Guitarsophist

We left Kyoto to spend two days in Otsu on the shore of Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan. Otsu is only two stops away from Kyoto Station, about a 20 minute ride, but it is very different. Kyoto is a big city, crowded, sophisticated, and full of tourists. Otsu is a resort town. We stayed at the Otsu Prince hotel. Here is the view from our window:

The morning after we arrived we rented bicycles from the hotel for 200 yen an hour. We went to the left on the bike path along the lake about a mile, then reversed course and went to the right across the bridge in the picture and along the other side of the lake. By the time we got back it had been about two and a half hours. It was delightful. There is nothing quite like biking along a good bike path, out of traffic, and in a beautiful area.

The Otsu Prince Hotel is mostly frequented by Japanese tour groups visiting the lake. Our room was designed for two, but had two long long couches and a table for people to sit and drink and talk. It is a resort hotel more than a business hotel. There was no internet access, at least in our room. I chose this hotel after considering many others. There are many ryokan in the area, traditional Japanese inns that offer Japanese style rooms, elaborate meals, and lots of ambiance. Ryokan also tend to be very expensive. I finally decided that we needed a Western-style hotel. Prince hotels are part of a large chain, originally associated with the Imperial family. The service was good, although not quite equal to the Keio Plaza in Shinjuku or the Kyoto Granvia.

The Otsu Prince has a free shuttle bus that runs from Otsu Station to the hotel. This is very convenient.

At this point in the trip we just wanted to relax. We biked, walked, and looked at the lake. We didn’t go to any temples, shrines, museums, or on any site-seeing boats. To tell the truth, there wasn’t much of interest in this line. Still, it was a nice place to relax. After two nights, we went back to Kyoto Station, and took the shinkansen back to Shin-Yokohama. We reunited with our family in Japan and had a very nice Italian dinner near Kannai in Yokohama, complete with an amazing magic show. The next day, we were on our way home.

Our time in Yokohama went well. We are now in Kyoto, and the Granvia Hotel, which is actually part of Kyoto Station. Here is the view from our window:

The shinkansen (bullet train) tracks are right below us. We hear trains all night, but the sound is muffled, so it is actually pleasant. My daughter’s Japanese is improving, but still not up to complex negotiations, so when we came down here from Yokohama on the shinkansen, she accidentally bought the most expensive tickets possible, reserved seats on a nozomi super-express. The nozomi is the newest, fastest train with a long shovel-like nose. We arrived in Kyoto in a little over two hours, after enjoying boxed lunches we bought in Shin-Yokohama Station.

Trains are an integral part of Japanese culture. In Los Angeles we build slow trains to nowhere and wonder why people don’t ride them. In Japan, life revolves around train stations, which contain shops, department stores, and most necessities of life. The trains are fast, reliable, and easy to use. One does not need a car for most purposes.

Yesterday we took a train to Kamo Station in Nara, and then a bus up to Gansenji Temple. I wanted to revisit a hiking course that my wife and I had taken 22 years ago, from Gansenji to Joruriji Temple. Along the way there are a large number of images of Buddha carved into various boulders. We bought some mochi (pounded rice with red bean paste inside) from a lady at Gansenji, who could have easily been the same lady who sold rice balls to my wife and me on the earlier trip. When my wife and I had come, it was a cold, drizzling winter day. This time in the spring the landscape was lush and green, the sky was blue, and birds were everywhere. Some things were the same, and some had changed. The trail was well marked, at least if you could read hiragana, and we made it to Joruriji in good time. Here is a picture of Joruriji:

There are nine images of Buddha in this small temple. After visiting Joruriji, we happened upon a bus that was going back to Kamo Station, so we had time to go to Nara Deer Park and Todaiji Temple as well. The deer wander freely among the temples, and bow to passersby to beg for food. Visitors can buy deer food from carts, but if you have other snacks, such as a roasted sweet potato, the deer can become annoyingly persistent. Here is a typical resident of the Deer Park:

Today we will move to Otsu, near Lake Biwa. Our family says that it will be boring, but we are hoping that that means relaxing.

My daughter and I are at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku.  When one flies to Tokyo, one actually lands in Narita, about 90 minutes away from Tokyo by bus.  As usual for our first day when we come to Japan, we are up at 4:00 am.  Jet lag is a mysterious but predictable phenomenon.  For this reason, we like to take the airport limousine to a nice hotel for the first night before we move on to Yokohama to visit family.

Japan seems to be very focused on the dangers of swine flu.  When we landed, we had to wait for about 20 minutes while a team of masked quarantine officers in disposable coveralls checked everyone for symptoms.  You were supposed to raise your hand if you felt sick.  Every passenger had to fill out a form about where they had been, where they were going, and what symptoms they had or didn’t have.  There was even a device set up that was supposed to monitor your temperature as you went through the line.  The hotel made us fill out more forms about our health.  I don’t really see how this could help.

When we first started coming to Japan 22 years ago, we would wake up before the rest of the household and walk to the Denny’s in Honomoku.  This Denny’s is better than any Denny’s in the U.S.  We started going there because we needed coffee, and Denny’s has coffee refills, what they call “Another Cup” service.  The restaurant has parking underneath, like many in Japan, so it is above the hustle and bustle of the street, and is in fact, an oasis of American serenity (perhaps a contradiction in terms, I know).  Both American-style and Japanese-style food is available, and I have never been disappointed in either.  For some reason, they always have excellent papaya.

Since our first-day routine has shifted to Shinjuku we have other favorites.  Last night we ate at a noodle shop with handmade udon (a thick noodle) about two blocks from the hotel.  My wife and daughter had eaten there last time they were here.  The food was excellent and reasonable.  I don’t know the name of the restaurant, however, because there was no Romanji, only Japanese.  I had kitsune udon, which has fried tofu on top.

(Actually, we went by this morning.  It was closed, but the steel door said “Udon Sangokuichi”)

Today we will look for a sandwich and coffee shop in Shinjuku Station my wife and I visited last time we were here together.  And then we will be on to Yokohama, perhaps after visiting Meiji Jingu shrine.

Note: We found the sandwich shop, which is called “Natural Beat Eat Cafe.”  Here’s a picture: