26 avril 2008
Koya San to Tokyo – from zen to crazy!
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A bell sound, then silence. Five other distinct sounds break the silence of Mount Koya. It’s six o’clock, time for the morning service. Out of the room, it’s cool and windy. We kneel in the main temple in complete silence and observe the ceremony. Inside, incense and candles are burning. Few monks arrive but we can’t see them. We hear their prayers in forms of lamentations at first. Then silence. A beautiful voice starts chanting. A drum, rhythmic beats, the chanting continues. A third monk recites mantras at the same time. Another instrument. The feeling is beyond earthly description. More incense is burned and the candles are unlit. The monk who speaks some understandable English then comes to sit with us and the other guests. He mutters something about the meaning of virtue and how we find Japan. Then begins a monologue in Japanese (to Japanese guests) for the next 20 minutes. We can’t really leave the room or sit in a comfortable position until it ends. I try not to look at Jeremie so as not to burst in laughter. Finally, jeremie leaves the room. We soon have our first Japanese vegetarian breakfast: miso soup, tofu, mushrooms, some rice and pickles. Mmm, we’ve had better.
We visit Kompon Daito (the Great Stupa). Inside this uniquely designed stupa is a three-dimensional mandala demonstrating the nondual nature of the Shingon teachings. The little town is very peaceful and the temples are imposing wooden structures though we don’t find much interest on the inside. We wander around the Daishi Kyokai, a beautiful white and brown pagoda. Not a tourist in sight: most of them come in tour buses, at peak times, storm the place and leave right after. We walk towards Daimon, a momamoth gate standing at the main entrance to Koya San. It is flanked on each side by Kongo warriors who guards the mountain.
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A bit later, the transportation race begins. We take our luggage and get the bus to the cable car, to the train; we buy our tickets in Osaka, we barely have 30 minutes to get to the Shinkansen station for our train to Tokyo. We run, carry the bags up and down on the stairs, find the right platform, step in the train, the door closes. The journey continues.
Three hours later, we’re there. Busy finding out where our hotel is and how to get there, we fail to notice the world we got to.
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Tokyo!
Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined it like this!
Since it’s Saturday night, we head to Shinjuku, a western neighbourhood of Tokyo. At the pedestrian crossing, waves of people of all ages, citizens, tourists, mix and disperse at high speed. I can’t help saying ‘incroyable’ every minute. The fashion, the lights, the tall buildings, everything! I have to say I was not really prepared for this electro-shock. Suddenly, we don’t feel tired at all, even after the earlier run. It’s like another day has begun, we wander around for hours, follow the crowds, then rest. Needy of meat after a few days on tofu and vegetables, we deserve a good steak experience from the top of a second floor bar, observing the crowd.
Tip of the Day:
We stayed in a business hotel, called Villa Fontaine. They have branches in various parts of the city. We chose this one in Ueno because of the great price (8700¥ for a double), good location (close to a JR station which is great given our JR pass), and breakfast included. The only disadvantage is that you are a bit far from the action if you want to go out. Given we just went to our hotel to sleep, this was not a problem for us. If keen to enjoy nightlife in Tokyo (especially staying after the last metro – around 12:30 a.m.) it may make more sense to get a hotel in Roppongi, or Shinjuku). Minimum for a small room in those neighbourhoods is around 15-20,000¥.
24 avril 2008
Koya San
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At around 7am Mrs. Tani is getting busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. ‘Rita-saaan’ she calls out for me to say goodbye and offer us a souvenir gift: a box of 2 nicely designed chopsticks. I don’t know what to say when faced with such kindness.
Koya San is our next destination. A succession of transportation means is required to get there: we catch a bus, to jump on a train, grab a metro to take another train, and eventually board a cable car that gets us to the famous city. Koya San (Mont Koya) is a raised tableland covered with thick forests and surrounded by eight peaks. The eight peaks are thought to represent the eight petals of a lotus in bloom, which is suggestive of the core mandala with its eight deities arrayed on the eight petals of a lotus.
The major attraction is the monastic complex, which is the headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism. In the year 804, Kobo Daishi (Kukai) crossed the sea of China in search of Buddhist teachings. In the capital of Tang Dynasty China he received full transmission of a lineage of Buddhism relatively unknown in the Japan of his day called Shingon Buddhism. He returned to Japan in 806 and began teaching. In 816 he was granted permission from the Imperial Court to build a monastic complex deep in the mountains at Mt Koya, isolated from the capital and its distractions. Kobo Daishi lived and taught at Mt Koya for many years until he finally entered into eternal meditation in 835.
Koya San is a superb place to visit, not just for the natural setting of the area but also as an opportunity to stay in temples and get a glimpse of long-held traditions of Japanese religious life.
At our guest house temple, we deposit (get rid of is actually more accurate) our bags and are told to come back at 4, in time for check-in. We have a walk in the cedar tree forest that hosts the Okuno-in, famed cemetery where members of important families from all over Japan want to have their remains buried or at least, a lock of their hair in the care of the …. temple. Statues in many shapes and sizes are scattered along the walking trail and across the woods, sometimes giving an indication whether the deceased was a man, woman or child. Pilgrims are walking with sticks and tingling bells. Close-by lies the bridge Mimyo-no-hashi. Worshippers ladle water from the river and pour it over the nearby Jizo statues as an offering for the dead. Hundreds of thousands of lives are marked and celebrated at this cemetery. The weight of those lives is somehow reflected in the majestic trees and the respectful silence.
On top is the Toro-do (Lantern Hall) where we are led by the delicate smell of Japanese incense. Religious chants fill in the background and our minds. Toro do houses hundreds of lamps, including two believed to have been burning for more than 900 years.
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Kongobu-Ji is the headquarters of the Shingon school and the residence of Koya-San’s abbot. The name Kongobuji was originally intended to refer to all of Mt Koya and its many subtemples. The original temple at this site was built in 1593. The main hall’s Chiro-ma room has ornate screens painted in the 16th century. The Yanagi-no-ma (Willow room) has equally pretty screen paintings of willows. The rock garden is interesting for the sheer number of rocks used in its composition, giving the effect of a throng of petrified worshippers eagerly listening to a monk sermon.
We wander around in search for a bus, but we seem to miss the very few ones that are still running. Roads are deserted. We try with no avail to stop a car hitchhiking style… some cars stop to help us, but finding out we want a 5 min ride, simply say ‘no, no’ despite their nice smiles and walk away. This looks a bit strange to us. Maybe it’s just not the practice in Japan.
We walk back to our temple guest house at the beginning of town. The attentive monk explains the rules to us (and there are many…) We take a deserved Japanese hot bath that relaxes our feet and senses.
Vegetarian rules are a must in this Buddhist temple. We discover yet a new side of Japanese cuisine but we find it largely tasteless unless you dose well the wasabi.
For the first time since we are in Japan, we sleep early in our little tatami temple room.
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Tip of the day
Given Koya San’s location, expect temperatures to be significantly lower than in Kyoto.
We stayed at Haryo-In, a temple functioning as guest house. This temple is the only one slightly cheaper than others (6,500¥ per person, dinner and breakfast included, as compared to 10,000¥ for all others). The temple is nothing to write home about (room is basic and dinner is nothing exceptional either). It may be best to stay in more comfortable ones.
One needs to take the bus to go from the station to the city. Don’t take day pass (800¥), as it will not be really used, and there are an average of 2 bus an hour. The city is quite compact anyways.
Must see in Koya San include Kongobuji temple and Okuno-in cemetery.
22 avril 2008
Magnificent temples
Kyoto is cloudy and particularly cold today. This is our last day and we keep the best for last. Sanjusangen-Do attracts lots of Asian and western tourists. The venerated Kannon surrounded by 1000 statues of Buddha is a unique sight. This is a new Buddhist deity for us, but seems very popular in Japan. It is said that the founder of Canon was inspired by Kannon and has merged cameras with the adored deity. In formidable precision, the 1000 golden statues (with around 36 hands each) stand on theatre style stairs surrounding the big statue of Kannon. The (mostly fear-inspiring) statues of heavenly guardians and generals are stunning in creativeness.
For lunch we treat ourselves to Aunbo restaurant. We try different lunch settos featuring pork, horseradish soup, uncooked tofu, haring and aubergines. Though the setting and preparation do not lack style and delicacy, we don’t find the quantities sufficient and get stuffed on the rice.
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Along the way to Kiyomizudera temple, souvenir shops are scattered. Higashiyama is a very pleasant neighbourhood with traditional architecture and paved pedestrian streets. Many Japanese tourists wander around in the sweet shops or head to the temple. Around the temple complex, geishas are walking in their high shoes, with their complete sophisticated outfit and heavily powdered. They’re not camera shy and gladly pose for Jeremie…until they understand this will last some time. We follow them around and encounter other groups heading for their respective tea ceremonies or just happy to attract interest.
Some time later we wander around (and get lost) in Teramachi arcade (north of Shijo). Even in this low key shopping area, we’re amazed at the (high) prices, especially for incense and pottery. In China or any other neighbouring country these would not be worth one tenth of the price…
The entertainment centre next door, hosts the usual stuff: pachinko on the ground floor, violent fighting games on the second, sports and car racing games on the last floor. It’s invariably noisy and smoky.
Tip of the Day
Lunch at Aunbo (2600¥ lunch set), a very nice traditional surrounding for a quite innovative food. Food is fine but I guess we were expecting something of higher standard. The restaurant is close to Yasaka shrine.
20 avril 2008
Delicious food
We wake up to the sound of water dripping from the trees. The small garden next to our room is soaked. Rainy day. We take our time, waiting for the rain to stop. Finally we take our umbrellas… Daitokuji temple is almost empty. It’s like a small town of old houses, beautiful trees and…small temples. Stoneways aligned with fine sorts of trees and plants lead to individual houses or small temples. The rain continues without a halt and we hear prayers in the background but we cannot enter.
Shintoism is the most followed belief and philosophy in Japan. It is close to animism with a high veneration for ancestors. Shimogamo is a Shinto shrine. The particularity of shrines is that they don’t have pictures or statues, but lots of beautiful vegetation, a mirror, a sword, or a crystal ball at the altar. Stones, white or black pebbles, water and trees are a common sights in the surroundings.
Japanese friends recommended more than once Yudofu (tofu cooked in a pot) as the divine speciality of Kyoto. Japanese cuisine has a lot to do with finesse, delicate manners, subtle smells and wonderful tastes. This six course lunch has it all (though we’re still working on the manners: kneeling on tatami mats is not particularly comfortable). We start with sesame tofu topped with wasabi sauce, sweet miso dengaku that has an exquisite taste. The main dish is boiled tofu (yodofu) and is savoured with spices, a separate sauce and herbs. Yam potato soup (excellent), and vegetable tempura are also served.
Loads of tour buses stand waiting in front of the Kyoto handicraft centre. There are some nice gifts to be bought. We spend some time looking at the waterblock prints and paintings. I buy a nice red kimono.
As the rain never stops, we walk around in Shijo, a covered shopping street. Young ladies in micro skirts and sandals do not seem to be worried about the cold temperature or the wind. Close by, other men and women are walking in small steps, dressed in elegant kimonos and traditional shoes. Tradition meets the future in this big washing machine. For a Lebanese, this would look like an old man in cherwal from Akkar shopping in ABC Achrafieh…
Another aspect of Japan made it through a world trip: sake! Pontocho might be the place with lots of bars and izakayas lined up, but we learn that sake is for older people. Instead, on our first night out, we try casual drinks: young ladies drink cassis based cocktails (I do the same) and Jeremie tries chuhai (shochu – a distilled spirit made of potato and many other raw materials - with soda and lemon). Not really that great, so we shift to vodka orange… Meanwhile, yakitori and small delicious things are served.
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Tip of the day
One day pass for bus costs only 500¥ in Kyoto.
Entry to both temples are free. Entry to sub temple is around 400¥ each.
Lunch at Okutan, a fine restaurant just outside the grounds of Nanzen-jiSet lunch with 6 courses at only 3100¥. Highly recommended.
18 avril 2008
Nara
Nara is a small town very rich in history and tradition. Japan’s first real capital, it is only second to Kyoto as a repository of Japan’s cultural legacy. Al though brief (in 710, for a mere 75 years) the Nara period was extraordinarily vigorous in its absorption of influences from China, a process that laid the foundations of Japanese culture and civilisation. The adoption of Buddhism as a national religion made a lasting impact on government, arts, literature and architecture. The lady at the tourist information centre wants to make a father and a daughter happy and recommends us a student guide: she can’t seem to believe that Jeremie and I are husband and wife. ‘you’re very young, how can you be his wife’ she says with lots of assurance. No comment… Takeo is waiting for us and speaks good English. Great! We follow Takeo and listen carefully to her subtle explanations. We visit the three story pagoda, then the five story pagoda (the second highest in Japan, both made of wood.).
We continue walking towards the Todai-ji Temple among numerous deer awaiting to be fed by tourists. 
There are around 1300 of them in the area and they’re almost domesticated. The long alley to the temple is tiled with different colours coming from India, China, Korea and Japan, redrawing the path of Buddhism. The big statue of Buddha dominates the temple along with apprentices, cast outs and a Buddha wanting to turn back to human. Some people are trying to pass inside a hole in a big pole: it is said that people who succeed in passing are healthy…
Nigatsu-do hall boosts nice views over the city and the different sights. Soon enough school children storm the place, and we’re on our way down…
All sights are within small distance but there are some strenuous steps. 3000 metal and stone lanterns lead us to the Kasuga Taisha Shinto Shrine. With turquoise blue robes, but otherwise quite young looking monks recite prayers for a while. They are assisted by young ladies with the most astonishing looks: in bright orange robes, with hair ornaments ranging from fringes with silver decorations, to flower arrangements, and two black circles on the back. Quite hard to describe really and unfortunately it’s forbidden to take pictures. If you can imagine something along the lines of ‘the 5th element’, that would be probably close.
Meanwhile we chitchat with Takeo about all things Japanese. Her father is actually a Buddhist monk and an agronomist. She would like to become a civil servant and promote the country side. During our lunch, we exchange views on average Japanese wages and food.
We then head to Nara’s old city. A superb Mashiya has just been renovated and open to visitors. Mashiyas are the old urban townhouses that served as both residence and workplace for local merchants and tradesmen. Although individual mashiya differ to renovations made over time, representative features include the structure’s long rectangular design, its narrow front, and deep interior. The reason for the long, narrow shape lies both in the fact that land taxes were assessed on the width of a house’s façade, as well as in the inherent desire of local townspeople to keep an eye on the street outside.
Outside each door front, different sizes of red dolls in the form of monkeys are hanged in this part of town. It appears to be a tradition in the Kansai region. Each monkey represents a member of the family and will take the bad luck instead. Takeo was given the monkey corresponding to her ranking in the family when she left her family house in Wakayama to come and study in Nara. She did not have a bad luck since then…neither did we!
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Tip of the day
There are JR trains to Nara twice per hour (690¥ one way). The trip takes 45 mns. One can buy tickets at vending machines or tickets desks. It’s a breeze to take a train.
Volunteer guides (usually students keen to practice their English) can show you around. It’s free service, but it’s good practice to invite them for lunch. A small tourist information booth at the train station can organize that. One then needs to go to the main Nara Tourist centre (500 metres on the direction to the park and main attraction sites.)
We eat a donburi at a small joint in the city centre that was very tasty.
17 avril 2008
Beautiful Geishas
16 avril 2008
Encounter with a Geisha
13 avril 2008
Enjoying Kyoto's cultural marvels
Mrs. Tani has prepared fresh little green bread-like bums on the table. My guessing bite uncovers a dark brown paste on the inside. Strange funny taste I thought, but managed to finish it. Black bean paste and jams are widely used here with what we think is green tea bread. Bottoms lightly sore from yesterday, we ride our bikes along the water canal.
Ginkakuji temple is under renovation and we’re only able to enjoy the vast and well maintained garden. Workers are busy modelling the white sand in waves and not so obvious shapes. Others are busy delicately cleaning… the moss around the trees! As we go over a tiny wooden bridge, Japanese worshippers are concentrating on what seems to be a wish making coin-throwing practice. The water next to the small holed stone is full of unlucky small coins. Small candles are free (for a ‘donation’ of 50¥) and are displayed in small rectangles with specific purposes indicated on top: for curing cancer, happy marriage, winning lottery, finding jobs, and whatever else you may want to wish for, though some wishes like good health come at a higher price (suggested donation)…
We follow the Path of Philosophy along the canal and the trees in blossom. Very charming neighbourhoods are on the way. Honen-in temple is on an ascending rope and is a quiet place to stop and wander around.
Outside Nanzen-ji temple we notice two geishas on their way out of a nice restaurant. We follow them as they ride in a kind of rickshaw pulled by a young man in special shoes. Two other geishas are walking nearby. Time has stopped. Our foreign eyes observe them like little pieces of lost tradition.
Nishiki Food market is not as big as we expect it to be. All sorts of fresh fish, shells and strange seafood are helplessly lying on the stands. Some stalls are specialized in pickled everything, a lesser known Japanese speciality. The shops selling sweet delicacies are also full of visitors trying new cinnamon, sesame, black been or green tea sweets.
As we await our turn to change money at the post office, we watch a sumo match on television. Impressive how they can lift each other with so much power!
We let our bikes rest a bit as we take a walk through Gion. We notice a bright orange structure that turns out to be Yasaka shrine on a special evening. Live food stations with innovative preparations are lined up. We try tako-yaki - octopus filled balls with heavy brown sauce topped with pinky things similar to wood dust. Caution: don’t eat it very hot! Further up the stairs is a lantern and ikebana festival that attracts a Japanese and foreign crowd. We wander around and observe the whole scenery. On our way back to get the bikes, we curiously stop at a ‘pachinko’, one of the most popular pastime in Japan. The sound, lights and smoke strike us. The eyes of the players are concentrating on the different noisy games, behind them, buckets full of small metal balls they reach out for blindly. Our senses are aggressed and we hardly hear ourselves. Here we are very far from the zen-style Kyoto…
Tip of the day
Lunch at Kane-Yo, where we try Donburi set of unagi (eel) with rice. Cheap and very basic. Nothing to write home about.
Money can be changed in banks in Japan (all offer the same rate with no exchange commission). Banks close at 3 PM . One can also change money at the Post office, just outside Kyoto station (close at 7 PM)
09 avril 2008
Kyoto
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We wake up ready to jump on our feet to discover Kyoto: it’s 3 AM... Too bad. We start working on our itinerary instead until we fall asleep again and wake up around 9. Mrs. Tani, has already prepared us breakfast by humble western standards: tea (green of course), bread, butter and jam. Mrs. Tani is an nice and determined old lady who has started hosting tourists after the government’s request to alleviate the accommodation situation during the 1964 Osaka Olympic games. She has continued doing so ever since. We move to the bigger tatami room with private bath. It has a special old time feeling and small fine details that gives it all the charm. With our rented bikes, we head towards Kinkaku-ji temple, known as the Golden Temple, one of the most visited temples. Small little shops surround the temple. The little sweets on display are unusual. We pick up toothpicks and imitate the Japanese, tasting different samples and making mmmhhh or oooh sounds after. Arigato gosaimaaas. We thank the shop owner politely and wander around the incredibly beautiful garden. It’s Sunday and many Japanese are visiting from other cities. The place remains very quiet. Young girls align to have their picture taken with the golden structure. The victory sign A is on display by almost everyone. Later on, we would find out this is mistakenly supposed to mean peace, an imitation from the oh-so-different West.
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Kyoto Imperial Palace’s park is our next stop. The 200 plum trees have started to blossom and that gives us a good reason to wander around and see what everyone else is doing. It’s a bright sunny day. Couples are having their pictures taken while having sushi under the trees. Children are running around.
Kyoto by bike is very enjoyable and we take some stops at small temples on our way. Kodo (Gyoganji) is also known as Reiyusan Gyoganji, belonging to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism. It was built in the Ichijo Ogawa area of Kamigyo Ward in 1004 by the monk Gyoen. The temple’s popular name (literally “leather hall”) is said to derive from the fact that Gyoen was known as Kawa-no-hijiri (the “leather saint”) due to his habit of wearing the skin of a pregnant deer that he had inadvertently killed, an event that greatly troubled him and inspired in him an attitude of kindness toward deer…
The Yurei Ema, a votive picture of horse depicting the ghost of a young woman, is on display in the temples of Homotsukan.
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Our bike stroll takes us through shopping areas on our way to famous Gion. Famous as it is widely described in the ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’. We spot one Geisha, as she accompanies customers outside the tea house where she has made her job of entertaining them. She is very gracious and walks with small steps bowing to passers by.
A large building structure hosts the Kyoto National Museum. Though pottery and ceramics are not high on our list, the collections on display are well presented. We liked the collection of kimono, the calligraphy and unique paper rolls.
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Shop after shop are aligned in the Shinjo area. We start discovering how expensive a shopping stroll can be in this part of Asia.
A catchy sign with a nice entrance leads us to a Manga café. A unique Japanese concept where you are given a quiet closed spot for one or 2 persons. You can surf the net, watch TV, choose from the wide selection of Mangas to read, or sleep. You pay by the hour and can stay as long as 12 hours in a row. Meanwhile, drinks are served free of charge and you can also have a shower to freshen up.
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Tips of the day
Rent a bike at 400¥/day with our guest house (it’s cheap as it can be rented to up to 1000¥ in Kyoto) If the weather is good, visiting the city by bike is a rewarding experience as one discovers the many facets of the city.
Lunch at Musachi Sushi , a small cheap sushi joint, at the entrance of Sanjo covered arcade.
07 avril 2008
Getting there...
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The schedules of the past few days were very full: I was in Amman for a week and came back only yesterday while Jérémie was busy preparing and choosing designs for our house and garden with the different people supposed to carry out the works. We barely had enough time to pack and close the house. We were both working until the last minute and then a phone call: ‘are you ready?’ Next thing we’re on the plane but our minds still so busy and a feeling of having forgotten something… that we’re going on holiday in JAPAN!
The flight to Doha takes a bit more than two hours. Four hours waiting in Doha makes for our first encounter with a large Japanese crowd and fashion. Middle aged ladies stretching constantly, young men with all kinds of gadgets, and precious little ones: one common feature – all wearing nice comfortable sneakers. Our flight from Doha to Osaka takes 9 hours. The plane is not full. The aircraft is super modern with great in-flight entertainment which makes us forget that we need to prepare for our arrival in Osaka as aliens on earth. Everything in the plane is extremely quiet. We are lucky as we can get an exit seat and catch some sleep. Green tea noodles with soba sauce and many other little things are served. Jérémie has to ask the waitress what goes with what (he was about to mix salty things with the dessert…). As we start our descent to the Kansai airport, a strange landscape unveils between the clouds. Rough brown mountains surrounded by plains, rivers or water. Islands. Lots of them. The biggest are connected with long bridges. We follow the crowd outside. It’s all quiet. We get to the bus departure gate and a first look at the map of the bus route suddenly has the effect of an alarm clock. Wake up, you’re in Japan. When we see people line up in two different rows very quietly, we understand we have to do the same. The bus leads us to Kyoto where we catch a city bus to get to our guest house.
After settling in our tatami room, the owner offers us some tea and biscuits and leaves us alone with no instruction manual. How does the hot water work, which is the on button on the heater, how to prepare our Japanese beds… a mountain of futon, blankets, sheets and pillows. It’s not long before we figure it out and head to bed to recover from this long journey.
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Tips of the day (
Our bad luck for this trip: the US dollar never got so weak. It is being exchanged at less than 100¥ for 1 US$. (150¥ for 1 €)
Tickets from Beirut to Osaka for US$1070 (around €750).
Bus from Kansai airport (the International airport for Osaka and Kyoto) to Kyoto takes 90 minutes. Tickets are bought outside the terminal and cost 2,300¥. The journey is all through a motorway and all you see is buildings and concrete. The bus drops you at the Kyoto station.
We go to the B platform and catch the bus 205 that leads us to our guest house, based in the north-west of the city (in front of the famous Daitoku-Ji temple). It takes us 50 mns from the bus station to our guest house. We also could have taken the metro (stop Kitaoji) but it would have involved a long walk, so not really useful.
We stayed in Tani House (8 Daitokujicho, close to Daitokuji temple, tel:075-492 5489). It is a bit far from the city centre, but it is a typical Japanese house. We had booked a Japanese style double room with bathroom, at only 6000¥ the room (basic breakfast included). Which certainly makes it one of the best value for money place to stay in town. If you’re looking for a genuine Japanese feel, this is a good place to stay. The owner is an old very nice Japanese woman, who speaks English (speak slowly though so as to make sure she understands all you say) Our room is definitely not small by Japanese standards. (but not terribly clean either…) Kyoto being very touristy (the city hosts 50m Japanese tourists per year), you should book your accommodation at least 3 weeks ahead.
