When to travel to Japan

People often ask me when I think is the best time to travel to Japan.

That answer depends on your tolerance of the weather.

I don't tolerate the heat too well so personally I could think of nothing worse than travelling around in summer in 30 degrees with high humidity levels.

I have two favourite times for travelling through Japan.

The first is winter. The sky is a perfect blue, the sun warms you up just enough and I'm yet to experience rain! I love the cold crisp air cooling me as I explore castles, temples, gardens and more. Yes it can get pretty cold, but so long as you have good quality walking shoes, woolen socks, durable pants (jeans), woolen jumpers and jackets then you will be fine. Winter in Tokyo is not that cold. I have never been freezing and the average temperature I have experienced during the day would be around 8-12 degrees. When you get to places such as Takayama, Kanazawa or Nakanojo, then a beanie, scarf and gloves will be required! But it is still blue skies in these places (when its not snowing) which makes all the difference in the world. I also think its more fun rugging up against the cold of winter than sweating it out in summer!

Me in Kanazawa in winter where a beanie, scarf and gloves are required!

My other favourite time to travel is spring which of course is Cherry Blossom season. Apart from the obvious beauty the Cherry Blossoms bring to this time of year, the weather is also fantastic for travelling. The days are cool, but are starting to warm up to where a thin jumper is all that is required during the day. The mornings and evenings can still be quite crisp, but with all the walking around that gets done looking at the cherry blossoms, you warm up pretty quickly.

Spring time in Japan! Cherry blossoms, blue skies and picnics!

Autumn is also a great time to travel through Japan, much like Spring, where the weather is cool, but sunny. The highlight of Autumn is the stunning colour changes of the trees. The colours range from bright yellow through orange to deep red. 

Autumn brings beautiful deep red leaves.

Japan has distinct seasons with features for each one which are all spectacular in their own right.

I love Japan at any time of the year but spring and winter are a lot of fun.

When is your favourite time to travel and why?

G  

Doors and Gates!

One of my Japanese obsessions is the doors and gates that are found throughout Japan.
There is nothing of equal here in Australia, mainly due to the fact that we have never had Emperor's or Shogun's or feudal lords with castles and surrounding gardens.

I love not only the sheer size of the doors and gates (most of them are just huge and intimidating), but the details found on each door or gate. The doors to temples are usually more ornate with metal decorations and the castle gates are usually more formal with crests and giant locks found on them. Some of the doors are plain wood left to weather and age superbly by the elements however there are some temples which have red doors and gates which contrast so well the the sometimes subdued surroundings.

The first two photos below are from Meiji Jingu shrine and I saw these on my very first day in Japan during my first trip.

The following red door is to an inner courtyard of a shrine in Nara. What was found inside the courtyard was one of the oldest wisteria trees in Japan which inspired poetry recorded some several hundred years ago. This in itself is awe inspiring, knowing that scholars were writing poetry about a beautiful tree which had sprouted from the ground before Australia had been colonised.

The next gate is one found in Nijo Castle in Kyoto. This gate separates one section of the castle grounds to another. I just love the criss-crossed inner panels and the imposing height of the gate.

Castle doors are quite another thing. They are truly on a grand scale as they were originally built to protect those found within and had to withstand possible sieges.

The next photos are from Himeji Castle (about and hour on the bullet train from Kyoto). What I love most about these types is that they are really doors within gates. As I walked through them, I imagined seeing the immense gates closed to have only the much smaller doors opened to messengers bringing news of some battle being fought by feudal Lords.

Aren't these just fantastic? Each door is unique with details different to the next. What is even better is the fact that you actually pass through many of the doors and gates directly where ordinary people, officials, feudal Lords and even samurai may have passed.

What do you think of the doors and gates?

What do you like most about them?

G



                                                         

Planning a trip to Japan?

Planning a trip to Japan?

Not sure where to start?

Need help with your itinerary or just want some ideas?

Email me at japaneseobsessiontravel@gmail.com or post here and I can make suggestions or help write you an itinerary to get the most out of your holiday.


G

SUMO!!!!!

Roaring crowds - am I in Japan?!

You bet I am - at the SUMO!

I managed to attend one of the last days of the January tournament and accordingly the excitement was palpable.

I arrived just in time to see the entrance ceremony for the highest ranked Sumo wrestlers of the day.

All the Sumo came out from either the east or west side of the arena clad in their traditional kesho-mawashi or 'apron' which is heavily embroidered with tassels at the bottom. They stood in a circle and first faced the crowd, then faced the middle and each other. It was fantastic seeing all of the Sumo in their Kesho-mawashi and a great lead up to the matches.

Sumo entering the ring

Following this came the sword ceremony. Three Sumo came out with an official to perform the traditional ritual. One Sumo held a sword the whole time and the sumo in the middle had a white belt on top of his kesho-mawashi which had what looked like lightning bolts coming off it.

Sword Ceremony

What came next is what all foreigners know of the Sumo - the STOMP! The sumo lifted his leg high into the air. The higher he lifted it, and the longer he held it there the more the crowd 'ooooohhhhed' and 'ahhhhhed'. Then he slammed his foot down and the crowd exploded! But only momentarily as they fell silent in anticipation of the next stomp!

The leg gets higher.....

Boom!

After the ceremony finished there was a bit of a beak in the tournament so I went in search of some souvenirs.

So many touristy thing to buy! But what caught my eye were the hand prints or tegata (the Sumo version of an autograph) of the sumo wrestlers. These were something I knew I couldn't get anywhere else. My turn at the counter came. I got a few things and then I pointed to the tegata/hand prints. The lady asked me in Japanese 'which one?'. I was nervous to try to speak Japanese fluently and all I could get out was 'Ichi-ban Sumo Ima!' Which is basically 'Number one Sumo now!' An old lady a few people behind me said to me 'Ichi-ban?' and I replied 'hai (yes), Ichi-ban Ima!' Then she shouted:

'Asashoryu Akinori!' and smiled at me. Others in the line laughed and agreed. So that's the one I bought.

Asashoryu Akinori's hand print

Unbeknown to me at the time, Asashoryu was the number one Sumo wrestler and had been the subject of controversy during the past 12 months. Over the next 2 hours I was to see why this man was held in such high esteem and was the only yokuzuna (the highest rank a sumo can achieve) at the tournament.

When he came out, the crowd cheered. They loved  and respected him. As I watched him I could see why. He was aggressive and very talented. He knows how to get the crowd excited.
The Sumo have a few minutes to start their match once they have entered the dohyo. There is a lot of pomp and showman-ship that goes on in the lead up to the actual bout, but it all adds to the anticipation and gets the crowd worked up into a lather. They throw salt and sip water and then there is the stare-off.
The Sumo toe a marked line on the floor and crouch down as if ready to start the bout. They try to psych each other out by staring at their opponent and then walking away. You really can't help but get caught up in the hype that the sumo create. Once the Sumo place both fists on the line the bout starts.

Asashoryu won the day on points and went on to win the tournament. How lucky I was to see him in his best winning form.

Asashoryu facing off (on the right)

The Sumo is an assault on a foreigners senses and being in the crowd is such a diverse range of experiences. The crowd surges from polite clapping to roaring cheers and complete silence while observing the traditional rituals and ceremonies. The colourful costumes, elaborate and intricate ceremonies and the unexpected roars of the crowd all make the Sumo a unique day of serious fun.



One of the colourful  traditional costumes of the officials

 From now on I will always try to arrange my future holidays to Japan when there is a Sumo tournament on (there are 6 tournaments throughout the year).

The arena in Tokyo is easy to get to and is very well equipped for foreign visitors. You can get plenty of brochures and information booklets explaining the history of sumo and you can also get a little radio with head phones which has English commentary of the sumo matches.

Have you been to the Sumo?

What did you enjoy the most?

G

Japanese Influence #1 - Nintendo

Nintendo!

It has always been there. It has influenced me, my generation and the world.
There is no-one my age that I know who hasn't played either a Game Boy/DS or Nintendo console system. I have literally grown up with Nintendo, always hoping to unwrap something from Nintendo for my birthday's and Christmas'. I even got 2 Wii games last Christmas! I have the fondest memories playing Nintendo games throughout my life. Some of these was when I was competing against my sisters and even getting my parents to play the Wii!

But lets go back to the beginning....

It was my 10th birthday and the Nintendo Game Boy had just been released. It was all I wanted and I was lucky enough to get one as a present from my parents.

Looking back at the screen and graphics now, it is astonishing to see how far we have come from a two-toned pixelated screen to the latest DS (Game Boy) and Wii (console).

But what is more astonishing is that the games I played on this basic screen with limited gaming capacity are some of the best I have ever played. Was it because these games were the first of their kind and I was a child or was it because of the game play?

I recently found some of my original Game Boy games and I can't believe that 21 years after its release I still have my favourite Game Boy game which is of course Super Mario Land. I have managed to lose Tetris which was probably the second most played game in my collection.

My Game Boy games

Super Mario Land - the original!

I also somehow managed to keep all the instruction booklets to the games!

I opened the instruction manual for Super Mario Bros to find that my memories came flooding back with the pictures of the characters and enemies and worlds within the game. Do you remember these characters and enemies?

The different versions of Mario

I have always been a Nintendo loyalist. I have owned nearly all versions of the Game Boy and the new DS and nearly all the versions of the gaming console.

I find that the games on Nintendo appeal most to me with the simple formats, adventure based story lines and easy to use controls.

I love the new DS and my favourite console would be the Nintendo 64 which had some of the BEST games of all time (Banjo Kazooie, Mario 64, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong Racing and Golden Eye).
I do love the Wii with the infrared controllers and Super Mario Galaxy was ground breaking in its game play. The Wii is a definite close second to the Nintendo 64.

Have you been influenced by Nintendo over the years? What is your favourite game? What is your favourite system?

G

My own private Cherry Blossom Season

As it is spring here in Australia, it means it is our turn for cherry blossom season.

I have 2 different varieties of cherry trees in my front yard and one of the trees is bursting with blossoms already.

It is a weeping cherry blossom tree and it is a light pink colour. The little blossoms always remind me of pom poms as they are the variety with lots of petals.

Some of the flowers are completely out, but most of the tree is not blooming yet.

Every day I am out in the garden examining my beautiful tree and inspecting all of the buds to see how long until some of them burst open.

Of course being in my front yard with 2 Sakura trees is nothing compared to Japan and it only ignites my longing to be in Japan or at least planning a trip there!

Maybe tonight I will have a glass of  Honey Ume Shu (plum wine) and pretend i am having my own private Hanami (Cherry blossom viewing party)!

Do you have cherry blossoms (Sakura) starting to bloom where you are?

Enjoy the next few photos :)

G

Buds getting ready to burst open

Nearly open

Sakura in all its glory

Beautiful

I see Red! - Fushimi Inari Shrine

It was a typical winters day in Kyoto. Blue sky, sunshine and crisp cold air. A perfect day for visiting Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Those of you who have seen the movie 'Memoirs of a Geisha' will recall a scene where the young Sayuri runs through a series of red Torii gates. Well this is the place.

With over 10,000 Torii gates forming unique tunnels, you can easily lose track of time as you explore the grounds. The Torii gates are primarily donated by businesses for good luck with the names of the businesses written on the back of the gates.

The shrine is a Shinto shrine and Inari is the Japanese God for fertility, farming, industry and rice. The God is often represented by a fox which is why there are Fox statues found throughout the shrine.

The gates are more densely packed at the beginning of the shrine and it is only at the upper most parts do the gates become more sparse.

The entrance to the winding path is formed by two tunnels of Torii gates.



The entry to the winding path of the shrine

 The tunnels seem to go on forever in some parts and if you are lucky enough, you may get a view with no-one walking through like this.

The back of the Torii with the names of the donors painted on them

There are 2 main parts to Fushimi Inari shrine. Most people only do the first section which gets you to a fantastic view point over looking Kyoto and a tourist shop selling mini-Torii gates. What i thought was really interesting was when I bought my mini Torii, the man who sold it to me struck 2 pieces of flint together to make a spark over my gate for what i can only assume was for good luck.

The ascent to the look-out was dotted with little restaurants serving tea and little cakes. We didn't manage to stop into one as it was too busy at that time of year (after New Year people come in droves to the shrines to pay their respects).

The view over Kyoto

The second section of Fushimi Inari is the one less travelled by tourists. The gates get less frequent and there are some really steep parts. To my amazement (and embarrassment) I was always being overtaken by old Japanese folk while ascending what I thought was an endless amount of stairs. There I am huffing and puffing away thinking I was going to faint at the next step, and spry old Japanese folk who are smaller than me are almost bounding up the stairs! Once you get to the top there are many graves and cats sleeping on top of them. I have no idea why the cats were way up on top of the mountain, but there were lots of them and they all looked cold!

One of the steepest sets of stairs

You can easily spend 3 hours or even more exploring Fushimi Inari shrine, especially if you stop at one of the little restaurants for a well deserved break. I highly recommend visiting the shrine, even if you aren't fond of climbing stairs or aren't physically able to do so. The bottom section of the path is easy to climb and you can still get soak up the atmosphere the Torii gates create without having to climb to the top. You can also stop and turn back at any point along the path if you can't go on.

Fushimi Inari shrine is a unique sight of Kyoto and well worth the visit. There is a train station close to the entrance and it is only two stops (5 minutes) on the JR Nara line from Kyoto.

G    

Kinkakuji - The Golden Pavilion



The beautiful Kinkakuji



Another amazing building to see in Kyoto is the Kinkakuji or Golden Pavilion. This building is actually covered in gold leaf.

It is located within an estate and was originally a villa for a Shogun. The Pavilion overlooks a pond which has strategically placed mini islands with perfectly sculptured pine trees adorning each one.

You enter the estate and immediately you have the best viewing point of the shimmering golden pavilion.

You aren't actually allowed into the Golden Pavilion, but i think that actually adds to some of the mystery of what it would be like to live in there.






A mini island in the pond with pine trees



The footpath leads you to the left of the pavilion and around to the back of it. The path snakes around the estate and you walk through a carefully planned garden with all types of trees until you arrive at a group of stone carvings which everyone is throwing coins at. I figured I'd give it a try and pulled out some coins.

On my first toss i got it straight into the center bowl. Some Japanese men next to me threw their arms up and shouted at me! They then came over to shake my hand! They kept uttering 'good luck, good luck!' So hopefully I will have some good luck from now on!


The coin toss for good luck.

 At the top of the winding hill, there is a tiny tea house which you can look into.

The path ends with a long descent to the exit of the estate. You can only imagine the elegant dignitaries that must have walked this path while visiting the Shogun with their silken robes and soft padded shoes.

At the exit, there are a few souvenir stalls and one of them sells green tea ice cream - even in winter!

The exit path.

The Kinkakuji or Golden Pavilion is definitely worth a visit. It is unique in Japan, and the world, and is a quiet place with beautiful surroundings and a peaceful atmosphere.

G

Kyoto - Nijo Castle

Kyoto is magical.

The former capital of Japan from 784 - 1868 is riddled with temples, gardens, shrines and historically significant buildings.

Kyoto is a teasure trove of culture and encapsulates the spirit of Japan. Kyoto is so beautiful, you could spend months exploring all it has to offer.

One of the most beautiful places to visit is Nijo Castle (Nijojo). Nijojo was the Shogun's residence (the Shogun was the military leader of Japan) and is one of the most opulent buildings I have seen in Japan.

Nijojo is very easy to get to and is on the Tozai Subway line with a stop right opposite the castle.

Every aspect of the castle is beautifully maintained. Every tree and shrub is perfectly groomed and individual needles are plucked from the mighty pine trees to ensure the best shape and overall look of each section of the gardens.

One of the many things I am obsessed with  is Japanese roofs. They are so ornate with metal decorations and the roof tiles are so simple and unique. I dont see any of these roofs in Sydney!

Here is a picture of one of the main roofs of Nijojo which shows the details on the eaves and also how manicured the trees are around it. You can see the top of the tree in front of the roof has been trimed so the roof can be seen in all its glory.



Nijojo roof

The Nightingale Floors!

The Nightingale Floors are one of those things you hear about in myths and legends and history, but they are still present at Nijo Castle. The Nightingale floors are wooden floors that surround the rooms within Nijojo and when anyone walks on them, they squeak or chirp like a Nightingale. It is amazing that they are still chirping after all of these 400 or so years. These floors were built to ward off intruders as anyone who walks on them will be heard.
Rumour has it that the makers of these floors were killed after they were installed as they would be the only ones who would know how to get across it without it chirping.
These floors are amazing and so exciting to walk across. For once, you can actually interact with history and hear what the Shogun must have heard.


The Castle Interiors

The various rooms within the castle are nothing short of opulent. The rooms had to be decorated by the best artists of the time. The Kano school was one of the main art schools which was charged with decorating the walls of the most important rooms.

Unfortunately you cannot take any photos of the interior rooms, however you can purchase postcards which depict some of the most famous paintings of the castle.

A Hawke

A Tiger

Pheasants

A Peacock

  




   

The surrounds of the castle are equally beautiful. There are vast expanses of gardens and thousands of trees including Ginkgo and cherry blossoms. Unfortunately I was there in winter so the vast majority of the trees were not blossoming. There was however, one massive ginkgo that was just spectacular rising above some of the evergreen pine trees.



Gingko tree



These huge bronze bells are located just outside of the main entrance to Nijojo. I would love to have a mini bronze bell as a feature in my garden. I love the clouds that line the bottom of the bell and the twin dragon heads which form the handle. Just gorgeous!

I could go on forever talking about the beauty of Nijojo, but nothing would compare to seeing it yourself.

In my opinion, Nijojo should be on the top of anyones's list who travels to Kyoto. It is jaw-droppingly beautiful and nothing beats the feeling of knowing a Shogun himself paced the same halls as you can.

G

My Favourite Little Place in Japan

People often ask me where my favourite place in Japan is.

It is a tiny town called Nakanojo.

Nakanojo is located approximately 2 hours north of Tokyo and is in a mountainous region with natural hot springs. I found this tiny little hotel which is called a Shima Onsen in Japan and whose name is Kashiwaya Ryokan.  Here is a link to the website: Kashiwaya Ryokan 

The hotel is designed in a traditional style and has both Western and Japanese style rooms. I have stayed here twice in the 'Hana' room which has its own hot spring bath on the balcony with a view over the river.

The food is without a doubt the best we have had in Japan. Every breakfast and especially dinner is a work of art and must be consumed in the order it is served. There are about 3 courses for each dinner and it is brought to your room and served by the most polite and lovely staff.

Just one of the amazing dinners at Kashiwaya

Each element of the meal must be tasted. We have learnt that everything that is put on the plate is there for a reason. All the pickles and side accompaniments have to be tasted in conjunction with the main dishes and they are just bursting with flavour. There are so many varieties of pickles and the come in bright blue, green, yellow, pink and white.

The meals at Kashiwaya are honestly the best in Japan and it is so much fun to have it served in your room at a traditional Japanese table. There is often a little pot that sits over an individual burner which cooks some rice in a beautiful 'soup' and you can crack an egg into it to make it even more hearty. The most delicious plum wine is served with some meals which is the most delicious beverage you could imagine.

Kashiwaya has 3 outdoor hot springs which can be used by the guests. All the traditional elements are there including the most important which is to wash/shower before you enter the hot spring. The best time to visit is in winter when it is snowing. It is so much fun to be sitting in a hot spring while it is snowing!

One of the private hot springs at Kashiwaya

Last but not least, the staff at Kashiwaya are fantastic. You hardly see them, but somehow your room is cleaned and all the meals are prepared and served with a minimum of fuss. The staff are always smiling and happy to have a chat (in Japanese). The owner of the Shima Onsen is a gentleman called Masuo Kashiwabara who is really nice and always ready to answer any questions.

The river opposite Kashiwaya

Opposite Kashiwaya

You really must go to Kashiwaya Shima Onsen next time you visit Japan. It is well worth the short trip from Tokyo. I can't recommend this Shima Onsen enough!

G

Cherry Blossom # 3

Our last Cherry Blossom viewing was at Ueno Park. The peak blossom viewing had passed but we decided to got to Ueno Park anyway. The place was really busy but still so much fun. The usual 'street/festival food' was available and we got our favourite yaki soba.

We walked around the enormous park and found some boats to hire and peddle around the lake! Of course they were in the shape of swans. We got our tickets and off we went. I laughed so hard for most of the time.

I highly recommend hiring the paddle boats for something ridiculously fun to do in the middle of Tokyo!

The swan boats in Ueno Park

We saw this food cart. The photo is a bit blurry but it is bananas covered in chocolate and sprinkles. Being a kid at heart, i thought it was funny.

Here is a pic looking down the main pathway through Ueno Park. You can see the blossoms are past their peak, and you can imagine how beautiful it would look in peak bloom!

The crowd in Ueno Park

After walking around Ueno Park we went to the Tokyo National Museum. I'll write about that another time, but outside the entrance was this fantastic cherry blossom tree.  I thought it was beautiful.

Cherry blossom outside Tokyo National Museum

I highly recommend going to Ueno Park. When the blossoms are in peak bloom, it does get extremely crowded, but everyone is in a happy mood and I never actually felt overwhelmed by the amount of people. Ueno Park has a festival feel and there is entertainment and the best tasting food everywhere!

You just have to go!

G

Cherry Blossom Season # 2 - Shinjuku Gyoen

Our second stop to view cherry blossoms was at Shinjuku Gyoen.

We were hoping to see some locals enjoying the day and doing 'hanami' - cherry blossom viewing. It turns out that we chose a fantastic park because upon entering this is what we saw....



Shinjuku Gyoen entrance






















The Cherry blossom trees are massive and absolutely breath taking. What the cherry blossom season shows the outsider is a side of the Japanese people that is often over looked. I (and i think a lot of people) have always seen Tokyo and the Japanese people as very hard working, intense people who live in the most high-tech city in the world who wouldn't have the time to relax.
The truth reveals something else entirely. I saw a relaxed people who were totally one with nature spending hours examining blooming flowers that are only on display for about 2 weeks of every year. Families playing in the park and work colleagues spending their lunch hours sitting under some of the most beautiful trees in the world. It was such a happy atmosphere. You couldn't help but absorb some of the happiness that was all around.

I saw a group of women some with cotton gloves on delicately holding and examining the blossoms. So much respect is shown for the trees and their flowers.

Up close and personal with the cherry blossoms

Shinjuku Gyoen is a very large park with internal lakes and so many beautiful spots to see.  My favourite spot would have to be this one. A cherry blossom that has over the decades grown over the water to look like this...

Blossom hanging over the water

Another unexpected beauty that arises from the cherry blossoms is when their petals fall to the ground and forms a delicate blanket.

Me standing under a canopy of cherry blossoms with their petals on the ground

As you walk around the park you get to see so many different views of the surroundings. Designing gardens has been an art of the Japanese for centuries and they have mastered it within this park.

Internal lake

What I never realised until I saw the cherry trees up close is that the flowers bloom in bunches. Each branch has many of these bunches and the whole tree must have thousands of bunches. No wonder the Japanese spend hours viewing these trees and flowers as it seems the more you look, the more you find.

Bunches and bunches of cherry blossoms

Blossoms in all their glory.

Stay tuned for more cherry blossom adventures.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you want some advice or tips for planning your Japanese adventure.

G

P.S You can click on the photos to enlarge them.