Tsukiji Fish Market

One of my favorite parts of my visit to Ethiopia last year was wandering through a local market in the town of Lalibela. Sightseeing is great, but I never feel like I see how the local people really live when I’m just visiting touristy places. Before coming to Japan I read about Tsukiji Fish Market, a wholesale market with docks on Tokyo Bay where all the seafood eaten in the city is bought and sold. Tsukiji was a must-visit site in Tokyo for me, and I crawled out of bed at 5:00 AM to be there when the morning catch would be sold.

I had two main impressions while wandering through the market; first, the place was so fast-paced and bustling with Japanese workers hurrying to get things sold that I couldn’t believe they allow tourists to wander around in there, and second, I had no idea that people ate so many different types of seafood! Every underwater creature imaginable was available for sale at Tsukiji fish market. I couldn’t even begin to list all of them, but a few of the things I saw included eel, sea urchins, live lobsters and crabs, flounder, squid, and octopus, just to name a few. My favorite sightings were of gigantic tuna fish that looked as if they had been pulled out of the water only a few hours earlier. Each of the fish was at least three feet long and a couple feet in diameter, and one of the tuna I saw had a tag on it indicating that it weight 70 kilograms – nearly 150 pounds! Until today the only tuna I’ve ever seen was the stuff that’s been cooked and chopped up and packed into a tin can. I have to say the fish looks a lot more impressive when it’s fresh-caught, 150 pounds, and sitting right in front of you.

Tokyo is filled with top-notch sushi bars, and I dropped into one just outside the market this morning for a few fresh pieces of sashimi. I had tuna, salmon, squid, and mackerel, then stopped by a nearby kiosk for a hot bowl of noodles. Everyone at the place was Japanese and I had no means of communicating with any of them, so I just pointed to what someone else had ordered and held my finger up to indicate that I wanted one. I can honestly say that this morning I had the best bowl of noodles of my entire life. The guy behind the counter filled the bowl with thin, freshly made noodles, dropped in a few different kinds of vegetables and some shrimp tempura, then filled the thing with steaming hot beef broth. I can’t even describe how great the stuff was; there’s something about having fresh noodles with fresh shrimp tempura and perfectly seasoned broth in Tokyo, where people really know what it means to have a great bowl of noodles. Once I leave Japan I can only dream of having noodles that great.

I’m usually not a big fan of spending time in museums while I’m traveling, but if a museum is clearly world-class then I’ll make it a priority to visit. The Tokyo National Museum was patterned after the British Museum in London, although the Japanese don’t have all the international treasures that the British hauled back from their conquests, it must be the greatest museum I’ve ever visited in Asia. Like the Lourve or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tokyo National Museum is filled with top-notch exhibits and could never be thoroughly visited in just one day. In the two hours I spent at the museum I saw ancient Japanese lacquerware, authentic kimonos from Japan’s Edo period, ancient wooden carvings of fierce warriors, ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock printing), and several Buddhist scripture scrolls dating back to 734.

My favorite of all the exhibits was a room featuring samurai armor and kitana blades. Until today my only real impression of samurai culture was from Saturday morning cartoons and the American-made movie “The Last Samurai”, so I enjoyed seeing something that was genuinely real. The armor looked surprisingly similar to the stuff worn in “The Last Samurai”, except that it wasn’t so brightly colored. I loved circling the armor and examining the thin plates of steel stitched together with dark blue and maroon laces. I walked slowly past all the blades and read that only shorter blades were allowed indoors, while longer blades were a symbol of social status and were often passed down through generations. The exhibit even featured genuine samurai undergarments, which looked a lot like a kimono only without the ornate designs and embroidery.

Later in the day I headed down to a district of Tokyo called ‘Shibuya’, where I saw one of the world’s busiest pedestrian crossings and dropped into an electronics shop to check out the cutting edge technology currently available to consumers in Tokyo. I tried to find a ‘kabuki’ theatre, where I could watch a traditional Japanese drama play, but the streets in Shibuya were so twisted and confusing that unfortunately I never found the theatre I was looking for.

For my last meal in Japan I treated myself to the high-end Japanese restaurant ‘Asukusa Imahan’. The place was almost prohibitively expensive, but I figured that since I couldn’t find the kabuki theatre I’d spend a little extra on dinner instead. The house specialty at Asukusa Imahan is ‘sukiyaki’, a beef dish that is cooked at your table. An exceptionally polite Japanese waitress dressed in a traditional kimono brought out a plate of thinly sliced high-quality beef, along with vegetables, tofu, and sukiyaki sauce to be cooked at my table. The waitress prepared the pan with the sauce and a slice of beef, and after cooking the first one for me she left the rest for me to cook on my own (I’m sure she watched at a distance to make sure I didn’t burn the place down). I can’t remember ever having beef that tasted so good, and as I cooked and ate the room filled with affluent Tokyo businessmen and their guests. I finished my meal and before I left the manager of the restaurant gave me a small Japanese gift as an expression of appreciation. My last night in Japan wound down with my waitress accompanying me to the door, bowing deeply, and telling me ‘arigato gozimous’; ‘thank you very much’.

Tokyo

I began my exploration of Tokyo in Asakusa, a neighborhood once known as the entertainment center of the city. Everything I’ve read about traveling in Tokyo recommends that visitors head to Asukusa, but apparently that’s must what everyone must read about the city – the place was packed with tourists. Still, the atmosphere was fun for what it was, an excited, bustling hoard of people tempted at every turn by kiosks hawking kimonos, fake karate suits, and all varieties of kitchy Japanese memorabilia. The food offerings were just as colorful – Japanese noodles, tiny skewered octopuses, and balls of ice cream that had been breaded and fried.

Before leaving Salt Lake I looked up Tokyo on Google Maps. The grounds of the Imperial Palace sit directly in the center of the city and take up hundreds of acres of land in a city with some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Determined to find the ‘real’ Tokyo, I hopped back on the subway and headed to the the palace. Maybe I’m ignorant, but I had no idea that Japan actually still has an emperor. I assumed that the palace would be a historical site open to visitors, much like the residences of ancient shoguns in Kyoto, but when I approached the grounds, it was obvious that the entire area was heavily guarded. A sign informed me that the palace itself is only open to the public for the emperor’s birthday. As a consolation, I found that the Imperial Palace Gardens are very much open to the public and, while not as ornate or intimate as the gardens in Kyoto, are very well cared for and still impressive. Even though the palace itself was off limits, I still got a feel for what all the land is used for. To me the Imperial Palace Gardens felt like a giant Japanese Central Park. Local city-dwellers lounged on the grass and a few kids tossed around a Frisbee in the sun. Apparently the gardens also have historical value. Several signs informed visitors about significant events that took place in the area. One such sign read as follows: “Every Japanese knows that this corridor was the locus of the unfortunate event when Lord Asano Kakumino-kami Naganori attacked and wounded Lord Kina Kozuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka in 1701.”

Not far from the palace is the neighborhood of Ginza; Tokyo’s high-end shopping district analogous to Fifth Avenue in New York City. A short walk took me to a busy intersection in the middle of Ginza where I stopped in the Sony Building for a visit. My guide book recommended the Sony Building as a place to check out the newest high-tech offerings of the electronics giant. I’ve always heard so much about the cutting-edge technology available in Japan, so I was interested to have a look for myself. The Sony Building felt like a bigger, more high-end Apple Store. While their music players weren’t quite as impressive as the iPod, they had a handful of other products that caught my attention. A lot of younger people like to head up to the sixth floor where the latest virtual reality technology is available for free public use, but I got stuck on my way up in the camera section. It took only one snapshot with Sony’s new a900 camera to convince myself that my old Canon is due for a replacement. I would loved to have bought the a900 on the spot, but at $3500 for just the body with no lenses, it was a bit out of my price range. Soon enough I’ll get a camera that can take legitimately professional pictures, but until then I’ll have to stretch the abilities of my cheap Canon to fit the job.

Another ride on one of Tokyo’s innumerable subway lines took me to Meiji Shrine, situated in huge expanse of thick forest on the opposite side of the city as the Palace Grounds. I walked for about twenty minutes through the forest to the shrine and took a moment there to rest up and watch local Japanese worship. I’ve seen so many different Buddhist and Hindu shrines in Asia I’ve become something of a ‘shrine-snob’; it takes something pretty wild and out-of-the-ordinary to grab my attention. Still, every shrine is a little bit different. It was interesting to see successful Tokyo businessmen worshiping as a contrast to less affluent worshipers in developing Asian countries, which is most of what I’ve seen so far.

The real highlight of the day for me was visiting the ‘Tokyo City View’, an attraction allowing visitors to enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the city. A skyscraper in Tokyo’s ‘Roppongi Hills’ development features giant floor-to-ceiling windows on its 55th floor from which the city can be seen. For a small fee the public can even have access to the roof of the building. The roof had amazing views. The obvious monument of the city is the Tokyo Tower, a giant metal structure painted red and patterned after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I circled the roof several times and took picture after picture of the Tokyo skyline and the city below. Getting a view of a city from above is something that always helps me to get a feel for the different neighborhoods and the layout of the area, and at the very least I want to leave Tokyo having learned that much about it.

My ticket to the Tokyo City View included entrance to the ‘Mori Art Gallery’, a collection of pieces on the 56th floor of the same building. To call the works in Mori Art Gallery ‘modern art’ would be an understatement. I don’t know exactly how to describe the stuff that’s in there, but the terms ‘extreme art’ or ‘interactive art’ comes to mind. A statement by the director of the art gallery displayed at the entrance summed it up well: “The aim of this exhibition is to expose multiple layers of reality to the viewer by providing an opportunity to experience the relationship between oneself and the object of each exhibit through works that function as experimental sensory devices much like viewing the world through a kaleidoscope.” Every exhibit was fascinating, but my favorites included a structure made of several giant aluminum rings with light bulbs illuminating in patterns that created an optical illusion, a giant cinder block wall with a hole and pieces suspended from the ceiling to create the impression that a cannon ball had just burst through it, and an exhibit called ‘Telefunken’ – four plasma screens with static and noise repeating in artistic patterns.

For dinner I stopped into a cosmopolitan restaurant in the Roppongi Hills development called ‘Xen’. Techno music blasted through the dining room as I walked through, and thin translucent columns resembling bamboo illuminated with colorful neon lights. As I ate pork brochette and a variety of sushi, a young Japanese couple at the table next to me struck up a conversation. Their names were Michiya and Mina, and Michiya asked about my travels in Japan. We talked for a few minutes of traveling and it turns out that Michiya taught as a diving instructor on Ko Tao, Thailand, where I got my diving certification in 2006. Michiya also has traveled in the United States and mentioned that he had a great time despite the painfully slow trains (apparently a 60 MPH Amtrak doesn’t quite match up to a 150 MPH shinkansen).

After dinner Michiya invited me to get drinks and sushi with he and Mina. We walked through the lively Roppongi district to a tasteful place called ‘Tip Top’. Michiya and Mina ordered a couple drinks and I had an orange juice, and we all toasted and yelled ‘kampai’ (cheers). It’s such a great opportunity to meet foreign people in their home countries. I loved chatting with Michiya and Mina about Japanese culture and I loved experiencing Tokyo’s nightlife with local kids my age. Michiya told me that most Japanese eat a dish called ‘natto’ for breakfast, and Mina ran to a nearby convenience store to buy some. They encouraged me to try it, but when they opened the package it literally smelled like a pair of filthy rotting gym socks. Apparently the stuff is made of fermented soybeans, and Michiya and Mina got a kick out of seeing me try it. I swallowed a tiny morsel and nearly vomited, then Michiya happily slurped down the rest after I was through. I really do love Japanese food, but natto is something I only need to try once in my lifetime.

After drinks we headed to a cheap sushi bar in Roppongi and finished off the night with some excellent raw tuna and miso soup. I’m so impressed with Japanese people. There have been several times during the past few days when I’ve asked a local for directions and they immediately drop everything they’re doing and actually walk with me to be sure I find what I’m looking for. After Michiya and Mina shared their food at Xen with me and paid for my orange juice I insisted on paying at the sushi bar, but they insisted that I not pay. Every Japanese person I’ve met has been perfectly friendly and perfectly respectful. On top of that, the country is incredibly well-run and well-organized. Tokyo, for example, is cleaner and quieter than any city I’ve been to in the US. Seeing a culture like this is so impressive that it inspires me to want to be more like the Japanese. It’s easy in the US to justify being unfriendly at times or showing a lack of respect, but if nothing else I at least want to remember how I was treated in Japan and use that as motivation to show the same treatment to others everywhere I go.

Nara

I’ve seen some pretty weird stuff while traveling. From hairs and toenails of Mohammad and Buddha, to pot-smoking Hindu priests, to fiercely designed spiked chastity belts in medieval European fortresses, it can be shocking what the various cultures of the world deem appropriate and even necessary at times. Occasionally I find that once the culture shock of a country wears off a little bit I’m no longer very surprised by things that would otherwise confound me. Apparently three days in Japan isn’t long enough for that to happen… I was seriously bewildered by some of the stuff that I experienced today.

The day started off on a mild note. A train ride to Nara, an ancient capital of Japan, then a walk through the city and into the hills took me to Daibutsu-den; the world’s largest wooden building. Built in 1709, the enormous building houses a giant Buddha statue made of 437 tons of bronze and 250 pounds of gold. I’m not sure exactly what the religious significance of the place is, but today it seems to be a favorite field-trip spot for huge crowds of Japanese elementary school kids. After having a few brief conversations with Japanese kids hoping for a chance to practice their English I circled the giant Buddha inside the building. Of the hundreds of Buddha statues I’ve seen while traveling, this one has to be the most gigantic. Apparently the statue was cast in 746, but I can’t imagine how people who lived so long ago would have the technology and means to create such a thing.

In the back corner of the building I noticed several Japanese kids trying to squeeze through a tiny hole through the base of a giant wooden column. It seemed a little strange to me that there would be a hole in a column for no particular reason, but I decided to try my luck and attempt to squeeze through myself. At first I was sure I’d be way to big and that I’d have no chance of making it all the way through, but with my arms stretched above my head I actually made it and even got a round of applause from the Japanese kids. I later read that the hole is exactly the same size as one of the Great Buddha’s nostrils and that those who can squeeze through are ensured of enlightenment. It’s nice to know that I’m covered should Buddhism turn out to be the correct religion.

Back in downtown Nara I stopped into a noodle shop filled with local Japanese and sat down to a heaping bowl of tempura udon. A giant cooked prawn covered in tempura topped off a soup made of thick noodles and a mild beef broth. The restaurant is apparently very popular with locals and I was obliged to share my table with a 70ish Japanese man who had his own lunch of ramen and a beer. I was quickly reminded of something I read in my guidebook when the man started eating his soup. Slurping your noodles is considered to be very polite in Japan. The ramen-and-beer guy slurped his noodles in a way that made Japanese etiquette a new art form. I like to think he was just happy to be sharing his lunchtime with a foreigner.

One essential Japanese experience that I’ve been looking forward to for months is bathing in an authentic Japanese onsen. After a quick visit to Nijo-ji, an ancient castle in Kyoto, I headed to an indoor onsen called ‘Goko-yu’. I had no idea how unprepared I would be for the experience. I took my swimsuit with me because I didn’t know quite what to expect, but ‘Goko-yu’ is strictly a birthday-suit-only place (a high wall separates the male and female bathers, however). I had to break down some serious inhibitions to bring myself to strip down and walk into a steamy room filled with naked Japanese men, but I assured myself that this was merely a cultural experience… if not an awakening. Careful not to break any rules of onsen etiquette, I showered thoroughly before entering one of the tubs. I started my onsen experience with a scalding hot tub in which I would be the only one bathing, but a large Japanese man quickly got in with me. I literally had to cover my mouth to keep him from seeing my reaction. At one point the only other non-Japanese man in the place, a European tourist, got into a tub with me and tried to strike up a conversation. I was a little standoffish until he yelled over to his wife on the other side of the wall.

After the culture shock of the onsen wore of a bit I could better appreciate the amenities the place had to offer. Besides four scorching tubs to bathe in there was also an ice cold tub, an aromatic tub colored dark by herbs and medicine inside, a frothy white tub that smelled of menthol, and a tub with a strong electric current circulating through it. I spent well over an hour sampling the tubs and became so relaxed that I nearly fainted several times. I also took time to enjoy a sauna that was 92 degrees inside… Celsius. That’s 198 degrees Fahrenheit. Once my nostrils became dry and scorched I returned to the herbal tub for a while. Before leaving I tried desperately to tolerate the electric current tub, but could only bring myself to lower in waist-deep. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the experience… I thought it best not to bring my camera inside the onsen.

I wanted at least one high-quality sushi dinner while in Japan, so after my thoroughly relaxing onsen bath I headed to ‘Den Shichi’, a restaurant that reportedly has the best sushi in Kyoto. Den Shichi has such a bustling atmosphere and enthusiastic waitresses that dinner felt like a big party. After reviewing the English menu I ordered raw halibut, smoked salmon, squid, and ‘pickled bonito’ (recommended by my waitress). I decided to steer clear of the ‘liver of angler fish’, ‘very fatty tuna’, ‘internal organ of crab’, and ‘ovary of cod’. Together with a plate of shrimp tempura and two ginger ales, the sushi dinner was fantastic and it’s no wonder that the stuff has become such a hot trend in the US. Onsen bathhouses, however, might never quite make it in America.

Ancient Kyoto

There have been quite a few times while traveling when I’ve realized that a particular culture is much more impressive than I ever realized. For the Japanese culture, that moment came for me while wandering through the meticulously cared for temples and gardens of ancient Japanese Zen masters this morning.

A quick ride on the shinkansen took me from Hiroshima to Kyoto this morning and I headed straight for the temple of Tenryu-ji, where I began my self-guided tour of the ancient city. Tenryu-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple near the hills on the outskirts of Kyoto and was originally built in 1339. For about an hour I wandered through the minimalist Japanese temple and the Japanese gardens that were so surreal they could have come from ‘Alice and Wonderland’. Outside the grounds of the temple was a huge grove of bamboo stalks that must have been 50 or 60 feet tall each. During my visit I imagined the ancient shoguns that must have used the place and thought to myself, ‘these guys really knew how to live’.

Although the Lonely Planet book recommends that those with only one day to spend in Kyoto spend their time in the Southern Higashiyama section of the city, I was determined to cram as many temple visits as possible in to make the most of my brief stop in Japan. After Tenryu-ji came Ninna-ji, featuring a five-story pagoda and equally impressive temples and gardens. Ryoan-ji, my next stop, featured a Japanese rock garden that apparently was the first of its kind and is the most recognized rock garden in the world. The brochure I was given at the entrance says that ‘It is up to each visitor to find out for himself what the garden signifies. The longer you gaze at it, the more varied your imagination becomes.’ The garden was interesting, but I must not have gazed long enough. To me, at the end of the day it’s still just a bunch of rocks. Kinkaku-ji, originally built in 1397, was the last of my stops in the Kyoto suburbs and features a spectacular gold-leaf-covered temple that is one of the most recognized sights in Japan. I circled the perimeter of the pond at the temple and enjoyed the classic Japanese views with a hoard of enthusiastic Japanese first graders who were just as excited to see the place for themselves. People have been enamored with Kinkaku-ji for generations; in 1950 a young Japanese monk was so obsessed with the temple that he burned it to the ground. Fortunately the building was meticulously reconstructed in 1955 for future visitors to enjoy.

To finish off my day I headed down to Southern Higashiyama and spent a couple of hours enjoying the most famous neighborhood in Kyoto. Narrow cobblestone streets guide visitors past eclectic Japanese shops and cafes, and surrounding the district on all sides are various temples and gardens that date back to the 14th century. Chion-in was my first stop and was memorable for having massive buildings for Buddhist worship. It also is the site where a famous priest named Honen fasted to death and is immortalized by a portrait in the main hall. Kodai-ji, the next temple along Higashiyama’s cobblestone path, features more impressive Japanese gardens, bamboo, and ‘teahouses designed by the renowned master of the tea ceremony, Sen-no-Rikyu’. Finally, the last temple of the day was Kiyomizu-dera, first built in 798 and now a huge gathering place for the touristy crowds of Higashiyama. Altogether I enjoyed every place I visited in Kyoto, but I don’t quite understand why everything I read about the city recommends that visitors head to Southern Higashiyama. The greatest stuff in Kyoto, in my opinion, are the varied temples and palaces in the far-flung outskirts of the city. To me, avoiding the crowds and seeing the most authentic sights is the best of both worlds.

Towards the end of the day I headed downtown to Musashi Sushi, a ‘conveyor-belt sushi’ joint recommended in my Lonely Planet books. The place reminded me of a 1950’s era ice cream shop, except that everyone was Japanese and instead of ice cream and milkshakes, a narrow conveyor guided servings of sashimi, sushi, and miso soup along the edge of the bar. Each plate cost ¥137 (about $1.50), and I pulled plates of raw octopus, salmon, tuna, and squid off the conveyor until my belly was full. I definitely got the impression that Musashi Sushi is a ‘budget’ establishment, but conveyor-sushi is a quirky aspect of Japanese culture that I absolutely had to experience.

To top off the day I stopped by a pachinko parlor that I passed while heading back from downtown. I really don’t know anything about pachinko except that it’s a colorful Japanese casino game with tiny metal balls, and that I remember seeing a show about Weird Al in Japan when I was nine years old and I’m pretty sure he spent a lot of time in pachinko parlors. Pachinko is as close as you can get to gambling without technically gambling. The machines are brightly lit hybrids of pinball and slots, and in the chaos of flashing neon lights, artificial electronic music, and the raw enthusiasm that exemplifies the pachinko parlor, the idea is to end up with more metal balls than you started with. Unfortunately my ¥500 worth of balls lasted me about 25 seconds and my pachinko experience was over. If too much pachinko turns a man into Weird Al, though, then maybe it’s better that I headed in a little early for the night.

Bullet Train to Hiroshima

After touching down in Tokyo at 5:30 last night I rushed through immigration and customs to the JR train terminal at Tokyo's Narita Airport, determined to travel as far west as possible before the trains shut down for the night. Until yesterday I had only seen bullet trains, or shinkansen as the Japanese call them, in pictures and TV shows. Actually riding one for the first time was a pretty good rush, and I enjoyed every moment as the train ramped up to speed after each stop and hauled along the wide banking turns. I passed through suburban Tokyo and stared out at the endless streets filled with neon signs and giant concrete apartment buildings. The train stopped in Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, among other Japanese cities. As I headed toward Himeji, the stop I'ｄ get off at, I mapped out the route I was taking in my guide book. I added up the miles and divided by the number of hours it would take me to get to Himeji, and I figure the train I was on must have been traveling at least 150 MPH. Imagine a train that could take you from Salt Lake to Las Vegas in less than three hours and that's about what it's like to ride a Japanese shinkansen.

I forgot how much I love traveling. After my train pulled into Himeji I walked through the deserted city streets searching for a place to crash for the night. It's such a thrill to me to suddenly be half-way around the world wandering through a completely foreign city at midnight with no idea where I'ｍ going to sleep. As crazy as that sounds, things always work out. I found a cheap ｂusiness hotel　and for only ￥5000 I got my own room that was perfectly clean with a decent bathroom and hot-water shower. Even when things don'ｔ work out it's still an adventure. The worst situation I'ｖe ever been in was getting stranded in Pisa, Italy at 2:00 in the morning, and even that wasn'ｔ such a big deal. After wandering through the city to check out the Leaning Tower I spent a few hours sleeping on the concrete floor of train station with some friends I was traveling with, and by 7:00 the next morning we were back at our hotel in Florence.

Himeji Castle is widely known as the most spectacular medieval Japanese castle, and it was a great way to start off my month long trip through Asia. The castle was built in 1580 and features five stories, impressive tiered roofs and whitewashed walls, and countless features that allowed warriors on the inside to attack oncoming invaders. I spent about an hour wandering through the dark wooden interior. I stopped to look at several different exhibits, including ancient Japanese armor, guns and spears that were used at the castle during the 16th century, and artistic renditions of Japanese warriors defending their homeland. My favorite part of the visit was the amazing views that could be seen out of the windows of the castle. One particular room had giant windows on all sides, some of which opened up into an ancient courtyard and others that featured sweeping views of the city of Himeji.

I love Japanese food. In the US it seems like every last Japanese restaurant is dedicated to serving sushi, but there are so many other incredible things to eat over here. It's nice that there are cheap fast-food places in Japan that serve legitimate Japanese dishes. I stopped at one such place after visiting Himeji Castle this morning and had a giant bowl of rice, shrimp and vegetables covered in tempura, miso soup, and a tiny plate with a mysterious pickled vegetable that I could only bring myself to eat one bite of. Eating a cheaper meal in the afternoon means that I'ｌｌ be able to splurge on a real Japanese feast at night.

Another ride on the shinkansen took me to Hiroshima this afternoon. As I left the train station and waited for a bus that would take me downtown and old Japanese lady approached me and motioned that I was waiting for the wrong bus (everything was in Japanese, I had no idea). The lady pointed me to the correct stop, then made sure that I got on the right bus. Everyone here in Japan is incredibly friendly and incredibly respectful, and this lady was no exception. As I thanked her for helping me she smiled and bowed her head like everyone does over here. While riding the bus into town I realized that the lady was old enough to have been alive during the time when the bomb was dropped. She must have known I was American, as American travelers stick out pretty much wherever they go. I couldn'ｔ help but wonder if she lived near Hiroshima in 1945 and saw the terrible devastation that took place.

The Peace Memorial Museum, also known as the A-bomb Museum, is partly dedicated to campaigning for worldwide nuclear disarmament and partly dedicated to depicting the terrible effects of the atomic blast. One exhibit informed visitors that every time a nuclear weapons test has taken place since 1945 the administrators of the test have received a letter of protest from the mayor of Hiroshima. Copies of hundreds of the letters were displayed on the wall. Another exhibit depicted what life would be like during a nuclear war; informing visitors about ｎuclear winter, starvation resulting from food shortages, and worldwide radiation poisoning spread by radioactive soot circulating throughout the world.

Towards the end of the museum I passed several gruesome exhibits that candidly displayed the effects of the pressure wave, 3000-degree temperatures, and radiation caused by the blast. Some of the exhibits were relatively mild, including chunks of sand from ground zero that had been turned to glass by the blast, watches from victims that had stopped at 8:15 AM (the time of day when the bomb was dropped), and ceramic roof tiles that had melted and fused together like lumps of lava as a result of the searing heat. One exhibit was particularly disturbing for me. It was an old tricycle that had been disfigured and charred black during the blast. The father of the boy riding the tricycle originally buried the old toy with his four-year-old son, hoping that somehow he would be able to use it in the hereafter.

I spent about an hour wandering past several monuments in the Peace Memorial Park and circling the A-bomb Dome, a building near ground-zero that partially survived the blast and has been preserved in the condition that it was in after the explosion.

Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant called Kroud. I read in my guidebook that most restaurants in Japan aren'ｔ tailored to cater to tourists and this one was certainly the case with Kroud. My waiter brought out one of the chefs, who spoke some broken English, and with his help I ordered a plate of sashimi and a bowl of okonomiyaki a regional dish typically found in Hiroshima. I loved the fact that everything about the restaurant was authentic, from the food to the lack of English-speaking staff to the ambiance that reminded me of the interior of the medieval Japanese castle that I visited this morning.

I'ｖe always wondered how authentic Japanese food compares to what is served in the United States. Is the stuff I eat at Happy Sumo analogous to a Taco Bell variation of Mexican food, or is it more like Red Iguana？ After one meal at a real Japanese restaurant in Japan, I'ｖe decided that Japanese restaurants in America serve reasonably authentic food. With that said, the stuff over here is of better quality and there are plenty of dishes available that aren'ｔ offered in America simply because nobody would order them. I don'ｔ think I'ｖe ever seen okonomiyaki, for example, on a menu in a Japanese restaurant in America. Americans probably wouldn'ｔ order a bowl of shredded fried eggs over cooked cabbage topped with a tangy Japanese sauce. In Hiroshima, though, I thoroughly enjoyed my okonomiyaki and would probably even order it in the US if I could find it in any restaurant.

Asian Invasion 2009

April 24th I fly to Tokyo to begin a month of wanderings through Asia. I'll spend a week in Japan, three in Indonesia, and a few days in South Korea. May 24th I'll arrive back in Salt Lake City, and the next day I'll head to New York for the rest of the summer.

Anyone interested in last year's travels can read about them here: 2008epic.blogspot.com