Proving this big world is smaller than you think
In Tokyo, the sounds of the city can be intense. With a metropolitan area of around 40 million, you can expect to hear plenty of interesting sounds as you are exploring. Some are completely in your face like advertisements, while others are more pleasing. Both of these have their place in our Top 5 Favorite Sounds in Japan.
We’re toning back a bit on our blogging, as we’re now in crunch time before we leave for our big trip! Therefore, enjoy full posts every other week, with quick travel highlights like these in the alternates. Let us know what you think! We’d love to know what your favorites are!
We had so much incredible food in Japan; how could we pick just one favorite? While we loved the comforting ramen and drooled over the extravagant ryokan breakfast, one restaurant rose to the top, and it still makes my stomach grumble at the thought of it.
Continue reading “World Highlights: Our Favorite Japanese Meal”
One of our top spots on our photography list, this famous bamboo grove is magnificent, beautiful, and humbling. Be sure to stop by if you’re in the area… or put yourself into the area so you can stop by!
A visit to Kyoto isn’t complete without a trip through the stunning bamboo grove of Arashiyama. There is nothing more humbling than acres of majestic trees towering above your head, cutting thousands of completely vertical lines 115 feet into the sky.
Bamboo has been revered for its durability for centuries, and it grows incredibly fast, making it a popular renewable resource; the wood is used in thousands of applications. It is particularly important to the Japanese, who view it as a symbol of prosperity and see its simplicity as representing purity. Bamboo is unique in its elegance, which is why stalks frequent many zen-hopeful desks, but they are seldom seen in such magnificence.
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If you find shrines are too busy during the day, try them by night! Most are open late, and this could afford you a unique take from the typical, touristy experience. Fushimi Inari was one of our favorites, and it was top on my to-photograph list.
I only have a few more of these highlights before I get into the real meat of our trip. This week has understandably been busy catching up from our vacation and preparing for another over Thanksgiving. I know you’re anxious for the full daily accounts, but I’m afraid I’ll have to tease you for just a short while longer…
When you visit Japan, unless you try explicitly not to, you’re bound to wind up at a few shrines. Fortunately, that’s ok, as every one is unique in their own way. If you really want to mix it up, try visiting them after dark. Check to make sure they’re accessible after hours, but if they are, this can provide a great opportunity to beat a lot of the crowds at some of the more popular destinations.
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It’s hard to visit Japan without visiting at least a few shrines, but they’re all so different and uniquely beautiful that it’s also hard to get bored doing so!
It’s difficult to visit Japan without tripping over at least a dozen shrines and temples. While most of the Japanese population wouldn’t consider themselves particularly religious, many practice the standard rituals of visiting shrines, saying a prayer, and drawing fortunes. The young go hoping for favorable test scores or new love; others simply wish for good luck and good health.
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A trip down the peaceful Philosopher’s Walk is beautiful any time of the year. Next time, I’d love to see it blushing with the spring sakura, but it was stunning burning with autumn’s glow.
If you find yourself in Kyoto, set aside a morning for the Philosopher’s Walk. Best un- (or lowly-) populated, early morning will afford you a quiet path upon which to calmly take in the song of the water and contemplate life’s mysteries. The entire path is a little over a mile and is lined with shops, street vendors, restaurants, and temples. Decorated with hundreds of sakura trees, this area is popular during cherry blossom season and is a great spot for fall color.
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Sometimes we say we travel just to eat. After all, food is one of the best ways to experience a new place. We never tire of all the culinary variety the world has to offer!
Some of the best meals we had in Japan came from small street vendors. We’re no strangers to personal proprietors specializing in a single dish (or few) from a small booth on a street corner; Portland’s food cart culture is renowned. While we feared these establishments would be less adept at English, they actually proved easier when it came to ordering. With only a few items offered – most physically present behind a glass pane – it was a simple matter of pointing and holding up two fingers. And very like the much-loved, tiny food vendors at home, their business only survives if they’re really good (as patrons frequently have plenty of alternate options).
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This was a fun display of Japanese ingenuity. They truly are masters of space management!
For a truly wild spectacle, check out the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku (follow the giant light signs; it’s hard to miss). The name is a slight misnomer, as this is primarily a show, with snacks, sushi bento boxes, and drinks available for separate purchase. This is certainly geared toward tourists, with everything predominantly in English. They pack about 200 people into a tight room, and proceed to parade wifi-controlled floats and extravagant illuminated robots. Cute Japanese girls dance and fill the room with thunder on the taiko. The animatronics reach out and right over the audience; it’s amazing how they can fit these things in such a small room. Music, laser battles, lights, dancing, robots!
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This was one of the most interesting traditions we learned about in Japan. Sad, yet comforting to those who need them.
Visiting temples in Japan, you might come across lines of small statues dressed in red caps or children’s clothing. These are Jizou statues, and they are to ease the grief of a passing infant or unborn fetus (and some believe to appease the vengeful spirit).
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This was a totally different experience for us but one we were anxious to try. Now I can understand why the Japanese love it so much! Certainly worth a visit if you get the chance. Next time, we’ll find a true onsen for a real pampering!
We’re now home from our (amazing!) trip, so look forward to detailed daily overviews as I sift through the 3742 photos I took over the fourteen days. In the meantime, I’m continuing to feature a few specific pictures.
One of the favorite pastimes in Japan is visiting onsen or sentou. What’s the difference? The former are natural hot springs; the latter are public baths. The line between them has been blurred, and the terms are commonly interchanged, with true onsen explicitly calling out the natural hot springs feature of their establishment. Modern sentou create artificial hot springs by pumping geothermally heated water, so it’s easy to confuse the two.
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