Trip Report: Second Time to Japan - Sakura, Gardens and Castles
 

First off, I want to thank everyone on this forum who helped make trip number two a success, including, but not limited to: kja, Mara, Kavey, someotherguy, mrwunrfl and DonTopaz. I hope my experiences will benefit others on this forum as much as I have benefited from yours!

We decided after our trip last year that we still had unfinished business in Japan, so with this trip we tried to strike a balance between visiting places that we loved, as well as seeing some new places. Near the top of our list was to see some of the most noted gardens and castles, and what better time to do that than during sakura! Our final itinerary was determined in part by what we had to cut out last time, projected sakura dates in various locations, and hotel availability. Here is where we landed:

• Tokyo – 3 nights
• Kyoto – 3 nights
• Miyajima – 1 night
• Kurashiki (Okayama) – 1 night
• Kanazawa – 3 nights
• Shibu Onsen – 1 night
• Matsumoto – 1 night

Tokyo

We arrived on April 1, a little nervous after having heard that the cherry trees had reached peak bloom around central Japan about 3 days ahead of forecast. Last year, we had flown into Haneda, from which it was super easy to just grab a cab into town, the entire process taking about 40 minutes from deplaning to arrival at the hotel. By comparison, Narita took about 2 hours from touch down to arrival at Tokyo Station. This was due in part to the fact that we decided to exchange our JR Rail Pass vouchers for the passes at the Narita Terminal One station, which took about 20 minutes. Mission accomplished, we caught the N’ex train for the 1 hour ride to Tokyo Station.

Once we arrived at Tokyo station, we decided to get the remaining train reservations out of the way for the rest of the trip. 30 minutes later we had all our Green Car reservations, of which there were many. As I had done the previous trip, I printed out all of the reservations at home before departure using Hyperdia.com, so it was fairly painless. Note that there is often a travel agent within the major stations, and these may often have shorter lines and more helpful staff members than the regular ticket windows, but that is not always the case.

One big difference this time around was that many of our ideal dates and times were already sold out in the Green Car, so we ended up booking a seat in a regular car in those cases (one negative byproduct of going during the peak of high season). Fortunately, seats in the Green Cars became available by our dates of travel, so checking back each time we passed through a JR station paid off.

Our hotel was just across the street from Tokyo Station at the Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo. Although we were very happy with the Capital Hotel Tokyu last time, when we were researching hotels we noticed that it had increased in price by 40% during sakura season. Also, we wanted to be near Tokyo station, since it connected well with our other destinations. At first we were unimpressed with the Ryumeikan, as the room was much smaller than at the Capital, and the closet almost non-existent (we like to unpack rather than live out of a suitcase); however, by the end of our stay it won us over for it’s convenient location and excellent breakfast, which had a huge Japanese selection (and a few nods to western tastes, such as granola, yoghurt and bread, none of which we tried).

Since we had done our “must-see” Tokyo sites on our last trip, this one was dedicated primarily to all things sakura. Although weather.com had been forecasting rain all week, we woke up to sunny skies and projected highs of 74 degrees F.

Our first stop was Ueno Park, where we arrived about 8:00am. Our worries about missing the peak blooms were unfounded, as the trees looked like pink popcorn had burst all over them. A few early birds had already staked out a few choice spots for their lunch time hanami (with the ubiquitous blue tarps that seem to be obligatory), but for a time we had the park mostly to ourselves. This was vastly changed by 9:00am when the entire area was throbbing with crowds.

The main path connecting the Keisei Ueno train station with the Tokyo National Museum was breathtaking, a floral tunnel, lined with red lanterns. We spent a good 3 hours in the park, also checking out the Kiyomizu Kannon Temple and the Toshogu Shrine. The Bentendo temple is on a little island in the Shinobazu pond, the road to which was lined with booths selling street food, which we enjoyed trying; however, we were occasionally surprised to find out what we thought was a chicken meat skewer was actually just the skin, or some sort of organ meat, but which actually turned out to be quite tasty.

The path leading past the Bentendo temple was probably our favorite sakura spot in the park, partly because it was less crowded and partly because it is surrounded on both sides by the pond. There is something doubly appealing about seeing the cherry blossoms reflected back in the water. It was all incredibly photogenic, especially combined with the wispy green willows which lined that portion of the pond.

Our next stop was at the Yasukuni Shrine, which contains the tree that is used to pronounce the “official” opening of blooms in Tokyo. As with Bentendo, the road leading to the shrine was lined with food vendors, but this was a much more elaborate affair. There were dozens of tables and hundreds (thousands?) of chairs set up beneath the cherry trees to accommodate the crowds. Since it was approaching lunch time, we took advantage of the beautiful day and location. For the price of some sake and tea, we were able to secure a couple spots at a table. This gave us time to leisurely scope out all of the various food items. We settled on some delicious balls of fried dough with octopus in the middle, which I later found out was called takoyaki. Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, they were topped with what appeared to be mayonnaise, a brown sauce (like a less sweet eel sauce) and shavings of seaweed. Delicious!

After touring the shrine complex, we headed to Chidarigafuchi, just across the street, in which the moats of the former Edo Castle are lined with hundreds of blooming trees, cascading down the banks to the water, which were teaming with small rowboats. I had thought that Ueno Park was beautiful, but this scene was even more striking. From certain spots along the path above the water, it appeared as if pink and white clouds of fog had engulfed both banks of the moat.

At this point we were pretty exhausted from the plane travel and the time zone change, so we decided to take a break in our room for a couple hours before proceeding to Shinjuku Gyoen Park, which Japan-Guide.com gives its highest rating for sakura viewing. Unfortunately, I did not read the small print, because when we arrived there at about 4:20pm, it was to discover that they stopped letting people in at 4:00pm and closed at 5:00pm. Here I was thinking I was so organized! There was nothing we could do about it, so we decided to go back to Chidarigafuchi, which we learned would be lit up at night.

Since we had about an hour to kill before darkness, we found a nearby teahouse, which also sold very beautiful, incredibly expensive ceramics. We passed a very enjoyable hour having tea and sweets and “shopping” for ceramics.

If I had thought the crowds were thick earlier in the day, it was nothing compared to this area at night. Now that the sakura-happy Tokyoites were off from work, the path along the moats was like being in a subway car at rush hour. We didn’t walk; we glided, carried by the crush of the crowd. It was very beautiful, but a bit overwhelming. We enjoyed it for a time, before retreating back to our hotel, and a delicious yakiniku dinner nearby, where we formulated a plan for the next day. We had intended to leave Tokyo Station early for a day trip to Kamakura, but Shinjuku Gyoen was still haunting me. What to do??

Great start to your report! We have promised ourselves that our next Japan trip will be to see the sakura, since we saw the koyo our first trip.

Konnichiwa Russ. Glad the timing worked out for you on the sakura and that your trip got off to a good start. I too will be following along your report with great interest, especially Kanazawa and Okayama. I'm in the early stages of planning my spring 2016 trip to Japan and Australia; like you, it will be my second time in the Land of the Rising Sun. Did you take a ride on the new Hokuriku Shinkansen? Was the restoration on Himeji Castle complete when you were there?

Thanks, Kathie!

triplanner, yes on both counts!

More to come...

Enjoying this, especially because we were in Japan until March 31st, the day before you arrived. We went to Ueno Park on the 29th (PACKED with picnickers because it was a Saturday) and most of the trees were a very pale pink, almost white. Could they have become pinker a few days later?

Hi crosscheck. When we were in Ueno Park, 4 days after you, the outer part of the petals were a light pink and the center of each bloom was dark pink, so that the overall effect from a distance was a kind of light "candy-heart" kind of pink. This differed later in the trip as we encountered other varieties.

russ_in_LA, glad I was helpful to your trip planning....sounds like your timing was excellent. I am in Kyoto now and most of the sakura are just about finished. I think when you got to Kyoto sakura viewing must have been good as well. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

I agree about Chidorigafuchi - I also have seen beautiful blossoms there in other years....

Thanks for the report! Now I am craving takoyaki and dreaming of cherry blossoms. We missed the sakura by a few days on a trip a few years ago, only a sprinkling of petals were left in Kamakura. Since then it is my goal to return during the right time.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks for the positive comments, everyone. It makes me happy that others are enjoying it. Continuing...

Shinjuku Gyoen

Friday morning broke gray and dreary, but regardless, we abandoned our plan to leave Tokyo Station at 8:00am for Kamakura, in order to go to be at Shinjuku Gyoen by 9:00am. Our reasoning was that, while the sakura is fleeting, Kamakura will probably still be there if we ever come back to Japan again.

A sizable line had already formed by the time we arrived 8:45, but the gates opened on time at 9:00, and not a second earlier. Virtually everyone in the crowd went left, so we went right. This was certainly a benefit of being in such a large park, where it wasn’t too difficult to find a quiet spot where you could be almost alone.

One of the things that we noticed was that there was a much greater variety of cherry species than we had seen thus far, and with a greater range of colors, from white to light pink to a shade of pink appropriate for Barbie’s Dream House. Some of them we’re just beginning to bloom, while others were at full bloom, and still more were furiously dropping petals, cascading down and collecting on the ground into little snow drifts, until a breeze sent them flying again in tiny spirals of color. We tried to catch some of it on video, but of course it never looks as good as the real thing.

Since we knew our time was limited, we made a circuit of the park rather quickly, taking in the various ponds, bridges, and quaint little tea houses in just under an hour. Circling back towards the entrance, we noticed that most of the people were still gathered within 200m of the main gate, even though the rest of park was virtually empty. Satisfied, we hopped on the subway for one stop and just made our 10:15 train for Kamakura at Shinjuku station.

Kamakura

Since we arrived about two hours later than planned, we had to settle for an abbreviated visit, the highlights of which are as follows:

• Engakuji – beautiful main gate, charming teahouse with ancient temple bell high up a steep set of stairs
• Bento box lunch in a small house on the path between Engakuji and Kenchoji
• Kenchoji – Oldest Zen temple in Kamakura with beautiful “tunnel” of blooms overhead right after the main entrance and a zen garden behind the main hall.
• Hachimanju Shrine – unfortunately, the long approach leading up the temple, which is usually the prime sakura spot, was under construction, so all the trees had been temporarily removed.
• Shopping street between Hachimanju and Kamakura Station where we had some delicious macha green tea ice cream.
• Daibutsu (The Great Buddha) – at 44 feet tall, the second largest in Japan. A great photo op with the cherry trees in the foreground. For 20 yen you can even go inside him, which was interesting to see how he was patched together out of about a couple dozen pieces of bronze.
• Hasedera – the 30 foot high gilded wood statue of Kannon is one of the largest in Japan

We grabbed a train back to Tokyo Station, arriving a bit after 6pm, and exited through the Daimaru department store, which was the closest exit to our hotel. Directly across from us we had previously noticed that, among the high rises, a side street was lined with cherry trees; however, this was different than the other times we had passed by. Tonight the street was closed off to traffic, and office workers were laying out their big, blue tarps in the middle of the street for a Friday night hanami beneath the trees. It was very festive and everyone was so happy to participate in this annual tradition.

This is as good a time as any to mention that my idea of what “sakura” means was vastly expanded on this trip. I was expecting lots of pretty blooms, which of course there were, but the excitement of the season really surprised me. This is a major holiday, and it is treated as such. If we saw a woman in a kimono, it had a bright floral print. If we went out to a nice dinner, there were at least two or three courses with a “sakura” blossom made out of ginger or tofu, and tea cups had floral designs. Men wore pink shirts and children walked through the parks singing, “sakura, sakura, sakuuuuuuuurrrrrraaaaa!” It was so touching to see a holiday that united every person in the country and alienated no one. It’s not just for couples. You don’t have to be the “right” religion. It’s not laden down with some sort of jingoistic political meaning. Sakura, the most inclusive holiday I have ever had the pleasure to celebrate, is for everyone.

I'm so glad to learn that you again thought my input worth noting and I appreciate your kind words! I feel like I'm benefiting from a vicarious trip this time -- and for that, thank YOU!

Oh Russ, this is such a joy to read. I'm so happy you had such wonderful sakura viewing and I'm sitting here grinning with delight as I read. And as Kja says, so kind of you to note our input, it's very much a mutual thing here in our little Japanophile community of travellers!

Your observation on what sakura means really makes me want to make our third visit (perhaps spring 2016) a sakura one!

Thanks. Wonderful report, keep going please.

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms in the spring sky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPGNqwT2N_Y

I was awaiting your trip report with anticipation. It was worth the wait! Thank you for the vivid descriptions of the sakura. I almost feel as if I can see it myself! Your mini-trip report on Kamakura is so helpful. As we had decided against a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo, and Kamakura came up as a quicker option for our large group filled with children. We are two months from our departure and are getting excited for our first trip. And I'm super excited for your next installation! Keep writing!

Thanks again everyone1

Lolazahra, just a heads up about Kamakura: as I mentioned, the approach to Hachimanju Shrine is all torn up, although if you take the pedestrian shopping street that runs parallel between it and the station, it shouldn't have much of an impact. Also, if you think the kids might suffer from "temple-fatigue" you might want to limit your visit to just the ones that I mentioned. You definitely don't want to burn them out on temples and shrines before you get to Kyoto!

OK, moving on...

Hikone Castle

One thing that I had learned from our previous trip was that we could take advantage of a brief stop while en route between two cities to see a sight along the way. Last year, this had happened organically, like when we spontaneously decided to go see Odawara Castle on the way between Hakone and Takayama, only because we had a long connection between trains. So this time I decided to plan some of these stop overs right into our itinerary. Our first was between Tokyo and Kyoto, with a stop to see Hikone (not to be confused with Hakone) Castle, just a bit north of Kyoto. If I remember correctly, this was a suggestion from Fodorite mrwunrfl, which turned out to be a good one.

The sun was threatening to come out from the cloudy skies, so we had high hopes for good weather when we departed Tokyo. We had shipped our luggage to Kyoto the day before, so we were traveling light, with just a couple of overnight bags, which we stored at the Hikone station. This was to be our first castle visit on this trip, as well as the first visit ever to an “original” castle; i.e., one which was not a reconstruction. Even though Hikone usually gets its peak sakura bloom about a week after Kyoto, the warm weather had sped it up this year, so we arrived to see the peak of the peak blooms under sunny skies, which was a very happy surprise.

Much smaller than Himeji or Matsumoto castles, which we would see later, I like to think of Hikone as an entry-level, “starter-castle” for your young, upwardly mobile shogun. The road leading to the castle was lined with blossom-laden trees, but instead of strings of small lanterns like we had seen at Ueno Park in Tokyo, these were interspersed with 5-foot high red poles, each with an enormous 6-sided bucket-shaped red and white lantern perched on top. Think of those giant rotating buckets that Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants used to have out front, but much prettier.

The petite castle keep is located on up a stone ramp, from which it looked bright white against the blue sky. There was a modest line of people waiting to go in, so we decided to have a look inside before seeing the rest of the gardens. It’s such a tiny little keep, how long could this take? Well, we found out, in what turned out to be trip mistake #2. While it only took about 30 minutes to get inside, it was so slow for the crowd simultaneously going up and down the wooden ladders/staircases that it took a total of an 1 hour 15 minutes to go all the way through and out again.

This would not have been a problem had I been a reasonable person and scheduled only one sightseeing stopover on the way to Kyoto; but in my infinite wisdom, I had a second stop planned, a few train stops and a bus ride away, at the Miho Museum. In order to decide whether to finish the gardens or go to the museum, we employed the exact opposite logic that we had used for our Shinjuku Gyoen visit; that is, we had already seen and would likely see a lot more sakura, but we may never get back to see the Miho Museum. So we cut short the garden visit and off we went.

When we got off the train at the Ishiyama stop, there was a bus waiting exactly where it was supposed to be, but it didn’t say Miho Museum on the front. Unfortunately, the correct bus departure was still 40 minutes away, and since we were already running behind, we didn’t want to risk getting there at 4:30 and having only 30 minutes to run through; so we bit the bullet and taxied there, which took half the time that the bus takes and enabled us to make a comfortable 90 minute visit.

Our main motivation for wanting to go here was the architecture more than the collection. Designed by I.M Pei, it’s a modern complex, but with inspiration taken from traditional Japanese building styles and the environment in which the museum is set. The approach to the museum is as impressive as the building itself, perhaps more so. We walked up a narrow driveway lined with weeping cherry trees which were just starting to bud, except for the last ones on each side, which were about 50% opened. These framed the opening of a curved steel tunnel which pierced the hillside. We could not see out the other end until we had gotten substantially through the tunnel, after which the building at the far end came into view. Looking back we could see the row of weeping cherries dangling across the tunnel’s entrance, their faint pink color picked up by the reflection in the steel lining of the tunnel.

Once through, there is a suspension bridge across a ravine, dramatically linking the tunnel to the entrance of the museum building. The building itself is comprised primarily of a framework of steel tubes and glass, which lets in the amazing forest setting, while paying homage to the traditional silhouette of the kind of Japanese thatched huts that you might find in the area. If you have any interest whatsoever in modern architecture, Google it. It's pretty cool.

The museum houses a private collection of mostly Asian and European antiquities, but the most interesting part was an 18 minute video on the design and construction of the complex. Although completed with the oversight of forest conservationists, I might have been vehemently against disturbing such a pristine site, had I had not first seen the finished product. 75% of the structure resides underground, the hilltop and trees surrounding the site having all been removed and then restored upon completion. It reminded me that one of the things I love about Japan is how it is actually possible for man and nature to coexist harmoniously.

After our visit, we caught the 5:15 bus back to the station and were in Kyoto by 6:30, exhausted after a too busy day, but happy with what we had accomplished.

Enjoyed your account of the Miho Museum. I can almost imagine the setting from your description.

Wow...a very impressive day....I don't have that kind of energy anymore...lol.

I went to Hikone Castle last year - I just looked at my photos - those large bucket-shaped lanterns might have been for a night-time light-up and the writing, I think, is advertisements for the sponsor....

I went to the Miho once - it is an interesting venue. fyi, if anyone will be in the area from 7/4 to 8/30 they are having a fabulous exhibit - I was able to see it at the Suntory in Tokyo:
Celebrating Two Contemporary Geniuses: Jakuchu and Buson

enticed by the prospect of learning about the cherry blossom, your TR has delighted me, Russ. Japan has not really been on my radar but after reading what you have written, I may change my mind.

so many useful tips as well.

please keep it coming.

@Mara, yes, It was pretty exhausting. We dialed down the stopovers a bit after that. Re: the lanterns, yes, I'm sure that's what they were for as well.

Thanks all!

Kyoto

I won’t go into the excruciating detail about the Hotel Mume that I went into in last year’s trip report; however, our Kyoto experience on both trips is so tied to our experience there that I’m not sure I could separate the two. For example, on this trip I emailed them to ask if they could get us a reservation for the Moss Temple (Kokedera), which requires a postcard request no more than 2 months in advance. They not only did this, but also asked us if we wanted them to also make a reservation for the Katsura Imperial Garden for the same day, since they are both in the same general direction. Ummm…yes!

Then about a month before our arrival, they emailed to say that they might be able to get us tickets to the Miyako Odori, but they wouldn’t know for sure until just before we arrived. Were we interested? To be honest, I had never heard of this show, but I did a quick Google search, and it turns out that this would be the 143rd presentation of Kyoto’s traditional spring dance festival. It’s kind of a big deal. Of course, I said yes.

So upon checking in, not only were we given the written confirmations for our temple and garden reservations, but we were presented with 3rd row seats for the Miyako Odori, which included a tea ceremony and access to a small private garden behind the theater before the show. Wow! But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Our luck finally ran out with regards to the weather, as it alternated between a fine misty rain and heavy downpours during our entire stay in Kyoto; however, since this was our second trip, we didn’t feel so badly. Fortunately, our sakura luck held out, as we had hit the end of the peak period in Kyoto as well, even if the blooms were all a bit soggy. So our itinerary that first day was more about hitting the prime cherry blossom spots, and only limited temple viewing.

We started by having a taxi drop us off at the top of the Philosopher’s Path, close to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion. The path runs alongside a canal which was lined both on sides with cherry trees and completely covered with blossoms, mostly the light pink ones, but accented with some of the darker weeping variety. We followed this down to the end by Nazenji temple. This is the only temple along this path we had not gone into last time, so we couldn’t pass it by this time. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the day.

As we walked through the covered wooden walkways connecting the various halls and pavilions, everywhere we turned there was a garden, either a large rock garden, a verdant moss garden, or some tiny pocket garden with an interesting waterfall or other feature. We spent a good ten minutes watching water drop into a piece of bamboo, set up to pivot like a tiny “see-saw”. As the bamboo filled up, the weight of the water would cause the end of the tube to suddenly drop, reminding me of that “drinking bird” toy I had as a child. When it angled downward the water would pour out, and the sudden loss of weight at that end would cause the bamboo to drop back to its original position with a very pleasing “thunk”. Drip, drip, drip…”thunk”. Drip, drip, drip…”thunk”. It was mesmerizing.

To the right of the temple was an old aqueduct with stairs leading up the hill, which we had read would lead to the top of the Keage Incline, which is a set of old railroad tracks that lead up from a canal below to a canal above. In the past it was used to ship boats between the two, bridging the difference in elevations, but we had heard that it’s now a popular sakura spot.

As we walked along the top of the aqueduct, with water rushing to our left and a precipitous drop to our right, I got the feeling that it was not someplace we were supposed to be, but eventually we could hear the roar of water as it rushed from the upper canal, down a runoff channel, and presumably to the other canal below. Just ahead, we could see the railroad tracks, lined on each side by dozens of cherry trees stretching as far as we could see. This place was certainly not undiscovered, however, as was testified by the dozens of colorful umbrellas, carried along by people climbing the hill from below. In fact, we saw more than one new bride and groom, dressed in traditional Japanese attire, posed against the sakura backdrop. I felt sorry for the couples, standing in the rain on their big day, but felt confident that they would feel that the beautiful photos would make it all worth it in the end.

We walked down the incline, and then along the canal at the bottom, which soon brought us to the entrance of the Heian Shrine, which we knew had a huge gorgeous garden. Of course, being Sunday, we were far from the only ones there. When we went in May of last year the highlights were the irises and water lilies blooming in the large central pond. This time, it was the large stand of weeping cherries, with a pergola supporting their delicate branches; the dark pink blooms evoking wisteria, draping from the lattice work.

After lunch we took a taxi to Kiyomizudera and walked down through the Higashiyama streets toward Maruyama Park, another prime sakura spot. However, this time we had another mission. A friend of ours had admired an orange lacquered persimmon-shaped box with a carved wood leaf-shaped lid that we had bought in the area last year, and we were determined to find the shop where we had purchased it and buy him one. Unfortunately, the entire population of Kyoto was on the same street on this rainy Sunday afternoon, so it was a torrent of people with umbrellas, making it difficult to see where we were going, let alone the shops; however, we persevered.

We finally found the shop, on a street next to the Kodaiji temple, but when we inquired about our prized persimmon, we learned that the supplier, a local man who made them himself, had recently retired. We were delighted to find out that it had been hand made, and locally at that, but disappointed that we would not be able to buy another. I guess our friend would have to settle for a beautifully carved wooden apple instead.

Having satisfied our wooden fruit fix, we proceeded down the path to take a look at the sakura at Maruyama Park. Unfortunately, the rain continued to come down steadily, thwarting the hanami plans in the park, forlorn straw mats gathered in soggy piles beneath the trees. So we waded back to the hotel to put on some dry clothes and get ready for our 4:50 performance of the Miyako Odori.

We arrived at the Kaburenjo Theater in the preserved Gion area, where the show has played annually since its inception in 1872. While waiting for the Tea Ceremony, we were able to wander around the lovely small garden out back, but in no time at all, they were calling us in. They filed a couple hundred of us into a room in the most orderly fashion imaginable, where a geisha (or geiko, as they are known in Kyoto) was seated on a platform, holding a teapot. Within two seconds of being seated, other geikos appeared with cups of tea and a small sweet made from rice and sweetened red bean paste. As we finished our tea and confection, people around us stood up and began to file out of the room. Wait. Was that it? Had the tea “ceremony” happened sometime during the three minutes that it took us to file in and drink a cup of tea? Something tells me that this might have been just a bit edited from a traditional tea ceremony, but I’ll just have to read up on it I guess, because we never found out. After taking a couple obligatory pics of the geiko on the platform, who sat serenely stirring her cup of tea, we were whisked out of our room and to our seats in the theater for the show; but what a show it was!

I have to admit, I may not be downloading the cast album from iTunes any time soon, but the sets and costumes were pretty amazing. The musicians and singers, playing traditional instruments, were seated along both sides of the stage, which extended down the sides of the theater, so we were surrounded by sound, color and action on three sides. Although we didn’t understand the words, it was easy to follow the theme from the changing of the fantastic scenery and costumes: pink cherry blossoms, deep purple irises, bright yellow sunflowers, burnt orange autumn leaves and blindingly white snow, each signifying, through color, song and dance, the changing of the seasons. Finally, the finale, when strands of cherry blossoms dropped from the ceiling and the entire cast came back on stage to celebrate the return of spring! I felt privileged to have been able to participate in an annual festival such as this, one which reached back in some form or another for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

Wow! Sounds like the start of your Kyoto visit went well in spite of the rain. Nanzenji too was one of my favorite temples; I so fondly recall the bamboo water feature that you described.

I had very little idea of what a trip to Japan might entail, Russ, but you are giving me lots of great ideas.

The hotel in Kyoto looks terrific. are the prices there typical of what you pay in Japan? [about yen 27,000/night or £150]

@tripplanner,

Don't get me wrong, we would love to have seen blue sky and had dry shoes, but we certainly didn't let it stop us!

@annhig,

That was the most expensive hotel we went to on this trip (not counting a couple ryokan (traditional Japanese lodging), which included dinner and breakfast, which probably would come to less if you pulled out those costs). I went 4 star in other places, so you could pay a lot more or a lot less than we paid. Tokyo was about same as Kyoto, but outside Tokyo we paid between 14,800 and 19,500 per night, and we were generally happy with the accommodation. Don't know if you would be traveling solo or not, but lots of options for solo travelers in many places as well.

If you want more detail on Tokyo or Kyoto, you can also read my trip report from last year, which I geared more toward helping other first timers, especially tips toward planning. My best resource (besides this forum) was definitely japan-guide.com, which I read for hours. The "suggested itinerary" section is great because you can put in a number of days you want to stay, read up on those destinations, and the decide which ones to keep or delete. Here's a link:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_19.html

We covered pretty much everything on this itinerary over the two 2-week trips (with some repeating) except Nagasaki.

FYI, one more day in Kyoto to go, and then we are into new places that we didn't go to last year.

Correction regarding the sample itinerary link I posted. We also did not go to Ise, Osaka or Hiroshima. This sample from japan-guide.com is really too much moving around and not enough time in each place, but it's good for starting your internal "where should I go" conversation, and then editing from there.

Thanks, again, Russ. I was thinking that the accommodation costs were going to be rather more than we like to pay [no more than £100 a night if possible] but that sounds quite encouraging.

We're not likely to be doing a trip to Japan for at least 2 years [we have Cuba lined up for next January, and we probably wouldn't do another big trip until 2018, which seems a very long time away] but it's worth doing some forward planning!

Ann, FWIW, we were in Japan in 2011 and spent approximately US$150-175 a night on accommodations, staying at 3- to 4-star establishments. Back then 1 USD fetched about 70-75 JPY.

thanks, tp. of course prices may go up by the time we get there, but lets hope they don't go up too much.

Russ, this is a delightful report! Thanks for so much detail. No question, our next trip to Japan will be to see the Sakura!

ann, we used Hyatt points to enable us to stay at some lovely places - 6 free nights in Kyoto, and an upgrade to a suite at Hakone, for instance. I had expected Japan to be more expensive than it was for us. Restaurant meals were similar to Seattle prices.

@ annhig -- IME, one can find less expensive accommodations in Kyoto and other parts of Japan, though it takes some searching and, in some cases, a willingness to give up some of the accoutrements that many Westerners expect.

@ Russ -- still enjoying the great reminders of things seen and glimpses of things to be seen. :-)

Good point, Kathie. I shall have to get amassing some points.

thanks, kja. I'm not sure what you're asking me to give up, but I'm open to suggestions!

Keep it coming Russ - I''m enjoying your account very much. This year, however, I'm glad to have stayed at home in the UK - the blossom here is outstanding.

@annhig - I think you would not give up anything that you would not expect to give up for budget accommodation anywhere: central location, service, and to a lesser extent a certain amount of charm (which is hard to quantify). You won't have to give up on cleanliness! I think of a Motel 6 or a Travel Lodge in the U.S. If all you are looking for is a place to put your head at night, then that's all you need.

OK, continuing with the epic...


Arashiyama

Today we had reservations for the Moss Temple and the Katsura Imperial Villa in the afternoon, so we decided that we would spend the morning in Arashiyama, just a bit further north. We took the Kankyu line train to the Arashiyama station, and then a taxi to the Otagi Nenbetsuji temple, which we had somehow missed last time. It is only a 10 minute walk uphill from the Adashino Nenbutsuji temple, which was our favorite from last year, so I was determined to see it this time.

It was still raining when we got out of the taxi, but we knew right away we were going to like it, in part because we had it completely to ourselves. It was such a nice people break from the crowds. Well, to be honest, we weren’t completely “alone”. The grounds are populated with over 1200 statues of rakan, devoted followers of Buddhism, in all sorts of poses, many holding any number of items, like goblets or what appeared to be cameras. The majority are covered in a thick layer of bright green moss. We probably spent an hour photographing them from every which angle.

After leaving the temple, we walked past the Adashino temple onto the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street, which also never seems to be crowded. There is a shop that seemed to have a better quality items for gifts than we had seen in most places, as well as unique food items, like whole roasted red bean candy with a variety of flavored coatings, which we never saw anywhere else. There is a quaint garden in back, and they served us tea as we shopped, which was nice after standing in the rain. It was a very relaxed and unhurried shopping experience.

We continued to walk downhill into town, passing through the bamboo grove and past Tenryuji Temple, the gardens of which I highly recommend. We turned right and walked down the main street through town, which was mobbed with tourists at this point, a stark contrast to the beginning of our day. We followed the street across the Togetsukyo Bridge, to a small park which contains a large concentration of cherry trees, which the crowds across the bridge had not yet discovered. The south side of the park was lined with old but restored wooden buildings which housed a variety of restaurants. We settled on shabu-shabu for lunch, which is thinly sliced beef and vegetables that we cooked in boiling water, while we sat on tatami mats at our low table. We were the only non-Japanese in the room, and the staff suffered our bad Japanese attempts graciously and with good humor. We were excited as we got ready to leave for the first of our two reserved afternoon visits: Saihoji temple, more commonly known as Kokedera, the Moss Temple.

@ annhig, re: accommodations in Japan: "I'm not sure what you're asking me to give up, but I'm open to suggestions!"

When I visited Japan, I needed to keep all costs over which I had ANY control to a bare minimum so that I could take advantage of some of the costlier options that I sought while there. As a solo traveler, the purposes to which I put a room are generally just sleep and hygiene, so I went for low-end accommodations through most of my time in Japan. And because of that, I was able to afford a few splurges -- a night at a ryokan in Miyajima and a night at one of Koyasan’s temples – splurges that I could afford only because I skimped on other accommodations. I stayed at some places where space was very limited (sometimes extraordinarily so!), where breakfasts (if available) included only Japanese options, and / or where staff didn’t necessarily speak English. I always chose locations that suited my purposes, and as Russ noted, I NEVER sacrificed cleanliness. It is really hard for me to imagine that cleanliness or courtesy would EVER be in short supply at a Japanese accommodation. So when I said you might need to give up some things, I was thinking of things like space, ease of communication, Western breakfast options, etc.

@ Russ – again, my apologies for interrupting. I am really enjoying your ability to convey images through your words – you have gift!

Russ and kja - thanks for the clarification.

I'll try to stop posting diversions - I think that I need to do some research so that I can ask some more sensible questions.

Annhig, yay, create a planning thread and ask LOTS of questions, I was going to jump in but you're right, this is Russ' trip report, so I'll resist adding more diversion... but yay, go to Japan!!

Russ, I'm continuing to grin in pleasure as I read... MORE PLEASE! :-D

No problem with the diversions! Trying to see if I can condense my posts a bit, but brevity has never been my best quality.

Although we arrived at the Moss Temple before our appointed time, the temple was already filled with at least a couple hundred people, kneeling on the floor and busily writing on large sheets of paper. A small wave of panic went through me as I realized that admission required the writing out the sutra in kanji letters, until we received a copy of the page, which had all the Japanese characters printed lightly on it. All we would be required to do was to trace over them with ink using a small brush; however, this too proved to be easier said than done. A few moments after we started, two monks came into the temple and started to chant the sutra, which lasted about 15 minutes. When they were finished, it was clear that it was going to take us hours to complete this task, until one of the monks took pity on us and told us that we were not required to finish. Standing up on creaky legs, we thanked him, turned in our “calligraphy” and entered the Moss Garden.

I must admit that a Japanese garden experience is not particularly “zen” when shared with several hundred others, so we were grateful to have been the one of the first into the garden. This was one instance when the persistent rain may have actually improved rather than detracted from the experience: the soft sound of drops on the umbrella, the murmur of water flowing through rivulets in the moss, and the iridescent quality that it gave the garden, glowing with a seemingly infinite variety of green, emerald, chartreuse, and jade.

By contrast, the Katsura Imperial Garden was only accessible by staying with a Japanese lead group tour which departed every half hour. We were given English language recordings to listen to, which were moderately helpful; however, while the group listening to the guide reacted with “oohs”, “ahhs”, and laugher for 10 minutes at each stop, our recording was limited to something along the lines of, “This is the moon viewing pavilion, from which the princess would view the moon”. I may be over simplifying a bit, but you get the picture. The garden however, was beautiful, even though it happened to coincide with the heaviest 60 minutes of rain during our stay in Kyoto.

The Moss Temple sounds lovely. Wondering if it is too much of a detour for a visit on the way from Kanazawa to Okayama... Perhaps it's one of the places we'll need to save for round three.

It depends on what your tolerance is for a lot of stops en route, but I would say if you are in Kyoto already, then try to get a reservation, but I would not necessarily suggest making a special trip just for that.

We awoke early the next morning for our Shinkansen trip to Hiroshima, followed by a local train and ferry, bound for the island of Miyajima. We toyed with the idea of making a quick stop at Himeji to see the cherry blossoms, as the prime sakura viewing was winding down, but thought better of it after checking the Japan-Guide.com forums, to discover posts about two-hour lines just to enter the castle grounds, let alone the keep. We had waited 5 years for the restoration to be completed; I suppose we could wait another 2 days to see it on the way back.

Fortunately the rain had petered out overnight, and the sun was breaking through the clouds as we walked from the dock toward the famous “floating” torri. We had left our bags at the information counter near the dock, where the ryokan would pick them up, so we were free to explore, unencumbered. It was lunch time, so that was the first order of business.

I have this annoying (even to me) trait of wanting to see if, after months of planning and deliberation, I have ultimately made the right choice in hotel, restaurant, or even destination, so I suggested that we try to have lunch at the hotel Iroha, which I had considered before landing on Iwaso. We found it easily, located with a view of the bay, and backing up to a very lively narrow street, which was lined with old wooden buildings, and filled with shops and restaurants. Entering Iroha, we asked a staff member to direct us to the restaurant. As she tried to respond, she was interrupted by two different members of tour groups, who didn’t seem to be deterred by the fact that she was in the middle of a conversation with someone. In the end she explained that the entire restaurant was booked by tour groups and not available. Correct hotel decision confirmed, we set out to find sustenance.

We landed on a tiny restaurant which had a gentleman out front grilling oysters, one of the specialties of the area. We sat at the bar and had an easy decision to make: fried or grilled. We ordered one of each lunch menu, and the massive oysters that they brought proved to be the best we have ever had anywhere, plumb, meaty and delicious.

Satisfied, we continued toward the massive torri in the bay, which, given the high tide, did indeed appear to be floating. After taking an insane number of photos, we decided to save the Itsukushima Shrine for later in the day, when the massive number of day trippers would have left the island. Instead, we took the “rope-way” to the top for amazing views of the bay as well as the other side of the island.

Although it was possible to continue hiking to the summit, we decided to save our strength for the walking trail down, which would take us past the Misen Honda, which we were told was about a 15 minute walk, and eventually the Daisho-in Temple. The trail was much steeper than we expected, with a lot of stairs, which would have been fine, except for the fact that they were twice as tall as a standard height. After 25 minutes, something seemed wrong, so I decided to consult my map and discovered major trip error #3, we had taken the wrong path. Not only was this path most difficult of the three, but it was not going to take us past the Misen Honda. Ugh! I may have had a minor meltdown at that point, but with legs feeling like overcooked noodles, we finally made it down, and then partially back up the correct path, in order to see the Daisho-in Temple.

We ascended the stairs of the temple, lined with prayer wheels which have the sutra print inscribe on them. It is believed that turning the wheels has the same effect as reciting the sutra. By the time we entered, I was feeling good about life again. We really enjoyed the temple complex, the highlights being a cave filled with hundreds of lanterns, as well as another area near the entrance, filled with small statues of men, each wearing his own little colorful wool knit cap.

At this point, it was just a five minute walk down to the Itsumkushima Shrine, which was now almost completely void of people. As it was now low tide, it was interesting to be able to see the entire structure, the bottom of which was underwater when we last passed by. After touring the shrine, we walked out to the torri, which was also now stranded ashore. It was really interesting to see up close. One, because it’s impossible to appreciate just how massive it is from afar; and two, because it is made from non-milled tree trunks, so the natural and irregular contours of the trees are retained. Satisfied with our multiple perspectives of one of the most iconic views in Japan, we headed back to our ryokan for a good, hot pre-dinner soak in the onsen.

Without going into too much detail on Iwaso, I will say that we were happy with our choice. We stayed in a room in the older, original building, with a view that looked on to the forest and the small stream below. Deer wandered the grounds (indeed, the entire island) and were tame, ignoring anyone who didn’t have food for them. The onsen was located in the newer high-rise building adjacent to ours, and had an indoor and outdoor pool, also located above the stream, with the calming sound of the water adding to the relaxing setting. Dinner was served in a private dining room, although we noticed many people were also served in their rooms. It proved to be one of the best meals of the trip, including more of the amazing oysters. After a pleasant post-dinner stroll to see the deserted shrine and torii lit up at night, we slept well on our futons, exhausted after another busy day.

it all sounds quite delightful, russ, the odd detour not withstanding.

you are really whetting my appetite for Japan [and I love oysters!]