Our trip to Japan was planned somewhat last minute. We knew we wanted to see Kyoto and Tokyo, and hopefully get a chance to stay in a ryokan or “traditional guest house” along the way. After a few days of frantic planning, our trip shaped up to look like the following:
- Kyoto | Hotel Granvia | July 16-21
- Ryokan/Onsen (in Kyoto mountains) | Kurama Onsen | July 21-23
- Tokyo | Cerulean Tower | July 23-28
I’ll be making a post for just about every day we spent. This one will be about July 16th, our arrival.
Flying To Japan
Despite our plans to stay in Kyoto first, we flew into Tokyo because of the way our free AA miles tickets worked out. As such, we had to catch a Japan Airlines flight to Osaka and then a bus into Kyoto after that. Luckily Japan airlines offered a “yookoso” (welcome) fare of just $100 for foreigners. We had to fax them our flight information and ID to get this fare. The bus from Osaka airport to Kyoto was about $12 and just happened to take us straight to our hotel since we were staying at the Hotel Granvia at Kyoto Station. At first I was extremely nervous about asking about the buses and directions but, as I remembered from my last trip to Japan, everyone was extremely helpful and it just wasn’t an issue. People in Japan have, for the most part, a very basic understanding of English phrases and words and, for the rest, you can either learn some Japanese (which I have) or use the “point and nod” system to pretty much get anything done. Menus for example are not always available in English, but almost always have photos.
I had been to Kyoto before, in 2002. My traveling companions (my wife and sister-in-law) however, had never set foot in Japan before. So even the airport upon arrival was of great interest. I quickly remembered that Japanese public bathrooms have a number of differences from those in the USA. For one thing, they are clean. For another, there is never any paper for drying your hands available. Usually a hand dryer/blower is available but sometimes there is nothing at all for drying hands. Contrary to popular belief, you wont neccesarily find a space-age toilet everywhere you go (although our hotels did have these). What you will see is a lot of variety. In the USA, we have basically one toilet. It looks like a chair. You can put the lid up or down, and you flush it. Sometimes we have sensors that flush for us automatically. Japan’s toilets range from a hole in the ground with a flush chain all the way up to sit-down toilets with remote controls, multiple washing options, hand washers, seat warmers and even music. These latter varieties are usually found in hotels or homes rather than public bathrooms. Bathrooms vary widely in design and furnishings.
I should note that I am the type of traveler (and person in general) who attempts to take everything in stride. I believe the USA has much to learn from Japan. So I don’t get hung up much on differences and try to see how I can learn from and appreciate the way things are done elsewhere. In the case of Japan, I constantly find myself wondering why the USA hasn’t caught on to some of the great ideas I see here. Convienience stores that sell food that is actually edible, arcades (game centers) that are staffed and fun to visit, restaurants that display food outside the store, a no-tipping system where everyone is expected to provide good service by default, cars that are cleaner for the air, public spaces designed for the blind and deaf to use safely- the list can go on and on. Not to mention the intangible things- people just being friendly and helpful when you approach them, virtually no problems with theft or violence, etc. I felt very much welcome and at home in Japan in 2002 and feel the same way now in 2009.
We grabbed some Japanese drinks from a vending machine (I like the delicious canned coffee with milk drinks) and hopped on the bus. It took us right to Kyoto Station, but we had no idea how large this area would be. We were in fact dropped off at the opposite side that our hotel was on. I quickly remembered how to ask where something is in Japanese along with some basics like “right” and “left” and we were on our way. True, I had to ask 3 or 4 different people but everyone tried to help as best they could. Finally we found the lobby by going through the station and up a few escalators.
The room turned out to be very nice and the hotel was beautiful. We also found out later that Kyoto Station is a very good place to be in order to explore Kyoto. Everyone knows where it is, the buses and trains all go there regularly and, as luck would have it, a walking tour we wanted to take happened to meet right outside the station.
It was late, and we didn’t know what to eat for dinner. We didn’t want to begin our trip by eating at a hotel restaurant, so we hit the streets. At first, we were very disoriented. The station area consists of the station itself, inside a very modern building, and a number of mall-like businesses and metropolitan complexes. It’s fun to walk around and look at the food displayed outside each restaurant. We took so long to decide where to eat that most places had closed.
Finally we found what looked like a simple Japanese food restaurant with a sign that said open until 11pm. So, we headed in. As it turned out it was a very nice place with individual private dining rooms and a server dressed in a kimono. In addition, there was almost no English spoken by the staff. We were fresh off the plane so it was a little embarrassing but I suddenly was able to remember a lot of Japanese and we were able to ask questions about the food and find things to eat. I ate a sushi and tempura platter. Teresa had udon noodles and Sarah opted for “fried chicken flavored in a Japanese way.”
One thing I had completely forgotten is that generally in Japan when you go to a restaurant you are not “checked on” to see if you are ready to order. Either you will get a button you can press to summon your waiter/waitress or you can call “sumimasen!” (excuse me) to place your order. You are always given a moist towel to wipe your hands with before your meal. You are almost never provided with the large napkin westerners are used to placing on their laps. I also forgot that you almost never pay your server in Japan. You are given a summary of what your ordered which may or may not have a total on it. You then take this to the front of the restaurant and pay. In the USA, this is usually the mark of a cheap restaurant but that is not so in Japan.
Japan is chock full of bizarre English and English translations. Our favorite from this restaurant menu was the appetizing item “Fried Cock Cartilage.” (Which may not even be a translation issue – just an unusual food item involving a male chicken – and it’s my fault for being immature enough for giving it a mention here) I notice a lot of these awkward translations in Japan.
We enjoyed this meal very much, and it was a good introduction to Japan. After getting back to the hotel, we watched some Japanese TV (which I always enjoy) and relaxed. We took a closer look at the room and especially liked the heated mirror which clears the fog in the bathroom.
The toilet runs water and heats when you sit on it. Several bottom washing options are offered which we did not try (until later in the trip!). We explored around the hotel a little bit and then headed to bed. Jetlagged, I woke up around 4 am and had another revelation/memory… although Japanese power is very similar to USA power (100 vs 110 volts), Japanese outlets don’t have a ground wire hole. There are only holes for 2 blades. No matter, the hotel staff had a power adapter for me instantly when I asked. I was able to transfer photos off my D700 and get set up making blog drafts in Wordpress. The internet speed is quite fast and stable, however Japanese ethernet cables seem to be different from USA ones. They don’t seem to “click” in and lock. As such, we had to MacGyver a way to keep the plug in the laptop by placing a weight against it.
That’s about it for our arrival to Japan! I’m sure I will never be able to cover everything on this blog but I hope to hit the most interesting parts.
