FINIS ... parting comments

BY THE NUMBERS...

Miles - rough calculations

100+ - boats
175 - walking...just short of 6 miles per day... just under 10 per day the last week in Japan
xxx - transit - bus, trams, subways... lost track! (pun)
500+ - van - by driver with guide = 3 teams - Panama, Leyte, Luzon
800 - 2 round trips to Indy (the grands!) + 1 round trip from there to university of Illinois (Dr. Max !)
1500 - rental cars = 5 (1300 Hawaii plus 2 stops in San Fran)
1500 - train (mostly Japan - bullet! -  plus Panama)
30000~ - plane = 20 flights (4 different airlines... thanks mostly to Delta and Southwest points)

~35000 miles total travel

Plus one 500 mile race = Indy 500 !!! VROOM

20 different overnight locations  (3 of those on planes)
6 states (including adding / completing #50 overall)
4 new foreign countries (now 24 for Cheryl and 27 for Andrew)
1 new continent (almost 2.. some people count each side of Panama Canal as North and South America)
2 oceans - Atlantic end of Panama Canal and a big chunk of the BIG Pacific

No breakdowns.
No lost items or getting lost... couple of steps in “wrong” direction maybe occasionally - but every flight, train, bus, subway, boat, etc on time and right direction
No robberies.

One bad “Maggie Knee” injury / flareup... slowed us down just a little (sorry, Cheryl - get well soon)

40 days and 40 nights

2019 - the journey

FROM THE HEART...

Another complete immersion therapy session with the love of my LIFE®.  This journey of love keeps evolving and just keeps getting better and better.  I could not be without Cheryl. (Or at minimum I would still be heading the wrong way on a subway somewhere beneath Tokyo) We had our moments of disagreement, etc... (don’t think that can be avoided when you are rarely more than an arm length ... hug...apart for 40 days/nights).... but in general pure bliss.  The rest of the year we live with a repeating 5 days apart and 2 intense days together... so it is even more sweet when we can be together for that long... we found our way literally half way around the world together.... thank you, Cheryl...I love you.  see you again next year!

AND ONE OVERALL “TAKE-AWAY”

We are more alike than we are different.

We are more alike than we are different.

Delta airlines CEO opens the safety video on flights with this statement.  Don’t think he invented the phrase or concept, but it hits home.

Between the past 4 summers of journeys around the world / in and out of multiple countries / cultures/ languages / places / back alleys / hole in the walls/ off the beaten paths  / etc ... and my work role that puts me in front of multiple groups of varying people constantly each year....  this concept hits home.

No matter where you live. What color you are. What nationality you are. What religion you are. What occupation you have.  What gender orientation you are. What background you bring with you.   People are people.  And we are more alike than we are different.

The political and religious leaders of the world may aim us into directions that cause us to differ from time to time on some concepts / beliefs, but... we are more alike than different.

That Japanese solider back in 1945, thousands of miles from his home, dug deep in his foxhole a few feet of jungle away from Irvin was not that much different.

We are more alike than we are different.

July 1

Today is our travel day, our last.

We were up early and out the door before 5.  We walked to the train station—this apt was so close—and then had a short ride to the monorail which took us to the airport.  The airport  certainly wasn’t busy at all and we went straight to the ticket counter to wait for them to open to get us squared away.  We went through security a few times and ultimately made our way to our gate.  Today we got to use the “lounge”.  Usually Andrew is eligible (free food and drinks!) but we have to pay for me to accompany him and we normally don’t spend that much anyway to warrant it.  Today I was free!  They had breakfast all ready for us! 

The flight was about 2 1/2 hours until Shanghai and then more security as well as taking our temperature en masse!  It is interesting to again note how different airports are—we didn’t have to take off our shoes but did have to take the umbrellas out of the bag, as well as our battery pack/phone chargers.  Smokers lost their lighters. But everyone is ever so helpful! We do stand out as one of a handful of, if that many(!), Caucasians and people tend to offer assistance, and make sure we are in the right line, etc.

Our flight to LA was uneventful, just long—12 hours! We watched “Captain Marvel” even though we both have trouble hearing parts via provided ear buds.  I just can’t find earbuds that work right! They fed us twice and kept the lights pretty dim.  We tried napping and did a bit.

Since we had a long layover we opted to leave the airport and head to the beach.  We were in LA after all!  Andrew downloaded the Uber app and we tried it for the first time today!  Easy peasy! They gave their car description and license number and you could actually “see” them on the phone app “arriving”!  Our first dropped us off at Manhattan Beach—amazing!  We walked onto the pier and then took a casual walk down the beach.  The sand was soft and the water was cool and the temperature was perfect too!  People of all ages were swimming, surfing, and just enjoying the water.  It got busier as the time passed.  We had a couple of drinks and split a hamburger, sat on the pier once again, and ultimately called another Uber who dropped us off at the Southwest entry of the terminal.  We (actually I) chose a line to go through security but it turned out to be a slow one. We got through, found a place to veg, and waited on our plane.   And it was late getting there!!😲 

I slept the entire Phoenix-LA connection—I don’t even remember the take off!! 

That was close!! Our plane from LA was so late getting there and that ultimately included late arriving in Phoenix for our short layover!  We had to speed walk, including on those walking escalators(!), and JUST made it! There wasn’t anyone left at the gate as we rushed to the counter. It turned out we’re weren’t the only ones, but I have a feeling several missed their flight as he said they were missing 18 and not that many got on behind us.  It also meant we were seated in the back back and across the aisle from one another.  Still close though! 😊 We’ve literally been together except for bathroom breaks since our journey began!! I landed up sitting next to a mom and daughter  heading to Indianapolis for volleyball nationals!  This plane did head out on time.  

John-Paul was there to pick us up and we were home again, home again. THANK YOU! It was 2 AM, so late!! 

Total time more or less awake, 37 hours.  :/  we think—we were so tired it was hard to do math, especially since we had been 13 hours ahead of Indiana this past week and 12 hours ahead the week before that! We were traveling back in time to catch up. :)

And we did it all with minimal packing.  Andrew took a mid-size (carry-on size) backpack and I took my new school-size backpack (Thanks, Max and Sarah!) and my mid-size purse.  For four weeks!! We are getting even better at minimalist traveling! We tend to draw attention though, as when you need your tickets printed they look around you and ask, “Your bags?”  Or when you go through customs and they want to know where your other bags are, “Your bags?” Or when check into a hotel and they really want to help you so they can earn a tip and your only bag is already on your back, “Your bags?” 

It was tricky deciding exactly what we’d need to pack. We knew we’d encounter rain due to “rainy seasons,” but the raincoats were hot on some days so we then we  bought umbrellas, which we then had to pack or leave behind.   We packed them as they were smaller ones.  Shoes? Swimming suits? Easy to rinse and dry clothes were essential. Toiletries! 😮 That is always my big overpack as you never know when you’ll need something!! Neosporin? Pepto bismo?? You really don’t want to mess with anything that will help with potential upset intestines!! How much Advil? Do we pack vitamins? That is where I tend to overpack. We didn’t even pack any technology other than our phones, which was challenging at blogging times, as the blogging site didn’t always work well or “looked” a bit wonky.    

Notes and observations for Japan

Drivers:  The drivers in Japan sit on the right side of the car and drive on the left side of the road.  Neither of us knew that and were perplexed! This is what Andrew found. Although Japan was never part of the British Empire, its traffic also keeps to the left. This practice goes back all the way to the Edo period (1603-1867) when Samurai ruled the country—having to do with wearing their sword and scabbard—but it wasn't until 1872 that this “unwritten” rule became official. That was the year when Japan's first railway was introduced. Three countries approached the Japanese government to help them build a railway system. These three countries were America, France, and Britain. In the end, Britain won out. In 1872 the first Japanese railway was up and running thanks to the British. A massive network of railways spread out from there, all of which were left-side running.  If American or French railways had been built instead, Japan would probably be driving on the right side of the road today.

Trash:  There is no, or very little, trash.  Anywhere. We did see some but not quantifiable, if that makes sense. We discussed it and think perhaps the little random trash we did encounter was possibly due to tourists?  Maybe?  It is lovely to see EVERYONE take responsibility for the waste they create. 

Never any fear:  We wandered around 10+ miles per day as well as multitudes of trains and buses, and NEVER felt afraid or concerned for our well-being.  Many places we traveled were very quiet back streets and even narrow dark alleys thanks to the GPS (!).  Kris said there are parts you do need to be wary of but overall it’s a safe place to live and visit.

Very polite:  Almost every single person we met was above and beyond polite, almost to the extreme! People would come up to us to offer help, such as if we were looking at bus/train station maps or anytime we looked like we were pondering a decision.  

Fashion:  I most definitely loved everything people were wearing.  There were no limits!  Men were much more conservative, mostly light tops and dark pants. For woman, every shoe style and height! How some of them walked amazed us. Every fabric and color and pattern combination for clothes!  Wow! Too fun! Many were a blast from my youth! No decade restrictions here!! The most common shoes for school girls was a black penny loafer. We saw tons and tons of kids going to and from schools and most wore those!  

Littles and freedom:  We saw very young kids traveling by themselves, crossing busy streets, using the trains and buses, and just getting where they needed to be.  Wow. I am so curious about this and will be doing some more research as this was so fascinating!   

Flight attendants, tour guides, etc. were always dressed very professionally and quite often in matching suits, black pumps, sometimes hats, etc., and everywhere we went that involved a group or tour was super organized.    

We are sure there are many more things —just stop and ask us or come by and see the pictures. We took a bunch!! 😊

I do apologize for random typos as even after rereading entries, autocorrect sometimes still fixed things weirdly. 😲

FINAL EPILOGUE.... A few weeks back one of my notes referenced “more on that later”.... it is now later.  Tokyo Bay... maybe at the exact spot where the battleship Missouri laid anchor in 1945...

 “It is my earnest hope—indeed the hope of all mankind—that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past, a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice."  ....Douglas MacArthur... Tokyo bay ...  signing of the instrument of surrender...September 2, 1945

We ended our journey with a cruise out into Tokyo Bay... again not sure if exact spot... but we were there.... end of our journey.

Thank you Irvin....And The Greatest Generation.  May we learn from history and never repeat.  RIP

June 30

Our last day—our trip went fast!! 

We saw quite a bit of things considered touristy yesterday and didn’t have a lot planned today except to wander around and enjoy the city.  Tokyo and Japan, of what we have seen, are amazing!!

We walked over the grounds of the Imperial Palace.  The current Imperial Palace is located on the former site of Edo Castle, which was the residence of warrior Edo Shigetsugua.  It is a large park area surrounded by moats and MASSIVE stone walls.  It is currently the residence of Japan's Imperial Family. The Emperor is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people".  The Emperor does have some official and public duties while other members of the Imperial Family perform ceremonial and social duties only; they have no role in the affairs of government. The duties as an Emperor are passed down the line to their children.  The Japanese monarchy is claimed to be the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. The palace was destroyed during WW II, and rebuilt in the same style afterwards. 

From the large plaza in front of the Imperial Palace, we stared, entranced, at the Nijubashi, two bridges that form an entrance to the inner palace grounds. This stone bridge is called Meganebashi (Eyeglass Bridge) for its looks. The entire scene was magical! It really did look like something from a fantasy movie!

The inner grounds of the palace are generally not open to the public. Only on January 2 (New Year's Greeting) and February 23 (the Emperor’s birthday), visitors are able to enter the inner palace grounds and actually see the members of the Imperial Family, who make several public appearances on a balcony.  Everything was so pretty and well-kept.  The trees, grassy areas, even the moat.

We also wandered around the East Gardens.  So pretty with lots of different flowers and trees and rocks!  The Tenshudai (a big rock wall!) is the foundation of the once-tallest tower in Japan and has been standing since the 1600s.  

I can’t even imagine what it’s like earlier in the year when the cherry trees and zillions of other things are in full bloom!! 

We took a detour to walk past the Budokan.   A number of famous rock music acts have played at Budokan. The Beatles were the first rock group to ever play there in a series of concerts held between June 30 and July 2 of 1966.  Tina Turner played there in 1985. Another big act to enter the stage at Budokan was ABBA. They ended their last tour there, “ABBA: The Tour.” Their final show, on March 27, 1980, also turned out to be the last live concert they did together. Several live albums were recorded at Budokan, including releases by Bryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Cheap Trick, Dream Theater, John Hiatt, Kiss, Mr. Big, Ozzy Osbourne, and Journey. There were lines for a concert there this evening, Kreva, their 15th anniversary tour! They must be popular as the lines were really long and it was still very early in the day! 

We then met up with an acquaintance from home for lunch.  Yes, from home—St. Anthony even!  Kris was between John-Paul and Max in school, in their scout troop, and also an Eagle Scout!  We knew he moved here after school because we see his dad periodically but weren’t sure where in Japan he actually lived.  It turns out he lives just north of the city and could come in to meet us!!  Thank you, Kris, for taking time out of a restful weekend to accommodate us!  It was so nice to catch up with him as he was always such a neat young man! And still is.  He met and married someone from here while he was visiting several years ago.  His wife is a kindergarten teacher (who teaches 5-6 days a week nearly year round  and will be part of a sleepover next week with lots of littles (!)—teachers everywhere just get it done!!) and he teaches English, with his current students aged children to adults!  We can certainly see why he lives here—it is a phenomenal city!!  He said if someone would have told him when he was younger that he would have gone to visit Japan and then meet and marry someone, and then live and work here and learn the language and culture, he would have thought them crazy, and yet here he is, living it.  Life is all about the journey and we never know what routes our lives will take along the way! We didn’t, unfortunately, get to meet his wife, but maybe next time! We WERE sort of last minute! 😃 I can definitely see us coming to Japan again!

We hopped onto a train, and then another, and then walked a bit for our final agenda item, a boat tour of the bay. We boarded and were shown to our seats. It was an enjoyable trip, lasting about two hours.  We had some snacks and drinks and could see much of the city from a new perspective.  We couldn’t see Mt Fuji as it is officially the rainy season and thus still pretty cloudy.  It was a great way to end our trip.  Japan officially surrendered in Tokyo Bay and we crossed those same waters.

We slowly made our way back “home,” wandering through very quiet and  peaceful neighborhoods, and near home stopped for some sake (Japanese rice wine).  We have been in Japan for a week and hadn’t had any yet!  Since not all restaurants serve alcohol, we stopped at the first restaurant and asked if they had any and she smiled and said they did not as they were a Chinese restaurant.   Well, that was embarrassing! She suggested the restaurant two doors down but they were already closed. Many businesses were closed and the streets were really pretty quiet. It is Sunday evening! We did find a bustling place and finally enjoyed some sake!  It wasn’t nearly as strong as I’d imagined.  We did go back to the Chinese restaurant and have some dessert, which was a custard of some kind (Andrew thinks it was the inside of a coconut due to its texture!) with fruit cocktail on it)—it wasn’t really what we envisioned for a final dessert but we wanted to sort of make amends for not realizing it wasn’t a Japanese restaurant.  

We got all packed up and ready to head home.  We head out at 5 AM since we have to get to the airport via train and monorail, and get our boarding passes printed.  Japan to Shanghai to Los Angeles to Indianapolis.  It certainly has  been a trip of a lifetime!  Who would have thought we’d ever retrace Irvin’s trip of a lifetime, 75 years later.  

Thank you, Andrew for making it real and always planning everything out just right! Of course, everyday with you is another trip of a lifetime. 😉😊😘  You are the world, my world! Thanks for all the experiences of the past and I look forward to more in the future!   I love you!!

 

June 29

We didn’t have to haul around heavy backpacks so all is good!! We had a few things we wanted to see so off we hoofed it to the train station. We did a lot of waking today, over 10 miles, and utilized a bunch of public transportation!  Tokyo is a big city. 😁

We went to the Tokyo Skytree, a broadcasting and observation tower.  It measures 2,080 feet, apparently making it the tallest tower in the world and the 2nd tallest structure when it was completed in 2012. A large shopping complex makes up the lower floors.  The highlight of the Tokyo Skytree is its two observation decks which offered spectacular views of Tokyo. The two enclosed decks are located at heights of 350 and 450 meters respectively, making them the highest observation decks in Japan and some of the highest in the world. There is also a “glass” floor area you can stand on and see DOWN.  They have a special exhibit I guess you’d call it as it is devoted to Hello Kitty!  Apparently Hello Kitty is 45 this year!  

The view from near the top was awesome even though it was drizzly and cloudy so basically we saw clouds! But that means we were really up there!! And we did make out buildings straight down!!  On a clear day you can see Mt Fuji!  We did not! 

 

Since we hadn’t had breakfast yet we shared a cream roll and Salisbury steak on rice, complete with an egg on top!  Not bad! 

As we were walking we found a craft beer brewery so of course we had to stop to sample a few. I actually had a ginger beer that was a beer! Not bad!! The Asahi Beer Hall is one of the buildings of the Asahi Breweries headquarters and is considered one of Tokyo's most recognizable modern structures. The shape of the building is that of a beer glass, designed to complement the neighboring golden beer mug-shaped building housing the brewery offices.

A shrine was next on our list:  Asakusa.  Asakusa's main attraction is Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century. The temple is approached via a VERY, VERY busy shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional and local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries. There are over 50 shops!! Talk about lots of people!  Many were even dressed in traditional kimonos! 

We then headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and stood in line for about 30 minutes so we could take an elevator up to the top to see the city.  High up views are neat!! Such a different perspective!! We met a nice couple with their little ones—ages 3 1/2 months and almost 5. You can tell we’ve been away from the grands a bit long as we keep gravitating to littles!!  The day was less rainy but still cloudy.  It made it less hot though!! It is apparently “rainy season” now and really hot and humid comes next.  Sounds like home!!

The Meiji Jungu is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. The Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park make up a large forested area. It reminded me a little of Central Park! The spacious shrine grounds offered beautiful walking paths.  Entry into the shrine grounds is marked by a massive torii gate. The approximately 100,000 trees that make up Meiji Jingu's forest were planted during the shrine's construction and were donated from regions across the entire country. It is stunning and peaceful! Meiji Jingu is also one of Japan's most popular shrines. During the year, traditional Shinto weddings can often be seen taking place there, of which we witness a wedding processional while we were there. An interesting thing you will spot at Meiji Jingu Shrine is this huge collection of sake barrels. They are called kazaridaru in Japanese and are a decorative display. Sake traditionally has been a connection between the gods and people in Japan. These sake barrels are offered every year to the enshrined deities at Meiji Jingu Shrine. They have been donated by sake brewers from around Japan to the shrine with the sake being used for shrine ceremonies and festivals. And if Sake isn’t enough, an array of wine barrels are placed at the front approach to Meiji Shrine in a wooded area and serve as proof that the beverage has created strong ties with France and serves as a bridge for cultural exchange. 

We then headed to the busiest intersection in all of Tokyo, Shibuya Station. Apparently you can’t come to Tokyo without experience this phenomenon. On sunny afternoons or clear evenings or cloudy days like today, the area is packed with shoppers, students, young couples, and commuters, and tourists! When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides. It is truly organized chaos.  

Our sort of final spot of the day was the Tokyo Tower, a communications tower. At 1,092 ft, it is the second-tallest structure in Japan.  The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations. We walked around it and then tried to find something to have for supper but the Korean restaurant we stopped at completely ignored us so we left and so many others were closed.  We finally found a great Indian restaurant and then headed back to the tower. We went up to the observation decks, one at 490 feet and one at 819 feet!  Andrew had it timed so we'd see the city come alive with the lights of the night while we were on the top deck.  So pretty!!  Tokyo is a big and beautiful city!

Yes, we saw lots of views from up high but no mountain climbing today.  My Maggie knee is still sensitive and the steps down to the trains nearly did me in.😕

We headed back to our home away from home to do a quick load of laundry, grabbed a quick bite from down the street, and set up our final full day.  Forty days and forty nights are soon coming to an end.