Holly and Michael's Visit

It’s May, but where did April go? In late April, Stan, Andy & Sherri all celebrated birthdays. And Larry, Lisa & Andy moved from DC to Nashville. And for several months now, we have really been looking forward to Spring Break, because of Holly & Michael’s visit. We had such a WONDERFUL time with them! We always enjoy traveling around Japan and are continuously amazed that each place we visit is more delightful (if possible!) than the one before! As with Larry, Lisa & Andy’s visit, the time just went too quickly . . . We rode the Shin to Osaka to pick them up at the airport, and had a tearful reunion. We were so impressed that they only had carry-on & no checked baggage! Afterward, we all rode the airport express train to our hotel in downtown Osaka, & checked into our rooms. Surprisingly, they didn’t seem THAT tired when they arrived, and they wanted to eat a genuine Japanese dinner, so we found a great restaurant next to the hotel. We had a great meal in a very beautiful & traditional restaurant that really got them started on their Japan Adventure! We planned 3 nights in Osaka and two in Tokyo, before returning to Iwakuni to tour the local area.

Our travel office had set us up in two “western-style” rooms in a Japanese hotel in Osaka. However, we were not prepared for how SMALL our rooms were! It reminded us of living in the Airstream while our house in Gulf Shores was being built! Our room was just barely long & wide enough for 2 twin beds against the side walls with a very narrow path between, but Holly & Michael really loved the high-tech amenities. Fortunately, there was a window behind the beds that opened up to the outside, so Holly & I decided that kept the room from being too claustrophobic. The tiny bathroom that you had to step up into, had a very short, but deep tub with a small sink next to it, and a swivel faucet was shared between the two. The toilet, however, was one of the fancy ones with heated seat and bidet spray. Of course, the ceilings were low, and Stan had to duck under the door to get into the room. The most interesting thing was that after you opened the hotel room door, you had to insert the room key into a keypad on the wall, in order for the power to come on in the room. (power conservation?)The worst part for me was that the beds were painfully hard. Since each bed was covered with a fluffy down comforter, the second night I slept on top of both mine & Stan’s comforters, which reminded me a little of my soft featherbed at home. The weather was still cool at night, so there was no AC.

The next day (their first full day in Japan), we toured beautiful Osaka. The following day, we rode the train to Kyoto (which means “beautiful” and it is) and spent the day. Everywhere we went, the cherries were in full bloom and crowds were out enjoying them. It’s considered good luck to eat a meal under a cherry tree, so we saw many families sitting under the beautiful pink & white canopies. Then on we went to Tokyo, where we stayed in the roomy & luxurious New Sanno Hotel, which is a military resort & completely western-style. The next morning, we felt a small quake, which was an aftershock of a stronger quake in the area, the day before we arrived. Stan & Michael hurried down to the media room to get on line to check it out. Unfortunately, it rained there both days, but we pressed on, rode the subway & walked around the city, and gorgeous Ueno Park in the rain! It’s difficult for me to remember what we saw where, but we walked miles, ate many delicious Japanese meals, and saw parks, gardens, shrines, temples, shops, and even a fabulous aquarium! Especially in the cities of Japan, one is constantly reminded of the stark contract of the high-tech and the ancient. We saw a lot, but Holly & Michael said they can’t wait to come back & see more! I’m not sure how long we’d have to stay to see all of the beauty of Japan . . . We believe that they traveled in or on every type of transportation available in Japan while they were here: airplane, taxi, Shin, local train, subway, bus, tram, ferry, and our car. They loved the fabulous “pull outs” (rest stops) on the toll roads. There are of course, always huge restrooms (always with fresh flowers and music), and a large store with gifts, snacks, packaged fresh food, drink machines, and usually at least one restaurant and gas station. Many times, there are vendors who are cooking and selling fresh foods – kind of a festival-style out in front. Also, there are sometimes walking trails and lookouts so you can truly relax for a few minutes before getting back on the road.

After we returned to Iwakuni, we toured the Kintai Bridge area, which is the 3rd most popular place in all Japan to view the cherries. We rode the tram to the top of the mountain & walked up to the castle where the view is spectacular. Holly couldn’t believe that anything so beautiful was right in the city where we live. We ate in all our favorite local restaurants and even found some new ones! Their favorite was ours – the rotating sushi bar. Another day, we took the very short local train trip, and then the ferry to Miyajima Island. There we were met by our new friend, Hiroshi, who gave us a tour of the island and took us to his favorite restaurant, where we enjoyed another wonderful meal, Japanese beer, and good company! Holly was especially impressed with all the small deer that run free on the island. They are considered a national treasure of Japan and are protected. Having a Japanese friend lead our tour really helped us to understand many things that we had been wondering about. Hiroshi told us about the history of the island and about temples and shrines. We talked about Buddist and Shinto and how their ancient religion is also their way of life. For example, he told us that the little stone statues that we’ve seen along the roadside represent a child that had been killed in an auto accident. They are usually decorated or dressed in clothing, and we’ve noticed that the clothing or decorations change with the seasons. This reminded me of how in America many people put out a white cross near the road where someone they love has died. We are really not so different around the world . . .

We drove south along the coast to Oshima Island & then to Yanai & shopped at Mr. Max. Although we missed the ginza in Tokyo, we shopped in Osaka, Kyoto, Miyajima Island, and all around Iwakuni and in the local shops, thrift shops, and 100-yen stores (all of them!). They really had fun shopping and bought so many things, that I shipped 4 boxes of their treasures to them after they left!

Holly & Michael have come and gone away – much like the glorious seasonal cherry blossoms, but we hope that like the cherries, they will come again next year to brighten and enrich our lives.