April in Japan

Japan is beautiful under the Sakura (cherry blossoms). In Kyoto, we stayed at the Ryokan, Three Sisters so we could attempt to have a 'real' experience in Japan. (The Ryokan is filled with foreigners) The fact is, in Japan, it's difficult to be a foreigner (gai-jin) , you simply stand out. But anyway, Kyoto, at least the old section, is beautiful to see at Cherry Blossom time. To see the geishas, in all their finery, with their dainty umbrellas walking down the narrow streets around the teahouses is a real visual treat. We were drawn in Tokyo to 'electronics and gadget city' a neighborhood which has every electronic gadget or appliance you can imagine and more. This area of Tokyo is called Akihabara and it literally twinkles and flashes with light as you walk down the crowded streets. Another 'must' in Tokyo is the fish market area just to get a look a slice of life or to buy cookware. We arrived too late in the morning to really see the life of the place buy still managed to do some shopping among their kitchen gadgets.

Quick Tips:

Knowing someone in Japan really helps because it's like a passport to the culture. You really are an outsider when you are there and you are given a limited access to the culture as a tourist.

If this doesn't bother you, you should make the best of it by reading up as much as possible about Japan before you leave. This is, of course, obvious for any place you travel to, but in the case of Japan it's of utmost importance. Be sure you buy your train pass before you leave, it's very expensive but even more expensive if you have to pay normal train fare. When you take a cab from a train station or airport to your hotel, cab drivers have very limited space in their trunks so if you have too much luggage, you will have problems. Japanese pride and dignity do not allow for a custom such as tipping (anyway prices are high enough as it is) so don't make the mistake of tossing your money in the form of a tip,

Best Way To Get Around:

Trains and taxis are all incredibly expensive, but you have to take them. We did a lot of walking in Kyoto and Tokyo, although we also traveled alot by subway in Tokyo. If you think you can figure out the fare and the direction you want to go or if you can find a poor soul who is willing to try speaking in unintelligible English to help you, then go ahead and be adventurous. That's what we did!

For a more ''non-western'' experience, we decided to stay in a Ryokan, a typical Japanese inn. I wouldn''t call this a typical ryokan...since the only Japanese around are the owner and the staff, but it''s a good way of ''breaking yourself in'' to the ryokan experience. Upon entering, naturally, you must remove your shoes and come in and register, as you are served green tea. The owner speaks good English and gently shows you what you need to do. In your room, the floor is covered with tatami mats and your bed, a sort of soft pad on the floor is made for you with your carefully folded cotton ''yukatas'' (robes) on it.

Everything is immaculately clean which is good since this doesn''t come with private bathrooms. The ryokan-style bath is a deep tub with heated water, which you must schedule; otherwise you can just use the showers. Using the deep tub, though, requires that you understand that you have to scrub and rinse well in the area next to the tub before stepping into the tub. I have you say that for me it was an experience that added an interesting element to our trip, but I think that the true ryokan that wealthy Japanese businessmen stay in hardly compares. Ah, but who can pay $500 a night?