Japan: Kyoto shopping area

We wound up in this shopping plaza not because it was historic or scenic, but because it was close to our hotel and we arrived with kids desperately in need of lunch.

This shop sells bamboo root. Just bamboo root.

Japan: Kyoto inn

Kyoto was the imperial residence and capital of Japan for over 1,000 years. It's a city with a rich history, and one that effectively packages and promotes that history to both Japanese and international tourists. While there we stayed at the lovely Mikihan Inn. This is the hotel's lobby. I got the sense that in Kyoto, every closed gate might be hiding this sort of treasure inside.

It was described as a traditional Japanese inn, with accommodations, food, and service similar to what has been offered for hundreds of years (with, of course, some modern amenities). Our two families stayed in a large room, which had a table set with tea when we arrived. The floors are covered with tatami mats. This traditional flooring material is very comfortable to walk on; Kevin and Chikako had it in all of their bedrooms. The sliding panels in the middle of the room allowed us to turn the one big room into two smaller rooms for sleeping. 

I assume that children have been hiding in closets of this sort of inn for hundreds of years as well, or as long as people have been building homes with closets and other good hidey-holes. This was the coat closet. One side of the room had sliding panels, which opened to reveal big closets where the futons were stored. While we were out at dinner, the hotel staff put out the futons and transformed our room into a sleeping space.

Dinner and breakfast were in a nearby room. If we had been a smaller party, we would have eaten in our own room. The same woman served us both dinner and breakfast, which is standard practice for this sort of inn. She was delightful and doted on the children. When she realized that the two American girls like nori, they had a nearly nonstop supply for the rest of the meal.
 

Dinner was a bewildering array of courses--all served on small dishes, and each of them among the most beautifully presented food I've seen in my entire life. This spread was just the first of many that came out. The theme of the meal was a celebration of spring, with an emphasis on traditional, local, and seasonal foods. (That sounds like it could be the description for a hipster foodie establishment here in the States, but I gather it's just what they've always done.) Aaron and I would both describe ourselves as pretty adventuresome eaters, and we each thought that the meal included some delicious things and some that were hard to get down. I am incredibly grateful to have experienced this meal, and can also say that I prefer my Japanese food maybe not quite so traditional.
 

Lots of different fishy flavors, plus some fresh spring vegetables.
 

Pretty much anything is tasty after being deep fried. We weren't sure exactly what these were, but they were tasty and not too unfamiliar.

Fried tofu on a stick with miso sauce was something we had here and a few other places. It was a new flavor to us, but very nostalgic for Chikako. Kyoto is known for its tofu, and Chikako and Kevin both praised the high quality tofu we had in several of our dishes at this inn. Aaron and I realized that our palates are not refined enough to distinguish between good and average tofu.

We weren't told what this was before trying it. Aaron describes the "slimy looking pink thing" in front of this dish as the hardest thing to swallow during our trip. (Oh no, oh no. That honor goes to the raw squid served in its own entrails). After trying and disliking it, he asked what it was, and our hostess let us know it was horse sashimi. Yep, raw horse. She said she didn't tell us what it was at first because "Americans don't usually like that sort of thing." I appreciated that omission. I think it would have been harder to eat had I known what it was from the start. I didn't care for it, but I wasn't so horrified by it as Aaron was.

For the record, the kids got a much less challenging bento box dinner, so Juniper is not sulking in the corner to protest her food. (She was actually a terrific sport about trying new foods on this trip, even when she was suspicious about them.) For the most part, the girls were good travelers, but it's hard to be a kid on a big trip, and it's sometimes hard to be with a kid on a big trip. This was one of those hard times.

Meanwhile, Hazel discovered a love of natto, a type of fermented soybean. It kind of tastes like the edamame you'd get at an American Japanese restaurant, but covered in slimy snot. Or gooey deliciousness, depending on your perspective.

After dinner, we changed into hotel robes and headed downstairs to the onsen, hot springs bath. The adult robes were not nearly so adorable as these ones for the kids. 
 

 Breakfast! A hearty start for a day of adventuring in Kyoto.

Japan: Samurai park

We planned a visit to the Toei Kyoto Studio Park especially for Hazel. She was a real trooper on our trip, but it was often hard for her. She had the worst jet lag and didn't have a nap the whole time we were there. We knew that some of our sightseeing would be dull for her, and we wanted to make sure that there was at least one activity that would be extra-special fun just for Hazel, given her love of weaponry. I've asked her to help me caption the photos; the comments in italics below are all hers.

They're teaching them how to hold a sword. 

A samurai sword fighting demonstration and lesson. The people lined up against the wall were audience volunteers who got to participate in the lesson.

Those are samurai, real samurai. Those are the three real samurai.

That's our whole entire family, without Kevin and Chikako or Nina and Sam. It was really fun.

The sword fighting lesson included specific instructions about how to lunge as you strike with your sword. I appear to be the only one in the family who missed the lesson that you lunge with the left foot forward. Or perhaps I can try to make the case that I'm the only one who got it right. Probably not. 

It was really fun! It was sad when we had to leave the samurai park.

The whole place reminded us of a Renaissance festival: fake historic atmosphere, costumes, performances, swords, crowds, and lots of opportunities to spend money on stuff you probably don't need.

Snacks! A constant at any theme park (or Renaissance festival). Juniper is enjoying one of the always-popular rice balls.

Ninjas slide down the roof, like that statue.

We skipped this ninja haunted house--the combination of long line, admission fee, and kids who don't like scary stuff made it a clear loser.

We are sliding down a roof, like a ninja!

The ninja roof slide, on the other hand, was a terrific option and a big hit with the kids. 

Hiyah!

The carnival-style throwing star game was also fun. The three younger kids could use some more practice, but Sam did well enough to win a prize.

Awesome! It's the ninja show, not just a blackout thing.

The ninja show was awesome--much better than we expected going into it. The main performers had some pretty impressive acrobatics along with their choreographed fighting. Kevin kindly translated for Juniper and Hazel, and the story was melodramatic enough for me and Aaron to get most of it. Samurai, ninjas, a humble potato farmer, betrayal, frost magic, ogres, and even zombie ninjas controlled by a magic lantern.

That's actually me and Juniper, just we're behind statue things.

Hiyah - pow! Those are me and Juniper. We got the swords in Japan. The grown-ups told us not to hit them, and we didn't hit them.

At the samurai park, these plastic swords are absolutely not in the category of stuff you probably don't need. Our only mistake was not buying them sooner. When we first arrived, we weren't quite sure what to expect or what to do. The park was heavy on atmosphere, but a little light on things to do between the shows. How do you turn samurai atmosphere into samurai adventure?

Us fighting. That's us fighting. It's fun to fight. I really like fighting. I don't know why. I just do.

With a $5.00 plastic sword.

We're the bad guys, and he is the good guy. 

Once armed, the four children were transformed into mighty warriors engaged in an epic battle. Their alliances changed frequently, but their determination was limitless. (At least, it extended past the park's closing time.)

Note that Sam has a morning star in addition to his sword. That was his prize for successfully hitting a target with his shuriken in the carnival game. Also, Juniper would like to let the record state that she was actually an undercover good guy.

That's Juniper, hopping up and trying to do something. I think...

I might call it a flying attack, or at least a leap. Definitely more noble than a hop.

Hacho-ya! I love my sword from Japan!

Japan: Convenience food

If we had friends from another country come visit us, we would eat exactly zero meals at convenience stores. In Japan, on the other hand, we ate several meals from convenience stores. They're ubiquitous, cheap, fast, and indeed convenient--especially while traveling. And the food was surprisingly good. Not gourmet, but solid, tasty food. The girls were especially fond of the seaweed-wrapped rice balls, which were sometimes plain and sometimes filled with stuff.

Drink vending machines were even more ubiquitous than the convenience stores. Note the blue and red labels under each drink: blue means it's a cold drink; red is hot. Oh, yes, we are living in the future, and the coffee is warm--or cold, depending on your preference. The girls' favorite drink was Pocari Sweat, a mildly citrus flavored sport drink. (Right side, middle of the top shelf.)

Japan: Trains

Visiting other industrialized countries always makes me envious of their transportation systems. To get to Kyoto, we first took a short walk to the train station where we boarded a standard train to Nagoya, the nearby big city.

The next leg of our journey was a bullet train from Nagoya to Kyoto!

The bullet train, or shinkansen, goes 300 mph. Juniper did the math and figured out that's 5 miles a minute, or a mile every 12 seconds.

The ride is as smooth as the train looks. At that speed, the rail has to be a continuous piece of track, so there's none of the clackety-clacking that you expect on a train.

On top of that, the train has comfortable seats which spin 180 and adequate leg room, and you can even bring a beer on to the train. This is a lovely way to travel.

The scenery goes by too quickly to admire anything close up, but there were almost always mountains to admire. (I felt very ignorant when I quickly realized that Japan is FULL OF MOUNTAINS. I knew that Japan had some mountains, but I had somehow managed never to absorb the knowledge that there are mountains everywhere.)

Not sure what Hazel just ate...I think maybe she isn't sure either.

After our thoroughly delightful train ride (well, maybe Hazel's snack was less than delightful), we had the pleasure of arriving at the Kyoto train station. We were briefly lost in the bowels of the train station, trying to make our way from the shinkansen arrival platform to the central station, but it was well worth the effort to find it. It's a soaring, open space that includes an epic series of escalators and a rooftop garden with views of both the city and the station interior. This photo is just the top third of the escalator. The full escalator goes from below ground level to well above the skyline. The girls might both put the Amazing Escalator on their top 10 list of fun things they did in Japan.

Japan: Birthday girls

Nina turned 7 while we were in Japan, so we got to attend her birthday party.  Several of her friends came over for play time and birthday ice cream. We understand that this is not traditional Japanese practice and is part of Kevin and Chikako's master plan to raise children who are culturally at home in both America and Japan.

This photo also demonstrates the utility of futons as a sleeping solution when space is at a premium. In the back of the photo, you can just see Sam and Nina's futons, folded out of the way to make room for playing. At night, they would be sleeping right where the birthday action is taking place.

This crazy popcorn popping game was a big hit! It basically involved trying to catch ping pong balls when the popper shot them out.

For dinner, we went to Coco's, which Kevin describes as "Japanese Denny's." It's a Japanese take on an American family restaurant, complete with free refill soda fountains and birthday shenanigans. In addition to the silly hats, the birthday girls each got a free piece of cake and a washcloth, and the wait staff sang them a happy birthday song. You can just barely see the yellow and blue washcloth in the bottom left corner.

Happy Birthday Juniper in Japanese (and in chocolate sauce).

Japan: A quiet morning in Gifu

Our friends live in a quiet residential area. At one end of their block is a small river; at the other end of the block is a large grocery store, Seiyu (which is actually owned by Walmart). In the middle of the block is a small neighborhood park. The elementary school and a train station are both a short walk away, as is a 7-11 with an ATM that accepts international bank cards (no big deal for the Sugiyama-Allen family, but a great asset for their American guests). We're jealous--it's a pretty terrific living arrangement.


One morning, we wandered down to the river and discovered that it is a fantastic spot for viewing turtles and koi--especially turtles. Lots and lots of turtles.

After the river, we hit the Seiyu's prepared foods section and snack food aisles to get supplies for a picnic. We carried everything to the park, where we enjoyed a lovely meal and some fun play time. Juniper didn't want to share her sushi tray, even though we were dubious that she would finish it. She proved us wrong by eating all of it, except for the octopus (which she tried and proclaimed too chewy).

This particular block wouldn't make it on to any guide book list of sights to see, but it was a delightful place to spend a morning.

Japan: Conveyor belt sushi

Eating at the conveyor belt sushi restaurant may have been the highlight of our trip for Juniper, so I've invited her to help me caption these photos. Everything in italics is from her.

So much sushi on the conveyor belt! I love it!

Why does Hazel have all the pictures? That one with the sign does look good, on the conveyor belt of course. She's pointing to some sushi on the conveyor belt; I'm sure it's shrimp.

Because Hazel was at the table with Aaron (and the camera); Juniper was sitting at the other table, with Chikako. Juniper is correct that Hazel does love shrimp. She basically subsisted on white rice and shrimp, with the occasional noodle, for most of our non-breakfast meals. She describes sushi as "rice, and sometimes nori, with food on top."

That's the plastic bullet train that brang us sushi. Sushi means rice. Sushi is my very favorite food. You take it off the conveyor belt at this restaurant. YUM!

You could take food off the regular conveyor belt, or special order exactly what you want using the touch-screen computer at each table. Special orders came on the top track, delivered by bullet train.

That's shrimp, our very favorite fish. I also love nori.

Finally, one of me--even though I'm peeking through a little window.

Happy kids at a fun restaurant!

This is an unrelated comment for the Applegath family members: I've mentioned before that I think Juniper looks a lot like Katy, especially in her nose and smile. I really see that resemblance in this photo!