The Shinkansen

THE SHINKANSEN


Many travellers to Japan feel that one must see Mt. Fuji to make their trip complete. While I don't disagree, I should not having climbed it six times, I do think the single best Japanese experience is the Shinkansen.

The Bullet train as it is affectionately know to us foreigners is a hyper experience of modern mechanization. It is a train like no other because it is operated by people like no other.
The hustle and bustle of any Japanese train station is immediately quelled when you step on board this platypus nosed creation. Immediately, and I mean immediately, the Shinkansen silently departs and the platform conductor bows to you as he sends you on your way.
Then the on board conductor trips the electronic eye and silently enters your car, he bows too. Graciously he makes his way to your seat, clips your ticket and as he exits the car, he bows again.
Next, the refreshments cart. A female attendant enters your car, she bows and lilting entreats you to bento boxes or coffee, tea, etc. Mesmerized, I watch as she bows again as she exits.
I have to go to the restroom at the front of the car. I quietly get up go to the door which opens as I approach. I get this now. I turn and bow to the car as I leave to releave myself.

Roppongi

ROPPONGI DISCOVERED

In the eight or nine times I have been to Tokyo, I have never ventured into the quarter called Roppongi. Why you ask? For the same reason I did not get to Santa Croce until my third trip to Florence. For the same reason one cannot see everything in the Louvre in one visit. Life is all about choices. Sometimes we get to things immediately, sometimes it takes five or six tries.

I am staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel located in the fashionable Roppongi Hills division of Roppongi proper. This is at last my opportunity to experience this neighborhood whose reputation is one of a foreign enclave where the greater percentage of non-Asian faces can be found in the crush that is Tokyo. The area is know for it's endless variety of bars, clubs and eateries catering to the eclectic needs of the Gaijin.

I arrived on a Saturday evening and the streets resembled Bourban Street, New Orleans on any weekend. These revelers were still out Sunday morning when I went for my jog; most were deeply hung over.

The main reason to head to Roppongi when in Tokyo is the abundant choice of reasonable eateries of every ethnic variety. All are within easy walking distance of each other. Add to this the hip vibe of a youth-filled neighborhood and you will enjoy the areas flash and energy.

JAL Premium Economy

ARRIVAL NRT=Narita Airport, JAPAN

I had the privilege of flying Japan Airlines new "Premium Economy." It seems that all airlines will soon convert their planes to add this third (or fourth) class between Business and coach. Currently it is a confusing transition. Some carriers like JAL have changed the actual seats other carriers have only dsignated an already existing area in the forward portion of coach, some carriers have fleets which are half and half. It is another of life's conundrums.

My advise at this stage of the conversion game is to check and recheck to insure you are getting what you think,

What I think: it's worth the extra hundreds while Business Class is oft hard to justify for the extra thousands.

The JAL seats are two-by-two pods. The shell is stationary, the seat(s) individually slide forward. The pitch was such that I could actually step over the passenger on the aisle next to me without his having to get up. This was a good thing as he was quite ill and didn't move or eat the entire 11.4 hrs.

LAX - Tom Bradley Terminal

AT THE AIRPORT

Japan Airlines LAX to Narita. A pleasant contemplation of flying comes when I am boarding a Foreign Flag. Flight crews who will assist with baggage into the overhead have always been one of the top A-moves for this short person.
Most travellers hate airports. They are congested frantic places filled with maximum stress and McDonald's. I love them. For me they are the promise of a new adventure, a new beginning.

There is a cachet to the Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX. It is our city's international crossroads. Thousands of people going to exotic foreign lands, thousands of people coming from the same. When I fly from Terminal One I never feel the buzz of Bangkok or the veiled mystery of Dubai. Terminal One is for folks who only know the letters A - B - C. Tom Bradley is the promise of being lost in translation.

Omiage - Japanese gift giving

DEPARTURES

It's 10pm, the day before, and the normal jumble of packing is behind me. Along with my minamalist wardrobe, I have my backpack stuffed with Trader Joe's dried fruit. These omiage, gifts of arrival, are an obligatory gesture of Japanese society. Onerous for the giver, exciting for the receiver. Lest you think dried fruit common, in Japan the price tag is four times what I paid making my present and myself seem larger than life. Other sought after gifts are bottles of wine, Johnny Walker, all of which are far too heavy for my rule of: only take what 'you' can carry.