Quist World Tour

Every time you get on a bus, or a train, or for that matter walk into a convenience store in Japan, you will hear a little song created especially for that place or vehicle. The washing machine in our little apartment plays a digital segment (think Wii Music) piece of classical music that I cannot place, though I know it was on one of our Baby Einstein vídeos back in the day. The doorbell (yes our hotel room has a doorbell) plays another electronic chime. The Maibara station plays something suspiciously like the chorus of "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" by BandAid, and "Mary Had a Little Lamb" came over the loudspeaker at Kyoto station once. It’s like everything electronic needs to greet you and say goodbye.  I still haven’t gotten over the toilets here. In public restrooms, seats are heated and bidet options are on offer. Here in our little apartment, the porcelain throne greets me by lighting up and starting some kind of running water noise to mask any indisc...

After a couple of nights at the traditional ryokan, where we all slept on futon mattresses on the floor, I can tell you a few things. One of my children grinds her teeth every time she shifts positions. Another cannot abide by going to bed on the early side (this actually afflicts most of us, but the time difference has certainly thrown me off my late-night game). And I can say with absolute certainty that this sleeping arrangement was not created with jet-lagged, middle-aged ladies who need a hip replacement in mind. So while I was sad to leave the island of Miyajima behind, it was a pleasure to move into a more modern pair of adjoining rooms with actual beds in Kyoto. These rooms are actually tiny apartments, and I marvel at the efficiency we see. In the space of a large American living room we have a bed, a set of bunk beds, a kitchenette, 2 love seats, a coffee table, a shower and bath, a toilet room, sink and a washer. The Japanese take their bathrooms seriously, with soaking...