All Our Bags Are Packed!

 

                                      Japan Blog # 1 - Tokyo

      LAX artwork depicts traveling over time and to different places

Our trip started with a pleasant surprise: The First Class Lounge - Food is ordered from a menu, served by a waiter and area has a special ambiance. 

                       Gourmet wines and high-end liquors

                      On time departures is always a good thing!

Jerry likes to follow planes using an App. Although our plane was  14 years old, the aircraft was retrofitted with the latest technology.

                                                            

Boarding first provides plenty of time to get settled. Pink color comes from the plane's overhead accent lights. The beds were exceptionally long - plenty of room to get good rest.

We've been to Japan several times - mostly for business. However, our first trip (for fun) was in 1970 to see the Osaka World's Fair. This was the map we used at the time.

This was the route we used today

                            Another  travel method to Japan

Jerry's maternal grandfather went to Japan in 1917 - partially to avoid WWI but also to seek his fortune. He was the musical director on this ship. Once in Japan, he entered into business with locals as well as played the violin in an orchestra.

Up in the air we go - not in our wonderful balloon, but in our high performance Boeing 777-300!

     Jerry can stand inside the engine with another five feet to spare

Pretty cloud formations

The multi-dish Asian menu was exotic and delicious

                                    

Jerry is a chopstick expert. He also has a vast international and micro-brewery beer collection. Although he already has a Kirin can and bottle, he did not have this style which is probably used for Japanese distribution

Jerry's grandfather having meeting with a local businessman and two women. Jerry and his daughter, Shira, have been researching what specifically the grandfather was doing. Jerry found out that these women are not geisha - they are wearing standard clothes. Maybe they are friends or work with the Japanese businessmen?!?!?!

Shira found in the "family archives" a variety of letters and documents pertaining to Jerry's grandfather. Apparently this style of the Japanese language is an older version. The younger Japanese that Jerry met had difficulty translating. With additional help, it turns out to be a return address also at a post office box located in the Ginza area. During today's daily tour, Jerry discovered that the post office was a few blocks from a hotel where we previously stayed

Jerry has several old postcards depicting what daily life was like during the early 1900's. Jerry asked several people if they could figure out the specific location. Zilch!