Beautiful Japan

I started this blog to keep up with what's going on in my son (and family's life) since it all goes by so quickly.  Along with that though, I feel that I have experienced some things that I do not ever want to forget.  So what better way to remember than to write them in a diary (or for modern day, blog).  I plan to go back through some of my favorite life moments, which includes a whole lot of traveling.  Hopefully, if any of them are places you want to go, this can help in your travel plans. 
Well, where to start? 
Waking up this morning, I, along with all of you, was bombarded with the tragic stories of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan.  It breaks my heart that people are going through this.  Immediately, I was in a whirlwind of memories from my travels to Japan.  I decided that was a good place to begin.  I'm sure that the Japan I visited nearly 4 years ago will not be the Japan that is visited in the future after all of the devastation it created. 
How I experienced it:

Zach and I went there as one of our destinations on our honeymoon.  We flew into Narita Airport, in Tokyo, which is now closed indefinitely.  From the start, we loved the cleanliness of Tokyo, the respect the people showed, and the difference from our culture.   Not to mention, the FOOD! 

Zach is not all that adventurous in his sushi eating, but here, he decided to go for it.  We ate plate after plate that came down the conveyor belt not knowing what it was, but diving right in.  Luckily, even though some looked quite interesting, we loved it all.  Now, just don't tell us what everything was! :)

We also liked the soba noodles and the style to which is acceptable to eat.  Bowls are picked up and slurped.  Here I am participating in that!

Japan was just all around beautiful.  It is so clean, in fact there are no trash cans outside because the government doesn't allow it.  It contradicts what you would expect to see outside then:  people just throwing trash all around.  Instead, it instills a pride among them and they really keep it spotless, allowing the beauty of the city to shine through.

Zach and I ventured through the Himarkyu Gardens.  We really enjoyed this part, because not only is it a hidden escape in busy Tokyo, but we also found ourselves in a unique situation.  We stumbled upon a teahouse so we took our shoes off and went in to have some of their green tea.  We were escorted outside to the deck and then approached by a camera crew asking if we would mind being on Tokyo's news drinking the tea.  We said of course (Hey, it's our 15 minutes of fame right!!! )  And now, we are professional Japanese tea drinkers.  Quite an honor!! :)

We went to Asakusa, which is a more traditional part of Japan.  It was a very short boat ride from Tokyo.  We spent the day there looking at the temples and shrines.  Also very beautiful.  Buddha statues were situated around and we were fascinated by it.

Japan is also were I grew a love hate relationship.  Not with the country.  Not with my (new) husband.  But with Mt. Fuji.  I say Mt. Fuji now and vividly remember how much I despise it.....and adore it.  Why?  Well...we decided since we are very active people we would take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Fuji...at night...  This begins at 10:30 pm and the goal (which not all make) is to make it to the summit by 4:30 in the morning to watch the sunrise...if you are lucky.  It is not always visible through the thick clouds but when it is, it is described as breathtaking.  We set off with our thin jackets (because it IS Japan and HOT afterall) and short sleeve shirts underneath.  We got to the base of the mountain and met a Romanian personal trainer who wanted to join us.  Though we thought the trek wouldn't be too tough, we welcomed a trainer who could push us.  So we began.  Initially, in the dark night, it was exhilirating.  It felt like this would be a true accomplishment and we were excited.  As we were rapidly passing other hikers, we were feeling very confident in our abilities and the fact that we would easily beat our 4:30 AM goal to be at the top.  Well, that feeling didn't last too much longer.  Even though it was a tough climb and was getting our body temperature up, we started realizing how cold we were, and our toes (in too small of shoes-good choice Nicki) were bleeding, and our knees (which always give Zach problems) were beginning to throb.  This didn't look like quite the bright idea anymore.  BUT we had the trainer....so he pushed us "No problem guys, we can do this, come on, come on..."  It helped.  Then it stopped.  And we realized HE was the one dragging behind us and WE were the ones encouraging him to push through. 

Here we all are.

We continued through the pain and cold and challenge that any mountain would present.   And then, as we were watching one smart group of people after another stop at huts to spend the rest of the night in, that they clearly reserved, and we were achingly jealous that we weren't smart enough to do the same thing, we realized...we were almost there.  The top was looming very close to us...we could almost reach for it.  HA!  It seemed.  But it was ammo to keep us moving.  We eventually did make it.  And guess what.  We got there at 2:30 AM.  A whole 2 hours before the goal.  OH we were excited.  Then the harsh reality, there was not a place to go in.  The little huts didn't open until 4:30, ha, guess that's why they encouraged people to arrive then.

 So, after being scolded by a Japanese guard of a hut to "get out, you do not have reservations", the three of us huddled as close, literally as CLOSE as 3 adult humans could possibly get and shivered off the bitter cold for 2 hours.  But it sure felt like many more.  Finally, one hut opened but would only let you in if you bought something...we welcomed that and bought many bowls of HOT soup! 

After huddling in there over the fire for a bit, the sun began coming up , and it looked like a day that we were going to be able to marvel at the beauty of the Japanese mountain sunrise.  Here it is:

Suddenly, with this view above the clouds, it all seemed worth it.  We DID IT!!!

And then the journey down began.....honestly, much more brutal then going up.  Every ache and cut is throbbing at this point and realizing that you still HAVE to do it in order to get down is daunting.  But we did.  And we got back to the base around 11:00 AM.  So we hadn't slept since 2 nights ago.  We hiked from 10:30PM to 11:00 AM, guess what....when we got back to the hotel, we slept the entire day and woke up the next day and treated ourselves to massages and pampering.  It was a great feat and a horrible idea all in one!  I don't know that I'd do it again, but it was worth the memory and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

We decided to try a restaurant, Yabu Soba, that was recommended to us by some of the Japanese guys that Zach works with.  It was a fun experience because on the way there, we couldn't find it at all, so we stopped to ask for directions.  Their culture is so respectful and helpful that they want to feel as though they are helping, so they told us "Oh yes, go left and then turn right at _____ Street, you'll see it."  We did that, no sign.  So we asked again and got told a complete different direction.  This happened about 5 times until we realized they were just too kind to tell us they didn't know.  We found it and it was delicious!

If you find yourself in Tokyo, just turn right, then left, then follow the curve, turn left again and at the truck, go right and you'll get there.  :)  No, but seriously...it would be worth attempting to find.  Here are a few more pics from the trip.

Pagoda

Imperial Palace

In writing all of this, and reliving the beautiful adventure we had here, I pray that the people and cities that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami be healed quickly and can recover as easily as possible.  I pray that families who have lost find peace and are able to rebuild.  I pray that many reach out to help in any way possible.  I am sad for them and hope that life can go back to normal for them soon.