Tokyo #11 Modern Japan

Modern Japan is also worthy of a blog post!

 Our hotel in Yokohama took up the top 20 floors of the highest building in Japan.  The elevator was the fastest in the whole country and made my ears pop every single time I went up to the room.

The modern sculpture by the hotel reminded me of an amusement park ride. 

Our view could take your breath away!

And speaking of amusement park rides, the bullet train can go almost 200 miles an hour.  Right now another type of bullet train is in the test phase.  This one rides above the rail, the so called 'floating train' and can go at speeds of up to 310 mph! Made me think of the 'hover-boards' from the Back to the Future movies.  I guess I'll have to go back in 2028 just to take a ride on one!

Right by our hotel was an absolutely enormous mall.  I spent a lot of time just walking around there.  This was my first time on a curving escalator!

 Another unusual building on Odaiba Island in Tokyo Bay.

 Four inverted pyramids make Tokyo Big Site an unusual Convention Center!

This building reminded me of things the kids used to build with legos.  

Tokyo #10 - The Search for Enlightenmnt

While most of our faith were listening to the broadcast of our semi-annual General Conference from Salt Lake City, George and I were hiking the hills of Kamakura, Japan in search of the Big Buddha!

Unfortunately we got on the wrong trail and were a bit lost.

 Finally we happened upon a sign....didn't help us much!

 This nice Japanese couple proved to be much more helpful, even with their limited English and our non-existent Japanese.

 With the aid of our map, they got us back on the right trail going in the right direction.

 And we found him!

                                           

The Big Buddha of Kamakura is about 44 feet tall and is the 2nd tallest Buddha in Japan.  The statue was cast in 1252 and originally was located inside a large temple hall.  However the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries but the Buddha survived.  Since 1495 he has been standing in the open air.  Think about that, he has been standing there since Columbus discovered America.  Makes me remember the relative 'youth' of our country.

Tokyo #9 - The Mystery of the 7 Pounds

My friend, Jackie, went to Japan a few months ago to visit her daughter who is teaching English there.  During her two week visit she lost 7 pounds!  She attributed it to the Japanese food and all the walking.  Sounded great to me!  I certainly walked a lot so surely that would equate to weight loss.

Jackie and her daughter probably ate authentic Japanese meals like this one

 From top left that is braised seaweed, seasonal fruit, dried radish with sesame sauce, rolled omelet, sashimi (sliced raw tuna),  braised soy bean fiber,  braised vegetable, seasonal vegetable salad, and fried chicken (one very small piece of fried chicken). It was a great meal! Japanese eat like this for lunch....and there are NO fat Japanese!  All of us Americans wondered when they were bringing us our dessert!  It's right there on the plate - fruit!

I ate other typical Japanese food on other nights, like this very delicious Udon Noodle soup.  We loved it!

One morning I joined the line of school children sampling these little deep fried treats filled with sweet, red bean paste.  Very unusual flavor but quite enjoyable! 

So I did eat like a native some of the time!  Unfortunately I discovered that the vending machines had my favorite Dr. Pepper.  Perfect little pick me up after walking for miles and miles!

And the mall by our hotel had a Mr. Doughnut shop.  Don't really think this fat lady cut out was that great of an advertisement for eating doughnuts!  I only went there once.

My real downfall was finding this cute little French bakery also in the mall by our hotel.  Every morning it was packed with skinny Japanese buying sandwiches and pastry so I joined the group.  Actually I went there almost every morning and got my breakfast and my lunch.  I don't even eat at the bakeries in France but this place just called my name every day!

I guess there is no mystery as to why I didn't loose 7 pounds.  It probably is a good thing that I didn't gain 7 pounds.

4T's Trail in Portland

Johnny and Scott came to visit and we took advantage of the absolutely beautiful weather to complete the Portland 4 T's Trail.

At the Oregon Zoo we started on the TRAIL......

And a beautiful trail it was!

 

At the highest point in the city we got spectacular views of both Mt. Hood 

 and Mt. Saint Helens.

Next it is the TRAM.....  

 

Then the TROLLEY to downtown Portland for lunch at one of the famous Portland food carts.

And to end the adventure you get on the TRAIN to go back to the zoo. Trust me when I say that they had much more fun than their expressions would indicate!

Tokyo #8 Cup of Noodles Museum

Did you know that the college kid staple 'Top Ramen' and the backpackers favorite "Cup of Noodles" were invented by the same Japanese man?  Momofuku Ando came up with the idea for Top Ramen in 1958 and Cup of Noodles in 1971.

In a little shed behind his home Momofuku started work on an invention for quickly making ramen at home by just adding hot water.  His problem was figuring out how to cook and then dry the noodles. He worked alone sleeping only 4 hours a night and without a day off for an entire year.  Finally while watching his wife deep fry something he decided to try deep fat frying the noodles after they were cooked and it worked. I didn't know that the noodles were first deep fat fried. That explains the fat content of Top Ramen.  The product was dubbed 'magic ramen' and became an instant sensation in Japan.

When he decided to break into the US market he realized that eating noodles in a bowl with chopsticks was not going to cut it!  During a fact finding tip to America Momofuku observed a supermarket manager breaking up Chicken Ramen noodles, putting them in a cup and pouring in hot water and then eating with a fork. He realized that moving past conceptions about how we eat was the key to making instant ramen a global food. And that is what they have become....a global phenomenon.

The Cup of Noodles factory in the museum was controlled chaos with lots of school children on field trips.  The noise level was pretty high....but I had so much fun!

First take a plain 'cup of noodles' cup

 Decorate

 Watch the dried noodles come down the conveyor belt and put the cup upside down on a bundle of dried noodles.

Voila!  

 Now choose your favorite soup mix and favorite little dried ingredients.  Luckily there were illustrations on each selection so you could decide if you wanted the fish or the pig or the chicken!

 Put on the shrink wrap

 Seal it in the machine and you have your own custom made 'Cup of Noodles'!

 Some of Momofuku's advice is worth noting - There is no such thing as 'too late' in life.  Failure does not provide us with the key to success.  The entrepreneurial spirit means creating something from nothing.  Be meticulous, yet bold.  Tenacity is the breeding ground for inspiration.  Think, think and think again.  Initiate the change instead of following the changing. There is always something beyond you to aim for.  Do what others will not.  Turn work into play.  Don't come up with excuses if you fail.  The origin of every activity of humankind is related to food.

Following his own advice, Mr. Momofuku kept inventing until he was 95 years old.  His last invention was Space Ramen, which can be eaten in a weightless environment.

Very fun and interesting morning and something I had never planned to do!  Often while traveling those unexpected experiences are the best!  

Tokyo #7 - Barça!

I did a double take the first time we went to the restaurant at our hotel in Yokohama! My boys, my team, FC Barcelona stayed in this hotel for the FIFA Club World Cup in  2011.  They had all their meals right in the restaurant where we were eating!   For a fan like me that was downright exciting!!!

And they won!   The final against Brazil's Santos was billed as the show down between the current king of football, Lionel Messi, and one of the pretenders to his throne Neymar. 

As it was, even Neymar himself was gracious enough to admit that, for now at least, Lionel Messi and Barça are simply in a class of their own.  "It's impossible to stop them, " reflected the teenager.  "Today, the best team in the world showed us how to play football."  Now Neymar and Messi play together for FC Barcelona!!!!

2011 was a great year for all of us Barça fans!  In the words of their coach, "In the first half, the players were like artists, whatever they envisioned in their minds, it appeared on the pitch."  This was FC Barcelona's 2nd Club World Cup in three years, with the highest number of overall goals and with a record winning margin in the final itself.

Tokyo #6 - Guide Dogs for the Blind Japan Style

Look what we happened to run into in Japan.  A Guide Dogs for the Blind fundraising activity!! All this was happening in the town square just outside the train station in a popular resort town,

This dog was showing off her obedience skills.  Isn't she a pretty girl?

I'm so happy that the trainer spoke English perfectly so we could talk.

These two dogs are considered PR dogs.  Their primary focus is public relations and fund raising.  Just like at our Guide Dogs here in Oregon, the breeds they train are Labs, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden crosses.  It amused me that these dogs knew more Japanese than I did. "My Guide Dog is smarter than this tourist."

It appears that being a PR dog is exhausting work!

Yes we did put some money in the doggy bank that the volunteer is holding!  I love Guide Dogs for the Blind, even in Japan!