Japan is the subject of more gullible and misguided musings than perhaps any other place in the world: the best way to approach it is to discard your preconceptions. Somewhere between the elegant formality of Japanese manners and the candid, sometimes boisterous exchanges that take place over a few drinks, between the sanitized shopping malls and the unexpected rural festivals, everyone finds their own vision of Japan. Whether you end up taking photos of a reproduction Eiffel Tower, surfing an indoor wave, shacking up in a love hotel, you’ll do best to come with an open mind and be prepared to be surprised.
AKITA
Akita is the capital and largest city of Akita Prefecture. Other major cities include Yokote, Daisen, and Yurihonjō. Akita Prefecture is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan and extends east to the Ōu Mountains, the longest mountain range in Japan, at the border with Iwate Prefecture. Akita Prefecture formed the northern half of the historic Dewa Province with Yamagata Prefecture.
Akita's economy is dominated by traditional industries such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Akita, 秋田, meaning autumn rice paddy, is famous for rice farming and its sake breweries. It is well known for having the highest consumption of sake in Japan and is thought to be the origin of the Akita breed of dog which carries the prefecture's name.
The Akita Kantō (秋田竿燈まつり) is a Japanese festival celebrated from August 3rd to 7th in Akita City, Akita Prefecture in hope for a good harvest. Around two hundred bamboo poles five to twelve meters long, bearing twenty-four or forty-six lanterns, topped with gohei, and weighing up to fifty kilograms, are carried through the streets by night on the palms, foreheads, shoulders, or lower backs of the celebrants.
AOMORI
Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu. The majority of the prefecture is covered in forested mountain ranges, with population centers occupying valleys and plains. Major draws to the prefecture are its historic sites, museums, and national parks. Several of the prefecture's Jōmon period historic sites were nominated in January 2009 to become World Heritage Sites. If approved, the archaeological sites would join Shirakami-Sanchi as the prefecture's second World Heritage Site. Tourist access to Shirakami-Sanchi is heavily restricted to tourists due to its delicate ecosystem, though several water features, trails, and roads can be accessed by its visitors.
NAGASAKI
Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎, "Long Cape") is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries and the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region have been recognized and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Part of Nagasaki was home to a major Imperial Japanese Navy base during the First Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War. Near the end of World War II, the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made Nagasaki the second and, to date, last city in the world to experience a nuclear attack at 11:02 am, August 9, 1945 Japan Standard Time (UTC+9).
On the day of the nuclear strike (August 9, 1945) the population in Nagasaki was estimated to be 263,000. That day, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Bockscar, commanded by Major Charles Sweeney, departed from Tinian's North Field just before dawn, this time carrying a plutonium bomb, code named "Fat Man". The primary target for the bomb was Kokura, with the secondary target being Nagasaki, if the primary target was too cloudy to make a visual sighting. When the plane reached Kokura at 9:44 a.m. (10:44 am. Tinian Time), the city was obscured by clouds and smoke, as the nearby city of Yahata had been firebombed on the previous day – the steel plant in Yahata also had their workforce intentionally set fire to containers of coal tar, to produce target-obscuring black smoke. Unable to make a bombing attack on visual due to the clouds and smoke and with limited fuel, the plane left the city at 10:30 a.m. for the secondary target. After 20 minutes, the plane arrived at 10:50 a.m. over Nagasaki, but the city was also concealed by clouds. Desperately short of fuel and after making a couple of bombing runs without obtaining any visual target, the crew was forced to use radar to drop the bomb. At the last minute, the opening of the clouds allowed them to make visual contact with a racetrack in Nagasaki, and they dropped the bomb on the city's Urakami Valley midway between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works in the south, and the Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works in the north. 53 seconds after its release, the bomb exploded at 11:02 a.m. at an approximate altitude of 1,800 feet.
Less than a second after the detonation, the north of the city was destroyed and 35,000 people were killed. Among the deaths were 6,200 out of the 7,500 employees of the Mitsubishi Munitions plant, and 24,000 others (including 2,000 Koreans) who worked in other war plants and factories in the city, as well as 150 Japanese soldiers. The industrial damage in Nagasaki was high, leaving 68–80% of the non-dock industrial production destroyed. It was the second and, to date, the last use of a nuclear weapon in combat, and also the second detonation of a plutonium bomb. The first combat use of a nuclear weapon was the "Little Boy" bomb, which was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The first plutonium bomb was tested in central New Mexico, United States, on July 16, 1945. The Fat Man bomb was somewhat more powerful than the one dropped over Hiroshima, but because of Nagasaki's more uneven terrain, there was less damage.
OSAKA
Osaka is Japan's third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama and is a short train ride from Kyoto. The city has the feel of an industrial office park with the exception of Osaka Castle, Osaka-jo, that dominates Osaka's heart just as it did centuries ago, while the venerable Shitenno-ji and Sumiyoshi Taisha hark back to the city's past importance as a religious center. In contrast, bizarre modern buildings, such as the spaceship-like Osaka Dome sports stadium and the fantastic aquarium at the Tempozan Harbour Village, are prominent as is the large-scale theme park, Universal Studios Japan, and the Osaka Aquarium.
However, all of the guide books seem to omit two Osaka inventions that warrant further investigation: Cup Noodles and plastic food. The former needs no introduction for anyone who went through college on a limited budget. The latter was invented in Osaka as a way for Japanese people to order Western food at the turn of the 20th century. Today they are ubiquitous as they are seen wherever there is a Japanese restaurant in the world.
There are some interesting things to see in Osaka but in general I have found Kyoto to be a much more culturally interesting city. Unless you have ample time, I'd suggest Osaka as a day trip from Kyoto.
Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle is the symbol of Osaka and is synonymous with its creator, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. In 1583, Hideyoshi began construction at the former site of Honganji Temple and completed the magnificent castle, which was reputed as being unparalleled in the country. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu Tokugawa, who worked for Hideyoshi as his chief retainer, was appointed to the Shogun and he established the shogunate (government) in Edo (Tokyo). In 1615, Ieyasu ruined the Toyotomi family and destroyed Osaka Castle (in the Summer War of Osaka). Thereafter, the Tokugawa shogunate reconstructed Osaka Castle. It held the castle under its direct control until 1868, when the Tokugawa shogunate lost power and the castle fell. In 1931, the Main Tower of the Castle was reconstructed in the center of Osaka Castle, which was used as a military base, with funds raised by the citizens. The present-day Main Tower is the third generation. It follows the Main Tower from the Toyotomi period, which was destroyed by fire during the Summer War, and the tower from the Tokugawa period, which was struck by lightning and was burned down. Since its construction, Osaka Castle repeatedly featured as the battleground of the major wars in Japanese history.
The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
Momofuku Ando (安藤 百福), was the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman-emeritus of Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd., and the inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles. On August 25, 1958, at the age of 48, and after months of trial and error experimentation to perfect his flash-frying method, Ando marketed the first package of precooked instant noodles. Called Chikin Ramen (チキンラーメン), after the original chicken flavour, it was originally considered a luxury item with a price of ¥35 around six times that of traditional udon and soba noodles at the time. Ando began the sales of his most famous product, Cup Noodles on September 18, 1971 with the masterstroke of providing a waterproof polystyrene container. As prices dropped, ramen soon became a booming business. Worldwide demand reached 98 billion servings in 2007. As of 2007, Chikin Ramen is still sold in Japan and now retails for around ¥60, or approximately one third the price of the cheapest bowl of noodles in a Japanese restaurant.
HOKKAIDO
Hokkaidō (北海道), formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The island of Hokkaidō is located at the north end of Japan, near Russia, and has coastlines on the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Pacific Ocean. The center of the island has a number of mountains and volcanic plateaus, and there are coastal plains in all directions. Major cities include Sapporo and Asahikawa in the central region and the port of Hakodate facing Honshū.
Hokkaidō's largest city is the capital, Sapporo. Other major cities include Hakodate in the south and Asahikawa in the central region. Other important population centers include Kushiro, Obihiro, Abashiri, Nemuro.
Sapporo
Sapporo is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population and is best known outside Japan for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first ever held in Asia, and for the annual Yuki Matsuri in the city, internationally referred to as the Sapporo Snow Festival, which draws more than 2 million tourists from around the world. The city is also home to the eponymous Sapporo Brewery. Not a lot to see here except for as a stopover to the volcanoes and parks.
Shikotsu-Toya National Park
The park was named for its two famous lakes, Toya and Shikotsu, and is located in southwestern Hokkaido. Its proximity to Sapporo makes it a popular destination for travelers with limited time in Hokkaido. The park has a host of outdoor activities ranging from hiking to hot springs. The spectacular scenery includes caldera lakes, onsen towns and volcanic mountains.
There are five parts to Shikotsu-Toya National Park, each featuring various attractions. The most famous two park areas are its namesake lakes, Toya and Shikotsu. The onsen towns of Noboribetsu and Jozankei are also popular. Mount Yotei, a perfectly shaped volcano near Niseko, is the fifth distinct park area.
Noboribetsu
This is Hokkaido's most famous hot spring resort, beautifully surrounded by forested hills. Noboribetsu's major attraction, besides its baths, is the Jigokudani or "Hell Valley", where you can view (and smell) sulfurous steam vents, streams and ponds. Noboribetsu is part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park.
Lake Toya (Toyako)
Toyako is part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. In addition to the lake itself, the Toyako region features hot springs and an active volcano, Mount Usu, which last erupted in the year 2000. The area also offers many fishing, hiking, and camping opportunities.
The picturesque lake was chosen as the location of the the G8 summit which Japan hosted from July 7 to 9, 2008. The leaders of the world's eight major industrialized democracies met at the Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa.
We stayed at the Toyako Onsen, a touristy hot spring resort along the shore of Lake Toya, just at the foot of Mount Usu. In front of the hotel runs a pleasant promenade with foot baths (ashiyu), and in the evening from May through October there are daily fireworks. The promenade is also the departure point for sightseeing boat cruises of the lake.
HIROSHIMA
Hiroshima (広島) is an industrial city of wide boulevards and criss-crossing rivers, located along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. Although many only know it for the horrific split second on August 6, 1945, when it became the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack, it is now a modern, cosmopolitan city.
During World War II, Hiroshima was one of the larger cities in Japan, and a natural communications and supply center for the military. On August 6, 1945, at 8:15AM, the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb dubbed "Little Boy" on Hiroshima. It is estimated that at least 70,000 people were killed in the explosion and its immediate aftermath. Most of the city was built of wood, and fires raged out of control across nearly five square miles, leaving behind a charred plain with a few scattered concrete structures. Corpses lay piled in rivers; medical treatment was virtually non-existent, as most of the city's medical facilities had been located near the hypocenter, and the few doctors left standing had no idea what hit them. That evening, radioactive materials in the atmosphere caused a poisonous "black rain" to fall. In the days ahead, many survivors began to come down with strange illnesses, such as skin lesions, hair loss, and fatigue.
Between 70,000 and 140,000 people would eventually die from radiation-related diseases. Known as hibakusha, the survivors were also subject to severe discrimination from other Japanese, but have since been at the forefront of Japan's post-war pacifism and its campaign against the use of nuclear weapons. Recovery was slow, given the scale of the devastation, and black markets thrived in the first few years after the war. However, the reconstruction of Hiroshima became a symbol of Japan's post-war pacifism.
While most of the city is thoroughly modernized, there are areas — such as the ramshackle buildings east of the train station (slated for demolition over the next few years) — that still reflect that 1950s rush to rebuild. Today, Hiroshima has a population of more than 1.1 million. Automobiles are a major local industry, with Mazda's corporate headquarters nearby. There are three excellent art museums in the city center, some of Japan's most fanatical sports fans, and a wide range of culinary delights — most notably the city's towering contribution to bar cuisine, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Although many visitors, especially Americans, may feel apprehensive about visiting Hiroshima, it is a friendly, welcoming city, with as much interest in Western culture as anywhere else in Japan. Tourists are welcomed, and exhibits related to the atomic bomb are not concerned with blame or accusations. Bear in mind, though, that many hibakusha still live in the city, and even most of the young people in Hiroshima have family members who lived through the blast. As such, the average Hiroshima resident isn't likely to relish talking about it, although you needn't shy away from the topic if one of the chatty fellows around the Peace Park brings it up.
Peace Memorial Park
Most of the memorials related to the atomic bomb are in and around the Peace Memorial Park. This area was destroyed almost in its entirety by the bomb. Today, there are more than fifty memorials, statues, and other structures in the Park. Some will be obscure in their meaning; others are immediate and devastating. There is no entry fee, save for the Peace Memorial Museum, and access to the grounds is not restricted at night.
The skeletal remains of the A-Bomb Dome are the most recognizable symbol of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. In another lifetime, the building was one of the city's best-known sights for an entirely different reason; designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel in 1915, the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall (and its fanciful green dome) had a bold European style in a grimy, crowded city with few modern flourishes. Because the explosion took place almost directly above the building, the walls remained largely intact, even as the dome shattered and the people inside were killed by the heat of the blast. Initially, as the city rebuilt, it was left alone simply because it was more difficult to demolish than other remains in the area; gradually, the A-Bomb Dome became the symbol it is today. The "Hiroshima Peace Memorial" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 amid some controversy — the United States and China both voted against the nomination for reasons related to the war. Today, the benches around the Dome are a favorite spot for Hiroshima natives to read, eat lunch, or simply relax.
One block east of the A-Bomb Dome (outside Shima Clinic) is a plaque which marks the Hypocenter, the exact point above which the bomb exploded.
The Children's Peace Monument is perennially draped in thousands of origami paper cranes folded by schoolchildren across Japan in the memory of the young bomb victim Sadako Sasaki.
The Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students commemorates the 6,300 students who were conscripted to work in munitions factories and killed in the atomic bomb. There are statues of doves scattered throughout its five levels; at the base is a beautiful Kannon statue, always draped with origami cranes.
Tens of thousands of forced laborers from Korea were working in Hiroshima at the time of the attack. But the Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-Bomb was erected outside the Peace Park in 1970, and only moved within its boundaries in 1999. Today, the turtle at the base of the monument — symbolically carrying the dead to the afterlife — tends to be draped in his fair share of colorful origami cranes and flowers.
The Peace Bell is engraved with a world map, drawn without borders to symbolize unity. The public are welcomed to ring the bell — not subtly, the log is aimed to strike an atomic symbol.
The Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound holds the ashes of 70,000 bomb victims who were unidentified or had no living relatives to claim them. Services are held in their memory on the 6th of every month.
The Rest House was known as the Taishoya Kimono Shop at the time of the explosion. Only one employee, who was in the basement at the time, survived. However, the reinforced concrete building stayed mostly intact. (The interior has been entirely refurbished, but the preserved basement is possible to visit with advance request.) Today, it holds a gift shop, some vending machines, a helpful tourist information office, and — as the name would suggest — a place to rest.
Inside the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims is a stone chest with a registry that is intended to contain the names of every known person who died from the bombing, regardless of nationality. (Names are added as hibakusha pass away from diseases thought related to the radiation of the bomb.) The Japanese inscription reads, "Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil." Note how the arch frames the A-Bomb Dome in the distance.
At the other end of the pond from the Cenotaph is the Flame of Peace. It is said that the fire will burn until the last nuclear weapon is gone from the earth.
The Peace Memorial Hall is dedicated to collecting names and photographs of people who died in the blast. The entrance of the museum leads downward to a quiet hall for contemplation, and then back up again to a set of kiosks with compelling stories and recollections from survivors (in English and Japanese). Like the Cenotaph and the Peace Memorial Museum, it was designed by architect Kenzo Tange.
Peace Memorial Museum
This museum documents the atomic bomb and its aftermath, from scale models of the city "before" and "after" to melted tricycles and other displays and artifacts related to the blast. Some are extremely graphic, evocative, and quite disturbing. The rest of the museum describes the post-war struggles of the hibakusha and an appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons in the world today.
The Statue of Mother and Child in the Storm, completed in 1960 by artist Shin Hongo, is among the most powerful works of art created in response to the atomic bomb. It depicts a woman shielding her child from the black rain. It's in front of the Fountain of Prayer just south of the Peace Memorial Museum.
Next to this post you can watch a video of the Peace Memorial Museum I filmed in 2009. Enjoy!
TOKYO
The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan’s capital city. It’s true the larger picture can be somewhat depressing – shoebox housing estates and office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded with traffic. But this is the Japanese success story in action. The average Tokyo suburb hasn’t fallen prey to supermarket culture though: streets are lined with tiny specialist shops and bustling restaurants, most of which stay open late into the night. Close to the soaring office blocks exist pockets of another Tokyo – an old wooden house, a kimono shop, a Japanese inn, an old lady in a kimono sweeping the pavement outside her home with a straw broom. More than anything else, Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It’s a living city and you’ll never run out of things to explore. Tokyo is a vast conurbation spreading out across the Kanto Plain from Tokyo-wan Bay. Almost completely rebuilt after an earthquake in 1923 and again after US air raids in W.W.II, Tokyo has literally risen from the ashes. It’s roughly split into the flashy commercial and business districts west of the central Ginza shopping precinct, and the more down-to-earth residential neighborhoods to the east. For visitors, nearly everything of interest lies either on or within the JR Yamanote line, the rail loop that circles central Tokyo.
The Imperial Palace
The Japanese emperor and the imperial family still call the Imperial Palace home, so unless you get a royal invite to tea tourists are restricted to the outskirts and the gardens. New Year’s Day (2 January) and 23 December (the Emperor’s birthday) are the only exceptions to this rule.
The biggest drawcard of the Imperial Palace, both literally and metaphorically, is Edo-jo castle. From the 17th century until the Meiji Restoration, it was used as the impregnable fortress of the ruling shogunate. Over the years the castle was upgraded, added to, renovated and built onto with all the force of a rabid renovator. For a while it was the largest castle in the world but all the building came to an abrupt end when large portions of it were destroyed in the transfer of power from shogun back to emperor during the Meiji Restoration. The Imperial East Garden is entered through one of three gates although the most popular is the Ote-mon, which was once the principle gate of Edo-jo. The garden is an oasis of quiet after the bustle of Tokyo, and characteristically Japanese; a horizon of clear lines, an attention to detail and the religious placement of objects within the landscape.
Ginza
Despite its disaster-ridden history and propensity for shape-changing, Ginza has become synonymous with conspicuous consumption and excessive shopping. At the end of the 19th century, after fire razed it to the ground, it was resurrected in a London-cum-faux-Parisian style with brick buildings and wide boulevards that mimicked the Champs Elysses. Since then, earthquakes and W.W.II carpet-bombing has seen it gradually transform from continental chic to trans-Atlantic functional, but it still pulls the crowds.
There are some shopping districts that have tried to wrestle the crown from Ginza – they’re more crowded, more opulent and hipper – but the grande old dame of ostentatious spending stills retains her imperious snob value. Serious shoppers don’t leave town without swinging through the doors of Matsuya, Mitsukoshi and Wako department stores. The Ginza strip is where you can purchase novelty items whose fetishistic value far outweigh its functional value, and indulge in a spot of retail therapy. Window shopping is free, though, and the window displays in the department stores are works of installation art in themselves.
Sensoji Temple
Sensoji Temple is Tokyo’s oldest temple, dating from A.D. 628. Destroyed during an air raid in 1945, it was rebuilt in 1958. According to popular lore, the temple was erected to enshrine a tiny golden stature of Kannon that was fished out of the nearby Sumida River by two brothers. Kannon is the Buddhist goddess of mercy and happiness, and is empowered with the ability to release humans from suffering. Although the statue is still housed in Sensoji Temple, it is never shown to the public.
The Tsukiji Market
This market was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. It was also one of the largest wholesale supermarkets of any kind. The market opened on 11 February 1935 as a replacement for an older market that was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. It was closed on 6 October 2018, with operations moving to the new Toyosu Market.
CupNoodles Museum Yokohama
One of my most fun visits was to the CupNoodles Museum in Yokohama. This museum is dedicated to instant noodles and Cup Noodles, as well as its creator and founder, Momofuku Ando. It features four stories of exhibitions and attractions and displays the history of instant ramen and Momofuku Ando's story. A must-see for any self-respecting college student!
Japanese Tea Ceremony
One of the really fun things to do while in Japan is attend a formal tea ceremony. This is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea, the art of which is called (o)temae ([お]手前/[お]点前).
Asakusa
These are amazing places to visit in Asakusa (浅草) which is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the Sanja Matsuri. However, the true highlight for my kids was visiting the Ninja Restaurant!
Odaiba
Odaiba (お台場) today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built in this area for defensive purposes in the 1850s. Reclaimed land offshore Shinagawa was dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area. Odaiba, along with Minato Mirai 21 in Yokohama, is among a few manmade seashores in Tokyo Bay where the waterfront is accessible, and not blocked by industry and harbor areas. While there we visited several of the science museums and were treated to some pretty amazing robotic exhibitions.
KYOTO
Kyoto is what I think of when I think of old Japan. Its a perfect city at the base of the tree covered mountains near a wide, clear river. Once the capital of the nation, Kyoto may have lost that title, but maintains it’s authority as one of Japan’s most beautiful, historical places. With its hundreds of temples and gardens, Kyoto was the imperial capital between 794 and 1868, and it continues to function as the major cultural center of Japan. Although business and industry are closing in on the traditional architecture, Kyoto still has the raked pebble gardens, the sensuous contours of a temple roof, and the latter-day geishas that western cliché-hunters long for. During my trips to Japan, Kyoto has always been my favorite place – so much beauty in one place, so many historical sites, and so much culture living on even today. It was in Kyoto that I first experienced the joy of staying in a ryokan, a Japanese inn. The pleasures of a ryokan are best left to the experience and I thoroughly recommend it!
When you walk through Kyoto, you are constantly reminded of the thousands who went before you, servants and noblemen, warriors and scholars. In Nijo-jo (Nijo Castle), the floors are worn smooth by the thousands of tabi sock encased feet that have walked it’s halls. To think of the intrigue that went on here hundreds of years ago is amazing! Stroll the gentle winding road leading up to Kiyomizudera and browse the little shops on the way up. There are all kinds of things to buy, from common trinkets to handmade works of art (fans, tea sets, and much more). In the Gion area, you might catch a glimpse of maiko girls (girls in training to become geisha) hurrying through the streets. Geisha is still an art form in Kyoto, and the anachronism of seeing a geisha in a modern setting just adds to the charm of Kyoto.
Kinkakuji Temple (Temple of the Golden Pavilion)
This Temple was originally a villa of the Saionji family on the hills of Kitayama, but offered to the third Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, Yoshimitsu Ashikaga in 1397. After his death, it was converted into a Zen-sect temple with the Zen master Muso Soseki as its first abbot. The Temple is known as an epitome of Kitayama Culture.
The Golden Pavilion, a gilded three-storied reliquary hall, is situated at the margin of a large pond named Kyokochi Pond. It is typical architecture of the Muromachi Period (1333 – 1573). Definitely a must see and breathtaking example of Japanese architecture!
Ginkakuji Temple (Temple of the Silver Pavilion)
In contrast to the Temple of the Golden Pavilion founded by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the villa erected at the order of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa is referred to as Ginkakuji (Temple of the Silver Pavilion).
The temple is the epitome of the Higashiyama culture in the Muromachi Period (1450-1598). It is said that it originally had twelve buildings but there remain only three: the Kannon Hall (Silver Pavilion), Hondo (main hall) and Togudo.
Higashi-Honganji Temple
This temple is the city’s largest wooden structure and has the country’s tallest pagoda nearby. The temple is the main temple of the Otani school (Jodo-Shin sect). Founded in 1602 by a former abbot of Honganji Temple, on land donated by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1st shogun of Edo period). Ieyasu sought to weaken the power of the original Honganji school by supporting a rival sect. The present buildings were completed in 1895, after the original structures were lost through fire.
The huge Founder’s Hall encloses an area equal to 927 tatami mats and is one of the largest wooden structures in the world. Fifty ropes woven from hair contributed by women devotees were used to raise the huge beams. They are still preserved by the temple.
Heian Jingu Shrine
The Heian Jingu Shrine was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the capital. It is a replica to three fifths of the size of the first imperial palace in the ancient capital Heiankyo. Behind it, there is a beautiful go-round style garden with a total area of 30,000 square meters which is well known for the beauty of its weeping cherry trees, Japanese iris, and waterlilies. Within the precincts there is a costume museum which exhibits the costumes used in the Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages), an annual spectacular procession.
Byodo-In Temple
In 1052 Fujiwara-no Yorimichi, the chief advisor to the Emperor of the time and a man of power, remodeled his father’s (Michinaga) villa into this temple. There used to be many halls and buildings and the precincts were so huge at that time but most of them were burnt down in the battle of Kusunoki vs Ashikaga in 1336.
Houou-do hall survived the battle and has been the highlight of this temple. This hall is an Amida hall built in 1053 and the only existing building of that time. “Houou” literally means a Chinese phoenix.
The main hall has two corridors of the same shape on the opposite sides like a phoenix is spreading its wings. Besides, a pair of copper phoenixes are on the roof of the hall. This is why the hall is called “Houou-do”. This elegant hall reflects noblemen’s yearning to the paradise. Inside the hall the paradise is vividly expressed by pictures on the wall, images of Buddha and sculptures. They are all national treasures and priceless cultural arts in Japan.
The garden is also nice, especially the pond reflecting the hall is picturesque. The hall is drawn on the heads of 10 yen coin but not every Japanese knows this fact.
Nijo Castle
Nijo Castle was originally built in 1603 to be the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu and it was completed in 1626 by the third Shogun Iemitsu, who transferred some structures from Fushimi Castle, built in the Momoyama Period (1573-1614). Consequently, lavished and decorated Nijo Castle is representative of the height of Momoyama architecture. In its day, it served as a symbol of the power and authority of the Tokugawa military government.
Nijo Castle in its entirety has been designed a historic relic. The total area of the Castle is 275,000 square meters of which approximately 7,300 square meters are occupied by buildings. Definitely a must see on any visit to Kyoto!
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Kyoto Imperial Palace served as the imperial palace until the end of the Edo Period. It was erected during the Namboku-cho Period in the 14th century. It underwent repeated improvements and extensions at the order of warlords Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu before a big fire in 1788 burned it down. The present buildings are those reconstructed in the 19th century. On the palace grounds are the Shishinden (a hall for state ceremonies), Seiryoden, Kogosho (ceremonial hall) and Gogakumonsho (a place for scholarly study).
NARA
Nara is an ancient capital of Japan that abounds with archaeological sites and cultural heritage. Historical monuments in Nara were inscribed on the World Heritage List announced by UNESCO in 1998. The old Japanese word soramitsu was used in classical Japanese poetry as an epithet for Yamato, the old name of the Nara region. Because the Japanese word sora means sky and mi means viewing, Nihon-shoki, a history compiled in the 8th century, explained the derivation of the word soramitsu by the legend that a deity named Nigihayahi-no-Mikoto viewed Yamato from a flying ship and then landed there. This was definitely one of my favorite places in Japan and is an easy day-trip train ride from Kyoto. Deer run wild and the city is full of great temples and walking tours.
Todaiji Temple
Todaiji Temple boasts of two of the world’s largest works of man. One is the Daibutsu, or Great Buddha, the largest bronze statue on earth.
So overwhelming is its size – it weighs 450 tons and a thumb alone is 1.6 meters long – that it took four long years and about 437 tons of bronze, a large amount of charcoal, and gold, mercury, vegetable wax and other materials to complete the original statue in 749. The other large work is the Daibutsuden or the Hall of the Great Buddha, in which the Daibutsu, or Great Statue of Buddha, is enclosed. It is the largest wooden structure made by man in the world.
Kofukuji Temple
Kofukuji is a clan temple to the patron deity of the Fujiwaras, a powerful aristocratic clan which wielded enormous influence in Japan over a five-century period beginning in the 8th century. Its five-storied pagoda, which has become a symbol of Nara, has been ravaged by fire many times over the temple’s history; the current pagoda, rebuilt in the 15th century, recreates the magnificence of the Tempyo-period style of architecture.
Its image reflected in the calm waters of Sarusawanoike Pond is a beautiful and inspiring sight. The temple grounds are also studded with many other gems, including the Museum of National Treasures, which houses the three-faced, six-armed statue of Ashura, fascinating in its youthfulness, and the head of the Buddha statue from the now defunct Yamadadera Temple, the Tokondo (Eastern Main Hall), which houses the temple’s principal icon; the octagonal Hokuendo Hall, and Nan’endo Hall, and the area called the Hannya-no-Shiba, where “Firelight Noh” performances take place each May.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine
This shrine was established in 768, but it is believed that its origins actually goes back to the beginning of the Nara period. Kasuga Taisha is well-known for events throughout the year when lanterns are hung along the corridors and the stone lanterns along the walkways are lit up. Its quite a trek up the hill so get your shoes ready!
Chion-in Temple
This is one of the largest and most famous temples in the nation. Chion-in Temple is located at the north end of Maruyama Park in Nara. The temple serves as the headquarters of the important Jodo sect founded in 1234. The present buildings date mainly from 1619 to 1641. Unfortunately it was closed during my visit so an outside photo will have to do.
