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Final Thoughts 
Here's where we stayed. All accomodations are recommendable. Tokyo: Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa
Atami: Mikan no Ki
Kyoto: Kyoto Traveler's Inn
- Cell phone users are Instant Messaging instead of talking. It was so much nicer than being forced to listen to one-way conversations on trains and in elevators.
- You can practically eat off the spotless streets. Cars burn clean too -- and they're DINKY. Lots of recycle containers, wind and solar energy collectors. Reduce Reuse Recycle!
- We watched a young woman at Starbucks leave her luggage, laptop and purse at her table to retrieve her coffee and, saw later, that that was not unusual. All the women did it. Japan is a safe country -- we could feel it. Seems quite easy for single women travelers to be out at night too.
- Cuteness thrives -- kawaii!
- Chairs were made for Lauren's small stature
- Women color their hair brown; Men wear their hair long and below their ears
- We often heard how expensive Japan travel was. Instead, we found that prices were similar to what we pay in the U.S., just not as insanely low as in other Asian countries.
- Eggs have a larger yolk than what we are used to
- French pastry shops were everywhere
- Instead of handing out flyers, advertising was tucked into tissue packets. We received tissues from a karaoke room, a restaurant and an eyeglass store. Very handy!
- Depachika, or basement level deli, at department stores sell prepared foods and sweets
- Coffee all over Japan was strong – no weak coffee to be had (except from vending machines)
- Ravens are noisier and quite a bit more talkative than those in California
- People seem respectful of space and aware of surroundings
- Vending Machines were EVERYWHERE but we don't recommend the coffee
- When the weather was cold, heaters were turned on HIGH
- Helpful people were easy to find when we got lost. We couldn't find our Tokyo hotel and a woman on her bicycle stopped to help us. We followed her up a street where she parked her bike, walked a short ways, then climbed steep stone steps to point us to our destination. SO NICE!
- Hankies are popular. Department stores sell woven cotton and terry hankies. They are not for dripping noses. They are for wiping hands after washing in public bathrooms. Hand towels were not usually available.
- There were two kinds of toilets in some public bathrooms. If you must use a Japanese toilet, be sure to hike up your pants legs too. Need I say more?
- Addresses were not easy to find. A policeman can always help.
- Sewing patterns come in books and patterns must often be drawn to scale. They are not sold as individual patterns like in the U.S. Asian sized patterns for Asian sized bodies -- yippee! People take pride in their dress and people look neat and tidy.
- Bicycles are ridden on sidewalks -- pedestrians, LOOK OUT!
- Luggage can be sent to next destination: overnight from Kyoto to Tokyo was about US$30 -- much nicer than carrying it up stairs, pulling it down streets, and hauling it onto trains.
- Lauren thinks about going back to Japan almost as much as she thinks about revisiting China.
- Many signs are in Japanese as well as in English, so it was fairly easy to get around. When English wasn't available, I was grateful that Tien reads Chinese. One-third of the Japanese written language is Chinese characters.
Masami
We met in 1987 and she was a tiny tomboy and cute 17 year old exchange student through the Osaka San Francisco Sister City Committee. She was still learning English in those days and said I spoke too fast. She made a goal: “If I can understand Lauren, then my English will be good enough.” Masami has sparkling energy and a spirited eagerness. We have stayed friends through numerous letters, emails and now, Skype, and her visits to the U.S. every few years. She is still tiny but now she's beautiful. I love being friends with Masami!
Lauren & Tien Sng
Kyoto ramen shop
2007
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