My Trip To Japan: Riding In A Subway Car

If you visit Tokyo, Osaka, and maybe all large Japanese cities you will need to ride the subway. The fares are inexpensive and the subways is almost always on time. During times of heavy use, more trains are added. During the busiest times, a new subway train will arrive every 2 or 3 minutes. They are able to move millions of people efficiently every day. If such a system existed in my town I would use them as much as possible.

No country in the world is better at lining up than Japan. This really helps with the efficiency of the subway system. Each car has about 3 doors and people either form a single line or double line for each door. The symbols on the ground make this apparent. After the train arrives, the line moves to the side of the door opening. Then, all people exit the train before the new riders get on. Sometimes the stop time is just 30 seconds or so and sometimes it can be a couple minutes.

During low traffic times you can be guaranteed a seat. Other times it is 50/ 50. Other times there is no chance of sitting. During those times it is best not to sit anyway. You might possibly have difficulty getting to the exit door in time. I never rode the train during the heaviest rush hour time. The even have employees who push the people into the train to pack it solid.

When the train is not crowded you can expect people to be sleeping due to their busy schedule. Several times I had people sleeping on my shoulder. It is a little strange but I made sure not to disturb them. In Japan's busy society I'm sure that sleep is hard to come by. Everyone else will be looking at their phones. One thing that you will almost never see is people talking on the phone or eating.

There are special cars that allow wheel chairs and others that have a place for bicycles. They also have special pink cars for ladies only. I mistakenly lined up for one of the women only car. One of the other men waiting on the train nicely explained the situation to me.

I plan to get more indepth about the subways in a later post. I have lots of pictures and some other information.

A fairly full subway, but nowhere near rush hour.

This is what it looks like whenever a subway empties out at a station.

Early morning riders.

More sleepy passengers. This is a very common sight.

My trip To Japan: Robot Restaurant

Another one of the things on my must see list for Tokyo was the Robot Restaurant. It wasn't quite as good as I had anticipated but I am really glad that I went there. The restaurant is located in Kabukicho near Shinjuku in Tokyo. Kabukicho is a red light district but it is also a great place to drink and dine. I do admit that I was approached a few times by men trying to convince me to go "meet" some girls. I'll pass on that. Plus, I understand that most of the time this is a con that can possibly lead to bad complications. Beware! It did not appear dangerous at all. Just keep walking and you'll be fine.

The robot restaurant used to be a little more sexy with the performers wearing mostly bikinis. This has changed. The girls were wearing short skirts and dresses but you see a lot shorter on the streets of Tokyo. The show consists of 5 or 6 acts that involve anything from giant spiders to kungfu panda to a giant shark to robots. Anything can and will happen. It is best to just go and experience it for yourself. I never watched any Youtube videos before I went to Japan. I recommend that also.

The robot restaurant door fee is 7000 yen or about $60 US at 120 yen per dollar. There are discount coupons available but I didn't take advantage of that. You can buy a cheap bento at the show but I don't know why you would do that when you are in one of the greatest food cities in the world, Tokyo. Sake and beers were inexpensive. I think there are 3 or 4 shows daily. I definitely recommend this place when you are in Tokyo.

I have a lot of photos from the restaurant. However, I took them with my Fujifilm X-T1. I am unable to open the files with my current version of Lightroom. I ordered the current version on Black Friday and I can start uploading those photos some time in the future. Here are a couple photos from my phone.

 

The waiting room. They have a small band playing during the half hour before the show.

You have to be aware that some of the equipment will swing out over the heads of audience members in the first row. I had to duck down several times. It can also get very loud. They gave headphones to the kids in the audience. Some of the adults wore them too. It was loud but I don't think most people will need hearing protection.

Houston: Water For Everyone

I've spotted several of these fountains around Houston. This one was located around the dog park off Allen Parkway. Mom and Dad, the kids, and the pets all have a place to get a drink on a hot Houston day. Most days are hot in Houston, so that is a good thing.

Houston: Building Mural

I have driven by this mural hundreds of times and for some reason I never noticed it. It's funny how you pay little attention when you are in the area around where you live. I probably should spend a weekend and explore everything within a mile of my house. I'm sure I would make a lot more finds like this one.

My Trip To Japan: Whale Meat

I think most people know that whales are harvested by Japan for "SCIENTIFIC" purposes. However, I think few people know that it is easily available to eat and very affordable.  In Osaka, I noticed that whale meat was available on the sushi go round place in Dotonbori. I am fairly sure that it is available just about everywhere in every city. Two pieces of whale sushi cost 250 yen. That works out to $1 US per piece.

Houston: Painted Business For Sale

This is a really cute paint job on a small business that is for sale. It is located in the Montrose area of Houston. I really enjoy seeing this painting every time I pass by.

Houston: Biscuit Paint Wall

This is the decorated wall of a store in the Montrose District in Houston. About a year ago, someone vandalized the wall with spray paint. The people in Houston went absolutely crazy. Their anger was 10 times higher than when a Picasso was spray painted at the Menil Collection Museum a year earlier. That is fairly typical for Houston.

My Trip To Japan: Fried Little Puffer Fish

At one of the sushi go round places in Osaka I picked up a plate with some small fried puffer fish. They are super delicious. I could have eaten several plates of them. I am not sure if they are just immature fish or another species of puffer fish. The only thing that I am sure of is that you should order them if you see them. You will not be disappointed. A order of three is just $2 US.

Since I ate them, I have wondered if the little puffer fish have the poison like the big fish. If so, are the chefs at the sushi go round place qualified to prepare them? I don't know!

Fried small puffer fish

 Large puffer fish from fugu restaurant

Japanese Folk Tale: The Two Frogs

A long time ago in the country of Japan there lived two frogs. One of the frogs lived in a ditch near the town of Osaka. The other frog lived in a clear stream in the town of Kyoto. Living so far apart, the frogs had never heard of one another. Funnily enough, both frogs decided at the same moment to see a little of the world. The frog from Osaka wanted to see Kyoto and the frog from Kyoto wanted to travel to Osaka.

So one fine morning the two frogs set out on their way along the road between Osaka and Kyoto. The journey was more tiring than either frog had expected since neither knew much about travelling. About halfway between the towns there arose a high mountain which had to be climbed. It took them a long time and many hops to reach the top at last. To their great surprise they each saw the other frog before him!

They looked at each other for quite awhile before falling into conversation, explaining the cause of their meeting so far from their homes. They were delighted to hear that they both wished to see a little more of their country. Since they were not in a hurry, they stretched out in a cool, damp place and agreed to rest for awhile before parting ways.

"What a pity that we are not taller" said the Osaka frog. "Then we could see both towns from here and see if it is worth our effort to continue on." Oh, that is easily managed" said the Kyoto frog. "We only have to stand on our hind legs and hold onto each other. Then we can easily look at the towns that we are travelling to."

The idea so pleased the Osaka frog that he jump up at once and placed his front paws on his new friend's shoulders. The Kyoto frog also rose up. There they stood, on their hind legs, stretching themselves as high as they could. They held each other tightly so that they wouldn't fall down. The Osaka frog turned towards Kyoto and the Kyoto frog faced towards Osaka. The foolish frogs forgot that when they stood up their large eyes layed in the back of their heads. Their noses pointed in the direction that they wanted to go but their eyes beheld the places from which they had come.

"Oh my!" said the Osaka frog. "Kyoto is exactly like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a long journey. I shall go home!"

The Kyoto frog exclaimed "If I had any idea that Osaka was a copy of Kyoto I would never have travelled all this way!" As he spoke, he took his hands off his friend's shoulders and they both fell down to the grass. Then, they both bid a polite farewell to each other and then set on their way home.

To the end of their lives they both believed that Osaka and Kyoto which are as different as two towns can be, were as alike as two peas.

My Trip To Japan: Street Snacks

There are so many food options in Japan. This is especially true when it comes to sweet snacks. I do admit to a great love for ice cream. I would have to guess that I ate ice cream at least a dozen times while I was in Japan. Most tourist sites and attractions had multiple ice cream shops. It was nice to have a seat and a cool treat after all the walking that is required in Japan.

Another tasty treat is this fish filled with cream. It is sort like a waffle. I got this one with chocolate cream. However, the vanilla cream one is a lot better. They are delicious. They also have the red bean fish like I ate in South Korea. I have just not developed a taste for red beans. They are just too sweet for me.

My Trip To Japan: Tokyo's Cosplay Costume Stores

Cosplay is very popular in Japan. There are many shops devoted to costumes and accessories all over Tokyo. They seem to have a disturbing amount of school girl costumes. I'm positive that the ones in these photos are not meant for actual school girls.

My Trip To Japan: Strange Foods

This isn't one of the strangest foods that I saw in Japan, not even close. Evidently, some people in Japan eat raw pork. I've always been told that there is the possibility of ingesting parasites if the pork that you eat is uncooked.

Japanese Folk Tale: The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

A long time ago there lived an old man and old woman. The old man, who had a kind heart, kept a young sparrow, which he raised lovingly. However, his wife was a mean old thing. One day, the sparrow pecked at some starch that she was going to starch her linen with. The old woman flew into a great rage, cut the sparrow's tongue, and turned it loose.

When the old man got home, he found that the bird had flown away. He asked the old woman what had happened to his bird. She said that she had cut his tongue and turned him loose after the bird had pecked at her starch. After hearing of the old woman's cruel act, he was sorely grieved. He thought to himself, " Alas! Where can my bird be? Poor thing. Poor little tongue-cut sparrow! Where is your home now?" The old man wandered far and wide looking for his pet and crying "Mr. Sparrow! Mr. Sparrow! Where are you living now?"

Finally, one day at the foot of a mountain, the old man met with his beloved bird again. When they had congratulated each other on their mutual safety, the sparrow led the old man to his home. After introducing him to his wife and chicks, the sparrow entertained him hospitably.

"Please partake of our humble fare," said the sparrow. "Poor as it is, you are very welcome."

"What a polite sparrow!" answered the old man, who remained a long time as the sparrow's guest. After many days of being treated royally by the sparrow, the old man said that he must now take his leave and return home. The bird, offering him 2 wicker baskets, begged him to carry them with him as a parting present. One of the baskets was heavy and the other was light. So, the old man saying that he was feeble and stricken in years would only accept the light one. He shouldered the basket and left for home, leaving the sparrow family disconsolate at parting from him.

When the old man got home, his old wife grew very angry and began to scold him. "Well, where have you been for these many days, especially at this time in your life?" "Oh! he replied, "I have been visiting the sparrows." "When I left they gave me this wicker basket." Then, they opened the basket and looked inside. Lo and behold, the basket was full of gold, silver, and other valuables. The old woman, who was greedy as she was mean, could not contain her joy.

"I'll go and visit the sparrows now," she said. "And I'll get a pretty present too." So, she asked the old man the way to get to the sparrow's house, and set out on her journey.

Following his directions, she at last met with the tongue-cut sparrow. "Well we meet again, Mr. Sparrow, she said. I have looking forward to the pleasure of seeing you. She tried to flatter and cajole the sparrow with her words.

The sparrow could not help but invite the old woman into its home. But, he took no pains to feast her and said nothing about a parting gift. She, however would not be put off. So, she asked for something to carry away with her as a remembrance of her visit. The sparrow accordingly produced two baskets as before. The greedy old woman chose the heavier of the two and carried it off with her. Later when she opened the basket to see what was inside, all sorts of gouls, goblins, and elves sprang forth and began to torment her.

But the old man adopted a son, and his family grew rich and prosperous. What a happy old man!

My Trip To Japan: Puffer Fish Meal

One of the things that I wanted to eat in Japan was fugu. This is otherwise known as puffer fish or blow fish. The puffer fish has poison in its liver and other organs. You must be trained and licensed to serve puffer fish in Japan. On the outside menu there is an English translation that says "License holder has cooked." I assumed that was a good thing.

There are puffer fish restaurants all over Japan. Osaka has a particularly high concentration of these restaurants. If you are going to Osaka, it is probably cheaper to eat there. There are two kinds of puffer fish that you can order. You can order live puffer fish fresh out of the tank or you can order previously processed, probably frozen. I went with the fresh puffer fish. It is about 2 to 3 times more expensive than the frozen fish.

I ordered a set meal that consisted of a sashimi salad, skin sashimi, fried puffer fish, puffer fish hot pot, an egg rice porridge with puffer fish, and ice cream. I don't remember if I ordered the puffer fish ice cream or not. It was available. I also got a plain cold sake. There was also puffer fish infused sake available.

I would say that the fried fish was my favorite. The flesh is very white and course. It is a little like cod but much more delicate. The puffer fish has massive, sharp bones. You need to be very careful eating it. I guess my second favorite would be the skin sashimi. To me, it is the most traditional. However, the skin is very, very chewy. It doesn't have a lot of taste but they made up some special dipping sauce that really complimented it.

The total cost was around $100 US. This includes the sake. I would definitely do it again for the novelty. However, you can eat a lot of very good meals in Japan for $100. While I would still go for the fresh fish, I don't think most people could tell the difference.

Puffer Fish Sashimi Salad

Mixed Puffer Fish Sashimi Salad

Puffer Fish Skin Sashimi

Sashimi Dipping Sauce

Fried Puffer Fish And Vegetables

Hot Pot With Puffer Fish

Porridge With Puffer Fish

 Ice Cream

This was a free gift that I was to take home and eat later. I think it was some type of desert with puffer fish in it. Unfortunately, I forgot it at the restaurant. So, I have no idea what was inside.

Cold Sake. I thought it was smooth but I only drank sake three times in Japan. One of the other ones was also good but the other tasted what I guess that gasoline tastes like. It may or not have been sake. I don't know.

My Trip To Japan: Flying American Airlines From Houston To Tokyo

I was able to find a greatly discounted airfare from Houston to Tokyo for $669. That is a savings of a little less than half. The flight flew from Houston Hobby (HOU) to Dallas- Fort Worth (DFW) on to  Tokyo Narita (NRT). I also upgraded the Dallas to Tokyo legs for an extra $65 each way.

I was very pleased with everything to do with the flight. I was lucky and got good seat mates on all flights. They feed us 3 times on the Dallas to Tokyo legs. The food was good but it is airline food. They also came around and offered ice cream for a bonus snack. I think there should be ice cream on all flights!

I can only come up with 2 negatives. I think there were only 2 or 3 restrooms for all of the people in economy and economy plus. I might be wrong but I don't think so. Also, the entertainment display was about the size of a deck of cards. I did not watch anything on it. I have a 128 GB Ipad and had it loaded with movies and television shows. I also had several e-books. Plus, I slept a little over half way.

Since my airfare was booked 6 months in advance they did change my flight schedule- 6 times!!! For some reason they kept changing the Houston to Dallas leg. Sometimes the flight number didn't change but the takeoff time changed by just a few minutes.

I flew from Houston to South Korea twice before. I used United Airlines both times. I was satisfied with the experience both times. Since this was my first time on an overseas flight with American Airlines, I was a bit worried that they wouldn't be as good. In my experience they were about the same. I think United's entertainment was better and American had better and more food. There might have been a few other subtle differences but nothing that really stood out.

My Trip To Japan: My Airfare Cost From Houston To Tokyo

I was undecided if I would travel to Japan this year. However, during Memorial Day weekend I found an airfare sale that helped me make my decision. I found an airfare from Houston to Tokyo for $669 US. That is a little less than half price. The savings would pay for close to 10 nights hotel in Tokyo. I first found the airfare on Travelocity where I regularly troll around looking for deals. After finding the airfare I went to American Airlines and booked it. I prefer to book with the airlines directly if the price is the same. I don't know if this is true or not, but I feel that the airlines will be likely to help you solve problems if you book with them other than a site like Travelocity.

During booking I also upgraded my seats from Economy to Economy Plus. This cost an extra $65 on the Dallas to Tokyo legs. This gives you about 4 to5 inches more leg room. The cost is about $5 per hour. This is absolutely worth it! I am a little over 6 feet tall and it is impossible for me to straighten my legs out under the seat. With American Airlines Economy Plus I can easily straighten my legs. Sleeping is no problem at all. Also, you get on and off the plane a little earlier. That really helps in clearing customs faster.

This plane had a strange seat configuration. It had 2 seats, then the aisle, and then 5 seats together, then an aisle on the far side.

1 2 X 3 4 5 6 7 X

I sat in a number 2 aisle seat. I was one of the first people to book a flight on the plane. I could have gotten on the front row but you don't have a tray table in front of you. The tray table comes out of the arm rest. I picked the second row and I think that I made the right choice.

Overall, I am very happy with my flying experience on the American Airlines route from Houston to Tokyo, with a short layover in Dallas. I don't know if the airfare goes on sale every Memorial Day weekend but if you plan on going to Japan you might check just to see.

My Trip To Japan: Tokyu Hands Bags And Backpacks

There were many Japanese people flying on my trip over to Tokyo. I noticed that every person seemed to have a nice bag or backpack. While wandering around Tokyo I discovered Tokyu Hands. They have the most amazing collection of bags and backpacks that I have ever seen. They did have a few brands that I recognized like North Face. They had a lot of Japanese brands that I had never seen before. They were made out of the best materials but they were very proud of them and had the prices to prove it. I thought hard about several bags but I just couldn't justify spending so much money on something that I already have.

This is about 10% of the bags that were available for purchase at this location. Tokyu Hands has branches all over Japan.

My Trip To Japan: Becker's Hamburgers

If you really must eat a hamburger while in Japan, then Beckers just might be the best place to go. I kept seeing the MOS Burger chain restaurants while travelling around Tokyo. I've read that they have a decent burger. I was tempted to try the burger that uses tomato slices instead of bread for the bun. However, I just didn't think the burgers looked that good to me. I would rather try the Burger King specialty burgers instead. However, there was some bad press in the US about the black burgers. Evidently, they were causing some stomach problems. I'll pass on that while travelling.

I walked by Beckers Burgers while in Akihabara. The burgers looked great and I just had to give one a try. I chose the double meat cheese burger and it was fantastic. It was as good a burger as I have had in a long time. The burger had pretzel bread and the meat was cooked perfectly. They also had some specialty burgers but nothing like Burger King. The specialty burger that they were advertising the most was a venison burger.

My Trip To Japan: A View From The Shinagawa Prince Hotel East Tower

In Tokyo I stayed at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. I stayed there the first 8 days and the last 3 days of my trip. I am very pleased with my stay there. The service, cost, and location were everything that I could want. If I ever get the pleasure to return to Japan, I will stay here again. This is a view from my room on the 17th floor. My window was facing the Shinagawa train station.

My Trip To Japan: Ice Cream Flavors

There are so many places that sell ice cream in Japan. It is literally everywhere. This is a little shop near Sensoji Temple that I bought a cone from. This one had a couple unusual flavors: sake and Japanese horse radish. I went with vanilla. I did try the green tea ice cream at another place but I can safely say that I will never eat horse radish flavor ice cream.

My Trip To Japan: Big Tuna In The Tsukiji Inner Market

After you have a great Tsukiji Market sushi breakfast you can walk over to the Wholesale Inner Market. The market opens to everyone at 9:00 am. There are a couple security guards that will politely remind you of this if you happen to walk over a little early. It is probably 100 yards from Sushi Dai to the wholesale market. You may have to dodge 30 to 40 speeding delivery carts, scooters, and bicycles in the short walk though. It is a fully functioning high speed place of business so you have to be careful.

There is a lot to see in the wholesale market. However, a lot of it is repetitive. You can only see so much frozen fish, octopi, and crabs before you are ready to go. Tsukiji Market is HUGE. It would take a hours and hours to walk past every booth. The real prize is to watch the wholesalers carve up a huge tuna into pieces. It is an impressive site.

This is the street that you have to cross to get to the inner wholesale market. These carts go in every direction not just on the road. They are quiet and in a hurry. Be careful when you take photos. They mean business.

My Trip To Japan: Burger King Specialty Burgers

Tokyo and most of the other large towns in Japan have all of the popular American fast food restaurants. There is just too much good Japanese food that I have a once in a life time chance to eat that I could not possibly eat an American hamburger. I did eat a hamburger from another place though. This is an ad in front of the Burger King announcing two of its specialty burgers. I was definitely curious but I just couldn't go inside and eat one.

My Trip To Japan: Tsukiji Market- Anothger Alternative To Sushi Dai

My hotel was less than 30 minutes by walking and subway from Tsukiji Market. A couple times I went there just to get an early breakfast before going to my first attraction of the day. One of my new favorite meals is seafood donburi. It is just a simple bowl of rice with fresh sashimi on top. There must have been 100 different choices at this little restaurant in the outer market at Tsukiji. It is unbelievable delicious.

This is about half of the possible donburi bowls. The place was crowded and I didn't want to disturb the other diners by taking a picture in front of their face. You can get a fairly good idea of what is available and their prices by just this half of the photo board.

They start you off with a bowl of miso soup and a cup of hot green tea. On top of the rice, this bowl had tuna, crab, shrimp, salmon eggs, sea urchin, scallops, omelet, minced tuna, squid and maybe another piece of seafood or two. I think the price was 2500 yen. That is around $20 US with the exchange rate at a little over 120 yen per dollar.

My Trip To Japan: Shinkansen Bento #3

Here is another bento that I ate on the Shinkansen high speed train. If you choose not to buy a bento from one of the stores at the JR Line station then you can buy one on the train. About every 10 minutes someone will push a cart down the aisle with drinks, snacks, and bentos. The prices seemed to be the same as the ones at the stores. They also seemed to have a good selection of items.

My Trip To Japan: Shinkansen Bento #2

Here is another early morning bento that I took on the Shinkansen high speed train. Not only are they pretty but they are fun to eat. Many times I took a bite of something and I couldn't tell if it was meat, vegetable, or other. I also liked the price. They were usually under 1000 yen. That is about $8 US at 120 yen per dollar.

My Trip To Japan: Shinkansen Bento #1

One of my vacation highlights was riding the Shinkansen high speed trains. I always bought a bento whenever I caught a morning train. They look delicious but in reality not everything in the bento has much taste. I never had anything that tasted bad, but several items just had no taste.

There were usually several bento stores at each train station. So, you had to choose from probably 100 different bento. It was never easy for me. I'm sure that I would have a few favorites if I lived in Japan. The bentos tend to feature seasonal foods from the area. They tell me that people love to travel on the trains in order to taste all of the various bentos from across Japan.