Author: jhawknga

I know this is a blog about Japan. But part of the experience we welcomed with this assignment is the opportunity to visit other countries. The past week, my job took me to Mumbai, India. My wife was able to accompany me on this trip, so following the days of meetings we took a few vacation days to see a little of Mumbai. Here are our thoughts about India.

He said:  From what we saw, India is a fascinating, wonderful, disturbing, complicated, and sometimes overwhelming place. Throughout our time here, we were greeted by friendly, accepting people. Obviously, as Westerners, we stand out in a crowd. But at no time was anyone rude, nor did they seem to really pay much attention to our differences. Staff at the hotel and restaurants were, as perhaps could be expected, accommodating and genuinely helpful. Even during our excursions in the city and to a local island, we seemed to be at worst ignored, and often warmly accepted.

She said:  Usually when I accompany my husband on these trips, I have a couple of days on my own when he has meetings. This is not a problem for me, and I usually will spend that time wandering around the city we are visiting. Most cities are fairly walkable… with sites easily accessed on foot, or by public transit. Not so much with Mumbai, we found. Granted, our hotel was well outside the city center — north near Lake Powai – and seemed to be in an isolated pocket of hotels, upscale apartments, and small businesses. But I found that I could only walk 2 to 3 blocks in each direction before walking out into a much different area. Not that I only wanted to stay in the affluent parts of town, but I was not comfortable walking alone into neighborhoods of tin-roofed shanties and tarp shelters.

He said: And that is the disturbing and sometimes overwhelming part of Mumbai. Abject poverty is everywhere. You see multi-million dollar apartment buildings, and within steps neighborhoods of ramshackle tin shacks. Driving through the city, we saw huge areas where the living conditions were difficult, but at least people had some shelter and a home. Other places, people are living under bridges and on the sidewalks with no shelter, no belongings, nothing. It is hard to imagine how people live in these conditions…and difficult to understand how we can have so much, when so many have so very little.

New sky scrapers, older apartments and tin shed homess

Neighborhood

Carvings thousands of years old in Elephanta Caves

Lot of work done the hard way

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus – Victorian era railway station

Some have simple dwellings, others even less

Little girl by her home?

Clock tower at Mumbai University

Krishna depicted in a scene at Radha Gopinath Temple

Some parks are beautiful — The Hanging Gardens on Malabar Hill

Gandhi museum

Ganesha figure at a Hindu temple

Outdoor laundry employees over 1,000 people

Motor bikes and scooters are main forms of transportation. Here, a family model

Monkey see, monkey do on Gharipuri Island

She said:  We had a wonderful experience visiting Mumbai… But we hired a driver and guide to show us around. The chaos and traffic can be daunting. Touring by oneself is difficult. We saw many amazing sites in the city center, and visited a Hindu Temple. At the temple, we were invited by one of the monks to join them in the midday meal that they provided to the community. We sat on the floor and enjoyed eating wonderful Indian food with wonderful Indian people. We spent a day touring the Elephanta Caves on Gharipuri Island – again with a guide – and saw ancient Hindu carvings, as well as the adorable monkeys that inhabit the island.

All in all, this was a fascinating cultural experience for us. Of all the places we’ve visited during this assignment, this was in many ways the most difficult…and in other ways, the most unique and unforgettable.

As the “he” member of this blog team, one of the great opportunities I have with my job is a chance to see parts of the world I might otherwise never be able to go. Of course, the trips always include many hours of sitting in a hotel or office doing work. But I also try to see something of the place where the meeting is being held, and sometimes my wife is able to accompany me.

My latest opportunity is India.

I’ve never visited India before, but always thought it looked fascinating. As India requires a visa for entry by an American, the first step for this trip was to obtain a visa.

I quickly found the visa process to be a bit confusing and not altogether clear. Because I will have more than one meeting, I needed a multiple-entry business visa. My wife could use a tourist visa, which is relatively easy and straight-forward.

As I started the process, I received conflicting information. Some told me that because I haven’t lived in Tokyo for 2 years, I would need to apply for the visa in the United States. Others said no, with a letter from my employer, I could apply in Tokyo. So not really knowing what was true, I proceed to gather the materials. Fill out the online visa application. Obtain Letter of Invitation from the company in India that I’m visiting. Get letter from my employer saying that my expenses are guaranteed. Print out application, attach photo. Copies of passport, residence card.

I finally took all the items to the Indian visa office in Tokyo. The very friendly staff there promptly reviewed my material, and confirmed that I could submit the application…after I corrected some errors on the application.

The next week, my wife and I made our way to the Indian embassy in Tokyo. Again, the staff was friendly and helpful. In less than an hour, we had submitted our applications, paid our fees, and were told that the visas would be ready in one week. Sure enough, a week later, we had our visas in hand.

Without a doubt, the visa process complicates travel. And, it adds to the cost. But if you want the experience of visiting some places in the world, it is just part of the process – and part of the international experience.

It is Hanami time in Tokyo. Hanami in Japanese literally means “flower viewing,” and in Japan it usually means “viewing” the beautiful Sakura (cherry) blossoms in the spring. Lots of places – and I can name several in the US – are known for beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring, but in Japan, it is a much anticipated and enjoyed time of year. The dates of peak bloom are predicted weeks and months in advance, and the Japanese plan parties and get-togethers to enjoy this event.

As I have talked about before, the Japanese are very attuned to nature, and have a great respect and appreciation for nature, and beautiful things in nature. It isn’t just the Sakura…  any blooming flowers or beautiful scenery is appreciated by them – for instance, the much loved views of Mt. Fuji (Fuji-san) – but  there are so many Sakura trees planted throughout Japan, that the whole country is seemingly swallowed by a wave of pink blossoms, moving from south to north with the spring temperatures.

At peak bloom time – and even before the peak – Hanami parties appear in all the parks. The Japanese people spread tarps – sometimes edge to edge – under the trees, and bring in low tables and all sorts of picnic food and drinks. Some bring in small table top grills for cooking yakitori under the trees. Others just stop at the nearby convenience store (“conbini”) or a local carry-out restaurant for bento boxes and already-prepared picnic food. Wine, sake, beer, canned “highball” drinks – or bottled water and green teas are all available as well – and “let the party begin!”

As at home, the shoes come off “at the door” and are neatly lined up along the edges of the blue tarps. They sit eating and drinking, laughing and gazing up at the beautiful pale pink blossoms. Camera phones come out, and everyone takes “selfies” under the trees, and photos of the blossoms.

There are some areas in Tokyo, that are especially nice for Hanami “strolling.” Long avenues lined with Sakura trees, and people walk along under the trees, stopping everywhere for that perfect Sakura photo. The sidewalks can become very crowded during Sakura time… long lines of people walking, jogging, and strolling clog the sidewalks.

Some areas – like the Meguro Kawa area – make the event into a moving party, with street vendors selling food and drinks along the way. Sakura-themed drinks (anything pink!) are sold everywhere – sparkling pink wine (with or without strawberries), mulled wine, and Pink Zima (a new version of the Zima we used to drink sometimes in the US), and pink cocktails. All the wonderful Japanese street foods are there, and spring-colored mochi candy too! Meguro River has a paved walkway along the walled sides of the river. The banks are lined with cherry trees that hang down over the water, and also provide a canopy over the people walking along the the path.

As peak bloom time wanes, and the blossoms begin to shatter and fall, this “falling” is celebrated as well. The rivers and canals become a sea of pink, and the blossoms fall like snow as you pass under the trees. In fact, that is exactly how they refer to it… as “the snowing of the Sakura.” It is considered to be good luck to catch the petals as they fall around you. Drifts of pale pink and white blossoms pile up under the trees and on the sidewalks, and the wind whips them up into a blizzard of petals.

It is a beautiful time in Japan. Springtime in Japan — and the new leaves and flowers are a symbol of renewal… and hope for the future.

Goshuinchou — literally translated to “Honorable Red Seal Notebook” — are small, bound notebooks that can be purchased when you visit a temple in Japan. Once purchased, either a monk or a temple worker will stamp the book with the red temple seal, and then using Japanese brush calligraphy, will write the name of the temple and the date visited. These books are then carried from temple to temple to collect the various temple seals. The pages of the Goshuinchou are folded accordion-style so that they can be opened up to display all the collected seals. The one above is ours, and so far has only one stamp. We bought this book last weekend on our visit to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano.

There are lots of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan, and most of the larger temples will have their own styles of notebooks for sale, and have their own individual seals and stamps. By visiting the different temples, you end up with a very beautiful and unique keepsake from your travels through Japan.

The history of collecting these temple seals arose from the Japanese practice of going on pilgrimage to visit the many beautiful and sacred sites. There are temples and shrines all over Japan… in cities, villages, in the countryside, and even on top of mountains. There are shrines at the top of Mt. Fuji — the highest mountain in Japan (and an active volcano!)

There are many pilgrimage routes through Japan… from the 88 Temple Walk on Shikoku (the smallest of the 4 main Japanese islands), to the Kumano-Kodo, and more. Most modern pilgrims travel between sites by car or bus, but you can still find the occasional walker/hiker along the trails.

My husband and I have walked the Camino de Santiago — an 800 km walk across northern Spain. Every “perigrino” who walks the Camino carries a “pilgrim passport” to collect stamps from all the various stops along the route… Not unlike the Goshuinchou here in Japan. This is a photo of a small portion of our completed Camino passport with stamps from many of the places we visited along “The Way”…

We have been living in Japan for well over a year now, and I wish we would have gotten one of the Goshuin books sooner. We have visited many, many temples and shrines, and missed out on collecting many, many seals! I guess we will just have to go back and visit those places all over again…  And maybe even… make another climb to the top of Fuji-san to collect our seal there.

When we started this blog, my wife and I wanted to chronicle our experiences during my two-year job assignment in Japan. We’ve been doing that, and intend to continue. We have been in Japan 15 months. Enjoy my job, love the country and the culture. Now, I’m pleased to say we’ll be here another year.

From my job’s standpoint, I felt like it took a few months just to learn how things work here. Of course, I’m still learning. I think I’m making a good contribution to my company, and the challenge is helping me grow professionally. I wanted some more time to really see what I can do. And fortunately, my company has agreed to extend my term here for another year.

From a personal standpoint, we feel like after a year, we’re just starting to learn something about this fascinating culture. Our grasp of the language is still elementary at best. But we are learning, and it is surprising that things no longer seem so unusual. We know our way around, we know a little about how things work, and we feel pretty comfortable in our adopted homeland.

The longer we are here, the more we realize that we will never fully understand  Japan. There is so much about the culture, the history, the way people are and the way they think that a non-native will never completely know. But  we feel honored to have an opportunity to learn a little more, to gain a bit more insight into this very different and amazing culture. Through this blog, we want to share our experiences. We hope you enjoy our posts.

After 15 months here in Tokyo, we are pretty comfortable getting around the city by train. It is very easy, really… Using the reloadable Suica transit card, we just tap to go through the gates. Maps and signage are in English as well as Japanese, and the trains are comfortable, safe, and clean. Last weekend, we ventured outside of Tokyo on the Shinkansen (bullet train), and spent the long weekend in Nagano — see previous post, “Seeing Japan.” It was a fun and interesting trip, and on Sunday while we were there, we went to the Jigokudani Yaen Koen… the Snow Monkey Park.

From Nagano, we had to arrange transit to the park which is about an hour outside of the city, in the mountains. We found brochures (in English!) in our hotel lobby, and looked at options for traveling to the park. Lol… the options can be really confusing, and we learned a few things this weekend. So… if you ever plan to visit Nagano, and the Snow Monkeys… here are some suggestions:

• We had planned to just buy bus tickets, admission tickets, etc. as we went along, but when we went to the bus stop, in teeny-tiny print on the bottom of the sign, we saw a note about the all-inclusive “Snow Monkey 1-Day Pass!” Better deal, more options. The brochure from the hotel didn’t mention this at all.
• But… it is only good for the day of purchase…
• And you have to buy it from the Nagano Dentetsu Subway Station… on the other side of the station from the bus terminal.
• We got the tickets, and stood in line for the bus… which also goes to the Shiga Kogen Ski Area.
• After the monkey park, you can either catch the return highway bus, OR… take a local bus to Yudanaka Station in Yamanouchi-machi. Interesting little resort town… Lots of onsens (hot spring public baths), lunch places and shops. Worth a visit. We had a nice lunch at HAKKO, a little bar, with excellent local craft beer.
• From Yudanaka Station, you can get the Nagano Dentetsu Line train back to Nagano, or stop off in other interesting towns along the way. The 1-Day pass includes information on all of these train stops.

We enjoyed our visit to the Snow Monkey Park — They are actually Japanese Macaques… the northern-most species of wild primates. Following are some of our photos:

One of the best things about the location of our apartment, is its proximity to my husband’s office. It is a 10 minute walk for him to get to work… no commute via car or transit. It has been a nice change for him from his hour-long car commute at home in Atlanta.

Today, however, we had to travel to another part of Tokyo to go to the Indian Embassy to get visas for an upcoming business trip. Lots of people here commute via chikatetsu (subway) and densha (electric train –JR line is not a subway, but is raised above ground.) Many commute for an hour or more to get to their jobs. The train system here in Tokyo is extensive, convenient, efficient, and inexpensive. But, at “rush hour” the trains can be really crowded… to the point that the station attendants have to shove people into the train so that the doors can close.

Our trip today started with a walk to the station in the rain. Rush hour sidewalks are also crowded, so rush hour sidewalks with everyone carrying an umbrella — lol — was crazy! But another thing to know about Japan, is that even though it is very crowded, most people walk and travel inside their “bubble.” What does that mean? Well… it means that everyone walks like they are the only ones on the sidewalk, everyone stands in crowds or on trains like they are the only ones there. It isn’t being rude… for them, it is being unobtrusive. It means that they stay out of your business, but because it is so crowded, not necessarily out of your space. It takes some getting used to… the first time you get on a packed train where everyone is squeezed in like sardines, and you can’t possibly fall over, yet… no one pays any attention to anyone else. We are all squished together, but doing our best to ignore everyone else.

It is an interesting phenomenon. As we were standing on the train to the embassy, all the Japanese people were quiet… rarely any talking. The only people talking, that I saw, were the foreign tourists. In a place that is so crowded with people, it is amazing that there is such… harmony. No one pushing or shoving (except to get on the train… lol), no one yelling or being loud and rude. Just this interesting ability to isolate themselves in a crowd. 

I have to say… I like that. I am getting used to this culture, and it is all becoming so normal and natural.

Since we moved to Japan a year ago, we’ve spent a lot of time exploring the Tokyo area. We’ve also had an opportunity to travel outside the country — South Korea, Russia, Hungary, UAE, Germany – it has been a great experience. What we haven’t done very much is travel within Japan. And there are so many places in this country to see!

We decided at the last minute this week to take a trip over this three-day weekend (Monday is Vernal Equinox Day, traditionally a National Holiday in Japan). A couple of days ago we decided we would go to Nagano, a prefecture northwest of Tokyo where we had never visited.

The first thing we learned is that there are really two ways to go to Nagano — by highway bus, or by Shinkansen high speed train (of course, you can also drive, assuming you have a car and a driver’s license, both of which we lack). The highway bus is easy and relatively cheap, but takes a few hours. We decided to take the Shinkansen, Japan’s outstanding train system.

In trying to reserve the trip, we found that you can’t make an online reservation less than three days before the trip. So, it was off to the train station to buy tickets the old-fashioned way – at the ticket office. There, we were greeted by a very friendly agent who even spoke a bit of English. He quickly checked on our travel request. We could get reserved seats for the return trip, but going to Nagano only “free seating” was available. Not really knowing what that meant, we bought the tickets and went to do some research. A quick check on the internet (Google knows everything) showed that the first 3 or 4 Shinkansen cars are often “free seating” – unreserved, take what’s available. The website said most times, you could get a seat. But on holidays, the trains are often oversold up to 200 percent, so you might have to stand.

Long story short, the train was packed full. We stood for the whole 90 minute ride from Tokyo Station to Nagano. Not awful, but we will appreciate our reserved seats on the way back.

Nagano is a great place. Surprisingly not very crowded. Historic temples, great food places. Tomorrow, we go to see the snow monkeys.

Over the next few months, we plan more trips around Japan. It is diverse, historic, fascinating country. We look forward to seeing as much of it as possible during our time there.

Yesterday was the bi-monthly spouse’s language and culture class at my husband’s office. It is, for me, admittedly, a somewhat stressful activity. I like meeting the other spouses from all the various countries, and I like learning the language, and learning about Japanese culture, but because I am still very much lacking in Japanese language skill, it is nerve-wracking for me. After being in the beginner class for the first year, in January they moved me up to the intermediate level. The other women in my class all are from South Korea… very nice, and I count them as my friends, but they have a bit of an advantage with the Japanese language because Korean, as well as Japanese are both based on the same Chinese Kanji characters. I struggle…

Yesterday was especially difficult. For whatever reason, I just felt like I couldn’t even use what little Japanese I have learned. It was agonizing as the teacher asked me question after question, and I could hardly put two words together coherently.

Anyway… My cousin is coming to Tokyo on business, and we are planning to meet her for dinner next week. So, this evening my husband and I walked to a restaurant we know in our neighborhood, to make a dinner reservation. We love this restaurant, and go occasionally, but hardly anyone there speaks any English. It is always difficult to communicate beyond pointing at pictures on the menu.

When we walked in, I could just see it in the hostess’s eyes… that look of panic as she thought, “Oh no… How am I going to speak to these people?” But… Having looked up the word for “reservation” (yoyaku, according to Google Translate) we were (somewhat) prepared! Upon entering, we said, “Yoyaku ga hoshii desu” — maybe not the most polite or eloquent way to ask, but she understood! And we actually communicated. I went on to say “Getsu-yobi, shichi-ji” when she asked when (“itsu desu ka?”), and “san-nin” when she asked how many people (“nan nin?”) Honestly… the look of relief in her eyes, was reflected in ours! This whole process took only a couple of minutes, but it was amazing. We actually had communication, and she wrote down the reservation, showed it to us, and then followed us out the door, bowing deeply with an ” Arigato Onigaishimasu” (Thank you…)

Granted… it was a minor victory, but a very welcome and hard won victory. There is hope, after all, that we will someday be able to communicate adequately here in Japan.

I haven’t done this lately, so I wanted to post a photo of what I brought back from the supermarket today. After living in Japan for 13 months, the grocery shopping has become fairly routine. Not always easy mind you, but we have figured out where to find most of the food items that we want or need to buy. As I have said before, we eat pretty simply here, so I am not stressing out over being able to find obscure ingredients. I have adapted my cooking to a small kitchen without an oven, and our diet is becoming a sort of meld between American and Japanese. I try to cook somewhat Japanese — and YouTube videos have been my teacher — but I am not very skilled with Japanese ingredients yet. This shopping trip didn’t really have too many unusual things in it… most things are pretty straight forward.

• Eggs — Most of the eggs sold in the stores are brown eggs. All the eggs here are delicious and rich-tasting, with orange (not yellow) yolks. Japanese eggs are safe to eat raw… yes… they actually are. Japanese people eat raw or just slightly cooked eggs in a lot of dishes. Oishii desu.
• Milk and juice are only sold in 1 liter containers in my supermarket… which is the main reason that I have to go to the store almost every day. They sell products in small containers to fit into small refrigerators in small houses and apartments. No supersize here.
• Yes… a box wine. We are still trying to find good options for inexpensive every day table wine. This is — right now — our favorite. Not that it is especially good, but it is drinkable. This one is from Australia, but a lot of wine is brought in from Chile and Argentina. I have seen some from California, but not much in the supermarkets. There are many wine stores that import from all over the world, but those wines are pretty pricey $$$.
• Chocolate and other sweets. Japanese people don’t eat as much sweet stuff as Americans do. The snack and candy aisles in Japanese supermarkets are much, much smaller. There are different snack foods… most made from rice flour, sesame and soy. You can buy American snack foods, but again… $$$. The little bag of pastel-colored “candy” is actually puffed and sweetened rice. The Japanese like to eat a small sweet with their tea. If you go to a traditional Japanese tea house, they always serve the green tea with two or three of these tiny sweets. You are supposed to eat the sweet, then drink the tea without any sugar or sweetener in it.
• Soba noodles. I have purchased soba (buckwheat) noodles back in the US. Nothing unusual. Next to rice, noodles are the most common starchy food in the Japanese diet. Bread is becoming more popular here, but I don’t like the grocery store bread. It has a very bland taste, and kitchen sponge-like texture. We go to an artisan bakery when we want bread. Soba noodles, though, are delicious. My favorite Japanese noodles. And in Japan, it is A-OK to slurp your noodles! In fact… they say by slurping the noodles you take in air that spreads the aroma of the soup and noodles, and makes them even more delicious. And yes… we eat noodles with chopsticks… much easier than twirling on a fork.
• Japanese Long Onion. Descriptive name for what looks like a very large green onion back home. Negi in Japanese. These are used more as a condiment here — and eaten thinly sliced and raw. I have used them in cooking though. Very tasty in noodle soups and sprinkled over curry. They are so long, I have to cut them in three pieces to get them to fit in my tiny refrigerator.
• Oranges — mikan in Japanese. These are wonderful, and grown here in Japan. They are actually little mandarin oranges, easy to peel, sweet, and seedless. They are in season here during the winter. A little sunshine for your mouth. Yummy.
• And last but not least… “Strong Zero.”  Sold in the beer aisle, it is what they call a “highball” here. Kind of like a Sprite with a kick (9% alcohol.) Especially good in the summer when it is hot. Comes in different flavors… lemon, lime, grapefruit, and a few other fruits I am not familiar with. Kind of a strange name — whatever Japanese name they came up with for this product just didn’t translate well into English.

All this came to about 2700 yen (about $25) and fit into one reusable grocery bag. About all I can manage on the 1 kilometer walk to and from the store, but some people use little wheeled shopping carts to carry their groceries home, or carry them in bicycle baskets. Most everyone shops daily or nearly every day, and most stores prefer cash rather than credit.

See you next time…