Destinations

Wednesday July 20, 2016

After lunch, we went to a Bamboo forest in Kamakura at the Hokokuji temple.  There is something very soothing and relaxing about a bamboo grove, this one even had a Zen Garden.  I couldn’t help but think of “Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon” as I walked through.

When we arrived in Kamakura in the morning, I noticed that there are a lot of young people walking around town in traditional clothing.   While at the Bamboo forest, there were several groups of young girls in traditional clothing posing for pictures.  I noticed that some of them were even wearing the traditional wooden sandals.  They were having a hard time walking.  One couple had stopped and were band-aids on their feet.  I bet they will rethink the footwear on future outings.

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Wednesday July 20, 2016

 Today was another Viator (JTB) tour.  This time it was to Kamakura and Tokyo Bay. When we boarded the tour bus, I was surprised to see that the Spanish speaking couple and their young son that sat in front of us the day before were once again sitting in front of us.  What were the odds of that?  Thankfully, the bus was half full and I was able to move away from them, the kid was well-behaved but wasn’t interested in the tour and continually talked over the guide.  I didn’t want to listen to it again.

As with the previous day, we again left Tokyo and were taken to the countryside.  We would spend the day around Kamakura, a resort area close to the beach.  The first stop was the Kamakura Giant Buddha, a bronze statue over 45 feet high.  The statue was cast in 1252 and was housed inside a large temple which has since been destroyed many times and is therefore standing in open air.

Besides the Buddha, there was not a whole lot else to see at this first stop.  Lunch was the next stop!

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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

After lunch, our tour headed to see Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall.  Lake Chujenzi is a natural lake with Kegon Waterfall the only exit for the waters of the lake.  To get to the lake, the bus took a one way road twisty road up the mountain that had 20 curves.  The road down had 28.  Although the views of the forest were beautiful, it was an unsettling ride.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Woke up early and had breakfast and headed out on a tour of Nikko National Park that I booked through viator.com.  We were picked up to the hotel, taken to a Bus depot where we checked in for the tour .  As we waited, I noticed that we were given pre-assigned seats on the bus. I told Sophon that I thought this was a very good idea – every time I board a tour bus, it reminds me as a kid on how I fought with my siblings over who got the front and window seats.

We boarded the bus and sure enough there were a couple of older woman who were not happy that they did not get the front seat.  Other people wanted window seats or an empty seat next to them but the bus was full and seats were preassigned. There was a lot of fuss and Sophon simply said, “You were just telling me about this! You called that one right!”

I told him that there was more fun to come, the problem with tours is that for the most part, people are good and they follow the rules.  Then you have a small percentage of people who think they are the only one on the tour.  Someone will talk over the guide, making it impossible to hear the guide.  Someone will announce they need to use the restroom stop when we made a restroom stop 10 minutes before.  My favorites top two things that happen on tours are people coming back late to the bus without even offering an apology.  At the top of the list is the person who pulls out the camera and starts taking pictures even though the guide has made it clear that photos aren’t allowed and there are signs hanging everywhere.  I was sure he would see it all during the next couple of days and sure enough we did.

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Monday, July 18th, 2016

Arrived in Tokyo after a 12 hour flight, was met at the airport by a guide and taken to the Ritz Carlton Tokyo.  Yes, I am living it up on this trip.  First time I have stayed in a Ritz Carlton.  Overall a good trip.  Everything went as planned, which is what I want.

Unfortunately, as I left Los Angeles, my friend Cindy who was joining me on the trip, was having issues with her flights.  I felt horrible that she was stuck in Dallas.  There was little that I could do and knew that I would have limited if any internet access.  When I landed, the news hadn’t gotten any better due to flight cancellations and delayed.  I could not imagine anything worst than starting a vacation with flight problems.

As I left Narita airport, I realized that although I have flown through Narita a dozen times, this was the first time I was looking at it from the outside.  Finally, I was going to see Tokyo. I was excited.  I would have a couple of days “free days” and then I was going to join a Group from Admiral Travel with Chef Roy Yamaguchi and his wife as the hosts.  It was a culinary tour.  I was combing my love of food with my love for travel.  A trip made in heaven. Continue reading →