Shinkansen Excursion

Yesterday we tried to register with the city.  They told us my husband needed specific documents from his hometown.  We could have requested the documents, waited a week, and then completed our tasks, but we prefer to just get things done.  So, early this morning (we are smack in the midst of jet lag and wake up around 3 or 4 am), we headed to Osaka to get the documents ourselves.

My four year old was so excited to ride the Shinkansen.  He is obsessed with modes of transportation, like many kids his age, and the bullet train is at the top of his list.  After playing with the trains, wearing the socks, and even using his Shinkansen sticker book, he was ecstatic to actually ride the bullet train.  As we traveled from Tokyo to Osaka, we even got a glimpse of Mt. Fuji!

It was fun to ride the Shinkansen to visit my husband's home town.  As we pulled up to Osaka, we both commented on how much we felt like we were coming home, to a place we were both so comfortable.  When I lived in Japan 15 years ago, it was in Osaka.  I never really felt "one with the people," but I could get around and life was familiar to me.  Tokyo is still mind boggling and discombobulating.

The excitement of the day created a very wiggly kid, so while my husband went to city hall to get the right documents, I took our son to the park.  Parks in Japan, in my experience, are pretty different than those back in the states.  I have never seen grassy fields or super fancy play structures.  They tend to be pretty simple, on dirt patches, and mostly made of metal.  Since today was pretty hot, the play structure was incredibly hot to the touch.  But that didn't deter him!  He desperately wanted me to play with him, but I was too busy being eaten alive by mosquitos.  I must have killed 15 of them on my legs and arms!  Ugh!

After playing for a while, my husband returned and we made a mad dash to the drug store to pick up some anti-itch ointment.  Otherwise, the day was going to go south very fast!  Relief was found and we headed to lunch.  My husband loves good food and he's very specific about what he feels is good food.  Luckily, I agree with his taste.  We decided to go to an old family favorite: Houzenji, a kushiage restaurant.  Kushiage is essentially deep fried food on a stick - specifically, battered meat and veggies.  My husband has been going to this restaurant since he was a young child and we've gone there every time we have been back to visit (usually on the last or next to last day of our trip).  A few years ago, my husband's parents passed away and we haven't been back since.  But as we walked through the door, the owner's face lit up and he was greeted enthusiastically.  My husband smiled widely and they chatted like no time had passed.  We ordered the set menu and dug into the delicious food.  A couple favorites include the corn, quail eggs, and asparagus.  My son wanted to know more about how the food was being prepared and stood on his chair to watch, which pleased all of the staff.

 

After lunch, we visited my husband's parent's (and other family member's) gravesite - a stone monument that holds the ashes of everyone in the family that have passed.  This sign of respect is very important in Japanese culture and to us.  We cleaned the stone, brought new flowers, and paid our respects.  After saying short prayers in their honor, my son said he felt like he received a hug from his grandparents.

After paying our respects, we were ready to head back to the apartment (which my son has pointed out I need to start calling home...), so we went to the train station to change our tickets to an earlier time.  Normally, we would have stayed longer but we're all struggling with jet lag right now and don't have tons of energy.  While moving from one train system to the next, the crowds were getting thick and my son told me he felt overwhelmed.  So I picked him up and carried him through most of the station.  By the time we found our seats on the Shinkansen, I was exhausted.  While on the train, instead of resting, I got caught up on emails and Facebook, then watched the passing scenery.  There are some very beautiful parts of Japan.  I don't usually find them in the city, but looking out the window at the countryside makes me smile.  Today, I suddenly became weepy at the sight of green fields and agriculture.  I already miss my garden so much.  Digging in the dirt brings me a sense of peace and growing things delights me like nothing else.  Seeing those beautiful fields tore at my heart a little bit.  I hope I can find a little patch of earth very soon - maybe even planting a few winter vegetables.

Back in Tokyo, we were off on our timing a bit because of coming back early.  We hit just a hint of Tokyo subway traffic.  It was scary and overwhelming with a child (whereas before it was just annoying).  My son told me he felt freaked out and I was terrified I was going to loose him.  So, once again, my husband and I took turns carrying him.  Maybe it was my exhaustion from the day, but the crowds really freaked me out too.  As quickly as it started, the crowds dissipated and we relaxed once again.  We'll have to be more mindful in the future when it comes to avoiding rush hour traffic!

Once we returned to the apartment, we reminisced about our Shinkansen adventure.  My son played with his new bullet train toys and we ate a simple dinner of salad and bread (because we were still full from our delicious lunch!).  Hopefully tonight, we will be blessed with long sleep (past 4 am) and dreams of more fun rides on the Shinkansen.