Tokyo Daze
9 & 10 March (Day 1 & 2)
Arrived a day early and on a direct flight thanks to the baggage handlers threatened strike at Frankfurt airport.
This enabled me to arrive and have a free day in Tokyo before visiting clinics of our acupuncture teachers.
The flight on a small ANA plane was a contrast to the monster Emirates jumbo changing in Dubai on my first trip in 2017, a birthday gift from Mum & Roy.
Despite the marked contrast of a Journeys a la Carte tailored trip and the semi-shoestring study stay in the land of the blind Toyohari acupuncturists, I am a mere 10 min walk away from the chic bamboo boutique Hotel Niwa Tokyo. My simple room(s) are in Sotestsu Fresa (FREsh Sense Amenity - who’d have thought of it!).
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Roy, Mum & I were collected by a limousine people carrier and driven to the neighboring Imperial Palace. Unfortunately I was the only one to exit the limo as it continued driving around Tokyo as no nearby parking and mum stayed to monitor a pump/inhaler to Roy who had an angina attack. A dramatic start but fortunately he behaved himself for the rest of the fortnight. Unlike mum who tripped up walking up a Tori hill in Hakone whilst I was out on a walk with dangerous bears. Mum probably fell into the arms of a young(er) man (- as she did in the Serpentarium in Honduras whilst I was out jogging almost stopping on a black and probably highly poisonous snake).
So this morning I woke to an alarm at 10am probably sneaking 5hrs sleep to add to the indulgent 7 on the plane thanks to the window seat requested at check-in and thankfully allocated at the gate. It took a while to organise my room change as for the 14 days that I’ll be in Sotestsu Fresa Ochanomizu Jinbocho I have 4 different bookings! Extra night at start in single room and at the end in comfort double with Simone. The double upgrade for 11-17 for my clinic visits and the 17-21 deluxe double upgrade for the workshop. (I now appreciate even more the a la carte journeying!)
I nipped out for a ramen whilst waiting to check the new room. It was 2 doors down from my old room and definitely not big enough to swing 2 cats instead of 1. But I was keen to get out and the translating machines - small recorder that the receptionist spoke into and it wrote and spoke the answer in English. After being there so long the upgraded me to the illuminated glass version with the words appearing as we spoke. So this is the dizzying digital climax of globalisation - combined by the fact that everyone in the subway, street queues for food, smoking in hidden allocated corners by public toilets are on their mobile. And me to tapping here blogging on my iPhone on my own in front of a male chef and female skewer chef.
Dinner last night resto above
and skewers tonight - below
Cabbage and Miso - really did mean raw cabbage
- should I intro Hispi cabbage to Japan?
My 2nd trip to the Imperial palace involved a detour to the Apple Store in the business district of Marounuchi, but have to go to Gonda, shopping district with more “Genii” who will hopefully replace my battery before I go to the President’s clinic over an hour away at 4-8pm.
I then went to Inari-yu, a local Onsen used by joggers who like me circumnavigated the 5k path around the Imperial Palace and gardens. The guard was politely clear that joggers, like buffalo girls, had to go round the outside, between the most and the traffic.
I restrained myself to 1 circuit overtaking a man and following 2 younger women in the hope that there was a chance to jog inside. But alas. That will be my Imperial gardens taiji treat if I’m allowed later in the week. Or to avoid shopping in Ginza whilst phone is having new battery fitted.
The treat of the day was the local Onsen. Between Google’s translating photo camera and the lovely women on the desk, and a little reading of Onsen etiquette by the lovely running blog who led me there I managed to have a lovely clean warm relaxing first Onsen session.
There were about 8-10 women who came and went and the lovely older woman showed me that I needed to press rather than turn the red and blue taps to fill my bucket. I remembered to wash well BEFORE entering the sauna and not to put towel that i’d washed myself with in the communal bath.
The Onsen was just one bath that went round the corner. A bubblingly hit jacuzzi at one end and 3 chair baths at the other with a range of powerful jets. I was either the wrong shape or in the wrong position as I don’t think the boobs should have such a pressure wash!
Having said that I’m definitely not graduating to the hi shower or bidet in my hotel loo!
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