The final days of our vacation trip to Japan were filled with excitement and wonder. We were fortunate enough to visit the Todajii or the “Great Eastern Temple” which resides in Nara. This is one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples. The Great Eastern Temple in Nara was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples in Japan. As the center of the Buddhist movement in Japan it became very powerful politically and interfered with the capital politics in Nara. The capital of Japan was relocated from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 order to decrease the influence of the Temple on government affairs.

The Great Eastern Temple in Nara houses Japan’s largest Buddha and is also the largest wooden building in Japan. It was reconstructed in 1692 in a smaller version but continues to retain that distinction.

Osaka

Osaka in Japan’s third largest city with a population of 2.5 million people. It is also Japan’s second most important city just behind Tokyo. The Kansai region of Japan owes its economic successes in large part to the powerhouse that is generated in Osaka.

In the 16th century, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous ruler, chose Osaka as the location of his seat of power and built a large castle here. The great castle which is surrounded by a moat has been rebuilt several times and stands now as a reminder of Japan’s glorious past. Here is a photo that I took of the moat surrounding the castle grounds with a modern skyscraper in the background as a juxtaposition of the present and the past. I thought it was amazing!

New Friends

During our trip through the Japan’s we toured with a group of people with whom we have since become friends. Here is our Pistachio Man and his beautiful wife who traveled from San Francisco to be with us on our tour. In Chinese, pistachio is literally translated as “open heart fruit”.

Here is our group and especially the girls from Laguna Beach. See you all next time!

Last night the weather conditions did not improve until after we were well asleep which was difficult due to the high winds and driving rain against the windows. I looked outside around 10 o’clock in the evening and the Japanese maple tree just outside our balcony was waving around like a palm frond in a hurricane. Wind speed must have been upwards to gusts in the 70′s. The next day the weather reports indicated that these unseasonable winds were the highest is decades. What surprised us most was that when we woke up everything was quiet. No rain, no clouds and perfectly warm wonderful weather. Really amazing. Mount Fuji was visible from our balcony. Again, really amazing!

A hot spring bath in the morning followed by a walk gave us some great views of the mountain.

Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) at 3776 meters is Japan’s highest mountain. It’s almost perfectly formed volcano shape has inspired worship as a sacred mountain for centuries. On clear days, which number about 90 days per year or so, Mount Fuji can be seen from as far away as Tokyo and Yokohama. The best places to view the peak is during the winter months when the air is clearest from Hakone and Fujigoko (Five Lakes) regions. These are resort towns and also attract tourists for their natural hot spring baths. Climbing Mount Fuji is controlled by the government and only allowed during the summer months of July through August. This is usually a two day affair with a rest over at the top before descending the next day. This is something of a pilgrimage for many. Over 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year and many of these are foreigners. We drove up to the 5th level. This was as far as the roads were open.

The view from the 5th level up the mountain this morning afforded us a clear shot of the valley and lake below. There were quite a few tourists up here as well as vendors selling trinkets and food, Yes! It was a little chilly up here but no wind or rain, thank God.

Mount Fuji is best seen in the morning before 10 AM. After this the clouds move in and cover the summit. We were lucky to get such nice views of the mountain. Here is a picture I took as we traveled down the mountain later in the morning. You can see that the clouds were moving in. The day stayed nice and bright with warm gentle breezes. Such a nice day to be in Japan.

Bullet Train

Japan was one of the first countries to understand that cars were not the best mode of transportation for the masses. In high density populated areas such as Tokyo, cars and traffic move extremely slowly. Trust me when I tell you that Los Angeles freeways MOVE very nicely compared with the 3 mile an hour average speed of Tokyo’s freeways. The Japanese government realized that this was going to be a problem and during the early 1960′s developed the first Bullet Train. In 1964 the high speed trains in Japan were the fastest in the world moving at 210 km/h or 131 mph. Currently the US does not have any trains that approach this speed. Since then the trains have been designed along with the tracks to handle higher and higher speeds.

There are several train lines in operation over Japan. The Sanyo line developed in 1997 has 500 trains which operate at a top speed of 300 km/h or around 186 mph. That’s fast, trust me on that one. Between Hiroshima and Kokura the Bullet train covers 192 km or 120 miles in only 44 minutes. The average speed of 262km/h is the fastest scheduled train service in the world.

It was difficult getting a picture of these babies because they move so quickly. These things are scary to the uninitiated. They really move down the track.

Hitching a short ride on the Bullet Train was really an experience. This was something better than Magic Mountain to tear down the tracks so smoothly at such speeds. After a while you kinda get used to it, but it takes awhile. This suckers really move.

Geisha Girl

That evening we stopped by a famous night club and picked up a Geisha for our entertainment. These beauties sing and dance as well as play music.

I think that I will take this one home. What do you think?

The day was a windy and very rainy one. Even so it was terrific! Traveling to the Mount Fuji area and the surrounding lakes gave us an opportunity to see some beautiful countryside. Even though our plans to visit the great mountain were put off for a day due to the weather, we were afforded other opportunities that I am so glad we did not miss. We started the day eating breakfast from a great look-out over Tokyo.

After breakfast the weather turned a little nasty as we traveled towards the other side of the island towards Mount Fuji. We passed through Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes), a little town that bordered a lake and spent lunch there. Our little outing on the lake was really fun. We arrived just in time for a ferry to take us across. The drizzle made it even better. I just love the rain sometimes. The air was so fresh and sweet. The hot tea tasted even better after this ride.

The little Town and then the lake

Hot Spring Holocaust

Due to the increasing wind and strength of the rain, our plans to visit Mount Fuji were definitely put off. What we did try was a neighboring foothill/mountain that sported active small geyser and hot springs. There is a legend that if you eat the eggs that are cooked in these hot springs your life is increased by seven years. We just had to climb up this little mountain to get these eggs. Never mind that they sold them down in town, the ones fresh out of the sulfur hot springs seemed to have a greater allure. We were able to drive most of the way up but the last mile we had to hoof it. Maybe a mile is an exaggeration, it was maybe 400 to 500 yards up this winding trail. The climb was not too bad. It was the wind across the top of this mountain and the increasing rain that soaked us to the bone and we had good rain jackets on too. Anyway what is seven years of healthy living worth anyway? Actually, I ended giving my sulfur hot spring eggs away to an elderly couple that could not make it up the trail due to the weather.

Those eggs better be worth it. It took the rest of the day to dry out.

Dinner and an indoor Hot Spring soak

After this adventure we tried to find a clothing store where we could find some dry cloths. We would not be able to get to our luggage until the evening and it was now getting cool and of course our pants were completely wet. The rain gear that we brought did a good job except for below the thighs and the wind which peaked around 50 MPH wiped all that wet on every thing below really well. So we were wet and getting cold. A change of cloths and an indoor natural sulfur hot spring bath was just the ticket. This trip to the Mount Fuji area hot springs was a day I will never forget. In Japan, natural hot springs are very popular and the number of them is very large due to Japan’s geography lying in a region of tectonic plate movement. That also means there is earthquake and volcanic activity. Because of the minerals in the natural hot springs, they are believed to have the powers of healing. As a matter of fact, in Japan, it is more usual to bath in water than to drink it! We both relaxed in an indoor/outdoor sulfur hot spring this evening. Afterwards, dinner with Jennifer was really sweet.

Our first day here in Tokyo has been a busy one. There is so much to see and tell about Japan that it is impossible to get any thing but a glance. Our first visit in the capital city of Tokyo was to see the grounds that surround the Imperial Palace.

These grounds are located on the former site of the Edo Castle which is now a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the center of Tokyo. It is the residence of the Imperial Family and not open to the public except for January 2nd which is Japan’s New Year’s Greeting day as well as December 23rd which is the Emperor’s birthday. The rest of the year, guided tours of the palace are offered in Japanese, with an English pamphlet and audio guide provided.

From the Koyo Gaien, the large plaza in front of the Imperial Palace, visitors can view the two bridges that form an entrance to the inner palace grounds. The stone bride in front is called Meganebashi or Eyeglass Bridge because of its looks. The bridge in the back was formerly wooden with two levels but has been rebuilt.

This Imperial Palace of the Emperor and family formerly was the Edo Castle. From the looks of the moat surrounding the grounds the Japanese took security very seriously. These grounds are massively guarded by the stone walls and water. This is truly a beautiful and awe inspiring residence. The white swan lives here and can be seen daily if you are lucky.

Sensoji Temple

The Sensoji temple otherwise known as Asakusa Kannon Temple is located in the central part of old downtown Tokyo. The legend of two brothers fishing a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida river is the foundation of this temples history. The legend is that the two brothers fearing Kannon’s displeasure returned the statue to the river but it kept returning to them. As a consequence the Sensoji temple was build to honor the goddess of Kannon. This temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo’s oldest temple.

The Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan. He was born in 1852 and ascended to the throne in 1868 at the peak of the Meiji restoration when the power was stwitched from the feudal Showgun government to the emperor. During the Meiji period, Japan modernized and westernized herself. By the time that emperor Meiji died in 1912 Japan had joined the world’s major powers. The Meiji shrine was completed in 1920, and rebuilt after beding destroyed in World War Two.

Shopping in Toyko

What would a visit to Japan’s capitol city be if we did not spend a few moments shopping around for a few goodies. We found most of Japan to be wonderful to foreigners even if there was not one who spoke a lick of English. I think that it is part of their nationalism that they refuse to learn other languages. Maybe that is going too far but for the most part in Japan there is NO English anywhere except the 5 star hotels that cater to people from the West. Shopping was fun regardless of the language difficulties. We had our guide Meharu to help with the transactions. No bartering took place really. This is not China.

More goodies for the folks back home.

After today we deserve a rest. No such luck. Check back again tomorrow for the next episode of David and Jennifer in Japan.

Jennifer and I arrived in Japan last night. After the 12 hour flight we were both dead tired and went to sleep right away. The only problem with coming to the East is that it takes a day or so for you to get used to the switch in time. What do they call it, Jet Lag? Anyway we both woke up at 3:00 AM and spent some time reading.

Tokyo

Our itiniary includes a small hour drive up to Tokyo this afternoon. This morning will be spent looking around at the gardens in Tokyu a small little town close by the air port. By the end of the week we should be in Osaka after visiting Mt. Fuji. The weather calls for showers this afternoon but this morning is absolutely beautiful.

I will download some pictures when I can get to an internet connection that will allow me USB port access. This is a public Internet Kiosk located in the Hotel where we are staying. Wild isn’t it.

I will be answering any e-mail while we are away so don’t hesitate to send.