the market to get that morning. It is worth 25,000 yen a kilo and he bought it for us to share. He is such a nice man. We are so glad to have met him. Tamami is the woman we met with him and she speaks English which has helped us so much in this budding friendship with them. She is great!! Gussan is the guy who works at Manta and is also super friendly. He brought us Manta t-shirts which made Jeff so happy. We gave them some Seattle pictures we bought and a Seattle pin. We also gave them our information and said anytime they want to come to Seattle, we have a room for them!

We ordered several items off the menu, with Tamami's help, and shared them all. The food there is typical in Okinawa... actually the whole place is all about Okinawa and we've been invited to Okinawa in 2010. We have to go! To explain the evening would be hard, just like last night... So, yet again, words are failing me and just know that it was a perfect end to this trip. The hospitality we have come across from everyone makes us feel so warm and happy inside. We will be back Japan, we love everything about you! Sayonara for now! (Day 15 will probably not be added until we are back in Seattle).

Day 10... Whoops, forgot something!

I can't believe I left out a huge experience from day 10!! Jeff and I went to our first Onsen. What an onsen is is a bath house. I actually had to walk around naked in front of Japanese women of all ages (mostly older). It was very weird at first but I got over it pretty quickly.

After you undress and put your stuff in your locker you take your wash cloth and head into the area with all the different pools. Most are hot and have either some sort of mineral (one was purple and one looked milky), or electric currents (very freaky, esp if you didn't know it was there), jets, no jets, and a cold dip. This old lady told me what to do in a round about way as I think she could tell I was super confused. There is this area where you are supposed to pull up a little chair, sit down and basically scrub yourself clean. It's a bit weird sitting there showering in front of people but they are doing the same thing. Then once you are clean enough you can partake in the different pools or sauna. I had read some people use modesty towels but I didn't see anyone with one so I left my little towel they gave me in my locker.

The onsen is same sex so you're not walking around with guys. I would not have done that as that would have freaked me out. Jeff will share with you his experience I am sure.

As for the electric current pool, I had no idea it was emitting electrodes so when I got it it scared me to death as it gave me jolts and actuallt felt painful. It was only on one side of the pool so I moved to the other side and just kind of laughed. Later an old lady got in and I put my finger in there and made a funny face at her, she just laughed and goty in it. She was able to just stand there, no problem. Apparently it's top stimulate blood flow and metabolism. Maybe that is the secret to being thin! I found a blog of a woman who lives in Japan about Onsen Etiquette. It's worth reading. She even has pictures. I can honestly say I wasn't about to snap picts in there!!

Day 9 - Hiroshima

Had breakfast at the Toyoko-Inn this morning. Jeff brought his tray up to the room so I decided to go down and get my own. I got my food (rice, sausages, roll, pickled stuff) and headed for the elevator. "Sumimasen!" Oh crap, busted!! She told me I wasn't supposed to do that so I had to sit in the lobby alone and eat my breakfast... I called Jeff and he said "could you bring me some more sausages when you're done" - I smuggled a few up in a cup. He always gets away with that kid of stuff...

We headed out from our hotel to the station and just happened to have perfect timing for the Hiroshima train. Had we missed it we'd have had an hour wait. Didn't plan that, it just worked out!

First stop was the A-Bomb Memorial. We walked around Peace park taking pictures. Had a man come chat with us at the child's memorial. Just asked where we were from, practicing English is what I suspect. Then some school kids showed up and we asked top be in their class picture - they loved that!! Probably not as much as we did though.

The first building of the memorial has all of the names of those who died, including American POW's. We looked through the list of names and came across one guy named John Long. Long is a family name of mine so I have to find out if maybe there was some relation. It was so sad to see all of the names of the people who died. There are stations setup to read actual accounts from people who were there. It makes your heartache.

On the way to the museum we had 2 sets of school kids run up to us and ask if they could ask us a few questions. They wanted to know where we were from, could we speak any Japanese and if yes what could we say. They gave us a little origami crane. We gave them Seattle pins. We then walked quickly to the museum as tons of kids were eyeing us. Jeff had read that the kids come there for school and are told to try and speak to Americans to work on their English. It was cute but could have kept us there for hours. You could hear them b/c they would literally run towards you. :)

The museum is pretty big, much bigger than it looks. It only cost about 50 cents to go through the whole thing. The exhibit explains the war and how it all started. They never blame America for anything in the exhibit. Noone was weird to us or anything. They blame the tragedy on war and they even say they started it. There position now is peace and they even have a flame going that won't go out until every nuclear bomb is gone. The pictures were graphic, which really is necessary b/c you just can't imagine how horrible such a bomb could be. Their skin was burned off and even melting off of some people. I'm not the history buff that Jeff is but this museum was interesting and you really feel so sad after witnessing what these people had to go through. Nuclear war looks like a horrible, horrible thing to put anyone through.

After the museum we headed for lunch as the museum took a few hours and we were hungry. On our way out of the park we wanted to get a picture of the Japanese flag blowing. The wind had died down so we sat down to wait a bit. These 2 women approached us and we just assumed they wanted to practice English... yeah no, they were Jehovah's Witnesses and they wanted to talk to us about peace and God. We indulged them, I even read a Bible verse for her. She wasn't pushy so that was good. We took her pamphlet and then went on our way. It was so weird and unexpected... I had no idea Jehovah's Witnesses were here too.

The shopping arcade is where we ended up finding lunch... and a few souvenirs (toys for Abby!). We had the "Japanese Pizza" which was delicious!! It's a flat pancake with cabbage, spices, meat, sauce, egg and more spices - it was great! We ate it right off the griddle. It was super filling though as we both had one. It also goes perfect with beer!

We started to head back, hopped on the wrong tram, finally got on the correct one and then headed for the train station. A massage and bath are in my near future!!

Pictures have been taking forever to upload but here are the last few days worth. Day 7, Day 8 and Day 9! Captions will have to come when we get back as it's so time consuming right now and this computer takes a bit long at times... Sorry about that. Oh and our picts aren't always in order as we have 2 cameras going at all times and they don't always synch up when I upload the, Yet again, time consuming... When I get back I plan to organize them all.

Also, if you leave comments and don't want to be anonymous you'll have to sign up for an account. Jeff wanted me to make sure to tell you all that. However, being anonymous is ok, just leave your comment and then sign your name. :)

P.S. Mom, there is this drink that I discovered that you would love, it's Royal Milk Tea and it's basically a cold version of our yummy milk tea we love to drink!! I'll have to search for it in Seattle and we'll enjoy it when you come visit next!

Day 8 - Transition

Today was more of a day of transition and not really much to report. We packed up from Sendai and then hopped the train to Hiroshima. We had to switch in Hakata. It took a little over 2 hours.

Once at the hotel we just relaxed and then went down at 6:30pm for the curry rice the hotel was feeding us for dinner. I have never had a hotel give free breakfast AND dinner. We have stayed in the Toyoko-Inn in a few cities and it's really reasonable and always in great locations. Perfect for backpacking b/c then you don't have to haul your bags very far from the station. They are western style hotels but for the price you can't beat it. We saved over $3000 for the trip and haven't even made it half way through our money yet. Everyone told us how expensive Japan was and it definitely can be but we've managed to do really well on food and the rail pass has paid for itself as that is our only mode of transportation thus far. We haven't used any cabs, which are expensive, and staying close to the station has worked out well. We venture out on buses. trams or the trains to explore the areas we stay in.

Anyway, back to my post... Jeff LOVED the curry rice and has requested we make it at home as he now seems to love curry. He actually ate 2 big bowls of it b/c the kitchen lady made him take another bowl later in the evening. We took a walk to check out the small suburb of Hiroshima we are staying in... Now much here but a Pachinko parlor, which we checked out. When we returned she made him take more rice, which he gladly did of course!! Once in the room we watched a movie (War of the Worlds) and caught up on blogging and downloading pictures.

First week impressions of Japan

OK - I needed one full week to post my first blog. First and foremost, Japan is SUPER BIG AWESOME! We have had nothing short of a great time everywhere we have been. Currently we are in Sendai which is in southern Kyushu. The climate here is sub-tropical, so as you can imagine it is hot and muggy - feels great! Here are some short notes about our first 6 days...

Day 1 - Tokyo: arrived mid afternoon, took a train to downtown, sunset was at 17:30, got a little confused trying to find the Westin. Found the Westin, had dinner and stayed up as late as possible to adjust to Japan timezone (we were up for about 24hrs from the time we left Seattle).

Tokyo is insanely huge and crowded. Everyone is very orderly and polite, so even though you are surrounded by 30+ million people, it does not feel like it. Japanese beer is pretty good. All the girls are very fashionable - skirts, knee-highs, accessories, etc. Men are all in suits and look ready to get crazy on the weekend.

Day 2 - Tokyo: went to the Ginza district of Tokyo. Had an incredible lunch at a small restaurant. By the way, there are just as many small restaurants as there are residents in Tokyo...well, at least it feels that way. Met up with Ken Morinaka and went to a Tokyo Giants baseball game. On the way in they handed us plastic cups for our beers!!! Sorry Mariner fans, this game was much more fun. Chants, flags, banners, music, horns, drinking, eating, and the list can go on and on and on. The fans were super nice to us and loved to talk about Ichiro. Tarah even got some gifts from an older guy who was obviously hooped up on too much sake. Went to an Irish pub afterwards (Warrior Celt) that sat maybe a dozen people.

Day 3 - Tokyo: slept in for awhile (see above note about the Warrior Celt) and then went to the Grand Sumo Tournament 2009. Again, we hung out with Ken who is such a great guy and very knowledgeable about all things Japanese (at least more than us!). OK - the sumo match was one of the coolest sporting events I have ever been to. Fat, almost naked men trying to slap and push their opponent out of the ring (or on to the floor) is true entertainment. I could go on and on about this, but I digress (FYI - I took over 100 pictures, so obviously it sucked). We then met up with Maki and had a great dinner. We started off at the Manta (a little Okinawan restaurant that sat maybe 8) and had an appetizer and stiff drinks. We then went to a V.P.N. certified pizzeria (those of you that know me can appreciate this) that blew my mind. At one point we were speaking Japanese - Italian - English all at the same time. This pizzeria really impressed me. It remined me of Tutta Bella Columbia City in many ways. The food was excellent, the staff was friendly, and the atmosphere was incredible.

Day 4 - Okoyama: overnight stay after riding the bullet train (Shinkansen) for 4+ hours. Again, I can go on and on about the shinkansen (plush, fast, smooth, beers and smokes, etc.), but I digress. We stayed in a Ryokan and ate in downtown restaurant that specialized in yakitori. We decided to check out a little pub near our ryokan because they had the most unique "rainier beer" sign on the door that I had ever seen - of course, they had no idea what "rainier beer" was!!! Anyway, the bar had 3 tables and a little kitchen. We met 4 guys who live in Okayama and proceeded to hang out with them the rest of the evening. The really enjoyed speaking english and having us hang out in their local pub and vice versa.

Day 5 - Fukuoka/Hakata: this city was pretty damn cool. Live music and dance, tons of shopping, and very trendy. We decided to get a foot massage on the 14th floor of this very fashionable mall (yes it had 14 floors of shopping, including a toyota and nissan showroom that were on the 8th floor). The place had a rooftop deck that was very zen like and you felt like you were a million miles away from the city of 1+ million below). Ended the night at Genki sushi (apparently these all all over Japan - we have just 1 in Seattle). Slept at the Comfort Inn - same family as Best Western - I'm a little embarrassed because I have wanted to avoid all things western, but we Japan is currently celebrating a 5-day national holiday so rooms are pretty scarce. Hung out the next day wandering the Tinjin area (downtown Fukuoka), before getting back on the shinkansen.

Day 6 - Sendai: the train sped through vast agricultural areas as we headed deeper south in Kyushu. We decided to come this far south because it is so quiet and peaceful and we wanted a little rest point before heading back north (the population of Sendai is just over 100,000, so it is a little different than Tokyo - HA!). The shinkansen station is brand new and so is the hotel we are in (which had a trouser press, HD Flat screen, free internet, etc.). Apparently, this city is gearing up for a population explosion since a new train line is set to be completed in 2011. We ate at a local restaurant last evening and no one spoke any english - it was awesome. The local drink in these here parts is Shochu (made from grain/potato). Oh yeah, this city also has a large nuclear power plant. I guess this is the backwoods of Japan - if there is such a thing.

Until we meet again - "Daburu de kudasai!"

PS - this is my first blog post ever on any site - can you believe it?!?

Family History

Ever since we decided to go on this trip we have been hearing some really cool stories about people who we know who have visited, lived there or know people who live there. One of Jeff's grandfathers (Suzanne's father), Col. Hugh D. Maxwell Jr., has been sharing with me over email information about his time in Japan. He and his family were stationed in Japan from 1957 to 1960 and he has some great stories about his time there. He says "When we got there Maxie had just turned 7 and Suzanne was not yet 9. She got to take horseback riding lessons at the Imperial Stables by Japanese Cavalrymen. We promptly ordered a Volkswagen Bug, so we could explore narrow streets and back alleys. We had a ball."

I am so thankful to him for sharing it with me! A website has been put together with a lot of his family history, including his time in Japan. I asked if I could share it with you all and he said he would be honored. :)

Thanks Grandpa Maxwell!

Side note: Only 13 days till we leave!!

Japan in a few weeks...

Jeff and I will be headed to Japan in a few short weeks! We've been talking about going for quite sometime and I can't believe it is almost here. We'll be posting pictures and writing about our mini adventure for our friends and family to check out.

As of right now our itinerary is:
Tokyo
Hiroshima
Fukuoka
Beppu
Kyoto
Tokyo

However, it's pretty flexible... Stay tuned!