Home

10%

Japan 3

June 14th - 26th, 2016

By Heather Horgen

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”

― Mary Anne Radmacher

konnichiwa!

Yes, we decided to go to Japan for a third time. We would have gone somewhere else, but Malia wanted to go to Japan, so we decided to take her. It wasn’t a hard decision! 😄

We flew into Haneda airport late Wednesday night and found our way to our Airbnb apartment. Before we left I memorized the walk from Shibuya station using Google street view, and we walked past the late night hipsters and the last open bars like locals returning home (except we really stuck out like the tourists we were). 😅

the airbnb to rule them all

For the first 6 days of our trip we rented an Airbnb apartment, right in the heart of Shibuya, which is a youthful fashion and culture district packed with shopping, entertainment, and restaurants. Businesses and apartments are stacked on top of each other, and another curiosity is just down that alley or around this corner. We were lucky to find this place, as it was extremely spacious for a Tokyo apartment (around 400 square feet), with an actual bedroom! Our apartment was a great place to come back to and relax and watch Japanese TV.

The apartment was modern and high tech. It took me a while to figure out how to turn on the shower - you have to turn on the water heater using a control panel, and it talks to you in Japanese. Since it also controls the water in the kitchen, Van and Malia were wondering why a female voice was suddenly speaking from within the walls of the apartment 😆. And electronic Japanese toilets - why don’t we have these in America!?

Write your story here. (Optional)

exploring tokyo

Our first meal in Tokyo was breakfast at Rainbow Pancake in Harajuku. The pancakes were delicious, light and eggy, and I got mine with fresh whipped cream and sweet fruit. Pancakes are big in Japan, and this is supposed to be one of the best places - we agree!

Next stop: Temari No Ouchi cat cafe in Kichijoji. Just West of Shinjuku on the Chuo line, it was such a cute neighborhood! The train station was filled with flower shops, and there were many boutiques and restaurants in the neighborhood. At the cafe, we were seated at a table, ordered some cold drinks, and then could walk around and see all the cats. The cats were so cute and friendly! Some of them were chasing each other around and playing together. One of the cats found a comfy spot on top of my purse to take a nap, so we bought some cat treats and hung out longer to give out treats.

We decided to find lunch in Kichijoji, and walking down a narrow street we came across a tiny shop making fresh gyoza. It was one of those places where everyone stared when we walked in. No one spoke English, so I had to go outside and point at the menu display - most places have plastic models of their menu items in front of their shop. It was perfect - ramen and gyoza. It was so good we had to get a second order of gyoza.

The next day we went to Tokyo station to shop at all the cute anime character shops and have lunch at Rokurinsha Ramen. Tokyo station is huge, with multiple levels, shopping malls, restaurants, and even a hotel. Rokurinsha is tsukemen - you dip the noodles into the broth. It‘s one of the most famous ramen places in Tokyo and gets really busy. Luckily we only had to wait for about 20 minutes since we came around 1:30pm. And it was super good! The broth was pork and fish based, more subtle than I was expecting, but very umami. The noodles were chewy and perfect for dipping in the thick broth.

And then the Robot Restaurant! Insane show of drumming, electric guitars, and robots fighting against evil forces.

sushi

Manten sushi has a set course lunch on the weekends for only $60/person - a very decent price for high-end sushi in Tokyo. Van and I got there when they opened at 11am, and the waiter wrote down “13:00 / ¥ 12,400.” We thought that meant to come back at 1pm, so we went to find another place to eat because we were hungry. After wandering around for a half hour we decided we really did want sushi and we would wait for it - I mean, we came all the way to Tokyo. So we go back and nod our heads “yes, ok we‘ll wait!“ And then the waiter showed us to a table! We figured out that he meant the lunch course would last until 1pm. So glad we came back!

Like so many experiences when you travel, you see how something you think you know, something you think you can expect, is so much more. Simplicity, quality ingredients, tradition, perfection.

Clockwise from top left: sake and chopsticks, fish, fish, abalone, fish and mushrooms, octopus and bitter melon, sea urchin, tofu and greens, fish

Write your story here. (Optional)

Clockwise from top left: Tuna, edamame and fish roe, shrimp, fish roe and tomato, egg custard with plum, watermelon, seaweed, eggs and eel with clams, tuna hand roll.

this is ramen

AFURI ramen was one of my favorite meals of the trip. The broth was light and the noodles were thinner but still nice and chewy. The pork was grilled which gave it a slight charred and smoky flavor.

We took the train to Tokyo Teleport station (are we going to the future!?) - the area of Odaiba. It‘s all shopping malls and entertainment. Amazing stores, like Hello Kitty where you can get green tea ice cream with a Hello Kitty pancake. Odaiba also has Gundam! It‘s so realistic, we think he’s actually ready for battle.

a trip out to takashi amano's nature aquarium gallery

We had to go. Van has studied Takashi Amano’s work for years and his only gallery of aquariums is in Niigata, Japan. It took us 4 hours to get there - the Shinkansen (bullet train) Joetsu Super Express, changed to a local train, then taxi to the gallery. The aquariums are incredible works of art. It takes a true master to compose the aquascapes and to care and maintain their growth. There are no photos allowed in the gallery.

We left Tokyo in the rain. The steady straight rain reminded me so much of Blade Runner, or like the rain in a manga comic. Japan is a pretty magical place, where I can love it just as much in the rain. ☔️ ❤️

the sacred mountain

Write your story here. (Optional)

About 330 miles West and South of Tokyo, the journey from Tokyo to Mount Koya took all day.

Shibuya Station: JR Yamanote line > Shinagawa Station: Shinkansen Hikari (bullet train) > Shin-Osaka Station: Kyoto Local Line > Osaka Station: Osaka Loop Line > Shin-Imamiya: Nankai Koya Line (change trains at Hashimoto) > Gokurakubashi: Cable car

One of my favorite parts of the trip happened on the cable car. We were the only people, aside from one other small group and a woman traveling with her elderly mother. The woman was so friendly and showed us where to sit on the tram so that we would get off by the elevator (with our luggage). She eagerly helped to the elevator and showed us the way at the top of the mountain to the station exit. Even though when we don‘t speak the same language, we can communicate through kindness and generosity.

ekoin temple

In Koyasan there are 120 temples, and 50 of them offer lodging to travelers. We stayed at Ekoin temple. It‘s a real buddhist temple, but definitely run as a business. I made our reservations through Expedia! There were a lot of visitors, some with children. There was a lot of activity with people coming and going and not as quiet as our other favorite temple, Daishin-in in Kyoto, but this was still my favorite part of the trip. The weather was cooler in the mountains, and it was a nice change of pace from the crowded city.

Write your story here. (Optional)

We got to Ekoin just in time for dinner. Buddhist monks eat shojin ryori - vegetarian monk‘s cuisine, which consists of a lot of vegetables, tofu, pickles, and other oddly textured and flavored mystery bites. I really enjoyed it (Van and Malia, not so much…) 😂

okunoin cemetery

That night, a monk from our temple led a tour through Okunoin cemetery. Kobo-Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, is entombed there. He was also a poet, calligrapher, and engineer - an important contributor to Japanese culture. During the tour, we learned about Buddhism and prayed for Kobo-Daishi at his tomb.

The main temple where Kobo-Daishi is entombed is at the end of the cemetery, across a bridge. Before crossing, you gently splash water on the buddha to symbolize cleansing your body and your inner heart. There are no photos allowed, but at the tomb of Kobo-Daishi there are beautiful lotus flowers. What can we learn from the lotus flower? The monk told us a story: the lotus flower grows in dirty, muddy water. But out of that dirty water grows a beautiful flower. Even in bad environments, bad situations, good can come of it. You can choose to do good and thrive.

Many of the monuments have this same style. Starting from the square at the bottom, each part represents the earth, water, fire, wind, and finally sky or space. All of the parts together make up the universe.

A lot of the lanterns had moons on them; we learned that it symbolizes your heart - always changing. One day you feel angry, the next day you feel content, so on - your heart is always changing, like the moon. We also learned that the two major religions of Japan are now used together. Shinto and buddhism are used side by side. Shinto more often celebrates birth and life, while buddhism rituals are more focused on death. And in the middle you can have a christian wedding in a church! Truth.

Anyone can be buried in Okunoin. No matter who you are or where you are from. Your throat bone will be buried here, and the rest of your ashes would be in a cemetery close to your home. This way, you can be in the sacred place of Koyasan and near your family at the same time.

fire ritual

In the morning we woke up to go to the fire ritual. The monks perform this ritual every morning at Ekoin. The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha and the wood sticks symbolize human desires (the root of suffering). the Buddha burns away the root of our suffering as we pray for our wishes to come true. We sat inside the temple and watched the monk perform a series of very specific and intentional steps using prayer beads, incense, oils, and lighting the fire. He chanted the prayers as another monk beat a taiko drum. It was mesmerizing. After the ritual we prayed to three buddhas and left the temple. 🙏

And then we left Ekoin. And then we left Koyasan.

onward to kyoto

The weather in Kyoto was mostly rainy, and the hotel we stayed at was not nearby any restaurants or sights so we ended up staying in more than we had planned, which was relaxing after a lot of exploring and train travel. One of the things we did see in Kyoto was Fushimi Inari, the Shinto shrine for the patron of business and rice. There are thousands of torii gates, each one donated by a Japanese business to bring them good fortune.

After our temple visits, we headed over to Nishiki Market. Nishiki is a covered street lined with hundreds of small shops selling everything from souvenirs to fresh fish, pickles, and snacks. On the way to Nishiki Market we saw a group of Japanese engineers inspecting, measuring, and taking notes about something on the train platform. There was a puddle there, but obviously it was a great problem that needed to be fixed. Always fixing and improving!

On the way back we stopped at Kyoto station and ate some delicious udon, and did a lot of shopping for manga. Some manga series have hundreds of volumes! 😯

where's the beef?

We took a side trip from Kyoto to Kobe specifically for the beef. Kobe beef is served at teppanyaki restaurants - but this is not American Teppanyaki. The chef carefully and delicately prepares your meal and serves it right on the immaculately shining grill - no onion volcanos or flipping shrimp into your hat. This is serious.

The beef was tender and juicy, like eating steak infused with butter. You‘ve heard the term “butterknife steak“ - well this is it, nothing else really lives up to that description. The garlic was fried carefully to a golden crisp; any slices not passing the chef’s quality standard were carefully discarded.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Also in Kobe - Tetsujin! Man, this is so cool. A giant robot in the middle of a working class city. The giant statue was built after the earthquake in Kobe in 1995, as part of the rebuilding efforts to bring life to the damaged city, and attract visitors.

one more day in tokyo

We took the shinkansen from Kyoto to Shinjuku station in Tokyo, which is the busiest train station in the world. Over 3 million people go through every day - that‘s like the entire Twin Cities metro. There are 36 platforms and over 200 exits. Let‘s just say, best avoided during rush hour! Before we left Japan we had to have some onigiri and conbini sandwiches one last time. Onigiri is rice with filling (like salmon or tuna) wrapped in seaweed. Conbini means convenience store (like 7eleven) and they sell sandwiches (like egg salad) on fluffy crustless white bread.

our favorite hotel in the world

Of course we had to end our trip with a stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo - the best hotel in all the world.

Japan is a service oriented culture, and the level of service at the Park Hyatt is extraordinary. I‘m not sure you‘d find anything like this anywhere else in the world. There‘s a hotel shuttle from Shinjuku station, which we planned on taking once we got in from Kyoto. There wasn‘t any room in the van and we said we‘d wait for the next one. No! That is not acceptable - the shuttle driver (in an immaculately tailored pinstripe suit) ran down the street and hailed a taxi for us, at no charge. What did we do to deserve this? We are guests of Japan, that’s what.