Life on the Zuiderdam

 

February 28^th  and 29th – “So Rucky in Tokyo” 

Some observations from our two days here ...

THE PEOPLE:  37.4 million people all dressed in black.  Young and old alike going to work, play, or school all seem to have one color in their closet.  They don’t call it a uniform but almost everyone, male or female, seems to think it is the power presentation of the day, though not nearly as colorful as their anime culture!  Yes, we visited Akihabara, the unofficial anime center in Tokyo.  Needless to say, we were the oldest ones there!

Of all the people in Tokyo, one man stood out to us above all others.   He was our guide on the second day of our Tokyo visit, and he is called Kenji-san, the epitome of Japanese culture to us.   This 80-year-old man took us to the most interesting places, and showed us Japan through his eyes.  Gardens, Old Tokyo, Fish Market, Shopping Markets.  He gives tours once or twice weekly, and he is 80!  He knew the subway, train and monorail systems like the back of his hand, and expertly navigated them all.   Never would Vialula and I have been able to do a tenth of the things we did without him.   Our group of six were “so rucky” to have him.   “So rucky!”  We got 16,000 steps, and he walked everywhere we did, plus more as it took him two hours to get to the city and two more hours to get home!   At the end of the day, Kenji-san walked us to the ship where we all exchanged respectful bows.  We had gone about a hundred yards away from him and as we looked back, he was still waving farewell to us.  Another fifty yards, and there he was, still waving.  This went on and on until he was out of sight, but we knew he was still there.   We would all turn and wave to him to show him how much we appreciated him.  I’d like to think that he was appreciative of the fact that this small group of American tourists did not prove to be too American.  

SHRINES/TEMPLES:  80,000 Buddhist/ Shinto shrines or temples, give or take.  Ok, googled this.. Shrines are built to serve the Shinto religious tradition which is the original religion of Japan, and they have a torii gate.  Temples are built to serve the Buddhist religious tradition and have a sanmon gate.   No, I cannot tell you the difference.  Just saw a lot of both of them.  The first picture below is the Senso-ji Temple.  The Meiji Shrine is the second one, and the Torii Gate is the third photo.  They are pretty much everywhere.

GARDENS:  Countless gardens and parks.  We visited Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden on our second day in Tokyo.   Parks and gardens are places of reflection, peace, meditation and tranquility.  In a world of millions of people, everyone needs the opportunity to get away from it all.  Cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, and camellias were all blooming.  In Okinawa, we were just a touch late for the cherry blossoms, and in Tokyo, we were just a touch early.  There were a couple of cherry trees here that were over 100 years old per Kenji-san. But enough were opening up early to get the gist of how beautiful it would be in about 2 weeks.   

 

MAN MADE MONUMENTS:  Here come the tourists!   Does anyone know that there is a Statue of Liberty in Tokyo exactly the same as ours?    A little smaller, but the French gave it to the city in 1998 as a tribute to the relationship France and Japan share.  Seems like France could come up with a different tribute and not just freely give out our Lady of Liberty to just any Tom, Dick, or Harry.  Just kidding.  Tokyo also has an Empire State Building!  

The Imperial Place was also a sight to see.  The Emperor moved his residence to Tokyo from Kyoto in 1869 (which we will get to see in a couple of days), and the Kokyogaien National Garden located around the palace is beautiful with bonsai-shaped Japanese pine trees.  In the center of the garden is a statue of a fierce Samurai warrior on his horse.  He is Kusunoki Masashige, a samurai who lived in the early 14th century and is celebrated for his devotion to the emperor.  We even got to see the changing of the guard while we were there.  Very "rucky" again.  

FISH/FOOD:  We ate raw fish, drank raw fish and washed it all down with some SAKI!  Went to the Tsukiji Market which is a madhouse around lunch time!   There is food and people everywhere!! Kenji-san took us to a sushi bar/restaurant in the fish market area.   These small mom and pop markets are open air.   People eat right there in front of the place where they buy the food.  Very little sitting is available.  We were “rucky” enough to be able to go up some stairs to a seating area for the seven of us.   NOTHING is in English.   Some broken English is here or there but again, we were so “rucky” to have Kenji-san with us.   Everyone had raw fish.   Nothing cooked is even available.   Pictures of the food helped but we adapted, tried to make our fingers negotiate the chopsticks, and everyone enjoyed their meal.   Warm saki and tea was the perfect pairing. I washed it all down with my beer of the day, Asahi Dry.  So much fun!  As we walked on, one of the shops was giving out fish stock to sample.   It actually wasn’t too bad.  One of the ladies bought some to take home to make soup!  Some sort of gooey matsa ball like pastry filled with something else gooey was the dessert at the end of our day that  Kenzi-san bought for everyone.  Vi had some candied strawberries on a stick (don't eat the stick!) on the first day that she liked much better, but when in Tokyo ...

TRANSPORTATION:  Subways, Trains, Monorails, Cars, Boats, and Rickshaws!  Like I said earlier, mass transit is the only way that 37 million people can get around.   Owning a car is allowed but very expensive.  The six of us became experts at using our tickets and figuring out the routines of the ins and outs and which side to stand or walk on as you (the left side, right?!)  and several thousands of your immediate neighbors get around.   Actually, I would still be out in the middle of Toyko without our guy.   Very confusing.

NATURAL MONUMENTS:  Mt. Fuji on a clear day.  Our first day in Toyko was a clear and bright sunny day.   Rarely do people get a chance to see Mt. Fuji off in the distance but this was one of those days.  People told us they had been here 3 or 4 time and never saw it but there it was.   There was a lot of snow on top of it from a recent snowfall.   It is quite a spectacular sight from afar.   It takes about 3 hours to get there so we only saw it from a distance. ** 

** THIS JUST IN:  Our scheduled stop at Omaezaki on March 1st was cancelled as the seas were too rough to dock.  So, as we made our way from Tokyo to Kobe, about mid-day, the clouds suddenly cleared, and out popped Mt. Fuji in all her glory and majesty!  Wow, just wow!

Our time and adventures in Tokyo were wonderful!  We are tired but pleasantly overwhelmed by all that Tokyo had to offer.  Sailing on - see you next in Kobe!

  

Vialula-san and LeRoy-san