Ryokans and Onsens

The computer says that it is Friday, March 30. We have just returned from Kyoto. It was another 4 days of non stop adventures. Jackie has gone out for the evening and I am here trying to let my mind catch up to my body. It has been quite a ride.

In Kyoto, we stayed at a "ryokan". My rough guide defines it as a Japanese style inn. In a true Japanese ryokan, the room provided has a tatami mat floor. The room has the traditional low table where you would eat your meal. The bathrooms are communal. As I understand it, you leave your shoes at the front door and replace it with the indoor slippers but never wear the slippers on the tatami mat. You are shown to your room and then asked to have a bath which is also communal. Upon finishing the task of bathing, you put on a "yukata". A yukata is a Japanese loose fitting robe worn in a ryokan!Ettiquette dictates that you wrap the left side of the yukata over the right as the other way is used to dress the dead. When you are clean and are back in your room, you are then served a Japanese meal at the low table while kneeling. After it is cleared away for you, your futon type bed is set up on the floor. Usually the room is devoid of all modern conveniences that one would be use to in a Canadian hotel. No tv, computer, phone,and fridge.

Jackie was so excited to tell me that our room in Kyoto would be in a ryokan. Oi. However it would be what they call a "Western Style Ryokan". We would have our own private bathroom, a tv, phone and fridge. We could use the "onsen". Okay an onsen is actually a hot spring bath, however in ryokans they are essentially huge hot tubs. They are communal and you are nude. They have separated the women from the men, but there are ones that are not.

Our room was covered wall to wall with tatami mats. Tatami mats are straw covered mats that traditionally cover Japanese floors. To me it smelled of hay fields, but Jackie really liked the smell. There was a low table with two legless chairs and cushions. Horaay for my seat. Jackie immediately rearranged the table and we set up our futon beds. In an upper end ryokan, this would be set up for you. We had to figure it out for ourselves. We each had two futons to lie on. The second futon is covered in a fitted sheet. This is to lie on top of. You are provided with the whitest flat sheet which we figured out must go next and then the last futon is for covering up with. I provided no end of amusement the second night trying to figure out how to get it set up exactly. In the end I was lying on three futons and had one sheet over me and that was on the second or third try.

Sitting on low chairs at a low table is the most uncomfortable position to be in. As I sit at a low table and a cushion to write this blog. This is where Jackie has her computer. Even more uncomfortable is lying on a mattress on the floor. The actually lying on the futon is not so bad. However getting down to the mat and worse trying to get up off the floor is a wee bit cumbersome. I am not a fan of rolling onto the floor and pushing up on all fours and then trying to get up to standing while my bladder is about to burst. I have learned that Japanese are limber and agile.

Our bathroom was cute. I liken Japanese hotel bathrooms to an airplane bathroom. There is no room to move. Pulling the toilet paper means you are going to hit something. You can have a shower and brush your teeth in the sink without moving. And always they are up one step. I was always stubbing my toes or falling out of the bathroom.

The key to a ryokan is the onsen or the communal bath. Our onsen was on the fifth floor. There is a very strict protocal to using the onsen. You enter the changing room and grab a basket to put your belongings into. You undress right there and with any other women who are there. You leave your basket of clothes and walk naked into the hot tub room. Along the wall is a row of shower heads at thigh height. You grab a bucket to sit on and a wash basin. You walk over to a shower head. You sit on a bucket and proceed to wash yourself thoroughly. I mean thoroughly. You start with your scalp and hair. Rinse. You then lather every inch of your body with soap and be sure to get between your toes and both cheeks if you know what I mean. Rinse and for good luck do it once more. Once you are squeaky clean and rinsed you can proceed to the bath which is very warm. You sit naked in there with others careful to avert your eyes. That means you are staring at your own body. In my case that was frightening of and in itself. After you can't stand it anymore you walk out, dry and put on your yukata and walk back to your room. Remember to wear your slippers. Jackie had to tell me that your shoes and slippers are always placed facing towards the door. Who knew?!!

The first night we did not participate in the onsen. My bath in our shower tub was less than fun considering I couldn't sit with my legs extended in the tub. On our second night after a very long day of walking, Jackie decided to try it. She came back with glowing remarks on how great it was. So on the third night I gave it a try.

Yes I did throw caution to the wind and went naked in a communal onsen. I was careful to avert my eyes and scrub all surfaces. I slipped into the water and soaked away every sore muscle and ache I had. I am not sure that I put on the yukata right, but I was so blissfully mellow, it did not matter. It was relaxing and invigorating all at the same time. I did use it again on our last night. These were the best two sleeps I have had in ages.

I have slept in my first ryokan and used the communal bath. These two experiences were great. Japan has some real treasures and some of them are not on the UNESCO World Heritage sight.

WKH

Another Day and Another City

Jackie tells me it is Monday. Tomorrow we leave on the Shinkansen for Kyoto. Yea us.
I would love to update you however it has been very active and busy at this end. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Let's see, we have been to Kobe, Onomichi, Hiroshima, Myojima, and back to Onomichi to do the laundry but first we went to Fukuyama this morning. It is approximately 18 minutes by train from Onomichi. Right outside of the train station they have a huge Starbucks. Ah it was so sweet to have my favorite misto. I will be going often to Fukuyama to get my Starbuck's fix. I even sat an hour and a half catching up on my journal and people watching. It was a piece of heaven to know some things are the same the world over.
All of this past week has been so surreal.
The cherry blossom or Sakura is about to blossom forth in all their glory this week. Japan is Sakura crazy. I am looking for to the hanami which is a picnic under the sakura where everyone drinks sake until.....
So off to bed to have some good sleep for tomorrows sleep.
We will stay in a western style Japanese Ryokan. I will fill you in on that later.
Jackie planted her plants outside today. It really is spring here.
All my love
WKH

And We Followed The Sun Until It Was Tomorrow.

And we followed the sun until it was tomorrow. My feet have landed in Japan. I am 48 hours into my jet lag and not doing all that badly.

The flight was bloody long enough. Bill got me to the airport at 4:30 and I got through customs whithin 10 minutes. Even Iwho loves to watch people could not people watch at that time. Our plane left late from Calgary. I thought sweet, now i don't have as long to wait in San Fran. However, my plane was delayed by one hour and 40 minutes. I waited 5 and 1/2 hours for my 11 and 1/2 hour flight.

At this time I would like United Airlines for putting me in an aisle seat behind the bulkhead. Yea for extra leg room. The extra room came in hand for the left handed six foot six gentle giant they sat in the seat beside me. Let me just say that my one butt cheek is number than the other.
A special thanks to United Airlines for not putting me next to the collicky baby in seat five, or the women who didn't make it to the bathroom to vomit, or the women who was hacking her left and probably her right lung up, or the women who wore the face mask the whole trip.
I would like to also thank the airplane pilot who made our landing in Osaka one of the scariest landings, i have ever experienced. First we bounced on the left wheel and then on the right wheel and then a bit sideways. You know it is kind of scary when the stewardess in the jumpseat across from me screamed the loudest. Thankfully she was quick to jump up and catch my suitcase as it was falling out of the overhead that bounced out.

Jackie was at the gateway to greet me with flowers and tears. She had everything all arranged as she had been waiting most of the day for my arrival.
We took the bus for approximately one hour out of Osaka to Kobe(pronounced Kobay. We arrived and walked 3 minutes to our hotel where we checked in and took off for supper. It was 230 in the morning for me but 6 pm Japan time. We cabbed to a place along the waterfront called Mosaic. It is known for its fine restaraunts and beautiful lit park. It was like Christmas / amusement park. We rode the ferris wheel to get a better night time view of the bay. It was impressive. We sat down for supper at 930 pm I started to fade. I had a fairly good night sleep and then we got up and spent the day in Kobe.
Kobe is most notable for its recovery from the 1995 earthquake that devestated the city. Kobe is ultra modern and being built up more each year. We did a harbour cruise and a ropeway which we call a gondola up the mountain and had lunch at the upper restaruant. By the way i have been here 48 hours and so far no chopsticks were needed. Horaay for me. At 530 we lined up for our bus trip to Onomichi. Jackie had us buy a convenience store packed lunch of sandwhiches and some new treats that i really didn't need to know about. The trip to Onomichi was two and 1/2 hours long. I got to see the red sun and red sunset. It is easy to see why children draw the sun red here.
Thus my first 24 hours was sightseeing in Kobe and finally arriving at Jackies home.

I am going to post this as Jackie's computer tends to jam tart out so I don't want to lose what i have written.
wkh

Wellllll.
It is 9 pm. The suitcase is locked and by the door. My outfit is laid out. I really don't think well at 4 a.m.
I have the jittery "what have I forgot", oh my god, "I will sleep in", and what if I miss the plane syndrome. I won't with Bill in charge of getting me up. He says he has a bucket of water on standby.
Alanna and Jill were here tonight. Alanna and I snuggled. Alanna was very sad. Grandma was teary. It's only 30 days.
Jackie has emailed to say she is waiting for me.
I have checked the weather forecasts for Calgary, San Francisco and Osaka. It looks good except that it is a complete fog out right now in Calgary. Not to worry!?
I have the two cans of beer packed. Anyone care to bet whether it makes it to Osaka. It is bubble wrapped, then taped, then in a ziplock in my crocks in plastic bags. Oi.
I must try to go to bed and sleep. I am about to start my Japan adventure.
I will blog when I next see what day it is.
Jackie tells me her laptop is dying. This will not deter me.
All my love
Sayanora
WKH

Japan Is One Week Away!

I leave for Japan in one week. I am excited. I am nervous. I am anxious. I am so happy that I have this opportunity to go. I love living vicariously through Jackie.

A Few Trivial Pursuit Facts:

Japan is a group of islands that run along a 3000 kilometer arc. That is from 25 degrees north at its southern tip to 45 degrees north at its northern tip. In comparison to North America that would be the distance between Montreal and Miami.

The Lonely Planet Japan guide says that there are 3900 small island and four major islands that make up Japan. The four islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. I will be staying on the island of Honshu. Jackie lives in a city called Onomichi. Onomichi is a port city that lies on The Inland Sea. The closest known city to many of you would be Hiroshima. Don't quote me but I believe it is less than one and one half hours away by train. I believe the population of Onomichi is approximately one hundred thousand.
I would like to mention two other facts aboout Japan. The first is that they have about 40 active volcanoes. The other fact is that Japan is the most sesmically active regions of the world. According to my readings, they on average experience 1000 earthquakes each year. Of course most of them are not felt. May I add that this is the way I like them.

I arrive in the city of Osaka at the Kansai airport. Jackie will be there to pick me up and I mean literally. Instead of going on to her city which would add a few more hours, she has decided we will stay in Kobe which is an half hour away from the airport. After a good night's sleep, we will walk around Kobe and then later in the day proceed to Onomichi.

In the meantime I make mental lists of things to do, to pack, and to remember.
Well, mental lists don't work for me anymore, but pen and paper works quite well.

And thus this is the start of my last week home. I am savoring all I know and take for granted. I am not savoring the weather which is once again snowing. I pray that their are no March snow storms to delay my departure. Bad thinking,
Did I mention that I will be in Japan for Cherry Blossom Time. I'm looking forward to seeing and experiencing Hanami. (Is that right Jackie?)

WKH

Excitement , Shoes and Dentists.

Thirteen Days until I leave. The excitement increases each day that passes. Yesterday I bought my Japan rail pass. Jackie sent me the list of hotels that we will be staying at along our travels. I have read my travel books and now I just have to wait. I'm ready to start this adventure. I think that is what makes the waiting so hard.

The shoe saga continues. I decided that I did not like them that much after all and returned them to the store last evening. So.....now I will go out today and find another pair that I will really like and are comfortable. Is that possible? I'm told it is.

I have a dental appointment today. I dislike dentists with a passion. When I was in grade school, we had a dentist who came to the school and we all had to go to the nurses office to see him. He looked like the giant from the Mickey Mouse Jack and The Beanstalk. I am not kidding. He could not fit through the door without squeezing through. I was only 7 or 8 yrs. old and he scared the bejeepers out of me. One by one we went to his chair while he put his hands which were the size of a baseball mitt into my mouth. I still can remember the metal tools scraping my teeth as he breathed his wretched breath into my face. I think he must of smoked.
I think these first impressions of dentist laid down the foundation for my life fear of the dentist. In reality, I have had some fairly good dentists over the years. The present dentist has the best technique ever. His hygienists are (at least in the past few visits) gentle. The t.v and head phones really do help. Thus I have a dental check up today. Yuck!

Tomorrow is Jackie's birthday. Happy birthday Jackie. The years have gone by quickly. One day you are a crying bundle in my arms and the next you are half way around the world taking on your life with the same gusto you came into the world with.

Coffee, journal ling, shoe shopping, dentist and aqua size is a fun day in my world. Thus I leave to take on the fun.
WKH