Hello!
I had the real pleasure to go back to Japan this October !!! But this time it was we my boyfriend (L.) instead of my mother :) We went to Japan in October, so during the typhoon period. I have to admit that we go there for the food !!! In this article, I'll tell you about this wonderful trip. I hope you will enjoy reading it !
NB: What is the difference between a typhoon, an ouragans, and a cyclone?
Actually, it is the same meteorologic event. The word change depending of the location in the world of such an event. The word typhoon is for Asia, Ouragans for America and Cyclones for Europe and Africa.
For a cyclone to start, it takes a large surface of the water (ocean) with a mixture of hot and cold drafts.
We leave Paris on the 1st of October 2019 from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport around 4 pm to land at Tokyo Haneda airport on the 2nd of October around 3 pm. We had a stop in Germany.
For my boyfriend's birthday, I offered him a bungee jump. Since this moment, he is quite afraid of high ^^' (not the BEST gift finally haha). In the first (small) plane he was quite stressed and tell such things: "It's good that we are at the back of the plane, so we have more chance of survival because, during a crash at sea, the plane breaks in the middle." Very comforting... -_- So when he slept I was scared !!!
For this trip, we decided to stay mainly in Kyoto and travel in every place we wanted to visit every day. So when we arrived at Haneda airport, after picking our luggage, we retrieved our JR Pass for directly going to Kyoto.
At Tokyo, the weather was soooo great: sunny, warm and humid. While we were waiting for our train for Kyoto, L smoked in a smoking area and I bought small Japanese sandwiches. They taste soooooo damn good! I paid with my credit card and received immediately a message from my bank (which is great) asking me to contact my banker quickly to confirm the payment otherwise my credit card will be blocked. To do so, I turned on my 4G. The result? I have to pay 60€ bill for my phone contact... -_-
We lived at 10 min walks from Kyoto station. We didn't find the right exit so we walked a little bit more ^^'. We had some difficulties to find our apartment but a nice Japanese woman helped us even if she didn't speak English. After a GREAT shower, we ate in the restaurant KYO-CHABANA. It is a barbecue restaurant. The bill was quite high but the food was delicious! We had fun testing different flavors. That was our first time in a restaurant like that. L was able to smoke at the same time (In France, it's illegal to smoke in public space) !
During this trip we did :
Day 1: Kyoto
Day 2: Himeji
Day 3: Osaka
Day 4: Arima Onsen
Day 5: Kyoto (north)
Day 6: Tokyo (Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya)
Day 7: Kyoto
Day 8: Tokyo (Akihabara)
Day 9: Hiroshima
Day 10: Kyoto -typhoon day-
Day 11: Nara
Day 12: Kanazawa
Day 13: Kamakura
Day 14: Tokyo (Ueno)
Day 1: Kyoto
Despite a complicated night (heat and jet lag), we woke up early and started a pretty great day. The day was sunny and warm (>30°C). We took a train to go to Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社. We were lucky because instead of the expected rain, we had sunshine all morning. L was a little nervous due to the lack of nicotine. Indeed, in Japan, it is forbidden to smoke in the street. People can only smoke in restaurants and bars that are ok with that, in smoking areas and when there is an ashtray. We didn't find any there... In order to help him, we bought some drinks. L choose to try coffee in a can and I choose corn soup.
There were a lot of people! The rise of Mount Inari was arduous for me. L found it easy... Actually he tough that it would be harder.
The more we climbed, the fewer people there were. It was better to enjoy the area, nature, and the shrine. It is really beautiful. This place is just amazing. It was the second time I went there and still a soul peace area. I will go again and again and again. Everything is breathtaking: the color of the gate shrine, the sounds of the forest, the delicious smell of plants and ground, the stone shrine, the waterfalls, and watercourse... No word for expressing my feelings...
In the least visited part, we followed a dead end and saw my first Asian hornet! It's so big !!! I was scared.
After the walk, we ate street food at an outside market. We ate dumplings, lemonade, and a giant doriaki. Everything was delicious. L put dumplings sauce on him x) He wasn't very happy but I laughed a lot haha. The woman made a fresh lemonade by squeezing an entire lemon and then added soda (not the healthiest beverage haha). The doriaki was filled with Azuki paste. So good.
After that, we visited the Kiyomizu temple 清水寺. The streets are so cute. The place is beautiful. It started raining well but it did not matter because it refreshed us. We did all the tour of the place this time (not like with mom, because we missed half of the buildings)... The black temple was under renovation work. We saw a standing monk and a waterfall where people, using long spoon, wash themselves (ablution).
We went down the market to find a place to sit because we started to have pain in our feet from standing and walking. The architecture is really beautiful. On the way, I wanted to taste takosen. These are fish balls with octopus. I didn't like it.
While we were eating in a small corner, a group of young Japanese children asked us (in English) if we had 1 minute to give them. For their English class, they read sentences in English. They all showed up. It was so cute! To thank us, they took a picture with us and offered us an entire bag of origami that they had made themselves in class.
We were looking for a place to hang out and ended up drinking a bubble tea (a Taiwanese drink) in the back of a pretty Ghibli shop. We decided to continue our visit) Yasaka-jinja despite the rain.
We went back on foot under the torrential rain. We were soaked like soups. I was wet to my underwear! I could not see anything through my glasses and even ended up removing them. We had a good hot shower and a little quiet time before going to Kyoto Station so that L could smoke in the smoking area. Our biggest challenge here in Japan is finding a place where L can smoke! After his cigarette break, we went to the train station to find a restaurant for dinner. The train stations in Japan are very large and are really an important activity center. It was not easy to find a place to eat because all the stores close at 20h. We finally found a small restaurant where we ordered on a machine. It was very stressful because you had to go fast, there was a queue and we did not understand anything! We were served very quickly. It was a bit like fast food. I opted for soup with udon and chicken tempura. There must have been ginger in the preparation of tempura frying. That was delicious.
Day 2: Himeji
We got up early. This allowed us to leave around 8am. We reserved seats in a wagon where there is a smoking room. L was so happy. Our train was at 9:45, L left to smoke while I did some shopping. I buy to test tomato Pretz and peach sweets. Both are super good! Moreover, the candies with the peaches became the sweets of the stay because I think to have bought and consumed every day ... After we went to a cafe to have breakfast. The restaurant was ice cold! They like the climatization too much there (a bit like the US). L had an iced coffee. I took a brown sugar latte. We shared an omelet sandwich. It is delicious! Besides, now I'm doing this at home so much I like it.
Arrived, we headed directly to the castle of Himeji. The one is classified in UNESCO. We were once again lucky with the weather because it was very nice and very hot. I even had a sunburn (L too but he does not assume). The castle is really beautiful. I was the guide because I remembered what the guide had taught me during my first visit. In addition, we read the display panels.
L read a legend on one of them. Legend has it that a samurai planned to assassinate the lord of Himeji. The lord of Himeji, when he sent one of his favorites to this samurai to spy on him. The favorite, Okiku, discovers the entire plan of the plot and reports the information to the lord. The latter being cornered, fled, abandoning the castle. The samurai takes possession of the castle, then asks the favorite concubine. This one refuses. In addition to this, the favorite had the duty to look after plates (or tiles according to the version of the legend) sacred. There were 10. The samurai, furious that she refused her request, steals one of the plates and then confronted the favorite to blackmail her. Despite this, she still refuses to be his concubine. Furious, he kills her and throws her body in one of the wells located inside the castle of Himeji. The woman would have become a spirit (Yokaï) haunting the well and we would hear her counting the plates at night. This legend inspired the movie "The Ring".
In the entrance ticket to Himeji Castle (because this one is not free), we also took the one for the Koko-en which is next door. It is a beautiful garden. It seems to me that this was where the Lord of Himeji and his court lived and spent their time because Himeji Castle is very rudimentary and made for the soldiers. There is a waterfall, a large body of water with a bridge, carp, etc. Gorgeous.
In the area, there are different gardens, separated by typical Japanese walls. One of the gardens was used to grow fruits and vegetables for example. There, we saw a particular type of water lily. This one was 200 years old. Someone fond 3 seeds and planted them. Only one has grown.
Also in the area, there is a tea house where tourists can have an initiation to the traditional tea ceremony. Thanks to that, we discovered it. We were served by women in tradition costume (kimino). We received a delicious big pastry and a cup of tea. The tea was at the perfect temperature. I taught that the tea would be really bitter, but it was not. We had lot of difficulties to do things right (not easy). At least we tried...
After the garden, we went back to Himeji station where we realized we had to turn back to Nagoyamacho cemetery ... We paused and ate a purple sweet potato waffle. After walking (and suffering) for almost 1 hour, we arrived at the cemetery. From a distance, we could already see the roofs of stupas because the site is high. The place is very beautiful and peaceful. On the way, I walked on berries bursting making a funny noise. Only after I realized that they felt terribly bad. L laughed so much. We began visiting the coast of the graves of foreign soldiers. I was so tired and had so much pain in my feet that I sat on a bench and took off my shoes. My feet were red and very damaged. L, this love, took one of the buckets that are used to wash the graves and filled it with water so that I could put my feet on it. It made me crazy! Unfortunately, by the way, I got stung by a lot of ants. I had bites full of legs. I made a big reaction and it was very swollen and everything lasts ... Once we got over my emotions, we went through to see the stupas. I was amazed by the beauty of the panorama. From where we were, we could see Himeji Castle in the distance.
In the evening we had dinner in a ramens restaurant very well rated on TripAdvisor. This one is besides VERY appreciated by the locals, hence the presence of a long queue at the entrance (about 45 min). It's true that the food was good!
Day 3: Osaka
For the third day, we went to Osaka. I really don't like this city. We get lost and there were no common transport...
The only really positive point of that day was the lunchtime! We ate at Okonomiyaki Chotise Hideki maeda (1-11-10 taishi nishinariku Osaka). The food was excellent. I loved watching the old chef cooking our tepaniaki (okonomiyaki with soba). We also ordered noodles, but for me, the tepaniaki was the best!
We continued to Namba area. At Namba station, we saw idols. In the area of Namba, there are plenty of quirky hotels but it was funny. We also went into a pachinko room. It is like a casino but we some kind of videogame machines... It was awful in it 'cause of the too-loud atmosphere. I almost became deaf. It was really loud. We stopped at Namba Park on the roof terraces. After that, we went to the Game Center. I played a car racing game... into a car! For 100 yen, the game lasted really long! It was very busy and stressful. With L, we also took a picture in a photo booth machine. There were even costumes. That was funny! I highly recommend trying!!!
In front of the Game Center, there is a Daiso. I bought so many beautiful Halloween decorations. We also bought lot of weird food for trying!
Day 4: Arima Onsen
After these three intense days, we went to Arima onsen, near Kobe, to rest. I was so tired, that I slept my first entire night! We took our time for going there. We traveled with the shinkansen.
Arima Onsen is a little town in the mountains and it is also a thermal station. There were lot of Japanese tourists and quite no international tourists. A nice Ogisan came to take a picture and the picture was beautiful. We did appreciate it a lot.
By accident, L withdrew 40,000 yen by accident at the atm machine. We tasted a salmon mayo wasabi onigiri.
The old town is really pretty. We walked there calmly. We found a restaurant (expensive one). I choose omerizu. It is tomato rice with tomato sauce under omelet. It was DELICIOUS! I had reservations about this dish, which, when we read the description, seems not very good ... L took a curry with Chinese medicinal herbs; also delicious. More mature dish because the omerizu is for children I think. It's like comfort food.
After the food, we went to the onsen with the best water quality and gold water. The gold water is really yellow and it is supposed to be good for muscle aches, which is what we needed the most. The entry fee was 1,000 yens/person. I find the price rather reasonable for the proposed service. The baths are not mixed. It is very hot in the bathroom. You must wash before entering the baths. Soaps and creams are available. I started with the hot tub, which burned me so much it was hot! After putting rinsed in cold water, I went into the big bath with golden water. I made several trips back and forth between the bath and the cold shower. After a while we feel that we breathe much better, it's crazy. After an hour, I finally got out of the bathroom. I took my time to take care of myself and test the products available. I tested a tonic lotion for the scalp. My hair didn't get greasy at all! The tonic lotion is supposed to help the hair to grow. I also put cream for the joints. For the face, I used the horse oil cream: really efficient. I looked really good at the end.
At the exit, we climbed so many steps to climb the mountain as much as possible. We saw a nice temple as well as a splendid view.
Near the station, we tasted the local specialty pastry of the region. That was delicious. Hot azuki is melting in the mouth. In the evening we watched the volleyball world cup. The Japanese team was great! For dinner, we ate yakitori. I did not really like ... The skewers were special. In fact, yakitori are made with ALL chicken. We had a skewer of fat balls, one with pieces of skin and another with cartilage ... Not really my thing ... To be able to stop being hungry we bought onigiri and a bun with meat.
Day 5: Kyoto (north)
We decided to continue visiting Kyoto. On the program, the north of the city: 1. Arashiyama bamboo plantation 2. Ryoan-ji 3. The ramen restaurant Ramen Kazu 4. Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion
We went to Kyoto Station to take the subway line E (violet). We got off at E07 Saga Arashiyama station. We walked to the famous bamboo plantation. There were a lot of tourists. It was a bit of a hassle but being under the trees was very refreshing. The bamboo plantation was somewhat disappointing because it is limited to 1 way. Only one way ... It is possible to visit the house of an actor. On leaving, we crossed a beautiful park where L took all the rocks engraved and covered with moss. By chance we came across a river. Above, sailed rushes. It was really great as a moment. We then went on foot to Tenryu-ji 天龍寺 and then to Ryoan-ji 龍安寺. On the way I saw several Asians, as a couple, where the man was not holding the hand of his girlfriend but his wrist ... I also took a matcha ice cream and soy milk. The entrance of Ryoan-ji is paying. The place is big. There is a huge lake covered with water lilies.
What is the difference in a water lily and a lotus? These are two aquatic plants. These two plants are not part of the same family. The lotus has leaves above water because they are hydrophobic. The water lily has leaves on the water because they are lighter and therefore float.
The Buddhist temple is very peaceful. As in all temples, we must remove our shoes. Ryoan-ji is a Zen temple. I really like Zen temples. It feels good. We paused at the stone garden to calm down. I had time to have a sunburn haha. For 300 yen, I could have a calligraphy message. It looks nice. In Koyasan the calligraphic messages were free by cons ... The garden is very beautiful. There is plenty of moss everywhere, to the delight of L. We saw pine trees where the branches were pruned so that the trunk grew upright. On the cut trunk parts, people deposit coins. In 16 minutes of walk, we arrived at Ramen Kazu. The meal was delicious. I took the menu "KAZU set" which contains a Shoyun ramen size M with 4 gyoza and fried rice. L took the "Croquette set" menu consisting of a size M Shoyun ramen and mashed potato croquettes with white rice. The croquettes were good and well fried but without being transcendent. The gyozas were good and fat. I'm still a huge fan of soup. The size M is large. The food is delicious and the cook is talented. I have a lot of sympathy for him. After the cigarette break in front of the restaurant, we headed for the golden joke. The entrance is also paying. The castle is covered with gold. The surrounding garden is beautiful. In Japan, the monuments are very sober inside. All the prestige is shown through the gardens. Like all tourists, we threw a coin aiming at the bowl. I almost succeeded haha. After the Kinkaku-ji we took the bus to go to Ginkaku-ji. The price of the bus, as in France, is fixed, but it can vary from one line to another and sometimes between stations. The bus is comfortable. Ginkaku-ji Park is much bigger than the Golden Palace. The silver palace, unlike its name and model (the golden palace), is not covered with silver. It was built by the grandson of the emperor who built the Golden Palace. The garden is big and sublime. He is on the mountainside. Leaving Ginkaku-ji, we made the shopping street. L was able to taste salty Dango. We had drinks to land near the river. In the evening, we stayed at the apartment and did some laundry. I must say that the Japanese washing machines are very rough and it has ruined our clothes. All L socks were holed after being washed.
Day 6: Tokyo (Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya)
That morning we decided to go to Tokyo 東京 (formerly Edo) because it was the only place accessible by train with sunny weather. Indeed typhoon Hagibis approached and the weather became disastrous. In addition, there is much to do and see.
We left late, so we arrived there around noon. To compensate we decided to come back late, with the last train.
We boarded the 1st train bound for Tokyo. We went up in the pile at the moment because the doors closed behind us.
For the first time a controller has passed; and for good reason, it is a NOZOMI train. The JR Pass do not give access to these super fast trains ^^ '. Fortunately for us, the controller was very kind. He explained everything to us and did not charge us the fine in exchange for which we went down to the next station. The fine is very high (about 600€/ticket + the price of the ticket). So we went out to Shinagawa and waited for a shinkansen HIKARI to go to Tokyo Station. There we took the green subway line JY. We realized that we were going to Shibuya with this line and we were passing through Shinagawa ^^'.
I like Tokyo. We took the subway to Shibuya. We went directly to the statue of the dog Hachiko and took pictures. L really looked like a tourist with his backpack, our two umbrellas and my camera around his neck. We then wandered around before heading to Genki Sushi, a high-tech sushi restaurant where everyone orders with a touchpad. It was a super fun experience. In addition, the fish was smelting and good. We did not eat until we were hungry because we knew we were going to taste a lot of things.
By the way, when we went out we took a small package of chicken nugget with which we have all the sauces. We walked calmly to Harajuku and then Shinjuku. We went through Takeshi Street to enjoy a delicious pancake. We were too busy to eat colorful candy. My crepe was strawberry with custard cream and chantilly. It's good and burly. We settled on a bench to eat. A little sparrow came to visit us to eat our crumbs. It was really cute. We walked towards the Tokyo Plaza (the mall where the entrance is covered with mirrors). I love Japanese fashion! I bought some clothes (high quality, so expensive, BUT it will last in time which is more ecologic).
Shinjuku looks like a mix between La Défense and Time Square. It's very cool at night. We stopped at a cafe on the 2nd floor. (You should know that restaurants, cafes, shops are not necessarily on the ground floor, as it is even more common to find cafes and terraces on the 7th floor in Tokyo and almost no coffee directly on the street. easy to lose his Parisian habits and to look up to find where to drink tea). I ordered a purple sweet potato dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and access to unlimited drinks. I was able to taste matcha latte (delicious), hot chocolate matcha (it had more taste of chocolate than matcha but L thought the opposite...). The wifi was free. In Japan there is practically free wifi everywhere! I took the opportunity to update my story on Instagram. You can also follow me on Instagram with @moustachedechaton.
After this little break, we looked for an izakaya 居酒屋. It's the equivalent in Japan of the bistro or the wine bar in France, the pub in England or the tapas restaurant in Spain. Literally, izakaya is a place where alcoholic beverages are served; the character 酒 in central position meaning alcohol.
We went to Golden Street. There is an unimaginable amount of small bars there! Upstairs, downstairs, with just a counter and 4-5 chairs. It's really small. The one I chose was only frequented by Japanese people. We received otoshi for 1,000 yen (the price of the otoshi changes depending of the restaurant/bar). It was really good. There were 2 small avocado toasts and a meatball surrounded by a cabbage leaf.
Otoshi, what is it? This is an entry (almost) obligatory, replacing the tip, to pay the waiters/bartenders. It is very frowned upon not to take otoshi (either by the servers or by the customers).
I drank Shoshu (and not soju, which is, I think, a Korean beverage) with green tea, then with oolong tea, before copying my neighbor drinking it with acerola juice. The shoshu cocktail and acerola juice is a killer! it's too good! I think it's my new favorite haha cocktail. Shoshu, alcohol of their sweet potato, is rather particular alcohol: it has no taste. One perceives that one has a liquid in the mouth but this one annihilates the direction of the taste; it's very special ... ideal when you do not really like the taste and the sensation of alcohol; a little dangerous maybe because it is difficult to perceive it in a drink (but again it tends to remove the taste in the mouth of the coup when we drink we realize that the tea is not like d usual). The bartender was very friendly. It was, unfortunately, the only one to speak a little English. We were very frustrated that we could not converse with the locals ... Fortunately, Google Translation exists! It's really effective. Everyone in the bar looked nice. The Japanese man next to me thought Louis was smoking marijuana when he was smoking a cigarette. It was funny to see his reaction. When I burned myself with the 2nd otoshi, he asked me (in Japanese) if I was fine. We managed to break the ice a little with the sentence I learned in Louis: "Watashi no namae wa + first name". That means "my name is + first name".
Around 19:30, we look at the train website to know the time of the last train to Kyoto, just to have peace of mind. Guess what? We missed it! This incident was a lot of stress for Louis. Fortunately, I managed to rent a last-minute room in a district of Tokyo. This evening will have cost us dearly!
On the way to our Airbnb, we bought a curry bun and a meat and cheese bun. I loved. It really does not be afraid and test a bit of everything in Japan. I was rarely disappointed because even when it was not for my taste it was not disgusting.
Day 7: Kyoto
After this chaotic evening, we went straight back to Kyoto the next morning. On the program: Nara. 2h30 of the train after, we opted to cancel the visit to Nara and visit Kyoto Square (because we were tired of the train and the next day we had to return to Tokyo).
So we went to the Nishiki market. L loved it. According to him, we should have started on the 1st day because it allows to soak up the Japanese culture, smells, and tastes. He tasted a crab stick and a shrimp donut. I had when to me right to my melon pan filled with matcha ice cream. Apparently, there is in the south of France a pastry similar to a melon pan with the addition of orange blossom: the Gibacier.
On the way back, we visited a huge complex of temples, not far from Kyoto Station. It's really grandiose! We were not allowed to take pictures. We saw a rope made of hair. Much to L's pleasure, there is a smoking room in the gift shop.
We went home to watch an animated. We were watching Re: Zero. After a few episodes, we went out to the supermarket (not a konbini). It's still different from home. There is a lot of diversity and choice on the shelves in France. We did not really understand what we bought, but that's what's fun. We have 4 Japanese beers unknown to the international, gyozas, kibble corn (which is a killer) and what to make homemade udon. We ate very well.
Day 8: Tokyo (Akihabara)
We went back to Tokyo to see 2 matsuris (festival). Raised at 7:30, we had the 8:37 train. This trip to Tokyo was a failure: the dates and matsuri proposed in the tourist guide are wrong.
So we decided to go to Akihabara! It saved our day. We went into a game center. This time Louis played. He tried 3 times to win me a plush, and then we played together at the drums. We had a lot of fun. Japanese arcade machines are too cool! I even saw where with a real deck of cards and a touch table, we can play. We thought we were in a game of Yu-Gi-Oh.
After our bar party in Tokyo, we pay much more attention to our expenses. So we had a cheap lunch and it was still super good and nutritious! We ate marinated pork dondori in ginger, curry, miso soup and salad (even when it's cheap, they do not make fun of us Japanese).
L finds the neighborhood of Akihabara very nice. I am quite surprised by the number of miniatures shops. I do not really understand the excitement around that ... Especially that people leave the figurine in the box and do not even play with it.
We ate a pastry in the shape of magicarp stuffed with mashed sweet potato. Oishiiiii!
We went for tea in a maid cafe called Mai:lish. I took a piece of strawberry cake and Lous an iced coffee. It was a nice experience. Even though the waitresses did not speak English, they did everything to interact with us. The first was excited. She asked us our favorite animated. I answered Sword Art Online and she loved my answer (I saw that there were plenty of SAO figurines in the streets, I'm smart). She asked me about my favorite character and I said Kirito-kun. She was excited! Louis answered Re: Zero. She brought us magazines and manga. Kawaii.
A second maid came later to ask us where we came from (France) and what is our favorite dish (Gratin Dauphinois). He was then told about Burgundy snail and frog legs. She was shocked. We had a good laugh together.
We were then joined by a classmate who lives in Japan for 1 year. We took again the pastry fish stuffed with mashed sweet potato and shared it before going to Shibuya. We had coffee for L and matcha latte for C and me. We had a good talk and learned a lot about life in Japan.
Day 9: Hiroshima
Raised at 6:30, we had trouble waking up. We ran to get our train. It's cool to not take the train for 2 hours today.
At Hiroshima, it was very beautiful and hot. The weather is mild despite the arrival of the Hagibis typhoon. We feel that we went down to the south.
Nearby the JR station, all the buildings are really large with large and wide avenues. The architectural style contrasts with traditional Japanese architecture. It is clear that it is a recent city. Green spaces and gardens have also been integrated.
We crossed the river to reach the Genbaku dome, the only building that survived the atomic bomb despite its proximity to the point of impact. The building is quite in ruins. If it resisted so well it was because he was built by a Dutch architect apparently; so the walls were made of reinforced concrete and not with wood.
In front of the dome, an old Japanese woman told the story of her family on the day of the bombing. It advocated the non-use of nuclear weapons and peace in the world. She gave us a swallow origami, a symbol of peace.
We went around all the buildings in the park. There were statues, messages of peace and love, drawings, commemorative stones ... It touched me.
We then headed to Hiroshima Castle. We started the visit one of the walls of the domain of the castle and a guard tower. We were able to play on a war drum. The sound is beautiful. It made the floor vibrate.
The castle is beautiful and impressive. According to L, it would have been really difficult to take this castle. Inside is not a real castle but a museum. The castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb. The museum is well done and is English-friendly. I recommend it. We learned a lot of things; especially that a good part of the Hiroshima land that we see today has actually been added to have flat land where to farm. It was necessary to choose plants that could withstand high salt content. That's why sweet potatoes and cotton have been planted in the area. In addition, for a long time, Hiroshima was the largest port trading platform. Besides, the explanations in English were made by an English YouTubers that L looks at. The explanatory videos were very well done. In the castle, we are not allowed to take pictures. We were able to wear a replica of a katana. The view from the top of the castle is beautiful.
Then, We went to Shukkei-en garden. It's a beautiful garden. A free guided tour was offered to us. Our guide was very kind. The Garden Bridge is the only surviving remnant of the atomic bomb. Indeed all the gardens, houses, plants and animals are dead and destroyed.
There is peace in this garden. There is a pond in the middle of it with lots of carp and turtles. The guide explained that before there were only black carp and that they were eaten by humans. There was a genetic mutation making the carps colorful and they were not eaten.
This garden aims to represent nature in miniature; hence the presence of a pond (representing the ocean), small waterfalls, streams, miniature trees, hills, islands, etc. There is a big hill that is meant to be a replica of Mount Fuji. There was even a mini pebble beach.
We also saw the ginko tree that survived the atomic bomb. Its seeds have been sent around the world as a symbol of peace.
I love this garden. I took a nap. The wind, the smell of space, the sounds of nature, the heat of the moment ... Peace. Happiness.
In the garden, there are 3 tea houses for the tea ceremony. The one who originally ordered this garden was master tea. In tea philosophy everyone is equal. This is why the samurai, before entering the ceremonial hall, had to withdraw their katana. Just as each encounter is unique, precious and potentially the last. We must, therefore, appreciate the present moment and be grateful for each exchange.
Transfer from Hiroshima to Miyajima Island
Walk back to JR Hiroshima station to take a JR train to Miyajima Island where the huge floating tori is located. You still have to take a ferry to get there. The JR ferry is "free" for people with a JR Pass. I loved the transfer ferry trip. The outside temperature was perfect. The smell was delicious and pleasant. The wind was refreshing.
On the island, there are wild doe. Kawaii. We walked to the huge floating tori. It was under renovation ... -_- So we went to the 1000 tori on stilts. The entrance was very expensive and the tide low ... -_- We were very disappointed. We did a little tour on the island. We saw a pretty doe eating a tourist's paper bag. The first reflex of her when she saw that it was an animal was to kick him in the head! I was very shocked by this reaction. I was not alone by the way. Everyone watched her. When she noticed it, she stopped and quickly left.
Return by ferry (15 min), then metro before taking a HIKARI shinkansen to Kyoto. We left early because the typhoon Hagibis was approaching. All trains had planned to be closed from the next day. In doubt that the lines close earlier in the evening (because according to the French press it was the worst typhoon in years). By rushing ourselves, because there were many people, we got on the wrong train. It was a KODAMA for Okayama. A KODAMA is a bit like a TER. He drives slowly, stops at all stations and takes long breaks. Arriving in Okayama we waited more than an hour to get a train to Osaka. Indeed the only trains leaving from Okayama were either NOZOMI (prohibited for JR Pass) or KODAMA (super slow). No trains passing through Okayama went to Kyoto. The platform was very crowded. Everyone was hurrying and jostling (which is rare in Japan, normally people line up to get on public transport and no one doubles).
The SAKURA train we took was like the others: crowded. There was no more seating, people were standing in the corridors and between the cars. With L, we were in front of the toilet: a chance for us because we were able to sit on the floor.
In Osaka, we ran into the station to catch a subway (JT Kyoto line). The return trip lasted almost 5 hours !!!
Day 10: Kyoto -typhoon day-
We had a good morning sleep that day. The typhoon Hagibis had arrived in Japan. 3/4 of the archipelago was affected. The train lines were closed. It was therefore impossible for us to travel and visit. We took advantage of this day of rest.
Around 14h we went to Kyoto Station to eat in his basement. There was nobody in the streets. Everyone was underground. There is really a city under the city. This is actually very convenient when the weather is capricious.
Japanese train stations are not like ours. This is a very clean, busy place with lots of shops and restaurants. All Japanese go there for shopping, shopping or going out.
We did 2 hours of shopping to find the gifts and souvenirs to bring back home. We finished Re: Zero. I love isekai.
Day 11: Nara
It's a rainy, cold day. We went to Nara. Many train lines were still closed. The journey was very long shot.
We walked to Nara Park. It's crazy how the weather has changed quickly. On the way, we saw a primary school where there was an event. It was apparently a day dedicated to sports. Our guide in Hiroshima had told us about it. There were lots of parents and grandparents. The children were tidy online and well organized. It was cool to see their sporting events. They are really fair play, it's nice. There was a tug of war and a relay race. We left before the end because Louis was cold not to move. He did not have a sweater or scarf the poor ...
At the entrance of the park, there are many temples. We took tickets to visit the Kohfukuji central golden hall. It was very disappointing! The entrance was quite expensive and there was almost nothing to see and it was forbidden to take pictures ... We were not happy. We had almost no money as the trip was coming to an end and use our last money for that ... I really felt like throwing my money out the window. The ticket allowed us to approach the temple to "see it better" and "visit" it, ie to see a Buddha but not to go inside.
In Nara Park, there is plenty of wild deer. I was a little afraid of them I admit ^^ '. They are not, however, fierce or shy. It was still necessary to be careful because it was the period of reproduction. We wondered how the deer wooed because normally it is by fighting but, for security reasons, their antlers were cut ... We had the chance to see a beautiful stag with big antlers running to confront other males or chase females. I touched a doe. It's not soft.
The walk in the forest could have been more enjoyable if there had been so many tourists. It was very very crowded. It was not easy to progress in the crowd. It did me a lot of good when we were able to get out of the crowd and isolate ourselves a bit. We saw a Shinto wedding!
Around lunchtime, we went to Nara town in order to find a restaurant. We passed in front of a mochi maker shop! The mochi there are freshly made, so soft and tasty. Oishi desu. The mochi was filled with azuki paste and covered with peanut powder. Delicious.
We had lunch at Mellow cafe. The restaurant hide in a really small street. It is spacious. It was nice! We are more used to be in places where we have space in France, and everything in Japan is small and little. I wanted to eat pizza and L pasta. That is why I ordered pasta with white thick sauce from white miso and leeks. Delicious. Louis ordered a pizza with seafood. I couldn't taste it because I am allergic to seafood.
The quantities served in Japan are small compared to the European portions. For me it's the ideal size: I ate well but not too much. For L, It's really not enough.
I wanted to order a dessert for trying the purple sweet potato latte but the waiter never came so we left. We passed again the mochi shop and at that moment they were preparing the mochi !!! So cool!
We didn't stay late because the journey in the subway is quite long. I took a nap. We watched another isekai after Re:Zero > Tate no Yuusha no Nariagaru. J'adore! I'm a real fan of isekai. After a couple of episodes we went out shopping and Louis could smoke. We each bought a can of alcohol (beer for Louis and peach alcohol for me). It's amazing how good and free I feel in this country.
There was a crowd in front of the Hub pub. A quiet crowd more and silent. Very strange. In fact, the rugby match had just started! It was Japan VS Scotland. Japan won!
Day 12: Kanazawa
Last night at Kyoto. We prepared our suitcases in the morning. It took me a long time to do mine, which made us late and on edge.
Due to the hurricane, a lot of train lines were closed, making access to Kanazawa difficult. To get to Kanazawa, we took a subway on track 0. We got a little bumpy. It was a bit like announcing to go on track 9 3/4. When it was announced to me, I wasn't sure if I understood... Our transfer took a long time. We arrived after 12 am. We were hungry, it was raining, Louis wanted to smoke, we were loaded and there were a lot of people... Anything to put me in a good mood! We put our suitcases in the lockers and then we went to eat at the station. It was good and it allowed me to relax. After eating, we went to look for a place for Louis to smoke.
It was Louis who chose all the visits of the day (after all he was the one who was ultra motivated to come here!). He wanted to go to Kanazawa too much. We spend the day under the rain ! We were soaked!
We started our visits to the Ashigaru museum. Mud walls enclose the vast property of the Samuraï houses and extend down along the street. The style of the gate was determined by the rank of the family. Only people of samuraï status were allowed to live in these types of houses which today convey to us the atmosphere of the feudal era.
We visited several houses of samurai and warriors from the feudal period of Japan. It was strangely large and small at the same time. Depending on the rank, the size and beauty of the gardens changed.
Along the way we saw churches of the religions and sects of Japan. These buildings are gigantic!
We visited the Takada house. The garden of the Takada house is big and beautiful. There were stables. Remains of the house of the Takada family of the Kaga clan. The feudal-period row-house gate (a characteristic samuraï-house gate placed in the center of a long row house) of the Takada Family house has been restored, and the house is open to the public. The garden retains its atmosphere of the feudal period.
Nagaya-mon 長屋-月 : this word refers to a characteristic samuraï-house gate placed in the center of a long row-house. The samuraïs' servants, called chugen and komono, lived in a room adjacent to the nagaya-mon and served as both attendants and gate-keepers.
After that, we headed for Kanazawa Castle. By the time we got there, I was soaking wet. The "simple" samurai garden is breathtaking! So much beauty... We didn't visit any buildings because it's not free. We "what" the gardens did. They are splendid even in the rain. Arrived at the station, we realized that there was no direct train to Tokyo. We had a lot of trouble! We were sitting on the floor of the train. Louis was reading and I was playing sudoku.
Our apartment in Tokyo was bigger than the one in Kyoto. The living room/bedroom was L-shaped. So we couldn't sleep together.
Day 13: Kamakura
We left relatively early to go to Kamakura. When we got there, we went to have breakfast at the Chocolate Bank because I wanted chocolate. My hot chocolate was delicious. There was free wifi which allowed me to work out our itinerary.
The streets of the city are pretty. First, we went to Zeniarai Benzaitten Ugafuku-jinja. To go there, you have to go through a tunnel dug in the mountain. In this populated place, people walk around with small wicker baskets in which they put their money to wash it. Legend has it that by washing them in the temple water, more money can be obtained later on. Basically, this water makes you rich.
We continued our climb up the mountain and followed a hiking trail. This one was uneven, following the passage of the typhoon of Hagibis. In spite of the sign saying not to take the hiking trail, Louis decided that we should go there.
I was a little afraid of running into snakes or Asian hornets. The path to the temple was impassable. Trees had fallen. We had to find another way. There were a few Japanese there, which reassured us. The hike was fun. We finally found a "real" road. We took a short break for a drink and onigiri. It was so good.
Then we went to see Kamakura Big Buddha. We paid the entrance fee, which exasperated Louis. The Buddha is huge. A statue of that size does something.
On the way, we came across the Kannon Coffee Kamakura! I was so happy! I wanted to go too much! I had a pancake with candied apple, caramel sauce, roasted hazelnuts, and granola. I also had the Buddha-shaped cookie.
After the break, we headed to the sea. There we had a little cigarette break and lunch. The view was very beautiful and soothing.
In the evening, we met a friend from school in Shibuya. We went to an Izakaya. It was really cool! The atmosphere is warm and the people are nice. We ate very well. I discovered Shiitake and a cocktail that I nicknamed "Pez juice" because it tasted like candy. We ordered bugs and played a game to see who would lose and eat a grasshopper. I won every round and didn't taste any grasshoppers haha. We had a very good evening.
After the Izakaya, we went to karaoke. We disguised ourselves with disguises provided.
Left a little too late, we had no subway and had to walk back. We walked for an hour and a half.
Day 14: Tokyo (Ueno)
We decided to have a chill day. We were both a little sick... The day was dedicated to shopping for souvenirs and gifts.
We went to Ueno Park for a picnic. There were a market and a show. It was fun. At Ueno Park, there are often events and shows.
We went to the Kamata cutlery shop. This one was very full. Louis found a great knife for his father.
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