Japan (Part 2)

Yokohama City

Yokohama city is gorgeous and this night was by far my favorite.  After work, I told Mitch I was going down to the pier by myself.  He didn't seem to understand that, but I was adamant that I would be fine and would actually enjoy going by myself.  It was wonderful to just take the train down to the ocean front, put my ear buds in and take photos of the incredible view.  It really was breath taking.  The pier itself is beautiful with planks of wood like the deck of a ship mixed with sections of lawn that move in waves along the length of it.  I could have stayed there all night and I just kept wishing you all could see this.

I got stopped by a police officer that night.  He didn’t speak a word of English except I think he asked me for my passport at one point, which I didn’t have.  After a few minutes of his struggling to recall any English words and my sympathetic, confused shrugs, he simply walked away still muttering.  I’m not sure what I dodged by being an ignorant American, but next time it probably would be wise to keep my passport with me at all time.  Duh. 

Above is the largest electronics store I have ever been to.  Mitch was pretty excited to take us here.  Personally, it was a little sensory over-load for me, but I did locate the Nikon section and saw the signs  announcing my new Nikon D7000.  I'm so excited!

I just liked they way their vending machines look.

They mostly drink tea with every meal over here, but they know to bring waters to the table when Americans sit down, the problem is their water glasses are tiny!  No really, Mom, they are small.  The poor waitress has to come over and refill our water glasses 15 times per meal.  I think this whole situation could be alleiviated by giving us water glasses that hold more than two gulps... or I guess I could just drink the tea, in which case, two gulps is more than I would ever want and they wouldn’t have to refill my glass once.

This is the Graphtec Japan building where we had all our meetings.

Mitch taught us how to wash before entering the shrine and the sequence of clapping and bowing performed if you donate any change.  Brian and Mitch also purchased fortunes and were both disappointed.  When your fortune is not desirable, you tie the paper to the strings found all around the shrine.  This is the gate of the gods.  People are not supposed to pass under the center, that is where the gods enter.

 These are barrels of wine.

Next we took a taxi to a Buddhist temple with an enormous Buddha.  (We later saw an enormous Mother of Buddha, but I didn’t get a picture because we passed her on the train).  I’m serious, though.  This was one big Buddha AND we got to go inside him.  He was built 750 years ago.  Once again, I would have loved to be there with no one else around on an early fall morning with all the red Japanese maple trees around.  Oh well, it was still cool just to be there.  I like the Buddhist temples better than the Shinto shrines.  They are more simple and natural looking.

From there we walked through the blistering, humid, sweaty heat to the next shrine nestled quite privately in the mountains (I use the term loosely).  Infact, the entrance to this shrine is a tunnel through the mountainside... hillside?  This is the shrine that people go to to wash their money and become rich.  So here we go, I have a nice clean 20 dollar bill that’s going to change my life!

Mitch wanted to eat lunch next, so he took us to another noodle place.  I guess it’s my fault because I said I didn’t want something hot,  but my first bite of the cold noodles with seaweed on top, just about came right back up.  I could see Brian having the same struggle with his.  Infact, he took two bites and then pretended the heat from the day was making him feel sick.  Right!  I kept plugging away at mine as best I could and Mitch, of course had his down in no time.  When I first got my plate and asked Mitch what those dark shreds were on top, he said seaweed.  “Always with the seaweed!”  I exclaimed.  He just laughs at me now.   That really was the worst meal we’ve had so far.  

When we got ice cream later, there were only three options.  Vanilla, chestnut, and green tea.  Can you blame me for choosing vanilla?  When I get home, I’m going straight over to Bajio to pick up a pork salad!  I can’t wait.  

We left Kamakata and went back to Yokohama where Mitch wanted to show us the China town there.  I’m a little embarassed to say I wasn’t really sure when we actually arrived.  It kind of looked the same to me, but I just kept taking pictures anyway. 

 The day we left, Mitch took us for one last meal in Japan.  I was hesitant because (A) the last Japanese meal I had barely stayed down and I was just fed up with the whole country for nothing that was really their fault and (B) I had just eaten breakfast anyway.  Still, when I tell him I’m not hungry because I just ate he says “Yeah” and then asks me what I want anyway.  I told him I just wanted rice.  We went to a small restaurant and ordered three different fried rice dishes with egg drop soup and some pan fried dumplings.  It was awesome.  Where was this place all week?  I even tried octopus and squid mixed into one of the dishes.  (Rubbery, but otherwise largely tasteless... it’s just a little disconcerting to see tentacles coming out of the pile of rice.) 

When I got to my terminal, they paged me and had me switch to an earlier flight since mine was overbooked.  Fine by me!  They routed me through Portland instead and gave me a new seat assignment.  I was terrified I was going to get one of those seats right in front of the emergency exits that don’t recline.  I noted my seat assignment enough to know it wasn’t going to be one of those, but breezed past the first class cabin before I realized I’d passed my seat.  I even checked with a flight attendant before believing they had put me in first class.  Then I was so giddy, I could hardly contain myself.  First class exceeded my wildest expectations.  They give you slippers and a big comfy blanket.  The meals were incredible and the food just kept coming.  Everything in your chair adjusts to fit you just right and it fully reclines.  I slept soundly for a good four or five hours.  The flight attendants are so nice to you too.  I didn’t even have my seat in the full upright position when we landed and they didn’t even care!  That was the best flight of my life.  Thank you, whoever over-booked Delta flight 634!

(There are a couple more photos on my photography blog.)