Families and Funerals

The older we get, the more it seems that it takes a funeral or a wedding to bring us together. We had Matt and Kate's wedding in October, and I put those pictures on FB.

Here are some pictures from after the funeral service.

Aunt Carol

Joan Williams, Aunt Cathy

Jacquie

David Jones

No caption needed. You know us.

Mom

Robbyn

Jimmy and Cathy

Uncle Bob

My Uncle Bob. He was my father's youngest brother and the last of the three Redding boys of that generation. There are a lot more Redding boys today.

My cell phone rang on Saturday and even though I didn't recognize the number I answered. It was my cousin, Robbyn, Bob's daughter, and she had news that Bob had had a heart attack about 2:15 that morning and was on a ventilator. Later that day he was removed from life support and was gone within ten minutes. We all suspect he was gone before he fell in the kitchen of their home.

Shocking to say the least. Totally unexpected.

He was a great uncle, an outstanding man, and loved everything about life and everyone in his life. I only hope that I was as good of a nephew as he was an uncle to me.

R.I.P.

Heather's Birthday (Early) / Thanksgiving (Late)

We celebrated your sister's birthday and met Brian's parents today. As usual,we had way too much food but it was all good and OSU beat Michigan. The only thing wrong was the phone call from Robbyn.

Turkey done on the grill.

The table.

The birthday girl.

Sayonara or The Longest Day

Today will be thirty eight hours long as we race across time zones and head home. We will leave Tokyo (scheduled) at 5:10 PM on 8 November and arrive at Hopkins (scheduled) at 6:33 PM 8 November.

We slept in and had Starbucks for breakfast. After Bernie FaceTimed with Aunt Rita and Uncle Ro, we went walking. We were going to be on a plane for fourteen hours so it made total sense. Daniel Boone returned his party safely to the hotel by using dead reckoning and a keen sense of direction. We were back shortly before  pickup and surprise, a transfer to another hotel, before being transferred to the bus to take us to Narita which is a long long way from Tokyo.

We left almost an hour late which when I wrote this back on that day, I noted that it would make catching our connection to Cleveland very interesting.

The flight was fine once it left. Customs at SFO was fine. Recheck your baggage was fine. But then the fun started. I have been to SFO three times in my life and both times when leaving, the wonderful people from the TSA made it a miserable experience. It's not like everybody flies from SFO every day of their lives. It's not like every air passenger knows your airport and how to navigate it. I know they only pay the fine people at the TSA minimum wage but come on; it is often a visitor's first impression of the USA. And they failed. After a month of helpful courteous people who at best knew a few words of English, it only took the TSA a few moments to let us know we were back in the USA. Capricious, maniacal little Napoleons, and that's probably an insult to Napoleon. Each of us, Debbie, Bernie, and I, was treated differently by the inspectors and even though we had been screened at Narita we had to be screened again. We arrived at the same time as another JUMBO jet from Mexico City and the TSA was totally unprepared. All I heard was people saying, 'I'm going to miss my connection.' and they were often right. We had forty-five minutes from when we got to Security to departure and were through with less than five minutes to spare in a strange airport. I made the gate first and a kind lady held the door for all of us as they had already had final boarding. Yes, they took a guy out in handcuffs as we got to security but what a f$%&()g joke. Not an ounce of customer relation skills.

I also have to fault United for scheduling us two flights with so little time in between. NO one was there to expedite anything. No golf cart. No flight personnel. Nothing.

Final insult. Our seats were taken by two passengers who were too weak to walk all the way to the back of the plane. Until they had to pee. I have to call bullshit on that.

BUT, I refuse to let the last few hours color the trip or the two tiered security system. We traveled over 23,000 miles by air and only in the US is it a pain in the ass.

The entire trip, which has been over for six weeks by the time this is posted was an incredible experience. We would never have said that Asia was a bucket list thing. Certainly not like a trip to the Pyramids, or Rome, but having been there, none of us can doubt the wisdom of seeing the things we saw and having the experiences that we did. Thirty two wonderful days out of one suitcase with excellent traveling partners.

Where to? Who knows. Maybe South America and Machu Pichu before we are too old to climb. Maybe Ireland. The world is out there waiting for us.

That's it. If you read this, thanks. If you looked at the pictures on Facebook, thanks for that, too.

Nikko

Still no election results. Off to Nikko. 250 KM one way. Two and a half hours! TOTALLY worth it.

Harley at rest area on way to Nikko.

The Toshogu Shrine made all of the others seem rather plain by comparison. Built as a burial palace for the Shogun, his grandson totally refigured it and made it ornate, tastefully so, but what a place. As Buddha and Shinto co-exist, it combined both, and although the temple portion was undergoing restoration, it was all magnificent.

Torii Gate

Recognize those monkeys? Part of Buddhism for over 2500 years.

Torii Gate in the hailstorm.

Another Japanese lunch, Udon after yesterday's Bento, and then on to the Imperial Villa. Originally a private residence, it was acquired as a place for the Emperor to escape Tokyo's summer heat. The current Emperor lived there during WWII. It has been restored and boasts incredible gardens.

Our last stop was Kirifuri Falls and they were spectacular. The pictures here and on Facebook speak to that.

On the way back to Tokyo, one of the Canadians on the bus asked our guide if she could find out who won the election. The last we had heard was on a TV at the rest stop and the vote was 65-64 in favor of Mr. Romney. Our guide, Yoko, Googled CNN and read the article to us. The entire bus, Canadians, Australians, Swedes, and other foreigners broke into applause with us.

To those who may read this some day, say what you will, Mr. Obama is highly regarded by the rest of the world. Everyone who asked us at any point in our trip about politics and the United States was highly concerned about the Republicans, Mr. Romney, and the threat that they posed to world peace. Seriously, I couldn't make this up. Better yet, Ohio, and my vote, put Mr. Obama back in the White House.

Another taxi back to the hotel,  a different amount, and a different route, no dinner, and a lot of CNN. Tomorrow we fly home. Thirty one of the fastest days ever.

Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji. The day did not start auspiciously. Rain, rain, and more rain. But it would stop.

The first stop was the visitor center. Mt. Fuji as we know it today is the result of several volcanoes erupting and combining over hundreds of years. No mention was made of the current pressure under the dome being sixteen times higher than it was at the time of the last eruption.

From there to the Fifth Station, the spot where most modern climbers begin the six hour hike to the top. Not today. Climbing season was over, and while the rain had stopped, the wind, which causes the trees to only grow branches on one side, was brutal which made standing difficult and caused the temperature to drop. We walked far enough to get three volcanic rocks from Mt. Fuji, take a few pictures, and hustle back to the comfort of the bus. The gloves we bought in Seoul look smarter and smarter all the time.

First view? of Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji hidden by clouds.

Trees with growth only on one side due to the constant winds.

The Hakone Ropeway took us to our best views of Mt. Fuji and an almost complete view of the summit. One dang cloud refused to move. We also saw volcanic activity as several vents were spewing steam and sulfurous odor. It smelled a lot like the flats in Cleveland when steel was still made there. My age is showing.

The steam at the bottom is escaping from vents in the volcano.

We also crossed Lake Ashi on a fake HMS Victory. Lake Ashi was caused by one of the many eruptions. It was cold but there were great views of fall in Japan.

Lake Ashi

For the first time, the bus did not return us to the hotel but dropped us off by Ginza Station. 980 Yen later we were back at the hotel and then went walking, eventually settling for Mos Burger, a Japanese chain for dinner. It was okay. We did catch this view of the Tokyo Tower at night. Once back at the hotel we searched in vain for election results but with a fourteen hour time difference, it was not to be.

Dynamic Tokyo Tour

All day on a bus, sort of, with lunch and a guide named Mai. While waiting to be picked up I spotted this gem in the hotel lobby showcase. Originally broadcast on Japanese TV and sold legally in Japan, it is available in a torrent download in the US but so far I haven't been able to find a live one. NPI.

First stop, the Tokyo Tower, the same one that Godzilla destroyed but it was all repaired and ready for us to go to the observation deck. The deck provided excellent views and the visibility was decent but not spectacular. A front was moving in that would affect Mt. Fuji tomorrow. On a clear day, Mt. Fuji can be seen from the tower.

Looking through the floor.

The Happonae Garden features Bonsai Trees with oldest being 528 years old. We also had a tea ceremony performed by a Tea Master or Tea Sensei. There is more than just pouring hot water through a bag or strainer into a cup. It is made from powdered green tea that it whisked into a froth. Not my cup of tea but very interesting.

528 years old.

Garden Gnome

 For lunch we had Japanese BBQ. Think Steak on a Stone only better. A lot better.

Shogun Statue at the Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace is open two days a year. This wasn't one of them. Every January 2nd and December 23rd. Maybe next time. Originally the home of the Shogun, it passed to the Emperor at the same time as the Kyoto Imperial Palace and the Emperor moved there and changed the name of Edo to Tokyo. (On an unrelated note, while returning on our last night, there were thousands of runners there, running the perimeter of the grounds. No numbers, no lights, just thousands of runners.)

The last part of the day was the Sumidae River Cruise under the thirteen bridges to Asakusa, site of the Asakusa Kannon Temple and street vendors galore. The biggest difference is that in Japan, there is no haggling. It is this price. Period. The temple and its pagoda are magnificent.

Noodles again, and bed. Mt. Fuji tomorrow and the forecast is 80% chance of rain.

To Tokyo

I talked the driver into going by To-ji Temple on the way to the train! Pictures on FB.

The Nozumi Shinkansen Express to Tokyo. The last stop which means the end is near. Our hotel was located in a great area and we walked first to the Zojoji Temple where we saw a wedding and got our fortunes from a box. One of us got a good fortune, one a pretty good fortune, and Debbie got a very good fortune. From there to the Tokyo Tower. The same one Godzilla destroyed in two movies. We did not go up as it would be the first stop tomorrow but walked around the park that surrounded it instead.

Bad fortunes left for the winds.

Protectors of the souls of stillborn children.

On the way back to the hotel I reinforced the knowledge that Starbucks Black Tea Lattes, while good, are not the same as Colonial Bean and Leaf, or maybe it was just that the first one was so good. From there to Ginza!!

After a brief rest we settled on a noodle place for dinner. You ordered by putting your coins in a machine and handing your ticket to the attendant. We ate there again the next day. Good stuff, as Meagan would say.

The next three days are full, full, full.

Manhole cover.

Fire access cover.