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Golden Week is upon us! This annual group of Holidays are perhaps one of the most anticipated of the year in Japan. This year the holidays are as follows:
- April 29
- May 3
- Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日 Kenpō kinenbi?)
- May 4
- May 5
- Children’s Day (こどもの日 Kodomo no hi?), also customarily known as Boys’ Day (端午の節句 Tango no sekku?).
The arrival of Golden Week each year means people collectively abandon Tokyo and travel both domestically and internationally as many companies encourage people to take the entire week off for rest. Oh darn.
While last year we headed westward to Beijing and Simitai, China we opted this year to head south to Vietnam. Saturday evening Gremlin will be checking in to his spa of choice while T and I board a flight to Saigon. We’ll be spending a few days in HCMC prior to flying to the northern part of the country. Once in the north we’ll be doing two days in Hanoi followed by two days in Ha Long Bay. We have our Dramamine packed for that portion of the adventure as we will be sleeping on a charter boat. Specifically this boat.
We think it will be quite cool.
It’s been awhile, but I suppose I needed the time to process all that’s happened. To be honest, I’m still trying to piece it all together…
In the span of a few months I’ve lost both my grandmother and my grandfather. Both of them meant the world to me and in many ways helped shape me into the man I am today. I was blessed to have the both of them for as long as I did and give thanks to all they have done. It’s strange to think it was only two years ago when I last ventured to Florida to introduce them to M partially knowing that it might be the last time I see them. Something about that time led me to make peace with both of them and cherish the moment. Even better M had the headsmarts to take lots of photos, which is something I will be eternally grateful for. But looking back, I realize I forgot something or more like someone.
Not until I arrived in Florida for my grandfather’s funeral did I understand.
You see, when I talk about my grandparents I can’t help but go on about Tommy and Rose, but somewhere in the mix I tend to forget Lillian. It’s utterly ridiculous when you consider this was the same woman who introduced me to country music, would sit with me to watch Hawaii Five-O reruns, baked me lemon meringue pies at the drop of a hat, and would go in search of baseball cards (with lists I provided) at shows while my grandfather signed autographs. No matter what, Nana came through and always had her keen wit. I still remember her asking me years ago, “TJ do you think this Ken Griffey Jr. will be any good, his card cost $10?
Twenty years later as I walked in to see her just days after losing the only man she ever loved, my heart was broken. But then something funny happened. As I knelt down beside her and said hello, suddenly her bright blue eyes came to life as she smiled looking at me in disbelief. I told her that I came from Tokyo to see her, that I missed her, and that I loved her. Two days later when I said goodbye, I explained to her that I had another beautiful blue eyed blonde in Tokyo that I needed to go home to.
“Oh really?”
“Yes Nana, and she’s just as feisty as you!”
And with that a smile came across her face that made my journey complete.
It’s been said to us that in Japan if you’re a loyal customer you’ll be treated well, but until recently it seemed like a lot of lipservice…as a followup to my writeup a few weeks ago I wanted to provide a quick update on the local merchants.
On Friday afternoon while work was a little slow I took the opportunity to revisit the baseball card store. By the time I got there, at first glance the place appeared empty and only after I meekly uttered the words, “Good Afternoon” did I get a response. Within seconds the shopkeep, a rather stout man in his mid 30s, bounded from behind his desk with a stack of cards that contained all my favorite players. Keep in mind I visited the store weeks ago casually mentioning a few players I liked to collect. Now I had everything I needed without even having to look which cracked me up, but at the same time kind of took the fun out in going as half the fun is getting to sift through the stacks on my own.
So after adding a few more to the pile, I thanked him graciously for his efforts; meanwhile as I paid him he hands me a note letting me know when he’ll be on vacation so I don’t visit the store while he’s absent. Great right?
The next day at the dry cleaner I turned over a pile of clothes that made the shopkeeper giddy with delight. In realizing that we were indeed loyal customers, she gave me a point card with a ton of stamps and informed me that if we fill it up we can get a mug as she gestured to the pile of three on a shelf sitting in the corner. Not quite sure how to respond, I quickly babble in my best Japanese, “Thanks, I’m sure my wife will love it!”
Is april over yet? No, seriously, is it?
It’s been the month from hell.
While work has been crazy, life outside of work has been equally sad.
A week ago today, T received word that his grandfather, the man he idolized, had passed away in the night. The next morning I packed him up and shuffled him on the first eastern bound plane I could get him on. He’s been in Miami since last Tuesday with his family and is scheduled to return to the gremlin and I tonight. I’m sure he’ll share more when he feels up to it.
So yeah, much going on..Most of which is no fun at all.
You may recall the pictures from your history book (the blasted out dome, the burn victims, and the Enola Gay), but then you turn the page and the Cold War starts the next chapter.
Never did I think though I would step into that photo gazing upwards towards a fittingly gray dreary sky at the twisted girders, piles of rubble, and the burns that run along the sides of the brick facade of the A-Bomb Dome.
The scene is haunting as you try to imagine the horror and magnitude of what happened.
The museums in the area tell the story of the events in a fair and balances manner, yet the photos and stories of the victims remain with you for long afterwards. It is impossible to ask why this ever happened and how it could ever be even considered again.
The stories of the survivors along with the belongings of those who died are all displayed throughout the peace musuem and should be something that everyone pays witness to at least once. The magnitude of human suffering is certainly understood by the people of Hiroshima and it is also something they work to prevent from every happening again. The past is the past and that is an absolute understood by the people of Hiroshima. It is the future that is most important. Learning the lessons of the past and never forgetting them.
All that they ask of the world is to never forget and let their story remain a cautionary tale. It is the future that should concern us most..
On the bright side of life, the city of Hiroshima today is a thriving metropolis with Tiffany’s, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and Carp’s baseball stadium only a few blocks from the A-Bomb Dome. 
The people are friendly and good natured, as no one made us feel uncomfortable and most were very excited to hear us speak the language. It leaves you with the impression that those that live there now live each day with the understanding that it can all be over tomorrow, so it’s better to enjoy each day as it comes.
After another long week in the trenches the alarm screeched at 5AM jarring us out of bed. Time for another adventure complete with a sprint to catch the 6AM train. In order to get to Hiroshima at a decent time we opted for this particular train hoping it would give us enough time to explore the city and it’s outskirts. Once on board, the bullet train propelled us half way across Japan at warp speed. The distance between Tokyo and Hiroshima is the rough equivalent of travelling from San Francisco to San Diego, but in just under 4 hours. (Editors Note: My estimate is based on me measuring with my fingers on a map, so don’t quote me.)
By 10AM we arrived having napped most of the way and within 10 minutes of getting off the train found ourselves on another train heading towards the island of Miyajima in search of the famous floating Torii.
Following that we boarded a ferry boat that transported us to the island and provided us with some truly breathtaking views.
Upon seting foot on the island you find that you are not alone. Sure there are plenty of shops and restaurants leading up to the Shrine, but in order to get there you need to bypass dozens upon dozens of deer.
Seriously, they’re everywhere! It was like being surrounded by an army of Gizmos as each of them either sat soaking up the sun or begged for food. M couldn’t help but capture them on film at every turn and even reached out to pet a few of them.
Luckily we didn’t take one home as we all know M has a fondness of cute furry creatures in need of a good meal. (Gizzy and I have a non aggression pact that to this day continues to be upheld by both sides, anyone else would probably ruin that balance.)
Beyond the deer the island is filled with tons of shops and restaurants as you would expect of any tourist destination. Naturally we sampled our share of local delicacies that included sweets momiji manju and okonomiyaki which contained…gasp…bacon. Yes, I caught hell for it, but I felt it would have been rude to our hosts.
The Shrine itself is beautiful, but somewhat similar to those we’ve encountered in past trips. What makes this Shrine distinct is the floating O-Torii Gate. M made sure to take tons of pics that you can see below…
After that we took a ropeway cable car up Mt. Misen as M wanted to see monkeys.
Unfortunately they were out feeding in the forest and seemed reluctant to keep a schedule; therefore we soon gave up our search and headed back down after taking in the view from the top of the mountain.
Finally we took one last tour of the Shrine and stumbled upon a wedding. Can you tell who spent more time on their eyebrows, the bride or groom? We can’t either…
Overall it was a nice to relax, bathe in the sun, and take in some nature while enjoying a truly serene destination.
Tomorrow Hiroshima.
Okay..so it seems we’re getting a lot of people to this site from google..Google searches on “wind associated with kidney stones,” “english urologist me” and others have lead people to our little site. Thus, it seems that we have an opportunity to be helpful!
So, in the event you land here looking for something more useful than pictures of our dog (though I can’t fathom how that could ever happen) here you are.
First, a disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor. I just play one for the husband that periodically ends up on the floor screaming and the dog that over indulges himself in boxes of hot cocoa.
What to do if you get ill abroad:
1) Don’t panic. It doesn’t help. Seriously, take a deep breath.
2) Contact your embassy or visit their website. This may seem a bit extreme but I’m not talking about getting an airlift rather the contact information for a hospital that speaks english. Though if you need an airlift, I believe they can help out there to.
For example, T’s second incident here ended up with me googling desperately for “English Speaking Hosptials” and such. The only problem…I was googling in English. Eventually I discovered the embassy had a long online list of resources (and phone numbers) that helped me to find the wonderful Dr. Buddah. While the hospital didn’t function in english (which is admittedly a bit scary and frustrating) they took great care of him and well, he survived so we’ll tally it as a win.
3) Ask Locals for help. I would imagine a hotel would be able to help in this area or friends or such.
4) Don’t put it off until you are on the floor begging for death. Do your research before you leave. At the very least be sure you know the local number for emergency services (911 in the US, 119 in Japan).
5) Let the doctors do what they do. It may not be the way “they do things at home” but chances are they do them for a reason and unless you have a medical degree, they probably know more on the subject than you do.
That said, if you are in a country where your native language isn’t commonly used try the following tricks:
- Write it down. People can sometimes be a bit shy on speaking but might be able to read.
- Carry a pocket dictionary. It’s fun to look up words like “bloating” and “suppository” in different languages.
- Check if the hospital has a translator. The doctors might be a bit busy with your screaming travel buddy, so take two minutes and find a nurse. Nurses are your friends and serve as excellent allies. If there is a translator, they will be able to find them for you.
- Point and gesture. Board games can be useful practice.
6) Do ask questions, though keep them reasonable and at least mildly intelligent.
- If you see something you aren’t sure about, ask.
- If you have something you need to mention like allergies, mention it.
7) Carry your name, passport and where you are staying on you at all times. Same for vital medical information (allergies and such). Just tuck a little card into your wallet, it could do you wonders.
8 ) Don’t wait it out. You don’t want to be the person laid out in the aisle of the plane that everyone is staring at.
What to do if you get a kidney stone?
Here is the official breakdown.
Here is the Dr. Buddah offering:
- Drink LOTS of water. Paincomes from urine blockage so yes, water can cause pain but it can also push the little buggers along and break them up.
- Keep moving. Yes, also not the most comfortable thing, but moving also stimulation motion down there.
- Drugs. Take the Drugs. T will vouch.
- Patience. The little buggers can take a while.
How can on avoid kidney stones?
- Collect the stone you are passing (and buy your spouse a new strainer). Take it to the Doctor. They will cut it up into little pieces and tell you what it is made of. Different stones have different causes.
- Drink water. Water prevents chemicals from binding and creating the little suckers.
- Diet management. Depending on what type of stone you are prone to different diets can work as a preventative measures.
Anything else? Well, go back to googling my friends. I can only suggest the following for you:
Tax dollars at work: US Embassy Directory
9-1-1 doesn’t work everywhere..here are the right numbers
I can only be so helpful.
Tomorrow we’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming. We’re also off to Hiroshima this weekend so adventures are on the horizon!
that is all.
Within a span of 6 weeks I’ve had two kidney stones and while this may seem disturbing on some levels, I’m trying to look at the bright side in hoping that by getting rid of these little beasties in short time I can live a normal life without the fear of dealing with them again…EVER.
Now how do I accomplish that? The approach I took following my last bout seemed fair in that I would drink lots of water, eat healthy, and only indulge once a week. It started off well enough as I was scared straight, but soon got lazy in drinking maybe a little less water than I should and sneaking a cookie or two when I found myself late at work. On our trip to Korea, I threw caution to the wind in having fried chicken, beef, Oreos, and Twix all while M watched with a wary eye.
“I’m good for it, I’ve already given up so much to begin with.”
“C’mon we’re on vacation.”
“Honey we can’t get Twix in Japan!”
And so on…as are merely my best excuses, but really I needed a solution, not just an easy answer.
The simplest solution though seemed the most painful…Vegetarianism
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of mistreating animals, but I’d be lying if I didn’t think I found some tastier than others. So this isn’t a political or moral stance, this is simply my way of hoping to live a long and fruitful life.
Right now M is simply giddy at the prospect of feeding me shrimp, salmon, tuna, fruits, veggies, and tofu.
Initially she proposed that I could have one weekly treat, but I know I need strict self-discipline. At this point I’m well over a week and looking to keep going. Oddly enough it gets easier by the day as I actually look and feel better. From time to time I get a little bummed when I pass by certain eating establishments, but I’m learning to find alternatives that in some cases I really enjoy. Finding myself in Asia at this time helps as portions are sensible and cuisines here tend to place an emphasis on flavors that make vegetables and tofu come to life.
Yes, I’ve lost my mind, but at the end of the day it really beats the alternative of writhing in pain on the floor.
M says: This isn’t because I’m a sadist (which I guess could be argued). It is actually because his doctor gave us a sheet saying the following things cause the types of stones T gets: Meat, Chocolate, Milk.
You’ll also note we’ve switched to soy milk weeks ago and he actually really likes it. So bust out the Birkenstock’s we’ve got a convert!
As M mentioned in her weekend writeup, I am once again dealing with a small kidney stone. At the time of this post, I believe it has passed, but have no proof other than feeling much better. So how did this all happen again? It all started the Monday after we returned from Korea as morning I woke up feeling a bit sluggish and wondered, could it be? Honestly I figured I had another 5-10 years before I’d encounter the back pain, bloating, fatigue, and nausea all associated with kidney stones again.
Now please understand this was a mild case that merely made my life uncomfortable for the better part of two weeks with the first few days being the worst. After having little luck, I decided to visit the hospital this past Thursday (as is the custom here), hoping I could see the Urologist.
My plan was perfect as I had our language teacher draft a script outlining all the essentials to get me in the door and explain my current condition to the doctor that M transcribed in perfect Hiragana. So there I stood incredulous to find out the doctor wasn’t in that day.
“Excuse me? Really? No doctor today! Go to another hospital!?! What?”
Before I left I called M to give her an update and she suggested I try the front desk to see if they could be of help. Following a brief search I approached the desk and encountered two pleasant looking older women who didn’t seem too opposed to my presence. Within seconds of reading the note one woman complimented me on the letter’s pendmanship, while the other literally flew from behind her perch and started whacking me in the kidneys while asking me, “Is it this one or this one?” Only in Japan could two unassuming old ladies in combination compliment and assault you simultaneously. Fortunately they spoke enough English to get me an appointment the next morning.
Fast forward to me handing the doctor my note from the day before and the LOOSE translation of what transpired…
Doctor Buddah: “Hmmm, bummer. Well, your tests seem fine, so keep drinking water and good luck!”
Me: “Gee thanks?”
Fortunately these pearls of wisdom only cost me $2.10. Upon reporting to M, she concluded that she should get in on this gig as the hours seem rather flexible and the diagnosis process seems to revolve around nothing more than basic common sense.
