TRAVELOGUE

TOKYO - As soon as I got off the plane, the oppressive heat and humidity immediately let me know that we were in a different place. We stayed at the in-laws place in Kawaguchi, which is kind of a large apartment by Japanese standards. The first place we went was Tsukeji, or the Tokyo fish market and probably the largest fish market in the world. We got there a little late in the morning to really see the action. A lot of the days catch had already been sold and we also missed the intense tuna bidding. As it was though, it was still bustling and we saw many kinds of sea creatures that I had never seen before.

Walking out of the market and directly across the parking lot, there are a number of small restaurants that sell fresh sushi. By 11:30 lines were forming at certain places that are favored for one reason or another. We chose one somewhat randomly based on a special advertised on placard outside the restaurant. It was about $35 for a chef’s choice menu that covered the basics. The fish tasted very fresh. We could hardly finish the meal and thought $35 was a good bargain. We then stopped in Nishi-Nippori, a suburb of Tokyo and had a pleasant stroll through the Nezu-jinja shrine.

The next day, we walked around the Ginza a little bit and strolled through Tokyo Station and stopped for a drink at the Imperial Hotel at the famous Old Imperial Bar, which is the only part left of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design. It was also air conditioned and offered relief from the heat. We then went to Akihabara a.k.a. Electric Town where there was special display in a very large tent called the Butterfly Museum.

The day before someone had handed us flyer advertising it and we decided to give it a try. Inside was an enormous collection of butterflies, moths and a few other types of insects and air conditioning. There were thousands and thousands of mounted displays. They also had some very large live beetles that you could touch and an outdoor atrium with live butterflies. It was very interesting and we spent quite some time there.

After leaving the museum we then went to the Tokyo cemetery. It is very large and it was pleasant to stroll through. There is an interesting assortment of gravestones and many of them are very large. Everywhere we went the cicadas offered background music. Occasionally, the sound of so many cicadas was overwhelming.

HIMEJI - The next day we boarded the shinkansen for a four-hour ride to Himeji. The ride there was scenic and very comfortable. The bullet trains are roomy and have decent bento box lunches and beverages. You don’t feel the speed of the train until another passes you or when you are standing in the station and one passes by. When this happens it is best to not be holding a drink. We pulled into Himeji and went to the tourist desk to inquire about a place to stay. The woman there spoke in regional dialect that was even obvious to me. She booked a room for us at a modern building.

KYOTO - The next day we took the train back to Kyoto. We stayed in a modern western style hotel just a few minutes from the station. The station itself is enormous and worthy of exploration. We didn’t explore it, but I later found out that it has many floors and an observation deck. Its design is controversial because of its ultra-modern look, but I liked it.

The first temple we visited was Tofukuji. It was a short train ride and then a short walk down an interesting side street. It has a well-known hall with intricate carvings that is only open during certain times. Unfortunately this was not one of those times. It was still a beautiful place to stroll around.

We then went to the very famous Kiyomizu-dera. It’s a long walk uphill where you are rewarded with a commanding view of Kyoto. The main hall was closed for renovation, which is common occurrence at many of Japan’s attractions. There is another room however that is only open for 3 months every 17 years. This was open and it was a very dark room that had kind of a stage crowded with intricately carved statues of all kinds. It was very crowded and made it difficult to stop and study the statues. Photography was also prohibited.

The temple complex is pretty big and strolling around was nice though it was crowded. The temple is famous for its healing waters, which pour over a manmade waterfall. You walk behind the waterfall where there are ladles with long handles tucked into compartments that have ultra-violet lighting to kill germs. You take a ladle and reach to the water and drink it. It is cool and sweet tasting.

Leaving the complex at the main entrance puts you on an old cobblestone, pedestrian only street. It’s an old merchant street that hasn’t changed much. Even though it is touristy, it has been touristy for hundreds of years. We found a fan shop that had hundreds of uniquely beautiful fans. This street went down and around the edge of the east side of town and it was beautiful to stroll around. We took a bus to a temple called Eikando but we arrived to late to go in. We relaxed in the outer garden, which was still a very nice spot to hang out in.

HIEZAN - The next day we took a train to the other side of the mountains near Lake Biwa. We stopped in small town called Sakamoto. We strolled around a small garden and it began to rain heavily. We sat in an old style house until the rain stopped. We took a cable car or what I would call a funicular up the mountain. It took about 15 minutes if I recall correctly to get to the top. This area is called Hiezan. Basically, the only thing in Hiezan is the Enryakuji temple complex.

The entire mountaintop is series of temples and shrines of varying kinds. They are accessible via hiking trails and paved roads that wind around all over the area. Many of the temples date back to the 8^th century. Throughout the years many of them were occupied by warrior monks, constantly fighting amongst each other, so most, if not all the buildings have been rebuilt. Rebuilding of temples is a common thing all over Japan. Most old buildings are made of wood and have to be completely rebuilt at certain times. Still, it is not uncommon to have buildings that are hundreds of years old

We walked through the hills, which were densely forested. The temperature was warm and it was intensely humid. We were in a dense fog the entire time that made everything look very spooky and foreboding. We wandered from temple to temple either through forest trails or by busses that run regularly from place to place. We took the last bus down the mountain and back to Kyoto.

KYOTO - The next day we went to the northwestern side of town to what is probably Japans 2^ndbest-known icon, Kinkakuji or the Golden Pavilion. The approach to it is a long broad stone walkway under a tunnel of trees. It opens up to the garden and there is kind of a small viewing area across the pond. You walk through a small garden around the backside of the pavilion. There is a small teahouse and that’s it. It is stunning to see none-the-less.

We bused a short distance to Ryoanji. This one is famous for having THE Zen garden. I don’t know if it’s the first of its kind but is the one that all other Zen gardens are patterned after. It is very quiet place that certainly does exude serenity. After meditating at the Zen garden, there is still a large green garden to wander around. The path winds its way through all kinds of different areas including a large lake filled with huge, flowering lotus pads. It is very exotic and embodies everything that you would expect Japan to be.

We went another short distance to the Ninnaji temple complex almost right next door. This one had a large outer area with old somewhat rundown gates and high walls. After Ryoanji it seemed kind of a let down. There was a 5-story pagoda and all around were broad gravel paths. It was plain and not particularly impressive.

We went to a different area and it was more like living quarters. Lots of small rooms were interconnected by raised wooden walkways. These walkways went around a perfectly manicured garden. Many of the rooms were perfect examples of beautiful Japanese rooms exquisitely decorated with painted walls, tatami mats and artwork. The most beautiful of these rooms was where the emperor would stay when he was around.

That night we took a taxi to central Kyoto to get some dinner. We walked down Pontocho-dori, which is an alley way not more than 9 feet wide with restaurants and bars the only thing there. The ones on the east side overlook the Kamo River and it is a charming sight to see all of the lit up restaurant’s patios with families below having picnics at the river edge. We couldn’t decide on a place to try so we eventually came out of Pontocho onto Shijo-dori, which is the main drag of Kyoto. It is bustling, brightly lit, modern street. We found a yakitori restaurant and sat at the counter. The food was good. It was a funky place where one guy did all the cooking and would periodically call stuff out and the waitress’s would all answer in strange cadence that even Makiko couldn’t understand what they were saying.

NARA - The next day we took a nice train ride to Nara. The deer running around is the first thing you notice about Nara. We first went to a museum that had some interesting statues but wasn’t all together too thrilling. Then we went to the massive temple complex, Todaiji. Everything about it is big. First you walk through an enormous gate and there is a massive building in front of you. Entering the building you are confronted by a massive statue of Buddha. It is truly an awesome sight. There are several minor statues to view as well, but the immensity of the Buddha is overwhelming. Leaving this building there are a number of smaller buildings and a cemetery to explore. We took a bus to some temples that are outside of town. They were pleasant places but after seeing some of the others, we were becoming jaded.

YOKOHAMA - We spent our last night in Kyoto and took the shinkansen back to Kawaguchi. Back in Tokyo we bought tickets to Sumo. We had good seats in the front row of the balcony. The arena is nice and it was a lot of fun to see. We went to visit one of Makiko’s friends in Yokohama. She drove us around to some sights there including a very beautiful Chinatown, the Landmark Tower (tallest building in Japan) and some smaller places including a tin toy store/museum.