Our "Social Contract" or lack thereof

OK. I'm back up on my soapbox.

Judy and I both had the same reactions when we got off the plane at JFK: the people were loud and rude and the place was filthy! We are still asking ourselves why this has to be.

Now I am really going to oversimplify here, and I am basing my thoughts on a two-week trip and not a lot of research, but here goes. It seem that the Japanese strive for excellence in all things, no matter how small. We saw bus drivers take great pride in sweeping out their bus at the end of a ride. The people working at McDonald's (Yes, there are a ton of them there.) were well-groomed and provided excellent service while taking pride in their job. The Japanese seems to take as a matter of course that they and all those around them will do the best they can.

It seems to me that Americans mostly take the opposite point of view. "Why should I work hard if I can get away with not working?" "Instead of forcing me to do my best let's bring everyone else down to my level so I don't have a poor self-image." Although I have no first-hand knowledge I would be willing to bet that Japanese students don't get pushed from grade to grade without having learned anything.

We have all heard stories about how xenophobic the Japanese are: how they feel that they are a pure race and that all others are barbarians. This may be true. But you could not tell it from any interactions we had with the Japanese. Without exception the people were polite and helpful even when neither spoke the other's language. (OK - there was one guy on a train who stood up when I sat down next to him. I would like to think that he did this so Judy and I could sit together.) One lovely older woman offered to take our picture. We chatted briefly with her. Then she said, "Thank you for visiting our country. I hope you enjoy your stay." Just what a New Yorker might do. (NOT!)

Admittedly Japanese society is a little rigid, but I wonder if the trade-offs aren't worth it. We saw 7, 8, 9-year-old kids traveling by themselves on the subway. Try that in New York.

According to Brian there is virtually no street crime in Tokyo. He says that, if you were walking down a dark street in Tokyo and dropped a wad of 1000 yen notes, whoever was there would stop and help you pick them up. (Try that in New York as well!)

He also says that, if you are waiting in a train station with your luggage and want to go into a shop, you can safely leave your luggage out in the station area and no one will steal it or think it is a bomb. (Fuggedaboutit!)

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Japan is a better country than the US. I most certainly am not. I just think that as a society we have come to the point where we too readily accept mediocrity, and we have much that we could learn from the Japanese.

I don't think that as a society we are ready to change, but I intend to do my part. I will try to be polite and respectful to strangers - especially to foreigners. And if I know even a few words in their language, so much the better.

I will try to avoid mediocrity in myself and discourage it in others. Perhaps if I refuse to accept mediocre service then maybe the trend will catch on.

I will try to remember that it is my (and your!) responsibility to be a high standard toward which others may rise rather than a "lowest common denominator" toward which others may sag.

It is often said that travel broadens one's horizons. In this case I seem to have found my horizons at home to be much nearer than I would have thought.

Lessons from Japan

I just realized yesterday that Judy has not been blogging during our Japan trip. She has been typing like crazy but she never posted the info. I started to post to the blog yesterday (2 days ago? Today? Crossing the International Date Line really messes with your head!) but I was using Brian's laptop and it crashed. I am sure that Judy will be full of day-to-day info so, as is my wont, I will add some color commentary.

I would bet that this will not be the only post that I make on this subject because the scope is so wide, but I wanted to get my thoughts down while they are fresh.

We learned a lot while we were in Japan. Certainly we learned a great deal about Japan, but we learned more about the United States. There is a great deal to be admired in Japanes society, and two weeks there made us realize some major shortcomings here at home.

First of all is the level of politeness. You have to experience it to believe it. Whether is is someone holding an elevator for you, giving you directions in English that is as bad as your Japanese, or smiling when serving you the politeness is ingrained in their society. As is the excellent service they provide. Taxi drivers wear suits and white gloves and are genuinely pleased to help you with your luggage. Hotel staff sincerely welcomes you when you come into the lobby. The entire staff of a restaurant - wait staff, cashier, cooks, busboys - gives sincere thanks when you leave. Trains and buses are swept and cleaned after every trip. Train stations are clean - no litter, no homeless, no urine smells. There is virtually no petty crime. People are proud of their job whether it be sophisticated or menial. Oh, yes. There is no tipping.

I had long talks with Brian about this. I told him that we could do well to implement some of these practices at home. He told me - in some detail - why it wouldn't work. He feels that the Japanese have a "social contract" that we in the US don't - and can't - have.

The basic contract is that there is a common good and it is the duty of everyone to contribute to that common good. We will keep the subway cars clean if you don't slash the seats and paint graffiti on them. We will be polite in virtually every instance because we know you will be polite as well. We will cheerfully perform our job to the best of our ability because when everyone does that we have a neat, efficient, and pleasant society.

There is more - much more, but I will continue it at another time. We just got off a 13 hour plane ride plus another 2 hours from JFK home. We picked up Ziggy at the spa and are ready to pass out. It's good to be home again even if we are moving in 6 days!

Come Fly With Me

Sunday, April 8, 2007
Jeff and I are off to Japan and to see Brian! Today is Easter and we drive up to JFK airport and stay overnight at the Ramada Plaza where we park the car for our trip. Next morning we took the shuttle to ANA, All Nippon Airways. The flight left at 12:30pm and took about 12 hours landing us at Narita Airport at 3:30pm on Tuesday afternoon. It was a great flight considering the length. The flight attendants were lovely Japanese gals who smiled and were very attentive. Food service was excellent with two meals and a snack service. They had many items on the food trays including an adorable toothpick. Soft drinks and liquors were brought around several times and you could stop in the galley and pour yourself juice or help yourself to a snack or fruit. We had our own movie screens and could choose from a variety of movies, TV or audio programs. I watched Pursuit of Happyness and Happy Feet. Good news is we arrived safely on Tuesday afternoon and found the airport bus to Shinjuku and our hotel, the Keio Plaza.

Our hotel is a large, tourist facility and very nice with large, comfortable rooms. The toilet looked a little scary with an electronic panel on the side with controls for the bidet and spray. The flush was on the wall below the sink, but once it was all figured out very pleasant. I’ve always been afraid to use a bidet, but now I am a fan of the warm water spray. Yes, there is a temperature control. Our bellman was a trainee and spoke hardly any English and is the custom refused to take a tip. He did show us our slippers and we have a beautiful view from the 19th floor. We look out at the Government buildings, a huge complex with an observation area in one tower. We met a couple at the airport who are on our Club ABC Tour. They are Toby and Stan Cohen from Old Bridge, NJ.

After settling in the room we called Brian and he came over after work. It is definitely worth flying half way around the world to see him. He looks wonderful and is comfortable living here. We walked out the back door of the hotel into a commercial area of Shinjuku. Narrow streets are loaded with small restaurants, pachinko parlors, bars and lots of neon lights. Brian chose Yaki…., a Korean grill. We sat in a raised wood booth with a round coal pit in the middle. The staff spoke no English, but Brian ordered for us in Japanese. We had salad, tongue (traditional with a lemony sauce), marbled beef strips, vegetable plate and a dish of sliced tomatoes that were delicious. We grilled the meats and vegetables and ate the tomatoes and small pickles. Everything was fresh and very good and it was fun to sit and cook and talk. With the bill they brought individual sticks of “dessert” gum. Afterwards we walked around a little soaking up the sights and realizing that we were very tired. On the way back to the hotel we passed a group of “salarymen” out after work. These are middle management types wearing dark suits and getting very drunk. One guy actually passed out and fell to the ground where he stayed. We were aghast, but Brian said that kind of drinking is normal and everyone is safe and happy and there is virtually no crime in Japan.

Wednesday
After a great night’s sleep we rose and made our way to the second basement level where there are three restaurants serving breakfast. As we were being shown to our table I noticed a guy who looked like my next door neighbor. Well – surprise – it was Barry Bloom and Susan Cohen. They are not only staying here – they are on our tour! What are the chances? We are all so amazed. Actually there are only seven people in our ABC group and after breakfast we headed out on a morning tour of Tokyo. A bus takes us to the central bus station where we board another bus and drive to the Tokyo tower. This looks like an orange Eiffel Tower and is a few meters taller than the Paris one. The young female employees are wearing blue suits and large stylish hats. They look so cosmopolitan. Up at the top you have a terrific view of Tokyo and all the adjoining areas. Our guide points out some interesting sights and Jeff and I fooled around taking a photo in a booth with Japanese instructions. Back on the ground we got on the bus and saw several limousines, photographers and police. Apparently the Iraqi prime minister was visiting too with lots of security.

Next stop was the Imperial Palace. The Emperor and family live there so you can only visit outside the gates and one garden area. We got off the bus and walked around a little seeing the moat, macro bonsai trees and a large stone wall. This is in downtown Tokyo and we saw the main train station and also the building where Brian works. We drove to an older part of town and visited the Akasuka Temple. This beautiful complex includes a large pagoda. The main wooden temple was crowded mostly with Japanese. People come here to pray for good health and luck. We bought fortunes by making a donation, shaking a stick (with a number) from a metal container and then finding the drawer with that number on it which contained a paper with your fortune. Of course the numbers were written in Japanese characters, but a lovely young lady helped us and there was an English translation on the fortune. We liked our fortune, if not there is a rack with metal bars and you can tie your paper on that rack. We also tossed 5 yen into a large pit and prayed for good fortune. Brian told us later that 5 is a good number and never to use 4 yen as that is very bad luck. The Japanese word for four is the same as the word for death. Outside was a round kiosk with incense burning. You waft the smoke onto yourself and ask for good health. We walked around a little and there was also a street with little stands selling things. There were cherry blossom branches and beautiful paintings along the way. A good place to spend more time.

Back on the bus we headed to Ginza and decided to get off there and not continue on the tour to a pearl factory. Ginza is exciting. Wide avenues and all neon like Times Square. Large department stores and specialty shops are plentiful and the intersections allow pedestrians to cross across or diagonally and there were crowds everywhere. Jeff, Susan, Barry and I visited the Sony showroom and saw all the latest technology. They have Walkmen the size of a cigarette lighter. Then we headed for one of the department stores where the 8th floor had several restaurants. We chose a tempura place and were seated in a private room in the back. Luckily the place had plastic food displays and pictures on the menu. Jeff had soup with two large tempura prawns. The remaining three of us had a ginza special meal. First a small salad with seaweed and something white. Then a relish tray with tiny sweet pickles and daikon radish slices. A rice bowl with tempura shrimp and zucchini on top was next with a soy sauce. I opted for cold noodles which came in a bamboo box with a little jug of sauce which you poured into a bowl and then using the chopsticks dunked the noodles before slurping them up. For dessert there were dried fruits with a bean paste on top and green tea. Very sweet and refreshing. The tableware and service is so interesting and beautiful. Noodles and/or rice are usually eaten after the meat or fish.

After lunch we were beat and returned to the hotel to nap and get ready for dinner. I should mention that the subways are delightful. Good signage showing maps, fares and station exits are very helpful. On the train there are electronic signs that show where you are and announcements are made in Japanese and English. The staff are extremely nice and go out of their way to assist you often leaving their station and walking you where you need to go. Everything is done with yen, foreign currency is not allowed, and tipping in restaurants or cabs is just not part of this culture.

Dinner was quite an experience. While our hotel is very nice, the Park Hyatt is just exquisite. Situated around the corner from our hotel we cabbed over and were greeted by a female bellperson in a dark suit. All the employees wear this uniform and all spoke better English than we had encountered elsewhere. We took an elevator to the 42nd floor and then walked through a library area and other public rooms before taking another elevator to the top floor, home of the New York Grill. Jeff and I were seated in the bar where we ordered drinks and waited for Brian. One side of the room is all windows and the view is amazing. Despite the cloudy night there were lots of buildings and bright lights. This is the room that the movie Lost in Translation was located. It looks identical to the movie scenes and that was pretty cool. The prices are not cool, $20. for a mixed drink. Luckily for us we were Brian's guests. When Brian arrived we moved around the corner to the dining room with more windows and a different view. The meal was delicious and very New York. Huge painted murals on the walls depicted the Yankees and Radio City. Western cutlery was used and I even had mashed potatoes while Jeff and Brian had steaks and fries. After green tea ice cream for dessert we fell into bed.

Thursday
We met Susan and Barry for breakfast in the buffet restaurant and Jeff had an unpleasant experience where he drank apple vinegar thinking it was water. He did this twice - don't ask!!! A gorgeous day beckoned and we set out for the subway to visit the famous Tsukiji fish market. This is the largest fish market in the world and it opens with an auction (closed to the public) at 5am. We arrived about 8:30 and wandered through the butchering and distribution areas. We saw some amazing fish. There were frozen and fresh tuna. Some so huge they were being cut up with electric saws and one guy had a six foot knife. Remembering John Belushi as the Samurai came to mind. One fish was so big it took the strength of two men to hold the knife to cut through the jaw. We saw all knds of fish and shellfish. Trays of snails, eels, scallops, squid and large octopuses (octopi?). Some things I have never seen before. Most of the fish were alive until they were cut up and buyers were selecting seafood for their restaurants and individuals were shopping there also. It was so hectic with things moving very quickly. Fish was being moved by cart, bicycle, scooter, truck and special forklifts where the driver stands and steers with a large rotary column. There were also areas for packing and shipping and we only saw a small part of the entire operation. A truly amazing morning.

Our next stop was the Ahibara Electronics District. This was one for the guys who thought they had died and gone to heaven. Imagine streets and streets of electronic stores. We did shop at one duty free place where Jeff bought a microphone for Skype and Barry got a new digital camera. This place was seven floors with phones, ipods, PDA's, computers,cameras, accessories and more. Back to the subway we headed for Ueno to visit an Asian outdoor market. This place was a hoot resembling the shuk in Jerusalem. Small crowded streets housed vendors of every type. You want to buy - they have it from food to clothes, luggage to golf clubs and anything else you can imagine. We stopped at a tiny tempura restaurant and tried more noodles and soup. The waiter was very accomodating following us outside where we pointed to the plastic food displays in the window. We all got what we wanted and had fun slurping our noodles. The place wasn't so clean, but had an interesting bathroom. It was immaculate and the toilet had a sink kinda built into the top of the tank. When you flushed the toilet it automatically ran cold water from a spigot at the top to wash your hands. Pretty clever. The addition of a paper towel would make it really remarkable. Jeff and I returned to the hotel while Susan and Barry visited a temple area in Shibuya.

I was so tired I fell sound asleep and only woke up when our phone rang just before 6pm. We were supposed to meet in the lobby and go to Ginza and the kabuki theatre. Jeff decided not to go, so I threw on some clothes and met Susan and Barry. Now Barry has become expert in navigating the Tokyo subways and he led us to a staircase right in front of the theatre. They have a line for last minute seating and were were able to get seats for a one act performance starting at 7pm. We trudged up four flights of stairs to sit in the last two rows which are reserved for the last minute people. Our area was mostly foreign tourists and I sat next to a lovely French women and practiced my high school French with her. The performance was ghastly and that is kind. It was hot and no one understood what was going on. They did sell headphones with a translation, but very few people had them. Most people were snoozing after a few minutes and there was lots of folks looking at their watches. The set and costumes were beautiful, but the language is sing-songy and annoying. The music was drumming and a mandolin. All the parts are played by men and they wear white makeup and traditional wigs. The show was about a small guy who wants to become a sumo wrestler. There was a love interest in the beginning, but she never came back and no one in the entire audience laughed much or seemed to care. But, it was another experience and I'm glad we went.

When we went outside Brian was waiting for us and we strolled down the Ginza to see the bright lights. It reminds me of the theatre district and was bustling. We stopped in for cheesecake and coffee and a little conversation. Later we subwayed home and I cannot believe how crowded the cars get. I have never seen anything like these mobs, even on the trains at home at the holidays. I did not see any employees pushing people on, but folks do back into the cars so they are facing out and there is no personal space. Back at the hotel I showered and packed an overnight bag. We are meeting in the lobby at 8am for the ride to Mt. Fuji and the next leg of our adventure.

Sayonara

Ohiyo quizimas. That's good morning the way I pronounce it in Japanese. Jeff and I leave for Japan in two days and we're in a frenzy of packing and last minute details. I've been listening to a Japanese language series and can say a few phrases. I'm sure I'll freeze if someone speaks to me in Japanese, but I'll enjoy trying to use the language. Meanwhile we're still in the throes of selling our Yardley house and keeping it clean and uncluttered is quite a chore. I'll be quite content to make our move to South Carolina and settle in, however briefly.

This is an exciting year for us and keeping track of our commitments is a full time job right now. So I am off to get a few more things done in the house before I head out to accomplish my to do list for today. We'll have a laptop in Japan and will try to find time to send a photo of the cherry blossoms if we're lucky enough to see them. We will be seeing Brian and that is the purpose of this trip. I can't wait to give him a big hug.

Ja mata - see 'ya.

We're Back in the Saddle Again

Hi Friends,
The weather is getting warmer and a girl starts to think about hitting the road again. Today was an exciting one and not just because my 2007 Mah Jongg card arrived in the mail. Jeff and I received an e-mail telling us that we were hired as tail-gunners on an Alaskan RV Tour. Jeff already wrote with the details and we are really thrilled to have this opportunity.

We are having a busy couple of months. As Jeff told you we have purchased a home in South Carolina and in the process of selling our Yardley house. The movers are coming on April 30th and between now and then we have to finish packing and fly to Japan for a 15 day tour and visit with Brian. This trip is truly a highlight of my life and I am so happy to spend some time with Brian and see his home and his lifestyle so far away. We'll have a few weeks after Japan to settle in and then we are off on our Alaska expedition.

Check out the web site in Jeff's column and remember to check in often as we'll be posting all the adventures during our trek. We are feeling so lucky to have all these wonderful opportunities and happy to share them all with you our dear readers.

Happy Trails,
Judy

OMG!

We got an e-mail from David Baxley this morning. "Who is David Baxley?" you might ask. He is the owner of Alaska RV Adventures. He offered us a job as tailgunners on a 50 day RV caravan to Alaska.

Let me explain some of those terms. An RV caravan is a group of RVs (in this case about 15) who travel the same itinerary as a group. Think of it as a wagon train. With this particular company, however, the RVs do not have to stay together.

There are typically 2 types of professionals that travel with the group. Trekmasters lead the way. They are responsible for making sure the arrangements are all made for campgrounds, tours, etc. Tailgunners (that's us) follow behind. We are the last to leave the campground in the morning and are not allowed to pass any member of the caravan. We make sure no one gets lost or breaks down. We help with minor mechanical repairs, medical problems (God forbid!), and anything else that the tour members need. It is a training position for trekmasters for future caravans. We get all of our gas and campgrounds paid for and we also receive a small stipend.

This caravan begins at Dawson Creek, BC on June 22 and ends at Prince George, BC after traveling 50 days in Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon Territory. We are so excitied we can't even think straight right now. This adventure is what I was referring to in my last post when I said we had something "cool" in the works.

Oh - I forgot the best part - we can bring Ziggy with us! If you want to see more details, go to www.alaskarvadventures.com.

I'm sure Judy will be posting this afternoon. I think she is even more excited than I am.

South Carolina here we come!

Things have been really interesting since my last post. We put our house in PA up for sale. We are planning for the move. We have been running back and forth to South Carolina. Oh, did I mention we bought a new RV?

Well, new to us anyway. Our faithful Popeye was a 98 Sea Breeze, 31' long with no slideouts. Our new one - yet to be named - is a 2003 33' Winnebago Adventurer with 2 slides. It's sort of like moving from Motel 6 to a Hyatt. Not quite up to the Ritz Carlton, but pretty nice! We took it down to SC with a U-haul trailer in tow. At least we have furniture to sit on now. Since we had left my car down there on our last trip we had a car to use (and also picked up or golf cart while we were there!). Then we towed my car back north and completed yet another run on I-95.

The running back and forth is over. We have scheduled a moving date. On April 30 the movers are coming and we are on our way! Of course we are off to Japan for 2 weeks before that and just came back from a week in Mexico, but I meant the running back and forth up and down I-95.

OK - I lied. The running back and forth isn't over. Less than 2 weeks later we will be back up in Pennsylvania. We have several commitments and will be there through at least May 21. It will be weird, but if our house hasn't sold (God forbid!) we will probably stay in the RV in our own driveway! But then the running back and forth will be over.

Well, not quite. We have something really interesting in the works for this summer. It's very iffy, but very cool (literally) if it comes through.

More to come....