Marco Polo

We finally made it to Hawaii from Okinawa. We were hoping for a flight directly back to the continental US but settled for Hawaii because we got a seat. We didn’t want a repeat of our military flight experience from the beginning of our trip (see earlier blog post below). Plus we have friends in Hawaii and what could be better than seeing friends unless it is friends in Hawaii?

We met Penny and Martin before Rebekah was even born and we enjoyed three tours/assignments with them before they moved to Hawaii. It’s kinda unusual for military families to spend multiple assignments together unless you are in the same career field; but I was enlisted and Martin was an officer so it is really unusual. We were both assigned to the same bases for about 10 years and Stacy, Penny and Rebekah are pretty close.

As luck would have it, we got stranded in Hawaii by military flight schedules. Our hopes soared each time we checked the schedule and saw multiple flights to travis and even a flight directly to Knoxville. Our hopes sank the next time we checked the schedule to see that a of those flights had been removed. Schedules were posted, updated and changed multiple times per day and we felt like we were on the military veraion of a rollercoaster. We finally opted for some stability and bought commercial airline tickets, assuring us of a flight home and giving us two full days in paradise.

I went snorkeling and can testify to the beauty of the beaches and water on Oahu. Even the drive to the North Shore through the pineapple plantations with mountains in the distance were gorgeous. I saw two wild sea turltes and was surrounded by schools of fish as they swam past. I even heard the squeeks and clicks of a pod of dolphin swimming nearby.

Rebekah was still recovering from traveler’s tummy so we decided to make a trip to Tripler Army Medical Center. Her uncle was born there when Stacys mom and dad were stationed at Pearl Harbor. The hospital is still painted iconic pink. She took the day off while I went snorkeling but was ready to brave the crowds on Waikiki before we left.

Penny ferried us around the island showing us the sights and even shared the rollercoaster ride with us. Martin is building his own single-engine airplane and is ready to buy/install the avionics. He and Penny left for an air show in Wisconsin but let us stay at their home with their son Connor until our flight out.

Rebekah hasn’t been feeling well these past few days, so I was given the chore of getting us to the Okinawa aquarium today. Since I’ve been watching her do it all vacation, I thought it should be pretty easy to figure out. After all, the public transportation system in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka was pretty well developed and I had Google Maps to guide me. What could go wrong?

After putting in our destination, GM said to walk 2 miles to the limousine bus station and ride that all the way to the aquarium, a 60km trip across the island. The limousine bus is a service between the resort hotels and the airport to make life easier for tourists. I didn’t want to walk since Rebekah was feeling poorly so I called a cab. As we set out I reached for the umbrella, but since the skys were clear I left it in the room. Little did I know that storm clouds were building just beyond the horizon.

We got in the cab and started toward the stop indicated by GM when the first drops of the brewing storm started to fall. The cab driver asked again for our destination and seemed confused. She stopped the taxi and called back to the dispatcher for directions and eventually handed me the phone. I talked to the dispatcher who spoke english very well. She had never heard of the limo bus either and suggested maybe the highway express bus. I finally agreed and we were off again. 3000yen later (about $30) we were dropped off at a lonely bus stop on the side of the highway to wait.

At this point Rebekah decided to check GM and although the highway bus did indeed go to the aquarium, it was not the limo bus. And we had to wait almost 90 minutes for our bus…. We eventually finished the two hour bus ride to the aquarium, arriving later than planned. The sky was an amazing blue, wispy white clouds and the view to the ocean was breathtaking. I would have been happy spending the rest of the afternoon gazing out to sea, but the world’s second largest aquarium awaited.

We had to wait thirty more minutes to get the discounted ticket price, so we went to the restaurant and got lunch. With full bellies we entered the aquarium and beheld some amazing creatures. Rebekah was thrilled to see a flowerhat jellyfish and was almost in tears when she saw the box jellyfish, one of the most deadly the ocean has to offer. I was enamored by not one but two giant whale sharks swimming gracefully around a tank the size of a house. We spoiled our dinner eating ice cream in the cafe next to the tank and watched them glide past.

After ice cream we went outside to watch the sea turtles and peek at manatee and dolphin. Around 5:30 Rebekah checked GM to plot our course for the hotel. The storm broke forcefully and without warning.

Google returned an ominous “No route found” answer to our request. It turns out that the limo bus and the highway bus both stop running pretty early on Okinawa. There are no trains, subways or other buses connecting cities on the island either; I blame a strong American presence for the lack of public transportation. A taxi was our only way back across the island.

Most of our vacation time was spent visiting one side of the family or the other. Growing up it was grandma and grandpa’s house and time spent with cousins and aunts and uncles. I always envied others that took vacations to Disneyland or the beach or took ski vacations over Christmas break. As I got older started a family of my own, our vacations followed the same pattern; one vacation at Stacy’s family home, another vacation at my family home. It seemed as though I was never going to have that exotic vacation to distant lands.

Until now of course. Traveling to Japan and seeing the sights, experiencing a different culture and struggling with the language barrier has been a dream come true for both Rebekah and I. And I have truely been on vacation mode during this whole trip. I’ve let Rebekah figure out how to get from one point to the next via public bus/train/subway/walking path. I’ve let Rebekah order our food at the restaurant and talk to the shop keepers and cashiers when we bought something. I’ve let her handle the cash and get change back. Meanwhile all I’ve done is lose my backpack on the train, lose my hat and sunglasses in an Uber cab, enjoy the food that was placed in front of me and walk with my eyes looking everywhere trying not to miss a single detail.

Travel lets you notice the things that you take for granted. Buying a carton of soy milk for example. Or laundry detergent….not so easy in a foreign land. Those are some of the things I actually did instead of letting Rebekah handle those transactions. But that’s not the point of this blog, this blog is about taking family vacations to visit family.

We spent last week with Marina’s Mother, Father, little brother and sister, and Marina’s grandpa. They welcomed us in grand fashion according to Japanese custom and we had a great time. While the featival and spa were nice, Hiroshi’s friends from high school dropped in one evening for a BBQ. They have been doing that about once a month for the longest time and we spent most of the evening swatting mosquitos, wiping the firepit smoke from our eyes and eating burnt food….it was great. The next evening was a late dinner at the other set of grandparents. Marina’s grandma prepared enough food to feed thirty people although there was only nine of us. I have a greater appreciation for the traditional robes and cloth belts, they are much easier to loosen after overeating. After dinner we went upstairs and sang karaoke until late in the evening.

That’s right, 620 years ago. That’s when a Shogun acquired the property and built a villa known as Kinkaku or the Golden Pavilion. While Americans were building pueblo mud huts and erecting teepees, Japanese architects were covering their villas with gold to represent the Pure Land of Buddah in this world. Donald Trump’s gold plated seat belt buckles on his personal jet don’t seem all that impressive in retrospect.

Of course, Trump’s extravagence is to glorify himself while this villa and grounds were created to guide one’s thoughts towards enlightenment. Aside from the villa itself, the surrounding gardens have been cared for over the past six centuries and are truly a treasure in themselves.

Kyoto is known for its temples and gardens, but the residents also take great pride in the fact that their city is the historical capital of the country. Many people wear traditional dress and participate in cultural events to maintain tradition. We saw beautiful kimonos and several tea houses offering to teach the tea ceremony. It is refreshing to have such a rich and longstanding history.

Americans rightly take pride in our history and we should celebrate our traditions and teach them to our children. We should also remember that we are a relatively new nation and remain humble when we take part on the international stage. Our traditions and values are our own, but not necessarily better any any other.

And yes, we did spoil our dinner today too. <\p>

Day 9: We spent the whole day with Marina, our Japanese exchange student; it was so nice to see her again. We took a bus to visit the town at the foot of Mount Fuji. Marina hasn’t changed in that almost as soon as the bus started moving she started to fall asleep. Fuji-san was shrouded in clouds most of the day but those same clouds kept us from burning to a crisp beneath the summer sun. There are several lakes that surround the volcano and the town is built along the shores. After riding a sky lift to the top of a neighboring mountain so we could get a scenic view of Mt. Fuji, the town and the lakes we went for a leisurely stroll through town and along the shore. We shopped at a gem museum gift shop and admired all the precious stones. Lunch found us trying out a local specialty, a stone bowl full of noodle soup set atop a bluish flame of some sort. It was quite magical.

Day 10: We visited a memorial garden and shrine dedicated to Emperor Mejii. He led Japan through the collapse of the Shogunate feudal system, opened the nation up to foreign influences following three centuries of isolaton and ushered in the industrial revolution during his 44 year reign. He was venerated as a deity and the shrine embodies that philosophy.

Afterwards we went to a pet store to play with hedgehogs (they aren’t very playful). We also discovered an aquarium on the top floor of a 10-story building. I didn’t expect much but was completely surprised by how well done it was; totally worth the ticket price. Finally we spoiled our dinner eating strawberry shortcake and made our way completely satisfied back to our rented apartment.

Now that you have that song going through your head I’d like to continue the thought from my last trip entry. I was reflecting on how different it is being in a foreign country or city, and that despite the global economy and world news constantly in front of our eyes, a 12 hour plane ride really gives you an idea of just how big this plant is. But coping with the idea of how to order eggs and a side of hash browns in another language can really bring home the culture shock. All that being as it is, we still found a pattern of life we could cling to and we started to see that we really are quite similar.

We found a huge park in one district of Tokyo. As we sat there taking in the color change from grey to green and filling our lungs with fresh air, an elderly gentleman approached us and asked in heavily accented english where we were from. 15 minutes later we finished a very nice conversation and learned that he had a family member that lived in Michigan for a while. He also shared his pride in his Japanese culture and urged us to visit the zoo and the National Museum. Although the museum closed before we could visit, the signs indicated that it was similar to our own Smithsonian complex and the Zoo had panda bears just like the zoo in Washington D.C. Within the park we saw pigeons and were reminded of cities all around America and even noticed hydrangeas in blooms of pink and blue.

The streets are filled with shopping malls and shoppers. Couples held hands and parents pushed prams. Invisible drivers in invisible cars waited for invisible pedestrians to clear the crosswalk. Bikers didn’t wait for anything.