Sunday, March 4, 2012

Japan - Yokohama, Tokyo - 25.06.1970 - 29.6.1970.

From my Notes:
Tuesday 25th June 1970.

Catch train to Tokyo, left luggage at Yokohama Station.  Make our way with Mike and Jean (British couple from Trans Siberia Train from Khabarousk)  to the Youth Hostel at the Olympic Stadium*, have lunch in one of the quaint little alleys near Youth Hostel. 

 Catch trains all over Tokyo.  People are charming and so polite.  Go to Ginza Area, see toy shops etc.  Everything is lovely. 

 Have our first Japanese bath, which is a big room with small taps hot and cold all about one foot off the ground, all around the walls, boys first then girls sit on little plastic stools and wash yourself all over, rinse off then hop into 15 feet by 10 feet and 4 feet deep pool at 110f (43c) and soak.  You can then either have a cold shower or not.  I did and felt great, and slept great.   The room is completely tiled all over.

* The Stadium was built for Summer Olympics 1964,  part of it was now a Youth Hostel.

From my Notes:
Friday 26th June 1970.

Leave Tokyo 7:30am, head on train for Odogawa, look around then catch train to Gotemba Youth Hostel, which is a Japanese style, we sleep on the floor which is raised about 1 foot, shoes left near door, floor is soft, matting good.  Bath in their fantastic baths together as we are the only people here.  We sleep in the same room which is nice.  Very peaceful and quiet except for a bit of trumpet practice and some girl singing in Japanese in the bath.

Mt Fuji is close but because of mist we cannot see her.

From my Notes:
Saturday 27th June 1970.

Gotemba-Tokyo.

See Mt Fuji, little snow on top but not much.  Mist has cleared a bit.  All the small children are carried on the mothers back and strapped on, no wonder they all seem to be bowed legged.  I haven't seen one pram, except for a couple for sale in a shop.

From my Notes:
Sunday 28th June 1970.

Be at Ship at 1:30pm.  Leave Yokohama at 4pm on S.S. President Cleveland.

From my Notes:
Monday 29th June 1970

At Sea.

Here my notes finish until  Friday 10th July 1970     Arrive San Francisco 2am.

No comments: