A Journey Back, and for the First Time

We had agreed to leave the room by 7:30 because we needed to take our luggage to our new hotel, Disney's MiraCosta, and leave it there until we could get into our room.  We checked in, hoping to qualify for Early Entry for hotel guests, but were sadly told no, you can only get in early the morning after you've stayed at the hotel.  Drat!  We stowed our bags and hurriedly went to get in line for Disneyland.  The Japanese Disney parks are notorious for loooooong lines outside the gates prior to each day's opening.  The line on Monday was certainly longer than we would've liked, but I've seen videos of it being a whole lot worse, so we took our lumps and dealt with it.

45 minutes later the line started to move and soon we were each scanning our QR code on our phones and were welcomed in by a energetic CM (Cast Member, read: Disney employee) and then we were in!  It was fun to watch Leo take it all in and absorb how different it is from the domestic US parks he's been to.  "Main Street USA" is called World Bazaar and it is covered, for the inclement weather in Japan, specifically in winter when it rains A LOT.  We took our time, but also didn't dilly dally, as we knew we needed to get to certain attractions early so as not to have long waits for them.

We let Leo choose the itinerary and order for the day, since we've been her before.  Now, I swear, I didn't have any influence on his choice, but he wanted to do Pooh's Honey Hunt first.  He'd watched videos and read articles touting the advanced technology of the ride.  Well, it was advanced when it opened 22 years ago, anyway.  It's a trackless ride, meaning the ride vehicles don't follow a track on the floor, like most rides do.  It's run by magnets *under* the floor.  This allows for the ride vehicles to flow around a room and around each other seemingly with no set pattern, yet there is one.  We got off there and he expressed how much he really liked it!  Yay!  He said it's so very well done and he was truly impressed!  Yay!

We spent the rest of the day going on attractions (don't you date call them rides around Kenji, unless you're talking about Big Thunder.  IYKYK), ducking into shops and restaurants for a/c.  We got to experience Pooh (Kenji & Karin rode twice), Haunted Mansion (very much like the one on Florida), Country Bear Jamboree (Vacation, Kenji's least favorite version), Tiki Room Stitch Takeover (I had forgotten about this version), Pirates, Big Thunder RR, Star Tours (where *I* was the Rebel Spy!!!), Jungle Cruise (which was hysterical in a language we didn't understand).  The Skipper was so animated and enthusiastic and tossed herself this way and that, if made the cruise soooo much fun!  As faithful members of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad Society, we rode the train.  The train in Tokyo Disneyland does *not* have multiple stops.  It's a round trip from Westernland.  If they made multiple stops in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, like in the US parks, they would have to charge a fee.  Remember what I said in Sunday's post about the Monorail?

We had lunch at Pan Galactic Pizza Port.  The draw here is the how with Tony Solaroni, an animatronic alien.  Kenji said the video and show were exactly the same as 21 years ago!  Ha!  The food was ok.  Kenji and I shared a chicken & cheese calzone and a salami pizza.  I don't agree with them calling it salami.  It was like Canadian Bacon to my palette, but whatever, Disney.  We also shared our first order of the super cute Alien dumplings.  Each order comes with 3 dumplings and they are rice flour paste filled with custard, each one a different flavor, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.  They were so cute it was a shame it eat them!  But, they were yummy!

At 4:30 when our room was ready we went back to the hotel and got the keys to our 2 rooms.  Leo had his own room for 3 of the 4 nights were stayed there (the 4th night Mom came back from her conference and we went back to the girls/boys rooming situation) and was very happy not to have to wear earplugs and reports that he slept VERY well those nights!  The rooms are elegantly appointed and the characters are well represented.  The MiraCosta is themed to Italy and you'd swear you were in an Italian seaside town when you're there.  There's an entrance from the hotel to Disney Sea park, which was so very convenient at the end of our days there.

At one point, when I needed an a/c break, the boys went and did Standby for the Beauty and the Beast attraction.  It wasn't here when Kenji & I were here 21 years ago.  I just didn't have it in me at that point to go stand in line for 40-60 mins.  My feet and ankles have been bothering me the whole trip and standing for extended periods of time make them hurt.  They came back and told me it was really, really good.  Leo got on the app and bought "passes" for all the 3 of us to go back after dinner and go through the Priority Lane.  It was about $10.per person, which is more affordable than the Priority attractions you have to pay for in the US parks.

If you don't have plans to get to Tokyo Disneyland, I highly recommend looking on YouTube for  a ride-through video of the Beauty and the Beast attraction.  The animatronics are stunning, the rooms are beautiful and the Beast's transformation from Beast to Prince is not to be missed!  I have no idea (and don't want to, so don't spoil it for me!) how they do it.  Disney magic, indeed!

We had dinner at the Queen of Hearts restaurant in Fantasyland.  It's a scramble service style restaurant, sort of like a cafeteria where you push your tray along a counter and tell the CMs (Cast Members, Disney-speak for employees) which item you'd like.  I chose the roast beef with Japanese sauce, which turned out to be a fruity, sweet sauce that I enjoyed.  It came with potato wedges and some lackluster veggies.  I also had a cup of the corn chowder which was both chunky with corn and sweet.  Kenji had the roast chicken and we traded bites.  He was glad to have gotten the chicken as my sauce was too sweet for him.  Leo said he wished he'd gotten the chicken as he didn't think the beef was seasoned and he didn't enjoy the sauce either.  Oh well.  More for me! 

We ended the evening with Leo exploring ToonTown while Kenji and I had another ride on Winnie the Pooh.  That attraction never gets old.  The technology holds up and is still innovative and exciting! I wanted to try the creme' brule churro, but the place that sells it closed at 8:00 pm and we got there about 8:20.  Drat!  So we stayed in the area and Kenji & I caught most of the  Electrical Dream Lights parade and then cut out near what we thought might be the end so we could beat the majority of the crowd to the monorail station.  They don't call it the Main Street Electrical Parade because they don't have a Main Street, but it's the same parade, the same floats and the same magic.  What a sublime way to end our night!

A Journey of Separation

We've been going non-stop since we left Hiroshima Sunday AM.  We took a 2+ hour Shinkansen ride to Nagoya, changed Shinkansens and took another to Mishima, where Mom was scheduled to meet her shuttle bus that would take her to her conference.

Upon arriving in Mishima we found a Waiting Room inside the station, and decided to wait inside, in the a/c, for the 1 hour until the appointed 2 pm, to get on the shuttle bus.  While in the Waiting Room Mom noticed some women who she thought might also be here for the conference so she went and introduced herself.  Because of course she did.

At 1:45 we walked her out to the shuttle bus, hugged and kissed goodbye, with promises to see her in 4 days back here in Mishima.  Kenji and I walked back inside, Leo was watching our luggage, stopping to look at the machines for buying train tickets.  I'll need to do some research on how/when to get back to Mishima on Thursday to pick her up.

Then it was off to the platform for our 30 minute Shinkansen ride to Tokyo.  I did not enjoy being back in that super bustling, confusing place.  Kenji was following Google Maps to get us to the Keiyo (pronounced: kay-oh) Line which would take us to Maihama (pronounced: my-i-ha-mah) and from there we took the Disney monorail (which you have to pay for, as in Japan, any public transportation that has more than one stop requires regulation and thereby, payment.)

We navigated all that and soon found ourselves at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay, where we stayed just for Sunday night.  Kenji had some Bonvoy points and we got 1 room, for the 3 of us.  Unfortunately, Leo had to sleep in a room with both his snoring parents.  Needless to say it didn't go well for him and he reported that he woke up for good at 2 AM on Monday.  Poor kid!  We got dinner at McDonald's in Ikspiari (sort of like Downtown Disney or Disney Springs) in that it has shopping and restaurants and most are not Disney-owned.  We chose McDonald's just to see what items they had they we don't have in the US.

Leo and I both ordered a burger that looked to have a hash brown puck on it with a squirt of BBQ sauce.  It was ok.  I wouldn't order it again.  We also ordered a teriyaki burger that for some indescribable reason also had mayonnaise on it.  We were unaware of that ingredient until we bit into it.  All 3 of us agreed that was not to be ordered again.  What I *would* order again, was the shrimp patty sandwich.  Leo and I both agreed that was the winner.

We stopped at a bakery and got a few items for breakfast, as well as a grocery store, where I got a bunch of 4 bananas for the next few days.  We went back to the room and fell into sleep.

A Journey I've Been Looking Forward To

We were out of the rooms early today, by 8:15, to catch a high speed boat from the dock out back of our hotel to go to Miyajima (pronounced: mee-yah-jee-mah) Island where the Miyajima Shrine and Torii (pronounced: tore-ee) Gate are.  As we were waiting for the boat to arrive we saw a Celebrity cruise ship pull into port, ever so slowly.  Kenji had purchased tickets for us and we boarded the high speed boat which only took 30 minutes to get to the island.  The boat ride over was smooth and afforded beautiful, water-level views of the port, harbor and into Hiroshima and up the deep green hills.  We were told we needed to make a reservation for what time we wanted to return as the boats fill up, so we chose 1:55 pm.  That would give us almost 5 hours.  We were each given a ticket stating "13:55" on it that would be required at the end of the day to get back.  Almost immediately after getting onto the island Mom spotted a sign with the word Bakery and said "Oh, Karin, look a bakery."  Which I took to mean she wanted to stop and get breakfast.  So we did.  We each got a bakery item and Mom also ordered an iced coffee.

Having had breakfast we walked towards the Torii Gate.  I wanted to get there by 10 am as that's when I had found low tide would be and we would be able to walk out to the Torii Gate in the mud.  It was as spectacular as I remember it from 21 years ago.  *swoon*  Huge and majestic.  We spent a lot of time walking around it, getting photos from many angles and just taking it all in.  It was very muddy and puddles of water were still around as the tide had gone out not too long before.  There are the expected barnacles surrounding all four posts.  There were A LOT of people out at the Torii Gate.  

We headed back up from the water level and headed towards the Shrine.  Mom decided not to go to the Shrine, but rather sat and watched the Torii Gate and the tide.  The 3 Lusters paid our 300 yen entrance fee per person and walked through the open air hallways with views of the Torii Gate.  We came across several altars and made our offerings and offered our prayers.  I wanted to go out to the furthest point on the Shrine's property to get a shot of the Torii Gate from the Shrine.  A couple of Japanese women in front of us asked me, in English, if we'd be willing to take their picture and she'd take ours, if we wanted her to.  I said yes, please, so we took turns taking each other's pictures and all too soon it was time to move away and let the rest of the long line have their turns.  Coming to Miyajima was an experience I've been looking forward to since we decided to come back to Japan.  I enjoyed it very much 21 years ago and have watched many YouTube videos about it during the planning of this trip.  It did not disappoint!

We slowly made our way out and found Leo at the exit.  He showed us an item he had purchased at a nearby souvenir store and of course, I wanted to look around.  I did and I made a couple of purchases.  The guys walked back to fetch Mom and bring her to where I was so we could continue looking around "town" and find some lunch.  When they got back we looked in a couple of shops and Kenji found a place for lunch.  There were 4 seats downstairs and the rest of the seating was upstairs.  Fortunately for us, they told us to stay downstairs.  Kenji and I sat at the counter facing the kitchen and Leo & Mom sat at a small table.  We looked at the picture book menu and made our selections.  Kenji & I had been considering the same 2 items, so I ordered one and he ordered the other and we shared.  We also got an order of veggie tempura.  I had a lemon soda.  It was so crisp and refreshing!  Mom had the same pork and rice dish I ordered that came with miso soup.  Leo had deep fried oysters with rice and miso soup.  He said he enjoyed them, and was ok that it only came with 2 oysters.  LOL.  We paid (cash only) and left.

As we meandered through the streets, peeking in windows and watching treats being made and the IG-worthy ice creams being consumed, Mom and I found a shop to walk in, cool off and made a couple of purchases.  We got back to the entrance to the Shrine and Mom and I told the guys we'd like time to just sit and watch the tide come in for a bit.  We didn't have to be back at the pier til 1:45 pm to catch our return boat.  So we did just that.  The guys went walking and looking around then came back for us an said it was time to head back.  Slowly and enjoying the breeze (it was still hot and humid) we started back.  Leo broke off to go get a maple leaf-shaped treat.  I asked him to get me one, too.  The adults found a Lawson's and went in for cold drinks for the boat ride back.  We found Leo and got to the pier to find a long line for the 13:55 return trip.  Yikes!  Did we wait too long to get back?  We had been told to be back by 1:45 and  it was only 1:38.  Are we going to have to stand up the whole time?

We did *not* stand up the whole time.  Phew!  We found a group of sofa-like seats in a square that was empty and sat there.  A large group with some kids came and sat near us, but there weren't enough seats for them all so one man sat with us, joking (in English) that his family didn't want him anymore.  I told him that's ok, he can join our family now.  And that began a 30 minute conversation with a Vietnamese man from La Habra about the Celebrity cruise he was on and life in the US vs. Vietnam, which he left when he was 14.  He was a fun person to talk to and Mom was very chatty, as you know she is.  his family got off at the stop before us and were planning to go see the A-bomb Dome and still had to be back onboard the ship by 6:30.  It was now 2:15 pm.  May the Force be with you!  That was going to be a very fast visit as they planned to take the street car to get there.

Kenji and I did some souvenir shopping at the hotel gift shop and came back to our rooms to relax and cool down before a planned early dinner.  For dinner we broke into 2 groups, Mom & Kenji and Leo & Karin.  Leo and I went for conveyor belt sushi and Mom & Kenji ended up getting okonomiyaki, which she later said she was glad to have had again.  I had soooo much fun at the sushi place!  It's a chain that Leo has been to back home, Kuro Sushi.  Patrons sit in booths and a conveyor belt rolls by on the end of the booth with items you can just reach out and take.  We also ordered items on the iPad that arrived on a conveyor belt *above* the other belt.  Those items were programmed to bypass the other booths and arrive and stop at our booth for us to take off the belt.  We chose mostly based on what we saw, not being able to read the signs, but also looked at the iPad to see what was offered.  We had various types of nigiri (seafood on top of of rice) salmon, seared tuna, egg omlette, something that looked like tiny meatloaf with a tiny dollop of mayonnaise (Leo made a weird face so I didn't try the 2nd piece), shrimp (cooked), scallops (cooked), a sort of California roll a seafood salad and slice of cucumber wrapped in seaweed with a pat of rice, as well as a tuna and cucumber roll, creamed corn in a seaweed wrap, tempura bacon (we don't recommend), corn fritters.  For dessert we had "bread pudding" which was a few little chunks of pound cake topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with chopped pistachios (which is what caught my eye in the first place) and raisins.  It was ok, not great.  Leo had steamed cheesecake which wasn't as fluffy as he'd hoped.  Oh well.  It was a super fun experience and not I'm looking for someone to go with me when I get home.  Leo says there's one in the Glendale Galleria that he's been to.

The 4 of us met at the bus stop, went to 7/11 and got a few necessities and returned to the hotel to pack and go to bed early.  

Tomorrow we have to leave the hotel by 7:30 am to catch our 8:43 am train.  We are dropping Mom in Mishima to get on a bus to her School Nurses International Conference and we head off to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort!

Boy, we lolly-gagged even longer yesterday than the day before!  We only had one stop on our agenda and decided to let everyone sleep as late as they wanted to.  Unfortunately, for me, my body doesn't let me sleep in and I was awake by 5:30 am.

After all the sleeping and showering was done, we finally headed out about 11:30 am.  The bus stop we get on at the hotel is the first of the route, so it was empty when it arrived and full with the aisles full of standers, too.  There's something going on at the hotel as a lot of uniformed school girls were getting on, going into the city.  We pondered if it was a field trip that brought them to stay at the hotel, but they didn't seem to have any chaperones with them.   I was glad we got to the bus early and got seats!

We took the bus farther than we've taken it yet and when we got off and I engaged Google maps to guide us, we were surprised to find it was taking us underground.  Looking at the intersection I saw that it was a huge intersection with no crosswalks, so underground we went.  There was a whole shopping area down there!  Restaurants and stores, it was huge!  We navigated our way and Google Maps brought us up again directly in front of the place we wanted to be, the Hiroshima Orizuru (pronounced: or-ee-zoo-roo) Building.  Orizuru means paper cranes, the kind you associate with Japanese culture.

The Orizuru Building is a business building, except on top is an observation deck that directly overlooks the back of the A-bomb Dome.  It's a modern observation deck with steps and a wide ramp, all made out of gorgeous wood.  The 180 degree overlook of Hiroshima is breath-taking.  We spent at least 30 minutes here.  Kenji pointed to the nearby hills and told us that on the other side of the hills is where his Grandfather grew up.  The hills and trees are so very green, large and lush.  I'm envious of the beauty in the midst of an expansive and bustling city center.

After spending time on the observation deck we were invited to walk down one flight to the Orizuru Welcome Center where we were given a square piece of colored paper with patterns of our choosing and given instructions on folding our own cranes.  The adults in our group had issues and a very kind woman helped us.  A lot.  After folding our cranes we were shown an enclosed, narrow glass ledge out over the side of the building to walk out on to the spot to drop our cranes, adding them to the 1 million+ others.  The project is wanting to fill the side of the building with paper cranes in hopes of world peace.  Mom decided not to take the walk out on the ledge, so I took her crane with me and the 3 Lusters walked out, found the openings where we were to drop them, and did, watching them float down.  Granted, it's tight in there and we couldn't really tell if they went all the way down and got hung up on a ledge, but we were pleased to have contributed to the hopes for peace.

One of the options for a way to get down (from the 15th floor) was a slide, which Leo opted to take.  I felt like too much could go wrong for me, so I opted for the elevator.  I just missed getting to the bottom of the slide to get his picture when he got to the bottom, but he said it was not fun, unfortunately.  It wasn't slippery enough, and they hadn't offered him the thing to sit on to make it slippery.  He had "crab-walked" all the way down, he said, and his legs were sore as a result.  Bummer.  I had hoped it would be fun.  Mom and Kenji stayed up top, reading some history of the building and its design and came down later taking the "slope" ramp the whole way, which Kenji regretted afterwards due to his bum knee.  We went across the street so we could get a picture of the side of the Orizuru Building 

Leo had done some Googling and found a place for a lunch back underground in the shopping center and led us there.  It was a soba noodle place and we each had different items.  He had a duck ramen with cold noodles on the side that he dipped in the broth before eating.  Mom had a veggie ramen, Kenji had a beef ramen and I had chicken katsu set.  It came with a side salad and a chicken patty breaded and deep fried on top of rice and a scrambled egg as well as noodles in a broth.  It was all oishi and the ladies working there were very kind and happy to see us.

With a warm full belly, I was feeling sleepy and decided to head back to the hotel for a nap, despite it being like 3:45 pm at that point.  Mom decided to come with me so she could do some reading.  The guys went off window shopping.  It took Mom and I a long time to get back to the hotel, having just missed our bus and having to wait 20 mins. for the next one and the bus ride being 30 mins.  While on the bus Kenji and I were texting and decided since lunch had been so late we really didn't need "dinner", so he and Leo were going to pick up dinner from a convenience store on their way back.

I fell into a nap and woke up about 90 mins later feeling refreshed.  Mom was asleep now.  I looked at my phone and Kenji had texted about 10 mins earlier that they were back.  I let him know that I was awake but Mom was not.  Once she woke up they brought us the items we requested for a light, in-room dinner.  I got dressed afterwards and Kenji & I went up to the 23rd floor to the bar/restaurant for a drink and views of the city at night.  We did this when we were here 20 years ago and it was still lovely!

The drinks were small, but less than $11 each, and not very heavy on the pours.  Oh well.  We enjoyed just being together just us for the first time this trip.  As we were getting ready to order a 3rd round, a server came and showed us her phone with a Google Translate on her phone that there were about to be fireworks out the window of the restaurant and we were invited to go watch.  They turned out the lights and the fireworks lasted maybe 5 minutes.  It was fun and festive and a fabulous way to end the evening!  I Google Translated on my phone and asked another server why the fireworks happened, was it for any reason?  I was told simply "Special Day".  Ah.  Ok then.

We ordered a 3rd round of drinks, paid and went back to our rooms, where I collapsed on the bed and was sleep shortly after 10 pm. 

A Journey in Search of Peace

A little lolly-gagging today before getting out of the hotel today.  We caught a bus directly in front of the hotel to the city center and walked a little bit to the Peace Memorial Museum.  Hiroshima was the first target of the A-bomb.  On August 6, 1945, the US dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima in retaliation for the bombing at Pearl Harbor.  3 days later the US dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki.  Hundreds of thousands died as a result of these first nuclear attacks.

The pictures and stories we saw and read about were devastating.  The effects of the bomb on the human body is nothing short of horrific.  Children still in utero were born with life-altering disabilities.  Children born years later to parents who had survived, usually died before reaching adulthood.  We saw artifacts, pieces of clothing worn that day, large pieces of metal, girders, bottles, notebooks, all sorts of items from victims and survivors were on display and shown with the aftereffects of the bombing. 

There is a building nearby that the Japanese have left in tact from the day of the bombing.  Now called the A-bomb dome, the building was originally used for art and educational purposes.  From Wikipedia: "Because the explosion was almost directly overhead, the building was able to retain its shape.  The building's vertical columns were able to resist the nearly vertical downward force of the blast, and parts of the concrete and brick outer walls remained intact.  The building's durability can also be attributed to its earthquake-resistant design; it has held up to earthquakes before and since the bombing."  Also from Wikipedia: "Hiroshima was chosen as a target because it was an important port on southern Honshu (the island where Hiroshima is) and was headquarters of the Japanese Second General Army, with 40,000 military personnel in the city, and was the only large city that was not known to have a POW camp."

The dome wasn't the intended target, the nearby Aioi Bridge was selected as the target as it was easily recognizable from the air.  The Americans missed their target by about 800 feet.  An estimated 80,000 people died instantly.

It was a gut-wrenching experience, one that Kenji and did 21 years ago when we were here.  It was one we knew we wanted Leo to experience and Mom is always all in on museums and history.  I was struck by the silence everyone going through the museum held.  There were many school groups on tour, many tourists with earpieces telling them about the exhibits.  No one was speaking to one another.  At all.  We all were just absorbing the horror of it all together.  We spent 2 hours walking through the different rooms, reading the stories of the people who were killed, those who survived and what they endured for the rest of their lives as a result of the first A-bomb destroying their city.

When asked what he thought of the museum and what he saw he simply replied "It's a lot."  Yep.  Indeed.  It was a lot to take in.  On the huge lawn outside the museum they were preparing for this year's 80th anniversary commemoration on August 6th.  Large tents are being set up for the seats to face the stage for the speeches.

After the museum was walked a little ways to a ramen chain Kenji & I had heard about that we wanted to try, Ichiran (pronounced: each-ee-ron).  It features single, forward-facing seats with dividers between diners.  There's a window in front of you and a roll up-down bamboo screen.  You never see the server's face in front of you, rather just their torso as they speak to you.  We ordered from a touch screen and were seated next to one another.  We each put our tickets from the machine on the table in front of us, the server took them and shortly after the food was placed in front of us.  Very novel, and quick & efficient if you're a Salaryman (read: business person) in a hurry and not wanting the chit-chat from a restaurant.   The ramen was good, but hot and made Mom and I hotter.  I'm glad we did it, but man, it's hard to eat hot food in this weather!

After lunch we wandered into a capsule store (ah, air-conditioning!), sort of large gumball machines that dispense little toys in large Easter eggs-type plastic capsules.  Rows and rows of the machines!  We looked around at all the different machines and toys offered.  The thing is about the machines that there are several different toys in each machine and you never know which capsule you're going to get.  The idea is that if you don't get *the one* you want that you'll keep putting money in until you do.  I found a machine with Winnie the Pooh figures in it.  I said I wasn't going to jinx it by saying which one I wanted.  I put my money in, turned the knob and lo and behold!  I did *not* get the one I wanted.  (wah, wah)  But, I did not put more money in to get the one I wanted.  It was 400 yen ($2.70) as it was for the tiny figure.

We walked back towards the Peace Park and spent a fair amount of time at and walking around the A-bomb Dome.  It is a sobering icon standing in stark contrast to the newer, modern skyscrapers.  A little further into the Peace Park and we found the Children's Peace Monument, in memory of the children who died as a result of the bombing.  There is a statue of a girl with outstretched arms and a dove on her head.  The statue is surrounded in a half circle with clear structures that are filled with origami cranes, a symbol of peace.  We also saw a Memorial to the Mobilized Children who died because they were working for the government.  During World War II, Japanese students were mobilized for labor to compensate for the severed labor shortages caused by the wat, particularly in industries vital to the war effort.  The Government enacted the Student labor Service Act in 1944, requiring students in middle school and higher to work in factories and other facilities.  This mobilization included building demolition to create firebreaks and other tasks, with many students losing their lives due to being outside when the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

The Cenotaph gave us a focused view through the Peace Park, past the eternal flame to the A-bomb Dome.  There were beautiful flowers in front of the Cenotaph.

It was beginning to sprinkle so we made our way out of the Peace Park towards the bus stop.  We stopped at 7/11 to get snacks and pick up breakfast for tomorrow (today, as I type this) and got back to the hotel just before a big downpour.  Yay!  We cooled off and relaxed for a bit before heading out for Okonomiyaki (pronounced: oh-koh-no-mee-yah-kee) dinner in a tall building that has 3 floors of just Mom & Pop type food stalls with about 10 seats each and all they all make is Okonomiyaki.  They each may have different variations, but basically everyone makes the same thing, all day, every day.  Leo had looked at the list of places and decided he wanted to eat at Ron.  That's the name of the place. Ron.  So we took the elevator to the 3rd floor, looked at found that, Ron was closed.  (wah, wah)  So we wandered to see who had open seats.  None on the 3rd floor near Ron so we walked up to the 4th floor and found a place with what appeared to be an older husband & wife working the teppan grill.

We were greeted warmly and immediately felt welcomed.  We were given menus in English and Mom and I asked if we could share and were told no, sorry, each person must order something.  Another running pattern we've found in this country.  So we found the most basic one for Mom and I ordered the "Plenty of Pork", as did Kenji.  Leo got a little more adventurous, ordering kimchi and garlic to his.  Kenji's & mine came with a scrambled egg on the bottom and a steamed egg, with a beautiful runny yolk, on top.  Kenji & each ordered an alcoholic drink and we enjoyed watching the preparation of our meals on the griddle in front of us as we sat on stools around it.  Unlike Osaka style Okonomiyaki, which has all the ingredients mixed together in a batter and then griddled, Hiroshima style is built in layers.  First the batter goes down on the griddles in a thin layer, then a large handful of shredded cabbage is added.  A little dried seaweed is added then some crunchy tempura bits.  We all has sliced pork (like bacon, just not smoked) added, Kenji's & mine just had more.

Then the whole thing is flipped over so the pork can cook.  Noodles were cooked separately, 3 of us ordering soba and Leo ordering udon (thicker noodles).  The woman had been doing all of this up to this point then the man took over and scrambled the eggs and moved the whole pile on top of the noodles.  It got flipped a couple of other times and finally the brown/red sauce was brushed on top.  A steamed egg was added on top of mine & Kenji's and each person's individual "pancake" was moved to the griddle right in front of us.  We were each given a small spatula to use to cut slices off to move to the small plates we were given.  It was so yummy!  Oishi!  When I didn't recognize an ingredient that was being added to other Okonomiyakis being made for other diners I asked "nani desu ka" (pronounced: naan-dis-kah) (meaning: what is that)?  One time I was told mochi (pronounced: moh-chee) which is a sweet, sticky, glutinous rice cake.  We saw squid and shrimp as common choices as well as a beautiful bundle of asparagus (which the woman took the time to peel the stems) wrapped in a shiso (pronounced: shee-soh) leaves and wrapped with sliced pork (bacon) and then griddled.

We rolled out of there in time to discover on Google Maps that we had just missed the last bus back to the hotel.  Oh well.  That means there's time for dessert!  We found a place serving from the front counter tayaki (pronounced; tye-yah-kee) which are waffles in the shape of a fish, sliced open and wither custard, mashed sweet potato or red bean past added to the inside.  Leo wanted one with sweet potato.  I got an ice cream sandwich which was made with cracker thin wafers.  I was disappointed they didn't serve ice cream in the fish waffle and my "ice cream" tased and felt more like ice milk.  Oh well.  It was cold, which was most important.

We walked out to the main street, found a line of taxis, got in the first one and were back at the hotel in short order.  Mom and I started watching the local baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp play the Yokohama DeNA, but the game got rained out and got called int he 6th inning and ended in a tie 1-1.

It was a full and exhausting day, emotionally and physically, and Mom and I were in bed by 10 pm.

A Journey to Hiroshima

We checked out of the ryoken and walked the couple of blocks to the train station easily enough.  Mom expressed her delight at the ryoken experience.  Leo, not so much.  He had a point when he said it wasn't authentic because it was a hotel and not a Mom and Pop B&B type small place.  I get that.  I hear him.  And.  This was near the train station which has been a major part of our planning where to stay.  And it was affordable.

When we got to the train station we hung out at a bakery and Mom and Kenji bought baked goods and drinks to justify out sitting there.  Mom and I bought sandwiches and drinks for the Shinkansen train ride to Hiroshima and as soon as our train appeared on the big board we went through the ticket gates and found our platform, mere minutes before the bullet train arrived.

We boarded and once again Mom & I stowed our big bags near the door.  What a grand thing, not having to heave them over over our heads to the luggage storage over the seats!  Kenji & I sat together with Mom & Leo behind us.  We ate, drank (non-alcoholic), read (me) and dozed (Kenji) and every so often checked his app to see how fast we were going.  The app recorded that at one point we were going 191 mph!  Zowee!

A short 1.75 hours later, what would've taken 4.75 to drive, and we were in Hiroshima.  I noted that it wasn't yet raining.  Perhaps that's the next 3 days, the whole time we're in Hiroshima, as we've seen on the weather apps.  *groan*  We got into the station and found the exit for Taxis easily enough and were soon being whisked away to our hotel.  How grand!

We arrived at the hotel and it's large, has an expansive, elegant lobby and after asking to have rooms next to each other, and that taking a little extra arranging, we were on our way to our rooms.  Kenji had high hopes as the last time we stayed here, 21 years ago, we were given a very large corner room.  That's the main reason he chose this hotel, memories of it being a great place to stay.

The reality of it now is, we booked with hotels.com and got rooms next to the elevator.  The rooms are certainly larger than our rooms in Kyoto and while they aren't futons on the floor, the beds are not far off the floor.  Our view is mainly overlooking the porte cochere (valet area) with a bit of the adjacent marina.  Mom has noted that the TV is the smallest one yet.  LOL.  We gathered laundry and searched the hotel info about what floor it is on for self-service laundry.  Not seeing any info on that, i called the Operator, only to be told no, in fact, the hotel does NOT have self-service laundry, but they DO have a paid laundry service.  *groan*

So a plan was hatched and I offered to go with Mom to a local laundromat Kenji found online.  I downloaded the Uber app so I could get us there and back, allowing Kenji time to do some work work.  We packed all the laundry into his suitcase and off Mom and I went.  I ordered an Uber taxi and a car matching the description showed up, we loaded the suitcase and got in.  The man indicated he wanted to know where we were going.  I looked it up but then realized, I put that info in the app when I requested it.  Why didn't he know it?  I asked if he was Uber taxi and he said no just as another Uber taxi showed up.  I saw the valet speaking with him and I jumped out and yelled "That's my Uber!", The valet told the driver who pulled around to where we were as we unloaded the suitcase and had the new driver put it in *his* taxi.  Sheesh!  Ok, lesson learned.  Laundry was then accomplished.

We walked to a nearby Family Mart, found some items for everyone for dinner, finally got an Uber Taxi back to the hotel, hung up our wash only clothes to dry, ate dinner with the guys.  There is nothing, nuh-thing around our hotel to walk to easily for food.  This isn't going to be a location that Leo can just take off and go exploring like he has the last 2 weeks.  We're going to have to plan in advance for breakfasts and dinners, if we're back at the hotel early like we have been in the past at times.

A Journey of Tradition

Yesterday (again, too wiped out to blog last night) was moving day.  Mom & I were mostly packed the night before to make an easier morning.  Showered and 7/11 breakfast on our beds, we had plenty of time and didn't feel rushed.  We met the guys downstairs at 10 am and we all stored our bags and we re out the door.

We headed to the Kyoto Palace.  Kyoto had been the capital a couple of different times in history.  Whichever family was in power decided where they wanted the capital to be at the time.  We took a bus, Kyoto doesn't have an extensive subway system like Tokyo and Osaka did, so we've been taking buses, and had a short walk to the Palace.  The walk from where we entered the Palace grounds and where the entrance to the Palace were was a looooong walk on gravel, so it was little harder.  The grounds were beautiful, full of many different types of trees.  A couple of friendly, locals baseball games were taking place on fields that had been transformed for that.

We got to the entrance for the Palace and learned that guided tours are mandatory, no going walking around all willy-nilly on your own, and that the next one wasn't for 2.5 hours.  Well, fudge.  We didn't want to stick around that long nor come back.  We found a nearby Visitor's Center and sought refuge from the heat and humidity for a bit, as well as a welcome bathroom break.  Mom and I found a gift shop, because, of course we did, and I bought myself a purple coin purse that was made from the material from furnishings in the Palace.  Well, supposedly.  Regardless if that story is true or not, I like the purple coin purse.

The guys were hungry, not having eaten breakfast yet, and wanted to go to a nearby katsu place (read: fried food, not what Mom wants to eat), so she and I set out on foot then bus to go back to the babbling brook spot we found yesterday, to sit and enjoy the running creek sounds for a bit.  Google Maps did a good job of getting us there and we stopped at a vending machine and got a couple of cold drinks to enjoy while we sat.  She's really enjoying Pocari Sweat, which is the light Gatorade-type drink.  And I found the melon soda Kenji & I like so much.

We found the same spot and sat on the marble seats for a good while, enjoying the shade of the large patio-type umbrellas and from the trees.  It was almost cool.  When we finally decided it was time to get going, we wanted to see the area where the Geishas live and see if we could see any.  It's illegal to take any pictures of them, but we hoped to see one.  The street Google Maps led us to was  non-descript and had no one, except for a couple of tourists, walking around.  Well, shoot.  Oh well.  We decided we were a bit peckish and started looking for a place to eat.  We found a ramen shop and as a lady popped her head out and asked us in Japanese if we wanted to come eat (at least that's what I told myself she was saying) I whipped out my one good full on phrase "Eigo no menu wa arimasu ka?" (pronounced: eggo no menu ah-ree-mah-soo-kah) (meaning: do you have a menu in English?) and she happily handed me a picture menu with descriptions in English and prices.  We agreed and entered.

We agreed on sharing a ramen set (ramen, gyoza and rice) and when we tried to order that we were told each person has to order something.  This is not the first time we've been told that at a restaurant.  Mom wasn't overly hungry and didn't want a whole bowl of ramen, so we decided to try ordering her just a plate of gyozas.  That placated them.  We each had our own gyozas and we shared the ramen and rice.  It was a quaint little place, maybe 10 seats at the bar and 3 tables for 4 each.  The staff were all very friendly and it seemed to be a real Mom and Pop place, with family all working there, which is typical in Japan.  We enjoyed our meal, lingered and chatted and finally left.  I'd texted with Kenji and they were at the Nishi Temple, the main large temple associated with the temple in LA that his family has attended over the years, where is Grandpa was on the Board. The guys had walked in while they were having a service, so stayed to watch.  We decided to hop on a bus and meet them there.

After what felt like a really long bus ride and a short walk we arrived.  This place was enormous!  Kenji described this particular temple as the Vatican for his temple in LA and all Nishi's in the world.  He told us that when it was built it was the largest wooden structure in the world.  He and Mom took off their shoes and went to go inside.  My feet hurt so much and were so hot that I thought if I took off my shoes I might not get my feet back in them, so I sat on the steps outside.  They took a while to walk around, Mom and I got pictures of the temple and surrounding buildings and we decided it was time to finally leave and head back to pick up our bags and move to tonight's "hotel".  We're staying in Kyoto one more night, we're just moving to a ryoken (pronounced: rye-oh-ken) which is a traditional Japanese accommodation (read: tatami mats on the floor and futons to sleep on).

I was wiped out so I asked if we could take a taxi both from the temple to the hotel and from the hotel to the ryoken.  Neither were very far away, but I had had it.  Put a fork in me, I was done.  So we did just that and arrived at the ryoken.  While sitting at the temple I did a quick Google search and found that the ryoken did NOT have an elevator.  Yikes!  I think my suitcase weighs 30 pounds at least!  Luckily, though, Google did say they have a/c, so there was that to look forward to.  Leo had said he's carry my suitcase up to my room for me.  Sweet kid!  As we were checking in the manager mentioned to find the elevator around the corner.  Elevator?  Yay!  Especially since we were on the 4th floor.

We got our rooms and found a low table with "chairs" with no legs, the seat was on the floor, with a cushion on the seat.  No beds.  Yikes!  I hadn't considered that there wouldn't be a traditional (Western) place to sit.  They came to our rooms after we left for dinner and put out the futons, until then. chairs on the floor for us!  Mom and I couldn't figure out the remote so I called the front desk and a very nice woman came.  She kneeled on the tatami mats and showed us how to work the remote, admittedly after having to call the front desk on her headset as she couldn't figure it out either.  After getting instructions in her ear, she showed us how to work the remote and explained if we signed into Hulu or Netflix with our own accounts we could watch shows in English.  Nice!

Mom and I watch a little sumo wrestling then got ready to leave for dinner.  The guys knocked on our door and explained that Leo wasn't hungry and that he was going to walk back to the other hotel (maybe 15 mins) to look for a keychain he'd bought in Osaka that was hanging from his backpack when he left the room in the morning but was now missing.  He wondered if it had fallen off when they stored our bags.  So he went off and the 3 adults headed to go find dinner.  Kenji had suggested the mall at the train station again and I said if we did that then I could go get more of the socks I'd purchased the night before that I liked.  We walked and I was amazed at how close we were to the train station.  Kenji also pointed out the Skytree Tower and reminded me that there was a food court in the basement there.  After getting several more pair of wicking-away socks we looked at the food offerings at that mall and decided to go look at Skytree to see what was there.

It was only across the street, which was nice.  We took the escalator down and wandered around, looking at all the different restaurants and settled on a gyudon place (think: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl) but this place served it was sukiyaki (with sauce) and used Waygu!  Kenji & I ordered it with an egg yolk on top and we each got a lemon sour, the alcoholic Shochu drink we've had a few times so far.   Mom had beef bowl and water.  Kenji mentioned that there was a pancake place here somewhere that served Japanese pancakes, the kind that are like a souffle and jiggle.  I told him it was directly behind us and I wanted one for dessert, so when we were done we looked at the menu there and Mom said she wanted to try the mango drink, so I ordered the set (combo) of classic pancake and mango drink.  She was given her mango drink almost immediately, but my pancake took 10 minutes.  It was yummy, light and fluffy, served with whipped cream, a pat of butter and a small container of syrup.  Kenji & I shared it.

We stopped at 7/11 on the way back and got an ice cream for Leo and a couple of bananas for Mom & I in the AM.  I told Mom I wanted to try the onsen (pronounced: own-sen) at the ryoken and she agreed to try it with me.  We got dressed in the required yukata (long, light fabric robe tied with an elegant sash).  I wore the slippers provided but they were too big for Mom and she didn't feel safe in them, so she wore her own slip-ons.  We found our way down to the onsen, to the Women's side and got undressed and entered the onsen only to find on towels.  Doh!  We forgot the instructions said to bring our own from our room.  So we trudged back upstairs, got our towels and returned to the onsen.  We took a shower, as required, and walked in and sat down.  It's like a giant square hot tub that's only maybe 3 feet deep and you sit on the floor, so side seats.

There were a couple of other women there we found out were from Paris, a mother and daughter.  The daughter had been studying in Japan and wanted to show it to her mother.  They agreed the humidity is awful!  The onsen was too hot for Mom so she headed back to the room.  The French women also got out and a Japanese woman came in.  I sat enjoying the relaxation and soaking my feet and ankles.  Then I had a horrible realization.  Mom had the only room key!  While I could knock on the door to be let in, I couldn't get to the 4th floor without a key to swipe in the elevator!  I hurriedly got out, rinsed off and found the French women fishing getting their Yukata's on and I explained the situation.  They agreed to get me on the elevator, but their room was on 3 and would not let them push the button for 4, so I got off at the first floor and pled my case to the front desk staff.  After they verified my name and room # a man let me into the elevator and opened the door for me.  Phew!  Mom was surprised I was able to open the door  as she knew she had the only key and I explained I had to get the hotel staff to let me into the elevator, too.  Oh!  She'd forgotten about that part, too.

She was tired and crawled right into bed.  I had to run payroll for Foothill and crawled into bed soon after.