The Final Chapter of Our Japan Trip

Okay, it's only taken me four months to finish blogging about Japan. I need to close out the trip so that I can blog about all the other things that the family is up to!



On our last full day in Japan, we visited Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. This is probably my favorite temple complex in Japan. We go there every time we visit Japan and it's always neat and interesting. On this trip, it was raining so it wasn't as much fun to wander the grounds and the gardens, but I just find it so terrific to enter the templex complex via the giant gate, go through the long corridor of food stalls and shops, bathe in the smoke close to the temple (for good luck) and then visit the actual temple.

 

 Here's the crew walking to Asakusa from the subway

 

Here's the corridor with shops and food stalls.

Here's a view of the temple gates from Sensoji Temple.

Here's a view of one of the gardens.

I guess Sensoji means so much to me because it was one of the first temples I visited with Maki after we got married and visited Japan for the first time in 2001. We also brought CJ there during his first trip, back in November 2004.

This time around, I bought a couple of woodblock print posters of the Sensoji Temple and the Kaminarimon Gate. These prints now hang proudly in our stairwell from the first floor to the second floor.

After visiting Sensoji, we had lunch at a local restaurant, then the Kato family headed back to the hotel and Alex and Christine visited the Studio Ghibli museum. We are all Miyazaki fans and Alex said the museum was incredible and worth visiting.

After naptime, for our last dinner, we went to the Ueno District and met up with Takashi, a boyhood friend of Maki's and Takashi's wife and son, Aim. We had dinner at this incredibly, fancy, sukiyaki restaurant with tatami mats, lots of courses, and incredible service. We always have dinner with Takashi when we go to Japan and it's always a treat. CJ and Aim played together and seemed to get along really well, even though CJ doesn't speak Japanese and Aim doesn't speak English. Funny how that works.

Two servers would come in periodically during the meal to cook the food and serve us.

Here's the sukiyaki, cooking away. The food was delicious!

Here's a picture of CJ's meal.

 Here's a photo of Takashi, his wife Sunao and his son Aim + Maki, MJ and CJ.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get the boys off to bed and then finish the night by completing our packing. I try to stay pretty organized during trips so that packing isn't a nightmare. Nevertheless, it's always work to get everything ready for the morning and then make sure we don't forget anything.

The Soup Nazi of Tokyo or the Story of Ramen Jiro

A few weeks before we left for Tokyo, my nephew Rusty, who had just come back from Tokyo, sent me a Facebook message, saying we had to go to Ramen Jiro, which is now his favorite ramen place in Tokyo.

So when we got back to Tokyo, we decided we just had to make the pilgrimage. During dinner with the cousins, we asked the about Ramen Jiro. Hiroko was surprised that we even knew about Ramen Jiro; she said she didn't like the place. But Fumihiko and Koji both gave Ramen Jiro the thumbs up.

On Saturday morning, we arranged to have dinner with one of Maki's aunts, an aunt we were close to since both of her sons had spent summers with us to improve their English before going off to boarding school. When we told Michiko that we wanted to go to Ramen Jiro, her reaction was the same as Hiroko's: she said the food was too heavy and greasy. But her son, Takuma, said he really wanted to go.

Maki's parents decided to come to dinner with us. Maki's dad was eager to visit Ramen Jiro, but Maki's mom, being gluten-intolerant, was not.

So at 5:30pm, we met Maki's parents, Michiko and Takuma at the Meguro subway station and then trekked up and down Meguro hills for about 20 hills to get to Ramen Jiro.

Here's Tak, Linda, Michiko, Takuma and Maki at the metro station.

 

Here's a photo of the restaurant with the line of people. The restaurant is just opening up.

Ramen Jiro is a rather nondescript, almost divey, tiny restaurant. It was still closed when we got there before 6pm but there was already a line of all young men waiting to get in. I wanted to try this famous Ramen Jiro but the restaurant doesn't allow babies, so I agreed to diner with Michiko and Maki's mom.

Michiko called us into a huddle and said, "listen, there are rules at Ramen Jiro." Rules? Apparently, they are:

• There were only a few stools in the restaurant. One person comes out, another person in line goes in. No going in as a group.
• You pay outside and then order quickly once you get inside.
• You must know exactly what you want.
• You must eat fast.
• No talking.
• You must finish all of your food.
• You must wipe up the counter when you're done.
• You must bow on your way out and you must say thank you for the food in Japanese.

Armed with that knowledge, Maki, Tak, CJ, Alex, Christine and Takuma got in line and I left with the ladies. Mom, Michiko and I found a wonderful chicken bowl restaurant. The place was tiny and empty and the chef kindly made a bowl of chicken and porridge for MJ.

The moms and I had just finished our soup (we hadn't gotten our main courses yet) when Takuma called Michiko. They were done, he announced! Done? Really? They were on their way to see us at our restaurant.

Apparently, the line had moved along very quickly, the food came fast and they were done right away. But here's the funny part. Maki's dad finished in about 10 minutes, Maki in about 12 and Alex a few minutes after Maki.

But Christine and CJ were slooooowww.  Christine is a notoriously slow eater and CJ is just getting good at chopsticks. On top of that, they are both very chatty. They were also sitting next to each other, so they were doubly chatty with each other.

Apparently, after Tak, Maki and Alex left the restaurant, Christine and CJ sat there eating and talking, while the chef glared at them. After a few more minutes of just watching them eat slowly and talk, the chef yelled, "Stop talking, eat faster!" At which point, Christine and CJ gulped their food and just ran out. The soup nazi strikes again!

Even though they were practically run out of Ramen Jiro, Christine and CJ loved Ramen Jiro and of course raved and laughed about their experience to everyone else.

Maki said it wasn't the best ramen he'd ever had, it was definitely a different style of ramen, but it was worth the experience. There are Ramen Jiro restaurant all over Tokyo.

Note how Alex's back is right up to the wall.

CJ and Christine are the last of the group to finish their food. CJ did a great job with his chopsticks!

Dinner in Shibuya

After nap time, we headed out to Shibuya, one of the hip districts in Tokyo. Shibuya is known for fashion on the streets, hip department stores, and great food. It's a favorite area for dinner and hanging out, especially among singles. Shibuya is also pretty central, so it's easy to get to.

Taking the metro to Shibuya on a Friday evening during rush hour can be quite challenging but we made it.

We met several of Maki's cousins at a beautiful restaurant (that I can't name, sorry). It was a traditional Japanese restaurant with private rooms featuring tatami mats and traditional screens. There was a little stone pathway within the restaurant leading to the private rooms. Very pretty.

We had dinner with Hiroko, Fumiko and Koji. Maki's cousin are all really accomplishes. Hiroko works for an organization that brings opera and ballet to Japan; she negotiates the contracts. Fumihiko is a successful surgeon. He says colon cancer is on the rise in Japan as the Japanese diet is becoming more Western. Koji is an ad buyer for Fendi. He's ridiculously stylish with his hair, skinny jeans, and velvet jacket. Maki was so glad to see his cousins and spend time with them, just the cousins. Maki is the oldest of all the cousins.

Check out these photos of some of the dishes we had at this restaurant. As usual, the food just kept coming and coming, all of it fresh and all of it delicious.

After dinner, we asked Koji to take us to Hachiko. Hachiko is a statue created in honor of a dog during the 1920s who became famous for continuing to come to the train station to meet his master, long after the master had died. The area where Hachiko stands is a popular meeting spot.

The Hachiko story is a popular one. For the trip, I bought the movie Hachi starring Richard Gere, which is set in America, but based on the Hachiko story. I also bought the book.

Afterward, we went back to the metro station to see the Myth of Tomorrow mural, which Fodors.com highly recommended that we see. We didn't really understand the significance of the mural but it was fun to see.

Rainy Day in Tokyo

On Friday morning, November 23, we woke up to a rainy day in Tokyo. We were a little tired from all of the traveling the day before, so we decided to take it easy. Turns out there is a Tokyu Hands in Shinjuku close to the hotel, so we bought an umbrella from the underground mall, made a stop at Starbucks and headed to Tokyu Hands.

MJ insisted on holding the umbrella in the rain.

Maki and I love Tokyu Hands. I call it the Target of Japan but that's not quite right. At Tokyu Hands, you can get souvenirs, clothing, stationery and pens, electronics, small appliances, tools, toys, etc.

Tokyu Hands had a section for toys. MJ found some Thomas items and CJ got some Pokemon cards.

After a couple of hours of shopping, we decided to head for lunch. We found a Korean restaurant right in the building that looks great. It was called Garlic something and hoo boy, there was a lot of garlic in everything we ordered!

Here's MJ playing with one of his new toys.

We squeezed into a tiny booth.

Here's my hot pot bibimbap. It was delicious. Note the raw egg that gets mixed into the dish.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a nap. MJ ended up napping right in his stroller but he wouldn't let go of the umbrella. Here he is clutching the umbrella while in the underground mall leading to our hotel.

The Land of Vending Machines

Japan is full of vending machines. You can get all sorts of things from vending machines: water, soda, hot coffee, cold coffee, coffee with cream and sugar, beer, sake, hot green tea, cold green tea, soup, electronics, etc.

I don't know why this business of vast vending machines has not taken hold in other countries because it's fabulous to get all kinds of food and beverages from vending machines. What you will notice, however, is that you don't see a lot of candy vending machines. To get candy, you need to go to a convenience store or a grocery store. Fascinating!

Check out the collection of vending machines at the Seto Bridge rest stop where we had lunch after crossing the bridge! How many varieties of coffee and green tea could one possibly want? Evidently, many, many varieties are available and in demand.

I think this one is vending coffee.

This machine also has different types of coffee.

This one is selling green tea, lemon water and Pepsi. I think Pepsi Next is the fat blocking Pepsi.

More varieties of coffee and green tea.

In this one, you can buy Coke, water, juice, coffee, green tea.

Aha, American fast food has finally come to Japan. Here, you can buy chicken tenders, french fries, hot dogs, etc.

This machine has different flavors of instant noodles.

This machine has a variety of food I don't recognize, but I spotted ice cream and coup.

Yummy Lunch in at the JR Station in Hiroshima

After visiting the Peace Park, we were ready for lunch. We caught the bus back to the JR station and decided to explore other food options right at the station. We lucked out and discovered the Panoramic Food Court which featured lots of food stalls and gorgeous panoramic views of Hiroshima!

 Here's a view from one of the windows at the food court. It was stunning!

 Here's the food vendor I got CJ's chirashi sushi from.

 Yup, there was a McDonald's, but we stayed away. I had ramen with roast pork!

Here's a photo of my ramen with roast pork lunch!

Here's a photo of CJ's chirashi sushi bowl with salmon and tuna

 Here's the group eating lunch. MJ is enjoying some mochi with Uncle Alex for dessert.

 

 CJ's chopstick skills leveled up during this trip!

 

On the ground floor of the station, there was this really pretty display of souvenirs and different kinds of mochi for sale.

Checking in at the Hotel Granvia + First Meal in Hiroshima

We got to Hiroshima in the late afternoon so we checked into our hotel, the Hotel Granvia. Maki and I found this hotel through the American Express website and chose it because it was close to the JR station. Turns out this hotel is connected to the JR station, which turned out to be super convenient. The hotel was also quite nice, with a beautiful lobby and decent-sized rooms. Maki, CJ, MJ and I still had to take 2 rooms but they were pretty, clean and non-smoking.

 The Granvia had a pretty lobby that was decorated for the holidays.

Fodors.com recommended the restaurants and food court at Hiroshima station so we went wandering. We had plenty of options, including a food court on the ground floor and several floors of restaurants. We chose an okonomiyaki place where we watched the cook make our food while we sat on bar stools.  Okonomiyaki, or Japanese pancake, is sort of a cross between a pancake and a frittata. You pour an egg batter on a griddle, then you add vegetables, meat and sauce. It's quite yummy!

What's MJ Up To These Days?

It's been an incredible couple of months for MJ and for the rest of us. My friend Alyson, who sees him every few weeks, says it's amazing how much MJ changes during that time and I agree. Here are some of the things he's now doing.

He likes to eat on his own. Whenever he can, MJ prefers to feed himself, using a spoon to eat yogurt, applesauce or cereal, or using his fingers to eat pasta, fruit, bread, crackers, etc. It's hilarious when he jams 3-4 blueberries into his mouth, or a handful of pasta. He usually ends up using his whole hand to shove all of the food into his mouth.


He's not only walking, he's running, going up and down stairs on his own (by holding onto the wall, of course), and taking the 1 step in and our of house on his own, without holding on or having to stoop down.

He's still signing, but he's now preferring to talk. He can say soooo much, including: mama, dada, ceej, yaya, froo (fruit), co (cold), wa (water), fire truck, ca (cow), do (dog), meow (cat), ca (car), truck, key, pho (phone), sit, piwo (pillow), fyower (flower), mi (milk), pa (grandpa), ma (grandma), sandy (short for alexander), one, two, bre (bread), blue (usually referring to blue's clues), up, da (down), outsi (outside), dri dri (drive, drive), shz (shoes).

He can get into his car seat on his own, which saves my back.

He seems to understand nearly everything I tell him, including conditional statements, like, "if you put on your hat, I will let you go outside." I said this tonight and he reached for the hat after initially refusing to wear the hat.

He's definitely blossoming into full toddlerhood. His favorite word is a vehement NO and when he's not happy, he proves to us time and time again just how loud he can be.

He loves music. He will bounce up and down on his legs, and shake his head when we have music on. And when I exercise to Everybody Dance, he sits contentedly on the couch and watches me.

He loves his ladybud pillow pet. Santa gave him a mini pillow pet and he just loves it. He won't take a nap or go to sleep at night without it. He calls her BA, which is short for ladybug. He carries BA around all over the house.  I got a back-up BA just in case we have a BA disaster, although we try very hard to NEVER let BA outside the house.

TimehopeAbe tells me that a year ago today, I posted this on Facebook: "It's been an incredible month for baby MJ milestones. In the last few weeks, he started pulling himself up and down, he is starting to hold his bottle, he is cruising a few steps while holding on to furniture and he's signing "more" and "milk." So fun.