Travels in Japan

I’ve been back for 7 weeks and I still can’t get Japan out of my mind. I keep wondering what it was that grabbed me so hard. While the architecture, history, people, temples and shrines were different and enjoyable to see, they aren’t it. I think it’s that I’m a curious person who is constantly looking for little new to me things. In Japan they were everywhere. The workings of comprehensive transit system was fascinating. One example is that every metro station plays a different jingle before they close the train doors in station. The food was so varied and the little sweets were cute, pretty and unusual and everything was cheap and fresh. I could walk through the food halls for days and never get enough. Quality of life stuff that NY struggles so much with like garbage are organized and practically invisible. I mean, they don’t even put corner cans out and Japanese carry their trash home to dispose of properly!

The fashion scene was top notch and a fun comparison to my NY work neighborhood. Between there being beautiful Asian design and a fascination with the preppy look I grew up with and the endless vintage stores selling things like US college sweatshirts, it all was just wow!

Mostly in general I haven’t thought that much about Japan. It seems from talking to people I know, many have always dreamed of going to Japan. That wasn’t me. Sure I always want to go everywhere, but I thought Japan was so expensive that I really never thought about going. Well, what a surprise to arrive and find out that because of a strong Dollar and weak Yen, Japan actually seemed cheap. That meant I could try everything!

I had three wonderful weeks to soak it all in, but it just left me wanting more. There are so many things I don’t quite understand yet. And so many food items I didn’t get to try. The 13 hour flight and 13 hour time difference probably means I won’t be going back any time soon, but I’m grateful for the time I had. And I’m also having fun seeing Japanese things in NY with my new eyes.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY ENTIRE JAPAN PHOTO ALBUM

Cherry Blossoms

The cherry blossoms finally started blooming, 15 days late! giving me a chance to see how locals celebrate Sakura. The tradition is picnicking in the parks under the blossoms. It was also the first warm weather after a long hard winter, so the parks were packed!! It’s quite a scene.

Japan Transit is AMAZING!

There were so many interesting aspects of Japan and I’m going to try to share and process my thoughts on here.

One really great thing was the transit system. Tokyo was the biggest and most complex, but all the different systems around the country are connected and worked well together. As a tourist I could buy a rechargeable IC card to use for payment of all the trains and buses in all the cities I went to. This meant I never had to struggle figuring out the fares and could just jump on and off of whatever was around. This is even more incredible with the fact that the different lines are privately owned and run and yet can work together!

Although one of the challenges of Japan is that there isn’t as much English everywhere, the trains have electronic screens and switch between Japanese and English. Signage is clear and SOOOO helpful. I heard that there was a major investment in this before the 2020 Olympics for all the visitors who never came.

Schedules, fares, platforms, train cars, stairs, escalators & elevators, and station exits are all well marked and integrated with Apple and Google Maps, so when you get directions all the details are included. Station exit numbers are clearly marked, so people know where to get out. Genius!!

They also clearly mark the direction the train is going, show the next stops and suggestion how many minutes it will take to get to each station.

The crowds of people using the transit is INSANE, but well mannered Japanese wait patient in marked lines till everyone gets off before they shuffle in.

I don’t have anything extra interesting to say about the bullet trains except they move so fast, but don’t really feel different and the ride is really smooth. And as you would expect they are comfy and plush with lots of legroom.

Yummy Yummy Food in Japan

One of the most incredible things about Japan is FOOD! Whether it’s vending machines on every corner filled with hot and cold drinks and misc snacks. Or endless fine food stalls on the basement level of many buildings and throughout the subway stations. Or cheap, but fresh and delicious food, available at 7-11 and Family Mart convenience stores. And the restaurants… I can’t say enough about the restaurants. The variety was awesome. I mean conveyor belt sushi is high tech, yummy and fun! I even got into ramen, because ordering on a kiosk felt exciting and the efficient serving process felt other worldly.

The Japanese believe in excellence in whatever they do, and that means the cutest viral sweet sensations or the finest service. For me in particular, I like Japanese foods because they have lots of variety and flavor, but aren’t spicy. On this trip I tried to always be trying new things. The US dollar is strong compared to the Yen, so things seemed cheap and it was easy to buy lots of things and only have tastes. One gummy peach, one seasoned pretzel, one onigiri with something new and weird in it, one mini KitKat, which come in seasonal special flavors and it was strawberry time. Delicious! I’d have to go back for a couple months to have enough time to eat everything I wanted to try. Till then I will dream of more egg sandwiches and so many other things I did get to devour.

Talking about trash in Japan

My job includes a lot of thinking about sanitation pick up, so I pay close attention when I go to new places. Well, the Japanese take their trash and recycling very seriously. I was amazed to learn that they have no corner trash baskets on public streets. People are expected to bring their trash home with them and dispose of it correctly. They originally removed the cans because there were a series of bombings using the street cans, but the amazing thing is that the Japan followed the new rules and there is almost no garbage on the streets anywhere.

As you will see from these pictures, unlike most US recycling programs they expect buildings to separate many different items and the garbage room in private buildings has many separate bins for different kinds of thing. For instance there was a bin for broken glass and pottery, one for lightbulbs, and another for batteries. They also sorted out different plastics. I was sad that I never saw everything on the sidewalk for scheduled pick up, because I just can’t visualize the trucks organizing all these pickups and keeping things sorted.

Japan Has The Best Bathrooms!

 

Ok. This might seem like overkill, but I just can’t speak highly enough about Japanese toilets! They are EVERYWHERE! They are CLEAN! And they are mostly high tech. I’ve already sung praises about heated seats. They also have bidet cleaning water spray, hot blowing air to dry you off and some even play a sound track of running water for privacy or inspiration I suppose. There are little public toilets in separate buildings around Tokyo and all the subway stations have them. It’s heavenly!

Koyosan

Visiting Koyosan, the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805. It’s a small, secluded temple town has developed around the sect's headquarters on a wooded mountaintop. There are over one hundred temples making Koyasan one of the best places to experience an overnight stay at a temple lodging. I was able to get a taste of a monk's lifestyle, eat vegetarian monk's cuisine, which had lots of variety of tastes to try and attend the morning prayers. Getting there included a train, to a cable car up the mountainside to a bus to bring us to the town.

My favorite part was a long peaceful morning walk in a wooded cemetery.

Bikes in Japan

Biking is a big thing in Japan. There were bikes and bike parking infrastructure everywhere. Like NY, Tokyo seems to be struggling with making enough room for bike lanes, and instead bikers ride on the crowded sidewalks. It stressed me out! It was cute though to see folks with their big shopping bags in bike baskets after doing their errands, or toting around a couple kids in various attached bike seats.

Youth Culture, Manga/Anime and Fashion.

The intensity of all the trends in Japan makes examining every subculture so exciting. I’m not sure how to describe things with words so you’ll have to look through my pictures to get your own tour.

I will say I tried to embrace manga/anime, but even amongst enthusiastic crowds buying and swapping collectibles, I still didn’t feel much. On the other hand, when I bumped into a giant autograph session with what seemed like 1000s of JPop superfans, I went right to YouTube and watched all their videos. And when I came across a boy band at the main temple and another in a main intersection in Tokyo, I watched with rapt attention. I mean who doesn’t like a cute boy band!?

Because I don’t know where else they fit in, I’ve got a few pictures here of adorable tiny kids walking home from school without any adult supervision. Yes, Japan is THAT safe and little kids walk around alone or with friends with no adults in sight. Amazing and sooooo cute!

Osaka, Japan

After 10 days in and around Tokyo, I finally hopped on a bullet train and whizzed to Osaka, Japan’s second largest city. It’s known to be more vivacious and the people are known for their sense or humor and more outgoing friendly demeanor. It was fire bombed in WWII and thus built back after with what must have been extensive help from the US, because some of its streets look very similar to parts of Chicago and Park Avenue in NY.

Seemingly unrelated to that, there is an area called Americamura that even has a giant Statue of Liberty on a building looking over it. This area is filled with vintage stores, something the Japanese love, selling things like US college sweatshirts and urban streetwear. It was a fun place and if that’s what they think America is like, I’ll accept it happily. On a side note, I found it interesting to see all the references and similarities to the US throughout Japan.

Osakans are also know for their fun buzzy night scene, In Dotonburi there was lots of street food, represented by large food shaped marquees. With all the neon lights, incredible signage, throngs of people and street performers, it felt a lot like Times Square.

Shibuya at Night

 

Kamakura

I took an overnight trip to Kamakura, a small town just outside Tokyo along the west coast that’s known for its Great Buddha, 40 foot bronze statue dating back as far as 1252. It’s a representation of Amida Buddha and is the second largest monument in Japan.

One nice part of the trip was that it gave me a chance to see some temples and gardens and the awesome Buddha without the crowds of tourists or locals in most other places I went. Religion is best absorbed in peaceful quiet places and even from this New Yorker’s point of view Japan is a very busy crowded place.

Kamakura is also a fishing village, so I went to check out the beach, fishing boats and to spot some surfers. To my surprise, when I went to see what they were catching, I found people cleaning seaweed. Upon hindsight, of course, the Japanese love seaweed as much as they love seafood!

Showing NYC Love in Tokyo

 

One funny thing I noticed in Japan was a lot of references to NYC. It wasn’t just the tons of Yankees and Mets hats, but even deeper. Like check out this clothing store, who was selling t-shirts referencing different City agencies. I don’t even think we could buy agency t-shirts here in NYC in the New York government store, and certainly not in a fancy high fashion retail store.

Japan must have known the way to my heart was through flattery of the city I love. Well done!

Japan Knows How to do Hospitality!

When I found TWO charging cables for the first time in a hotel room ever, I felt the need to put out ALL the things that my last hotel of the trip provides us for my memories. They think of everything. Other highlights… fresh pressed pajamas, used drip bag tray with the kettle, water cup with a LID, make up mirror, shoe horn, two pairs of slippers, face cleanser, oil, milk and lotion, plus the two sided pillow (bean on one side, firm on the other.) Japan is awesome! #stuffimgoingtomiss

Visiting Fushimi Inari Tasha Shrine in Kyoto

Anyone remember Christo’s Gates in Central Park? Clearly this was the inspiration. It brought back nice memories.

Dedicated to Inari, the deity of a good harvest and success in business, Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head of all of Japan's Inari shrines. The seemingly endless path of vibrant orange torii gates that line the approach to Mt. Inari makes for an impressive setting and is one of the most famous images of Japan.

The Shinto shrine was founded in 711 before Kyoto became Japan's capital. The path leading up 233-meter-tall Mt. Inari is dotted with many stone altars (otsuka) and marked by approximately 10,000 torii gates. This long tunnel of vibrant orange torii gates is an iconic sight in Kyoto.

Companies and individuals from all over Japan dedicate torii gates to shrines because of their divine properties for business prosperity.

Miyajima Island, Japan

One of my favorite days was spent on Miyajima Island. It’s less than an hour outside the city of Hiroshima. It is most famous for its giant tori gate, which at high tide seems to float on the water. The sight is ranked as one of Japan's three best views.

The island has a mix of nice experiences. It has a sweet little town, a few pretty temples and Shinto Shrines and walking paths up its hillsides. I think maybe I liked it so much because after a few days of rain, the sun came out and everything looked so bright

My group also chose Miyajima to do the almost required Japanese dress up in a kimono and participate in a tea ceremony activity.

One of the island’s charms are the wild deer that wander the streets and mix with people. The first site of them feels so cute and exciting, but very quickly you notice they are everywhere!

Itsukushima Shrine, Japan

If the G7 leaders do it, than so do I.

Visiting Itsukashima Shrine on Miyajima Island. Peace

(At high tide the red gate is way out in the water.)

Hiroshima

Today I am in Hiroshima, the site of the first atomic bomb explosion during WWII, visiting the memorial created to recount and remind us about that terrible day in history. This stop has extra meaning because. my mom Jane Milliken dedicated most of her adult life to fighting to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. As I child I would fold endless origami cranes for her protests and gatherings, so my first day in Japan I bought some extra special handmade origami paper to make cranes to place in her memory. I also summoned her up to experience the museum with me. May many carry on and keep fighting against the use of weapons like these! It these uncertain times we need to fight even harder for peace.

A Meerkat Cafe... Now thats awesome!

Pet cafes in Tokyo are my new favorite thing! Today’s new friends are meerkats. Lion King’s Timon in real life is sooo cute!

I was a little late for the Olympics

My original plan was to go to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics. Obviously Covid ruined that, so it took me till now and all I could do was go to the Japan Olympic Museum and learn about the handful of times they have hosted or attempted to host the Summer and Winter Olympics. Interestingly they also had planned to host in 1940, but that also was cancelled due to the World War 2. But they have hosted a couple of other times too.

Watching A World Cup Qualifier Match in Tokyo

Things you already know about me. I love to travel to dig deeper and learn more about different countries and their people. I love watching World Cup soccer. And I have been to North Korea! Plus this trip to Japan was originally planned for the 2020 Olympics. So imagine how perfect it felt when I was checking out the Olympic Stadium and grounds and saw a poster announcing a FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Japan and North Korea! 

I forgot to add that the friend I’m visiting here ALSO went to North Korea with me! Naturally it was our destiny to go!!! Highlights include hearing a stadium sing the national anthem and watching the incredible enthusiasm of the North Korean fan squad. Japan won 1-0. Bring on World Cup 2026 in North America!!!

The Japanese love baseball so I thought I'd join them.

Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd (of Japanese.) Apparently the Japanese love baseball like Americans do, so seeing a game seemed like a great way to see locals being locals. They have cheerleaders, lots of songs that everyone sings together, a sushi race between innings to entertain the crowd and more. Go Tokyo Giants!

Visiting Gotokuji Temple

Yesterday I visited a cutest cat temple. I’ve seen these little statues so many times in my life. It’s fun to know where they originated.

Gotokuji Temple, located inTokyo, is a Buddhist temple that is said to be the birthplace of the maneki-neko, or “luck-inviting cat figurine.”

Temple legend states that during the early 17th century, Ii Naotaka (then the second lord of the Omi-Hikone Domain) escaped from being caught in a sudden thunderstorm after being invited inside the temple by a cat that lived there.

To show his gratitude to the cat, Naotaka decided to dedicate the temple to the Ii clan.

Who needs cat cafes if you can cuddle mini pigs instead?

I’m off on another adventure and I’m finally visiting Japan for my first time. The Japanese came up with the concept of cat cafes and have been expanding the idea ever since. In Tokyo, there are ones for all kinds of animals, reptiles and even birds. Today I went to mipig cafe, a micro pig cafe. I had a cup of coffee and lots of cuddles from a room full of miniature pigs. It was delightful. And any girl’s dream after reading Charlotte’s Web or seeing Babe.

Spending the Holidays in Ecuador

My new tradition is discover a new places over the world and learn how others celebrate. This time I headed to Ecuador for two weeks. Why Ecuador, you might ask? Well, first off, my parents went to Cuenca, Ecuador years ago and couldn't stop talking about it, so its always been on my bucket list.  

Then I moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, a neighborhood full of Ecuadorians. And now, the height of the latest migrant crisis, new Ecuadorians are arriving every day, which made me want to learn more.  I'm an experiential learner and travel helps me soak in the reality of what is going on way better than just reading the news. This time my timing was impeccable. I went, I learned and I got on a plane home and then the day after I got home the gangs and narco traffic issues that have been simmering under the surface for a few years in Ecuador, came to a head and big news from the country made it into US mainstream press, making many people check in on me. Yup, I was fine in NY and the danger junkie side of me wished I was still there seeing first hand while the military cracks down and hopefully begins to stabilize the country.

Lastly I went to Ecuador because I have gotten close to an Ecuadorian family and even was named god mother of their two daughters. This family is deeply involved in a Ecuadorian cultural center and I attend dances and ceremonies and have learned so much about the culture. I had to experience it in real life.

Photos from Ecuador

 Click HERE to see my photos from Ecuador

Quito, the Capitol City

Quito. Ecuador’s capitol city is the highest altitude capitol in the world, now that La Paz is no longer the capitol of Bolivia. It’s perched in the mountains which makes for dramatic landscapes. The Old City is BEAUTIFUL. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and is well preserved. As with all cities, I liked looking at the diversity of faces and the intense buzz of activity. I joined the masses riding the brand new subway that opened in early December and quickly moved around town.

Cuenca

The news today about Ecuador is grim. The flow of drugs to America has destroyed many countries and Ecuador is one of the latest to fall victim to its ravages. I feel sad. It’s a sweet little very beautiful culturally rich country. I hope this is just a blip in their history.

Now back to posting happy pretty pictures which accurately depict my experience. It’s weird how tourism can be largely unaffected by the harsh reality locals live under.

Cuenca is Ecuador’s most beautiful city. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage City towards the southern end of the country up in the highlands. It took us 8 hours on beautiful, mountainous, winding roads to get there at times driving through total cloud cover.

I have wanted to go since my parents visited about 20 years ago. Also, since I try to visit where immigrants I know are from, the first Ecuadorians I knew from Port Chester, all came from around Cuenca.

Cuenca has unusual architecture or at least unusual to me. I’m not sure I fully captured it, but you will see some of the details and colors here.

Cuenca is also where the famous Panama Hats are made. Originally a hat maker produced hats for the workers digging the canal, then the hats were mistakenly named and Ecuador gets no credit for their beautiful products.

Churches in Ecuador

Churches are some of the most prominent, ornate and impressive buildings in Ecuador. When the Spanish Empire defeated the Incas in the early 1500s, they began to spread Catholicism throughout the indigenous communities. They built churches on top of Incan structures to erase the past and solidify power. Today you can see the original bases of the Incan buildings and Spanish churches rising out of them. These days Ecuador is over 90% Catholic, but many indigenous religious traditions continue intermixed.

The Spanish used religion to control the people. There was even a point in history only Catholics could become Ecuadorian citizens and get enjoy government benefits. While that has changed Catholic traditions are deeply mixed in daily life.

I always look at the opulence and gold and think about in Colonial times it was built to wow people into believing in Catholicism and submitting to Spanish control and honestly, it works on me. My heart skipped a beat in some of them. The beauty is awe inspiring. In Ecuador I was very impressed by elaborate wood carving that covered entire churches, much of it plated with gold. Others churches had intricate designs painted on their walls. Photos were not allowed in the most famous/important ones, but you’ll get the idea.

The churches in this post are from various places around the country.

Three Kings Day in Quito

Can you spot the three kings in this sea of nuns? It’s the 12th day of Christmas, Three Kings Day. I got sucked into the side chapel of the Church and Convent of St. Francis lured by a beautiful spirited children’s choir. Seems like a good day to work on my God is on your side points and a very good crowd to do it with. I stayed an extra day in Ecuador hoping for fun local celebrations. I found none but this was a pretty close second.

Ecuador

Ecuador is a small country, about the size of the state of Colorado. We spent many hours driving through its dramatic landscapes through the Andean Mountain Range. I love looking out the window and soaking it all in. On New Year’s Day we were also lucky to pass through a few local indigenous towns who were holding fun parades and some interesting different roadside food vendors. I’m not sure I captured just how amazing the landscape is. It’s hard in a moving vehicle. I’d like to recommend to the Ecuadorian government that they need more scenic overlooks, so I can get more pics next time!

Visiting the Amazon

One stop on my trip was at a homestay in the Amazon near Tena. We got to see the jungle and learn about indigenous culture from our host family.

The most exciting thing I did was climb a waterfall. There was lots of support and ropes and I’m proud of my first (and possibly last) moments of rock climbing.

We also got to make chocolate! One of Ecuador’s more recent economic success stories is that instead of just growing and harvesting cocoa beans, the country has begun to process and produce the finished product making a more valuable export.

One thing you may not know is that Ecuador’s largest export is petroleum and till now lots of that oil came from deep in the Amazon. The big news is that in August there was a referendum and 60% voted to stop the oil drilling there. While drilling will still be allowed in other areas of the country, this is a BIG change and it led to interesting conversations about oil production, jobs, trade with China and the surprising success of the indigenous campaign to preserve the rainforest. In grad school I got to meet a number of Ecuadorian indigenous leaders who were in NY to address the UN on this issue. It feels exciting that they are finding success and hopefully it will force better extraction practices elsewhere too.

New Year's Eve Traditions in Ecuador

There are lots of New Year’s Eve traditions in Ecuador and it was fun to observe preparations and join the celebrations.

Here are some of the things that happen.

One of the most popular New Year’s traditions is the burning of a family’s “año viejo” (old year) or monigote. Ecuadorians fill old clothes with sawdust to create these figures that can look like a real person or an imaginary character with the addition of a mask. The monigote figures represent the old year that is burned in a bonfire at the stroke of midnight. Families sometimes create their monigotes to look like hated politicians that they hope will not be around next year. Some monigotes represent more traditional values, relating to religion or a personal meaning created by the family members. Some are purely for fun, such as cartoon characters and superheroes!

The next tradition is to throw a letter into the fire that contains a list of all the things you hope to leave behind in the “old year.” Many people write about any hardships they have had or things that have stressed them out.

Another interesting feature of Ecuador New Years celebrations are the "viudas" (the widows). Every year, men across the country will dress up in drag as widowed women, usually stuffing their clothes with balloons, donning elegant high heels and tiny skirts. Then, they take to the streets and collect money from the cars on the streets. Why are there so many widows? Because the effigies are almost always men, which leaves a lot of women without a husband.

The "Viudas" are very insistent and will block the streets and dance in front of cars until someone pays their toll. They tend to start first thing in the morning of New Year's Eve and continue throughout the day.

Another lighthearted tradition is related to the color of the underwear that you use as the clock passes midnight. Red is predicted to bring you love in the coming year, while Yellow brings prosperity.