Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Hawaii Day 4
We decided to rent a car so we can drive to the hikes we want to do. After researching the options we ended up renting a complete piece of shit from a nearby gas station- a 1990 toyota corrolla which cost like 220 bucks a week including tax. I knew something was off when we drove off the lot and the steering wheel was literally turned 30 degrees to the left- serious alignment issue. We went for our hike- more on that later and came back to flat tire- we put some air in and got replacement- 91 corrolla that has been fine. We did one of my favorite hikes (can't remember name) that is the trail above the Manoa falls. It goes through numerous bamboo forests and leads to a killer view. After we sorted out our tire issue we had Udon at http://www.yelp.com/biz/jimbo-restaurant-honolulu which has truly authentic Udon and killer tempura. Amy was very impressed by it. After our hike we did some lounging on the beach with homemade mai tais and then headed to http://www.yummyhawaii.com/yummy.htm which is a fast food korean bbq place that is really good.
Hawaii Day 3
We did very little today- sat by the beach and had mai tais and had a killer ramen lunch. it was great. Very little to write about. Oh and we had massages at http://www.themassagespecialists.com/. This place was quite the find on yelp- very cheap and excellent massage therapists- it was so good.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Hawaii Day 2
We woke up early and headed to the http://www.halekulani.com/ hotel- to meet up with some family friend's of Amy's whose trip to Hawaii coincided with ours. This is the only 5 star hotel in waikiki and it's really beautiful and is a fantastic place to have breakfast as the restaurant has a great patio with a killer view. We all ate the same thing- a version of eggs benedict with kahlua pork (the well known traditional hawaiian pork) that was really good. After breakfast we headed to the North Shore with my buddy Raymond and on the way stopped at http://www.leonardshawaii.com/ to get Malasadas. A malasada (or malassada) is a Portuguese confection. They were first made by inhabitants of São Miguel Island, part of the Azores. Malasadas are made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. A popular variation is where they are hand dropped into the oil and people have to guess what they look like. These are one of those culinary delights that is extremely simple and extremely good. Amy of course loved them.
We stopped at Sunset beach- http://www.northshore.com/hawaii/sunset-beach-hawaii.asp for our first real beach experience. It was super hot and sunny which was great given the lack of summer weather in New England this summer.
From the beach we headed to Romy's shrimp truck and had some tasty prawns. This was followed by a shave ice in Haleiwa.
In the evening we went to Sushi Sasabune http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-sasabune-honolulu and had an epic sushi meal. If you sit at the sushi bar you can't order what you want- the sushi chef makes things and gives them to you and when you are full you tell them to stop and recieve your bill which is a shocker. The sushi was incredible- we had toro from spain, scallop from boston, salmon from new zealand, killer yellowtail, squid from japan that was stuffed with crab. It was definately one of the best sushi meals I have ever had.
We stopped at Sunset beach- http://www.northshore.com/hawaii/sunset-beach-hawaii.asp for our first real beach experience. It was super hot and sunny which was great given the lack of summer weather in New England this summer.
From the beach we headed to Romy's shrimp truck and had some tasty prawns. This was followed by a shave ice in Haleiwa.
In the evening we went to Sushi Sasabune http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-sasabune-honolulu and had an epic sushi meal. If you sit at the sushi bar you can't order what you want- the sushi chef makes things and gives them to you and when you are full you tell them to stop and recieve your bill which is a shocker. The sushi was incredible- we had toro from spain, scallop from boston, salmon from new zealand, killer yellowtail, squid from japan that was stuffed with crab. It was definately one of the best sushi meals I have ever had.
Back in Hawaii day 1
Its sort of ironic that my last posting occurred when I was leaving Hawaii and heading back to the northeast and here I am writing again in Hawaii. We arrived on Friday at 3pm and took a very expensive cab ride to our hotel: http://www.sheraton-waikiki.com/. Due to the economic climate we got a ridiculously low rate to stay here. We got a free room upgrade because I have platinum status with Starwood Hotels. We dropped off our stuff and promptly headed to get ramen at http://www.menchankotei.com/index_E.asp which was great. We quickly fatiqued by 5 pm and took a brief nap and then then met up with my buddy Raymond and had a low key evening at his place after taking a very nice walk along waikiki beach.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Heading home- final thoughts on the trip
I am sitting on my flight back to Hawaii. I just looked over all my pictures from the whole trip. People often ask you “what was the highlight” or “favorite.” It is often difficult to answer- it certainly is in this case. The highlight was the whole trip- simply being in Japan for 3 weeks. I have seen Japan from the insider’s perspective and the outsider’s perspective. What I mean by that is when I am with Kuniko or Kuniko’s family I am seeing Japan with an inside perspective. We go to restaurants that would never be in a guidebook and even if they were it would be very difficult to order food off the menu- cause it isn’t in English. Kuniko’s family- both her parents and Aunt and Uncle welcomed me into their homes and experiencing another country in this manner is a very special thing- not to mention having the opportunity to eat in there homes which is different from going out to eat. The showers are different, the way trash is sorted out is different- lots of little (and some not so little) differences that you don’t experience as a traveler. Also when traveling alone you miss out on a lot of stuff- for example in museums or temples the English explanation is very short- often much shorter than the Japanese. On the plus side when I am by myself I can see things from my own perspective and take in all in without explanation which can be exciting.
I have traveled quite a bit and I have enjoyed all of the places I have been, however, for me there was something special about traveling in Japan. First off it is the safest place I have traveled- there simply are no bad neighborhoods and almost no crime- amazing when you consider the size of the cities we are talking about. Secondly the Japanese may simply be the most helpful group of people on the planet- seriously. Even if they can’t speak English they will try to help you. I bought a water at 7-11 and the clerk bowed to me- think about that! You are lucky to be acknowledged as a human being in most convenience stores in the US. The railway system is wonderful- you can get anywhere in a short amount of time- in a comfortable seat on a nice train- and the conductors bow every time they enter and leave the train car. On top of that you can get a killer bento box at pretty much any station for less than 10 bucks and it is often better than the Japanese food you get in the US for double the price. Even though I speak no Japanese I never missed a train connection (there were many).
On top of all these modern conveniences you have incredible temples, shrines, castles, gardens, etc. From my perspective there is a lot of polarity in Japan- on the one hand you have these sensory overload places in the big cities- lights, noises, signs, technology (all of which I find to be really thrilling and so different and exciting) and nearby there are temples and shrines (often there are little shrines in these modern areas). On the one hand you have people working crazy hours and seemingly stressful existences, on the other hand you have onsens and tons of places to get massages. There is tons of beautiful nature- mountains, ocean, etc and there are these amazing modern cities.
People talk about being crowded on trains in Tokyo- which is true and often the train stations are packed with people but there seems to be a flow and respect that occurs. In Hong Kong I hated going into the subway stations- getting on escalators and trains because people are so pushy, disrespectful and generally annoying. Even in the crowded station I never once felt like that- and often they were more crowded than the stations in Hong Kong.
Obviously I have written extensively about the food- quite simply it is amazing. I have eaten some good food in my life- the food I have had in Japan is easily some of the best ever. From my perspective it seems like the Japanese don’t half-ass anything- whatever it is they are doing they do it with pride, precision and dedication and it seems to permeate everything in Japan- including the food and service. In the really good restaurants I believe a lot of thought goes into each ingredient. I love that the restaurants are so specialized- you can go to a place that just does soba or Tonkatsu- you know that if that’s all they do it will be incredible.
I am no historian or sociologist but I think Hiroshima is a testament to the kind of people the Japanese are. It was basically leveled by the bomb and now it is a modern and thriving city. From what little I know much of Japan was leveled after the war. Kuniko’s dad told me that after the war when he was a child sweets were rare- now you can get high end pastries and candies- EVERYWHERE in Japan. Much of Tokyo was destroyed and now it is the largest city in the world and probably one of the most modern ones. It really blows my mind to think that this was all accomplished in a matter of decades. Contrast this with the developing countries- one of the things that struck me when I was in south America was the fact that no matter how smart or resourceful you were- you couldn’t accomplish anything if you weren’t in the right class. These developing countries have been living and are living fairly primitively- I realize there are many factors involved in this. Considering that Japan has very few natural resources it and has managed to build the second largest economy in the world is amazing.
Here’s the other thing that sort of blows me away- they actually like Americans. Think about that for a minute- we dropped 2 a-bombs on them and defeated them in the war and they still actually like us and are nice to us. Contrast this with the Europeans- look at the French- we saved their asses and now they (I realize this is a generalization) don’t like us. I found it refreshing to travel in a place where I was actually welcomed.
Plus they have capsule hotels and places where you can feed monkeys! If only they sold shoes and clothes that fit me. I forgot to mention the vending machines- which are everywhere and sell lots of stuff- batteries, fishing bait, coffee, haagen daz, and a few other things I won’t mention (although I didn’t see them). I do love the fact that pretty much anywhere (I really mean anywhere) you can buy a can of coffee out of a machine (hot or cold, with sugar and without, black or with cream- you get the idea).
In short, I love Japan!
I have traveled quite a bit and I have enjoyed all of the places I have been, however, for me there was something special about traveling in Japan. First off it is the safest place I have traveled- there simply are no bad neighborhoods and almost no crime- amazing when you consider the size of the cities we are talking about. Secondly the Japanese may simply be the most helpful group of people on the planet- seriously. Even if they can’t speak English they will try to help you. I bought a water at 7-11 and the clerk bowed to me- think about that! You are lucky to be acknowledged as a human being in most convenience stores in the US. The railway system is wonderful- you can get anywhere in a short amount of time- in a comfortable seat on a nice train- and the conductors bow every time they enter and leave the train car. On top of that you can get a killer bento box at pretty much any station for less than 10 bucks and it is often better than the Japanese food you get in the US for double the price. Even though I speak no Japanese I never missed a train connection (there were many).
On top of all these modern conveniences you have incredible temples, shrines, castles, gardens, etc. From my perspective there is a lot of polarity in Japan- on the one hand you have these sensory overload places in the big cities- lights, noises, signs, technology (all of which I find to be really thrilling and so different and exciting) and nearby there are temples and shrines (often there are little shrines in these modern areas). On the one hand you have people working crazy hours and seemingly stressful existences, on the other hand you have onsens and tons of places to get massages. There is tons of beautiful nature- mountains, ocean, etc and there are these amazing modern cities.
People talk about being crowded on trains in Tokyo- which is true and often the train stations are packed with people but there seems to be a flow and respect that occurs. In Hong Kong I hated going into the subway stations- getting on escalators and trains because people are so pushy, disrespectful and generally annoying. Even in the crowded station I never once felt like that- and often they were more crowded than the stations in Hong Kong.
Obviously I have written extensively about the food- quite simply it is amazing. I have eaten some good food in my life- the food I have had in Japan is easily some of the best ever. From my perspective it seems like the Japanese don’t half-ass anything- whatever it is they are doing they do it with pride, precision and dedication and it seems to permeate everything in Japan- including the food and service. In the really good restaurants I believe a lot of thought goes into each ingredient. I love that the restaurants are so specialized- you can go to a place that just does soba or Tonkatsu- you know that if that’s all they do it will be incredible.
I am no historian or sociologist but I think Hiroshima is a testament to the kind of people the Japanese are. It was basically leveled by the bomb and now it is a modern and thriving city. From what little I know much of Japan was leveled after the war. Kuniko’s dad told me that after the war when he was a child sweets were rare- now you can get high end pastries and candies- EVERYWHERE in Japan. Much of Tokyo was destroyed and now it is the largest city in the world and probably one of the most modern ones. It really blows my mind to think that this was all accomplished in a matter of decades. Contrast this with the developing countries- one of the things that struck me when I was in south America was the fact that no matter how smart or resourceful you were- you couldn’t accomplish anything if you weren’t in the right class. These developing countries have been living and are living fairly primitively- I realize there are many factors involved in this. Considering that Japan has very few natural resources it and has managed to build the second largest economy in the world is amazing.
Here’s the other thing that sort of blows me away- they actually like Americans. Think about that for a minute- we dropped 2 a-bombs on them and defeated them in the war and they still actually like us and are nice to us. Contrast this with the Europeans- look at the French- we saved their asses and now they (I realize this is a generalization) don’t like us. I found it refreshing to travel in a place where I was actually welcomed.
Plus they have capsule hotels and places where you can feed monkeys! If only they sold shoes and clothes that fit me. I forgot to mention the vending machines- which are everywhere and sell lots of stuff- batteries, fishing bait, coffee, haagen daz, and a few other things I won’t mention (although I didn’t see them). I do love the fact that pretty much anywhere (I really mean anywhere) you can buy a can of coffee out of a machine (hot or cold, with sugar and without, black or with cream- you get the idea).
In short, I love Japan!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
4/26/08 Last day in Japan- Boo Hoo!
My last morning and part of an afternoon in Japan. First I packed which took some serious effort and planning on my part as I have a lot of food and ceramics. The last thing I want to have happen is for my very good umeboshi to be crushed!
I then headed into Kichijoji to get my money back for my baseball ticket (it was bought at a department store) and get soba noodles at the place Kuniko took me to a couple of weeks ago. I had to skype her to ask her how to order! They were fantastic- all soba is likely to be a disappointment after this place. Next I headed to the upscale supermarket to buy some miso to bring to Boston with me. At 2:30 I hopped on the bus for the 2 hour ride to Narita airport- I am on it now typing.
I then headed into Kichijoji to get my money back for my baseball ticket (it was bought at a department store) and get soba noodles at the place Kuniko took me to a couple of weeks ago. I had to skype her to ask her how to order! They were fantastic- all soba is likely to be a disappointment after this place. Next I headed to the upscale supermarket to buy some miso to bring to Boston with me. At 2:30 I hopped on the bus for the 2 hour ride to Narita airport- I am on it now typing.
4/25/08 Tokyo
We headed to the fish market this morning. We were a bit late so they were shutting it down but there is a lot of interesting things to see, eat, and buy right around it. We grabbed some food- a large bowl of rice with insanely fresh pieces of sashimi on it. I also purchased some ceramics for home- bowls, plates, etc. They are incredibly cheap here- these markets supply restaurants so its basically wholesale prices. Josh then headed to catch his flight to Hong Kong and I went to the Tokyo Edo museum which is a rather large museum about the Tokyo’s history- it was really interesting although by this point I am pretty much saturated on sightseeing and such. I almost forgot- before heading to the museum I went into an internet place for a quick nap. They have these places all over Japan- I forgot what they are called (I think it’s a manga kissa) anyway it’s a place where you pay an hourly rate to use the internet and read there comic books (manga) and drink as much coffee or soft drinks you want. Some have massage chairs and recliners you can sleep in. Apparently people actually live in them sometimes because they can’t afford an apartment. Anyway I was dead tired after my night poor quality capsule sleep and I needed to check my email so for 5 bucks I checked my email, took a 20 minute nap in a massage chair, and drank some coffee- this is a bargain as a cup of coffee here is around 3-4 dollars.
After the museum I walked around the city some more and then headed back to Kichijoji and grabbed some ramen noodles at the “greasy noodle”- so good….basically it’s ramen without the broth.
After the museum I walked around the city some more and then headed back to Kichijoji and grabbed some ramen noodles at the “greasy noodle”- so good….basically it’s ramen without the broth.
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