In early August in Beijing, while Facetime videoing with my daughter, she noticed me flexing my right arm and asked, “What’s wrong with your right arm?”

I said, “I think it got hurt carrying my suitcase up and down many times while I was transferring between train stations from Kyoto to Tokyo’s Narita Airport.”

The discomfort in my right arm has subsided considerably after my cousin treated me to a traditional Chinese medicine hot foment at Xiaotangshan Hospital before I left Beijing, and after my daughter treated me to a Thai massage in San Jose yesterday.

Today is Friday. After dinner, I’m still subconsciously flexing my right arm because it still hurts a bit.

On a happy Friday evening, I am sharing the sad story of my injured right arm, on my last day of Japan after my tour group which started in Tokyo. This injury was a result of when I was in a hurry to get from Kyoto to Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Looking back, it was a pretty exciting moment.

After arrived to Tokyo, I decided to stay in Kyoto one more day to explore this old city, so I had to leave Kyoto early in the morning to catch my flight to Beijing that takes off at Narita Airport at 3:15 PM. My plan for getting from Kyoto to Tokyo’s Narita Airport was to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo, transfer to the JR Yamanote Line (Green Line) to Ueno Station, and then walk to Keisei-Ueno Station to take the Keisei Skyliner to Narita Airport.

Suica, a prepaid, rechargeable electronic smart card in Japan. In Tokyo, I used it for train fares, restaurants, and shopping, but not in Kyoto, because many shops didn’t accept Suica.

As Suica can’t be used to purchase Shinkansen tickets, I bought the earliest and fastest Shinkansen ticket from Kyoto to Tokyo, departing at 9:00 AM on the 28th (arriving at Tokyo Station at 11:15 PM, 17,400 yen), online using my credit card. Suica can pay the ticket from Tokyo Station to the JR Yamanote Line (Green Line) Ueno Station. Strangely enough, Suica only covers the basic fare (the ticket portion) of the Keisei Skyliner, not the seat reservation fee. Following the recommendation, I used my credit card and passport to buy a discounted one-way ticket from Keisei Ueno Station to Narita Airport for 2,310 yen, online.

My flight from Narita Airport to Beijing will take off at 3:15 PM, since international flights require passengers to arrive two hours in advance, I have to arrive at Narita Airport around 1:15 PM. After arriving at Tokyo Station at 11:15 PM via the Shinkansen, I needed to transfer twice to reach Keisei Ueno Station. The Keisei Skyliner to Narita Airport would take almost an hour, as it departs at a fixed time slot. Therefore, I only had one hour to transfer between train stations.

As I knew I easily get lost even with directions, after pre-purchasing my train tickets, I hand-copied and reviewed the detailed instructions for each transfer station using ChatGPT and the internet a few times to ensure a smooth transfer and arrive at Narita Airport on time so that I could catch my 3:15 PM flight to Beijing.

Just after 8:00 AM on the 28th, the weather was already scorching. In the hot and humid morning, I pulled my suitcase and walked more than ten minutes from my hotel to the Kyoto Shinkansen train station, ready to catch the earliest and fastest Shinkansen train from Kyoto to Tokyo, which will arrive Tokyo at 11:15 AM. I checked in using the QR code I downloaded on my phone and carried my suitcase up the stairs to the elevated Shinkansen station. I felt a relief as my suitcase wasn’t heavy, but I didn’t know about the many steps I’d have to carry it up and down later. While standing on the very hot platform waiting for my train, I already felt a bit exhausted.


(The NOZOMI 80 Shinkansen train I took)

I arrived at Tokyo Station at 11:15 AM and discovered that the handwritten guide of using Suica to transfer from the Shinkansen train station to the JR Yamanote Line (Green Line) Ueno Station was incorrect, because I couldn’t use Suica to pay for the ticket and pass the gate. I looked at people rushing passing me, unsure what to ask. I pulled my suitcase to a staff member, showed him my handwritten JR Lines Ueno on the paper, and asked him which way to go. He pointed to a guarded window next to the automatic gate. I pointed at it and looked at him, and he nodded. I pulled my suitcase up to the guard, and she asked in English if I needed any help.

I quickly said, “I want to transfer to the JR Lines to Ueno, but my Suica could not pay for a ticket. What should I do?”

She said, “You need to show me your Shinkansen ticket.”

I said, “I don’t have a ticket. I bought it online.”

She asked, “Do you have a receipt for your online purchase?”

I said, “Yes,” and quickly pulled out the email receipt from my phone and showed it to her.

She said, “You should have an e-ticket too. Can you show it to me?”

I gave her the QR code ticket I had downloaded on my phone. After she checked the ticket and let me through the gate manually, I suddenly realized I was only exiting the train station but not buying a ticket to enter JR train station.

I walked along the green line with my suitcase, swiping my Suica successfully to enter the JR Lines.

The handwritten guide said the train to Ueno was on platforms four and five. I reached the entrance marked Platforms 4 and 5, carrying my suitcase and walked up the stairs to the platform. Being directionally challenged, I cautiously pointed to the name “Ueno” which was written on my handwritten guidebook to a fellow passenger. He peeked over, shook his head, and pointed to the platform across the way. I took a closer look at the names of destinations on the platform wall and realized I had reached the station for the train heading in the opposite direction. I hurriedly carried my suitcase down the stairs and up again to the right platform, catching the subway bound for Ueno.

After getting off at Ueno Station, I realized my handwritten guidebook for the Keisei Skyliner station also wasn’t working. I exited the station and stood under the blazing sun, unsure whether to turn left or right or go forward, as Google map had since given up. After a moment’s hesitation, I pointed to Keisei Ueno Station on my handwritten guidebook and asked a passing mother and daughter for directions. After understanding my question, the mother took out her cell phone, entered Keisei Ueno Station on the map, then pointed to the left said: “You can get there by following the yellow line on the ground.” I thanked the kind mother, pulled my suitcase and walked along the yellow line on the ground for a long time, took a elevator down to the lower ground, crossed a road with traffic lights, and finally arrived at Keisei Ueno Station.

(The yellow line on the ground leads to Keisei-Ueno Station)

(Keisei Ueno Station)

Inside the station, following oral instructions from a staff member, I lined up in front of the ticket counter, took out my passport and pulled out the QR code on my phone, ready to exchange for a one-way ticket to Narita Airport. I was lucky to get the ticket departing at noon, which allowed me to arrive at Narita before 1:00 PM and not miss my flight to Beijing at 3:15 PM.

(Keisei Skyliner train to Narita Airport)

(A scene on the way to Narita Airport: vast fields of rice)

(A corner of Narita Airport)

On July 28th, I left my hotel in Kyoto a little after 8:00 AM and arrived at Narita Airport just before 1:00 PM. After carrying my suitcase up and down many stairs while walking a long distance, in addition coupling with the heat and the stress, my right arm was injured.

After arriving in Beijing, I began to experience a constant pain from my right wrist up to my shoulder, which bothered me a lots.

A month has passed in a flash. After enjoying traditional Chinese hot foment therapy in Beijing and a Thai massage in San Jose, I still feel a slight pain in my right arm. I felt I am aging and time really has taken its toll!

Traveling sometime is about seeking hardship and yet finding joy in it. After planning and implementing a very short trip from Kyoto to Tokyo’s Narita Airport, I’ve learned that planning a tight schedule and a feasible plan requires a highly precise mind. A heartfelt tribute to all the travel experts out there!

Happy Friday!

I joined a tour group which started in Tokyo. To help with jet lag, my daughter planned my trip from SFO to arrive at Tokyo two days earlier than my tour group. As such, I also planned a two-day Tokyo trip for myself: I bought a ticket to see the TeamLab Borderless light show; I am going to buy rare gifts and to catch special Pokémon at the Pokémon Centers in Tokyo； I am going to eat Wagyu beef, to drink sake, and to wander the streets of Tokyo; I am going to visit the Tokyo Iris Garden and many other gardens…

Tokyo’s humid and muggy weather challenged the carefully planned outdoor trips and its complex subway system challenged me more, as I don’t like to ride on subways and easily get lost. Plus, Tokyo’s parks close around 5 p.m., so I didn’t have time to visit many parks in Tokyo. As a result, I only visited Hinocho Park (which I stumbled upon) and the Tokyo Iris Garden.

When I learned about Tokyo’s Iris Garden during the pandemic, I imagined the irises, shaded by trees, along winding paths, and beside flowing little streams, would create a magnificent, layered sea of ​​iris flowers during their blooming season. I was eager to see my imagination come to life, so visiting the Tokyo Iris Garden was on the top of my 2-day Tokyo to-do list.

It turns out the iris garden is inside the Meiji Jingu Inner Garden. Although the iris season had passed, I still bought a ticket to see the narrow, winding garden nestled in a shallow area, lush with iris leaves. Strolling along the edge of the iris garden, which was so different from my imagination, I felt that I teased myself using overactive imagination and I laughed silently. When I saw the unique names of irises: Kamari Nishiki, Satsuki Haru, Wada Tsukai, Sunset Stream, Fukamado Beauty, Monkey Dance, and Okitsu Shiranami, I stopped to take pictures and imagine the shapes and colors of the flowers that matched the names, immersing myself in the virtual game of Flower Delight.

(Names of various irises in the lush, leafy little garden.)

While passing by a large bush of after blooming season kerria in a corner of the Iris Garden, I recalled how I first learned what kerria flowers look like during the pandemic lockdown, and the places I’ve seen them: on the side of the entrance of corridor pavilion in Zigong Park, outside the Brandeis University campus in western Massachusetts, in front of the Wall of Love in the Jehan Rictus garden square in Montmartre, Paris, France, and the lyrics “Clusters of kerria, misty morning, quiet waterwheel huts” in the song of “Spring in the North”. “Flowers delight me like a virtual pen, repainting vividly the previous sightseeing of flowers in my memory and bringing joys back again.” Thinking of the longer adjectives that will be associated with this bush of kerria in front me: the kerria flowers by the Iris Garden, in the Meiji Jingu Inner Garden, in the Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo, Japan, I can’t help but smile. The striking beauty of Kerria is unforgettable for flower lovers, as I still remember the large bush of blooming kerria flowers I saw in Zigong Park in my childhood. As a flower lover with good memory, I felt even in their off-blooming season, flowers can still delight me.

(A bush of kerria flowers, past their blooming season, next to the Iris Garden, in Tokyo July 22, 2025.)

(Kerria flowers blooming in the rain outside the Brandeis University campus in western Massachusetts, April 29, 2021.)

(Single-petaled kerria flowers in full bloom in front of the Wall of Love in Paris. 04-18-2022.)

There is a thatched pavilion high above the Iris Garden. Its thick thatch reminds me of the line “The triple thatch on my roof blew away” from Du Fu’s “Song of the Thatched Cottage Destroyed by the Autumn Wind.” I suspected this pavilion might bear traces of Du Fu, as his poem “The country is broken, but the mountains and rivers remain…” is often found in Japanese junior high school language textbooks.

The Inner Garden has few buildings, but abundant flowers, trees, and mosquitoes. The interplay of cicada and bird calls creates a low-key, natural beauty. I read in the tourist brochure that Emperor Meiji admired this place so much that he wrote a poem praising it which reads: “Deep in the woodland of Yoyogi, the quietude creates an illusion of seclusion from the city.”
(The cover of a brochure of Meiji Jingu Inner Garen: the iris garden in bloom, a thatched pavilion, and lush trees.)

Kiyomasa Well

Because I wasn’t in a hurry, I wondered around the Iris Garden for a long time before heading to Kiyomasa Well which provides a constant source of water year-round for the irises who thrive in a moist environment. While lingering by the well, I bumped into a Japanese family of four: father, mother, and two school-age daughters. I watched the couple kneeling down for a bow, then stood up and gently faned the air from the well onto their faces. Curiously, I asked the mother, “Why are you fanning like that?” She explained that they were absorbing the energy from the well, as the well is famous and has magical, and that by fanning the air towards us we can absorb its energy. I thanked her and imitated her, gently fanning the air from the well onto my face. She was delighted to see this, and we stood by the well and chatted for a while. The two daughters stood quietly next to her, her husband facing her nodding and acknowledging her occasionally. I felt it was a picture of family harmony. Hiromi Oguribayashi, unlike typical Japaneses ladies, is talkative, she wrote her name in Chinese for me and told me that she studied economics at a university in Tokyo, that her family flew here to visit Tokyo Disneyland (she told me where her home was, but I didn’t understand) and will fly back home tomorrow. She also said and that her daughters are 11 and 8. After they left, I stayed by the quiet well, continuing to appreciate its magic. Then a young couple came, and the boy skillfully bowed and gently fanned the air from the well onto his face with his hands. I felt that the sincere look on his young face added energy to Kiyomasa Well.

After leaving Kiyomasa Well, I followed the signs to the exit and sat on a stone bench under the shade of a tree on the top of the Iris Garden. Two girls passed by and asked, “Could we sit here for a while?” I quickly moved to one side of the bench and said, “Of course.” We sat on the same bench and chatted for a while. They were from the United States, third-year college students majoring in accounting. Wendy, who spoke Chinese, was born in the United States, she will stay in Japan for a month; Victoria, a tall Caucasian, will return to the US after a week in Japan. They were planning to leave after resting for a while. I asked if they had visited the Kiyomasa Well. They said no. I repeated Hiromi’s words: “Kiyomasa Well is famous and has magical. We can absorb its energy.” I enthusiastically demonstrated to them how to fan air from the well onto my face to absorb its energy. After hearing my introduction, they stood up and walked towards the well. I was happy to put my newly-acquired knowledge into practice as a tour guide for people who had come from afar. Of course, I knew that Kiyomasa Well might not have magical powers. I remembered what the priest said to Eileen in the movie “Miracle Club” which I had just watch during my flight: “The real purpose of the pilgrimage was to sustain one’s faith even in the absence of miracles.” I felt that what I saw and did at Kiyomasa Well was a reflection of the priest’s words. The Kiyomasa Well may not has magical, but Hiromi’s family, the young boy, and I all felt its magical energy at the well. I also passed this magic on to the two American girls. The magic is human love.

(The isolated and tranquil Kiyomasa Well.)

Visiting Tokyo’s Iris Garden, I once again experienced the feeling of “following my interests, obeying my physical strength, exploring foreign lands, and being enchanted by all the beauty, it’s like a dream come true.” How wonderful!

In late July, I went on a four-day Japanese tour. Our first trip was one-day in Tokyo, and the highlight of my day was eating crepes at our last stop, Takeshita in Tokyo, which came as a surprise to me.

Unexpected encounters on a trip could easily surprise me. And when the surprise is connected to one of my favorite foods that was first tasted at a faraway place, the encounter becomes a story that I will tell repeatedly later. Food preserves beautiful memories which are rich and vivid.

I like crepes because it contains the Sichuan flavor that I am familiar with. Enjoying crepes is always a warm and sweet experience for me, because crepes cross my European, American, and Asian memories.

Our tour group visited Takeshita Street, our last stop of our one-day Tokyo tour, for a free activity. I strolled along the over 300-meter-long short street and looked around randomly without purpose. The small shops along with the crowds on the street reminded me of Chunxi Road in Chengdu in China in the 1980s. While strolling on Chunxi Road in Chengdu, I was a poor college student with a strong desire to buy things. Now strolling on Takeshita in Tokyo, I am a contented 60-year-old without worldly desires. I said to myself: “Time flies quickly and time has refined me nicely!”

Strolling freely amidst the bustling crowd, a small crepes shop caught my eye, because crepes awaken the happy moments I shared with my daughter vividly. I had my first taste of crepes which was bought for me by my daughter, in Wuerzburg, Germany. In 2017, at the Country Inn Cafe in San Jose California, I ordered a fruit crepes, chatted with my daughter while eating, and made a deep connection for crepes. In 2021, at my daughter’s friend’s house in Waltham, Massachusetts, I enjoyed Rachel’s home-made crepes with a variety of savory and sweet fillings alongside my son. I suddenly remembered that when I was studying in Chengdu, I went to Chunxi Road to eat egg-baked cakes, which I defined as Sichuan style crepes.

With these memories in mind, I happily went to the Tokyo shop, stood in line, and bought a basic crepes. I held the crepes as a souvenir to take photos on Takeshita Street joyfully.

(Two entrances of the Takeshita Street, the crepes I enjoyed on Takeshita Street.)

My daughter is always in my memory of crepes. Eating Japanese style crepes on Takeshita Street in Tokyo Japan also has my daughter’s present, as she planned this Japanese trip for me.

There are many stories about our one-day in Tokyo, but enjoying crepes is my favorite story today, which shows I am a high-end foodie.

After enjoying the crepes, I felt that the taste of crepes all over the world are similar: juicy, delicate, and soft. Crepes can be folded, rolled, and paired with various fillings, to easily present the charm of delicious food.

（The set of fruit crepes I ordered in the Country Inn Cafe in San Jose California in 2017.）

（The set of fruit crepes I made for myself in Rachel’s house in Waltham Massachusetts in 2021.）

One day tour in Tokyo

Our Japanese tour group consists of 14 people who are originally from California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Washington, all states from the United States. Our tour guide is an Indian with a Japanese green card. He is short, wears earrings, has a shaved head and a goatee beard. Because he wears pants in the sagging style of high school boys in the United States, I had difficulty guessing his real age.

Our one-day tour in Tokyo started at 10am. Under the scorching sun, the tour guide took us for a quick visit of the Imperial Palace East Garden, where the large stone walls were eye-catching. While bypassing the large stone wall, I saw that there were gaps and cracks between the stones, and I felt that the masonry process was very rough and could not be compared to the seamless masonry process of the giant stones in the Inca era Sun Temple in Cusco, Peru. The experience of previous traveling has been awakened during a journey, this is a truly satisfying pleasure for a traveler. I think the ancient people liked to show their strength by playing with giant stones, such as Stonehenge in Britain, Machu Picchu in Peru, Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area in China, and the stone wall of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

（Our tour group approaching the big stone wall while visiting the Imperial Palace East Garden in Tokyo.）

（The stone chamber in the Inca era Sun Temple in Cusco, Peru, 11-2023.）

Afterwards, we went to Asakusa Temple/Nakami Sei for free activities and individual lunch.

Asakusa Temple is small and crowded with people; Nakamise street is short with small shops along both sides. We went to the temple to pay money to shake bamboo tubes to seek fortune, and went to small shops filled with eye-catching goods for purchase on Nakamise street. The atmosphere here was very harmonious because visitors could easily obtain spiritual and material satisfaction in close proximity to one another.

I went to a small restaurant on the street near Asakusa Temple and asked for Wagyu beef, the waitress recommended the Black Haired Wagyu set meal, which cost over 5000 yen. She brought to me a serving tray with many dishes and bowls, and the Black Haired Beef was even placed with a piece of paper indicating “黑毛和牛” on the top. Each dining table is equipped with an open flame stone pan. The waitress lit up the pan on my table and told me, “If you’re not used to half cooked beef, please use the pan to fully cook it.” She also explained various beef dipping methods to me. At the table next to me sat an elegantly dressed elderly lady, and we studied each other silently using eye contact. I guessed she is a local.

After lunch, our tour group gathered at the Asakusa Temple, then took the subway to Shibuya to experience the Shibuya “Scramble Crossing”, when light is green, people flood the intersection from all directions. I felt this sightseeing is a bit boring, as I was grew up in crowded crowds in China and I don’t understand how a flood with people place became a tourist attraction. While crossing the road in a dense crowd, I saw a pretty lady asking four friends to take photos of her posture in the crowd from different directions. Imagining her “high” appearance from different angles in the photo, I smiled.

Then, we took the subway from Shibuya to Harajuku Takeshita for free activities, which brought me memories of and new stories of crepes, so I was overjoyed.

(Photo collections: Today’s weather in Tokyo, taking the subway, I’m at Asakusa Temple, my black haired Wagyu lunch, strolling around Nakami District, crossing Shibuya Cross Road, and at the entrance of Takeshita Road.)

Our Tour Guide

He has never been to the United States and speaks fluent American English because he attended a bilingual school in English and Japanese since childhood. After graduating from high school, he went to Canada to attend university for a year and missed home. He returned to Japan to attend Tmple University, where students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in four years, but he said it took him six years to graduate. After getting his bachelor degree, he became a tour guide, then the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. He had to switch to a job doing bilingual telephone services. Now, being a tour guide is his side job, and he is 31 years old single without a girlfriend. He has a younger sister who was studying remotely from home during the pandemic when she was in college. She is very good at studying and graduated in four years. She immediately started working in the government and recently switched jobs to a large energy company in Japan because corporate pays higher than the government does. They live with their father, who is an engineer, and their father cooks at home because their mother has passed away. His father has a car. he and his sister use public transportation as they don’t have cars.