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Shinkasens Are What We All Should Aspire To In A Public Transport System!!!
JR Passes are a god send to I might add!!! With seats reserved for the 2.5 hour trip to
Kyoto (in a smoking car too….. it’s the little touches that make it special), we were on our way. Unfortunately, the day was cloudy, so the promised view of Mt Fuji wasn’t to be. Leaving Tokyo, the suburbs seemed to blur and blend together and before you know it, your in Yokohama. Slowly, the buildings fade and the land becomes dotted with houses between rice paddies. This is where the bullet train really comes into it’s own!!! Winding up to over 200km/h, the landscape seems to change in seconds from fields to towns and then to forests and mountains. I never realised how mountainous Japan really is until now. Sheer sides covered in trees ranging from pines to broad leafed varieties create different hues of green that cascade in large copses down the sides and then…. Black!!! The shinkasen, it seems, doesn’t stop just because a mountain was where it needed to go. Another flash of green and back to black, emerging out the other side into a
valley surrounded by mountains, weaving in and out of buildings at about the 4th floor level, going round corners at an angle so it doesn’t even need to slow. An amazing experience that everyone needs to try at least once in their life.
Kyoto is the former capital of Japan and contains the largest density of temples and shrines anywhere in the country (as well as being the largest concentration of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world). On top of this, it is also the location that geishas apprentice and the majority still live around the suburb of
Gion. In fact, the very first night there, we managed to spy two apprentices on separate occasions… looked like we were in for a treat here in Kyoto.
One of the Shoguns palaces was our first stop, with
Nijojo Castle being used for the emperor’s residence in the 1600’s. Beautifully manicured gardens and a palace with squeaking floors to alert of assassins, together with a proper moat and solidly constructed gate created both an atmosphere of peace and the impression of violence. A subway trip and a walk up to the hills provided our second stop,
Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Known
as the Wooden Pavilion, and built on stilts into the side of the mountain, we were graced with the presence of another two Maiko (Geisha apprentices) on their way to worship. The panorama from the temple over Kyoto and the mountains was amazing to say the least and the photos will probably never do justice to the emotions invoked while leaning on the railing, looking out.
Sanjusangen Temple, or the Temple of 1001 Buddhas, contains…. you guessed it…. 1001 statues, handcrafted , in the image of Buddha. There is one main statue standing in the middle of a great hall with 500 life size statues on each side, each with 42 hands and 11 faces. The two main hands are discounted as they are like everyone else but the 40 others are said to look after 25 species each making 1000 or all species to the ancient Japanese. The 10 faces around the crown worn by Buddha are said to be able to see all.
At the start of each day, you think that your just going to see a couple of temples and it won’t take long….. how wrong you are. After three temples we headed back
as the light was fading fast and the day had flown by.
A trip to Kyoto can’t be done without seeing the Golden Pavilion. Housed in
Rokuon-ji Temple, it is a three tiered pagoda sheathed in gold plating which glows in the morning and evening when the sun hits it. Unfortunately, it had started to rain overnight, and the sky was still threatening when we arrived, but still a must do. Just down the road is a typical Japanese rock garden that was a retreat for a the Shogun’s family.
Ryoanji Temple is considered one of the best examples of a Japanese contemplation garden in the country. Set by a natural lake and having isolated areas throughout, it is a fantastic place to wander through and take in the beauty of the area. While there, school groups were going through in their hundreds and one teacher approached us and asked if his students could practice some of their English with us. It was an incredible experience which ended with Mel and myself writing a short letter for them about our time in Japan and how we liked it for them to read back in their classes.
Finally, we
headed to
Fushimi-inari-taisha Shrine, which is thousands of tori gates lined up on a 4km walk through the forests. After the first kilometre, we copped out as the day was getting away from us again, and only ended up doing the small circuit. Amazing all the same!!!
We head for Hiroshima the next day, but instead of wasting a day on travel, we are intending on breaking up the two hour journey with a trip to Himeji Castle half way. So after two and a half days in Kyoto, we saw three World Heritage sites and five National Heritage Sites and only just scratched the surface. Kyoto is definitely on the list of places to come and discover more.
“My first trip to Japan really opened my eyes. I was given a plate of raw fish and the only thing I got up enough courage to eat was the wasabi.” Richard Branson
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