#16: Public Transportation

Here in Japan we don't own a car. Really, there's no need and that freedom is nice. That is why I have put public transportation on my list of things we are going to miss about Japan. It's somewhat convenient and earth-friendly. :)

Deacon loves the trains!


A rare occasion....a bench all to ourselves. :)


This is the inside of the station we use the most, Den-en-chofu.


Figuring out the train system in Japan is a daunting task. But, once you've accomplished it everything starts falling into place and it's quite easy from that point.

A map and the listings of how much it costs to get from where you are to where you're going. Underneath the map are the ticket machines.


In America a teenager looks forward to the day they turn 16 because with it comes a driver's license and with that, a new-found sense of freedom. Here in Japan that just isn't the case. Many people don't even have a driver's license, or if they do they got it much later in life than 16 years old. They don't need it. Getting somewhere one doesn't need to rely on always having a licensed driver. Just hop on a train. You can get almost anywhere in Japan via public transportation. Be it train, bus, taxi, and/or ferry.

Little guy waiting for his train to get to school.


We have been able to go to a lot of places in Japan thanks to an amazing rail system. Here we are on a shinkansen (bullet train) with our friends.




My wonderful and dear friends, Jennifer and Evonne, came to visit us in Japan. We took a trip out of the city and I was asking them where we were going. As you can see, no one was all that excited that I was taking this video. :)


Trains have a lot of great amenities. We took a trip down south to the Izu Peninsula and on that train ride our train had a children's play room. Deacon had a blast. :)


One thing, however, I WON'T miss about public transportation is crowded trains. They are AWFUL. Seriously, packed. Just when you think no one else can get on five more people seem to fit! It puts the stuffing-clowns-into-a-car feat at a circus to shame. It's that bad. If you have ever heard rumors of people having to be pushed into trains by station attendants just to get the doors of the train to shut because they are so crowded the rumors are true. I have seen it only once (it's mainly during the morning rush hour which I try to avoid) and it makes me stare. Even though my mama taught me that staring is rude, I just can't help it. It's unlike anything I have ever seen. I have posted a video below from youtube.com. We have never taken a pic...I think we were too busy staring in amazement to think about pulling out a camera.

I posted this on a post a long time ago but I figured it needed to be re-posted for this entry because it's just so funny. This happened to me after we had been here maybe two months and hasn't happened since. I'm so glad we got it on video.

#17: Mt. Fuji

The first four months we were in Japan the majestic Fuji was elusive to us. We even went to a spot where it was almost a guarantee we could see it but it never appeared. I like to think the mountain is shy often hiding behind clouds. My first glimpse of Fuji was in May of 2008. It was breathtaking. It's like I was looking at a painting or a picture or huge backdrop or something. It just didn't seem real. I took a pic that day but as always with majestic scenery the pictures don't do Fuji justice.



Jason has climbed this beast and we hope to do so again at the end of July just before we leave Japan. I can't not climb this thing! :) This mountain (or dormant volcano) is beautiful. I love it because it stands alone and it ascends gradually when you look at it from far away. I am so thankful that I have been able to see it on just more than one occasion. I will miss having the possibility of seeing it. Seeing Mt. Fuji is not part of our daily life but it is one of those things that have made this place, this country, beautiful for us.

These pics below aren't ours but I wanted to post some that showed a more "thorough" view of Mt. Fuji and some with cherry blossoms (also one of my favorites).

#18: Seto

Tucked away on a very tiny street is a small restaurant named, Seto. Seriously, it's tiny. There is only space for about 7 people to sit down at a bar. The chefs, a precious little elderly couple, have a very small space in which to maneuver. This place is fabulous for more reasons than just delicious food. The atmosphere is comfy and familiar. People come in and talk to one another. It's the Japanese version of the local dinner/coffee shop of the U.S.

Whenever we go we always get the same thing...chicken katsu. Basically, fried chicken but not fried chicken like in the U.S. There are no bones just succulent chunks of chicken, battered in a flaky breading and smothered in a delicious sauce that is common to Japanese katsu. This sauce, however, is homemade and better than any other katsu sauce I've had in Japan. The rest of the dish is served with a cabbage salad (love cabbage now thanks to Japan), the best miso soup, pickled daikon (a root vegetable that is a staple in Japanese foods), and a bowl of rice. I will most certainly miss this little place, the people, the feeling of it, and the food.

The front of the restaurant. This picture shows the width of this place...see, it's tiny.


The precious elderly couple who own and run this place. It's just the two of them. :)


Jason took this pic from the outside looking in. Where the picture cuts off on the right hand side is where the wall is. Walking between the wall and the stools is like scooting between people in rows of seats....slide front foot out, bring the back foot to the front foot and repeat the shuffle as you scoot along to your stool.


Enjoying some fabulous food. Jason's cousin, Ryan, was in town visiting us. Jason took this pic from the outside, through a little window, looking in.


After the meal Deacon and I hop onto the bike to head home. He loves riding in the bike and where his helmet...or "hat" as he calls it. :)

Hiccup in the countdown....

We lost our camera on our trip to China in March. Hence, I have been delayed on my countdown. Having no camera to easily tote around to capture the shots necessary to document all that I need/want to has caused me some slight delay. However, there is good news...we have just received our new camera in the mail. I have been taking pics and so the posting will commence. Hopefully at a some what rapid pace because I have a lot of catching up to do.

#19: Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)

One of my favorite Sakura trees in our neighborhood. Pic taken 2008

We left for Indonesia and China on Friday, March 19th and the cherry blossoms ("sakura" in japanese) were still tucked away in the buds. When we returned on April 1st they were in full bloom here in Tokyo! Their beauty is breathtaking to me. I could stare at them for hours.

This is our third Sakura season. During Sakura '08 it was just Jason and myself. Sakura '09 I was 9 months pregnant making us 2.5. Finally, Sakura 2010 there is three! Jason, myself, and our beautiful baby boy, Deacon who will be one year old on the 15th of this month! Is that for real?

I will greatly miss the cherry trees of Japan. I know there are cherry trees in the US but it's just not the same. The Japanese gather friends, and food, and booze and sit underneath the trees enjoying the beauty and taking in the nature. There is even a word for this experience... ohanami. I think literally translated it means to view the flowers. (Japanese speakers please correct me on this if I'm wrong.) I will miss the picnics and the time spent with friends underneath these trees. It's not only about the blooming of the flower but also what this time of year seems to do to this culture. Like the blossoms, people seem to open up a little more themselves.

Jason and me in Ueno Park. Sakura '08


Jason and me and baby in Naka-Meguro. 2009


This is a cherry blossom tree outside of our school. This pic was taken 2009.


View of the Sakura trees in Naka-Meguro this year, 2010.


Jason and me in Naka-Meguro 2010 and Deacon asleep in the stroller.


The Kuiper Fam in Yokohama 2010!

#20: Customer Service

Our recent trip to China has made me VERY aware of the next item on my list of things I will miss about Japan...FABULOUS customer service. I mean simply awesome! Yes, of course, there is the occasional establishment that makes me frustrated but our experience, as a whole, has shown us that Japan takes care of their customers. Let me give you an example, our friend told us this story about a year ago. He and his family had order McDonald's for take out. They got their food home and realized they didn't have their french fries. My friend called McDonald's and told them they had forgotten the fries. After numerous apologies on the phone a McDonald's employee then DROVE the fries to my friend's house! This is good customer service! Stories like this are not the exception but the rule.

I will greatly miss the customer service here. Another small example, when you leave a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) they will sometimes come outside to wave, bow, and see you off until you are out of site. When Jason took a trip with the school down to Kyushu there were several staff members of the hotel where they were staying lined up waiting outside to greet the buses as they pulled into the establishment. You are always greeted when you enter a store and always thanked when you leave a store....even if you didn't buy anything.

Also, when unexpected things happen such as a poopy diaper explosion on an airplane seconds before take-off they react with patience, kindness, and a desire to help in any way they can.

If you have to wait in line to give your order or check out at a register, you are apologized to for having to wait. And if you have to wait for a little longer than the norm (about 3-5 minutes) they apologize for the hard wait you had to endure...seriously, they say that....in Japanese, of course. Sometimes we get a waiter that bows to us before he takes our order (kinda like a greeting) and after he takes it before he walks away and this is at a cheap restaurant.

Requests from customers is expected unlike in the US when you feel like you almost have to apologize for asking the staff to help you with something.

We were talking to some people from the Netherlands when we were in Indonesia and they had lived in the states for a time and they said that the US had very good customer service and I thought to myself, "Have you ever been to Japan? Because if you had, you wouldn't be saying such things."

#21: The Onsen

Doesn't take me long, does it? Yep, I am already behind...sheesh! Well, anyway, without further ado I give you #21...THE ONSEN!

I LOVE the onsen. I will GREATLY miss the onsen. If I were doing this in order of things I will miss the most with the most being at number one the onsen would easily be in my top five. Going to the onsen is a great past time for the Japanese people. It's not just about relaxing but also hanging out with your friends.

So, what is an onsen exactly? The onsen uses water that is pulled up from the earth directly underneath the building that is above it. The kicker, that is difficult for most North Americans to handle(other countries possibly too), is that you go in the buff. That's right, NO BATHING SUITS ALLOWED! Yes, you have to go with a mixed crowd, men and women in the same area......haha...no, that parts not true. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. :) The baths ARE separated into men and women. There are all different kinds of baths. Certain waters are known to have great minerals. Certain areas of Japan are known more for their onsens and people make special trips just to enjoy them. There are baths inside and outside. My favorite experience was when we went to an onsen that was outside and along the ground there was snow and it ran along side a river. Beautiful. The last picture posted in this entry is from that particular onsen. Some of these onsen are a couple of a hundred years old. The atmosphere and landscaping is often very natural looking...lots of wood and greenery. Some of the waters are different temperatures and may vary from bath to bath and location to location.

Here's the process:

Step 1: go into the changing room and strip down.

Step 2: take your very small 3ft X 1ft towel with you that is just big enough to hide the essentials and walk to the showering area. in the showering area there are no such things as stalls...you're naked! what's the point in stalls?!? Also, you sit down on a little stool to bathe. see below pic.


Step 3: bathe yourself...head to toe.

Step 4: circumspectly stand up from your bathing stool and embrace the fact that you are being seen (but, the japanese are polite, they don't stare...too often anyway)

step 5: make your way to soak and relax in the wonderfully hot waters of the japanese bath. but, be sure NOT to get your bathing towel in the water...this is seen as rude. As that is the towel you just washed your body with...don't put that dirty thing in the clean water! Most people fold the towel and put in on their head (I do this. But first, before leaving the showering area, I get it wet with cold water. I place it on my head to keep me cool) or fold it neatly and place it out side the onsen water.

step 6: SOAK and RELAX..dab yourself with cool water so you don't pass out (Alina Croall! :P) as necessary then go back to.....SOAK and RELAX, SOAK and RELAX.

I never feel quite as relaxed and rested as I do after I get out of the onsen. Not sure what it is about this style of bathing but it is so relaxing. Well, it is for those who can get past the fact they are naked in front of everyone.

I have posted some pics of some of the onsens we have been to. The first four pics shown aren't ours. They were taken from the website of the location. The last one is of Jason and two of our friends, Bernie and Mike.

Inside at one of our favorites: Shiraku Onsen in Yakou (15-20 minutes from our house)


This is from the Hotel Green Plaza in Hakone (about 2 hours away). Yes, you can see Mt. Fuji from the bath outside. It doesn't seem real.



Another outside bath, at the onsen we went to just this past weekend, in Shimoda. It was a great vacay away from Tokyo. (Will blog about that trip later)


The inside of the onsen at Kanaya Ryokan in Shizuoka. Same onsen as the pic above.


In Gunma in the snow. disclaimer: I, Abby, a female, did not take this pic. :)