Japan

Friday November 19th  - Tuesday, November 23rd

Japan...our last international port.  We arrived in Kobe and  when it came to immigration,  this was definitely our most complicated entry.  Passports weren't enough here...they required photos and fingerprints.  Considering we're in the country for a total of 4 days, sure did seem like a lot of work.

 I spent most of that time in Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital for nearly 1000 years.  Our visit coincided with the full moon, a special festival, and the peak of fall foliage.  Finding a room was next to impossible. And the strong yen sure didn't help.

But good fortune was with us yet again as the tourist office helped us locate accommodations -- and we didn't even have to sleep on the floor.  Still we couldn't have picked a better weekend to visit Kyoto's temples and gardens.  Not only were the fall colors at their best, many of the temples -- and gardens -- were open in the evening.

We visited Nijo Castle with ts squeaky nightingale floors designed to warn the shogun of intruders.  There was the Ryoan ji with its world famous Zen dry garden.   We were even fortunate enough to see a wedding procession at one of the temples.

And my favorite, Sanjusangen-do.  Inside, 1001 Senju Kannon statues -- that's the Goddess of Mercy -- were lined up in 5 rows.   They were all slightly different yet each had 42 hands.  The purpose?  To take away evil and bring in the good.  Oh if I could only bring just one of those goddesses back home to New York.

Tranquility and spirituality was evident everywhere.  In many of the gardens you would see people throwing coins and then bowing their head in prayer.  You could buy flat sticks with wishes written on them to be burned by the temple as an offering.

People would fan  the smoke from burning incense to their face as if a blessing.  And everywhere, you would see people writing wishes on slips of paper that were then tied to a tree.

One morning, I was using a telephone right off the main floor of a department store.  Over and over, as sales girls  would leave the floor, they  would turn back to face the floor and bow.  I'm sure you won't see that in Macy's.

Speaking of department stores,  the  entire lower levels were dedicated to food.  I thought we had  some nice gourmet food shops in NYC, but nothing compared to what I saw on these floors.  What was  more impressive was the display and packaging.  Everything was beautifully and carefully wrapped.  For that reason alone, you just wanted to buy.

To my surprise, very few Japanese we encountered spoke English.  I traveled a lot by subway, and while the system is  extensive and consists of many private lines, it was easy to navigate.  With cushioned seats, it was even a comfortable ride.

So while travel here may be more complicated because of language,  the people of Japan were always willing to stop and help.  Their politeness and graciousness were a wonderful note on whch to end our international journey.