Travel Diaries: The Land of the Rising Sun
This post is dedicated to Anthony Bourdain. He taught me to eat, to travel and to immerse in a country’s culture until it runs in your blood. I hope to become a story teller like him someday.
Japan is and always will be impressive. This is a land of perfectionists; of artists and technologists that weave tradition and modernism in such perfect harmony, that you can travel back in time while sitting in the lap of luxury. You want to travel 300 km in one hour in the comfort of a high-speed bullet train so you can visit a 1200-year old buddhist temple? Totally doable.
TOKYO
Day 1, we landed in Tokyo and by the time we got to our hotel, it was 6 pm. We had time for just one thing: the Mori digital art museum. It was also a great way to keep the jet lag at bay and force ourselves to keep awake.
Mori is an immersive experience that gives serious competition to traditional art galleries. I mean, I really don’t think I can go back to seeing still art hanging on a wall. Fuck that.
The museum has several rooms with various digital projections, light art and psychedelic music. You’ll hear the local tourists exclaim “sugoi” every few minutes, which means “amazing”. It really was sugoi, so eventually, I started yelling it out too.
Day 2, our jet lag meant we were up by 5 am. We visited Tsukiji market, the famous fish market where bidding wars ensue for giant pieces of tuna. When we went into a local sushi shop, I was surprised to find my vegetarian husband trying a bite of salmon nigiri! We then proceeded to Senso-ji shrine, located in Asakusa. There are many tourist stores that line the street leading to Senso-ji. You can beat the crowds by getting there early and then wait for the stores to open at 10 am. The street food there is excellent and we ate the most delicious Age-Manju — a deep-fried bean pastry. You will find the age-manju snacks at the entrance of Senso-ji. I recommend getting the Chestnut filling!
That evening, we went to Shibuya and walked around Cat street, a cute neighborhood full of quaint shops. You can grab a bite to eat at trendy restaurants like Penny Lane or hit up the cozy, local cafes that’ll trick you into thinking you’re in Paris. Try and get a little lost in these streets— that’s how we discovered some excellent places to eat.
Day 3, we took the train to Hakone. It was a cloudy day so we adjusted our expectations of seeing the elusive Mt. Fuji. We took the Hakone ropeway and rode to the mountain tops to get glimpses of Mt Fuji. And they truly were glimpses because we saw it for 5 minutes before the clouds took over. We rented a car for that day, so after the ropeway, we drove to the Hakone Shrine, which contains a red Torii gate sitting on the water. It’s a popular spot and there is a line to take that Instagram shot in front of the Torii. We cracked up as we heard the couple in front of us furiously reviewing the various poses they would make when it was their turn. We did the same, of course, but I’ll spare you those pictures.
We ended the day at a co-ed hot springs called Hakone Kowakien Yunessun. It’s a large, gimmicky tourist spot for couples to dip in hot tubs filled with coffee, sake, green tea, or wine. But. So totally worth it. I don’t have pictures of this place since I was too busy enjoying myself. I recommend you go on a weekday, when it’s empty, walk past all the silly tubs and, instead, dip in the steaming outdoor pools that overlook the gorgeous Hakone mountains.
Day 4, we went to Shinjuku and saw the Meijijingu Gaien shrine. A beautiful landscape of gardens and temples, you can wash your hands in the holy water, buy some good luck charms, admire the ladies wearing pretty yukatas and walk around the pristine paths marveling at the traditional street lamps.
Itinerary:
- Duration: 4 nights
- Things to do: Mori digital art museum, Tsukiji market, Senso-ji Shrine, Shibuya and Cat Street, Shinjuku and Meji Shrine, and Hakone
- Lodging: Stayed at Hotel Celestine Tokyo Shiba
HIROSHIMA AND OSAKA
Day 5, we flew to Hiroshima. It’s interesting but every time I told people we were visiting Hiroshima, many would ask why or nod quizzically after an uncomfortable pause. I guess people expect Hiroshima to still be recovering from the bombing. However, the city has not only rebuilt itself but also has a thriving nightlife, upscale restaurants and neighborhoods with shiny rivers snaking in and out. We highly recommend visiting this beautiful city.
Day 6, we attempted to go to Itsukushima but didn’t make it to the island due to strong typhoon winds. Instead, we hopped on the Shinkansen and went to Osaka. Osaka nightlife is incredible. I loved it even more than Tokyo nightlife! The canals running through the city reflect the bright lights and add to the vibrancy of the dazzling sights and sounds.
Dotonbori is a famous night market in Osaka. It’s worth going to Osaka just to walk the streets of Dotonbori. The night market has innumerable food stalls selling takoyaki (octopus balls), dumplings , okonomiyaki (cabbage-based crepes), and even pizza. Above each stall is usually a giant dangling figurine of an octopus or lobster or cow to signify the type of food they are selling. There are gleaming lanterns everywhere swaying in the wind and the crowds are thick and teaming. Yet, here, I didn’t mind the crowds and tried to keep up with the pulse of a thousand flocking all around me.
Itinerary:
- Duration: 2 nights (in Hiroshima and then Osaka)
- Things to do: Hiroshima castle, Shukkeien Garden, Itsukushima, Miyajima island and Dotonbori. If you have time, also go to Osaka Castle
- Lodging: Stayed at Hotel Candeo Hiroshima and Moxy Osaka
Day 7, we went to Suzuka to watch the Formula One races. Anish is a huge F1 fan, so it was high on his bucket list to see the races at the Suzuka circuit, specifically. We spent the day watching Lewis Hamilton leave everyone else in the dust. I mean, literally. The rest of the cars didn’t get anywhere near him. Anish took hundreds of pictures. Here is one.
KYOTO
At this point, I didn’t think Japan could get better. I mean, we had already been here for a week and I wondered if I would be “shrined” out by the time we reached Kyoto: a mecca of old shrines and temples. The answer is newp.
Welcome to Kyoto. A land where you can travel back in time to the Edo period. Lose yourself in the forgotten world of shoguns and samurai.
Day 8, we visited the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. A buddhist temple that’s more than 1200 years old. Kyoto is a town for early risers. If you try to go to the tourist spots by 9 am, you’re too late. The temple is surrounded by vast gardens. You can easily spend half a day here walking the grounds, slurping soba, shopping at the tourist stores and enjoying the panoramic views of the city. Take your time here: sample some chocolates and mochi, sip some sake, and buy some handmade pottery. Enjoy watching the local folks walking in kimonos and hakamas. Traditions are alive and well here in Kyoto.
We then cabbed it to Heian-jingu Shrine. Kyoto is a bike-friendly city and we could’ve totally biked it but our legs were exhausted. Heian is a famous shinto shrine known for its pristine gardens. After paying respects to the shrine, you pay a few extra yen to enter the gardens. Surrounded by a serene lake and floating lotus leaves, you can catch some shade here and feed turtles, fish and ducks.
By this time, I was exhausted and wanting a nap. But Anish, relentless in his pursuit of shrine-hopping, dragged me to Kinkakuji Temple. A buddhist temple, Kinkaku-ji is actually gorgeous and famous for its gleaming golden facade. But I’ll tell you, this is not the place to be in the middle of a hot summer afternoon. The heat and the crowds are tiresome and Anish was right there with all the other enthusiastic tourists, jostling against each other and madly clicking away on their cameras.
Day 9, we decided to go back to Itsukushima since we couldn’t see it due to the typhoon. Now, this is only possible in Japan thanks to the Shinkansen: we traveled from Kyoto to Mijajima — a distance the same as New York to Boston — in 2.5 hours, spent the entire day in Miyajima, and then arrived back to Kyoto in the evening! It’s mind boggling.
Miyajima is an island that is famous for housing the Itsukushima Shrine— a shrine that floats on water during high tide and is grounded on land during low tide. The island also has a buddhist temple where you can walk up stairs surrounded by thousands of mini, smiling buddha statues. It’s adorable.
Day 9, back in Kyoto, and we decided to do just one thing since we were tired of the walking we had done for the past eight days. However, that one thing turned out to be a 2.5 hour hike up a mountain and included climbing 12,000 steps.
But we forgot all that when we began walking thru the gates of Fushimi Inari.
We woke up at 6 am for this. It was painful but worth the empty paths and serene sights. Fushimi Inari has a row of 10,000 vermillion torii gates lining the trail to the top of the mountain, where the shrine sits. Each torii represents a successful business in Japan. The shrine on top isn’t much to look at so this place is very much about the journey and not the destination itself.
By the time we circled the shrine and reached back to the bottom of the stairs, all the food vendors had opened. Just as well because we were starving. I highly recommend trying the delicacies at the stalls —there is a variety to choose from — even for vegetarians — so we ended up having breakfast here.
After that crazy hike, we decided to spend the rest of the day napping in the hotel room. After sunset, we explored the quaint streets of Gion, an old-world era neighborhood where, if you’re lucky, you can still spot Geisha meandering the streets.
Day 10, we took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo and spent the evening in Akihabara. I was limping by this time, but I couldn’t come to Japan and not see the manga shops. Anish disappeared into the vast electronics stores and I browsed the endless manga and anime figurines in giant stores like Mandarake and Animate. There were very few manga in English so when I found a volume of my favorite manga, Noragami, in English, I bought it immediately.
And with that, dear readers, I imagine you are as exhausted as I am, so let’s end this post here. After 2 weeks, we barely scratched the surface in terms of Japan tourism, but managed to visit both famous landmarks and hidden gems . I hope you got a sense of that through my words and pictures. When it’s your turn: go there with time, money and energy — you will need all three in abundance.
Itinerary:
- Duration: 4 nights
- Things to do: Kiyomizudera Temple, Heian-jinga shrine, Kinkukaji, Fushimi Inari, Gion
- Lodging: Stayed at Royal Daiwa Kyoto