Never Left Home

It is impossible to visit all the shrines, temples and palaces in this historically and culturally important Japanese city. So, in the limited time we had, after taking the train from Osaka, Tanya and Jay decided we would use the efficient Kyoto city bus system and visit a few of the highlights. Our first stop was the visitors center at the train station. Wherever we have traveled on this short trip to Japan, we have been impressed with the help we’ve gotten from the folks working at these information centers. The many important sites in Kyoto are spread out all over the city and, after telling the gentlemen at the TI (tourist information) how much time we had, he outlined for us on a city map a logical travel plan and which bus lines to take from which stop. We bought our 500 Yen daily bus passes and off we went.

Much of our time was spent at the UNESCO World Heritage site, Nijo Castle. 

While strolling around the grounds, Jay noticed a couple of young ladies posing for each other in their kimonos. They were delighted when Jay offered to take their picture together and he got a few mug shots in with them.

After Nijo Castle, we took another bus to probably one of the most photographed sites in Japan, Kinkaku Temple, also often called the Golden Pavilion. The temple, a World Heritage site, was once a villa owned by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397 and is now a Zen Buddhist temple. Lacquered gold foil covers the structure and, with the surrounding gardens, it can be a very peaceful place to visit. Of course, there are often lots of other visitors who have the same idea and sometimes there’s jockeying around to get the “perfect” photo of the pavilion. We look forward to our next visit to Kyoto.

A crisp winter day in Nagasaki revealed a vibrant Japanese city mindful of its past but full of youth and beauty. One of the port city’s highlights is the series of stone bridges in the downtown area.  A particular bridge is nicknamed the “spectacle” bridge for its resemblance to a pair of eyeglasses. 

Nagasaki is relatively compact and is easily negotiated on foot or by hopping onto one of the city’s efficient trams. Shopping is a favorite local passion and Tanya was overjoyed when she found a Uniqlo store in one of the malls. 

The heavy traffic of larger Japanese cities is largely absent here and the pace of life is more moderate.

Of course, Nagasaki will always be most remembered as the site of the second atomic bomb dropped in the final days of World War II. The horrible human suffering of that day in August, 1945 is chronicled at the Atomic Bomb Museum, just outside the downtown core and a few hundred feet from the place where the bomb actually exploded, 500 feet above the ground.  Just as we were leaving the museum, Jay shot this photo.  An interesting choice of clothing for the occasion.

Also near the atomic bomb site is the Peace Park, a beautiful place to enjoy the afternoon and reflect.  The fragrant winter pansies welcomed visitors to the park, which naturally was a hit for Tanya. 

Our visit to Nagasaki put us through a series of emotions, ranging from despair and sadness to hope and joy. But as our ship was leaving, a local drumming group gave us a farewell performance that reinforced the youthful spirit of this city which has witnessed such tragedy and perseveres as it drives forward into the 21st century. 

The pretty Japanese port city of Kagoshima is notable for its resident volcano, Sakurajima, and for the overall high level of geothermal activity in the area. But on this sunny mid-February morning, Jay and Tanya decided to forego hiking around the volcano and instead take the JR local train to the resort town of Ibusuki to check out what else was hot. The train tracks skirt the beautiful shoreline for miles and we were able to experience a bit of rural Japan as the train stopped at little towns along the way. Schoolchildren, workers and housewives got on and off while the dapper, uniformed and white-gloved engineer got out of his compartment at each stop to check departing passengers’ tickets, giving a nodding bow and thank you to each one. How wonderfully civilized we both thought.

Arriving at the small Ibusuki train station, we checked with the helpful English-speaking lady at the visitor information desk who directed us to a taxi for the short ride to our destination for today—the Ibusuki Sand Baths. To explain, because of the underground volcanic and hot spring activity of the area, the sand along the beach here literally is steaming. To take advantage of this geological phenomenon, facilities for natural sand baths have been set up for decades. 

The actual sand bath experience is a little different than depicted by the brochure photo above, where two lovely ladies are enjoying the sand, next to the water under a colorful beach umbrella, but here’s how it went. Between the main coast road and the beach is a large modern multilevel facility—the Ibusuki Sunamushi Onsen.

After reading the sensible instructions posted, such as “You are not allowed to use the Sand Bath after consumption of alcoholic beverages”, and “Women are not allowed to use the Sand Bath during menstruation or while pregnant”, Tanya and Jay checked in at the front desk and received further instructions. We each received a lightweight cotton yukata, a full length kimono style robe, and were directed to our respective gender-specific dressing rooms. After changing into our robes, we met outside the building and made our way down to the beach to a large roofed open-air section of the beach where attendants directed us to where we should be buried in the hot sand. The facility looked like it could handle nearly one hundred customers but we joined about twenty or so fellow sand bathers this morning. After being told where to lie down in an already partially dug individual sand pit, an attendant draped a protective towel around the back of our necks and, while wearing our yukatas, two other guys with shovels proceeded to bury us in steaming hot sand until all that was showing was our heads. Wow! What a fun experience!

After about 20 minutes of sweating under a small mountain of sand, we looked over at each other and decided we’d had enough. After somewhat awkwardly getting ourselves up and getting all that damp sand off us, we headed back to the main building where it was time to shed our yukatas, get any remaining sand blasted off us in multi-jet shower stalls, get washed and scrubbed and soak in our large gender-specific baths. Jay is not sure exactly what the bath temperature was, but, being fed by underground hot springs, it was pretty darn hot. After a time of soaking, cooling and repeating, we both emerged refreshed and very relaxed before taking the return train ride back to Kagoshima. It was a day well spent.

Kagoshima occupies the southernmost part of the four main islands of Japan and has a rich history. Much of Japan’s early contact with the outside world was through Kagoshima, first with China and later with the West. But today, very few cruise ships visit Kagoshima and our visit was a pretty big highlight for the city. As we were preparing to depart, the local fire department band gave us a pier side concert and lots of local residents waved flags to wish us farewell. It was an emotional experience that encouraged us to come back to this beautiful part of Japan.

Jay and Tanya have become real experts in negotiating the Japanese rail system. Having encountered the ticket vending machines on past visits, we found figuring out the machines this time was like riding a bicycle—once learned, easily remembered. It also doesn’t hurt that most machines have and “English” button. Unfortunately, not this particular machine.

Early this week we took the JR to the ancient Japanese capital of Nara. From 710 to 784, Nara was the home to a succession of emperors and empresses and several sites in the area are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Nara is only a 30-40 minute train ride from the major port city of Osaka, so it was an easy day trip for our intrepid duo.

The city is a popular destination and we were pleased to see that even the locals sometimes have a hard time figuring out exactly where they are and where they’re going. 

Along the main route to the many temples and shrines we ran into these guys putting on a spirited show of pounding the dough for really delicious soft and chewy rice cakes. Tanya can attest to their superb quality.  We also ran into this slightly creepy individual posing as a popular anime character. In a comic book it’s one thing, but on the street it’s a little scary. 

Nara has often been described as “quintessentially Japanese”, providing for both the Japanese and foreigners an experience of what one imagines traditional Japan to be. Yes, there were crowds, but not overwhelmingly so on this winter Sunday. 

Our first stop was the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kohfukuji Temple with its 5-story pagoda. As we often experienced when we lived in Korea, groups of students will frequently look for native English speakers to interview as a class project. Jay and Tanya looked to be likely suspects and were happy to oblige. 

Throughout Nara Park, there are hundreds of deer wandering around and frequently mooching for food from visitors. According to legend, a powerful god riding a white deer was invited to visit the dominant aristocratic clan, the Fujiwaras, in the 8th century. Ever since then, the deer have multiplied and are protected as divine messengers. These guys have an excellent sense of smell and can tell if passers-by have any food in their pockets and they will go after it.

Todajii Temple is probably the biggest attraction at Nara. It is the largest wooden structure in the world and is the home for some massive Buddha statues. 

Our final stop was the Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The roadway leading to the shrine is lined with over 2,000 stone lanterns, while the shrine itself is decorated with about 1,000 hanging bronze lanterns.