Japan Then and Now

White Water Rafting on the Tone River
(Nancy, Chris, Alistair and me)

In 2002, I had the absolute pleasure of making a journey to Japan.  My destina-tion was Gunma in a town called Mae-bashi and my main reason for the visit was my niece who was teaching English for the JET program.

It was June 2, 2002 when my plane was set to leave Toronto, Ontario and would fly me direct to Narita airport in Tokyo.  My journey would take me to the next day and would last a total of approximately 28 hours.

I spent two and a half weeks in Japan and was fortunate to visit many different areas including: Tokyo Disneyland, white water rafting in Gunma's mountainous region on the Tone River, Takasaki and a mini vacation to Okinawa.

Karaoke was one the most enjoyable experiences of my trip. In Japan you can pay a flat rate to rent a karaoke room with just your friends.  Also included in the flat rate was all the alcohol you could drink.  In the room you have retro type couches, tables, TV, karaoke machine, microphone, tambourine, song listings book, a remote to type in the code for the song and a telephone handy to call up your bartender to order another round.  Who couldn't find fun with that list of goodies?  The group I went with sure enjoyed the goodies to their full extent.

When in Okinawa, I heard someone say it was Japan's Hawaii.  The weather was parallel and the fresh fruit was any person's dream.  I became a lover of pineapple while there.  The hotel we stayed at was right on the beach.  I swam in the Pacific ocean for the first time in my life.  I bought Shisha's while I was there.  These are lion like creatures that will protect your house from evil spirits.  You are supposed to place them close and face them toward the door of your house.

Disneyland Tokyo was exactly like Disney World in Fort Lauderdale Florida.  I've been to both now and feel that Tokyo is more scenic with the unique trees and plants.  The rides were the same with the exception that everything was spoken in Japanese because most of the people there were in fact Japanese. 

White water rafting on the Tone River was a first experience for me and what a first experience it was.  While jumping off a cliff, my niece's husband lost his grip on the guides life rope.  Moving quickly into rescue mode, we all jumped into the Tone River to chase him down the river.  The current was so strong in that river, but we were all able to catch him and the raft.  I never knew I could swim like that.  We all high-fived with our paddles when we knew we were all safe and sound inside the raft again.  That is a day I will never forget.

Dickens Pub was the place to watch World Cup Soccer and eat English style fish and chips.  That was a place we frequented along with a place called TKO.  I believe that stood for Total Knock Out - the guy was a boxing fan.  His name was Sho and he was a gracious soul.

Getting lost in Japan was also an unforgettable experience.  Not knowing enough Japanese to get me further than to the taxi place to get to the train station was quite a challenge.  When I realized I had spent all my taxi fare the night before, walking home was even better.  Many people tried to help me but our language barrier was too great.  I ended up trying to play charades with a Japanese couple in an effort to find a land mark that happened to be a bird symbol.  It was funny when the Japanese couple came back to tell me I was close to the bird.  They were pointing and flapping their arms as a bird its wings to covey to me that I was near my destination.  Just a really hilarious moment that I remember.  I instinctently followed the train tracks and once I found the train station, I was able to find my way to the apartment just fine.  I made it safely and it only took about an hour and a half.  Another experience I won't forget.

The bullet train was just like the name suggests.  The regular train was fast enough but the bullet train made it seem slow.  The bullet train travels at about 185 miles per hour.  It was impossible to take a picture out of the window.

Snacks on the regular train were funny: teeny shrimp, slivers of almonds, tiny fish with eyes and odorless garlic and sweet potato.  Some other things I noticed were: the carrots were gigantic, tomatoes were small and the bread was delicious.  They had the most humongous roses ever and can preserve them to be as perfect as the day they bloomed.

I found the people in Japan friendly, hard working and honest; and the energy I felt while there was incredible.  I believe that because of the high level of energy I felt, my jet lag wasn't so severe.  The sun came up at four in the morning.

I am sad over the recent events in Japan with the earthquake and tsunami along with the nuclear disaster that happened March 11, 2011.  The area that I visited didn't receive the extreme tragic events that northern regions like Sendai has.  My heart and prayers are with the people of Japan for both their human and physical loss. The Japanese people should be given accolades for handling such a horrible situation with such grace.