Nagoya - Bullet Train Ride

So, we made it out of Tokyo by bullet train (very cool!) this afternoon, arrived at Nagoya about 4:30 PM.  Too bad we couldn’t stay longer in Tokyo, seems all systems are pretty much back to normal, but plans were made last month when things didn’t look so rosy.  It is amazing how empty Tokyo was because of the nuclear concerns, not that I would have noticed, but Jeff was able to point this out.  Nagoya much livelier, at least for the 20’s set (leaves Alan, Jeff, basically all of us out of the loop). 

Went to Musee Tomo in Tokyo, which had a pretty amazing ceramics show; mostly large scale, contemporary work and very design oriented, but still a very nice show.  Train ride was interesting, saw the foot of Mt. Fuji but it was too cloudy to see the entire mountain, oh well, just means I need to come back!  Dinner was great and unexpected (even by Jeff who couldn’t find the restaurant we were supposed to eat at), but this was no problem given the great improvising skills of Shapiro san.  Tomorrow will be a great day with stops at Suzuki Goro’s studio, we’ll see some great work I’m sure, but highly unaffordable!

Tokyo, Keio Plaza Hotel

Well, finally made it!  It’s 5:45 PM local time, but 4:48 AM in terms of my “real” day.  Thirteen hours on the plane, another hour and a half in the airport shuttle bus to the hotel, but we’re here, and really tired.  Looking out from the 28^th floor (see below) of the Keio Plaza (nice place) Tokyo looks like any other large metropolitan city.  Trick at this point is to stay up long enough so I can get a “normal” night’s sleep.  Hopefully, a nice inexpensive noodle dinner with Jeff Shapiro tonight, a little sake and then bed; tomorrow, off to Nagoya.

8:45 PM

Back from a great impromptu dinner with Jeff and Alan.  First were “appetizers” at a stand-up sushi bar (some of the best sushi I’ve ever had), and inexpensive, at least 10 pieces of great sushi and a large cup of sake for about $20, not bad.  Then we were on to a Ramen noodle place, which was Ramen, pork dumplings and beer for less than $15.  Great food, a really nice introduction to a small portion of Tokyo’s eating nightlife.

Jeff is amazed at how un-crowded things are here in Tokyo; he thinks that the tourism is but a fraction of what it used to be.  All of this due to the earthquake, tsunami, and ensuing nuclear problem.  We’ll see how the other areas that we’ll be visiting look.

Koie Guinomi Arrives

Just in time, my Koie guinomi arrived from Ippodo Gallery.  Beautiful little thing, can't wait to christen it with some high quality sake!

One Week to Go!

So, got just about everything I need; still working on another pair of shoes though, that's been the toughest part.  Jeff Shapiro said that anything that slips off easily is good, since you're pretty much taking your shoes off anytime you go inside anywhere. 

Hoping to pick up a netbook computer this week so that I can keep blogging throughout the trip, assuming the wi-fi networks are easily accessible; oh well, time will tell.

 

Getting Ready

Well, buying a lot of "quick-dry" clothing, and sending a lot back, just trying to get the right sizes; shoes are the biggest issue (thanks Zappos!).

Getting way psyched about the upcoming trip, but also realize how much here still needs to be done.  Oh well, what will be will be, hai?! (how much Japanese will I learn? enough to order beer and sake, and perhaps find the bathroom!).