Author Archives: Mrsmcanespie

Well, the sun has set on the final evening of our holiday. Today was spent getting lost in Tokyo, around the shops and stalls, streets and sights.

We had a sublime last supper in the hotel grill and toasted the end of it all with saki. The cases are packed and waiting for our 7.00am start for the airport tomorrow morning. I’m a little bit drunk and a little bit sad to be going home after the best holiday ever. But to tell you the truth, I don’t think I could have done much more of this – relaxing it wasn’t. We’ve been at it, full pelt for 16 days and the tired old body has had its fill.

But we did it, one more thing ticked off the bucket list. Roll on the next one – Moscow, South America or New Zealand – place your bets now!

I can't not say something about yesterday's visit to Hiroshima but Mac has very eloquently summed it up. Like everything and everywhere in Japan, it is characterised by contrasts – the stark ruins of the A-Bomb Dome ( Genbaku) now sits in the midst of a rebuilt, vibrant city; the Memorial Gardens both a heartbreaking commemoration of what happened in 1945 and a testomony to human spirit; a lesson learned and a warning given to the rest of the world about the horrors of nuclear war.

But it was time to leave the island and head back to Tokyo and ever closer to the airport. The six-hour journey was by boat, tram and bullet train and it allowed us to take our last look at the Japanese countryside as we hurtled our way back to the big smoke of Tokyo. Once again, our jaws had to be picked up from the ground when we saw our final hotel. It is in a skyscraper called Southern Tower, in the heart of Shinjuku and the foyer is on the 20th floor. We're on the 34th floor so you can imagine the view. Even going up in the glass elevator is thrilling – but then again, it doesn't take a lot to thrill me! This is where the film “Lost in Translation” was made and Shinjuku by night is like stepping into the film. It is a hive of activity: shops; red light district; clubs; restaurants – this is the Soho of Tokyo and I love it.

Tomorrow's our last day – I don't want to go home. Normally a week or 10 days is enough for me but I don't want this to end. Anyway, I'm not going to spoil my penultimate night by moaning – I'm going to enjoy the last dregs of this holiday, in the hotel bar, on the 40th floor, up in the sky. Another gin and tonic, bar-tender and make it a large one!

Left Kyoto today and headed to the beautiful island of Miyajima, a UNESCO world heritage site. We travelled to Hiroshima by shinkansen, then got a tram to the port and sailed to the island on the ferry. We knew we were going to be staying in a ryokan but never expected anything like this!

Ding dong! This place is something else – luxe de deluxe. When we arrived, our hostess greeted us and took us to our suite (see how I nonchalantly dropped that in). It’s stunning and enormous and gorgeous, just take a look at the photos. She served us tea while telling us about the facilities, checking what time we wanted our meals and discussing the menus. We couldn’t help feeling that we were in the wrong place!

But lovely and all as it was, we went out and took the cable car up Mount Misen, to view the island from above.

It was then back to the ryokan for dinner. My god, what an experience that was! We had decided on a fish menu and there were about a dozen courses – maybe it would be better described as small plates, but there were no actual plates – there were bowls, chalices, vessels, pots, slates, all containing differently prepared fish. The sashimi course was a dramatic presentation with ice, shells, flowers, sea weed, dry ice vapour, and of course, the fish. Then came the oysters, presented on a tiny brick oven and cooked at the table. The main course was seabream, slices of which we cooked in a soup which was bubbling away in little pots set over burners on the table. Our hostess was there to serve us and to explain to us what exactly to do with this plethora of alien commestibles.

Two hours later, when we got back to the room, it had mysteriously been transformed. The table was now in an alcove, the futons had been set out and the heat turned up. So we got into our jammies – sorry – yukata, and chilled in our suite. Mac then lowered the tone of the whole situation by insisting on wearing his “divine wind” headband, but in the grand scheme of things, why the hell not? We have our own private onsen – an enormous bath tub in a big wet room, so we’ll have a go at that before the night is o’er.

I make no apologies for the inordinate number of photographs in tonight’s blog but words can’t really describe this place, or our dinner or indeed, Mac in a yukata.

Night-night.

The wine got the better of me last night so I’m writing this on the bullet train as we hurtle towards Hiroshima at 160 mph.

Yesterday, we took ourselves to Osaka for the day. This city was almost flattened during the war, so most of the buildings are very modern and none so archetecturally dramatic as the Umeda Sky Tower. Standing nearly 200 metres high, its mirrored twin towers are joined by a glass walkway. The description, ” a space-age Arc de Triomphe” just about sums it up. We took the glass elevator up the outside of the building, right up to the observation gallery – definitely not for those suffering from vertigo. When my heart rate got back to normal, I was able to enjoy the amazing sights across the city – a bit like the Empire State Building experience. We were then able to go up to the rooftop observation deck to get our heads blown off.

On then to Osaka-jo, a castle that took 100,000 workers three years to build in 1583. It was meant to be impregnable but was destroyed only 30 years later by the armies of Tokugawa. He rebuilt it but then razed it to the ground rather than let the forces of the Meiji Restoration claim it in 1868.
The castle that stands today is another reconstruction of the original, but built in 1931. A bit of a swizz? Maybe, but there’s no denying that it is a very impressive structure, perched on a hill with its moat, the most glorious gardens, and a sensational view over the river.

For dinner tonight, we decided to go for something different so went to an “Italian” restaurant. Well, a Japanese take on Italian. Once again, I wasn’t quite sure what I was eating but it had loads of chicken, basil and garlic in it so it made me very happy. At the end of the meal, I presented my compliments to the chef, using one of the expressions in my limited repertoire of stock Japanese phrases. The waiter must have passed them on because the chef came out of the kitchen and gave me the whole bowing thing – all smiles and joyful exclamations. He then proceeded to take a paper napkin from the table and create a little origami ballerina which he presented to me, to the applause of the waiters who by now has encircled our table. I was scundered!

I’ll just finish by telling you about a charming wee device I’ve noticed in public ladies toilets. When you sit down, just on your right at hand level, is a sensor thing. If you hold your hand in front of it, it starts to emit the sound of running water – like a river. Its purpose is to mask the sound of your piddle and protect the sensitivities of easily embarrassed ladies. Not sure if it would mask the sound of my fecal activity this morning though, after last night’s meal and a couple of bottles of house white.

Yeah right! But it is nice to celebrate our anniversary in Kyoto. Yesterday, Mac spent ages on his translator app on the Ipad and I knew he was working on something. This morning, he wished me happy anniversary and proclaimed his love for me in Japanese! When he ran it through the translator, however, what he actually said was, “My cardio-vascular is on the tabletop. Acclaimation to the auriole”. Thanks for that, Mac, it’s these unexpected endearments that have kept the flame alive for so long.

Loads of bits and pieces today –
Trawled the backstreets and markets of Higashiyama.

Returned to the museum of Traditional Crafts and Arts and saw there the most beautiful smoking area in the world.

Went to Kyoto Station – an astonishing edifice of glass and steel, towering 15 floors above the city and crowned with a roof garden – a “happy terrace” – that would delight even the grumpiest of bastards.

Went to the 141st Miyako Dori performance (Geisha Dancing) which marks the start of Spring each year. 60 Geiko and Maiko dancers and musicians, a perfectly choreographed, mega-production of colour, movement and story which left me stone cold.

Walked back via the main drag of Gion Kohbu Kabukai which could only be described as Camden Market on speed. Took a bus back to our hotel and discovered at first hand what crowding REALLY means. There were about 5000 on a single decker – I am loving this up close and personal in Japan.

Talking of which, I’ve much bigger fish to fry now.

Sayonara.

Today has just been the best day yet and I don’t care what that Korean head-the-ball is threatening, this holiday is getting better by the day.

At 9.00am we hit the streets with our guide for today, the diminutive Mr Tadashi Ichimaru, a Kyotoite with a twinkle in his eye. It didn’t take him long to get the measure of the type of thing we wanted to see, so soon we were off to view palaces, temples, shrines and zen gardens. The good thing about having a local guide is that they can take you to places off the beaten ‘Lonely Planet’ track. So instead of fighting our way through the crowds at the Golden Pavilion, we lost ourselves in the silence at Tofuku-ji, a temple complex with 24 sub-temples, gardens and the oldest Zen main gate in Japan. He explained the whole Zen thing and the principles of a zen garden with its gravel and rocks representing the universe (“use your imagination to expand your mind”) and how the absence of flowers allows us to free our minds from the bonds of actual beauty, to transcend to a higher plane. I sooo got it – Mac thought it was a load of bollocks. However, the reality will hit him when we get home and he is charged with digging up the back yard and laying down a couple of tons of sand and a pile of rocks to create the Mcanespie Zen garden experience.

Tada explained the whole history of the Shogun dynasty as we made our way through the Nijo Palace. He certainly knows his stuff and is such a good story-teller, I could have listened to his craic all day.

Best of all, however, was the sublime sight of the Fushimi-Inari Taisha, a stunning Shinto shrine dedicated to the gods of rice and saki. Its main feature is a 4km pathway, meandering up the mountain, lined with THOUSANDS of scarlet Tori gates. There’s no way our photos can come close to doing justice to the weird and mysterious atmosphere of this sacred shrine.

At around 5.30, we ended up in the Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts, set in a beautiful area of Kyoto, housing the University, Library, Municipal and National art galleries. By now we were knackered and it was time for Tada to leave us but we will certainly be back to this cool part of the city.

Dinner tonight was in another ‘traditional’ restaurant – weird but gorgeous. I swear, I could have been eating anything and probably was. Horse meat is one of the more mundane offerings available here. We hit on a discount liquor store on the way back to the hotel so I’m going to sign off now as a bottle of something calling itself ” gyn” awaits. Slainte.

Up and off to Kyoto for four days. Talk about intrepid travellers – all I need is a Baedeker! It was a two hour journey by shinkansen, speeding along at 150 miles an hour through towns and villages I had never heard of, nor probably ever will again. This is what I was so looking forward to in this holiday; the completely alien nature of it all, the places, the language, the people. In Kyoto station we headed to the subway and were about to get our tickets when a man and his wife gave us two all-day travel passes. They had finished using them but the tickets were still good until midnight. This augured well for Kyoto.

We reached the hotel, which is right in the city centre and my heart leaped to see a bed and chairs in the room. After a bit of a reccy of the area, a great weariness came over me. Too tired even to go out to dinner, I’m having an early night and starting afresh tomorrow. I hope Mac can entertain you a bit better than I can. Night-night.

(GrumpyGub adds: I’m tired too. Not much from me either apart from this – I saw a bottle of local whiskey this evening which was described on the label as being “Ideal for the casual whiskey drinker” I bought it, of course. Well, come on, how could you not? It cost 798 Yen. That’s about £5.30. At those prices I can be as casual as you like. It actually tastes quite good.)

There are seven types of transportation in Hakone and today, we used 6 of them. Travelling through the mountains involved the train, cablecar and funucular railway each taking us higher and higher, until there she was in all her snow-capped glory – Fuji-san. At nearly 4000 metres this dormant volcano, with its perfectly symmetrical shape, holds a fascination for the Japanese people, inexorably tied to Shintoism and basic spiritualism. It’s easy to see why it is a source of national pride; its breath-taking beauty rendered even me speechless.

We continued through the countryside by train and bus admiring forests, waterfalls, and villages built into the side of the mountains and so remote from everything that you wondered why they were there at all. There was a pervading smell of sulphur coming from the hot springs and you could see the steam rising from openings in the land where the boiling warer had burst through.

Gorgeous as it all was, I’m ready to hit the noise, smoke and bustle of Kyoto tomorrow. I guess you can take the girl out of the city…

We had another ‘traditional’ dinner tonight, consisting of about 12 courses, most of which I hadn’t a clue as to what they were. In normal circumstances, I hate people who take photographs of their food. They are ignorant, gauche and very uncool. Here are some snaps of our dinner!

Headed off into the mountains today for a couple of days in a traditional 300 year old ryokan in Hakone. The journey there was interesting, to say the least. It was public transport all the way – metro, shinkansen then the local bus and we were the smug little buggers managing not to get lost in translation and making the various reservations on time. The local bus was the best of the lot, even better than the shinkansen. For over an hour, it wound its way up the mountains, snaking round hair pin bends and missing oncoming traffic by inches. It was very Jeremy Clarkson – scary and not very funny. The scenery however was amazing and was such an enormous contrast to Tokyo. We passed through villages built into the side of the mountains, terraced paddy fields, forests of fifty shades of green and scattered with the pink and white of the cherry blossoms.

We got to the ryokan and it was like entering an alien world. There are only 12 rooms in it and they are traditional (weird), all sliding doors, tatami flooring and paper windows. There is a low table with cushions in the middle of the room and below the table is a fire-pit called a kotatsu. When you sit at the table, you put the table cloth over your lap and everything below your waist gets all warm and cozy. the 2 futons were already made up on the floor and are a lot more comfortable than they actually look. The beamed ceiling and small-paned windows make it look very oriental but needless to say, after about 10 minutes it was looking like our Judy’s bedroom. Even though we took very little with us for these couple of days ( the rest of our luggage being forwarded to Koyoto) the place is now like a kip and dive.

Yukata (kimonos) are supplied and you are encouraged to wear them to relax in your room and anywhere else in the ryokan or for strolling about in the grounds. There are outdoor hot sulphur springs and indoor baths. These are not private facilites, if you get my drift, and they give you guidance for their use including the removal of the yukata before entering the baths and the instruction not to wear bathing costumes in the water and not to approach it wrapped in a towel. I’m not sure if the people of Japan are ready for me wobbling and flapping around in the pelt or indeed, Mac’s double zipper down his chest but hey-ho, when in Rome and all that…

Tonight’s dinner was also very different. There were 3 appetizers, fishy affairs, and steamed tofu. Then along came a whole roasted, spiced squid on a magnolia leaf. A tempura dish followed that. All the while, our main dish of pork and vegetables was cooking on a burner on our table. All this was going on at the same time and the table was also covered in miso pickles, ponzu sauce, soya, salad and rice. After five minutes, the table looked like a trough and our kimonos needed laundered. It was quite an experience – for the staff as well as us.

It’s now 11.00pm and a thunder storm has just started – very dramatic indeed. We’re about to hit the outdoor hot spring and howl at the moon and listen to the thunder and lightning. Maybe this is the Japanese gods’ way of telling us to keep our clothes on.

On our way out this morning, we noticed that the Denbo-in garden was opened. That’s where the monks of the Senso-ji temple live and it opens to the public only for a limited time each April. So in we went and were blown away by the beauty of this zen garden. It has features to appeal to all the senses and everything in it, the plants, fish, flowers, waterfalls, all reflect the ephemeral nature of life. Blissed out, we passed the Shinto tori gate and ran into a wedding – all very traditional and lovely.

As it was another beautiful day weather-wise, we planned to spend most of it in Hama-rikyu Gardens so took a short-cut to the metro by nipping through Mitsuya, an enormous department store. A small crowd of people were gathered in the foyer, waiting for it to open. On the stroke of 10.00, a klaxton sounded and the doors were opened in a flourish by the uniformed commissionaires. In we went and each assistant was standing to attention at their counters, each bowing deeply to us as we passed, wishing us ‘ohayo goziamasu’. I felt like royalty – there must have been about 100 of them lining our route. By the time we had made our way through the store, my back was broken with bowing – that’s what I get for using their shop as a shortcut.

Needless to say, the gardens were gorgeous – a green oasis nestling amidst the imposing tower blocks of the business area of Shimbashi. There were perfectly manicured sensory gardens, lakes, tea houses, Shogun riding and hunting lodges, forests, glades and bridges. They gave us these audio guides which use modern satellite technology to detect your location within the gardens and automatically narrate interesting facts and stories about it. Falls Park it wasn’t.

We were knackered by the time we got back to the hotel and decided to have a wee kip. Four hours later, we woke up and only went out to dinner at 10.30pm. Then it was back to do some serious packing. We’re off to Hakone tomorrow, staying two nights in a ryokan up in the mountains so the idea was to take just what we needed and to forward the rest of the luggage on to Kyoto. God knows what I’m taking – I literally bunged a couple of things into the wee case – so it will have to do.

My prize today for misplaced apostrophes goes to this sign in Denbo-in. It is a sign forbidding photography of the monks’ dwellings which I duly took a photograph of.