Kyoto

July 24, 2016

Prior to this trip, my brother-in-law called to tell me that he was being flown on an international trip via business class.  All I could say was that they treat you right and once you have flown business, you never want to fly coach again.  Would my experience at the Ritz Carlton be the same?  The short answer is, YES!  During the early part of my career, I installed system into hotels and I stayed in some very nice hotels.  When I finally started making enough money to travel on my own, I resumed travelling and make it a point to go on an international trip at least once a year.  This trip through Authentiscapes and Admiral Travel had been one of the best and well worth what I paid.

The hotel in Tokyo was upscale with great views of the city.  The rooms were nice and housekeeping attended to them twice a day.  The staff was super nice and if they were on the elevator and got off the elevator before you, they would exit the elevator, turn around and face you and then bow, and bow, and kept bowing until the elevator closed.  In Kyoto, we were greased by staff members who asked about the day and walked us to the elevators.  At one point, there were three members of the staff waiting outside the elevator bowing while we waited for the doors to close. It was one of those awkward moments, do we keep waving and saying goodbye?  Do we bow?  Susanne Curtsied which made it more awkward.  Finally the elevator doors closed slowly and the entire time, the three staff member were bowing and saying something.  Yep – awkward! Continue reading →

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Dinner was at a teppanyaki style restaurant at Kyoto Gion Mikaku .  I didn’t understand what teppanyaki style meant until they said that it was prepared tableside.  I immediately thought “Benihana” and that sounds good.  We sat down and to my right was Ryan Hilton, Roy and Denise Choi.  To my left was Sophon and the rest of the group.   I wasn’t the only birthday boy on this trip.   Roy had his Birthday 2 days ago and Carter, the son of the tour organizers, was turning 13.   The started out with Birthday Champagne and they sang Happy Birthday to Jim and Carter… and then toasted.  Carter wasn’t allowed to have champagne.

Off to the one side of the room was the cutting room.  The slabs of meat were brought into that room where they were cut up and we could all watch through a window.  I was impressed with the large knives as well as the large cuts of beef.  Sophon does not eat beef.  He is not vegetarian, he does not beef for religious reasons that have to do with giving up something that he liked.   He eats other meat, just not beef. They told him at the restaurant that they were preparing seafood.  Lobster to be exact.  A couple of people asked “Who is getting the lobster?  Whose birthday is it anyway?  Personally, I like steak as much as I like Lobster.  I wanted the beef.  No problem with him getting lobster.  I was going to enjoy every bite of that steak!  I am sure Sophon would share a few bits of his lobster! Continue reading →