Mom and Dad Invade Japan March 15-22

Sunday March 15
*All photos were taken by my Mom...I was a slacker.
I set off fairly early in the morning to pick up my parents in Tokyo. It felt a little odd being the one heading to the airport to pick them up, but I have enough trouble getting off a 13 hour plane ride in Japan and finding my way wherever I am going and I speak the language so I certainly wasn’t going to leave them on their own.

So I caught the bullet train out of Kyoto at about 11:30. After arriving in Tokyo I had to get tickets for the express train to Narita airport, which is maybe an hour outside of Tokyo. Of course I lost my bullet train ticket so had to explain to the guy at the ticket counter how I got into the station but don’t have a ticket…and he was all like “Well you have to go back and talk to the train station attendant at the bullet train section or else it will be \800 more ($8).” I was in a rush so I just said I didn’t care…He seemed shocked. I guess Japanese people aren’t willing to spend $8 to save themselves time and energy….or maybe I’m the weird one.

Anyway, so I got to the airport and found their gate and waited outside it. I had a very “Love Actually” moment watching all the families greet people coming out of their gates… and personally I jumped a bit every time I saw someone with a red suitcase…

They finally got out of the gate. ＼（＾＾）／

They looked tired but I was impressed at how energetic they were. I had to exchange some Yuan from my trip to Korea into Yen and then went off to get them train tickets to get back to Tokyo.

First we went to our hotel. I took us to the wrong station (after making them stand up too early to get off the train….I was a bit excited) because they meant Shibuya subway not Shibuya train station. But I just got directions to the subway and we walked over. Our hotel was well located, close to subway and train lines as well as the busiest intersection in the world.

After we got checked in I took them over to Tokyo Tower…a bright orange monstrosity that looks somewhat like the Eiffel Tower. Even with Mom’s fear of heights I got her up to the top. She even stood over the part where the floor is clear and you can see straight down…while holding on to Dad and closing her eyes of course (￣▽￣)ノ

On the way back I spotted a nice hole in the wall ramen place…and by nice I mean a good way to experience Japanese Mom and Pop restaurants, not nice as in clean or upscale.

So I got Mom and Dad ramen. I know what you’re thinking…My parents came all the way from America and I made them eat college food? Out of a Styrofoam cup?

No no no. Japanese ramen is an actual meal (though when I was in college so was cup of noodle…). It can be gourmet. So I laughed as they struggled with their chopsticks (Mom didn’t even break hers apart and just used them as a scoop). Then, after I had a little conversation with the toothless woman who ran the shop about how amazing she thought I was for being able to say a few Japanese words, I took Mom and Dad home for the night.

After putting them to bed, like the good little tour guide I am, I went out to wander around Shibuya to find a good place for breakfast….sadly, Shibuya was sadly lacking in bakeries.



Monday March 16
We woke up fairly early to set off for Meiji Shrine which is just a few stops around on the Yamanote line from Shibuya. I planned to find a bakery at Harajuku but again was thwarted by Japan’s lack of bakeries….I can find them when I am not looking for them, sure. So thus began my first fight with my mother…it had to happen sometime, why not less than 24 hours into their trip?

I asked them how hungry they were and they said they could wait a bit so we decided to hop back on a train to go to Shinjuku where I knew a good bakery. On the way to the station Mom went dashing into a coffee shop to buy a pastry. A pastry? A pastry?!?!?! A pastry in a plastic wrapper?!?!?! How dare she?

Anyway, long story short: I wanted them to have GOOD Japanese bread for breakfast (because it is amazing) and Mom didn’t realize there was a huge difference and wanted food. Those of you that know me and my mom (Claire, you remember the tent incident…no not that one, the one in my living room (^_~) )… you know that we can fight. We love each other…but we also both love getting things our way and when my way does not match her way….look out. My poor dad.

So we cooled off and went to Meiji Shrine. Hooray for the beauty of Japanese nature calming the spirit.

After the shrine we went back to get lunch. Apparently the Japanese food gods were angry at me…no bakeries, and my FAVORITE restaurant in Tokyo was closed for renovations (T_T).

So we went to Asakusa next where I knew I could find a few restaurants in view of the giant poop building (it’s a beer company and the giant gold thing on top is supposed to be the head of a beer, but it looks like poop).

Dad was brave and tried eel (yum!) and Mom got katsudon (also yum!). Mom really liked it and ended up getting it several more times). Again, she used her chopsticks as a scoop. We went to the Asakusa shopping center and Mom got to look at all the cheesy trinkets and then we saw the temple at the end with the giant dragon painting.

It was already getting late by this point and I was hoping to get them back to Kyoto for my taiko practice so I told them that they could either see a Japanese garden (which we could also see in Kyoto if they wanted) or get back to Kameoka early and go to taiko. Thankfully they chose taiko.

We went all the way back to Shibuya to get our bags, then got to Shinagawa to get our bullet train.

We made it to Kyoto with plenty of time to spare and they came to taiko with me. We didn’t have enough time to hit a restaurant so I took them to the supermarket for prepackaged meals.

My taiko group was so thrilled to have my parents there, and kept raving about how young they look and how much I look like my dad. I asked them if Dad looked like Tom Cruise too. It was adorable. They had us go through all the songs so they could see them and then let my parents try playing. It was pretty awesome being able to show them what I have learned over the past few months. Taiko is so much more than drumming…it is music, dancing, performance, etc. and it doesn’t sound like anything in America. Also they got to see just how difficult it really is.


Tuesday March 17
Today I took Mom and Dad to Fushimi Inari shrine and Todaiji in Nara.

At Nara my luck with restaurants continued. We went to a cute little shop with one woman doing the serving and the cooking. Only 2 men were in there but I thought it was just because it was an odd time of day…3 pm. Well, the guy sitting nearest us, I soon found out, was WASTED. He was 7 bottles of beer in (and I mean the big bottles about the size of a quart, not a bottle of Bud), and could barely keep his head up…I’m pretty sure he was drooling. He asked me where I was from…

Oosutoraria?!!?! No! Ooh Essu A!!

I said yes, yes I’m from America…and he started singing the Star Spangled Banner…I think.

Then he asked me about Japanese music until he trailed off and started drooling….

Back in Kameoka we met up with Liz and Laurel for dinner at our favorite café.




Wednesday March 18
This morning we visited my office. I had hoped that my parents could see the 朝礼 or morning greeting, but we ended up being ushered into my boss’s boss’s office. They did the usual Japanese song and dance of bringing in coffee and presents (pamphlets about Kameoka and buttons and pins, etc). I had to do all the translating…which was not easy. Mom and Dad talked a lot and very fast….and translating into your non-native language is tough…not to mention adding the stress of it being for my boss…It could have been better, but it could have been worse.

The group next to mine in the office was in meetings but one woman was working at her desk and she developed a huge crush on my dad. She was raving about how young he looked.

I finally got them to a real bakery, and was able to introduce them to Melon bread. Then we took the boat ride down the Hozu river, through the mountains, into Kyoto City. Mom got stuck next to a drunk guy, at 10 am, but he was nice enough so it was ok.

Then I took them to Nijo Castle…one of my favorites because it was the summer home of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the guy who united Japan after the period of warring states and began the longest era in Japanese history, started the closed country policy, and instituted many of the policies that have shaped modern Japan) and has the nightingale floors to warn of intruders.

After that we did sushi…conveyor belt sushi. Mom was not thrilled with the sushi but I think Dad enjoyed it. Me, I’m up for any meal that costs about $12 for 3 people (^_^).

Then we took a bus to Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion), though I did take us the long way. Finally we made our way to Kiyomizuderu, a temple famous for its view and the fact that it was built without nails. They were doing a light up (something the Japanese like to do, shine lights on their famous things). Unfortunately the cherry blossoms were only just beginning to bloom.

Then I took them by taxi to the yakiniku restaurant across from Starbucks at Sanjo. Yakiniku is like bbq but you have a grill at your table and you just grill the raw meat they bring you on your own.



Thursday March 19
Today was our last day in Kyoto so I took Mom shopping. Dad was a good sport as Mom went into just about every store we passed, but Mom found some good stuff so it was ok. We grabbed some Omu raisu at a restaurant in the area and I got to get them their first taste of melon soda (bright green soda).

We had left our luggage in a locker at Kyoto station (the Japanese really are great at accommodating travelers) so we went that way on our way to Osaka to catch the bullet train to Hiroshima.

We took a taxi to our hotel since it would have been difficult getting Mom and Dad on a bus with all their luggage. Our cab driver was really sweet. He kept telling me about all the places to see in Hiroshima and that we should try the oysters now because once they begin reproducing they don’t taste as good. So we got to our hotel and then went off to see Hiroshima castle and find some food. I ended up taking them to the ramen restaurant at the end of the street, but I was happy about that because a. they got better ramen than what they had in Tokyo and b. it was a vending machine restaurant, which I wanted to show them.



Friday March 20
The next day we got on the tram to Miyajimi and took the ferry over to the island. We went to get the cable car to the top of the mountain, but Mom decided she wanted to walk up, even though I told her we shouldn’t….it was only about 3 km up a steep mountain side…..

She told me I was right when we were about a 1/4 of the way in. But it was an adventure, good exercise, and a beautiful day and it helped us appreciate the beauty of the view on top. Plus Mom got to see the monkeys she wanted to see so much.

We went back down and found a nice restaurant near the giant gate. Dad was brave as usual and tried oysters. Mom got curry rice and I got katsudon but we ended up sharing.

Then we walked around the giant “floating” gate and headed back toward the ferry. Mom and Dad got Momiji manju for their co-workers (a sweet that Miyajima is famous for), though they weren’t all that fond of it themselves…me, I love a bit of red bean paste. But there are other flavors so they got those.

I have forgotten to add that we went to just about every Starbucks we passed…Mom comes all the way to Japan but we go to Starbucks (actually I do too, and since there isn’t one in my town I don’t mind so much).

Back at the hotel I stayed up to watch the last episode of Love Shuffle…where all the awkwardness and sexual tension came to a crazy conclusion…Everyone wound up with a different partner than they began with…at least it was a happy ending, tight lipped kisses and all.




Saturday March 21

Today we went to the Peace Park and the museum. I had been through the museum twice before so I left halfway through (the 2nd half is the hardest part, focusing more on individual stories than on the history, and having been through twice I thought I could skip it this time). Mom also chose to leave with me so we went shopping for gifts for people back home.

We met up with Dad when he was done and I took them to my favorite place to eat in Hiroshima…Okonomiyaki town…a giant building full of okonomiyaki restaurants where they grill it up right in front of you. Okonomiyaki pretty much means “stuff you like grilled.” It’s a fairly fitting description. It is cabbage, pancake-like batter, and stuff you like (usually bacon or some other meat like octopus or squid but you can do what you like).

Then we decided to head back to the hotel to get our bags and head back up to Osaka for our last night.

I got us lost again because I can’t read maps….I’m hopeless with them…so I just got us a taxi to the hotel in Osaka.

Sunday March 22
Mom and Dad were flying out of Itami airport fairly early in the morning so we were up at 5 and off to the station. I took them as far as the monorail and then left them on their own to get to the airport (it was the last stop on the monorail so they couldn’t miss it) and I headed home.

Matt dropped by for a visit since he had just dropped his bf off at Kyoto station to head home too. Then I crashed for a bit before meeting our friend Rie at Shijo with Laurel.

It had been perfect weather all week, and it started pouring the moment my parents left. Apparently Japan likes them more.

But it was a great week, though it exhausted me. I have become quite accustomed to my life here, and that includes quite a bit of alone time, which I severely lacked this week. Also sightseeing is tiring, but sightseeing while taking care of 2 other people is exhausting. I loved sharing Japan with them because I was able to show them why I love it so much and also that their money on my education was not wasted…but I was tired. I was ALMOST relieved to have them go home. It was shocking how easily things just went back to normal while they were here. It was like I had never left.