Gallivanting Grandma

Tuesday March 22, 2016

Mt. Fuji decided to peek out again this morning. We were so excited!

Today was our day to explore Hakone so the first activity was a boat ride across Lake Ashi. This is one of the five big lakes of Fujiyama.

It cleared up momentarily and we were able to see the mountain clearly above the nearby hills:

We disembarked at the village of Moto-hakone then walked to the Narukawa Art Museum to see contemporary Japanese art.

We had a Japanese buffet luncheon followed by a stop at the woodworking shop of a master craftsman. This was the Hakone Yosegi Zaiku marquetry and mosaic woodworking shop.

Later in the afternoon we walked around the sculpture garden of the Hakone Open Air Museum and Picasso Collection.

The final treat of the day was another delicious Japanese dinner:

Monday March 21, 2016

Today was a travel day from Tokyo to Hakone to try to see Mt. Fuji. The weather was overcast and drizzly so we didn’t have much hope of seeing the mountain.

On the way to Hakone, we stopped at a huge rest stop along the highway:

The bus drove us to the Mt. Fuji information center but it was raining and visibility was poor. The original plan was to climb up to the fifth station by bus.  We saw a video of the mountain instead.

We stopped for lunch at a Japanese family-owned French restaurant:

We stopped at a sake brewery to learn how sake is made. The owner of the company was the 21st generation of sake brewers in his family. He gave us a guided tour of the facility.

As we approached Hakone, the weather looked like it was clearing:

We kept searching the sky for the mountain, not really sure what we would see.  Our only views of Mount Fuji had been in photos and paintings.  Then we saw it! The clouds moved quickly and for a few minutes parted to reveal the majestic mountain.  It was huge; dominating the sky beyond the foothills!

The group checked into the Palace Hotel Hakone and we relaxed until dinner. We had been instructed to dress in ‘yukatas’ for dinner and ate in a traditional Japanese dining room in the hotel.

Sunday – March 20, 2016

View of the city from our eighth floor hotel window:

We had a short orientation and met the other fourteen members of our tour group. We also met Joe, the tour leader, and Yukiko, our local Japanese guide. It was Sunday morning and the street outside the hotel was quiet and empty:

We all boarded a bus for our tour of Tokyo. Our first stop was the Imperial Palace Garden.  The bus drove around the vast park which is the home of the current emperor and empress of Japan.

The white building in the photo above is a guard house. The palace is surrounded by a high wall and a wide moat and is not visible by the general public.

Part of the moat and guard houses:

Joggers, cyclists, and families enjoy the gardens:

Next we visited the Senso-ji Shrine which was crowded with extended families enjoying a spring holiday Sunday.

Another bridal party arrived at the shrine in traditional clothes and entourage.

We drove to the famous Ginza district known for its world class shopping. 

We bought fun ‘bento box’ lunches at Mitsukoshi department store’s fabulous food court and had a picnic outside on the ninth floor terrace.

The main street was closed to traffic and a folk singer provided entertainment for the crowds.  We strolled along the avenue for several blocks with the shoppers.

Our final destination of the day was the controversial Yushukan Military and War Museum located within the Yasukuni Shrine compound. The museum, which was established in 1882, is dedicated to the “souls of soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan.”

Dinner was at a Japanese restaurant near the hotel:

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Sakura is the name of the Japanese cherry trees and they are almost in bloom this week. I can see pale colors of blossoms on many trees which are on the verge of opening as we walk around Tokyo. 

The Sakura Festival is an important time of year throughout Japan. It’s a season of excited anticipation and hope for good times and happiness for the coming year. Pink signs were everywhere brightening Tokyo with color. Lanterns were hanging in every park for evening strolls and picnics. 

We checked out of the New Otani Hotel (highly recommended!) and walked to the Toyku Stay Yotsuya Hotel to join the Overseas Adventure Travel tour group to see the rest of Japan during the next two weeks.

Today was a cool rainy spring day so, after we left our luggage in the new hotel, we took the JR train to Ueno Park to visit the Tokyo National Museum to see traditional Japanese art.

Afterwards we stopped in a cafe down the street from the museum and discovered “Japanese sweet milk tea” which was warming and delicious.

We took the train back to the new hotel.  Japanese people work very long hours so many of the people, of all ages, were sleeping on the train.

After we rested in the hotel, we ventured out to look for a restaurant for dinner.

Friday –  March 18, 2016

The Meiji Shrine, located in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. The shrine was built in a 170 acre evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees which were donated by people from all parts of Japan.

Barrels of saki were donated to the shrine to honor the emperor and empress .

We followed a succession of impressive wooden gates, called torii, to the shrine.

We saw a bridal procession with priests and maidens in traditional dress. 

Visitors leave handwritten prayers in all languages: 

We walked back to the spotlessly clean subway to take another train to the Shenjuku business district.

I love the ‘hot pink’ plush seats in this train.  I don’t know how they keep them clean!

We got out of the subway to find ourselves in a busy neighborhood that reminded us of a modern Times Square. We stopped at a Starbucks for a rest. It was full of young people on computers.