japan
° Ise Peninsula ° Hakone National Park ° Kyoto
° Nara ° Narita ° Tokyo ° The Trains
° UNESCO World Heritage Sites
During
the '60s, I was a travel agent for American Orient Travel in San Francisco,
specializing in high-end tours to Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Because
I was the youngest on the staff, I was never able to take advantage
of the trips. So Japan became a life-long dream, along with Tahiti
as my employer traveled there annually and proclaimed it to be the
When the San Francisco Chronicle offered buyouts, I took one and planned
a two month trip starting in Tahiti and closing with two weeks in Japan, which included
Tokyo, Nara, Lake Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Ise Peninsula.
A major fear keeping people from visiting Japan is the
thought of language difficulty. Many Japanese speak at least a few words of English, but, as written repeatedly here, the Japanese people go out of their way to assist. We bought a plastic coated word/picture
chart at a Japanese book store in San Francisco. That, combined with
the graciousness and intelligence of Japanese people (98% literacy
rate -- among the highest in the world), helped us through crowded
streets and train stations and quiet small villages.
Japan was one of the few countries I visited before my brother.
His concerns included non-familiarity of the culture—except for the incorrect tone imparted in America during the '50 and '60s; the language difficulty, and the costs of traveling in Japan.
We encouraged him to follow our footsteps, which included staying in hotels catering
to Japanese businessmen, or modest inns (both clean, comfortable,
convenient, lower-priced) and eating Japanese food almost every day,
which we love. We also found a fabulous Italian restaurant in Hakone,
owned by a Japanese restaurateur who was so successful he also owned
We also assured him that there are no more gracious people in the world; he, too, found that to be true.
That trip was no more expensive than traveling through any developed
country, and less expensive than most of of the U.S. if you don't insist on living as you would in America. We didn't scrimp on comfort, and traveling through Japan turned out to be less expensive than if we stayed in San Francisco or New York. If you've ever
thought of going, don't put it off.
The deer in these images are found around all the temples in Japan
and are actually referred to as "temple deer." Buddhists and visitors feed the deer. The one to the left is eating
a "prayer" put there by a tourist or by a Buddhist monk.
People write their wishes on paper, or they buy a prayer roll, and
either keep it or tie it to a tree or fence. Generally, if it's a
good wish, they keep it. If it seems to be an ill omen, they tie it
to something so that the monks can dispel the potential ill deed.
We stayed in a Japanese businessman's hotel recommended by the Japan Tourist Association in San Francisco. It was centrally located, clean, and inexpensive as compared to hotels recommended by Western guides.
Tokyo is amazing; it is one of the world's most crowded cities, but the Japanese know crowd control so well that it is easy to get around . . . with help from guide book, cab drivers and the wonderful people. We were trying to find a late-night movie when a 6-foot-tall Japanese transvestite stopped us with "Oh, dears, you do not belong here at this hour. It is not safe." We hadn't been paying attention, but it seems that we ran into an area of prostitution. However, as everyone we encountered in Japan was polite, we hadn't noticed that it was a "dangerous" area . . . and did not feel that it was even after our transvestite friend explained where we were. He/she led us back to our hotel, explaining that he/she was happy to do so as it was a chance to practice English.
The juxtaposition in any huge city is fascinating, but none more so than Tokyo. The next day, in the middle of a crowded shopping district, a group of teenagers in school uniforms formed a circle and began chanting and dancing around celebrating something or other. It took only a few minutes to realize that they were excited because Japan had just won a soccer world cup match, which was taking place during our visit down near Osaka. Americans, even teenagers, probably would have been drinking and somewhat obnoxious. This was clean fun and quite sweet.
Japan is a shoppers' paradise and Tokyo, of course, is no exception. We've never seen such chic designs and styles anywhere in the world; even the high-end shopping streets of Hong Kong or London are no match for Tokyo's au courant styling and because most Japanese people are thin, they tend to look good in anything they put together.
The first time we ever saw a GPS tracker in a car was in Tokyo. This was quite a few years ago, American autos did not yet have them installed, but it is extremely difficult to get around in Tokyo without them. Cab drivers used them to make their way through Tokyo's streets, which were intentionally NOT build in any type of grid as winding streets help stave off invasions and during the decades of samurai and civil wars, Japan's cities had many invasions requiring military tactics . . . thus castle moats and winding streets.
Ise Peninsula
Japan's Ise Peninsula is sufficiently remote that even few Japanese visit the area. However, it is a pleasant high-speed train ride from Tokyo or Kyoto with a transfer at Nagoya.
Ago Bay is home to Japan’s pearl farming industry where Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first cultured pearl in 1905; they are now recognized as the finest in the world. History is preserved through demonstrations at Mikimoto’s pearl farm where white-clad ama dive for abalone. What you can’t see in this poorly exposed photo (sorry . . . old film) are spawning jellyfish stinging the divers, all of whom are women and all of whom have been trained for years. The Ise Peninsula is also home to Japan’s most sacred Shinto Shrines and Meoto Iwa, the “Wedded Rocks.”
Our accommodations on the Ise Peninsula were reached by a small boat owned by the lodge. We called from a shore side telephone, they picked us up and we cruised through old pearl beds to the dock. Our upstairs room overlooked the bay and fishing boats plying the waters throughout the day checking nets and the floating docks holding the oysters.
There is so much to write about Japan. Every hour of everyday was amazing.
Again, even if you have even remotely considered visiting Japan, do
yourself a favor and go.
Japan is surprisingly easy to navigate. Not only are the people the most helpful I've ever come across in years of travel (and my worldly brother said that also when we finally convinced him to go), the public transportation systems are amazing. I'm sure you have heard of the Japanese Bullet Trains, but all other transportation is also exception. In addition, because the Japanese spent so many years on foot, many of the towns are like San Francisco in that they are very "walkable." In Tokyo and Kyoto, for example, we walked almost everywhere.
The Trains
Jamaica was my first tour out of the United States. I still remember signs in the train stations: "Train arrives about . . . " with no number in the "about section."
On the other hand, trains in Japan arrive on the second: 8:43:22. And if you don't catch it during the minute or so it is stopped at the station, well just catch the next one which will be along at 8:47:15 or some such. Their system is quite amazing and second to none. Immaculate, fast, reliable. Food is served on board in . . . as you would expect . . . neat little boxes.
Narita
If your time is so limited that you must stay near Tokyo Airport, consider taking the train into the little town of Narita. It is about a half-hour ride from the airport; we started and ended our trip in Narita . . . and we actually finalized our shopping for gifts to take home in Narita. Prices were reasonable; sure many of the items we bought could be found in San Francisco, which is near where we live, but that's not the same as having something actually from Japan. Flight crew often stay in Narita as it is convenient, and it has retained the feeling of old Japan with its small shops and family-run restaurants.
We happened to be in Narita during the “Gion-e”, which is an event of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Naritasan Shinshoji Temple is the main temple of the Shingon Sect of Chizan-ha Buddhism. Founded by Archbishop Kancho in the third year of Tenkei (940), the temple is dedicated to Fudo Myouou, the god of fire; the image of which was carved and consecrated by Saint Kobo Daishi. Since its foundation, Shinshoji has attracted many followers of the Fudo faith, and is visited by about ten million people a year.
The Narita Gion Festival is one of the greatest festivals held in Narita for three days in early July every year. During the period, neighborhoods build shrines and carry them through the streets in a contest. Narita is a perfect walking city; everything is within strolling distance, including beautiful Naritasan Park (above) with its Calligraphy Museum which houses many modern calligraphy masterworks.
Nearby is Ryushouin (Namerigawa Kannon), said to have been founded by Jikaku Daishi in the fifth year of Showa (838). The main building of the temple, built in the 11th year of Genroku (1698), is a magnificent structure. It is designated as Chiba Prefecture’s tangible cultural property. The Niou gate at the entrance of the temple grounds, built at the end of the Muromachi era, is an important cultural property designated by the National Government.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan
- Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (1993)
- Himeji-jo (1993) Shirakami-Sanchi (1993) Yakushima (1993)
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) (1994)
- Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (1995)
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (1996)
- Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (1996)
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (1998)
- Shrines and Temples of Nikko (1999)
- Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (2000)
- Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (2004)
- Shiretoko (2005) Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (2007)
Reading departure signs in some big airport