The Pee-house of the August Moon

I've devoted a lot of real estate here to the subject of toilets. (Above is another control panel where the sound of actual flushing comes through that speaker, amplified. Why ?) Let me add that public toilets in every city and location we visited were plentiful, clean, and well-stocked. Anyone who has spent any time with me knows this merits 5 stars in my personal Michelin guide. And now I leave the topic of personal and public plumbing for the duration. 

Here are some assorted photos, not yet included:

In Kyoto. 

Historic rich merchant's home in Takayama. 

Fresh made ginger ale with real ginger. V. good. 

Fashionable young man in Tokyo. 

Puzzling novelty item in Tokyo department store. Magic foot-long Smorkin Labbit, sexy time. 

Puzzling sign outside cafe in the Ginza:

"Love-inviting cat in Ginza"

Cool dude in Starbucks last night in Shibuya. This is THE hairstyle for cool dudes all over Japan. It must be a real day of reckoning for a Japanese man to realize he is at an age where he must start combing his hair back off his forehead. 

Cool (?) dudette in Starbucks last night. Requisite something lacy, nude pantyhose (if no ankle socks) and heels. 

Ha ha ha. 

Stuff we bought that now has to find a place in our luggage. Drastic the baggage!!

That's all, folks!! Thanks for following along! Arigato gozaimashte!!

Sunday in the Park with Umashimadenomikoto

We're in the home stretch. This was our last full day in Japan. I already don't remember yesterday, so all I can offer is what we did and saw and ate today. 

We went to a lovely park near the waterfront. The shogun(s) used to live there. Probably. (One thing I did not pick up on this whole visit is any sense of Japanese history. Oops.) It was (another) beautiful day, so I had many photo ops.

Here is this guy:

(I admit I took both those pictures just so I could title today's post. Who can blame me?)

Look at this though. Is this amazing and beautiful or what?

If it's not clear, the pattern on the ground is the shadow formed by the branches. It was noon. There was a whole grove of these trees. 

This park included a waterbus port, so we took a 45-minute cruise up the X River (another thing I failed to do on this trip is learn any Japanese geography. Oops.) It was very pleasant. Look at this incredible and  unfathomable sculpture:

What in the heck?

We ended up in another Tokyo neighborhood called Asukusa, where there was a festival and parade going on. Many people in various traditional costumes, playing instruments, including children. 

Is it racist of me to say that all the babies and children I've seen here are unbelievably beautiful and adorable?

(Any question that begins with "Is it racist of me" has already been answered, I realize.)

We ended the day in Shibuya ("boo-yah!),  which is like Times Square squared, plus Vegas, with a dash of Disney World, if Disney World had a red-light district. Busiest pedestrian intersection in the world, I believe. Very cool to see.  Only photos I took were videos. Sorry. 

Our last dinner in Tokyo was very good, as usual. Here is the mackerel getting very lightly cooked, at the table. 

There were a few unusual items on the menu, though, that we passed up:

Take a look at the large photo, top left. 

Yikes. 

I'd say we're getting out just in time. 

Tomorrow, closing generalizations.

And dang it-- I'm missing a THIRD episode of Mad Men! 

Harajuku girls

Tooooo tired tonight to write much, but I took so many photos in Harajuku and they're all for YOU to see. And it's Saturday morning (where you are) and how can you start your weekend without photos of Japanese teenage girls in fashiony/bizarre outfits?

So here are a random selection without commentary. I'll write more after a night's sleep (hopedly). 

I took a ton more. 

Finally, breaking my usual non-appearance policy,  I am somewhere in this photo;

Let's go, Carps!

Welcome to Saturday. I think. 

Yesterday--which you are just finishing up, slaggards--was warm, sunny, a little humid, breezy, and full of noodles. 

No more than usual though. Here is my lunch. Plastic or real food?

You be the judge:

We walked on the Ginza again since that is where the hotel is located. (Not sure if you say "in Ginza" or "in the Ginza" or "on the Ginza.") Then we walked (and walked, etc.) to the Imperial Palace and Gardens, both of which are listed as worthwhile sites to visit. Neither of our guidebooks bothered to mention that they are closed to visitors on Fridays. Arigato gozaimas, guidebooks!

More walking brought us to:

Tokyo Dome!

Where, after some minor confusion, we scored these:

 See how it says "squiggle squiggle 16:00" and then "squiggle squiggle 18:00"?

We thought, boy, we know everything is very punctual here (all our trains have left and arrived extractly on schedule, to the minute), but how do they know the game will be exactly 2 hours long? 

So we arrived at 16:00 to discover that the first "squiggle squiggle" must mean "gates open at."

Two hours later (we could only nab standing room tickets, by the way), the action began. Hiroshima Carps whooped the Giants, and luckily we were standing among a very enthusiastic crowd of Carps fans, who cheered elaborate, complicated cheers. Only after dozens of hearings did we realize that part of what they were saying was "let's go [player name]!" ("Let's go" in English. Sort of.)

They have cheerleaders. 

It was fun!

Quick fashion report:

Socks with heels at Tokyo Dome. 

Various typical looks on the street. 

And here's a typical street name, just FYI. 

Is it any wonder my head is swimming?(but not as much as the people riding this thing (at the stadium)):

Today: off to Harajuku to see what Gwen Stefani was talking about ten years ago. 

Oatmeal?

Yesterday's dinner in Tokyo was delish

but I could really go for not-fish-soup for breakfast today. 

Here's hoping for oatmeal. And maybe toast?

The Ginza (or the Gonzales, as autocorrect would have it) is indeed very chic and lined with block after block after block of highest-end-everything stores.   Beautiful young women with unbelievably luxurious hair, wearing very high heels with lacy anklet socks. And constantly looking at their cell phones as they walk, but what else is new. 

This woman was slurping noodles next to us at about 6 pm. Note sequins, though sans anklets. 

I'll try to get some photos of the chi-chi stores and wares tomorrow, but for today, enjoy this:

I'll come back with an update on breakfast, included at our (Marriott) hotel. 

 

Update:

Close enough. 

Don't cry for me, Takayama

I may have hit the Japan wall in Takayama, but my traveling companion has hit the lintel. About a hundred times. Takayama is the city of very low doorways, including within the ryokan, which has three doorways just in our room. 

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Repeat. 

Everything about life in Takayama is much more traditional, slower-paced, and quieter than Kobe or Kyoto. (And lower-linteled.) It is notable for being full of preserved architecture from the 17th century, which is indeed very striking and beautiful. And it's so interesting to see how Frank Lloyd Wright was influenced. 

I wonder how tall FLW was. 

We walked for hours today, looking at the architecture, window-shopping in local craft stores, visiting some shrines and temples, and occasionally hitting our heads. Well, one of us. 

Picture time:

Here are the bathroom slippers you heard tell about:

Just for wearing in the toilet room. You step into them when you enter and out of them when you exit. 

This was our Japanese breakfast at the ryokan. It was all set for us at the appointed time of 8 am. This was at the other end of the table:

The kimono-clad woman who served us began to hum "The Star-Spangled Banner" and then clapped her hands and said "Obama" with no other context. 

Here is a nice shrine. It may be the last one we visit on this trip, since Tokyo is not so populated with them. 

Here is a cheery fellow:

Assorted food photos:

Lunch: Pizza with an egg in the center. 

We had dinner at a French restaurant (there are many in this small city; not sure why). Prettiest hamburger in recent memory:

Supermarket find of the day:

It's cream in powdered form--what else would you call it?

And final news of the day, for which I discretely offer no photo evidence: I successfully used a Japanese-style toilet.

 

Banzai!