One Night In Bangkok

I wanted to slap Russell when he downloaded that song.  "One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster...." Now I cannot get that song out of my head and neither will you. Don't hate me.

But in a good way, it did help us anticipate and look forward to our vacation in Thailand, which we booked only a few weeks prior.

We did spend one night in Bankgok and it was our oyster.  What a dynamic, seedy, exotic, steamy city. The airport was amazing!  So modern and efficient.  There are more high-end retail stores than the South Coast Plaza and 5th Avenue.  It's crazy!  There's like 200 stores and only three places to eat.  A slight exaggeration but you get my point.  Clearly they want you to stop and shop, not stop and eat.  And what up with the gigantic billboards on everything that doesn't move?  It's an advertiser's paradise.  Someone should write a song about that.  Just take a look at these bad boys.

I agree driving a BMW is joyful (if it's an M series) 

Clearly a pick up ad from America given the Palm Springs back-drop.

I guess Thailand likes Palm Springs too?

It's hard to tell the scale from this picture but just imagine 

a ten story building laying on its side.   CRAZY!

It takes six hours to fly to Bangkok from Tokyo.  When I first moved to Tokyo I was excited about visiting all the places in the Orient.  I assumed it would be like Europe, and we could skip off to China, or Bali, or Thailand, like Europeans skip off to France, Switzerland or Austria, for the weekend.  But you know what happens when you assume.  You make an Ass out of U and Me.  So yeah, I'm an ass.  It takes a minimum of six hours to fly anywhere from Tokyo, except one part of China and Korea, both not high on my list. 

We flew in Saturday and got there around 5p.  We had less than 24 hours to experience Bangkok as our flight to Koh Samui was the next morning at 10am.   We decided to stay at the Four Seaons Bangkok.  The rate was actually reasonable and I could add another property to my list.  One of my goals, which Russell hates, is to visit every Four Seasons in the world.  Unless I come into a brobdingnagian fortune and never work again, it's pretty much impossible, but it's sure nice to try.

The Four Seasons was nice AND they upgraded us, which is even nicer.  Instead of one of the modern rooms in the tower they put us in a sweet, I mean suite.  We were expecting a view of the city in some high tech hotel room, but what we got was a tropical bungalow next to the pool complete with geckos.  I love geckos!  The weather was sultry, which is a romantic way of saying damn hot and humid.

Welcome note.  It says, "Please spend as much money as you can."

Actually it says, "Welcome back, please enjoy these chocolates."

The chocolates are made with a special ingredient that makes you spend money.

Our suite room looking out to the pool.

Looking from the bedroom into the foyer.

Yeah, our room had a foyer.

Hallway to the marble shower.

My bathtub.  I know, I'm infatuated with bathrooms,

especially bath tubs.

The view from the stairway leading into the lobby.

I want a set of dessert plates with this ceiling pattern.

The oh-so-sweet lobby with awesome, frothy, refreshing,
made-with-real-fruit, and lots of alcohol, drinks.

Our room rate came with dinner at the hotel and breakfast which made things easy.  We meandered through the lobby into the shopping area where the restaurants are.  How convenient.  We ate at the hotel's Thai restaurant called Spice Market.  Our dinner was pre-fixed.  Basically a cup of soup, a huge plate with five different Thai specialties, all the rice we could eat, and a gelatinous dessert.

She's hand carving fruit into art.

This really does taste as good as it looks!

Russell, "look at all the spices!"

The restaurant.

Me, "where's my drink?"

Oh, here they are!

The gelatinous dessert.  Russell liked it.

It was basically cherry chestnuts, coconut milk, gelatin and chunks of ice.

After dinner we decided to check out the only thing still open.  Patpong - which is the red light district of Bangkok and they have the largest night time shopping bazaar.  Oh, and it is.

The street's your oyster, or boy, or girl, or mango, or whatever.

The bazaar went on and on.

And the best part is you can haggle.  It's expected.

They triple the price.  You cut that in half.  They pretend it's not enough.
You start to walk away.

They accept and still make a 200% profit.

But you feel like you got a deal.

Happy soap carver.

The finished articles. 

They're awesome and they clean you up too.

Not everything was as clean.

There were semi nude girls dancing inside.

 

More of the collection.

There were stray pussies all over.

What??!!

Street walk shrine.

They had several fish spas.  

You know, where they eat all the dead skin off your feet.

What about the fat?

No dead skin fish for me.

Isn't my new Thai purse adorable?

So that was our one night in Bangkok, and then onto Koh Samui in the morning.

Driver's Ed Part Three

Russell took his second driving test yesterday, Thursday, and failed, again!  Seriously?!!!  Russell is the best driver I know.  Let me rephrase.  Russell is the best observant, conservative, safe, defensive driver I know.  If he can't pass the test, I, the most aggressive, risk taking, I love speed and apexing driver, could not.

This time they failed him because, and get this,

a) he was driving too slow

and

b) he left too much space between the curb and the vehicle when he was making his left hand turn.  A bike
    or a scooter could have gotten into the space and he might have hit them.

Really?

I bet if he had been going faster it would have been too fast.

Leaving too much space?!  He was inside the lane - I guess they made the lane too big.  An elephant, and maybe some clowns, could have come up beside him. Yeah, they're right.  We definitely can't have that.

I told him, he should just ask them how many times they want him to take the test until he is adequately demeaned, so he can manage his expectations.

Apparently this time during the 15 minute orientation session, all in Japanese, there was a guy in the group  who was a professional translator.  Russell asked if he could ride with that guy during his test so he could translate the instructor's directions.  The instructor said no, that wouldn't be fair to all the other drivers testing.  Really?  Yeah, you're right, it wouldn't be fair to all the Japanese drivers who know Japanese.

Ah the smell of discrimination.  Acrid and bitter.  But all's fair in love and politics.  It's not like we give driver tests in America in foreign languages.  Ooops.  My bad.  We do in California - Spanish.

To be continued....

Where's My Chocolate Bear?

Last Friday Russell and I spent the night at the Peninsula Tokyo.  Russell had "won" a package at a silent auction held at the Italian Embassy last year.  The package entitled the winner to a one-night stay including dinner for two at their stylish restaurant, Peter, and breakfast in the lobby.  I love how they call it "winning" when you're actually "paying" for it and for probably more than it's worth.

We checked into our standard room around 3p and marveled at all the technology.  In true Japanese fashion, the hotel is a contradiction of traditional Japanese design juxtaposed with high end design and technology.  Case in point, our bedroom area was separated from the closet and bathroom by a sliding piece of rough cut wood.  It was like a giant slice of exotic tree.  Yet next to the bed, the toilet and the bathtub were electronic panels that controlled everything except Russell's mood.

Of all the things in this room what do you think Russell liked the most?

Hint - it's controlled by a remote.

Marble bathroom with "mood" lighting.

Nice closet/dressing room.

Can somebody please tell me where the electronic panel is to control him?

Our view overlooking Hibaya park.

The curtains are electronically controlled.

Which is nice.

We started by taking a dip in the pool.  The pool is located on the six floor and has a commanding view of the Imperial Palace and gardens.  To our horror they don't serve cocktails at the pool.  How can this be?!!    Not only that, they make you wear a bathing cap, and goggles.  I haven't worn a bathing cap since the 60s.  The pool is basically used for fitness only.  It reminded me of the pool at the Tokyo America's Club, aka TAC.  At TAC they have a sign posted which illustrates how many days they've gone without having to close the pool due to various catastrophes including fecal emissions, or as we like to call it, "the baby ruth effect".

Russell and I felt like we were the baby ruth effect here.  When we got into the pool all the Japanese got out.  I guess the good news is we had it all to ourselves.  We took a moment to steal a poolside kiss and hug.  I waited for the alarms to go off.  I'm sure publicly displayed affection is one of the unallowable activities here in the pool. They should add it to the TAC list too.  Thankfully the alarm didn't go off and too soon the Japanese guests ventured back into the water to swim their laps.

We decided to try the "vitality" pool which is basically a giant jacuzzi with a metal bench in it.  I wonder how many guests have racked their shin while getting vitalized.  After a few minutes I wasn't feeling any more revitalized, must have been the lack of alcohol, so we decided to go back to our room for a nap before dinner.

After the nap I made good use of the bathtub and electronic controls.  I've decided I need to redo my bathroom in California this way.  Soaking in the tub I dimmed the lights and waded through the TV channels, then the music stations.  Yes there was a TV in the bathroom.  I thought about calling room service from the in-wall intercom phone, just because I could, but I didn't want to spoil my dinner.   Just imagine this system attached to Apple TV and my entire music library.  Oh yes, it will be mine.

The bathtub.

The TV I controlled from the bathtub.

We went up to the Peter bar for a pre-dinner cocktail but the bar was completely full.  Apparently they're running a happy hour special.  It was quite a deal.  For about $10 you get the cocktail of your choice and a set menu of snacks. I love snacks!  It took a while to even get to the bar as Russell became enamored with this color changing sculpture in the lobby.  I think it's a mind conditioning tool to make you spend more money.

Don't stare too long. It will make you spend money.

Since we couldn't get a drink at the bar we decided to just sit down early for dinner.  We're glad we did because twilight over the Imperial Palace was beautiful.  The restaurant is decorated very avant garde.  It's high drama which in L.A. usually means the food is mediocre.  The tables are black and accentuated with hand blown glass candle holders and silvery place mats.  The space is dramatized with sparkling sculptures that look like silver trees and one side of the restaurant showcases a projection wall which transforms from an underwater scene resplendent with bubbles, can you say Nemo, to crowds of seductively moving dancers.

I really don't think the name "Peter" does it justice. I thought maybe the chef's name was Peter. It isn't.  Russell informed me this is the Peninsula thing, their mascot is a bear and his name is "Peter."  Oh, that explains it, not. But I would like one of those hand made chocolate "Peter" bears they make in the Wonka-esque bakery downstairs, if you please.

Nice view of the Imperial Gardens...and my adorable purse.

Shiny!

Bad picture of me.  Good picture of the 

projection wall with the underwater view.

Our silent auction package came with the standard four-course set meal, although it was anything less than standard.  Russell and I altered our choices so we could try more things.  I liked his choices more.
Damn him.  Thankfully he shared.

Russell's first course - fois gras.

My favorite.

My first course. Hamachi carpaccio.  The blue dots are made of blue cheese.

They look more interesting than they taste.

Meanwhile twilight had turned to thunderstorm and the twinkling landscape of the city flashed brilliantly from time to time.  At first we thought it was the wine, but finally we concluded it was in fact lightening, not mental lapses.

In the morning we had an American style breakfast in the lobby.  It had been so long since I'd eaten toast I had to have two orders, one for my eggs and ham, and one for my butter and jelly.  While we dined the first wedding of the day entered the lobby for pictures.  Some of the guests wore traditional kimonos which I always enjoy seeing.  The bride and groom were dressed in modern style.  She wore a beautiful white gown and he wore a black morning coat.  The lobby pianist played "Here Comes the Bride" and everyone in the lobby applauded.

It was a brief and enjoyable stay but I never did get the chocolate bear, Peter.  Next time Peter, next time.

Driver's Ed Part Two

Nobody spoke English at the facility where Russell went to take his driving test. At window #31 they showed Russell a white slip of paper and a pink slip of paper and told him to go to window #38, for his "field test and have a seat."  Russell repeated back carefully, "you want me to go to window number 38 for my field test?"  The Japanese man repeated patiently, "No, sit down.  Go to window #38 if field test."  Befuddled Russell patiently repeated back, "you want me to go to window #38 for my field test and sit down?"  The Japanese man, not so patiently this time, reiterated, "No, sit down, wait.  Go to window #38 if field test."  Russell mulled this over and over.  "Field test?  Field test?"  Oh!  He means "failed test".  I have to go to window #38 if I fail the test."  Hai! (hai means yes in Japanese), Hai!, the Japanese man enthusiastically agreed.    How nice - the assumptive close.  Before you even take the driving test they tell you where to go to schedule your next attempt after you fail.  When I heard this I told him he should have saved some time while he was waiting to be called and gone ahead and scheduled an appointment.  Russell sat down and waited for his number to be called.

How many expats does it take to turn on the air conditioning?  Apparently eight as they assembled in the enclosed bus shelter waiting for their turn to fail the driving test. The instructor lectured the entire group for about 15 minutes, entirely in Japanese.  Russell turned to the Indian kid sitting next to him and commented, "Well that was really helpful.  Do you have any idea what he just said?"  The kid smiled and replied, "basically he said drive on the left side of the road".  How informative.

Russell waited for his turn to drive.  He was number seven.  He was bemused they had put all the expats together.  Maybe we all look alike?  He noted that the closed course had both passenger cars and flat bed trucks on it at the same time.  Apparently different license classes were tested on the course simultaneously.  

The deal is, when your number is called, you actually ride in the back seat while another person is taking their driving test.  This way you can get familiar with the course before you actually commence your own attempt.  The instructor observes you closely and gives you instructions on where to turn etc.  All very good, except one key thing -  he only does it in Japanese.  I don't know about you but I don't know what "right or left" is in Japanese, much less slow down, stop and the dreaded, parallel park.

Russell watched carefully from the back seat.  The driver made a right hand turn into what would have been oncoming traffic.  No wonder they don't let you take the driving test on a real road.  The instructor slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a shuddering halt, as he explained in excited Japanese what the driver had done wrong. Immediate fail.  He deserved that.

Then it was Russell's turn.  He got out of the car and walked around the vehicle, diligently checking to make sure the tires where adequately inflated, checking for headlights, license plates, door handles, etc.  Then he got in the drivers seat, put on his seat belt first (very important this be done immediately - you never know what might happen while you're acquainting yourself with the controls) and adjusted the mirrors.  The first 100 meters, about 300 feet, don't count.  It's so you can get used to the car.  Ok, not really that helpful since it's straight and only 300 feet.  It's takes longer than that to adjust to new shoes.

Things were going swimmingly.  Russell navigated through the tight turns and zig zags.  He didn't touch any of the poles (immediate fail) or hit any of the curbs (immediate fail).  He'd seen other drivers  make these errors and was glad he'd decided to choose the manual transmission car which meant a smaller, more maneuverable vehicle.  Russell was checking his blind spots with theatrical deliberation.  But then disaster.   He came to an intersection with no stop sign.  He slowed.  A flatbed truck was approaching from the left but was well down the road, allowing plenty of time for Russell to make the right hand turn without endangering lives. Or so he thought.  He began his turn.  Suddenly the vehicle jerked to a halt.  The instructor gesticulated wildly.  He's having a heart attack Russell shuddered.  Nope!

Apparently the instructor felt Russell should have stopped and waited for the truck to pass.  Russell counted, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, waiting for the truck to go by, five Mississippi,  until finally nine Mississippi.  I'm sorry an entire parade, complete with elephants, could pass through in that time!!!  Geez.  That was arbitrary.

He continued.  He was having a really difficult time understanding what the instructor wanted of him.  How is this fair? They approached another intersection.  Russell was in the left lane.  Just as they came to the intersection the instructor finally managed to make his instruction clear.  "Right!".  Russell had no choice but to make the turn, from the wrong lane.  Immediate Fail.

They came to the end of the course and the instructor pulled out the white slip of paper.  White means fail.  He turned it over and drew a helpful diagram of what Russell did wrong. He also helpfully pointed out Russell didn't put on his seat belt when he was a passenger in the back seat.  I got the distinct impression more catastrophic errors would have been discovered if Russell hadn't made the errant right hand turn.  Russell didn't need for him to tell him all this. He knew what he did wrong - not understand Japanese.  It would have been helpful to know "right" and "left".

Out of his expat class of eight, only two passed.  That's 25%.  Both of them had failed the test previously.  You have a better chance of catching a fly ball at Dodger stadium. Ok, well maybe not, but you know what I mean.

Russell was surprisingly devastated.  He really thought he was going to be the one guy to pass on the first try.  He sulked for the rest of the day.  Well, at least until he was thoroughly medicated with wine.

The good news is, he doesn't have to wait another two weeks before trying again.  He gets to take the test again this Thursday.  Hoorah!

to be continued.....

Something's Baking

It might just be our first Japanese friendship.  Last Friday night we had dinner with the Japanese baker we met at the Kenzo Wine anniversary party.  I met him after several glasses of Kenzo wine.  The reason I mention this is because when he told me he was baker, I was taken aback.  I mean, how often do you meet a baker?  When he told me he baked Amish style I thought, wow, I really must be drunk.  But he really does.

He sent us a pie.  Actually it was a lemon curd cheesecake.  It was better than any cheesecake I've ever had in the States, Amish or otherwise.  Well, except for Ben Benson's Steakhouse in New York.  Ben Benson has undeniably the best cheesecake ever made and the steaks are pretty good too.

I visited one of his bakeries in the Ginza.  He sells his unbelievably yummy products in high end department stores throughout Japan and you can order freshly baked delicacies, like pies, from their website.  The only problem is, the website is in Japanese, except for the pictures.

www.flavor.co.jp

I tried a cookie and a brownie.  They were very small, like everything else in Japan, but outstanding.  The sales staff wear Amish outfits.  No, really.

He suggested we meet for dinner at Lawry's.  Yes, as in the Lawry's from Los Angeles.  I didn't even know they had a Lawry's here.  We brought a bottle of California Pride red.  We knew we were in the right place when the bar was filled with a bunch of chubby guys with receding hairlines wearing shorts, t-shirts and baseball caps - you're basic dumpy Americans.  The thin and immaculately dressed baker was waiting for us at one of the tables outside, all smiles and graciousness.

He knew the owner and the manager so we were seated at an excellent table and set up with some champagne, my favorite beverage. I was curious to see if they served American beef.  They did.  Everything was exactly the same, right down to the 1950's uniforms.  The only thing different was they had added one other cut, the Tokyo cut, for the smaller Japanese appetite. Actually Russell and I were going to order the Tokyo cut when our guest suggested we take a look at his portion size first.  He ordered the Classic cut, so we did too, except for I ordered an end piece.  The piece I received was no Classic cut.  It was more like a gargantuan cut.  It was huge and delicious and if I had known ahead of time you can't take the leftover meat with you, I would have eaten all of it.  I watched it being taken away with a wisp of regret and a sigh.  That was one good piece of meat, even if it was American.

The baker didn't bring his wife.  We assumed he lived in Tokyo, but actually he lives in Nagoya, near Toyota City, an hour and 45 minute train ride from Tokyo.  We felt kind of bad he came all the way into town just to have dinner with us.  We were flattered.

The conversation was as interesting as I thought it would be.  He was very nice, intelligent, and humble.
Sometimes I felt like we were bragging just by telling him what we did for a living back in the States.  The American way is so much more direct.  Some might call it crass.  Oh, that's right, they do.
I had to cajole details out of him on his own career.  We tentatively attempted humor.  Well I did.  Sometimes it went over well, sometimes not so much.   I thought I was funny.  But then I do always laugh at my own jokes.  Someone has to.

The baker is a true American enthusiast.  He was a high school exchange student in Livermore, California 30 years ago.  He said the cultural differences were really shocking then, especially how little clothing California girls wear. Thirty years ago Japanese women were really demure; everything was covered up.  Not so in California - he liked that.  Who doesn't?

He loves America.  He lived with a family for a year during high school and became interested in American baking.  American baking is very different than Japanese baking. The Japanese are infatuated with French baking, not so much American.  So he started an American bakery in Japan.

He has relatives that live in Seattle that are somehow affiliated with the Amish.  Not the Pennsylvania Amish but the Ohio, Amish.  That's how he got into Amish cooking.  He actually went to an Amish wedding and became enamored with the Amish and there traditional ways.  He likened the Amish culture to the Japanese culture.  He feels they are similar in their freedom, that is, freedom to lead a traditional, simple way of life.  He stayed with an Amish family for a few days to learn their techniques.  Pictures of his Amish adventure are posted on his website.

The evening was most enjoyable.   I wondered what he thought of us.  I hoped he liked us.  He seemed to but I've been warned about that.  They say the Japanese never let on how they really feel about you.   He did say next time he would take us to his favorite sushi restaurant.   I'll take that as a good sign.  I bet they don't let gaijin in there without an escort.

Next week we're going out with a Japanese couple we met at the same party we met the baker.  The wife is a master sommelier and I'm a master drinker so it should be great fun.





 

Driver's Ed Part 1

Actually this post should be entitled,  The Quest, Adventures in Bureaucracy.  Getting a drivers license in Japan is like applying for citizenship in Switzerland - a lot of red tape and no smiling. There are forms to legitimize other forms and of course it can't all be done at the same time.   It's rumored they fail Americans on principle alone. Based on statistics it seems the rumors are true.  In Tokyo only 35% of Americans pass the drivers test the first time. One expat told me it took them six attempts.  Six!  You can actually hire a service here to help you get one.


http://www.japandriverslicense.com/?gclid=CODQ1qKLnKoCFYtypAod9kB6ww

Just going to the U.S. Embassy site will make you think twice about driving in Japan.

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-drive.html

But why get one at all if the public transportation system is so good in Japan you don't need a car?  My thoughts exactly.  There's really no reason to own a car in Tokyo.  Owning a car here is like owning a vacation home.  It sounds great.  You imagine all the wonderful times you'll spend in it.  The road trips, the picnics by the sea, trips to Kyoto.  But how often do you really use it?  In the long run you end up spending a lot of money but not a lot of time and ultimately sell it for less than you bought it for when it seemed so exotic.  It's as bad as owning a boat, which we've already tried.  You know what B.O.A.T. stands for don't you?  Break Out Another Thousand.

Only the rich own cars here, which is probably why you see more Ferraris, Porsches, Maseratis and my personal favorite, Aston Martins, along with the a deluge of Toyotas and Nissans.  They won't even sell you a car if you don't have a parking space, which goes for $500+ a month,  and you have to get it smog tested not once, but twice a year. Seriously. Plus insurance, plus finding a parking space is harder than finding Bin Laden, plus, plus, plus.  You get the picture.

Even though Russell grew up in New Jersey, he acts like a true Californian.  Californians can't live without their cars, global warming be damned, why do you think Prius was invented?  He thinks we should own a car for the freedom.  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to take Ranger and drive to the country for a few hours so he can run?  Of course it would but the cost of freedom ain't cheap.  But renting a car here is.  You can rent a car by the hour here.  For roughly $75 you can get an economy car for six hours - which translates to a trip to Ikea or Costco and lunch, or in our particular case, a way to take Ranger the  Wonder dog to the Western style kennel for about a third of the price it would cost for a dog delivery service.  All this is a long way of explaining why he's getting a drivers license.

It's a two parter:

Part one consists of:

1) Filling out paper work downloaded from the website, which is not in English, which is so helpful.
2) Going to the DMV with every legal document you have proving who you are (alien registration card, passport, drivers license).  The difference between the Japanese DMV and the American equivalent is people are actually working at the Japanese version.  In America there are generally three to six government workers standing around bullshitting and drinking coffee while hundreds wait in line for assistance.  It's the American way.
3.) Going to the Japanese Automotive Federation (JAF), which seemingly is the Japanese version of The Automobile Club or AAA, to get your foreign drivers license translated officially.  Russell's assistant translated it but apparently that's not official enough.  Like I said they require forms to legitimize other forms.  Conceivably you could go here first if you filled out the DMV paperwork properly, a big if, and knew this was required in the first place.
4)Go back to the Japanese DMV before their less than convenient closing hours, they're open from 8-3 (closed for lunch between 11-1), to ensure the paperwork has been filled out and legitimized properly.
5)Take the eye exam which is the same as the U.S.
6)Take the written test which consists of ten logical questions.  I was very anxious about this part.  In America there is a twenty-five page booklet with rules and regulations for driving on U.S. roads that must be memorized before you take the written test.  I went to numerous windows to ask for an English version.  They don't have one.  I was frantic.  The DMV man assured us not to worry.  I shouldn't have.  The test was ten questions and you have to get seven correct.  The questions are true or false.  A three year old Japanese kid could pass it, even an American can pass it.

Some sample questions:

     If you're driving and you suddenly realize you're speeding the correct thing to do is immediately step
     on the brakes hard.   True or false?

      or

      Only the passengers need to wear seat belts; not the driver.  True or false?

7)Make an appointment to take the driving test
8)Pray

Ok, so maybe I was a little over anxious about the written test.  I should really be saving all my anxiety for the drivers test.  I told Russell he should wear a suit, present his business card and over-exaggerate every blind spot check, mirror check, blinker, etc.  He's not sweating it.  But I am.

To be continued.....

All Aboard

Last Friday night Russell and I took a dinner cruise around Tokyo Bay.  Sure the Rainbow Bridge wasn't lit up, they're conserving energy, and there were no fireworks because Disneyland isn't shooting them off any more, because of the earthquake, but none of that mattered because nature provided a spectacular show.  A luminous full moon blossomed in the night sky and cascaded ribbons of sparkling diamonds across the bay, like shimmering petals on the wind.  It was breathless.

So was the food.  I don't know, maybe it's because I'm American, so my expectations are low and therefore I'm easy to please.  But in America when you go on a dinner cruise it basically means you pay a lot of money so you can ride on a boat and eat less than mediocre food.

But this was different, so different.

Our yacht was the Symphony Classica.  We assembled at a reception area on the dock with one hundred anxious Japanese, waiting our turn to be brought aboard one of the two yachts in their dinner fleet.   Unlike the traditional Japanese flat boats, called Yukata, these are gorgeous four deck cruising yachts decked out for spectacular parties and eating.  Cocktails in the reception area would have been nice, but the view from the dock was pleasant enough.

We were the first to board.  I think the steward thought we would get lost since Russell kept asking him if it was time to board yet.  They sat us on an upper deck by the window.  All the shades were closed so you couldn't see outside yet.  When everyone was seated they lowered the lights, the pianist played a fanfare on the piano and all the shades lifted in unison revealing the twinkling bay.  Drinks were distributed expeditiously.  Our menu order had already been taken with our reservation.  On these ships you have the option of six different meals.  We chose the French/Japanese fusion meal, one of the more expensive choices.  We noted the more expensive the meal choice, the better the seating.  Good to know.

We started with a glass of champagne, my favorite beverage, followed by two half bottles of wine (not at the same time).  A white to go with the appetizer and fish course, and a red to go with the meat and dessert.  The food was a delight.

At first we were taken aback by how small the portions were.  But they were so satisfying and the pacing so timely that by the end of the meal we were pleasantly full, not painfully full like we would be after the epic portions served in America.

The appetizer course had four small inspiring samples:  abalone, wagu beef, pate and crispy fish.
Next came the fish course which included three servings of ambrosia: a piece of lobster in lobster sauce, a mini crepe filled with crab and bechamel sauce and a perfectly crisped slice of fish with a butter crumb topping.  And finally the meat course which included:  thin slices of wagu beef,  a lamb chop and a perfectly crisped duck breast.  These were served with flavor enhancing accoutrements:  sea salt for the beef, a basalmic reduction for the lamb chop and a special sauce for the duck.

After dinner the lights were lowered and the pianist played the anniversary song.  A flickering cake was brought out to the couple at the table next to us.  Everyone happily applauded as they blew out the three candles.  Then the lights were lowered again and six flickering cakes emerged while the pianist played Happy Birthday music.  I guess Happy Birthday music is the same in every country.  Clearly this experience is meant for celebrations.  We were celebrating Friday.  Well that and the fact Russell returned safely from his around the world trip. Did you know American Airlines actually sells an "around the world ticket".

By the end, I think we were the only table that hadn't received a celebratory cake.  But the dessert they did serve us was very special.  It was a peach chiffon cake accompanied by creme fraiche ice cream.  I don't usually go for foamy confections.  They tend to be too sweet for my tastes.  But this was delectable.  Not too sweet with slices of fresh peaches, not canned.  And well, ice cream is always great.

I have this theory.  No matter how full you are there is always room for ice cream.  Because, you see, ice cream is cold, so it actually makes you feel less full.  I firmly believe and practice this theory.

Then the waiter informed us that usually around this time the fireworks from Tokyo Disney would be going off.  But since they were cancelled there wouldn't any.   In spite of that we still saw a couple of starbursts shoot off from there, probably in conjunction with Tokyo Sea's Fantasmic show.  We need to go there I'm thinking.

We also saw a lot of lights from the Haneda airport.  The runway is adjacent to part of Tokyo Bay and several airplanes seemed to skim right over our heads.

After dinner they opened the decks up top.  So we promenaded above.  While it had been unmercifully hot and humid during the day, the sea breeze, still warm but not oppressive, was the perfect after dinner drink.  We breathed it and the view in and cherished the adventure we were having and each other.

This boat's a tad bigger than our boat at home.

We didn't mean to dress alike.

Russell's always copying me.

The dining room resplendent with grand piano and pianist.

Where's my wine?

Appetizer Course

Seafood Course

Yes, that's lobster.

Meat Course

Heart course

Imagine what this shot would look like taken with a real camera; not an iPhone