(First of all, we wanted to let everyone know that we are OK, and we made it to Beijing very late last night, after an exciting evening yesterday.) We were just hanging out at the airport yesterday, preparing to board our flight from Tokyo to Beijing, when out of the black (it was mid-evening) the entire building began to shake around us!!!! It was exactly like the movies portray an earthquake – the rumbling noise, and everything around us shaking and the floor felt like it was sort of rolling . . . Then very loud, sharp alarm noises went off all around us, and I thought to myself, “Yikes! This is a real earthquake! We need to get outside!!!” But of course we couldn’t – we were locked in an airport! I had a fleeting moment of panic, what are we supposed to do?? I grabbed Sydney, and looked around at the others around us, prepared to follow their lead . . . I knew enough to pay attention, and the excitement and activity of the airport staff, and the anxiety of the otherwise calm and polite Japanese people were telling signs to me to stay alert. The quake seemed like it lasted a long time, but in reality was over very quickly. Nothing appeared to be damaged at the airport, and the excitement around us simmered down relatively quickly. When we were able to access information (in English), we found out that an earthquake we experienced was a 5.8 on the Richter Scale, and occurred approx. 50 km east of Tokyo, relatively close to where we were. Here’s a link to an article about the event, if you want to read more: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0009ek2.php And Sydney says:
I got to experience an earthquake! It was kind of freaky, and I was a little scared. I was happy that nothing fell down around us. It was SO like the movies!
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Whenever we are traveling (which is often!), we like to get off the beaten path, immerse ourselves in the culture of the place we’re visiting. To do this, we do a lot of walking around, we strike up conversations with locals in coffee houses and shops, and we navigate using the local metro services instead of taxis whenever possible. It’s fair to say we’re seasoned travelers, but today we were put to the test – and given the wonderous blessing of perspective. Today, we were given the smallest taste of what it must be like to be a foreign immigrant, or refugee, coming to America. Let me explain . . . We left our hotel early this morning on foot, headed for the nearest Tokyo Metro station. We do this EVERY TIME we travel, so in preparation, we had planned out where we were headed, which trains we would need to take, where our transfers would be, and it’s Saturday so the infamous workday crowds on the Tokyo subway should be at a minimum. We’ve done this so many times, this should be no biggie, right? Ha, ha! WRONG!! The amount of time and energy we spent attempting to decipher the automated ticketing system was comical. Even using the English translated version didn’t help us – none of the train line names or stops matched our preplanned route. After struggling with this for about 30 minutes, a friendly Japanese woman approached us, and offered her assistance. Lesson #1: There are 3 separate train systems operating in Tokyo. None of the train lines matched our plans, because we were trying to buy tickets to the wrong system! After being directed to the correct ticket machine, and purchasing our tickets, we thought we were good to go. WRONG AGAIN! Naturally, everything in the Metro system is written in Japanese – ads, directional signs, you name it. And where the characters were beautiful to behold, without some form of reference for meaning, they were equally indecipherable. Thankfully, the train lines were color coded, and the Japanese people are polite and helpful to visitors in distress. Lesson #2: This is what it feels like to be illiterate. Actually, it was worse than that. When you’re illiterate, you are unable to read or write. We were also unable to speak, or understand the language being spoken all around us. Everywhere we turned, we were confronted with this language barrier, which brought an additional level of complexity to the most common decisions. When we were ready to eat lunch, we were confronted with signs that looked like this: Even our attempts to make conversation with locals for the most part fell short. Smiles, gestures and menus with pictures were helpful, but mostly because of the grace and patience of the people willing to help us. The experiences of the day were frustrating and exhausting, but at the same time positive and humbling. We bumbled through, and by the end of the day, we have a newfound respect for anyone who has the courage to leave the familiar, and brave the unknown, in hopes of a better life for themselves and their children.
On Friday, we decided to spend our day as American tourists in Japan. We boarded a motor coach at 7:45 a.m. for a guided tour of Mt. Fuji, and the surrounding area. Our guide, Take (sounds like sake, the Japanese rice wine), kept us entertained while giving us lots of information about Japan, Tokyo and Mt. Fuji during the 2 hour bus ride. (For instance, did you know that 10% of Japan’s population lives in Tokyo?) When he ran out of fun statistical stuff, he turned to more entertaining things. Here is a pic of Sydney’s name written out in Japanese 2 ways. The writing to the left is the less formal, and the right is more formal. The weather this morning was cool and rainy during the bus ride, so we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to see much of Mt. Fuji (Japan’s largest mountain; and active, though dormant volcano). Needless to say, we were thrilled when the sun came out, and the skies cleared – practically the very moment we pulled up to the 5th station of the mountain! Every summer, there is a 1/2 marathon from the base of the mountain to the summit. Last year’s winner was an American, and he ran the distance (entirely uphill, at altitude) in only 2 1/2 hours! After leaving the 5th station, we were taken to a nearby restaurant for an authentic Japanese sushi lunch. We were each given a beautiful little bento box with sashimi, seaweed salad, and other elegant morsels. Yum! Sydney is getting REALLY good at eating with chopsticks. After lunch, we were on to the town of Hakone, where we took a short boat ride around Lake Ashi, which was formed by the caldera of the nearby volcano. It’s spring, and here in Japan, the cherry trees are in full bloom. This tree is 200 years old! After our long day, we were more than ready to get back to our hotel. A quick 40 minute ride on the bullet train (travelling at 160 mph) had us back in Tokyo lickety-split! Ohayo! (Pronounced oh-HI-oh) Good Morning from Tokyo. We had a wonderful flight, thanks to all of Chris’s frequent flyer miles, and our upgraded business class seats. We arrived at the Narita airport about 5:00 p.m. yesterday, but by the time we navigated the train into the city, then a taxi to the hotel, it was close to 8:00 p.m. before we were settled into our room. Even though we traveled comfortably, we haven’t escaped the inevitable jet lag. Well, we are on the other side of the globe, 13 hours difference from our home in Florida. So, it wasn’t terribly surprising that we were bright eyed and wide awake at 2:00 a.m. Hopefully, we’ll adjust to this time zone soon. Today, Chris is in meetings with clients, so Sydney and I went out for a little exploring. We got directions from the hotel to a nearby shopping area and park. We ventured out to see what’s around us, and to find a market so we could get some water and snacks at lower than hotel prices. Unfortunately, today’s weather is windy and rainy, so we weren’t out for long. The nearby Yeshibu Garden Place was very nice. After a little more walking, we popped into a small corner market for our snacks and water. Deciphering the food labels was interesting, to say the least! We ended up choosing some chips, which now we know are flavored with seaweed. Sounds strange, but they are delicious! After a little more walking, we popped into a small corner market for our snacks and water. Deciphering the food labels was interesting, to say the least! We ended up choosing some chips, which now we know are flavored with seaweed. Sounds strange, but they are delicious! And Sydney Says: The plane ride was fun, but really long. We couldn’t sleep very well last night, even though we were really tired. Lots of the Japanese people wear masks, and that seems strange to me. I wonder how they eat and drink with those masks on? The adventure we have been planning for, which used to seem nebulous and unattainable, is now only 6 days away! My to-do lists are being whittled down, and we are just about ready to go. As a family, each of us has already experienced a variety of emotion. What is it really going to be like, when our 3 becomes 4? It’s fair to say that we’re nervous, anxious, and excited!
So many people have taken the time to wish us a safe journey. It feels so wonderful to know that we are surrounded by the love of so many of our family and friends. |
Lisa LynchLisa is a world traveling mom that took the ultimate adventure Archives
December 2012
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