Being a Tourist in Tokyo - Scott's Visit

November 2012 - Guest Blogger:  Uncle Scott

It's an honor to be the first visitor to Kevin, Stephanie, Ethan, and Ryan's new home in Japan.  After a treacherous 14 hours of travel carrying over 50 lbs. of miscellaneous items on top of my own luggage (note from us;  thank you, Uncle Scott, we will think of you every time we eat a granola bar), I arrived to a place where everyone looked like a relative.  My first day started with a boat ride on the Sumida River...

We arrived to the area of Asakusa where we saw the Buddist temple, Senso-ji  and  a magnificent 5 story pagoda.

There was also a wonderful koi pond and many other shrines and monuments.

We continued our journey to the Drum Museum where there was a lot of "Sumimasen" said, because it was an interactive museum in which Ethan and Ryan took full advantage.

We also searched out the wholesale area where they make the "fake" food seen in food displays at all the restaurants.  Needless to say, that stuff is way more expensive than you would expect.

As our afternoon came to an end, we got an up close look at the Tokyo Sky Tree.

After a long day, we finished up with a pleasant "pork katsu" dinner.

The second day was an early rise.  The plan was to head down to Tsukiji fish market to see the tuna auction.  We left at 4:30am and it was still not early enough to make the limited number of spots.  Good luck to the future visitors because the wake-up call will be 3:30am for you.

But all was not lost, as we enjoyed some fresh sushi for breakfast and explored the workings of the very busy fish market.  In one of the local market stalls, we also managed to catch a glimpse of the preparation of a $2000 tuna bought at the auction that same morning.

The rest of my second day was a little more relaxed, as naps were in order due to our very early rise.  We bicycled (maybe as dangerous as lane splitting down the freeway on a motorcycle) down to get lunch and enjoyed the very tasty "kakigori"-  Japanese shaved ice.

The second day ended with "suki yaki" made by Kevin.  I have to admit, his culinary skills are impressive.

My third day was more relaxed as Ethan went to school.  Stephanie and Ryan accompanied me to the earthquake museum followed by several stops to find "omiyage," gifts.  Note from Ryan:  At the Earthquake museum, I got lost in a maze that had lots and lots and lots of smoke.  And Mommy found me and then we found the door and we got out.  (Ed note. it's a simulation exercise to practice escaping from a smoky room, as fire is one of the major problems following an earthquake)

That evening, we went to Shibuya, which is the center of night-life in Tokyo.  It was incredible.  We ate at the most high-tech and efficient sushi restaurant.  Everything was computerized and ordered by touch screen.  Each dish was whisked to you by conveyor belt.

Colder weather and rain were a slight inconvenience on my fourth day; however, I did have the opportunity to watch Ethan's 1st Japanese school play.  I may not have understood any of the story, but it was entertaining.  Ethan pulled off his single line with "gusto."  Note from Ethan:  During my play, I think I might have talked a little too loud, but other than that, it was fine.

On Sunday and Monday, we travelled up to Nikko where we visited several shrines and temples on the first day and enjoyed the autumn colors in the mountains.  We ended the day with a relaxing stop at an "onsen," a Japanese tradition of public baths / hot springs.  The second day was spent at Edo Wonderland, which recreates a much earlier time in Japan.  We all had a great time throwing ninja stars, shooting arrows, traversing a large ninja maze, and enjoying many of the shows.

Note from Stephanie:  Ethan and Ryan were especially excited by all the Ninjas running around... they both ended up with 2 Ninja swords and a Ninja headband.  This may be a recipe for disaster, but they will have fun doing it.

Note from Ryan:  When I threw the ninja stars, I hit 5 out of 5, so I got a sword.  Annnddd... opa ninja style, opa ninja style, and that's all.

Note from Ethan:  My favorite part with Uncle Scott was when we both helped each other find our way through the maze because we were a team.  It was really hard and there were tricky trap doors that we had to figure out.

It is my final night here in Japan and it has gone by too fast.  I will have to make another visit soon to continue the adventure.....

Note from Ethan:  Uncle Scott was a lot of fun, but he made me clean up even though he's not the parent.  

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Dear Uncle Scott - Here's a little slideshow to capture some more pics of your visit (the boys chose the music)!  Please come again soon.

Love,

Us

The Mikoshi Mystery? Or perhaps Japanese Halloween?

As we eagerly await our first visitor (Yayyyy for Uncle Scott - he arrives tonight!), I am motivated to write about some recent adventures, to make time and space in the near future to write about our Uncle Scott adventures.  Of course, Scott thinks he's getting the "insider" tour, but little does he know that we're taking this opportunity to do things that we have wanted to do, but haven't gotten around to yet. Hopefully, he'll forgive us.

Over a month ago, a friend invited us to go "do mikoshi" with them.  This friend speaks English very well, and so I asked several questions about what it is, what you do, and why.  The only answers I got were "portable shrine" and "lots of really good snacks" and "fun for the kids."  But, as it turns out, we were out of town that weekend and couldn't go.  Alas...

So, a few weeks later, a different friend invited us to go to "mikoshi" with them.  At this point, I also learn that we have to wear a certain kind of "happi coat" that the shrine will loan to us, and that there is one day for a children's mikoshi and one day for an adult mikoshi.  And get this - the "good snacks" for the adult mikoshi include sake and beer.  OK - portable shrine, good snacks, beer and sake, free, and a happi coat.  I'm starting to understand.  Sounds like a good way to spend an afternoon to me.  We're in.

We meet up with our friends for the kids' mikoshi first.

Now, that we're in the thick of things, I ask again, what does this portable shrine symbolize?  What is the meaning of this event?

"Ummmm .... I don't really know.  We just do it every year," answers my friend.

Light bulb goes off - so this is like the Japanese version of Halloween.  I think you'd be hard pressed to find an American (myself included) who can explain the meaning and symbolism behind Halloween - other than we dress up, we get good snacks, and we do it every year.  As different as things are, the more they are still the same.

An un-happi Ryan...

So, the kids get their happi coats on and are looking pretty darn cute.  Unfortunately, the "happi" took a while to rub off on Ryan, as he was in a foul mood at the beginning.

The kids carry the shrine through the streets.  There is some chanting that goes along with it, but I didn't really catch it all.

It's actually pretty heavy and not as easy as you might think.  Soooo .... to provide sustenance, they have their first rest stop for snacks: bananas and ooo-la-la, ice cream.  And fried shrimp, kara age (fried chicken), fried quail eggs (at least I think that's what they were), some fried tempura cheese things, juice... this sure beats the boring Halloween dum-dums we get at home while trick-or-treating.  The kids were in heaven (ok, we were in pretty high spirits as well).

Another rest stop or two for more snacks, and the "mikoshi" (みこし - portable shrine) was safely delivered to its starting point!

The adult mikoshi for this same community shrine was supposed to be the next day, but unfortunately, Ethan was sick (and it was very cold and rainy - we are fair weather mikoshi people, I guess), so we couldn't go.

But never fear, 2 weeks later, there was yet another mikoshi at a different shrine and we got to go to the adult version for that one with our same friends.  It seems that there some true mikoshi aficionados out there, as we talked to one old guy who told us that he loved mikoshi so much that he goes to a different one every weekend during "mikoshi season."

We got our groove on with our happi coats and our friends, and we were ready for the festivities to begin.

Here goes nothing.... Kevin and I are enthusiastically encouraged to join in right from the start, despite the fact that we have NO idea how this really works.  And there is clearly a system to it, and it was a system that we did not know - evidenced by the fact that I was out of rhythm, someone behind me stepped on my sandal, and it completely broke.  I sheepishly ducked out of the mikoshi as there was no way to carry a portable shrine -  via a 4x4 piece of lumber - balanced on my shoulder - with a flapping shoe.  But, my friend, Hana's mom came to the rescue and brought me a new pair of sandals to wear.  Kindness prevails, as apparently nothing gets in the way of mikoshi!

Oh, and I forgot the best part.  The Mikoshi Leader - think high school drum major, taking his job very seriously, wearing a sumo diaper and samurai headband, with a deep love for his whistle.  And thankfully, a very welcoming smile.  There was a cadence to it all, set by the diaper guy's whistle, complete with a chant and heave-ho type movement.  It took me a while to get the hang of it.... They made me go in the very front a few times, and that was soooo hard as I couldn't keep from giggling every time the Mikoshi Leader looked at me.

So, you join in carrying the shrine for as long as you want, and when you need a break, you simply step out and someone else steps in your place.  I can't remember all the snacks (thanks to the liquid snacks, I'm thinking), but I know there was a huge box of raw oysters passed around at some point.  And we ended up at a (non-portable) shrine, where there was a large festival taking place - and much, much sake being handed to us.  Also managed to eat some yakisoba and yakitori at that point, I think.  And there was quite a sushi spread at the end.  Did I mention this was all free?  Not really sure how this all works out....

By the time we were headed back to the "community home" of the mikoshi, it was dark.  With the mikoshi illuminated, it made for a rather magical feel to it all.

I did a little research to try and find out a little more about the meaning behind mikoshi.  Here is the scoop, according to Wikipedia:

A mikoshi (神輿 or 御輿^?) is a divine palanquin (often improperly translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine. Often, the mikoshi resembles a miniature building, with pillars, walls, a roof, a veranda and a railing.  Typical shapes are rectangles, hexagons, and octagons. The body, which stands on two or four poles (for carrying), is usually lavishly decorated, and the roof might hold a carving of a phoenix.  During a matsuri (Japanese festival) involving a mikoshi, people bear the mikoshi on their shoulders by means of two, four (or sometimes, rarely, six) poles. They bring the mikoshi from the shrine, carry it around the neighborhoods that worship at the shrine, and in many cases leave it in a designated area, resting on blocks called uma (horse), for a time before returning it to the shrine. Some shrines have the custom of dipping the mikoshi in the water of a nearby lake, river or ocean (this practice is called o-hamaori). At some festivals, the people who bear the mikoshi wave it wildly from side to side to "amuse" the deity (kami) inside.

And Kevin and I definitely need to practice before next year, because we both had bruised shoulders for a week.  There's nothing like a 1,000 pound (I'm guessing here) shrine whacking you on the shoulder with every step...

Enjoy the pictures (and short video)!

Starting out strong...

The Mikoshi Drum Major hard at work - I was living in fear that the
kids would make some inappropriate comment about the bare
bottom, but they held it  together...

The blessing at the shrine before heading back...

Nighttime Mikoshi