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Kyoto, Japan

Our favorite spots in Kyoto

After Tokyo, Kyoto has grown to be the biggest hot spot for everyone visiting Japan. Historical sites that miraculously survived World War II, Japanese crafts, ladies dressed in kimonos and so much more. Everyone can find something interesting here. So did we. Although at the beginning we were afraid of massive crowds, our fears faded away very fast.

  1. Our “little” secret garden of Gyoen National Garden and Imperial Palaces

Biggest surprise in Kyoto. In wonderful spots like these we expected crowds pilgrimaging  their way through the sites but I guess since it’s for free most people skip it. Somehow in Japan for most it’s hard to believe that there would be something remarkable to see that is free of charge.

The Gyoen National Garden is immense and beautiful every season of the year. In spring it’s blossoming with plum flowers, magnolias and famous cherries. In autumn maple trees turn red and even in winter they have flowers in season.

In the heart of the garden there is the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Sento Imperial Palace. It’s where the royal family lived and many of the most important ceremonies where performed so there is plenty to see. Everything is well maintained, beautiful and huge. The park surrounding the palaces is an oasis of peace in this often hectic city so we spent a fair amount of time strolling through it on various days.

With hours to explore, we discovered that the park has one more hidden gem, Kaninnomiya Mansion, old noble residence with a little garden and pond on its own. Before the capital was moved to Tokyo there were 200 households of imperial family members and court nobles, just like this one. Now only this one is standing and with a huge effort it was brought back to the original style from the Edo period together with a small teahouse. It shows simple beauty of Japanese architecture and it doesn’t hurt that that one is also free of charge.

  1. Bamboo madness of Arashiyama

This area of Kyoto is mostly known for its bamboo forest which seems to be the only one in the world judging by the crowds 🙂 We went after sunrise so we had it all for ourselves and we had enough time to walk around the neighborhood. Surprisingly it’s a very peaceful almost rural part of this booming city. It’s just perfect for a stroll through alley's of trees and houses. Not to mention the variety of small, charming temples scattered absolutely everywhere.

  1. Endless red tunnel of Fushimi Inari shrine

Probably the most famous Shinto temple and the most visited place in Kyoto. But it’s well worth it. We went there at sunrise and managed to skip the crowds. Not many people are crazy enough to crawl out of bed so early during their travels. The temple is beautiful but it’s the tunnel of red toris that everyone is coming for. A few kilometers of those gates lead beautifully through a forest to the top of a mountain which scares many and creates massive crowd mainly at the beginning. Along the way there are many statues of foxes that are believed to be messengers of the god of rice that the temple is devoted to.

Walking up hill we saw many signs offering setting up a tori gate. It turns out that they are donated by companies and individuals so if you want to prolong the tunnel and have some spare yen, there is still a chance! 🙂

  1. Evening vibes of Pontocho street

It’s the oldest entertainment street in Kyoto and in the evening it’s just magical. Dim light of street lanterns, numerous restaurants and tea houses and all of it in a very, very narrow street. Many of the spots there have a nice view on the other side so the river.

We heard it is the second best place after Gion to spot geishas going to their appointments. We didn’t have the luck but we still enjoyed its vibrant, busy atmosphere in the evening.

  1. (Mostly) window shopping in Nishiki Market and Sanjo-kai Shotengai Market

Nishiki Market is a one of the oldest shopping streets in the city. It offers a variety of shops selling fish, fruit and vegetables. Here we learnt a lot about Japanese cuisine, tasted many of the pickled veg and many types of sea weed. Worth a visit. Although we preferred less touristic Sajo-kai Shotengai Market with almost the same variety and also quite some nice cafes, restaurants and gift shops.

  1. The old days in Gion and its temples

Probably the most touristic spot of Kyoto and for a good reason. The number of people in kimonos per capita is the highest in the world. For us it was impossible to say whether those were tourists or locals dressed for the occasion. Surprisingly most of the visitors are Chinese and Koreans so for us pretty close to Japanese beauty… especially in kimonos. We had fun guessing, that’s for sure.

Ladies and gentlemen in kimonos are not the only attraction of Gion. Strolling through streets of machiya, wooden merchant houses, we really felt like we were travelling in time and walking alongside the Geishas from “Memoirs of a Geisha”.  Most of the neighborhood is crowded both with people and gift shops. To be fair, the souvenirs there are not cheesy, we spotted many stunning postcards as well as the best matcha cookies that still hunt our taste buds. For those who are not traveling on a shoe-string there is a treat of ice cream covered in golden leaf for a bargain of around 9 dollars. Possibly the most expensive ice cream that we have ever seen. The queue in front indicated that the business was doing pretty well.

Following the crowd you won’t miss the temples that are an absolute must see. Going with the flow we found Yasaka Pagoda and the Yasaka shrine and Kiyomizudera Temple further up. From there we had beautiful views over the old district and new, booming Kyoto in the far. Breathtaking sight even shared with hundreds.

Not too far off the beaten track there is Shirakawa Canal, absolutely charming part of Gion that was deserted every single time we went there.

  1. Even more olden days in Higashiyama District

One of the best preserved historic districts of Kyoto. To recreate the feeling of the olden days the city removed telephone poles and repaved the streets in recent renovation. The street has served travelers for centuries with its small cafes, restaurants and nowadays also gift shops. For food lovers there are plenty of pickle shops as well as rice cake stands.

  1. Magical athmosphere of Ishibei-koji Lane

It’s by far the most magical pedestrian lane in Kyoto. As part of the preservation project it’s forbidden to take pictures there. It’s the only place in the booming city where we could actually hear the shutter of the camera if there was any. It was beyond quiet even though there were a few chic restaurants and bars there. And the best part of it is that you leave the modern world outside, no cameras, no noise, no cables, nothing modern, just you and the old wooden houses.

  1. Contemporary side of Buddhism in Nishi Hongwanji Temple

Temple of one of the biggest Buddhist sects in Japan and the emptiest sight of Kyoto. There is not a single soul visiting the temple and it’s a shame. It’s not only massive but also a XVI century construction of somehow contemporary Japanese Buddhism. Not that there is anyone there to talk about it, the people in at the nearby information sadly don’t speak any English.

It turns out the temple is also a UNESCO site.

  1. Priester courters in Ninnaji Temple

Another UNESCO heritage site with underwhelming crowds. Maybe there is something about the word “sect” that scares people away. Ninnaji Temple is the head temple of another sect of Buddhism and was completed in 888. Unfortunately the nature and wars didn’t let the buildings from the 9th century survive. The oldest bit of the sight is from the XVII century. We especially enjoyed Goten, former residence to the head priest consisting of many smaller rooms connected by corridors and surrounded by rock and sand gardens as well as a pond.

  1. Zen gardens in Tofukuji Temple

Before visiting the Tofukuji Temple I associated zen gardens mostly with little, office size, sand treys with a pair of tiny rakes for a stressed businessmen to relax. Seeing it in real-life size was an incredible sight. The temple is as many in Kyoto but sitting down and looking at the circles and harmoniously placed rocks in the sand is an ultimately relaxing experience.

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Nakasendo map, Japan

From a map to the hike- our short adventure with the Nakasendo route

Maps in Japan are an art apart. Even the simple ones just by the roads are detailed, beautifully painted and hyper practical. It’s an art mastered through centuries. I still can’t forget the kilometers of map from the Edo period, we saw in one of the castles. Every single house, barn and bridge was painted on it and the undisturbed line of a trail was continuing throughout the meters of paper. It looked very simple but that’s where the charm of the country is- in its simplicity and perfection.

Later on we were given a map inspired by these old maps in a tourist information shop in Nagoya. The enthusiastic woman was going on and on about how stunning the old Nakasendo route was and the villages that we would pass on our way. Nothing convinces us like someone else’s enthusiasm so we decided to walk a small part of the trail.

Nakasendo route was one of the five most important paths connecting the empire in the Edo period and one of the two linking Tokyo with Kyoto. Out of over 500 km we chose the most popular 8 km in hope for a bit time- travel experience.

We started in Magome which was one of the post towns along the way. What didn’t survive the fight with time, was restored and Magome is now a charming, little town focused along one street on a slope of a mountain. Thankfully the amount of tourists is inversely proportional to the meters above sea level and so the top part of the village is far from crowded. Lower part is another story… there the amount of flashy-dressed, loud Chinese would drive a saint mad, not to mention them in combination with selfie sticks. It’s a shame as the old houses recreate a feeling of Japan from centuries ago and it is really magical.

We were happy to leave the crowds behind and start walking through the forest to Tsumago, another post town on Nakasendo. Entering the hike we got excited by frequent bells that we needed to hit to scare the potential bears away. Soon we realized that seeing any animal could only be a miracle… The path was far from secluded and it was constantly crossed or paralleled by a road where cars were passing all the time. Even though we tried to turn our heads around and listen to the sounds of the forest and waterfalls… we just couldn’t get the cars out of our mind. Sadly the map was prettier than the hike itself.

Fortunately it wasn’t all lost, it’s Japan after all. We passed some lovely houses, few of which were open… Those who know me are familiar with my passion of sneak peaking in people’s houses so that little treat made my day. We also visited an old “rest house” where we enjoyed smoking in an open fire with a cup of green tea and some Japanese sweats. Just like in the olden days the house was there to greet the travelers and help them recharge before heading further. A bit of sugar and tea managed to lift our spirits and get us back on track.

After a 3 hour walk we completed the tiny part of Nakasendo and ended up in Tsumago, the best award we could hope for. Tsumago was an oasis of piece and it really brought us back in time. The residents did their best to preserve and since late 60s to rebuild the houses and enchanting spirit of the past. Now a whole street of restored buildings as well as some back allies made it feel bigger than Magome. We felt we could emerge in the past and the fact that cars are forbidden on the main street and electricity cables are concealed helped our imagination even more. Strolling through the streets we imagined how it must have been to travel in Japan in those days. How crazy is it to think that a few hundred years ago many didn’t even know much about anything outside of their village…

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Tokoname, Japan

Tokoname- the Pottery Town

Ceramics was my passion when I was a little girl and not because I saw “Ghost”. I just liked playing with clay, creating little animals and painting them. The whole process was just fascinating for me and I never could understand how something so plastic as clay could become so hard by just putting it in the oven. Now I can’t understand how come I ever stopped… Especially when we went to Tokoname…

Tokoname is a small village on Chita peninsula famous for its pottery. Tradition there dates centuries back and judging by the amount of people that we saw there, it’s fighting for survival. Not many people are going to buy a plate for 40 euro when they can drive to IKEA and buy a whole set for the same price. Especially since young Japanese are fascinated with anything that is western. For tourists on the other hand most expect a village of old grandmas trying to clay something together, something not very sophisticated or stylish. That’s what Jandirk thought for sure so it was a challenge to get him to join me. But as soon as we got there it was clear he was wrong.

Entering the village we followed the signs of “The Pottery Footpath” passing 39 beckoning ceramic cats just along the road. They are an interesting tribute to Maneki Neko, the famous figurine of a cat that brings luck. Tokoname is the biggest producer of those. And cats in general are very popular subject of plates, cups and ceramic sold in the town.

Instead of grandmas trying to clay something together, Tokoname is full of small ateliers. They are all different in sizes and styles. Some are a part of someone’s garden or entrance where figurines and pottery are left unattended with just price tags and a collection box for the money. I get an impression that stealing is not a well-known concept in Japan. Some of the studios are a messy sight of work in progress and sadly dust on the pottery indicates that the pieces don’t fly out of the door as soon as they are made… Pots, cups, little chopsticks holders, it all made me feel a bit sad that my backpack was not filled with yen to spend. Especially the last atelier left me hoping that one day I will be able to switch from IKEA to a rather niche table setting. Just in case that would ever happen I tried to ask if it was possible to buy the things online and to my surprise none of the shops had a website…

To come to my senses and remind myself that I can only collect photos and memories we went to explore the village a bit more. My favorite part was a little “Clay Pipe Hill” made from clay shochu alcohol pots and another specialty of Tokoname, clay pipes. In the middle of that path we spotted “The Takita family house” that once belonged to one of shipping dealers in the area. Up to the 20th century the town was very much involved with shipping goods to Edo (Tokyo) and the house feels like a journey in time.

We left Tokoname with a strong feeling that someday we will get beautiful ceramics for our house either by going back to Japan to buy it or by learning how to make it…

Naoshima- the power of art

Naoshima could have been one of those lonely, sad, grey places. In the 50s and 60s it was booming and there were 8000 people on the island. All thanks to a Mitsubishi factory which was and still is the biggest employer in there. Sounds like a beginning of a science fiction movie but the machines really did take work of many of the locals, leaving the island to a certain death with the drastically declining population. Many left in search of a job, education and better life. With only 3000 people Naoshima was disappearing when art came…

Benesse Holdings, a big Japanese company was searching for a home for their big collection of art. They wanted it to help the locals and they decided that Naoshima would be a perfect place to do it. Art would bring tourism to the island, tourism would bring jobs and jobs would bring people back.

Now the island is a must see for every art lover coming to Japan.

The first thing we spotted while entering the harbor on this small island was the red pumpkin with polka dots. I was contemplating its beauty from the deck when we reached the port and tourists started to flow out of the boat, running to the pumpkin. Everything to take an “alone” picture with it or because they were afraid it might get eaten if they waited any longer… 🙂

The beauty of Naoshima is also in its size, it’s a really small island perfect for a day trip on a bike. So straight from the ferry we went to rent a bike and hit the road. First we went to where it all started in 1992 so to the Benesse House Museum. Although it was the first one to be build, it struck us with the harmony and beauty of already a well developed concept. The exhibition of modern art was unbelievable and it included a massive ant house made of colorful sand and divided into flags of the world. Ants were building tunnels that would eventually make a flag collapse and colors to mix beyond recognition.

As much as we loved the museum we were a bit disappointed we couldn’t see the Oval, the most famous part of the building. At least the most famous looking at all the pictures and posters promoting it. In fact only the lucky ones with willingness to spend “a bit more” get a chance to see it. It’s part of the hotel.

Except for the “mother museum” there are also two more in the area Lee Ufan Museum and Chichu Art Museum. All three of them follow the theme of art in harmony with nature and they are rather small and in our humble opinion a bit overpriced. 1030 yen (around 10 dollars for Benesse House) for a visit that takes maybe an hour including ohhh and ahhh and me trying to take a picture from every angle possible is a bit too much in my opinion. Even for an admirable concept of helping a dying island with its population.

Cycling down to the beach we saw many open-air art works. But none of them was as impressive as “Pumpkin”, yellow sister of the one we saw by the port. This one was more peaceful, situated on the edge of a concrete pier that otherwise wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Sitting nearby on the beach we were admiring the Instagram-queue created by the Japanese tourists. Every one of them was waiting patiently in a line for their chance to get a lonely shot with the famous pumpkin. Only the kids didn’t seem to understand the laws of social media photography and were constantly interrupting the photo sessions with short sessions of pure fun.

Art has a unique way of giving new life to old and neglected things. That’s what happened with empty houses in Honmura area. Through the Art House Project lifeless spaces were converted into works of art and got the local community even closer to beauty. Ando Museum tights it all together with a background story of the island and the architect who stands behind the majority of the transition of that God forsaken place.

For me there was a certain cherry on the cake on our way back to the ferry. “I love yu” bath is a great example that modern art can be far from serious. The building screams “fun” with all of its colorful tiles, crazy t-shirts and palm trees in front of it. We were tempted to go in but unfortunately we didn’t have towels or eagerness to strip so we only sneak peaked through the door…

Just before going to Naoshima when I was doing a bit of a research of what was there to see I realized that it’s not the only island included in the Benesse Project. It has expanded on two more islands nearby with similar stories and some extraordinary museums. Unfortunately time and availability was not on our side with that one and we couldn’t visit Teshima and Inujima. Maybe it’s for the best, one more motive to come back 🙂

Handful of practical info:

  1. To get to Naoshima we took a ferry from Takamastu Port (slow ferry takes 50 minutes and costs 520 yen so around 5 dollars one way, speed boat takes half the time but costs more than double the price- 1220 yen so around 12 dollars). The other way to get to the island is to take a ferry from Uno Port which can take you either to Miyanoura Port or to the other side of the island- Honmura Port.
  2. The only way to get to Teshima is to get a ferry from Naoshima which is not very frequent. That very same ferry follows later on to Inujima. To see all 3 of the islands requires a bit of extra planning…
  3. The best way to see Naoshima is to rent a bike, it costs only 300 yen (around 3 dollars) for a whole day and it’s cheaper than bringing your own on the ferry. For the lazy, there is a bus option 🙂
  4. Naoshima is not a paradise for travelers on a shoe-string. Chichu Museum costs 2060 yen (around 20 dollars) and Lee Ufan and Benesse House cost 1030 yen each (around 10 dollars). To visit one of the Art Houses it’s 410 yen (around 4 dollars) but there is also a joined ticket to visit all 6 of them and it’s “only” 1030 yen (around 10 dollars). To finish off Ando museum is another 510 yen (around 5 dollars). Adding bike rental, ferry fare and maybe something to eat and you know you have to love art deeply to pay for all that 🙂
  5. There are many restaurants on the island as well as a few grocery stores and a 7 eleven so there is no way to die out of hunger 🙂

Nagoro- the weirdest village of Japan

Nagoro also known as the doll village is actually not known at all… Every single Japanese person that I mentioned it to didn’t know what I was talking about. Like if it didn’t exist, like if it was a ghost town. Which it is…

The village is situated between the charming and ever green valley and rivers of the Shikoku region. Just like many other rural areas it suffered from closing a nearby company which was a big employer for hundreds of people. And over the years it became deserted. Some wanted opportunities and education and some well… passed away.

Tsukimi Ayano was one of those who left but she never forgot her childhood home. After years of working in Osaka she returned and without having much to do she decided to start her own garden. Unfortunately birds ate all her seeds and that brought her to an idea to create her first scarecrow. That one was supposed to resemble her father. Now 10 years and 350 dolls later Nagoro is the weirdest village I have ever seen.

To get there we took a few buses which are not very frequent and take hours. No wonder because no one is going to send a bus for 35 habitants as that’s the alive population… We knew immediately we got to the right place, the dolls were already waiting for us at the bus stop. With a bit of mist, rain and not a living soul in our sight, it was a scene straight out of a thriller. But it’s not meant to be like this. The artist wants to show people she knew that passed away or left just how they liked living… So the dolls smile, drink beer, cycle, work in the garden, fish and anything you can imagine.

Since 2012 when the last two students had left the school, also there people have been replaced. Unbelievable considering that the school looks pretty new and has a nice, big gym attached to it.

Escaping from the rain we entered the old cultural center where dolls were in the middle of the reunion. Old, young, in kimonos, with cigarettes, smiling, angry… every single doll was different and it felt like they had a soul on their own.

In so many places we really had to look twice if it was a doll or a person, especially from the back many looked very convincing. During the whole day we saw two people in the village and many, many great human imitations. There is no shop in the surrounding, no café, not even a vending machine. And when there is no vending machine in Japan, it certainly means that it’s a god forsaken town…

Tsukimi is now in her sixties but she is the youngest of the whole community of 35. Maybe she will outlive them all and turn it into a Ghibli studio village… I still don’t know if I liked it but I’m certainly happy we saw it. Somehow I feel that special places like this one are only possible to exist in Japan.

Jandirk is still doubting whether it was worth a 2 hours walk to the nearest bus stop and 1.5 hour wait till it came… So be warned if you decide to see it.

For art fans Tsukimi or the dolls, make nice pottery and other small things that are scattered all over the village with price tags and a box to collect the money.

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Matsuyama, Japan

6 reasons to visit Matsuyama

As soon as we arrived in Matsuyama we realized that it’s not on every traveler’s list. Western faces disappeared and only Japanese and Korean tourists passed us from time to time. We were actually wondering ourselves what we would do in there. Initially we wanted to visit one of Japan's most famous bath houses (Dogo Onsen). We changed our minds and thankfully we discovered mind blowing sights that kept us busy.

  1. Matsuyama castle

Although it was damaged by fires and World War II, walking through it we realized there was not much of the original construction left but we didn’t regret visiting it. The wide view on the city and lower parts of the castle is already a good enough reason to buy the ticket. Except for that, we got to find out a lot about the history of the castle and specific parts of it from extensive info in English. A treat really! The castle is situated on top of a hill which sounds and looks like quite a hike but it really isn’t. It’s just a nice walk up through a forest passing through a big garden and other smaller parts of the castle.

  1. Hidden bamboo forest

One of the most famous and most visited sights in Japan is a bamboo forest in Kyoto. There is no reason to wake up at dawn or line up with other people to see it. You can just go to Matsuyama. There is a really big one in there, completely overlooked and it's really a hidden gem. We stumbled upon it by accident. I guess we are just attracted by bamboo. There we really could hear the music that bamboo trees make when moved by the wind. Something that with crowds and cars passing you by just can’t be appreciated.

  1. The secret tunnel

While exploring the outside part of Matsuyama we saw a weirdly looking tunnel just on the side of the road. Interested we just went right in there. It turned out to be a tunnel leading to Ishiteji Temple. It was dark, a bit spooky and mysterious. We were passing statues of Buddha dressed up in crochet clothes and chandeliers with weird hangers on them. That tunnel alone was enough to impress us not to mention the temple.

  1. Ishiteji Temple

Getting out of the tunnel we reached the Ishiteji Temple which is part of an important pilgrimage route. There are walking sticks everywhere with intricate inscriptions and colorful chains of origami cranes. The main square is surrounded by many temple buildings and a three-storied pagoda.

  1. Isaniwa Shrine

The shrine raises impressively over the center of the city, already from the street we saw what looked like a million stairs to the top. It’s definitely worth a walk for the view of the city as well as for the shrine itself. It’s quite small but full of little details and ornaments.

  1. Public spa

Matsuyama is mainly famous for one of the oldest onsens (Dogo Onsen) in the country. But for those who don’t like that kind of entertainment or are travelling on a budget there are a few spots across the city where one can rest with their feet in warm water. In the one just opposite the Bocchan train station there is even a place to warm up your hands. Perfect spot to stop and take a break from a long, winter walk 🙂

How to get to Matsuyama?

From Hiroshima Port we took a slow ferry which takes 2.5 hrs and costs 2000 yen (around 17 euros). That’s a special, low price available only for foreigners. For those who can’t wait or just want to go there for a day trip there is also a speed boat (3800 yen(32 euros) and takes a bit more than 1 hr).

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