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Carolyn KoontzCarolyn Koontz
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traveled in 18 countries Read more St. Louis, United States
  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 21

    Goodbye Japan

    September 22, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Day 20 & 21 ~ 25,125 Miles

    I have always loved the feeling of returning home, whether at the end of the day or at the end of a trip. I imagine that “Home Sweet Home” was first uttered after a long travel day. We managed to travel for 25 hours, including layovers, over 3 flights through 4 airports before the calendar changed the date. The international date line is confusing to an exhausted mind.

    I was hoping for one last view of the expanse of Tokyo during our departure but Tokyo was blanketed by heavy clouds from the remnants of Typhoon 14. While I began to pull the window shutter closed I looked back one more time as we broke through the clouds and was treated to a view of the top of Mt. Fuji.

    Mt. Fuji is a shy mountain but she said Goodbye.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 19

    Miyajima

    September 20, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Day 19 ~ 13,010 Miles

    Today was our last full day in Japan and this morning we caught the local train for a one hour trip to the Seto Inland Sea and then boarded the ferry to Miyajima. As we approached the island I noticed that the Typhoon debris heavily littered the beach which served as a reminder of our good fortune.

    This small island is home to Japan’s most beautiful and recognizable torri gate, Itsukushima Floating Torri Gate. It is a UNESCO designated site and sadly is currently completely covered for maintenance!

    We visited the Itsukushima Shrine, albeit at low-tide, which was beautiful but during high-tide it looks as if it is floating on the sea.

    We chose to visit the massive hall known as the Hokoku Shrine which was wondrously constructed in 1587. This shrine sits next to an equally amazing 5-storied pagoda erected in 1407.

    We were stalked by overly friendly free roaming deer and I battled a small buck for a bag I was carrying…I won the battle. The buck did manage to pickpocket a brochure from Jay’s pocket and in a goat like manner enjoyed his stolen snack.

    Our evening ended with a beautiful farewell dinner with our fellow travelers. Tomorrow we begin our journey home.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 18

    Ridin’ The Storm Out

    September 19, 2022 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    Day 18

    Today was literally a “wash out” as we waited for the Typhoon to pass. Most site seeing opportunities were closed, the trains and streetcars were shut down, and it’s a National Holiday (Respect for Elderly Day) which further restricted what was open.

    Our trip leader did arrange a last minute visit from a Sake Sommelier which allowed us to learn a bit of Sake history and enjoy a tasting. Our Sommelier is a second generation atomic bomb survivor and she shared the stories of both of her parents. Many survivors experienced discrimination over their lifetimes because others thought of them as poisonous, employers would not hire survivors because they feared they would become sick, and finding a spouse was difficult because it was believed that they could not have normal children.

    Even now there are an estimated 120,000 survivors and many still will not share their stories even with their children for fear of discrimination or survivors guilt.

    With most everything shut down we went on a stroll looking for anything that may be open for dinner and finally stumbled across The Shack Bar & Grill hidden on the 5th floor of an obscure building. What a gem of a hole in the wall. A bar, restaurant, karaoke joint run by an Indian ex-pat with Japanese locals and occasional lost tourists as patrons. Perfect ending to the day!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 17

    Bullet Ride to the Storm

    September 18, 2022 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    Part One (please see Part Two Below)
    Day 17

    We boarded the Shinkansen to Hiroshima this morning for an easy 2 hour trip. Stops at stations for unboarding and boarding occur in under 2 minutes, so be prepared or you will be left on the platform or on the train. If train travel in the US were as comfortable, fast, precise, and easy as in Japan I would rarely fly within the US. The airline industry must be lobbying hard against high speed railways.

    The trains in this part of the country did shut down after our trip due to anticipated high winds from Typhoon Nanmadol.

    As of this evening our itinerary for tomorrow has been canceled and we will hunker down in the hotel. The wind and rain was just starting on our way back from dinner and we are expecting winds up to 68 mph tonight. Fortunately, the forecast states that Hiroshima will avoid a direct hit.

    After arriving in Hiroshima we dropped our luggage at the hotel and headed for the Peace Memorial Park, Museum, and a presentation from a survivor of the bombing. I have seen several documentaries on Hiroshima and hearing her story in person was even more of an emotional experience.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 17

    Peace

    September 18, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    Part Two
    Day 17 ~ 12,970 Miles

    I had to step away from the group today as I tried to choke back the tears while standing in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. I can’t find the appropriate words to adequately share the day and can only share a few pictures.

    The accompanying video is from inside the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall For The Atomic Bomb Victims. I descended alone, counterclockwise, down a sloped ramp which represented going back in time and I arrived in a massive chamber on which the walls were tiled with approximately 140,000 mosaic tiles (number of bombing victims) in a panoramic depiction of the bombing site. The center of the chamber is anchored by a fountain which signifies the bombing victim’s thirst and if you look carefully at the top of the fountain you will see a clock face stopped at 8:15, the time that the bomb detonated.

    I don’t fully understand how or why I came to be alone for so long in this place and in this moment accompanied only by the sound of the flowing water.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    11
    Day 16

    Wait. What? When?

    September 17, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Day 16 ~ 12,640 Miles

    We spent a good part of the morning walking the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. I’m sure it was once filled with life and excitement but that ended long ago when the capital moved to Tokyo. This massive structure on 30 acres in the heart of Kyoto now sits empty but for the tourists and staff. I was shocked to see the neglect of the outer grounds. The inner gardens are still beautifully maintained. Touring the palace interior is not permitted.

    The trip is winding down for part of our group so we had a farewell dinner tonight. The rest of us are headed to Hiroshima early tomorrow morning on the Shinkansen.

    It looks as if we may meet Typhoon Nanmadol (or storm 14 as the Japanese call it) in Hiroshima. Our train will likely be the last one until after the storm due to anticipated high winds. I have to believe l’m not the only one thinking that we are headed in the wrong direction. No news yet re any itinerary changes. Personally I’m hoping for a hotel bar and it’s a good thing I packed my umbrella and windbreaker. 😂    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 15

    Judged To Be “Most Happy”

    September 16, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Day 15 ~ 12,625 Miles.

    This morning we visited Senkoji Temple to learn about and practice Zen meditation with a monk. After a 2 mile walk our choice to reaching the temple was walking up a steep uneven rocky path or riding up. Fortunately many in our group are “competitive” and would never dream of riding up. This traveling trio rode up. So we packed into a little van driven by an 81 year old monk along with a couple others from our group and sped up the narrow winding path being navigated carefully on foot by our fellow travelers. We almost knocked a few off the mountain as we passed but all arrived safely.

    We spent an hour with another monk and did a short meditation before having a sado tea ceremony. I took advantage of bamboo walking sticks and walked down the mountainside. We then were treated to a bamboo pole steered Yakatobune boat ride on the Oigawa River back to our starting point.

    After traveling back to Kyoto and getting another sushi lesson/lunch we stopped at a floral arrangement school for a lesson on modern Japanese floral arranging, Ikebana. I need to brag a bit because our arrangement was judged by the Ikebana master to the most happy and best    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    2
    Day 14

    Oh Deer

    September 15, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Day 14 ~ 12,590 Miles

    We made our way to Nara, which was the capital of Japan before Kyoto and Tokyo. But we came to see the Todaiji Temple’s Daibutsu. The temple is one of the world’s largest wooden structures and is an impressive home to 52 foot tall bronze Buddha affectionately called “Big Buddha“.

    I felt drawn to light 3 candles today after learning the meaning of the position of the hands of Big Buddha.

    Left hand = Don’t worry
    Right hand = I will take care of you.

    So today I lit one candle for my parents, one candle for my brother Dennis, and one candle for my loved ones and friends that may be struggling or searching for comfort or peace.

    The park surrounding Todaiji is full of adorable, tame, free-roaming deer, which were traditionally regarded as messengers of a Shinto god.

    I’m unable to come up with an appropriate segue from temple to tea so let me get directly to the point. I enjoy a good glass of iced tea, especially in hot weather. But Japanese tea is NOT anything close to what I grew up drinking. We stopped at the headquarters of a famous Japanese tea producer and made matcha powder using a mill stone to grind the tea leaves, then prepared a cup of hot tea in the traditional Japanese manner. Personally I think matcha tastes like grass I ate as a child. Give me a tall glass of ice and allow me to listen to it crackle as that strong, sweet, freshly brewed Lipton black tea is poured over the ice. Now that’s tea.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 13

    That’s A Lot of Gold

    September 14, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Day 13 ~12,495 Miles

    Just after breakfast we jumped onto a purple streetcar for a trip to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and the Tenryu-ji Temple adjacent to the Grove. By arriving early we had the wide ashen colored rocky path mostly to ourselves. The varied colors of the bamboo stalks are striking against their bright green leaves and patches of blue sky.

    The meditation area of the temple honestly did instill a sense of quiet and calm.

    Our final stop of the day was at The Golden Pavilion or Kinkakuji Temple. The exterior and interior are covered in gold leaf…and that’s a lot of gold. The entrance ticket is considered good luck as is called “the golden ticket”.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan 2022
    Day 12

    One Time One Meeting

    September 13, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    Day 12 ~ 12,670 Miles

    Today was move day. But first we had an opportunity to spend a few hours with a local family in their home. We were met by a traditional older Japanese couple, Masa and Noriko (read: wife is 3 steps behind husband unless serving husband). Masa gave us a tour of their home, showed us his prized collections and possessions, then Noriko served us tea and Mizu Yokan. He then showed us his calligraphy skills by painting each of us a memorial piece that included the phrase “One Time One Meeting” and we finished up with a stop at their liquor store and sampled some of their family branded Saki.

    We boarded an afternoon train in Kanazawa and headed south east to Kyoto passing over and through more mountains and alongside beautiful Lake Biwa. Kyoto is surrounded by mountains which is said to produce very cold winters and extremely hot summers. Apparently summer lasts well into September because we felt the heat before we were fully out of the station.

    We are in a beautiful newer hotel. Shoes off at the front entrance as the staff cleaned and disinfected the wheels on our luggage then we could place our shoes in a keyed locker or carry them in a plastic bag to our room. No shoes anywhere in the hotel but there are two smoking areas available. The hotel is calm and serene with tatami and bamboo flooring, muted tones, soft lighting, beautifully textured walls and simple artwork but if the beds were any lower we’d be sleeping on the floor.    Read more

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