Category Archives: Japan

The best laid plans of mice…

-Slartibartfast

When I left Canada nearly six weeks ago it was with the promise that I would be blogging nearly every day.  I said that I was going to be traveling around the country on the week-ends, I would be taking a ton of pictures, and I would be blogging about my experiences.

While I have blogged a little bit over the past few weeks, it has not been nearly as much as I had hoped.  There are several reasons for this:

1. I have been busier with work than I anticipated.  It has all been a good kinda busy, but busy nonetheless.
2. My accommodations, while not generally uncomfortable, are, for me, not conducive to writing.
3. While in many ways the trip has been going extremely well, I suppose I have been in a bit of a funk.

Does that mean that I have not been traveling?  That I have once again wasted this wonderful opportunity of travel abroad?  Definitely not.  While I have not traveled as much as I would have liked to, I have taken a few trips:

• My regular readers will know that I spent a wonderful week-end in Kyoto a few weeks ago.
• I have taken two day trips to see Mount Fuji, and to experience the areas around the mountain.
• While Shibuya is in Tokyo, I spent two incredible evenings over Halloween taking pictures there.
• I have booked an evening next Saturday in Nara, so I will get there by train earlier in the day, toddle around, and in the morning I will take another tour.

Now, I should mention that between my two trips to see Mount Fuji, or Fuji-San as it is referred to here, both of them were to one degree or another a bust.  On my first trip the weather was completely overcast… from the moment I got up in Tokyo until the moment I went to sleep the rain and clouds did not abate.  This picture, taken on the shores of Lake Yamanaka-ko, shows Mount Fuji in the background… if you are able to see through the clouds, which I am not.

That doesn’t mean that I didn’t have a great time on the trip.  Simon and I met at the train station where we rented the car, and took the scenic route into the country.

Our first stop was the Japanese equivalent of a Rest Area… only it was not the generic, cookie-cutter type area that I am used to.  It was called the Doshi Service Area, and it was gorgeous, relaxing, and very… restful.  It was built on the banks of a stream, and offered an opportunity to take some great pictures.  Although there was ‘fast food’ available for purchase, there was also a delicacy of fish grilled on a stick.  I opted for a bag of crisps instead.

As we drove along the Pacific Coast (on the Tokkaido Road.  What was once the ancient roadway during the times of the Samurai is now a nice stretch along the ocean with tourist spots and surfing and sun bathing.  According to one of my friends, you have to be very aware of the hawks along this stretch… not because they are a danger to you, rather because they will steal your food right out of your hands.  I was tempted to stop and pick up a sandwich just to experience this, but I decided to put that aside for another day.

We stopped for lunch at a traditional Japanese Soba restaurant.  I had experienced several ‘authentic’ Japanese restaurants where you seemed to sit on the floor, but under the table there was a hole to put your legs and sit normally.  Not here… You could sit cross-legged, on your knees, or straight-legged with your legs under the table if you wanted, but this was the real deal.  They cut their soba noodles by hand, and you could order any drink you wanted… as long as you wanted tea.  It was a wonderful experience, and even if I hadn’t been pretty comfortable, it was my goal to experience the real Japan during my stay.  This is as real as it gets!

After lunch we went for a tour of the Kirin Gotemba Distillery.  We got to see how they make and store whisky, and at the end of the tour we got to taste it.  While it was a nice experience, I think the whisky they produce there (yes, they are blends) are sub-par.  They gave us two drams, neither of which was worth my time.  I did however buy a set of six whisky glasses for my bar at home – the base has a 3D carving of Mount Fuji, which when you pour your liquid in takes on that hue.  Truly very nice, and I hope they survive the plane ride!

…And then we arrived at the highlight of the day trip.  The best thing that could possibly have happened on this rainy Sunday afternoon.  We arrived at the Onsen.

If I had to pick one thing that the Japanese do soooo much better than anyone else, it is the Onsen.

The mountains around Mount Fuji and Hakone are quite volcanic.  Because of that, and I expect because of their proximity to the ocean, there is an abundance of hot springs.  The onsen is a hot spring bathing area.  You enter, removing and storing your shoes at the entrance.  You are given a wrist band which is good for everything… it is your ID, but it also has a bar code so that anything you want to buy while on the premises (and aside from the restaurant there is also a gift shop) will simply be charged to your account – in other words, you can walk around in a towel, go in and out of the baths, and do anything you would like without having to carry or go get your wallet – or worry about it getting wet.

After we finished a very relaxing afternoon, we decided to head into Hakone to get dinner… and buy a particular candy that is hand made there, and which my friend Simon is quite partial to.  I was hoping to look into an art shop or two, but we spent too much time at onsen and only got to town when the stores were closing.  Oh well

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I mentioned I had taken two trips to Fuji-San; as wonderful as the first was, the second was essentially a waste of time and money.  Simon, who took me the first time, knew exactly where to go, what routes to take, and so on.  What he did not know, he asked.  My second trip was taken with a friend Jay who reminded me of… me, twenty years ago.  He thought he knew everything, refused help, and because of that we spent nearly five hours driving (to the wrong spot) and arriving with a very half-decent view of Fuji three minutes after sundown.  In other words, we saw the top of the mountain far in the distance… but not well enough to take a picture.  I did get a couple of decent shots of the lake… but that was not what I traveled for.  Oh well, live and learn.

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While I started writing this article a few days ago, it is now Saturday at 12:26, and I am on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) bound for Kyoto, from where I will transfer to the train for Nara.  I am looking forward to my last weekend in Japan… even though I am dying to go home already.  This trip was too long without seeing my family.

Who would have guessed it by the way… After two failed trips, I just got some absolutely breathtaking pictures of Fuji-San from the train!  Wow, I feel blessed.  The mountain is truly a sight to see.  I am also blessed because this afternoon (or tomorrow morning) I will have the opportunity to feed the deer in Nara Park, and if you know me, you know I love wildlife!

A couple of months ago when I realized I was coming back to Japan I set certain goals for myself: I wanted to take a lot of pictures, I wanted to travel outside of Tokyo almost every weekend, and I wanted to blog a lot.  While I do not feel like I did a good job on achieving these goals, I didn’t do too badly.  I had seven weekends here, and I left Tokyo for four of them (although two were day-trips without an overnight).  I didn’t blog nearly enough, but that was in part because I have been very busy with work, and have not had the proper work area where I am staying to do so.  I have taken some breathtaking pictures though… not only of Fuji-San, but of nature, temples, shrines, and people.  It has been a wonderful experience (if a bit too long), and I am thrilled to have lived it.  I am also thrilled that in four days I am getting on a plane and coming home.

I will try to write another article, this time about Nara, on the train back tomorrow.  Unfortunately I did not bring my SD-Card Reader (www.juicedsystems.com) with me, so if I am going to include pictures I will not publish until after I am back.  However whether now or later, I promise you will see them!

I got off the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) at Kyoto Station, which was a hustling and bustling place, just like Tokyo Marunouchi Station where I had embarked.  In fact while the layout was different and so were the shops, there wasn’t all that much to differentiate this building from all of the other major ports I had visited.  I might as well still be in Tokyo for all the difference it made.

I walked outside, and by the time I was a couple of blocks from the station I realized I was in a very different world from the Tokyo I had left behind less than three hours earlier.

Don’t get me wrong… Kyoto is busy and bustling and there are lots of people around… but unlike Tokyo (where everything is modern and neon, unless you are around a temple or shrine), this city had a different look, a different feel… a different vibe, if you will.

At first I thought it was the slightly smaller scale.  When you exit the station it feels more manageable, less overwhelming.  It might be like traveling from Montreal to Calgary – the smaller city being easier to manage.

Then I thought it might have to do with the people… Tokyo is a very stressful place after all, but Tokyo moreso than the rest of the country.  Maybe it was like going from Montreal to Vancouver – a little less stressed, a little more laid back.

And then someone told me that Kyoto had been spared the aerial bombardment that Tokyo endured during World War 2; he told me a story about American Secretary of War George Stimson who had honeymooned in Kyoto, and spared the city because of his wonderful memories of it.   In fact, Kyoto, was the top choice of the Targeting Committee tasked with deciding where to drop the first atomic bombs (this committee included Robert Oppenheimer).  Stimson did veto it, but it might have had more to do with the fact that Kyoto had little military significance, and the destruction would have been entirely civilian.  (Source: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Kyoto-Japan-was-nearly-bombed-in-WWII)

So instead of having a city completely rebuilt after 1945 (while there are many older sites in Tokyo, many of the temples and shrines have been rebuilt to look like the originals), Kyoto actually has buildings and sites that date to the 15th century… and earlier.  Maybe a more accurate comparison would be to equate the Tokyo-Kyoto trip to the Toronto-Quebec City trip.  Tokyo and Toronto, the busiest metropolises in their respective countries, modern, crowded, stressed; both replete with modern skyscrapers reaching for the heavens.  Kyoto and Quebec City, calmer, quieter, shorter… while there are modern buildings, they are smaller, and there are many historical sites dating back hundreds of years, lovingly preserved; both more concerned with history, beauty, and culture than with the race to be the best.

I could have spent another week in Kyoto and not seen everything there is to see.  I don’t know when I will be back, but I hope I will have the opportunity soon.

The last time I was in Japan I did not leave Tokyo. This time I vowed would be different. Before I left Canada I bought several Japan Rail passes, and I was ready to explore.

After consulting with my peeps over here, and with Simon’s help tracking down a room (it seems autumn is a difficult season to your last minute!) I made plans to spend my first weekend out in Kyoto. Saturday morning I redeemed my first JR pass and boarded the 11:03 Shinkansen (bullet train) on the Osaka Line. I was in Kyoto at 1:44, having enjoyed the train ride even though I was working on a report.

I have stayed in enough ‘western style’ hotels to choke a horse, and the Tokyo Efficiency hotels are way too cramped. I reserved a Ryokan- a very traditional Japanese room, that looks very much like the ones you see in movies depicting the times of the Shogunate. I arrived after a short walk from the train station and was welcomed by the front desk, and a bellhop in traditional Japanese attire carried my bag to my room on the sixth floor. Upon entering the room I removed my shoes in the foyer, and walked into the tatami room. There was a table with a tea service, and that was it. I loved it.

Notice I didn’t say anything about a bed; in a traditional ryokan the maid comes in the evening, moves the table to the side, and sets up your bedding on the tatamis. Spectacular!

Before I left Tokyo I tried to book a number of bus tours, but was informed that I was too late. Oh well, right? Well it turned out to be for the better, because I was able to book the exact same tours at the Kyoto Train Station for much less money. Woot!

The evening tour would involve a very traditional Kyoto Cuisine dinner. They tell me that because Kyoto is surrounded by mountains it was difficult to get fresh seafood in, and because of that the chefs are tasked with creating wonderful dishes that are simpler than you would find in other areas.  The chef at our restaurant did a magnificent job – both the presentation and the taste was fabulous!

Our next stop was Gion Corner, where we got to experience seven forms of Japanese art and culture in one sitting.  The show is designed to not only expose gaijin (foreigners) to the beauty of Japanese culture, but also to show a generation of Japanese growing up in a modern society their roots.

The show started with the emcee asking the audience for volunteers to experience the Japanese tea ceremony, and my hand shot up.  Two of us got to experience it, with the Tea Master and her apprentice working hard to make sure the experience was highly authentic.  We were shown how to turn the cup, and how to hold it in both hands.

As we sat in the tea corner, the next two sets of artists took to the main stage: Two women playing an instrument called a koto (a 13-stringed instrument that lies flat and is strummed with the fingers) played, while two other women took turns arranging flowers.  It had never occurred to me that flower arrangement could be a performance art, but for a culture that for centuries has revered the beauty in simplicity, I suppose it makes sense.  These two pairs worked side by side for the next several minutes.

When this group left the stage the next musical act came on.  The gagaku is a style of music that was played exclusively in the ancient imperial court, and as such never gained the widespread popularity of other arts.  While the music did not appeal to me, I found the costume of the conductor (who was almost dancing) was amazing, and well worth the show.

Once the Gakaku left the stage we were introduced to a Japanese comedy troupe.  It is easy to imagine that there would be a language barrier to understanding, and at first there was.  Three men in kimonos came onto the stage in turn, and after a few minutes the language fell away, and their performance triumphed.  They were a hilarious hit with the mostly foreign audience!

Next came the Maiko dancers.  Apprentice geishas, these dancers are meant to be flawless in their beauty and movements.  As you might imagine, I took a couple of pictures… along with the videos!

The last performance was a form of puppetry that I had never imagined before.  Three men came onto the stage dressed entirely in black – two of them were hooded as well – in control of a single marionette-cum-Muppet.  I confess that I did not follow the story line very well, but I was enthralled by how the three men worked in unison to control this person (and they did such a great job of bringing her to life that I thought of her as a person).  She walked across the stage, then climbed the tower, and it was easy to forget that she was made of wood.

The following day I woke at a reasonable hour and after getting breakfast I went on my second tour.  We were to visit three temples and shrines, and each was incredible to see.

It struck me as our tour guide spoke (okay, as the translation played in my ear) that nearly every site we were shown was on the World Heritage or National Treasures or some other fancy list.  However when you see the spots we visited it is no wonder… Kyoto is absolutely breathtaking.

The picture of me near the Golden Shrine is not the best picture I have taken, and was indeed taken by a fellow Canadian I met from another tour.  He and his wife were in from Vancouver, and seeing that I had a good camera as well, they were happy to let me take a picture of them with their camera, and I let them take one of me with mine.

Unlike many parts of Japan, I am told that Kyoto was spare the destructive power of the U.S. Army during World War II.  Consequently many of the sites date back to the days of the Shogunates.  Unlike tours I took in Tokyo, when they mentioned that a temple had been rebuilt after the original had been destroyed by war, that was was usually hundreds of years ago.  It is no wonder that there are so many sites recognized internationally and by the Japanese as Heritage sites.

Ginkaku-ji Shrine was built by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa in 1982 (ten years before Christopher Columbus set sail for ‘India’).  Walking around, you can see that the Shogun (military ruler, and separate from the Emperor) knew how to live. 

Our last stop of the tour was the Kiyomizudera Temple, and while it was also a World Heritage muckety-muck, I was more interested in observing the people.

We were there on a Sunday, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside.  I suppose these factors contributed to a plethora of Japanese visiting the temple for religious reasons.  When I think of dressing up for synagogue I always think of putting my best suit on (my Saturday best?).  Here they dress up as well, but their outfits are not western.  And so there were a plethora of Japanese women (and quite a few men) in their traditional kimonos.

	As you can see from this duo, many of them were out taking the same sort of pictures I was (note the ‘selfie stick’).  However unlike them, I was certainly not dressed for the occasion.  Nevertheless they were all very happy and smiling, and most of them were thrilled to pose when asked.
All of the kimonos were colourful and bright.  I am told that women tend to opt for less colourful kimonos later in life, but these were all happy colours.

From what I was told, no visit to Kyoto would be complete without experiencing the special and unique sweets they make.  Made by hand, they are difficult to describe… other than absolutely heavenly.  Depending on the variety they can have macha or sesame or chocolate or any of a dozen other fillings, and the ones I tasted were magical.  I brought some back to the office as Omiyage and they were extremely well received… possibly even moreso than the Quebec Maple Candy I brought when I arrived.

All in all I had a wonderful time in Kyoto, and strongly recommend spending a few days there the next time you find yourself in Japan!