Roving Japan

We are ready to leave!

My Alien Registration is finished, I’m in the national healthcare system, and we finally got our cell phone. The only thing left to do is make a reservation at a hostel in Hiroshima.

Ideally, we would probably leave friday, but since Golden Week is starting this weekend, we are going to try to beat the hoards of people by leaving early.

Initially our thought was to spend an entire day in Himeji, then sleep at a hostel or even camp. But after researching the local accommodations and camping options, it seems like Himeji isn’t the best place to stay. They don’t really have cheap hostels or places to camp. So, the new plan is to leave Tokyo around 6am, get to Himeji around 9 or 10, spend the afternoon at the castle, then get back on the train and head to Hiroshima for the night. We are planning on spending at least 1 full day in Hiroshima before leaving for Kagoshima.

Our end goal, is to get to Yakushima island before Saturday. If we can get there on Thursday or Friday, we should be able to get started on the island hike before the Golden Week crowds. *Fingers Crossed*

As promised, here are some shots of our new family stamp (Hanko). I can’t show the mark itself, since the Japanese use these things like signatures and I don’t want someone running around signing me up for credit cards. But basically the stamp uses Katakana to spell out “SA-N-DAA-ZU”

Hanko Workshop

This is the storefront to the little workshop where our family stamp was made.

Hanko Work Area

Here is the little work area that the old man uses when he makes a new stamp.

Example Stamps

We picked the size that you can see in the top left corner.

The Hanko Maker

This is the old man who made our stamp (which is he holding). He was an interesting guy. Very political. He tried to convince me to vote for some politician in the next election. I don’t think he realized that I can’t vote in Japan… oh well. Nice guy. Good stamp maker.

In case you missed the updated photo on the left, it’s true. We got an iPhone.

I’m typing this entry using only one finger, so I am glad this isn’t our main blogging machine. However, the iPhone has too many useful apps for us to pass on the chance to get it.

That didn’t take long. The hike hasn’t even started and my shoe is already broken. Someone at the Merrell factory decided that the top loop didn’t need any stitching, so they just used super glue.
Hey Merrell and/or REI! I would like a replacement please. Can you ship to Japan? Email me: scott (at) rovingjapan.com

Update: Merrell doesn’t let REI send their products overseas. So I can’t even get a replacement from REI. THANKS MERRELL! Terrible customer service. Nothing REI can do except refund my money. Which still leaves me shoe-less

Update 2: Merrell has contacted my about my problem and is working to resolve it! Hopefully I can get a replacement pair soon. I’ve temporarily solved the broken loop with super glue, but I’m not sure how long it will hold. Sorry for the harsh words before! Thanks Merrell! (For real this time)

Sorry for the lack of updates on the blog. It’s been a busy week here in Tokyo. We spent the first couple of days unpacking our stuff and getting settled into our new home with Risa’s parents. Then last weekend we were very busy visiting Risa’s relatives.

On Saturday we went to see Risa’s Aunt Shigeko. Shigeko’s husband is the famous shamisen musician and composer ‘Masataro’. He and their daughter had just returned from the Prime Ministers sakura viewing garden party when we arrived. He is a really nice guy, and he was very happy with himself because he had managed to get an extra 1 box of mochi from the party.

Masataro is so friendly and approachable, it was surprising to learn just how famous he is. He actually owns the highest national award for rtists in Japan. He’s basically considered a national treasure! Check out his website: http://www.masataro.jp

Btw, he also thinks that I should audition for a TV role with NHK since I am really really ridiculously good looking.

Sunday we visited Risa’s 100 year old grandmother and a few more of her aunts. This was a fun day, since I got to see almost everyone who flew to America for our wedding. Kazuko was especially fun to see since she always enjoys getting a hug (or 4!). Risa’s grandmother also made the day extra special when she told us that she had ordered in Sushi. The sushi was sooooooooo good. The box had TWO pieces of Otoro!

After grandmas house, we managed to get over to Risa’s brothers house. He recently moved into his own place with his fiance about a half mile from Risa’s parents house. His house is really nice, although small. He’s got a kitchen and dining room downstairs, and 2 bedrooms upstairs. The real gem of the place is the fact that he has a decently sized backyard, which is fairly rare in Tokyo.

The 6 of us went to a Soba noodle place that is famous for the fact that Jimmy Carter ate there about 10 years ago. The food was really good.

On Tuesday, Risa and I were on a mission to get our Japanese bank account in order. First thing to do was to change her last name on her account to Saunders. Since her name is changed in the family registry, the bank requires an official government copy of the registry before they change her name on the account. So, we first went over to Kudanshita where the Chiyoda government office is. We got the registry, and then had lunch in the office cafeteria. This is what you get for $5:

The office is right next to Kitanomaru Park and the Yasukuni Shrine, so after lunch we walked around and I took some quick photos. The park was pretty neat, but the Shrine was really great. Not only is it a huge shrine, its also home to the military museum. We didn’t have time to go into the main gallery, but they had a Zero parked in the lobby, so that was pretty cool.

After the shrine and park, we went to the bank which is in Shinjuku. The bank said that the registry isn’t enough. We also need to have a family stamp. So…. we have to go get a “Saunders” stamp made tomorrow. There is an old man down the road who makes these stamps for about $20. I’ll take a picture when it’s finished!

Yesterday was our first day in Tokyo. We spent most of the time unpacking our stuff, but we did manage to venture outside to register for my Alien Registration Card and to look at cell phones.

In case you aren’t familiar with Tokyo, it’s basically a massive metropolis made up of many smaller towns. Komae (where I am) is just one of those small towns. It’s slightly outside the main ring of “Tokyo” so it doesn’t show up on the main subway map, but as you can see in the map below, it’s still squarely inside the city.

View Hiking Japan in a larger map

Here is our view from the room on the 3rd floor of Risa’s parents house:

While walking to the City Hall, I spotted these funny bike racks.

I had to get 2 passport style photos for my registration. I thought I would be going to a post office, or drug store, or someplace similar to where I would go in America. NOPE! I should have known better. I’m in Japan. Everything is done with vending machines right?

For $7, I got a print-out with 4 photos. 2 are passport size, and 2 are this other “official document” size. 35mm x 45mm.

After we got the photos we headed over to city hall!

Once the paper work was completed, we were told that it might take a little longer than I had originally thought. Since “Golden Week” is in the beginning of May, they might not finish my card until May 7th instead of May 1st. They told us that they would try to get it done before the holiday, so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

After city hall we went to look at cell phones, but that will have to be in the next post. Japanese cell phone plans are just as complicated as those in America. We have a lot of material to try and decode.

Stay tuned!