Travels to Japan

For the Chinese national holiday, we decided to visit Japan.  We've always wanted to visit, but for various reasons we were never able to until now.  This trip began Saturday, September 29 and wrapped up on Saturday, October 6.  Thus, we had under a week (keeping in mind travel time) to visit.  Even though Japan offers so many wonderful sights throughout the country, it was easy for us to decide where we wanted to visit--Tokyo and Kyoto.  These two incredible cities offer very different sights and cultural experiences.  Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

First, we flew Cathay Pacific which we'd been told was an excellent airline.  It was hard for us too see this right off the bat as the first thing we experienced with them was a 45 minute flight delay.  Nevertheless, things did improve once we took off.  One nice cabin feature is the posh seats with built in pillows and foot rests.  The experience is very similar to a recliner.  Also, the food was above average and it didn't hurt that they served Haagen Dazs ice cream to everyone!  Mijo struggled a bit with teething issues so we didn't get to enjoy all the perks from CP, but it was still a good flight.

We arrived in Tokyo after a four hour flight direct from Hong Kong.  It was late and our top priority was to get across the city to our hotel in Shinjuku district.  Since the airport is so far from the metro area, and Tokyo itself is a massive city, we were looking at a two hour train ride.  It's nearly sixty kilometers from the airport to downtown Tokyo!  Our guidebook stated that the rail lines in Tokyo look like a bowl of ramen noodles and it sure did.  It felt like 50 lines going in all directions!  Finally, after 1:00am we reached our hotel in a decent area near Shin-okubo Station. 

Day One: Our first full day in Tokyo began in Harajuku District at Takeshita Street.  This areas is famous as a pedestrian only street with several fashion boutiques, restaurants, and other shops.  On the weekends, teens flock here dressed up in outrageous costumes and the latest fashion trends to socialize.  During our visit we were able to see a vast array of styles.  Everything from Gothic Lolita (Victorian style mixed with dark goth) to visual kei (a punk, hip-hop, and/or heavy metal look).  One guy even dressed up as an American law enforcement agent.  It was hard to tell exactly which one since he used a combinations of pins and patches from various branches, but we guessed he was going for a sheriff look.

Once we reached the end of the walking street, we found ourselves in the midst of a large and loud ceremony of some sort.  We witnessed people of all ages, both men and women, carrying wooden structures on there shoulders and chanting as they marched down the street.  There was about four groups that took part in this unique event.  At first we had no idea watch was happening, but after investigating we learned that these people were honoring their deity in a ritual referred to as a matsuri.  During this ceremony, it is common practice to carry a mikoshi, a shrine in transit, from one shrine location to another during important festivals.  The loud commotion of chanting and swinging the mikoshi from side to side is said to be done to "amuse" the deity during the journey.

The rest of our day was spent checking out two other nearby spots.  We walked the main drag of the upscale neighborhood of Omotesando where there is Louis Vuitton and Gucci galore.  Finally, we finished our day visiting the Meiji Shrine Complex.  This location, centered in a park and entertainment venue almost 200 acres large, dating back to the early 20th century.  However, due to WWII air raids the current facility has only been in use since 1958.  Several visitors come to the shrine daily, but it's said that the complex is a very popular location for marriage ceremonies.  We happened to see two wedding parties during our visit so it seems to be true.

Day Two: This day was spent mostly on transit and enjoying the train stations' many features. We took a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto.  It was a two hour trip on a very modern and well-maintained train.  After reaching Kyoto, we made our way to the hotel taking the local city bus.  We settled in and then decided to see the Nishiki Market area.  The actual food market was closing when we arrived, so we spent more time at the pedestrian shopping street nearby.  Pazi purchased two very nice Geisha paintings for 1050 yen, or just a bit over 13 dollars.

Day Three: It was an early start for us on this day.  We continued using the city buses to transport us.  The local leaders have things very well organized so travel within the city can be done with ease.  Our first site to visit was the Kinkaku-Ji, Temple of the Golden Pavilion.  This Zen Buddhist temple as a landmark dates back to the early 1300s, however the current structure was rebuilt to match the original in 1955 after a fire destroyed it.  The building is three stories tall, but its main feature is its gold-leaf coating on the top two floors.  This design was chosen as it's said the gold helps remove any negative thoughts towards death and purifies the temple.
            
Next, we visited Ryoan Ji Temple.  This UNESCO temple was established in 1450 and is famous worldwide for its rock garden. The beauty of this garden is in its simplicity--a 248 square meter site made up of mainly fifteen rocks and white gravel.  As simple as these materials might sound, the magic is in how they're used to represent the ocean, rivers, islands, or even mountains in a Zen art form referred to as karesansui.  It's quite impressive!

We also happened to visit Ninna Ji Temple, a Buddhist temple with many structures dating back to the 17 century, and Kyoto Gosho, the Imperial Palace.  This former home of the emperor is a large complex that has been rebuilt 8 times since it was first introduced in 794.

A nice way for us to end our day and begin our evening was strolling the streets the Gion District.  This area is very famous for Geishas and kimonos.  Pazi really enjoyed her time here shopping and sightseeing all the gorgeous women in traditional dress.

Day Four: Our trip only allowed for two days in Kyoto so we rushed to see a few more temples before going back to Tokyo.  The main ones we saw were Ginkaku Ji Temple, Temple of the Silver Pavilion, and Nanzen Ji Temple.  Both these locations and the others we saw in between showcased amazing landscaping with trees, plants, manicured lawns, and brilliant sand raking. 

The time went by so fast and before we knew it, we were back on the train headed for Tokyo.  Kyoto was an extremely charming city and one that we would recommend for anyone traveling to Japan.  There is so much to see and do here!

Day Five: This day was meant for Pazi to catch up on her schooling.  While in Kyoto, she fell a little behind so part of day five was for her to catch back up.  However, Adan booked a hotel room in Tsukiji and he had plans to visit the famous fish market here.  To get the full experience, Adan decided to take the free tour offered by operators of the market by being one of first 100 people to sign up in the morning at 5:00am.  The tour was short and sweet.  It was a thirty minute viewing of live tuna auctions and a nearby tuna delivery and packaging company.  By the way, we had sushi here and it was awesome!  Nothing beats freshness when it comes to seafood.

After study time, we went to visit Shibuya to try and experience Tokyo's busiest railway station and surrounding streets.  The hype for this area is that it's insanely crowded and the lights from the buildings are so bright it feels like day time.  Well, the crowds are large, but the lights are not too impressive.  In comparing this location to Hong Kong, the number of people commuting around this area was similar to Central but in larger masses.  The lights were also alright, but we think the signs that jut out from buildings to the center of streets in HK or the nightlife of Mong Kok are better.

Day Six: Our last full day in Tokyo.  What did we do...visit Tokyo Disneyland of course!  This was definitely the highlight of the trip for Devien. 

We wanted to do a little bit of shopping before we went to Disneyland so we took a quick trip to Asakusa district.  Tokyo is not a very souvenir friendly city as compared to others we traveled to in Asia.  However, visiting Senso Ji Temple made the situation bearable for Pazi.  Here there are tens and tens of stalls lined up all the way down the street that leads you to the temple.  Anything and everything for the tourist is sold here.  We spent about two hours shopping and taking photos as this area is very "photogenic" as well. 

By one o'clock, we had arrived at Disneyland.  The rail line is similar to Hong Kong as it nearly takes you to the front gate.  Since it was early October, the whole facility was covered in Halloween decor.  Pazi immediately commented on how it surpassed HK Disney.  The number one reason for this is Tokyo Disney is the entire Disneyland park of California, while the HK version is about two-thirds at best.  The price was 5,500 yen ($68.50) per person so it was a fairly reasonable fee.  Devien was a little confused at first seeing all the rides.  Then he became fussy and difficult.  Finally, by the end he was calm and laughing as he enjoyed the experience.  Even though he was too small to ride many of the rides, he did see things like the Country Bear Theater Show, Mark Twain Riverboat, Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, Pooh's Hunny Hunt, ToonTown, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a few others. 

Overall, Japan was an incredible vacation for us.  Yes, it was a bit spendy compared to most of our other Asia trips, but the experience was unforgettable.