Tokyo

Arriving early in the morning to pouring rain, grey skies and greyer towering buildings isn’t the best way to form an impression of a place. These factors rendered my first day in Tokyo fairly uneventful, mostly making plans for the coming days when the weather would improve and allow for better sightseeing. Having said that, even after all my days here I must admit I preferred the other places I visited in Japan, the nature of the capital is a little too busy and imposing with not quite enough to contrast the grey and concrete.

The next morning my first plan was to get a view over the city. There are plenty of buildings and towers around where you can pay for the privilege, but there is also the government buildings where you can get nearly as high up for no cost at all. It’s always nice to get a panoramic view of where I’m about to explore, to see the landmarks from a distance. On a completely clear day it’s even possible to see Mount Fuji. From there it wasn’t far to one of the few gardens dotted around the cityscape, a worthwhile escape to find the ever increasing number of blossoming trees. Photographers flocked in great numbers around the more impressive of the trees, all looking for the perfect shots of spring. Further walking took me to one of the bigger temples in the area, but after perhaps being spoiled by Kyoto it was nothing too special.

Tokyo sprawl

Tokyo sprawl

The following day I visited a slightly more impressive temple, but mostly for its surrounding area which was filled with market stalls and interesting shopping streets. It was ridiculously busy with crowds of people shuffling along, but you could find everything from food to samurai swords to the more tacky side of souvenirs. One thing it seems Tokyo is good for is shopping, you can probably find anything here in varying qualities and prices, but there’s only so much shopping I can take which is why I gladly left for some quiet time back at the hostel. That night I went out to my first ever gig in Japan, to see the post-rock band Mono performing a special one off show in their homeland. Absolutely outstanding performance and immensely powerful live, but it was a little odd to see them play from 7 through to 8.30 with no support bands leaving the night feeling ended a little prematurely.

Hustling crowds at Sensoji

Hustling crowds at Sensoji

After having mastered the Tokyo subway and train systems I thought for my final day I would do some more walking between areas. I started in the pleasant gardens of the imperial palace and wandered onwards into Ginza, a high-end shopping area with over-priced everything. The different city districts did have some varying character as shown next by Tsjukiji and its large fish market filled with restaurant owners shouting about what I presumed was the morning’s fresh catch. Another garden gave some relief once again but then it was back into the fray of shoppers and commuters.

Finding colour from the grey

Finding colour from the grey

I hope I haven’t come across too down about Tokyo, I think it was just I enjoyed the other places before so greatly, and there is still the Japanese culture here that I’ve found myself enjoying. It’s been nice not feeling as short in Japan… and everyone seems somewhat quiet and reserved, which suits me. They understand queuing here possibly even more than the English, and another thing the rest of the world could learn from is definitely heated toilet seats. Japan has been a short but wonderful experience and I’m definitely glad I added it on to the end of my travels. The end of my travels! I won’t ramble here as it will seem out of place, but tomorrow I finally fly home… I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, though I’m not so sure how much I’m looking forward to going back to normal and the perpetual ambivalence towards England. Either way, there will always be more journeys. The old wanderer walks, for evermore and evermore.

Kyoto

Kyoto was once the capital of Japan, so it’s easy to find historical sights and there are temples and shrines absolutely everywhere. Even in the immediate vicinity of my hostel I walked to see Nishi Hongwanji, Higashi Hongaiji and Shoseien Gardens – all of which were impressive and gave me a good initial impression of the city on my first day. The weather was set to be warming and I could see more blossoming trees emerging as I went between places.

Spring arrives

Spring arrives

The next day, with a fresher mind and rested legs, I set out to the city equipped with an all-day bus ticket and a list of places to visit. Nijo Castle was a great way to spend the morning, wonderful old structures set in beautiful gardens all encircled by the castle moat. Afterwards it was a day full of temples, it’s hard to remember all of their names but all were spectacular no matter the size and some in the quieter neighbourhoods were extremely peaceful. Kinkaku-ji, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, was very crowded but understandably so with some great views of the lakeside gilded building. I also visited my first zen stone garden, calm and raked to perfection but I still think I prefer real gardens. However I do really love the subtle minimalistic painting style used on the walls and screens inside the buildings.

Kinkaku-ji

Kinkaku-ji

One evening in Kyoto was magnificent; by chance I was around for the springtime event of ‘Hanatouro’, where a whole district of temples are lit up at night and all the streets illuminated with thousands of lanterns. The temples that were open later than normal allowed for a whole different visual experience. Women were dressed in traditional Kimono, shops opened late and street vendors handed out various samples of foods. There were some processions of sorts too, not entirely sure what they were about but it was all part of a wonderful evening.

Lantern lined streets

Lantern lined streets

I did have to have a lazy day in Kyoto, either I’ve done too much walking or am getting too old… or perhaps both, but aches and pains in knees and ankles led to a day of people watching from a cafe and relaxing in the hostel. The standard of hostel in Japan has been amazing so that wasn’t really much of a problem and I definitely felt better for it the following day.

My final day in Kyoto gave me enough time to make sure I visited some more of the must-see temples whilst generally exploring the city a bit more. In the south my favourite was Fushimi-Inari-taisha, a temple complex where they have gone mad with thousands of red torii gates, using them to create pathways and tunnels up the hillside. The site was also filled with dedications to the Japanese fox goddess, but I never did learn why particularly. It would be possible to get a bit ‘over-templed’ with any more time here, but tonight I get my final overnight bus to Tokyo and leave with fond memories and a growing appreciation still of Japan.

Endless torii

Endless torii

 

Hiroshima

I arrived in Hiroshima to the most rain I’d seen in a long time, luckily the hostels here have been really good about me checking in early and leaving my bags with them. In the downpour my morning wasn’t too productive but by the afternoon it had eased off enough to venture out. First was Shukkeien, a traditional garden, which although lacking any real signs of spring didn’t need too much imagination to see how beautiful a place it would be. Further along was Hiroshima castle, another rebuild similar to Kyoto but still a worthy sight. Inside were exhibitions on the city’s history and displays of old swords and armour, whilst the top of the tower had some good views out over the surrounding castle grounds.

Hiroshima Castle

Hiroshima Castle

It was still feeling very cold here but at least some clear weather returned. I took a day trip out of the city to what may seem an insignificant small island. Okunoshima was a secret poison gas factory is the second world war, but after an accident and subsequent closure the test subjects escaped. So now their descendants have free reign over the island in massive numbers… I am talking about BUNNIES! Known as rabbit island now, the bunnies have completely taken over and have become a small attraction for those who manage to find out about it. As soon as I stepped off the ferry there were a few hopping over, hoping I might have some food. They were tame enough to come right up to people but still wary of being touched. Walking around the island it was impossible not to smile and laugh as hordes of bunnies either came to me or were too busy chasing each other around. Needless to say I took quite a few photos here and despite making me seem a little odd I’m glad I went!

BUNNIES!!!

BUNNIES!!!

That evening I got to try the local food, okonomiyaki, and even have a go at cooking my own! It starts with a kind of pancake batter before being piled up with cabbage, bean-sprouts, a little green onion and optional bacon. Then comes a fried egg and some noodles, various flipping of things and before you know it you have something that looks and sounds a mess but actually tastes rather good, especially topped off with the special sauce and mayonnaise!

With one final day in Hiroshima I managed to cram in a lot of the main sights. The morning was spent around the Peace Memorial Park which included many different monuments, the remnants of a domed building left standing and a museum. It’s difficult to really write how it feels; reading the plaques, viewing the memorials and contemplating it all. One memorial mound holds the ashes of 70,000 people… all either unidentifiable or with no surviving relatives. The museum goes into more informative detail about the politics, the bombs and radiation, the after affects; but there’s still the overwhelming task of making sense of it all. On the positive side the city has really taken upon itself a mission of peace and that message certainly comes across. One example being the copies of letters on display – for every single nuclear test by any country since 1968 the city’s mayor of the time wrote a letter of protest and condemnation. Another thing I noticed was that on the actual memorials there was little or no mention of nations or countries involved, no blaming or sides, it was just about the humanity of it all and a hopeful reminder that it should never happen again to anyone anywhere. There’s a flame in the centre of the park that is said will burn for as long as there is a single nuclear weapon in our world, it would be quite a special day to see it extinguished.

Peace Memorial Park

Peace Memorial Park

Well, leaving the seriousness behind I departed for the nearby island of Miyajima, famous for it’s many temples, shrines and the iconic floating torii. It is also populated by rather friendly and inquisitive deer who like to think you must have something tasty in your bag. Walking around it seemed it was a very busy and touristy place, yet that didn’t particular undermine it’s beauty. In the busy shopping street everywhere was selling the local ‘momiji manju’; small maple-leaf-shaped cakes with various fillings, all very nice indeed.  It was also easy enough to escape the crowds by avoiding the mountain ropeway and actually use one’s legs to make it to the top of Mount Misen. Atop this peak were grand views back down to the temples and across the water to the mainland. With daylight dwindling I decided to stick around and watch the sunset, which turned out to be absolutely beautiful with the sun falling to rest behind the torii, now ‘floating’ properly from the rising tide. Another overnight bus journey awaited me that night, heading back East to Kyoto.

Sunset in Miyajima

Sunset in Miyajima

Osaka

Japan! My initial impressions upon arriving were positive, it felt good to be in a new and interesting culture again. I also had to adapt to the temperature a bit, I think I was the only person in all of Osaka wearing shorts. When I landed in Kuala Lumpur at 3am it was 27c, in Osaka at 3pm it was 7c! I got to my hostel, which seemed in a quiet area but well connected, being right by a train station. Tired from the overnight flight I had some sushi before getting an early night.

Osaka isn’t supposed to be the prettiest of places to visit in Japan, but I still found plenty to see and do so other cities can only be even better. I walked through the city streets to Shitennoji temple and then on to Osaka Castle. The grounds around the castle were beautiful and although it was too early for the sakura there were plenty of other blossoming trees in the gardens, framing views up towards the reconstructed castle. Inside were displays detailing the history of the area and the top floor offered fantastic views of the city in all directions. Nearby was also another history museum which was somewhat interesting but didn’t have much detailed information in English.

Osaka Castle through blossom

Osaka Castle through blossom

Exploring the many shopping streets gave a better impression of the busier side of the city, loud and bright. I actually felt it snow lightly for a brief time, so what better place to go to warm up than… a cat cafe. Yes, a cafe, with cats. You pay to spend an hour with the furry felines with drinks being an afterthought really. It sounds ridiculous but it was warm and relaxing and ideal for any cat-lovers, with many cats of different shapes and sizes just roaming around to be stroked. Apparently the idea started in Japan but there are now many opening up around the world!

Cat Cafe!

Cat Cafe!

In the evening I managed to find a bar catering for gamer geeks, a tiny place on a side street but filled with every games console possible from the original NES through to Xbox 360 and with the bar lined with hundreds of games ready to play freely. The décor and cocktail names were all game inspired in one way or another and there was some pretty cool Mario themed artwork too. A place like this obviously only appeals to certain people but for me it was a great place to find.

Space Station bar

Space Station bar

For a contrasting day trip out of the bustling city I travelled by train to the mountains and on to Koyasan. Founded in the 9th century as a Buddhist retreat it is a small town filled with temples and spiritual feeling. The first amazing thing though was the snow! It was a clear sunny day but there was still perhaps 3-4cm of snow covering the ground and roofs, which really added to the atmosphere of the place. I found it all extremely peaceful and after looking around the various temples and shrines I took a walk through the forest, which is also home to over 200,000 gravestones and monuments, quite a magical place.

Snow-covered temple in Koyasan

Snow-covered temple in Koyasan

Back in Osaka I spent more time exploring, visited Tennoji Park and Zoo and went to the top of the Umeda Sky Building after dusk for some good night views of the city surroundings. Besides eating a lot of sushi I also tried a local speciality, takoyaki, which is some sort of dumpling batter made into balls with squid in the middle, very nice too. I had made the decision to take overnight buses between cities to save money and also not waste days travelling, so I left Osaka nearing midnight on towards Hiroshima.