2024 May Japan Part 1

In 2024 we enjoyed a fantastic 4-week trip to Japan – Keith and I did 2½ weeks independent travel through the interior of Japan before joining a 10-day cruise around the coast of Honshu. My travel arrangements worked really well – travelling by Japanese trains and staying mainly in a chain of business hotels (Sotetsu Fresa) close to the train stations.

We actually flew to Tokyo on my birthday in May – spending 9+ hours in a plane is not the best way to spend a birthday!  From Tokyo Airport, we made it to the city OK and found our hotel where we’d booked for three nights. The next day we headed to the ShinJuku train station to exchange our Japan Rail voucher for the pass. We also enquired about getting to our next destination, Mt Fuji, by train – but the advice was to take a bus, which was disappointing, but worked. So, we arranged for our 14-day rail pass to begin validity after Mt Fuji.

Then we set off on foot to explore some of the sights of Tokyo including the Imperial Palace and the Hama-Rikyu Gardens. Hama Rikyu is a large, attractive landscape garden in central Tokyo. The traditionally styled garden stands in stark contrast to the skyscrapers.

With my long-standing interest in architecture, high on our to-do list was a visit to the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architecture Museum. We took a local bus to the open-air museum which exhibits a range of historic buildings from the Tokyo area. The buildings were relocated or reconstructed here to preserve a chapter of architectural history which has been almost completely lost in fires, earthquakes, wars and city redevelopment. Most of the buildings exhibited are from the Meiji Period (1868-1912) or more recent times and include – among others – a politician’s elegant former residence, a farmhouse, a public bathhouse, various shops and a police box. We spent about four hours exploring – and I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

It was about a 2-hour bus ride to Fujikawaguchiko, the station for Mt Fuji – but it was then quite a long walk to our hotel (about 1.5km). The Organic Maps app steered us down narrow lanes and back roads but did eventually end at Shiki-no-Yado Fujisan (Five Lakes Hotel), which was right on the lake. You could even see Mt Fuji from the hotel car park!  This hotel was the closest we could afford to a genuine ryokan hotel – our room had tatami mats and futons available at one end of the room, but thankfully a normal bed at the other end.

The Kawaguchiko Sightseeing Bus service operates from Kawaguchiko Station and includes various routes to popular destinations around Lake Kawaguchi and other nearby lakes. There was a bus stop just by our hotel, so we joined the Red Line bus there.  The route provided enticing glimpses of Mt Fuji and the Lake. At the end of the line, there was a pretty garden and a snack shop – we bought lovely fresh strawberries and an ice cream each. Then it was back to our hotel and the search for a restaurant for dinner – we found one within walking distance – followed by a stroll through the park next to the lake.

Next day dawned with drizzle so we were pleased the hotel had a courtesy bus to the train station. There we took a bus to Shin Fuji (about two hours) where we could at last use our Japan Rail pass to catch the fast train to Kyoto (about 2½ hours). We had booked into another Sotetsu Fresa hotel for four nights as there was so much to do and see from Kyoto. The Japan Rail pass also included unlimited travel on trains, buses and ferries.

First thing the next morning, the sun was shining and we walked to the Nijo Castle. The castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened to the public as a historic site. Its palace buildings are arguably the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan’s feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994.

Perhaps the most widely recognised image of Kyoto is Kinkaku-ji Temple, ‘The Golden Pavilion’. The temple, richly adorned in gold leaf, reflects beautifully in the water of Kyokochi, the mirror pond, with its small islands of rock and pine. It is a breathtaking must-see. In 1950, a 21-year-old monk burned Kinkaku-ji Temple down – the temple was rebuilt in 1955 and continues to function as a storehouse of sacred relics. The temple’s garden is also a scenic delight, as is a charming teahouse.

I had read about Peter MacIntosh, an English man who had previously been married to a Geisha and now offered guided walking tours through the Geisha area of Kyoto. Months before, I’d booked a tour for that afternoon – the walking lecture lasted approximately 90 minutes and took us through streets lined with old wooden houses and hidden alleyways as the ladies make their way to their evening’s engagements. Peter gave us an insider’s view into the past, present and future of this unique and exotic world. We saw geisha schools and traditional artisan’s shops. There were some great photo opportunities.

The next day we took a bus to Nara Deer Park, about 30 minutes south. The Nara Deer Park is a historical park that’s famous for having hundreds of friendly deer you can feed and take pictures with. The semi-wild deer roam around the park freely. Also scattered around the 1,600-acre park are a lot of old temples and shrines from hundreds of years ago, when Nara was the ancient capital of Japan.

Tōdai-ji Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its historical significance, stunning architecture, and the Great Buddha statue, housed in the Great Buddha Hall, which is one of the largest wooden structures in the world. Although the current hall, reconstructed in 1709, is only two-thirds the size of the original, it still impressively measures 57 metres in length. Inside, it houses a colossal bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha, which stands approximately 15 metres tall.

Returning to Kyoto, we took another bus to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. The shrine is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates. Torii gates are traditionally red or vermilion-coloured structures, featuring two upright posts and two horizontal crossbars. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital’s move to Kyoto in 794.

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, or Sagano Bamboo Forest is a natural bamboo forest. It has several pathways for tourists and visitors. The Ministry of the Environment considers it a part of the soundscape of Japan. Unfortunately, it was also packed with tourists! However, the opportunistic shopkeepers on the approach to the Forest offered some appetising snacks – since it was lunchtime, we tried the deep-fried Yobu & Cheese on a stick (for me) and Shrimp and Mayo (for Keith). They were delicious!

As Keith and I enjoy train travel so much, we just had to do the Sagano Scenic Railway, also known as the Sagano Romantic Train. This is a sightseeing train line that winds its way through the mountains at a slow pace, taking about 25 minutes to make the seven-kilometre journey and giving passengers views of the forested ravine and into rural Kameoka. Originally part of the JR Sanin Line before it was replaced by a faster, straighter route in 1989, the scenic railway route was preserved and outfitted with nostalgic trains featuring wooden benches.

Then it was back to our hotel to find the nearest laundromat and catch up on some washing before packing ready for our move to Osaka. In the evening we did the Dotonbori to Amerika-mura (literally ‘America Village’) walk. Dotonbori is famous for its dazzling neon signs and bustling street food scene. One of the neon signs cleverly featured a camera so you could wave to yourself up in neon!  Another featured a robotronic crab advertising a seafood restaurant. Ebisubashi Bridge is one of the most photographed spots in Osaka, offering a great view of the Dotonbori River and the vibrant atmosphere of the area. It was packed with people trying to video the ‘Glico’ running man neon sign. Although we waited quarter of an hour, we didn’t see it move!  Amerika-Mura is known for its trendy shops, vintage clothing stores, and a youthful vibe. We enjoyed just window-shopping!

The next day we explored Osaka Castle. The Castle has been destroyed many times throughout history, and the main tower keep today is a concrete reconstruction that contains an excellent museum. Its extensive park-like garden grounds are surrounded by the hugely impressive enormous moats and walls.

Himeji was next – about an hour’s train ride from Osaka – and the magnificent white castle is visible the moment you exit the train station. Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle due to its elegant, white appearance, is widely considered Japan’s most spectacular castle for its imposing size and beauty and its well preserved, complex castle grounds. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country’s twelve original castles. It is made up of over eighty buildings spread across multiple baileys, which are connected by a series of gates and winding paths.

Also in Himeji is the Kokoen Garden – a relatively recently constructed Japanese style garden which was opened in 1992. It consists of nine separate, walled gardens designed in various styles of the Edo Period. We spent a lovely couple of hours strolling around them.

The next day we caught a Shinkansen train (bullet train) to Hiroshima where we’d booked to stay for four nights. The train only took an hour to cover the 250km journey. Our Japan Rail Pass was valid on the Hiroshima sightseeing bus lines, which was a very handy option to explore Hiroshima.

Our first stop was at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome). During the Second World War, at 8:15 a.m. on six August 1945, the first atomic bomb ever used in war was dropped on Hiroshima. Because the explosion was almost directly overhead, the building kept its shape. Its vertical columns resisted the blast’s nearly vertical downward force, and parts of the concrete and brick outer walls remained intact. The building’s durability can also be attributed to its earthquake-resistant design; it has survived earthquakes before and since the bombing.

The next morning, we caught the sightseeing bus to the Peace Memorial Park, one of the most prominent features of the city. With over 120,000 square metres, its trees, lawns, and walking paths are in stark contrast to the surrounding downtown area. The park’s main facility is the Peace Memorial Museum. Consisting of two buildings, the museum surveys the history of Hiroshima and the advent of the nuclear bomb. Its main focus is on the events of August 6: the dropping of the bomb and its outcome in human suffering. The personal details displayed are quite upsetting and serve to remind us that we should not take peace for granted.

Between the Museum and the A-Bomb Dome is the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. The Cenotaph is an arched tomb for those who died because of the bomb, either because of the initial blast or exposure to radiation. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of these names, of which there are over 220,000. Every year on the anniversary of the bomb, a ceremony is held at the park.

The Children’s Peace Monument, located in the heart of Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, is a poignant symbol of peace and hope. It was erected in 1958 to honour Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who developed leukaemia due to radiation exposure from the atomic bomb. Sadako’s story is central to the monument; she believed in the Japanese legend that folding 1,000 origami cranes would grant her wish for recovery and peace. She passed away on October 25, 1955, having folded nearly 1,000 cranes, which inspired her classmates and others to advocate for a memorial. Around the monument, special display cases have been set up to house the thousands of paper cranes sent from all over the world.

When we were there several school groups were attending the monument. Each group would stand respectfully in front of the monument while a select delegation would recite what sounded like prayers, before the next school group followed on.

The next day, we again caught the sightseeing bus but this time to Hiroshima Castle. Hiroshima Castle is a good example of a castle built on a plain in the centre of a city as opposed to hilltop and mountaintop castles. Its main keep is five stories tall, and its grounds are surrounded by a moat. While it was spared the demolition that many other castles met during the Meiji Period, like the rest of the city, Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. Thirteen years later, its main keep was rebuilt in ferro-concrete with an attractive, partially wooden exterior.

The sightseeing bus also stops near the Shukkeien Gardens – Shukkeien can be translated into English as ‘shrunken-scenery garden’ – valleys, mountains and forests are represented in miniature in the garden’s landscapes. Shukkeien has a long history dating back to 1620, just after the completion of Hiroshima Castle. The garden displays many features of the traditional aesthetics of Japanese gardens. Around the garden’s main pond there are a number of tea houses which offer visitors ideal views of the surrounding scenery. The entire garden is connected by a path which winds around the pond at the centre of the garden. The path passes through all of Shukkeien’s various miniaturized sceneries. Keith and I spent a delightful couple of hours there.

That evening as we were queuing to be seated at a restaurant for dinner, two elderly gentlemen (already at a table) kept beckoning to us to join them. We were rather confused – particularly as there was another group ahead of us in the queue. We politely ignored them, however when our turn to be seated came, the waiter explained that the gentlemen wanted us to join them. It turned out that one of them had been an English teacher during his career and was keen to practice his language skills. It also transpired that the pair were both survivors of the Atomic Bomb – and met once a month for dinner. They must have been about 85 years old – and it had obviously been a long while since he had spoken English. It was quite difficult to have a conversation – but they did insist on buying us a glass of sake!

I had carefully tried to time our visit to Hiroshima to include one day when high tide would occur mid-morning so we could visit Itsukushima Island (popularly known as Miyajima), a small island less than an hour outside Hiroshima. The sea here is affected by strong tides – at low tide the bottom of the sea is exposed past the island’s Torii gate. At high tide, the sea covers all the previously exposed seabed mud and fills areas underneath the famous giant Torii gate which then appears to ‘float’ on the water. The sight is ranked as one of Japan’s three best views. Like the Torii gate, the shrine’s main buildings are built over water. We were pleased that high tide was at 9.45am on the day we chose to visit – and we weren’t disappointed. The train and ferry got us to the island at 10am and we could enjoy the best views to be had.

The next day marked the end of our independent exploration – we had to take a bullet train for the 3½-hour trip to Yokohama (Tokyo’s port) to join the Diamond Princess for our 10-day cruise around Japan.

During our travels, we had generally skipped breakfast and shopped for a light lunch at either a ‘Lawson’ store or ‘Family Mart’ or ‘7-Eleven’. It was easy to buy a sandwich and piece of fruit there. And we ate at restaurants for dinner. Most of the shopping malls or train stations had food halls or a wide selection of restaurants so we’d peer at their clever displays of plastic replica food before deciding where and what to eat. Despite having the 14-day Japan Rail pass, we often had to pay a small supplement for tickets, but it certainly made life easier. We’d been worried about hopping on and off the trains quickly enough with large suitcases, so we’d bought carry-on suitcases each. These together with a backpack each was sufficient for the four weeks. We packed two pairs of walking trousers and four long sleeved tops each, plus wet weather jackets and a fleece. Because we were joining the cruise later, we even managed to fit in two formal evening outfits each so were impressed with ourselves!