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Kimonos, Vintage Kimono, Obi, Fabric, and more.....! |
PO Box 5709 |
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Kimonos, Vintage Kimono, Obi, Fabric, and more.....! |
PO Box 5709 |
Communication prior to the
trip: 10, 8, 9, 10,
Excellent
Comments:
· Loved getting something from Gary to whet our
appetite for the trip
· Send the Kyoto Visitor's Guide early with hotel and
ryokan marked. Maybe indicate some of the other stops. The maps in the Visitor's
guide were the
best.
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Considering your personal interests in the
planning: 10, 9, 8, 9,
Excellent
Comments:
· Great time shopping, not just at the markets, but at
the stores too
· Tour of sake brewery would have been nice as well as more
hands on cooking. I am still confused when I go to a Japanese grocery
store.
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Communication during the trip: 10, 10, 9, 7, Excellent
Comments:
Flexibility is
the key to this, not good to relay too much information in case plans
change
· There were a few times when the communication was not clear. For
example, breakfast arrangements at the ryokan. We never did have meals prepared
at the ryokan. Also, the return time to the airport was changed and pushed too
close to the departure time for my comfort. I would have preferred to leave
sooner.
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Price of the trip: 10, 10, 10, 10, 8
Comments
· Excellent, a
bargain
· I would pay more next time (and I would have brought more spending
money) too!)
· I thought the price was very
reasonable.
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Quality of service during the trip: 10, 10, 10, 9, Excellent
Comments:
· The
character of the Japanese people is "quality", it was so much more than I
expected coming from our culture. Gary and Nancy made us feel like we were the
only important things going on in their lives during our stay.
· I thought
the service was excellent. Both you and Gary did a great
job.
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Variety of things scheduled: 10, 7, 8, 9, Very good
Comments:
· How about a
written list of alternate places (suggestions) to attend, with cost, and
location for free days? I liked getting Gary's "what to do in Kyoto", but not
having been there, I didn't know what was in the area, out of the area, cost....
etc.
· The variety of events scheduled was good but it would be better to
offer two parallel track events so that each person's trip could be a little
more customized. For example, I would have been happy to take a few more classes
and given up some of the sightseeing.
· I was sorry to miss the textile
museum and the handicrafts
center
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Palace Side Hotel: 10, 10, 9, 8
Comments:
· I'd be willing to pay a
little more for a room with a bigger bathroom, and with Japanese breakfasts or
buffet available every day.
· A great place to begin the transition to
Japanese "ways". Liked the meeting room, didn't like the restaurant much. Really
liked the rooms. If people want a bigger room, fine, I liked the small one; I
wanted to remember that I was not in Kansas!
· The accommodations were fine.
It might be nice to have the option to upgrade to a larger
room.
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Temple Markets: 8, 10, 10, 9
Comments:
· Too bad about the rain at
the first market, but not your fault.
· Would have preferred not to do one on
the day after we arrived. I would have like the option of a later start (I
actually had trouble getting to sleep and was not up early) and since it was my
first time to Japan some kind of more guided orientation type activities. Like
walking in neighborhoods, some temples - of course it would really have been
nice to have gotten some sunshine!!
· Liked the introduction meeting each
morning to understand how the market was laid out (and where the bathrooms were
located!) I liked being able to stay there longer if we liked or going somewhere
else by taxi and meeting the group later that evening for dinner to talk over
the day.
· Of course this was my favorite. I love shopping and this was a
shopper's
paradise.
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Party at Gary's: 10, 9, 10, 10, Very good
Comments:
· This was
great. Loved his house, food and best of all delightful students.
· This was
our opportunity to see a "real" Japanese house, something strangely different
from our western architecture. He has a beautiful house and he should be proud
to have people over to see it. But like most of our meals...too much food! Great
to meet other Japanese folks and work on their English -- to be their
experimental Americans. Great fun helping to find the right words...
· It was
nice to get together in an informal atmosphere. Gary's students and friends were
very nice. I enjoyed spending the time with our
group.
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Kyoto City tour day: 6, 10, 5, 9, Very good
Comments:
· Again since my
first time to Japan/Kyoto - it would have been good to get more information -
historical, architectural, religious - any sort of point of view - since I
didn't bring anything to it. With the crowds after the first temple, it was hard
to focus. Maybe we should have done all the temple first things - one at a time.
But the rock garden at the first temple (Ryoanji) was fantastic and the lunch
was the best! In fact, several half-day tours in different neighborhoods might
have worked.
· Visiting the temples? I get so confused we did so many great
things. I loved having the Japanese students try to interview us in English. The
temples and gardens were beautiful and serene and I wouldn't want to miss them
on subsequent tours.
· I'd rather have spent a half-day on the Philosopher's
path and perhaps investigated some of the temples there. The article Gary sent
would make a great addition to a packet sent prior to the trip.
· Very
enjoyable. I really liked the walk along the philosopher's path. I would have
like more time to explore all the small
shops.
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Kyoto Countryside tour day: 7, 8, 10, 7
Comments:
· A long day, with not too
much to see. Miyama was mildly interesting, but we spent too much time there. A
day trip to Nara would be better.
· It was a nice day - but not as memorable
as the others. The drive to the village was spectacular and the thatched houses
were neat. But after that I would have liked to spend less time in the van and
more walking around. Lunch wasn't that good and the walk up to the temple felt
rushed because we didn't want to hold the group up.
· Far too long. Perhaps
the workshop on vegetable dying would have been fun and still have given us a
taste of the countryside. I did love Miyama.
· Even through this was a long
drive in the country, it was well worth the ride. The "bus", limo was luxurious
but not for someone who easily gets carsick. The views are wonderful but the
roads are windy. Perhaps the trip could be in reverse or start earlier so that
we could have spent more time at the second temple which had the incline, I
would like to have walked it. Make sure folks buy plenty of that green tea candy
in the wrapper that you eat! I think this is the only place that we found
it.
· It is a nice option for those who want to spend the day on the road. If
we hadn't gone on the trip, I would not have found the green tea candy but I
would have rather stayed in the city and spend time shopping near Kyoto Tower
and walking around
town.
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Translators/Guides: 5, 8, 10
Comments:
· Aside from the students at
Gary's house, I would have liked more opportunity to meet Japanese people. I
know there were guides on most activities, but somehow there wasn't as much
interaction as I would have liked. Perhaps if we had broken up into smaller
groups it would have been better.
· You and Gary were excellent.
· I give
them an 8 just because they are not professionals, however, they were very good
at helping to answer our questions. If there were professional translators for
some of these events and they were narrating everything, would that be more
expensive? I personally did not find the need. I had most of my questions
answered.
· The translators we had for the stencil class were very helpful. I
enjoyed talking with them. The translator for the countryside tour although very
pleasant was not as
helpful.
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Sumie/stencil workshop: 8, 10, 9, 10
Comments:
· Interesting, but only
just barely. I'd rather learn about and try to do calligraphy than
stenciling.
· Delightful artist and home. Enjoyable. Again if it could have
been put into perspective of history of these crafts - we got a little feel of
it when she said she wasn't a calligrapher - but my general ignorance of these
crafts wasn't greatly abated.
· A great time, and could have been 1/2
day?
· I really enjoyed the teacher and her husband. They are both extremely
talented. The photographer's gallery was an added
treat.
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Cooking workshop: 9+, 5, 7
Comments:
· Very good, well worth the
trip. The boat ride was also very good, plus the visit to the shrine with all
the carved statues.
· What a wonderful experience - the house, grounds,
presentation of the meal, chef - just would have liked more hands on - either
with him or elsewhere.
· I enjoyed the trip but it was very smoky and I got a
headache which lasted all day. The food was so interesting though, and
beautifully presented. I most enjoyed the train ride, the boat ride and the trip
up the mountain to the temples with the Buddha carvings. There seemed to be many
interesting places in that town that I want to spend more time when we go next
year!
· I enjoyed most of the food but the cooking portion was a
disappointment. The smoke detracted a lot from my enjoyment.
· The experience
was terrific. I loved seeing the authentic setting, cooking, and meal. The smoke
problem was terrible. But, small battery operated fans could have helped. Or -
we could have brought our own fans. Anything that moved the air would have
helped. I'd hate to have missed the
experience.
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Indigo Workshop: 10, 10, 10, 9
Comments:
· Very good, for me it was
one of the highlights
· The best workshop. We got to see all the wonderful
textiles and hear about his family and then get our hands dirty.
· Don't take
this one off the agenda. In fact, put this one ahead of the temple market so
folks can understand what they are looking at and what they might want to
buy.
· I really enjoyed the class. I would like to have learned more about
shibori.
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Breakfasts:
8, 8+, 6, 8
Comments:
· Would have liked to try the option at the
Ryokan.
· The buffet breakfasts at the Palace Side were fine, but the western
breakfasts from the menu were so-so. The buffet at the hotel in Gion was also
good.
· I am not a breakfast person but I found out that there is a Starbucks
just a few blocks away from our first hotel that opened up at 8 am. The
Starbucks near the Ryokan however didn't open up till 9 am. I enjoyed the coffee
in our room and the convenience stores in Japan are not like the ones' here.
They have the best peanut cream sandwiches! I brought 6 of them home and a jar
of the peanut cream. Someone else who normally eats breakfast would have to
comment. Have coffee will travel just fine. (Don't miss the green tea
frappaccinos at Starbucks!)
· I was disappointed not to have a traditional
breakfast at the ryokan.
· I usually don't each much for breakfast so the
breakfasts were fine for me. The occasional buffet was
nice.
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Lunches: 8,
10, 8, 8
Comments:
· Excellent, particularly the vegetarian lunch at the
Temple
· All very good except the one in the countryside. The vegetarian one
at the temple was fantastic!!
· Great food everywhere. Enjoyed the small
eateries near the shopping districts and temple markets.
· Trish and I didn't
do all that well on our own.
· They were
good.
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Dinners: 8,
10, 10, 10
Comments:
· Appreciated the variety and the insider's
selections from Nancy which we would never have found on our own.
· TOO MUCH
FOOD! I ate so much! And I lost 3 pounds. The courses just kept coming and they
were beautiful in presentation, even the fish heads. I recommend the cheek meat,
very flavorful and sweet. The eyeballs are for those who in the 70's liked that
"squirt" gum! You have to be adventurous and be willing to try lots of different
things, but you don't have to try everything. I didn't like the sea anemone or
the tiny squid sushi (looked like noodles with eyeballs). But there were plenty
of great things to try. The "dinner on a stick night" was great fun and not as
filling as those several course dinners. The rotating sushi bar, a great time.
Glad we skipped the noodle places, I didn't think we missed anything there. I
can't think of anything that I wish I had tried and didn't get a chance...oh
yea, the sake, I would like to have gone to a sake factory to learn about and
sample sake.
· Excellent
· Terrific job of finding a range of
experiences.
· Spending time together at dinner was very nice and the variety
of restaurants was great.
2. Would you have wanted more or
less free (unscheduled) time?
· Yes,
there were a couple of other museums I would have liked to visit. I only got to
the National Museum.
· Good mix. Seemed like we always had the option of
being on our own.
· I would like to have about the same unscheduled time,
however, if there could have been a list of suggestions such as museum's,
gardens, art or craft workshops, then those individual times could have been
spent differently. I am not saying that the 10 or more trips to the 100 yen
store were a waste of time. I also suggest you purchase a few teakettle handles
to hook your bags on for carrying ease. Sure you get a lot of funny looks, but
you can smile because the circulation to your fingers is not cut off by the
weight of your purchases in the plastic bag.
· Seemed about right
· I
think the amount of free time was just right. I would have liked perhaps other
options during the scheduled events. As I mentioned before, I would have been
willing to pay for additional classes. The manju class I took on the one free
day was a lot of fun.
3. Meals: which are "must do"
for next time and which ones should we consider dropping?
· I was happy with all the meals. The kushiage was
particularly enjoyable.
· Being a food maven, I have already covered this
above.
· ? I think I already addressed this above. Find our where the local
coffee shops are located and the time they open up.
· The Apollo is a must
do. I know that most of the group really enjoyed the sushi/sashimi. I preferred
the restaurants where I had other options.
· The temple veggie lunch was
terrific. I can't think of any to drop. Loved the Apollo
4. Hotel: any suggestions for
making the stay at the Palace Side more enjoyable?
· Bigger bathrooms. Buffet breakfasts every day.
Better telephone lines to allow Internet access from the rooms.
· Nope.
Internet access, hotel location friendly staff and washing machine were all
pluses. Only nit, it was not clear when breakfast would be a buffet or not and
the buffet was definitely more desirable!!
· Suggest that people have a
calling card plan with their local long distance carrier. My MCI card worked
just fine once I figured our what the in country phone number was. Don't buy a
phone card, they are expensive ($8) and are only good for about what seemed
about 10 minutes. I would not have wanted a larger room and I liked the privacy
of having a room to myself. Liked the laundry facilities. The computer however
was not cooperative for some of us who didn't have a hotmail account set up for
communication back in the states. The time difference made phone calling
difficult, but not impossible.
· If I had known there was a laundry, I'd have
packed lighter.
· The staff was great. The room was adequate but some might
want the option to upgrade to a larger room. Let the group know that the
internet is available and tell them to get their accounts set up for remote
access.
5. Ryokan: any suggestions for
making the stay at the Rikiya more enjoyable?
· I found it a burden, not enjoyable in any way. I
wouldn't stay there again.
· We lucked out with the private bath - though it
appeared to be semi-private since there was another door which could access it.
I may have not been so happy in a shared bath situation - if I had expected
private,
· Schedule breakfast.
· I enjoyed the Ryokan also. My room was
much larger and I had closet space to store items.
· This was the best place.
More enjoyable? For me I can't think of anything. Great location, I enjoyed the
large expansive room and I didn't feel crowded with the three of us in there.
Liked that we had the gathering table in our room and that the others on the
trip knew where to gather for coffee in the morning or relax after an outing and
talk about the day.
6. Workshops: which are "must
do" for next time and which ones should we consider dropping?
· Must do--Aizenkobo (indigo) and the cooking
workshop. Drop--stenciling
· Indigo dying and cooking were terrific. The
sumie and stenciling was interesting but definitely third in a "must do"
category.
· A weaving workshop, dyeing workshop, a kimono factory (scheduled
before the second market day preferable), the rice museum, the arts and craft
museum, the sake factories to name just a few.
· All are must do. I'd even
add a couple. I'd like to do paper making, maybe a weaving one, and a REAL sumie
painting one, though I enjoyed the stencil workshop.
· The indigo class was
great- definitely a must do. The stencil class was also very enjoyable.
7. What was the single best
thing you experienced on the trip?
· It's
hard to pick out one thing. I enjoyed the markets, the meals, two of the
workshops and the people.
· This is a very tough question -Vegetarian lunch
outside at Daitokuji, followed very very closely by indigo dying workshop and
very closely by our chef's lunch in the country. See? - One non-food thing.
·
Besides the peanut sandwiches and the green tea candy...? Watching my sister and
admiring her for all she did to make this trip a great time for all of us.
·
The "cooking lesson." I'll forget the smoke, but not the rest of the
experience.
· I enjoyed so much it is hard to pick one thing. I really
enjoyed the night that I went alone to Kodaiji Temple to see the gardens at
night. It was very peaceful and humbling. Looking up though the lighted bamboo
grove was amazing.
8. What was the most challenging
part(s) of the trip for you?
· Having to
sit on the floor
· Not knowing enough about what I was looking at. Getting up
early for the first temple market. Handling the crowds at the temples on the
city tour.
· The return trip to the airport was a little stressful. I prefer
arriving a little more in advance than we did.
· Floor sitting, smoke at the
lunch.
· The smoked lunch...
9. Is there anything you would
recommend that others do to prepare for the trip?
· Bring shoes that slip off and on without laces;
bring a back brace if there is any history of back problems
· You might have
a reading list. I read some books that I picked out on my own- Memories of a
Geisha and Lady and the Monk and lots of guidebooks. You might have come up with
others that could help.
· I think it would be helpful if you generated a
list prior to the trip on some basics on Japanese culture and etiquette. The
list could include that the group's interactions also reflect on you and Gary.
You might also want to mention that the Japanese are never direct and that this
is considered rude. I observed some of us being very direct and I thought this
might have offended some of the Japanese we interacted with.
· Some way to
prepare for floor sitting. Some recommendations for reading such as better
travel guides - the Lonely Planet was terrific. Also some suggestions about
textile techniques such as the Japanese Stencil Dyeing book by Eisha Nakano.
Others on kimono might have helped me figure out what I was looking at.
·
Bring more money than you think you will spend (especially if you are a
shopper). It was difficult to pay for some things with a charge card. Change
your money early; wear shoes that you can take on and off easily -- .for some
folks that may mean foot powder. Ha ha! If you are going to wear sandals, put a
pair of socks in your bag to slip on. Bring a raincoat that you can roll up and
put in a bag as opposed to an umbrella. Bring layers of clothing. T-shirts and
sweaters. Modest colors and styles.
· Bring a coin purse because the money
there is mostly coins. The smallest paper bill I believe was worth about $8.00
so there are none similar to ones or fives, they are coins. Pack 2 suitcases --
one inside the other for the way over and then you will have a large suitcase
for the way home. Shipping things is expensive. A box about 2x2x2 (feet) will
cost about $50.00 and as much as $75.00 depending on weight.
· Melitonin or
something like that for help sleeping the first few nights.
· Bring little
gifts for the people you will meet like the artist, the indigo dye man, the
translators, and even the children who are so excited to meet an English
speaking American. Something from the state you live in or just something
American. American flag stickers, a unique candy item, stuff that says, "Made in
the USA", picture postcards of your state. Nothing big, just something fun...you
will be so surprised by the reactions you will get.... a great feeling.
10. Other comments or
suggestions for us:
· Both you and Gary
have a lot of knowledge about the Japan and the Japanese from living there.
Since my personal experience as a tourist was somewhat limited, it would have
been good if you could have shared even more of your experiences. I know this is
a little vague. Examples which I found interesting was how many tatami mats
Nancy had in her apt when she lived in Japan. I started counting mats after
that. Also when looking at the Buddha in Ohara, you said that they are usually
asymmetrical-but that one wasn't. I had a great time - but would like to feel
wiser about Japan than I do. This may be a lot to ask for in a few weeks and I
may have picked up more than I realized.
· Please continue to offer these
trips. I think that there are alot of people who would love this type of trip.
You may want to expand the audience. Weavers, Knitters and Dyers usually have
disposable income and would love to go on one of these trips to learn more about
their craft.
· Do the museum of traditional folk art before the workshops so
we have a context in which to locate the workshops. Spend a half-day on the
Philosophers Path and visit these temples - perhaps with a tea stop mid-way.
Leave the larger temples for free days and make recommendations about the ones
you like best. It was a terrific trip!! Thank you both for all your time and
effort.
· It was such a wonderful experience I look forward to a trip next
year and if we do all the same things, I would still enjoy my time in
Japan.
Click here for Feedback from our trips in 2005 and 2007
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