Shirakawago and Kanazawa

The Miburo Dam, Japan's first and largest dam built with only stones and clay. Extremely controversial when it was first proposed because it displaced an entire village. Two 300 - 400 year old cherry trees were moved up the hill and amazingly, survived. The trees symbolized hope for the villagers, who reluctantly moved on. It was raining, so we took a photo, instead, of a school child's model of one of the trees in bloom.























A view of the UNESCO World Heritage village
of Shirakawago Gassho-zukuri, where some of the
homes displaced from the dam were relocated.
The wooden homes with steeped thatched roofs are 
designed to withstand heavy snow.

A close-up look at the ripening rice before crossing the suspension bridge over the river and on to our next stop.

On the bus Oka-san played a Discovery video of Sumo Wrestling.  We became intrigued by this ancient sport which relies heavily (pun intended) on ritual and tradition.  It helped that Jerry-san and I are reading Gail Tsugawa's book about Japan called Street of a Thousand Blossoms.  It's about two brothers before, during and after World War II, one of whom becomes a Noh mask-maker and the other a Sumo wrestler.  We highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to know more about the effects of the war on the residents of Tokyo.  (We had never heard about the horrific fire-bombing of Tokyo.)


We arrived in Oka-san's favorite city, Kanazawa, later in the day.  It didn't take long for us to find out why she loves it.  From the marvelous architecture of the Kanazawa Station with it's stylized Torii Gate to the view of the Pacific Ocean from our hotel to the teahouse district and the Kenrokuen Gardens - Kanazawa is exceptional.

Oka-san led us through the Kenrokuen (Garden of Six Attributes), one of the three finest traditional gardens in Japan.  Begun in 1676, its 25 acres include ponds, waterfalls, trees, flowers, bridges and stone walkways.  We were photographed on one of the bridges best known as ---well, the place where everyone takes pictures! We were lucky to be in the gardens at the same time as the workers busy with ladders and clippers.  Some of the trees are over 300 years old, and it's easy to see the source of their longevity.  All it takes is a lot of TLC.















The six attributes of a traditional garden can be found in the next photos:  extensiveness, manmade, antiquity, water, wide prospect and quiet seclusion.  Easy, right?  It only took the Kanazawa gardeners a bit over 300 years to achieve.

Mt. Fuji, Suwa and Takayama

Bullet train adventure. We were on it for just 45 minutes but that's because, at one point, we were traveling 180 miles per hour! The ladies in pink lined up on the side were the cleaning crew. The train - like most things we've experienced (subway stations, streets, restaurants, washrooms) - was immaculate.




Here's our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji, the revered mountain that rises in the midst of the Japanese alps (we didn't know that Japan has three sets of mountain ranges called "alps.") With the Shinto torii gate in the foreground, the setting is suitably sacred. Oka-san, our amazing guide, was so excited that the mountain was visible that she was almost jumping up and down. "Ah, she shows herself to you! She is so kind today!" We felt very lucky. (In her previous ten trips, she had seen the mountain only three times.)












On our way to a boat ride on the Ashi Lake at the foot of Mt. Fuji.








The rice fields are nearing harvest and starting to turn a vivid golden color.




Captured this picture of Mt. Fuji's summit from the bus on our way up to the Fifth Station where the road stops.




Jerry is pointing to the last station before the climbing actually starts. It takes most of a day to climb, and some people sleep in a hut before the ascent, so it can be finished in time to watch the sunrise, the goal of your pilgrimage to the top of Mt. Fuji. Anyone want to sign up?




Jerry takes a few steps on the trail which, at this point, is deceptively flat.




A post office at the Fifth Station:




You'd think we'd be somewhat alone this high up, but no - the rest of the world joined us.




Oka-san explains the characters for "man" and "woman." Any guesses? The one on the left is a rice field and the sign for power. On the right is a woman's figure. You need to use a bit of imagination.




Our room at a traditional ryokan lodging, a 150-year-old inn, where we took off our shoes, had tea, wore kimonos, ate dinner featuring local specialties and slept on a futon. Only four of us ventured into the "communal" bath fed by natural hot mineral springs. Oka-san spent a good amount of time explaining the ritual to us but failed to make clear that men and women bathe separately. Some of the men were disappointed about that. (By the way, in case you're wondering, Jerry decided to skip this cultural experience. No surprise. I, on the other hand, felt rejuvenated after three minutes in the hot water.)


































In the morning we walked by the lake where giant swan boats dominated the shore. Our traditional Japanese breakfast (salmon, dried fish, tofu, seaweed, miso soup...) filled us up.




The staff lines up to wave goodbye to their guests. They don't stop waving until we're out of sight. Sound familiar, children? (This is another Japanese tradition that echoes our family rituals.)




On to Takayama and a rainy day for school children walking past the Morning Market.

Aesthetic arrangements of flowers and vegetables.

       

           

 Japanese eggplants - small, smaller, smallest.

Note the price of the large tomatoes. 1300 yen is about fifteen dollars. Yes, for one tomato! Did we forget to mention how expensive everything is? A perfect cantaloupe is about thirty dollars. A bunch of large grapes (each the size of a small plum) is ten dollars.

Inside Japan

TOKYO
The first two images capture our first impression of Tokyo: a pervading sense of serenity amongst the busyness of 7 million people working and living. The first picture is the lobby of our hotel on the 25th floor, a simple pot set on an uncluttered, pristine counter. No phones ringing or people clamoring. Are we affected by our surroundings - glass cases containing two or three pieces of art, walls adorned by modern or ancient pieces of fabric sculpture, small tables holding a single candle or vase? It would appear so. Jerry seems to be absorbing the peace after a breakfast that was just as simple and elegant as the environment.


































Our first day of touring included the Meiji Jingu Shrine and the Senso-Ji Buddhist Temple. We purified ourselves with water at the shrine and with incense at the temple. We prayed for the special needs of friends who are going through treatment for cancer and received a good fortune (for only 100 yen. If it had been bad, we could have returned it, and losing the yen would have been our only bad luck.) I love the words of the first part of the fortune: "In your dream, you met a major gentleman superior to thousands, ten thousands people. (Jerry!) The fortune came to you like flowers smell so sweet on warm days in spring. It is a happy looking that should be celebrated, the decayed branch got flowers open again." [sic] And it continues: "Any request will be granted to you: The patient get well soon." Yay!!




















Not too many ladies in kimonos these days, but the ones we see catch our attention - and our breaths.




A familiar figure! A few years ago Tokyo dedicated a year to French culture, and France donated their replica of the gift they had given the US. When it was time to take it home, the people missed it so much that they made their own replica so "the Goddess of Liberty" could stay. She welcomes people to the manmade island of Daiba, a rather futuristic place where, for instance, there are no garbage trucks. Waste is sent by a large vacuum tube to the mainland where it's processed and used for energy.




A highlight of our tour was a a stop at the mall and seeing these kittens and puppies, highly valued. The kitty cost $3,000 and the chihuahua $6,000! Not sure how much the cocker spaniel was, but I would have paid at least --- $200?












And after they're purchased, they are obviously pampered. This pup has his own stroller with access to a store full of outfits, something for every day of the year.




Hamarikyu Garden surrounded by high rise buildings. See the small white object in the center?




According to our son the birdwatcher,
it's probably some kind of Japanese heron.
















The architecture is fabulous, spilling over into the realm of fantasy. This clock entrance to a hotel was designed by the artistic genius, Miyazaki, animator of the movies "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle,"




A visit to the East Garden of the Imperial Palace where the Emperor and Empress still live. Would love to have had tea with them, but our time was short. (We wish :) All that remains of the original grounds are the stone ramparts.
























Famous calligraphy artist, Kouncha, is another highlight. She gave us each a painting based on her insight into our characters and needs. She is deeply spiritual, an intuitive genius. This was a mystical experience.




From the sublime to the ridiculous. The Japanese seem to love Tommy Lee Jones. Here he is in the subway station advertising - coffee?




Night scene of the Tokyo harbor from the 46th floor of the Coretta Hotel. And so --- goodnight.

Location:Tokyo