November 26- Tokyo!

Today was my first full day in Tokyo. After a good night's sleep, I headed out early. I do better early in the morning - as the day moves on, my back gets worse. And I also had to deal with my knee injury. Sigh...

I think that I might have figured out the train/ subway system- at least as the day went on. It is super confusing from the standpoint that there are something like 12 or 15 subway lines. It's totally worse than NYC, IMO.

First stop? Senso-Ji Temple. This temple has been rebuilt several times since it's founding in 628 and is the oldest temple in Tokyo (thank you guidebook!). It was easy to find, and on your way to the temple itself, once you pass through the gate, there is a row of shops and kiosks that you can buy trinkets and souvenirs. Pretty standard fare, but I did snag some postcards. Sweet.

I took tons of pictures on the outside grounds of the temple, but was unable to enter the santuary/ alter/ holy area as there was some kind of special "service" going on and tourists were not welcome. No worries, I respect that. No fee to get in here, and you can take all the pictures you want outside. There were already a tons of people milling around and it was probably around 8:15 am or so when I got there. I can only imagine it around 2pm.

From there I took the subway (look at me go!) to the Ueno Park/ Tokyo National Museum area. The Ueno Park is a massive complex that has several museums, a zoo, shrines and in the spring tons of cherry tress. This place is huge and I won't even try to tell you I walked it all. Remember, my wonky back. This is also a favorite tourist place and already when I got there around 10 am it was super busy, with both tourists and locals. I imagine that the locals bring their kids here to run off their energy. I would. This park reminded me of the complex in Moscow where they had all the buildings set up that represented the different areas of the USSR. Yeah, I can't recall the name of that place. But Carrie would remember.  :)

I headed to the Tokyo National Musuem, which is on the right side of the park when you walk in. Kind of about 1/2 way into the park itself.  Did I mention this place waas massive?  The admission price to the museum was 620 Yen or about $6 USD. They have some wonderful exhibits and statues and artifacts that date to the 8th century. Yeah, I said the 8th century. Americans are infants.

After touring the museum and swinging by the gift shop (had to get a picture book for Michael) I decided to take a rest outside on one of the many benches in the complex. It was a lovely, sunny day and there were food trucks set up with some wonderful smelling food that I of course couldn't eat for fear of dying right there. I had peanut butter crackers.  Sigh...

At this point I was ready for my mid-day rest. I have learned that with my back it is best to start out early in the morning, go for a few hours and then head back to the hotel to rest for an hour or so before heading back out again. It really is the best way for me to get the most of the time I have. I didn't do that on my Italy trip on the day I went to the Vactican and I was in agony by the time I was able to stop for lunch (around 2pm). It may sound like an old lady plan but although I am not old, I have an old lady back.


After a rest and regrouping at the Marriott, I headed back out. My first stop was to the Shibuya section of the city, where I was looking for a certain shop (Oriental Bazar). This was a super high end shopping district and this particular shop was a god placed to buy some souvenirs and in particular the Yukta (summer cotton kimono) which I was looking for. After a few turns around once I got off the subway, I found the place and subsequently spent enough money to qualify for tax free status, which I guess I claim when I go through customs. No judgement.

Next I was heading to the Ginza section of the city. I had been there the day before as I was looking for a place that sells all kinds of chopsticks. So I was slightly familiar with the area. It is a huge, bustling shopping district and my goal was to find a restaurant that I thought wouldn't kill me. It waas called Bird Land. I will post another post on just that place, as I have tons of pictures. It was fabulous and I am alive to tell the tale!

After that, I headed back to the hotel as it was a ful day and we all know I am not a night person! UIKEYINPUTUPARROW

November 25- Tokyo

First day in Tokyo! And it was exhausting!

After landing back at Narita airport I caught the Narita Express  (NEX) to the Shinegwa Station, which was where the Tokyo Marriott was located. It is about a 15 min walk to the hotel from the station. The train ride itself was lovely. Nice, clean trains and they are easy to navigate and understand. I had a reserved ticket from the JR pass that I purchased so no need to exchange money as it was included in the 7 day ticket. (This JR pass is going to be really well worth it, I think)

Made it to the hotel and I wasn't sure that they room would be ready, but I was prepared to drop off my bags and head out into the city if not. When I got to the hotel, they ushered me into a separate executive room for actual checkin. The lady at the desk had me sit down and they were all prepared for me, and my room was ready. It was a bit surreal and at am not sure if they treated me so well because I am a platinum member, an American tourist or both. Either way, I'm good with this. I got some coupons for the included breakfast as well as a free drink with dinner. I felt quite special!



Went up to the room (on the 23rd floor with a great corner room with a view) and did a regroup. Dropped off the bags, got situated, and then headed out back to the station. I knew that I wanted to start out at the Tokyo Station and I needed to get there from the Shinegwa Station. Let's chat about the train station situation. Now, I am used to trains. I take trains all the time and have used public transportation all over the world. I feel pretty confident that I can mange. These trains are super overwhelming. Not the trains themselves but the train stations. Damn, they are like little cities and crazy, crazy busy. There are information booths and most of those folks speak English but still. I wouldn't try to navigate this place on the first day if I had kids. That would be a nightmare!

The Tokyo Station is modeled after the Centraal Station in Amsterdam. It appeased to be having some renovations but I still was able to take a few pictures of the outside of it. It's massive.

I also wanted to check out the Tokyo Station Gallery, which is a museum inside the station itself. I found it fine, but apparently one needs to have reservations to get in. Huh? I have never heard of that. The nice young man at the entrance explained how I could go online and get tickets but honestly it sounded like it was a bit more trouble than I wanted to spend on it. I wasn't even sure what the actual exhibits were. So chalk that up as a no.

No worries, on to other things. The next item on my list was the Kite Museum. I tried to find things that were based near each other to make the most efficient use of my time. Let me tell you, I found out really quickly that although I consider myself a pretty savvy traveler, things are going to be different here. It is difficult. Like Moscow difficult (remember that Carrie?).   And it's not just the food thing that is difficult (which is problematic), it is also just finding things and figuring out the trains. It's just difficult. Or maybe I was tired (I was) and my knee hurt (it does). Time will tell.


Now to the Kite Museum. The guidebook said it was a small museum. Understatement of the year. I walked around for about. 45 minutes trying to find the museum. I was on the right street but couldn't locate it. Then I saw it. It was a tiny, tiny sign that was on the front of a larger building. There was a queue starting that I thought was for the museum but turned out to be for the diner type place on the first floor. The Kite Museum is on the 5th floor, you need to take the elevator. There was a tiny, tiny Japanese woman taking the admission fee (200 yen) and then you walk through. The entire museum is approximately the size of my master bedroom in my apartment, maybe both the bedroom and the closet. There were some cool kites and but not sure it was worth 45 minutes of looking for it. At least it was only 200 yes (about $2 USD).

After the Kite Museum I headed back to one of the buildings that I stumbled on while I was searching for said museum. There was a bunch of restaurants on the lower level and there was a coffee shop I discovered. Note...if you are looking for something to eat, watch out for a large office type building. I have found in every one that I have been in that there are normally restaurants on the lower level.

After  a coffee and some type of pastry, I headed back out again. I was getting tired and my knee was killing me (as was my back) but it was only about 3pm or so. I found my way back to the train stations and took the subway to the Ginza Station. This is an area where there are tons of sopping as well as some large buildings to check out. I found the Sony Building as well as some really high end shops. while I was there, I located (again, with some trouble) a store my guidebook research told me would be great for souvenirs. It was a shop that specialized in chopsticks and accessories. And the lady in the shop spoke good English and she had lived in Cambridge, MA (when I told her I was from the Boston area she go very excited!). She helped my pick out some lovely chopsticks for gifts and for myself. There was something for everyone here with the prices going up to "as much as you want to spend".

It was getting later and since my back and knee were both throbbing I thought I would go back to the hotel and have an early dinner and relax. I knew that tomorrow was going to be a fully day starting with a temple and I had been up since 2:30 am. It was time.

Found the right train and made my way back to the Marriott where I had dinner in the restaurant at the hotel. The little man who waited on me was very concerned about the shrimp /shellfish allergy. I ordered chicken and potatoes but he had me fill out something for the morning breakfast buffett as there is apparently shellfish on it. He wants me to order off the ala carte menu and I think from what I can tell he is going to be around isn't he morning to help me. He was adorable but a little too attentive. I coudln't manage to relax and eat- I know he meant well but I at that point had been up forever and I was done being social.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day so early night tonight!

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....

November 22 & 23- Guam!

November 22 & 23- Guam

Continuing the adventures on a tropical island -today Sabrina and I drove out around the southern tip of the island to see some more of the "tropical" aspects that Guam has to offer. Sabrina has been nice enough to drive me around daily after the kids go to school so that I can see the sights and we can get out. As we drove around the southern tip of the island, we passed more of the "jungle" like areas as well as the mountains. This part of the island drive snakes around up the mountain and then back down, with jungle areas as well as beaches along the way. It 's got everything!

We stopped at most of the areas set aside for cars to pull off and look over the sights, take pictures and rest. It was nice because it was a Tuesday and very quiet out- all the kids are in school.

There were some people boogie boarding in the water:

A little sun and water for me:

Me wading in the ocean. In November!

As we drove along, the heat and humidity got worse the further away from the inlet water areas. It was very stifling in some areas and we didn't stay outside of the car long. 

Some lovely yellow flowers:

 Some lovely red flowers:

Sabrina and I posing for a hot, humid selfie!

And then we came across this. This was on the side of the road in a residential area and I am now calling it Uncle Owen's house. If I have to tell you why I called it that, then you are dead to me!  :)

On Wednesday morning we took another drive to the Guam Museum that is newly opened. It is a museum of the history of Guam and in a newly built, modern building and very nice (with lots of AC!). For only $3 you can see the exhibits of the museum artifacts as well as photographs and artwork of the native people. It was very nicely done and although they are not finished with the museum as a whole, we had a nice time. It doesn't take too long to go through the museum (about 20-30 minutes) and then they have a cafe/gift shop you can rest in. Sabrina is looking forward to bringing the kids back for activities that are being planned for the kids in the new year. 

Across the street from the museum is a Basilica which is very lovely. Guam is a Catholic island and although there are many Catholic churches around the island, this one (more modern) Basilica is one that Pope John Paul II visited in 1981. It was very pretty and nice to visit and take pictures. 

Tonight we are heading out to dinner with the family and to walk along the more tourist shopping area with the kids. More on that later!

November 20 & 21- Guam

**** So a little note about my blog. I found out when I got to Japan that there was a problem with the Blogger app for iPad that I use for my travel blog. Apparently Apple no longer supports the app, and it has gone rogue from the AppStore, nowhere to be found. A bit of Google-fu research told me that what I needed to do is utilize Google Crome to access my blog and blog posts from there. In order to get my pictures accessibly, I needed to use Google Pictures and import my pictures from my iPad so that I can post them to the blog post. That will explain the rather inconsistent posts (content and format) the last two days. Now that I figured everything out, the blog will make more sense. In order news, Google has announced it's latest SkyNet data center for opening 2018!!!  LOL

******

On to the blog post. 

Guam- November 20 and 21, 2016

Got up super early on Sunday the 20th for my flight from Narita to Guam. The actual flight time is about 3 hours long, but since it is still considered an international flight from Tokyo,  you have to get to the airport early. Easy check in, security line and customs processing and I am shopping at the duty free shop and waiting at the gate. The flight to Guam was uneventful. Guam is a holiday tourist spot for the Japanese (closer and cheaper than Hawaii), so the flight was filled with tourists. Landed a little early and made my way to immigration/ passport control. Since I have Global Entry and Guam is a US territory I was the only person to utilize the Gloabl Entry line and breeze right through. Welcome to the USA!

Sabrina and the kids were waiting outside for me and we piled into the SUV and headed toward their home on base housing. She had previously done the paperwork to get me a base pass (post divorce, I no longer have any base privileges). They have a nice 4 bedroom home in a cul-de-saq neighborhood and we settled in for a afternoon of relaxation. The kids were happy to have a visitor and we got caught up and had a great visit. Until 7:30 pm rolled around and I totally crashed. Jet lag is a bitch!!

After a good nights sleep Sabrina and I got the kids off to school and took off for the morning. We drove around a bit, did some errands on base, shopped at the Navy Exchange and went to the beach. The beaches here are lovely, with water as warm as bath water and clear water. Since it was a Monday, it was nearly empty and we spent some time walking around, talking and putting our feet in the water!

After a quick lunch we headed back to the Largest Kmart in the world. Yeah, it's a thing apparently. The Japanese tourists come here and stock up on whatever and bring it back to Japan. I am not really sure of the appeal, but I can check it off my list as "having seen it". We decided to go we plhead back to the house to rest (mostly rest my knee) and so I could write out some postcards. The kids get home from school around 3ish, so we hung out after that (homework, playtime, etc). I planned for this visit to be very relaxing and for Sabrina and I do to stuff mostly while the kids are at school. They are too young to be left alone (11, 6 & 5) so we are doing stuff during the day. It has been a lovely visit so far and the kids are thrilled that someone from family has come out to visit them!

Tomorrow we are planning to go drive the southern part of the island and take some pictures. I am sure there will be more beach time and sightseeing, albeit relaxing sightseeing! 

November 19- Tokyo Narita airport

Well I made it! Tokyo Narita airport.  Nearly 14 hours later and I am completely exhausted!

Then, you exit out into the airport proper area. The space with all the shops, booths, restaurants, etc. Now it might have been just me and my exhaustion but this airport was a bit overwhelming. And I am used to airports. I think it was a combination of the exhaustion and all the Japanese advertisements. They are a bit over stimulating!

After walking back and forth for a bit, I managed to find out that I needed to go downstairs via the escalator to get my JR pass activated. Once you go to the lower level, there are MORE shops, booths and restaurants. It is a bit overwhelming but honestly I am glad that I had this evening to get my bearings. Once you go downstairs, pretty much straight ahead is the JR Pass East office. Be warned, it's crowded. Everyone who ordered their JR Pass voucher is there to get their pass activated. But the line moves smoothly and the agents all speak good English.

Once the JR Pass was activated, directly next door was a Starbucks. You guessed it, I went ahead and got my mugs! I figured that I would be shipping a box home of summer clothes from Guam and I could include the mugs, and one less thing to carry around!

Then after chatting with someone at the information desk,  I headed back up the escalators heading towards where the buses were. I passed an ATM bank on the right- stop here and use the 7-11 ATM to get cash. Research has told me that often US debit cards don't work in Japan and that the 7-11 ones will accept our cards. It did and I grabbed some Yen and moved on my way.

I had planned to spend the night at the Tokyo Narita Guesthouse, which was marketed as the "only hotel inside the Narita airport". That is not entirely accurate as I found out. It is actuall around the corner from the airport, you need to take a hotel shuttle bus there. Go to bus stop 16, which is the stop for all the hotels and wait- they run about every 20 min to Narita Guesthouse. After a less than a mile drive to the hotel, my exhausted self checked in an went up to my room. 

The hotel is not anything fancy. It is old (like maybe left over from the 60's old) and it kind of has that "old smell" to it. But, it was clean, convenient and there is a restaurant onsite. And it was about $83USD a night. Yeah.

More on the hotel in my TripAvisor review, but I found that it met my needs just find. Grapped a quick bite in the restaurant,  a type of rice and beef dish. Then headed to bed. I was beat. Tomorrow is Guam!