Tokyo+

Our Japanese adventures in Tokyo and beyond. My boyfriend and I lived in Tokyo for 6 months - April to October 2014. He was working and I attended Japanese language school. We feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity, to have seen some awesome sights and met some of the friendliest people. All photos taken by Dom or myself.

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Tōkyō Tochō 東京都庁 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - Observation Deck

Some from our Tokyo trip in 2015. This deck is free to access and has great views across Tokyo - it’s open late enough to visit after dark which I recommend for the spectacular lights!

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Toyama Jō & Glass Art Museum

Toyama was our starting point for the Alpine Route through the Japanese Alps. On the day we arrived from Takayama we had an afternoon to explore the city. It was very much “real Japan”, by which I mean it felt like a local area and not touristy at all. We of course stopped at the castle, as was our process on this trip! It had a beautiful pond and garden at the front, and we climbed to the top to look out over the city. There was a local Folk Museum inside the reconstructed building, and another within the park - the Sato Memorial Art Museum. But as we were hoping to visit the Glass Art Museum, we didn’t have time for this. The Glass Art Museum is beautiful building in itself with largely wooden structure inside. It housed a library and a spectacular array of glass sculptures and vases. These varied in size up to a huge installation made from coloured cut glass and interesting angles. The permanent exhibition features a glass art garden by Dale Chihuly which was made up of large, brightly-coloured blown glass shapes arranged and lit in a dark room. Chihuly is also responsible for the awesome Persian Ceiling (pictured). Toyama had some great food, with the local specialty of shiro-ebi (white prawns) everywhere! We tried shiro-ebi pizza in a Spanish tapas-style bar and it was delicious!

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#tbt to giant Buddhas in Japan. How was this 3 years ago?! . . . #buddha #daibutsu #daibutsukamakura #daibutsunara #kamakura #nara #todaiji #japan #nihon #日本🇯🇵 #かまくら #なら #大仏

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Takayama - Shiroyama & Temples

On our last day in Takayama we took one of the walking routes around Shiroyama and the surrounding temples. 

We got to the ruins of Takayama castle, at the top of Shiroyama, early in the morning and were completely alone. Then we saw a sign warning about bears and swiftly moved on!

It was a long walk but surrounded by nature the time just flew by! If you are into hiking and temples, this is one for you.

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Shirakawa-go!

No really, go! One of the most popular tourist destinations of the area and you can see why. We arrived on a vibrant sunny day and stumbled across a festival! Don’t you love it when that happens.

The village is famous for its architectural style, called gasshō zukuri, meaning praying hands. This is due to the thatched tented roofs which are designed to withstand heavy snowfall.

We were minding our own business walking around the village in awe at the adorable houses and their epic mountain backdrop, when we reached the main shrine at the far end of the main street and realised there were a lot more people gathered there than anywhere else! We were soon informed that it was their annual harvest festival - Doburoku - in which they offer the local home-brewed sake to the mountain gods. The sake is unrefined, thick, white and sweet. Sounds gross, but it was good actually. We purchased a small shallow bowl to collect our taster then sat back to enjoy the festivities. The festival takes place over a few days, but there was a parade through the village and food stalls in abundance.

Even without the added excitement of the festival, Shirakawa-go is a wonderful place to see. A very nature-oriented village with very welcoming residents who have learned to live alongside the coaches of tourists visiting daily. 

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Takayama

On our return to Takayama a few days after the festival, it was a much calmer - but still tourist-laden - town. We made our way around some of the main sites, such as Takayama Jinya, the Shōwakan - a museum for all things Shōwa period (1926-1989), and Kokubunji temple.

The Jinya is a former government building, with beautiful architecture and landscaped garden. Situated near the red bridge across the river, it was definitely worth the brief stop if you are interested in the history of the area.

The Shōwakan was a highlight of the whole trip for me, it represented a time which isn’t celebrated so often in Japan. Usually you see plenty of very old (Edo period for example) buildings and artefacts, and equal amounts of very new technology and development. Don’t get me wrong, this mix is one of the main things myself and many enjoy about Japan! It was just lovely to see the quirky advertising, retro toys and cameras etc that were featured here. The sheer amount of stuff on show (or not really in some cases) is reason enough to stop by if you have the time.

Kokubunji is the oldest temple in Takayama, found North-East of Takayama train station in the newer residential area. We visited in the early evening and admission was no longer available, however the Edo-period pagoda and the bell tower pictured above are architectural beauties. There is also a huge gingko tree in the grounds, which is said to be 1200 years old! 

I would also recommend taking a stroll around the old town area (Sanmachi) at night. The pretty Edo-period houses  have hanging lanterns outside and the area is so tranquil with the rushing river nearby.

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Floats in #Takayama last year. Missing Japan again 🎌 is it time to go back yet? . . . #japan #takayamamatsuri #festivalfloat #japanese

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Inuyama - Urakuen & Meiji Mura

After visiting Inuyama Castle, we went straight to the nearby Urakuen garden. It was a super traditional landscaped garden with a *national treasure* Tea House called Jo-an. The garden was hosting a special ceremony, meaning it was bustling with ladies in full kimono attire. We felt slightly like we were intruding but not because of the people, who were lovely.

We also booked to have a private tea ceremony at another tea house in the garden, which was so peaceful I could have stayed all day.

Unfortunately we couldn’t stay as we only had one full day to spend in Inuyama and we desperately wanted to see Meiji Mura architectural museum. It was a short bus ride from the main Inuyama train station and we spent about 3 hours walking around the huge complex - and we didn’t even go inside the buildings!

The museum was divided into 5 areas which grew progressively grander, leading up to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed lobby of the Imperial Hotel. A couple of my favourites are pictured - I particularly liked the Japanese take on Western homes, which often feature both styles of room (Western and traditional Japanese with tatami mats). There was even a old-timey bus which you could ride from one end of the village to the other.

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Inuyama-Jō

On our way north to Toyama and the Alpine Route, we stayed briefly in Inuyama. It was beautiful. Out of the train station, we walked to our hotel (ryokan really) which was on the edge of the river opposite the castle. Rounding the corner at the bridge and seeing the vast river and the castle perched above was simply breathtaking.

The weather was perfect - pure autumn sunshine all afternoon - when we visited the castle and climbed to the top. The stairs inside the castle were all ridiculously steep so it was pretty slow going. We heard a lot of “kowai-kowai-kowai!”, and it was! But the view at the top was 100% worth it.

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The many autumn colours of Kamikōchi 🍂🌿🍁🍃

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Nagoya

Our timing arriving in Nagoya could not have been worse. It was the evening of a Sunday before a Bank Holiday and apparently this means everything closes on the Tuesday afterwards! We had taken a day trip to Takayama Matsuri on the BH Monday which meant we only really had the Tuesday to see the sights in Nagoya.

Luckily the castle and neighbouring Honmaru palace were open. The castle had a great museum inside and at the top were spectacular 360-degree views of the city - don’t forget to collect the stamp! Honmaru palace (although only recently rebuilt) was stunning inside. The palace had been recreated based on historical documentation and was chock-full of gorgeous tatami-matted rooms with beautifully decorated cupboards and golden everything! 

We visited these first-thing and had planned to visit the Science Museum but found it was closed. The Tokugawa Art Museum and Garden which were next on our list were also closed. This did mean we could see more of the city, particularly the shopping areas, but we have vowed to return to Nagoya if only for the Planetarium!

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Takayama Matsuri Autumn 2016

We have now been back home for a few weeks and I can already feel myself forgetting details the marvellous time we had in Japan - specifically the central Chūbu region, so I am going through the thousands (yes, over 2000) of photos Dom (mostly) took over the 2 weeks we were there and I instantly wish to go back!

Mid-October turned out to be an optimum time for happenings and autumn-colour viewing in most of the areas we visited. Completely by accident, we decided to arrive in Nagoya on the weekend of Takayama’s famous Autumn festival and obviously couldn’t resist the day trip! 

We took the train up on Monday morning and spent the day in awe of the gorgeous surroundings, floats and number of spectators! Having never visited Takayama or anywhere near the Japanese Alps before, we weren’t really sure what to expect but Takayama turned out to be an almost quaint town mixing old and new styles seamlessly (as the Japanese do so well).

The floats were beautifully adorned carts essentially, some featuring dancing mannequins controlled by people perched in the floats themselves. The festival was based around the Sakura Hachiman Shrine - where the floats were displayed after their parade around the Old Town area.

Delicious smells floated around the whole town, from the local delicacy Hida beef restaurants selling everything from steamed buns to beef sushi, but also from the festival stalls selling mouth-watering street food to the crowds of visitors.

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Writing the future

We are currently planning our next trip to Japan for later this year (fingers crossed!). As our first stay was April to September, and last year we visited in Spring, we are aiming for an Autumn trip this time. 

Momiji 紅葉 (autumn leaves) is an important time in Japan. The country’s four seasons are celebrated by Japanese people and Autumn is especially good for visiting Japanese gardens and viewing scenery. This was one of our favourite pastimes on our previous trips, but this time we want to go to more rural areas. The Japanese Alps are on the agenda too.

I absolutely cannot wait!

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Kanda 湯島天神 (Yushima Tenjin Shrine)

In the Kanda area, close to Ueno Park, is the most famous shrine to scholars in Tokyo. We visited a few sights in Kanda as it was an area we had not explored before.

Yushima Tenjin is a small but pretty shrine, constructed entirely from wood, which we later found out to be Japanese cedar. 

It is dedicated to the god of learning Michizane Sugawara - a 9th Century scholar. Tenjin being the name of his deified spirit. The bronze cow represents the servant of Tenjin, and many people were stroking it which is said to cure physical ailments. This is known as 撫で牛 (nade ushi) or stroking cow.

When we visited, a wedding ceremony was taking place so we didn’t get a chance to look inside, but it was a great chance to see a beautiful example of a traditional Japanese wedding kimono.

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高尾山 Takao-san - Mount Takao (Part 2)

葯王院 Yakuoin Temple

On the way up Takao-san, lies a beautiful Shinto-Buddhist temple dedicated to the mountain gods or 天狗 (tengu). These gods are depicted with bird-like features and there were many statues of them around the temple grounds. 

Yakuoin is on the main path up to the summit of Takao-san, and is spread over multiple levels which adds to the feeling of integration with its surroundings.

There were still a few sakura trees in bloom around the temple which made us super happy and added to the stunning views!

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Takao-san 高尾山 - Mount Takao (Pt 1)

Mission sakura!

Just outside of Tokyo is Takao-san, a small mountain (599m) which is great for hiking - albeit steep hiking! We took a train out of Shinjuku early one morning to avoid the rush (and because we were super jet-lagged) to try and see some sakura in the cooler climate outside Tokyo.

Once we got there we were so pumped about the awesome scenery that we (stupidly) decided to climb the whole way from the train station. Not sure how long we actually took but it was supposed to be a 90-minute walk to the top. What we could have done was take the cable car up the steepest part and walk from there to the summit. 

It was a baking day once the morning coolness wore off - which was even quicker for us as we were hiking up steep hills and steps straight off the bat! We didn’t see many people before the cable car station (perhaps unsurprisingly), but those we did see were all seemingly obāchans out for a casual hike! They were much speedier and less breathless than us. The general health of the elderly in Japan continues to astound me. We also saw large groups of older people already on their way down from the summit, all of which gave us a friendly “ohayō gozaimasu!” - I’m sure they didn’t resort to crawling up!

The views all the way up were amazing, and we could see Tokyo clearly once the morning mist cleared. You can see the Skytree in last the photo. And we did get to see some sakura! Right at the top they were still in bloom, and it made all the exertion of getting there so worthwhile. 

It wasn’t our only chance on this trip though; the best viewing was at Fuji-san later that week when they were in full bloom and Fuji-san was so clear:<http://frankiecactus.tumblr.com/post/122516130083/kawaguchiko-%E6%B2%B3%E5%8F%A3%E6%B9%96-and-fuji-san-%E5%AF%8C%E5%A3%AB%E5%B1%B1-the-many>

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Rikugien - “Six Poems Garden”

Considered Tokyo’s most beautiful landscape garden (alongside Koishikawa Korakuen <http://frankiecactus.tumblr.com/post/94118378418/koishikawa-korakuen-garden-tokyo-recently-a>), and looks exactly that (even out of the 2 best viewing seasons). 

The best time to see it is Autumn, when the Japanese maple trees are colouring red and orange. There are a few sakura trees, but unfortunately we were slightly too late for them - the season in Tokyo is around mid-March. But that was fine, my favourite is the Japanese pine <3 which always looks perfect.

Its largest feature is the pond (with turtles and koi) in the centre of the garden and there are scenic pathways to follow all around it. There are three traditional tea houses throughout the garden and several small bridges to cross the pond.

It’s also super easy to get to - being on the Yamamote JR line, and the Namboku line on the Metro.