Page 237 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2024 LIMA

JAPAN: FAMILY STYLE

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHARON WHITLEY LARSEN

WITH OBSERVATIONS BY KALEA WHITLEY

s I strolled down Chuo I had surprised Kalea several months
Dori--the main street in earlier on her birthday to treat her and her
Tokyo's Ginza district--on folks to a 12-day trip to Japan. I'll never
a rainy Sunday afternoon forget her excited thank-you yelp--“Ari‐
last October, it was magi‐ gato!”--when she read my personalized in‐
cal seeing pedestrians vitation! She had been intrigued with
A holding colorful umbrellas Japanese culture and language (which she
reflected in the damp pavement. This ritzy was teaching herself) and had been dying
area with high-end designer shops is closed to visit.
to traffic each weekend afternoon. And
what a great outing for my husband Carl
and me to stretch our legs, see the ener‐
getic sites, and recover from jet lag.
We had flown into Tokyo's Narita Inter‐
national Airport the evening before from
San Diego with my brother Mark, sister-in-
law Betiana, and my niece Kalea, 12. As our
Japan Airlines 787 jet pulled back from the
gate, I was intrigued to see the Japanese
ground crew bow and wave. The 12-hour
nonstop flight was comfortable—with am‐
ple legroom in coach. Since there were five
of us with luggage, we opted to book a pri‐
vate van to take us on the 90-minute ride
into the Ginza area of Tokyo to our hotel. It The Japanese people are so friendly
cost $260 total but was well worth it for the and helpful—the country is clean with rela‐
personalized convenience. tively little crime. Some people think of
Japan as expensive—but we thought that
the prices were very fair, even visiting sev‐
The 800-year-old Great Buddha is a eral free sightseeing areas. And the hotel
popular tourist draw in Kamakura for a and restaurant staffs and other workers
nominal entrance fee. don't expect tips!
Right: Kalea’s surprise birthday present.

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