Discovering Japan

In August 2018 we travelled to Japan for the first time with a couple of friends in an organised tour with G Adventures.  Then following the tour John and I had a few days by ourselves in the beautiful area of Nikko, a couple of hours from Tokyo.

Having never been to Japan we were introduced to many great new experiences.  These included saki tasting, staying in a traditional ryokan, experiencing near perfect public transport and new food sensations.

Scroll down for information on all the locations marked in the above map and Nikko.

One thing I was very surprised about was the very high temperature and high humidity of Japan in summer.  I imagined they would have had fairly mild summers. 
Tips:  Definitely we would recommend visiting in Autumn or Spring unless you are going for the ski season.

Also we have worked out that we are not really tour people.  We don’t really like having such structured days – felt a bit like on school excursions.  Certainly it was great having somebody to organise all the rail travel and transfers, etc. However, we didn’t really like being told how long we could spend here or there, when we stopped and for how long etc.  But I know for some people that is really ideal.  I must mention we did have some free time in some locations but probably not as much as we would have liked.

What I loved about Japan:

• The food, OMG the food. So many new tastes and textures, always beautifully presented.  Although I love my food, it’s not usually something that I feel is a highlight of my holidays but in Japan, food was definitely a highlight!

• Fantastic public transport. Clean, modern, well signed (English) and very, very prompt service!  So that if you have only 10 mins to spare between one rail trip and the next connection you know you will manage it.
• The nature!  We saw some fabulous natural areas.  Including the waterfalls and forests of the Nikko area, the fabulous lakes and mountain of the Mt Fuji area, Miyama Island and the views from the top of the small mountain there.  And of course the Japanese really know how to do a garden!  From the big public city gardens to small tranquil house gardens.
• I’m going to sound old fashioned here but the modesty of the people I really liked.  At no point when someone bent over did I see a bum crack – a pet peeve of mine!  No excessive cleavage so that you don’t know where to look.  No muffin tops hanging over the top of the jeans either!

I also really loved doing the two week tour with Sue and Garry, we all got on really well and Sue came to my rescue a couple of times. It would have been different and not as good without friends to share it with.

I must mention we had a good group too – about half were young (20’s and 30’s) and then us oldies 40’s up to one of the men in his 70’s (who was one of the fitter members of the group).  On our first night at each location we all ate out together somewhere not too expensive but interesting.  Subsequent nights we could go our own way.  I think this worked really well.

Also this holiday was unusually one where I hadn’t done any research or planning, since we were going on an organised tour.  And it was kind of nice to have no preconceptions of what we would see and where we would go.  So there was a lot of pleasant surprises since I didn’t really know much about Japan!

Useful Links:

www.japan-guide.com

Useful Tips:

• Don’t go in August, it is surprisingly incredibly hot and humid.
• Take lots of cash, there are a lot of places that don’t take credit card.  Weird but true!
• You take your rubbish with you and get rid of it back in your hotel room.  This is one of the reasons it is a clean and tidy country.  I really wish we could do this back home!
• Public transport is well signposted in English (also any places frequented by tourists) which makes travelling easy.  The only hard part is the size of the main city train stations.  Everyone is helpful so no problems.

Kanazawa

Located on the north coast of the main island of Honshu. 

First up we visited Kenroku-en Gardens, known as one of the three best gardens in Japan and it is designed to be beautiful during every season.  And it certainly is very beautiful.  It was once part of the nearby Kanazawa Castle. We ate at one of the four traditional tea-houses within the gardens where we all sat on the floor to eat our delicious meal.  A bit challenging for some of us!

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After visiting the gardens you can then walk next door to the Kanazawa Castle.  Because the grounds are so large, it doesn’t feel very crowded.  Perfect place for a stroll and taking some Instagram shots.

We also visited a Ninja temple which was very interesting because it was designed with secret rooms and traps, tunnels, trick doors, etc.  Shoes come off and no photography is allowed.

I would also recommend visiting the historical area of Higashi Chaya-gai, to see the gold leaf house and gold leaf shops and many sake testing shops.  It was amazing how different they can taste.  Some are quite smooth!

Takayama

Next destination on our tour was the historical town of Takayama.  I really loved this town. The city is famed for its biannual Takayama Festival, going back to at least the mid-1600s, celebrating spring and fall with parades featuring ornate, gilded floats and puppet shows.  There is a museum where you can see these ornate floats.

Sometimes the little pleasures of your holidays stick in your mind. We had the best coffee and other drinks in a beautiful little café/gallery Warajiya (close the above mentioned museum) where the owners spoke conversational English.  They had a proper Italian espresso machine – yay!  It was also well air-conditioned which was a relief during this hot and humid holiday.

Hida Folk Village

The historical village of Hida folk village was a highlight. Apart from the extreme beauty of the village and all the traditional crafts being displayed, I got to see one of main things I wanted to see in Japan – Taiko drumming concert which absolutely wonderful.  Made my day.  If you can get to see this whilst in Japan I would highly recommend it!

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Staying in a traditional Ryokan for the first time

We also stayed in a traditional ryokan for the two nights we spent here.  This is where you sleep on futons and really no other furniture – maybe a basic chair.  The bathrooms are shared and open – so you sit on a small stool and clean yourself with a shower head and then you get into the large tub.  Now none of our group’s females were real keen on this shared nudity idea (even the young ones) so we organised a roster/schedule and that worked out fine.  So that was something different!  You also have to leave your shoes at the door and you get slippers to wear inside, with different slippers to wear in the shared toilet areas.  So quite a different experience!

Hiroshima/Miyajima

Well I think everyone has heard of Hiroshima and of course we visited the site of the Hiroshima Peace Park and Memorials for those killed by the atomic bomb.  This was quite a moving visit and I’m glad we went there.

However, the island of Miyajima near Hiroshima was one of the highlights of the whole trip for me.  I was unaware but it is famous for being one of Japan’s most scenic locations.  So many wonderful things to see on this island:

• The famous floating Torii Gate, set out in the bay, which glows at sunset.  At low tide you can walk out to it. Also the Itsukushima shrine right next to it is very beautiful.  There was a large queue to get in here so we just admired the outside.  We don’t really have the patience for long queues but there was so much else to see anyway.
• The island has many shrines and temples. Lots of shops and restaurants too.
• We saw wild deer just mingling in with the crowds.  I particularly remember a cute little fawn having a little nap.  They were wild but used to people.
• You can hike the mountain trails up to Mt Misen.
• If you don’t want to walk up the mountain, catch the gondola up to Mt Misen, to see the most spectacular views of the surrounding islands.  This was my favourite part of the island.  I had no idea we were going to see such stunning, beautiful views.

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We just had an afternoon here on the island but I think it would be wonderful to spend a night or two here.

Kyoto

I really liked Kyoto – it was a big city but not too big and there is a lot to see around Kyoto.  I think we also really enjoyed Kyoto because we got a lot of free time here since we stayed for 3 nights (most places were 2). The attractions we visited include:

• The Golden Pavilion in northern Kyoto is a Zen Buddhist temple and one of the most popular buildings in Japan.  Very beautiful and much photographed.
• The 1000 red Torii gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine.  There are many other small shrines and temples around the complex too.  And apparently there are some great mountain trails here too although we didn’t explore.
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in the Sagano area.  Very crowded for good reason but go early if you want great photos.  Lots to see in the area, we also enjoyed some quite time down by the river with lots of wooden pleasure boats rowing past.  Very picturesque.

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Mt Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

This was a highlight for me of the whole G Adventures tour.  For a start, the weather there in summer is just perfect.  Mid-twenties without the humidity that we had had up to then.  And just incredibly picturesque.  We got a paddle boat for half an hour out on the water and then just went for a walk around the lake exploring.  I felt so energised just from the change in the weather. 

We stayed in another traditional ryokan but this was more upmarket that the one in Takayama.  Most of us got our own bathroom this time –Yay!  Basic but so pleased to have our own facilities.  We had a very traditional banquet here too – there were some traditional kimono jackets to wear –men and women.  Some of the younger blokes looked quite dashing, some of the older blokes, hhm not so much, haha.  The food experience though was wonderful.  We sat down at two long tables with the two tables facing each other and ate the many delicious courses.

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The climb!

The next day was the climb up Mt Fuji!  I actually wasn’t going to be doing this as I had a foot injury so I was to be staying half way up the mountain in accommodation at Station 5.  This is where all the buses take you to admire the wonderful views and where you are still above the clouds.  There are a few shops, restaurants and very basic accommodation.  So after we all had lunch and everyone else headed up the mountain I enjoyed looking around the area and having a relaxing afternoon.  I was booked into a pod hotel which was another new experience.  Considering how everyone else was spending the night I was feeling quite comfy.  The sunset up there above the clouds that night was amazing.  One of the best sunsets I have ever seen.

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The climb up and down the mountain by the others was very arduous.  They started after lunch went till nightfall. Then got up at 2:30am I think for another couple of hours to the peak for sunrise.  A couple stopped at the first station after leaving, and my friend Sue stopped at almost the top at the overnight station.  The rest went through to the peak. The overnight accommodation (and I use the term loosely) was in a cabin where everyone slept head to toe with no room to roll over, with lots of noise going all night, people coming and going, flashlights everywhere. 

When Sue came down she said it was the hardest thing she’s ever done.  John struggled coming down due his dodgy knees.  A few of the young ones had no problems.  But I do think you need a reasonable level of fitness to do this.  Age is not really an issue but fitness is.

The next day after everyone had come down the mountain we took a bus back down and picked up our luggage and then off to the train and back to Tokyo.  This is where our tour finished.  After one night in Tokyo we headed off for a few days by ourselves to Nikko.

Nikko

So after our tour ended we made our way by train to Nikko – about 2 hours from Tokyo.  A lot of the people on our tour were going elsewhere for a few days or more.  It’s funny we all commented on the fact that after someone organising transport for us for two weeks we were all just a little nervous about doing it ourselves in Japan.  Hoping we got on the right train etc. Anyway all went well. 

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Got to our accommodation which was part traditional and part modern.  Still sleeping on a futon on a mat but private bathroom facilities.  Yay!  The position of this place was great.  We were very close the UNESCO World Heritage site and the famous Nikko Bridge. 

Finding somewhere to eat at night was a bit of a challenge.  There was only really a couple of places to choose from within walking distance.  Anyway we weren’t there for the night life.  Because normally when travelling, we do so much during the day, we are pretty worn out by night and retire reasonably early.

I’ll explain about the wonderful UNESCO site shortly but I would highly recommend getting on one of the local buses and going to one of the many nearby locations where the natural wonders abound.

Waterfall wonders of Nikko

Kegon Falls

Kegon Falls was a highlight – just a few hundred metres from the bus stop, restaurants and shops.  So convenient!  Stunning waterfalls!  You can also catch a lift down through the rock that goes about 900 metres down and then a short, damp walk to lookout that are much closer and perhaps better for photos.  Both from the top and below it is visually spectacular. 

Also near the falls is Lake Chuzenji that you can take a boat trip around.  Perhaps because we were there on a dull greyish day it didn’t really impress.  But I imagine on a sunny day, perhaps in autumn with the colours of the trees, it might be a different experience. 

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Ryuzu Falls

Ryuzu Falls was another great area to visit.  You can walk upstream along the river and view cascading waterfalls.  Lots of different and nice spots to view.  Also very popular with local walkers around here.  So although Ryuzu Falls was very beautiful, there are lots of other scenic spots to view.  We actually almost missed viewing the main Ryuzu Falls.  After exploring the other areas around we decided to stop at a café for a coffee.  And it’s the balcony of this café that provides the best views of these falls.  They are kind of a bit hidden unless you knew to go into this café.

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Yudaki Falls

The third waterfall area we visited was Yudaki Falls.  All three of these waterfall areas are quite different.  This one was one big cascading waterfall but cascading over rocks at about a 45 degree angle.  A local boy and his father were fishing at the bottom, and you can go for a little bit of a walk around and up higher from where the main lookout is.  And there is a café just near the lookout too.

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These three areas were all really beautiful in summer but I think they would be even more so in Autumn!

Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site – Shrines and Temples

Now you might possibly think – oh yeah I’ve seen lots of temples etc. but this place will blow your mind.  It is a huge area and with many, many temples and shrines that are truly spectacular.  Looking it up online doesn’t really give you an indication of the scale and magnificence of this area.  And they are all within beautiful natural surroundings.  If you do come up from Tokyo for the day, perhaps take a taxi from the train station as it is about a half hour walk uphill and you really want to save all your walking for the good stuff!

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At the entrance to the UNESCO site is the famous Shinkyo Bridge.  My most popular Instagram pic up at the time of writing this is of this Bridge. It is very pretty.  You can pay to go on it but really you get the better view whilst not actually on it.

Now you could actually spend a whole day exploring this area or break it down into two days at a more relaxed pace, which is what we did and we still didn’t see everything.  Some of the spectacular parts of this huge site which were highlights was the Nikko Toshogu Shring (Yomeimon Gate), the Five Storey Pagoda, Nikko-san Rinnoji Shrine – Taiyuin Temple.  We also discovered a small museum and garden ticked away which was quiet and lovely and almost no people, which we probably wouldn’t have looked into if we only had the one day there.

So Nikko was a delight and a great way to end our time in Japan.  I would highly recommend the town and the surrounding area – and not too far from Tokyo.

Useful links:

Click here to get $25 reward from Booking.com

Japan Guide