Archive for August, 2016
March 28, 2006 part 1 – Osaka Castle with my parents
Posted by Barniferous in Visitors, Western Japan on August 11, 2016
Today my parents and I did some sightseeing in Osaka. We started our day with breakfast at the hotel (with a restaurant full of our new friends), and then headed off for Osaka Castle.
Japan is filled with old castles, and most of them have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Osaka Castle is no exception; the main tower and surrounding buildings have been destroyed and rebuilt many times over, with the most recent restoration in 1995. After seeing Himeji Castle twice (which was never destroyed), I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy Osaka castle as much. I ended up being pleasantly surprised.
The current version of Osaka Castle is a restored exterior with a modern museum inside. The museum tells the story of both Osaka and Osaka Castle, which was played key roles in the struggle to reunify Japan in the 1500s. The museum was interesting and interactive, and featured excellent English signs.
We explored the castle for a few hours, and then headed towards the obligatory gift shop near the exit. Outside the gift shop is a giant golden tiger and a box full of samurai gear so you can pose for a picture. There were a lot of Japanese people standing around, looking at the tiger and cool samurai clothes, obviously wanting to take a picture, but nobody wanted to be the first person to step up. Fortunately my dad was there to bravely volunteer:
My dad had just traveled half way around the world and was in a modern restoration of a 500 year old castle. I don’t think anything could have stopped him from getting a picture with a fake sword in front of a golden tiger. The crowd of Japanese people, now happy that none of them had to go first, formed an orderly line to dress up and take pictures.
This is exactly the kind of thing that would have embarrassed me when I was a grumpy teenager. However, as a 27 year old I realized that my dad was actually pretty cool, not to mention fun to travel with.
Next up, Osaka Aquarium!
March 27, 2006 part 2 – Middle aged Korean women
Posted by Barniferous in Visitors, Western Japan on August 10, 2016
My parents and I spent our afternoon exploring the magnificent Himeji Castle, and then headed to Osaka to check into our hotel. I had booked us rooms in the Park Hotel Rinkai, an inexpensive business hotel where I had stayed last year. It’s not the fanciest hotel, but it’s centrally located and inexpensive.
Park Hotel Rinkai is easily accessible from two different stations on the Osaka subway. The problem is that I couldn’t remember which exit to use, and we ended up wandering around for some time trying to find our way with street maps, my fuzzy memory, and some good old fashioned guessing.
We did eventually find the hotel, and checked in at the same time as a large group of middle aged Asian women. After checking in, we jammed into a tiny elevator filled with short, chatty women. We were at the back wall of the elevator, so I needed someone to press the buttons for us.
“すみません、１０回のブタンを押してください” (Please push the button for 10th floor) I said politely. This got no reaction. Figuring that they might not have heard me over their conversation I repeated myself slightly louder and more clearly. The woman closest to the elevator turned to me and responded in English “Sorry, not Japan, Korea. Korea.”
I responded with the only phrase I know in Korean. “Annyeong haseyo! (Hello) Please push 10”. This got the desired response, and a good laugh from the Korean ladies in the elevator.
I had tried to warn my parents that the hotel rooms were going to be small. I think they were expecting Canada small and not Japan small. They were shocked to see the tiny rooms that I had booked us into. Their room had two single beds (my dad snores like a rusty chainsaw), with barely enough room for their tiny suitcases. My room was so small that the three of us could barely fit inside at the same time, and we are all small people!
My dad in a business hotel bathroom. He’s only 168cm (5’6″) tall!
I remembered the hotel being fairly quiet the last time, however I didn’t have a tour bus full of excited middle aged women on vacation staying there at the time. Our fellow guests were up late chatting, singing, and generally enjoying themselves. I have now added “middle aged Korean women” to my list of fun people to party with in the future.
How much hotel room does one person need?
March 27, 2006 part 1 – Himeji Castle (again)
Posted by Barniferous in Visitors, Western Japan on August 9, 2016
I picked up my parents early in the morning outside Hotel Miwa in Numazu. We were setting off for 4 days of sightseeing in western Japan before returning to Numazu. My parents liked the hotel so much that we booked a room for them when we returned to Numazu. The staff seemed really happy that my parents had enjoyed their stay so much, and not in just a “hooray, repeat business” kind of way. Hotel Miwa is a fantastic place which I would recommend highly!
My parents had learned from their first trip to Japan, and had packed much lighter for their return. The first time they had a bag with a shoulder strap that we referred to as “the green bag of doom” which seemed to weigh about 900kg, as well as some large suitcases. This time they had small bags and backpacks which made for a much more enjoyable experience.
We walked to Numazu station and took Tokaido line to Mishima. While on the shinkansen platform we enjoyed breathtaking views of a snow covered Mt. Fuji before catching the train to Shin-Osaka, with Himeji as our final destination. I don’t travel on the shinkansen often by myself, so I’m always amazed at how quiet and smooth the ride is. We blasted across the countryside at over 250km/h, watching the coastline and cities whiz by the windows.
We arrived at Himeji in time for lunch. While we were standing outside the station deciding where to eat, a friendly Japanese woman approached and asked in English if we were lost. I explained that we were just trying to decide where to eat, and she lept into action, running to the nearby information desk to find out where the station restaurants were located. She apologized sincerely for not being able to recommend one of the restaurants personally.
I have found that Japanese people, especially the ones who can speak English, are almost universally helpful to tourists. They seem to be especially helpful to middle aged tourists like my parents, who have been treated like royalty since landing at Narita.
Unfortunately the restaurant we chose was busy and not nearly as friendly as the nice lady we met outside the station (which is rare), but we still enjoyed a good meal and set out for the castle.
I have been to Himeji castle before, and it is still just as breathtaking the second time. My parents were blown away by the size of the castle, which dominates the view from the station. We spent a few hours exploring the huge castle grounds and the interior of the castle.
“Beware of bird poop”
I could visit Himeji castle over and over without getting bored; there is just so much to see and enjoy. It was a bit of a letdown to walk away from the beautiful castle towards the station. We boarded the shinkansen again bound for Osaka, which would be our home for the next few days. Good bye Himeji!
March 26, 2006 part 2 – Exploring Numazu
Posted by Barniferous in Visitors on August 7, 2016
My parents, The Penpal, and The Penpal’s Parents enjoying a windy day at Senbonhama Beach
After an eventful morning where my parents did some solo sightseeing, we met up with The Penpal and her parents to see some sights in Numazu. Both of their cars were too small to hold six adults, so we divided up into a men’s car and a woman’s car. While we were driving, my dad had about a million questions for The Penpal’s father, and I did my best to translate their conversation. I’m happy that my father is a friendly, outgoing person, but by the time we got out of the car my brain was tired!
We visited Senbonhama Park and beach, and then went on to the giant tsunami gate View-O, where I had been with The Penpal’s father before. Everyone got a chance to talk and hang out before we ended up at the mountaintop restaurant for dinner.
My parents were jetlagged and overwhelmed by everything, but they enjoyed getting a chance to spend time with me, their future daughter in law and her family. Over dinner we discussed the plans for the rest of the week. Tomorrow morning my parents and I were going to get up early and head west for 4 days in Himeji, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara.
It was a fun day, and a good way to spend time with my two families.
March 26, 2006 part 1 – Canadian parents on the loose in Japan
Posted by Barniferous in Visitors on August 5, 2016
I showed up at my parent’s hotel in the morning, surprised to find that they were not only awake, but had already been out of the hotel and had some adventures on their own. This is not something that would have happened on their first trip to Japan!
My parents had woken up early due to jetlag and general excitement about their trip. Instead of hiding in the hotel room, they went and introduced themselves to the desk staff, who had already been told that Canadians were staying in the hotel. Instead of being intimidated, the staff were eager to practice their English with the friendly gaijins. Note to any of my students: do this! Practice English when you have the opportunity, especially with native speakers!
After having some breakfast, my dad started asking the hotel clerks about the parking lot. Hotel Miwa has an automated parking system, which is an awesome way to store a lot of cars in a small space. We had seen a demo of this kind of car storage at Toyota Mega Web in Odaiba on my parents’ first visit. My dad asked the clerk for a demo, and he happily retrieved and put away cars so my parents could watch. Customer service in Japan is generally exceptional, but taking the time to retrieve car after car to entertain a guest is really going above and beyond.
Car in an automatic parking system
My parents had also wandered over to the nearby Ito-Yokado, a cool department store / grocery chain. My dad manged to order a coffee and got his picture taken with a female model who was standing near a car inside the store. I’m not sure the exact context of what happened, and I don’t think my dad really knew what was going on either. He just somehow ended up in this picture:
The first time my parents came to Japan I was their tour guide and never too far away from them. This time was already different, and I was looking forward to seeing what we would get up to!
March 25, 2006 part 2 – Press this button in case of muggers
Posted by Barniferous in Visitors on August 1, 2016
After a dinner with my parents and my future in-laws, we took my parents to check in at their hotel. I booked a room for them at Hotel Miwa, which is a sensibly priced hotel just north of Numazu station.
Before deciding on a hotel, I did some research online and asked coworkers. I learned that not only was Hotel Miwa convenient and reasonably priced, but some of the staff spoke English as well. The last time my family came to visit, I was able to get them a room in the dormitory style place I was living so they were never too far away. This time they would be a 15 minute walk from my apartment in a country where they couldn’t speak the language. The staff having some basic English ability was a big relief for all of us.
After we got checked in, my father in law handed out printed itineraries for all of us (bilingual of course), complete with contact numbers for everyone. We also took a brief walk around the hotel to get my parents familiar with the area. The Penpal’s father made sure to point out the “press in case of emergency” buttons near the station in case they were suddenly cornered by a gang of muggers.
For some reason Japanese people (especially the older generation) believe their country is dangerous. In my several years of living in Japan, I have never felt safer. Typically the only things that get stolen in Japan are bicycles and umbrellas. Yes, there is crime, but the average person would actually have to go looking for trouble to put themselves in an unsafe situation.
We said goodnight and decided on a time to meet in the morning, then I retrieved my bike and rode home. It was a strange feeling knowing that my parents had just traveled 9000 km to see me, but they were staying across town.
Drinking in Japan 
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