March Adventure Day 5: March 9th, 2013 – Osaka

My last day with Mom and Donna was our most relaxing of all the ones that we spent together. It was the only day that I didn’t have anything set in place for us to do. It was a going to be a day for Mom and Donna to choose what they wanted to see.

We ended up spending the last day in Osaka, shopping and then visiting the castle. It ended up being quite a warm day and so we were able to ditch our jackets and spend the Saturday in the sun.

After our late start in the morning I took the ladies to the famous Shinsaibashi shopping street. It was great because it was right next to our hotel. Even though we had a late start we were still there before all the shops opened. So we walked south down from Shinsaibashi station to the Dotonbori Canal where we got to see the Glico Candy running man sign.  After snapping a few photos we turned around and headed back up the store-lined street. We did stop into a couple of the stores and I was able to add a few new clothing pieces to my wardrobe.

After our shopping excursion we grabbed a bite to eat and then returned to the hotel to decide what we were going to see next.

After a little bit of a rest we made our way to Osaka Castle. We started at one end of the castle park grounds. In the heat of the day children were out and playing in the fountains, some people were enjoying ice cream but everyone was out enjoying the sun on a lazy Saturday.

As we were walking I noticed a crowd of people by a fence and I was intrigued as to what they were looking at. So I made my way over and saw what was a field filled with plum, cherry and apricot blossoms. It was beautiful even from a distance to see the sea of pinks and white. We decided that we would see the inside of the castle first and then take a stroll though the grove.

The castle was quite full. When I got to the top to look out at the city I could hardly find a spot to look out. We didn’t spend too much time inside the castle, just took a look out at the city and then made our way back down the stairs, stopping every once and a while to read up a little on the castle.

Osaka Castle from the grove.

From the castle we made our way back down to the plum tree grove. Seeing cherry blossoms is nothing new for me, as we have a cherry tree in the back yard, but seeing so many together in one place was quite beautiful. The garden was full of people milling about or taking photos of the pink and white blossoms and some even were sitting under the trees enjoying a bite to eat. The whole grove was quite astonishing, though I can imagine it to be even more beautiful when the petals begin to drop and gusts of wind blow them up like small bursts of snow. Cherry Blossom time is a great time to be in Japan.

We had gotten our fill of blossom and then decided that it was a good time for dinner. Heading back on the subway we made out way down close to the Namba area. Here we had our last dinner together in Japan and we decided on yakiniku. Yakiniku is Japanese or Korean style bbq, where you cook the meat and veggies yourself. We got a huge platter of meat, enough to satisfy our hunger. The restaurant we went to was somewhere on Sennichimae-dori between Nipponbashi and Namba subway stations. The style of the restaurant was done to reflect Japan of the 1930s and the atmosphere and food were delicious.

When we had eaten our fill we made the walk up from Namba to our hotel. It was a nice way to enjoy seeing Osaka at night and in one of the busiest areas of the city.

The next day was saying our goodbyes with Mom and Donna heading back to Toronto and me back to Niihama. Overall it was a great mini vacation and I had a wonderful time, sharing with my Mom some of the parts of a country that I have truly come to love.

March Adventure Day 4: March 8th, 2013 – Kyoto

Our second last day together was spent wandering around Kyoto. Kyoto is an amazing city and one of my favourite places to visit. This is because of the mix of old and new that exists almost seamlessly in different areas of the city. It creates this image of a city that is modern, and yet keeps a deep connection to its past.

On my first visit to the city I saw the northern sites. This was the Golden Pavilion, the Zen garden of Ryoanji and a stop at Nijo Castle. This trip I gave my mom and Donna the option of seeing these things or of seeing the eastern part of the city. They decided that because I hadn’t seen the eastern part that we should see those sites.

We didn’t have such an early start, but we did get to the city early enough to spend the entire in the city. The first thing we did was to buy a city bus pass. If you are ever in Kyoto I recommend picking up one of these, as taking the bus is a fast and efficient way to see a lot of the city.

We started out first at Kiyomizudera. This is a Buddhist temple that is found on a small mountain. This walk up to the temple was full of people out enjoying the day. When we finally reached the temple we found quite a few people dressed in yukatas taking photos. We decided to skip going into the actual temple, as it was quite full.

From Kiyomizudera we decided to walk through the Higashiyama District. This is one of the best-preserved historic districts in city. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that maintain the facades of the old capital. We saw quite a few great things as we walked along. Including two women dressed as geisha. The walk of Higashiyama leads to Yasaka Shrine and one end of Gion.

Gion was a major stop in our visit of the city as all three of us were keen to do some shopping. We all ended up buying these beautiful tenugui used for decoration. I ended up picking out 3 different designs that I will get framed when I finally get home. We also made a stop into a store to pick up some other small gifts and trinkets. We hadn’t done much shopping for Japanese items or souvenirs at any other stop; we had been saving it for Kyoto. It was well worth the wait for the different things that we ended up getting.

After our walk through Gion we caught the bus to Ginkakuji or the Silver Pavilion. The Pavilion itself is quite plain, it doesn’t have the same impact as the Golden Pavilion, but the garden that it is in is very beautiful. With the sun setting over the city the greens of the garden were really beautiful. It was a nice relaxing end to a quite full day.

The Silver Pavilion

It was also another night for non-western style food for dinner. We ended up back in Gion and we ate a t the same place that Dad and I ate at when we visited Kyoto in December. This time we decided to split しゃぶしゃぶ (shabu-shabu). The meal is a hot pot which vegetable and then meat and finally glass noodles are added to cook. It’s a very much grab your own helping as the portions cook. It was quite delicious and filling. It was a great meal and an excellent dessert of macha mousse.

Over all it was great o experience Kyoto again – this time not in the rain and to get to see parts of the city that I hadn’t before.

Up next is my last day with Mom and Donna where we get to see a little bit of Osaka.

Also photos are up on FB.

March Adventure Day 3: March 7th, 2013 – Hiroshima and Miyajima.

Our third day was our earliest start. We were up by 6am to catch the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Hiroshima. This is another place that I have now visited 3 times and it is my second favourite place after Nara.

I was very excited for this day, so this might be a long and wordy blog post.

My bag of cranes in front of the Atomic Dome

3 years ago after I had visited Hiroshima I said to myself that if I ever were to return to Japan I would bring with me 1000 folded paper cranes. (On that trip I was given paper to make one crane and I placed it there.) I was following in the tradition of Sadako Sasaki and countless others who have brought cranes for wishes and peace. I had made a small box full at home, but I didn’t bring them with me as they would have taken too much space in my suitcase. However with the Daiso selling origami paper for 100¥ I was able to stock up.

The first crane I made during training (all the way back in June) and the last crane I made, in February. I finished 1000 cranes within a year and just in time for this visit with Mom. Unlike some crane batches mine had no set colour scheme or style, I just wanted to reach that goal. And I was so happy when I did.

At the park I carried my bag of cranes past the Atomic Dome, where a woman who thanked me for making the cranes and asking how long it took to make them stopped me. I told her that I started back in June with the goal of bringing them to Hiroshima. She once again thanked me and then told her friends in Japanese what I had said. They gave slight bows in thanks.

From there I walked to the children’s monument where cranes are taken and left in class boxes on display. I unpacked my two bundles, attached them together and included a Canadian flag to the offering, something to show in part where the cranes came from.

I felt really good after I placing them. It was great to be able to be a part of something like this, something that has such history and something that means a lot to people.

From the Children’s Monument we made our way to the museum. I still can’t get over how much I like this museum. It’s haunting and informative and a must see if you ever happen to be in Japan.

After our time at the Peace Park we hopped on the streetcar and made our way to the harbour to catch a ferry to Itsukushima.

Itsukushima or Miyajima as it is more commonly known is a small island just off of Hiroshima. My last visit with Dad happened late on New Year’s Eve, but this time we got there just after noon and were able to see the island in the daylight. With the bright sun the island was quite busy.

The island is known as a shrine island with quite a few temples and shrines. The most striking sight is the giant torii standing in the water, leading to the old entryway to the main shrine. The main Itsukushima Shrine was something that I wanted to walk around and see, as my two previous visits I didn’t enter the shrine. Our stop into the shrine yielded a surprise as a wedding was being held. I was able to get some shots of the traditional Shinto outfits of the bride and groom, as well as a great shot of the wedding party with the shrine and pagoda in the background.

From the shrine we took a walk around the island. I was looking for this little pathway that to one of the temples that is lined with statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Unfortunately I couldn’t remember how my friend and I found it all those years ago, so we didn’t get to see that. We did get to see more deer and to see the first hints of cherry blossoms of the season.

After our time on the island it was back to train station where I took Mom and Donna to eat my favourite Japanese food. Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki. They both enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of the cooking area. I know that I will be going to Hiroshima again – maybe just to eat.

After that it was the Shinkansen back to Osaka. A tiring day, but really fun and fulfilling.

Up Next: Day 4 – Kyoto.

As always full photo album on Facebook.

March Adventure Day 2: March 6th, 2013 – Nara and Fushimi Inari

After having travelled Vietnam, Thailand and a stop in Hong Kong, Mom and Donna were a little tired when they arrived in Japan. That was why for our first adventure we decided to have a late start and do something fairly close to Osaka and I told them that Nara and Inari would be a more relaxing day than going to Hiroshima or Kyoto for the day.

We caught the train and made our way to Nara.

A deer taking a break in the shade

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog post that Nara is my favourite place in Japan. So I was very excited to share this place with Mom and Donna. On my last visit with Dad it was pouring rain so we didn't do much exploring of the park grounds, this time just like the first one 3 years ago we had brilliant sunny weather.

5-Storied Pagoda

Getting off from the train we headed in the direction of the park and Todaiji. The first stop was Kofuku-ji and taking a look at the Five-Storied Pagoda. This was something that I hadn’t seen at the park, so I quite enjoyed walking around there. It was also the first spotting deer of the day.

From there we walked through the park and made our to Todaiji. One of the things that Mom and Donna noticed were all the peace signs that people were doing in the photos so on our way to the main building they stopped and took a Japanese style photo.

With the bright sun seeing the main building was again awe-inspiring. The largest wooden building against the blue of the sky reminded me of my first visit and I was immediately reminded why Nara was my favourite place. It was once again great to be standing in from of the Daibutsu, I don't think I will ever get over the awe of being so small in comparison to the size of the statue.

After spending time at the temple we made our way back to the train station. We took a quick stop in a rest house because I saw a statue of the mascot of Nara – which is a Buddha with deer antlers – and I wanted a photo. [I personally think it looks like a creepy Buddha baby with horns, but whatever.]

At the rest house they had a earthquake simulator so I decided to have a go. They simulate three earthquakes, one I can’t remember, the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake and the one from 2011 the Tohoku Earthquake (the machine though doesn’t have a full impact simulation of this quake only about ¼ of it because the scale of it was too high). After experiencing the 3 quakes they then simulate what the quake feels like with rollers designed to be under buildings to stop the rough shaking. It does make quite a difference.

From Nara I wanted to show my Mom and Donna the tunnels of Torii at Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Guarding the entrance to the Shrine.

This was another place that I had visited 3 years ago and I thought it quite beautiful. The vibrancy of the vermillion torii against the blue sky is something that I now associate with Japan. It’s also an amazing sight to see these bright gates standing in amongst the greenery of the forest that they are found in. The sight can also be seen in the film Memoirs of Geisha.

After what turned out to be not that relaxing of a day we headed back to Osaka. Where we had a delicious sushi dinner – the first of our Japanese meals. Over all it was a great day and a great week of sunshine and seeing Japan.

Up Next: Day 3 – Hiroshima and Miyajima.

Pictures up on Facebook and my Tumblr.