TRAVELOGUE

KAWAGUCHI - My first trip to Japan was to meet my future in-laws and to ask for my now wife’s hand in marriage. She went before I did to try to prepare for my arrival. So I was flying alone. The flight was uneventful but very long. I had never spent that much time on a plane before. It was exciting to finally see the Japan coastline as I approached Narita Airport. You get off the plane and have to immediately board a train that takes you to the terminal. All the time I was thinking that somehow this is wrong and was going to end up somewhere on the other side of the country.

In a few short minutes I was waiting for my bags, going through customs and there was my not-yet wife waiting for me. Together we boarded another train that took us into Tokyo. We switched trains to go to Kawaguchi where my future in-laws live. We stopped in Nishi-Kawaguchi where I was going to be staying in what is known as a Weekly Mansion. It’s just a small hotel with a small room with a small kitchenette. Of course I couldn’t stay with my wife because we weren’t married yet. We kissed good night and she walked home.

TOKYO - The next day we went into Tokyo and had some fun in the city. We went to Asakusa and walked around there some. Then we took the Sumida River cruise that ends at beautiful garden. On the train back to Kawaguchi, Makiko had to teach me how to ask for permission to marry in Japanese. We went over and over it until I had it memorized. We arrived at her parents place. We sat down, had some refreshments and then the moment came. I said my piece in Japanese with her dad, mom, grandmother and sister all watching me. It went off without a hitch. He gave us his blessing and I felt much better.

NIKKO - The next day Makiko’s sister went with us on a day trip to Nikko. We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) which was interesting and fun to travel as fast as it did. We then switched to local train that took us to Nikko. There we hired a taxi to take us wherever we wanted for the whole day. We saw the magnificent shrine and the tomb of Iyesu Tokugawa.

There is also a curious building that requires a tour guide. He took us to a medium size room with a dragon painted on the ceiling. He then takes a couple of wooden sticks (we know them as claves) and smacks them together producing a loud crack. He then stands directly under the dragon’s mouth and again smacks the sticks this time producing an echo that trails off for a very long time. He moves the sticks not more then 1 foot in any direction and the crack does not echo. Only when he his directly under the dragon’s mouth does this phenomenon occur.

We left the shrine and went to another temple near a lake. It was cold and there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. We then went to Kegon Falls. The tallest falls in Japan. Through winding mountain roads we climbed until you get to falls. There is an elevator that takes you to the bottom. It is impressive. We then drove down and left Nikko the way we came.

KAMAKURA - The next day we went to Kamakura. It is a very picturesque town about an hours train ride south of Tokyo. We saw a number of exquisite temples and shrines and this also where Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is. At one of the shrines in the middle of the forest, I formally proposed to my wife. It was a beautiful day in Kamakura.

TOKYO - The next couple of days were spent wandering around Tokyo. We went the Imperial Palace, Shinjuku, Akihabara, the Ginza. We met friends of Makiko’s on various nights having dinner and drinks. Everyone was wonderful and friendly and most of them could communicate fairly well in English and were very happy to have the opportunity to speak it.