Jacki's Visit: In Which Some Questions Are Answered
Jacki just left, after a week's stay with us. We've known Jacki a long time, Jeff longer, but basically, since high school in Cleveland.
TSURUMI
The first night, we were at Saizeriya with the now usual Horizon teachers crowd (i.e., Cynthia et al), then on to Sugar Tea. Pretty normal.
TOKYO
The second day, Saturday, was when the questions began. I took Jacki to Harajuku (where I finally bought the poofy petticoat-thing I've wanted ever since Cyndi Lauper was big) and the Oriental Bazaar, which is a great place to stock up on souvenirs. This was where this question was initially raised (and continued to be raised later in the week): Can you buy too many kokeshi dolls?
That night, the big question was :is there such a thing as too much karaoke?
Jacki, Helen, Kevin, and I went to a huge place in Shibuya, where Jacki discovered the delights of a karaoke box in which you can drink as much ume shochu as you want and get caught up in the fun which leads to continually asking for "one more hour" when the call from the downstairs desk comes. We eventually did that past the time when we could catch the last train home. Soon after this point, Kevin and Jacki passed out and Helen and I shrugged and did the only thing we could do, which was to keep picking songs and singing ourselves hoarse to songs we could barely sing anymore. By the time we ran out of songs, it was 6 am and we were confronted with a $500 bill for the evening.
So, is there such a thing as too much karaoke? I'd have to say "yes." Was it worth it in order to see Kevin's long-ass legs sticking out from a bush and some kind of metal box behind which he had wedged himself when he fell in? Completely unable to extricate himself due to his height and the improbable position between box and wall? And to hear him say "could everybody please turn around" in his German accent because he had gotten his pants caught on said metal box on his way down?
Oh, hell yes. Totally worth a sore throat, a hangover, and a huge bill.
SLEEPING
We pretty much slept Sunday away.
ASAKUSA
Monday I took Jacki to Asakusa. All those stalls are fun, if a bit over-stimulating after the first twenty.
Jacki and I got our fortunes, with the shaka-shaka stick-and-drawer thing. We both got Best Fortune. Jacki's said something about dining at the palace and people hailing her as she rode on horseback, which goes to show that this really is an ancient tradition (and was good for a giggle or two over the week). Mine had something about "travel and removal" being favorable, which is good, considering our plans for the near future.
Jacki continued to indulge in her kokeshi obsession, and the question can you buy too many kokeshi dolls was explored:
Apparently, the answer is: not if you are Jacki.
More pictures of Asakusa here.
NIKKO
Tuesday, we took a day trip to Nikko. We got a Nikko World Heritage Pass at the Tobu line tourist office outside Asakusa station, which was a pretty good deal. It gets you round-trip train fare, unlimited bus usage in Nikko, and the entry fee to the major temples and such. We got a limited express train and it took us about an hour and a half from Asakusa.
Nikko, a city I've wanted to visit, is lovely. It's up in the mountains a bit and has lots of fresh-smelling air and majestic conifers. It's like a ski resort town, with famous on-sens and a lake and a waterfall we didn't have time to see. It is also famous for the Toshogu Shrine, dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun. Apparently he fell in love with Nikko and wanted to be there forever.
The Toshogu shrine buildings were unexpectedly Chinese-looking, ornately carved and brightly painted.
Here you can see the origin of the famous Hear No, See No, Speak No Evil monkeys
and the bafflingly-hyped "Sleeping Cat" carving (in an area that is inexplicably not included in the areas our pass covered).
I found an explanation of its meaning on the web,
The "Sleeping Cat" exists at the entrance of Okusha Inner Shrine, which is located in Higashikairou (East Corridor.) It is told that the "Sleeping Cat" was made by Jingorou Hidari, and it is the most famous sculpture in the Toshogu Shrine.
Also in this area is the where Ieyasu Tokugawa is enshrined.
After we left the shrine compound, we walked in the pleasant mountain air to a pretty bridge on the tourist guide. Seeing it from the street as we walked toward it, we were kind of underwhelmed by the surrounding buildings and highway, but the view from the other side was quite beautiful.
By the time we got back to the town proper, it was practically deserted. We had dinner at a place across from the station that had lots of yummy-looking fake food in the window and an English menu. Couldn't tell you what it was called, but it was big and we were almost the only customers. It was a Tuesday.
We sample the local specialties: Nikko ramen and yuba, which is tofu skin. We had to have Nikko Beer to accompany it, of course. It tasted just like every other Japanese beer (just fine), but the food was good.
They turned off the lights right as we left, so we felt a little bad that we had lingered so long. We had nothing better to do until our train. We decided to try for the second-to-last train (18:10), to be safe from possible full-capacity, but we needn't have worried. There are no more reserved-seat limited express trains back to Asakusa by then. Just regular trains. Now I know why the place was deserted: the trip back takes two and a half hours. Just to Asakusa. We then had to take a train back to Shibuya, which is another half an hour. And we weren't done yet. But at this point I should ask: was it worth the trip, even though we probably spent more time on the train than in Nikko? Yeah. It's pretty, it's fresh air. I would, however, suggest buying more beer and a deck of cards for the return trip.
We were in Shibya three hours later and about to embark on the second-to-last leg of the journey (there's a a bus or cab from Kikuna for the final leg), literally with ticket poised at the wicket, when Jacki decides that it's too nice a night and we're in Tokyo, so she wanted to buy me a beer before we go home.
We're walking down the street, looking for Garageland (which has apparently gone, dammit), when Jacki actually spots two guys on the street she knows from San Francisco. This question is rhetorical: What are the odds, huh?
Their names are Jesse and Christian and we had one very amusing drink with them at the nearby International Cafe (which I picked because it had "no table charge" and a good drink menu advertised outside. It's right near the Outback Steakhouse). Nice guys, professional photographers getting some stock of Tokyo. Then we went home. Whew.
More pics of Nikko here.
TOUR GUIDE'S DAY OFF
Jeff took Jacki to Yokohama during the day and to a show in Tokyo at night (SF Christian went, too). I puttered around the house and had a long nap. The kids and I watched Terminator 2. Need I say more.
FIELD TRIP
I had signed Jacki and me up as chaperons for M's class field trip to the Shitamachi Museum on Thursday. It's in Ueno Koen and has a reproduction of a late Edo-era street on the ground floor and some old toys and appliances and stuff on the second floor.
The fabulous Ms Thomas and the English-speaking guide
Japanese toilets have come a long way
I thought it was cool, if the kids were a bit rushed about it and ready to go back outside and enjoy the nice weather in the park.
It was a lovely day, and a lot of performers were out, including the New Age American Indians in Full Dress
and the Bike-Courier Xylophonist, who is apparently featured in the Lonely Planet.
Was it worth taking fourteen 5th-8th graders on a bus and a train to hang out in the park on a nice day, learn a bit of history, and see Injuns in Japan? Definitely.
More pics of museum and park here.
Thursday night, we were invited by Hamza's mom to a Turkish feast. It was all female teachers from Horizon and Jeff. The food was AMAZING. I know she cooked all day, and I don't know what the occasion was, but I need those recipes. All of them.
Jeff might've been asking himself if being surrounded by a bunch of chicks was worth the food. And I asked myself if I had ever eaten that much in my life. I think the answers would be, "yes" and "no," respectively. I looked at myself in the mirror when I got home, and I swear I looked four months pregnant.
Jeff and Jacki went out after, to meet Macky and fulfill Jeff's burning need to show Jacki Osambashi Pier at night. I got home and promptly passed out.
So Jacki left around noon today. We are leaving for China tomorrow. We did a hell of a lot in the week she was here. Was it worth it? I say yes, and I hope she does, too.
The final question of this post: Do I perhaps have too many pictures and too much to read in this post? Yeah, probably. Just wait til the next one: China.
TSURUMI
The first night, we were at Saizeriya with the now usual Horizon teachers crowd (i.e., Cynthia et al), then on to Sugar Tea. Pretty normal.
TOKYO
The second day, Saturday, was when the questions began. I took Jacki to Harajuku (where I finally bought the poofy petticoat-thing I've wanted ever since Cyndi Lauper was big) and the Oriental Bazaar, which is a great place to stock up on souvenirs. This was where this question was initially raised (and continued to be raised later in the week): Can you buy too many kokeshi dolls?
That night, the big question was :is there such a thing as too much karaoke?
Jacki, Helen, Kevin, and I went to a huge place in Shibuya, where Jacki discovered the delights of a karaoke box in which you can drink as much ume shochu as you want and get caught up in the fun which leads to continually asking for "one more hour" when the call from the downstairs desk comes. We eventually did that past the time when we could catch the last train home. Soon after this point, Kevin and Jacki passed out and Helen and I shrugged and did the only thing we could do, which was to keep picking songs and singing ourselves hoarse to songs we could barely sing anymore. By the time we ran out of songs, it was 6 am and we were confronted with a $500 bill for the evening.
So, is there such a thing as too much karaoke? I'd have to say "yes." Was it worth it in order to see Kevin's long-ass legs sticking out from a bush and some kind of metal box behind which he had wedged himself when he fell in? Completely unable to extricate himself due to his height and the improbable position between box and wall? And to hear him say "could everybody please turn around" in his German accent because he had gotten his pants caught on said metal box on his way down?
Oh, hell yes. Totally worth a sore throat, a hangover, and a huge bill.
SLEEPING
We pretty much slept Sunday away.
ASAKUSA
Monday I took Jacki to Asakusa. All those stalls are fun, if a bit over-stimulating after the first twenty.
Jacki and I got our fortunes, with the shaka-shaka stick-and-drawer thing. We both got Best Fortune. Jacki's said something about dining at the palace and people hailing her as she rode on horseback, which goes to show that this really is an ancient tradition (and was good for a giggle or two over the week). Mine had something about "travel and removal" being favorable, which is good, considering our plans for the near future.
Jacki continued to indulge in her kokeshi obsession, and the question can you buy too many kokeshi dolls was explored:
Apparently, the answer is: not if you are Jacki.
More pictures of Asakusa here.
NIKKO
Tuesday, we took a day trip to Nikko. We got a Nikko World Heritage Pass at the Tobu line tourist office outside Asakusa station, which was a pretty good deal. It gets you round-trip train fare, unlimited bus usage in Nikko, and the entry fee to the major temples and such. We got a limited express train and it took us about an hour and a half from Asakusa.
Nikko, a city I've wanted to visit, is lovely. It's up in the mountains a bit and has lots of fresh-smelling air and majestic conifers. It's like a ski resort town, with famous on-sens and a lake and a waterfall we didn't have time to see. It is also famous for the Toshogu Shrine, dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun. Apparently he fell in love with Nikko and wanted to be there forever.
The Toshogu shrine buildings were unexpectedly Chinese-looking, ornately carved and brightly painted.
Here you can see the origin of the famous Hear No, See No, Speak No Evil monkeys
and the bafflingly-hyped "Sleeping Cat" carving (in an area that is inexplicably not included in the areas our pass covered).
I found an explanation of its meaning on the web,
The "Sleeping Cat" exists at the entrance of Okusha Inner Shrine, which is located in Higashikairou (East Corridor.) It is told that the "Sleeping Cat" was made by Jingorou Hidari, and it is the most famous sculpture in the Toshogu Shrine.
Also, there is a sculpture of sparrow on the backside of the Sleeping Cat. The sparrow will be eaten if the cat is awake. However, the sparrow and the cat co-exist. It means that nation wide chaos is over and peaceful society has come.
Also in this area is the where Ieyasu Tokugawa is enshrined.
After we left the shrine compound, we walked in the pleasant mountain air to a pretty bridge on the tourist guide. Seeing it from the street as we walked toward it, we were kind of underwhelmed by the surrounding buildings and highway, but the view from the other side was quite beautiful.
By the time we got back to the town proper, it was practically deserted. We had dinner at a place across from the station that had lots of yummy-looking fake food in the window and an English menu. Couldn't tell you what it was called, but it was big and we were almost the only customers. It was a Tuesday.
We sample the local specialties: Nikko ramen and yuba, which is tofu skin. We had to have Nikko Beer to accompany it, of course. It tasted just like every other Japanese beer (just fine), but the food was good.
They turned off the lights right as we left, so we felt a little bad that we had lingered so long. We had nothing better to do until our train. We decided to try for the second-to-last train (18:10), to be safe from possible full-capacity, but we needn't have worried. There are no more reserved-seat limited express trains back to Asakusa by then. Just regular trains. Now I know why the place was deserted: the trip back takes two and a half hours. Just to Asakusa. We then had to take a train back to Shibuya, which is another half an hour. And we weren't done yet. But at this point I should ask: was it worth the trip, even though we probably spent more time on the train than in Nikko? Yeah. It's pretty, it's fresh air. I would, however, suggest buying more beer and a deck of cards for the return trip.
We were in Shibya three hours later and about to embark on the second-to-last leg of the journey (there's a a bus or cab from Kikuna for the final leg), literally with ticket poised at the wicket, when Jacki decides that it's too nice a night and we're in Tokyo, so she wanted to buy me a beer before we go home.
We're walking down the street, looking for Garageland (which has apparently gone, dammit), when Jacki actually spots two guys on the street she knows from San Francisco. This question is rhetorical: What are the odds, huh?
Their names are Jesse and Christian and we had one very amusing drink with them at the nearby International Cafe (which I picked because it had "no table charge" and a good drink menu advertised outside. It's right near the Outback Steakhouse). Nice guys, professional photographers getting some stock of Tokyo. Then we went home. Whew.
More pics of Nikko here.
TOUR GUIDE'S DAY OFF
Jeff took Jacki to Yokohama during the day and to a show in Tokyo at night (SF Christian went, too). I puttered around the house and had a long nap. The kids and I watched Terminator 2. Need I say more.
FIELD TRIP
I had signed Jacki and me up as chaperons for M's class field trip to the Shitamachi Museum on Thursday. It's in Ueno Koen and has a reproduction of a late Edo-era street on the ground floor and some old toys and appliances and stuff on the second floor.
The fabulous Ms Thomas and the English-speaking guide
Japanese toilets have come a long way
I thought it was cool, if the kids were a bit rushed about it and ready to go back outside and enjoy the nice weather in the park.
It was a lovely day, and a lot of performers were out, including the New Age American Indians in Full Dress
and the Bike-Courier Xylophonist, who is apparently featured in the Lonely Planet.
Was it worth taking fourteen 5th-8th graders on a bus and a train to hang out in the park on a nice day, learn a bit of history, and see Injuns in Japan? Definitely.
More pics of museum and park here.
Thursday night, we were invited by Hamza's mom to a Turkish feast. It was all female teachers from Horizon and Jeff. The food was AMAZING. I know she cooked all day, and I don't know what the occasion was, but I need those recipes. All of them.
Jeff might've been asking himself if being surrounded by a bunch of chicks was worth the food. And I asked myself if I had ever eaten that much in my life. I think the answers would be, "yes" and "no," respectively. I looked at myself in the mirror when I got home, and I swear I looked four months pregnant.
Jeff and Jacki went out after, to meet Macky and fulfill Jeff's burning need to show Jacki Osambashi Pier at night. I got home and promptly passed out.
So Jacki left around noon today. We are leaving for China tomorrow. We did a hell of a lot in the week she was here. Was it worth it? I say yes, and I hope she does, too.
The final question of this post: Do I perhaps have too many pictures and too much to read in this post? Yeah, probably. Just wait til the next one: China.
posted by Sandi at 2:44 PM
2 Comments:
I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.
My kids want to know if there will be a Terminator 4. That's a good question. Can Ahnold go back to terminating after he's been the Governator?
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