Final Japan/Guam thoughts!

So I know that I am a little slow on the Japan / Guam blogging. With the issues with the iPad and the moving directly after returning from Japan, then the holidays it has been literally crazytown here!  But I wanted to share some final thoughts on my fabulous 50^th birthday trip!

So the most difficult part of the trip for me was definitely the food. The shrimp/shellfish allergy makes food choices nearly impossible in an Asian country. I knew that. But I didn’t realize the extent of the language challenge would contribute to this. Explaining cross-contamination is difficult when there is a language barrier. I made do, but going forward any Asian trips that I take (and there WILL be more- looking at your South Korea) I will make sure to pack loads of snacks, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, etc. At least this gives me something to snack on while I walk around for two hours looking for a place to eat that won’t kill me!

The trip itself was harder due to the length of time it takes to get over there, and the jet lag. Jet lag is a real thing and although I have had multiple trips internationally before, Western Europe normally provides me with a one day jet lag and then I am good to go. Not so in Asia. It took weeks (literally) after I returned to the US before I slept through the night. Sigh….

There is also a difficulty with simply finding places. Often I find a shop or restaurant that I am interested in finding because it holds some interest to me (the chopstick store in Tokyo or perhaps the leather purse and shoe store in Rome). I want to visit these places and in Japan I found that the streets are more difficult to navigate. There may be street signs (sometimes) and if you find one, sometimes they are in Japanese only, or both English and Japanese. But I found it to be a bit more difficult; perhaps because many places are in the lower level or basement areas (due to the real estate shortage in Japan) and often times there are no signs pointing the way. Realize that going forward you would need more time to navigate.

All in all I loved the trip. Even with the food issues, my wonky back and my knee injury it was a great trip and I am so lucky to have been able to travel to Japan and to Guam to see family. Until next time (and I am looking at you, London)…….

Birdland- Tokyo Japan

So I am a little slow with the Japan blogging. Blame moving one week after vacation and then Christmas/ New Years right after that!  

I wanted to dedicate a blog post from my Japan trip to the chicken restaurant called Birdland. As you know, I have a life-threatening allergy to shrimp/shellfish. That makes Japan (and I assume all of Asia) difficult for me. It’s not as easy as just saying, “I can’t have shrimp”. I can’t have anything touching the shellfish (spoons, bowls, etc.). Food was difficult and frustrating in Japan.

I found Birdland in a guidebook while researching my Japan trip and I was intrigued. A restaurant in Tokyo that didn’t serve shellfish? What was that all about! I was determined to find this place and check it out. I headed out to the restaurant area (in the Ginza section of Tokyo) early one evening to have a real meal for once during this trip!

Note that things in Tokyo are a bit challenging to find. Many restaurants are in the lower levels of building that are offices or stores and often times there are no signs (or if there are they are in Japanese) to find things. Well I was determined to find this place come hell or high water! I wandered around for a bit until I found three young ladies in their early 20’s with their phones out. I took a chance and asked them if they spoke English and when they said “some”, I jumped at the chance. After showing them my guidebook and explaining where I was headed they plugged the restaurant in their phones and was able to locate it for me. They offered to walk me right to the door (!!!!) and while we were walking there one of the girls smiled back at me (I was following her) and said, “You picked a good place, the reviews on this are great and this is a very popular place!”  Well damn, I was just trying to find a place that wouldn’t kill me. My foodie friend Carrie would be so proud!

After they walked me down the steps to the door and I thanked them profusely I waited as the restaurant was not set to open for about 15 minutes (I think it was 5pm but since I hadn’t eaten lunch don’t judge me. I’m not 80). I sat down with the other locals to wait. When they opened I was asked if I had a reservation- damn did I need one? No, since it was just me and early then we were fine. I explained to the door dude (not really a host, not really a waiter, not really a concierge person) that I had an allergy (not my first rodeo after all). When he discovered I only speak English he found me a waiter who also spoke English. Yay!

There is a large U-shaped bar area and in the center is the cooking area. There are also tables and chairs for larger parties but all the action is at the bar. So the bar I was brought to. You get one waiter/cook type person per party and he is your “contact “ for the meal. There was an extensive menu in Japanese but there was an English menu if you ask for it. I chose to get their all –inclusive meal, which includes several courses of tiny chicken dishes. All chicken, all the time! There were some salad/veggie type sides. I am not sure what they were but after confirming they had not touched any shellfish we were on our way.

I don't remember what this was but I recall I didn't like it

The all inclusive menu

This? Amazing!

I can honestly say that because of my limited food options this was the best meal I had in Japan. It was not cheap (I think it was about $68 for one) but it was a cool setting, great food and it didn’t kill me. Win Win for everyone!

November 24 & 25

November 24 was Thanksgiving in Guam and I thought a short blog post about the wonderful day spent with family was in order.

Sabrina and James live in base housing on Guam and their neighborhood is similar to other base housing neighborhoods, the kids run rampant and the neighbors all know each other and have get together. One of their neighbors hosted Thanksgiving this year, with about 20 people (plus who knows how many kids!) all gathered at her house. I was invited by default!  :)

It was nice to hang out with the neighbors and visit/ meet new people. Most of these folks are around 30 or so, with young kids. I think that Andrew is the oldest one there and he is 11. I even got to hijack a 4 month old baby and held her/rocked her to sleep. It had been so long since I held a baby!

All in all it was good food, good company and the necessary food coma to put us all in the Thanksgiving spirit! I appreciate everyone inviting me and making me feel welcome!


November 25th in the morning was the day I left Guam to go back to Japan and do the Tokyo portion of my vacation. I had to leave super early in the morning, so James graciously agreed to get up at 3:30 and drive me to the airport! The check in and the majority of the flight was uneventful. I have TSA precheck and apparently I am the only person on the Island of Guam who does. First one ahead of everyone else. And I managed to get in front of the throngs of Japanese schoolboys in their uniforms. So it was a win-win!

The flight itself was mainly uneventful. I say mainly because although I got a great nap at the beginning of the flight, 3/4 of the way into the flight turned into a little bit of drama. Not my drama, however. The young 20-something couple in front of me (Japanese tourists to Guam, I imagine) had the drama. The female 20-something of the couple had got up out of her seat to head towards the restroom. I could tell that she wasn't feeling well, and 20-something male passenger was pushing the call button for the FA. Well as the FA come up the aisle, 20-something female got all wobbly on her knees and basically fainted. And when she fainted, on the way down she hit her head on the seat back (the aisle seat). Luckily she hit the padded part. That's when you see every FA on the aircraft come running with oxygen, blankets, cups of water, you name it. And the obligatory call on the PA for "is there a doctor in the house?". There wasn't.  20-something female was conscious and she was just laying in the aisle with all the FAs well, attending to her. 20-something male was a bit useless, but really they all are. And this is the point where I say to myself that I am glad I had got up about 20 minutes before to use the restroom. Because that's the bastard I am in a crisis. Yep, I went there.

All ends well. 20-something female gets up and re-joins 20-something useless male and they stay in their seats until we land. At which time I find out that there are no paramedics at Narita airport (at least today) and that they would send a "manager in a red jacket" to speak to them and I guess make arrangements from there. I didn't stick around because 20-somethings annoy me. I de-boarded the plane with the rest of the passengers and headed to passport control/ immigration and baggage pick up.

So there you go. Some drama that for once didn't involve me falling down some flight of stairs!  Yay for that!  My next post will be about my day in Tokyo and will include pictures. Maybe I should have taken pictures of 20-something couple?  Hmmm, next time....

The travel day

So, I'm off.  The long, long travel day is upon us. the Delta flight from Detroit to Tokyo was fine. No major problems or delays. My knee was still hurting and I had a hard time getting comfortable but that is to be expected on a 13 hour flight! I did have a problem with the in flight entertainment, I was able to watch one movie, but then the audio cut out and even with them resetting it, it never did come back. No huge deal, I would have liked to watch another movie but I had my phone and music. First world problems.

Landing at Tokyo Narita airport slightly ahead of schedule. Now I am going to give some advice on what to do when you land based on my experience. Your mileage may vary.

Once you deboard the plane you walk a bit until you get to the immigration/passport control area. This line is long (depending on how many flights just got in) and my suggestion is to use the restroom first before getting in line. There are several to chose from and you will thank me later. Once at the immigration counter, all people have their picture and their fingerprints taken. Standard procedure. What I recommend is to NOT look at the picture on the screen that they just took of you. I slightly resembled an extra from the movie Zombieland. Just don't.

After getting your passport stamped you head through and down the escalators to the baggage claim. Since the immigration line was so long our bags from the flight were waiting there - good to go! Once you collect your bags you move up to the customs counter and a nice young man asks you a few standard questions, then you are on your way!

...More on next page

Guam/ Japan 2016- it's almost here!

Well it’s getting close! Tomorrow evening I start the great adventure known as Guam /Japan 2016!  After work tomorrow I will take a train up to Boston to spend the night near Logan airport. I have a super early flight Friday morning and spending the night near the airport made the most sense. The trains from Providence don’t run (or at least very frequently) that early in the morning and parking up at Logan is insane. So it ended up being easier and cheaper to just spend the night, order room service and take the free shuttle to the terminal in the morning!

My flight from Boston to Detroit will take slightly over 2 hours, then when I land I plan to have a lovely breakfast before boarding the flight straight from Detroit to Tokyo. And yes, it is a long, long, long flight!  Once I get to Tokyo (Saturday afternoon), I booked a room for the night at the only hotel in Tokyo Narita airport. You see, I am doing the Guam part of the trip first. Tokyo Narita (NRT) is approximately 45 minutes outside the city proper. It didn’t make sense to go into the city to just spend the night. There are limited flights to Guam so my flight leaves the next morning (Sunday). Now it sounds like a strange way to plan things, but there really is a method to my madness. You see, by spending the night in the Tokyo Narita hotel, I can acclimate to the time change, shower and rest at the hotel, get a good night’s sleep and a decent meal. And..because I have several hours when I get into Narita (land about 4pm local time) I can activate my JR pass, get some Yen out of an ATM, check out where the NEX train into the city boards, and all that logistical stuff that you need to do. This way, when I travel back to Tokyo, I will have some things taken care of and be more familiar with things and can hit the ground running!

Speaking of hitting the ground… To make things a little more interesting I managed to fall last Saturday down a flight of stairs at my newly purchased condo (don’t even ask). I managed to injure my knee and have been babying it all week in anticipation of my upcoming trip. I’ll live but it will make things a bit more slow moving. Good news is that the Guam part of the trip is going to be relaxation and hanging with the family.

So after more than 6 months of planning the trip is nearly here! Can’t wait to see Asia (or at least part of Asia)!  Stay tuned, more to come!!!

Information about the Japan Rail (JR) pass

Hello all!

Well it has been a while since the last travel blog post and since I am knee deep in planning for the upcoming Japan/Guam travel trip- thought I would provide some updates.  

I have been researching the Japan Rail (or JR) pass and wanted to share my findings. The JR is a rail pass that can be used on most of the regional Japan trains, even the bullet trains (note-not the city subway systems). It is a cost saving overall pass that has some restrictions you have to meet in order to purchase/use it.

Some of the restrictions include

            You have to not be a Japanese resident

            You must be a foreign traveler visiting on a travel visa (not work related)

The cost of course varies based on the length of the pass, adult or child, etc. Basically if you are traveling one way from Tokyo to Kyoto then you won’t save any money because the pass is more expensive than a one -way ticket. However, if you are doing a round trip Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo (or any other city) then the pass pretty much pays for itself. Add in the train to/from the airport and Tokyo proper and you are saving money. Not to mention that you simply don’t have to buy separate tickets every time you travel. And if you decide to change your itinerary and want to take a random trip to another city during your stay you don’t have to worry about buying a ticket at the station.

Note that there is a time limit for the pass. You can buy a 7 day, 14 day or 21 day pass and they are priced accordingly. Last update on the 7 day pass price is Green car (which is like business class) is 38,880 YEN and Ordinary (coach class) is 29,110 YEN (adult prices).  My handy conversion iPhone app says 38,880 is about $365.73 USD and 29,110 is $274.39 USD.  I’m ordinary, BTW. (note shameless Apple plug).

The process:

1.     You contact an agent (or certain Japanese airlines if your air tickets are booked with them) to purchase a voucher BEFORE you get to Japan. This is important

2.     They confirm that you meet the necessary eligibility requirements and issue you the pass.

a.     I contacted an agency listed on the website and they are based in NYC but have offices all over the country (one in Boston).

                                                                 i.     You can only order the voucher 3 months prior to your usage/activation of the pass

                                                                ii.     They can ship it to you if you live far from one of their offices (FedEx charge of $12USD).

3.     When you get to Japan you need to take the voucher to the JR pass desk. There are apparently ones in every major train station and at the airports –once you pass through customs and passport control.

4.     When you activate the pass at the JR pass desk, you need to tell them what day you want it activated on

a.     For example, I am traveling to Tokyo spending the night at an airport hotel and flying to Guam the next day. I will return to Japan on 11-25 and will use my pass then. Since I will be buying a 7 -day pass I will ask them to activate it for 11-25. See? Easy Peasy!

5.     Once the pass is activated I am told that if you know the train you will be traveling on, you can then reserve your seat. Not all trains have seat reservations-so that would be the point to ask the JR Pass desk representative to confirm. I know that the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto takes about 3 hours or so and I sure want to have a reserved seat (I do so love my window seats!).

6.     One other thing. There are several “bullet “trains in Japan. The JR pass is NOT valid for the fastest of the bullet trains (the NOZOMI and MIZUHO trains). My understanding is that these trains just make fewer stops and the other bullet trains are just as fast and IMO worth the price savings to add on 15 minutes or so of your time. Your mileage may vary.

Now for the Hamilton reference!

I called the agency to confirm most of this information and asked about the shipping charge instead of going to Boston to pick up the ticket. It is $12 and for me, it would cost that much to take a train/T to the location, find time to get off work for the only day I am in the city (Tuesday) and lug around my work laptop and crap while doing so. Just mail the bad boy. I did however, tell the agent that if he could somehow get me Hamilton tickets I would manage to pick up the JR pass in person in NYC. We both got a good laugh over that because everyone knows that it is probably easier to fly to the moon and open a Starbucks than to get Hamilton tickets.   (note shameless Hamilton plug).

So there you have it! All about how to buy and use the JR pass in Japan. Inquiring minds want to know!!!!!

http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html

http://www.hisgo.com/us/contents/index.aspx?lang=en