Day 16: Mt. Fuji/Tokyo

Today, we got an impressively early start, leaving the hotel somewhere around 700am to catch a high speed train towards Tokyo. The plan was to stop at a place called Shizuoka, get off the train, and take a 30 minute bus to the Nihondaira hilltop with the best view of Mt Fuji. So we get on the right train, are cruising along at 150 mph, and have time to grab breakfast in Shizuoka. After asking directions to the correct bus from a station employee, we were confident that we could get the right bus on time. 10 minutes to the bus, we try to find the stop, struggling, and the station employee sees us, looks at his watch, and starts frantically waving towards a far away stop. He starts herding us down some stairs, pointing us in a general direction. So we weaved through some twists and ran down a hallway--with our big packs on--and sprinted up a flight of stairs. Bus stop in front of us, bus #42 is about to leave. But we thought we should be getting bus #19. Bus leaves. 20 seconds later, turns out, Station #19, bus #42 is right. Next bus, 3 hours. DANG.

But we grabbed sushi at a grocery store, sat and ate in a park, and walked around this little town(probably well over 1 million) halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto. We read, and made it back to the stop with plenty of time to spare.




The ocean is never far in Japan..

As luck would have it (second time now for those keeping score at home), Fuji had been cloudy most of the day (I won't bother w/ the bad pictures). When we reached our stop, we could just barely catch glimpses of the peak. But after sitting and enjoying the warm sun and escape from urban chaos for an hour and a half, the clouds gave way. And as you can see, we got a pretty sweet view of the mountain. Well worth the wait and a very calming few hours.





Our next bit of luck would come upon returning to the Shizuoka train station to continue on to Tokyo. After asking when the next Shinkansen (bullet train) was leaving, the woman hesitatingly explained there had been an accident on the Shinkansen. We figured this was a catastrophic accident (but ended up not hearing about it after, so it must have been minor), and decided to start taking local trains (estimated travel time 3 hours to Tokyo as opposed to 1 hour via bullet train). The local trains were packed and, spoiled by our JapanRail pass that allowed access to high speed, we hopped off at a station hoping that the Shinkansen had started up again. We asked a station staffer and, ears perked up, he heard a bullet train arriving that second. So back to running up stairs, we made the train, got seats, and saved an hour of travel time. The Amazing Race film crews could barely keep up!


Once in Tokyo, we hit the town in Rappongi, reputed to be the best nightlife spot. Lots of clubs, bars, bright lights, promoters trying to drag you into the coolest clubs that usually ended up being empty. "Come back around 1130, you'll wish you had a table! Luckily, we held out until we met a couple Japanese sisters (one spoke great English, the other broken). Our iPhone Japanese-English translator came in very handy. Simply saying "I like fruit" can make a friendship blossom instantly. Thank you, Sapporo! The sisters showed us around to 3 or 4 bars and clubs. Very friendly! I got one to give Mark wet willies, (don't worry, Abbie, much to his chagrin), but this thoroughly entertained her and I for a good hour.

The end is near..

Day 14/15: Kyoto

Waking up to a new country is always a great feeling. Waking up to a new country that has heated toilet seats AND automatic butt washers is like being a puppy in a new home. It makes you want to poop everywhere! Haha, just kidding. But I did recently learn that John Mayer is a big fan of Japanese toilets. He's a pretty good musician and a funny guy; I'd share a bidet with him any day. But enough on that subject.. time to go to Kyoto!

Osaka is a cool city, and our favorite part was most likely the soothing woman's voice on the train system. Every time she said "Bentencho", it felt like I was being put to bed by one of the Golden Girls, preferably Rose. Who is your favorite Golden Girl?


Sweet hotel thanks to Dan Cooke! Owe him big time!


If you don't put your feet in the right spots, robots will pick you up and put you in the correct position.


Made it to Kyoto! A very traditional city with deep roots in Japanese heritage, but like all of Japan, has been bit by the modern bug.. Thankfully, this Tower narrowly escaped destruction during the last Godzilla disaster.


Once we made it to our hotel, we quickly asked the staff where the closest temple was. About a 20 minute uphill walk, we took off to make it before sundown. This was the first in a series of great timing decisions that we would fall into. We caught the hillside temple at the most beautiful time of day. Away from the center of the city, with an unadulterated view of the sun dipping behind the gentle peaks near Kyoto, it is easy to say that these monks knew what they were doing.




Givin thanks!


After a great sunset on our honeymoon, the only logical thing to do was eat some authentic Japanese food. And since that usually involves sushi, we were easily convinced. Later, stayed in to save money, read, and watch Japanese game shows.

The next day, we visited Edo Castle, the Golden Temple, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and walked the city. Starting off rainy, we made a pretty good day of it and finally got approached to take a picture with some Asian schoolgirls (and 1 guy). It's about time!!!




In a hurry to get somewhere, Mark?




We had thai for dinner and I sampled a pleasantly stiff Japanese sweet potato cocktail that tasted like a good mix between vodka and whiskey. Another quiet night to save $$ for Tokyo!


Clip from the Shinkansen (actually Kyoto - Japan)

Day 13: Osaka

The gray Winter of Japan! Even though it was dark, gray, and not much was in bloom, Japan was still pretty beautiful. We were told that cherry blossom season (Spring, I believe) or leaf color changing season (Fall, how bizarre!?) are the best times to visit.



Here, we took a look at Osaka Castle. It was built and re-built from the 1600s-1700s. Different regimes made changes, but at one point it was the strongest point in Japan. We did not attempt to scale the walls, but they look to be pretty climbable. Maybe it's a different story when people are shooting arrows and throwing samurai swords at you.


Mark demonstrating the preferred technique for "Eastern Toilets". Strong legs required. Recommended only in emergencies...


Next, we took a couple train to a different part of the city. This shrine was billed as off the beaten track. While there were not many tourists in Japan, this place was especially quiet and relaxing. People visit these shrines daily to pay their respects, pray, and offer donations to Buddha. Throughout all of the shrines and temples we visited, none had organized prayer. Individuals prayed on their own at their own pace, in a series of rituals.

The only thing Japanese people like better than rice are playing video games and sleeping on trains. Some combination of exhaustion, boredom, a more flexible neck from all of the bowing, and the melodic voice of the train recordings bring about the same reaction in nearly all Japanese. 25% quietly play intense video games (cell phone, Nintendo DS, PSP, and possibly all three at the same time) while the other 75% snooze. Mark got pretty good at this by the end of the week.



A pretty sweet colorful manhole lid.
Below, another temple we visited w/ some traditional Japanese architecture and some impressive colors. I think they stole this style from the Japan section at Epcot.



How many more temples can we find in Japan? Will Mark have to use an Eastern Toilet? What is proper etiquette if someone falls asleep on you on the subway? All this and more coming up next!

Day 12: HK - Beijing - Osaka

You may notice that I changed my shirt...finally. Going on 12 days w/ no official laundry, just sink washing!

Sadly, the last two pictures taken with my rice hat. I left it on the wrong side of customs in Osaka, but I got a lot of use out of that 20,000 Dong ($1) hat.


Hong Kong airport, Main Terminal. I don't think John Elway could throw a vortex football high enough to hit this ceiling.

Today was a standard travel day. For whatever reason, the cheapest ticket to Japan took us through Beijing (well North and much farther than is necessary to get to Japan). However, we did get served a decent airline meal on each flight, so our food costs were relatively low this day. This would loom even more crucial after several days of eating sushi for every meal...so worth it. So we ended up at Osaka/Kansai Airport (for which they created an entire island, which is currently sinking at about 3 inches per year, down from 2.5 feet in 1994). The airport cost about $20 billion. The planners expected some settlement to occur, but after 3 years of construction, the island had sunk 25 feet. It was regarded as a civil works disaster, but is now largely accepted as an engineering monument because of the changes made to accommodate this sinking. They better start making 747 sea planes!

Landing in Beijing. We looked around for the downtown area or any Olympic sights, but apparently they are not near the airport! I had read about the pollution, but as you can see here, it really is quite bad. Maybe we're lucky we did not leave the airport. I've heard that some people wake up in the morning and cough up brown or black on particularly bad days. Strange place to hold the World's largest athletic event?



The only real excitement came when Mark and I landed in Osaka and realized we were pretty clueless as to how to get to the hotel. The hotel address we had said that we were staying in downtown Osaka. We got directions from a train staff member that sent us on a 1 hour 15 minute adventure w/ 3 transfers. All in all, pretty good directions since we made it there eventually!

Upon arrival, we discovered a thing of beauty. The Japanese toilet. Heated seats, built-in bidet, it is the filet mignon of the porcelain throne. Just like in the above link, curiousity got the best of Mark and I, so we tested out the water sprayer. It nearly took Mark's eye out. That's a lotta pressure!

What else lies in store for us in this futuristic land?!

Day 11: Hong Kong (Airport)

Today was the end of a trip and the beginning of a new journey. Kevin Cooke returned to the States, markedly unenthusiastic to go back to work. Who would guess that Thai beaches and SE Asia nightlife trump the suffocating gray skies and cold temperatures of a Chicago winter?

So it was down to Mark, Joe, Mrs. Green and myself. Sadly, Joe and his Mom were to leave us later in the evening for Singapore, finally leaving the Honeymooners (Mark and I) to ourselves for the home stretch in Japan.

So the 4 of us walked around another Soho and Lan Kwai Fong (trendy, expensive) and enjoyed the winding streets and carts of Chinese goodies. We ate breakfast at an all-day breakfast place called "The Flying Pan", which I believe was so named because Asians pronounce it "The Frying Pan". Large portions, delicious milkshakes, and some fresh juice all played integral roles in curing our hangovels (the "l" in hangovel is to be pronounced just like in "The Flying Pan".. hopefully this code will throw off my grandma so she doesn't think we just drank the whole time)




We walked around some and witnessed what is apparently a Sunday tradition among the Philipino women who work as maids, servers, hotel staff, etc. Typically, they receive one day off per week, Sunday, and so congregate in downtown Hong Kong to gossip, eat, drink, and play cards. There are literally thousands of them throughout the elevated walkways, open squares, and sidewalks. They serve full meals and it is a fury of inaudible fast paced chatter. Quite unique!


From here, we split a cab to the airport, Mrs. Green got us a great rate at the Regal hotel at the airport, and we parted ways. Mark and I were on our own. Just the two of us. And a billion or so Chinese. And 100 million Japanese.

Sayounara!

Day 10: Hong Kong (Wan Chai)

After the high stakes action ($10 minimums on craps), the attention garnered by our gaudy but sweet clothes, and losing enough money to support a Vietnamese family for a year, it was back to Hong Kong. The weather was pretty dismal, but I figured we would all catch some rest on the ride back. Unfortunately the repetitive rise and fall of the 60 mph boat riding choppy waves put me on the verge of vomiting every time I blinked, haha. It was a rough ride for all of us, but we all held on to our lunches. Thankfully Mrs. Green didn't make us drink on the ride back. So merciful!

After a satisfying nap, we went back on the town in search of food and fun. We wound up finding an amazing Peking Chinese restaurant called American Restaurant (so named to attract customers, supposedly. It worked) This turned out to be one of the best culinary finds of the trip. We had shrimp fried rice, lemon chicken, pork omelette, and the best of all, Barbecued Peking Duck. I argued Mark that the food rivaled Moy Goy (awesome Chinese food in La Grange), but he maintains his allegiance to the hole in the wall in La Grange with outdated Health Code Certificates. Either way, the duck, carved table-side, was amazing. Tender, juicy, marbled. Every bite exploded with flavor, thanks in large part to the skin and fat that accompanied each piece. So good that Mark and I would go back on our last night of the trip to split a fried rice and another Duck. Mrs. Green had a real life experience with the language barrier when she tried asking our waiter for an after dinner mint. He looked at her like she was crazy and walked away.

After dinner, we took a quick picture in front of the "Crazy Horse" Bar, Mrs. Green's favorite dance club in Hong Kong, and the boys hit the town in Wan Chai.

Wan Chai was characterized by everybody we talked to as one of the cool places to go out in Hong Kong. Apparently we only consulted high schoolers, hard-rockers, and people interested in being grabbed by philippino women to come into "bars". Again, a strange place, but very fun. We started off at a bar that the local high school rugby team took over. Cliques were pretty apparent. You could actually see a couple of the kids begging to hit puberty. Smirnoff Ices were the drink of choice in this crowd. Next bar...

Rock School. I agree with the reviewer in the link, except for that this place was extremely irrational and we kicked ass. Hard. Joe was feeling the music, getting in with the headbangers. I got the rush of a lifetime when the guitarist came into the crowd and I mirrored his guitar licks with an equally tasty air guitar. We jammed for a good 20 seconds and Mark caught some of it on video, hopefully I'll be able to post it soon. After a while, we ventured upstairs to another bar and tore up the dance floor. 2 Asian girls sang Western hits from Lady Gaga and Pink, but the highlight was hearing Beyonce's "Single Ladies". Or, in Asia, "Singer Radies". It was pretty sweet. From there, we tried a few other bars; Joe ended up with a 1600 HKD bar tab at one, so it must have been good! It was Kevin's last night of the trip, so he bought a big box of Koala Yummies and Chinese candy and we headed back to the hotel sometime in the morning hours.

Day 9: Macau (Asian Vegas)

I was a little hesitant when the guy`s threw in a side-trip to Macau, but it definitely provided a whirlwind of entertainment. A high speed trifoil boat (made by Boeing, these things fly) leaves for Macau just about every 20 minutes, and with good reason. And leave it to Mrs. Green to get the party started and beer flowing. She can party!

Macau is nowhere near the size of Vegas, and it is more spread out, but the bright lights and high stakes allure of the casino have the same affect. Better than Windsor and Reno, but not quite at Vegas status, yet. Heaps of construction projects and a global economic shift could get it there in 10-15 years, though. We stayed at the Hyatt (thanks again, D Cooke) and started off at a low stakes craps table. Everybody had a hot hand at one point or another, but the Kevins kept the table rolling the longest. I saw one happy Chinese man walk away 5000 HKD ($650) richer after one of my turns with the dice. Kevin C (mustached, in red and gold), Mark (dirty mustached, in lime green), Joe (mustache, soul patch, chops, in Black, with fedora), and myself (split goatee, in Gold) brought the heat and turned some heads with our silky suave looks.

We bused over to the main block of casinos to find dinner and hopefully another hot table. We found dinner, beers, and a pitcher of margaritas for Mrs. Green, but the hot tables eluded us. We all tanked at the MGM Grand. We headed to the club playing crappy American Pop and chatted up the Philippino chicks at the bar. Joe made himself at home on the dance floor, but the atmosphere wasn`t what we were looking for and dawn was approaching awfully quickly, so we taxied back to the hotel.

Never leave a hot table is clearly the lesson learned here. Nevertheless, Macau is a fun side trip from Hong Kong if you`ve got time to kill and a silk shirt to look sweet in. One more full day in Hong Kong and on to Japan!