...Because it's never too late to jump on the bandwagon

Breakfast in a Ryokan

We are in Nikko, a mountain town north of Tokyo, right now.  We are staying in a Ryokan here, a traditional Japanese inn.  When we checked in yesterday, our hostess showed us our room and stayed to give us detailed instructions on how to use certain things, what to do, etc.  Her English was not bad.  They also have a supplementary book with pictures to further describe the etiquette of using the room and the on-sen, the public baths.  Our room has its own shower and toilet, of course, but going to the on-sen is a cultural experience.  The room has those sliding paper doors, and they set up futons for you at night on the tatami mats in the main room of our little apartment.  It is a huge difference from our room in Tokyo Monday night, which was about the size of a walk-in closet.  I can't wait to post pictures of both places.  Quite amazing. 

Even more of a cultural experience was our breakfast this morning, and that is the story for today.  It was a traditional Japanese breakfast.  I was kind of hoping for a bowl of frosted mini wheats or cocoa puffs, but this turned out to be pretty fun.  There were exactly 16 different dishes, ranging from a tiny bowl shaped like a flower to a large pot with a flame under it.  Some items were recognizable, like a slice of honeydew or a bowl of rice.  Some were not, like something that turned out to be a savory custard, or another that turned out to be daikon mixed with something else even less pleasant than daikon.  There was smoked salmon, spiralled cooked tofu in some sweet clear liquid, a super salty and shriveled little apricot, another bowl of rice with either hot water or weak tea poured over it, various dipping sauces and of course, green tea.  The ladies showed us a few things about how to eat it, by miming.  But there was still much left to wonder about, like whether we were supposed to combine various dishes, or eat them in a certain sequence.  Who knows.  We were definitely full when we left, though.  Unfortunately, since we didn't expect such a spread, we didn't take our camera down with us.  We did go down wearing our yukata, a light cotton kimono, and of course we have pictures of us wearing them.  So get excited for that!

Now we are off to see the mausoleums of some shoguns and various other shrines and temples.  Tonight we return to Nancy and Max's apartment before our big trip to Kyoto tomorrow.

Our First 48 hours

What a great taste of Japan we've already gotten!  We have had cold, rain, sun and warmth.  We've had sushi with a big group, and $20 drinks in an intimate lounge on the 52nd floor at the Park Hyatt, one of the most stunning hotels I've ever been to, overlooking the city at night.  We've seen Mt. Fuji in the morning under the bright sun, with a thick layer of snow blanketing it, and we've seen it backed by the red and gold of the setting sun from the center of Tokyo.  We've been to temples and shrines, and places like Shibuya Crossing, like Times Square, but much much bigger.  And we've been surrounded by the nicest people.  From the multiple people that stop and ask if you need help anytime they see you looking at a map, to our hosts, Max and Nancy, who've been taking great care of us, showing us around, giving us lots of tips and feeding us when we aren't out on the town (I won't disclose the number of lemon poppyseed muffins Jeff has had, but I'm sure he wouldn't pass a drug test).

I would love to put up a picture of the amazing fall colors we've seen.  Some of the sights, me posing with my first vending machine purchase (not beer, but not a normal drink either...).  But I am way too exhausted, so hopefully we have time some other time. 

Overall, Japan/Tokyo is beautiful but sometimes intimidating.  We spent a good 20 minutes just trying to decide which direction we were facing as we exited one of the giant train stations this afternoon.  We were even attempting to navigate by the sun, but it was noon, so it was of limited help.  However, the train system, while definitely the most complex and elaborate I have ever seen in my life, is surprisingly easy to use, even if you can't read Kanji at all.  I have felt really shy and embarrassed since we speak no Japanese, effectively.  It's really painful and guilt-inducing, especially after the fantastic confidence we gained in South America with Spanish.  However, I screwed up enough courage to make a few phone calls (always harder than face to face) and, when we switched to English, I was stunned at how perfectly they spoke our language.  We've been lucky, but....did I mention exhausted?  Jeff sort of fell asleep on the trains back here tonight, which actually just makes him fit right in since many of the Japanese power nap on the trains.  But, he crashed right after dinner and I should really, really follow him.  So, pictures sometime soon and know that we are both working hard and having fun!

In Japan

Well, family and friends, here we are!  We are staying with my friend Nancy Oliver and her husband Max, who live on base here just outside Tokyo.  It's Saturday morning here and we are about to head out the door to start checking some stuff out.  We are excited to have them show us around over the weekend and help us get the hang of the trains and subways and stuff. Today we are going to Kamakura, a recommended side trip from Tokyo, a former capital of the country and a favorite of Nancy's.  We expect tomorrow to be our first day really in the heart of the city. 

So far we have had no problem navigating around and people seem very friendly, although it is definitely hard to not be able to speak the language.  After our South America trip, we just really prefer to be able to communicate in the native language.

More later as we get into some adventures!

Return of the Book Reviews

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Set in the 1920s, and so of its time, it is kinda hilarious to read. More importantly, it addresses topics that are always timely: conformity, commercialism, herd mentalities, etc. However, I don't think it was well-written, per se. Not much of a plot, very helter skelter. Kind of a mixed bag overall, but I'm more impassioned about the topic than the artistry right now, so 4 stars. View all my reviews >>

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Very affecting, and I thought the writing style was just perfect for the book, although it was a very abrupt and disruptive style. Drudgery broken by scenes of shock and horror. A lot is confusing, but again absolutely apropos. Can't wait to see the movie. Mostly for Viggo Mortenson, true, but I'd like to see what they've done with it. View all my reviews >>

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Really liked this book, especially how it wove back and forth over decades/the course of the book, and the characters you think you will hate, you like, then love, then hate, then like again (or vice versa). 100x better than 100 Years of Solitude. Much more compelling. View all my reviews >>

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the many things we are thankful for - the cutest pile of cat anyone could wish for.

Hobbies

Another thing we've been doing in our time off is returning to hobbies that were neglected when we were working.  For instance, I am back on the ice, taking skating lessons.  It's only been one week so far, but I am starting to get my skating skills back.  I just about have my basic turns back.  Still a little sloppy, but getting better.  These turns are the entrances to jumping, so they are really critical.  Hopefully soon I will be back to practicing a toe loop, flip, lutz and salchow, which I was just barely starting to learn a few years ago when I stopped lessons.

Jeff is very dedicated to his music, and is practicing guitar for a couple hours each day.  He is writing some music, studying tutorials, and having fun with old music from the band or learning famous songs (as I type this, the band of choice seems to be Guns 'n' Roses).

Finally done!....for now

Here is our last photo album for South America!  This is the last couple weeks in Peru.  It took a long time, but thank goodness we finally got them together.  Just in time for our trip to Japan in a couple weeks. 

For anyone that doesn't know yet, we are leaving for Tokyo on December 3 and will be there till December 15.  We get to stay with a friend of mine who is super excited to host us and help us plan a fantastic trip.  Jeff and I are really excited to visit such an amazing city, and are so pleased that we are finally taking a truly spontaneous trip, which is something we really wanted to do during this break.  We were looking for somewhere to go, my friend begged me to visit her, plane tickets were half the cost (or less) of anywhere else we were looking at, so there was really no decision to make!

It's been fun reliving our South American adventure.  It already feels like so long ago, and like we might not even be able to still speak Spanish.  I guess we'll have to make another trip down there sometime soon!

Ecuador pics

Here are pictures from our time in mainland Ecuador, about 8-9 days.  This was actually the very first part of the trip, so we have been working on them sort of out of order but, of course, are lining them up in the right order over there on the left.  I couldn't handle having them out of order there! 

So, here is the rest of Ecuador!

More South America Pictures

Alright, folks, we are moving right along.  Here is #2 of what will be 4 photo albums, Peru 1.  Jeff stepped up his contributions and did most of this album (maybe you shamed him into it, Doug?), although I added a bit to some pictures and did the captions on some.  You all will definitely be able to tell who wrote what. But in case it's hard to figure out, keep in mind that Jeff hated the jungle way more than I did and he rarely uses exclamation points.  Another interesting note.  You might see somethings spelled a couple different ways here.  In fact, things actually are spelled a couple different ways down there (like Cuzco and Cusco, and don't even get me started on Qorikancha).  So, most of the spellings are right, even if very few of them are the same.

Surgery!

Here's a picture of Jeff's knee getting fixed.  The surgeon is snipping away the torn part of the meniscus after having pried his kneecap up to make a little space to get in between there.