Paul Alton MBA

Juanita arrived back home in Meadow Lake towards the end of May; I followed on the last day of May. You can read the little I wrote about May here.

Usually after a long turnaround I take a break, but we plan to go to Japan later in the month, so I was a little less lazy than usual.

One of the first tasks was a trip to the dentist for a tooth cleaning and resubmittal for insurance approval for a crown. This is to replace a crown that was put on in Nicaragua a few years ago for a hundred bucks. I guess you get what you pay for in some things. We had tried last year, but the paperwork got tied up in the postal strike and by the time that got settled we were out of the country and our dental insurance coverage had lapsed. Coverage returned with me working in April so we’ll make another stab at a new tooth.

On one her trips home in May Juanita received a personal performance of trio piece Kohen, Sasha and Sonja performed at the annual piano recital in Meadow Lake. One evening in June we went to Debbie and Ernie’s for dinner. The three youngsters played the piece for me, as well. Awesome! Also, at the dinner we learned of the rodeo parade that evening. Sonja joined us viewing the parade which included Sasha on one of the floats.

In case I get bored between jobs this summer I bought an old, ugly, but solid truck camper to add to the task list. It isn’t set up to haul on a dually (yet) so the seller will deliver it in July when he gets home from working an turnaround in northern Alberta.

I replaced some deck boards that had a couple of rotten spots where a mat had sat for years. Most of the mowing got caught up.

Finally, after years of thinking about it, I welded a couple of new cages to keep the deer from munching on the cherry trees. The burn barrel got a new mesh welded on, as well. In the middle of those two projects, I ran out of the welding rods I have been using and opened the spare package I bought on special a few years ago. 5/32” rods are NOT working replacements for 5/64” rods for my little portable welder. Oops. Not much of a bargain if the machine just fades out. A friend with a real welder was happy to get a free box of rods and the Co-op was happy to get my money for a more useful size.

There was a nest full of baby robins on the pipe stored on the rack under the eaves of the workshop. Debbie took a picture on one of her visits. By the time I got around to taking a picture the nest was empty. They grown up so fast! Before you know it they’re gone and you’ve missed the milestones while you were working. Coming back we missed the annual mating attraction noises of Charley and Fred the two male grouse that compete for attention from opposite corners of our property in the spring. They must have had some success, though. Twice while on our walks this month, a mother grouse flew at me and then cripple waddling away to distract me from her chicks.

Speaking of walks. The paths haven’t needed mowing yet, this year. They did need some chain saw work to clear a few dead falls from the winter. One was a huge spruce that has been dead for years but kept standing until now.

Started expanding the area around the fire pit to be more useful and maybe invite some ppl over if the fire bans ever go away. I didn’t get as much done before we went away as I hoped. Hope doesn’t seem to get much dirt moved if you sit in the house reading.

Juanita broke a tooth last night. Her trip to the dentist this morning might have delayed our leave-taking, if I had been ready. She was back home with everything checked out and future appointments in place long before I was ready. By the time I did my annoyingly slow puttering we got on the road at noon.

We drove to Edmonton through good weather and bad with lots of lightning and the odd toad strangler. Once there we had a quick supper with Becky and the kids. They rushed off to soccer and we rushed off to do errands. When the first round of soccer games were done Juanita and I picked up the two youngest kids and brought them home to bed. I rushed to pick up the scan and print of a large drawing before the print shop closed then completed all but two of the errands on the list.

Off early to the Nissan dealer for the regular maintenance services and some recall work. Then back home to pick up Juanita to go for two last items on the list and back to Becky’s to finish packing. Becky drove us to the airport through a downpour. We arrived in lots of time. We had our boarding passes and went straight to security which was as painless as possible (secret of happiness is low expectations?) and had time to snack and walk before boarding.

There was a unhappy baby across the aisle who was distributing his unhappiness much to the discomfort of his first time parents. I shared the article about our experience travelling with babies with the father. He seemed encouraged that it could be worse.

The plane sat there on the runway for a while and then we were off on an hour and twenty minute flight tarmac to tarmac. A smooth flight. Baby calmed down briefly when nursing and then did well until the pressure change of descent. Parents worry their kids are bothering others. Undisciplined brats are one thing, but babies are something else. They are doing the best they can and people who have that part of parenting in their past are just happy it’s not their problem and also take pleasure that they survived. At least this people did.

Deplaning went well. They were no issues with lost baggage. How could there be? We travel with carry-on. We eventually found the cleverly hidden shuttle phone and waiting for our shuttle it took a long time to arrive and arrived full. The bridge between Sea Island (airport) and Lulu Island (our hotel) was stuck open. Everybody was taking the long way around through Vancouver. The next shuttle was going to take forever. I whined and looked pathetic and old (not much acting required for those two) enough that the shuttle passengers took pity and volunteered to scrunch over to let the two old folks aboard. It was close to five when we got to the hotel. So time in the air tarmac to tarmac was less than a quarter of the total trip today from door to door.

After settling into our hotel and checking in for tomorrow’s flight to Japan we walked across the street to Costco for appetizers and then about a kilometer to an A&W for teen burgers and sweet potato fries.

Today’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary: Depart for Japan

Breakfast at hotel was a little less than expected. Juanita remembered a review that said they only had eggs. Well, they don’t have eggs anymore. We concluded they take complaints seriously.

The shuttle ride to the airport was seamless. The bridge to the airport is high enough for boats to pass under. It doesn’t open. The one going east opens for boats. Yesterday it failed to close in a timely fashion. There were already talks to replao ce it.

Check in went well as was the passage through security screening. I’m getting good at repacking my bag after it is pawed through by a lethargic drone not quite sure what the x-ray alerted on and not finding it.

We settled near the Japan Airlines Gate. I had planned to get some steps in this morning but the heavenly deluge deterred me. I walked the length of the terminal and then picked up lunch. After eating I started walking but diverted to handing out curved illusion tracts to the other waiting passengers.

The 787 provided a comfortable flight up the coast and over the Bering Sea to Japan. Cabin staff was friendly, efficient and very attentive. They fed us two full meals plus drinks and snacks. No drama. Yay!

Honourable mention goes to the biggest airplane bathroom I’ve experienced. Including bottom spray and butt drying warm air features on the toilet.

Today’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary: Arrive in dynamic Tokyo in the "Land of the Rising Sun," and transfer to your hotel. Your tour will begin with an orientation meeting with your Tour Manager at , met with the 4PM

Sure enough. We arrived in Tokyo, touch down twenty minutes. Other than the lines, immigration and customs processing went well partly thanks to having completed the forms on line and having a couple of QR codes to show for it. Coming out of customs we made sure to come out of door B to be close to be where we could nip downstairs to the train station to buy a pair of Welcome Suica cards. The card allows contactless payment for local transportation and many restaurants and attractions. They are good for up to 28 for tourists and are only sold at a couple of points of entry like the train station at Narita airport.

There was no sign of a driver holding a Gate 1 sign, so we had time to go buy the cards and come back.  There was still no sign of a sign holding driver when we got back. He was waiting at Door A. Eventually that got sorted out. There was another person off our flight waiting at door B for a Princess Cruise contact. Her driver was probably waiting at door A, as well. By the time I realized what had happened with us she was no longer waiting. Hopefully they found each other as well.

About an eighty-minute ride later we were at our hotel, met the tour director, picked up out our packages and headed to our room with half an hour to spare before the meeting. While Juanita was changing I went to the desk and picked up an Amazon package.

After the meeting we all gathered for a sumptuous meal of traditional Japanese food. We were back in our room headed for bed at an early bedtime of a little after nine pm local time. This compares to 6 am body time in the time zone were we live. I woke up three hours later, or nine AM. How well that works out tomorrow with a busy tour schedule and an extra curricular event planned will be tomorrow’s story.

Today’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary : On today's tour of Tokyo, witness the contrast of this city of traditions coupled with state-of-the-art technology. Begin your tour at the serene Meiji Shrine, nestled in a beautiful forested area that honors Emperor Meiji, the first Emperor of Imperial Japan, and his Empress. Afterward, on to the Imperial Palace, the residence of Japan's Imperial family, a precious jewel of nature within the city center. View the famous st. Breakfast starts at one arched Nijubashi bridge, that leads to the main entrance to the Imperial Palace. Continue to Asakusa, once Tokyo's leading entertainment district. Here, enter the massive gates to the ancient Buddhist temple of Sensoji built in the 7th century and the Kannon Temple, one of the most visited spiritual sites in the world. Stroll along bustling Nakamise Street; see endless rows of traditional local snacks and souvenirs. Tonight, discover on your own why Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world for nightlife.

Woke at 12:30 am. Listened to a pod cast that normally successfully puts me to sleep. Heard every word of it. Got up. Did some keyboarding. Breakfast starts at 6. Tour group meets in the lobby at 8:50. Might nap somewhere in there but I doubt it.

The buffet breakfast included the best of Japan and western choices in lovely setting. We all met in the lobby on time with no stragglers and took our assigned rotational seats on the bus. The otur manager handed out the electronic listening devices so we can hear her commentary in a crowd.

Later she handed out salt candy to help with dehydration in the 30C humidity. Beautiful sunny day. No rain. We worked the above plan with three free hours in the area at the Buddhist shrine.

After picking up a couple of cold drinks at a Family Mart convenience store, Juanita and I put on steps unsuccessfully looking for a sushi train restaurant. We settled for ramen. Don’t think Mr. Noodle. Think a more than you can eat but did anyway meal in a bowl. After eating I used the restaurant washroom. The toilet was a Panasonic. I hesitated at first thinking I hope their toilets are better than their clothes dryers then I realized I was thinking of Samsung. Sorry, Panasonic.

We waddled to a 7-11 and took a some money out of our chequing account before meeting back up with the tour group..

On the way back to the hotel the bus went to Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection in Tokyo. Some say, in the world. Those who wanted to, got off the bus and experienced the location on the ground. The nine who stayed on the bus got a more elevated view from the bus as it circled the block. Some people stayed in the Shibuya area for the evening and the rest of us were dropped at the hotel.

We walked about twenty minutes up the hill to experience Team Labs Borderless and spent almost two hours being bedazzled wandering between and through rooms of changing light displays.

On the way back to the hotel we had a couple of frozen bars. Back at the room I laid down on top of the bed about 8:30 waiting for my turn in the shower and woke at 3:30.

Today’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary : Spend the day at leisure to explore all of the delights of Tokyo on your own, or, participate in the optional full day tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. Embark on a scenic journey through rural Japan, starting at a viewing point in the Lake Kawaguchiko area or at Oshino Hakkai. Continue driving to Hakone where a gondola takes you on the Hakone Ropeway to the Owakudani Valley's volcanic zone. On a clear day you will be rewarded with panoramic views of Mt. Fuji*. Here, you can embrace the beautiful nature around the crater of Mount Hakone, created by an eruption. Finally, relax with a cruise on Lake Ashi before returning to Tokyo
*Weather conditions around Mt Fuji are challenging to predict, sometimes clouds will restrict views of the mountain & terrain. Poor weather conditions can sometimes prevent the operation of the cable car or boat ride in Hakone
Optional: Full Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone with lunch (2-1/2 hours there and back for total of ten hours)

 We opted for the tour.

I woke at 3:30. Juanita was still sleeping for another hour so I kept it quiet until she woke up. After That I carried on with laundry and shower and keyboarding before we went down to breakfast at buffet opening time. We are to meet in the lobby at 7:30 to leave on the above tour.

Tokyo is much like downtown Vancouver if you subtract the trash and the homeless. To be fair I did see one homeless person. In Japanese style he had nicer headphones than the typical Vancouver homeless person.

The tour has a rule – no discussion of American politics. The bus has wi-fi. One can read about politics during any dull stretches of travel. Today I read the following from Kurt Schlicter

, “Pro-Tip: Different things are different and this leads to treating things differently. Glad I could help by explaining this basic concept to people who are too stupid to exist.” Seems reasonable.

There were rain storms today to the west of us but where we were we felt just a few drops. The sun was out in full glory when we wandered through the gardens at the view site for Mount Fuji. Mt. Fuji itself was being a bit more modest. You could get the general swell of her shape but the most interesting bits were veiled.

After the Mt. Fuji viewing, we went to a Mt. Fuji museum and then to a sumptuous buffet lunch in a dining room with a wall of glass on both sides. One side was Mt. Fuji. The other side was an amusement park of terrifying looking roller coasters.

The Mount Hakone Ropeway is a cable car system that goes up the side of a volcano and across the crater to a viewing area. The volcano is dormant but produces steam and sulphur fumes which have coated areas yellow and killed many trees. Like Trail BC in its glory days.

There is a shop that sells black eggs. They are hard boiled eggs cooked in the hot springs in the volcano crater. The minerals in the water turn the egg shell black. If you didn’t know the hot springs backstory you might expect they would smell of black magic marker. They smell slightly of sulphur. Eating one is said to add seven years to your life. They come in a bag of four for five hundred yen (five bucks Canadian). I bought a bag. Junaita and I ate one each. Our bus dropped us off at the bottom of the ropeway and drove up to meet us to take us down to the lake for a boat ride.

While waiting for the boat across the lake I handed out curved illusion tracts as I do at many opportunities. Knowing about three words of Japanese makes the process strange but many people get the idea and are happy to receive the cards. Sow seeds.

After a two hour bus ride to our hotel in Tokyo we walked to dinner at McDonalds for a uniquely Japanese menu item, shrimp burger. Yummy! Filet O Shrimp beats Filet O Fish fins down.

On our walk home we picked up some chicken flavoured ramen chips and some GABA chocolate bits which include a mild sedative.

Then we slept

Today’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary: At the Tokyo Station, board the world-famous shinkansen, or "bullet train" that whisks you to Osaka - Japan's third largest city, known for its cuisine and nightlife. Upon arrival, begin your exploration at Kuromon Market, an Osaka landmark, with vendors selling fresh food and fast-food Japanese-style. Stop for lunch, or just try the tasty snacks. Then, free time to wander along the iconic Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori shopping streets with an array of fabulous selection of fashionable boutiques. Conclude the tour with a visit to dramatic Osaka Castle, built as a display of power in the 16th century, strategically looming over the surrounding park and moat. Inside the castle museum, learn about the history of Osaka. Check into your hotel with free time before dinner.

We had planned to buy bento boxes at the convenience store on the bullet train platform. Confronted with the reality of too much food in two boxes or messy sharing options with one I bought some precut wraps. Tasty, non messy and immanently sharable. Throw in a bag of sea food crisps, a lemonade and a green tea. We were set for a fast comfortable bullet train ride to Osaka. The California high speed train is definitely quieter. That’s because there is no high-speed train in California. California can no longer build things. They just stall projects long enough to pocket the funding.

The Gate 1 bus met us at the train station and drove us to the market area. We were given a time to meet back and were on our own or could follow the guide for a bit for an overview. When we were close to the restaurant we exchanged the Gate 1 guide for Mr. Google. If I had listened to Mr. Google and Juanita better we would have found the conveyor sushi place sooner. We were so close. Several times but just didn’t recognize it. Until we did. Sushi goes past on a conveyor belt. You pull off the plates you want. The plates pattern and colour match the price of that particular sushi. You order your beverages from a touch screen on the counter in front of you. When the waitress brings your drink she adds the  appropriate priced plate to your stack. When you are done eating she scans your stack of plates and issues you a chit which you take to the cashier.

Sushied up we headed to an octopus ball stand to buy a six pack of octopus balls. The balls called Tako-Yaki are made from a batter including chunks of octopus. This particular stand had the Hallelujah Chorus blaring from loudspeakers. Couldn’t understand the Japanese words, but the refrain “Tako-Yaki!” Tako-Yaki!” came through loud and clear.

Tako-Yaki batter is cooked in half hemisphere grill pockets. The cook continuously spins the dough as it cooks so they come out as balls not blobs. We took our octopus balls to the third floor in the back of the shop in a room looking out on the canal running parallel to the market street.     

We checked out some ice cream bars on the tourist street. Only twelve bucks each! We walked to a convenience store in a non tourist area and bought a couple for two bucks each. Then we walked along the canal back to where the bus would pick us up. No tourist throngs on the canal. Pleasant walk. Not like walking through Christmas shoppers in Eaton Centre.

Osaka castle is one of a small number of castles remaining from the thousands in medieval times. Not much in the  way of towers but massive in its present footprint. Apparently, it was five times bigger in its prime.

We walked past the crowds waiting in line for the elevator and climbed the stairs to the observation deck on 8th floor stopping at each floor to check out the displays.

At the hotel our room key and breakfast vouchers were waiting on a table in the lobby. Out luggage was already in our room. After an hour and a quarter of downtime we rejoined the group in the lobby. We all walked through the bullet train station and out on street to restaurant on the 32nd floor of a nearby hotel. I am grateful to have tried some of the food and happy not to repeat a couple of items. Sesame sauce works like ketchup to mask the worst of any flavours.

Today’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary: Time to discover Osaka on your own, or, join the fascinating optional tour to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island. After arriving by train, take a short ferry ride to Miyajima Island, not far from the coast. Admire views of the striking Itsukushima Shrine best-known for its floating torii gate, dating back to the 6th century. Spend free time on the island with its many shrines and temples before boarding the ferry to Hiroshima. A bus or tram takes you to the Peace Memorial, a historic site near where the atomic bomb exploded, dedicated to the many lives lost in Hiroshima. The burning flame that marks these graves "will only be extinguished when all nuclear weapons in the world are destroyed." This park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. After this solemn visit, board the train back to Osaka

We opted out of “solemn” and chose to spent the day on our own. We did see many of the group when we went down to breakfast at six.

Our plans for the day include the Umeda Sky Building Garden Observatory. We have admission tickets for that at no fixed time. Our tickets for the aquarium are at 3:00. Those venues are in different parts of Osaka. So off to see the city using public transportation. Wish us luck.

We needed it. Getting to the subway station for the Umeda Sky Building was straight forward – “Take Midosuji Line to Umeda and walk 15 minutes.” Not knowing where you are supposed to be “walking”; surfacing to street level; trying to understand Google maps for walking in a strange city was a challenge, but we prevailed. Reverse engineering the trek by how we returned it could have been so easy to just stay underground most of the way and only prairie dog the last little bit. Live and learn. Maybe.

The Umeda Sky Building is amazing. It has won architectural awards and is a big hit with tourists who take the glass elevator up so far in one tower to then take a diagonal escalator to the other tower. You can go on-line and read better descriptions than mine. Hopefully I’ll circle back and put some links onto this page when we are home in Canada. I handed out many curved illusion tracts on the observation levels.

We found the Okonomiyaki Kiji and its “pancakes”. The pancakes were not those waffle iron pancakes I turned down in the park yesterday since we were going to have pancakes. Not those type of pancakes. We sat at the grill while the cook piled all are chosen ingredients onto the grill and cooked them into a delicious cylindrical disk. You get to choose your ingredients from a list. We took the easy path and ordered a mixed grill. I assume it included squid, pork, shrimp, fish, etc. etc. and bacon!  When it was cooked he pushed it to the edge of the grill and we shovelled portions onto our small plate with a spatula. Yummy. Juanita ordered ginger ale to drink. I ordered a soda. I took a sip. “That has a bit of a kick.” I read the label more carefully. In amongst the Japanese was “7% alcohol” I set it aside and drank my water.

Next stop? The Aquarium. It’s across the city on the subway line that goes to Expo 2025. Should take under an hour and we have two and a half hours. Piece of cake.

We easily find Umeda Station by going down where we should have popped up on our way to the Umeda Sky Building. Getting to the platform we started running into problems. Instructions said to take the “Midosuji Line to Motomachi. Transfer to Chuo Line to Osaka Port Station”. No such station. Oh oh. There is a “Momoyamadai Station”. We go there, getting off the subway and getting back on after we decided we were going toward Momoyamadi. We got there. It is out in the sticks. I download the Osaka Mettro app and we consul a paper map from our backpack. Then we went to Hommachi Station got off and transferred to the green line and took that subway to Osakako Station and arrived at the aquarium at 3:01 for our 3:00 ticket and walked through the gate into a pretty interesting aquarium.

After the aquarium we went to a seven-eleven and used an ATM to check the balances on our Welcome Suica cards. You can see the balance as you pass through a turnstile, but it happens too quickly until you know what to look for. No top up needed we have enough to get home. Then a stop at a drug store for cold meds. They don’t let Nyquil into the country but sell much the same stuff at drugstores here.

The trip back to the hotel went smoothly directions wise. The system is well laid off and simple to understand once you spend half a day learning the basics. We did experience a small taste of rush hour and being sardinized briefly but it was okay.

After a stop at MacDonalds for a couple of Jurassic combos of shrimp burger and melon-pineapple fizzzies we bedded down for the night. Tired.

The day’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary: Drive to Kyoto and embark on a tour of the historic city, founded in the 7th century, one of the early capitals of Japan and home of the country's most treasured remnants of Japanese imperial life. Start with a stop at Fushimi Inari Taisha, an impressive Shinto shrine that sits at the foot of Mount Inari. Marvel at the ten thousand vermilion torii gates that line the paths up the mountain. Afterward, enjoy a traditional tea ceremony, where you participate in the ritualized art of preparing, serving and drinking green tea. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, visit the celebrated gold-gilded Kinkaku-ji Temple, known as the "Golden Pavilion' surrounded by trees and nestled on a reflective pond. This evening, walk in Pontocho, an old entertainment district in Kyoto with traditional restaurants, bars and home to Geisha tea houses. End with an opportunity to explore on your own in Gion, Kyoto's most famous Geisha district.

It was raining hard at Shinto…

The bus drove through sheets of rain. People were given the option of sitting it out in the bus. For those of use who decided to soldier on the rain had diminished by the time we got off the bus and received our umbrellas. By the time we had walked through town we didn’t need them at all.

Before there was Watergate there were torii gates with thousands of the red emblematically Japanese structures at this site. We walked through a portion of them then headed back to the bus, We stopped to buy a couple of mochis at a stand across from the shrine. These are not like the packaged ones you buy in Canada. Juanita’s had a tiny, whole orange. Mine had a kiwi fruit. I see a diet on my horizon.

Then we went for OCD Tea. Oops. I mean we went to observe a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The ceremony goes back centuries and can take two hours. Ours was abbreviated to match our attention spans. After trying the tea they made, we each made our own bowl of matcha tea. Their’s was better. Both were bitter in a pleasant sort of way although some of our group found no pleasure at all in the taste.

The bus dropped us off outside a department store. We could buy food in the basement there and eat it in the adjoining courtyard or follow our guide to the Nishiki Market, half a block away.

Juanita and I followed the group for a while then split off to forage on our own. Too many choices from healthy to tasty to weird (to us – ymmv). I chose asparagus and bacon tempura and a skewer of beef. Juanita chose a couple of jumbo shrimp on a skewer. Then we walked back to the department store basement to buy a couple of ice cream bars. On the way back I bought a strawberry mochi. Juanita declined. I think she is going to need less dieting than me on our return.

Back on the bus to the Golden Pavilion and walking through the impressively landscaped grounds.

At the hotel we were greeted by a geisha before picked up our room keys.

After time to refresh we rode on the bus for a walk through the geisha district and across the bridge to the restaurant district. When we realized the walk to the bus would end up with getting on the bus and not include going to one of the restaurants we bailed from the group. We walked back to Teppanyaki Manryu, a pancake house Juanita had in her trip notes with a similar menu to the pancake house yesterday in Osaka.

Yesterday we both had savoury pancakes. Those were on the menu tonight, but we made different choices. Juanita had an avocado salad. I had a pancake with noodles and just pork. Then we caught a cab back to the hotel.

The couple at the next table at Teppan Manryu were Australian. They had travelled Canada last year and had to change their travel plans to avoid the Jasper fires. This year they are starting their trip in Kyoto for a week then they fly to Paris from Tokyo and spend a month in France before returning to Tokyo for a week. Apparently, the air fares are markedly lower if you go to Europe through Japan and spend a week in Japan on the way there and back. He does all his own travel planning. Part of this year’s trip is to Tours, France. He said he had an awful time searching with the key word “Tours”.

Back at the room Juanita bunked down quickly. I did my yesterday’s and today’s laundry. Yesterday’s wouldn’t have had time to dry before leaving Osaka. Tomorrow’s can wait until Canada. I briefly considered keyboarding but followed Juanita’s example and went to sleep.

The day’s Gate 1 Travel itinerary: The morning is at leisure to enjoy this city on your own, or, embark on the optional tour to the 8th century Imperial capital of Nara. In this repository of Japan's cultural heritage, there are eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a wealth of historic treasures including some of Japan's oldest Buddhist temples. Arrive at the exquisite wooden Todai-ji Temple, home of the impressive Daibutsu (Great Buddha) bronze statue, rising over 50 feet high. Continue to Nara Park to see the over 1,000 tame deer roaming freely in the peaceful parkland. Later, visit the famous and beautiful Kasuga Grand Shrine displaying over 3,000 antique hanging bronze and stone lanterns. Bid goodbye to your Tour Manager at dinner in the hotel

The hotel breakfast buffet food was fine. The layout for the guests to gather their food lacked coherence. If the people who laid out the pickup process had designed Henry Ford’s production line, buggy whips would still be a thriving business.  

The day went according to the itinerary other than we started with the lanterns and then visited the Buddha.

On the drive from Kyoto we passed through lowlands with rice paddies then through hilly areas with bamboo forests on the slopes. After the Grand shrine we had time to buy deer cookies and be mobbed by deer wanting a cookie. You can’t please everyone, and the less pleased deer nipped to get your attention. Or maybe to effect revenge. Upon seeing the mob scene when I bought a small stack of cookies, Juanita opted out of the experience.

I bought another stack and handed it to a student. He quickly handed it off to a classmate. She retreated from the assembling deer and screamed as they surrounded her. She managed to give away a couple of cookies before turning and running in a loop to hand what was left of the stack back to me.

The excitement was over. With almost an hour left before we were due back at the tour bus we found a quiet café, had a quiet lunch and handed out a few curved illusion tracts.

We got back to the bus a couple of minutes early. The engine was running but the AC was not. Hmm. Not a good sign. Later, part way back to the hotel and alarm went off on the dash. The driver pulled over and shut off the engine to top up the engine coolant. He tried to get away with a minimum fill to get us back on the road more quickly but that didn’t clear the alarm when he started the engine. He shut it down again and finished filling the system to the top. Everything worked fne after that. We were back at the hotel not that far off schedule.

We went back to the room where I added some pictures for the past two days and uploaded a newer text version with fewer typos. Then we caught the hotel shuttle to the train station to buy some last minute souvenirs and some snacks for the airplane.

The day and the group activities closed out with a formal multi-course farewell dinner at seven. A good time was had by all.    

The day’s Gate 1 Itinerary - Transfer to the airport in Osaka for your departure flight. The Osaka airport is approximately a one hour drive from Kyoto.

We are scheduled to take a 10:30 am shuttle from our hotel in Kyoto to Osaka airport for a 2:35 pm flight to Tokyo. From Tokyo we are scheduled to fly to Vancouver, BC. In Vancouver we plan to spend the night with my sister, Sydney, and fly to Edmonton on Sunday. Stay tuned.

Update:

 I woke just before the 5:30 alarm and shut it off. Finally adapted to this time zone. Must be time to fly home. I do a bit of packing then shower before we head down to line up for the 6:30 breakfast.

After breakfast I putter at packing until it is time for the crowded 8:05 shuttle from the hotel to the train station. I go there for steps and to check out the department store we didn’t find yesterday. I find the elevator to the department store and get in, but none of the buttons I press light up. It is half an hour before scheduled opening time for those floors. The elevator is smarter than I am. It knows better than to take me to a closed floor. Oh well. Got some steps in.

The shuttle back to the hotel is empty except for me. When we arrive at the hotel there is a crowd waiting to get on the shuttle and go to the train station.

Back at the room I had a quick shower to skim off any sweat. Today is reported to be 93F – “feels like 97”. I wasn’t outside much but, along with the brisk walking, enough to work up a sweat. Changed into travelling clothes. Then finished packing and went downstairs to check out and take our 10:30 cab to Osaka airport

We had checked in online. Our boarding passes were in the Apple wallet on my phone.  Japan Air Line issues electronic boarding passes but uses paper ones to board the plane. With no luggage to check and boarding passes on the phone normal airlines would have you go straight to the gate.

Not Japan Airlines.

We entered the maze to a desk with two workstations and two ticket agents under a sign saying International Flights. There were a couple of other mazes next to our maze. An empty, roped off maze, a business class maze and a first-class maze. They were served by three other two person work stations. When we finally got first in line to get out of our maze the line stalled with a couple of complicated cases in front of us at the two ticket agents. One of them involved a supervisor and a few phone calls. with us at the front of the line. The crowd to enter our maze backed out to the doors of the terminal with recent arrivals of passengers seeking processing. JAL opened the maze next to us for entry. The two clerks serving that maze processed thirty or forty passengers while we stood there. Juanita started getting a little vocal. This is unusual for her. A Japanese woman directly behind us got even more vocal. A supervisor who had been assisting the inept ticket agent we were waiting for came over and admonished us and the lady behind us to wait our turn.

The complicated case in front us finally got her ticket. Then they put her two huge suitcases on the scale. One bag was overweight. She went through it and took out an item. They reweighed the bag. Nope. Still overweight. This iterative process finally got enough of her stuff from the suitcase to hanging around her body that the suitcase got a thumbs up and a baggage tag. They replaced the inept agent, and a new agent logged in and waved us to the desk. Processing took seconds since all she had to do was print paper boarding passes to replace our e-ones.  

I pointed out we didn’t need to be there except to get a paper boarding card. The agent said “Oh. There’s a printer kiosk down the terminal a bit. You could have done that yourself”. Would have been nice to get that memo. We had a huge buffer of time but it’s still annoying to see people who arrived half an hour later get processed first. There are several ways they could speed things up. One would be to have an agent doing triage at the point where people go into the maze. Many of them probably don’t need to go through the maze. Or they could trust electronic boarding passes like other airlines do.

Going through security was going through security. My carry-on was rescanned about five times but not physically inspected before giving to me. Each time a security person came over to inform me they were going to have to rescan it. Politeness is a cancer on efficiency.

Once through security there was a pleasant eating and shopping area. We both had Taki Yaki (octopus balls). We bought drinks from a vending machine which used up all but twenty Yen on our Welcome Suica cards. That’s a W.

The plane boarded on schedule. The one-hour flight to Tokyo was smooth. Flying is not bad. The unpleasantness seems to occur before and after flights. Airplanes are crowded to keep costs down but airlines compete for customers. Air terminals have a monopoly.

We have about two and a half hours between planes in Tokyo Narita airport. A shuttle takes us from the airplane to the end of a long terminal. We walk to the middle, go upstairs and go through security a second time. I arrive at an airport with my pants pockets empty. All my stuff including money waist belt and neck belt is spread between the multiple pockets of my travel vest. I bought one after Ralp Potts blogged about travelling around the world with no luggage, only his Scottevest travel vest. Scottevest has good choices in travel clothes. They suck at how they handle Canadian shipments but the clothes rock. And but I digress.

All I have to do when I get to the tray section of security is take off my vest, separate out the laptop and the liquids bag and go through the scanner. Once in the secure area of the terminal the stuff from the vest goes back on my body or in my pockets. Having to go through security a second time unexpectedly means going to a washroom cubicle to transfer stuff back into the vest. Not Happy. Getting to be Grumpy. By Vancouver (body time – tomorrow; calendar time – today) I’ll be Sleepy, maybe even Goofy. Oops, wandered into the wrong Disney analogy.

After the luggage and body scans, we go through passport control. We skip the step where you get your tax back on goods you bought as a tourist and are taking out of the country. The passport control is automated AI facial recognition. It didn’t recognize me as the person pictured on my passport. That person doesn’t have a beard. I am instructed, “go line up over there”. I go line up. Juanita, it recognized. She waits beyond the control zone.

We walk to the gate for our flight. It is one level down. Guarding the top of the steps are some JAL minions. The maximum minion informs us we need to show our passports and boarding passes to go down the stairs. She seems reproachful when she mentions our flight isn’t for another hour and a half and there are no bathrooms down there. I ask if we will be able to leave to use the bathroom. “Of course”. I ask if I can go to the Japan food court and bring something back for my wife and me. “Of course”.

We go down the stairs, find a spot next to a charging station and I leave to go to the food court. We had seen posters of fruit cups and parfaits in the Japan Food court. I was on a mission to buy a couple of those.

There is a vending machine in the waiting area that dispenses bottled water, tea, coffee, juices, sodas, etc. It charges the same prices as on the street. The convenience stores in the terminal likewise charge street prices for bottled water. $1.70 vs the $7 charged for bottled water at many air terminals around the world. Street price is more than fair. The $30 fruit cup and the $17 for a “regular” size smoothie I encounter at the food court are more in character for air terminal prices. I took a pass on the fruit cups but did buy a smoothie for Juanita and brought it back to the gate. I had used up the last of my Japanese bills on last-minute airport souvenirs but had change left over for a couple of milk teas from the vending machine. If I had had no Japanese money, in addition to coins and bills the vending machine also takes payment cards and phone payments such as Apple Pay and Pay Pay.

We left Tokyo at about 7 pm on Saturday evening and arrived in Vancouver at 11:30 am on Saturday morning. The International Dateline can be disorienting at times. I blew my latest Wordle streak not because I missed an answer but because I lost track of what day of the week I was working with while in Japan. Smooth flight. I tried sleeping but failed so watched three movies and ate two full meals plus snacks. JAL in flight service is pretty good even for steerage class peons like us. Real cutlery. Juanita got four hours sleep, two full meals and no movies.

Passport control in Vancouver is all automated AI facial recognition. It kept retrying and telling to take off my mask. Didn’t recognize me with a beard. We took our printout to a bearded person and he said it didn’t take your picture. I said. “No, it kept telling me to take off my mask. I bet you have the same problem.” Then off to find a bathroom and a train to my sister’s.

We took the Canada Line downtown and got off at Vancouver Station and followed the signs through the catacombs to the Expo Line. We followed the signs until we came to the locked doors of the Hudson’s Bay Company store and their “out of Business” signs. Oh.

We back tracked, stopping briefly at London Drugs to buy some Advil for my headache and at Tim’s to buy an iced coffee to wash down the Advil.

Then up to street level, walk a block to the other side of the defunct Bay and downstairs to the Expo Line. My sister picked us up at Royal Oak Station. We went to her home to visit. Well, Juanita and Syd visited, I faded in and out. We went out for an early dinner and came back home. In bed by seven. Asleep by seven oh one. What’s that? About forty hours awake? Close enough. Close enough to forty. Close enough to awake.

Awake again at midnight. Gave up going back to sleep by two thirty, got up to keyboard about yesterday in cathartic if exhaustive detail.

The plan today is to get a ride to the Royal Oak station, retrace our sky train ride to the airport and fly to Edmonton around noon. Maybe on Monday we’ll go home to Meadow Lake. Maybe we’ll stay in Edmonton for Canada Day.

We worked the plan in Vancouver.

Sydney dropped us off at the Royal Oak train station and we retraced our journey back to the airport in about two thirds the time it took yesterday. Much closer to the time predicted by Mr. Google. Amazing how much better things work when you know what you are doing and are at the start of a day and not the end of over thirty hours of travel.

We got to the gate for our flight to Edmonton just as an earlier flight to Edmonton was boarding. That would get us to Edmonton almost two hours earlier than scheduled. You can swap flights if you’re travelling with just carry-on luggage. I inquired if there was space on the flight and how far they were into the boarding process. Lots of space and about half way. The fee of $155 each to go two hours earlier didn’t pass my frugality threshold. That, plus uncertainty whether our rode could come to the airport earlier shot down that plan. In reality the next flight was delayed in a couple of stages to forty-five minutes later than scheduled. Apparently there is a shortage of air traffic controllers in Vancouver so they delayed a few flights coming into Vancouver. Still wouldn’t have been worht three hundred bucks.

Becky and kids met us at the airport. Back at here home, Juanita visited while I went to Canadian Tire and Walmart to buy some stuff on the list to take back to Meadow Lake. Nothing left on the list for tomorrow. Yay.

We crashed about eight o’clock. I woke at midnight and managed to go back to sleep at 3:00 for another 5 hours. Not synced yet but getting there.