Wabi-Sabi Sole

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: Train Page 4 of 7

Day Two – Tokyo Tourists

By

On October 11, 2017

In Hachiko, Harajuku, Japan, Shibuya, Takeshita Street, Tokyo, Train, Train Stamps, Travel

After an amazing day at Tokyo Disneysea and a good night sleep at a Disney Resort Hotel, I planned for us to take the long way home via Tokyo. Layla placed Pizza de Michele at the top of her “must go to” list during her visit. So, we went for lunch. 


The staff was so friendly and allowed us to take pictures while we waited for our pizza. They even let Layla help cook! 


It was delicious! Check out that pizza! 


One final shot of the kawaii jack-o-lantern pizza. 


Here’s more great news. I had train books ready for Nina and Noah when they arrived. We were able to start their stamp collecting as we explored Tokyo!! I was even able to get a few new ones! 


After lunch, we went to Shibuya Crossing. Here we saw the Hachiko Statue and crossed through the crossing three times! Yay, tourists! 


After collecting another station stamp and a couple Hello Kitty stamps, we headed to Harajuku. We stopped for the mandatory Takeshita tourist photo. Do you see the spelling mistake on the marquee? Wabi-sabi in real life! 

Our first stop in Harajuku was at Cafe Mocha, a fancy cat cafe. Nina and Noah put cat cafe high on their “must do” list. I’ve been wanting to visit this cat cafe because it looks pretty cool from the street. We planned to stay 20 minutes. It easily turned into a 30 minute visit. We just needed a little more time to give all 16 cats enough love. 

This cute kitty reminded Layla, Nina, and Noah of their cat Simba. Kawaii! 

Perhaps the furriest cat in Japan! 

Cat in a bowl. 


The cafe had two rooms connected by a hallway. It was decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme. 

Cat ears were available if you felt felined… I mean inclined. We did. 


Treats were available for purchase so you could feed the cats. The cats went crazy for the lollipop! We asked when we were leaving what it was made of. They were frozen chicken broth lollipops! Who knew? 


My favorite kitty was Pumpkin. He was a real life Grumpy Cat. Although he did seem a little happy to lick the lollipop! 


We had to tear the kids out of the cat cafe. We reminded them there was still cotton candy to eat and a toy store to shop! 

After a quick stop for a pair of cat ears, we made our way to the cotton candy place – Totti Candy Factory. 


Let me make a promise to you. When you visit me with your kids, I will spoil them with a HUGE mountain of cotton candy. 

All I ask for in return is a cotton candy face plant photo! This was a highlight to my day!! Pure sugar happiness. 


We finished walking down Takeshita street (so much kawaii) and worked our way to Kiddy Land. 


Kiddy Land is a four story toy store in Harajuku. It has every imaginable Japanese and U.S. toy. From Star Wars to Hello Kitty. 


We shopped until we dropped. On Pusheen! 


By the time we made it home the train count was up to seven. Seven different trains in one day! Some were pretty crowded. Especially, during rush hour. Nonetheless, we were all smiles! 


I had a great time sharing the Tokyo experience with this crew. They were flexible, inquisitive, and excited! Once again, I want to give photo credit to Layla for helping me document our day. And props to Dave for having dinner ready for us when we finally got home at 8:00pm! 

Tokyo Disneysea 

By

On October 10, 2017

In Disneysea, Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Disney, Train

Layla, Nina, and Noah arrived on Monday evening. I meet them at the Narita airport. In true “welcome to Japan” form, we exchanged hugs and then quickly made our way to buy tickets for the Narita Express Train. We had 12 minutes. We can do this! And we did! With three minutes to spare! Welcome to Japan!! 


They were super travelers all the way home. The red carpet was rolled out for their arrival!


We enjoyed a bowl of Dave’s chili and then called it a night. We had big plans for their first day. Tokyo Disneysea!! Disneysea is part of the Tokyo Disney Resort. The park has an international sea theme. It’s kindof like the Epcot of Japan with a Sea theme. It was going to be a new experience for all of us! 

This was my first time traveling to the Disney Resorts on the trains and buses. I worked out the route over the weekend and knew exactly where to go to make our connections. It was pretty simple once I knew where to find the bus.


 I didn’t anticipate it would be as crowded as it was and we had to wait about 20 minutes in line to catch the bus. 


We made it to the park by 9:00am. Actually, 8:56. We all placed a guess what time we would arrive. Noah had the winning guessed with 8:57! 

We already had our tickets, so we sailed through the entrance. Time to enjoy Disney Magic! 


We were very efficient in managing our time with rides and utilized the FastPass option. We all loved the Indiana Jones ride the best! Here we could use the FastPass line as a single rider. We enjoyed it so much we went twice! 



A quick shot of all of us at the Arabian Coast. 


After seeing so many guests at the park in their matching attire, we decided we needed matching shirts. We checked every gift shop in the park and finally decided on the Disney 2017 Halloween tshirts. Kawaii! 


Our wardrobe changing and photo shoot left us hungry and ready for lunch. In case you’re wondering why Tokyo Disneysea is better than Tokyo Disneyland. Beer. Yes, Disneysea serves alcohol unlike Disneyland. Kanpie! 


During lunch, we discussed how many groups were not only dressed alike, but wearing actual Disney costumes. Layla had a fantastic idea. She was going to take as many pictures of her kids with adults in Disney costumes! Boy, did we ever take some fantastic pictures!! I want to thank Layla for the idea and many of the pictures and also for letting us use her kids for fantastic pictures!! The fun part was the smiles the characters would give us. They were truly flattered to have their pictures taken. Can you name all the characters? 


It wasn’t until after the sunset that we realized our shirts had a hidden message! “Welcome to the Villains’ World” was written in glow-in-the-dark lettering. Cool! 


We stayed at the park until about 7:15pm. We were staying the night at a hotel on the resort. We took the Disney Monorail to the resort and ate dinner. 


We spent 10 hours at the park. Not too bad for a group that only landed in the country the night before! After a good night of sleep, jet lag should be cured! 

Kirin Brewery 

By

On August 18, 2017

In Beer, Japan, Kirin Brewery, Train, Yokohama

The Kirin Brewery in Yokohama made it into my top six “Favorite Brewery Tours.” 

Also in the top six are: Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL), Magic Hat Brewing (Burlington, VT), Lagunitas Brewing (Chicago, IL), Heineken (Amsterdam) and Miller Brewing (Milwaukee, WI). 

The tour was free, lasted 80 minutes, and had three free tastings at the end! The staff was friendly and the tour was animated with automation. I can’t wait to go back! 

Sonia and I took the train to Yokohama and then switched to a local line. From there we walked to the Brewery. 


The area was very industrial and gave us the feeling we were in the wrong place. Until we saw this sign. 


Yay! We are on the right track and only 200 meters away! Walking up to the entrance, we were greeted by a security guard. 


He showed us to the reception area. We arrived at 11:10 am. The receptionist asked if we had reservations for the tour. No, we don’t. That is ok, she said. The next tour is at 11:20. Would you like to go? Yes, please! We were given buttons to wear and an English lamented guide to help us understand the tour because it was all in Japanese. Our tour guide came and introduced herself to us! Talk about feeling like a royal! The first part of the laminated booklet included the rules. 


At the beginning of the tour, we watched a short movie. Please notice all the kids who were part of our tour! It’s important to teach the youth to appreciate beer. 

As we moved along the tour route, we stopped for a tourist pose and to snap kawaii pictures. 


After the movie, we moved to a room where we could play with the malt and hops. Tables of different sizes were set up for participants to taste and smell the ingredients. 


My favorite quote was on the ingredients page. “All the ingredients of beer are gifts from nature.”


We left the ingredients room and were taken to see where the mashing occurred. Another video and light show was used to show the purpose of each tank. 


From here, we were able to taste the wort. The kids were so excited! They were cracking us up! 

I would describe the wort as tasting like raisin bran water. Like if you put water on your raisin bran instead of milk and then drank it when you finished the cereal. Sweet and branny. 


After tasting the wort, we had another interactive exhibit to understand the fermentation process. These cute little cartoons were projected onto a table. A true love story. Yeast eats sugar releasing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Voilà – Wort becomes beer. 


Check this out! We passed by a classroom that can be reserved and you can make your own beer! They will store it for you and ship it to you when it is ready. For a small fee, of course! 


The final part before tasting is the packaging. The beer we have been learning about is now packaged into Kirin Beer cans. 


Japanese happiness is shared throughout the world as Kirin is shipped globally! Locally, we enjoyed the final stop on the tour in the tasting room. 


After our tasting, we were ready for lunch. We stopped at the Spring Valley Brewery restaurant on the grounds of the factory. 


We split a flat bread salad and yogurt fried chicken. It was delicious! 


As we were leaving, we couldn’t resist a few shots lifting the (empty) pony kegs. 

It was a fun day! I am more than willing to add this to the Julia tour when you visit. I mean – free beer!! 

Aoyama Flower Market Tea House

By

On August 15, 2017

In Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, Japan, Tokyo, Train

I added the Aoyama Flower Market Tea House to my list of places to visit in Tokyo a while ago. The description I read about the   Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, described it as being a cozy cafe with a lovely flower market attached. It also described the food as being delicious, the staff very friendly, and the seasonal fruit teas as a delightful surprise for your tastebuds. A rainy Tuesday seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the trip and enjoy flowers and tea! 


Sonia and I took the 1 hour and 15 minute trip to the Tea House without much issue. Some days I’m amazing at navigating the train system around Japan. Other days we take 2 or 3 extra trains before arriving at our destination. Today, was a good train day. 


As we were waiting for the Tokyo metro train, we used Google Translate to translate the signs on the ground. It translated the sign to say “temporary arrangement place.” Haha! What is even funnier, is the doors didn’t open at the spot like we expected. 


We endured a short walk in the rain from the train station to the Aoyama Flower Market Tea House. It might look like we are going to Starbucks. We were not. Please notice the small dark sign on the building! It is for the Tea House. 


As we approached, we could see the flowers that seemed to be spilling out of the market. 


On one side is a flower market/ florist and on the other side is a small cafe. This view welcomes you as you enter the tea house. We sat in the table to the far left in the picture. 

The tables had glass tops with small vases set in them. Underneath was a ledge holding plants. It was such a unique table and gave you the feeling of eating in a garden. 


We ordered one of each of the seasonal teas. Sonia ordered the mixed berry iced tea and I ordered the orange and mint iced tea. 


They came with a small pitcher of simple syrup. Kawaii! 


For lunch I ordered a salad. It was so delicious. Obviously, it contained fresh leafy lettuce. But also, mint and dill. A small side of blueberries, kiwi and edamame. A few slices of orange and breadsticks. Plus, a couple bites of cold potato salad. And fresh, hot bread! 


It was dressed with a yogurt dressing and a small lemon syrup was provided on the side. 


It was about ¥1600 ($15.00) for salad and drink. Our bill! Ha! 


As we were leaving, we walked through the Flower Market. It was small. Yet, every space was filled with fresh flowers! 

It was a cheerful outing on a very dreary day. On the way home, we stopped at Tokyu Hands. I couldn’t resist buying a cute little pitcher for simple syrup and creamer. Kawaii! 

Nijo-jo Castle

By

On August 7, 2017

In Japan, Kyoto, Nijo-jo Castle, Shinkansen, Tokyo, Train

Before leaving Kyoto on Sunday, Dave and I went to visit Nijo-jo Castle. 


The castle was completed in 1603 for Tokugawa Ieyasu. Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Tokugawa Ieyasu was able to unify Japan and establish period of peace and prosperity for 250 years. Throughout the past 400 years, the castle has continued to witness significant Japanese historical events. In 1994, Nijo-jo Castle was registered on the UNSECO World Hertiage list. This picture is the entrance gate to the outer gardens. 


This is the entrance to the interior gardens and castle. 


Photos of the inside of the Castle are not permitted. The castle consists of six connected buildings. The interior walls are decorated with beautiful wall paintings and intricate carvings in the hallways connecting the rooms. The best part of walking through the castle was the sound of the squeaky floorboards. The sound is similar to the song of a nightingale and caused by the clamps moving against the nails in the wooden boards and support beams. Unfortunately, according to the brochure, it is a misnomer the squeak was intended to announce the presence of intruders. Oh, well. It’s a fun theory. 

The gardens were beautiful. The islands represent a crane and turtle. Symbols of longevity. 


Hopefully, from these pictures you can see the expanse of the castle. 


From the base of the keep tower that burned down after a lightning strike in 1750, a view of the castle and Kyoto were visible. 


We finished our walk around the gardens. 


Check out the fall color popping out on the Japanese Maples. Dare we dream of fall!?!


As we left, we were able to walk through a water mister. Ahhhh… 


We took the 11:58 Shinkansen back to Tokyo. As per a request from one of my readers, I took a picture of the inside. 



And our cute bento boxes for the ride home. 

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine 

By

On August 6, 2017

In Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Japan, Kyoto, Shrine, Train, Travel

TripAdvisor listed the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine as “the #1 most popular Japanese site for foreign tourist” for three years in a row! We went to visit early Saturday morning and can understand why the site is so popular. In fact, it’s my new favorite Shrine. 


We arrived before 0800 because I read the Shrine will get very busy. Plus, in this part of Japan, it’s extra warm and steamy during the summer months. It was an easy two stop train ride from our hotel. 


We were so early, we caught a glimpse of the priests going to work! 


The Shrine is famous for the 1000 Torii. Torii are the famous red gates of the Shinto religion. 


The main buildings of the Shrine were beautiful and well maintained. 


The Shrine is dedicated to Inari. First and foremost, Inari is the god of rice. Second, the god of fertility and industry. Torii gates mark the entrance to sacred ground. Typically, they are made of wood or stone and painted. My research told me the color the Torii is painted is known as vermillion. Vermillion is a bright red made from the mineral, cinnabar. It is considered the color of life and eternity. The Torii at the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine have been donated by those who have been successful in business in honor and gratitude of Inari. The writing on the Torii identifies the donor. 


The extra large Torii such as the one in this picture cost the equivalent of $50,000. 


The number of Torii present was impressive. 


Besides the Torii, the Shrine had many different smaller shrines. 

This Shrine was dedicated to this tree. I couldn’t find information about the tree. But, I can appreciate showing the tree respect. 


Fox are considered messengers from God and act as guardians of the Inari Shrines. They are set in pairs at the main entrances of the Shrine. 


We only saw a small portion of this Shrine. It is possible to climb to the top of Mount Inari. It’s takes about two hours. 


We decided today was not that day! Look how sweaty I was after walking around for only 30 minutes!! 


I hope when you visit, we have time to go to Kyoto and visit Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. Please, do us both a favor an don’t plan that trip during the summer!! It’s so HOT and muggy! 

Bashamichi Taproom

By

On June 24, 2017

In Beer, Japan, Train, Yen, Yokohama

Dave and I went up to Yokohama to check out one of the microbrew bars. Bashamichi Taproom is owned and operated by one of Japan’s best craft breweries, Baird Brewery. Besides delicious craft beers, Bashamichi Taproom also serves American barbecue. 

We started with a Shuzenji Hertitage Helles and a Suruga Bay Imperial IPA. 


We ordered a nacho appetizer. The nachos came in orders of four. So, you could order 4, 8, or 12 nachos. We were confused as well. We decided to go with an order of 8 nachos. Turns out it was 8 tortilla chips with perfectly placed toppings. Seriously. Only in Japan can you get an order of 8 tortilla chips. 


As we were preparing to order our second round of beers, I noticed the menu had a back. Surprise! The amazing barbecue joint has a brisket sandwich. Yes, please! Good thing we only ate eight tortilla chips between us! The sandwich was delicious. American smoked brisket meets Japanese pan (bread). As the brisket fell apart, the pan held the sandwich together. Perfection. 


The second beer I ordered, Teikoku IPA, might be my favorite craft beer I’ve found in Japan. 


Dave and I shared the sandwich. The pickle bite was so many levels of perfect! 


The building is three floors and we were seated on the second. All things considered, there was so much space! No doubt we will return. Mainly because of a communication problem…


While we were eating, I saw an advertisement for a beer stamp card. It said you could get 12 beers for the price of 10. Seemed like a great deal. We already had four, we were well on our way! When I asked the waitress for the bill, I also asked for a stamp card. She asked if we wanted to put Dave’s beer on the card. (I think, she was speaking Japanese and gesturing.) we said, hai! She then told us to go to the register (first floor) and she would bring it to us. (I think)  


We took the ticket to the cashier. Another person rang us up. ¥14,000. Wait, what? $140 for four beers, eight nachos, and one brisket sandwich!?! That’s ridiculous! 

But, I pay. And then try to understand what happened. Dave and I are discussing the price of food and the fact beer prices weren’t listed. Surely, the beers weren’t ¥2,500 each. That’s absurd. We were on the train home and it finally dawned on me to look at the receipt. That’s when I realized, the card itself costs ¥10,000 – $100!!! The food and four beers were only ¥40,000 – $40. Much more reasonable. 


And notice Dave’s beer isn’t on the receipt, because it was the first stamp! Simultaneously, the other side of the card clearly showed the price! 


So, yes, we will be going back. We have 11 more beers to drink and perhaps 11 more brisket sandwiches to eat! 

Chasing Rainbows 

By

On June 13, 2017

In Hello Kitty, Japan, Sushi, Train

When it rains, chase rainbows. Or maybe train stamps. Except if it involves Hello Kitty. Because the cutest train station in Tokyo may have amazing Sushi… but, it doesn’t have a train stamp. Seriously. Dina and I rode the train for an hour and forty-five minutes with additional delays to arrive at Tama Station. Hoping for Hello Kitty overload and at least a stamp. We did get a little kawaii but, no stamp.


The highlight of kawaii in the station was the stained glass. I went to the floor to get the perfect shot or five. Photo credit to Dina for the picture of me on the floor of the train station… 


Here were my shots from the floor. 

The day wasn’t a complete rain out. We enjoyed amazing Sushi and self squeezed lemon chu-hai.


Lesson learned. Train stamps aren’t always the pot of gold you seek. Instead, settle for tuna.

Dina’s Birthday 

By

On June 6, 2017

In Hasedera, Hydrangeas, Japan, Kamakura, Temple, Train

Today is Dina’s birthday. To help celebrate the day, Dina, Katie, Andrea, and I decided to visit one of the few temples in Kamakura (Hase) we had not been to yet. Hasedera Temple is very famous for hydrangeas. The temple and surrounding gardens were beautiful. I enjoyed the visit so much that I’m going to add it to my Julia tour of Kamakura. Today, the Temple was especially crowded because it is the beginning of hydrangea season. Even though the hydrangeas weren’t quite in full bloom and despite the crowds, the Temple was beautiful and well worth this visit and many more. There was a steady stream of people on the street to visit the temple. 


The hydrangeas were beautiful. So many picture opportunities. 


There was a hydrangea route to follow to keep traffic moving in one direction. The route went past several potted hydrangeas and then up the hillside. 


The view from the first level was lovely and perfect for a group selfie. 


We continued to climb up more steps and the hydrangeas and views only got better! 


After reaching the top of the hill, the path went back down the hill. At one point, Dina and Andrea were above Katie and me. Perfect opportunity for another group selfie! 


A few close up hydrangea pictures. The different colors were so beautiful. 


There were also several kawaii statues. 


Another part of the Temple was a cave dedicated to the Goddess Benzaiten. There were many statues and it was definitely a cave. Check out the low ceilings. Dina and I had to walk like a duck to make it through! 


The oyster prayer cards were also interesting. According to the temple brochure, the statue appeared floating on the sea and drifting with the guidance of oysters attached to the statue. As a result, the shrine was established. 


After our visit at the temple, we went to lunch in Kamakura. To you, my friend! Cheers, to another good beer! Happy Birthday!! 

Train Stamps

By

On June 4, 2017

In Eki Stamps, Hiroshima, Japan, Tokyo, Train, Train Stamps

About six weeks ago, my friend Sonia told me about the Eki stamp. Eki means train in Japanese. An article she shared with me, discussed how each of the 9,161 trains stations in Japan each have their own unique stamp. The station stamps usually feature a picture of a local attraction. The stamps are free and fun way to document your travels around Japan. The article also pictured a Eki stamp book. Dina and I searched for about a month to find them and when we did, we bought one for us and Sonia. A cute and inexpensive (¥600) book to fill with stamps!


Since finding the books, we have been diligently working on collecting stamps. We collected several on May 17th when we went to visit the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens in Tokyo. The first stamp we found was at the Kami-Nakazato Station in Tokyo. It pictures the house at the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens.

The JR trains have a series of 77 stamps to collect. I took a picture of the sign of the different stamps to help us on our Eki stamping scavenger hunt!


As we traveled home, we stopped at several extra stations just to hunt for stamps. And I must stress – hunt. The stamps are not always easy to find. We have learned they are typically located near the “Central Exit” of the station. This is key because many of the larger stations have multiple exits.

Ueno Station alone had four stamps! And no, they were not all in the same location.

Here is a picture of the map in the station to help you find the other stamps.


We stopped in Tokyo, Kanda, and Shinagawa station. Each of these stamps were relatively easy to find now that we knew to look for the sign around the Central Exit.


Perhaps the most tricky was Yokohama Station. We walked around for several minutes before asking at the ticket center. We were directed to the train office. It was down a side hallway and around the corner. But, we found it!


The extra fun part about the stamps is that they are not just limited to trains stations. They are also available at many parks – Jogashima Island Park.


Dave and I were able to collect several during our trip last weekend to Hiroshima. The Shinkansen, Hiroshima Castle, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.


We found them of course at the JR Station in Hiroshima.


And even at the Shukkei-en Garden, Tsuruhane Shrine, and Toshugu Shrine in Hiroshima.


This past week, Dina and I went over to Hase Station in Kamakura and discovered another series for the Endoshima Line.

I am planning on buying several the next time I find them at a store. I want you to have one when you visit. I think it will be a fun way for you to document where you/we went around Japan. Especially, if you are coming with a kid or two in tow.

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