The Japan Saga: Day Five
The morning of our fifth day started with us checking out of our hotel in Tokyo. We were headed to Atami to spend the night before catching the bullet train to Kyoto. Because there's not much room on the bullet train, we had to pack an overnight bag and have our main piece of luggage couriered to Kyoto. This was an interesting experience in crime in Japan, or the lack thereof. Christian told us to bring our suitcases down and stack them in the lobby. The courier would be there to pick them up after we left for the day. I was a little nervous about it but apparently this happens all of the time - our stuff was completely safe where it was because no one would have thought about trying to take anything. I know it was in the lobby of the hotel but I wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving my stuff in the lobby of any hotel in the U.S. It made it to Kyoto successfully, though, so I guess I am just too paranoid to live in Japan. Ha ha.
Luggage was left in the lobby and then we took our bus to Kamakura to see the Big Buddha. Christian gave us some background on the way. The Buddha was built in the 1200s and used to be in a building. There was an earthquake in 1498 that caused a tsunami. The tsunami went up this huge hill (think the big hills in San Francisco) and wiped out the building. The Buddha was basically unharmed - it may be because it was made of bronze and is huge, but that was a pretty big tsunami so I'm sure some would argue the statue was protected - and the people decided to leave the Buddha outside after that. It was really beautiful.
After viewing the Big Buddha we wandered around town a little bit. We'd seen all these signs with purple colored ice cream on them, which is apparently purple potato ice cream. I of course had to try that, and it was really very good. It tasted like yams in ice cream form so if you don't like yams (like Kenny) then the ice cream would be pretty gross. Otherwise, I recommend it.
Lunch was at a random truck stop (for lack of a better term) somewhere nearby. I have no idea where it was but the view was very pretty.
During the bus ride, Christian explained a little more about gender roles in Japan. Essentially the men work and the women are housewives. The men work 16 hours a day, six days a week and then come home and give all of their money to their wives. The wives give their husbands an allowance and take care of the rest of the money. Many of the women have become very savvy financial investors and have ended up making a lot more money for the household. This is how it has been, anyway, though that's changing. The younger generation has different views on life and many women are happy staying single, working and traveling. Because of that, there's been a lower birthrate so the government is concerned with the amount they're collecting in taxes and what will happen to the older generation that will be using the money...sound familiar? :)
This was supposed to be our stop for the day before checking into our hotel in Atami. We had some time before we would check in, though, so our bus driver volunteered to take us to Odawara Castle. Ieyasu or Hideyoshi defeated the Lord of Odawara Castle to take the land and help unify Japan (I have one thing written in my travel log and found something else online so if anyone knows the correct person please let me know). The Lord of the castle fought so bravely that the conquerors built a statue in his honor. It's located at the Odawara station (that used to be the front of the castle).
Like most things in Japan, this isn't the original castle - the castle (and surrounding city) was bombed by the Allies in World War II, though it does have the distinction of being the last thing bombed by the Allies. Regardless, the castle was very pretty. It had a gorgeous garden that, sadly, wasn't in full bloom yet.
Upon entering the courtyard, there was a small cage of monkeys and a tiny pen for an elephant. Everything was concrete and I felt very sad for the animals. They were cute, though...especially the elephant.
I also paid a small sum to go inside the castle.
The inside had been converted into a museum. You weren't allowed to take pictures and most of the signs were in Japanese. It was nice but I basically walked around and thought, "This is pretty." "That looks like it could kill you."
Once we got back on the bus we headed to our hotel in Atami - the Sunmi Club. Atami is known for its hot springs and the supposed healing properties of those springs. The hotel had a hot springs bath but according to the info sheet we got when we checked in women were only allowed to use it for four hours, and that time ended before we were done with dinner. Other than that, though, the hotel was very cool. It was a traditional hotel, which meant that we slept on futons (not like the futons in the U.S. - in Japan they are literally a small mattress) on a tatami mat. And our table was a low table with chairs without legs.
Dinner that night was also a very traditional dinner. We were all given yukatas and asked to wear them with an obi and a vest (don't know the traditional name for that) for dinner. A yukata is a summer and more casual kimono. Unlike formal kimono, yukata are typically made of cotton rather than silk or synthetic fabric, and they are unlined. The food at dinner was also interesting. This was one time I was glad I was eating the vegetarian meals. The traditional dinner involved lots of seafood - some raw and almost all of it with the eyes still on. There was a spacial and very intricate way of eating the food, though, and that was fun to hear about. The layout of everything was very pretty.
After dinner, Mel, Chris, Kenny and I decided to walk around a little bit. When we got to the lobby we ran into Shawn and Christian, who were about to head off to a convenience store. It turns out that Shawn accidentally left his overnight bag in Tokyo. While it was safe and would arrive in Kyoto the next day he needed some necessities for the following morning, and we decided to tag along (how better to see the city than with our tour guide?). On the way, Christian explained the gesturing cat (or Maneki Neko), which you see everywhere in Japan. (It looks like it's waving but that's due to cultural differences between gestures in Japan and the U.S.) Legend has it that there was once a very powerful and wealthy and greedy king. He refused to share with anyone. One day, he was standing in a field and saw a cat. The cat kept beckoning to him and he finally went over to see the cat. As soon as he stepped away, lightning struck the spot where he had been standing. Realizing that he would have been killed if not for the cat was his epiphany, and he became a good man who shared with everyone (sounds a little bit like our Scrooge story) and he made a statute to honor the cat that saved his life.
On the way to the convenience store we also passed a Denny's (who knew they were in Japan?) and decided we wanted to try dessert there. The catch, as we discovered on the way back, was that it was not handicapped accessible. Christian, being awesome, helped Chris carry Mel and her wheelchair up two flights of stairs so we could eat there, and helped carry her back down when we were leaving. An added bonus, he was able to help us order so we didn't have to play the pointing at the pictures game. :) I had this awesome mango dessert that involved a thin pancake, fresh mangoes, cream and other yumminess - we really need to bring those to the U.S.
That wraps up day five. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures...
Luggage was left in the lobby and then we took our bus to Kamakura to see the Big Buddha. Christian gave us some background on the way. The Buddha was built in the 1200s and used to be in a building. There was an earthquake in 1498 that caused a tsunami. The tsunami went up this huge hill (think the big hills in San Francisco) and wiped out the building. The Buddha was basically unharmed - it may be because it was made of bronze and is huge, but that was a pretty big tsunami so I'm sure some would argue the statue was protected - and the people decided to leave the Buddha outside after that. It was really beautiful.
After viewing the Big Buddha we wandered around town a little bit. We'd seen all these signs with purple colored ice cream on them, which is apparently purple potato ice cream. I of course had to try that, and it was really very good. It tasted like yams in ice cream form so if you don't like yams (like Kenny) then the ice cream would be pretty gross. Otherwise, I recommend it.
Lunch was at a random truck stop (for lack of a better term) somewhere nearby. I have no idea where it was but the view was very pretty.
During the bus ride, Christian explained a little more about gender roles in Japan. Essentially the men work and the women are housewives. The men work 16 hours a day, six days a week and then come home and give all of their money to their wives. The wives give their husbands an allowance and take care of the rest of the money. Many of the women have become very savvy financial investors and have ended up making a lot more money for the household. This is how it has been, anyway, though that's changing. The younger generation has different views on life and many women are happy staying single, working and traveling. Because of that, there's been a lower birthrate so the government is concerned with the amount they're collecting in taxes and what will happen to the older generation that will be using the money...sound familiar? :)
This was supposed to be our stop for the day before checking into our hotel in Atami. We had some time before we would check in, though, so our bus driver volunteered to take us to Odawara Castle. Ieyasu or Hideyoshi defeated the Lord of Odawara Castle to take the land and help unify Japan (I have one thing written in my travel log and found something else online so if anyone knows the correct person please let me know). The Lord of the castle fought so bravely that the conquerors built a statue in his honor. It's located at the Odawara station (that used to be the front of the castle).
Like most things in Japan, this isn't the original castle - the castle (and surrounding city) was bombed by the Allies in World War II, though it does have the distinction of being the last thing bombed by the Allies. Regardless, the castle was very pretty. It had a gorgeous garden that, sadly, wasn't in full bloom yet.
Upon entering the courtyard, there was a small cage of monkeys and a tiny pen for an elephant. Everything was concrete and I felt very sad for the animals. They were cute, though...especially the elephant.
I also paid a small sum to go inside the castle.
The inside had been converted into a museum. You weren't allowed to take pictures and most of the signs were in Japanese. It was nice but I basically walked around and thought, "This is pretty." "That looks like it could kill you."
Once we got back on the bus we headed to our hotel in Atami - the Sunmi Club. Atami is known for its hot springs and the supposed healing properties of those springs. The hotel had a hot springs bath but according to the info sheet we got when we checked in women were only allowed to use it for four hours, and that time ended before we were done with dinner. Other than that, though, the hotel was very cool. It was a traditional hotel, which meant that we slept on futons (not like the futons in the U.S. - in Japan they are literally a small mattress) on a tatami mat. And our table was a low table with chairs without legs.
Dinner that night was also a very traditional dinner. We were all given yukatas and asked to wear them with an obi and a vest (don't know the traditional name for that) for dinner. A yukata is a summer and more casual kimono. Unlike formal kimono, yukata are typically made of cotton rather than silk or synthetic fabric, and they are unlined. The food at dinner was also interesting. This was one time I was glad I was eating the vegetarian meals. The traditional dinner involved lots of seafood - some raw and almost all of it with the eyes still on. There was a spacial and very intricate way of eating the food, though, and that was fun to hear about. The layout of everything was very pretty.
After dinner, Mel, Chris, Kenny and I decided to walk around a little bit. When we got to the lobby we ran into Shawn and Christian, who were about to head off to a convenience store. It turns out that Shawn accidentally left his overnight bag in Tokyo. While it was safe and would arrive in Kyoto the next day he needed some necessities for the following morning, and we decided to tag along (how better to see the city than with our tour guide?). On the way, Christian explained the gesturing cat (or Maneki Neko), which you see everywhere in Japan. (It looks like it's waving but that's due to cultural differences between gestures in Japan and the U.S.) Legend has it that there was once a very powerful and wealthy and greedy king. He refused to share with anyone. One day, he was standing in a field and saw a cat. The cat kept beckoning to him and he finally went over to see the cat. As soon as he stepped away, lightning struck the spot where he had been standing. Realizing that he would have been killed if not for the cat was his epiphany, and he became a good man who shared with everyone (sounds a little bit like our Scrooge story) and he made a statute to honor the cat that saved his life.
On the way to the convenience store we also passed a Denny's (who knew they were in Japan?) and decided we wanted to try dessert there. The catch, as we discovered on the way back, was that it was not handicapped accessible. Christian, being awesome, helped Chris carry Mel and her wheelchair up two flights of stairs so we could eat there, and helped carry her back down when we were leaving. An added bonus, he was able to help us order so we didn't have to play the pointing at the pictures game. :) I had this awesome mango dessert that involved a thin pancake, fresh mangoes, cream and other yumminess - we really need to bring those to the U.S.
That wraps up day five. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures...