Marsh Travels

I know this will be a boring post to read, but I need to write it anyway so I can remind myself that terrible things happen on travel days, you push through them, and everything eventually works out.

At 8:30 we were at our little bus stop in Hakone, and we caught the right train to Tokyo. On the train, I opened the American Airlines app and saw that our flight had been delayed six hours. Instead of departing at 8:30 PM, it was now scheduled for 2:40 AM. Ugh.

To make things more stressful, Brenna and Matt had just bought a house, and we were co-signing the loan. Escrow was supposed to close the day after we got home, which meant we had to sign the papers the very day we landed. We had arranged a super-complicated plan to sign everything at Kelly’s house in Los Angeles two hours after we arrived at LAX, and then FedEx the papers to the Bay Area for Matt and Brenna to sign. With the delay, that plan completely fell apart.

We called the airline right away, and after a long phone call we were rebooked on Matt and Brenna and the kids’ flight to San Francisco, with a second flight to LAX. I was really disappointed to lose our direct flight, and I also lost the good aisle seat at the front of the plane that we had chosen months ago. To top it off, Jim and I had to sit apart. And since the new flight left earlier, we essentially lost our last day in Tokyo. Later in the day, we got a message that the flight had been completely canceled. Grrr.

But after 36 hours of travel, we’re home. The papers are signed, and everything is going to be okay. The bonus was getting to see Kelly, three-year-old Derrick and new baby Zyon for a few minutes.

Shinto has so many rules: wash your hands a certain ritual way, bow, clap, walk on the side of the path and not the center, (which is reserved for gods), do this, don’t do that. There are a lot of rituals and superstitions.

There are also a lot of signs in Japan in general telling people how to behave in public. They really don’t want you to litter, talk loudly, use your phone, sit or stand.

In just a few minutes I collected these directives. Some are just common sense, but “Don’t touch the pole even if you are injured” probably has a story behind it. The bathroom stalls are covered with instructions. Brenna says every sign is evidence of someone’s stupidity.

There’s a loop in Hakone that reminds me of the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. You go to each little village and do the thing they are famous for.

We started in our hotel where, at breakfast, our hosts taught Michael to use this kendama toy. There are world championships in doing tricks with it.

Jim and I did the onsen again, making us relaxed and clean.

Sadly, we had to leave the Pencil House and head to Hakone, known for its beautiful scenery and relaxing mineral hot springs.

We are staying in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn.) The beds are mats on the floor with warm puffs on them.

After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. We had all been looking forward to it, but nothing could have prepared us for the sheer scale and stunning quality of the exhibits. We wandered through the museum in awe, completely captivated, and didn’t leave until it closed.

In an indoor part of the museum they had hundreds of works by Picasso. He created art in so many different media: paint, copper, ceramic, bronze, wood, charcoal drawing, collage, lithographs and more. So versatile! He really tried to stretch his boundaries and create something totally new. His first word was “pencil.”

We ate at a zashiki—a traditional Japanese restaurant where you sit in the tatami mat floors and eat at low tables. I had the best fried rice I’ve ever tasted.

The inn has an outdoor onsen, which is like a small spa or a giant bathtub filled with hot milky white water. You reserve a time, you shower, and then enjoy it naked. Jim and I found it very relaxing at the end of a travel day.

Brenna‘s superpower is being able to find great bakeries and today was no exception. The teeny bakery had a long line, but it was well worth the wait.

We ate our pastries in the park.

We explored the Daizawa neighborhood today. Matt loves Japan so much, and it’s been fun to see his enthusiasm. It’s also been wonderful to take in the different areas of Tokyo—like any big city (LA, San Francisco, Mexico City), each part has its own atmosphere. The Japan Folk Art Museum here supports local artists—potters, weavers, textile artists—by exhibiting and selling their beautiful crafts.

We took a fancy taxi to our next stop—complete with reclining seats and footrests! Lydia and Michael had never been in a real taxi before, and the kids thought it was a treat. It didn’t cost much more than six subway fares and helped us avoid a 40 minute walk.

Our surprise treat was a small roadside hut selling pizzas. The owner had a real pizza oven, and his pies were delicious. He and his wife are opera singers, and he lived in Milan for six years. He and I were both delighted to speak Italian together—it was a better way to communicate than either English or Japanese. He told me he hopes to open a real Italian restaurant someday. Sometimes, when you’re willing to take a small risk and reach out, you make a real connection with a stranger, and it feels like such a gift.

In Hakanagura—yet another area—we explored bookstores and cute paper stores.

Matt was living his best life at dinner—conveyor belt sushi. It was such a fun place, and the food was great. The kids loved ordering on an iPad and then watching their dishes zoom in on the conveyor belt—or grabbing things as they passed by. We polished off 40 small plates of sushi, and I’m pretty sure Matt ate at least 25 of them himself.

Isn’t Little Nap just the best name for a coffee shop? Or maybe I love it so much because I’m ready for a long nap myself at this point. Either way, that’s where we started our day. Lydia and Michael had ice cream for breakfast and were absolutely delighted. The rest of us enjoyed delicious lattes and cakes.

We ate in this park designed for kids to simply explore creatively. They could dig, splash in water, play with ropes, hammer things, or even ride a unicycle. It was fascinating—an experience that would never pass safety standards in the United States.

The day had its frustrating moments. Jim had a flare up of plantar fasciitis and couldn’t join us. We got to the shopping neighborhood before the cute stores were open. There were discussions about whether we stay and wait for things to open, or head to the next thing on the list. We did finally find a couple of stores we loved: one that had handmade ceramics from Japanese artists at good prices, and a department store called Hands where all of us found something to buy.

And we find a cute place to eat Ramen and Gyoza for lunch. 😋

After lunch, Matt, Lydia, and I headed to the Ginza neighborhood to shop. It’s basically Tokyo’s version of Rodeo Drive—Cartier, Rolex, Hermès, Dior—the whole lineup. But because it was Black Friday, the streets and stores were absolutely packed. The metro was packed. Everything was packed. It felt like we could barely move. By the time we finally fought our way into the department store we’d been trying to reach, it was already time to turn around and go home…On the crowded subway. It was exhausting.

Matt and Brenna went out to dinner while we stayed home with the children, ate 7-Eleven food, and watched a movie. 7-Eleven here is amazing—there’s one on nearly every corned r, and it’s full of delicious and creative convenience foods: hot buns stuffed with pizza toppings, make-your-own smoothies, interesting salads, and yummy desserts. And with the same card the kids use for buses and trains, they can buy their own 7-Eleven treats. They love the independence. I wish we had these on every corner back home.

It was a marathon day of fun exploring. We left early this morning and played tourist all day, not returning to the house until after dinner.

Every time we exit the subway we get a surprising new view. Each neighborhood is so different. Ueno Park, where we went today had lots of beautiful yellow ginkgo trees.

We divided up today: the boys explored the National Museum, full of Japanese history and some impressive swords, while the girls visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see a special Van Gogh exhibition and the gorgeous embroidery in the permanent collection.

We explored yet another neighborhood: Yanaka, which is a tourist trap, cute shopping area giving tourists a window into old Tokyo.

For us, it’s really about wandering different areas and eating cute and delicious food.

At Don Quixote, a massive discount department store, we were hit with full sensory overload—the noise, the chaos, the sheer volume of stuff. All four levels were packed to the brim with merchandise. I hope I never have to go back.

Dinner was at a place in Shibuya that specializes in tonkatsu (pork cutlets). I’m convinced that people who say they don’t like Japanese food just haven’t experienced enough of its incredible variety. The best thing about this restaurant for me was that they had hot black tea (instead of the usual green) and they kept my cup full.

We hiked Mount Takeo today. The kids were so great—very little complaining even though it was essentially straight up.

I’m very thankful for the Japanese commitment to toilets. Every time we’ve needed a bathroom, there’s one steps away, and it’s clean and the toilet seat is heated. Even in “wilderness” areas

It’s really all about the food for us. Everything is so delicious and interesting. We took the children out to dinner so Matt and Brenna could have a date at a nine course restaurant.

We watched the movie Sing, back at our little house, and if you haven’t seen it, you should definitely watch it with a kid. It’s one of those wonderfully creative animated films with great humor.

It’s a slower pace being with Matt and Brenna and the kids, and also Tokyo feels much less crowded with more room to breathe.

First stop: Path Bakery. Brenna and I agree this is one of the top French bakeries that we’ve been to anywhere in the world. She was here six years ago and still remembers the chocolate croissant she had.

We visited Gotokuji Temple, famous for its cat with raised paw that is supposed to bring good luck. The thousands of cat statues were all very cute.

I also loved exploring the neighborhood around this temple.

Matt and Brenna organize their travel around bakeries and good restaurants, with some walking and exploring time. We eat very well when we travel with them. This cream puff factory was too adorable.

Matt planned all these amazing restaurants in different neighborhoods of Tokyo, giving us a chance to sample different areas. Usually I have to do all the trip planning, so I really enjoyed letting him do all the research. He’s done a great job.

Lunch was in Shimokitazawa, another cute neighborhood, and the food was delicious.

We had dinner in a small izakaya (Japanese style pub) in yet another area: Shibuya.

Today was mostly a travel day. We arrived in Tokyo in the late afternoon and met up with our friends Brian and Yoko. Brian is from Ventura, but he’s lived in Japan for most of his adult life. His mom attends our church, and over the years we’ve visited each other on both sides of the globe. Two of Brian’s friends also joined us—one from the UK and another from Rwanda—making our evening feel wonderfully international. I loved being with these good friends; having friendships scattered all over the world is one of life’s greatest gifts. They treated us to dinner, and it was such a joy to go out with people who truly know their way around a Japanese menu. Yoko kept saying, “Have you tried ___?” And whenever I admitted I had no idea what it was, she ordered it—eager for me to taste everything. It was all delicious.

The genesis of this trip was Matt—my son-in-law—finishing his master’s degree in marriage and family counseling and wanting to celebrate with a special trip. Originally, the whole family considered going together, but my daughter Kelly has a new foster baby, and my other daughter, Molly, didn’t want to leave Kelly on her own over Thanksgiving. So Jim and I planned to meet up with Matt, Brenna, and their two children, ages nine and eleven, in Tokyo. They arrived late this evening, and it’s wonderful to be together in our fun AirBnb in Shinjuku.