OAT: Japan's Cultural Treasures
October 15 - November 3, 2022
Saturday, 10/15/2022 - Kyoto to Tokyo
Today we finished the Korea/Japan OAT trip, were transported by taxi to the Osaka airport (about 30 miles), and flew Nippon Airways to Tokyo to begin the OAT Japan Cultural Treasures tour. The ride took about 65 minutes on highways that were almost entirely elevated above the sprawling cities. We expected to see some open space and farmland, but the land was built-up for most of the way. Japan has so many people and so little flat land, that they put buildings on a large percentage of the land. On the 1:15 flight we saw Mt. Fuji sticking out above the clouds.
At Haneda airport, we were met by an OAT rep who took us to our taxi for the 45 minute ride to the hotel. Howie, our new tour leader, gave us all kinds of instructions, after which we got organized in our room, and then went out to find some dinner. We settled on Ju the Burger restaurant and had cheese burgers, fries with ketchup, and beers. It was delicious comfort food.
Note: You may want to download the Google Translate App to you mobile phone. It can be used to translate a lot of the Japanese writing on the various signs you will see in many of the pictures on these pages.
OAT: Japan's Cultural Treasures
Flag of Japan
Japan's 2020 Olympics license plate
Dinner at Ju the Burger - cheeseburger, fries, beer - first "real" food in a long time
Sun., 10/16 - Tokyo
This morning the group rode the subway out to the Ueno train station and Ueno Park. The park contains the Tokyo zoo (with a giant Panda on loan from China) and a bunch of national museums. On the way to the Tokyo National Museum, we walked past the Music Hall, the Museum of Western Art (with a copy of Rodin’s “Thinker” out front), and the Museum of Nature and Science with a steam locomotive and life sized sculpture of a Blue Whale outside.The Tokyo National Museum has an outstanding collection historical artifacts, arranged by Period, a few of which are pictured below, some with captions, some without.
Steam locomotive in front of the National Museum
of Nature and Science
Steam locomotive in front of the National Museum
of Nature and Science
Manhole cover - there were lots of different and attractive manhole covers in Japan so you will be treated to lots of photos! The writing says "Weak electricity or weak current."
Life-sized sculpture of a blue whale outside the Museum of Nature and Science
Tokyo National Museum - ticket office
Tokyo National Museum
Interesting clock
Bronze bell - (Dotaku) - Yayoi period, 1st-3rd century
The Philosopher Confucius
Noh Costume (Karaori) with Snow-Covered Willows
Armour (Oyoroi type with red lacing)
Incense burners shaped like quails - they have feathers that function as removable lids
Image is of a deep vessel with a flame-like rim - Jomon
period, 3,000-2,000 BCE
Bookshelf
Gong
After touring the Tokyo National Museum, the group returned to the train station for lunch in one of the many restaurants (Maika) where the menu was Japanese fried chicken.
After lunch, we experienced a ride on a local bus (OAT is very big on have its travelers experience as many form of local transportation as possible) to the Yanaka District, an area where the old houses, mostly made of cedar wood, are preserved. Somehow, this area escaped the bombings during WWII.
In the Yanaka District we visited an old liquor store, an old house converted into a beer hall and a bakery, and then moved on to walk part of the length of the Yanaka-Ginza shopping street - crowded with lots of shoppers.
Yanaka Beer Hall
Yanaka Beer Hall sign
Bakery!
Cute
Old liquor shop
Inside the shop
Illustration of saki making
Nice display
Saki containers
Abacus
Butterfly
Manhole cover
Kanoin Buddhist Temple entrance
Cemetery
Wall
Wall
Sign for a Turkish mosaic specialty store
Nice designs
Yanaka-Ginza shopping street
Yanaka-Ginza shopping street
The shoes on the young lady! How does she walk?
Subway ride back to the hotel
Welcome Dinner - Appetizers and Salad
Welcome Dinner - Main Course
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