I think I speak for my entire family when I say, "tickets to America-town!"

Our hotel (right across a plaza, somewhat confusingly, from a dog hotel by the same name) was a mock-up of an Edo-era village - much like the capsule hotel, you walked around in yukata all the time, only this was period dress, sort of like mandatory historical cosplay.  Every "historical site" you could visit, however, from the tavern to the blacksmith's to the magistrate's office, was, you guessed it a different kind of gift shop proffering 21st century baubles.  It was like staying the night at Old Sturbridge Village or Plymouth Plantation, except every butter-churner or ox-handler is trying to sell you on cell-phone covers, commemorative toe-socks and souvenier keychains. The most devious thing is that it's a cashless world here: you just have them scan your hotel badge and they add anything you buy to your tab, a great way to have no idea how much money you're hemorrhaging until its too late.

      I think the Japanese have a slightly different take on Gatsby, even when compared with Baz Luhrman...unless this is Leonardo DiCaprio, bishonnen style...

Boy, did this guy take a wrong turn at the Lower East Side...

Fortunately, the hotel did have a halfway decent onsen. One which, despite my having been told by the onsen attendant AND the hotel concierge didn't re-open the next morning until 8, was operating just fine at 5:30 when I woke up, and provided a nice, relaxing soak to finish off the vacation with.  

If only you would wash off the stink of commercialsm...but then, I suppose, if that happened, they wouldn't let me back in the US.

I'll close with Lisa Simpson's sage words about travel and homeland: "America may have its ups and downs, its glories and its follies, but mostly...it's where all our stuff is."

Hope to see that stuff, and you all, very soon.

- D