Travels by Bus
See the world on bus, ON foot & on my own.
Arashiyama
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It was Mifune Matsuri 三船祭 when we got to Arashiyama so we had the chance to watch it. The name means “festival of three boats”, reflecting three genres of art performed during the celebrations: 1. recitation of waka (和歌) – Japanese poetry 2. kanshi (漢詩) – Chinese poems and 3. sougaku (奏楽）- music performance and dance. It is a replication of a scene of boat party from 1,000 years ago on the Oigawa River to welcome the Emperor on his visit.
It is also to celebrate Kiyohara Yorinari, a 12th century Confucian scholar who is enshrined in Kurumazaki Shrine. His soul is taken on a boat called gozabune, accompanied by a number of ladies in colorful attires performing dance, playing music, and reciting poems. More information here. It was a grey day but many people came out to see it.
We started out the day at Daikakuji 大覚寺. We didn't enter because we had to remove our shoes so we walked around the Osawa Pond, a 1200 year old man-made pond that is the oldest and last surviving example of a Shinden style garden. It was originally built for Emperor Saga's detached palace, and was used to throw elaborate parties and for recreational activities such as boating, fishing and moon viewing. There is a 2-tiered Shingyo Pagoda with a garden popular for cherry blossom viewing but we were too late for that.
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My favourite spot in Arashiyama has got to be the Sagano Bamboo Grove.
I never thought of bamboos this way but they are so serene and beautiful. Someone actually listed it as a "Places to see before you die". I could stay here forever only if it wasn't raining.
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This picture of the rickshaw and his passengers has got to be one of my favourite photos I have taken.
Ginkaku-ji
On my last visit to Kyoto, I went to Ginkaku-ji which was built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retreat from the turmoil of the civil war.
It's truly peaceful with white sand meticulously raked to represent the gentle seawaves, and a meditation pavilion. If you follow the pebbled path, lined with bamboo, maple, pines and other trees, it will lead you to the mountainside.
I could spend the whole day here. Outside Ginkaku-ji, there's a river which follows the "Path of Philosophy". It's very quiet and you can take a stroll here. Apparently it connects to other temples but alas, my feet couldn't take anymore walking!
Japan is not Japan without pictures of food :)
Day 6: Takayama 高山
Kyoto - Takayama: ¥4,000 per person on the Nohibus
Once again, for convenience sake, we took the bus. There is a direct bus from Kyoto Station to Takayama. It was supposed to take 4 hours but due to road works, we got there one hour later. The bus stops for a break every 2 hours or so which is really good for us to stretch our legs, use the toilet and get something to eat. The train would be about 1 - 2 hours faster but it cost twice as much. With the train, we will need to change at either Nagoya or somewhere so it wasn't so convenient with the luggage and having to figure out the platform etc. so despite the traffic jam, we chose the bus. Japanese highways are excellent although it is a bit small: 2 or 3 lanes but there are a lot of tunnels. They all look very new but the tolls you have to pay are also very expensive. One tour guide said that these roads are government-owned, not privatised.
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The experience at the Best Western Hotel in Kyoto was great thus I booked us at the Best Western in Takayama as well but my mother refused to wear a black pyjamas. When we checked in, I asked for a room on the high floor so that we can get some mountain view but the receptionist said they do not have any more rooms left.The first room we got had a funky smell so I called the reception. The guy who picked up my call came up and instead of perhaps spraying the room with odour spray or something, he gave us a room one floor up - so what happened to "no more rooms left"?That room had some problem with the toilet so I called again and he moved us up to the 6th floor. Erm, so there are rooms available on the higher floor, ya?
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These are the sarubobos which are typical inTakayama. They are red human-shaped doll amulets with no facial features, traditionally, made by grandmothers for their grandchildren, and for their daughters a charm for good marriage and good children.
Takayama 高山 (gao-shan in Chinese) means tall mountain. It is in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture. Apparently there is another Takayama in Japan. It is in the Japanese northern Alps with temperature similar to northern Japan and Hokkaido. It snows heavily in winter as it has the lake effect snow from the Sea of Japan, generating some of the highest, most consistent snowfall in the world. We were very lucky as summer usually means that it is wet and humid but we had only sunshine everyday with a temperature of around 20C.
Hida Takayama might as well be called the Sarubobo Land. Sarubobos or "monkey babys" are red human-shaped dolls which are traditionally made by grandmothers for their grandchildren as good luck charms and to bring happiness. You find it all over town. Someone even made an excellent website on how to make one here.
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Lots of sake brewers here. You can have free sampling as well but being teetotalers, we ended up tasting the miso which was too salty in our opinion.
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A picture of Japan is incomplete with a picture of a rickshaw, in black-and-white, in a well-preserved traditional housing area.
Day 7: Kamikochi 高山地 Taisho-ike
Takayama - Kamikochi: ¥4,800 per person on the Nohibus change at Hirayu Onsen.
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Kamikochi is 1500 m above sea level and about 15 km long plateau in the Azusa River Valley. It is a popular scenic mountain resort surrounded by the Northern Alps of Japan. The highest peak - Okuhotakadake is 3190 m high followed by Nishihotakadake 2909 m and Maehotakadake 3090 m.
There is only one bus that goes from Takayama to Kamikochi so we had to use the Nohibus again. The scenery was amazing. This is mid-May but we still snow on the mountain top. This is the first time my mum saw snow in her life. Actually along the walk on Taisho-ike pond, there were packed snow on the ground which she got to touch. Kamikochi is her dream come true.
We got off the bus at Taisho-ike stop so that we can walk along the pond which is really peaceful, scenic and very well maintained with wooden board walk all along the way.
Said to be an active volcano, YakeDake at 2455 m above sea level was last active in June 1962. An eruption in June of 1915 caused the volcanic mud slide to dam the flow of Azusa River, and created this beautiful pond called Taisho-ike. Ike means pond.
Today is a day where my mother would say that God answered her prayers because it is a beautiful sunny day. Temperature is around 17C, not too cold and not too hot. We found a perfect spot for lunch where a single cherry blossom is still standing. There are many nice spots for people to sit, have a picnic and take in the sight, and a few places to stay overnight. Initially that was one of my plans but I was afraid my mother may get too bored or even "scared" of the quiet night.
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It was hard to say goodbye to this beautiful place. Someone dissed it as being too Disneyland for him but we love Taishoike with a big heart.
This is Hiraya Onsen bus station. We had a soak at the Hirayunomori which is 2 minutes' walk from here. The entrance to the onsen is ¥500 per person plus another ¥500 for a towel. There are about 8 different outdoor "tubs" of hot spring water to soak in. It wasn't busy which means we had a "tub" per person. After walking around the Taisho-ike pond earlier, it was nice to have a soak.
Day 8: Shirakawa-go 高山
I caught myself asking "What is Japanese breakfast?" Only at the Best Western Takayama, we had breakfast with our room booking. What it consists of is, grilled fish, toufu, some vegetables, miso soup and even sausages. They actually give you this kind of "plates with compartments". This picture is my dessert dish :)
Today we're visiting Shirakawa-go. From Takayama - Shirakawa-go: ¥3,800 per person on the half-day free-and-easy tour organised by !Site Takayama.
Better than the clock-work, the bus came and picked us up at 7:50 a.m. although the bus station is only 2 minutes walk on foot. The guide is this very cheerful Japanese guy by the name of Yamamoto 山本. He came up with this gigantic Sarubobo - Monkey Baby - which he's very proud to own so that we can have a photo taken with it.
Shirakawa-go is another UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are over 250 years old. Gassho written in kanji as 合掌means exactly that: hands put together (like in prayer) which is how the roofs look like. It is constructed this way due to the heavy snowfall the area experiences every winter. The roofs are made without nails has a very large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.
The roofs are made of thatch - dried silver grass etc. They are replaced every 30 - 40 years with about 20 lorry-load of thatch each time. We saw a postcard showing how the re-thatching of the roof look like and here is link on the construction.
The village has only about 2,000 inhabitants, looks like (padi) farmers to me, but they get a million visitors a year!
We went inside the Wada House (entry: ¥300) known to be the village chief's house in the past. The history can be seen best in the attic, with the silk-worm weaveloom, the kitchen utensils and the tools they used in the past.
The village is only about 400 m wide lined with many souvenir shops but what else do you do here?
Day 9: Osaka
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Osaka is huge! We were lucky to meet a young Japanese woman who showed us how to use the subway in Osaka. And the stations are so big. To get to our hotel, we have to take the exit number 24, and it starts from exit number 1.
The view from our 11th floor room at the APA Hotel Namba-Shinsaibashi near the Namba station and OCAT terminal (for the bus to the airport). APA is a Japanese hotel chain. The rooms are new, the twin rooms have Queen.-size beds but that means there is not much room inside but very comfy all the same.
The Dotonbori Canal is just behind our hotel. It was very nice to stroll along here in the morning or even in the evening. Much calmer than the other streets full of people, cars and noise. Osaka is a billboard city. How can I miss the Glico man, the icon and the most photographed icon in Osaka on the Ebishubashi Bridge.
And food! Osaka is known as “kuidaore” which means Osaka is the perfect place in Japan to pig out. Indeed. We found many tasty meals. One of our most memorable ones were the ice cream made out of wafer-thin sliced ice topped with equally wafer-thin sliced milk block, further topped with mango sauce - yummy and great for the sunny day! I've not seen it anywhere else. This was just outside a cafe called Captain Terry Coffee Stadium. The cafe is supposed to be based on the design of the new Wembley Stadium serving handmade pizza using bechamel sauce not containing milk nor butter, and specially blended coffee "stretched by hand". We cannot vouch for either of that but the ice cream is unforgetable!
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This photo is worth more than what Disneyland could ever offer me!
We found a fantastic place for lunch: conveyor-belt sushi Nipponishi Kaiten Sushi where sushi cost ¥130 per plate. The sushis were very fresh, melt-in-your-mouth tasty, and the fresh oysters were really to-die-for. The exchange rate for yen is low when we visited. ¥130 is about €1. We wolfed down a lot of sushis and paid less than €20 in total.
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Conveyor-belt sushi dining - kai-ten - was opened in Osaka in 1958. Yoshaki Shiraishi got the idea after watching beer bottles on a conveyor belt in an Asahi brewery. The Nipponishi Kaiten Sushi is very popular and apparently you have to stand in queues. We were lucky that it wasn't crowded when we went. And we were the only foreigners in there. There were a few executives in suits so this is a good sign that the restaurant is good.
At the counter where we sat, at alternating seats, there was a tap which dispenses piping hot water so that you can make your own (free) green tea to how strong you wish your tea to be. How brilliant! I chat to one of the 3 chefs there - in a mixture of English and Japanese - and he recommended me the Ichiban sushi in the house: clam-sushis. They were good but not my Ichiban dish there.
Takoyaki are delicious. They are grilled octopus balls and you find them in every street and every corner! This is hard work for the cook in mid-summer.
Japan is multi-lingual now. Signs are in at least 4 languages: Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean as you can see from the No-Smoking sign, however, it doesn't state what the penalty is for smoking in the No-Smoking zone.
On the weekdays, there are women-only train cabins. We were lucky that we got in after peak hours and we were there for the weekend so we survived the subway squeeze.
Hankyu Entertainment Park
Someone recommended the HEP (Hankyu Entertainment Park) Five's ferris wheel on top of its roof.
The ferris wheel, painted in bright red, is 75 m in diameter cost ¥500 each. The gondolas go up to 106 m above ground so we had a great view of the Osaka city, the harbour and the mountains around. The gondolas are enclosed and heated/air-conditioned. Apparently it has an audio jack so you can plug in and play your favourite tunes. Too bad we didn't know this beforehand. I think my mother really liked this because we get to see the view and she doesn't have to walk.
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Like most people said about HEP 5, the shops are not for us. We were spoilt by the Daiso, the ¥105 stores, 3 coins stores and we were not into shopping except cosmetics. Japanese women have such silky porcelain skin. I can't help wonder what they did to get such delicate skin. I also found Japanese women to be well-dressed and they take care of what they wear.
At the hall atrium of HEP 5, there is a big red whale of 20 m painted by the famous musician Tatsuya Ishi. Isn't it odd to find whales in a shopping mall?
It was lunch time when we got down so we gave Okonomiyaki a try which was indeed very good. We also tried the fried gyozas. I'll never go for another gyoza ever! Oh, and I love how considerate (restaurants) are for their customers: there is a small storage area to keep your handbags so that you can eat comfortably.
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Yodobashi is a chain of buildings that has little stores within selling electronic items like camera, watches and computers but it also has stores selling fashion and restaurants. We first saw it in Kyoto, and again Osaka. I like the logos outside the building. This is near Umeda station.
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I think this ET looking thing is an air-vent - love it!
Tokyo - How to peel an orange?
I was rather taken aback by this question posed by the hotel receptionist where I stayed. But it's understandable in a country where fruits are expensive for example, 4 oranges cost ¥2000 (about US$20)! It's a rare treat, that's why the receptionist asked me how to eat it!
In affluent Japan, however, you'll still come across homeless people on the streets of Tokyo. They do not beg for money but relied on the generosity of employed people who do come around to distribute food and essentials to them. This was post 1987 financial crisis, even if it was more than a decade later, that affected a lot of Asian economies. The only kind of beggars you find in Tokyo are monks from temples.
The infamous platform shoes are seen everywhere, worn by every woman. I thought perhaps it's to make up for height inadequacy but there were so many Japanese women who are very tall!
On the 45th floor of Tokyo Government Building, you may get a full view of Tokyo, and Mount Fuji on a clear sunny day.
Multi-carpark to solve the space problem in Japan, especially land-scarce Tokyo.
On the day of my visit, the Imperial Palace was closed. So, all I managed was a picture in front of it.
I like the narrow shopping "streets" in Shinjuku where I bought a few watches. I expect a lot more of such but Ueno market is another place with character.
Ueno market is interesting place with character. Not sure if Ueno Subway station is the second busiest station other than Shinjuku. At Ueno Market, you'll find everything from cloths to fresh sashimi to pubs. Went to an Irish pub filled with Japanese. There are also little shops selling cheap & wacky electronics goods.
For me, nothing beats Asakusa, the center of Tokyo's shitamachi ("low city") where Tokyo's past still exist. I remember the Nakamise shopping street and the Kaminarimon fondly. The area is a little bit further from "down town" and probably the cheaper side of town as we saw a lot of homeless sleeping on or under cardboard! This is not what I expect of Japan. It made me sad to realise that the economic crisis a decade ago has affected some people rather permanently.
My "hostel" is in this area, in a cosy 2m x 2m room that comes with TV, video player, closet & roll-out futon bed in the Asakusa/Minami-senju area. It is easily accessible by Tokyo subway/train system. The hotel is run by a friendly Japanese who speak very little English when drunk. There's a common dining area in front of the reception. We'd meet, network & share tips on how to get a job or travel in Japan. Most are backpackers but many are long-term students (from as far as Madagascar) & English teachers.
Togo Ginja Temple, Tokyo
I took a bus to this temple on a very busy day which I wasn't aware of. It was the Shijigosan Festival where children age 3, 5 & 7 dress in their best and get blessing for their future & health. There was also a wedding going on. In Japanese weddings, the only person in white was the bride.
Hakone
2 hours (100 km) from Tokyo is a pretty town which I wished I had spent more time in. From the train, you'll see rolling hills, fields and Mt Fuji in the distance the minute the train leaves Tokyo. In Hakone, you get around in cable-cars/funiculars, buses and/or trains. There are hot springs and shaded parks around Lake Ashinoko. Lake Ashinoko was formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone after the volcano's last eruption 3000 years ago. On a clear day, Mt Fuji can be seen from here. I hope to return one day.
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