We were on the Shinkansen this morning. Our bento boxes were provided before we got on the train and were very good. No soggy or yucky food as others experienced. Were they brought on the train?
I forgot to take a photo before I started eating but all that is not shown was the piece of chicken
There were no complaints from our group about them. Almost all our meals have been in Japanese restaurants.
BKMD, we are grateful for your tips about the Peace museum. We only had an hour and timed it very well without feeling rushed due to your information and seeing Oppenheimer recently and having been to Los Alamos helped me understand the historical too. The most moving part of the area was when we went to the Children’s memorial, a very large group of schoolchildren appeared and a service took place. They had the paper cranes they had made in long colorful strands and they were then placed in one of the display cabinets. Both there and inside the museum were of course silent. The fresh flowers were being replaced at the site and two had been dropped. I picked them up and the lady volunteer let me place them in the display.
Sending this tonight from Kanazawa, having a wonderful experience here in Japan. This is more of good packing advice; we either missed the information or it wasn’t available about being provided Kimonos for three nights on tour. My better half always insists on changing for dinner ( needs to get out of daily travel/exploring clothes). In effect, we packed way too much than actually needed.
I knew that about the Tauck tour and I didn’t even go on the Tauck tour. Everywhere we stayed provided either pajamas or Yukatas and in some we went into dinner with them. They are not kimonos. In one hotel, the yukatas were all in reception, they are sized by length, so you went to that area and chose the pattern of your Yukata.
Hi Njhoo: Are you on the Tauck tour now? Does this mean that you will wear the kimonos to dinner 3 nights, so a change of clothes is not needed for those nights? Are there any nights that something more dressy than smart casual outfits are needed?
Just FYI - there's a significant difference between a Kimono and a Yukata. A kimono is more formal, while the yukata is more casual. Additionally, most kimonos are fairly expensive. If a robe was provided to you free, it was almost certainly a yukata, not a kimono.
[Update: If you consider a yukata as a casual kimono, I suppose you could stretch the terminology.]
You cannot keep the yukatas in the hotels! If I had come home with all the yukatas we were provided with each night, we would have had 40 to bring home 😂😂🤣🤣
They didn’t teach you how to wear a Yukata….you are wearing it right over left which is the way the dead are dressed. It should always be worn left over right.
Never wear any type of shoe on tatami mats.
Anyone who gets Larry Abbott gets a gem. We had him in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand. He nursed an entire bus load of people who were ill (not Covid) and kept us laughing. Give our regards - we are hoping for him as a guide during our April trip.
Patty, 20 days until our Essence of Japan tour begins on April 22 . We arrive two days early. Hope we meet in the hotel. Learning so much from these posts - especially about not needing to pack dressy for dinners. Thank you, British, glad to know how to correctly wear a Yukata. Taking notes about where to eat in Tokyo. The underground city sounds interesting. Ramen Restaurant on Ramen Street.
Immer52016. Please be aware that my tour was not with Tauck. The company is far more casual than Tauck and does not focus on clothing. They always encourage minimum fuss. We also stayed almost exclusively in Japanese hotels or ryokans. In some of those, you can go to dinner in either the pajamas or yukatas they provide and after a full day of touring it’s wonderful and even better if you have an attached onsen where you can bathe first.
Comments
Himeji at night in the distance.
Iconic and look where the great heron decided to sit
Miyajima
Beautiful pictures British, what a great trip.
We are in Nara.
We were on the Shinkansen this morning. Our bento boxes were provided before we got on the train and were very good. No soggy or yucky food as others experienced. Were they brought on the train?
I forgot to take a photo before I started eating but all that is not shown was the piece of chicken
British - No, the soggy Bento boxes were not purchased on the trin. The TD and local guide got them from a place in the train station.
There were no complaints from our group about them. Almost all our meals have been in Japanese restaurants.
BKMD, we are grateful for your tips about the Peace museum. We only had an hour and timed it very well without feeling rushed due to your information and seeing Oppenheimer recently and having been to Los Alamos helped me understand the historical too. The most moving part of the area was when we went to the Children’s memorial, a very large group of schoolchildren appeared and a service took place. They had the paper cranes they had made in long colorful strands and they were then placed in one of the display cabinets. Both there and inside the museum were of course silent. The fresh flowers were being replaced at the site and two had been dropped. I picked them up and the lady volunteer let me place them in the display.
Sending this tonight from Kanazawa, having a wonderful experience here in Japan. This is more of good packing advice; we either missed the information or it wasn’t available about being provided Kimonos for three nights on tour. My better half always insists on changing for dinner ( needs to get out of daily travel/exploring clothes). In effect, we packed way too much than actually needed.
I knew that about the Tauck tour and I didn’t even go on the Tauck tour. Everywhere we stayed provided either pajamas or Yukatas and in some we went into dinner with them. They are not kimonos. In one hotel, the yukatas were all in reception, they are sized by length, so you went to that area and chose the pattern of your Yukata.
Hi Njhoo: Are you on the Tauck tour now? Does this mean that you will wear the kimonos to dinner 3 nights, so a change of clothes is not needed for those nights? Are there any nights that something more dressy than smart casual outfits are needed?
Just FYI - there's a significant difference between a Kimono and a Yukata. A kimono is more formal, while the yukata is more casual. Additionally, most kimonos are fairly expensive. If a robe was provided to you free, it was almost certainly a yukata, not a kimono.
[Update: If you consider a yukata as a casual kimono, I suppose you could stretch the terminology.]
You cannot keep the yukatas in the hotels! If I had come home with all the yukatas we were provided with each night, we would have had 40 to bring home 😂😂🤣🤣
Here are the yukatas
Here is a kimono
What British meant to post.
"Here are the yukatas"
I have no idea what I am wearing!
That’s a Yukata! Very nice!
They didn’t teach you how to wear a Yukata….you are wearing it right over left which is the way the dead are dressed. It should always be worn left over right.
Never wear any type of shoe on tatami mats.
Cathyandsteve - Thank you so much! However, photographs are not recent. It was from our trip in October, 2017.
British - You are correct! In fact, I thought I was wearing a Kimono. This was not a Tauck trip.
Anyone who gets Larry Abbott gets a gem. We had him in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand. He nursed an entire bus load of people who were ill (not Covid) and kept us laughing. Give our regards - we are hoping for him as a guide during our April trip.
Patty, 20 days until our Essence of Japan tour begins on April 22 . We arrive two days early. Hope we meet in the hotel. Learning so much from these posts - especially about not needing to pack dressy for dinners. Thank you, British, glad to know how to correctly wear a Yukata. Taking notes about where to eat in Tokyo. The underground city sounds interesting. Ramen Restaurant on Ramen Street.
Immer52016. Please be aware that my tour was not with Tauck. The company is far more casual than Tauck and does not focus on clothing. They always encourage minimum fuss. We also stayed almost exclusively in Japanese hotels or ryokans. In some of those, you can go to dinner in either the pajamas or yukatas they provide and after a full day of touring it’s wonderful and even better if you have an attached onsen where you can bathe first.