Tag Archives: Japan

Nara, Japan

Tōdai-ji Temple Complex

The “Daibutsuden”, or Great Buddha Hall, in the Tōdai-ji Temple grounds, Nara, Japan

“[“Tōdai-ji”, meaning] Eastern Great Temple, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), houses the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu. Sika deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, roam the grounds freely.” – Wikipedia

This massive building is a reconstruction. It is three quarters of the size of the one it replaced, and it is so beautifully proportioned that our brains had difficulty comprehending its sheer size. From the end of the approaching pathway, the Daibutsuden looks about the right size, but then we realised we were a good 300 meters away, and the little stick figures on the steps were people!

The “Daibutsu”, or Great Buddha. The largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world

The Great Buddha just about fits the building, and as his head pokes into the rafters it gives the impression that he’s too big for the hall – it’s a nice illusion that arguably isn’t needed as this is one huge Buddha statue. The Buddha images behind it are scaled such they all appear to be the same size from the ground, and there are other large statues to keep him company.

I was keen to find a specific pillar described in our guide book, as it contains a hole near its base that is the same size as the giant bronze Buddha’s nostril and, if you can fit through it, it is said you will be successful in your search for enlightenment.

On my way to certain enlightenment. This also means that I'm the size of a huge bronze Buddha booger..

On my way to certain enlightenment by pulling myself un-aided through the Buddha’s nostril-sized pillar hole. Of course, this also means that I’m the size of a huge bronze Buddha booger..

Outside, the giant Nandai-mon (temple complex gate) contains the two largest wooden Niō (guardian) statues we’ve seen. They’re perfectly scaled to match the rest of the Tōdai-ji.

One of the gigantic Niō (guardians) towering over a group of schoolchildren

It would be remiss of me not to mention the Shinto messengers of the gods that roam freely throughout the Nara-kōen park area. And what are these protected National Treasures, you ask? Why, they’re tourist-harassing, biscuit and paper-eating deer!

~~Naughty~~ National Treasures, protected messengers of the Gods and cookie-monster-esque devourers of shiki-sembei (deer biscuits)

Yoshiki-en Garden

Instead of the “must-see” Isui-en garden, we opted for the smaller (and free for foreigners – bonus!) neighbouring Yoshiki-en, and while it wasn’t as meticulously maintained as Isui-en, it was beautifully varied and consists of a pond garden, tea garden, and the first moss garden we’ve seen in Japan.

The delightfully serene Pond Garden in Yoshiki-en. I could sit here for hours.

The Moss Garden in Yoshiki-en. A mosst-see.

Kasugayama Primeval Forest

The primeval forest lies to the west of the Nara-kōen park and the Tōdai-ji, and we found it to be a lovely shady walk that the further we went, the darker and more claustrophobic it became.

Kasugayama Primeval Forest, Nara-kōen park.. spooky

Then in the darkest depths of the tree cover, rows of stone lanterns lined the path and lead us towards the sanctuary of the Wakamiya Jinja Shrine.

Just a few of the many stone lanterns lining the primeval forest trail outside the Wakamiya Jinja Shrine

The Wakamiya Jinja Shrine. A place of sanctuary in the primeval forest of Nara-kōen park

Kofun – Megalithic Burial Mounds

Intrigued by keyhole-shaped features on the maps and aerial photography of Nara, we hired a couple of bicycles and went exploring.

The keyhole kofun of Nara – what are these all about, we wondered? (source: Google Maps)

These large, man-made, tree-covered mounds have quite substantial moats around them, and it turns out they’re burial grounds from ancient Japanese times, which figures, but we didn’t find much information about who was buried in them.

The keyhole-shaped mounds and moats of Nara

Heijō – Site of the former Imperial Palace

Once the Imperial and Administrative centre of Japan during the Nara Period, nearly every trace of the buildings that stood here were either relocated, looted for materials or destroyed when the capital moved to Heian.

Reconstruction of the Former Imperial Audience Hall of the Heijō Palace, Nara, Japan

Largely used for agriculture in the 1300 years since, the site is now a large-scale reconstruction project, with the southern Suzaku Gate, East Palace Garden and Former Imperial Audience Hall completed.

We didn’t venture into the museum or the excavation exhibition hall, but we did stop for lunch about half-way through the grounds. It took us about 10 minutes to cycle through the palace site, which says something about its size, and how much work it’s going to take to rebuild it all.

Yakushiji Temple

Situated near the north-south canal to the west of the city, this temple boasts that it was the first to have twin pagodas in its grounds.

One of the twin pagodas in the Yakushiji Temple, Nara. Sadly, the other one was covered up for restoration when we visited

Speaking of pagodas, the temples leaflet says the following which I didn’t previously know..

“Pagoda” means grave in Pali, the ancient Indian language, and it was called “Stupa” in Sanskrit. Pagoda means the grave of the Buddha.

The various temple buildings contain a wealth of Buddhist artefacts, which made it feel more like a museum than a place of worship.

Yakushiji Temple artefacts; cast iron statues of revered monks and the Pedestal of Yakushi Nyorai which is believed to symbolise the Silk Road

We found lots of diverse things to see in Nara – more than we were able to fit into the couple of days we spent there. We could easily have doubled our time and filled it with gardens, temples and shrines.

Matsumoto and the Japanese Alps

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Matsumoto’s main claim to fame is its castle, the oldest wooden castle in Japan dating from around 1595 and one of only 12 remaining original castle structures (although there are many more which have been reconstructed). When we visited there were a group of volunteers offering tours of the castle in English and so we joined one of those with a Polish mother and daughter. We got a trainee and an expert guide for the four of us so the group to guide ratio was very good! The donjon tower which remains was solely for defensive purposes, unfortunately the palace where the lord would have lived burned down in 1727 and was never rebuilt.

Matsumoto Castle and moat

As we walked through the castle our guides explained the different defensive features, such as ‘stone drop’ points where rocks could be dropped to stop attackers climbing the walls, and narrow openings for archers and riflemen. All this looked very impressive, but one of the reasons that the castle survived is that its defences were never tested.

There were a variety of exhibits inside the castle, mainly an armory collection with old firearms, armour and swords, but also details of the castle’s architecture such as these roof ridge ends (top right) which show the emblems of various ruling clans from the castle’s history

From the outside it looks as if the castle has five floors but actually there are six with the third floor being dark and without windows. It’s believed that this would be the safest place during wartime. As we climbed upwards the stairs got progressively steeper and steeper until the last flight was almost ladder like. We were very glad that we didn’t have to run up and down them wearing armour and carrying heavy weapons.

Castle details (clockwise from top left): greedy Koi in the moat, a different kind of fish on the roof ridge, shrine to the castle’s protecting god in the ceiling of the top floor, the original ruling clan’s emblem on the entrance gate

The view from the castle over the town and with snow capped mountains in the background is spectacular

Apart from the castle, the old town area of the city is a nice place for a wander. There are some well preserved old storehouses in the Nakamachi district, many of which have been converted into cafes and restaurants. On our second evening we had a superb sushi dinner in one of them to celebrate Julie’s birthday. All washed down with some casked sake drunk from traditional wooden cups which, strangely, are square and not too easy to drink from!

Julie’s birthday dinner at Kura: the restaurant is housed in an old storehouse, the best sushi we’ve had, traditional sake cup and flask

We had hoped to visit Utsukushi-ga-hara-kōgen, an Alpine plateau, on the next day but when we enquired about the seasonal bus schedule at the tourist office it turned out that we were a week too early. Not to be deterred, the helpful lady pulled out a leaflet about a different place and also its bus and train timetable and so we went to Kamikochi instead! The bus dropped us off at the visitor centre at around 1500m above sea level. This is the starting point for some adventurous hikes into the surrounding mountains but there are also plenty of paths up and down the valley as well which is what we opted to do.

An impressive view greeted us when we got onto the trail

Despite snow still being on the ground under the trees and on the peaks, it was a warm enough day. We set off on one of the trails to Taisho Pond, formed when Mt Yakedake erupted in 1915 and blocked the river. We met tour bus loads of tourists coming towards us, some of whom obviously hadn’t thought about their plans for the day if we can judge by their footwear – although we were walking on a proper path it was slippy where the snow hadn’t melted and muddy where it had, high heels and dress shoes really weren’t appropriate.

Mountain reflections in Taisho Pond – Mt Yakedake is on the left of the picture

Snow beside the path, crystal clear water in Azusa River, memorial plaque to English missionary Walter Weston who first called these mountains the Japan Alps and introduced them to the rest of the world

After a few hours of walking we were ready for a rest and went for a soak in an onsen, a Japanese hot spring bath, at the appropriately named Onsen Hotel. Men and women bathe separately, the ladies section had an indoor pool as well as a few different pools outside, I particularly liked the small wooden tubs. There was a brief moment of excitement when one of the ladies spotted a snake by the edge of the pool, she called the attendant who chased it away by throwing a bucket of hot water over it!

A highlight of the day was when we came across a family of Japanese macaques happily munching their way through the pussy willows on a small grove of trees

Magome to Tsumago, hiking the old post road in Japan

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The Nakasendo, literally “Post Road” (“Naka” is the base of the British slang word “knackered” meaning to tire from walking or exercise¹, and “sendo” to send something) connected the then capital Edo (now Tokyo) to Kyoto through some of the most beautiful scenery in Japan.

Original ishidatami (stone paving) of the Nakasendo between Tokyo and Kyoto (this section is just before Magome, on the Kyoto side)

While longer than the southern Tokaido post road that ran along the Pacific coast south of Mount Fuji, the Nakasendo was more popular because it was well developed and didn’t involve ford crossings.

Station 43 – Magome in the early morning light

One of the most popular sections of the Nakasendo is the 8.5km between Magome and Tsumago that climbs over the Magome Mountain Pass and crosses the prefecture boundary.

Magome is a small town set on a steep hill. After finding our accommodation for the night – which wasn’t easy as all the buildings look the same from the outside, and their signs aren’t prominent (and they’re only in Japanese) – we walked downhill to see some of the original ishidatami (stone paving) post road.

Julie and I at the end of the old post road section just before Magome

Besides the splendid scenery, the fresh air and the exercise, the other major draw for walking the Nakasendo was the opportunity to stay half-board in traditional Japanese inns, or ryokan. In Magome we stayed at the Tajimaya where we were served tea and biscuits upon arrival in our tatami matted room. The futon beds were already made and we looked out onto the Nakasendo we were to walk the following day.

The feast that is the Tajimaya evening meal, Magome, Japan

Dinner was fantastic. First of all it was nice not having to decide what kind of restaurant to eat at, and they presented a little bit of everything, including some local specialities that we hadn’t tried yet.

The following morning, we sat down to an equally varied spread for breakfast before handing our heavy bags over to the Magome Tourist Service where the small, kind Japanese lady struggled to move them into the office! When we said we were walking to Tsumago, she asked for the name of our inn and told us our bags would be delivered there rather than the Tsumago Tourist Information office. This turned out to be very fortunate because we didn’t yet know where our ryokan was, and when we found out, it was a good 20 minute walk from the centre of town!

And so, with a light day sack between us, we set off in the direction of Tokyo!

Panoramic view just outside Magome, Japan

“A spot with a panoramic view” according to our map of the Nakasendo. The view back down the valley as we ascended from Magome.

The map suggests this well-maintained walking path will take about 3 hours, but we like to stop often to take photographs so it took us a bit longer.

Magome is higher than Tsumago, but there’s still a gentle uphill to climb to reach the Magome Mountain Pass. The pass marks about a third of the way between the 43rd and 42nd post road stations, and the Prefecture boundary of Gifu (Magome) and Nagano (Tsumago).

The route is a lovely untaxing walk through forest and paddy-field farmland. There was plenty of beautiful sakura (cherry blossom), including a 250 year-old weeping cherry tree in full bloom.

250 year old weeping cherry tree of Ichikoku-tochi

Surprisingly, we didn’t see much wildlife and we were a little alarmed at the frequency of the bear warning bells which Julie felt compelled to ring. I thought the bells might have had the opposite effect, sort of like a dinner gong, but despite ringing every one we saw, we still didn’t meet any..

Julie ringing the bear bell

Odaki and Medaki waterfalls near Tsumago

With tired legs and in need of a ryokan, we arrived in Tsumago to find it a flatter, straighter, quieter version of Magome, having thoroughly enjoyed hiking the section of the Nakasendo.

The main street in the town of Tsumago

After exploring Tsumago’s main street of lovely lattice-fronted buildings, and sampling the regional delicacy of gohei-mochi – baked rice on a stick whose only redeeming feature is the sesame-walnut sauce, we retired to our ryokan, the Hanaya. After a well earned onsen (hot spring bath), we sat down to another amazing feast of Japanese food.

¹ No, “Naka” isn’t the base of “knackered”, I completely made that up. Nakasendo can really be translated as “central mountain route”

Museum Meiji-mura, Japan

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You wouldn’t think that just a week after visiting the Hida Folk Village in Takayama we’d want to go to another museum preserving old buildings, but this one has a very different focus from any of the other outdoor museums that we’ve been to. Meiji-mura doesn’t focus on traditional wooden architecture but examples from Japan’s Meiji Era (1868 – 1912). This period marked an opening of Japan to foreigners and the architecture is notable for combining Western and Japanese elements. For example, the Principal’s Official Residence of Peers’ School is effectively split down the middle with European style office and reception rooms on one side with high ceilings and wide staircases, and Japanese style family rooms on the other with tatami floors and sliding paper doors.

Principal’s Official Residence: European part of the house from the outside, a very Western dining room, a traditional Japanese room on the other side of the house

The museum contains more than sixty buildings with a huge diversity of original uses, from churches, shops and houses to prisons, a theatre and a lighthouse. Despite the grey weather and drizzly rain that arrived in the afternoon we really enjoyed the variety of different buildings and their lakeside location and found that even a full day wasn’t enough to see everything.

Some of the preserved “buildings” are very small such as this sentry box of the Akasaka Palace, and this ornamental lamp from a bridge in front of the Imperial Palace

The imposing St John’s Anglican Church was built in 1907 and originally sited in Kyoto. It’s structure is adapted to withstand earthquakes being brick on the first floor and wooden above with a copper roof.

The interior of St John’s Church is split into two levels with a hall downstairs for Sunday school and the upper level where services were held

The Sapporo telephone exchange building included an exhibit of equipment used in the early days of telephone services in Japan

Some of the museum’s buildings were arranged as a high street

Tomatsu house was a tradesman’s house in Nagoya City. Although it looks fairly small from the front, inside it is a rabbit warren of rooms and passageways. It also contained the coolest stairs we’ve ever seen with drawers hidden in the risers (unfortunately we didn’t get chance to snap a photo). Clockwise from top left: facade, view from an upper floor window, the owner could sit in this room at the top of the atrium and listen to the conversations below, reconstruction of the office at the front of the building.

We really enjoyed the tour around the Kureha-za Theatre which included a chance to sit Japanese-style in one of the audience boxes as well as to walk along the basement passage leading to the area where the revolving part of the stage used to be turned by some very hard-working slaves

Striking a pose on the stage of the Kureha-za Theatre

The stained glass in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral shone brightly even without much sunshine outside

We met this lovely lady in the rather incongruous setting of the Kanazawa Prison. She helped each of us play a short tune on her koto before searching her music book for something English, Auld Lang Syne was the closest she could find!

One of the highlights of the museum is the magnificent main entrance and lobby of the Imperial Hotel. The Tokyo hotel originally opened in 1890, and this redesign by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright opened in 1923. This portion of the building was moved to Meiji-mura when the hotel was revamped again in the late 1960s.

We treated ourself to afternoon tea in the tearoom of the Imperial Hotel Lobby

Part of the site contains buildings with an industrial history. The Shimbashi Factory of the Japan National Railways where railway carriages were once built now contains a collection of industrial machinery, much of it linked to spinning and weaving.

A drizzly view from the edge of the museum site over Lake Iruka. The structure on the right is all that remains of a Tokyo religious college, its entrance porch.

two year trip

Andrew and Julie's Travelling Adventures