Mt Fuji was beautiful - we saw cherry blossoms, green/lush forests and tranquil Japanese gardens…well...not exactly. Our adventure to see Mt. Fuji was a little more "touristy" than we'd expect...it included taking five, that’s right, five modes of transportation – subway from
Shimbashi to Shinjuku (part of Tokyo), highspeed train called the "Romancecar" from Shinjuki to Hakone, a tram from Hakone to Gora, a cable car from Gora to Sounzan and a Ropeway car from Sounzan to a Owakudani…I believe our final destination was famous for making “black eggs” - an egg cooked in a natural 
hot spring (the sulfur turns the eggs black!)...that's one episode of Fear Factor that we would have failed...So while we basked in the enormity of Mt. Fuji, tour buses lined the tiny roads giving birth to tourists and aromas of sulfur were being inhaled with each breath......it wasn't the tranquility and respite from city life we were expecting, but all in all it was an adventure!We polished off our Saturday with a well-earned dinner at a Indian restaurant (Bombay Club) near our hotel in Shiodome (a new business park)...we used the jasmine rice and Naan (bread) to mop up the sauces from the dal makne (lentils), cauliflower/spinach and beef vindaloo…oh ya, we satiated our hydration needs with fresh mango juice…life is rough.
Sakura, is the Japanese name for cherry blossoms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakura)…its an annual tradition for the Japanese to welcome springtime– it’s the start of a new fiscal
year for Japanese companies and the beginning of a new school year for the kiddies. Our friend Mari also said that there are many legends related to cherry blossoms…one of them is that all of their ancestors’ spirits are part of the earth and come back to life during this brief time of year through the blooming of the cherry blossoms. That paints a very romantic picture, right!?!? We 
expected a tranquil walk in the park, gazing into the heart of the cherry blossom, remembering years gone by…well, our expectations were challenged yet again…we witnessed two cherry blossom extravaganzas in Tokyo…one at Yoyogi park (near Harajuku) and the other at Ueno Park…it was like walking into a tailgate party at a Big Ten college football game in the USA. People were lugging in coolers, crates and barrels of their favorite libation (e.g. sake, biiru (beer) and who knows what else)…it was a frenzy of activity…blue tarps carpeted the walkways and grassy areas underneath the cherry blossom trees…after ping-ponging our way through Yoyogi Park, our reptilian brains put us in survival mode...the key to survival was to join the locals in this annual 
tradition. So, we found a grocery story near our hotel, loaded up on sodas, chips and lolly-pops and headed to Ueno Park. After squeezing our way through the herd of people, we found a little hill, perched just high enough off the main walkway to soak up the experience – this was a prime people watching spot. We saw people from all walks of life – little kids jumping rope, teenagers sippin’ on sake, adults reliving their hey-day…Sakura Festival is a special time of year…the trees bloom and the delicate pedals begin to fall soon after…so, the next time you are in Japan be sure to plan your trip around end of March/beginning of April…it’s a sight not to be missed! A few "in the moment" memories on YouTube:
*Juggler in the Park (performance anxiety) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCvZ-8ze9jk
* Sakura at a Glance (exceeding expectations) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPakOkJrD4Q
**There’s one correction from the last blog that I have to write about…it may be a small thing to many readers of my blog, but it can mean the difference between getting a dirty look and actually getting your bill at a restaurant. The word you can use to ask for your bill is “okanjo,” not “okajo” as I wrote previously…the “n” does matter. If you don’t remember the word, just remember to act like your writing in your hand…the international sign for bill or check.
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