Final thoughts about my trip to Japan

This will be the third and final article about my trip to Japan. As I write it, there’s a Japanese milk bread in the oven making me even more reminiscent of this inspiring country. 

Mount Koya 

All I wanted was to experience a night at a Buddhist temple, taste their cuisine and take pat in their morning prayers. But the highlight at Mount Koya, also known as Koyasan, ended up being a blissful walk along the Okunoin cemetery and some sublime moments at the Kobo Daishi Mausoleum.

Known as the heart of Shingon Buddhism, a significant Buddhist sect in Japan, Koyasan is a place for pilgrimage. The legend says that Kobo Daishi, the man who brought Buddhism to Japan in the beginning of the 9th century and the founder of this sect, still rests in meditation in his mausoleum. Just the thought of this gives me the chills. 

Since I planned very little, I didn’t have many available options for my stay. Most of the places were fully-booked or insanely out of my budget so I ended up staying at Hongakuin. Just as a side observation, if you don’t speak Japanese you may not be aware that there are beautiful places that are not listed at online travel agencies. Here’s a tip: ask for help beforehand. While in Kyoto, I asked one of the polite Japanese girls that were working at the hostel I was at to call a few temples that at the time didn’t have an English website, nor were listed at those agencies.

 Anyway, I arrived, was guided to my room, traditional Japanese with a tatami floor, of course, had a cup of tea and headed outside for a stroll before dinner. I didn’t have much time, a little over an hour and a half maybe, I didn’t know much about Koyasan and what to visit. But I remembered a lady I met at the train station pointing to a place on the map on the northern east side of Koyasan: “Everyone goes there”, she said. “There” was the Kobo Daishi Mausoleum, and going there meant walking for about 2km along the largest and most significant cemetery in Japan. 

It sounds gloomy but I’ve had some very special moments at famous cemeteries like the Père Lachaise in Paris, or the Assistens in Copenhagen. Very far away from any bustling city, Okunoin is located in a sacred mountain, surrounded by ancient cedars, pines, cypresses and firs. I’m still trying to figure out what makes a moment blissful and special but I know that nature definitely plays a big part. It had been raining and everything was beautifully sprayed with little droplets of water and the air was clean and crisp. For such a famous pilgrimage place, there were not a lot of people wandering around, silence and reverence were abundant. The holiest part of this place starts at the Gobyobashi bridge, after which no photos, food or drinks are allowed. As you cross the bridge, you can see several wooden markers anchored to the stream bed as a memorial to unborn children. There were a couple of buildings worth some attention but I went straight to the Kobo Daishi mausoleum and just stayed there for a while, in silence, hearing the mantras and absorbing the mysticism. I could’ve stayed there the whole evening but I had to rush back for dinner time. Everything after this felt staged - the dinner at the temple, the night, the morning prayers (I liked the onsen at temple though!) - all seemed to lack the authenticity and simplicity that I had experienced on my own at the sacred site. It was good, but it did feel more like an attraction for tourists than a meaningful experience.

Seto Inland Sea

After a couple days in the port town of Uno and Naoshima, a small island famous for its contemporary art displays, I decided I wanted to go back to Tokyo and explore the surrounding mountain landscape.

However, I have a natural tendency to be parsimonious. And some very stupid decisions are born out of that. Like choosing to take a night bus from Okayama to Tokyo instead of a 4-hour bullet train ride, just to save a few thousands of yens. A long story short, a missed bus made me stay one night in Okayama. With a whole day to explore the city and no plans whatsoever, I turned to Google maps to see what could be worth visiting around the area. I ended up in Kurashiki, home to a picturesque canal area and centuries-old buildings. The combination of having no expectations, and this little towns’s own charm, made up for one of the most pleasant afternoons of the whole trip.

What was left behind

While I was still traveling, I realized that Japan is a country that I would never be able to visit in just one go. At one point I was feeling so overwhelmed with everything, the culture, the landscape, the food, the architecture, the spirituality, that I just wanted to press pause on the trip so that I could have time to process it all. And by the length of these posts, you can see that I’m still processing it, I’m still integrating this journey and making sense of it.

A lot was left behind for a second or a third trip, maybe even a longer stay. I know that I still want to surf in Chiba, hike the Japanese Alps, sunbathe in Okinawa, see the stunning landscape of Hokkaido, and of course, take a picture of Mount Fuji.

More memorable moments in Japan

Writing hasn’t been flowing as it was in Taiwan. I think it’s because my daily routine changed. Maybe it’s also because I’m suddenly fascinated with tea and have been studying everything about it intensively. Regardless, I feel like I have to continue to share the rest of this memorable trip with you.

A breakfast I’ll never forget

After those few days in Tokyo I headed south to a place called Kamakura. Kamakura is a coastal city which I chose to visit because of its surf & longboard vibe. I know what you might be thinking “Why on earth would someone go to Japan to experience their surf culture?”. Certainly, Japan is well known for many things and I wouldn’t say surfing is one of them. Yet, as with most if not all things the Japanese do, they do “surf vibe” very well. I stayed at a small hostel in Hase. The place was a traditional Japanese house, all made out of dark wood and located just ten steps away from the ocean. Luckily for me, I was their only guest.

Influenced by the dozens of Japanese surf magazines I had “read” the night before, I decided to ask for the hostel’s breakfast. It had been covered by most of the magazines so I presumed it would be good. Still, just to be sure of what was in it given that it was a traditional Japanese breakfast, I asked the only staff member around and he replied it had soup, seaweed, rice and small fish. It sounded like something I could eat but little did I know that my definition of “small fish” is quite different from his. To me a small fish is a sardine; to the Japanese is a sardine’s newborn (aka shirasu). “But at least I can eat the rice…” I thought. As I put my chopsticks underneath the pile of baby sardines to reach for the rice - thinking it would be warm and comforting – I’m unpleasantly surprised with threads of a sticky, smelly slime, which I reluctantly put in my mouth only to confirm that it was the most disgusting thing I had ever eaten. It turns out that the rice was mixed with natto slime, although no fermented soybeans were to be found. It was the first time in my life that despite being ravenous I wasn’t able to eat at all. 

Traumatized but still hungry, I headed to the nearest place that could offer me the safest breakfast possible. I found Cafe Recette, where they specialize in making the perfect toast. A toast never tasted better.

No cherry on top of my birthday cake

This whole idea of going to Japan took a very specific form four years ago when, while in the UK during the Rugby World Cup, I was determined to travel to the country that would host the next competition, which - surprise, surprise - was going to be Japan. The dates were also coinciding with my 40th birthday, making it the perfect timing for such a special trip.

For the last night in my thirties I decided to treat myself with a night at a ryokan in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and then head to Kyoto the next day for a nice kaiseki dinner. A ryokan is a typical Japanese guest house with tatami-matted rooms and hot spring public baths, also known as onsen. Again, if there’s a place on earth where “sleeping on the floor” and “public baths” can actually be good experiences is in Japan. I confess I became quite a fan of onsen and even when I stayed in places that didn’t have a public bath I would prepare my own bathtub. At this ryokan the guests could enjoy the onsen in the outdoors and in private, making this experience twice as pleasant. I kicked off my forties with a - this time - delicious Japanese breakfast: tamago egg omelette, steamed salmon, tofu salad, warm rice, miso soup, Japanese porridge and a variety of pickles and condiments.

I was really aiming for the most cliché Japanese experience possible. However, I missed one thing. You see, going from Hakone to Kyoto meant taking the train that would travel the closest to Mt Fuji. But to my disappointment, Japan’s most iconic landmark was all covered in clouds. I didn’t even get a glimpse of it. 

Kyoto bliss

Despite being home to some of the most impressive temples in Japan, temple hopping in Kyoto can be far from blissful. As a rule of thumb, it is recommended by a lot of people, myself included, that you go to the most touristic places either early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. I had terrible experiences at Kinkaku-ji and Arashiyama bamboo forest and blissful ones at Ryōan-ji and Hōnen-in, all thanks to schedule considerations. This might require you to plan your visit differently but I don’t really know how can people enjoy spiritual places when surrounded by loud crowds trying to take the best photo.

So, visit your favorite temples yes, one in the morning, one in the evening, and in between eat and go for walks. Just as in Tokyo, I had a blast at Kyoto’s most famous food market, Nishiki, and went there several times. I also hiked Diamonjiyama and strolled along the Philosopher’s Path twice.

Café worshipping

By now I suppose it’s pretty obvious that food and spirituality are my life motors, what keeps me moving, from markets to cafes, from Nature to temples.

But now that I’m thinking about it, food itself is spiritual, and cafes and markets can be seen as food temples, right? Because to be honest I feel an immense solace whenever I’m at a proper café, where instead of being fed peace or ultimate reality, I’m drinking plants and eating delicious reality. Some deep spiritual moments in Japan were indeed spent at very special cafes.

Like when I arrived at Osaka and felt it was so different from all other places I had visited so far - it was dirtier, noisier, and overall weirder - I found comfort spending the whole afternoon at wad, a minimalist cafe and tea house, where you pick the handmade bowl where you want to drink your matcha from. Or when I found minamo in Nara while trying to escape from the heat and sun - it was like an oasis in the desert. Or when I arrived in Naoshima and was frustrated by the fact that there were no more bicycles left to rent and I should’ve booked one in advance, I went straight to get a warm hug (aka coffee) at Mikazukishoten, where I was also warmly welcomed by the owners and greeted with great music and an easy-going vibe. Or when, trying to escape the crowds in Tsukiji market, I came across a guy that was serving drip coffee in a dark side alley. I just sat on top of a plastic crate and watched him pour hot water over coffee, like some kind of sacred ritual, and then just drank it in silence with this other Japanese guy that was just as hypnotized, both of us appreciating the coffee and the moment.

There were many other cafes that I visited and many others that deserve one on my next trip to Japan.

An international summer and a trip to Japan - Act III.B...1?

I wanted to keep this in four posts but it’s starting to look like a work breakdown structure, making me realize how I’m a much better engineer than a writer. Alas, I’ll keep on writing and sharing since this has become the source of many fulfilling moments.

Japan, where do I even begin? I mean any trip, not just Japan. Is it just me or do you also feel the pressure of having to cram all the attractions, sightseeings, foods to try and where to have them, only to have that one person ask you “Oh did you ____ (fill in the blank)? You didn’t?! But it’s the best thing in Japan! I can’t believe you missed it! “? This got me thinking about the difference between tourism and travel, and what is it that we are trying to fulfill when we get on a plane to visit a place where we’ve never been before and don’t know if we’ll have the opportunity to come back. I won’t delve on this now though.

Anyway, I felt like planning a trip to Japan was too overwhelming so this time I winged it. I booked the plane ticket and 3 nights in Tokyo, that was it, no plan, no fancy bullet train ticket, just a handful of tips from friends. This won’t be an extensive list of musts but rather a collection of memorable moments I spent.

Yokocho life

First stop was Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku. Yokochos are a bunch alleys off the main street typically filled with small bars and restaurants. Omoide Yokocho is quite touristic but somehow I managed to sit at a place where no tourists were spotted and have my first bowl of buckwheat soba of the trip, trying with extreme effort but pathetic results to slurp every bite of noodles. Close by, is one of the most famous nightlife areas, Golden Gai. I went there too early, it was empty, but then again I’m not a nightlife kind of person, so I went there more out of curiosity than to enjoy it per se.

Favorite residential style neighbourhoods

Everyday street life, food and spirituality are the motors that keep me going in any trip. I will walk for hours through residential areas just to go to a particular cafe - to eat a donut at Higuma Donuts, for example - like I did around Meguro, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo, along with Shimokitazawa. There’s a specific aesthetics in most Japanese urban areas that appeal to me in a way that no other urban spaces do. It all looks cohesive, solid, straightforward and yet light, meaningful and peaceful.

Life Son, near Yoyogi Park

Store front in Meguro

Shopping splurges

Food is something I always buy every time I visit some place new. Besides shopping around in a few local supermarkets, a visit (more like two or three) to Tsukiji was obvious for me. It’s true that the fish auction is no longer held at the original site but all the street food and stores remain there. When I was asking for tips to Japan, most people told me to buy a Japanese knife. And so I did. It was actually a gift from my mother for my birthday. My mother always gives me the best gifts, chosen by me of course.

Another thing I brought home was matcha tea, which I bought at Nakamura Tokichi in Ginza although this brand is originally from Kyoto.

Apart from food, I hardly ever do any additional shopping when I visit a city. Yet this time I did splurge in books and magazines at Daikanyama T-site. I figured it would be hard to get some publications in Europe and even though I don’t understand a word it was worth just for the design. Printing, paper, stationery, pencils and all that have fascinated me since I was young, probably influenced by my father, who was in the business of printing for many years. This passion continued and even when I was working in construction, my favorite part of the job was printing the plans in huge sheets of paper and carefully analyzing them. Also, if you don’t want to be bored to death, never, ever, ask me about my printed recipe collection.

Given this, a visit to the stationery empire Itoya was mandatory too. The store I went to in Ginza occupies two buildings with a total of 18 floors, complete with its own cafe, restaurant, juice bar and vegetable garden. Yes, they grow vegetables at the stationery shop. These Japanese people are impressive.

A place where I felt very tempted but resisted the shopping urge was at 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan. This place gathers a small number stalls where artisans showcase their distinct craft like rice candles, indigo dyed textiles, leather goods, umbrellas and parasols, ceramics, among other things.

I’ll pause right here because I feel it’s better to deliver all this information a little bit at a time. Stay tuned for some beach, mountain and spiritual vibes in Japan, plus an unforgettable breakfast.