A week at home

I have been on the go all week as usual with some extra bonuses such as a play Straight White Men  about three grown men who are disappointed with how their lives are and finding a purpose in their lives. Heavy, funny, unresolved and interesting. Then the next day I attended an Arcapella performance of the Russian orthodox service devided by Rachmaninov. The voices were exquisite but the church was freezing and I have been struggling to get dressed appropriately  for the weather since returning. I am either too hot or too cold.   Leonie and I went rushing off to a Carlton Cafe for hot coffee to warm us. I had had trouble parking the car and driving across from Glen Iris to Carlton at mid afternoon was unbelievabley congested. I felt so despairing after the efficiency of Tokyo transport.

I haven't been sleeping well. I think it is because I am not expending as much physical energy. My mind is too active and out of step with my body.

Sunday12 th

We had our first earthquake today!  4.9 on the scale. I chuckled at my response which was to grab my futon and hang on. Not like I am going to fall out of bed!  It was amazing watching the washing swing wildly.  David slept through the whole thing. Japan is saying goodbye.

Today we packed, and then we set off to do a practice run to Shinjuku and the JR line Narita express. Despite all directions we found ourselves confused after trying to locate a lift to avoid carting suitcases up stairs. After  buying our tickets we decided it would be better to walk from the apartment!

We found an Okonomyake place by accident and we're thrilled to experience this dish before leaving. Kim had suggested sandwiches but I insisted on a Japanese meal on our last day and that led us to find the Okonomyake.

 

The dish is a little like a pancake with cabbage and is cooked on a hot plate in front of you. It was pretty filling but we were all happy. It was  David who had decided to go to level 8 instead of queueing. After lunch we returned to the apartment and finished packing. Before long we had dinner to find and we decided to explore further away in the opposite direction. We were attracted by some music and a bustling crowd which turned out to be a beach shack decorated Sri Lankan curry place. It was delicious and we were all satisfied. 

The morning dawned with heavy rain and so we found some plastic bags to over the bags and set off to the station. Of all the days to rain but we arrived at the station in plenty of time, somewhat bedraggled but on time and in the correct place! 

I had an interesting train ride when I started talking to a young Japanese guy who was on his way to Amsterdam. Then I t was the airport some shopping and we were soon winging our way home. 

Bliss Nick was waiting at the airport unexpectedly. He is my angel.  Home by 1:00 pm.

What a great trip.

Saturday11th

Bill set off to visit Mt Fuji by bus but the rest of us decided to stay local. I couldn't face the thought of a four hour return trip on a bus. The rest of us mooched around taking it easy before we headed off to the gardens in Shabashi. I felt a desire to get amongst greenery for its soothing effect on the soul. It required a trip by train of course. We feel like we have spent half our holiday in Tokyo on the trains. They are amazing, efficient and run about every two minutes and we have used them constantly. I usually walk everywhere when I am travelling but here we have not walked from one end of the city to the other. It is too hot and too easy to use the train.  Just before we left Bill appeared. There were no tickets on the bus to Mt Fuji  available! All alternatives would take too long and he wouldn't be able to return on the same day. We should have planned it earlier, though the weather hasn't been good. Mt Fuji is notorious for being shrouded in cloud or haze! David decided to go freelance looking for a festival and so Bill came to the gardens with us.

We arrived at the gardens and found them delightful and relatively empty. They have sea water ponds because they are close to Tokyo bay and adjacent to the river. We saw huge fish leaping out if the water as well as lots of baby eels/ tiny fish skittering across the surface.  There were these amazing old wisterias with trunks the size of trees all twisted and split yet still producing new shoots. There were also Gardeners on ladders trimming the pine trees to maintain their sculptured shape.

In the centre is a tea house where we took a bun and cold green tea. There were leaflets that explained how to drink the tea and though we did not have a tea ceremony as such  we got the gist of it from the instructions.

 

I love the simplicity of these tradional Japanese buildings with their sliding doors and tatami mats. They are so peaceful and gracious. While walking through the gardens you can smell the change in the air quality. It seems so fresh there.  Next stop  Omato-Sando for a last attempt to buy the Comme de Garçon shirt for Ziggy. What an upmarket trend spot this part of Shibuya is. We tried to sit on some benches ouside the Prada shop to eat some sandwiches we had and a young man from Prada asked us to leave! We did but felt quite offended. We laughed about being refugees from Prada. You don't see people eating in the street like that so we were probably offending them too.

No luck in the Comme de Garçon store so we headed over to the Meiji-Jungu shrine the most important in Tokyo. As it turned out thousands of others did too! It was along walk throufpgh two huge Torii gates before we got to the shrine. It was impressive but not compared to those at Hongu and Naichi we thought. 

By now it was past four and we were all tired out. 

We came home and got takeaway for dinner. We were in bed quite early and lights out by 10 pm.  

Taking it easy

We have taken it easy this morning by sleeping in, doing the washing, catching up on the diaries, ringing Mum. Bill has been endlessly fascinated by the construction site opposite the apartment. The skill and finesse of the workers has impressed him no end. The site is always kept tidy and the workers  very skilled with their machinery. 

We have been so impressed with the service and attitude to work here. There are  a lot of people employed to assist everywhere in shops and stations. That is why it is so clean and efficient here.

Eventually we went off to the Issey Miyake exhibition via the Suntory exhibition of Hara Yasusaburo Collection of Utagawa Hiroshige woodblock prints. They were first edition prints made in the 1850s. They looked so modern and the colours so bright.

We were mis-directed to Roppongi Hills to see the Issy Myaki exhibition only to find it was back where we came from! We finally found it and what an amazing building it was. The exhibition was so interesting. What a creative man. It was fascinating to see the graphic flat designs that you lifted up to be a dress. 

We returned via Shinjuku and a new way home. It was exciting to see a new area. Irene was suffering sore feet and glad to return.

Thursday 9 th

This morning we went to the Tzujiki Fish markets. This required an early start but we were not committed enough to make the auction of the Tuna at 5:00 am.  We were there early enough to see the wholesalers. What a scary environment with little trolleys zipping every which way. The most confronting sight was a fishmonger scaling and then slicing a live fish that flipped and flopped while he cut it. Ann saw a tuna heart still beating while it was being sliced! Wandering around the outer market was so interesting too. There was a huge range of sea products that I had never seen. After the guys had been shoved aside a few times we decided to leave. We settled on a breakfast at a street stall on the main edge of the market and had sashimi with seaweed and rice which was amazing. The cleanliness of the staff was outstanding. We kept getting these whiffs of bleach!

Leaving the market I went home to meet up with Hiko my friend from walking the Camino Fraance in 2012.  

 Some of the produce

Baby eels alive

 Ann eating fresh crab

I was so hot I had to have a shower before meeting them. Hiko had prepared lots of questions and checked off all the things I had seen so far. He was very pleased by all the things I had seen. We used the Google translater and his electronic translator to converse. His wife was a lovely person who had some English. They bought a gift of a Shinkansen train for Ziggy and some Yokohama biscuits for me. We had tempura in a little place around the corner then off to coffee. I invited them back so I could give them the chocolates I had bought. They are such kind hearted people. I was embarrassed that when I brought them up to the apartment that the others did not hear my knocks so I went down again to the letterbox and tried to put my hand in. Hiko and his wife both tried too without success. Back we went upstairs and I knocked harder this time and finally the door opened. We all came in and I gave them the chocolates. They stayed for a cup of tea. I was exhausted from the effort of concentration. 

Outside the Tempura restaurant

After a couple of plum wines I felt restored. We finished the evening off with a fabulous dish of noodles from one of the restaurants under the office building opposite our apartment.

Wednesday 8th June

Today was a shopping day. We hit the local shops in search of a Yucata and any other enticing things. I found a  great jacket with lots of pockets for travelling!  We lunched at another 'natural' food place where Irene and Bill parted ways with us and Ann and I took the train to Ginza to explore that area. We found some great gifts for Ann to take home and I was frustrated again with the search for Ziggy's shirt. 

We returned home and this time ate local food so we were all happy! Especially the keeper of the kitty.

 A sculpture in the shop at Tokyu Central Plaza.

Tuesday 7 th June

Anne and I decide to complete the bus tour and use it to return to the market section  at Akihabara to explore a less glitzy part of Tokyo. We catch the train to the central Maranouchi business area to pick up the bus and also try to find a place to print the voucher for the Robot Restaurant we are to attend tonight. We are somewhat disoriented when we get out of Tokyo station and need to walk around the block before we identify the exact pick up place. That was so interesting because you could see how so many office buildings have shopping and food courts in their basements and lower floors. We tried to find a printing place at a variety store but found the printer was out of action! At the same time I received a message from the restaurant saying that my phone would be acceptable so the search had been a waste of time in one way but very illuminating in others. It was a good feeling for both Anne and I to be roaming free. Unfortunately the weather has changed and when we boarded the bus we were issued with white poncho type raincoats. Mine came down to my ankles and really we looked hysterical. Caspar the ghost with pregnancy. Our bags were covered as well.

 We enjoyed the ride and learned and saw a few things we missed from the day before. Arriving at our destination we wandered the stalls and shops and saw that this is where a lot of locals shop. I finally bought a Buddhist prayer bangle. We tried our first vending machine cafe and after getting help to get the sequence correct we ordered a dish of scallops, Chinese Vegas and noodles. It was delicious and we were impressed by the efficiency and cleanliness of the two young women who were working there. They were brilliant. They didn't stop! It would be hard work standing all day over the woks. We had to hustle then to get back to the apartment in time to freshen up before the restaurant.

We arrived in our white raincoats which caused the others to collapse laughing. I was sure I knew were we were going but once I checked the phone I realised we were going In the opposite direction. We turned around and then checked with a passerby who insisted on taking us all the way there! She was a Taiwanese student who has stayed on as a translator. The restaurant was up where we had eaten the first night. The show was a hoot. A cross between kitch and electronics, high energy music and youthful enthusiasm. The actors were having so much fun it became infectious.