Day 25: Kansai Airport to E-ville

Day 25: Kansai Airport Hotel to E-ville (TWENTY FIVE DAYS!!!)

QOTD:   A new study discrediting food sell by dates is going to save my marriage

Weather: mid 60s to low 70s and breezy, one of the better weather days on the trip, except this time we only experience in abstentia, as we move directly from the hotel to the terminal

Pics at top:  From the ride home, and examples of how sleeping on trains is bleeding over to sleeping on planes

The airport terminal is so close we make two trips: the first to return the phone ($84, with $27 of it for in-country calls, most of it spent on reaching Steve so we can change plans – inbound calls are free, so this is just for the outbound calls); the second visit is to actually check-in and await our fate in the biz class lounge (we’re flying Asiana, the airline that crashed at SFO three months ago, the very flight we’re about to board after our layover in Seoul, and THB’s first time back since a long layover in 2008 after our flight was moved up flying out of Beijing in 2008).

A flight from Seoul that may allow us to defeat jet lag (well, not defeat, more like maybe put a small dent in the lag) as we can sleep and then get up on local time.

Pics at below from our 2010 Japan trip (note that we're wearing sweaters!): bathing sign, Benesse Hotel Museum, at Liisa's house in Osaka, cherry blossoms at Miho, De Maria before being closed off, octopus balls, yukata bow, Liisa and THB and DB in our younger days, shoes sign, in Tokoname with Steve and Kinashita-san (unfortunately, he passed away between our visits), baseball in the Tokyo Dome

 

 

Observations

(the rest to follow in next - and last - posting)

Observation Ichi: Speaking of 2010, DB asks THB on the last night, so which trip was better, this one or the earlier one? THB thinks for a few seconds (nearing the max on thinking, unlike writing) and says, 2010. WRONG! We start reviewing the two trips and a minute or two later (THB is now getting exhausted, hard to keep up this thinking pace), and come to the following conclusions: the artist visits for most part were way better this time (and thus we are spending more on art in 2013); in the terrific to essential category: Sagawa Museum, Adachi Gardens, Nakasendo Road hike with a great guide, The Earth, Abeke House, and, not just one triennial, TWO triennials full of discovery and meaningful art, and a few more happenings that THB will have to re-read the blog to remember (his own writing and he can’t remember!!!). All exceeded expectations, were worth a significant detour (and some were very significant detours).

So why did THB jump to 2010 as the better trip? The obvious answer is that the shock and awe factor were in full force. Who could forget picture after picture of the toilets. Changing shoes every time you approached any sort of entrance or exit or bathroom. Figuring out the trains, which always ran on time, and never finding anywhere by the address, always having to use a map (and THB’s eyesight has weakened enough in 3 years that DB does all the map reading now, a burden that used to be more equitably shared). The cleanliness, the safety, the different food (and Japan has many different styles of food we don’t see in the US) from breakfast through dessert at dinner.

All taken for granted this time. As Thomas Wolfe said, it’s great to go home again, as long as someone is along to remind you how much better it is now than the last visit. (Tom Wolfe, right?).

And the real reason: many kudos and thanks to DB, our fearless trip designer (she should start her own Japan Trip Advisor page), who used her knowledge from two prior trips and customized one hell of a trip, as well as having along our ever-congenial and passionate art-chasing co-travelers, E&J , who started out strong and took the early lead in buying art, only to be overtaken on the last few hours of the last day.

Upward and onward!

Well, actually, just more traveling: in two weeks we head to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia where E gets to return the favor and lead an Oakland Art Museum trip. Ahhh…the joys of being lead instead of at the front of the herd. Oh, and everyone speaks English on this trip, including THB.