Dinner

Returning to Ryokan Terazuya there was just enough time for a relaxing Japanese bath, before a delicious dinner was served consisting of Sashimi, Miso soup, various meat -, fish- and shellfishdishes. During my stay I feasted on quite a variety of excellent local sea- and freshwater-produce such as eel, shijimi clams, crab, asari to name but a few.
Tonight I was joined for dinner by a group of girls from Hamada High School who had traveled from this small city further along the San'in coast to compete in a volleyball match. Akihiro Terazu, the innkeeper and chef urged the girls to try their English on me, before he sat down himself, smiling wisely and listening carefully. It did not take long before they overcame any shyness and soon we were engaged in a pleasant conversation. They were very nice girls, not at all boisterous and although they shared rooms next to mine I never noticed them. Next morning when I told them I would keep my fingers crossed for their match they were delighted.

Once the dinner was over I went out along the shores of Shinjiko, it was dark but Japan is a very safe place.

Horikawa

Lateron I went round delightful little shops for some souvenirs before I came to the departure point of the Horikawa Pleasure Boat. Matsue which is surrounded by water, has been called "Water City" or "Venice of the East" because of her intrinsic system of canals. Horikawa, the castle moat was once protecting the castle and its surroundings as well as used for transporting goods and as water source. The rich fishing ground provided also excellent food.
Along with me a large group of Japanese arrived and so I was put on a special boat all by myself with a boatman-guide fluent enough in English to point out the characteristics of each of the 16 different bridges which we passed. While cruising I could see a lot of scenic beauty, water birds, turtles and fish in the flowing water and even a white heron looking for its prey. At some houses, there were still steps leading to the water‘s surface, where vegetable could be cleaned or water fetched.
The sun was just about setting at the end of my 50 minutes cruise.

Lafcadio Hearn

Once settled in Ryokan Terazuya I walked across Ohashi bridge on my way to Lafcadio Hearn‘s Old residence in the samurai district North of Matsue Castle where he lived in 1891 for a couple of months while teaching English. The author born to irish-greek parents was very interested in folklore and his comprehensive works, some of which is republished until today, is very popular. A great interpreter of things Japanese to the west, he at the same time showed the Japanese their own culture through the eyes of a stranger and so became a Japanese institution himself. His former residence is open to the public as a museum, house and garden are kept close to what they looked like over a century ago. I was surprised about the modesty of the building, but one has to keep in mind that in Japan rooms are used differently. Once the futons are moved the bedroom can double up as living room or if necessary as study. Also the garden was much smaller than I had expected after reading his essay "In a Japanese Garden". But the atmosphere was genuine and a blessing on a fine sunny afternoon with all the doors wide open to sit on the floor and gaze at the beauty.

Matsue

At Okayama I changed to Ltd Express Yakumo, a train which travels more slowly from the industrialised and highly populated Pacific coast of West Honshu to the other side of Japan and passes some pretty rural, mountainous scenary. I was heading today for Matsue, capital city of the Shimane Prefecture, attractively located between the Sea of Japan and the eastern shores of Shinjoko, the 7th largest lake of Japan. Both Sea- and Freshwater-Fishing play an important part in the economy of the population of about 150000 of Matsue.
Of course the sun was shining when I arrived - what a welcome:
During the progress of planning I had received some very helpful and friendly mails . So the young ladies of the International Tourist Office were looking out for me as was Hideki Ogawa, a football coach with FC Shimane who had been in Germany 14 years ago. The attention I received was great and if you know that they get about 400 calls a day from foreign tourist supposedly most of them from some other countries in Asia,this tells you how devoted the young ladies are. I made a point of popping in whenever I was near Matsue station.

How to draw attention

After an exciting start I relaxed in the Shinkansen for the next 45 minutes and took out my knitting. So the following scene was set:
There was an elderly Japanese couple seated across the aisle. Once the lady noticed me knitting socks she took out her glasses to see better what I was doing. After a short while – I am not mentioning all the bows and smiles from now on between us – she crossed the aisle, grabbed my socks and carefully examined the pattern by stretching the knitting. I did not understand her comment but since she pointed to the foot part I supposed she was amazed and lifted my leg to show her my long feet for Japanese standards. She sat down on the empty seat next to me and started a conversation which I could not follow. As I presumed that she asked me where I am from, this is a question which I was asked all the time, I answered DOITSU, „Ah, she said, and answered with a torrent of words. This time I could make out some European capitals, Budapest, Prague... Obviously she had been traveling. Once she mentioned Munich, I pointed out that this was my home city, Oh, she said and gleamed. We both smiled very pleased.

Knitting seems to be rather uncommon in Japan nowadays. Another day the business man next to me on the train stopped reading his paper when I started knitting and told me that the last person he saw knitting was his grandmother - and this was the beginning of a pleasant conversation.

More trains...

After three days in Kyoto I departed. I had seen only a little of the rich culture of the old capital of Japan, but experienced a lot.

With my first long distance train journey my preparations were to be tested. If I missed a connection I would have to change plans and loose half a day to get acquainted with the new place.

Therefore I was arriving pretty nervous at the platform for my train leaving Kyoto. I would have to take a slower train to Shin Osaka before changing to a Shinkansen for the next leg of my trip. I was half an hour too early but all the trains were already announced with up to 10 minutes delay.

What to do? I tried to ask the stationmaster if I could take any of the earlier trains into Shin Osaka and showed him my reservation. But he did not understand and tried to calm me. I suppose he told me to wait until my train would be announced on the monitor. After a while I made another attempt. Meantime I had drawn a young man’s attention, he had enough English to understand my problem and to speak to the stationmaster who immediately put me on the train he was just about to whistle off. Here I was in the early morning among commuting Japanese, most of them still half asleep sitting on the benches or hanging in the "rings". Nobody cared much and so with one hand I reached out for one of the rings from the ceiling while trying to hold firm to my luggage with the other.

There was nothing else to worry about. We reached Shin Osaka in good time and I got on my Shinkansen without further problems.

Variations in tofu

While sailing softly on the river, lights shining through the woods aroused my curiosity. As the boatman noticed this he said "Restaurant", but I did not find out more, only by using finger-language, that I could walk to the restaurant from our landing place.
Like under a spell I followed a beautifully paved path through the woods, guided by bamboo railings and white lanterns. The house was dimly lit as well. After I opened the sliding doors it took a while until the voices coming out of the kitchen noticed the stranger. At the time it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner but still I was welcome and chose a low table overlooking the river - a delightful setting.
Arashiyama is famous for the excellent quality of the tofu produced here with the clear waters of the district.
Therefore it was not surprising that my delicious meal consisted of a variety of tofu-based courses and was served as cold , deep-fried Tofu, and hot pot Yudofu. Even the dessert was Tofu ice cream.
Food in Japan is displayed to please the eye also. The appetizers were neatly carved and placed on a big dish with an ear of rice so prepared that the white grains popping out were eatable. The dishes were delightful too, a small maple leaf would hold a few grains of salt and the ice cream on shinning turquoise glaze looked as if swimming on water.
The whole room showed a highly artistic hand - not surprisingly since the restaurant was owned by a well known calligrapher as I should learn later.
Every time another course was brought in, the young woman - I would rather call her maid than waitress - kneeling at the left side of my table tried to explain to me what I was going to eat. We had little language in common but managed quite well. I obviously admired a little quilted coaster, one of the three which came with every fresh cup of tea, and soon it was given to me as a present...
After I had paid and signed the visitor's book with a calligrapher's pen the maid followed me to the entrance, where my dusty shoes were placed in the right direction. She opened the door and we departed bowing deeply. While I walked up the winding path the maid stood at the door waving and bowing until I disappeared.
If it was not magic, it was a very special experience...

River Oi

Following a path on the more quiet river bank I watched small boats and barges sailing upstream. An elderly boatman while punting his passengers on the river explained with big gestures the scenery to the young couple. I would have loved to be on a boat as well.
But instead I walked on, closely following the boats with my eyes.
I went up the forested hill to a small Buddhist temple, a viewpoint which will be glorious in spring at the time of the cherry blossom and a little later in autumn when the maple leaves fully display various hues of red.



On my way down I noticed a younger boatman waiting for late customers as the afternoon progressed. I took a heart and spoke to the young man, but alas his English was restricted to "400 Yen" and when I asked him how far he would transport me down the river it took him a while to understand and point to a small landing place in the distance. Soon after I went punting softly with my Japanese Gondolier on the green waters of the river Oi.

Togetsu-kyo

I have a great notion for bridges and Togetsu-kyo is one of my favourites. The wooden bridge, 154 m in length spans a river which changes names from its upstream to the downstream side.
A romantic spot - since ancient times when an emperor commented " it is as if the moon crosses " the bridge is known as Crossing the Moon-Bridge. Like many wooden historic structures in Japan it has been burnt, destroyed and rebuilt in a traditional way many a time.
Coming from Tenryu-ji I passed ice-cream booths and Rickshaw-drivers offering their services. On the other side I wanted to take a a picture of Togetsu-kyo, the softly flowing river and lush green hills. But as usual, somebody else had the same idea. I was prepared to wait patiently but was misunderstood. In Japan everybody seems to take pictures of friends or family and so they have pity on a lonely traveler like myself and offer to take a picture. This time my photographer was very energetic. Using her hands instead of a common language she ordered me more to the right, then more to the left and tried a few snaps. Eventually she handed me the camera back with the words "looky, looky", and waited until she saw that I was satisfied. I thanked her, we both bowed and parted.

Tenryu-ji

Arashiyama, an idyllic district on the western outskirts of Kyoto has been popular for a long time, with the wooden Togetsu-kyo bridge as famous landmark and the forested Mount Arashiyama as a backdrop.
Before coming to the bridge I stopped at Tenryu-ji, a leading Zen temple which may not be very big in size but shows some pretty sub temples set in beautiful gardens. By the time I reached the main hall it was too late for lunch at the temple's restaurant, so I just carried on.

Trains...

On my way back misfortune struck. The station is about 1 km along a straight street and when I asked for "EKI" I was directed towards a building where trains departed for Kyoto but everything looked strange - it was local train company. Only when I used the magic word SHINKANSEN I was pointed towards the nearby JR station. Next I jumped on a train bound for Tokyo. To travel on a Shinkansen is easy, apart from the comfort and speed you get any information before approaching a stop on a running board and over a loudspeaker in English as well as in Japanese. When Kyoto was not announced as one of the stops I became uneasy and asked fellow passengers. Unfortunately they were all Japanese with not enough knowledge of English to understand my problem. I decided to join the queue ready to get off the train when one of the passengers came forward remembering the word CHANGE. Once on the platform I must have looked quite lost, so an elderly man came to help. Although he himself did not know where the platform for the next train to Kyoto was, he at least could ask properly. He saw me to the train and made sure that everything was right.
Once in Kyoto my next train was a local train to the vicinity. Local trains do not have English announcements but on every station there is a sign in the middle of the platform both in Japanese letters and in Romaji. In the middle of the sign is the name of the station given and in smaller letters either the previous or the next stop in the respective directions. A very clever system unless you sit in a car where you cannot see the sign or in a rapid train which does not stop everywhere. I did not chance it and followed the stops on my map, whereupon I was asked where I would go, with the result that everybody in the car listening knew my destination. This proofed very useful, I would have missed it, had it not been for another passenger shouting with raised voice ARASHIYAMA.

I was glad I knew at least

ARIGATO GOZAIMASU

Himeji

Today I was off to Himeji, widely considered to be Japan’s most beautiful of the surviving 12 feudal castles. The Japanese SHIRASAGI-JO, castle of the White Heron, pictures the grand, white-walled main tower as a bird sweeping into the air magnificently – an inspiration to Kurasawa for his film Ra.
It was busy, as one expects and among the other visitors there were groups of young children wearing same-coloured caps. Crossing one of the inner courtyards I noticed Japanese caressing the branches of a cherry tree no longer in bloom. I do not have a head for heights so I only progressed as far inside as to get a feeling for the darkness and steepness of the stairs. Once outside again I took great pleasure listening to the children, rejoicing from the top viewpoint - what a pleasant way to teach the history of your country to kids.

How to learn languages

It puzzled me how young Yuhara-san welcomes everyone of his guests with a phrase in their native language. Being asked where he learnt Spanish, French, German as well as English, he replied modestly that he just picks up words occasionally.
I found out how it works after a while. With all his politeness he asked me for the favor of translating EXCUSE ME PLEASE into German. I then presented him with the equivalent expression written down, and read it out for him whereupon he transcribed the words diligently using his more familiar hiragana. After a few corrections we were both satisfied. I would not be surprised if from now on he amazes every German guest with a perfect ENTSCHULDIGEN SIE BITTE.

This is a fine example, although many Japanese are not as fluent in English as we Westerners they try hard to improve their skill with remarkable success

Heian-jinja

Small, big, bigger...
(Otoya-jinja, Nanzen-ji, Heian-jinja)

Refreshed, I set out for Heian-jinja, one of Kyoto' s youngest and grandest shrines.
But this was easier said than done... Maps in Japan can be very tricky. Although my maps are in Romaji, this does not help much, most streets are nameless. Counting does not work either, sometimes smaller streets or lanes are just left out. Eventually I had to rely on any passer-by with enough English to put me right. At last I had only to lift my eyes to see the huge vermilion torii majestically towering the surrounding to know my direction.



It was too late in the afternoon to visit the famous gardens- instead I took a stroll around the spacious courtyard with its beautiful buildings of red posts and green tiles, and watched the shadows wandering...

Nanzen-ji

I could not possible miss Nanzen-ji the last of the temples along the philosopher's path. Not far from the main road opens its grand wooden Sanmon, a classic "gate less" gate of Zen Buddhism, 27 forested acres of the temple. In the vicinity of the main building, there are many sub temples and pretty gardens and even an aqueduct, unusual for Japan and therefore a popular site for pictures. Although a very important temple, Nanzen-ji is not quite as famous as others, making it a peaceful place to visit.



Nearby I found a restaurant serving YUDOFU, a tofu-specialty of the cuisine of Kyoto. In a ceramic pot (Donabe), placed on a gas stove in front of you, are cubes of white tofu. When boiled for about ten minutes the tofu is dipped in a bowl with finely chopped greens, and in sauce, and then eaten.
Sitting low in a tatami mat room facing a pretty garden, eating Yudofu is very enjoyable.

Otoyo-jinja

I found my favourite shrine at last.

As I could not understand the signs along the Shishigatani canal and was misled once or twice I had given up to find any of the mentioned sites. But something aroused my curiosity and let me follow a side lane up the hill and among the many big Buddhist temples of Higashiyama I found one of the few small Shinto shrines.
I spent a lot of time admiring the way nature is interweaving with the man-built grey granite and vermilion wooden structures of this sacred place.

Garden in a frying pan

As the opposite to Kinkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion Ginkaku-ji unfortunately is undergoing extensive restoration I found myself soon strolling along the Philosopher's Path which follows a winding canal at the foot of the Eastern Mountains (Higashiyama).



I missed out on the various temples mentioned in my guidebook, distracted by some picturesque gardens in the residential quarter along the path.

But to create a garden in a frying pan this is Japanese to the bone to me.

Kinkaku-ji

I am not usually up early but had to change my habit in Japan, there is so much I want to see before the sun goes down on an autumn afternoon.
In my next day in Kyoto I walked to the station, a hyper modern building with all the facilities you need. Apart from the usual services for travelers you can find here restaurants and a shopping center with a great variety of food and local craft products.
At the ticket office I exchanged my Japan Rail voucher and received all the reservations for my projected journeys, and the tourist office upstairs supplied me with useful information and a day-ticket for local buses.
I wanted to go to Kinkaku-ji, apopular temple to the Northwest of Kyoto, and as all stops were announced both in Japanese and English it was not difficult to get there.
A long winding path guides the crowds through the beautiful gardens, so that you hardly notice how busy the place is. The day was overcast so the Golden Pavilion, exquisitly covered in gold leaf, did not glitter as on a brilliant day but its reflection in the Mirror Pond (Kyoko-chi) was nevertheless splendid.

The Miracle of slippers

Entering a Japanese house, one removes the shoes and places them in a shoe-box - very sensible, it keeps the house clean.
At the entrance there are slippers kept ready for you, which you put on but take off if you enter a room with tatami floor. This soon becomes routine.

I would step out and leave my slippers with the toe-part pointing towards the sliding door. Much to my amusement every time I would open my door the shoes have moved into a position ready for me to step in again and walk away…

Oasis

On my way to the Ryokan Yuhara I passed Pontocho and other narrow streets of Gion, home to traditional teahouses (ochaya) and Geisha entertainment. As ist was early in the evening it was still quiet apart from vans delivering linen and other goods.
Back in Shimogyo-ku I met the owner of the inn and her son sweeping the lane and chatting away with a neighbour.
The situation of Ryokan Yuhara is idyllic, a rural oasis in the heart of a city of a population of nearly 1,5 Million. The only sounds I noticed were occasionaly the mewing of cats and the chirping of a cricket, a late straggler of summer.
I settled in and took my first Japanese bath and all the stress of the day was washed away...

Repose

Away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds I rested for a few minutes on a bench at Maruyama, Kyoto’s most popular Park before moving on to Yasaka Shrine.




The magnificently coloured Shrine was a very quiet place as the afternoon progressed and to watch the few worshippers at prayers gave me a great peace of mind.

Rikshaws

Next I followed the stone-paved roads of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka with their traditional wooden houses now under preservation - all the time carefully watching my steps not to draw any misfortune for the next 2, respective 3 years…
Once down the hill I admired Rickshaw drivers scurrying around with their heavy load.

Maikos ?

Kiyomizu-dera is one of the most visited Buddhist temples in Kyoto. It takes its name from the sacred waterfall within the temple. The veranda of the main hall offers impressive views of the city.
At the gate to the temple I saw two young women in bright kimonos. I doubt that they were real Maikos and suspect visitors dressed up for a photoshooting. But still I could see quite a few men and women wearing kimonos in Kyoto supposedly the proper outfit when visiting temples or shrines.

Dango

It was too early to check-in. Meanwhile I left my luggage at the Ryokan and was setting out for Higashiyama, the eastern part of Kyoto’s city center. The name means literally Eastern Mountain District and soon I found myself climbing up the slope of Kiyomizuzaka, a narrow road lined with shops on both sides. Some of the vendors raise their voices to draw attraction, others invite you to taste their food, sweet or pickled - and the big crowd of people is moving on slowly.

I tried my first DANGO, dumplings , made from rice flour, on a skewer which are dipped in soy sauce and baked on a kind of barbecue.

Japan at last

The Japanese seem to have a liking for uniforms. Not only the bus driver of the limousine bus wore uniform, including cap and white gloves, but also the girl at the ticket machine who helped me to get the ticket for Kyoto, and the luggage handler who stowed my case in the luggage compartment of the bus.
Off we went in bright sunshine on a 105 minute drive to my destination. At first we drove past various parts of the harbour showing a spectrum of goods landed. Meantime I tried to make sense of the signs along the expressway, spelling slowly hiragana and katagana – but had to give up when it came to kanji. Of course you can recognize romaji letters and a mixture of all of them.
Much to my surprise I saw only a few skyscrapers, most of the buildings were moderate some even traditionally built. Here and there in residential areas vegetable gardens caught my eye and also small agricultural plots. One half of the field where some kind of grain had been growing was already harvested and fancy shaped stacks of straw left instead,the other half showed still a variety of greens.
Osaka seemed to be never ending, in fact it was just flowing continuously into the next city.

It was about midday when I finally reached Kyoto and the Ryokan Yuhara, pleasantly situated at a little canal, which runs parallel to the river Kamo.
The Takase, once not as shallow as nowadays continued for many miles and was used by barges to keep up the trade with Osaka and the sea.

Kansai airport

After touching down at Kansai airport, being tired and itching to get to Kyoto I did not appreciate the lengthy procedure at immigration and customs office. I was prepared to have my picture and fingerprints taken , but twice while queuing at customs the officer closed the desk just in front of me to search the luggage a passenger more thoroughly. Every time I had to join another queue – at the tail end. The young bio-informatics scientist of Osaka University returning from a congress in Spain, my neighbour on the plane, meantime waited patiently. He had promised to help me to get on the bus, and by doing so he had to get out of his way as he used the train for his destination. This at the very beginning of my trip would be a fine example how helpful the Japanese people were – only the young man was Malaysian. When we exchanged business cards – my first "meishi" – he made me promise to call upon him if I would run into difficulties during my stay in Japan.

Flight to Osaka

A difficult start, a 20 Minutes delay caused by thick fog in Munich made me nervous and as the gate for my connecting flight was not announced on the monitor I nearly lost my way in the maze of Frankfurt airport.
At the gate it felt like in a different world. By far most of the passengers were Japanese or Asian – and on average smaller than I.
During the just over 11 hours flight I did not see much, at first we flew in clouds and then into the night, and for most of the time I could only follow the route on the small monitor in front of me.
There was not much space and I did not find any position to sleep comfortably for a length of time. When we passed over Mongolia and I could see the first lights I gave up on sleep altogether. It was almost dawn when we crossed over Beijing where I could make out the big cluster of lights on busy roads and bridges.
Breakfast was served when we flew over impressively shaped mountains of Korea.
But much to my disappointment all of Japan was in clouds when we descended.

Step by step

I never thought I would make it in the near future, with 3 children at university or in education money is tied up. But then a little pebble started rolling and the mountain was moving...
Early in June I booked a flight, bought a guidebook and soon realized that 15 days are very short if I wanted to see a little more than the tip of the iceberg. I booked my Ryokan accommodation soon after, which proofed very wise as it can be difficult to get a single room even at the end of the season.
The JNTO Office at Frankfurt was very helpful with any information needed, and as I was going to buy a Japan Rail pass I worked out all my traveldetails beforehand using the JR timetable on the internet. My plan was to stay 3 nights at every place and to go on sightseeing trips from my respective basis.
With all this preliminary work I was well briefed when boarding the plane on the 26th of October.

WHY

Why Japan?

As a European of my age and education I had some basic knowledge of Japan, her history, literature and culture, and as an art historian an eye for Japanese art and aesthetics. However many years ago when I watched a retrospective show of Yasujiro Ozu’s films I was fascinated by the way his pictures embody the Japanese concept of Mono No Aware, an awareness of the impermanence of things - and I was hooked at last.

The Japanese society has certainly changed since the 1950s when Ozu created most of his classics, nevertheless I wanted to search for traces of his themes and pictures - some day...