The Dynamic Duo

Wherein UltraMom and Heather have an adventure in Tokyo with Kristen and Heather has an unpleasant experience

It is now Monday in Japan, two days after the UltraWedding. Both of the UltraKids are under the weather; Ubob has a bad cold and is wearing a white respiration mask around. You see a lot of people wearing those around Japan, although probably not as much now as when the SARS epidemic was at its height. Ubob likes to wear one when he is sick, not only so as not to infect others, but because it makes the air warmer, he says. I think he kind of looks like he’s about to go into the operating room.
Anyway, Kristen has offered to show the visitors some of the sights of Tokyo if UBob will put put them on right train. UltraMom was very happy to, at last, meet Kristen at the Ultras Wedding, but she already felt like she knew her from reading her MediaTinker website, as well as from her frequent, helpful comments on this site. Spending some time in Tokyo with Kristen as tour guide sounded good to us, so UBob took us down to the Zushi station area, where we stopped off for a quick lunch at one of Johnny’s favorite haunts where you could get a sizeable bowl of flavored noodles for a reasonable price. At the station UltraB helped us buy our tickets from the ticket vending machine and find the right gate for the car we wanted. He told us where to get off when we reached Tokyo, how many stops there would be before that, and where Kristen would meet us. He also loaned us his cell phone as an added safety precaution. After all, it seemed very unlikely that anything would go wrong, or that we could get lost, but after all, this was UltraMom we were talking about.
Everything went fine, with UltraMom getting her usual little snooze in on the train ride, a never-ending source of wonder to Heather. Kristen had an ambitious agenda for us, only half of which we actually completed, but we had a great time. I was so glad we didn’t have to navigate train or subway stations alone; I would have been hopelessly lost and confused, although there were sporadic signs and announcements in English.
First, Kristen took us the Buddhist temple at Asakusa. This was an absolutely amazing sight, and one of the best parts, at least for us, was the street full of tourist shops leading up to the temple. Kristen was endlessly patient as we shopped for souvenirs, such as waving paw cat statues and tiny decorative Saki cups. Arriving at the temple, we saw what looked like rows of little wooden cubicles with doors. Also was a rack of sorts with papers tied to it. Kristen explained to us that the cubicles contained fortunes that you could purchase for 100 yen (a little less than a dollar). If your fortune was bad, you were supposed to get rid of it by tying it on the rack and try for a better one. If you kept it, the bad luck would “stick.” Of course we had to try it and shelled out the necessary coin. Okay, time for one of UltraMom’s famous logic problems. Each of the three of us got a different type of fortune. UltraMom was quite happy with her fortune; Kristen, though not overjoyed, seemed satisfied with hers. Who ended up having to tie her fortune to the rack and get a different one? (See picture below for answer.)
We wandered around the temple grounds for awhile, and then Kristen treated us to an afternoon treat at a traditional Japanese sweets shop. Most of the desserts contained fruit, bean paste and small cubes of a clear looking gelatin. It was an interesting experience, but I think bean paste and clear gelatin cubes are an acquired taste.
After all of the shopping, UltraMom and Heather were laden down with many purchases, so a locker was rented to hold the bounty for the return ride home, and we walked around Tokyo a bit looking at the sights. We walked to where we could see the edge of the moats and gardens surrounding the Emperor’s Imperial Palace. The Emperor (merely a figurehead, like the Queen of England) and his family only make public appearances, it seems, twice a year. They appear behind glass and wave to the crowd periodically on those two days, where crowds gather to catch a glimpse. Doesn’t sound like all that much fun to me.
We then went to meet Todd, Kristen’s husband, at his workplace so we could all have dinner together. We ended up at an authentic Chinese restaurant that Todd and Kristen had been to before and really enjoyed. We enjoyed it as well; I wish I could remember all (or even some) of the dishes we tried, but I don’t remember trying anything I really didn’t like. The food was very different from what we consider Chinese food in the U.S: much simpler and more flavorful.
When we got back to Zushi after Kristen helped us retrieve our treasures from the locker and safely stowed us on the correct train for our return ride, UltraBob was there to meet us. What a great day. Kristen, you are definitely a tour guide extraordinaire.
Tomorrow: Turkey, anyone?
UltraMom

Answer: Heather has to tie her bad fortune to the rack. The next time she got a “regular” fortune, like Kristen. Only UltraMom got the “best” fortune. smug smile

Temple/Shopping at Asakusa

Kristen & Todd together again

From the Japanese Sweetshop. Isn’t it beautiful?