A Sakura Fortnight ( 19 Apr to 2 May 2007)

Sakura in Takayama
Uploaded by Pat and Lionel

The small pink flowers were so numerous during the short one to two weeks that they crowned every Japanese cherry tree in sight. The best time to visit Japan was in Spring around mid to late April. 

The picture on the right shows us standing on the Takayama bridge behind a fully blossomed cherry tree. Nothing but flowers is the best way to describe the blooming season. When the wind blew, small pink petals would rain on us.

Travelling In Japan. It took us a long time to pluck up enough courage to visit Japan on our own. There was a fear of losing our way as we assumed that all street signs would be in Japanese and the people cannot understand nor speak English. These fears were unfounded. We had a very enjoyable experience travelling in Central Honshu visiting Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Takayama, Nara and Fujiyoshida. 
Travel by Japan rail, buses and subways was no problem at all. Two weeks on unlimited travel on Japan Rail cost us Sing$578 per person. This was a considerable discount from the single trip ticket since we were using the railway to travel almost everyday. 
JR Passes are only available to foreigners and can only be purchased outside Japan. It is quite simple to reserve seats on trains without additional cost either on the day of travel or before. We travelled on buses and subways in the major cities on subsidized day passes. At each train station, a Japan Tourist Information Bureau office can easily be located. The staff provides advice on the sights and places of interest and the most cost-effective way to get there.

I noticed that the Japanese men wore coats and ties to office, even the bus driver’s uniform required a coat and tie. The women usually wore dark jacketed office wear. However, after office and among some young people the dressing could be quite garish. They dressed in their favourite anime or manga characters' kinky outfits. 
There was almost no evidence of obesity on the streets, which we attributed to the scurrying nature and fast pace walk of the Japanese. There was a definite cadence and minimum speed as they move in the streets and towards train platforms. Everyone appeared to be in such a hurry. There was no time for sauntering, something Pat discovered, when walking a tad too slow and someone bumped into her. It was not unlike an express way, where there could be no cross walks. If the speed was broken there will be a pile up of human traffic. We saw almost no sign of the so-called 'slit eye' look. Most ladies had big round eyes leading us to believe that they probably had some surgical correction when they come of age

Customer Service of the Japanese took on an entirely different meaning in Japan compared with many other countries in the world that we have visited. Service with a smile reached extraordinary level. Everyone was eager to please to the point of scurrying about to fulfil the wishes of the visitor/ customer. “No tips please, we are here to please” seemed to be the order of the day. It made the customer feel welcome, showered with politeness and decorum. The same standard of service is given both to locals as well as foreigners. We saw no evidence of any superiority complex or the xenophobia that we thought typify the Japanese people. If anything, they went out of their way to please.

The Allure of Mt Fuji

The Fuji-Goko, the five lakes area, was the other place other than Hakone from which to view Mount Fuji. Why, we wondered as we gazed at the lovely snow capped view of Mount Fuji from our Ryokan (Japanese word for inn) window did Mt Fuji beckons so? I guessed that it must be the near perfect symmetry of the mountain slopes, the angles were the same on both sides of the mountain. There were no surrounding high features around, so Mount Fuji stood alone. Snow capped the summit forming an inverted cone. The scene was serene and perfect. The Japanese loved symmetry and perfection.

Mount Fuji was the sacred mountain for the Japanese, an object of worship. Those who sought to climb it came on a pilgrimage, a quest to find spiritual fulfillment. During the Edo period (1600-1868) Fujiyoshida, where we stayed, was the original base from which Japanese pilgrims ventured up the holy mountain. There was a shrine, Fuji Sengen Jinja, at the base of Mount Fuji in this bustling tourist town where these pilgrims worshipped. It was landmarked by a very tall and imposing Tori gate. This shrine was founded in 110 A.D. by the Emperor Keiko to the Sengen, the god of the mountain. On the ascent up the mountain were several inns for pilgrims managed by “oshi” the priest-innkeepers. Mt Fuji was once an active volcano. Each year on 26 and 27 August, the Yoshida Fire Festival is observed when the people offered their worship in an effort to quench the fire and to pray for the safety of the climbers in the coming year.

Inn Fujitomita (19 – 22 Apr 2007). The Tsuji family who ran the family inn put us at ease the moment we entered their door that rainy night of 29 Apr 2007. Mrs Tsuji and her two daughters, Sayuri and Shinobu welcomed us profusely we as we alighted from the taxi taken from Fujiyoshida station. Immediately they carried our luggage to the traditional Japanese room prepared for us, tatami-floored with two futon beds and a low square Japanese table with 4 cushioned seats. Accommodation at traditional Japanese inns came with  Japanese breakfast and optional dinner. David Tsuji the innkeeper was a very capable man. He was an inn-keeper, cook, carpenter, builder and mechanic. Sayuri and David spoke very good English having both lived and obtained their college education in California. The Inn provided a hot spring bath, the water pumped up from underground wells and heated. We had a very relaxing bath time after the day’s sight-seeing followed by a delicious dinner. Apparently the springs in the area were all cold springs – Oshino, compared with those in Hakone which are hot springs, Onsen.

Oshino Hakkai. Literally translated eight cold springs, Oshino Hakkai, was a picturesque village about 40 minutes walk from the Inn Fujitomita. This was a village of noodle shops, titbits and pickles stores. Each pond or spring was called by name attached to a certain condition describing the surrounding and associated with one famous pilgrim. There was a ladle pool, where the inlet was beneath the soft sand at the bottom of the pool and ever so often the sand was stirred as the water oozed up from underground.

The Itchiku Kubota Kimono Art Museum. This museum was not to be missed when one visited the rather touristic Lake Kawaguchi area. Nestling among the vistas of the Mount Fuji area, the museum grounds was art in itself with a mixture of Balinese and Japanese themes giving it a rustic outlook. The courtyards and gardens surrounding the main museum building was designed by Itchiku and was styled similar to the Gaudi garden of Barcelona. What was impressive was the creative sensitivity of Itchiku and his unique medium and expression - "I have a very tender feeling with my brush." He had the unique distinction of being the first living artist to have his art form, Kimono Prints, displayed at a Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington DC in 1995-96. After long lasting and continuous effort over 20 years, Itchiku succeeded in reviving the forgotten Tsujigahana method of tie-dye. “I was 20 years old when I encountered the Tsujigahana dye. It was in the Tokyo National Museum. There was a piece of clothing probably a remnant dating back several centuries. I was moved, trembling and fascinated in the face of such mastery and refinement of beauty.” We were treated to Kimonos so beautiful that it brought tears to our eyes. On display were about 80 Kimonos covering the Four Seasons entitled Symphony of Lights, Mount Fuji scenery in various moods entitled ‘Ohn” and Celestial themes.

The Charm of 'old' Japan

Takayama – old town theme (23 Apr 2007). We had not seen a more scenic photo shot any where in the world than the bright red Takayama Bridge with the full bloom of Sakura trees along the banks of the river leading to it. We thanked God for His grace in giving us the perfect timing to visit Takayama in the mountains. What better way to view the authentic shop houses of 16th and 17th Century Japan than to bicycle? We both enjoyed ourselves cycling with the cool breeze on our backs through these shop houses.

Takayama retained its old 17th Century charm with several old houses still maintained and lived in. These houses were painted black. With the sakura trees in blossom the town was picturesque with colours of pink interspered on black houses and coloured bridges. We strolled and cycled, weaving our way through narrow lanes lined by old shop houses selling souvenirs and Japanese cookies. There were sake shops and wine shops like pubs. We discovered that food estbalishments that served alcohol will indicate this by a lovable beaver-racon character called Tanuki.

On the way to Takayama, we saw on the hill slopes, the differing green colours of young leaves of different fir and cypress trees interspersed with light pink wild cherry blossoms or magnolias like white clouds in a seas of differing green. We passed streams and rivers of pristine clear waters and manicured small farms. The Japanese houses were quite small. What was distinctive were the temple styled roofs; each house having several tiered sloping roofs covering various rooms. We passed several small tea plantations by the hill sides.

Gion Tea-houses

Gion – home of the Geishas (25 and 27 Apr 2007) Gion was Kyoto’s famous Geisha district. We wandered along the alleys in the evenings and chanced upon several meikos and geishas all elegantly dressed in their brightly coloured kimonos making their way to the traditional tea-houses where their clients await them. Along the Hanami-koji were 17the Century traditional restaurants and tea-houses. At the Gion corner is the Miyako Odori theatre where for Y1,900 we were treated to 45 minutes of Japanese dances and music in traditional kimonos. The Gion corner theatre introduced us to the traditional tea ceremony, flower arrangement (ikebana), koto music, court music(gagaku), comic play (kyogen), Kyoto-style dance (kyomai) and puppet play (bunraku) for a ticket price of Y2,800. The meikos and geishas were very shy and they quietly moved along the back alleys to their destinations. Invariably crowds of photographers would be waiting along corner to take several photos. Strolling through Gion made us feel as though we had gone back in time.

Castles of Japan

NagoyaCastle

Najoya-jo ( 24 Apr 2007). There used to be many castles in Japan. However when the Tokugawa family took absolute power in 17 century, they destroyed many castles in order to reduce the influence of local warlords and to exert central government under the Shogun. Similarly the same tactics were used during the Meiji restoration. The few castles that remained were destroyed during World War II and are now at various stages of restoration. Nagoya castle was one such castle, built by a Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1612 and occupied by a branch of the Tokugawa family, the Owari clan. The founder of the clan was Tokugawa Yoshinao. Two mythical golden dolphin-fish figures topped the castle. They were now fondly referred to as Shachi and had become the symbols for city of Nagoya. The male and female dolphins (kinshachi) weighed about 44 kg each.

Osaka Castle (28 Apr 2007). The Castle in Osaka was more imposing. It was built by the first warlord that unified Japan, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. However his dynasty did not outlast him, the family was wiped out by the Tokugawas in a very tragic siege of Osaka castle in 1615. There was a Japanese folding screen illustrating the Summer War in Osaka depicting both the victory and the ensuing massacre. The style of most Japanese castles was the same. The innermost sanctuary was the 4 or 5 tiered tower. The number of tiers one could build was dependent on rank and status. The Osaka castle was surrounded by 3 moats, behind each were 2 metres thick stone walls, 20 to 30 feet high. Between the walls were the “killing” grounds in which gardens were now landscaped. The castle proper rested on a solid stone foundation several metres high. Within the last fortress would be a palace where living quarters and reception rooms were found. Japanese castles celebrated the samurai with exhibitions of their armour, swords and weapons. The samurai armour and face masks reminded us of the Dearth Vader face mask of Star Wars.

Nijo Castle(1 May 2007) contained two palaces within its premises, the Ninomaru and the Honmaru, built as the official residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns by the first Shogun, Tokugawa Iyeshu in 1603. Within the Ninomaru Palace, the tourist was guided through the various formal reception rooms and living quarters of high ranking aristocrats during the Edo period in which the warlords led by the Shogun overshadowed the imperial family. The rooms were separated by wooden sliding doors of cypress wood and painted by the great artists of the day. Sliding door panel art were to Japan what frescoes were to the Italians. The sliding doors (fusuma) in the Ninomaru palace were painted by the Kano school especially young Kano Tangyu and Kano Nonobu. The Kano School was a painting family lasting four generations until the Meiji restoration. We were very fortunate to be able to view a special exhibition of the original fusuma panels in celebration of the castle’s 400th anniversary.

Shrines and Temples

Japan was so crowded, there was little room for personal space. The cities were filled with people and the infrastructure geared to show off the glittering attractions of a consumer society. Even in the countryside, one rarely see large expense of greenery. The farms were small holdings and the villages were not scattered but clustered together. So where would the more contemplative Japanese go for solitude and respite? Shrines (Shinto-ism) and temples (Buddhism) were ubiquitous throughout Japan and especially in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. Lionel was standing in front of the Asuta Jingu Shrine, noted as Nagoya's spiritual oasis. It was one of the oldest shrines being founded about 1900 years ago when the sacred sword, Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, one of the imeprial symbols was enshrined.

In Kyoto that one couls visit a different shrine and temple everyday and still would not have exhausted the list in the city in a year. The 5 tiered pagoda was from the Ninna-ji temple. These occupied sizeable pieces of real estate. The gardens surrounding these places of worship embraced and enhanced the serenity of nature and their ponds provided the cool atmosphere and soothing sounds for contemplation. We visited a Zen Buddhism temple, 'Ryoanji'; there was a world famous rock garden of 15 rocks and white gravel. Apparently the longer you gaze at it, the more varied your imagination became.

However looking at the young crowd at the railway stations, we could not have imagined them to be so spiritually awakened. These young “go-getting” Japanese must be the world’s ultimate consumer. Every other 3rd lady we saw on the streets carrid an expensive brand of handbag, Louis Vuitton, Coach or Gucci. The struggle to make a living to afford these expensive items must extract its toll of time and effort and there must be little left for spiritual matters. The shrines and temples presented a quiet atmosphere on weekdays but in visiting on weekends we were met, not with peaceful serenity, but by hordes of worshippers of all ages. They had come to pay their respect to their gods and to submit petitions. The act of worship was fast, and short. It consisted of
(a) Washing of hands at the temple well, a self cleansing act.
(b) Going to the shrine shop to buy an offering or a petition paper.

(c) Standing at the main entrance of shrine, bowing in silence twice and then clapping of hands also twice. There was thick rope attached to a bell, the worshipper would ring the bell twice.
(d) Tossing the offering into the offering box and tying the petition paper to a tree, pole or rope.
This must be a very pragmatic way to evoke favour with the gods, short and sharp, very little time to reflect in the nice and serene gardens. We guessed that they have their share of reflection on the walk from the Tori-gate to the threshold of the shrine.

In Nara, one of the ancient capitals there was a park where several shrines and temples were located. Nara Park  was famous for its sacred deer. It was the last day for school when we visited and the children led by teachers were out in force. Like us, they visited the shrines and temples and played in the parks surrounding the lakes. The main attraction were the revered deer of Nara Park who had been there mingling with the temple crowd and worshippers for many centuries. The Japanese had taught these deer to bow their heads each time they were fed. The young children found it such a thrill to make these deer comply.

Scented Rooms and Decorated Meals

Sukiyaki served in our room

The Sandalwood Scented Rooms of Hotel Matsui (29 Apr to 3 May 2007). A stay at a Japanese inn (ryokan) could be a memorable experience as we found in our stay at this hotel. One came into a sandalwood scented room and realised immediately that there were no beds, only a low Japanese styled table and seats requiring one to kneel or to sit with legs folded forwards. They measured their rooms by the number of standard size tatami mats. Our room in Hotel Matsui measured 8 tatami mats. Translucent rice paper screens separated our rooms into compartments, an outer ante room, the room proper and a walk in closet wardrobe. The chambermaid would kneel at the outer entrance, gave a gentle knock and asked to be allowed in to lay out the futon bed. We were given a Yukata (housecoat) each for bed and these could be worn for moving anywhere within the hotel. In the morning, one was awakened from sleep and the chambermaids would quickly clear the beddings and set the breakfast table. This also occurred at dinner time except that the dinner meal was more elaborate. The Japanese paid an awful lot of attention to garnishing their food. Each plate was served with attention to details of presentation to be pleasing to the eye.

Japanese rice was sticky, soft and fragrant. Our meals consisted of tofu, miso soup, meat and fish served with pickled vegetable in small helpings. Green tea was the main drink but at dinner we would have a shot of honeyed plum wine. One dinner, we had Sukiyaki and another we had Sashimi and Sushi. Desert consisted of jelly and fruits. Once we had dinner at a fast food ramen shop. This was a lesson in fast service. There was a very long line of diners everyday at this restaurant so we thought the food there must be good. After a short wait we entered the restaurant and what greeted us was a ticket dispenser to which we ordered and paid for our Ramen on a fix menu specifying on a questionnaire how we wanted the Ramen cooked. We were then ushered into 2 cubicles on a long food service counter, side by side but separated by a wooden panel. It reminded one of the way visiting rooms in prisons. A panel opened in front and the cook asked for our order tickets. Food was then served. We discovered later that our chairs had sensors attached to them. Once we finished eating and got up, the lights on a keyboard outside the restaurant was lighted indicating to the lead waiter which seats/cubicles were now free. If you like Japanese food you wouldn ot go hungry but enjoy the variety Japan had to offer. The most cost-effective meal was to order a set meal which could cost between Y1,500 to Y2,500.

There were vendors selling sweet potatoes and ice-cream, But the most popular were fried octopus in batter call Takoyaki