Tumbling Around the World!

Our travels, work related and otherwise

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Gorgeous nighttime view of one of the gardens in Kanazawa.

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View from the train on my way from Kanazawa to Takayama. Japan is beautiful in winter, and zipping along through the mountains was incredible.

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Gold leaf ice cream!

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I took a crafts tour of Kanazawa which would be perfect for couples or families, if a bit awkward on your own with your guide.

We started with a specific type of silk dyeing that they do in the region, I chose a cloth bag instead of a silk handkerchief, but it’s more or less the same process. You have to hold the brush in a very particular way and be quite patient to get it right. They didn’t speak much English at all so it was really crucial to have someone there to explain.

From there, we went to a gold leaf workshop, which Kanazawa is known for. In fact, about 90% of all gold leaf products in the country come from this city. I decorated a lacquer ware box which I have been strictly ordered not to touch. Then I took a look around the workshop, and the level of skill that they have is incredible. The gold leaf is more delicate even than tissue paper, and they cut it down to a standard size before using it for lacquerware, in tea (bottom left photo) and other foods, bath bombs, beauty products, fans, jewelry... essentially anything you can think of. In one shop they even sell ice cream cones with a full sheet of gold leaf over the top. I’m not sure I see the point of that, but even in the freezing, snowy streets there was a huge crowd of people munching away on gold leaf ice cream.

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Solo train journey: Kyoto to Kanazawa

I was quite nervous once I separated from the other two travelers to do a train journey on my own with all of my luggage. I did scope it out the previous day so that I would have a good plan on how best to get to the station. It turns out, most stations are accessible enough that I didn’t have to do much, if any, lifting of my suitcase. I also didn’t need to put it up above me as there was plenty of leg room in front of my legs.

With the Japan Rail Pass all you need to do is show the pass to a gate attendant, and you can zip around pretty easily. I was intimidated about finding my platform, switching lines, etc, but there is typically clear signage in English and if you have pocket wifi (which I would highly recommend) you can often check ahead which platform you’ll need to go to.

Being on a train in Japan is wonderful compared to the US because people are generally quiet, won’t be talking on their phones, and they are much more prone to being on time. When I arrived in Kanazawa there were also clear signs to direct me to the local taxis, which made it easy to reach my hotel in the town center.

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Lunch with my hosts. Chicken sukiyaki including liver, heart, and those tomato looking things are egg yolks actually! I felt a bit like Anthony Bourdain, chatting through an interpreter to these warm and welcoming people. The woman was very curious about how I traveled so long, did I bring paper underwear because that's what her boss at a ryokan used to give her? They were also very eager to see photos from my wedding. They've promised to hold on until I can come back to visit with my husband.

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Mochi making class on Lake Biwa. This wonderful local family takes in guests to show them how to make mochi the traditional way and help you see a bit more into Japanese culture. On arrival they both welcomed me in English, but they spoke very little. Luckily I had two lovely women there who helped translate. They grow the rice themselves, along with a few other things like persimmon and orange. They first pound the mochi halfway by machine, doing it by hand is exhausting and it was probably clear that I wouldn't be able to do much myself... The mallet itself weighs over 20 lbs, and while you're swinging it, a partner is quickly reaching below to turn and moisten the rice. There needs to be a lot of skill, trust, and coordination, because you would definitely smash the fingers of your partner if you're timing is off. People who are actually good at this do it incredibly fast, but we took it a bit slow. The first batch is rolled in a dry soy sauce sugar and eaten fresh. I took a big bite and can absolutely see how younger or older people could choke every year. It's delicious but extremely chewy and can be hard to break into small pieces once it's already in your mouth. Matcha is often added to mochi, but in this village they add mugwort. A whole second round of wielding the mallet came next which was equally exhausting, but we cheered each other on enthusiastically. The old couple each took up the mallet which was embarrassing for me, they put all three of us to shame. Next we headed inside for lunch!

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Geisha walks and sushi

We have a guide who has been working with us for over a decade and is half British, half Japanese. We were planning to meet for dinner and a quick visit to the geisha district. Travelers typically do a 'geisha walk ' where they'll go around the district hoping to spot them hurrying between appointments.

Of course, I'd already walked around the geisha district a few times so wasn't expecting anything new. As usual, I was wrong and learned a lot. We headed to a quiet street where a sort of leader of the community lives. The maiko and geiko have to stop in and pay their respects.

Over the 20 minutes we were there we probably saw a dozen maiko and geiko coming and going in taxis arranged by the mother of the house. It was really strange to see these mysterious, beautiful women waiting for a cab like anyone else.

Next was dinner at a local sushi place, the menu was really just a board with what was in stock, all in Japanese. Luckily I had a guide there and let him take over the ordering.

We had mystery tempura first, and when he was reluctant to tell me what the tempura was I knew right away... cod sperm. I gave it a try and while it was definitely strange to me, it wasn't as intense as I'd feared.

Next came sushi in every imaginable variety, some of which didn't gave English names, most so yummy I forgot to ask. A highlight was uni, or sea urchin, which I was surprised to find I loved. It's silky and creamy and perfect over rice. Every course he asked if I had room for more. The real answer was no, but I wasn't about to miss out on a course so I ate until I had a prominent sushi baby. No regrets!

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Maiko waiting for their taxis like the rest of us…

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As I travel more, I’ve really started to enjoy activities over landmarks - that being said there were some beautiful things to see in Kyoto!

We went to a temple where people copy parts of the Buddhist ‘bible’ and then their name, and a wish below. Another woman traveling with me who can read and write Japanese helped me with mine which are the three left columns. I’ve been told I didn’t do too terribly, but who can say?

The Golden Pavilion was another stop, and even though it was cold out the lake in front looked really stunning with the bits of ice floating around it. Water from the mountains is funneled through a small pool that has a blue-ish clay. Once it goes through there, it comes into this larger pond which causes the color to be more reflective and thus more beautiful.

This was all built by a local shogun, who our guide joked might have been the Trump of the time with his love of ostentatious displays... sigh. It’s always a bit tough to travel these days with most of the world laughing at us, but I suppose that’s what we get.

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One thing that was completely new to me was the difference not only between maiko and geiko, or geisha but between maiko as they progress through their training.

A first year maiko will only paint her bottom lip red, and wears the most elaborate hair ornaments, obi (which is the back part of the outfit you can see in the last photo), and kimono. She will also typically be in light colors. After the second year they will have simpler hair ornaments and darker colored kimono.

A geiko/geisha will have the simplest of all the outfits, and her obi sash will be much shorter than what you can see in those photos. They will also wear a wig for the elaborate hairstyles, whereas the maiko use there own hair. This means that they have to sleep on the wooden neck pillow to avoid ruining the hairdo, which they get done once a week.

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Some shots from our kaiseki meal. I really loved almost all of it! It was quite cold, so a bottle of warm sake shared between us helped warm me up. Miso soup was a big surprise, because I’ve never liked it, but it was delicious and I learned that it’s not really done right in the US!

The sashimi  and sushi were excellent as well. The only thing I didn’t love was a vinegar mackerel dish, which was good but I don’t care for mackerel. Green tea served as a great way to end before heading back to the hotel by train.

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Memoirs of  Geisha: Exploring Gion

My first day in Japan I had to leave my hotel in Kyoto almost as soon as I arrived to meet up with two other people near Gion, which is a hanamachi - or Flower Town. This isn’t actually related to flowers, but geisha! There are several hanamachi in Kyoto and all over Japan but they are much smaller. In Gion alone, just one flower town within Kyoto, up until WWII there were thousands of geisha. Now there are about 200. I read somewhere that in the height of their popularity there were 80,000 geisha in Japan.

Kyoto has its own dialect, so the say geiko, not geisha. A geiko in training is a maiko, and that status lasts for about 5 years before you become a full fledged geiko. You can expect to spend enormous amounts of money to visit a tea house and see a maiko or geiko perform, thousands of dollars. Don’t get to excited however, as most tea houses are members only affairs where you must be referred. A foreigner could not just walk in, no matter how much money you may have.

Our guide for the evening was absolutely lovely, and almost immediately we stumbled upon seven or eight maiko taking a photo outside of their boarding house. This was thrilling, as you just have to hope that you’ll spot one on her way to an appointment, so to see a group of them all dressed and about to head out is extremely rare. We were also able to see the main tea house that was used in Memoirs of a Geisha. While there are definitely inaccuracies in the movie, it’s not completely far off and it was amazing to see. At one point, there was a maiko leaving a tea house with a man who looked just like Ken Watanabe’s character in Memoirs of a Geisha, who I had a huge crush on when the movie first came out, so that was quite a thrill!

We walked around Gion and learned before heading for a kaiseki meal, a great way to start off a trip to Japan. Kaiseki is a combination of Japanese imperial cuisine and temple cuisine for monks. It’s big in Kyoto, and is a multi-course meal that has dishes based on the season. After dinner we went back to the hotel and I absolutely collapsed!

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Arrival in Japan

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Picking back up in Japan

I was terrible and didn’t do any posts on our honeymoon, but now I’m in Japan and it’s so new to me that I definitely need to get back on top of it.

Cathay was able to upgrade me so the flight was great, I ended up in Business Class. I managed to get a ton of sleep (relatively speaking), so when I got to Osaka I was pretty well rested. The seats go completely flat and you can get all snuggly. I was blatantly out of place with the rest of the passengers who seemed mostly to be Hong Kong businessmen.

When I first arrived I breezed through immigration ridiculously easily. On first arrival there are signs and people directing you, and a guide met me to give me all of my vouchers for the trip and help me to get my Japan Rail Pass sorted. This is what I was most stressed about, because it’s so much more hands on/do it yourself than anywhere else I’d been. Every voucher and ticket was numbered with a handy guide though, so I feel somewhat confident.

My transfer was actually a pre-arranged taxi, and just like every other taxi driver, I learned, he was wearing a fancy hat, white gloves, and the seats had something like lace covers on them. The doors also open and close automatically, so you’re really not supposed to touch them which I was thankfully warned about by another girl in the office before I left. The drive to Kyoto took about an hour and 40 minutes so I got a quick nap in.

My flight was delayed so I was quite worried that I would miss my first activity, but I was able to freshen up a bit and get there right on time with the help of my taxi, more to follow - off to ramen!

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Menjangan/Bali Barat

Onward! 

The drive to Bali Barat National Park to most of the day when you take into account all of the hotel inspections, meh.

Bali Barat and Menjangan Island in particular are known for the great underwater life. The photos that I just posted are all from the area, so even from above the water you can see that it’s pretty incredible.

We didn’t make it Menjangan Island but from there you can see clownfish AKA Nemo, colorful coral, and tons of other stuff including (possibly) turtles! We still got the opportunity to snorkel from the jetty of our hotels (Plataran and Menjangan) and I definitely get it.

There were sea cucumbers/slugs, huge urchins, giant blue star fish, angel fish, and a favorite - parrot fish, along with tons of other fish I don’t know the names of. It was also incredibly dramatic how quickly the reef dropped off into super deep ocean. It reminded me of Finding Nemo when all of the kids go to the “drop off”. Even though our guide assured us there was nothing dangerous in the water I was definitely wary of the depths. Just wait - I’ll be the first person to be injured there!

Easily the most impressive wildlife I’ve seen above or below the water has been on this trip, it’s really inspired me to see more!

Quick side note before I end - WTF THERE WERE DEER EVERYWHERE. It was really odd to see crystal clear blue water, and then a family of deer frolicking in it. At one point I saw, no exaggeration, I counted, 20 deer all together. Indonesia is ever surprising and delighting me!

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Some pretty incredible views from our time in Bali Barat National Park!