Tag: tokyo

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Japan 2025

Sanjūsangendō Temple and Gion Walking Tour

After a speedy ride through the breath taking mountain range of south central Japan while enjoying a yummy Bento box lunch, we arrived in Kyoto and we’re greeted by our guide for the second half of the tour, Shizuka.

We immediately set out to visit the first of several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto, Sanjūsangendō Temple. Founded in 1164 and measuring 120 meters, this Buddhist temple hall is Japan’s longest wooden structure. In the center of the main hall sits a large, wooden statue of a 1000-armed Kannon (Senju Kannon) that is flanked on each side by 500 statues of human sized 1000-armed Kannon standing in ten rows. Together they make for an awesome sight. Photos are not allowed in the temple so I copied a few from the website to add in the gallery.

Continuing on, we stopped briefly for a taiyaki snack; a popular Japanese street food made from a sweet pancake-like batter poured into a fish-shaped mold. It is filled with sweet red bean paste or other fillings like chocolate, custard, or matcha.

Then we entered the Gion district famous for its Geisha. The buildings are all wooden, modestly decorated and very old. No skyscrapers here as bylaws prevent vertical development. Shizuka told us Geisha sightings are rare because over tourism and disrespectful harrassment has made them cautious and reclusive. We were very lucky when one appeared on her way to work. The street crowd fell suddenly silent while she passed by as testament to how revered these performing artists are. Just moments later, we caught sight of a Maiko, a Geisha apprentice. The difference is in the kimono, the hair and adornments. Whereas once there were nearly 3000 Geisha in Kyoto, now there are only 250 remaining. We hope to see a performance at the Gion Corner theater tomorrow if tickets are available.

Supper was at a tiny second floor restaurant along the Kamo River. Plates of venison, quail and shrimp were washed down with Kyoto beer. And that was a day. We caught the bus back to the hotel and crashed.

Categories
Japan 2025

Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji

A nice coach bus ride got us to Lake Kawaguchi in two hours. Just before we arrived, we caught a glimpse of Mt. Fuji with it’s cone peeking above the clouds. Lucky us because an hour later, the clouds had completely covered it.

Our hotel is a traditional Japanese Ryokan, where the beds and chairs are flat to the floor. Too early to check in on arrival, we dropped off our bags and our guide took us on a cable car excursion up into the hills overlooking the lake. When visible, this is the spot to see Mt. Fuji in all its glory. However, not today but we did enjoy spectacular views of Lake Kawaguchi and learned the foke lore story of the rabbit and the raccoon. Very popular with Japanese children. There is a shrine up there to rabbits.

Down again, we did some souvenir shopping along main street until it was time to check into the hotel. And what a beautiful hotel! The prize feature are the onsens… pure mountain water hot springs, separate ones for men and women. The rule is to bathe naked. Ryan and I tried it out before dinner. So hot, so relaxing, so therapeutic.

Dinner was a group buffet in the banquet hall. Such a spread of food! All you can eat and drink. I tried everything and washed it all down with sake. I may have perhaps had a bit too much sake but it was fantastic and great fun to socialize with the group. We even sang Happy Birthday to Yogi and a couple of other group members.

After supper, a couple of our group members (Alan and Adrienne from New Zealand) took a walk along the lake. The clouds had lifted and they got a photo of Mt. Fuji in the twilight. They shared it with us and I have included it in the gallery. It is a stunning shot.

The next morning, I went to the onsen again and I had it all to myself. Good therapy for the muscles. Breakfast was a full spread buffet and then we packed up to check out and make our way to the bullet train for the commute to Kyoto.

Categories
Japan 2025

Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuko

Today’s group excursion took us into three neighborhoods in the west end of Tokyo. We started in Harajuku where we visited Meiji Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. It was fascinating to learn about Japan’s favorite Emperor who died in 1912. He is best known for modernizing Japan to keep pace with the rest of the world. His shrine is in a beautiful park surrounded by 100,000 trees comprised of 365 different species. Here we learned how to properly bow before passing through the tori gates and how to properly pray at the shrine.

After lunch and a bit of souvenir shopping in Harajuku, we commuted to Shibuya to experience the world’s most famous street crossing, the “Shibuya Scramble”. When the walk signs turn green, all vehicle traffic stops and 1500 people swarm into the crossings from five directions. Quite systematic and bemusing to witness. Also at the Shibuya station, we saw the statue of the famous dog, Hachikō, who came to the station every day for 10 years to wait for his deceased owner.

Then we returned to our hotel for an afternoon rest. Supper was at Ramen Alley in Tokyo Station for a confusing but interesting experience in how to order food… all done electronically. The staff were wonderful and very accommodating.

Then it was back to Shinjuko to see the lights and they did not disappoint. High up on one of the skyscrapers, there is a giant head sculpture of Godzilla which lights up on the hour and blows smoke. How cool! All the skyscrapers are multicolored for a 360 degree vertical neon gallery. We strolled through the narrow alleys of Golden Gai, the drinking section of Shinjuku, to peek into some of the tiny family-run bars, many with only 3 or 4 seats. Then on to Shibuya for one last look at the Hachikō statue and to oggle at a new collection of illuminated skyscrapers.

Tokyo has been beyond our imaginations. For a city of 40 million people, it is quiet, clean, orderly and utterly magnificent. Tomorrow we will leave Tokyo and head west across the country.