Brief Hotel Review - Late May 2019

In May 2019 we visited Tokyo (specifically Narita and Ueno) and Hokkaido for 2 weeks. Here are the hotels we stayed in and my brief "review" or impression of them.

Omotesando Street in Narita - The Street of Unagi Restaurants

[Not to be confused with the Omotesando in Tokyo, Harajuku which is a high end fashion street.]

Omotesando Street in Narita Town is the Street of Unagi restaurants. I have also heard the term "Omotenashi", which means "Public face" (Omote), and "Nothing" (Nashi), which together means to serve with nothing hidden in one's public face.

I am sure I am mangling the translation, so take this as a rough translation.

So the Unagi restaurants on Omotesando grill, and even prepare the live eels in full view of the public. There is nothing hidden. (Coincidence or intentional to the idea of Omotenashi? I don't know.)

If you are queasy about seeing your food prepared (and by "prepared", I mean "slaughtered") before your eyes, this is not where you want to be. Unless you intend to go to an Unagi Restaurant and order chicken.

Cruise Holiday: Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas - Dress codes/ Cheat Codes

I read like a lawyer.

So when Royal Caribbean sent us our cruise documents and information, I studied the information. And this page drew some questions:

Nothing strikes you?

See the last bullet just before the table on "Cruise Length" and "Formal Wear".

Cruise Holiday: Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas - Cruising with Cheapskates.

We went on a cruise recently.

Twenty-three of us.

This was our extended family holiday for the first time in 18 years.

The last time we went on a family vacation was to Sydney in 2000.

At that time, there was only one child (my nephew and godson) in the next generation that had been born. In total, including my nephew, there were 10 of us. My father was still alive then.

This time, there were 13 in the next generation ranging from 4 years of age, to almost 19. And my father had passed on about 10 years ago.

Japan Detailed Itinerary - Sendai and Hokkaido

[Note:  This was from 2017.]

3 Nov (Fri)

Arrive Narita Friday Morning. Took a train first to Tokyo, then change to local train to Ueno, then took the Shinkansen to Sendai. There was a queue at Narita to exchange our Rail Pass voucher for our Rail Pass.

We had planned to maybe get lunch and spend some time in Ueno, but it was crowded, we were tired, and after the long queue, we just wanted to get on our way.

Return to Abashiri, Hokkaido (plans)

My wife and I miss Abashiri.

It was one of the first towns we stayed in Hokkaido when we returned in 2012.

We loved Abashiri because it was not what you expect of Japan. It was a small quiet town. In 2012, we went to Asahikawa after Abashiri and rented a car there. The young woman staffing the car rental agency could speak quite good English and asked us where we had been. I said Abashiri, and she said her grandmother lives there. And commented that it was "dead" or "quiet" or "not a happening place". Or maybe she said that she used to live there and couldn't wait to leave that place.

Well, she's young. She will come to appreciate quiet one day.

We wanted to retire there. We could learn to love it there, we thought (without letting the realistic worry about speaking the language intrude upon our fantasy).

Well, let us have our fantasy.

And if we can't go back and retire there, we can at least return for another visit.

Putrajaya Sept 2018 - A limited visit and review.

My wife had a conference in Putrajaya (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) recently, and would have been gone for a few days.

When she had a similar conference last year (in another city), I took on the task of single parenting my daughter (two and a half years old) for a few days.

She was fine the morning my wife left.

She was fine that evening.

But when it was dark and she was supposed to go to bed, she started to tear, and said that she missed her mommy and finally sobbed herself to sleep.

I got my wife to video call us while she was there, so my daughter could see her. And it was clear she really liked being able to see and talk to mommy.

I got my wife to send video messages via WhatsApp and that was precious to my daughter.

But bed time was still sad times. And lonely times. And times she missed her mommy acutely.