JAPAN THE LAND OF MANY FACES

 WHERE AM I: We had this trip planned to the T, and it was 3 years in the making. But after the first day, I wasn't so sure. Well, it kind of started on the plane...Loraine, a retired flight attendant said, "let's get kosher meals on the flight over - it's a long flight and we need some good food, and kosher is the best."

Kosher meal

I said ok, and on the first roll out of delicious smelling food for which Japan Airlines is known, we were served our first round of 2 apples and 2 oranges... but then the ice cream wagon came, so I said that's ok... zoom ---right by us. I said wait, I love ice cream, the attendant said no, "you ordered Kosher!" And, for the 2nd roll out of food, we were served the same thing. So we now had 8 extra apples and oranges to take along with us in our backpacks. Our plane was running 30 minutes late and we still had to get our bags and clear customs in Tokyo in a one hour time frame before our flight to Osaka, plus a change from the International terminal to the Domestic. Luckily for us, JAL had an ground attendant waiting for us at the plane exit. He guided us through the airport with a few minutes to spare.  While sitting on our domestic flight, I needed my good reading glasses, only to find out they fell out of my bag at customs. Bummer, now I can' see! Oh well, my Costco readers will have to do. We arrived in Osaka, and I said to Loraine, "let's go find the subway to take us near our hotel,"only to find out we were at a different airport than I planned... no subways. We finally found a bus to drop us off with about a 25 minute walk to our hotel.  No problem, we had this figured out. We have "GO" (the equivalent to Uber), loaded on our phones, only to find out on our first request, they don't pick up at bus, train, or subway stops. So, looking around where we were, there was no where close by to be picked up. What to do? Then, along came a sweet elderly Japanese gentlemen, Ken. In a soft voice he said, "can I help you"? We said, "yes, we are basically lost, can you direct us to our hotel the Deep Springs Osaka?" He nodded his head yes and at the same time, said, "did you book this hotel yourself?" I said, "yes,"he then said,"ok follow me." So here we are dragging our luggage and backpacks across some interesting night scenes at 8 O'clock at night. We followed him for about 15 minutes, and then Ken came over to me again, and asks, "did you really book this hotel?"

HITACHI TOWER

Now,  I am starting to wonder about this hotel. We finally get to a corner, with a tunnel, which looked sketchy and dark, and he points and says, "go that way, for another 15 minutes." Using our newly discovered Google walking App

Google Maps App, 
with big arrows

(with the big arrow - bottom icon on the right of your screen), we did as we were told. We knew Japan was safe, guess we'll find out pretty quick. Turns out, on the other side of the tunnel, was a messmerizing entry to a shopping frenzy with arcades, giant electric billboards, restaurants, and the Hitachi Tower. We eventually found our hotel, and to our surprise, we walked in the door and it was packed with people eating. The

The beer fills up through
the bottom of the glass

 Check-in clerk said, "you are just in time, we have all you can eat ramen, alcohol, and ice cream from 9-10 pm." Wow, I like this place. It was 9:15 so we gorged on our delicious ramen, with some ice cold beer and ice cream. Turned out to be a great hotel. :)

Beginning of an epic adventure: Loraine and I arrived in Japan 10 days before our trekking group. So this will be the first of 2 blogs, the second one will cover one the wildest cultural, spiritual treks that I have ever been on. It will be coming out in a few weeks. 

INDOOR ONSEN
FUJI HOTEL

THE ONSEN'S DILEMMA: The #2 thing to do in Japan, according to the Lonely Planet guidebook, is to experience an Onsen (a public bath). The dilemma is you have to get naked first. So Loraine, being raised as a good Catholic girl,  initially said, "no way, I'm not undressing in front of a bunch of guys." Turns out, the Onsens are now segregated (mens and womens), but you do have to clean up first. Otherwise, take a bath/shower on a little stool, scrub down, shampoo etc. with everyone else of course. But at the end of a long the day of walking and hiking, you can't wait to get in one of these hot mineral pools and soak away the days aches and pains. And, sometimes cool off with a cold plunge. 

BATHING STATIONS

Onsens have a long and closely connected history to the Japanese culture. Geographically, Japan is one of the few places in the world that lies above the intersection of four major tectonic plates. It is the constant movement of these plates which makes Japan prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. It is also the reason the hot geothermal water has so many pathways to the Earth's surface crust. creating around 25,000 onsens of which about 3,000 are used as public bathing places. 

OSAKA: THE NEW TOKYO: Decided to skip Tokyo at this point, didn't want 14 million people to be

View from the castle 

   

our first impression of Japan. We discovered that Osaka is the new happening place. It's affordable, has incredible food, great for people watching and lots of things to do. First on the agenda is the Osaka Castle. It is located right in the middle of town. It is a 42 acre former Shogun Palace with the most impressive moat I have ever seen. They started building the castle around 1583,  and it was home to the controlling Shoguns who were surrounded by their feudal lords while they ruled the entire area. We climbed up to the top of the 8 story castle and found an unprecedented view of the city. It survived WWII with minimal damage, although 10,000 Japanese were killed during the bombing raids of Osaka. 

Moat around the Castle

THE RISE OF JAPAN: 

I was starting to get curious about the American influence on Japan after visiting the castle. Turns out it goes all the way back to 1853, when American Commander Perry led his 4 warships, bearing gifts into Tokyo harbor along with a letter addressed from the American President Franklin, Pierce delivered them to the Emperor. In the letter, he asked if Japan would open up their shores to American ships for coal refueling and restocking of the whaling ships in the area. The President's letter ignored the hierarchy in Japan and the shoguns, who were very powerful at this time.  But, already occurring at this period of history was civil unrest and calls for modernization. Emperor Meiji, staged a political coup in the late 1860s and overthrew Tokugawa Shogunate and restored imperial power. The newly empowered Japanese Emperor Meiji, opened a new era of commerce, industrialization and international trade. 

HIROSHIMA: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Bullet train

We started using the 5 day JR Rail pass that we had purchased ahead of time, and at 150-200 mph plus, zoomed over to Hiroshima in a little over 2 hours. We stayed at the fancy Hiroshima Prince Hotel, which turns out has quite the recent history of hosting the G7 summit, which included President Biden in 2023. By the way,  the conference was attended by 13 countries. The conference focused on how to put together an action plan limiting nuclear proliferation. 

G7 summit with Biden

Lobby at Prince Hotel

View atop the Prince

Looking from the top of the Prince Hotel, I can see why they chose Hiroshima for the Atomic Bomb. The "valley like" city has surrounding mountains, which would help contain the blast and it had a busy harbor. But what we saw our next stop at the Hiroshima War Memorial will forever burn in my memory. Hiroshima was a vibrant city of 360,000 people when the Atomic Bomb was dropped in 1945, and the casualties were mostly civilians. Today, according to the book, "Fallout," the estimated deaths from the horrific blast, the enveloping firestorms, the short and long term cancers, is considered to be more closely to 200,000 people who died, not the 40,000 first proclaimed by the American government. 

A minute before the blast

Hiroshima prior to
August 6th 1945

I know nobody likes to look at these pictures, but it is part of our history. And, even today we are still having threats made by Putin, the President of Russia, saying they are considering using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. So we have to be reminded of the devastation involved, the loss of life, and also the lasting effects of such decisions. 

Some buildings still stood after the bomb

1 1/2 miles from the epicenter

The symbolic Crane 
monument

        

l

Blast victim











 

Atomic Dome

Right next to the War memorial museum, is the Memorial Peace Park. A beautiful park where school children are brought together to learn about the atrocities of war in their efforts to put an end to it. Loraine and I signed a petition while we there to support their cause. There is one child in particular that is the focal point of this monument, her name is Sadako. She was exposed to radiation at the age of 2 from the bombing, and died of Leukemia 10 years later. Sadako was able to attend school before her passing. When children across the country learned about her lingering disease they started making symbolic Cranes (in Japan this is symbol of a long life and good fortune) out of paper to support her.  The Children's Peace Memorial, with the contribution of 3,200 schools, constructed the monument pictured and was dedicated in 1958. Sadako's story

At the other end of the Peace Park is the Atomic Dome, which is ground zero for the blast site. The bomb was detonated at 1,800 feet above (600 meters) the building and the people inside were incinerated, but the steel framed building withstood the blast. 

The big picture nowadays, as portrayed by the movie, Oppenheimer, is what to do about the future testing of nuclear devices because of the development of the Hydrogen Bomb, which is approximately 1000x times more powerful than the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So needless to say, if we want to survive as a species, the countries with nuclear weapons need to be diligent on maintaining peaceful negotiations in the future.

Historic Fujiya Hotel 

HAKONE AND MT. FUJI: After Hiroshima, we needed to escape to the healing components of nature. Back on the Shinkansen (bullet train), we headed off to Hakone (a resort area). We departed the train at a city called Odawara and took a wild bus ride winding up the switchbacks up into the mountains. Along the way,  Loraine was tracking on Google Maps and I was trying to corral the luggage. The last 20 minutes of the ride was like the Mr. Toad's ride from Disneyland. Because there was no place to secure our luggage and backpacks, every turn was a challenge as the luggage would fly across the floor of the bus.  But, we both agreed that it was all worth the wild ride after finally getting off at stop # 27.  There it was, the Fujiya Hotel, it was gently pressed against the serene densely forested area in the mountains with a waterfall in the background. Building starting in the 1880s, it was the first resort setting in Japan. With extraordinary Japanese style woodwork throughout the hotel,  and an Onsen, looking out into the forest, it was the perfect romantic getaway. 

Train station at 
Miyanoshita 

The goal was to see Mt. Fuji. We asked the concierge when was the best time to see the mountain. He said, "no time during May"... uh? "too overcast and it is shrouded with clouds." Well, we didn't come all this way to not see it, so we took our chances one morning. Turns out, a great way to see the mountain is to buy a Hakone pass (see below under "tips"). The pass is like an E ticket full of adventure rides. First, you jump on a train which takes you to the Open Air Museum featuring Picasso's art (most of his art is inside the buildings). The sculptures on the grounds outside the museum blended in (in some cases) with the contours of the mountain landscape, which seem to bring them to life. I had several favorites, but the "Hand of God" by Carl Milles, also entitled: The Universe, this is based on religion and astronomy, depicting a person with a yearning to explore the truth, was my favorite. This sculpture made me stop and pause for a while. For me, it was a surreal-like out of this world scene, he appears to be touching the sky with the helping hand of God.    

The Hand of God

After exploring the museum, we jumped on a cable car which went straight up the

Um...you give it a name.

 mountain side to the next little village. There, we transferred over to a tram that glided over a volcano--yes, I said a volcano. A very smokey one with sulfur smells emanating from the bellows below. This tram took us to the top of the mountain range and it was here, that we had our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji.... in the clouds... so we went to get something to eat. Later, and luckily, the clouds parted for a great view of the majestic mountain. :) There it was, bigger than life, the spiritual pinnacle of Japan. And, even though we were 14 miles away, it felt like were staring at one of nature's greatest spectacles. Since there are no other peaks around, it stands out like a pathway to the heavens.

Tram over smoking 
volcano

At 12,300 feet, my intention prior to the trip was to summit the peak. But, after doing some research, I discovered that it has its own pilgrimage of 100,000 people a year... elbow to elbow. Nowadays, you have to get a permit to climb it, and to have the least amount of snow, you should go in July or August. I was told the permits to climb started this year in the summer of 2024. But the beauty is undeniable, like a snow cap in the sky waiting to be admired. 

Mt. Fuji

Next, we jumped on another tram, I had turned and said to Loraine, "I can see a lake calling to us from below, so let's go that way." Turns out, the clouds parted again and this was one of the best views we had of Mt. Fuji. We arrived at Lake Ashi and wandered over to our next part of our journey onto a pirate ship. This is how you get across the lake, quite the fun little ride. Once we disembarked the Pirate ship, we found a bus to take us back to our hotel. What a fun way to spend a day! A train, a cable car, a tram, a boat and a bus ride. We concluded the day full of smiles and  gratitude for being able to see the iconic Mt. Fuji. 

Tram w/ view of Mt. Fuji

As for climate change there are no real glaciers on Mt. Fuji. However, a 40 year study shows a change in the timberline of 30 meters (90' feet) moving up towards the summit over that period. Nobody can explain why. The best guess is the warming trends we are experiencing all around the world.

Pirate ride across lake Ashi

KYOTO: Back on the Shinkansen train, we barreled across the Kansai peninsula passing Osaka to the historic capital of Kyoto. We decided to arrive a few days before joining our trekking group and take in a few sights on our own. Kyoto was the capital of Japan before Tokyo, and is now a major metropolis of a million plus people. Not the quiet little historical city that you might think of in the past. Kyoto is surrounded by mountains, where you can explore various temples and shrines.  So get ready, they have a great bus and subway system, which keeps you out of the malay of vehicles zooming through the city. Using our JR pass, we boarded the train out of town into the mountains to see the amazing 4,000 acre Bamboo Forest.  An encompassing setting of Bamboo with its skinny trunks towering above you.  The minute you enter one of the pathways, you can't help but feel encompassed by them. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, averaging to 2-3' of growth per year. It is used by humans for everything; houses, chopsticks, gardening, bridges, boats, etc.  The other intrinsic factor is the intertwining of temples and shrines along the trails. The locals have visited here for 100s of years to get away from the pressures of living in a city.  Our personal favorite place was Okochi Sanso Villa, with superbly manicured gardens and views overlooking Kyoto. The property was previously owned by a Japanese movie actor, Okochi.  

Bamboo is a monocot, 
no secondary
 growth tissue (width). 

Path through the Bamboo
forest outside of Kyoto

                      

Garden entrance 

The Philosophers Path: There is a great walk between a number of shrines and temples in the center of Kyoto. We walked this path all day. I think they named it the Philosopher's Path because it is easy to wander off the route and get lost. However, there is a saying, "that all that wander are not lost." 

Nanzenji Temple

Philosopher's Path

Some of the local girls 
showing off their kimonos

A performance stage part of
the temple complex.

You find somewhere to sit down, rest your tired legs and sore feet, and begin to contemplate about what it means to be "in the present moment" and ponder life's purpose. After much thinking and deep reflection, you use Google Maps to look for a place where you can find some Matcha ice cream. We started at the entry path to the Buddhist temple called Nanzenji and wondered our way through its maze of temples, restaurants, and the main canal system. In Japan, there is almost a 50% split between Buddhism and Shinto religions. They both focus on nature and being in harmony with it, which I like. The Temples are for buddhism, and usually have Buddha statues or guardians of their religion. The Shinto religion is marked by Torii Gate, which usually is bright orange/red color and very unique to the Japanese culture. 

Shrine  "Torii" Gate entrance

Matcha (Green tea) ice cream

The many of Japan faces of Japan: There no simple way to sum up Japan. There is diversity in topography, efficiency, food with emphasis on simplicity and minimalism that is very tasty, friendly helpful people who are entranced in the beauty of nature, and a culture embroiled in the spirituality of the Shinto and Buddhism religions. I was turned onto to the "Eightfold pathway of Buddhism" by my friend Larry, here is a link--and it is a very insightful way to live one's life: Eightfold Path.  

Let's not forget the great toilets, which in some cases salute you when you enter the bathroom and comes with a bidet, yes, a cleansing bottom spray with warm water... does it get any better? :)

Stay tuned for the next blog on the Japanese Cultural Pilgrimage Trek... it was quite the adventure. 

Japan Toilets 
are the best!

Tips: 

1. JR rail pass, purchase ahead of time in the US. Then, validate it at a major train station (then make reservations for your seats) with the train station staff person. Have them show you on the ticket see example below, the line you are taking (Sakura 550), platform number (C12), start and destination (Hiroshima to Shin-osaka), car and seat # (car 8 seat 10A). When you plan your next leg, just find the JR office at the train (short lines) station and make a reservation with them- there are lots of trains. (the App-website didn't work for us). 

JR Pass TICKET

IC CARD

2. IC card: 

I strongly recommend you get an IC card for local trains and buses. You can get these at any train station (probably buses too). The machines are right by the entrance to the gate of the train station. Just put in the amount for the card, like 3,000 Yen = @$19 dollars. Makes it much easier (tap and go) to get off and on local buses and trains rather than using cash.

walking icon

3. Google Maps: Found a great feature on Google Maps for walking. Click on directions and then the walking icon at the top.  On the right side the bottom Icon (if it shows up) there will be a picture like the one pictured below. Then click on the icon below the compass icon,

or at the bottom click on Live View (and scan the area around you- it will show you how). A big arrow will come up and it makes it much easier to follow in cities (see pic at start of blog)

4. Hakone pass: You can buy these at the Miyanoshita Train Station (cash only), or at the Odawara station after you get off the shinkansen (bullet train).

Hakone Pass route

5. Pocket guide to Kyoto and Osaka: This is a great reference for more detail on things to do in Osaka and Kyoto with great diagrams and pictures.

Order guide on Amazon