Getting There
Our trip to Japan got off to a slow start. The first 12 hours of the 13 hour flight were smooth, but when our plane approached Tokyo the winds were too high to land. We were told to circle around until things stabilized. 90 minutes of circling later, the captain informed us that we had to land because fuel was running low, so we were directed to Nagoya airport, which is another hour away. Felicia and I thought we struck gold since Nagoya was near our final destination of Kyoto. We could just get off the plane there and hop on a commuter train, right? Wrong. Instead we spent four hours on the tarmac at Nagoya and watched 15 other redirected international flights do the same thing. The winds near Tokyo finally died down and all of the grounded planes made the short hop to Narita airport. Unfortunately, since we all arrived at the same time, immigration was basically a two-hour moshpit. We finally got through around 1:00 AM local time (about 25 hours after we left our house in the morning) but we still weren’t done. The trains stop running out of Narita at midnight so we had to spend our first night in the airport. Thankfully they were prepared for an event like this and handed out sleeping mats to all the stranded passengers. We finally arrived in Kyoto the next afternoon. I’m still bitter that we couldn’t get off the plane in Nagoya almost a day earlier!
When we transitioned from planes to trains everything instantly got better. Traversing the country with a Japan Rail Pass was so effortless. Throughout the week we rode countless bullet trains, local trains, subways, and monorails, and we never had trouble with any of them. It’s kind of remarkable how they set and achieve such a high bar for availability and punctuality.
Kyoto
With a day lost we made sure to capitalize on our time in Kyoto. After a quick lunch of conveyor belt sushi we spent the afternoon at Fushimi Inari. This was a really cool spot! From a Western perspective it seems like a Mecca for Shintoism. We climbed all the way up and passed through thousands of the orange torri gates which make up the path, and visited thousands of shrines along the way. It was a perfect change of pace from the previous day. We picked up some delicious and cheap ramen for dinner and crashed as soon as we got back to the hotel.
The next two days in Kyoto were also packed with activities. We checked out castles, temples, gardens, markets, museums, a bamboo forest, and a monkey park. It was really cool to just roam around and explore one of Japan’s most historically significant places. We also enjoyed the comforts of our hotel - specifically the hybrid Western/Japanese breakfast, the Onsen (public bath), and the "Western Style" toilet. If you ever find yourself in Kyoto, you can consider my recommendation to stay at Sakura Terrace.
Miyajima and Hiroshima - “Heaven and Hell”
We visited the Hiroshima peace park and museum at the hypocenter of the A-bomb blast. The park is a beautiful tribute to the victims, and a testament to the city’s strength in recovering from disaster. The museum is a grim reminder of the horrors of war. Numerous exhibits illustrate how those who died instantly were “the lucky ones.” Tens of thousands of innocent people who were further from the blast suffered terribly for rest of their lives - however short they may have been. The museum was an evocative experience, but I think it’s impossible to really understand the hellish scene without living through it. Hopefully nobody ever has to again; the museum’s initiative is to raise awareness for future generations in hope of eventually accomplishing nuclear disarmament.
Hiroshima was a very somber visit, but Miyajima island was the perfect place to reflect and appreciate life afterwards. It’s a little slice of heaven just an hour south of Hiroshima, and a popular vacation destination for good reason. We stayed at Momijiso Ryokan, a traditional Japanese bed and breakfast on the banks of a creek. Our hosts spoke barely any English (still more than we spoke Japanese!) but they couldn’t be any friendlier or have offered any better of an experience. The room was tranquil and cozy, and the food was exquisite. Miyajima really is paradise. If/when we visit again, we’ll definitely spend more than one day there.
Tokyo
We didn’t have any particular agenda for visiting Tokyo, so we just went to a few of the famous neighborhoods to get immersed. Our favorite was the sushi breakfast that we had in Tsukiji market. We also shopped around Harajuku and the Pokemon Mega Center in Ikebukuro. Those places were pretty neat, but shopping isn't really our cup of tea. We caught a baseball game between the Yokohama Bay Stars and the Yomiuri Giants. It was cool to see another cultural lens on baseball. The crowd was much more like an international soccer match than a MLB game. For dinner one night we ate at a maid cafe in Akihabara. It was cute but it also had undertones of being in a strip club, which made the meal a little uncomfortable. Overall the experience in Tokyo was good, but I’m just not a big city guy so I’m not going to prioritize a return visit.
Food
Growing up I never really explored Japanese food beyond sushi, so I decided to take my tummy on its own adventure through the country. Ramen and udon noodles became the staple. Casual restaurants were everywhere, especially in the train stations, and the food was way too tasty for the low price of each meal. All my noodles were delicious, and the flavor was different everywhere we went.
Sushi in Japan is as good as advertised. I didn’t know fish could taste so fresh. At Tsukiji market they literally buy the tuna from fisherman at 5:00 AM and sell it to you for breakfast at 8:00. Americanized me would never have considered sushi for breakfast. How could I be so blind!? Our omikase dinner in Kyoto was also incredible. Omikase basically means “chef’s choice,” and our chef must have been a marine biologist because we had more different sea specimens than I could count. I was nervous about some of the more exotic dishes such as whole squid, sea urchin, and some mysterious eggs, but I drooled at the sight of fatty tuna nigiri and sashimi. We polished off all five courses and ultimately this was one of the most satisfying meals I’ve ever eaten.
We ate fast food a couple of times. Our bento boxes from the train station were simple and filled with quality ingredients. We also ate McDonalds once. Felicia had a shrimp filet sandwich while I branched out on desert with a Hokkaido Milk Pie and a Green Tea and Azuki Bean McFlurry.
Azuki bean just might be my favorite legume. It’s sweet but not too sweet, and soft but not too soft. It’s the perfect ingredient for making traditional sweets, or even as a standalone side dish to a bowl of noodles!
All things considered we really enjoyed our week in Japan. It's a land full of friendly people, scenic landscapes, delicious food, vast history, and rich/quirky culture. I really look forward to visiting again sometime.Sayonara
TGIB
