Favorite Things

Sadly my trip is winding down and I spent my last full day in Japan wondering the streets of Osaka. (Like Woody Allen in Manhattan) I took the time to think about what I really liked best about Japan. So here are a few of my favorite things that I will truly miss: Sashimi Rose bento box, Hot and cold vending (Yes you can get a hot bottle of tea or hot can of coffee on the street), bright city lights (This picture is Osaka Shinsaibshi shopping district), fancy Yane Japanese roofs, and my great friends...

Don't fret, on my plane ride back to the USA I will be drafting a funny cultural comparison of Japan vs. the USA. I guarantee you will get a chuckle out of it. This will be my last blog posting from Japan. I am homeward bound!

Horyuji Temple 1,300 Years and Counting

This Temple is truly awe inspiring! It is Japan's Cultural Heritage Crown Jewel. It is the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world, build during the Asuks Period (A.D. mid 6th beginning of the 8th century) Emperor Yomei build in honor of Buddha to help cure him of his head aches. But he did not live long enough to see it built. Bummer. The grounds were peaceful despite the dreary weather. Kyoko and I noticed that on all of our trips to the various temples across Japan it rained or snowed at each one of them during our visit. Not sure what that means but it never dampened our spirits. The other picture is from the grounds at Horyuji where I climbed inside this ancient tree instead of up it!

The Great Buddha in Nara, Japan

Kyoko and I traveled to Nara and visited some temples. Here are some pictures from the Todaiji Temple that houses a huge statue of Buddha. I was amazed at how massive it was! The other photo is from a section of the temple picturing children crawling through a hole in a pillar. The hole in the pillar is the same size of the massive Buddha's nostril. The children are encouraged to pass through it to give them a blessing of good health. This Great Buddha Hall, Daibutsuden was twice destroyed by fire, the original was built in the 8th century and this present one was built in the 18th century. The bronze Buddha statue has been repaired over the centuries, the hands were made in the 16th century and the head in the 17th.

Tokyo at 100 Yen

There is no shortage of places to shop in Tokyo. The Japanese are very aware of brand names and all of the top designers have boutiques in Tokyo. Most of the Japanese are very well dressed and there is no market for fake designer goods here. Tokyo is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in the world, but I was able to spot a few good deals for around one US buck. Here is a list of things you can get in Tokyo for 100 Yen:
-One candy bar at a Fancy Coffee Shop
-10 minutes on the Internet at the Nishi Sunjuku Hotel
-One Arcade game at Sunjuku Game District
-One Piece of Sushi at Asukua Sushi carousel
-One maxi pad in the bathroom at Fancy Japanese Department Store
-Upgrade to buttered chicken for the 17 USD dinner plate special at Curry cafe
-A photo booth book at Tokyo Science Museum
-A bag of rice snack/nut mix on the Tokyo train platform snack stand
-One post card at Imperial Palace Museum
-Oh and anything on the 100 Yen menu at McDonald's

Tokyo!!!

I absolutely LOVE Tokyo! I am having a blast. Great skyline, great shopping, and beautiful people. Kyoko introduced me to some great new friends. I have posted some pictures of my adventures with Thom Peace who showed me around Asakusa a shopping district and Shrine. Later we went for Sushi.

Visiting Kei's Mom and Dad

I visited Kazuko Ota and Takahiko Ota in Kasuga City, Japan. What a wonderful experience. I was so struck how accommodating and generous they were. I got a real taste of Japanese home cooking and the suburban life away from the busy cities of Japan. I posted a picture of me in front of a Plum Tree in bloom at the Dazaifu Shrine in Fukuoka City, Japan. What a treat! The past few days it was just warm enough to bloom. I got a Omikugi (Fortune Paper) at the Shrine and it said "I am lucky!" this trip is evidence of that!

Hiroshima 0815

Visiting Hiroshima has been the most moving experience so far. I was struck by how the rebuilding process has helped to heal Japan. The Peace Museum was very well presented. There was an emphasis on how shortly after the bombing plants started to grow. When all of the experts said that nothing would grow for decades.　Hiroshima is a busy city full of life. I titled this entry Hiroshima 0815 because that was the time that the bomb detonated. I have attached some pictures of the Atomic Bomb Dome the only preserved remaining structure and one of a clock frozen in time recording the detonation.

Sake, Kobe, and Coming of Age Day

Kyoko, Kei and I went to visit a Sake Factory． Here are a shot from the tour in front of the large sake barrel. The most important stop was at the sake tasting. We also enjoyed shopping in Kobe. Today was Coming of Age Day in Japan. march of 2008. The young ladies dress in Kimono and the young men dress in fancy suits. 　　

Kyoto Bliss

Kyoto was so blissful. A very beautiful lively city with no sky scrapers (much like DC) . There are so many temples in Kyoto but we only had time to visit two. We saw the Rokuno-Ji Golden Temple (Yes it is lined with pure gold leaf) and the Eikando Zenrin-Ji Temple. Both temples had beautiful zen gardens, priceless works of art, ancient documents, and plenty of Buddhas.

Venturing into the city we were lucky to be 30 minutes ahead of a Women's Relay Marathon. We stopped for lunch at a noodle place just in time to catch the first place team crossing the finish line on the local TV station. The exciting race was a nice contrast to the calm reflective mood at the temples. Stay tuned... tomorrow I will be going to Kobe and then on to Hiroshima!

Lara's Bizarre Foods Adventures

Bizarre foods are all over Japan. I have captured a few images of the most bizarre food I have eaten so far...raw horse meat! Yes that's Mr. Ed in the raw! I have to say it was very tasty with some soy and ginger/garlic. To get me motivated to eat the horse, Kenji Ashida (pictured) said, "You will be just like a tiger!" lol. Here is a list of some of the raw foods I have been brave enough to sample: horse, sweet shrimp, 3 types of tuna, 2 types of salmon, sea scallop, mackerel and yellow tail. The Sushi in Japan is amazing the best in the world. So tasty and well presented.

Here is video of a Sushi place we went to. It has this cool moving belt full of plates of fresh Sushi...you just pick up the ones that look good and enjoy them. When you are done you slide the plates down a chute at the table and a computer tracks how many you have eaten. Made to order sushi is available too. They place it on the belt in a red bowl and an alarm beeps when it gets to your table. Everything is totally automated.

Kyoko & Kei's Reception

What a beautiful event! Everything came togeather like clockwork. We took the subway to the Monsoon Cafe in Osaka and picked up the cake and flowers on the way all on special order in the subway mall . About 75 people were in attendance. It was a very special night...

NHK Something for the Kids

In preparing for my trip I watched a lot of NHK TV (on cable). Which is the Japanese equivalent of the alphabet networks in the US. I happened upon the NHK Studios in Osaka. My Dad got me a great gadgit for Xmas called xshot ...a sort of hand-held tripod for one person and boy did it come in handy. http://www.xshotpix.com/. Here was my first try. lol! It took a few shots to get it right. That’s the NHK studioｓ in the background. I am attaching some video of the kids programming display. Lots of cute characters...　

Lost & Found in Translation

Japan at first glance has more than exceeded my expectations. I am absolutely enthralled with this culture. Osaka is a wonderful city very clean and easy to navigate. Everyone that I have come into contact with has been so nice and accommodating. I have included a picture from the cultural center I visited. This is another amazing story. I came upon this coop gallery and was approached by one of the artist working that day. By means of about her 10 words of English and my 10 words of Japanese. She asked which of the 50 works of art was my favorite. I said the "Red Tree", she exclaimed that is one of the two she has painted in the collection! She was happy I liked it and said that this painting is too modern for the Japanese to appreciate and the painting has not been very well recieved. So she was delighted that I liked it best.

There was another Gentleman working with her that took the time to walk me 3 blocks to show me the Osaka Kabuki Theater. We were sad to discover that the Theater is closed for the month. I was glad he came along to translate the sign for me. Even though he only knew about 10 words of English too! I really was concerned at first how I would manage but I see now that we all find ways to communicate. My only regret iｓ　I did not get their names.

Amazing Coincidence!

I knew that my flight to Japan was charmed when on the first leg of my flight I went to the back of the plane to get a glass of water and my brother-in-law Mike comes around the corner and surprised me! We were both so shocked and freaked out! I thought I was dreaming! It was so random. Mike happened to be on the same flight to San Francisco on business travel!

Amazing!!!

What a small world. I was delighted cause I never got to say goodbye to him before my trip. Here is the picture we took to document the amazing coincidence...enjoy.

Konichiwa!

Friends, Family and Colleagues!

I am so excited to share my Maverick Travel Blog with all of you! Highlights include: Daily posts recording my adventures in Japan over the next 2 weeks, Sushi Clock showing Tokyo time (14 hours ahead), World Premiere of my first independent film (Which I wrote, directed, but did not star in), notable Web Links: Translate your name in Japanese, currency tracking see how weak the Dollar is against the Yen, and much more.

I hope you enjoy reading!

Feel free to post on the site. It will be great to hear from you! But be nice everyone can see what you write! Don’t forget to check back often!

Sionara! For now…

Lara

Sushi Movie Premiere

Welcome to the premiere of my first movie! Since the Golden Globes Ceremony has been canceled I hope this will be entertainment enough. http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/show-stopper-golden-globes-cancelled/2008/01/08/1199554612222.html

Enjoy...

Japan Rail Pass

I just got my Japan Rail Pass in the mail...Just in the nick of time! So strange to see that I spent 28,270 Japanese Yen on my pass. Just $257.00 USD a good deal for 7 day unlimited use. To learn more about the train system in Japan go to http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2016.html

Blast-Off Japan Style

Welcome to my maverick travel blog!

T-Minus one week and counting till I jet off the Japan! Blast-off date is 1/9/08. I am so excited for my trip! Not only will I be reuniting with my great friend Kyoko, I will be meeting her new husband Kei, and fulfilling a life long dream of traveling to the Far East. While in Japan I will be attending Kyoko and Kei's wedding reception. I have attached a picture of the "couple of the hour"...

Check back soon! I will be blogging across Japan.

My current itinerary includes stops in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Tokyo/Mt Fuji and maybe Hiroshima...We will see if I can cram it all into 2 weeks. While in Tokyo I will be attempting to reenact some episodes of Bizarre Foods... Stay tuned...

Here are some cool web sites to learn more about Japan:

Translate your name in Japanese:

http://japanesetranslator.co.uk/your-name-in-japanese/

Cool map of Japan:

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/lgcolor/jpcolor.htm

See how weak the Dollar is in Japan ;( Exchange rates:

http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html