Last Workshop Day

 We were on our own this morning to attend the festival.  We had been told there might be some kind of appearance behind our hotel of the Yakuza.  This criminal gang was at one time a major problem in Japan with their membership reaching several hundred thousand.  Their numbers have dwindled to under 20,000 with the youth not interested in joining.  They are distinguished by their full body tattoos which were on full display this morning.  The crowds were huge trying to see them but somewhat dissipated as soon as they left.




Also along the parade route were drum corps that performed periodically during the day.  We stopped to watch one in front of a convenience store that was almost 100% female.  Some walked around the route performing while others had a specific spot.  It was clearly exhausting to the performers.  There was even a very small group of drums being played by children in training for the time they could play in a larger band.





Kappabashi Street near our hotel is known for its kitchen and knife shops.  Several of us wondered over to shop in  the compact stores that held everything you could possibly need.  The aisles were packed in the more popular shops so you had to navigate through the throngs to get to what you were looking for.  It was a fun little shopping excursion.  We then went to a small restaurant that served nothing but ramen (and a few add-ons on the side).

Our final sightseeing adventure was to the Tokyo Forum for photos of their futuristic architecture.  Even better were the outposts of Shake Shack and Crispy Creams donuts.  A couple of people, hungry for food from home, availed themselves of the offerings.



This evening we had our final group dinner followed by a slideshow of our work during the workshop.  It's been a fun time with terrific people, one I would repeat in a heartbeat.  I definitely plan on returning and exploring other areas of one of my new favorite countries.

Tomorrow: Leaving Japan and final reflections

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Out and About in Tokyo

Image
Since we had all day before our workshop officially started, several of us headed out to shop.  Japan is the home of Uniqlo , a store with high quality but inexpensive basics.  With the Yen being weak against the dollar it made everything even more reasonable.  We also wen to d47 , part museum part high quality crafts store.  They have gathered the best crafts from the 47 districts in Japan and have brought them together in this store.  Our first evening we had a group dinner at  Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu which served as the inspiration for Quentin Terantino for his restaurant scene in Kill Bill.  It combined both entertainment and good food so made for a great first dinner.  We had a variety of Japanese specialties served family style for the group while watching the chefs cook and plate the food. The next morning we took a train to to the Miji-Jingu Shrine .  This  Shinto Shrine (the official religion of Japan) is dedicated to Emperor Mei...
Read more

Goodbye for Now

Image
 I believe everyone was leaving today, most in the morning for our return flights.  Tokyo is a popular destination so there's plenty of direct flights to cities across the US.  Haneda is an easy airport to navigate with some nice shopping to fill your wait time.  Our flights were on time and uneventful. There's no other way to say it but I loved Japan.  The streets are clean, graffiti and crime free, and no worries about getting sick from the food or water.  The people are polite and quiet.  The heated bidets have spoiled me to the point I'm getting one as soon as I return home.   We hit many of the highlights but there's much more to be explored.  I'm afraid the lengthy plane flight frightens many away from this destination but it shouldn't.  The language could be a barrier but Google translate is a fantastic tool that will get you through most situations.  I hope you'll consider a trip there soon. Until next time, Sayonara...
Read more

Land of the Rising Sun

Image
 On my bucket list for years, I was thrilled when Ira Block   and Compass Rose Compass Rose Expeditions announced their two week trip for May.  The Japanese sense of order really called out to the accountant in me. Thanks to the airline pricing games, for the first few days we flew to Los Angeles to visit our son and daughter-in-law before flying to San Francisco and on to Tokyo.  We flew Japanese Air to Hanada (one of the two Tokyo airports) on an eleven hour flight.  Nice and uneventful just like I like it. We used the  Visit Japan website to fill out our arrival documents which saved us from filling out paperwork on landing.     We arrived in Tokyo around 3 pm and found a huge line going through immigration.  Worry not, this is the land of the organized and there were lots of people to assist in getting through it quickly.  Many countries could learn from them.  A short ride to our Hotel,  Shibuya Excel Hotel in the,...
Read more