Japan - Sakura in Kyoto

Due to a stroke of luck, we managed to arrive in Kyoto at the height of cherry blossom season. Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years, and has so many impressive cultural sights to see. Three days wasn’t really enough time to explore all of the wonders of the city, but we did our best!

Our first stop was the famous temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji. Although the original temple was burned down by a deranged monk in the 1950’s, the rebuilt temple is faithful to the original and covered in gold leaf. Unfortunately, visitors can’t enter the structure, but I think the main attraction is catching a glimpse of the golden reflection in the adjacent pond.

In the afternoon, we took a bus to the Arashiyama district in the northwest part of Kyoto. There are many cherry trees planted along the banks of the Katsura River, so it was a very popular area for people watching. We took a long steep hike up the side of Mount Arashi and were rewarded with great views of the western side of Kyoto…

…and monkeys, hundreds of angry-looking monkeys! Our tickets for the Monkey Park had some ominous warnings written on them: “Don’t touch the monkeys. Don’t feed the monkeys. Don’t stare at the monkeys in the eye.” Uh, okay. There was a structure where you could feed the monkeys (you go inside the structure and feed the monkeys through a protective chain-link barrier). But instead we opted to catch our breath on a bench (it was a strenuous hike) and just enjoy watching the monkeys from a safe distance.

Just across the river from the monkey park is the old town section of Arashiyama. We walked down a crowded shopping street and followed the crowds to the Bamboo Forest, which was listed as a “must-see” in all the guidebooks. It was pretty, but the crush of people did detract from the beauty a bit.

We took the subway back to our hotel and wandered around the historic Pontocho district in the evening. This area is home to many geiko/geishas and traditional tea houses. It’s a lovely and atmospheric place to walk around at night, because the narrow pedestrian-friendly streets are packed with bars and restaurants in a traditional architecture style. We went for a fabulous udon and tempura meal at Omen Shijo.

The next day we focused on Japanese culture and history. We started the day with a stroll through the Nishiki Market before arriving at the Samurai & Ninja museum.

We had a tour guide who instructed us in the ways of the Ninja, as well as giving us a great lecture on the history of the Samurai culture in Japan. I really enjoyed the lecture because I was reading “Shogun” at the time, and it helped me to understand a lot more about the historical context of the epic novel.

We then took a beautiful stroll through the Kiyomizu-dera temple and Higashiyama historical district. The winding lanes of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets in particular were charming.

We arrived back in the Gion district just in time to watch the Miyako-Odori dance performance by the Geiko and Maiko (geisha and apprentice geisha) at the Minami-za theater. Unfortunately photography wasn’t permitted, but I was mesmerized by the slow, shuffling dance steps and high-pitched tonal singing. It was very different from the musical theater we have in America – and I was glad we had rented the English-language headsets to explain the significance of each musical number. After the early evening performance, we headed over to Maruyama Koen park to view the Yasaka Shrine with its brightly lit lanterns and illuminated weeping cherry tree.

Maruyama Park is one of the best hanami spots in Kyoto, and the party continues well into the evening. The beer garden/picnic area was very popular with the locals and tourists alike.

On our final day in Kyoto, we took a train down to the Fushimi Inari shrine, one of the most-photographed shrines in all of Japan.

The endless rows of bright red torii gates are dedicated to the rice goddess Inari, and each gate is donated by a local business. There are thousands of torii lining the 2½ miles of trails that lead to the top of the mountain.

We saved the very best spot in Kyoto for last, taking a bus up to the Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion Temple) area so that we could have a leisurely stroll down the Philosopher’s Path. This pathway, along a canal lined with cherry trees, is named for a Philosophy professor who used to meditate while walking between his home and his job at Kyoto University. The cherry blossoms along the path were truly spectacular.

We felt so lucky to have visited Kyoto while the cherry trees were in bloom. One of the reasons that cherry blossom season resonates so much with the people of Japan is because it is so fleeting. The blooms are only at their peak for a brief time, and we were already seeing evidence that the season would soon be coming to an end – with each gust of wind, pale pink petals would drift to the ground like snowflakes. The fragile beauty of the ethereal trees reminds you that life is short and to make the most of each day you are given.

Japan - Daytrips to Himeji and Nara

Basing ourselves in Osaka allowed us to do a couple of daytrips to two of the most important historical areas in Japan – Himeji Castle and the ancient city of Nara. A quick one-hour train ride and a short walk brought us to Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The current castle was built in feudal-era Japan during the 1600’s. It survived bombings in WWII and was repaired in the 1950’s. They only let so many people in at a time, so there is usually a bit of a wait to get inside.

To tour inside the castle, you have to remove your shoes (you carry them in a little bag); this helps protect the wood floor and wooden staircases. Staff members really “herd” you through – it’s a one-way procession up and around several flights of stairs to the top floor. Then they urge you to keep moving and go back down so more people can come inside. Considering the wait to get in, we were a bit disappointed at the interior. There wasn’t really any furniture, and there was no explanation (at least not in English) of what daily life in a feudal Japanese castle would have been like.

Outside the castle is a defensive wall surrounded by a moat. Originally the castle had three moats but only the innermost one remains today. After waiting so long in line touring the castle, we did not want to wait in another line to go for the sampan boat ride.

So after the tourist crush of the castle, we took a leisurely walk through the series of nine tranquil gardens nearby instead. It was nice to get away from the throngs of people. Kokoen Gardens is actually a sister garden to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. (Phoenix and Himeji are Sister Cities).

The next day we packed up and headed to Nara, another short one-hour train ride from Osaka. Nara is an ancient capital of Japan; the Emperor lived here during most of the 8^th century AD before moving to Kyoto and then Tokyo. The area is also a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the many temples and shrines located here. The most important temple is the Todai-ji Buddhist Temple.

This massive building shelters the Daibutsu, a 1200-year-old bronze statue of the seated Buddha that is almost 50 feet tall.

In order to get into the temple area, you must walk past Komokuten, one of two enormous and fierce-looking wooden statues that stand guard near the Buddha.

Todai-ji is just one of several important temples and shrines in Nara. We did not have time to visit them all, but we did make sure to walk over to the Kasuga Taisha Shinto shrine, where we saw these beautiful bronze hanging lanterns.

Lanterns seem to be a theme at the Kasuga Taisha shrine. There are 3000 stone lanterns and each one is dedicated to a deity by a local citizen. The lanterns are set alight only during certain festivals in February and August each year.

Although the historical sites are a major attraction in Nara, many tourists also come here to feed the tame(-ish) sika deer. They roam freely throughout town.

The town sells special “deer crackers” that you can feed to them. Some of the deer have actually learned (or been trained) to bow their heads reverently in order to get a handout. They are protected by law, and there are more than 1200 deer scattered throughout the Nara complex; they are truly everywhere!

Japan - All-You-Can-Eat in Osaka

After the rural scenic beauty of Hakone, we were ready to experience some big-city sights. Since Sakura season was in full swing, we decided to do as the locals do and have a picnic under the cherry trees. Hanami is the Japanese tradition of welcoming the spring by gathering with friends and family to celebrate the cherry blossoms. Our first order of business was to put together a picnic lunch, so we stopped at Hankyu in Umeda Station, one of Osaka’s most famous department store basement food halls (depachikas).

We were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of food being sold, all of it beautifully arranged in cases. In addition to bento boxes, there were steamed buns, noodles, tempura, sushi, and all kinds of other savory dishes. But the dessert cases were truly works of art. I wish a picture could convey the size and scope of this food store – imagine if your local grocery store was laid out like a high-end designer department store.

We opted to go with a couple of bento boxes and set off for one of Osaka’s most popular hanami spots, Sakuranomiya Park. The park is stretched out along the banks of the Ogawa river, and has been planted with 5000 cherry trees. There were hundreds of Japanese picnickers out enjoying the sunny weather and cherry blooms. We found a great spot to sit where we could eat our lunch and people-watch.

After lunch we strolled along the river down to Osaka Castle, another beautiful place to see cherry blossoms.

Osaka is a food-lover’s paradise, so we definitely wanted to enjoy the foodie scene. We took a walking food tour in the Tenma and Kyobashi neighborhoods. Our guide took us to several restaurants and bars where we tried local delicacies and had a few drinks as well.

We also went to a tiny restaurant that had maybe enough seats at the bar for ten or twelve people. The chef grilled up a small plate of kobe wagyu beef for us to share, along with oysters and a drink called chuhai (a highball made with shochu rice alcohol and flavored club soda).

We did a few daytrips from Osaka to Himeji and Nara, which I will write about in a separate post, but for the most part our evenings in Osaka were spent exploring the food scene. We burned the heck out of our mouths trying takoyaki (a kind of doughnut ball stuffed with an extremely hot, almost molten, diced octopus filling).

On the sweet side of things, we had some white strawberries (which tasted like regular red strawberries at three times the price…)

And at one street food market we saw these beautiful glazed fruit sticks, so we bought a couple to try. 

It turned out that instead of a sticky glaze the coating was actually a hard candy shell as crunchy as a jolly rancher – not what we had expected at all! It's a good thing nobody broke a tooth!

We also made sure to hit a sake tasting room. This one had hundreds of different ones to choose from, but the friendly shopkeeper did not speak English. Instead there was a multi-language touchscreen that listed the different sakes.

You made your choice and the machine spit out a card that you handed to the shopkeeper so that he knew which type of sake to pour for you. High-tech and clever!

On our final night in Osaka, we took a stroll with about a thousand other tourists through the very crowded Dotonbori  area.

I was fascinated by the elaborate signs over the restaurants. Even without being able to read Japanese, it made it easy to tell what kind of food was being sold. For example, on the left is a takoyaki place and on the right is a place specializing in fugu (pufferfish with all the poison/toxic parts removed…hopefully).

Having already tried takoyaki and being too chicken to try the fugu, we opted to have what I thought would be a less-lethal dinner of okonomiyaki  (a savory pancake made with cabbage). If I had known better I would have just gone with the fugu since the okonomiyaki gave me a terrible case of food poisoning the next day. I blame the chef (who was actually me – you cook your own).

Japan - Hakone and views of Mount Fuji

From Yokohama it was on to Hakone. We had our first experience riding the famous Shinkansen “bullet” train. I have to say that, compared to air travel, Japan’s high-speed trains are a very pleasant way to get from point A to point B. Our seats had a USB charging station, large windows, and plenty of legroom. It did make me wish that we had more options for train travel in the US.

Hakone is a scenic mountain area that is known for its many different types of transportation. The Hakone “Loop” is a circular tourist route that includes a private railway, a cable car, a ropeway, and a sightseeing pirate ship.

The Ropeway was probably our favorite part of the loop. Suspended in the gondola, you go directly over the Odwakudani  volcanic area’s sulphur vents and hot springs. You can get off at the Odwakudani station and try a very popular “black Sulphur egg” – hard boiled eggs cooked in the hot spring. Supposedly, eating one adds seven years to your life, but the smell and thought of eating one wasn’t worth it to me! What was worth it, were the amazing views we had of Mount Fuji. We were very lucky to be there on a clear day; like Denali, Mount Fuji is often obscured by clouds.

We continued down the ropeway to Lake Ashinoko, where we picked up the overcrowded (and a bit overrated) Pirate Sightseeing cruise. It was a little bit too chilly to sit out on deck, so we headed inside to find a seat. There were so many tourists on our boat that there was nowhere to sit on the first leg. On the second leg, we found seats but not near a window, so it wasn’t much of a “sightseeing” cruise for us. I imagine when the weather is warmer, it’s a great way to see the beauty of the Lake Ashinoko area.

Our hotel (Hyatt Hakone) was spectacular, though. Our room was enormous and had pretty views of the mountain forest, there was a complimentary happy hour for all guests, and it had a traditional Japanese onsen bath house/spa. Plus, they gave us some sweet-looking pajamas to walk around in! Well, technically it’s called a yukata, and it’s not really pajamas but a traditional casual summer kimono. Many of the other guests wore theirs throughout the hotel, but we only wore them when we headed down to the onsen for an evening soak. A great way to unwind after a long day of sightseeing!

Japan - Yokosuka and Yokohama

When my sister and her family moved to Japan for a two-year assignment, Kevin and I began making plans to visit them and also see a bit of the country. We had a half-day layover in Tokyo a few years before, but we always knew we wanted to spend more time in Japan someday.  I flew out a week before Kevin, so that I could spend plenty of time with my sister and nephews. We explored the cute town of Yokosuka, had a very fun night karaoke-ing with her friends, and even made it up to Yokohama to visit the very beautiful Sankeien Gardens.

Sankeien Garden is a Japanese-style garden that has been open to the public for more than 100 years. The creator of the garden brought historic buildings from all over Japan – a three-story pagoda, daimyo residence, and several tea houses.  It is a peaceful and enchanting place to visit any time of year, but cherry blossom season had just begun and I was particularly enthralled by the delicate pink and white trees. Be forewarned, there will be lots and lots of photos of cherry blossoms in upcoming posts!

Once Kevin arrived, we headed up to Yokohama for a night to visit my friend Carrie and her family, who had been living there for several years. Carrie had suggested that we stay right near Chinatown, and we were so glad we did! Yokohama’s Chinatown is one of the largest in the world, and our hotel was one street away from a pedestrian area that was lively, colorful, and crowded with people sampling hot chestnuts, steamed buns, and all kinds of other Chinese street food.

Carrie took us on a great walking tour of the area – we visited Motomachi street which is a very charming shopping area with cute boutiques and high-end clothing shops. We also stopped in at the Ma Zhu Miao temple, which almost overwhelmed the senses with its colorfully painted gate and rich-smelling incense.

One of our favorite spots in Yokohama was Yamashita Park, with its spectacular flower gardens and views of the Port of Yokohama.

There were many people out and about enjoying the gorgeous weather and the beginning of Sakura (cherry blossom) season. These stairs were a popular photo spot for tourists and locals alike.

(I did warn you that there'd be lots of cherry blossom photos...)