JAPAN 2017
Flying into Tokyo Airport there is
a taste of the contrasts to come: the area surrounding the airport has vast
rice paddies in various stages of watery submersion, laid out with mathematical
precision, looking rather rural, while the skyscrapers of Tokyo shimmer in the
background haze. Splurging on a “meet you with a name board” shuttle, I was
whisked into town in tinted-window black people mover splendour, in contrast to
my usual public transport mayhem. My hotel in Akihabara looks very commodious,
with sleeping shirt laid out on the bed, and heated seat loo with controls that
need an engineering degree to operate! Great intro to Japanese hospitality and
gadgetry!
Tuesday May 23 – Tokyo Day 1
Firing up my Japanese SIM card on my phone, I set out to follow
the magic blue dot on Google Maps to navigate Tokyo. A kind young man helped me
buy a Suica Transport Pass for trains and
buses from the wall machine which turned out to actually have full
instructions in English! This was an indicator of most transport in Japan where
English instructions and announcements were more prevalent than in most of
Europe! Armed with this, I successfully found my way to the appropriate
platform, and as the foretold terrors of rush hour rail travel did not
eventuate, I cruised nonchalantly across town by train to Shinjuku. I had a free
volunteer walking tour booked for the afternoon, so I wanted to orient myself
to ensure that I turned up at the right time in the right place. Navigating
Shinjuku Station as one of the 3 million travellers a day was actually easier
than I expected, so having found the Tourist Office, I set off for Shinjuku
Gyoen National Garden. So in 10 minutes, I walked from 21st century bedlam
to peace and greenery.
The afternoon was an introduction to the streets of Tokyo with a
walking tour of Asakusa given by two volunteer guides who led me around the
sights and temples of Asakusa.
Senso-ji Temple entrance
Hiring a kimono for the day is popular here and in Kyoto - very charming and flattering
The Philippe Starck "art" for Asahi Beer, or as Kathryn Redmore says, "a giant gold parsnip"
My informative guides
I have used these services before in Lyon and
Paris, and I find that the chance to talk to the guide during the tour is as
valuable as the sightseeing itself. Japan is not an easy country in which to
interact with the locals because of the language barrier, so I appreciate such
an opportunity to politely grill them on customs, culture and current events. I
am always effusive in my thanks, as no money changes hands, and give glowing
feedback to show my gratitude for their generous time donation. I also find the
“small” sights identified by their local knowledge are real gems – such as the “kitchen
supplies street”, with dozens of shops offering every possible kitchen utensil
and gadget, aimed at supplying the thousands of small restaurants of Tokyo and
beyond.
My grand plans for a Japanese dinner were rather overtaken by
falling asleep the moment I got back to my nest, the cumulative effects of time
differences, plane sleep deprivation, and sore feet!
Wednesday May 24 - Tokyo Day 2 - Imperial Palace Grounds.
My morning activities suffered two hits of the "Museum Closed Today" curse of all tourists. I got to the Imperial Palace Museum of Treasures to find a little paper notice outside saying "Closed"! Never mind, I thought, I will go to the National Museum of Modern Art which is beside the palace gardens - fortunately I consulted Google, but unfortunately that was closed too! So off to view the Shibuya Crossing instead - much more lowbrow but at least it was open! Perhaps because it was not rush hour, this did not show the much-touted madness of a gazillion commuters rushing headlong towards each other – more amusing were all the tourists videoing a rather tame display.
The guided tour of the Palace grounds was extremely regimented as we were only permitted in very strictly contained areas with numerous officious little persons shepherding us as if we were dangerous terrorists. Don't dawdle, don't get in front, don't stand near the bridge railings, don't photograph on the bridge ( everyone did!).
My morning activities suffered two hits of the "Museum Closed Today" curse of all tourists. I got to the Imperial Palace Museum of Treasures to find a little paper notice outside saying "Closed"! Never mind, I thought, I will go to the National Museum of Modern Art which is beside the palace gardens - fortunately I consulted Google, but unfortunately that was closed too! So off to view the Shibuya Crossing instead - much more lowbrow but at least it was open! Perhaps because it was not rush hour, this did not show the much-touted madness of a gazillion commuters rushing headlong towards each other – more amusing were all the tourists videoing a rather tame display.
The guided tour of the Palace grounds was extremely regimented as we were only permitted in very strictly contained areas with numerous officious little persons shepherding us as if we were dangerous terrorists. Don't dawdle, don't get in front, don't stand near the bridge railings, don't photograph on the bridge ( everyone did!).
Lovely old building in the Palace grounds
Rather stark modern palace - the previous ones were destroyed by war and fires
Our officious guide - stand up straight, everyone!
Never mind - the grounds were lovely,
and there were a
couple of nice old buildings, but the palace itself is a very stark modern
interpretation of Japanese architecture, the previous one having suffered the
usual fate in 1945.
Now off to see the Ginza by night.
Thursday
May 25 – Tokyo Day 3
My planned trip today to the lakes below Mt Fuji had to be dropped
due to drizzly rain, so instead it was off to Ueno and the Tokyo National
Gallery - a must-see that I shall only skim the surface of. Beautiful kimonos,
samurai costumes (note Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper) mandalas, screens etc, etc.......
I then set off on a meander through Ueno Park and environs - definitely better to visit temples on a rainy day - nobody else around!
Just one of many temples and shrines scattered throughout Ueno Park.
Nearly 100 temples moved into this area during the Edo period and fortunately have escaped the various wars, fires and earthquakes.
Lunch was in a local café where I was the only non-Japanese, with delicious tempura for a few yen.
Friday May
26 - Tokyo Day 4
Tsukiji Fish Market this morning - pouring rain, so no Palace East
Gardens today. I did not attempt the 4am start necessary to view the tuna
auction, and opted just to view the outer market (not that inspiring) and the
streets surrounding the market, filled with little fishy stalls and restaurants (much better).
Every variety of fish and fishy accoutrements, and my breakfast consisted of
even more fish-associated tidbits. Those fins I am growing will be useful for
swimming up the street.
Tsukiji Temple - well I only stopped in here to get out of the
rain but it is the best temple so far! And the bonus is a practice going on for
a later performance by a fabulous cellist and organist!!
Sumo wrestling - who knew I would actually have a great time! I booked the tour as a sort of "Japanese experience" thing, but was quite amazed that it was so interesting for a whole three hours!! We had a little "Sumo 101" beforehand which made all the ceremonies make sense, and I found myself getting caught up in all the mind games they play with each other when squatting at the beginning, with the crowd cheering on the one that won the no-blink contest.
Each bout carries a prize of about $600 - there were about 30 bouts - but sponsors can add an extra $600, with their banner paraded before the bout. At first we saw some with one or three banners, but then we began to get some ten banner bouts, and then (oh my, the excitement!!!!) there was a 30 banner bout, then, the tension!! as 34 banners came out for the last bout!! You can see I am an instant expert. Book yourself in if you are ever in Tokyo - great fun.
Each bout carries a prize of about $600 - there were about 30 bouts - but sponsors can add an extra $600, with their banner paraded before the bout. At first we saw some with one or three banners, but then we began to get some ten banner bouts, and then (oh my, the excitement!!!!) there was a 30 banner bout, then, the tension!! as 34 banners came out for the last bout!! You can see I am an instant expert. Book yourself in if you are ever in Tokyo - great fun.
Saturday May 27 - Tokyo Day 5
Rikuji-en Garden - an "Edo strolling
garden" was indeed a delightful stroll this morning, though no Edos seen. The garden architecture was stunning, with artfully arranged plantings, lakes etc. Much camera snapping!
The "powdered green tea and Japanese sweet" tasted ghastly but it
looked pretty and I got to sit in a charming tea house by the lake.
Then it was off on a major walking expedition to the Yoyogi park, and the Meiji Jingu Shrine. What I did not realise was that since this was a shrine, there were no eating places in the park!! So tramping along, desperately looking for a cafe, I had to resort to gobbling up all the nuts and muesli bars (tucked in assorted corners of my handbag) that fortunately every Kiwi travels with. The shrine was nice, but as with so many of these, you cannot go inside or take photos, so I was a bit frazzled by that stage.
Then it was off on foot again to Harajuku which is supposedly the heart of youth culture with lots of young girls dressed up in costume. The reality was lots of teenagers in town for the sunny Saturday afternoon, dressed by Zara, and only a few "dolls" or others, often dressed that way by the shops they were promoting.
However, at least I could get food and drink!! Thank you Starbucks ......
Then off to Roppongi Hills, an upmarket area favoured by ex-pats for many apparent reasons. There are "Japanese" shops, but also a good range of Western-style eateries, and a lot of pleasant open spaces. Also, some eye-watering prices in the food shops.
One mango for more than $150, two a steal at $250 .....
Sunday May 28 - Tokyo Day 6
Another surprise! The Catholic Cathedral of Tokyo, St Mary's, is stunning!
Very modernist architecture but quite beautiful inside. My secret squirrel
photos have not gone high enough to capture the soaring beauty of the inner
ceiling. A 1 1/2 hour Mass in Japanese was a bit testing however ........
Brunch afterwards was at one of the surprises of Japan - excellent bakery/pastry shops. These pop up all over the place, and have some of the best pain aux raisins I have tasted, and lovely "French" bread. Another specialty is dainty club sandwiches in which the mayonnaise has just a hint of wasabi - delicious!
The afternoon was for the Palace East Gardens, an
expansive wooded park with the remains of a stone keep from Edo Shogunate days
- lots more pink azalea bushes everywhere - seem to be the plant of choice in
Japanese parks.
An evening walk around Akihabara was an assault on the senses. This is the centre of tech, gaming and anime culture for Tokyo, probably for Japan, and possibly for the world! Venturing into a gaming establishment, with the booths all occupied by young men blasting various monsters, I lasted about one minute before scuttling back out the door, shaking my head to clear the sound from it! The volume was literally at torture level! So I limited myself to peering into such places. But the specialty shops were fascinating. Mandarake (pronounced man-dar-ar-kay) has seven floors of gadgets, costumes, comics, DVDs, games, and best of all, figurines! These cover every possible character, some of which such as Star Wars, we are familiar with, but mostly characters from Japanese comics, TV and movies. The prices range up to the ludicrous - many thousands of dollars for the rarest, all kept in glass cases under lock and key.
These are a Spice Girls-style group AKB48 created for geeks - $400-$500 each
Whatever is in this box is about $1300
Monday May 29 - Off to Nikko
Off on the shinkansen - or bullet train - to Nikko. The speed becomes very ho-hum after the first trip and it is only when watching cars that one realises how fast the train goes. My hotel s across from the train station,and follows the anoying Japanese custom of sticking rigidly to the 3,00pm or 4.00pm check-in, even when the place is clearly not full, and the cleaning staff must have finished SOME rooms by now! But it seems to be ubiquitous, so moan,moan....... So after parking my bags at reception I trotted off to the super-helpful Tourist Office to get the requisite maps. Japan does these offices very well.
Nikko is a hill town a few hours from Tokyo, chosen by the great shogun, Tokugawa, as his burial site. He was initially interred in a more modest tomb, then his grandson built the amazing Toshugu Shrine in his honour, and transferred his burial site to a tomb on the hillside above it some years later. Other temples have clustered around this, making Nikko a popular site of pilgrimage and tourism. So off up the hill I go towards the temples, nut first there is a lovely bridge .....
Nikko's Toshugu Shrine - my
absolute WOW!! moment for Japan so far! Absolutely beautiful - my photos cannot
do the whole complex justice - all built to honour the burial place of Lord
Ieyasu Tokugawa. The actual tomb is quite austere, hundreds of thigh-burning
steps up the hillside, but the buildings below are a riot of gold and red and
multi-coloured adornments. Worth the trip to Nikko all by itself, but I have
many more to explore over the next two days. Wonderful ........
Lions guard the entrance to the temple complex
A pagoda in the entrance courtyard
Shrines surround the courtyard
Another courtyard shrine ....
Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil ......
Other bits of Nikko - on my way to the Toshugu shrine there were two other shrines plus some lovely scenery. Not sure how I will cull these photos later!! Unfortunately, no photos allowed inside the main shrine itself, and I rather failed at Secret Squirrel tactics.
For dinner at the hotel I sampled a local specialty - the skin from the top of fermenting tofu called yuba. Hmmm - not one to add to my must-repeat list. Never mind, win some, lose some ........
Tuesday 30 May - Nikko Day 2
The next day I ventured onto the bus to Lake Chuzen-ji and the Kegon Falls. Each of those is attractive, but not gob-smacking.
What is much better is the actual bus trip on a super-winding road! However, I think both of these sights would be fantastic at autumn colours time.
So just as some places that are great blossom-viewing places, others are good for autumn colours , some lovely in spring greenery, and some enhanced by winter snow. The lake was very quiet, with closed shops which may open for the weekend crowds from Tokyo. The duck boats on the lake were rather bizarre but appealing.
On the return trip on the hairpin-hugging bus, I stopped off to do a section of the walking trail leading into town - very lovely, and, as usual, deserted.
This was where I first met the hat-and-bib-decorated Buddhas, which became rather a theme through my travels. Stories around the vary, but one consistent explanation is that the are to commemorate children.
Wednesday 31 May
I put the map provided by the Tourist Office to use again the next day, and set off on another of the walking trails around Nikko. This led up the hill above the Toshugu Shrine, and after a bit of urban footpaths, passed through some lovely forest and past a nice temple or two.
The prize of the walk was a temple high on the hill, up a gorgeous tree-lined pathway. I almost missed the entrance to it, but a Japanese man,parked in his car for some reason in a roadside clearing(???) saw me reading my map on the pathway, and jumped out and began chattering in unintelligible (to me) Japanese, and gesticulating up the hill. I deduced that there was something up there that I should see. How right he was!! Up a beautiful, if steep, series of steps and pathways lay a gorgeous, serene shrine for my personal enjoyment. Thank you little random Japanese man!!
So Nikko is a lesson in what not to do for your local economy when you have a wondrous assortment of beautiful sites. The tourists pour in by the bus load to see Toshu-Gu, the fabulous burial place of Lord Toshugawa, then pretty much ignore everything else, including the local town. This makes it great for people like me who actually go beyond this, as there is often nobody around. For the last two days I have done the two walking trails that fan out from town, through beautiful forests and with little temples and shrines tucked all over the place, and would have seen maybe the occasional other walker (usually foreign)- bizarre! The town makes "sleepy" look lively during the week, as the buses all bypass it. Perhaps on weekends day trippers from Tokyo give them some business. So these photos are all from my wanderings far from the madding crowds - no worries about getting people in these shots!! — at Nikko National Park.
Thursday 1 June
Waving the Japan Rail Pass again (marvellous thing!!) I set off the next day for a zig-zag trip to Takayama. The first leg on a local train back to Utsunomiya brought one of those magical tourist moments when the sweet young Japanese girl sitting next to me tapped my arm lightly, and passed this beautiful origami peace crane to me!! Overwhelmed, I asked if I could take her photo, then to top it off, a few minutes later came this teeny little sister! Magic indeed!
Two successful train changes later, I arrived in Takayama, reputed to be the site of the best-preserved "old Japan" streetscape. One of the features of Japan is the general absence of "old" buildings. Most construction was in wood and paper, which the ravages of time, earthquakes, war, fire etc have rather done away with. Kyoto was luckily spared war damage due to its lack of strategic importance, and a few stone buildings remain, such as the Himeji castle, and sections of the walls of the Tokyo castle, but others, such as the Kanazawa castle, are rebuilt replicas. Therefore the several blocks of old houses in Takayama are now being carefully preserved, even if often as house facades with shops and restaurants inside.
My room has the austere Japanese design aethetic, with tatami mats, a low table and sitting cushion, and not much else! Where will I sit????? (The bedding is hiding in the right-hand cupboards)
A feature of all the hotels I stayed in was provision of sleep-wear. Even the two-star hotel in Kanazawa provided a basic yukata, while this one in Takayama supplied a lovely lavender-patterned yukata which many guests changed into immediately on arrival, and wore throughout the hotel, at breakfast and dinner, and of course, on their way to and from the onsen. Other hotels, such as at Nikko, asked that you not wear the yukata in the restaurants, no doubt catering more to Western guests who would find that a bit strange. However, I decided to do-in-Rome, so here I am, prepared for the evening.
The other feature of ryokan is the onsen, or hot pools which traditionally were communal and mixed-gender. Mostly now they are separate genders, and some ryokan provide private options for the more prudish of us. They always provide a pre-shower area with soap and shampoo.
And then, on returning to my room, my bed awaits, with a peace crane to wish me a good night's sleep - there must be an industry making these, as an alternative to the chocolate-on-the-pillow.....
Tomorrow I will begin my wanderings - according to my guide books there are no grand sights but many
pretty areas and again, the shrines tucked up on the hillside where nobody but
me goes walking. There is one strange sight that I will try to track down
tomorrow: a ginormous 4,500 seat,
golden-roofed, pan-religious "temple" Sukyo Mahikari, that is
supported by tithes from gazillions of followers around the world. It dominates
the skyline view from my ryokan, but does not appear on local maps, and though it can clearly be
seen from here, reception staff almost deny that it exists - all very
strange!
Friday 2 June
So down the hill I go, to wander the streets of this charming town. Again, 95% of the tourists are Japanese, and shopping seems to be the main activity.
As I head out of the centre, up into the surrounding hills on my usual Tourist Office map walking trail, I am again mostly on my own.
Feeling virtuous after all this exercise, I head back to the ryokan for my booking in my own private onsen, then dressed in my yukata I prepare for my special 16-course kaiseki dinner! I liked nearly all of it, except for the
whole little boney fish, and the strange pumpkin paste ball wrapped around
sweet been paste, in a broth.
Saturday 3 June
the Teddy Bear Eco Village (not sure if they are ecologically-correct teddies, or what); then the wack-a-doodle Sukyo Makihari "temple" decorated in a mix of Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and whatever symbols, including an altar on top of an aquarium!!!!
So take your pick! I did the first two, passed on the third, and could only look at the outside of the fourth as hundreds of the faithful in dozens of buses were descending fervently on the place for the monthly service!
Tuesday 6 June
Arashiyama is a beautiful bamboo grove on the outskirts of NW Kyoto,that stretches for about a km, and my photos do not quite capture the hypnotic effect of it.
Well, there had to be a garden! But
only one today - Isuien in Nara, looking lush-ous in the soft rain.
very angrily! Most un-Zen experience!
Chion-in and Kodai-Ji, two temples just up from my hotel, provided me this afternoon with all the Zen beauty and calm that I had rather bungled on my previous temple visit %#%#**%#*!!! Both gorgeous temples - note, that I AM very good, and do not photograph inside the temples which are clearly places of worship. What the earlier belligerent fellow got his conniptions over were a few shots of greenery plus artful rocks in some gravel. These temples here are an order of magnitude better than the little place I transgressed in, and they are happy with garden photos so long as there are no tripods - quite reasonable.
Saturday 10 June
The wonders of the Japanese train system - I set off for Himeji, one of only three original castles in Japan, an hour or so south, and then on to Okayama for a national significance garden, all managed seamlessly hopping on and off trains.
I am staying in a Buddhist monastery, Saizinen, my monkish vegetarian dinner will be served in my room at 5.30pm, morning prayers are at 6.30am...... and the big orange temple over the road has assorted things going on involving gongs, so quite a different experience for the next two days.
Koyasan's Danjo Garan Buddhist temple complex, just across the street, contains an interesting mix of buildings - an eye-watering orange temple, a beautiful old wooden hall, a sparkling white shrine, plus many others. Pride of place in the orange confection goes to three beautiful gold Buddha statues flanked by beautifully decorated pillars.
Monday 12 June
Tuesday 13 June
Early morning visit to the Kongobuji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism - this monastery has some nice Zen stone gardens, but with the shadows and bad lighting, my photos do not do it justice.
For dinner at the hotel I sampled a local specialty - the skin from the top of fermenting tofu called yuba. Hmmm - not one to add to my must-repeat list. Never mind, win some, lose some ........
Tuesday 30 May - Nikko Day 2
The next day I ventured onto the bus to Lake Chuzen-ji and the Kegon Falls. Each of those is attractive, but not gob-smacking.
What is much better is the actual bus trip on a super-winding road! However, I think both of these sights would be fantastic at autumn colours time.
So just as some places that are great blossom-viewing places, others are good for autumn colours , some lovely in spring greenery, and some enhanced by winter snow. The lake was very quiet, with closed shops which may open for the weekend crowds from Tokyo. The duck boats on the lake were rather bizarre but appealing.
On the return trip on the hairpin-hugging bus, I stopped off to do a section of the walking trail leading into town - very lovely, and, as usual, deserted.
This was where I first met the hat-and-bib-decorated Buddhas, which became rather a theme through my travels. Stories around the vary, but one consistent explanation is that the are to commemorate children.
Wednesday 31 May
I put the map provided by the Tourist Office to use again the next day, and set off on another of the walking trails around Nikko. This led up the hill above the Toshugu Shrine, and after a bit of urban footpaths, passed through some lovely forest and past a nice temple or two.
The prize of the walk was a temple high on the hill, up a gorgeous tree-lined pathway. I almost missed the entrance to it, but a Japanese man,parked in his car for some reason in a roadside clearing(???) saw me reading my map on the pathway, and jumped out and began chattering in unintelligible (to me) Japanese, and gesticulating up the hill. I deduced that there was something up there that I should see. How right he was!! Up a beautiful, if steep, series of steps and pathways lay a gorgeous, serene shrine for my personal enjoyment. Thank you little random Japanese man!!
So Nikko is a lesson in what not to do for your local economy when you have a wondrous assortment of beautiful sites. The tourists pour in by the bus load to see Toshu-Gu, the fabulous burial place of Lord Toshugawa, then pretty much ignore everything else, including the local town. This makes it great for people like me who actually go beyond this, as there is often nobody around. For the last two days I have done the two walking trails that fan out from town, through beautiful forests and with little temples and shrines tucked all over the place, and would have seen maybe the occasional other walker (usually foreign)- bizarre! The town makes "sleepy" look lively during the week, as the buses all bypass it. Perhaps on weekends day trippers from Tokyo give them some business. So these photos are all from my wanderings far from the madding crowds - no worries about getting people in these shots!! — at Nikko National Park.
Thursday 1 June
Waving the Japan Rail Pass again (marvellous thing!!) I set off the next day for a zig-zag trip to Takayama. The first leg on a local train back to Utsunomiya brought one of those magical tourist moments when the sweet young Japanese girl sitting next to me tapped my arm lightly, and passed this beautiful origami peace crane to me!! Overwhelmed, I asked if I could take her photo, then to top it off, a few minutes later came this teeny little sister! Magic indeed!
Two successful train changes later, I arrived in Takayama, reputed to be the site of the best-preserved "old Japan" streetscape. One of the features of Japan is the general absence of "old" buildings. Most construction was in wood and paper, which the ravages of time, earthquakes, war, fire etc have rather done away with. Kyoto was luckily spared war damage due to its lack of strategic importance, and a few stone buildings remain, such as the Himeji castle, and sections of the walls of the Tokyo castle, but others, such as the Kanazawa castle, are rebuilt replicas. Therefore the several blocks of old houses in Takayama are now being carefully preserved, even if often as house facades with shops and restaurants inside.
My room has the austere Japanese design aethetic, with tatami mats, a low table and sitting cushion, and not much else! Where will I sit????? (The bedding is hiding in the right-hand cupboards)
Friday 2 June
So down the hill I go, to wander the streets of this charming town. Again, 95% of the tourists are Japanese, and shopping seems to be the main activity.
Saturday 3 June
The burbs of Takayama have an
eclectic mix of attractions: Hida Folk Village, an interesting, non-tacky
tourist attraction of relocated gassho-style (steep thatched roofs to deal with
up to 2m of snow) local houses;
The Takayama Museum of Art is a very glitzy little museum with a small, but exquisite collection donated by a private benefactor who specialised in Art Nouveau and Art Deco furniture and glass. Such delights as a Lalique fountain built as one of a pair for a shopping arcade on the Champs Élysées in 1926. When the building was demolished, the fountains were lost, only for one to be rediscovered in a shed in a Paris suburb in 1989. The restored masterpiece is just sublime. My photo just does not do it justice- must hunt on Google for a better one! Lovely glass from Lalique, Tiffany, Marinot, Galle and a few modern pieces. Not particularly Japanese, of course, but you appreciate gems wherever you find them.
the Teddy Bear Eco Village (not sure if they are ecologically-correct teddies, or what); then the wack-a-doodle Sukyo Makihari "temple" decorated in a mix of Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and whatever symbols, including an altar on top of an aquarium!!!!
So take your pick! I did the first two, passed on the third, and could only look at the outside of the fourth as hundreds of the faithful in dozens of buses were descending fervently on the place for the monthly service!
Sunday - Monday 4-5 June
Off to Kanazawa today, where I struck the one disappointment of my accommodation bookings. Yes, it had a great position, and yes, the manager was very helpful lugging my case up the almost vertical stairs, but I am rather beyond trotting down a lengthy hallway at night to the one loo for six rooms!! And the strange bathroom arrangement which was an onsen with no notices identifying times for use by men/women/whoever! I scuttled in, locked the door, showered at lightning speed, and scuttled out! But it was cheap, so I should have read those Tripadvisor reviews a bit more closely.
The big
attraction here is Kenrukoen, one of the three top gardens in Japan - another of the
"Edo Strolling Garden" type, but still no Edos seen strolling
anywhere. Beautiful landscaping with new enticing vistas around every turn.
Originally it was the tea garden for dignitaries visiting the Maeda clan lords - a cup of tea would definitely taste better in these surrounds. One problem however is that many of the trees are hundreds of years old, so are being supported by some rather enormous wooden struts which can be a bit unsightly. But I suppose it is either that or let them collapse.
There is also a large stone castle next door, which is a modern reconstruction of the original of the Maeda lords.
The town itself is a pleasant modern place, but with a few surprises: Cat cafes? So yesterday! What you
really need is some quality time with a hedgehog or a pig!! The pig is a bit
cheaper, though ..... Seen in quite a fancy shopping mall street nearby......
They will probably take bookings......
There is also a small "samurai house" area, where the samurai who guarded the original Maeda castle would have lived. These samurai were housed in radiating circles from the castle, with the more lowly on the outer, and the most important close in to the castle. Location, location, mattered even in those days.
My hotel in Kyoto has a super position - half way between the old geisha area of the Gion, and the uphill temple area - Great! But they follow the very irritating pattern of many Japanese hotels of sticking rigidly to the 2.00pm or 3.00pm check-in time, regardless of whether the hotel is busy, or there are any rooms yet available - Grrrr. Needless sitting around when some unpacking is needed before heading out. Never mind - Kyoto has me rather cross-eyed with
all the amazing possibilities of things to see, so starting with Ginkakuji, be
prepared for gorgeous gardens, temples large and small, and too many shots of
luscious greenery.
Honen-in was the next temple down
The Philosopher's Walk (no doubt stunning in blossom season but a bit
underwhelming at the moment - proof of the pulling power of a good tag-line), a
much smaller temple, but still a pretty garden, and some OCD garden raking.
Wednesday 7 June
Those madding crowds I thought I
was far from - well I found them today at Fushimi-Inari of the hundreds of
vermilion torii, which was the start of my super busy drizzly rainy day. Do not
let these photos fool you - most of the time I was in a snake of dripping wet
tourists and their equally dripping umbrellas. The trick is to just keep
walking and gradually the crowds thin and turn for home, and then you wait for
AGES for that magical gap in the throng. But it is fabulous, once you get rid
of all the people.
A 15-minute hike in the rain from
the train station was enough to thankfully keep most others away from my next
stop, Tofuku-ji, a beautiful temple garden. Mostly had it to myself - lovely!
Tenryugi Temple, along the
Arashiyama Bamboo Road - fortunately the small entry charge filtered down the
tourists. Another stunning garden - I keep thinking each one is my favourite,
until I get to the next one!
Okochi-Sanso, my last stop of a
hectic day, was just fabulous! Again, the entry fee kept the hordes out, and
the misty rain, if anything, enhanced the beauty of the place. This is a
private, rather than a temple garden, and the standard of landscaping is
exceptional. Every turn brings yet another stunning outlook, or quiet glen, or
yet more beautiful mossiness! Possibly the highest standard of all the gardens
I have seen, but that is rather a hard call to make with so many amazing
examples.
Whew - rather glad of the complimentary green tea (still horrid
powdery stuff!) and sweet in the tea house at the end.
What an amazing day!!
Thursday 8 June
Nara, the
even-more-ancient-than-Kyoto capital of Japan, an hour away by train, was
today's destination, particularly for the Great Buddha housed in the mammoth
Daibutsu-den Hall. Both the hall and statue in various incarnations date back
to the 8th century, when reputedly half the population of Japan was employed in
building the gargantuan wooden hall, astonishingly 50% larger than the current
version- almost drove the country to bankruptcy. Fire has destroyed it twice,
and the statue has been recast after the fires, but they are still both amazing
sights. This time I have left some people in the photo to give some concept of
the scale. — at Todai-Ji, Nara Japan, Great Buddha
Temple.
Orange is the new red, as you will
see also from some other temples in Kyoto - this is Kasuga Taisha in Nara, and
another little temple up the hill, with an avenue lined with stone lanterns.
Back to Kyoto for an evening stroll - The kimonos of Kyoto, or the girls of
Gion, or the geishas-in-waiting - whatever you call them, they are everywhere
in Gion. It is clearly the thing to do when you come on holiday to Kyoto and it
certainly does look very charming - pity I am not quite the right colouring for
it all.
Then there were more orange temples - this one next to my hotel, right on the crossroads of Gion.
Friday 9 June
Kinkaku-Ji, the Golden Temple, go early to dodge the big crowds, Lonely Planet said! Well 9am is when hundreds, if not thousands, of school children arrive also - what a zoo! Snapped the obligatory shot, and escaped!
Kinkaku-Ji, the Golden Temple, go early to dodge the big crowds, Lonely Planet said! Well 9am is when hundreds, if not thousands, of school children arrive also - what a zoo! Snapped the obligatory shot, and escaped!
Ryoan-Ji, a much more satisfying
(I.e, uncrowded) temple 20 minutes away, had an official Zen pebble and rock
garden, but I think my taste runs more to the mossy rocks in the trees.
Then off to a collection of Zen temples, to try to get some photos of the contemplative inner-house gardens - oh dear no!!! I got busted doing secret squirrel photos in a Zen garden, by a very un-Zen-like large monk! He took charge of my phone and deleted the photos
Chion-in and Kodai-Ji, two temples just up from my hotel, provided me this afternoon with all the Zen beauty and calm that I had rather bungled on my previous temple visit %#%#**%#*!!! Both gorgeous temples - note, that I AM very good, and do not photograph inside the temples which are clearly places of worship. What the earlier belligerent fellow got his conniptions over were a few shots of greenery plus artful rocks in some gravel. These temples here are an order of magnitude better than the little place I transgressed in, and they are happy with garden photos so long as there are no tripods - quite reasonable.
Saturday 10 June
The wonders of the Japanese train system - I set off for Himeji, one of only three original castles in Japan, an hour or so south, and then on to Okayama for a national significance garden, all managed seamlessly hopping on and off trains.
Himeji Castle, an hour south of
Kyoto by zippy Shinkansen, is one of the few original castles in Japan - war,
fire and earthquake dealing to the others. Known, for obvious reasons as the
White Heron Castle, it looks out over its previous fiefdom in ghostly
splendour- quite a sight.
Of course, the lord had to have a garden
Of course, the lord had to have a garden
Korakuen, in Okayama, a quick
Shinkansen hop south of Himeji, is designated as one of the three great gardens
of Japan. It was a lovely wooded park, and is probably fantastic in blossom
season, but I have had other favourites I would rank ahead of it - still
wonderful, however.
Sunday 11 June
Mt Koyasan - maybe I have saved the best for last...... it is a bit of a hike on assorted trains and a steeeeep cog tram to get here, but it is absolutely beautiful. Lovely shrines tucked in green, green forest, and hardly a tourist to be seen - how wonderful.
Mt Koyasan - maybe I have saved the best for last...... it is a bit of a hike on assorted trains and a steeeeep cog tram to get here, but it is absolutely beautiful. Lovely shrines tucked in green, green forest, and hardly a tourist to be seen - how wonderful.
I am staying in a Buddhist monastery, Saizinen, my monkish vegetarian dinner will be served in my room at 5.30pm, morning prayers are at 6.30am...... and the big orange temple over the road has assorted things going on involving gongs, so quite a different experience for the next two days.
Koyasan's Danjo Garan Buddhist temple complex, just across the street, contains an interesting mix of buildings - an eye-watering orange temple, a beautiful old wooden hall, a sparkling white shrine, plus many others. Pride of place in the orange confection goes to three beautiful gold Buddha statues flanked by beautifully decorated pillars.
Monday 12 June
The Okunoin Cemetery in Koyasan is
the site of eternal meditation of Kobo Daishi, so thousands of others wish to
be buried there too. Tombs range from the ancient to the modernly bizarre, and
include company monuments such as the Nissan and Coffee Company ones here; I
could not find the famous termite company one to all the millions of termites
they have killed!
The inscription reads "Termites, Rest in Peace"
The Danjo Garan temple is lit at
night so I had to go for a little wander - a few devout persons quietly
praying, and me, snapping ....
Tuesday 13 June
Early morning visit to the Kongobuji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism - this monastery has some nice Zen stone gardens, but with the shadows and bad lighting, my photos do not do it justice.
Then onto the cog railway down the hill to the train.
I was staying the night at an airport hotel in Kansai - again, that dratted 3.00pm check-in, when the hotel was rather a ghost town, necessitating mucking around in a very strange depressed area of closed shops, but also a surprisingly good little bakery that provided welcome sustenance for my wait.
My last night in Japan was a huge change from my previous two days of mountain quiet - an outing by train into Namba, the food and shopping zoo of Osaka. It was a very lively area, full of people eating and shopping, with many pedestrianised streets and covered and underground shopping arcades - quite a maze. Looking forward to Hong Kong and family tomorrow. — at Dotonbori Street, Osaka.
Wednesday 14 June - Tuesday 20 June
In Hong Kong for a lovely family celebration of my grandson Jacob's First Communion - he did the First Reading with great aplomb! — in Hong Kong.
I was staying the night at an airport hotel in Kansai - again, that dratted 3.00pm check-in, when the hotel was rather a ghost town, necessitating mucking around in a very strange depressed area of closed shops, but also a surprisingly good little bakery that provided welcome sustenance for my wait.
My last night in Japan was a huge change from my previous two days of mountain quiet - an outing by train into Namba, the food and shopping zoo of Osaka. It was a very lively area, full of people eating and shopping, with many pedestrianised streets and covered and underground shopping arcades - quite a maze. Looking forward to Hong Kong and family tomorrow. — at Dotonbori Street, Osaka.
Wednesday 14 June - Tuesday 20 June
In Hong Kong for a lovely family celebration of my grandson Jacob's First Communion - he did the First Reading with great aplomb! — in Hong Kong.
Jake (born in Hong Kong, seven
years in Sydney, two more in Hong Kong), Jessica, (born in Sydney, five years
there then two in HK), off to school in Hong Kong for their national day as New
Zealanders, of course!!!!!— at Scenic Villa, Pokfulam, HK.
So the end of my trip, and back home to debrief the brain of all the experiences of the last month - I am so lucky to be able to see the world, and keep in touch with my global family. Being there for events such as Jake's First Communion is such a blessing, and makes me thankful for the wonders of modern transport and communication that facilitate this. Now to plan the next trip ......... Where to next?????
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