After an incredibly hectic summer- one of months of crazy planning in pre-production- 2 weeks of non-stop production shooting (children and animals, no less!) and then one month of intense post-production, not to mention a wonderful visit from my parents smack in the middle of it all- it was time for a little break. So we took advantage of 3 day Japanese holiday and decided to take a trip. After some debate on the perfect holiday that would give us rest and resort while also offering city and sightseeing that would also be child-friendly we decided that Singapore would be our destination.
Singapore is an amazing place. It is a very small island with tons of attractions, a bustling city with a huge financial center, and the busiest port in the world, but the most interesting feature is its blend of many cultures. SIngapore is a study of ethnic and religious tolerance as you find each culture practicing traditions from their own heritage right next to each another. Singapore is mostly a melding of Chinese, Malay and Indian people- and a great number of expiates from all over the world. The official language is English- or as the taxi drivers call it- "Singlish" It is such a pleasure to be in an Asian country where everyone- no matter where they are from understand one another.
There are many things that Singapore is famous for- but the two biggest- are shopping and food. They are both divine. That is of course - if you like to shop and you like to eat. While I'm partial to the food of Japan- there is NO food in SIngapore that you can't find (in abundance and wonderful quality) they say a bad restaurant in Singapore just cannot exist- it wouldn't last. And there is everything from the ridiculously expensive to the stupidly cheap, great meals at the Hawker Centers (the street food stalls), this is the way most locals eat.
Here are some of our highlights of a weeks full of fun in a city that I will happily return to again and again....
We decided to stay on the island of Sentosa as opposed to stay in the middle of the city. We enjoyed the beach resort and ventured into the city for sightseeing and shopping.
Sentosa is very lush and beautiful and they are in the middle of construction of a huge casino resort- opening next year. There are many attractions on the island, which I will describe later...
For our first full day we went to Little India, this is a very good, small indication of India- a little cleaner perhaps, but just as robust and alive as India itself. There are many Hindu temples and Indian stores and restaurants and we happen to get there as the Indian New Year was arriving. "Happy Deepawali!!!"
This is strange how it co-ensides exactly with the Jewish New Year, huh?
Which brings me to celebrating Rosh Hashana with the Jews of Singapore.There are a number of Jewish organizations in Singapore, there are a few Traditional orthodox congregations although they are not "traditional" to me as there is a blend of Jews from all over the world, each with there own country's traditions. However, I had chosen a progressive, reconstructionist conservative congregation, The United Hebrew Congregation congregation of Singapore, and they welcomed us with open arms.
We joined them for Rosh Hashana eve and day and celebrated with them after services. The service was a traditional Rosh Hashana service conducted by a the Visiting Rabbi ,Rabbi Thal from NYC who has been with the congrgation for 16 years and a fabulous sermon given by the Rabbi's wife, Linda Thal, an award winning, acclaimed teacher, a recognized expert in Jewish education. Everyone was terrific, there were people from many different countries from all over the world,of all races,who now call Singapore their home. We were invited back next year and we are eager to join them again- Thanks to them for making strangers feel like family.
The Night Zoo is one of the most famous attractions of Singapore, and it is awesome. The Night Zoo is full of Nature's nocturnal animals. This is as close to "Jurassic Park" as it gets- no really seroiusly- you flash into "Jurassic Park" It's a spectacular sight to see the animals- not behind cages, but being able to roam in the dark. This would have been a great opportunity to walk along the ominous paths, but the kids were so exhausted from a full day- they weren't about to start walking around- so a little tip would be to rest up before the Night Safari and take advantage of walking with the animals at night. Next time...
I must take the time now to discuss the shopping in Singapore. It's awe-inspiring. On re-known Orchard Road there is one shopping mall after another. These are not just run of the mill malls but mixes of the finest designers in the world as well as middle end chains from EVERYWHERE, as well as local designers and stores. Honestly I don't think I've ever seen the amount of mall shopping anywhere else. And... there are many other parts of the city with more and more mall shopping. A big thrill for me was the extensive book stores with unbelievably big arts and design sections- ALL IN ENGLISH, it was like heaven. I clocked about 5 hours in one book store called Kinokuniya Books.
The only thing that would have made this vacation more perfect if it was at the time of the Great Sale. The Great Sale is during the month of June and the entire city is on sale. Another great thing would to have seen a some of the Grand Prix night race- we missed it by one day. We left the day it was starting, although we did get to see the city set up for it and I'm happy to have missed the traffic and ques. It has been there for the last 3 years and will be there one more year- maybe next year...
A popular tour is called the Duck Tour which goes from land into the sea all in the same vehicle. This is a good way to see this city. We were able to get onto the road of the Grand Prix race. We were also able to see the city from the water. Singapore's icon is called the Merlion. The Merlion is half lion- half fish (mermaidesque) it symbolizes Singapore's humble beginnings as a poor fishing town and the legend of the Sumatra prince who came upon the island and thought the first animal he saw was a lion(although it was probably a tiger.) Most of the the city's buildings are beautifully designed with chinese feng shui in mind. Water is a symbol of prosperity so many fountains are designed from to spout from buildings towards the sea in order to cycle the wealth into the city, etc.
Speaking of Chinese- Chinatown is particularly cool here. Since most of Singapore's population is Chinese, it a very dynamic part of the city. All things Chinese, from fabrics and herbs, foods and art, the only downside was that we weren't there during January/Febuary during Chinese New Year when every thing is lit up and festive for the oncoming holiday.
Back to Sentosa-
On the island of Sentosa are a number of attractions- so many that we didn't even see all of them. There is a fantastic aquarium- Underwater World, with a tunnel through the main tank- you walk through the sharks, manta rays, groupers , eels, turtles, etc. You get to feed manta rays out of your hand- this is very cool.
There is also a luge ride- you take a ski lift type "sky ride" up the hill to the top where you get into a "car" that shoots you down the hill- this is great fun and you get to enjoy the view from pretty high. There is a laser light show every night called "Songs of the Sea" this is a "Disneyesque" sappy show but an impressive light display over the beach.
There is another Merlion statue in Sentosa, this one is enormous, it is along a beautiful walkway this merlion turns psychedelic colors. It's a pretty wild sight.
All in all I would say Singapore is home to an abundance of experierences; the food, the sights, the cultures, the attractions and the fun.
L'Shana Tova Happy New Year to all of our Jewish Friends- To ALL of our friends we wish you a year filled with love, health, fulfillment, and peace.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Go Go Golden Week!
Go Go Golden Week!
We decided to go to Tokyo during our holiday vacation. This holiday vacation is called Golden week. Golden Week is the time period in Japan that is a compilation of 4 public holidays, these holidays are: Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day and Children's Day. Most Japanese take surrounding days off, and many companies give their employees the week off, and the kids are out of school. So needless to say travel during this time period is insane. Flights in and out of Japan are cost prohibitive and mostly unavailable so we decided to head south and take the time to explore Tokyo.
As I've said before, Tokyo is amazing. We now go to Tokyo when we crave a little "American/Euro" culture. It is such an international city, you really don't need to know any Japanese to communicate- all signage is in English, and most people bilingual. There is a little of everything, and I mean everything. If you can't find or buy something in Tokyo, it doesn't exist.
When you realize that in every building there are numerous floors and on every floor there is a shop or restaurant- it is commerce and people everywhere you look.
Not only above ground but underground, joining the subway stations are countless malls and stores. In the popular Shibuya area- when crossing the intersection at Shibuya station there are 2,000 people crossing at the same time. It's a virtual sea of people.
The boys are in heaven when we go to Tokyo, because we travel by train and subway constantly- although we make them walk all over town as well. They are now experts on the Tokyo subway system and can navigate the lines like pros.
We enjoyed mostly kid-friendly activities, and we wentt to most of the different neighborhoods and communities.
Here are some of the highlights:
We treated ourselves and stayed at the incredible Peninsula Hotel in the Glamorous Ginza area. Gotta Love Ginza- very posh, beautiful stores, restaurants and hotels.
We went to "Kidzania" this is a place like Wannado City in Florida, where kids take on jobs and earn kidzos (money) to spend.
Different corporate sponsors brilliantly create the attractions. Unlike Wannado City this place is like Vegas for kids, and like everything in Tokyo- it's a better version and more hi-tech than the US version. Zack particularly enjoyed the science lab, so we decided his future in robotics, and that the real reason we are in Japan is for him to learn Japanese for his robotic career and Max's baseball career. When in Rome....
One of the only real "sightseeing " events was when we visited the Imperial Palace Gardens and Grounds. The Imperial palace is in the Marounouchi area (financial district) and it is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls. It is the residence of Japan's Imperial Family. You cannot go in the buildings but walk the grounds.
The stone walls are the remains of the Temple. Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. In 1888 construction of a new Imperial Palace was completed. The palace was once destroyed during World War Two, and rebuilt in the same style, afterwards.
A real treat was a visit to the JCC Tokyo and joining in on their Saturday Family Shabbat service. They are in a temporary space, with a terrific but sadly, temporary Rabbi in Minami- Aoyama, close to Roppongi and Shibuya (fun area!) but have an amazing community of Jewish expiates and Toyko-ites.They were all so welcoming and wonderful, we will visit them again soon! We were so taken with the community and Tokyo in general, that we will need to make it a more regular trip.
We went to an amusement park smack in the middle of the city, called Tokyo Dome, also here is a stadium where the Tokyo Giants play and when not playing, concerts perform here, and of course there is more shopping. The giant roller coasters and log flume wrap around the mall building and the parachute ride flies over the Stadium. We were lucky enough to visit the day that the popular goth group- X Japan were performing so the people watching was fantastic. Alas- punk is alive and well in Tokyo- I love them, brings me back to 1984! The fans all dress like the group, and they LOVE to have their pictures taken. Disappointingly, our camera lost battery and we had left the charger behind in Sendai. This was the only downfall losing the camera so early in the trip!
The weather was glorious so we walked our way through Ginza, Harajuku, Aoyama, Marunouchi, Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. A beautiful vacation in an electric city.
We decided to go to Tokyo during our holiday vacation. This holiday vacation is called Golden week. Golden Week is the time period in Japan that is a compilation of 4 public holidays, these holidays are: Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day and Children's Day. Most Japanese take surrounding days off, and many companies give their employees the week off, and the kids are out of school. So needless to say travel during this time period is insane. Flights in and out of Japan are cost prohibitive and mostly unavailable so we decided to head south and take the time to explore Tokyo.
As I've said before, Tokyo is amazing. We now go to Tokyo when we crave a little "American/Euro" culture. It is such an international city, you really don't need to know any Japanese to communicate- all signage is in English, and most people bilingual. There is a little of everything, and I mean everything. If you can't find or buy something in Tokyo, it doesn't exist.
When you realize that in every building there are numerous floors and on every floor there is a shop or restaurant- it is commerce and people everywhere you look.
Not only above ground but underground, joining the subway stations are countless malls and stores. In the popular Shibuya area- when crossing the intersection at Shibuya station there are 2,000 people crossing at the same time. It's a virtual sea of people.
The boys are in heaven when we go to Tokyo, because we travel by train and subway constantly- although we make them walk all over town as well. They are now experts on the Tokyo subway system and can navigate the lines like pros.
We enjoyed mostly kid-friendly activities, and we wentt to most of the different neighborhoods and communities.
Here are some of the highlights:
We treated ourselves and stayed at the incredible Peninsula Hotel in the Glamorous Ginza area. Gotta Love Ginza- very posh, beautiful stores, restaurants and hotels.
We went to "Kidzania" this is a place like Wannado City in Florida, where kids take on jobs and earn kidzos (money) to spend.
Different corporate sponsors brilliantly create the attractions. Unlike Wannado City this place is like Vegas for kids, and like everything in Tokyo- it's a better version and more hi-tech than the US version. Zack particularly enjoyed the science lab, so we decided his future in robotics, and that the real reason we are in Japan is for him to learn Japanese for his robotic career and Max's baseball career. When in Rome....
One of the only real "sightseeing " events was when we visited the Imperial Palace Gardens and Grounds. The Imperial palace is in the Marounouchi area (financial district) and it is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls. It is the residence of Japan's Imperial Family. You cannot go in the buildings but walk the grounds.
The stone walls are the remains of the Temple. Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. In 1888 construction of a new Imperial Palace was completed. The palace was once destroyed during World War Two, and rebuilt in the same style, afterwards.
A real treat was a visit to the JCC Tokyo and joining in on their Saturday Family Shabbat service. They are in a temporary space, with a terrific but sadly, temporary Rabbi in Minami- Aoyama, close to Roppongi and Shibuya (fun area!) but have an amazing community of Jewish expiates and Toyko-ites.They were all so welcoming and wonderful, we will visit them again soon! We were so taken with the community and Tokyo in general, that we will need to make it a more regular trip.
We went to an amusement park smack in the middle of the city, called Tokyo Dome, also here is a stadium where the Tokyo Giants play and when not playing, concerts perform here, and of course there is more shopping. The giant roller coasters and log flume wrap around the mall building and the parachute ride flies over the Stadium. We were lucky enough to visit the day that the popular goth group- X Japan were performing so the people watching was fantastic. Alas- punk is alive and well in Tokyo- I love them, brings me back to 1984! The fans all dress like the group, and they LOVE to have their pictures taken. Disappointingly, our camera lost battery and we had left the charger behind in Sendai. This was the only downfall losing the camera so early in the trip!
The weather was glorious so we walked our way through Ginza, Harajuku, Aoyama, Marunouchi, Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. A beautiful vacation in an electric city.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Under the Cherry Blossom Tree
It has been about 6 months since the last entry, numerous life events, festivals, traditions and funny moments, here are a few...
Backtracking to right before the winter holiday vacation, the boys were in their first traditional Japanese school play. The costumes were fantastic, as the chorus dancers they were dressed as fish and ocean life. I only wish I had video to post- the dancing and music were awesome.
After the holidays we returned to Japan and the boys completed Kindergarten at their school. The Japanese school year is finished at the end of March and the new school year begins the first week in April. Graduation from kindergarten and entry into First grade is a really big deal here, quite a ceremony is given to each. The parents wear suits and some of the mothers wear traditional Kimonos.
The traditional kimono is extremely elaborate and beautiful, they are mostly handmade and custom ordered, not to be confused with a yukata, a casual kimono looking robe, worn anywhere. The kimono is only worn for special events as they take forever to put on and are quite uncomfortable and limiting. It was a real treat to watch some of the mothers get dressed in the traditional garb. They don't look quite real, and makes you feel like you are dropping into an ancient culture, so disparate from my own.
The entry into First grade is honored with the "Opening Ceremony". Again many mothers don their Kimonos, while everyone else wears a suit. In public school (where the boys now attend- all Japanese- no english) during opening ceremony the little boys wear suits (with shorts) and get to put on their backpack for the first time.
The backpack is another thing that blew our minds. They are mandatory for all schoolchildren and are made of a hard leather, like luggage, meant to last for the kids' school career, they weigh a TON, and the poor children need to shlep them back and forth laden with 50 lbs. of books daily. They cost a fortune starting at $100 up to $400.
Back to the ceremony, the upper grades greet and welcome the new first graders with song and with dance. The second graders wear festival gear and do a dance, it very cool.
The days are long for the kids. They begin school at 8:15AM then after school go next door for intermediate day care before their English program begins at 4:00PM. After their English "school" they take the bus home and arrive at the bus stop at 7:00PM.
Spring begins and we have many festivals here. Last week was the sakura festivals. Sakura is cherry blossom. During this week the Cherry Blossom trees bloom out of nowhere and the entire country is covered in the most gorgeous bloomed cherry blossoms, everywhere you look this lasts a week and then is over as quickly as it started. We went to a fun festival in downtown Sendai full of people picnicking and hanging out under the sakura.
We, the only 4 Jews in Sendai, celebrated Passover which coincides with the Japanese festivals- due to springtime. I conducted a tradtional seder with some un-traditional things like using wasabi for horseradish (bitter herbs) It's hard to be such an outsider sometimes, so isolated, yet, it was especially rewarding and wonderful to see how involved and excited the kids were to celebrate their own culture and rich traditions, after living among those who deeply appreciate culture and tradition.
The Winter was cold and long- making me long for CA or FLA, but the skiing is terrific and boys were ecstatic learning to ski and sledding all the time. Now that the weather has gotten warmer I will be out and about with more posts and pics more frequently...
Backtracking to right before the winter holiday vacation, the boys were in their first traditional Japanese school play. The costumes were fantastic, as the chorus dancers they were dressed as fish and ocean life. I only wish I had video to post- the dancing and music were awesome.
After the holidays we returned to Japan and the boys completed Kindergarten at their school. The Japanese school year is finished at the end of March and the new school year begins the first week in April. Graduation from kindergarten and entry into First grade is a really big deal here, quite a ceremony is given to each. The parents wear suits and some of the mothers wear traditional Kimonos.
The traditional kimono is extremely elaborate and beautiful, they are mostly handmade and custom ordered, not to be confused with a yukata, a casual kimono looking robe, worn anywhere. The kimono is only worn for special events as they take forever to put on and are quite uncomfortable and limiting. It was a real treat to watch some of the mothers get dressed in the traditional garb. They don't look quite real, and makes you feel like you are dropping into an ancient culture, so disparate from my own.
The entry into First grade is honored with the "Opening Ceremony". Again many mothers don their Kimonos, while everyone else wears a suit. In public school (where the boys now attend- all Japanese- no english) during opening ceremony the little boys wear suits (with shorts) and get to put on their backpack for the first time.
The backpack is another thing that blew our minds. They are mandatory for all schoolchildren and are made of a hard leather, like luggage, meant to last for the kids' school career, they weigh a TON, and the poor children need to shlep them back and forth laden with 50 lbs. of books daily. They cost a fortune starting at $100 up to $400.
Back to the ceremony, the upper grades greet and welcome the new first graders with song and with dance. The second graders wear festival gear and do a dance, it very cool.
The days are long for the kids. They begin school at 8:15AM then after school go next door for intermediate day care before their English program begins at 4:00PM. After their English "school" they take the bus home and arrive at the bus stop at 7:00PM.
Spring begins and we have many festivals here. Last week was the sakura festivals. Sakura is cherry blossom. During this week the Cherry Blossom trees bloom out of nowhere and the entire country is covered in the most gorgeous bloomed cherry blossoms, everywhere you look this lasts a week and then is over as quickly as it started. We went to a fun festival in downtown Sendai full of people picnicking and hanging out under the sakura.
We, the only 4 Jews in Sendai, celebrated Passover which coincides with the Japanese festivals- due to springtime. I conducted a tradtional seder with some un-traditional things like using wasabi for horseradish (bitter herbs) It's hard to be such an outsider sometimes, so isolated, yet, it was especially rewarding and wonderful to see how involved and excited the kids were to celebrate their own culture and rich traditions, after living among those who deeply appreciate culture and tradition.
The Winter was cold and long- making me long for CA or FLA, but the skiing is terrific and boys were ecstatic learning to ski and sledding all the time. Now that the weather has gotten warmer I will be out and about with more posts and pics more frequently...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Bangkok Bound
We have been in Japan for 3 months now, and our travelers visa was about to expire, so we needed to leave Japan in order to obtain our Japanese work visas. That's how it works in Japan, one must leave the country, apply for a work visa at the Japanese embassy in another country, and then re-enter Japan under your new status. So we left Japan to go to Thailand!
Before we left Japan we had a visit from our brother in law Brian who made the trek, while on business in Tokyo to visit us for the day in Sendai. We showed Brian our city, the studio and life here. We had a terrific time, it was wonderful to have family visit.
I think we have become so used to Janglish that we didn't flinch when we passed a pub called "sperm" - this was Brian's spot he called our attention to it- here's the sign....
Bangkok... I need to preface saying that being an American living overseas really opens your eyes to the way the rest of the world views The United States. When we arrived at immigration entering Thailand- the Thai immigration officer looked at our US passports and said- "America, Boo!" And this is a person who deals with foreigners all day everyday. So with an uneasy giggle we entered Thailand. At least in Japan they were not rude to gaijin to their face...
That was the only negative in our Thailand experience, on the whole we found Bangkok to be a fascinating, vital city. The people couldn't be nicer to tourists, and everyone we encountered in Bangkok, regardless of education level spoke English. This is a huge difference from Japan, Japanese people who are fluent in English is rare.
All of the Thai people we encountered LOVED children. From the most stern soldier and government worker to the waitresses in the touristy restaurants and random people in the subway, walking around with caucasian children was like walking around with rock stars.
Thailand is a study in contrasts- right next to the most beautiful, elaborate and ornate shrines are buildings that are literally falling apart right into the river, with people who are living inside them. The malls and shopping are some of the most sophisticated I've ever seen, all food courts are gourmet and meticulous, while there are stray dogs and cats running around right outside. The BTS subway and train system are advanced and get you where you need to go, but to cruise around the city, nothing beats a tuk-tuk.
In Thailand Buddhism rules, and there's no shortage of beautiful shrines with buddahs everywhere you look. Shrines, are places of worship where you'd go to pay respect to sacred religious icons in Buddhism and Hinduism, who in turn could grant you love, happiness, good fortune, success, luck or even fertility. There are enormous structures the most famous being The Grand Palace and obscure like the one we stumbled on. This shrine we visited was rarely open to the public, so we happened upon it and got an amazing tour from the guard. He explained how different buddahs represented the days of the week. I wish took more pics of all the different buddahs. There are also spirit houses everywhere.
Buddha for Sunday : In Pensive Thought The enlightened Buddha stands with hands crossed over his abdomen
Buddha for Monday :
Standing- Stop gesture with hand
Buddha for Tuesday :
Reclining Buddha
Buddha for Wednesday Morning :
Standing-Holding an alms bowl
Buddha for Wednesday Evening :
Sitting-Retreat in the Forest
Buddha for Thursday :
Meditating-Sitting in the yoga posture
Buddha for Friday :
In Reflection (Deeply Thinking) Standing- Hands are crossed across the chest
Buddha Image for Saturday :
Sitting in meditation
We got around by river taxi to cross the river and take us to sights such as the snake farm. The snake farm is a zoo where you are encouraged to buy food and feed the animals. The snakes put on a show with their handlers. You get to hold snakes, feed monkeys, peacocks and enormous lizards- sorry Peta. You wouldn't find this petting zoo in the states!
Other cool modes of transportation includes the BTS skytrain and tuk tuks. These are 3 wheeled covered motorcycles that speed around the city with a family of four in tow. Motorcycles are encouraged and as prevalent as cars. At every major intersection you will see a pack of bikes.
Shopping is outrageous in Bangkok- there's nothing you can't get. Counterfeit or real there are great bargains to be had. The only issue is making the calculations in your head of baht (Thai currency) to dollar so you know how much you're bargaining! There are 35 baht to 1 dollar so there's really no easy comparison when doing quick negotiations.
All in all there's about a thousand things that we did not get to do and see and look forward to visiting again soon.
As soon as we returned with our work visas we became eligible to register and recieve an alien registration card which allows you to get medical insurance through the state and a Japanese drivers license, and open a bank account and basically be considered a human being instead of a tourist.
Well we returned to Japan on Thursday night, recieved our Government insurance cards on Friday, moved into our new house on Saturday and on Sunday Zack got an ear infection. So off to the doctor we went, our first experience with a Japanese physician.
Insurance through the government for a family is the ridiculous price of $10.00(yen equivalent) and you pay the doctor 30% for a visit, which comes out to $5-$10.00. The doctor saw Zack, diagnosed the infection, prescribed antibiotics, pain medication and ear drops all which amounted to $10.00. It is accessible to everyone, the only drawback being the wait time for a popular doctor. But- it was a positive experience which left me wondering why we can't make healthcare as efficient as his in the US.
Before we left Japan we had a visit from our brother in law Brian who made the trek, while on business in Tokyo to visit us for the day in Sendai. We showed Brian our city, the studio and life here. We had a terrific time, it was wonderful to have family visit.
I think we have become so used to Janglish that we didn't flinch when we passed a pub called "sperm" - this was Brian's spot he called our attention to it- here's the sign....
Bangkok... I need to preface saying that being an American living overseas really opens your eyes to the way the rest of the world views The United States. When we arrived at immigration entering Thailand- the Thai immigration officer looked at our US passports and said- "America, Boo!" And this is a person who deals with foreigners all day everyday. So with an uneasy giggle we entered Thailand. At least in Japan they were not rude to gaijin to their face...
That was the only negative in our Thailand experience, on the whole we found Bangkok to be a fascinating, vital city. The people couldn't be nicer to tourists, and everyone we encountered in Bangkok, regardless of education level spoke English. This is a huge difference from Japan, Japanese people who are fluent in English is rare.
All of the Thai people we encountered LOVED children. From the most stern soldier and government worker to the waitresses in the touristy restaurants and random people in the subway, walking around with caucasian children was like walking around with rock stars.
Thailand is a study in contrasts- right next to the most beautiful, elaborate and ornate shrines are buildings that are literally falling apart right into the river, with people who are living inside them. The malls and shopping are some of the most sophisticated I've ever seen, all food courts are gourmet and meticulous, while there are stray dogs and cats running around right outside. The BTS subway and train system are advanced and get you where you need to go, but to cruise around the city, nothing beats a tuk-tuk.
In Thailand Buddhism rules, and there's no shortage of beautiful shrines with buddahs everywhere you look. Shrines, are places of worship where you'd go to pay respect to sacred religious icons in Buddhism and Hinduism, who in turn could grant you love, happiness, good fortune, success, luck or even fertility. There are enormous structures the most famous being The Grand Palace and obscure like the one we stumbled on. This shrine we visited was rarely open to the public, so we happened upon it and got an amazing tour from the guard. He explained how different buddahs represented the days of the week. I wish took more pics of all the different buddahs. There are also spirit houses everywhere.
Buddha for Sunday : In Pensive Thought The enlightened Buddha stands with hands crossed over his abdomen
Buddha for Monday :
Standing- Stop gesture with hand
Buddha for Tuesday :
Reclining Buddha
Buddha for Wednesday Morning :
Standing-Holding an alms bowl
Buddha for Wednesday Evening :
Sitting-Retreat in the Forest
Buddha for Thursday :
Meditating-Sitting in the yoga posture
Buddha for Friday :
In Reflection (Deeply Thinking) Standing- Hands are crossed across the chest
Buddha Image for Saturday :
Sitting in meditation
We got around by river taxi to cross the river and take us to sights such as the snake farm. The snake farm is a zoo where you are encouraged to buy food and feed the animals. The snakes put on a show with their handlers. You get to hold snakes, feed monkeys, peacocks and enormous lizards- sorry Peta. You wouldn't find this petting zoo in the states!
Other cool modes of transportation includes the BTS skytrain and tuk tuks. These are 3 wheeled covered motorcycles that speed around the city with a family of four in tow. Motorcycles are encouraged and as prevalent as cars. At every major intersection you will see a pack of bikes.
Shopping is outrageous in Bangkok- there's nothing you can't get. Counterfeit or real there are great bargains to be had. The only issue is making the calculations in your head of baht (Thai currency) to dollar so you know how much you're bargaining! There are 35 baht to 1 dollar so there's really no easy comparison when doing quick negotiations.
All in all there's about a thousand things that we did not get to do and see and look forward to visiting again soon.
As soon as we returned with our work visas we became eligible to register and recieve an alien registration card which allows you to get medical insurance through the state and a Japanese drivers license, and open a bank account and basically be considered a human being instead of a tourist.
Well we returned to Japan on Thursday night, recieved our Government insurance cards on Friday, moved into our new house on Saturday and on Sunday Zack got an ear infection. So off to the doctor we went, our first experience with a Japanese physician.
Insurance through the government for a family is the ridiculous price of $10.00(yen equivalent) and you pay the doctor 30% for a visit, which comes out to $5-$10.00. The doctor saw Zack, diagnosed the infection, prescribed antibiotics, pain medication and ear drops all which amounted to $10.00. It is accessible to everyone, the only drawback being the wait time for a popular doctor. But- it was a positive experience which left me wondering why we can't make healthcare as efficient as his in the US.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Been a long time...
It's been a while since our last entry, life is busy. Since we will stay for two years, we will be giving up our temporary house and car and have been looking around for both.
First the car, my second favorite pastime here, after tee shirt and sign spotting is car spotting. By this I mean looking for cars that you are familiar with. Here in Japan there are the manufacturers that we are familiar with in the states- Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Suburu etc... except that the models are completely different, and the names are (in diplomatic words) unusual. For example: Toyota has the Alex, ist, Platz, Starlet, Voltz, Vitz, Blizzard, Harrier, Kluger, Voxy, Wish, Succeed, Noah, Alphard, Sparky(!), Stout and 190 more models! The Nissan has the Sunny, Tilda, Cube, March and 85 more, Honda boasts the Logo, Today, Vamos, Life, Life Dunk(!) That's, Vigor and 77 more... I think you get the point, there are countless models of japanese cars on the road. When you buy a car you must prove that you have a parking space for that vehicle- or you will not be allowed to buy it . A police officer will come to check that that new car has a home. So with all that said, the one car that's similar and increasing most popular is the Prius. Parking spaces are tiny here, and you must back in to a spot, so a large car for a person who really doesn't need it, is no favor. Especially with astronomical gas prices. So we went to look at the prius . We were sold, I was excited, really happy to finally get into the ultimate hybrid. So ready to sign the paper work, we were then told that it would be 4 months and we could expect our car in January! Lo and behold no Prius for us!
The housing- Japanese houses are for the most part not made with central heat or air. Instead, gas, oil and electric ovens and air conditioners are used to heat single rooms. They usually blend traditional Tatami Rooms with Tatami Floors made of straw and shoji screens with modern rooms with wood or tile floors. It is essential to remove shoes and wear slippers (inside shoes) indoors. Removing even slippers in Tatami Rooms- bare feet only
We found the coziest, warmest looking house(insulated) and will be moving in shortly.
Lastly, I have to say a few words about the toilets. There are two different kinds here, the traditional Japanese style toilet, which is what you will find in public restrooms they have the toilet on the floor so you must squat down as far as possible- very interesting, and quite challenging, in stark contrast to the luxurious western style toilets which most have heated seat, built in shower/bidet and DRYER! You find western toilets in all private homes.
Today we celebrated Field Day at the School which is a traditional Japanese school event. This consists of relay races for the kids, choreographed dances like the pom pom dance and the maypole dance, where each student grabs a piece of ribbon that hangs off of a pole and dances under and over and intertwines through each other to weave a beautiful pattern down the pole- quite impressive for a bunch of 5 year olds in unison! There are also events for the whole family like balloon stampedes (don't ask) for Moms and Dads, and even events for the grandparents. It wraps up with a picnic- and then a medal ceremony for the kids. Lots of fun.....
First the car, my second favorite pastime here, after tee shirt and sign spotting is car spotting. By this I mean looking for cars that you are familiar with. Here in Japan there are the manufacturers that we are familiar with in the states- Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Suburu etc... except that the models are completely different, and the names are (in diplomatic words) unusual. For example: Toyota has the Alex, ist, Platz, Starlet, Voltz, Vitz, Blizzard, Harrier, Kluger, Voxy, Wish, Succeed, Noah, Alphard, Sparky(!), Stout and 190 more models! The Nissan has the Sunny, Tilda, Cube, March and 85 more, Honda boasts the Logo, Today, Vamos, Life, Life Dunk(!) That's, Vigor and 77 more... I think you get the point, there are countless models of japanese cars on the road. When you buy a car you must prove that you have a parking space for that vehicle- or you will not be allowed to buy it . A police officer will come to check that that new car has a home. So with all that said, the one car that's similar and increasing most popular is the Prius. Parking spaces are tiny here, and you must back in to a spot, so a large car for a person who really doesn't need it, is no favor. Especially with astronomical gas prices. So we went to look at the prius . We were sold, I was excited, really happy to finally get into the ultimate hybrid. So ready to sign the paper work, we were then told that it would be 4 months and we could expect our car in January! Lo and behold no Prius for us!
The housing- Japanese houses are for the most part not made with central heat or air. Instead, gas, oil and electric ovens and air conditioners are used to heat single rooms. They usually blend traditional Tatami Rooms with Tatami Floors made of straw and shoji screens with modern rooms with wood or tile floors. It is essential to remove shoes and wear slippers (inside shoes) indoors. Removing even slippers in Tatami Rooms- bare feet only
We found the coziest, warmest looking house(insulated) and will be moving in shortly.
Lastly, I have to say a few words about the toilets. There are two different kinds here, the traditional Japanese style toilet, which is what you will find in public restrooms they have the toilet on the floor so you must squat down as far as possible- very interesting, and quite challenging, in stark contrast to the luxurious western style toilets which most have heated seat, built in shower/bidet and DRYER! You find western toilets in all private homes.
Today we celebrated Field Day at the School which is a traditional Japanese school event. This consists of relay races for the kids, choreographed dances like the pom pom dance and the maypole dance, where each student grabs a piece of ribbon that hangs off of a pole and dances under and over and intertwines through each other to weave a beautiful pattern down the pole- quite impressive for a bunch of 5 year olds in unison! There are also events for the whole family like balloon stampedes (don't ask) for Moms and Dads, and even events for the grandparents. It wraps up with a picnic- and then a medal ceremony for the kids. Lots of fun.....
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Birthday in TOKYO
John surprised me and told me that we were going to Tokyo to spend the weekend, to celebrate my birthday. He had booked the one of the most extravagant hotels in Tokyo, The Park Hyatt, featured in "Lost in Translation". It was absolutely beautiful, we stayed on the 51st floor, and took pictures of the city, its spectacular views.
Tokyo is enormous, populated with about 30 million, there are various sections of the city, each has a very distinctive vibe. It's like NYC times a thousand. For example, The Shinjuku area that we stayed in is a lot like a nice Times square. This is the section that is featured when you see movies that take place in Tokyo, it is illuminated with neon at night. The Ginza area is a lot like Madison/Park/5th Avenue, very upscale designer stores and shopping. The Harajuku/Shibuya area is like the East village/Melrose again times a thousand. The girls dress in costumes, that (we discovered) can be found at major department stores, on separate floors along with other young fashion like old school punk stylings like bondage pants, punk tees, and goth items. There is more shopping here than any one person could ever get to. If you lived in Tokyo a lifetime you still wouldn't get to it all.
The subways are very sophisticated, they manage to get you to every area there, but trying to navigate the subway system was quite a challenge when you can't read the signs and there are different fares to get from place to place. The Shinjuku station is the largest in the world with 50 different exits, 3 department stores and countless other stores and restaurants.
On Saturday night we went to a restaurant called "The Ninja." When you arrive into the dark cavernous place, you are greeted by your ninja (waitress) who takes you to your tatami room by way of twisted labryths and stairways with special passageways that get you to your destination. The ninja does slight of hand tricks for you and makes a mean salad table side.
A very fun party place....
Finally we got back on our Shinkansen express train to Sendai, which was decorated with Pokemon figures (Pokemon is still the most popular character here.) a 1.5 hour trip.
We look forward to more experiences and fun in Tokyo.
Trains are Universal
We found out on a fluke that there was a big event just a half an hour away at a big train yard that brought all of the Shinkansan (bullet trains, pronounced SHIN-KAN-SIN- rhymes with Wisconsin.) trains from all over Japan there, to check out and admire, for kids (boys)of all ages. So, on Saturday July 26 we traveled by train to go to the the Shinkansen festival. We knew we were on the right train as there were hundreds of 4-6 year old boys and their parents on board. Zack is a particularly big admirer of trains, so nothing made him happier than being able to get underneath the train and check out the mechanics of the enormous vehicle. These trains are more like spaceships than trains- they move at over 200 miles per hour. We went with some friends from work, and their little girl, Serena, half japanese, half caucasian, who was too cute for words, and learned that when posing for pictures, it is appropriate to wink like Minnie Mouse.
So moral of the story, no matter if you are, In America, Japan, or wherever, boys like trains and girls like Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty and Barbie.
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