Waking up to a wanderlusting gallery wall

Since I don't have any big trips booked, I'm decorating my bedroom with travel mementos. Read all about it on She In The CLE: http://www.sheinthecle.com/lifestyle/waking-up-to-a-wanderlusting-gallery-wall/

Shabu shabu in Cleveland! Finally!

It’s been nearly three years since my trip to Japan, and I finally found and sampled shabu shabu in Cleveland! In case you’re not familiar, shabu shabu is a Japanese version of hot pot and translates to “swish swish” from the sound of the razor-thin meat and veggies you stir briefly in the pot. 

In late December, my Japan trip companion, Gina, and I went to Ginko in Tremont, one of Dante Boccuzzi’s newest restaurants. It’s actually housed below Dante (love that place). In addition to my excitement for a shabu shabu reunion, from what I had heard from friends’ reviews, I couldn’t wait to try the restaurant. I’ve loved every encounter with Dante’s restaurants, and I really like the chef. (During the Taste of Tremont this summer, I happily chatted with him about Ginko’s upcoming opening.) 

Ginko’s space is cozy with a fun circular sushi bar, very similar to the restaurant Gina and I visited in Tokyo where we first tried shabu shabu. There are two tables for shabu-shabu cooking – the top center of the table lifts up to reveal an electric burner to heat the broth, meat and veggies. Shabu shabu is so fun because it’s interactive. You dunk your meat and veggies in the broth for 10 seconds to two minutes and then dip them in two types of sauces. While we were eating, I could almost hear the "arigatou gozaimasu" from all the servers we encountered in Japan. :)

While our meal was delish, unfortunately, I think we visited on an off-night for service. The two shabu-shabu tables are the only seating for which Ginko accepts reservations, so I made sure to request a table more than a month before our visit. However, when we arrived, the hostess had no record of our reservation and was rather combative about it. Instead of apologizing, she said we could have a table, but she needed it back by 8. We also had a snafu with our server, but she did apologize and take a sushi roll off of our bill. 

Based on advice from Chef’s Widow about how to handle a less thanstellar restaurant experience, I emailed the chef that night to let him know about our experience, but I never heard back from him. 

Regarding the sushi and shabu shabu, they were great! There are two beef options for shabu shabu: Angus for $25 or Kobe for $50. We both went with Angus and weren’t disappointed. Since I’m pregs (SURPRISE!), we stuck to veggie sushi rolls: avocado/cucumber. Mmmm!

The shabu shabu is definitely worth trying, but make sure to make a reservation before you go because of the longer dining experience. When you call, specifically request a shabu-shabu table.

Tips for seeing Tokyo on a budget

 

Love this USA Today article that highlights what to see and where to stay in Tokyo when you're on a budget. I definitely concur that it's worth the experience to stay in a ryokan and travel the intricate subway system. In terms of sights, the Tsukiji fish market is one not to miss, the Imperial Palace grounds are beautiful and you can't go wrong exploring the plethora of temples. Don't forget to karaoke in your own private room...I promise that you'll find your cojones!

Pros for traveling solo

Over the weekend, I read this column by Rick Steves in the PD about the benefits of traveling solo. I've found that when I'm on my own in a new city, I'm much more adventurous and likely to chat up people I don't know. Two trips in particular stand out in my mind. First, Paris when I crashed the dinner party of my Eurostar seat mate and then San Diego (my first trip) when I met a woman who treated me to a flight of wine at an awesome outdoor wine bar. And, NYC solo is always fun since my schedule is usually frenetic anyway. (Plus, you guys make fun of me for asking random strangers to take my pic in front of landmarks. I have no shame.)

Don't get me wrong, I think I would have hyperventilated multiple times if I traveled to Asia on my own. Having a traveling companion when we got super lost on a four-hour bus ride in Thailand while looking for a beach would have been extra terrifying without a friend at my side. Same for navigating multiple bus and train routes throughout Japan...Gina's navigating skills were a lifesaver!

So, wanna go somewhere but can't find someone to go with? First, ask me :) and second, just go! You'll learn a lot about yourself.

It's time for cherry blossoms! (this time in D.C., not Tokyo)

I just read that Tokyo's cherry blossom season has officially begun. Last year, I had the fortune of timing my Japan trip to coincide with the opening (Kyoto) and closing (Tokyo) of cherry blossoms. It was such a lovely experience. The impermanence of the cherry blossom season, which appears and then vanishes within 10 days every March/April, always reminds me that life is short and should be seized and treasured. 

This year, my friend Carli invited me to visit her in D.C. to view the cherry blossoms for our National Cherry Blossom Festival. I've been on bloom watch via this site and looks like this weekend will be perfect for a visit. Carli said she's been seeing blooms here and there, so hopefully it warms up and they're all in full view soon.

I haven't been to D.C. for fun since college when my roommate and I would stay at her aunt's in Maryland and take the train in to go to our favorite museums like the Freer Gallery and the National Gallery. (I've always been a museum nerd. Most kids spent all their money on booze in college and I was the dork buying prints to frame.)

Can't wait for this weekend!

Letter to my future self

Dear 65-year-old Christina,

In honor of my 100th blog post and the reflection that accompanies every good vacation, here are some thoughts to consider about how to spend your retirement.

FYI, you're too old to be a geisha and you don't like camping enough to be a legit lumberjill, but I think you have a real chance to become a stained glass artisan (consider mosaics, too). Maybe focus on amazing stained glass valances, like the one above you saw during the drive back from Hayward, and specialize in themes inspired by your Japan travels, i.e. cherry blossoms and the like.

Also, please fill in the gaps for any states or continents not visited (feel free to skip Antarctica). And, master something more sophisticated than When the Saints Go Marching In on the piano. I'd love, love, love it if you took on violin too.

Love,

Your 30-year-old self

Shabu-shabu in Cleveland?

I miss udon noodles from Japan oodles (sorry, couldn't resist) and shabu-shabu even more. Gina and I thought we could score shabu-shabu in our own backyard at Ariyoshi on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, but, alas, they recently changed their menu and shabu-shabu didn't make the cut.

No other leads so far. If you know of a destination in Greater Cleveland, please pass it along!

Cherry Blossoms (Hanami) Movie

I’m still holding onto my Japan trip last month ever so tightly. This weekend I went to see Hanami (watch the trailer below) at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. I had desperately wanted to see Hanami at the Cleveland Film Fest before my trip, but missed it because we were out of town that weekend for March Madness.

I loved the film! The impermanence of the cherry blossom season, which appears and then vanishes within 10 days every April, reminds us that life is short and should be seized and treasured. The movie is about the relationship between a German husband and wife and how it’s never too late to learn about each other and fulfill your dreams.

Looks like it’s on queue for a Netflix selection… A lot of the movie is conversed in English since it’s the common language between German and Japanese. You'll see clips of the area near Lake Kawaguchiko and Tokyo, both of which I visited last month.

Love Letter to Japan

My favorite new song by The Bird & The Bee...

Reflections

I’m four hours into the 13-flight from Tokyo to Newark and reflecting on how to savor details and feelings from this trip. I’d like to prolong what I’ve experienced -- balance, personal growth, contentment, accomplishment, appreciation — so that come Monday after a full work day, these feelings don’t disappear like the cherry blossoms that are falling from the trees.

I’ll miss using chopsticks (even though I STILL don’t hold them properly), making fun of the people on our language tapes with Gina, random acts of kindness (presents!!!!), nods of respect, warm toilet seats, experience meals (shabu shabu, yaki-tori) and cherry blossoms. Thank god it’s getting warmer because walking outside is a beautiful thing!

As a bonus, I hope my Japan adventure has stimulated my motivation to finally finish our Asia-inspired guest room. I’d like to get back in the habit of framing pieces I’ve bought instead of shoving them in a closet until inspiration strikes at a later date. I’ve got a bunch of stuff from my D.C. trip a year ago, Bangkok in the fall and now my Japan souvenirs. Michael’s, here I come!

Ten days for this trip appears to be a perfect length. I’ve had a wonderful time with a great traveling companion, and now I’m ready to go home. I haven’t heard my husband’s voice in 10 days, and that is an eternity. I definitely have a shelf-life when traveling if he’s not with me.

When I told friends and family about my plans to visit Japan, many people wondered what the allure was for me. I hope I’ve helped to give you a flavor of the beauty, tradition and culture that drew me to visit.

Tsukiji fish market

Note to self: don’t plan to get up early to visit the fish market to see 300 lb. tuna the morning after a night of karaoke and sake.

But, I give us props for shuttling out the door by 7:30 a.m. The auction was long over, but we still admired/feared the hustle and bustle of vendors preparing their fresh catches for restaurants all over the city.

Navigating the market was a bit like playing Frogger (see video below)…you zig and zag around the motorized flatbeds zipping down aisles while avoiding splashes of fish water at your feet from vendors emptying coolers.

The stink was detectable immediately upon exiting our subway car. P-U! By the way, Gina and I were packed like sardines on the train. Only the women-only cars (offered during morning rush hour) provided any kind of relief from personal space impositions.

We didn’t stay long at the fish market…the frantic pace and unattractive odor were a bit much for our tired bodies and hungry bellies.

I’ll tell you this: about the only thing I won’t miss from this trip is Japanese breakfasts…your choices: raw egg or omelet. Because I despise breakfast eggs, I’ve relied on granola bars for the past 10 days. C’mon waffles and pancakes!!!

Karaoke!!!

My only regret with the timing of our Japan trip is that I had to miss the Rock Hall inductions on April 4…particularly since I was asked to help coordinate media that night and my favorite travel writer came to town to cover the event. So, Gina and I pledged that we would try karaoke in honor of missing the inductions.

It was so much more fun than I expected! We visited Karaoke Kan, which is the site immortalized in Lost in Translation. You get your own room for karaoke and pay $8 per hour per person…a steal!

Turns out we are TERRIBLE singers. I’d like to believe that lots of sake contributed to our poor skills. We belted out tunes from George Michael, Beyonce, The Cars, Guns n Roses and also tried our hand at a couple Japanese slow sounds when we incorrectly entered digits on the remote for song selections.
We stayed out past midnight, which means we finally acclimated to the time difference. It figures that we head home tomorrow...

Yaki-tori deliciousness

Before our trip, Gina and I made a list of all the different types of Japanese food we wanted to try. Yaki-tori, skewered meat and veggies, was near the top of our list.

While wandering around the Asakusa temple, we found a stand selling buns with veggies and meat inside. We tried a veggie bun—yum—and asked the vendor where we could find a yaki-tori restaurant. He gave us a map all in Japanese and circled a destination.

Amazingly, we found the restaurant by matching up the kanji characters on our map. However, when we went in and greeted everyone with “konbanwa”, we were told, “Nihhon only,” which means Japanese people only. :( Bummer.

So, we headed back to our hotel and asked for a spot that would accept Americans. We found one and had a great time! We were seated around a semi-circle counter with a bunch of other people (we were the only foreigners in the room) and ordered up a storm of food. Initially, our conversation with our server consisted of: “Nani des ka?” (what is that?) followed by “Ikura des ka?” (how much is it?) followed by “hi!” (yes!).

We tried a chicken and sesame version of a corn dog, baked potato, hard-boiled quail egg, pork-wrapped leeks and asparagus, giblets (cucka), and soy beans wrapped in fried bean curd (looked awesome, smelled like feet and tasted cucka). It was another night of two rounds of beers, which again amused our servers. We practiced our Japanese with them and they practiced their English. We showed them pictures from our trip and talked with them about the cities in Japan we visited. It was a great time! That first restaurant didn’t know what it was missing when we were turned away!

Cherry blossoms continued

Since my global phone from work isn’t compatible with Japan’s quad-band network, I’m experiencing connectivity withdrawal. No tweeting, no e-mail, no phone calls.

It hasn’t posed a problem until this morning when I was trying to get a hold of the reporter I was to meet with to clarify where she wanted to meet in the ginormous Mori Tower. I almost ended up missing her because I was using a pay phone to leave messages on her office line and she was calling me on my defunct cell phone, but we were able to get together, so all was well.

Turns out the Mori Tower is also host to a modern art museum on the top floor and the Tokyo City View, so after my meeting, Gina and I experienced both. Ferrari headquarters are based in the tower too, so we saw some sweet rides.

The weather today was in the 70s, so I happily broke out my flip flops to stroll under the cherry blossom groves near the Imperial Palace, which is surrounded by a moat (single, not double like Nijo Castle :)). The gorgeous flowers with the Tokyo skyline in the distance make quite the interesting juxtaposition. We saw more people squatting spots under trees for hanami parties in the evening.

The blossoms are already starting to fall --their bloom time is less than two weeks—so Gina and I nailed our timing for this trip.

In the evening, Gina and I wandered to Asakusa to see the shrine, 5-tiered pagoda and browse the market.

By the way, the women here are all immaculately dressed, and everyone’s in heels, which I can’t understand. Walk the miles of underground tunnels in Tokyo’s subways, and you’ll understand. Check out this map of the subway…it’s insane! However, during our 1.5 days here, Gina and I rode about four different lines.

Shabu shabu = yummo yummo

After a three-hour bus ride from Lake Kawaguchiko and a trek through the subway to our hotel with our luggage, Gina and I were STARVING. Yes, imagine that.

We rifled through all my piles of notes for each city on our trip and decided to go to Shabusen in Ginza, a shabu shabu restaurant, which is like a Japanese version of fondue, but with boiling water for cooking thin slices of meats and veggies.

Because the addresses in Tokyo are so jacked up, we gave ourselves a 25 percent chance of actually finding the restaurant.

To our surprise, we found it after only three times of asking for directions along the way. It's on the second floor of a department store, Ginza Core...lots of restaurants in Tokyo are apparently tucked away in stores and office buildings on floors not at ground level.

We were seated at a large round counter with lots of hustle and bustle along with about 15 or so other people. There was a giant meat slicer at the center of the hubbub. Each of us got our own steaming pot of water.

Gina and I ordered a meal that includes two appetizers, thinly sliced beef and pork, veggies, noodles and dessert, a plum in some clear Jell-O type substance. It was so fun!

We got lots of stares for countless breaches of etiquette, I'm sure, but our server was really friendly and completely amused by us. He didn't speak any English, so at times, all I heard was, "sha-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta." During this trip, I've learned that when in doubt, just nod and things usually work out.

Oh...it's worth noting that apparently it's a big deal for two American women to order a second round of beer. There was LOTS of chatter at the counter when we asked for ni (2) more.

Tomorrow, I have a meeting with a reporter for work and then we'll probably visit the Imperial Palace and maybe a shrine or two. We leave Friday for home.

Lake Kawaguchiko & the Itchiku Kubota Museum

We've really been lucking out with our hotel locations and friendly staff. We arrived at our hotel in Lake Kawaguchiko at nightfall, so we weren't able to fully appreciate the glistening lake and glimpses of Mt. Fuji until this morning.

Our hotel staff served as our personal chauffeurs to the Itchiku Kubota Museum and then back to Lake Kawaguchiko Station to catch our bus to Tokyo, which was really convenient.

When I visited San Diego in December, I caught a glimpse of the Itchiku Kubota kimonos as art exhibit, which traveled there and is currently on display in Canton (the only U.S. destinations). At the exhibit, I read about the artist's museum in Japan that married his kimono art with the natural landscape surrounding Mt. Fuji, and it locked down my desire to plan this trip.

The museum is tucked away on a side road off of Lake Kawaguchiko, which is where we stayed last night. You would never know it was there unless you were looking for it.

Once through the front gate, the spectacular site took my breath away. The museum itself blends into the landscape since it's comprised of stone and 1,000-year-old beams formed to make a pyramid-shape building that resembles Mt. Fuji. There are trails in the back that also are home to sculptures and other works the artist collected.

During our visit, we learned that it takes about one year to create each kimono using the intricate tsujigahana knot tying, dyeing and embroidery technique. Kubota finally perfected the technique at age 60, which is an inspiration to any late-blooming artist.

He dreamed of creating 80 kimono that represented the four seasons and the universe, but he died before completing his task. His family has been continuing to create the kimono from his vision.

We loved how many of the kimono were designed to function as pieces of a larger mosaic design of Mt. Fuji. It's really something to see displayed in person (sorry, no photos were permitted). If you haven't visited the exhibit in Canton, yet, go. It's there until late April.

Fuji-san!

We finally got great views of Mt. Fuji today with his glistening peak above Lake Kawaguchiko. All of our shots were taken from moving vehicles...the courtesy car from our hotel on the way to Kawaguchiko Station to head back to Tokyo and then on the bus ride.

Transportation overload

We did it! It took three bus transfers and a lot of pantomiming with our broken Japanese, but we made it from Hakone to Lake Kawaguchiko near Mount Fuji. Here’s a rundown of today’s transportation madness:

--Hike for 30 minutes toward a Mt. Fuji viewing point until we tired

--Ride from hotel chauffeur to mountain train station
--Ride train to cable car station
--Ride cable car up a mountain to the Hakone ropeway station
--Ride ropeway gondola roundtrip and squint for views of Mt. Fuji despite clouds, admire sulfur
vapor rising from Owakudani volcano
--Ride cable car back to trainstation, accept carved mirror gifts from lovely Japanese woman
happy to practice her English and proud of our Japanese speaking skills (???)
--Ride train to station near hotel
--Walk back to hotel
--Ride bus headed toward Gotemba, pass the Hakone Glass Forest, get off at next bus stop and
schlep luggage back to Glass Forest, pass on ride offer from friendly Japanese man
--Continue bus ride to Gotemba, transfer to bus for Kawaguchiko
--Call hotel and speak broken Japanese to secure ride from station (high five after getting to
say“moshi moshi” on the phone…how Japanese greet one another by telephone)
--Ride in hotel van driven by 14-year-old

Whew! Are you dizzy? I sure as hell am. It may just be the after-effect of the onsen bath at our hotel…whole other story.

The Glass Forest was gorgeous…imagine crystals hanging from tree branches like little sparkling flowers. We loved that parts were open air so you could admire the beautiful mountains and springs outside. We ate lunch al fresco in the café and tried not to laugh at the bizareness of a Japanese man singing Italian love songs. No idea about the relevance of hosting this type of Italian museum in Japan, but it was awesome all the same. Too bad we ran out of time to visit the Open Air Museum.

Once we got to our hotel which overlooks Lake Kawaguchiko, one of the Five Finger Lakes near Mt. Fuji, we were starving, so we made reservations for the sushi bar. No one at our hotel speaks English, so the chef brought out the fish he had and we pointed to what we wanted prepared and he told us the name in Japanese. We had tuna and mackerel sashimi and some rolls with a shitload of wasabi that burned my nostrils and eyes. I couldn’t stop laughing when Gina said the Japanese wearing masks (we’ve seen a ton) to prevent allergies from hanami season (cherry blossoms) should just use wasabi to clear out their nasal passages.

Oh, and once the chef served us, he hovered over our table until we started eating, which was unnerving. We told him our sushi was delicious, and he made us another round.

After dinner, we bought beer from the vending machine and tried to sneak it in the onsen (public bath), but then thought better of it.

Tomorrow, we hope to visit the Kubota museum to see seasonal, gorgeous kimono in a breathtaking mountain setting. The exhibit I saw in San Diego in December was the inspiration for taking this trip to Japan. Then, we head to Tokyo.

Fans, mountains & vending-machine beer

This morning Gina and I channeled our inner geisha to create beautiful hand-painted fans with a cherry blossom motif. Since neither of us are practiced in the art of drawing, we relied on existing fan patterns to create our design. Coincidentally, we both selected the same pattern from a couple hundred options despite having very different artistic tastes. Over the course of a couple hours with some guidance from a worker with limited English, we painted our masterpieces, which will be shipped to the U.S. in a month after the skeletons of the fans are attached.

Of note, the Japanese obsession with cleanliness nearly cost Gina her face as we attempted to leave the factory/store. As we “walked” out, we noticed a raised threshold, and I cautioned Gina to step over it, but neglected to caution that the door was glass. KABAM!!! Thankfully, there’s been little noticeable brain damage. (Also, we must note that yesterday, a woman was scrubbing the subway floor tile with a toothbrush-like tool while we stared in amazement.)

We stopped in a mom and pop coffee shop after class to nurse some caffeine along with Gina’s bruised ego. No one spoke a lick of English, but we had the best coffee that was brewed from crazy Bunsen burner devices on the counter. I was very proud that the old woman understood me when I said “oy-shi-katta” (“that was delicious”). However, despite pointing to our hysterical English to Japanese flashcards to indicate we wanted breakfast, we could not score a meal for the life of us. When we inquired about tofu and rice, the friendly man behind the counter said, “See you tomorrow!” ????

So, we walked a minute or so to another “kohi” shop and finally got served. Then we scurried to our inn, grabbed our luggage and hit the subway to Kyoto Station to pick up the shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakone, the most popular destination for natives in the area.

Before our trip, we nabbed a fantastic reservation at the Fujiya Hotel, Japan’s first Western-style resort that was built 130 years ago. To celebrate its anniversary, the hotel has been offering foreigners a bargain room rate.

The scenic bus ride through the mountains from Odawara Station to our hotel was spectacular. Fujiya features a hot spring that actually feeds bath tubs in guest rooms and a picturesque walk on the ground with a koi pond, gardens, waterfalls and the like. And, most importantly, beer vending machines, which is how we stumbled upon Kirin and Suntory beer. I was doing impressions of Bill Murray in Lost in Translation with my Suntory beer endorsement…

Tomorrow we hope to explore the Hakone Open Air Museum and the Hakone Ropeway. Fingers crossed that we make it to Lake Kawaguchiko in the evening after a number of bus exchanges in the mountains.