Transsiberian Railroad and Japan - The End

It's taken some time to finish my blog about my travels across Russia and, finally, into Japan. I have more photos and several more adventures but I think I have (over)shared the highlights. So, how to finish this blog? I was looking for a themes that threaded themselves through my trip so I could use one or more of them to summarize my adventures. Threads I did find, but there was one that constantly reasserted itself - Finger selfies. Apparently, I am all thumbs (and fingers) when it comes to turning my phone camera on and off. I was constantly taking inadvertent shots of my fingers while fishing my phone out of my pocket or putting it back in. I do know how to work the camera, so I don't know why this kept happening. I started to delete these photos until I thought better of it. So, in honor of my trip more than half-way across the world via train, here are my finger selfies (Felfies?). Enjoy!

            

Museums, Shrines, Parades (Oh, My!)

Fairly Obvious: Man on Turtle

With so little time in Tokyo, I had to make the most of my days and cut down on some of may plans. I decided to start with the Edo-Tokyo Museum, since I knew so little about the history of the city. Much like many establishments, the Museum is actually on the second and third floors with very little on the first floor. I thought I'd spend a couple of hours learning about the city and maybe find some hidden gems to visit later in the day. Boy, did I underestimate how much time one can spend in that museum! I think I ended up spending four hours and I only saw the Edo part; I barely got to the Tokyo section. I was very impressed with the organization of the museum: the exhibits were easy to follow, translated into English, and extremely informative. There was a life-sized reproduction of a tea house; detailed models of the Shogun's palace; and many hands-on exhibits. Everyone was encouraged to lift things, locate people and locations using binoculars, and take lots of pictures. I was surprised to learn more than I ever expected about the importance of controlling and taxing the water supply in Edo. I very much wanted to explore the Tokyo side of the museum, but I was exhausted from information overload (see, kids how learning can be dangerous?). So off I went in search of food...or so I thought.

Shogun's Palace

Please Carry Me! 

As I walked down the street in the Sumida District, I came upon one of the many parks that dot the city. I had no idea what was inside or even if it was an important place, so I decided to investigate. Yokoamicho Park was very clean (as expected) and held a temple and at least two memorials. Apparently, the park is quite famous for some not-so-happy reasons. First, over 23,000 people were killed here during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, when I firestorm engulfed the park. I did not know

about this devastating earthquake until I learned about it at...the museum earlier in the day. Thank you museum! There is a memorial commemorating the victims as well as a charnel house, which I missed. In the center of the park there is a temple (Shinto? Buddhist?) were visitors can come to reflect. It was my first visit to a working temple and I was suitably awed. There was, of course, an altar where people and pray and pay their respects. I was able to light a stick of incense, after which I sat in one of the pews and listened to the silence. As I was leaving I also learned that the temple also commemorates the victims of the Bombing of Tokyo from 1944-45. This brought a whole new series of thoughts to mind. When I went outside, I found the memorial to the bombing victims. As I stood there, I couldn't help but think that there is a lesson from which all of us can learn: Don't bomb the American fleet when it is sitting peaceably at anchor, you will be sorry!

 

It was now past one o'clock and I still had not eaten since early in the morning. I went in search of a suitable place to dine; but, before I could find a restaurant, I came across what appeared to be a children's parade. At that point, the festivities had not begun but something cool was about to happen. Parents were preparing their children, fixing their clothes and putting them into a line. And there were

instruments! I saw pipes and plenty of drums, one of which was on the back of a small truck. I wish I had asked why they were having this parade but i kept mum. After a few minutes, the children began slowly marching, walking in time with the beating drum. I followed the parade as the music continued and the children chanted. The parents were leading, they were not actively participating. After some minutes, I broke off from the procession and resumed my search for food. Apparently, I could not shake the parade, since it continued to wind through the streets as I searched for an open restaurant. Just when I thought I had left the children far behind, I heard the music and the chanting again. Perhaps they were following me and I was leading the parade. Interesting thought.

 

After another twenty minutes of searching I finally found a restaurant. It was a noodle bar where patrons have to order from a machine, get a ticket, and present said ticket to the chef behind the bar. I ordered a medium bowl of noodles which ended up being enough to feed an entire family. With my belly full and my feet rested, it was time to find new adventures...

And On to Japan

We are slowly getting to the end of my Russian travel blog. I may have returned a month ago, but that does not mean my blog posts are at an end. Almost, but not yet. So, let me bring you closer to the finish line with my trip to Japan.

When I planned my Transsiberian journey, I only bought tickets to Vladivostok. I still was unsure of what I would be doing after my Peace Corps gig ended. If time allowed, I had thoughts of taking a cruise from Russia to either Japan or Korea and from there flying over to Canada and taking the train from west to east. Another idea would have been to take a train to China and then move on down to Vietnam. My ideas were endless. Things were settled in late June/early July when I received my new position, teaching in Peru. I would only have a couple of weeks before shoving off again, so it was either Japan or Korea. I more or less flipped a kopek and decided on Tokyo. I thought I'd just tool around

Capsule Hotel - My Room

for a couple of days and then fly back to the United States. After spending two and a half incredible days in Tokyo, I wish I had scheduled more time there. It was one incredible city. I know many folks have visited Japan so I will not concern myself with the touristy spots; rather, I will concentrate on my main priority: food. 

My flight arrived several hours late. Since I was flying from Vladivostok, very near to North Korea, I have no doubt that that morning's missile launch had something to do with the delay. I didn't even realize what had happened until I landed in Tokyo and the launch was all over the news. I just took it in stride and headed to my hotel. After getting a bit lost, I made my way to the capsule hotel right in the middle of the Ginza Bay district, one of the most expensive places in Tokyo. By the time I got settled in it was past 2000 and I was starving. While looking for the hotel, I spied an

First Japanese Meal 

eatery just below the railroad tracks. So I made my way over and sat down to eat. The restaurant was not very large and it was open to the streets. There was a grill and a counter that surrounded it, much like in a diner. I grabbed a seat and ordered a beer. The chefs did not speak English so I had to rely on pointing, until two gentlemen next to me helped translate the menu. Much to my delight, the restaurant served everything from sushi to various parts of the pig and the cow. I started with a bowl of steaming tripe soup and went from there. My new friends were extremely helpful and were able to make sure I got my chicken skewers, octopus, tuna, and other animal/fish pieces. The food was delicious and I felt that I got an authentic Japanese experience. It seems like I was the only non-Asian in the place and this seemed to impress my friends. We spent the next few

Octopus 

hours talking, drinking beer, and eating, eating and eating. I felt the warm glow of hospitality (or was that the chicken gizzards?) as I walked back to my capsule hotel. 

New Friends 

The other great food experience occurred my last night in the city. After eating at a Korean restaurant the previous evening, I was determined to find a offal restaurant, somewhere outside the center of the city. The Korean place had primed my taste buds with a combination of raw beef heart, pig aorta, and cow stomach; much of which I cooked on my own individual grill. Now I was navigating the bustling and rainy streets of Tokyo, hoping to find a place that was not on the tourist maps. By the time I got on my way, I was a bit exhausted from walking around the city. By four o'clock in the afternoon, I had already had sushi for breakfast near the fish market followed by a visit to a local buddhist temple. Although I had mapped out the trip, I was still having problems with wifi connectivity so I was unable to see my location. When I got lost I would go into a Starbuck's, dry off a bit, and try to reorient myself. I did ask for directions but had trouble describing the name (Saiseisakaba) and the location (Shinjuku), I couldn't really specify exactly where I wanted to go. Finally, after my second Starbuck's stop, I realized my coveted location was just down the street. I wandered three blocks in the misty rain, and entered the offal restaurant.

Finally Found My Destination 

Not unexpectedly, I was the only non-Asian in this tiny, yet cosy standup restaurant. I couldn't fully gauge the rest of the room as the clientele was mixed. Though mainly filled with men, there were a few women present. Several customers appeared quite inebriated; yet most others were only having a drink or two. So this wasn't a total alcoholic bar nor was it just a bunch of dudes watching sports on television. It appeared to be what was advertised: a place for locals to go and eat various parts of pigs and cows. And there was plenty of eating going on. As I walked through the door, the smell of smoke filled the air. Much like the restaurant on my first night, customers were in the midst of conversation, choosing their dishes using the labeled wooden tiles hanging on the wall and over the bar. Since I don't read Japanese, I used their English language menu and pointed. No one seemed to want to help the poor foreigner out. Still, I forged on...

Let the Games Begin!

Cooking Away

The menu was a 'Bizarre Foods" aficionados delight. The majority of the dishes consisted of pork; although, there were enough beef dishes. The portions were not huge (usually just a small skewer of four pieces of meat) but they were invariably tasty and filling. The only 

Offal Menu

questions were: where to start and how much could I eat? The best thing I could do was just dive right in with an order of pork temple. As I waited, I sipped a beer and looked around the room. Several patrons were cautiously watching me between sips of beer and bites of food. When my temple arrive, a few more sets of eyes looked my way as I tasted my first skewer. As a chewed, I realized that it basically tasted like pork, albeit with a slightly chewier texture. What made the difference was the teriyaki glaze and the salt, pepper, and other spices on top. I finished and gave a satisfactory smile. My neighbors smiled as well, seemingly happy that I survived. Not only did I survive, but I thrived! My orders

came fast and furious after that: Pork - Hatsu (heart), Harami (diaphragm), Shikin (gullet), Shiro (cartilage), Teppo (rectum), Kobukuro (womb); Beef - Nodobue (tracheal valve), Nodogashira (Throat), Rappa (Birth Canal), and Gyarashin (stomach). After ninety minutes of full on offal, I was full and ready to go.

Would I recommend this kind of food to anyone? Probably not but it is definitely worth a try for the adventurous. Although the parts might not sound appetizing, they basically taste like all other parts of the animal you usually eat. But I'm pretty sure the teriyaki sauce had a lot to do with it. One thing is certain: I will have an offaly hard time finding a better place to eat when next in Tokyo. 

Continuing Transsiberian Blog...From Peru

Tiger Mural Near Statues of Cyril and Methodius

I may have moved on to my next assignment but I feel there are still a post or three that I can write to summarize my journey across Russia. Instead of endless writing, perhaps I'll just post some photos with descriptions. What I found most interesting about Vladivostok was the mix of history: modern, Soviet, pre-Soviet. I saw lots of interesting graffiti not far from czarist monuments and reminders of Lenins from past days. In fact, there was a whole museum exhibition of Lenin memorabilia. I'm not sure whether this was out of nostalgia or a hope for the future. Time will tell, I guess. 

Through the Keyhole

Funny Bunny

Pulled This Photo Out of My Hat

Another Type of Lennon

Dreamy Marilyn

       

Cyril and Methodius

           

            Soviet Power in Far East Memorial

Lenin Bids You "Welcome" and "Farewell" (for now)

San Francisco and Pyongyang

Just because my train journey had ended did not mean my adventures had ended as well. After three weeks on the road, I had three days to discover Vladivostok, or as it is called, the San Francisco of the East. I also had a close encounter with North Korea in more than one sense. All in all, Vladivostok was a great way to end my Transsiberian trip.

Lenin Greets All in Vladivostok

After getting off the train I went in search of food. Unsurprisingly, nothing was open until eight or nine o’clock in the morning. This meant that I was forced to haul my bags around until I found a place to eat. Once that mission was accomplished, I was able to start getting the lay of the land. The city center is actually quite small. I was able to walk the main parts within a couple of hours. The highlight is the shoreline which overlooks a bay that points further East, towards Japan. I was unsure

I Spy Lenin in the Window

of whether I was looking a Japan off in the distance or some local island. Either way, it was just as beautiful in the rain as it was during sunset. The rest of the city was indeed hilly. I could see where the comparisons with San Francisco came in to play. There were also a few impressive bridges that spanned the bay and reached over on to the neighboring islands. What I did find odd was that, for such a secretive country, a small part of its naval fleet was docked in the harbor, in full view of anyone who cared to look. And I cared to look.

The first day was just me, finding my hotel and getting a feel for the city. My hotel ended up being on the top of an enormous hill overlooking the river which emptied into the bay. It was not a posh place by any means but it was clean, safe, and allowed me to see a part of the town where most tourists fail to go. And it helped that the United States Consulate was right down the street. The next day, I had a ton of plans, some of which I fulfilled. I went to the local history museum and saw an exhibit on my best buddy, Lenin. They had a couple of rooms filled with Lenin iconography from Komsomol pins to marble busts to paintings by local fan(atics). The top floor of the museum had an photo exhibit done by a Japanese photographer who took pictures of an Old Believers colony before the outbreak of World War II. It might have been the most interesting museum visit of my

Hall of Lenins

trip. After exercising my brain, it was time to exercise my feet and visit Russky Island on the other side of the bridge.

I really didn’t plan the island trip very well. It is recommended for those who want to explore nature trails and visit the old forts that guarded the USSR’s eastern coast during the Cold War years (and today?). That proved to be more difficult than anticipated since guide books give you the location but are sketchy on the details on how to get to these points of interest. I thought I would give it a go when my waiter at one restaurant suggested I take a bus that leaves Vladivostok and circles Russky Island. He did warn me not to take the bus in during morning and afternoon rush hours since Vladivostok has some of the worst traffic in Russia. I took his advice but it, apparently, didn’t matter when I took the bus; traffic was terrible throughout the day. Much like Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok is not well-built for traffic. For some reason, there is a lack of traffic lights on the side streets so cars have to merge into traffic when they feel able. This means that cars are pushing onto the main roads with abandon, causing massive traffic jams. It took forever to get from Vladivostok, over the bridge, and onto Russky

Cool Street Art

Island. What I soon realized is that it was no tiny island that I could explore in a couple of hours; rather, it was more on the size of Staten Island in New York. I saw many impressive views of the ocean but I had no idea how to access it. One site I will not forget is seeing the rest of the Russian fleet in a cove on the eastern side of the island. It was massive and everyone who cared to look out the bus’s window would have seen a giant nuclear submarine pulling into the harbor. It was impressive and a wee bit scary. I had thoughts of hopping of the bus and snapping some pictures. Then, I had other thoughts of being arrested for spying and spending time in a Russian jail so, I deferred. When I finally came to the point where I needed to transfer buses, my plans changed. It seems that the island is not set up for tourism. The next bus would arrive and depart in fifty-four minutes. At this point, I called it a day and headed back to the city. As I was retracing my route, the bus crossed a bridge and I spied the guns that once protected the islands. I very much wanted to hop off the bus, but exhaustion dictated that I get some dinner back in Vladivostok.

Spanning the City 

"Hidden" Fleet

Dinner was awesome. I got as close to North Korea as I ever hope to get. There is one North Korean owned restaurant in the city and it was highly recommended. I’m pretty sure the food doesn’t differ from a South Korean restaurant but I thought I’d go for the novelty. The restaurant had two statues

Welcome to North Korea

guarding the door but they looked friendly, for statues. Inside I was greeted by a very attractive waitress who seated me and took my order. There was nothing different about the restaurant other than it being a little bit spare. It was not overly decorated with prints or ornate furniture. In fact, I found this an attractive feature of the place. When the food came, it was delicious. I ordered a sizzling duck platter with vegetables. As I chowed down on the food, I wondered about the food situation in North Korea. I was pretty sure I was eating better than most of the country’s citizens and that duck was not on most people’s plate at night. I finished my meal, made some small talk with the waitresses, and then made my way to my hotel high in the hills. Another day well done and almost time to leave.

Russky Island

Sun Sets in the East