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May 20

May 20, 2005

 

We have taken a break from shrine and temple touring this week and spent our time at home, taking day trips around the area.  Kobe and Osaka form one huge megalopolis along Osaka Bay, a large inlet of the Pacific.  Trains transect the area and you can get just about anywhere by train.  They run very frequently, are quite easy to navigate, are punctual to the minute and even stop precisely at pre-designated stops.  We have not experienced being shoved into train cars as they are known to do in Tokyo during rush hour, but we have had to stand, crammed in for trips longer than 40 minutes, many a time.

 

Our activities this week included taking a funicular cable car up one of the mountains on the out-skirts of Kobe.  It was very nerve-wracking to be heading up and down hill at 50-60^o angles on train tracks.  We traversed steep ravines with flowering trees and saw many slope retaining techniques (the Japanese work hard to harden most hillsides).  The area is known for wild boar, but we did not get to see one as they are nocturnal.  The view of the city, port and bay was spectacular.

 

 

 

We also spent a day at Universal Studios, Japan.  It was crawling with school kids in their uniforms, spending like crazy in the gift shops.  While we enjoyed the park, we could not understand any of the directions given prior to the rides, dialogs in the shows or any of the dubbed explanations by the movie producers.  It was very funny to see Steven Speilberg or Ron Howard speaking Japanese on screen.  

 

 

 

Lastly, we had a terrific experience eating okonomiyaki with some friends from the university.  Okonomiyaki is a combination of meats and vegetables cooked either in or under an egg pancake.  It has come to be know as Japanese pizza, however it neither resembles nor tastes like pizza. 

 

 

The restaurants have griddles at each table where you cook the pizzas.  We had okonomiyaki with squid, octopus, eel, shrimp, green onion, cabbage and who knows what else.  After the pizza is cooked we put dried bonito flakes on top and the heat of the pizza maked the flakes writhe and curl, looking a lot like worms.  The Japanese love to put barbeque sauce, mayonnaise and other “special sauces” on top.  I could have forgone the toppings.  Beer on the side went very well.

 

Cheers!!!

 

May 12, 2005

The weekend in Kyoto was so jam packed that I will break it into two installments.  We stayed at a ryokan that, because it did not serve breakfast, was called a business hotel.  Despite the name it had tatami floors, futon bedding that the maids removed during the day, a low table and chairs on the floor, tea service, and a heated toilet seat.  I will be surprised if we ever stay in a western style accommodation.

 

Our first stop on this warrior tourist trip was a shrine in the outskirts of Kyoto.  The Fushimi-inaritaisha shrine and grounds cover an entire hillside.  It is a shrine at which farmers come to pray for rain and a good harvest.  What is most memorable are the miles of orange and black torii (arches) that snake their way through the woods, up and down hills and through small living quarters.  

 

 

 We thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the hillside, not sure where we would end up, seeing the occasional shrines, smelling the incense and reveling in the forest.

 

The next stop was the Kiyomizudera temple.  A massive structure built into the hillside and supported by 6 stories of huge wooden beams. 

 

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 On the way to this temple we spied a maiko (apprentice geisha) on the street, but she was gone before we could bring out the camaras.  She was beautifully made up with white face and the traditional painted peaks on the back of her neck.  We were not sure whether she was a real geisha or someone made up to look like it (the rage now).  Anyway, we can pretend that she was real.

 

We also visited the Nishi food market where vendors were selling an array of seafood, vegetables (fresh and pickled), and locally make candy and soy products.  The sights and smells were numerous and lucky for me, they offered tastes.  I tried crunchy, spicy, sweet, salty, slimy, sea-weedy, and other tastes that I could not begin to identify. That was a terrific way to have breakfast.

 

Part II

 

The Kyoto adventure continues with a visit to Sanjusangendo, a Buddhist temple that is extremely long, wonderfully old and contains 1001 images of Buddha.  1000 of them are life-size, and one is over 11 feet tall.  We were not allowed to take photos inside the hall, so the following website has very good depictions of some of the statues:

 

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/sanjusangendo_temple_kyoto_japan.htms. 

 

This was a very extremely awe-inspiring site.  The age and craftsmanship were unsurpassed!!

 

We also visited the Ginkakuji pavilion, or the Silver pavilion.  The Shogun that built it had intended to paint it silver, but died before he could accomplish that goal.  Nonetheless, the temple and grounds were lovely, particularly the sand sculptures.  There were two, a cone that stood about 6 feet tall and maybe 20 feet in diameter, and also an ocean depiction that was about 2 feet tall and about 40 – 50 across.  Both immaculately formed and raked.  Seemingly not a grain out of place.

 

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Another famous temple is Kinkakuji, or the Golden pavilion.  This one really is covered in gold leaf and is surrounding by beautiful gardens and forests where the forest floor has nothing other than numerous species of moss. The pavilion sits on a reflection pond that was flanked with purple irises. Unfortunately, this site was over-run with tourists so we did not dally. 

 

In addition to the shrines, temples and gardens, we felt very successful when we were able to use the Kyoto bus system.  I love traveling by bus as you really get to see a slice of life both inside and outside of the bus.  We have thoroughly enjoyed Kyoto.  We have barely scratched the surface of all of the sights.  Hopefully, we will return soon and continue our adventures. 

 

Ja matta.  Rachel

 

 

 

May 5, 2005

We have just completed our first trip away from Kobe.  We rented a car and drove to the north coast, along the Sea of Japan to a little town known for its onsens (hot baths).  We spent three days there, and after numerous onsens each day, we have never felt so parboiled and clean.

 

Renting a car in and of itself was an adventure in halting, struggling communication.  Then, driving on narrow roads in a tiny car on the left hand side offered enormous challenges. We primarily drove on country roads to see the country-side and avoid the tolls on the highways. It is amazing how hard it is to retrain the brain.  For the first few hours of Larry’s driving, I kept thinking that we were going to get hit.  Then, when I took the wheel I had to focus steadily on all that driving entails.  It felt like being a new driver all over again.  Luckily, we completed the trip and returned the car with no excitement other than getting lost a few times.

 

We stayed in two ryokans (small inns which serve breakfast) in the town of Kinosaki.  We could not get into our first choice for the first night (since we did not make reservations ahead of time and it was a big vacation week in Japan), so we ended up at a ryokan that was much more than we expected.  We had two large, tatami mat rooms, one for having tea and sleeping in, and the other for eating.  When we arrived, we were immediately served tea and a small cake filled with sweetened bean paste.  During the late afternoon, staff came into the room, moved the table and chairs and lay out the bedding (pads, quilts and pillows).  They come into the room again prior to bed to bring more tea.  In the morning, they come with an elaborate breakfast of eggs, tofu, dried fish, surimi, pickled vegetables, nori seaweed, rice, and tea.  It is laid out beautifully, and once you get over the shock of the components, it is a very filling and enjoyable way to begin the day.  While you eat, they sweep up the bedding.  Everything in the room is very simple, no clutter and very artistically laid out.  And, of course you can’t wear any shoes or slippers on the tatami mat

  

The town has about six different public baths.  The area is renown for its mineral springs.  Hot water is emerging everywhere.  People drink it, bath in it, and revere it. There are strict rituals around using the baths.  One must wash oneself thoroughly before entering the baths, and many Japanese spend ten and twenty minutes scrubbing.  The water in the baths range in temperature.  We went to one bath where I could not even submerge myself due to the heat. 

Each of the ryokan provide their guests with ikata (bathrobe), as well as indoor slippers (and separate bathroom slippers), and outdoor wooden sandals.

  

All of the tourists where wandering the streets in their ikata and sandals as they were going from onsen to onsen throughout the day.  We did that a bit, but we also took a ropeway to an observation tower above the town, and hiked down.  We also visited the Gokurakuji temple, the most beautiful one so far.  We met a Japanese man who was paying his respected to his deceased mother-in-law, and he gave us a private tour inside the temple.  Fabulous.

 

That’s it for now.  All my best.  Ja’ matta.  Rachel

April 29, 2005

Green Day National Holiday

 

Hello friends and family:  As we move into Golden Week here in Japan, and as I realize that I have now been here for one week, it all seems like a blur.  We have been extremely busy both being tourists, as well as acclimating to life in Asia. 

Nate and I spend most mornings doing school work.  It is challenging being the teacher of your own 13 year old.  Lots of negotiating, compromising, arguing and learning.  At times it is a struggle, but when things are going smoothly, he is a joy to work with.

The afternoons are filled with activities in our neighbor, as well as in and around Kobe city. The weather has been glorious…warming every day.  We have had one thunderstorm with heavy rain.  The storm passed quickly, things dried, and we were playing tennis later that afternoon.  The apartment building sits atop a hill, so it is windier and a bit cooler than downtown.  I am guessing that that will be a blessing once the weather get really hot.

We have been exploring Kobe city, a city of 1.5 million people. We visited the Hyogo Prefecture National Art Museum to see an exhibit of art from Dresden from the 17th century.  It was strange to be looking at European art surrounded by Japanese and only seeing the explanations in a foreign language.  The museum is located on the waterfront, a very public built-up area with hotels, plazas, parks and tourist attractions.  The waterfront is very new as it was all rebuilt after the 1995 earthquake.  

Another day, we walked to the Taisanji Temple, about 2 miles from our apartment.  As we walked, we left the urban area and came to rural, agricultural land with individual homes instead of massive apartment buildings.  There were fields and green houses in every nook and cranny. The temple is a national treasure and a national park.  There were four buildings remaining out of an original 160.  We watched devotees pray at the temple.  First, they washed their hands and mouths with water from a stone vessel using wooden scoops.  Then they approach the shrine, threw coins into the collection box, rang a bell suspended from the ceiling by pulling on a huge hemp rope, bowed, clapped their hands twice, and bowed again.  Everyone did it.  I tried and felt self-conscious. I especially didn’t like the idea of putting that water in my mouth.  I did wash my hands, though.  The temple grounds were lovely and well maintained.  As you would expect, it was very serene.  I expect to be visiting lots of temples and shrines.  Nate went crazy taking photos.  A few of his photos are attached. 

Cheers for now.  Rachel
 

April 22

Hello family and friends:  We arrived in Japan two days ago, and despite a 13 hour plane ride and a 16 hour time difference, I don't feel any effect. On the first night, we got a good sleep and then just jumped into life.  We have already navigated the subway, changed money and oggled at and eaten the mysterious food.

The spring is just beginning in Kobe.  The short, scrubby vegetation is pretty barren.  Hopefully, as the trees leaf out it will be greener and more visually pleasing.  

 

Our apartment is fairly large by Japanese standards.  Three bedrooms, a tiny kitchen with only a 2 burner stove and a microwave/conventional oven, small living/dining room, and an exotic bathroom with a shower/soaking tub room. The doorways are about 5.11 inches.  Larry just about hits them.  They are great for me.  We sleep on futon mattresses on the floor with buckwheat hull-filled pillows and comforters.  I was concerned that the sleeping would be too hard, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

The weather is similar to the Pacific Northwest, cool in the evenings and warming during the days.  The apartment has no central heat, so we cluster in the living/dining room, close the sliding doors and turn on the space heater.  Once we turn the heat off, the room cools down quickly as there is no insulation.  Luckily, the weather is warming vs. cooling down.  I couldn't imagine being here in the dead of winter.

We are beginning to establish a routine.  I will be home-schooling Nate, hopefully dancing samba, working on my Japanese, getting to know my neighbors in this 16 unit apartment building, and traveling the country.  We have already met a few adults and children.  Most are bilingual.  Impressive.

I will send stories as the adventure unfolds.

I hope that everyone is well and is having a lovely spring. 

All my best. 

Rachel