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Hiroshima... I think, for any American, a visit there comes with a certain amount of unease - whether realized or not. Is it proper to even visit such a place with the history left from WWII and the Bomb? How will the local citizens view us? Am I overreacting altogether???
I don't think I was anxious beforehand, but as soon as stepping from the train, I felt it - ableit mildly. Were people staring? Were they going to be friendly? However, these feelings passed quickly as people smiled and welcomed us at the hotel, restaurants and museums without so much as a second glance. Yep, I was overreacting.
No matter how many museums I visited or monuments I saw, its still hard to get my head around the devastation that happened there. To see that city now and think that just over 60 years ago, 150,000 - 200,000 people, the majority of its population, died suddenly or within weeks after the Atomic Bomb - while the city infrastructure was leveled in one morning - defies all imagination.
My take-away from the visit was that the city now is a credit to everyone, both inside and outside of Japan, who played a role in its rebuilding.
Today, it is a beautiful city full of activity, commerce and warm people. There are urban parks and open spaces (a rarity in many Japanese cities), beautiful river fronts full of cafes, bike paths and high-end residences and a downtown full of everything from a Gucci store next to a mom-and-pop yakitori stand to a modern baseball stadium and the International Peace Park.
Hiroshima is a keeper. Great city and worth another visit someday!
Our other day there led us to Miyajima Island, a beautiful natural wonder about 1/2 mile off the coast of Hiroshima (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The island is known as the "resting place of the gods" due to its natural beauty and peacefulness. It felt like we'd left the 21st century and entered an old Japanese village - with deer and monkeys raoming freely on the streets. There are ancient shrines, pagodas, the famous Otorii Gate and village merchant shops along the shoreline, while at the top, Mt. Misen is home to ancient Buddhist temples surrounded by medevial forests and fantastic views of the Seto Inland Sea. We explored the island for hours and I now know why the Buddhist monks liked to retreat here for meditation and enlightenment. You'd have to be downright evil not to feel the peace and tranquility as you climb its trails and take long views of the sea and mountains in the distance.
Great trip!
Last night (Saturday), J. and I took off - along with trusty traveling companion, Deb - for a bit of an odyssey. We were in search of a unique restaurant that had been recommended to us. We were told it was deep in the woods of Mt. Tokao, about an hour west of Tokyo. Well, we departed a little past 1PM thinking that would give us plenty of time to arrive in the area, do some exploring and make our dinner reservation of 7PM. We made it by 7PM, but without too much time to spare. Did I mention getting there is an odyssey??? There were 4 different train transfers, including one delayed train, and a bus ride before we ever
saw the restaurant. Literally, if you were to look for this town on the Tokyo subway/train map, just go to the very LAST stop and you'll find it.
Was it worth it, you ask? Absolutely! Easily one of the most beautiful and unique dining experience I've ever had.
The restaurant - not sure I would even call it a "restaurant" since its more like a small mountain village - is a collection of 39 preserved and renovated Japanese thatched-roof tea houses, farm sheds and other small buildings. Some are for private groups and some are large enough to acomodate multiple tables/parties.
Apparently, the owner of the restaurant buys/collects old buildings, moves them to the site and renovates them for use. They are immaculate - as are the grounds. The gardens surrounding the place are 5 acres of beautiful mountain streams, ponds, Zen gardens and so forth. The wait staff is composed of Japanese ladies in kimono who provide great service and the food is grilled at your table. Just a great dining experience.
Couple of weeks ago, I took off to Shibuya and Harajuku, prominent areas in Tokyo, to roam the streets for the afternoon. As always when in Tokyo, they are fascinating, alive with people and sprinkled with history amongst the modern city life.
Harajuku is famous for the "Harajuku Girls" because of their unique fashion sense. This area has influenced the style-de-jour of college-aged girls with dyed hair, wild clothing and a hipster sort of attitude. Singer Gwen Stefani has popularized this style in a line of clothing and a song about them.
Shibuya is home to that monkey who ran through the train station as well as the "busiest pedestrian crosswalk in the world"... Great area for shopping and people watching.
A few photos from the day below. I checked out the Meji Shrine. Emperor Meji ruled in the early 20th century and was credited with opening Japan to Western ideals and customs. He was the first Emperor to cut off his top-knot and start to dress in Western-style business suits, a very big deal at the time. His shrine memoralizes his life and was rebuilt after WWII.
Last weekend (10/10-13), J. and I took off to Kyoto for 3+ days of touring this ancient Imperial capital city. For over 1500 years, Kyoto was the center of power in the Japanese lands. Today, its a large commercial center that combines the modern elements of any large city with great preservation of its ancient Buddhist Temples, Shinto Shrines and Imperial Castles and Palaces. A fascinating place, no doubt. One minute, you're walking past the most modern building and in the next block, your faced with a 7th century temple. One interesting bit of geography was that there was a shogunate in the west of the city and one in the east - and they proceeded to fight in the center city. So, today, their battlefield is the modern core of downtown while all of their palaces and temples are on the perimeter. That requires a great deal of walking, I tell you!
Kyoto was one of the few major cities in Japan NOT bombed during World War II. In fact, as I've read, it was considered as a target for an atomic bomb because it was the 'intellectual capital' of Japan. Thanks to the urgings of then-Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, it was removed as a target and received relatively minor atacks and little damage. Therefore, its one of the few cities in Japan where pre-war buildings, as well as the historic sites, can be seen.
One of our favorite areas to visit was Gion, the old geisha district. While there are still the traditional teahouses and private houses where geisha entertain, the area across the river is now a bustling entertainment and arts district full of nightlife, street musicians, artists and other bohemian types. We saw a great impromptu concert down on the riverfront Saturday night by a band of twenty-something jazz musicians.
Great city full of history, great craftsman still making pottery, ceramics, silkscreen fabrics and merchants selling fresh fish and tea from tiny stalls. Oh, and I can't go without mentioning the shinkansen (the bullet trains)... That is THE way to travel! It was wonderful - and so easy, stress-free and worth every penny. Write your congressman and tell them to start investing in the same in the US - there is no better way to travel!
Some photos from our travels below.
Okay, and finally... This weekend, I participated in the Salty Dog Triathlon here in Yokosuka. It was fun - except for the swim. For whatever reason, I still have these strange, mild hyper-ventilating panic attacks about midway through the swim. Paging Dr. Phil!
The race consisted of a 400 meter swim, 15K bike and 5K run. The weather cooperated - cool and overcast - so it went pretty well once I was out of Tokyo Bay. However, I think I ingested way too much saltwater for my own good!
Several weeks ago, J. had a haircut appointment in Yokohama on Saturday afternoon (which I begged off from... I know, shocker...), but I met her late that afternoon up there in hopes that we could catch the BayStars vs. Chunichi Dragons baseball game.
I'd heard from many people that attending a Japanese baseball game was a "must" for any sports fan visiting here. Let me tell you, its not a "must" just for visitors. The game, alone, would be worth getting on a flight and traveling across the Pacific!
I used to be a pretty big baseball fan. However, in the last 5-10 years - don't know if it was the fact that the Cubs would crush my spirit every year, the work stoppages or just the outright greed and stupidity of both players and management that turned me off - but somewhere, I lost all interest. And let's face it, sitting through a game can be downright boring. However, if American baseball games were HALF as much fun and entertaining as a Japanese baseball game, I'd probably buy season tickets.
The fans are incredible. Yokohama's team, the BayStars, is about as deep in last place as one can get. They have the worst record in the league. Yet, on this Saturday night, with only 1 week left in the season and absolutely nothing to play for, their supporters were out in force, cheering and chanting and singing as if lives depended on it. Just an unbelievable atmosphere. Its all very organized by 5-6 guys in white gloves and kimonos who stand on risers in front and lead the cheers. Despite having the worst seats in the stadium (but in the middle of the home cheering section), we found ourselves getting completely wrapped up in the game and the cheers. We even did our best "hillbilly Japanese" to sing along with them (it involved a lot of mumbling about "something... something... Yokohama!... something... something...BayStars!!").
Yokohama hit the game-winning HR in the bottom of the 8th inning to pull out a come-from-behind win. Needless to say, pandemonium reigned from that point on...
Japanese baseball fun fact: The fans cheer LOUDLY and non-stop while their team is batting. But as soon as the third out is made, they sit down and don't. say. a. word. (or head to the beer stand...) Then, when the opposing team makes their third out, they rise with a full-throated roar and don't stop until Out #3 again.
Again, a "past due" posting... In late August, I went to Tokyo for the afternoon and toured around the Ueno Park area. A beautiful park and one of those "I want to come back here" places. That list is filling quicker than I expected. Ueno Park is in the northeast part of the city and is a beautiful (and large) inner-city park amongst the high-density office and residential towers of Tokyo. Also, much like the National Mall in DC, it is home to many of the national museums - Tokyo National Museum, National Science Museum, Tokyo Museum of Art, Tokyo Zoo, etc. I only had time to visit the Tokyo National Museum - and then only the ground floor of that one. They had a great exhibit of Buddhist artifacts and showed how historians and anthropologist were able to use these artifacts to trace Buddhism's spread from India through China and Korea and ultimately to Japan. Ueno Park was also an 'oasis' for residents of Tokyo during the Great Fire of 1927 (? - don't quote me on the year) and also a tent city during the bombings of WWII. Since nearly all buildings at that time were wood structures, fire swept through the homes and businesses quickly due to the high density - and the only open space in which to retreat was the park where people lived for months, if not years.
