Japan seems to be an efficient, industrial and busy country (as you would expect), interrupted by moments of exquisite aesthetic contemplation and beauty. Immigration took an irritating three hours in Kobe (not expected, what efficiency??) but Janna and I soon headed off to Osaka with a group to attend a 4 1/2 hour performance at the Bunraku Theatre, where puppeteers train for 30 years before becoming masters of their craft. The main puppeteer remains uncovered (but completely inexpressive); the other two are caped in black, which makes them become "invisible." The two plays we saw were from the traditional eighteenth-century repertory and told stories of love, betrayal, secret identities, and suicide (ie, all the normal stuff of life).
The next day we headed up to Kyoto, one of the only cities not bombed in WWII, so it still contains some of Japan's most beautiful temples and castles. We saw four of them, with their attending gardens. In order: Sanjusangen-do, Nijo Castle, Ryoanji Temple, and the drop-dead gorgeous Golden Pavilion. Below, some views of each.
At the Golden Pavilion, Janna tried to get a 2-year-old to admire pictures of Austin on her iPhone; I don't think the baby was all that impressed, but she sure had fun with the family.
Thank goodness for plastic food. Food, of course, is another attraction (for one of us, at least; Janna seems to have been on the You Want Me to Eat WHAT? Diet since Spain), but since nobody speaks English (nor do we expect them to do so), everything is a challenge. A clever way to negotiate this is to take iPhone pictures of the ubiquitous plastic foods displayed in front of every restaurant, show it to the waiter, bow, mumble "arigato," and pray.
Janna, ever resourceful when ice cream is in the vicinity, found a solution to her culinary woes by making friends with the "right people" on the ship; problem resolved.
We stayed with the ship for the transit from Kobe to Yokohama, then went into Tokyo on the fast train from the port, where we enjoyed the Imperial Palace Gardens with the Toscanos, a yummy sushi lunch (David and I -- Janna was on her normal food strike), and then a view of the gardens from the stunning rooftop bar of the Peninsula Hotel.
The last day we tooled around Yokohama (which contains Japan's tallest building)
before sailing off toward Hawaii, 10 sea days from now. And finally, another peek at Krista and Austin (he's 7 weeks old).
Japan seems to be an efficient, industrial and busy country (as you would expect), interrupted by moments of exquisite aesthetic contemplation and beauty. Immigration took an irritating three hours in Kobe (not expected, what efficiency??) but Janna and I soon headed off to Osaka with a group to attend a 4 1/2 hour performance at the Bunraku Theatre, where puppeteers train for 30 years before becoming masters of their craft. The main puppeteer remains uncovered (but completely inexpressive); the other two are caped in black, which makes them become "invisible." The two plays we saw were from the traditional eighteenth-century repertory and told stories of love, betrayal, secret identities, and suicide (ie, all the normal stuff of life).
The next day we headed up to Kyoto, one of the only cities not bombed in WWII, so it still contains some of Japan's most beautiful temples and castles. We saw four of them, with their attending gardens. In order: Sanjusangen-do, Nijo Castle, Ryoanji Temple, and the drop-dead gorgeous Golden Pavilion. Below, some views of each.
At the Golden Pavilion, Janna tried to get a 2-year-old to admire pictures of Austin on her iPhone; I don't think the baby was all that impressed, but she sure had fun with the family. 
Thank goodness for plastic food. Food, of course, is another attraction (for one of us, at least; Janna seems to have been on the You Want Me to Eat WHAT? Diet since Spain), but since nobody speaks English (nor do we expect them to do so), everything is a challenge. A clever way to negotiate this is to take iPhone pictures of the ubiquitous plastic foods displayed in front of every restaurant, show it to the waiter, bow, mumble "arigato," and pray.
Janna, ever resourceful when ice cream is in the vicinity, found a solution to her culinary woes by making friends with the "right people" on the ship; problem resolved.
We stayed with the ship for the transit from Kobe to Yokohama, then went into Tokyo on the fast train from the port, where we enjoyed the Imperial Palace Gardens with the Toscanos, a yummy sushi lunch (David and I -- Janna was on her normal food strike), and then a view of the gardens from the stunning rooftop bar of the Peninsula Hotel.
The last day we tooled around Yokohama (which contains Japan's tallest building)
before sailing off toward Hawaii, 10 sea days from now. And finally, another peek at Krista and Austin (he's 7 weeks old).
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