Japan-All and More Than We Had Expected or Hoped For!

Our trip to Japan was the result of a "deal" Shannon made with me over a year ago. "If we go to India (mom's heart's desire), I want to go to Japan," she told me. Shannon's interest stemmed from an obsession with manga and anime (Japanese comics and animated films). Seems like a reasonable request, I reasoned, it's in the same region of the world. Well, not exactly. My geography was a bit off, needless to say. But I went ahead and booked a low-budget tour with G.A.P. Adventures.
We arrived at Narita Airport, Tokyo via Bangkok at the end of November and were met by the son of VT friends who lives there with his Japanese wife and son. Thank goodness we didn't have to find our way to their apartment that first day. Although we quickly learned how to get around on the trains and subways, initially the signage and routes were overwhelming to decipher.
We had our first encounter with the famous Japanese toilets (see photo) which include a warm seat (how we missed that on our return to chilly Kodai!), a bidet button or a more forceful spray option, built in deodorizer, and a "modesty" button which provides an electronic flushing sound to disguise any unsavoury bodily noises.
Within twenty four hours Shannon had fulfilled two of her trip goals - to buy a kimono (see photo) and to visit the Ghibli Museum (see photo) dedicated to the work of famed anime creator Miyazaki Hayao. His films include My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away. I am grateful to Shannon for introducing me to this amazing genre of films and urge you who are unfamiliar to see them.
We also began what was to be a journey of incredible culinary delight with a traditional dinner and breakfast with our hosts followed by our first sample of yakitori (charcoal broiled chicken and other meats and vegetables on skewers) at their favorite neighborhood restaurant.
The next day we joined our tour group at a Tokyo hotel. We were 14 with our group leader and a very compatible bunch from Australia, Canada, Germany, England and the US.