“I-KE-NO-HATA Road?” Blank stares.  Maybe it’s my pronounciation-I thought it should rhyme with “Hakuna Matata”(the theme song from The Lion King,) pronouncing every syllable.  But I guess I’m wrong- no one seems to react when I say it.

The journey in from the airport was a piece of cake.  Easy clear signs both in Japanese and English, directed us to the super-efficient,fast and spotlessly clean train system which would take us into Tokyo in 57 minutes precisely. It lulled us into the false optimism that the language barrier wouldn’t be a huge problem.  Ha!

According to the directions emailed by our Ryokan ( a traditional Japanese inn) the road is a main Avenue, which should be the one we are on as we exited the train station.  Masses of men, dressed in black suits, white shirts and determined faces looking down at their phone, stream by.  The shopping street is brightly lit with neon signs, and colored lanterns line the parallel road where masses of cherry trees are in full bloom.  Our efforts to stop passersby are met with polite smiles or unintelligle words, supposedly in English.  Three policemen who are holed up in a mobile station, huddle together to ponder the question of where this road  might be. A consensus, after asking three or four people  who all confer with their phones for directions,seems to be to follow the road parallel to the park, near where we are  now standing.

Thank God I only took a carry on case.  As we wander on the deserted avenue, passing a night market for locals to enjoy “Hanami”, the cherry blossom season, we are unsure if we actually ARE going in the right direction.  After a flurry of activity and restaurants with plastic foods in the window, nothing.  Then on a street post we see a sign “Ryokan Katsutaro  (pronounced KATZARO) 200 m ahead”.