Month: May 2008

From Koya San, we did the return journey by bus, funicular, train, train, train back to Osaka.  Luckily this time as we missed rush hour and had fewer trains.

Our first stop in Osaka was lunch – what else on a Food Lover’s tour.  We had Tako-Yaki, also known as ‘pizza balls’ – here they are typically filled with octopus, but you can also have shrimp, or beef.  The catch is that you have to make the balls yourself, and it takes a little practice to get them right.  I was concentrating so much on making my lunch, that I do not have any pictures of our results.  Fortunately, the looks do not affect the taste, and they were great.  Later on, we were able to see the ‘experts’ in action.  From right to left, you can see the evolution from a flat shapeless blob to round balls that are sold on the street.

In the evening, we had a ‘fugu’ meal, another local specialty.  Fugu, also known as blowfish – here is what it looks like alive in the local market …

is extremely toxic, especially the skin and the internal organs.  A restaurant and a Fugu chef have to have a special license to be able to serve fugu and must dispose of the discarded bits in a special way.  We had Fugu Sashimi, broiled fugu, steamed fugu, pickled fugu and fugu miso soup.

I made several attempts to visit the Osaka Art Museum, but the first day I arrived too late to still get in, and the second, it was exceptionally closed for the day – I decided instead to go for a view of the city from the top of the highest building.  It gave me a unique view of the Osaka Castle, a reconstruction in concrete which I decided not to visit since we are going to go see the ‘real’ thing in Himeji later.

and I also discovered that some Japanese women like to dress in Kimono, just to go around town …

After Osaka, we go to Hiroshima.  I cannot say that the city is still traumatised by the events of 6 August 1945, but a lot in the city revolves around Peace Park and the Atom Bomb Museum.  The most recognisable landmark is what is left of the regional government building only 200 m from where the bomb exploded (it never touched ground as it exploded about 100 m above ground).

As I had already seen the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, I decided to go visit the Japanese garden of Shukkei-en.  It had been right at the edge of the zone devastated by the bomb and was used as a place where wounded victims gathered awaiting medical help.  Unfortunately a lot of them died before anything could be done for them.

The garden is very peaceful and I was lucky enough to once again run into Japanese women wearing their kimono – making the experience even more authentic.

Several years ago, I bought a book first published in 1946 by John Hersey called Hiroshima.  It is the tale of the day before to the day after the bomb fell.  I have never been able to confirm if this is pure fiction or real testimonies of what happened, but it is very realistically told.  And I am now sure that most of what he says is indeed based on facts and eyewitness accounts.  Hiro had arranged for us to meet a survivor of the bomb; for one hour, he slowly, and at times with obvious discomfort explained to us what happened to him that day when he was just 16 years old.  He reminded me of the book I had read years ago and now that I have seen what the city looks like, I should read it again to get a better feel for what it says.  Survivors of the bomb are getting fewer and fewer – the youngest is 63 having been in his mother’s womb on that day.  These are experiences that need to be captured now, before they are lost forever …

Hiro had also asked us if we wanted to go to a baseball game.  We all said yes.  Hiro claimed not to be an avid fan, but came prepared for us when we met just before the game

There are lot’s of similarities between the game in Japan and in the US.  No, this is not the Philly Phanatic moonshining off-shore but is the local cheerleader

And while there are differences, they have not replaced the pitcher by five ladies with Lacrosse sticks.  This is the ceremonial first pitch – I did not even know they played Lacrosse in Japan.

We were amongst the local fans and since the Hiroshima Carps won the game, there was a lot of atmosphere throughout.

The ‘must-do’ day trip from Hiroshima is to go to Miyajima.  The reason to go there is to take one of the most famous photos of Japan – the floating torii gate of the Itsukushima Jinja Shrine

 

Hiro added a new twist by asking us to jump just as he took the picture

There is also Mount Misen, where, if you are lucky, you can see some of the local wildlife

But you can also see the famous torii gate from a totally new angle (you need to go to the very top, where there is a watch tower – lean over the top handrail a little – don’t tell my mother – and this is what you get)

The Japanese are not particularly known for their sense of humour – but here is some, in two languages …

In the afternoon, it was low tide and the area around the torii gate was full of people digging into the sand.  I never discovered what they were looking for.

The trip would not be complete without some food – right?

The local specialty: Hiroshima style Okonomi Yaki – there is a building in town called Okonomi mura where there are 3 floors of nothing but Okonomi Yaki restaurants.  The food is prepared right in front of you – this time, we did not have to do it ourselves.

It is off to Himeji and Kyoto next – stay tuned…

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After the visit to the fish market, we left Tokyo for Takayama, located in the mountains North of Nagoya.  For this trip, everybody had to have a 14-day JR Pass, allowing us to ride on almost any train, at anytime for the duration of our trip.  So we took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya, and than a local train to Gero.  We had to stay there as there is a festival in Takayama and all hotels are fully booked.

We had hope that the cherry blossoms would be still in full bloom here, but again, we are just too late.  We are higher up, but further South from Tokyo.  However, the town does offer some picturesque views.  However, our main goal is Takayama, another 1/2 hour on the train.

 

The old part of town has been protected and winds around a small river.

You can ride around town the ‘old fashion way’ …

As before, food is an important part of our trip. In the hotel, we are ready for our traditional dinner – Hiro and I have also decided to wear the traditional Yukata – casual wear for inside the house.

 

The second day, we get to experience the Takayama Festival.  It is centered around a series of floats which were initially built centuries ago

They each have a mechanical puppet who does the most intricate dance

I saw two separate performances amongst a sea of people, which is why the view was not always perfect …

When the puppet needs a change of props, “magic Hands” appear from below, carefully disguised …

There are also parades

I was fascinated by one young girl, in the middle of this photo.  She was beating her drum with rare energy, as if it had seriously wronged her – and she never smiled once!  Since she was part of a band with mostly flute player, I surmised that she really wanted to play the flute and was mad at the band leader for forcing her to play this ‘dum drum’!

But what fascinated me the most, were the kids who rode the floats.  This girl had exactly the same haircut as the puppet.

There were others, just thrilled by the big crowds

At the end of the day, though, it was time to put the floats back in their hangars – not an easy feat since they do not have a motor and all is done by ‘people power’.

We left Takayama the next day, after a visit to two sake distilleries, and a little bit of education on the finer side of this traditional Japanese drink.

This was our longest travel day, not in distance, but in just about every other way.  We took a train from Gero to Takayama, another from Takayama to Nagoya and than a Shinkansen to Osaka.  Two short subway rides got us to another station still in Osaka.  We were in the middle of rush hour and in one subway, we were packed tighter than sardines – not easy considering that most of us were carrying two bags (I had two backpacks – a big one on my back and a smaller one between my legs).  We did not have to go far, so it was an interesting experience – but I am glad I do not have to do that every day.  We took two more trains, a funicular and finally a bus to get to Koya San – South of Osaka, surrounded by 7 holy mountains.  The two is full of temples as it is one of the most important ‘teaching’ center of buddhism in Japan.  We actually stayed in one of these monasteries and were awakened at 6:30 AM to participate in two of the morning ceremonies that the monks have to do (no pictures allowed – sad to say).  Here is the entrance to our ‘hotel’

The town is very picturesque

but  not the reason why many pilgrims come here all year long

The largest cemetery in Japan is located here caled Okuno-In.  It has been active for hundreds of years and contains tens of thousands of grave-sites all built inside a beautiful forest.

 

 You even had the obligatory black raven …

Every space, no matter how small, is used as a shrine or memorial

In the afternoon, we visited the most important temple in town: Kongobu-Ji.  It is home to one of the best and largest rock garden in Japan.  The rocks represent the head and back of a dragon sticking above the clouds (gravel).  This picture does not do justice to the real thing …

By now, you must be asking: what does this have to do with food?  We has another feast at the end of our stay in Koya San, served by the training monks …

Next stop – Osaka, after a bus, the funicular and several trains of course…

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I just spent two wonderful weeks in Japan, visiting some places I knew, but others I did not.  This was an Intrepid Travel tour, with a food theme.  I love Japan, and I love Japanese Food, so this was a trip made for me.  It gave me a good opportunity to dig into the Japanese culture even more than I had done on previous trips.

We started in Tokyo, where I had been before, but without ever exploring the city.

First sight was somewhat of a disappointment.  I had heard that cherry blossoms were at their peak in the Tokyo area, and yet when I went to look for them, this is what I found

Closer inspection confirmed my fears

I understood later that the Thursday before my arrival, there was a very significant rain storm in Tokyo which stripped the blossoms from the trees … something for me to look forward to the next time I go to Japan.

Near our Ryokan (we only staid in Japanese style hotels), was the Asakuza Shrine and I was lucky enough to see a wedding couple about to tie the knot.  She seems happy enough, but I am not sure he believes this is the happiest day of his life.

 Evening comes very early in Japan as sunset is before 6 pm at this time of year (for some reason that I still do not understand, the standard time is Tokyo is set so that the sun is at its zenith at 11AM, so sunrise was about 5AM and sunset around 6PM!). Even through the clouds, the sun tries to provide a reasonable sunset.

This was a food lovers tour, and therefore a lot of the activities revolved around food.  On the second day, we had a soba noodle making lesson.

Continue reading “Japan 2008 – Tokyo” →

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