Farewell to the East

Haneda Airport #1 (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Kids, Haneda Airport (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

We arrived and left from Haneda Airport. We liked it! Much more convenient than Narita.

Lots of turbulence on the way back. People had to start ignoring the "fasten seatbelt" sign in order to go on bathroom breaks.

Back in Marin, Mike, as usual, took longer than anyone else to overcome his west to east jet lag.

Farewell to the East (George Wunder)

Benza Block

Benza Block (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

On the very last day of Mike's most recent Japan visit, he starting coming down with a cold. What to do? No U.S. over-the-counter medications are for sale there. Luckily, Mr. Sasaki, the grandkids ojiichan, was able to point out this product. Masa bought it, and . . . it helped! Especially on the flight home.

Morning Walk - Yokohama

Storefront A.M. (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Maple Tree (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

On their last full day in Japan, Hali and Mike, with the assistance of Google Maps, located a Starbucks not that far from their Yokohama residence and resolved to walk over there for breakfast. The route went by still-closed storefronts, a Buddhist temple and finally, Starbucks. The bonus feature was a Vie de France bakery at the same location!

Starbucks, Vie de France (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Japan Culinary Adventure (38): Wagyu Beef in Yokohama

Wagyu Beef (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Wagyu Beef Chefs (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

All of us had dinner at a Korean-style restaurant in the Yokohama Station restaurant maze that served wagyu beef. Can I say, quite a long discussion prior to the giving of the order. Probably something to do with the intricacies of the various cuts ( in great abundance - see top photo.) Of course, the beef had melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Earlier beef posts:

Marunouchi Beef

Hida Beef

Also of note, as seen on our way to the restaurant, the sunset view from the bridge at Nishi Yokohama Station.

Sunset, Tracks (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Food Basement

Food Basement (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Food Gift Box (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Photos taken in the basement at the Sogo department store near Yokohama Station. Sensory overload, very exhausting.

So 45,000 yen is certainly more than $400.00.

Didn't realize that 7-11 had a "premium" brand:

Yosemite Road Wine (Yokohama) - Japan   2017

Anpanman Museum

Anpanman Toys (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Anpanman Exhibit (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Masa and Mike took Hanna and Nolan to see the Anpanman Museum in Yokohama. Masa showed an impressive knowledge of Yokohama Station's elevators as he wheeled Nolan about in a stroller.

The Anpanman TV show "is one of the most popular anime series among young children in Japan. The series follows the adventures of Anpanman, a superhero with an anpan (a bean-jam filled pastry) for a head, who protects the world from an evil anthropomorphic germ named Baikinman."

Kids (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Monday Oriental Turtle Dove Blogging

Oriental Turtle Dove (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Very pretty. It was on the ground in front of us as we were walking away from our residence. It kept its distance, finally hopping up on a concrete fence and posing for this shot taken with a Canon G5X.

"In 1994, the British Birds Rarities Committee reviewed the British records of this species and concluded that three of the eight accepted records should no longer stand. The Oriental turtle dove has occurred a number of times since, including a well-watched bird in Oxfordshire in February 2011, which was found in a birdwatcher's garden. The house owner used the opportunity to charge a £5 fee to view the bird from his kitchen window and up to 500 people queued to see the bird."

Fall Colors

Shinjuku Tree (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Maple Leaves (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

We stayed for two weeks in Japan, starting November 5th. So, maybe a little too early for true fall colors (we didn't make it up into the mountains, alas.) The most spectacular tree was the one seen at top, just outside Shinjuku Station.

Bottom photo taken in the courtyard of our residence in Yokohama.

Photo Studios

Foto Studio Hollywood (Ensenada) - Mexico  1979

Photo Studio (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Top photo taken in 1979, bottom in 2017.

Mr Doughnut and Mr Waffle / Gotoh Museum

Mr Doughnut (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Mr Waffle (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Top: Hali and Mike's breakfast in Tokyo at Mr. Doughnut before embarking on an exploratory journey to Kaminoge.

Bottom: Mr. Waffle in Yokohama. We got various waffles for our next day's breakfast.

Speaking of Kaminoge, while we were there looking for Hali's cooking class location, we visited the Gotoh Museum. Best part was walking through the garden.

Stone Lantern (Kaminoge) - Japan  2017

Leaves

Leaves (Kichijoji) - Japan  2017

Leaves (Kichijoji) - Japan  2017

Seen in and around Inokashira Park. Photos taken using an Olympus E-M10 and a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Leaves (Kichijoji) - Japan  2017

Inokashira Park, Kichijoji

Inokashira Park (Kichijoji) - Japan  2017

Broom (Kichijoji) - Japan  2017

Kichijoji is a pleasant suburb of Tokyo.  While Hali and Shawna were taking a cooking class, Mike took the short train ride from Shinjuku to Kichijoji, then walked around the neighborhood.

[Update: The Ghibli Museum is located somewhere in the park, but I didn't see it.]

Monday Cat Blogging

Cats (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Two cats meowing quite loudly as their owner approached.

Monday Red Panda Blogging

Red Pandas (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Nogeyama Zoo Sign (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Mike, Hali, Hanna and Nolan ventured forth one morning to visit the Nogeyama Zoo in Yokohama. Multiple train rides, lots of fun!

Mixed review: many of the cages were too small, but there was a very nice petting section, with mice and guinea pigs. Also a picnic area with tables and benches where we ate our bag lunches.

Hanna, Guinea Pig (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Japan Culinary Adventure (37): Sushi Tokyo Ten

Sushi Tokyo Ten (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Salmon Roe (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Was this our first sushi meal in Japan? Maybe. Anyway, we wanted a sushi meal!

Yuma, our guide on our walking tour, was able to get us a reservation at this very nice, centrally-located restaurant. It took us a while to find the place, but eventually there it was, in a new shopping center located at the south end of Shinjuku Station.

The meal itself involved quite a few items. Quite a few. Mike was basically really full about two-thirds of the way through. OK, here's the list:

Clam soup / seaweed / horse mackerel / spanish mackerel / squid / flounder / shisamo / cod roe / horse mackerel from Kyoto Maizu / shrimp / abalone / salmon roe / shirako / shitake soup / tuna / anglerfish liver / toro / pickled radish / two kinds uni / tuna roll / miso soup / sea eel / omelet / sea cucumber / grapes (dessert)

Most interesting item: shirako. "Shirako is the milt, or sperm sacs, of male cod." Hali liked it, Mike was non-committal.

Shirako (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Morning Coffee

Hotel Corridor AM (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Hotel Lobby AM (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Mike has established a little routine while in Japan, involving the getting of morning coffee. Yes, there's usually coffee fixings available in most hotel rooms, but only enough for two smallish cups.

In Kyoto, there was a Family Mart across the street.

In Nakatsugawa, morning coffee involved significant rain.

During last November's stay at Hotel Gracery, there was a 7-11 (quite different from the U.S. version)  located at ground level. So the morning routine was: first, down the hotel corridor to the elevator going to the lobby, second, walk through the deserted (at that hour) lobby, third, another elevator to the ground floor, then around the corner to the 7-11, fourth, into the 7-11 and finally, fifth, the coffee machine. Wow!

7-11 (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

7-11 Interior AM (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

7-11 Coffee Machine (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Crowded

Crowded Escalators (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

Crowded Train (Tokyo) - Japan  2017

So, it was late afternoon by the time we returned to Tokyo.

We had experienced crowds in Japan before, but nothing that came close to Shinjuku Station at rush hour. Yikes!

Scenes from the Wakashio Express

Canal - Japan  2017

Kazusa Train Station - Japan  2017

Back in Ohara, we just managed to catch the express going to Tokyo, in the process getting some nice afternoon views out the window.

Japan Culinary Adventure (36): Kurashow in Otaki - 2

Kurashow Dish #1 (Otaki) - Japan  2017

Kurashow Dish #2 (Otaki) - Japan  2017

We weren't in any hurry, which was nice. After an initial delay, dishes kept coming out on a regular basis . . . everything pristine, picture-perfect and delicious. And a bonus: the restaurant's owners turned out to be a married couple that had worked previously in New York! So we were able to get English translations of what was being served.

Alas, Mike didn't get a photo of them (or what's worse, didn't get their names), so he had to turn to the restaurant's Facebook page for the following shot:

Kurashow Waitress and Chef

Japan Culinary Adventure (36): Kurashow in Otaki - 1

Kurashow Exterior (Otaki) - Japan  2017

Kurashow Alcove (Otaki) - Japan  2017

So . . . we had been looking for Kurashow, which we had seen mentioned in an NHK travel article.

Quote: "The restaurant serves no animal products and is focused on using vegetables produced locally without chemicals or fertilizers."

We weren't having any luck, so we determined to get lunch at the next spot we came across. Of course, it was Kurashow, located in an unprepossessing structure that we spotted across the street.

A very small place - no tables, just seats around a central counter. We were lucky to be able to walk in and get seated right away.