More in Nagasaki

5/27/16 

Couple of Salts

Out to the Island

Gunkanjima

This morning I went to Gunkanjima. It is an old coal mining operation on a now deserted island. Since it looks like a battleship it has the nickname "Battleship Island". The island is semi-famous for having had the James Bond movie Skyfall partly filmed there. The trip out was nice. A sunny warm day and an ocean breeze. However, the crew was compelled to keep a running dialogue going over the PA system all the way out and back. When they ran out of things to say, music was played loudly over the PA.  It was good to finally get off the boat and walk the island. I have to say, it looks a little like the south side of Chicago.

American Tourist

House of Captain Glover

Nice Waterfall

Glover Mansion

Crazy Inclined Moving Ramp

After I got back to the hotel, Dina and I found the bus to Glover Garden. This garden is amazing. Created for the Scotsman Thomas Blake Glover, it sits on a hillside high above Nagasaki. The views of the city and the grounds are breathtaking. Not really. The Grand Canyon is breathtaking. But this is really great.

Go West Young Man...

Dry Water Feature

Nagasaki Day Two

5/25/16

Dejima

Today we walked to Dejima which is very close to our hotel.  Dejima is a man made island in Nagasaki harbor. It was constructed to isolate the foreign traders and keep Christianity from spreading to the community. There were, mostly, Portuguese and later Dutch traders allowed in Nagasaki. There are many buildings still standing or renovated with artifacts from the European merchants living there.

Amazing Store Found in a Non-descript Building

Later we walked to the harbor and made a reservation to take a boat to Gunkanjima tomorrow. Unfortunately "Battleship Island" is not accessible so Dina could not go.

We had refreshments on the harbor and went to Chinatown for food. We had a local noodle dish called champon. We had left our computer mouse in Osaka so we headed out to the local shopping area for a replacement,  "Computah Mousu" worked well for describing what we needed. We found one in a crazy department store electronics department. The department was on the 5th floor and the ceilings were very low. The space was brightly lit and it seemed as though all of the devices were talking at once trying to get your attention. We got an early night since I had to get up early to go to Gunkanjima.

It Makes Me Hungry,

On to Nagasaki

5/24/16

In the "lobby' of the Shinkansen

Our Train Pulling in

Today we got on the Shinkansen to Nagasaki. The Shinkansen, Japan's "Bullet Train", feels like an aircraft screaming down the runway for take-off. It feels very frenetic, shaking and making noises like it is trying to get airborne. It never takes off though. Just zooms along at take-off speed. Out of curiosity, I downloaded an app to my phone to clock the speed. About 185 mph. 

Breakfast

Very Accessible Bath

These are all over Nagasaki

Arriving in Nagasaki in the pouring rain, we proceeded to the bus terminal at train station. There were no handicap busses going to our hotel. Since we were already soaked we decided to walk the fifteen minutes to our  hotel. The rain was warm and tropical. Along the way a Japanese woman offered Dina her umbrella. A nice gesture that Dina declined. 
We discovered that our room was in a traditional Japanese bath house. It was large, comfortable, and came with lounge-wear. we were encouraged to wear the pajamas around the hotel and into the dining room which we did.

Back to the Castle and Tsuruhashi

5/23/16

Today we went back to Osaka Castle. Dina hadn't seen it and I wanted to have a second look. There is an eight floor museum and lots to see around the grounds. We met three men from Korea and had a wonderful time talking with them on the top floor cat-walk. With the city of Osaka in the background,  and a cool breeze blowing we discussed work, politics, culture, and family.  After exchanging cards we went our separate ways. Minutes later one of the guys returned with a charm for each of us. He said he felt like we had made a connection. I felt it too. It was very touching.

Google Maps;
Where Would We be Without You?

Go Ahead, Eat it! How bad can it be?

When we left the castle our intention was to go to Nara Park. There are tame deer in the park and it is supposed to be a very beautiful and tranquil place. However, when we were changing trains in Tsuruhashi, we realized we had stumbled into Korea town. I had read about this on the tourist sites and people had raved about it. We started walking around and before we knew it hours had passed. We ate lunch and then decided to make for Nara. When we got back to the station, the agent told us the elevator was too small to accommodate the scooter. Since we already had a big day, we decided to head for the hotel.

Kim, Park, Lee, and Dina on Top of the Castle

Lifesize Terminator with a
Handful of Kimchee

Osaka Castle From the Park Grounds

Strongman of Koreatown

Good Thing we Studied Katakana.
Thanks Tristan and Shizuka!

Osaka Castle

5/20/2016

Yesterday I rented a bicycle from the local bike kiosk. The concierge got all the info for me. I walked ten minutes to the kiosk, stuck in my credit card and grabbed the last bike. In the States, I would be wary of renting a bicycle from an unattended kiosk. Here in Japan, where everything works as it should, the bike was in perfect order. The tires were full of air, the brakes and shifter worked flawlessly. Google maps got me to the castle but since I had to ride and navigate, it took me about 40 minutes.

The castle is pretty amazing. It was built in the 16th century as a temple then converted to a defensive castle. I took the stairs up to the eighth floor. There is a museum on each floor so I took my time and caught my breath while checking out the exhibits.   Even though it's only 100 feet high, there is a commanding view of Osaka from the outside catwalk.

One of the Outer Defensive Towers

My Little UMEGLE Bike

Outside of the Main Castle

On the Grounds

Comic Book

5/20/2016

Last night Loren and I visited the Dotonbori area. It was the proverbial rabbit hole adventure. The most amazing collection of neon ads, giant sculpted potential food on buildings, noise noise noise, music, people shouting and waving their ware flags to entice (?) customers, and then the opposite of the raucous crowd; a quiet stroll along the dark canal. Amazingly barrier free.

Some Kind of Weird Ride?

Down the Main Drag in Dotonbori

Famous Glico Man

   

We were pretty hungry by 9:00. We stumbled into a little restaurant not knowing what they might serve us. We were surprised to discover that it was a nabe hot pot place.  The kind old woman running the place asked for our order. She spoke no english. We managed to get our order placed with sign language and our very limited japanese. She lit the fire under the pot and went back into the adjacent kitchen where her and her assistant created our dinner with a lot of commotion.  Presently, she reappeared with plates of  thinly sliced fish. She demonstrated how we were to cook it in the hot pot and then dip it in the delicious sauce. While we were eating, she went back into the kitchen and shortly returned with a giant plate holding a mountain of food.  We diligently managed to eat about half of what she brought. Returning to the subway, we found our elevator safely locked behind bars. I want to add a note here. When we were trying to reach Dotonbori, we asked directions of a group of young men leaving a little restaurant. Koji, his brother, and their two friends graciously helped us to get on the right train and even accompanied us partway to our destination. Thank you!
Back to the hotel at 11:00? I can't remember!

 Kyoto and Kiyomizu-dera

5/19/16

Kyoto, place of shrines and temples.  We had to visit. After spending some time finding the right train platform in Osaka, off we went on the express train to Kyoto. 45 minutes later we arrived at the Kyoto main terminal. A 20 minute bus ride brought us to Kiyomizu, the Buddhist Temple.
Kiyomizu means "pure water". We did not drink it. I, for one, don't want to get giardia. Dina, on the other hand, found the fountain inaccessible.  Ok, the whole temple area was very easy to access. In fact, we spent an enjoyable 2 hours or so wandering the grounds looking at the buildings and gardens that have been there for around 600 years.

Okonomiyaki

At the Train/Bus Station

Wait. Before we went to the temple we had lunch in a little family owned Okonomiyaki restaurant.
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese "pancake".  Though I would describe it as more of an omelet.

Many People Visit the Shrine in
Traditional Kimono

 The shrine is built entirely without nails. We watched some builders fitting up beams in a "remodel" project on the grounds. After our temple visit, we wandered around the local 'hood in Kyoto. Fortunately, Kyoto was largely spared bombing during the second world war. because of it, there are many old, beautiful buildings in the city. About 20% of Japan's national treasures are in the city. We had coffee in a local Starbucks and headed back to Osaka.  We got a little lost after leaving the JR station in Osaka. The area truly is a concrete jungle. One would think, as I did, that sighting a 35 floor hotel a quarter mile away from the station would be easy.  In fact, we wandered around for quite a while trying to get our bearings. Even using Google maps on my phone. I frequently lost satellite reception due to tunnels and tall buildings. Eventually we found our hotel and had a Suntory in our room before going out for  dinner.

Wandering the Grounds

Screw the Cable Company.
You Can't Believe the Reception I
Get With This!

Crowded Pathway to the Temple

Osaka Aquarium

5/18/16

We went to an amazing aquarium near Osaka Bay yesterday. This thing is HUGE! 8 floors of fish and other aquatic animals to see and photograph.  We took the local JR loop line and transferred to a local line after four stops. Two stops later we got off and it was a ten minute walk to the aquarium plaza. 

The whole complex was wheelchair accessible. However, we needed a guide to walk us through the bowels of the building in order to access the main part. The aquarium starts on the 8th floor and winds down in a sort of spiral. We were surrounded by tanks and other displays of fish, otters, dolphins, and marine life of all sorts.

School Kids Leaving The Aquarium

Osaka Aquarium 

Hammerhead

Diver

 We took way too many pictures to post here, so we tried to show a representative collection.

Lego Giraffe 

Does Anyone Speak English?

Heading back to the hotel we managed to leave the train at the wrong stop. I thought I heard the conductor call out "Osaka". The door opened and we pushed past numerous people to get off the train. Disregarding all the signs and our instincts, we managed to get off in this little podunk station in the outskirts of town. Fortunately, there is a train every eight minutes during rush hour. So it was simply a matter of getting the station agent to get us a ramp so we could re-board. A word here about the Japanese trains and train workers. The experience has been nothing short of phenomenal. They have been kind and resourceful, humorous and patient. It has been a great experience  using the trains here.  If you are travelling through Japan, I would recommend getting a JR Pass for unlimited travel on the JR lines.

I Have a Hankerin' for Some Tendon

5/17/2016

Unfortunately, the promise of sleeping in didn't happen. We were packed and out the hotel door at 9:30 a.m. Groan... And of course the Tokyo skies opened up and tried to drown us with tears because we were leaving. Which doesn't explain why we were welcomed to Japan with those same tears.

Packed and Ready

On to Osaka by train.  At Shin-Osaka, the main station, we changed to a local train to get to our hotel and I rode in the woman only car on the train 2 stops to to our destination.

Local Train; Women Only Car

Just the Three of Us

 I have no idea of Loren's ride but I think mine was less bumpy. We arrived at the hotel and had to wait for 10 minutes for a ramp to be located so I could get  inside.
When we got to Osaka, we had more ramen, walked around the local market and went back to the hotel at 9:00pm.

Room with a View

Another one of those Damn Ticket Machines

Ramen in Osaka

No Trip to Japan is Complete Without
a Bottle of Sweat