Around the World for a 3rd Time (Japan and Taiwan)

(Chipmunk in Shiretoko)

JAPAN

Japan is our favorite Asian country, most likely because it is so well organized and so sparkling clean. So much so, that I am now making an awful statement: “you can eat from the public bathroom floors” in of all places, Tokyo, the largest city in the world with 38 million inhabitants.

(lake views in Shiretoko were abundant)

(Sea of Okhotsk from our hotel window direction Russia’s Sakhalin island)

(another Shiretoko lake view)

When we started our 3 month trip we bypassed Japan and flew into Beijing, although we planned going back to Tokyo for a few days, with as our main destination this time Hokkaido, to see the highly lauded fall colors and the timing for that allowed us a few weeks to do China first.

(Our guide Suganuma acting out Bear droppings, we refused to do that for a picture)

(Sandee acting’s out bear scratching)

(Do not know anymore what scene this is supposed to be)

In the most eastern top of the most northern island of Japan lies a peninsula called Shiretoko, a national park heralded for its fall beauty.

Well the plan to see the colors did not work out. We came too early, or this specific year was a bummer year with no colors worth mentioning.

(Size of bears still roaming here, found many signs of their existence but did not meet any)

(Deer were abundant)

(Bear made hole to seek honey or protein hiding in trees )

(Obligatory picture on the highest point in Shiretoko)

(Bear claw imprints; makes you look around for bears)

However our guide Suganuma was giving us value for the money and made us do more selfies than we normally do in a decade. The whirlwind trip in Hokkaido gave us 3 nights in Shiretoko and 2 nights in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, also home of Sapporo beer and the highest quality of cold water seafood in all of Japan, like uni, a reputation not easy to be bestowed in seafood loving Japan.

(Sushi luncheon in Sapporo)

(Brewery visit of one of the beers we liked)

(Sushi sample very very fresh fish)

(Sei Amici dinner picture)

(Some people cannot keep their hands to themselves)

(Above and below samples of our dinner)

Back in Tokyo, we had a “Sei Amici get together” with Olie and Margot. World travelers make lasting connections along the way and Sei Amici was conceived in Italy on a three masted schooner seemingly eons ago.

(So Japanese, these soft drink vending machines all over the country on the streets)

(Tokyo neighborhood street scene)

(Tokyo park scene with obligatory bridges)

(Not only in America does this event occur)

(SoTranquil, So Japanese)

As you are till this moment in your reading not getting much of interest, it must be said, that being in Japan after an exhausting trip in China, we were here first and foremost to reconnect with the old and familiar and to catch our breath, while looking ahead to new countries and new sights to behold.

(3 scenes of the same place above and below showing the seasonal change- above what we saw in Autumn)

(Spring time scene)

(Summer scene)

(Another guide directed picture - possible safe place when bear charges)

(Fishing fleet in harbor as they do night salmon fishing)

(Finally an expansive view of a Shiretoko fjord)

Taiwan

(Street side vendor)

(Zhongshan street scene in Taipei)

(Taipei park)

As our journey continued to Melbourne, the airline decided to stop over in Taiwan. Thus we decided to stay in Taipei’s old center for a week, also because we wanted to celebrate a 25 year anniversary of sorts. I say “of sorts”, because that specific date celebrates the day we laid eyes on each other for the first time, meaning to say: it does not really count for normal people, but we put it on our calendar a long time ago as the “day of providence”, that brought the “miracle of us” that we daily celebrate today.

(Burning Josh money/Ghost money venerating the departed family members)

(the burning of the money takes place everywhere in the city consuming piles and piles of them)

(This vendor sells his food while also having piles of Joss money to burn)

And Taipei provided in abundance. We ate almost every few hours those days and you all know exploring food is very important to us. Well Taipei’s streets provide at every corner and we were not alone in the sampling. At any hour of the day we found Taiwanese eating.

(Chef Vanessa and husband in Ephernite)

(Above and below samples of our celebration dinner)

Our special dinner was at a Michelin star rated French restaurant named Ephernite, owned by Chef Vanessa Huang aided by her husband Claude as Front of the House Host. I hope the pictures will do justice to the beautiful creations Chef Vanessa created that night.

(We loved roaming the old city center turning corners to find what is next)

(This looks like a temple entrance but it is a restaurant)

(More street scenes)

Then, we found right besides our hotel a Belgian bistro, Merlot Cafe (when in Taipei go there, unless you want Taiwanese food) although the chef and his long term lady were not Belgian at all.

(We had to sample the xiao long bao Michelin star rated dumplings in a department store)

(Lining up in front of an department store, like during airport screening, but for dessert)

(Starbucks has competition)

We had such a good meal with fries and had such nice conversations with the chef-owner couple, that we arranged for the next night an “after dinner service get to know each other” date. Thus, we came later in the evening for a surprise dinner and after that talked and drank the night away.