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| Travelling with prescription medication to japan; Rules and unusual taboos | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 12 2014, 09:15 PM (1,382 Views) | |
| sooty | Oct 10 2014, 10:21 AM Post #31 |
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Blue Star Member
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Day eleven Japan, Thursday Kyoto After breakfast we headed out on our city tour. First stop was Nijo Castle. Built in 1603 for Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to show his power and that of the Emperor. There are a series of meeting rooms, dependant on the status of the visitor with the one for the Imperial Messenger having a raised floor. No one was above the Emperor. The floors are designated " nightingale floors" as they make a sound as you walk to alert the sentries. Even the meeting room of the highest level had screens to hide armed guards. There was some beautiful screen paintings and two way wooden carvings with peacocks on one side and I forgot the other! I pushed D around again. This site was disability friendly, one of very few in the historic setting. It was also good for me as I had something to rest on. The next place we visited was Kinkakuji, the Temple Of Gold Pavilion. Set in gardens and lakes it was a magnificent sight, reflecting in the water. The surrounding trees were starting to change and some mimicked the gold. I got halfway around and then returned as the far side had a series of steps. This shrine was very crowded with tourists and school groups. It was originally built for a Shogun and his son converted it to a temple. In 1950 a monk , obsessed with the temple, burnt it down. It has been completely reconstructed, covered in gold leaf. Our final Temple was the Heian Shrine and Gardens. Our ticket gave us a blessing in Japanese script. The Shrine was similar in layout to past Shinto Shrines but the gardens were extra special. Ponds with carp and turtle, waterlilly and meandering pathways through the gardens and trees. It was not as crowded and therefore more peaceful. From here we walked to the Tea Ceremony. We were able to watch and hear the detailed explanation of this cultural event. The bonus was that we were on stools, not on the floor. Some of our group were dropped off in the Gion area for more sightseeing . I had planned to see two more temples in my free time but as it was 3.00 pm I called the cultural part of the day to a close . I caught the hotel shuttle bus to one of the shopping and station precincts for a tiny bit of retail therapy. Then back to an early night as tomorrow we will be on the road almost twelve hours. A bit of a grumble. Dinner was 7.00 but as I hadn't booked was asked to come back at 8.00. Came at 8.00 to be offered 9.30pm. No vending machine so I went without and am really looking to breakfast today. I don't do room service and didn't want to walk a long way from the hotel. This area had a combini ( 7/11) about 1 km away and across the road ( overpass). Normally I have a muesli bar in my bag but had eaten it a few days ago. Still in view of the calorific intake of the holiday I may not have lost weight. |
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| blizzard | Oct 11 2014, 09:36 AM Post #32 |
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Gold Star Member
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If we made ice cream using the horse chestnuts here we would be violently ill - unless from the deer family. Do you know if what they used are the chestnuts often referred as conkers? |
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| blizzard | Oct 11 2014, 09:56 AM Post #33 |
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Gold Star Member
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Your descriptions and interest are making me reconsider not having Japan on my list of places I want to visit. I have had an interest in the gardens in Japan - I think they would be sublime. |
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| sooty | Oct 13 2014, 05:29 PM Post #34 |
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Blue Star Member
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Blizzard, I think the sign said horse chestnut , I assumed it was chestnut as human food. Certainly some places sold roasted chestnuts and I had several sweets at the Candy palace of two types of chestnut. My brother has three trees and I took a photo of the raw chestnuts at the candy palace for him but didn't think the sweets, soft and doughy would last till Christmas. The gardens are serene and I have enjoyed the autumn colours although it has only just started. The gardens at Ueno in Toyko are extra special with their avenues of cherry blossom but I wouldn't handle the crowds. |
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| sooty | Oct 13 2014, 05:31 PM Post #35 |
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Blue Star Member
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Day twelve Japan This was to be a long day on the coach. I was first in the queue for breakfast, see the previous days notes. As we travelled on the motorway the dreaded travellers curse struck. Fortunately we were able to make a restroom stop and two tablets later has made life more secure. Perhaps it was the green matcha tea? Continuing we drove on the Meishin expressway east toward Nagoya. I took a snap of a food outlet called Ninja, with the flying symbols on their banner. Can anyone remember the Samurai series on TV? We were again passing through tunnels with terraced tea plantations on the visible hillsides. We were given another origami task, a Samurai helmet, seven steps but this time I gave up on number four. Keiko spoke about the types of hot drinks in Japan. Green tea , of various quality, was the most popular with coffee also common. The coffee is not as strong as espresso but much more than Americano. Decaffeinated coffee is almost impossible to find. South of Nagoya we passed over large rivers that lead into the bay. This coastal route was in the prefecture of Aichi, whose symbol is a monster fish. There was a lot of industry and series of solar panels, stand alone and on buildings. To the right of the route was an amusement park with a huge outside roller coaster. It is a popular spot for children and teenagers. We approached the Hakone area and the road began to climb through beautiful trees, some Cyprus and others, deciduous trees. We could see Mt Fuji on the approach and all the cameras were clicking. A dull sky didn't do it justice. We arrived at the cable car station to take the car up and across the Owakudani valley. In Japan it is called a rope cable, not very comforting, but we did see the steel cables before boarding the closed car. I was more scared at Whistler. At the cable stop we were in the sulphurous steam area. You could see the steam escaping and the yellow colour and dare I say the smell. Not as strong as I remember Rotorua. There was a walk up the slope but I only managed ten minutes. You could buy hard boiled eggs cooked in the hot water from the emissions. Their shells were black with the chemical action of sulphur and they were hot to hold and peel. Two couples each kindly gave me one of their five, the number you bought. Odd numbers are good numbers in Japan. From here we drove down to Lake Ashi , a huge lake in the collapsed rim of a previous volcano, and took a cruise to the third station of Moto- Hakone. It was similar to Lake Katrine cruise in Scotland. Near the Moto- Hakone we could see a rebuilt guard house from past centuries. This route through the mountains brought pilgrims from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo). In olden days the wives of the nobles were left in Edo as hostage and any transit from Edo was checked to make sure the women were not being smuggled out. There was also a check on arms carried to prevent uprising. Here we also had more views of Mt Fuji, again not much contrast. Travelling now into darkness we approached Tokyo in peak traffic time. Past the Port of Yokohama and Kawaski City , under Tokyo Bay and finally approaching our hotel at Narita. All told it was 3000+ km for the whole tour and we clapped Massa San, our driver. Also Keiko , our tour guide , received our thanks and applause. |
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| sooty | Oct 13 2014, 05:34 PM Post #36 |
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Blue Star Member
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Day thirteen, Japan In the morning I had a leisurely start and I wandered around the hotel's Japanese garden. It opened into a foyer of the Grand Ballroom where staff were setting up for an afternoon wedding reception. Later , after a shopping trip to the local shopping complex, I saw the bride and groom having the first of many photos. The photographer twitched the gown and headdress numerous times to make that perfect photo. Keiko had told us that often the bride and groom have three changes of outfit for the day. A group of us from the coach had caught the shuttle bus to the Aeon shopping complex. A bit like Mall of America but not as big. A few bargains that I couldn't live without and a bun and soy latte from Starbucks completed the morning. Back at the hotel the wedding guests were assembling, modern and old style (kimono) outfits and they were all size eight or less. The men were in dinner or dark suits and a few in the Japanese male dress, don't know the name. The next group to sign in were a mob of 20 year old baseballers in their uniforms. There must be a tournament on this long weekend. I just rested in the lobby and enjoyed watching the passing parade of guests. My flight doesn't leave until 8.50pm. Family and friends know that I am paranoid about missing planes. Needless to say I left the hotel on the 3.30 bus and met Naomi at the airport. We had a pleasant two hours exchanging gifts, looking at my photos and having a light snack. Then through the departure gates, immigration and a long long walk to bay 46. Just lazing around and trying to decide if I want a cold drink and something to nibble on the plane. Of course they don't feed you enough! Fast forward, four hours sleep on the Narita Singapore trip, four hours in Singapore airport having an espresso then the longer flight to Melbourne. SA has excellent service and lovely lactose free meals, much better than qantas. They fall down on their movies and TV shows. I was so looking forward to Broadchurch and NCIS. Final flight to Adelaide and a taxi home. It is 10 on Monday and I am off to get puss from her holiday. Then the joys of unpacking, washing clothes etc. I can recommend the Japan Cosmos tour with provisos that there is a lot of walking. The sights and experiences were superb Sayonara to my wws friends. |
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| Darcie | Oct 14 2014, 01:14 AM Post #37 |
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Skeptic
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I want to thank you for your posts sooty. They are very descriptive and I can see in my mind. My granddaughter had a conference in Okinawa, her husband went with her and they traveled in Japan for 2 weeks. They hired a car but the GPS was in Japanese so getting to sights was a little hit or miss. I do have a lot of pictures to help me understand Japan a little more and with your posts it has added to it. Thanks. |
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| Darcie | Oct 14 2014, 01:14 AM Post #38 |
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Skeptic
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The site told me that I was posting too frequently and to wait and post again. or something like that. When I did I got a double post, Edited by Darcie, Oct 14 2014, 01:16 AM.
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| FuzzyO | Oct 14 2014, 01:19 AM Post #39 |
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Yes, thank you so much Sooty for your recountings, quite wonderful for we armchair travellers! Glad you are safely home, puss will be glad to see you! |
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| blizzard | Oct 16 2014, 07:25 AM Post #40 |
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Gold Star Member
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Sooty, thank you for sharing some of your adventures! |
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