Author: hinagiku

 It was totally awesome!

Looking back through our posts about our first trip, I’m realizing that we put very little detail into them. Probably because we were writing at internet cafe’s and visitor info centres and were on a time limit. It was also not possible to really add pictures to those posts, so I’ll throw a few of those in now for you.

On our first trip to Kyoto, we rented bikes the first day we were in the city and tried to find a few places like the Philosopher’s Path.

Since I’m not a very good cyclist and was in a foul mood after having a run in with a wall (which I can now laugh about, instead of being embarrassed about) we ended up stopping before we found it and went in to the closest available temple. It turned out to be very cool despite the fact that it was under restoration. One of the things we wanted to do this time was find the temple again and see the artwork restored.

Because Lance is an awesome navigator, we actually found the temple quite easily. And discovered we were about 200 metres shy of the Philosopher’s Path when we gave up on our first trip! (But that’s ok as it probably would have done us in had we found it).

The first time through all of this was covered with scaffolding as they worked to bring back the original brilliance of the colours.

The temple also had a couple of other cool things like an awesome bell and the dragon walkway!

I think that with this latest trip, we have officially purchased at least one of every stereotypical Japanese souvenir that exists. Just like Pokemon, you gotta catch ’em all, right? The challenge to you, dear readers, is to name a souvenir in the comments, if you think we haven’t got it yet. Go ahead, I dare you!

We have also finally bought some things for Locutus.  So long as the items are clearly for him, he gets the same duty-free allowance that we do. So I’m trying to carefully keep track of which expenses are going under each person.

Some other random details in a stream of consciousness fashion . . . we’ve finally arrived in Fukuoka for the sumo tournament. Sadly we were too late to get general admission tickets for the first day and we didn’t want to spend $200 for tickets the first day, so we went back to our hotel room in order to watch on tv. It’s going to be strange for us not to have sumo in the background in the evenings during this sumo tournament.

We believe we’ve found a solution to posting photos of Locutus on a public forum. Stay tuned!

Some ‘mommy’ thoughts . . . I’m noticing quite a bit of baby-wearing so far. Mostly it’s soft-sided carriers and lots of Ergo’s – yay! Their Ergo’s seem to be a bit more fancy than ours. Different colours and patterns on the interior so it looks good even when it’s hanging down and the baby isn’t in it. Plus, most of them make extensive use of the hood so it’s always hanging out. Babies are bundled ridiculously, just like their parents are (seriously, toques even if it’s over 10 Celsius!). And I don’t think I’ve seen more that 1 or 2 babies being worn on the back. I guess it’s because Asian babies tend to be so much lighter than their Caucasian counterparts. A lot of people have guessed that Locutus is 2 already, because he walks so well and is so large.

Ok, a messy, stinky diaper is demanding my immediate attention. Good thing we’re in our hotel instead of the sumo stadium!

Kyoto is so chock full of temples and shrines it’s easy to see something new every time you come. I thought I’d do some more detailed posts about some of the new old sites we’re seeing during our time in Kyoto.

We’d seen Kinkakuji (Golden Pavillion) before and this time we really wanted to see Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavillion. The Golden Pavillion was named because it is actually covered in gold leaf (well, I’m not sure if they actually did that for the restoration, but it is gleamingly gold). So you’d think that the Silver Pavillion would be silver, right? Well, you’d be so very, very wrong. I believe it was named thusly to indicate that it was built during the great time after the Golden Pavillion. (Do you sense the innate hierarchy that is so prevalent in Asian culture?).

So we went up to the Silver Pavillion by bus since it is fairly towards the top of the map (which you’d think would be North, but it isn’t.) On the way we got to do a bit of people watching on the bus. The particular route we were on ended in the foothills of the mountains, so when I saw a group of girls wearing parkas and big winter hats and serious looking boots with backpacks, I assumed they were on their way for an outdoor adventure.

The one sitting on the left also had awesome pink moustache earrings.

See? Not so silver.

Just like at Golden Pavillion there was a spot where people toss their coins and try to hit a target. It’s for luck, I’m assuming. This time we all faced forward and there were also school boys attempting. And, just like last time, guess who hit it with a definitive ‘click’ on her first try? Oh yeah, that would be me. However, the boys were distracted by the cuteness of my baby so my coin tossing didn’t receive the same chorus of appreciation.

My 10 yen coin is one of the ones on the right of the rock 😉

We walked the Philosophers Path, shopped Kiyomizu-dera twice, talked to three crazy old men, and toured the palace and fortifications of Nijo Castle. Not to mention the fact that Locutus has charmed over 40,000 girls and been an unbelievable trooper the entire time. Our visit to Kyoto is an unqualified success, no doubt about it!

I think…I’ve got it! We’re supposed to blog about it!

It’s 4:30. That’s not late! No, it’s early, early, early!

Here we are in a Tokyo hotel room at an entirely too early time of morning. We’re trying everything we can think of to keep Locutus happy and quiet until it’s a more reasonable hour and we can exchange our vouchers for train tickets, get food, and go tour the Imperial Gardens. I was going to try to post some pictures, but the only ones I’ve snapped so far are on my iPhone and the new computer and iPhone aren’t playing too well together yet.

Locutus has made a bunch of new friends already, including one of the flight attendants. He spent take off leaning over the arm rest of his chair and waving back and forth with her, completely oblivious to the fact that the giant metal tube we were speeding along in was leaving terra firma. That was the beginning of a beautiful 10 hour friendship.

Locutus did not need any of the gravol and took to the entire flying experience very well. He spent so much time in each of the galleys on the plane that he now knows where to find extra napkins, chopsticks, and, most importantly, the beer. He was very warm on the plane (as were Lance and I – I think running up and down the aisles helped contribute to this a little) so it wasn’t long before he’d stripped down to a diaper and socks. Even then he was drawn to the very back of the plane where it was refrigerated.

The most confusing part so far has been for the Japanese immigration, customs, and hotel clerks who just don’t understand where the rest of our baggage is. They were all very concerned that we had forgotten something. Luckily, aside from not having a writing instrument for our customs forms, it looks like we did remember everything.

Our hotel was easy to find. Very close to Tokyo station. However, Tokyo station is at least the size of Metrotown and we had to walk from one end to the other first in order to get to the exit next to our hotel. The lobby has a train set of Tokyo in it! The staff even ran over to turn it on for me when I was showing it to Locutus. They also have provided an adorable ‘children’s amenity set’ that has a cute little bag with a children’s wash cloth, kid size slippers, and a toothbrush & paste set. To show his appreciation, our son is helping them arrange the hotel room properly by relocating the waste bin to the middle of the hallway, tv remote to the bathroom floor, and liberally decorating with bits of torn up toilet paper. I’m sure they’ll thank us on the way out!

Just in case you were wondering about the kind of weather we’ll be having in Japan while we’re gone, here are a couple of screenshots I took this morning while checking the weather (yes I’m at that vacation prep stage where you check your destination weather every morning too).

Technically we start in Tokyo, but we’re only staying a very short time there. Then it’ll (probably) be on to Kyoto. After that we head to Fukuoka.

These are about ideal weather conditions for us. A bit of rain, cool temperatures, but not too cold. I’ll be able to get away with a t-shirt (& jacket) and Lance is already debating whether he’s even going to bother with a jacket at all.

There’s a zen concept called ‘Beginner’s Mind.’ It encourages you to look at things as though you are a beginner. To experience the full scope of wonder and newness of things. Part of the experience of parenting is having the opportunity to experience beginner’s mind as you look at the world through the eyes of your child and see them experience things as a true beginner for the first time. And, part of the experience of this trip for Benevolance and I will be watching our son Locutus experience so many things as a beginner. (For those who don’t know, Locutus is his screen name.)

Part of what comes with the beginner’s mind experience for me is some anxiety and fear that comes with facing new situations. I’ve never traveled with a small child before and all the ‘what if’s’ are continually racing through my mind. My mantra is ‘do not borrow tomorrow’s sorrow’ as a reminder that I cannot control or predict what will happen.

It helps that we’re keeping out travel routine as close to normal as possible. So, we’re still flying carry-on only! And we’re keeping our schedule flexible and open. So while we do have a list of things we want to do, a reservation in a hotel for our first night, and a plan to watch as much sumo as possible, we are free to be as flexible as possible. Which I think will work well when traveling with Locutus. If he’s got a major cranky day, we don’t have to get on a long train ride where he’ll be more confined (except for the last days where we will need to get back to the airport for our flight). Instead we can play in a park or explore some city streets where his shouts and cries will simply add to the symphony of noises, and not cause (as much) irritation to others.

So keep checking back in this space (or subscribe to the blog if you are more technically advanced) for updates and stories along the way.

For some odd, inexplicable reason, I started a list of the hotels we stayed at and began assigning a superlative description to each of them. I think it adds a little flavour to an otherwise incredibly similar set of hotel stays. Since we’re now in our final hotel of the trip, I thought I’d share the list with you.