Sony Japan Trip of a lifetime

We were taken to to the Kyoto Imperial Palace that was breathtaking. It was a very large park-like area with many wonderful scenes.  While walking through this wonderland, a group of young, students very neatly dressed in their school outfits, came up to Georgia and stared at her.  She had very blond hair and the instructor explained that they had never seen anyone with blond hair.  They were from a remote school and this was their first trip from that area.

Tokyo Station was packed, requiring our group to stay close before boarding the Bullet Train to Kyoto. Soon, the massive city gave way to open countryside and quiet farmlands—a beautiful, unexpected contrast to Tokyo’s density.

Onboard, the wall speedometer read 140 kilometers per hour. Though a far cry from today's blazing 320 km/h trains, the scenery still blurred past our windows. A few high school students sitting ahead of us turned around to chat, pointing at the American licorice Georgia and I were eating. Confused by the word, one asked, "Wikerish, what is wikerish?" Georgia laughed, called it candy, and passed some over. They made hilarious faces at the unfamiliar flavor but smiled through it, offering Georgia their own cookies in exchange. After a polite "Arigato," we rolled into Kyoto, where even the bus ride to the hotel was filled with breathtaking beauty.

In the 1930s, Akihabara turned into a future-oriented market region specializing in household electronics, such as washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, and stereos, earning Akihabara the nickname "Electric Town".  I remember going into a building and riding the ovals which were escalators.  Each floor had a tremendous display of products.  One floor we remember had all televisions and Sony products were very prominent. One floor Georgia remembers had displays of rice cookers and another of very small refrigerators.  The Electric Town was and probably still is filled with stores that have enormous displays and crowds of people seeking to buy those products. What's Next?

While in Kyoto we remember touring a Shogun Palace.  The tour guide explained how the wood floors were constructed to allow for a creaking sound as someone walked on it.  This sound would alert the guards inside that someone was illegally entering the palace.

Key Highlights of the Palace

• Nijo Castle: The Shogun Palace is officially known as Nijo Castle, a UNESCO Shogun Residence that contains the Ninomaru Palace. 

• Nightingale Floors: Ninomaru Palace features unique "nightingale floors," which squeak like thousands of nightingales to catch intruders. 

• Gardens: The castle also features the beautiful, pond-centered Ninomaru garden. (photo above)

SanGeo Tour on our own. Scary!

In Tokyo, we stayed a few extra days on our own, without an interpreter.  We made arrangements to meet with one of Sony’s Vice Presidents, who I worked with in the USA.  He was transferred back to Sony’s offices in Shinjuku.  Getting there on our own was a real challenge.  We walked to the train station from the Princess Hotel and were greeted by signs we could not interpret. (Too bad we didn't have this map), as it turns out, that wouldn't have helped, because nothing was in English at that time. We were very obviously lost and fortunately a young lady, college student, came to us and spoke good English. She told us to buy tickets on the Orange Line and get off at the 13th stop, which would put us close to the building we needed. Shinjuku's skyscraper district, home to many of Tokyo's tallest buildings, including several premier hotels and the twin towers of the Metropolitan Government Office, whose observation decks are open to the public for free. 

We counted each stop and double checked with each other. We made it, got off and we were close enough to walk. We did and had a nice meeting.