An American Abroad: The Final Chapter. All Good Things Must Come To An End
Previously, TOR's Tom Hach chronicled his trip to Japan, providing a day-by-day account of the culture and sights of an American abroad. The previous chapters can be found here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Friday, December 27: Nara via Hiroshima
I felt a little ill the evening before, but I took extra vitamin D3 and several zinc lozenges and woke up early feeling back to normal! After a traditional Japanese breakfast at the hotel, I bid Iwakuni goodbye and began the solo part of my adventure by taking trains to Nara via Hiroshima.
My plan for Hiroshima was to visit the ground zero A-Bomb Dome and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The experience at the Hiroshima museum was very different than the one I had in Nagasaki. Here there was much more of a focus on the personal stories and artifacts of those killed, wounded or otherwise affected by the attack. This generated a much more emotional response from me. It doesn't change my perspective regarding the decision to use the bombs, but they were horrendous events which changed the world! As was the case at the Nagasaki Museum, I did not feel any animosity from the mostly Japanese crowd. (The Enola Gay dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, and it is currently located at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.)
Side note: My son and I are among the few people who have ever visited both atomic bomb sites, as well as viewed both aircraft which dropped the bombs.
After the museum, I quickly scooted over to the train station to continue my travels to Nara. While it was a long ride with several train transfers, I used my time wisely and read up on what was going on in the world, and I arrived in Nara around 6:30 PM and checked into my hotel. After a very good meal at a local restaurant, I headed back to my room and to bed.
Saturday, December 28: Nara: Ancient Capital of Japan
Today was both a sightseeing day as well as a travel day since I wanted to get to Osaka for the night. I got up fairly early so I could make the most of my morning in Nara. Nara is widely regard as the birthplace of Japanese culture as we know it today. It was the first capital of Japan during what is called the Nara period from 710 to 784. However, as the influence and political ambitions of the city's powerful Buddhist monasteries grew; they become a serious threat to the government. So the capital was moved first to Nagaoka in 784, and then a few years later to Kyoto.
I left the hotel not knowing for sure where to go, when I saw a 'Tourist Information' sign on a building near the train station. I stopped in and luckily the volunteer at the desk spoke English, and I asked him, “If you were me, how would you spend 3 hours in Nara?” He had three recommendations:
Recommendation #1 - Kohfukjl Temple.
From the pictures I have seen, it is a spectacular 5-story pagoda temple, unfortunately when I was there they were refurbishing it and it was completely shrouded in scaffolding and tarps. I hope you have better timing on your trip to Nara!
Recommendation #2 - Deer Park
You may have heard about the Japanese deer, and while I thought they were fun they were also a little obnoxious. Let me explain. The deer are actually fairly tame, wild animals and live in certain parks in Nara. They are so ingrained in the community that in fact there's a little industry built on making and distributing 'deer cracker's, which can be purchased for 200 Yen ($1.25) for 15 crackers.
Wanting the full Nara experience, I spent the 200 Yen and bought some crackers! While I was expecting pretty tame deer, some of them were actually on the aggressive side. One actually bit my pant leg when I wouldn't give him another cracker, and yet another one head-butted me on my back side. It wasn’t scary or threatening, just a little more than I was expecting!
Only later did I see this warning!
Recommendation #3 Todaiji Temple
Todaiji Temple is the largest free-standing wooden structure in the world, and also houses the world's largest bronze Buddha. Though founded in the year 738, the temple was not opened until 752. The temple was repeatedly burned down as a result of two separate wars, and the current structure has undergone several reconstructions, with the most significant reconstructions taking place in 1709 and in the early 20th century.
I finished off my time in Nara by visiting the Nara National Museum, which had a major focus on Buddhist artwork and sculptures. Although I did not spend much time in Nara, it was one of my favorite places to visit in Japan!
My objective was to spend the night in Osaka, so I headed to the train station and took a couple of trains which eventually got me to the city. I could find reasonably priced hotels in every city I visited, except for Osaka. There I spent my only night in a hostel. After checking in and getting my gear to my sleeping area, I decided to head out and explore the city. While I am sure I could have spent a day or two in Osaka, I was anxious to get closer to Tokyo, and intended to leave the next day. With this in mind, I headed out on foot to the Dotombori Bridge and the and Minami Area which are famous for their 'Time Square-like' neon lights and huge crowds! Not so much history there, but they epitomize modern Japan.
It was fun to see the lights and the crowds, and the atmosphere was still festive being so close to Christmas. As I headed back to the hostel, all the trees along the streets had Christmas lights and many of the buildings were illuminated with beautiful lights as well. At one side street, the crowd I was in waited for the light to change. When the light changed, I happened to notice that a taxi was going to run the intersection. The man next to me didn't see the taxi and was getting ready to step out onto the street, and with automatic reflexes I reached out an arm and stopped him from almost certainly being hit by the taxi. We looked at each other, nodded our heads, and continued on our separate ways. You never know, but maybe the timing of my trip was determined by the ether so I could be there in the nick of time?!?
I arrived at the hostel and hung out in the common room where I got some advice to go to Mishima the next day and take in beautiful Mount Fuji before heading to Tokyo.
Sunday, December 29: Mount Fuji
It's about a 3 hour Shinkansen train ride to get to Mishima Station, so I got up reasonably early and walked over to the Osaka Train Station. While I was waiting for the train on the platform, I went to a mini-convenience store and got one of my favorite things for breakfast when traveling: a small container of cheddar cheese Pringles and a bottle of Coke. Yum!
I arrived in Mishima and I checked my things at the front desk because it was before 4 PM :-), and then proceeded to put together a plan to see Mount Fuji. After a few minutes of research and a question answered by the lady at the front desk, I had a plan to get there by bus. Unfortunately, the biggest challenge was getting to the bus lot, which was on the other side of the train station from my hotel. Getting there required two conversations and a special pass to get though the train station without buying a train ticket.
I took the bus from Mishima Station to the Mishima Skywalk, which is a quarter mile long pedestrian suspension bridge with a terrific view of Mt. Fuji. (Climbing Mt. Fuji is not permitted in the winter months). Also at the Skybridge, there were other activities you could do, including four or five zip lines, which looked like fun!
I took many pictures of the mountain, but I don’t think any of them did the view true justice.
Monday, December 30: Beginning of the End
I stayed at the Mishima Toyoko Inn, and after I was done enjoying their Japanese-style breakfast, I happened to open the blinds before I left to check out the scenery, and was a little surprised at what I saw.
The best way to get to Tokyo was by the Shinkansen going from Mishima Station to Tokyo Station. Once there, I switched to the subway to get to my hotel by late morning. With all the train and subway changes, I was really thankful to get the hang of using Google Maps! This was a ‘free day’ in Tokyo, so I dropped my luggage at the hotel and went to Shibuya Scramble Square.
The square has become quite the cultural phenomenon in Tokyo today and has produced many viral videos! In Japan, you have regular intersections with sidewalks and crosswalks like we're used to here, but sometimes you can also cross on the diagonal, like at Shibuya Scramble Square. Everyone, including me, was videoing the fun and the chaos.
After I circumnavigated the square, I decided it was time for me to move onto another activity. As I looked at the map, I found there was a stream which ran through that part of the city, Shibuya Stream, and made my way over. I decided to follow it as far as I could because it reminded me of the stream which runs past my home and I was feeling a little homesick. It was completely lined with concrete and bordered by buildings, but it was still a fun little excursion.
For my second to last dinner in Tokyo, I decided to eat like the locals, and went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It was fun – once I got the hang of it! We all sat at stools next to the sushi bar, and there were six or seven types of colored plates traveling around the conveyor belt, and each color was a different price. There was a hot water spigot and you could make your own green tea to drink from powdered tea. There was also self-serve pickled ginger (and I ate a lot!). You then start by taking whatever looks good off the line and start eating. The wasabi was also self-serve. I mostly eat sushi as a conveyance to eat wasabi, and I’m proud to say I only made myself tear up once! When you’re done, they count the plates by color, and add up your bill. It was a fun experience, and now I almost feel like an honorary Japanese!
Tuesday, December 31: New Years Eve in Japan!
This being my last full day in Tokyo I seized the day, well actually I stayed in bed until almost Noon!
Don't worry, I did get up and took the subway over to Tokyo Tower. Built in 1958, it is closely based on the Eiffel Tower, just a little bigger and taller, and it symbolized the new Japan coming out from the shadow of WWII.
So just as I did when I visited the Eiffel Tower in 2015, I took the 600+ steps up to the first level of the tower. I have to admit it took me longer than it should have, but I made it and was rewarded with some really interesting perspectives along the way. The view from the top of the tower was beautiful, and you could not get away from the realization of just how massive Tokyo really is!
A Wonderful Hour in Tokyo
On my way down the tower, I realized I lost my reading glasses somewhere along the way. This was kind of a bummer since I had done such a good job keeping track of them the whole trip. When I was about a quarter mile away, I stopped at a place where you could take a great picture of the tower, and as I looked down I found a pair of reading glasses. After waiting several minutes to see if someone would return for them, I decided that it was easy come, easy go!
One of the best ways to learn about a city is to walk it, so I decided to skip the subway and walk the 3.5 miles back to my hotel. I got some additional great shots of the tower, and saw other interesting architecture as I went.
Having not eaten all day, I made my way over to a Turkish restaurant. I sat down and ordered the mixed plater, and when it arrived I got a little bonus presentation. It was served on the exact same china from Williams Sonoma given to my ex-wife and I almost 30 years earlier as a wedding present. It brought back some great memories!
As I was eating my dinner and reminiscing, a couple of younger American men came in and were seated next to me. It was quickly evident they were US Navy sailors! How could I tell? Because from my years of service I knew that a complaining (Read: bitching) sailor is a happy sailor!! Eventually I started talking with them, and learned they were on New Years Eve liberty from the USS Blue Ridge. We had a nice little conversation, and I shared that I was retired Navy and was there on vacation and had been traveling with my Navy son.
Finally, it was time for me to head out and I wished them well in 2025, and was happy to pay for their meal. I left the restaurant and headed out on the sidewalk, and I started to get a slightly surreal feeling. Being New Years Eve, everyone must have gotten off of work early to celebrate because the streets were virtually deserted. Here I was walking through the fully functioning, most populated city on earth and there was no one around. It kind of felt like a movie, and it added another very unique experience to my day. As I walked along, I could see in the distance a building which was near my hotel, and I used it as a beacon, along with Google Maps, to get me back. What a truly wonderful hour in Tokyo!
I stopped at the 7-Eleven around the corner from my hotel and got some ice cream, because nothing finishes off dinner like ice cream! On the way to my room, I learned the NYE event at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government complex started at 10 PM. After packing for the flight home the next day, I walked over to the complex which was less than a quarter of a mile from the hotel. It had already started by the time I got there. The celebration consisted of short animated vignettes projected on one of the government buildings. There was a tribute to PAC-Man, Godzilla, who turned 70 in 2024, and several songs sung in Japanese with animation projections.
There were some very cool aspects, but it was not the most engaging NYE celebration I had ever been to. With my early morning, I headed back to the hotel at about 11:30 PM, and, I know it was lame, but I slept through the ringing in of the New Year!
Wednesday, January 1: The End of a Great Trip
The alarm went off at 5:45 AM, and I got myself out the door by 6:20 AM for my 10:45 AM flight to Chicago. Things started out very well, and I made it to the airport in just over 90 minutes, but it was there that things got a little hectic.
I purchased my ticket through United, but I was booked on a partner airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), coming home. As a result, I got very sparse information from United about my flight. The short of it was I went to the wrong international terminal, and had to take a shuttle to get to the right one, and then find the right line to get checked in. I made it, but it was a very stressful hour!
The 11 hour flight went by quickly as I watched four movies: Back to the Future, which I hadn’t seen since it came out; Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn, her movie debut, and Gregory Peck; The Last Samurai, which I had better perspective on given the tour of the samurai museum, and Ready Player One.
I eventually made it back to Cleveland, and my brother was kind enough to pick me up from the airport.
Happily, my house was still standing upon my return. As I reflected back, it really was a really terrific trip and a great way to experience Japan, but I have to say that the best part was spending 10 days of the journey with my son. What an absolutely wonderful little adventure!
