Panama and Japan, April 2024
First…Panama.
Today we’re going to travel via the written word to Panama and then Japan. This was pretty much just a normal trip. There was no excessive drama, no $20,000 ransom demands, or whatever. Pretty tame.
If you want to grab some travel tips from these two countries I hope you’ll find what I have to share interesting. Try to count the number of travel tips that I share. This message is a bit on the long side. Thanks for bearing with me.
I can never turn down an invitation. If someone is nice enough to invite me to their party and if I can make it, I will.
You’re invited…to Panama.
I got just such an invitation from one of my friends in Panama. I met Camilo Bermudez back in 2016. I found him on TripAdvisor. For that trip eight years ago, Camilo would turn into our driver, our guide, and our friend. The trip in 2016 was Carol’s and my first trackchasing visit to Panama. That’s Carol and Camilo during the chocolate factory tour on this trip.
Now Camilo was telling me about a new racing circuit that was opening in Panama. He asked me if I might like to come back to Panama. The timing wasn’t very convenient. To make it to Panama, I would have only been home from a trip to Mexico for 69 hours. Then upon our return from Panama, I would need to leave for Japan in 14 hours. However, I never like to turn down an invitation. I accepted. We were going to Panama.
Carol? Panama? In the end…yes.
Carol does not have the same compunction to accept invitations as I do. I invite her on EVERY trip that I make. She doesn’t always accept, but she did agree to a return visit to Panama. I think she did that because she didn’t want to go to Japan!
Right now, I am in the midst of a bonsai (see what I did there?) run to stay 60 nights in a Hyatt hotel. Why? I want to stay in Hyatt hotels so I can achieve their top-tier frequent stay status of Globalist. From time to time Hyatt offers bonuses to earn their qualifying nights quicker. Hyatt has a relationship with the Dreams hotel chain. The Dreams group has about 25 hotels scattered all around the globe. If we went to Panama and stayed in the Dreams Playa Bonita Panama hotel for four nights, we would get “double credit”. If you have ever played the “points and miles” game you know what double credit means. I was all over that. Stay four nights; get credit for eight nights.
Not good.
However, it saddens me to tell you that the Dreams Playa Bonita Panama hotel was the biggest negative of our trip to Panama. This is an all-inclusive hotel situated right on the Pacific Ocean with multiple swimming pools. From the photos displayed on travel sites, this place looked wonderful. It wasn’t.
We were supposed to get a suite hotel room when we checked in. They told me the suite wasn’t available but might be for the last three days of our trip. That was OK with me.
Carol is not nearly as enamored by getting a hotel suite as I seem to be. Once she gets “spread out” in a regular hotel room that’s good enough for her.
I spent the morning of day number two trying to convince the staff that we needed to get into that hotel suite they had promised. This is when I began to learn that the staff doesn’t speak much English. They don’t follow up very well. In general, although some people served us well, the service at the hotel in Panama City wasn’t good. Finally, after about four hours of pressing and negotiating a suite was made available to us. That process was excruciating, but pretty much a walk in the park compared to my trying to convince Carol that we needed to leave our room that we had now occupied for one day and move into a suite. Although the suite was spacious, I have the bumps and bruises to assure you it wasn’t easy to pull this off with the hotel staff or my lovely wife.
All-inclusive? No!
Over the past eight weeks, I’ve lost 20 pounds eating a low-calorie diet. I didn’t want to eat at an all-inclusive hotel where we could order as much as we wanted from every restaurant menu, as well as have room service and drinks at the many bars at the hotel property. Although often I like to do that, which is why I needed to lose 20 pounds, I didn’t especially look forward to those temptations on this trip.
The hotel was rundown around the edges. One night we ate within feet of the ocean waves crashing upon the shore in an outdoor restaurant. The bugs nearly ate me alive. In the first five minutes of being seated, I had at least 40 bug bites. The staff had to bring me bug bite wipes. Ten days after returning from the trip, the stings were still affecting me. Carol always says, “The bugs like Randy”.
What was best about our trip to Panama?
The best thing about the trip was having Camilo as our guide and driver. He speaks English well. We could have a custom tour and go in any direction we liked. During our time with him in 2016, one of my requests was to have him show us the biggest slum in Panama. No, I am not your normal tourist. Where was the worst slum I have ever toured? Jakarta, Indonesia. Camilo was always prompt. We could count on him for everything that we wanted.
We were staying four nights in Panama. With travel coming and going we only had three full days in Panama. One of those was going to be reserved for going to a race. That left just two days for touring/relaxing.
I thought it would be a good idea to spend the first day, relaxing at the hotel itself. During day number one I was reminded that I and probably Carol are not really “good relaxers”. We like to be on the go all the time. Sitting around the pool, even when the mai tais and piña coladas are free in heavy-duty heat and humidity is not our jive. I will also tell you that heat and humidity are my least favorite kind of weather. This is followed closely by -40°F windshield temperatures at an ice race. I’ll take 72° and sunny with no rain and no humidity all day long which is why we live in San Clemente, California.
When we came to Panama in eight years ago, I remembered the heavy traffic that slowed us down. Getting from one place to another was both difficult and time-consuming. We had already cruised through the Panama Canal a couple of times. Camilo had taken us to see the Panama Canal up close as a tourist as well.
New stuff in Panama.
That being the case, I asked Camilo to come up with some unique opportunities where we wouldn’t spend a lot of time driving. He was on the case and offered up a few choices. We selected the Nomé chocolate factory tour.
This was a lot of fun. We joined about a dozen other people. We made our own chocolate and listened to how chocolate was made in a very cozy setting. When that was finished, we got to keep the chocolate we had made. We bought some more (bonbons) to take home.
During the day we were in the old town section of Panama City, Casco Antiguo. I asked Camilo what our restaurant choices were. He offered up several different eateries. We chose a nice Peruvian restaurant (Nazca 21) and drank their country’s signature drink, the Pisco sour. This was the best meal of the trip. We also did some old town church viewing (Basilica Santa Maria Lan Antigua) and museum touring (History of Panama Museum at the Palacio Municipal – city hall). This was a laid-back day and we liked it.
Panamanian trackchasing.
For the last full day of our trip, Camilo, who is a race fan, would join Carol and me at the Autodromo Panama race circuit. We would be seeing their first-ever racing event.
The track was located out of town about 35 kilometers. Panama is Spanish-speaking. There isn’t a whole lot of English spoken fluently here. Having Camilo as our driver meant we wouldn’t have to rent a car. We wouldn’t have to deal with the language barrier. We could have done that. We commonly do. But it’s nice when we don’t have to.
No tickets!
We didn’t have tickets to the race. Back in 2016, a Panamanian friend of mine named Alberto had come up with complementary tickets for us. Somewhat incredibly, just doing social media searches, I was able to find Alberto after eight years. It was good to talk with him although there were no tickets available for us to this race from him.
Camilo had been in contact with the track. Tickets were available for about $200 in total. Tickets, for the track’s first-ever event, were in high demand. This seemed like the best deal we could get so we decided to go with it. When we arrived at the track we would pick up the tickets.
However, upon arrival, the woman who had the tickets was not reachable. So as not to miss the race Camilo said a few words in Spanish at the entrance. I flashed my multicolored trackchasing business card. Soon this Batman and Robin duo along with their faithful female superhero, Batgirl (Carol) were being admitted at no charge whatsoever.
The Autodromo Panama circuit has a large and modern covered grandstand. The track is brand new, mind you. However, the entrance to each of the spectator viewing areas in the grandstand was guarded by someone checking wristbands. We didn’t have any wristbands.
I live by this motto.
Somewhere along the line in life, I learned it is better to ask for forgiveness than approval. This has now become one of my core moral tenets in life. Not everyone is comfortable with that approach.
I learned some of this strategy while in Marine Corps Boot Camp. Obviously, in an environment like that, your movement is severely restricted. However, I noticed if you had a clipboard and you walked around with that clipboard and stared at it intently as if you had someplace to go and you had to get there quickly people wouldn’t bother you. I’m always looking for learning opportunities.
Before we entered the grandstand, we decided to use the facilities and grab some food and drink. We all went in different directions. When it was time to enter, we couldn’t find Camilo. With the race almost ready to take the green flag Carol and I walked inside, right past the guard. Carol is not quite as comfortable with the “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than approval” life plan as me. I simply tell her to “follow me and don’t make eye contact”. Remember, she’s a library girl. Library girls aren’t used to this approach but are smart enough to follow those who are.
Carol and I were able to stand right next to a loudspeaker that was blasting out continuously spoken Spanish words from the track announcer at a decibel reading of about 200 when the cars took the green flag. I looked out the opening of the grandstand. I could see Camilo standing about 50 yards away. Why wasn’t he coming in?
Because you’re a gringo!
As soon as the race calmed down, I walked out to meet up with Camilo. “What’s up?” I asked him. I told him they let me in. Why couldn’t he walk in as well? He said, “Because you’re a gringo. They don’t bother gringos”. That didn’t seem right. Camilo was a Panamanian and he was being discriminated against in Panama for being a Panamanian?
Once I explained to Camilo that all he had to do was follow me and things would likely be all right. He kept saying, “Not in Panama”. Nevertheless, we all went in and enjoyed the rest of the races.
I have made friends from all over the world.
I made a couple of posts on Facebook about our visiting the track in Panama. Almost immediately I got a response from a man I had met in 2008 at a race in Costa Rica. He had been my host. Renger Infante Mena was at the races today in Panama!
Then I got another response from a family in Ukraine. Their father was at the races. He sent me a video from his father who was at the race in Panama. He was probably within feet of where we were watching. When Carol and I went trackchasing and touring in Ukraine in 2017 we had dinner in a private room with this entire Ukrainian family. What a wonderful evening. We closed that place down in Kiev drinking shots in what is now a war-torn country.
I truly do believe that I could return to about 100 countries around the world, and if I needed help, I could call somebody to come and get me. That is a wonderful feeling. By the way, on that visit to Ukraine, our daylong tour of Chornobyl ranks in the top 5 things we’ve ever done on our trips.
In hindsight, we probably didn’t need to make the trip down to Panama. However, I couldn’t turn down Camilo’s invitation. I will simply say this. Don’t stay at the Dreams Playa Bonita Panama Hotel even if Hyatt promises you “double credit”.
On a brighter culinary note, we had a conversation about fast-food outlets in Panama. Camilo told us several of us U.S.-based clients had raved about Chic-Fil-A. Although Camilo had never dined there some of his customers had sent him Chic-Fil-A sauce! Camilo mentioned that McDonald’s had a special breakfast entree based on their stores being in Panama. This was called Desayuno Tipico. This breakfast is famous all over Central America. I loved it.
This is your guy.
If you go to Panama, you are likely going to need a driver/guide. Camilo Bermudez is your guy. His rates are reasonable, he’s reliable, he speaks English well and he’s just a downright nice guy. Panama is a fun place to visit with lots of things to see. Camilo can make sure that you see whatever it is that might be on your touring agenda.
Carol and I would return home on Monday from Panama. Flying on Copa Airlines was a seven-hour nonstop flight from Panama City to Los Angeles. By the way, Panama City has a brand new airline terminal. We even got to hang out in the Copa Club before takeoff. It’s beautiful.
A couple of days after we got back from Panama I received a message from Camilo. He had bad news. Carlos Zaid one of the drivers in the race we saw in Panama had been killed in a private automobile accident. Carlos was a seven-time Central American racing champion from Guatemala. What a shame. R.I.P. Carlos.
Was it time for Japan…already?
On Tuesday morning, just 14 hours after we had landed from Panama I was backing out of the driveway of our modest seaside cottage and heading for Tokyo, Japan. The connection was so tight, that if we had any delays whatsoever getting out of Panama, I had packed my “Japanese travel bag” and left it in my car at the airport. Yep. Just in case there was no time to return home.
Now it’s time to talk about Japan. Ready?
Japan!
From Panama, I was heading almost directly to Japan. I pulled into my driveway at 8 p.m. on Monday after the seven-hour flight from Panama to LAX. Then at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, I was driving BACK to LAX, a 65-mile drive in heavy traffic at times, for a nonstop 12-hour flight to Tokyo. Don’t worry. It’s what I do.
Do this!
If you go to Japan, you’re going to want to complete your immigration clearances and customs declarations online in advance of the trip. When you do that you’ll get a QR code. That code will make clearing Japanese immigration much easier when you land. Doing this might save you 30 minutes or more of standing in line.
I walk 4 miles almost every day. Of course, I need to do those four miles on a “California time clock”. Why? If I’m traveling somewhere around the world and walk four miles during “their” day that likely won’t match up to my California clock. My iPhone will be all screwed up. I can’t have that. When I’m in Japan, my “California day” will run from 4 p.m. until 4 p.m. in Japan. I just have to make sure I walk four miles every day in Japan during that time frame so will match up when I get back home. Make sense?
Screenshot
Whatever you do…get your Suica card.
When you are planning for a trip to Japan you’re going to want to get a Suica card. This card will show up in your Apple Wallet. You can add money using your credit card that is linked to ApplePay. No, this is not exclusive to using Apple products. It’s just that I don’t know how other brands do the same thing. You will be able to simply “tap” your smartphone to pay for Japanese trains and subways as well as convenience stores, and who knows what else. I used my Suica card nearly 100 times on this trip.
I got the ideas about the QR code and Suica card from our son J.J., To be honest, I don’t come up with very many ideas on my own, but I’m pretty good at using other people’s ideas to my advantage.
I did test the Suica card before I left on the trip. I added ¥1000 which is only about six bucks. I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card to do that. The money was added instantly. When I got to Japan, I added another ¥2000 just to make things work once I was in the country. Everything worked just fine.
Why Japan and why Japan now?
I had three things I wanted to accomplish on this trip. Anything else would be icing on the cake. I wanted to see baseball played in the two Japanese major-league baseball parks I had yet to visit. I also wanted to see one new auto racing facility for the very first time. Finally, and this was very important to me. I wanted to hang out with J.J. and his friend Brian for the day and have dinner that evening with my Japanese friend Gakuto Kawamura.
I have already seen a major league baseball game played in all of the major league parks in the United States and Toronto. That was fun accomplishing that.
In Japan the professional baseball league is called Nippon Professional Baseball. They have 12 major league baseball teams who play in this league. Coming into this trip I had seen baseball games played in ten of those twelve parks. Of course, my life wouldn’t be complete if I couldn’t see games in those last two stadiums.
That being the case, I planned to see games played in the Kyocera Dome in Osaka and the Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima. Buying tickets to these games is a bit of a challenge given the language difficulties offered up on most Japanese baseball websites.
Not to worry. A long time ago I found a fellow by the name of Michael Westbay. Michael runs a company called JapanBall. If you want to see a game or a series of games in Japan, you need to get in touch with Michael. Here’s his website. Tell him Randy sent you!
https://www.japanballtickets.com
To make all of this happen you simply send him an email, and tell him which games you want to see, how many tickets you need, and where you’ll be staying. Don’t wait too long to request your tickets. Baseball is very popular in Japan. If you wait you may be faced with the tickets you want already having been sold.
Michael and his group will buy the tickets for you, have you pay for your tickets online, and then deliver the tickets to your hotel or a nearby post office in advance of the games. You’ll be able to select your seats from three different quality categories excellent, good, and average seating locations.
Michael charges a very reasonable fee of $69 per order and you can order up to ten tickets to as many as four games with each order. He doesn’t take any markup over the face value so it’s a fantastic deal. I’ve used Michael’s services on three different occasions. His service has been beyond outstanding.
Globalist…here I come, baby.
Another box I’m trying to check on this trip (like I was in Panama) was to add to my “Hyatt qualifying nights” so that I can get Hyatt’s top-tier frequent stay status of Globalist.
To get Globalist status, I have to stay in a Hyatt for 60 qualifying nights. Those qualifying nights can be supplemented by getting the Hyatt credit card which gives you five free qualifying nights. Also, after you spend $5,000 you get an additional two qualifying nights. I listen to hours and hours of podcasts about “points and miles” so if you don’t mind my saying so this makes me an expert of sorts on the subject.
Before I stayed at the Dreams Playa Bonita Panama resort, I had 31 Hyatt qualifying nights. That hotel stay gave us another eight in total. Then I went over $5,000 worth of spending with the Hyatt credit card to add another two nights. I plan on spending at least five nights in Hyatt hotels in Japan. If all goes well my “nights total” will increase from 31 nights to 46 nights just on this trip. I hope to become a Globalist by early June.
Once I reach the Globalist level and stay at Hyatt I will be upgraded to a suite where available, given free breakfast for up to two adults and two children, get access to the Hyatt Regency clubs at those properties that have them, pay no resort fees, have parking fees waived when staying at Hyatts when I use points and get a 4 p.m. late checkout option when I need it. During an earlier stay at the Hyatt Regency in Zurich, breakfast was $52 per person for Carol and me. Parking was $60/day! I’m staying at a Hyatt-affiliated property in Portland, Oregon where the parking charge is $55 per day. I can’t wait to get Globalist status. Folks have to have goals in life, right?
I did a good share of planning for Japan.
In advance of my trip to Japan, I had a very complete itinerary in mind. This included all of my hotels, plane arrival and departure times, subway and train schedules, baseball and racing starting times, and a whole lot more. I don’t normally plan that much in advance.
By the way, are you counting the travel tips I have shared so far?
Initially, the plan was to be in Japan for six nights. I would ride the bullet train on five of those days for an average of 4-6 hours every day. I’ve used the bullet train a few times in the past. It’s kind of cool. It’s cooler if you’ve never done it.
I know a great guy in Tokyo.
I’ve been to Japan a half-dozen times. During one of these trips, I met a man on the bullet train. He befriended me and now on this trip, I had invited him to dinner. As mentioned his name is Gakuto Kawamura. I submitted my itinerary to him for his review. He reminded me that the most popular holiday week of the year was going to be happening during my visit. This is called Golden Week.
Gakuto advised me that I needed to buy my train tickets early to avoid being disappointed. Huge crowds were expected to be moving around Tokyo during my visit.
I got to thinking. Did I want to ride a train 4-6 hours almost every day of my trip? I decided I didn’t wanna do that. That being the case, I switched all of my train days to plane days. My plane rides would be short, about 60-75 minutes in length. Did you know that you can fly on a plane covering the same distance as a bullet train and do it cheaper on the plane and obviously faster?
I would now be flying on every day of the trip but two. On one of those two remaining days, I would rent a car to get up to the racetrack in Motegi, Japan. Yes, I have some pretty full trips.
Wait! Change of plans!
On the drive back home from Panama I got a phone call. J.J. and Dustin were calling to recommend I change my Japan arrival airport from Haneda to Narita. Why do that? If I changed things, there was a good chance I could get a business class seat by using Narita. I took their advice. Soon I was canceling my American Airlines Flight that I had secured with 82,500 frequent flyer miles and switching over to a business class seat into Narita. I am always on the lookout for the next better idea. If I think there is a better way to do things I will change in a heartbeat.
Business class was fine. It always is. I’m a big fan of watching documentary films. I highly recommend the film titled, “The Fastest Woman on Earth”. You don’t have to be into racing to enjoy this film. If you see it, let me know what you think.
No checked bags.
The four domestic plane rides in Japan will take me back and forth to Osaka and then to Hiroshima from Tokyo. I didn’t pay to check a bag. The maximum weight of the carry-on baggage that I can bring on these domestic flights is 22 pounds. With that in mind, I began to downsize everything I planned to bring to Japan. I was like a high school wrestler, but not really, trying to “make weight” before a match.
Then I gave that strategy some more thought. This was a little bit crazy. I decided to bring two small bags that ultimately contained 28 pounds worth of “stuff”. Maybe my shoe will give you some idea of how small my travel bags were…or how big my feet are.
Japan has storage lockers in all of its train stations and airports. I could take a bag with 22 pounds worth of gear on the plane. Then I would leave the rest of my unneeded clothes in my second bag with all of the excess weight in one of the lockers. That way I wouldn’t be using “soap flakes” to wash shirts and underwear during the trip. Some of the ideas I initially came up with I think are grand. As time passes other better ideas come along and I grab them.
Japan’s time zone is 16 hours ahead of our time zone in California. The flight time from Los Angeles to Tokyo was 12 hours. That adds up to 28 hours. Doing the math this means I left on Tuesday morning and arrived on Wednesday afternoon in Japan. Give that one some thought.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
I was glad I had that QR code.
When I landed clearing Japanese customs was easy. I had done the QR code work in advance. I ended up getting an airport limousine bus to take me from the airport to the Tokyo Disneyland stop. This was about an hour’s ride. The cost was ¥2300 or about $15. These airport limousine buses are comfortable, the service is outstanding and they are cheap.
Carol and I had been to Tokyo Disneyland a year and a half ago. That experience made me familiar with how to get to the train station from the bus resort stop.
I used the Suica card on my iPhone and entered the train station. I asked a couple of questions as to which train might be best for me to get to the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay hotel.
I make friends easily and I ask questions.
Once on the train, I struck up a conversation with a young man. He looked like he was Japanese, but his ethnicity was Korean. I told him where I was headed and my new friend gave me some good advice.
He told me to get off the train at the first stop which was coming up fast. This wasn’t my original plan, but I’m pretty good at taking advice from others. He told me that once I got off the train I should take the South exit and walk 32 minutes to the hotel. That was a great idea. Those 32 minutes would help with my four-mile-a-day walking goal.
There was just one minor issue with my walk. There was a strong mist in the air. By the time I got to the hotel, I was pretty wet. Stuff happens, right?
Don’t expect much English.
People in Japan do not speak a lot of English. They are more than willing to help you but the lack of language interchangeability is a little bit of an issue. Please remember to bring your patience.
I checked into my Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay hotel. The place was beautiful. It was nearly brand new. Granted, it’s not in any part of Tokyo city so it’s a little bit off the beaten path. However, when I planned this trip, I was doing it all on my own. I didn’t figure I needed to be in the hub of the city every night enjoying that experience with others.
Five-star restaurants…or convenience stores.
Convenience stores are huge in Japan. The three major chains are Lawson, Family Mart, and 7-Eleven. One or more seems to be on every block.
I had checked into my hotel at 6 p.m. It was time for dinner. I didn’t necessarily want to sit by myself in the hotel restaurant and have dinner. I knew I could get some comfort food, some tasty food, and inexpensive food at the nearest convenience store.
I walked less than a block and found a Lawson’s. They had one of my favorites which is spaghetti and sausage in a heavy garlic sauce. All of these convenience stores have microwaves. Some have space for their customers to buy their dinner, microwave it, and eat their meal in the store.
Once I bought my pasta entrée, I popped it in the microwave. Proving that I don’t know any more about household chores in a Japanese convenience store than I do at home one of the employees came by and redid my microwave mistakes. Then I hustled back to the Hyatt and ate my dinner.
A great reason for going to Japan? Cream puffs!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I also bought enough Coke Zero to last me for the rest of the day. I bought four packages of “cream puffs”. The cream is so fresh in these cream puffs. I could eat cream puffs and drink Coke Zero for the entire week I’ll be here.
This was great news.
It just turned out that our son J.J. would also be coming to Japan today. He’s a commercial airline captain. J.J. probably travels internationally at least once a month if not more often than that. The Japan trip for him was last minute. He flew into the Haneda airport while I arrived in Narita. We toyed with the idea of meeting up for dinner tonight. He and I were an hour and a half away by train. I was beginning to feel the effects of the time zone change. We texted back and forth. We were both using the AT&T International Calling Plan ($10 U.S./day). We then talked on the phone and concluded we would just meet up on Saturday with friends. That would be fun and a highlight of the trip.
I went to bed at 8 p.m. That was 4 a.m. back in California. Who GOES to bed at 4 a.m.? I tried not to think about that. Then when Mother Nature called sometime during the middle of the night, I answered. I also checked to see what time it was. It was 1 a.m. Tokyo time. I had slept for five hours. Once I got back to bed, there were so many thoughts going on in my mind including details of the trip and little projects I had going on back home, not work projects, but fun travel projects that I couldn’t sleep.
Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Bus…plane…baseball game.
This morning, I was out the door at 7 a.m. to catch an airport limousine bus to the airport. I have a Japan Airlines flight to Osaka. Once in Osaka, I will find the post office that JapanBall recommended. At the post office, I can pick up my tickets for tonight’s game and my game in Hiroshima next Monday night.
I would ride my share of airport limousine buses on this trip. It seemed like every one of those rides was about an hour long.
An airport limousine bus in Japan is nearly identical to what you would consider to be a Greyhound bus. It’s first come first serve to ride the bus. None of the airport limousine buses were ever oversold. You pay when you board the bus. Payment can be in cash or for me it was simply a tap of my iPhone using my Suica card. I could tell that some of the Japanese bus drivers were a little surprised that a tall white guy wearing shorts had a Suica card! No, it’s never a good idea to profile. Today’s bus fare was ¥1300 or about $8.35. That’s extremely reasonable for a one-hour bus ride, isn’t it?
I would be in four Japanese airports on this trip. Two of those were in Tokyo (NRT and HND). I would also be flying into and out of Osaka and Hiroshima. The airports were easy to navigate. They are modern and offer all kinds of food and tourist shopping options.
In Osaka, I dined on potstickers and fried chicken. Fried chicken in the form of something that resembles chicken fingers is popular in Japan.
I was only going to be in Osaka for one night and would be returning to Tokyo for the next three evenings. I parked one of my travel bags in a storage locker in Tokyo. I made sure to take several photos of the surrounding area so I could find my locker when I returned! When I landed in Osaka, I stored what I fondly call my “Costco bag” in another locker at the Kyocera Dome Osaka stadium. This small rolling carry-on bag meets the size requirements of Spirit Airlines at 18”x14”x8”.
The storage fee for these lockers is ¥400. Michael at JapanBall told me that small travel bags like the one I had could be brought into the baseball stadium. I thought it best to simply put my bag in a locker. This way I wouldn’t have to haul it all around all day.
Google Maps is a must-have.
I was using Google Maps on my iPhone as my GPS. This worked very well for not only walking around the cities I was visiting but for navigating the trains and subways of Japan as well. Google Maps told me how soon my train was coming what platform I needed to be on and more. Very handy.
It was easy to find the post office where Michael had delivered the tickets for the two baseball games I was seeing. Surprising to me was that the interior of the post office looked like the interior of any good-sized post office you might find in the United States. Getting the tickets was easy. I showed my passport and had the tickets in no time.
It was now time to head to the baseball stadium. The Kyocera Dome opened in 1997. The place seats 36,627 for baseball and can hold 55,000 for bigger events. Kyocera, a document solutions company, captured the naming rights of the domed stadium in 2006 and the stadium became the “Kyocera Dome Osaka”.
Thanks, JapanBall.
My seat location was outstanding. I was just seven rows from the field and very near right behind home plate. There were air-conditioning vents in every seat. I had never seen that before. However, the seats themselves were made of hard plastic. These were some of the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in.
The place was only half full if that. That was surprising. Most of the previous ten Japanese ballparks I have visited were sold out. The Buffalos share Osaka’s baseball fandom with the Hanshin Tigers. The Tigers are the darlings of Osaka leaving the Buffalos to play second fiddle. The Tigers even play some of their home games in the Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Refreshments at these baseball games are all over the board. I went with a Coke ice cream float and some form of meat fashioned in a fried ball. Others nearby ate more exotically. It was all good enough.
Japanese baseball is different.
A baseball game in Japan is a little bit different than what you might see in the United States. The fans are really into it. Each team has its special section for the team’s most ardent fans. In this section, you will find huge drums and other musical instruments along with flags and some of the most aggressive cheering fans found anywhere. When their team is batting, they go with a continuous chant and the beating of the bass drums nonstop. Most of the crowd sings along with a chanting song as well. If you’ve never had this experience you’re going to either love it or hate it.
Uriko girls!!
Probably the most unusual sight at a game is the “Uriko” girls. These are small Japanese women who probably don’t tip the scale at 100 pounds. They run up and down the isles selling beer from a keg-like container strapped to their backs. They are normally dressed in bright yellow outfits. These ladies hustle. The beer is dispensed from the keg via a hose and lever. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anybody work harder or longer than these young women.
Tonight, the Orix (Osaka) Buffalos hosted the Seibu Lions team. The Lions won the game 3-1. I was surprised there were no home runs or even very many balls hit to the outfield. The game finished in a bit less than three hours. At the same time, J.J. and Brian’s game in Tokyo had the Yakult (Tokyo) Swallows besting the Hiroshima Carp 9-8. That game included 26 hits and a grand slam home run. Their game ran well over four hours. That’s baseball, right?
Lost in translation.
When the game wrapped up, I went back to get my luggage. Soon I was boarding a train to take me to the Hyatt Place Kyoto. I was expecting to get to the hotel in an hour. That didn’t happen.
On the trains, almost every Japanese person is fully engaged with their phone as people would be in most places around the world. The Japanese people are quiet on the trains. They are well groomed. No one eats or drinks, not even a bottle of water on the trains or the streets of Japan. I commonly wore shorts. You would never see anyone in Japan wearing shorts. I was nearly a foot taller than anyone else on the train. It wasn’t like I was traveling incognito.
Finding the hotel was not easy. I think I wasted more than an hour just being lost. In the end, I found the hotel and was more than ready to hit the sack after a long day with a 16-hour time zone change rearing its sleepy head.
Friday, April 26, 2024.
Japan. So cheap. What a deal.
Osaka has two airports, Kansai International Airport (KIX) and Osaka International Airport (better known as Itami; ITM). KIX is Osaka’s international airport. Itami is Osaka’s domestic airport. I was flying from ITM back to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).
At the airport, I had to try to lightest cheesecake ever produced. It was fun just to watch them making this stuff. I topped that off with a full order of octopus dim sum.
Japan used to be considered an expensive country to visit. Not today. Earlier in the trip I bought a 20 oz. bottle of Coke Zero at LAX. Price? $5.34. All over Japan, including the airports, I paid 180 Japanese yen for a 17 oz. bottle of Coke Zero. That’s $1.16 U.S. A one-hour airport limousine ride to the airport. About eight bucks. Do you feel me?
It was interesting just watching the domestic airline boarding process. They don’t start boarding until 15-20 minutes before takeoff. Then passengers start appearing from out of nowhere. Nobody in Group 4 tries to board in Group 1. Most people have their boarding passes on their phones. The planes are boarded quickly and off we go.
When I landed it was time to get another bus back to my hotel, a one-hour ride. I’m now so comfortable on the airport bus that I can use my AT&T wi-fi connection to watch YouTube TV on my laptop while using a VPN of course. O.K., I admit it. I’m a multi-tasker.
By the time I got back to the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay, I sauntered down to the Regency Club. There I dined, on a complimentary basis, on some fine food and drink including rum and my first Japanese encounter with Pepsi Zero. Today was a pretty laid-back day. Tomorrow the pace would pick up big time.
Saturday, April 27, 2024.
The best day of the trip.
Today was going to be a big day for me. By the end of the day, I would end up walking 9.5 miles. Folks, that’s a lot of walking. Our son J.J. and I were meeting up in Tokyo to hang out for the day. His friend Brian, who is also a commercial airline pilot, would be coming along to join in on the fun.
Don’t miss this place.
We decided to meet at the Yodobashi Camera electronics store in the center of Tokyo. Yodobashi is the largest electronics store in Tokyo. I think it might be the largest electronics store in the world. It has seven floors of “stuff”. If you get to visit only one retail store when you come to Japan I recommend Yodobashi. They have several stores so make sure you visit the “big one”.
I’ve been to this store three or four times. Today I was on the hunt for some small luggage. During one of my last trips, I bought a new computer bag. That purchase had worked out perfectly. Prices are cheap because of the strong U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen amongst other things.
J.J. and I text often. He and I were coming from different parts of Tokyo. The Yodobashi store pretty much sits on top of a train station.
Our meet-up was not as seamless as we expected. I was using a VPN (virtual private network). I guess the VPN was doing its job. It was hiding my location from J.J.! I didn’t want to hide my location! We ended up meeting about 30 minutes later than expected after these communication problems. When I turned off my VPN, my phone began to work better just as it should. It’s hard to figure out when a VPN is an advantage and a disadvantage!
I needed some luggage…small luggage.
I checked out the luggage department at Yodobashi. The store has a million employees. Few speak much English. I did have a funny encounter with one of the Yodobashi saleswomen. She was working in a small area that sold luggage. I knew the main luggage section of the store was on a different floor and offered more than five times the inventory she had available. She didn’t know as much about the luggage departments in her store as I did!
I wanted to buy a small piece of luggage that would be acceptable by United States discount air carriers like Spirit Airlines. Their draconian airline baggage requirements only allow carry-on bags of 18”x14”x8”. That’s a small bag. I have a bag that works with Spirit. I bought it at Costco but it’s starting to wear out. I paid just 29 bucks for that little bag. I need a new one. At the gate, if Spirit deems your bag not to meet their expectations they charge $99 to bring it on the plane! Most Spirit Airlines customers are part of the lower-income demographic. I often board Spirit last as a standby flyer. It is heartbreaking to see a poor person being hit with a nearly $100 expense that they were not expecting just to carry twenty dollars of dirty clothes onto the airplane.
With no suitable luggage available we found the TV section at Yodobashi. They had a lot of TVs. They had a lot of big TVs. My home TV is an 83-incher. I come from the “bigger is better” mentality. Yodobashi had screens as big as 100”. The most expensive TV being sold was for 4.3 MILLION Japanese yen! Of course, that TV had the latest technology. The exchange rate made that 100” flat screen TV come in at about $27,000 U.S. which is the current price in Japan for a brand new Tesla Model Y.
At the top of the Yodobashi store, sits one of the most extensive and inclusive “food courts” of any place I’ve ever seen in the world. A minor drawback is that each of their offerings is its own restaurant. You can’t have one person pick up food at their best choice and join another person in the center of the space who might prefer to eat something else. That being the case, J.J., Brian, and I settled in a Japanese-style restaurant and enjoyed a nice lunch.
From there we went out and about in Tokyo on foot doing some touring. I wasn’t sure how much walking we were going to do today so I took a walk near my hotel this morning covering three miles. Big mistake. I only want to walk at least 4 miles every day so I figured getting that last mile would be easy. That was an understatement. By the end of the day, I had walked 9.5 miles!
When I first arrived in, Tokyo I walked a very long distance in the light rain. By the time I arrived at my hotel, the hotel doorman was offering a towel for me to dry off. I must’ve been pretty wet. I think I caught a cold from that encounter. My cold was manifesting itself at the beginning of today. You don’t need a cold when you’re going to be walking nearly 10 miles.
Culture shock!
J.J. and Brian are in their 40s. I was born in the 40s! Our entertainment tastes are just a little bit different.
I pride myself on trying to have an interest in as many things as I possibly can. This helps me relate to people from different parts of the world, different age brackets, and different cultures.
I am not perfect in this area. That was strongly evidenced today. J.J. and Brian were interested in doing some things that I had almost no experience doing whatsoever.
A “third wave” coffee store?
First, we stopped at a couple of “third-wave” coffee stores. I don’t drink coffee. I have been in a Starbucks store on three different occasions. For two of those trips, I was bringing back a cup of black coffee to Carol in her hotel room. On the third trip, Starbucks was a good place to meet up so I could sell a guy my computer.
Video arcades.
Of course, I had no idea what a “third-wave” coffee place even was. They are small. They are independent. These stores seat maybe only 8-10 patrons.
From these very small quaint, independent coffee outlets we moved over to video game arcades. These weren’t the video arcades that you might be accustomed to seeing in a huge shopping mall. These were small and, in some cases located in old Japanese buildings. Inside was a group of younger people enjoying all kinds of video games. Video games, other than Pong and maybe Pole Position, were not a “thing” when I was growing up. By the time they were a thing I wasn’t interested in things like that!
After striking out in third-wave coffee shops and video arcades we moved over to another one of my “outages”. In Japan, karaoke is beyond huge. Patrons rent a private room, buy drinks and food, and sing their hearts out with their friends. It’s a Japanese sport.
Karaoke? Not exactly my thing.
I am not a singer. I am not a music person, although I enjoy cranking up the tunes in my car from time to time. I don’t listen to lyrics when the songs play I daydream.
I can still remember as a youngster, my music teacher in the second grade, Mrs. Stiers, having each one of us sing just a little bit. When it came to my turn, I did as instructed. Mrs. Stiers pretty well told me that I should stick to basketball. She recommended that I never sing another word in my life. That was a harsh but accurate assessment. Yes, it was tough love back in the day.
Nevertheless, in the Japanese karaoke room, I sang a couple of Johnny Cash tunes which to my knowledge were not video recorded. I am thankful for that. J.J. and Brian were very good. They belted out tune after tune for the one hour time we spent in our private karaoke room.
The highlight of the trip.
We were doing some very unusual things in Japan at least unusual by my standards. However, the most unusual aspect of the trip was coming up this evening. I couldn’t wait. I expected this to be the highlight of the trip and it truly was.
I’ve been to Japan several times. On my last trip, I was riding a bullet train and I stopped to ask a Japanese fellow for some advice. Soon I was meeting a man named Gakuto Kawamura. He was very helpful. Gakuto and I had just enough time to chat in English for a few moments.
We exchanged business cards and from that short encounter. Gakuto and I have been corresponding on Facebook Messenger several times since. What a nice guy. I invited Gakuto to join J.J., Brian, and me for dinner tonight. He graciously accepted my invitation.
Sushi? Not for me. They don’t cook it enough.
I suggested sushi. I don’t eat sushi but J.J. and Brian do. I was certain that Gakuto did as well. Gakuto assured me that I could have a steak. We were all good. Gakuto would make the reservations. We all agreed to meet up inside Tokyo Station. Tokyo station is the 8th busiest train station in the world. Did you know that all but six of the fifty-one business train stations in the world are in Japan? Somewhat miraculously we all met up together on time!
We headed over to a place called Shari The Tokyo Sushi Bar. This was an upscale eatery located in the Ginza district of Tokyo. Gakuto was in charge of reading the electronic menu and placing the orders on his iPhone. I’m pretty sure I’ve never been to a restaurant where someone placed the entirety of our food order with their phone at various intervals during our dinner. The sushi just kept coming and coming. I almost broke down and tried a piece but I couldn’t jump over that barrier. Maybe next time, but probably not.
How many people get this opportunity?
The highlight of the entire evening was simply being able to talk to someone who lives in Japan and understands the culture and also speaks English well and understands the American culture. We chatted for three hours. When we finished talking, the restaurant had pretty well cleared itself out of diners.
Gakuto, a professor at Rikkyo University, fielded all kinds of questions about the Japanese culture and everything related to that. He had quite a few questions about what we were all about as Americans as well.
Gakuto is a social studies professor. He teaches classes with 200 students at each lecture. Gakuto is married and lives in a flat somewhere in Tokyo. He recently sold his car because he didn’t need it in Tokyo, which is understandable. I wouldn’t want to be driving around Tokyo in my own car either.
When dinner was finished, Gakuto gave us some special Japanese sweets that he had bought just for us. We bid each other farewell with the expectation and hope that we might meet up in the United States sometime in the future. I hope we do. We all agreed that spending time with Gakuto this evening was a true highlight of our adventure in Japan.
When I got back to the subway station nearest my hotel I was still a 32-minute walk from the Hyatt Regency. I had just missed the last bus that left at 11 p.m. I had walked this route in the rain when I arrived in Tokyo so I knew how to do it. It’s just that I was pretty well dragging now with a head cold and an aching body from what seemed like the flu. When I got back to the Hyatt Regency I noticed that I had walked 9.5 miles for the day. Nevertheless, being able to spend the day was J.J. and Brian and then have dinner with Gakuto was a great day, one of my best days ever in Japan.
Sunday, April 29, 2024.
Canceled! I didn’t mind.
Today was supposed to be a trackchasing day up in Montegi, Japan. That would not be happening. A couple of days ago I found out that the race was canceled.
That was both good news and bad. I always want to get a chance to see racing at a different location that I have never visited before especially an international location.
Why was the race canceled? This is what things boiled down to.
“The season opener, scheduled to be held over the last weekend in April at Mobility Resort Motegi, was canceled two weeks before the event after issues with the new spec engine in combination with the Dallara chassis arose.”
There was some sort of material defect in the engine. I’ve had more than my share of unusual cancellations but this was one of the strangest. I have had a very good track record with international locations not canceling. That’s with the MAJOR exception of traveling to northern Africa and the country of Algeria.
They canceled their race AFTER I got to Algeria. I was locked into six nights at a very upscale Sheraton hotel in Algiers. I hired one of the staff members at the hotel to take me on a daylong tour of the city. She gave a great tour. Then the Sheraton fired her for giving me the tour. Yep. I can be a lightning rod for controversy at times.
Just stay in bed.
Today I was feeling under the weather. I had done so much yesterday. I was secretly happy that I wasn’t going to have to rent a car, drive three hours up to the track, and three hours back from the races. This would have required a very early wake-up call to get my rental car at the airport. Of course, I would have done it, if I had the opportunity. But considering that opportunity was taken away from me by someone else I figured it was the trackchasing gods sending me a message.
Under these circumstances, I stayed in bed until 2 p.m. Later, I did go out and walk in a suburban neighborhood to get my steps in. I had some food at the Hyatt Regency Club. But, in general, I laid low and tried to save my energy for tomorrow’s flight over to Hiroshima. I was headed there to see a baseball game at my 12th and final Japanese baseball stadium.
Monday, April 29, 2024.
You will get used to riding on buses and trains.
Anyone who travels to Japan will have to get used to using public transportation. In Southern California, we have almost no public transportation. That’s why the car culture is so strong in the Golden State.
I mentioned that I would be flying domestically in Japan on four different flights. For the most part, each one of those flights requires a one-hour bus trip to get to the airport and a one-hour bus trip to get to my hotel after I land.
These buses are called “airport limousine buses”. They are modern and luxurious, come with free Wi-Fi, and are super prompt and cheap. A one-hour bus ride costs about $10 US. You can’t beat that. Every bus I rode on arrived on time and left on time nearly to the second.
I used Japan Airlines for each one of my domestic airline trips. Every one of my flight times was about an hour and 15 minutes. The cost to fly? Again, cheap. I paid about $100-$125 for each flight. The Japanese people are just so much more dignified and civilized than every other culture I’ve seen. No tank tops with these airline passengers!
I’ve been using my iPhone and my AT&T cellular connection, which costs $10 a day. I think that’s a great value. I used the cellular connection to power my laptop on these bus trips. I caught up on all of my YouTube TV recorded events. It is amazing what technology can do in today’s world. It’s only growing at an exponential rate.
Heading to Hiroshima.
Today I was headed for Hiroshima, Japan. I had never been to Hiroshima. My reason for coming was to see a baseball game at the Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium.
If and when I accomplish that I can say to anyone who cares to listen that I have seen a baseball game in every one of the 12 Japanese major league baseball parks. Even if someone doesn’t necessarily want to hear that I don’t mind saying it!
C’mon man!
However, there was a bit of a problem. I would have expected nothing less. Rain was in the forecast. I use Apple’s Weather app. People are fond of saying that you can never believe a weather forecast. I don’t agree.
The Apple Weather app has been showing rain for this Monday afternoon in Hiroshima and early evening for the past five or six days. The app has not shown any rain in Hiroshima before or after that for as far as I could see for ten days. When I landed in Hiroshima… it was raining.
Since there was no rush to get to my hotel, I had a leisurely lunch at one of the more upscale restaurants in the airport. The waiters all wore white jackets and ties. I was impressed. Japanese airports are not matched by any airports for their restaurants and tourist goods.
When it came time to think about going to Hiroshima to check into my hotel, I used Google Maps to give me the airport limousine bus schedule. It was my good fortune that the bus was leaving in 10 minutes. Most of the time the buses leave these Japanese airports on the ground level. I paid my check and hustled down there to find my bus was now leaving in three minutes. I quickly used my Suica app on my iPhone to pay the ¥1300 fare. I was getting to be a pro at this.
I forgot I am a pretty good planner.
I made my reservation at the Hotel Granvia Hiroshima Hotel about a month ago. I know at the time I did my best to choose a great hotel and a good location. I had forgotten what a good job I had done a month ago.
The bus pulled into the Hiroshima bus station which is adjacent to the Hiroshima train station. It was raining. I didn’t think it was going to be all that comfortable walking to the hotel in the rain. I looked out the window from the bus. What did I see? A huge 20-story high-rise hotel with the name “Hotel Granvia Hiroshima” emblazoned on the side of the building. The hotel was about 50 yards from the bus. Good planning!
Rained out! Oh my. What now?
I knew that tonight’s Hiroshima Carp baseball game was rained out. Michael from JapanBall keeps an eye on the weather for his ticket holders. If a game is rained out he lets his customers know the right way. I had one more chance at seeing a game in Hiroshima before I would have to return home.
The game was rained out tonight. The Hiroshima Carp were playing their last home game for several days tomorrow night. The weather forecast was good. This rainout would mean staying over and incurring another night’s hotel expense, losing the nonrefundable airfare I had for a plane I wouldn’t be taking tomorrow, and booking a new flight for one day later than originally planned. Despite all of those expenses doing it this way would be far cheaper than coming back to Japan for the explicit reason of seeing a ball game in Hiroshima sometime in the future. I had no choice. I have my goals. Sometimes achieving those goals can be expensive.
Checking into the hotel was easy. They told me that if I needed to stay an extra night that would be fine. I could book a second night for the same price I booked a month ago.
My room was on the smaller side but had a good view of downtown Hiroshima. I don’t need much when I’m by myself. However, when I become a Globalist with Hyatt I will be disappointed every time I don’t get a suite!
Michael recommended I walk over to the stadium and refund the ticket I had for tonight and get a ticket for tomorrow night’s game. It was a 20-minute walk in a very light rain.
The Japanese people are so nice.
I found the stadium but they weren’t selling or refunding tickets. I did encounter one of the security staff who spoke only Japanese. Nevertheless, he understood what I was trying to do with the tickets. He put me on the phone with a woman who spoke English. She told me that if I returned tomorrow at 11 a.m., I could probably get a ticket for Tuesday night’s (tomorrow) game. I would try to do that.
I walked around the stadium just soaking (pun intended) up the ambiance in the rain. I was so close to seeing a game in my 12th stadium in Japan. I was standing on the property looking at the field, but I still hadn’t seen a game there…yet.
I walked back to Hiroshima Station the train station right next to my hotel. They had all kinds of restaurants in the area. I elected to grab some dim sum and Japanese pastries. I then headed back to the hotel to enjoy a very informal Japanese dinner. Had I been traveling with someone sitting in these restaurants would have been so much fun. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.
Before I went to bed I booked a flight from Hiroshima back to Tokyo on Wednesday. I’ll have to figure out how to get from Tokyo to Los Angeles, a day later than expected. I’ll deal with that tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
This was going to be a big day…dare I say a huge day.
Yes, today was a huge day on my trip to Japan. The funny thing about it is that I was supposed to be heading home today but when last night’s game rained out, I had to stay an extra day.
Why did I have to stay another day? I had a box to check in Japan. One of the primary reasons I came to Japan on this trip was to see a baseball game played in the 11th and 12th professional baseball stadiums in the country that I had not already visited. I knocked off the Kyocera Dome, stadium #11 last week in Osaka. Last night, I planned to see the 12th and final stadium in Hiroshima, but the game was rained out.
I could have always come back to Japan another time to see that 12th stadium. But it would be a lot easier and ultimately less expensive to stay one more day. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp were playing the final game of their home stand tonight. I did face a couple of challenges.
If I couldn’t get a ticket to tonight’s game or if it rained again? I would be sunk.
I can always get a ticket. Are you listening Taylor Swift? By the way you can do a lot better than that Kansas City Chiefs guy.
What am I saying? If I couldn’t get a ticket? I can always get a ticket. I would get a ticket one way or the other, even if I had to sneak in underneath the fence. The weather forecast called for no major rain although this afternoon when I was touring it did begin to rain heavy enough so that people popped up their umbrellas.
Last night, I walked over to the Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium to see if I could exchange my rained-out ticket for a ticket for today’s game. All of the ticket counters were shut down at the stadium. It was nearly a mile walk each way to do that. At least I got my steps in.
This morning, I headed out to the ballpark again. I had been told last night that a few tickets would be available at 11 a.m. Those tickets would be for tonight’s game. When I arrived at 10:45 a.m. there was already a line of people waiting for the ticket sellers to open up.
It took me about 30 minutes to pull it off but soon I had purchased a ticket just behind the Hanshin Tigers dugout for the sum of ¥4,200. That was the most expensive ticket they sold. I always want to buy good stuff cheap and not cheap stuff cheap. Then I walked over to another line and exchanged my rained-out ticket for cash also, ¥4,200 Japanese.
I’m in Hiroshima for the day. Now what?
It was just before noon. Tonight’s baseball game started at 6 p.m. In Japan, nearly every night game starts at 6 p.m. That seemed early to me. Most weekend afternoon games start at 2 p.m. They rarely play a game on Monday unless it’s a make-up of a rained-out game.
With all afternoon to myself, I decided to take a tour of Hiroshima. I wouldn’t say that Hiroshima is architecturally beautiful. They don’t have all that much in the way of tall buildings, but then again everything was leveled to the ground in 1945 by the world’s first atomic bomb.
I very much enjoyed walking through the neighborhoods of Hiroshima. From an outsider’s point of view, I could see what their lifestyle looked like. I saw lots of small cars and lots of people on bicycles. I could see the normal activity that goes on in and around these small urban dwellings. The Ōta River runs throughout Hiroshima with some beautiful views as well.
Thank you Trip Advisor.
I wanted to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Trip Advisor’s #1 ranked attraction in Hiroshima. I did that and then took a short 25-minute cruise past the Atomic Bomb Dome (#2 attraction – above). Finally, I spent some time walking around Hiroshima Memorial Park (#3 attraction). Of all the historical locations I visited, I found the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (#8 ranked) the most memorable. This memorial is free to enter. They were featuring a film with young Japanese soldiers recounting their efforts to help people affected by the atomic bomb blast.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum had a riveting display of photos and descriptions of the young school children who were caught up in the blast of the atomic bomb on Monday, August 6, 1945. As they say, war is hell. Some 140,000 people who were in Hiroshima that day died. I’m certain most of those people didn’t have much to do with Japan’s ill-fated military strategies.
Following my touring I had a nice late lunch overlooking the Ōta River. One of the things I liked about the Japanese sit-down restaurants I visited was the server call button on each table. Diners simply tap the button and your server comes to you within seconds. I think a lot of American restaurants could use that little toy.
Enough of buses and trains…give me a car!
It was now starting to rain lightly. I had already walked six miles so I figured my first taxi trip was in order. I hailed one in a matter of seconds. When I walked up to the cab the driver had the rear door automatically open. I slid into the backseat. He pressed the button again and the door shut. Heck, that’s what my Tesla does! During my cab ride it did cross my mind that this afternoon’s rain might not be good for this evening’s baseball game.
When we got back to my hotel, I told the driver I wanted to use my Suica payment method. This request threw him for a bit of a loop. He tried to make it happen with his iPad but I think it was out of juice. I’ve got to give him credit (again, that pun was absolutely intended). Remember, my Suica card is funded by my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. The driver never gave up. Soon I tapped my phone on his iPad and we were good to go. The cab ride was maybe seven or eight dollars for the 15-minute excursion. Tokyo used to be reputed as one of the most expensive cities in the world. With their weak currency and our strong currency Japan is a great value for American tourists right now.
Am I a sports fan or am I a collector?
I’m a sports fan. I am also a collector. I am a collector of experiences. I like baseball, but I probably like “collecting” the idea of visiting new baseball stadiums even more than I like the game of baseball.
A couple of years ago, I wrapped up seeing a baseball game in all 30 major league baseball parks. That was a fun adventure. I guess I will need to visit Sacramento when the current Oakland A’s play there for two years while they wait for a park to be built for them in Las Vegas.
The second biggest market for baseball in the world behind the United States is Japan. Baseball in Japan is pretty much what the NFL is in the United States. Baseball is huge in Japan.
I had a ticket to see a baseball game between the Hanshin Tigers and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. These are two of the most popular teams in Japan’s 12-team Nippon Baseball League.
Seeing a game in Hiroshima would complete my goal of seeing a game in every Japanese professional baseball park. These are my results.
March 20, 2010 – Tokyo Yakult Swallows over Chunichi Dragons 3-1 at Nagoya Dome (pre-season game)
May 14, 2023 – Hiroshima Toyo Carp over Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants 7-2 at Tokyo Dome
May 20, 2023 – Saitama Seibu Lions over Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 1-0 at Fukuoka PayPay Dome
August 29, 2023 – Yokohama DeNA BayStars over Hanshin Tigers 3-2 at Hanshin Koshien Stadium
August 30, 2023 – Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters over Chiba Lotte Marines 3-2 at Zozo Marine Field
August 31, 2023 – Saitama Seibu Lions over Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 5-4 at Rakuten Mobile Park
September 1, 2023 – Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters over Orix Buffalos 3-0 at ES CON Field Hokkaido
September 2, 2023 – Yokohama DeNA BayStars over Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants 13-4 at Yokohama Stadium
September 3, 2023 – Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks over Saitama Seibu Lions 3-2 at Belluna Dome
September 3, 2023 – Hanshin Tigers over Tokyo Yakult Swallows 7-1 at Meiji Jingu Stadium
April 25, 2024 – Hiroshima Toyo Carp over Orix Buffalos 3-1 at Kyocera Dome Osaka
April 30, 2024 – Hanshin Tigers over Hiroshima Toyo Carp 7-1 at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium
In reviewing this list, I was happy to note that I have seen all 12 Japanese teams play. If I hadn’t? I would likely be planning a trip to Japan right now to correct that omission!
It’s time to head to the ballpark, my 12th Japanese ballpark.
With a light mist in the air but no major rainfall expected, it was time to leave for the park. I rode the elevator down to the hotel lobby. There was quite a racket going on. What could this be? It was the Hanshin Tigers baseball team boarding their buses to take them to the ballpark. I guess I must have been staying in a pretty nice place. I had never seen such an event when I stayed at the Motel 6.
I walked to the park with lots of other Japanese baseball fans. I didn’t see any other people who looked like me. How would you feel if you saw someone a foot taller than you, dressed in clothes you never wear with features not common to anyone you knew? Yes, today I was an outlier.
I’m in!!
When I was inside the stadium, the first thing I did was take a lap around the entire place. I wanted to check out what souvenirs and concessions were being offered. I had my heart set on getting a Hiroshima Carp souvenir jersey or shirt. Sadly, I was denied.
Yes, I was a head taller than pretty much everyone I had encountered in Japan. I soon found out, as I have seen in other parks as well that the sizes offered in clothing in Japan are much smaller than what I would see in the United States. I wear a XXL shirt in most situations. Once in a while, I sneak into an XL. That always puts a smile on my face. The largest size in Japan is an “O”. I have no idea what that stands for. I think it’s an XL in American lingo. I tried one on but it wasn’t big enough. Maybe I will find a Hiroshima Toro Carp shirt on eBay! Yes! I just ordered a Carp shirt on eBay.
Just seeing and experiencing the ambiance of the ballpark was a bigger deal to me than the actual game itself. Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium seats 32,000 people. There were a handful of seats available in the upper deck, but not many. My seat was six rows from the Tigers dugout.
I bought an ice cream treat that was served in a Hiroshima carp red helmet. As you can see the logo for the Carp is almost identical to the logo of the Cincinnati Reds.
The fans at these games are into it so much more than what I would normally encounter in the United States. A regular Japanese game is on par with a playoff game or maybe even a World Series back in the States.
Mission accomplished.
I’m not gonna lie. I had a huge but tired smile on my face all night. I guess I had “bragging rights”. I could tell folks that I had seen a game in every professional ballpark in major league baseball, and now, in Japan as well. That fact will fly over some people’s heads. However, when I run into a true sports fan, they will know what this accomplishment means.
When the game was finished, I marched back in the direction of Hiroshima Station with my fellow Carp fans. Yes, I did just about get run over by a train but that would not have mattered much. My mission in life was accomplished. There was a light mist in the air. I barely snuck this one in. It cost me some more money to stay over an extra day, but it was some of the best money I have ever spent. Die with Zero, baby!
When I walked in the front door of the Hotel Grannie, the ropes were already set up. Fans were beginning to queue for when their beloved Hanshin Tigers came back from the baseball wars for a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep? That sounded good to me. I’ve got a long way to go tomorrow to get back to our modest seaside cottage in San Clemente, California.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Take me home, please.
My plan today is simple. I’ll ride the limousine airport bus from downtown Hiroshima to the Hiroshima airport. That will take about an hour.
Then I’ll jump on a Japan Airlines flight from Hiroshima to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. That flight will be just a little bit more than one hour in length.
I’ll hang out in the Tokyo airport for three hours. Then I’ll try to catch a flight on Japan Airlines nonstop to Los Angeles. I’m flying standby…in coach. Flight time is 10 hours.
I leave Tokyo at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1. I land in Los Angeles at 11 a.m. also on Wednesday, May 1. How does that work? It’s all a product of a 16-hour time zone savings and a 10-hour flight.
You wanted to hear the entire story, right?
Telling you all about this took quite a few more words than normal. Hopefully, you’re good with that. I appreciate you taking an interest in these tales.
What’s next? I’m going to give you an update, after six months, from my credit card arbitrage doings. Some grand rewards and somewhat unexpected pitfalls but nothing that should rock the boat too much.
Sayōnara,
Randy Lewis – a man who has now seen a baseball game in every Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball facility…but you already knew that.