A first time for everything in Japan
 

We travelled from Perth, Australia, to Japan on 5th May and departed 25th May. Two long days of travel only left us with 18 days for our first timers trip to Japan. It needed to be a relaxing time while ticking off 2 things a day that were at the top of my wish list for Japan. Because of mobility issues it couldn't involve many steps.
We stayed in Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Nikko, Tokyo. All our accommodation was booked 6 months, sometimes longer, in advance, and was a mix of hostel, hotel, machiya, and airbnb.
I did a lot of research in advance , and received help on this forum too, but 3 things confounded me to the point i didn't bother with them at all and found it made no difference to the trip not having them.
1/ Didn't take a cell phone, had no travel apps. Getting lost became part of our journey and we soon found no Japanese person would let us stay lost for more than 2 minutes of our staring blankly at a map or train timetable. Someone would always take the time to stop and ask if they could help us, frequently going right out of their way.
2/ Mobile wifi. Speedy free wifi at every place we stayed. Not a secure way to use laptop however i was only using it to check email for possible changes to accommodation, ticketed events, or messages from volunteer guides. The last hotel we stayed in warned any security breach was not their responsibility and my husband did get flashed with Japanese porn while trying to watch his news channel.
3/ Decided not to use the luggage forwarding service. We each took one very small suitcase (couple inches bigger than a carryon) and my husband had the laptop and i my handbag. Even on the most crowded -wow i didn't expect to get to know you this well - trains and buses, they were never a problem to manage.
We flew Singapore Airlines. Great service, on time, bland vegetarian food.
Speaking of vegetarian ( although i will eat fish ) one of the best things i came across before leaving was this site http://justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards Free to use, saved me a lot of anxiety, and always made restaurant servers smile on reading my print out.
I took 3 x 500g jars of Australian honey into Japan as small gifts for volunteer guides. I declared them however Japanese customs sped read my card, didn't ask what exactly i wanted to declare, and waved us through.
Will try to add to this travel report each day

I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip!

I shall also join in as you relate your travels.

Thanks for that site for dietary restriction cards. I am vegetarian and son is vegan.

Karen

Also looking forward to reading.

Can't wait to read more about your trip!

Thank you very much for your encouragement Kathie, KRNS, MaryW, Kavey, however you might have created a monstor because as you can see i'm back already :)

Smoking in Japan: Non-smokers might like to scroll down to the next paragraph ;)
I didn’t manage to quit before the trip. Haneda and Narita airports have smoking rooms everywhere, even some
restaurants and cafes have their own little enclosed smoking rooms, as do some railway stations, and there’s definitely smoking at street level. For the first week I’d look out for Japanese people standing about smoking and sidle up alongside them before lighting up, or I’d find a spot that wasn’t people popular. I learned to watch out for the waist high ash trays on the street, and some of these street level smoking areas can be downright jolly places to hang out at. Packet 20 Marlborough costs approx. AU $5 in Japan.

Which reminds me of money… I was dizzy from trying to work out what card was the best value, atm fees, bank fees, conversion fees, and after chucking a wobbly one day i changed all our money into yen before leaving Australia and took no cards at all. We wore soft sided money belts under our clothes which worked out very well.

We arrived in Tokyo very late at night and stayed at the Royal Park Hotel, The Haneda for one night. This was our biggest spend on accommodation. We walked straight out of customs and into the hotel as its part of the airport. I don’t actually remember much about the Haneda Hotel other than it was clean with a comfortable bed and nice staff. Looking for a place to eat we took the airport escalators up to the first floor where some late night cafes are situated. On the same floor we noticed quiet and dimly lit sleeping platforms where people were settling down for the night. I think these free to use Haneda airport sleeping alcoves are a really good option for an overnight stay.

The next morning, Saturday, we caught a Japan Airlines flight to Hiroshima, then a bus to Hiroshima station, then a taxi to JMS Aster Plaza Hiroshima International Youth House which really is within walking distance for most people to the Peace Park. There’s also a bus stop nearby.
We took the 3 min bus ride to the Peace Park Museum. It’s just as you know it will be, a deeply moving and profound experience. It’s also a place of education. The park it is situated in is aptly named. It’s a very peaceful and lovely place to wander around or sit in quiet contemplation. We returned to the park twice more over the next two days, and could not leave Hiroshima without being at the Peace Clock Tower to hear the chimes ring out at precisely 8.15 am.

Sunday we caught a 30 min train to Kure to visit the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force Museum also known as JMSDF Kure Museum. From their website, 'The aim of the museum is to educate Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) personnel and promote understanding by the public of JMSDF,’ and is a fascinating insight into minesweeping operations. There is a decommissioned submarine on display which we really enjoyed walking through. Entry to the museum is free.

Monday we caught the train and ferry to Miyajima Island. I’d read about the crowds and I was ready for them! Because of steps I wasn’t going to be able to visit Daisho-In temple but no-one was going to beat me to the ropeway for 'a spectacular view'. I lead the crowd off that ferry arriving at the enquiry counter bug-eyed, red-faced and out of breath, but I knew I was the winner. “Ropeway closed down for maintenance" said the woman behind the counter.O.
We spent a very pleasant few hours strolling about, however we felt very sorry for the deer. They looked to us to be in very poor condition.

Early afternoon we arrived back at Hiroshima in time to get our 2 suitcases from the train station lockers and depart on the train to Kyoto. Congratulating ourselves on getting such a nice train ride with features we hadn’t expected, we settled in for the journey. A smiling young train official in cap and white gloves came along, looked at us, did a wonderful double-take and came to a halt. We were in the wrong carriage. We then did our walk of shame ( not ) to a reserved carriage with less features but also very comfortable.
We got used to, and learned to look out for, that same hilarious double-take over the following two weeks.

Well, you might be eager to share but I'm just as eager to read - I checked back already to see if you'd happened to give us another installment! :-D

Fodors suggest the possibility of linking to our travel pictures when making a travel report. All i have are the very wobbly short movies i took and uploaded to youtube while we were away
With reference to above trip report, here is what i filmed for Hiroshima and Miyajima Island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwsTwMSUMHc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rmfVFPrutQ

Ooh lovely, particularly enjoyed your Miyajima video!

Thanks Sandgroper.

Miyajima didn't look as crowded as I was expecting or did you just pick a good moment. The deer does look a bit rough but probably moulting ready for the heat.

Did you get a train pass and had you reserved seats? It all sounds easy enough in the train info but lots of people seem to end up in the wrong carriage and seats! All a bit daunting.

Looking forward to more.

Thankyou Kavey :)
MaryW I completely relate to how daunting train travel in Japan can sound before going there. I was scared out of my mind, but it's everything you hear, easy and always people around to help.
We didn't get a train pass for any of our travel as it worked out not only dearer but seemed too much of a hassle. For Hiroshima to Kyoto we turned up at Hiroshima station the day before we left and reserved seats. Although we were in the wrong carriage it didn't matter because the right carriage wasn't far away.
Our worst day for train travel connections was actually the day we left, but more about that later.
Miyajima might have been less crowded because we were there on a Monday. Ferries arrived about every 15 mins, and hordes of tour groups would alight but then seemed to magically disappear as they dispersed to different areas. Perhaps they were all squashed inside the temples which we didn't go to.

Thanks Sandgroper. I seem to be spending hours on info sites! Reports like yours and Kavey's blogs which I have read are so useful. Its a fun though.

Kyoto 8th – 12th May

Three days before our arrival in Kyoto a very apologetic Windows To Japan contacted me to say the machiya I’d booked had developed a problem which couldn’t be fixed in time for our arrival, and would we accept an upgrade to another machiya in the same location at no extra cost?
I graciously accepted an upgrade from our previous area of 26.6 sq metres to Shizuka-an which has 60 sq metres.
With the maps and street by street images WTJ emailed, it was easy to find. Higashiyama-ku was the perfect area for us to stay and Shizula-An a great machiya.

8th May: Arrived by train in afternoon, relaxed.

9th May: Saiho Ji (Moss) Temple
For a fee WTJ had arranged our invitation from Saiho Jo Temple, and we were very grateful for that service. The process of requiring an invitation probably limits the number of visitors at any one time and means you can wander through a garden that is incredibly quiet and peaceful.
We followed a small family group off the bus who were going to the same temple. At 1.10pm quite a long tourist group had gathered and I showed my invite to a monk. He mimed we were at the wrong temple, i alerted the family group, and then we all charged down the steps, along the road, and up a lovely riverside street to the right temple – which has no flight of steps leading to it. We were late, we were locked out :O. Thankfully a lady from the family group appeared with an elderly local who showed us we could enter through a side gate. There was plenty of time to copy out as much of the sutra as we wished to before wandering at our own pace through the most extraordinary and beautiful garden I have ever seen.
Saiho Ji Temple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQlcbkJpcDI

10th May: With a volunteer guide for the day to Miho Museum and Nishiki market

Although personal volunteer guide clubs might suggest tours on their websites, I found the three I contacted for one day tours in Kyoto, Kanazawa, and Tokyo more than happy to help us with our own requests.
Miyoko-san from the Sakura Volunteer Guide Club had been in touch with us through quite a few emails. Every detail was arranged beautifully by her and she took very good care of us from the moment we met at our accommodation. The guide club was aware I might struggle to walk far or fast, or up any stairs, and had matched us with a caring and compassionate guide.
Miho Museum took my breath away from the moment I set foot inside the tunnel. No words to describe it, here are the pictures I was permitted to take, I hope they will tell some of the story.
Miho Museum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJZH68jsr3w

11th May: Kamagawa Odori and Kyoto Butoh-kan

The afternoon: Thanks to Miyoko-san’s help well before we arrived in Japan, my husband and I had two great seats to a Kamagawa Odori performance. It was gorgeous and worth every yen for 2 of the more expensive seats. Although no pictures are permitted during the performance, prior to the performance two Maiko appeared for a photo opportunity. I’d say every excited guest who wanted a pic taken with a maiko certainly got that chance.

The evening : Butoh dance, what can I say? It’s exciting, its raw, it’s very Japanese avant-garde and in Kyoto is held in a theatre that is dedicated to Butoh. So tiny is the theatre that only an audience of 8 is permitted for the evening performance. Again no photography or filming allowed during the performance however Butoh dancer Ima Tenko kindly permitted me to take a photo afterwards.
Some highlights of our short visit to Kyoto. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0KQ-cFkFSg

12th May: On the train to Nikko

OOps 12th May on the train to Kanazawa. Not Nikko.

Ooh how exciting. Lovely that you got an upgrade into a larger machiya - I had a look online but can't find any external pictures of the building, do you have any?

And you know, I've been wanting to go to Miho Museum for three trips to Kyoto now. I'm determined I'll get there next time we visit Japan! Lovely youtube video you have made.

Kavey, I'm so glad you're still following this trip report. You're question has brought to light a huge mistake i made in my report.
The smaller machiya we were originally booked into is called Shizuka-An. We were never told what the problem was, just that it was an 'urgent issue' that was unlikely to be fixed before our arrival.
The larger machiya we were upgraded to is called Seiun-an. I did a quick google and notice it's listed on a few sites. Booking.com has the best outside view of it. Pic 2 https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/sei...al&type=total&
If you need any further info i can give you a very unbiased review of it.

@sandgroper, enjoying your report. I'm still Japan, currently in Hiroshima. Sorry you missed the ropeway up to Mt. Misen it was breathtaking. I also thought the same thing about the deers on Miyajima, look sickly to me too, unlike the ones in Nara. Love your pics/videos.

Oh, now I must say, that one looks way more appealing to me than your original booking. We looked at booking a machiya too but all the ones I liked were so expensive for just two people travelling, I just couldn't justify it. I decided to save our splurges for the ryokan stays where the price included wonderful kaiseki meals too.

Really love the look of Seiun-an though!

Thanks jdc26 and Kavey. It's great for a first timer to Japan to get this kind of encouragement from more experienced travellers to Japan.

12th May - 15th May Kanazawa
The train trip to Kanazawa was a breeze, and it was here we had our very first airbnb booked experience and without a doubt 'The Temple House' located in Higashiyama, was the accommodation we liked best. " Wow" from the moment we walked in. It was too big for us because we never did use the upstairs sleeping area but sleep we did. On our first ever futon beds. Big surprise for us the best sleeps in years turned out to be on futon beds. Here is the house if anyone is interested. I'd say it's way better than pictured https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/8437715

13th May we met our volunteer guide, Shinichi-san, who we'd arranged one and half days with. Shinichi-san had put a huge amount of work into pre-planning our time to include exactly
what we wanted it to. Couldn't have asked for a more thoughtful guide.
First we visited the beautiful Kenrokuen Garden.
My video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vervQQe4Z7Q

After lunch, and i should mention here that volunteer guides never chose any meal that cost more then AU $12, we caught a train to Komatsu for the Otabi festival because i wanted to see Childens Kabuki. I beleive it's the only place in Japan that has Children's Kabuki. Shinichi-san wanted to know how i knew about it as he hadn't had this request before. What could i say but, "google" :D
My video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwTI8Fbhrz8

14th May
I'd spent fruitless hours googling trying to find where i could attend a "ryurei" tea ceremony. One where the tea master uses a table and participants can sit on a low bench. I just didn't want to attend an elegant hour long tea ceremony where i'd need to be hauled upright again by the armpits or go my often used route of rear end up first prior to standing.
Google didn't come to the rescue however Shinichi-san did.
Saisetsu-tei, Kanazawa's oldest teahouse set in Gyokusen-en Garden had what i needed. For a cost of 3000 yen per person we were taken through the rituals of the tea ceremony by an expert in the tea ceremony, Nishida-san and her assistant. Just wonderful. The stone vessel you'll see in my pics is where we purified our hands and mouths before entering the tea room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbfuHdsvf4w

15th May
Very long day, trains Kanazawa to Nikko

The Kanazawa house does look nice - I have been looking for somewhere there. The stairs are very steep - as you say you didnt use the upstairs sleeping area, I assume the bathroom is downstairs. They look like they would be a challenge getting up and down with an mobility issue.

Your volunteer guides sound great.

Wonderful trip report and the videos are so well done. Am going back this October and this time will definitively see the Miho Museum. How did you get there?

Am still in the early planning stages, have never used local volunteer guides, but may reconsider.

sandgroper, thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences. We've been to the places you've outlined but I love reliving the experience. I especially loved your Miyajima video as it was so much less crowded there when we visited (hence one of the reasons we didn't love it there as much as we should have). Your other videos are so well done too. I foresee you making many follow-up visits to other areas of Japan (as many of us have done).

Nywoman, the Goodwill Guides are the best deal going. Not only have we met some very interesting people, it's helped us get indoctrinated to a place quickly and we've been able to visit places that we might not have normally gone to. And yes, honey is a good gift. One of our Goodwill Guides lamented how expensive honey is in Japan.

Another vote for the volunteer guides. They vary, of course, but can be wonderful.

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...on-over-kyoto/

MaryW, yes that is the reason we didn't use the upstairs sleeping area. I was frequently in agonizing pain walking and using steps. 'The Temple House' bathroom is downstairs. With the exception of Nikko, there was always problems with bathrooms. Lack of space to dress meant having to undress/dress in the living areas, and for this reason towel rails were often placed on the outside of bathrooms. Bathroom floors could become dangerously slippery from soap/shampoo because the baths were way too deep for me to climb into and i had to stand on the floor to shower.
If i'm fortunate enough to return to Japan i will look for accommodation with walk-in showers.

Nywoman, we caught a train from Kyoto station to Ishiyama station and then caught a bus. Having a volunteer guide meant everything went smoothly and i learned from them how to use the train and bus system with confidence. The guides were naturally kind and friendly and a gold-mine of information.
All costs were transparent and minimal. EG Miyoko-san used her guide pass for her own free entry into the museum, and other guides were able to get discounted entries for themselves and would advise us about senior discount entries.

internetwiz, all, thanks for your kind words about my very amateur videos.
I have a feeling the honey was a suggestion i saw on Fodors but i cannot remember who suggested it. The guides appreciated the thought and i was careful how i gave it... with a smile and the least amount of fuss. I learned that from this forum too:)

Nikko 15th - 19th May

Here is where we stayed in Nikko http://www.fu-sha.co.jp/room.html
We rented a rustic little house with some very big pros and cons.
Major asset:The owner. Yoshiko-san is, without a doubt, the kindest host i have ever met. Yoshiko-san genuinly cares you are happy and she never stops thinking of ways to make your stay even better. From free washing/ironing to picking us up from the station.
Location: Quiet little street where one end leads onto Kanmangafuchi Abyss and the other end has a background of tall and misty mountains. Nikko shops are about 20 mins walk
away however i didn't have to do very much walking because if Yoshiko-san heard i was going anywhere she'd arrange to take me there at no charge.
Futons were firmer than the ones at Kanazawa however we still had very peaceful sleeps on them.
Bathroom, at last! A large bathroom with room to move. Best bathroom of all.
The only con and one i hated - It's an old home and the step up from the foyer and into the living areas was even higher than at the Kyoto machiya. At least 24" high and very painful for me. If you'd like to stay here and the step up is a problem, i think the owner would help with an extra step up. I didn't ask.

16th May:
Mainly just walked around Nikko, ate, slept, read.
Made my first purchase. A dragon painting for my son which i filmed the artist creating. I could choose the colours, the Kanji, the frame and it looks amazing framed. Did i want glass or perspex? I chose perspex. At no extra charge the shop wrapped it in cardboard and bubblewrap, even putting a little plastic handle on the package. Wrapped so well it could withstand being mailed home so we got a quote from the Post office. Light weight but at AU $65 to send, no thanks. It eventually went all the way home with us and suffered not even a mark to the bubble wrap in Singapore Airlines cargo.
Artist painting the dragon for my son:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_4iB7L_OEo

17th May:
The reason we were in Nikko. Toshogu Shrine Annual Grand Spring Festival to see Yabusame horseback archery. We were on site an hour before it began but still we found it difficult to get a good viewing spot. I'd love to see horseback archery again in Japan.
18th May:
Huge disappointment. We were all waiting but not a warrior in sight. Very slight mists of rain caused the 1000 samurai warrior procession to be cancelled. If you intend to go it's possible to hire a chair to watch it.
Would we return to Nikko? Yes. Loved this really charming mountain village.
My video of Nikko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atxPcAbGv0I

19th May - train to the biggest city we've ever seen. Tokyo

The honey was me, I think. I mentioned that I had really wanted to take local honey with me made in London but that I wasn't able to find small enough jars for it to be practical. In the end I took some very high end bean-to-bar chocolate made in London instead.

PS The dragon painting (and the video of it being made) is spectacular!

sandgroper, that is beautiful. I've been looking since I've been here to find an artist that can paint me something with no luck. The one time I found a place that had an artist, the artist was not in that day. Makes me want to go to Nikko tomorrow to find that artist, but it'll be a long day and quite expensive to get to from Tokyo.

Following along as I just returned form Japan, overlapping some of your dates. I loved Japan!

Thank you Kavey :)

jdc i'm glad you like the painting too however it might not be what you have in mind because the artist only seems to do dragon paintings?

JenV, it's been fun doing this trip report (and they did create a monstor with their encouragement :D )but i'm looking forward to finishing tomorrow and diving into reading travel reports on here .

We encountered our first ever subway stations
All went well travelling from Nikko - Asakusa but from Asakusa to Ryogoku we discovered we had to exit Asakusa and then walk a short distance to a subway entrance. We got to the subway entrance and I was literally looking down on a world of pain. Flight after flight of stairs.
In theory Tokyo stations have good access for people with mobility problems, in practice it's not like that at all. After a number of extremely painful episodes i learned to mostly avoid the subway. Sometimes i could catch a train from stations with elevator/access and then take a short taxi ride and sometimes i could take a bus.
My husband loved the subways and has a plan to ride on them all day long discovering all the ways someone with mobility problems can get from a-b in Tokyo. I hope he does it. I hope he writes a book.

We stayed at Ryogoku View Hotel for 6 nights.
Pros: Position is perfect for what we wanted. Uncrowded streets, close to Sumo stadium, right next door to the railway station. Street and train noise cannot be heard when windows are closed. Staff were very helpful and courteous. Rooms clean and bed very comfortable.
Cons: Smallest bathroom of the trip. Seriously had to edge in sideways to use the basin. My husband could step into the bathtub to shower but i could not. I had to shower by flooding the bathroom floor with water and slippery soap. Staff told me all bathrooms are the same.
No cupboard space. Just a couple hooks on the wall.
No iron. Can borrow a "trouser press" which does a pretty bad job.
Our 'standard' size room was the smallest space of the trip. I would never get a room that small again for that length of time. It had an incredibly tiny balcony however i noticed other standard size rooms had a bigger balcony with double sliding doors.

Food:
Up until this trip to Japan we weren't very familiar with Japanese food. In Japan our attitude was one of point and dive in. My husband being a meat eater did more diving in than i did. I do eat fish though so had a lot of choice. The food was amazing. We loved it all.
I took my own fork to Japan. Yes i did. Not because it's a favourite fork or anything. At home I mostly cook Asian food however i've never bothered to learn to use chopsticks
I lost my fork in Kanazawa. If you're chopstick challenged like me, don't worry. Even the teeniest restaurant understood the word, 'fork' or mime for it, and could produce a fork or spoon.

Next and last travel report, what we did in Tokyo

Yes, limping round Kyoto I discovered a serious shortage of elevators/escalator at subway stations. There was usually only one, at the opposite end from where I was, and as far from the the center of the station as possible....

Yes, same here on finding the correct entrance for a station that had a lift or escalators!! Most stations did have one and it was fine finding them from inside the station, where they were usually marked. But from outside coming in, if we didn't know in advance, we couldn't work out how where to go to find an entrance with lift or escalator!

20th May.
Our smiling volunteer guide, Murayama-san, from Tokyo Free Guide, was waiting in our hotel lobby at 11 a.m.
We'd had email contact with Murayama to discuss what we wanted to do for the day and he had organised the time very well. Nothing would be rushed, we'd get to see the sites that interested us and still have plenty of time to relax.
First of all we went to Tokyo Camii & Turkish Cultural Centre as i very much wanted to see this lovely mosque. It didn't disappoint. Non Muslims like myself are welcome to visit, i just took a scarf and was a respectful visitor. Here is my film of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7Kd96ZXL8

There was a very big festival in Asakusa however i didn't think we'd do well in such a big crowd our first day in Tokyo so i decided on a smaller festival in Yoyogi Park. Loved it, totally loved it. Spent a few hours there and really didn't want to leave.
Here is what i filmed of the festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgRdr94rnAw

Next we went to Shibuya Station as i wanted to see the statue and pay homage to the beautiful spirit of Hachikō.

And then came the Shibuya crossing. I loved it! I laughed all the way across and our guide wanted to know if i wanted to do it again? Yes! My husband asked, "what for?" Pfft.

Muraya got us back to our hotel by 5.30pm. We were once again very fortunate to have had such a friendly and good guide.

21st May
Another first for us. A baseball game! We saw it at Meiji Jingu Stadium, Tokyo's oldest baseball stadium. We loved the spectators, the players, the songs, the batons, the fun, the beer girls. We sat with the Yakult Swallows home team fans, and sitting with them involved the opening and closing of umbrellas at times. Everything was so exciting
Here is my movie of the fans and the game and the beer girls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWdql3p-gqo

22nd May
Unsure if this is the day we went to Tokyo-Edo Museum in Ryogoku. In any case the first time we went it was closed for a holiday we knew nothing about. We weren't staying far away so it wasn't an inconvenience to return.
Many will love it, we were bored
They have a nice little museum shop and it was here we bought gifts of oil and sake salad dressing.

We went to the Sumo Grand Tournament. Very exciting.
I purchased our tickets through buysumotickets before leaving Australia and so glad i did. Tickets for the whole month sold out within an unprecedented 1 hour from the time they went on sale.
This is the reason i was given, "The very top wrestlers in sumo are called "yokozuna". After the January tournament, a fan-favourite Japanese wrestler, named Kisenosato, was promoted to yokozuna, after winning a tournament for the first time. This was the first yokozuna promotion of a Japanese-born wrestler in 19 years. The previous 5 yokozuna were foreign-born (1 American and 4 Mongolians). He then won the March tournament in dramatic fashion, which caused a huge amount of media coverage and skyrocketed interest in the May tournament to levels that nobody has ever seen"
My little sumo movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uMaFtRd_DI Watch out for the 2 sumo wrestlers rolling out of the ring and onto an official. The squished official bowed before leaving

23rd May
Did a little bit of shopping at Skytower. We're not big on shopping but if we'd had more time, we might have been tempted here.
We bought two very amusing caricatures i talked my husband into posing for. Thinking in advance of the recipients of these pics, I had one created of him with a birthday theme and one with a christmas theme. Think the shop for caricature art shop is on the 5th floor. The artists will also draw caricatures from photos and they are way cheaper than similar we can have done in Perth.

In the afternoon we went to Yushukan Military and War Museum. They have a permanent and interesting exhibition of pieces dating from 1894 to the end of World War II.
When we visited there was an additional'special' exhibition of warrior helmets and armor some of which i filmed ( Filming is not permitted of the permanent exhibition )
Helmets and Armour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uduiZ9u_DFQ

24th May
We experienced the Goma rite at Fukagawa Fudo-do Temple and also had husbands wallet blessed. Very beautiful temple and if you visit be sure to take the elevator to the upper floors to viedw more stunning rooms.

Kavey posted, "But from outside coming in, if we didn't know in advance, we couldn't work out how where to go to find an entrance with lift or escalator!" Spot on Kavey. We could see the subway entrance near the temple but how to access it other than by stairs?
Frustrated and upset we ended up getting a taxi to the National theatre to see a Banruko performance. I've never visited an Asian country without seeing a puppet show and the Japanese one is just gorgeous.

25th May.
Our last morning in Tokyo, and, for all the wrong reasons, we'll never forget it.
Hyperdia has been my go to site for train travel in Japan and i had getting to the airport via 3 trains all worked out. What we couldn't have predicted was our response to the importance of catching our plane on time. It was panic! Total panic. I can't even put into words what happened because we still can't work it out ourselves. We know we jumped on and off about 5 or 6 trains, never sure if we were on the right train or not. At one stage the train doors even shut in my face leaving my husband on the platform, me on the train, staring at each other mouth agape as the train sped off. I got off at the next station but had no idea the name of the station we'd been separated at. Sheer lucky guess work got me back to him. I feel pacnicked even reliving this experience, lol.
All of this after 2 and half weeks of catching the right trains.
Anyway we made it to our plane on time and sadly left Japan. I'm pretty sure we'll be back :)

Gosh, you really did a great range of activities in Tokyo, I'm making notes for next time!
Sorry about your upset on the journey back to the airport, I wonder if panic about missing the flight just flummoxed you? And once you make the first misstep it's so hard not to make more! Glad you got there in the end!!!

A tip for others who may worry about the chopstick ("hashi'). There is always a fork. Always. Though my DH (the Japanese American guy) grew up eating with chopsticks, he prefers a fork with many foods. In 35 years of travel in Japan, he has never been told there are no forks!!

Actually, a lot of times the server will bring one sat of hash and one fork anyway, thinking I'll need the fork. We just trade.

Just hold up a chopstick and do the 'no' wave.

What a great trip report! I totally enjoyed reading that. :)
Can you tell me more about the goodwill guides? How do you find them? How much do they charge?

BTW, the image of your face stuck in the train doors made me giggle. :) Not long ago we (me, hub and 11 year old son) dashed for a train here in the US, at an airport, only to realize hub and I made it on and son didn't. So I can relate. :)

A really interesting view I so enjoyed reading air that is what is so good about Fodors. I am also very interested in the guides. We are a group of 8 people. I understand that you just pay transport costs and food for the day but this hardly seems enough for people giving of their times all day . Also did you choose a guide because you felt they would be able to give you more information about the sites or because you weren't sure about being able to get around Kyoto by yourselves?
Did you by any chance go to an ikebana class or a cooking lesson in kyoto?

Enjoyed your trip report so much!! Love the bit about your trusty traveling fork. You gave me some great ideas about what to see when I go back- I hadn't heard of the mosque!

I did finally find that there is a rhyme and reason to the subways. You just need to be alert and check any map you see. The tricky part is that you have to kind of know how the tracks at each station line up because some elevators only access one track, and then the opposite track's elevator may be at the other end. If you follow the destination signs, you'll screw up. So like you said- technically accessible but not always practical. The two mobility challenged folks I frequently travel with would have a hard time because one mistake can cost you a lot of walking.

I enjoyed sky tree mall too, assuming you're talking about that.Neat place, great desserts.

What airport did you fly out of? I had a bad moment until I realized that the 3 different lines appearing on google maps was just one line that changed its name a few times or something.

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/tr...deservice.html

Goodwill guides are free. You pay for their transport and admission, and any meal they eat with you. I'm not sure whether they will take a group of eight, you'd have to check. I had one very good guide in Kyoto and one not so good in Kanazawa.