It had been a decade since I was last in Tōkyō 東京, and more than five years following the last time I had set foot in Japan, so it came as a surprise (the biggest of the trip, in fact) to rub elbows with the sheer number of foreign tourists, particularly in places like Akihabara 秋葉原, Asakusa 浅草and Kyōto 京都. Of course, I've known that prior to the pandemic the number of overseas visitors to the country had been increasing rapidly (a trend being encouraged by the Japanese government), and I had figured the end of the coronavirus restrictions would unleash a new torrent of tourists (especially with the weak yen), but I wasn't prepared for just how many Asians and Westerners there were in all the sightseeing areas. Tokyo and Kyoto have long been popular spots for gaijin visitors, but not to the extent Amber and I experienced during our visit this summer. Between 2006 and 2012, I would make an annual solo trip from Taiwan to Japan, and explore places that (to use some hoary, overused travel clichés) were "hidden gems" "off the beaten track". I could go almost an entire week not seeing another Westerner, save for an occasional spotting of the local AET. But these days even places like Amanohashidate 天橋立 and Tottori 鳥取 (Tottori!) had a fair number of foreign tourists at the same time we were there.
All this begs the question: is this good for Japan? Economically, yes, with tourism growing to the point that there is a serious shortage of workers in the industry. The country has become far more foreigner-friendly in the past decade, with English (and in some places, Chinese and Korean) being more widely-spoken, multilingual signage increasing, and even many restaurants in tourist areas providing English menus. But on the other hand, this may be too much of a good thing. Going to Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺 and walking the streets of Ninenzaka 二年坂 and Sannenzaka 三年坂 isn't as enjoyable as it once was, with all the selfie sticks being waved about (the same goes with Nakamise-dōri 仲見世通り in Asakusa). Walking through the torii 鳥居 tunnels of Fushimi Inari-jinja 伏見稲荷神社 takes more time these days, as you have to wait while people get their Instagram shots. In Ine 伊根, we couldn't get onto one sightseeing cruise because it was filled to capacity with a South Korean tour group. And I can only imagine how the locals in places like Kyoto and Nara 奈良 must feel, with all the visitors milling about. I was shocked at how long the bus queues were at Kyoto Station 京都駅, made up mostly of foreign travelers (Amber and I used buses from a stop near our hotel which were much less busier). And how much of a Japanese experience can one receive when you're surrounded by fellow gaijin almost everywhere you go, and where virtually all of the information you might need about what to do and where to go is provided by English speakers (even Tottori Station's 鳥取駅 tourist information office had two middle-aged women working there who spoke 英語 very well. Tottori!)?
But as my daughter would frequently point out whenever I started grumbling about all the gaijin, we were tourists ourselves. Yes, Japan and I might go back a long way, but I haven't lived in Nihon 日本 since 2005, so when I do go there, it's to visit new places and see old friends (or in this case, introduce the country to my offspring). We went sightseeing, stayed in hotels, took photos, bought souvenirs etc., all the things that tourists do when they travel. I don't have a special claim to Japan, and so am in no position to begrudge others of the same opportunities to have a wonderful experience there. Though I've heard and read horror stories of bad tourist behavior in the pre-COVID years, the only idiots we encountered on this trip were a group of Western men in Akihabara videoing a young woman dressed in a maid outfit and handing out flyers on the street, and who was covering her face, not wanting to be filmed.
So enough hypocritical complaining about "all those foreign tourists". I'll continue to plan future visits to some less well-known places in a hopefully not Quixotic quest to visit all 47 prefectures before I get too old (I'm at 43 following this most recent visit). At least I can relish those moments when my better-than-average "travel Japanese" is appreciated by a native, like in the okonomiyaki お好み焼きrestaurant next to our hotel where we had dinner our first night in Kyoto. The only Japanese people inside the crowded diner when we first entered were the middle-aged couple running the place. I made a point of ordering off the Japanese menu (despite the one in English that was provided to us when we were first seated), and used all the correct expressions when paying the bill. The result was the wife going outside to bid us farewell, an action she didn't perform for the other non-Japanese customers. It's those little ego boosters that make it all worthwhile (and which compensate for some, but not all, of the ego deflators that also tend to occur whenever I travel, this most recent trip being no exception).
What would I have done without her?
I've never been the most observant of people, but as I get older, it seems the more oblivious I'm becoming to my surroundings. Had it not been for the presence of Amber, I would probably still be stumbling around certain train stations looking for the right platform, or scratching my head trying to figure out how the automatic rice dispenser works in the hotel breakfast buffets. All this probably means future solo travels will be more adventurous than I'm intending.
Back in my day...
A preface to a tiring observation that I was continually uttering during our trip, much to my daughter's exasperation. I haven't lived in Tokyo since 1999, so of course in these intervening 24 years much has changed about the city - new buildings have replaced old (the capital seems to be in a continuous state of construction), stations have been renovated and new lines constructed, restaurants and shops change with the times and so on. In many aspects, Tokyo has been transformed into a more livable city, as the appearance of pedestrian-only streets in Marunouchi 丸の内 would seem to suggest, and the overall environment appears to be greener. But that still didn't stop me from uttering those dreaded old-person words, when things "back in my day" were so much better (never mind the severe economic recession of the mid-late 1990's or the Tokyo sarin gas attacks, which took place while I was working in Shibuya 渋谷 - I'll never forget the endless stream of emergency vehicles racing back and forth along Aoyama-dōri 青山通り). The sheer number of foreign tourists aside, I think I would actually be quite happy living in the Japan/Tokyo of 2023 - the only advantage the Japan/Tokyo of 1993 has is the fact that I was 30 years younger back then (and Tokyo was/is a fantastic place to be in your late 20's/early 30's). But, still, back in my way, people didn't blah blah blah...
I've fallen and I can't get up
One thing this trip has made uncomfortably evident is the realization of my present physical limitations. I used to be an avid hiker in both Japan and Taiwan, but now even what once would have been an easy uphill walk from the chair lift station to the Happō-ike Pond 八方池 left me breathless, with my heartbeat racing dangerously fast. I've never been a physical fitness fanatic, but I may have to accept that my lifestyle from now on will have to become more necessarily sedentary.
New places/old haunts
Visiting Tokyo, Matsumoto 松本, Kanazawa 金沢, Nagoya 名古屋 and the Kansai region 関西地方 (Kyoto, Nara, Ōsaka 大阪) meant covering a lot of familiar territory, but introducing these places to Amber allowed me to have a fresh appreciation of these areas (tourist hordes aside). But at the same time I also allowed myself to see some new locations - Hakuba 白馬, the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route 立山黒部アルペンルート, Toyama 富山, the Noto-hantō Peninsula 能登半島, Fukui 福井, Amanohashidate, Ine and Tottori (!). All in all, I can pat myself on the back with the balanced itinerary I presented to my daughter.
Matsumoto mon amour
Nagano's 長野 most pleasant city has always held a special place in my heart, and it was a very happy experience to be there again for the first time since 2004, even if it was for only a single night. But the stay was also tinged with a bit of sadness due to the realization that this may have been the last time to see the home of Matsumoto Castle 松本城, as I have no future plans to travel through Nagano. So unless I win a lottery or come into a lot of money by some other means, and buy a retirement home in the city, it seems unlikely I'll ever set foot in Matsumoto again. 思い出をありがとう…
Thank you Facebook!
Say what you will about Mark Zuckerberg, but his creation has allowed me to keep in touch with many from my past Japanese life, which is why I was able to introduce my daughter to such wonderful people as Jun, David, Aviva and Doug, among others.
Should I have ever left?
A loaded question. Had I never left Japan, I wouldn't have the family I have now, including the daughter with whom I just spent 33 days together in Japan and Taiwan. And yet I often find myself wondering what I would be doing now if I had stayed and not moved to Taiwan. What would I be doing for work? Where would I be living? Would I be married with children? Would I finally be able to speak the language with a degree of confidence I currently do not possess? Would I still be whining about everything like I'm doing now? There were times on this visit when I found myself envying those friends who have stayed in the Tokyo area all these years. But I could also be viewing the past through the proverbial rose-tinted spectacles, forgetting all the stresses and traumas of those bygone times (and there were many). Would I really want to trade my current glamorous jet-setting, globe-trotting lifestyle for a 3LDK アパート in Komae 狛江? The answer depends on how I'm feeling when the question is posed. And at this particular moment it's "Yes, I would".
On the road again
I rented cars on two occasions while in Japan. The first time was in Kanazawa, when I reserved a vehicle to use to get the two of us to Wajima Onsen 輪島温泉 on the Noto-hanto, and used the car extensively to travel around the scenic peninsula. The second was a day rental from Fukui, which allowed us to visit Eihei-ji 永平寺 and the Ichijōdani Asakura Clan Ruins 一乗谷朝倉氏遺跡 without having to rely on public transport. I find driving in Japan generally to be an enjoyable experience, narrow mountain roads notwithstanding. It's convenient for those places hard to reach by bus and/or train, you can travel at your own pace, and if there's something interesting along the way, you can simply stop to check it out. And while, yes, I am an American, I have little difficulty with driving on the left side of the road, having done so not only in Japan, but in places such as the United Kingdom, Thailand, South Africa and the Seychelles. Finally, while expressway tolls and gasoline can be expensive in Japan, I get around these issues simply by sticking to regular roads, and by renting hybrid vehicles. On this most recent trip, I paid almost nothing to fill up the tanks before returning the vehicles.
And for the record, both cars rented were automatic drive. I learned how to drive using vehicles with manual transmissions (one of the most terrifying experiences in life is having to stop uphill on a steep San Francisco street, praying you don't stall or grind the gears once the stoplight changes to green), but I'm not an annoying twat who goes on and on about how using a stick shift gives you greater control, makes driving more fun, looks cooler etc. If you ask me, enjoying fondling a knob while driving is indicative of something else.
Vending machine frustrations
Japan is famous for its vending machines, and in particular the myriad of items you can purchase from them (I used to get 5-kilogram bags of rice from a machine in my neighborhood). Drinks, however, are the most common products. Back in my day (see above) I would pay close attention to local vending machines while traveling around the country, noting the types of beverages that couldn't be found in Tokyo where I lived. However, on this most recent visit, I was disappointed to discover the homogenization of drink-dispensing vending machines in virtually all the areas Amber and I passed through. No matter if we were in the center of Tokyo or out in the Nagano countryside, the same uninteresting cans were featured in virtually all the machines. It wasn't until we were approaching Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto, for example, that I finally located one of my old favorites, UCC Milk Coffee, in a vending machine by the side of the road. Note the joy on my face.
Anime/Manga and me
One reason Japan is so popular these days with foreign tourists seems to be the popularity of anime アニメ and manga 漫画 overseas, as a visit to Akihabara or the Kyoto International Manga Museum 京都国際漫画ミュージアム would attest. My daughter has an encyclopedic knowledge of anime and mange that astounds me. The popularity of the films of Studio Ghibli スタジオジブリ was also evident in the number of foreign visitors (us included) at the recently-opened Ghibli Park ジブリパーク outside of Nagoya. Not having a particular interest in these areas I find it difficult to relate to what these people are expecting to find once they've made the effort to travel to Japan. Do they expect to see people with ginormous eyes, ridiculously short skirts or possessing magical powers? Will they experience any sense of disappointment if the reality of the country doesn't match with what they've seen on pages and screens?
I like to think I became interested in Japan because of its history, and of its supposed economic prowess during the mid to late 1980's. But now that I think about it, the seeds may have been planted in childhood thanks to all those Godzilla movies, and Speed Racer and Gigantor cartoons I watched as a kid. So perhaps my motivations for going to Japan in the first place weren't all that different from today's breed of Japanophiles.
Hot 'n' Humid
Is it an age-related thing? Having lived in Tokyo and Yokkaichi 四日市 I knew full well just how bloody hot and uncomfortably humid summers in Japan can be. I spent my first three summers in Tokyo living in a small apartment without air conditioning, relying only on an electric fan to keep me cool, yet somehow I survived. But this time felt different. I can probably chalk it up to climate change resulting in record high temperatures around the world, but I felt extremely uncomfortable at times while traveling around the country. I don't recall ever sweating as much as I did while in Kyoto and Nara. Is my tolerance to heat and humidity breaking down as I get older? Or is the world in general, and East Asia in particular, just turning into an evermore blazing furnace?
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Rain, rain go away
Kyūshū 九州 and the western part of Honshū 本州 were inundated during the latter half of our visit. While there was heavy rain at times during our trip, we were largely unaffected until almost the very end of our time there. On Day 24 we left Amanohashidate en route to Tottori. At Toyooka Station 豊岡駅, where we changed from the limited express train to a local, there were station staff asking those getting off the trains if they were going to Kyoto or Osaka, which in retrospect was not a good sign. Our train to Tottori arrived late as we were delayed at Hamasaka Station 浜坂駅, where a conductor asked us if we were traveling beyond Tottori. The reasons became apparent the following day, when the timetable board indicated that all train services had been suspended due to bad weather in the San'in region 山陰地方 (the cancellations would spill over into a second day). The result for us was having to cancel our reservation in Kinosaki Onsen 城崎温泉 (the penultimate destination of our Japan trip), and spend an unplanned second night in Tottori. Fortunately, though, we were able to reach our final stop, Osaka, by taking a highway bus. The weather, by the way, was fine during that journey.
Rain also threw a wrench into our plans to see a Hanshin Tigers 阪神タイガーズ game at Kōshien Stadium 阪神甲子園球場, much to my disappointment. What was difficult to fathom in this case was that the precipitation at most was a light drizzle, making it puzzling why the game was postponed before the first pitch was even thrown. Amber jokes that she's doomed never to see Mt. Fuji 富士山 (see the introductory photo at the top of this post); in my case, I'm cursed never to visit Koshien, Japan's version of Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. At least I did get to see the outside of the ballpark!
Note to self: try not to travel during the rainy season (and watch out for typhoons, as well)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2468516555
Train issues – rain and “person on tracks”
Rain I can understand. Earthquakes, too (I was once stranded on the Tōkaidō Main Line 東海道本線 for almost an hour when service stopped due a tremor). But a "person on the track"? This was the official reason given for the last-minute cancellation of the Haruka はるか limited express train going from Tennōji 天王寺 to Kansai International Airport 関西国際空港. Fortunately, we were able to take a slower express train to the airport which still gave us plenty of time to check in. But I never did get the seat reservation surcharge refunded, and had to stand for the duration of the trip on the slower train.
I wonder if "person on the track" is a euphemism for someone who jumped in front of an oncoming train. This is a sadly not uncommon way of committing suicide in major metropolitan areas. It used to happen so often in Tokyo, particularly on the Chūō Line 中央線, that someone with a dark sense of humor coined the phrase "Chuocide".
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Weak yen
Gone it seems are the days when Japan was described as an expensive country to visit. I've always thought this was an exaggeration, a combination of reporters obsessed with ¥10,000 musk melons, and backpackers arriving from Southeast Asia and experiencing price sticker shock upon landing in a developed economy. But decades of stagflation combined with an exchange rate of around ¥144 to the USD really made traveling around Japan surprisingly affordable, so much so that the running joke I would torment my daughter with was that I was using ¥10,000 notes to light my cigars. For context, the yen was at ¥124 when I first arrived in Tokyo way back in January 1989. Over the years it has fluctuated wildly, at one point strengthening to an incredible ¥79 to the dollar. At that time I vacationed in Hawaii and found myself flush with cash thanks to the strong yen. When it comes to currency fluctuations I somehow seem to be in the right place at the right time.
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Taiwan thoughts
Let's nor forget Taiwan, where I stayed for six nights after leaving Japan and before returning to China. Over the years I've come to appreciate more and more the good things about life there (probably to some extent the result of having lived in China!). Taichung 台中, much like Tokyo, seems to have changed for the better since I left in 2012, a pattern which has repeated itself throughout my life! I can see myself returning for good at some point in the future, provided the real estate market there regains some sense of sanity. I know it would mean a lot to Shu-E to retire to Taiwan, especially as she has bravely put up with all the problems and stresses that come with our current lifestyle, particularly the constant uprooting every two years or so. For me, I appreciate the lower cost of living, an important factor knowing that whatever pension I eventually receive (in addition to Social Security) following retirement probably won't stretch very far in the U.S. (I don't want to have to be a Walmart greeter or a Burger King fry cook after I turn 65). And, of course, there's Taiwan's excellent and reasonably-priced national health insurance system to consider.
So as long as the Chinese don't invade by 2027...
Bonding with my daughter
Last, but in no way at all not least, this summer was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Amber, before she becomes an adult and goes off to college in the U.S. Despite 33 days of being constantly by each other's side, we never argued about anything. I can't begin to describe how enjoyable the time together was for me, as I introduced another culture to her. Even more importantly, from our frequent discussions during our travels, I've learned a lot about how she's growing as a person, and am confident she's turning into a mature adult who will make the right decisions more often than not. But I do have a feeling the empty nest syndrome is going to hit this parent particularly hard.
Final thoughts
This summer was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, one that I was finally able to give to my daughter after the pandemic has run its course. I hope the experience has been positive, one that will she will look back on fondly as she goes through life. For me, it was also a chance to reconnect with a country and a culture that has had a profound effect on my personal development (both positive and negative!). Barring an unforeseen calamity, this won't be the last time I visit Japan, though future trips will probably be done solo again. So I'll end this post not by saying さようなら, but instead じゃまた…
Thanks to all who followed us on our journey!
Day 1: Akihabara https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/first-day-in-japan.html
Day 2: Tokyo Tower 東京タワー, Shibuya, Meiji Jingū Stadium 明治神宮野球場 https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/second-day-in-japan.html
Day 3: Kanda 神田, Akihabara, Ikebukuro 池袋 https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/third-day-in-japan.html
Day 4: Kamakura 鎌倉, Odaiba お台場 https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/fourth-day-in-japan.html
Days 5 & 6: Asakusa, Imperial Palace 皇居, Harajuku 原宿, Meiji-jingū 明治神宮, Matsumoto https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/fifth-and-sixth-days-in-japan.html
Day 7: Matsumoto, Hotaka 穂高, Hakuba https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/seventh-day-in-japan.html
Day 8: Hakuba https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/eighth-day-in-japan.html
Day 9: Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, Toyama https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/ninth-day-in-japan.html
Days 10 & 11: Toyama, Kanazawa https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/06/tenth-and-eleventh-days-in-japan.html
Day 12: Noto-hanto https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/twelfth-day-in-japan.html
Days 13 & 14: Noto-hanto, Hakui 羽咋, Kanazawa, Fukui https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/thirteenth-and-fourteenth-days-in-japan.html
Day 15: Fukui, Nagoya https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/fifteenth-day-in-japan.html
Days 16, 17 & 18: Meiji-mura 明治村, Inuyama 犬山, Ghibli Park, Nagoya, Kyoto https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/sixteenth-seventeenth-and-eighteenth.html
Day 19: Kyoto, Nishinomiya 西宮 https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/nineteenth-day-in-japan.html
Day 20: Nara, Kyoto https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/twentieth-day-in-japan.html
Day 21: Kyoto https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/twenty-first-day-japan.html
Day 22: Osaka, Kyoto https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/twenty-second-day-in-japan.html
Days 23 and 24: Ine, Amanohashidate, Tottori https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/twenty-third-and-twenty-fourth-days-in.html
Days 25, 26 and 27: Tottori, Osaka https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/twenty-fifth-twenty-sixth-and-twenty.html
Days 27-33: Taichung, Xiluo 西螺 https://kaminoge.blogspot.com/2023/07/seven-days-on-ilha-formosa.html
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