Several years ago we had the opportunity to take some good friends of ours, Bo and Liz, to Japan. I'm going to focus on the new things we did and then link to previous blog posts for reference to the things we repeated from our time living in Japan. The trip started out awesome and then kind of fell into a bad place for me and Matt, unfortunately. I chalk it up to our inability to tell Bo and Liz when we wanted to do something different from what they wanted to do, and Matt's desire to be a good guide in the country as he was the only fluent Japanese speaker. He felt a lot of responsibility and then got really tired and very stressed out, which in turn made me very stressed out. I say this not as a rebuke of our friends, who had no way to know how we were feeling since we didn't communicate, but as a gentle suggestion to anyone who travels with friends. Say how you feel and don't be passive aggressive about it. Own up to your limitations and ask for what you need. Your friendships will be better off and your travels will be more enjoyable.We flew in and out of Tokyo for this trip. We arrived in 2015 and stayed over New Year's to leave in 2016. We first stayed at a great hotel, new to us since our time living there, called Hotel Hokke Club Asakusa. This chain is still around and we saw it in every city we visited. Later in our trip we changed to the Chisun line because we had enjoyed those hotels when we lived in Japan. However, we found the Chisun hotels to be sorely lacking in quality, having declined since we lived there, and wished we had stayed in Club Hokke hotels the entire time! Lesson learned.
The absolute highlight of our time in Tokyo, besides more time hanging out in Asakusa, was visiting the Ghibli Museum. It is a magical place, and very hard to get into. Luckily, at the time our friend Preston was still living in Japan, so he went to Lawson's and purchased us tickets the day they went on sale for our vacation month. We adored the museum inside and out, as well as the neighborhood in which it is located. Wandering the museum is like wandering inside a Ghibli film. There's hidden rooms and alcoves, displays of Miyazaki's artistic process, and generally a feeling of keeping the joy of childhood alive as an adult. Below is one photo of the grounds.
We were also finally able to visit Himeji castle. This is the last original castle I had not visited, because when we lived there it was closed for a major renovation project. Matt had briefly visited during a time he spent studying there in the summer of 2006, so he was due for a return trip. I was quite insistent on visiting the castle, and even though it took us a bit of time and was a bit of a detour from our other sights in Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe, I am still very glad I put my foot down.
This is a view of the castle upon our approach. It is a large structure, and I think the largest castle in Japan. It is comprised of 83 rooms, many of which we explored during our visit. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. Below are some photographs from our time in the castle: there's a lovely yuzu tree full of fruit, some of the inside architecture, and a view from the highest point where we were allowed to go.
Our time in Kobe and Nara was also lovely. They loved the tame deer, of course! We showed Bo and Liz Todai-ji, and the giant Buddha inside. I waited in line to see if I could slip through the pillar which has a hole in it the same size as the hole in the Buddha's nose. It is said that people who can fit through will be granted enlightenment in their next life. I was the only member of our party able to wiggle through, although I know that now I would not be able to fit after my pregnancy/loss journey. What does that mean? Have I lost my chance at enlightenment, or do I retain my pass from fitting at one time?
In Kyoto, sadly many things were closed. Matt had warned us previously that traveling to this city over the winter holidays would result in a lot being closed. Some things we thought were worth visiting, like Fushimi Inari, our friends didn't want to see. Instead, Bo wanted to travel to see Nijo castle, which we already knew was closed for the holiday. What's more, we knew it was a short castle on a flat low piece of land that would not show above its walls, rendering the entire visit useless. This is where we should have communicated better and put our foot down: if Bo and Liz wanted to go there, that's fine, and we could have told them to make their own way as the adults they are. Then we could have done what we wanted to do. This would have set us up success for later in the trip when similar differences in opinions occurred, as when we were back in Tokyo and Liz wanted to shop for hours for baby things in a Ghibli store while Matt wanted to reconnect with Preston. Not cool, Liz, not cool. But also, learn to speak up for yourself, Matt.
We did get to show them Kiyomizu dera, however. I finally got my great picture of the main building since we visited while it was daylight this time. After a bit of wandering, I found the delectable gluten free treats I had fortuitously discovered on our last visit. We ate ourselves silly and bought a matcha cake for the road. I didn't record the name of the shop or its location and just spent a ton of time finding it by searching for the type of cake I got. The store is Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi Kiyomizu Store, and it sells the delectable treats yatsuhashi, as in the name. When you enter, it's a wide open space with lines and lines of samples next to each box of treats. I love the samples because you can taste the flavors before you buy and be sure you actually like them. Some people hate bean paste (I am not those people), and therefore these treats are not for them. I highly recommend visiting this store if you are going to Kiyomizu dera!
We spent New Year's in Yokohama, going to a cat cafe and searching for temples in which to ring in the new year. We found a tiny side street temple, but we were unable to find a large temple with a crowd and festival-like atmosphere like the one we enjoyed in Gifu. By this time in the trip Matt was worn out and touchy, and I was getting there too. Bo and Liz lived their dream of ringing in a new year in Japan, and we were super grouchy. It's sad that we missed the chance to be happy at this time, and I hope that we've learned a lot in the past four years so if given another opportunity we would make better decisions. We'd definitely choose to stay further on in Tokyo for New Year's, and do some research into good places to celebrate, as Yokohama definitely disappointed in that regard. Plus, being honest about what you need would be a good call. Because we were so out of it and upset, I accidentally packed a great apple jam that Preston had given Matt from a trip to Hokkaido in our carry-on instead of our checked bag, and it was confiscated at the airport for being just a bit over the weight requirements. That was my final straw, and I spent a good bit of the trip home in tears because everything had just gone so wrong in the back half of the vacation. I'm also not very forgiving of myself when I make a mistake.
Later, once we had been home for a little bit, Bo and Liz sent a surprise gift to us. It was the apple jam that Preston had given them. They wrote us such a lovely note, that included this sentiment: "Thank you for giving us the gift of Japan. It is a gift we fear we will never fully be able to repay." I'm sure they don't realize, but by giving us the gift of forgiveness and grace, they repaid us tenfold.
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