Japan, April 30 2022

Our visit to Japan, long awaited, had a difficult start.  Letters of invitation, visas, declarations, tests, forms, online apps, most of them taking several iterations to complete.  At one point I almost thought it was just too ridiculously difficult to bother with.  I barely got it done, and was still trying to reprint corrected forms at the Zurich airport just before I boarded.  Thirteen hours later I arrived with everything perfectly in place, and it still took well over three hours to get through arrivals at Narita airport in Tokyo.

It was so worth it.

“Meet Kenji, eat Sushi”

Unlike the “L”, the pristine subway, upholstered seats without a stain, and the scent of a new car

I knew it the minute I got off the Narita Express and walked into my hotel; and every day that followed it got even better. The entry requirements I thought a curse were a blessing, we felt ourselves to be the only western tourists in Japan.  Like something out of the 19th century.

We had a few days before the backgammon tournament began, and our first order of business was to hook up with a fellow backgammon player Kenji, an old friend of my brother Frank.  We owe a good part of our great travel experience to the Japanese friends who traveled with us most of the time.  Showing us the cool neighborhoods of Tokyo, helping us get around, and leading us to some of the best restaurants and bars.  On top of that, we spent a couple days with local guides, one in Tokyo and another in Kyoto.

Miles and miles without a blemish

Frank and Micheal on tour in the Fish Market, we wore masks outside, not because we thought it would protect us, but because we didn’t want to be the only people in Tokyo without one.

The first thing that impresses you with Japan is how clean, orderly, safe and just plain civilized the whole country is.  Workers in clean well fitting uniforms, and bowing attendants at restaurants and hotel entrances. The majority of the people you encounter are conservatively well dressed and many of the men are in sport jackets.  Homeless?  Panhandlers?  Pick pockets? Mental cases walking the streets talking to themselves?  Not here.  Speaking of the streets, they are spotless.  In two days walking through neighborhoods, major intersections, and subways, we found one small piece of litter, and yes we were looking.  It was the size of a receipt, and we picked it up.  Japanese carry their trash with them and all the way home.  You might not see a trash can for miles.  People don’t litter, they don’t do graffiti, they do wear covid masks, and everyone we met was extremely kind.  I think they are the way they are, because they respect their fellow humans, and well it’s just how they were raised.

An old tree that survived the firebombing with scars to prove it

Temple incense to cure and bring good luck. Michael hoping to improve his dice rolling

The center of Tokyo

I couldn’t help but wonder how this city of over 35 million people, the largest metropolitan area in the world, could accomplish such a utopian existence. Tokyo did get a fresh start in 1945 thanks to the USAF.  We burnt it to a crisp, hundreds of B29’s striking with incendiary bombs carefully placed to take advantage of the wind.  It worked perfectly and the ensuing firestorm killed over 100K civilians, mostly women and children.  A forgotten atrocity, courtesy of General Curtis LeMay who thought it easier to kill off the factory labor than to bomb the factories.  He was a true war criminal who later became George Wallace’s running mate (go figure) and lived to a ripe old age.  Today, little evidence remains of the bombing, we found a surviving old charred tree, and I understand there is dented metal bridge somewhere, but the city is entirely reconstructed. Following the war and after some false starts and neglect we helped Japan rebuild. You might expect some lingering hard feelings towards us westerners, but it seems the Japanese view us more in the positive post war light.  Looking instead at the efforts we made toward helping them rebuild and our support in the decades that followed.  One person I talked to seemed to view the civilian bombings as washing with their own atrocities in China.  I guess it all balances out this war stuff, every belligerent turns criminal sooner or later.  As Denzel Washington’s character says in the movie Glory “ain’t nobody clean”.

The Backgammon games in full swing

Two of the best Backgammon players in world, Mochy (grand master and world number one) and Frank (prior world champion). Frank is being presented with a birthday gift for hitting a milestone.

A great spot for Japanese style BBQ in Tokyo, Yazawa

Drinks after the tournament at the Mother bar

Properly served sake, spilled over the glass in a wood box, and you finish it off by pouring back in the glass

At Kenji’s bar, Never Never Land, where except for me, nearly everyone there was a great musician and it was a late night where we sang, drank, played, drank again

On a lighter note, the tournament was well run and one of the best I’ve attended. I say this, partially because I had a good start and qualified for the finals. Perhaps some good dice luck along with some helpful coaching during the trip from Frank and Micheal got my game up a notch.  I lost in the first game of the final round, but I still got a little recognition at the end.

We seemed to talk backgammon on and off over the whole trip as the enthusiasm carried over.  One of our hosts who stayed with us for a couple days getting us to and around Kyoto happens to be one of the best backgammon players, coaches and authors of the game in the world.  Michy as he’s known for short, didn’t just help with backgammon, but accompanied us touring Kyoto, and most importantly he showed us how to eat all the diverse foods that were put in front of us.  Like what goes with what, and how you get into your mouth.

The bridge at Arashiyama outside Kyoto

Arashiyama on the river Katsuragawa

Tokyo is modern, immense and a bit overwhelming.  Kyoto on the other hand is more scenic and old world.  In Kyoto we stayed at a traditional Japanese guest house called a ryokan; leave your shoes at the door, put on a kimono, have a seat on the floor or in the spa area and relax.  When you’re not doing that, you’re eating a mega course meal served by smiling waitress’s in traditional dress, dedicated to our table and cooking only for us.  There’s plenty of good sake of course.  Our ryokan was located just west of the city center in Arashiyama, a beautiful mountainside town set alongside the Katsuragawa river.  

Check in at the ryokan

Walking the bamboo forest Arashiyama

Sitting down, way down, for dinner at the ryokan

Seeing the temples, gardens and the Samurai fort in Kyoto was not to be missed. As you tour the questions come fast, tell me about the emperor, the shoguns, the samurai elite, and the geisha.  Their history is fascinating and helps explain how the art, architecture and customs all forged their place in Japanese society. How I wish America had just a small part of their capacity for cultural identity and common values.  It was Golden Week, a holiday period that went on most of the time we were there, and many younger people were dressed in traditional clothes strolling around the temple areas and parks.  Their pride and attachment to their heritage was impressive.

Breakfast

We all had our favorite sights, but mine was Nijō Castle.  A fortress built in the 1600’s which served as the capital and later the imperial palace of the Samurai rulers of Japan.  It was here that the last Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu handed control of Japan back to the Emperor in 1867 ending the two hundred year reign of the Samurai, opening Japan to the west and beginning its development as a world power.  Throughout this vast Unesco site, the beautifully maintained buildings and grounds display the artwork of the period and showcase the world of the Samurai.

The guys deep in meditation at the famous rock garden at Ryan Ji temple

In Kyoto we also toured the Gion area where most of the tea houses and geisha traditions still flourish.  The tea houses are booked well in advance, and the neighborhood is very quiet and well kept.  No cameras allowed.  Our guide did whisper to us as a glamorous woman walked past, pointing out she was a geisha.  I’m not sure how she knew for sure as there wasn’t any telltale sign, but I have little doubt she was.

The Golden Palace Kyoto

Nijo Castle

The gardens at Nijo

Tea houses in the Gion area of Kyoto

We left with our minds set on coming back, we all felt that way.  Travel can be particularly rewarding when you discover an entire society you never really knew, a welcome reminder of how diverse and amazing the world is.  It was a kick in my pants to get back on the road and try to experience another.  Covid be damned.