Alex in motion

The most famous attraction in Himeji is the castle. Originally built in 1333, it’s a World Heritage Site and the largest and most visited castle in Japan. It was recently restored, and the castle itself and surrounding area were extremely impressive to view from any angle. The castle’s outside is simply stunning, dressed in brilliant white plaster with white roofs, supposedly to resemble a bird taking flight. The inside however, was very plain. It lacked decorative furniture, and pretty much any indication of what life was like.

Along the way to Himeji, I met three girls from Paris; Anne, Diane and Noemie. They also spent the previous day in Koya-san, and were following the same route for the next few days. After chatting for a while on the train, we decided to spend those days together. I welcomed their company, and enjoyed practicing my French over great conversations.

We also shared our impressions and pictures of Japanese culture and things found only in Japan. Here are more observations on this interesting country:

• Food options are varied, allowing you to discover tastes beyond strictly Japanese food. After sushi, ramen noodles and rice dishes, variations of burgers, Korean and Italian food are thoroughly enjoyable.
• To keep eating expenses low, you can pass by a convenience store (the most popular are 7-11’s and Lawson), and pickup a ready-to-eat meal, which tastes surprisingly decent. Complimented with cafes for snacks and more upscale places for dinner, you can sample a bit of everything and still have pocket change.
• Paper money is always new. It’s like they constantly print new bills, so you never see older wrinkled ones.
• Nearly all restaurants play jazz music. I actually never paid attention to this until Anne pointed it out. From that point onward, we smirked as almost all places, from burger joints to classy steakhouses, played blues and/or jazz.
• The one thing that confused us was public smoking. It’s the only exception to a clean and efficiently run country. You cannot smoke while walking, so there are designated outdoor areas to smoke. But most restaurants and virtually all bars and pubs allow smoking. It’s annoying to be in a restaurant and have someone pollute the air, your clothes and your hair. I heard the government is slowly attempting to outlaw smoking in all public spaces, but until then, I’ve been avoiding many places.

Today was also the first day traveling by express train, also known as the bullet train. My GPS speed application tracked us moving at 300 km/h, yet the ride was impeccably smooth.

Mount Koya, also known as Koya-san, is a World Heritage Site, because it’s the world headquarters of a particular sect of Japanese Buddhism. Many pilgrims spend years meditating in this mountainous area, and after spending time there, I felt the natural attraction.

The famous Okunoin Cemetery is Japan’s largest cemetery, home to 200,000 tombstones lining the 2km approach to the Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum. Kobo Daishi is the founder of the Buddhist sect, and is respected as one of the most religious people in Japan. All this history made the place feel peaceful and spiritual. The casual walk through the cemetery felt relaxing and somber. Tall trees and mossy grounds blended well with ancient tombstones.

There were also many famous temples in the area, but by this time, I had visited enough temples and shrines. Although their architecture was beautiful, there are just so many temples you can visit before needing a break to appreciate them again.

I spent the evening in a 800 year old temple that was converted into a hotel, with an onsen (hot springs), pebble garden, historical artifacts and simple but elegant rooms. Upon entering my chambers, I immediately noticed just a small table, a television – which really felt out of place – and no bed. You eat inside the room, and not in a common room with other guests, and the staff brought a larger table for dinner, then later removed it and prepared a comfy bed.

Dinner was the most tasty vegetarian meal I’ve ever had. It was many dishes, and even the plain white rice didn’t need seasoning. The things these monks can do without meat is close to magic!

After dinner I joined a class to learn about Buddhist writing. I don’t recall the exact scripture presented, but the students were to trace some Chinese characters with quill pens. I thought the class would include instructions to learn the proper writing technique, since there’s an order and structure to drawing each character. Instead, the “instructor” gave us a sheet of paper, told us to trace it, and then left the room. I figured he would return to further explain things and perhaps answer questions, but he didn’t.

At first I slowly and carefully traced each character, admiring their complexity, but after 30 minutes, I grew frustrated; I really wanted to learn more about what I was tracing and the class wasn’t cheap. After explaining this to management the next day, they apologized and offered a full refund. So friendly 🙂

The friendly translator from the Michelin rated restaurant in Nara was a Kyoto native. At the end of the evening, she – her name is Mao – offered a ride to Kyoto, my next destination, to spend a few hours showing me around. I immediately seized the opportunity, and was able to ask her many questions about Japanese life and culture along the way.

Once in Kyoto, Mao brought me to the Golden Temple, one of the most famous attractions in the city. The light drizzle kept most tourists away, and we were able to quietly admire the temple and surrounding area. We also sampled some tasty local sweets, made from rice and sweet red beans. Then we went to the Kennin-Ji temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto – founded in 1202. It was, and still is, my favourite temple in Japan. There was a tranquil energy throughout, and I paused many times to feel it while observing the carefully manicured pebble garden, the intricate architecture and the detailed artwork.

The downtown core of Kyoto is very commercial; the streets are lined with skyscrapers and shopping malls. But outside this core are lovely suburbs, with winding paths, streams, temples and shrines, forests, and plenty of cherry blossom trees. By this point – the date was actually April 7th, as I’m still behind on the posts – some petals of the blossoms were falling, as the full bloom had passed. The tumbling petals looking like delicate snow leaves, blowing gently in the wind, and slowly collecting on the ground.

One of my favourite days was walking in the eastern regions for about 15 km, through cute districts with little shops, stopping at various temples, having a quick nibble in a park full of cherry blossoms, then continuing along a popular trail called with Philosopher’s Path, which runs along a winding canal. Along the way, I met some genuine Geisha, which is a rare sighting, since there are estimated to be only 1000 to 2000 remaining in Japan. They are treated like mini-celebrities, and were kind enough to allow a few pictures. They were extremely soft soften and respectful, speaking in perfect English. That moment made my day 🙂

Another wonderful occasion was spent in the bamboo groves in the west, and I spent the day with a young American couple. We toured the grove and the enchanting Ohkohchi-Sanso garden, of which the owner spent 30 years growing and perfecting his masterpiece. We also lounged by the nearby river, watching boats with chefs serving food to passengers. During one of our many conversations, they discussed how the medical masks some Japanese wear served no real security from germs; a much more sophisticated mask is needed for that. We agreed they are more likely social masks, so they don’t feel the need to socialize.

Kyoto was one of my favourite destinations, and 4 days was insufficient to experience everything the city had to offer. I befriended the host of the Airbnb I stayed at, so I’ll need to revisit him and the city one day. Thank you again, Ken, for your hospitality.