[RD] Exploring Japan

[warpus]

The adventure continues

This is a brief recap of events since I left Tokyo, so you can get a better sense of where exactly in Japan all this stuff is.



As you can see Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Himeji are all on the high speed rail line, but Nara isn't.. I went from Tokyo (not on map, about 400km east of Kyoto) to Kyoto, then south to Nara, then took the train to Osaka and got lost there briefly.. then took the bullet train to Kobe, and that's where we last left off. My next stop would be Himeji, and the plan was to jump back on the bullet train and ride it all the way to Hiroshima.

The orange and red lines are the ones that work with the pass I had, meaning I could ride for "free". The other lines belong to other companies.

 

[Bugfatty300]

Definitely got your money's worth.

 

[amadeus]

Inside baseball but this map is pretty wild! I get that it’s trying to point out a few things, but it says “major cities” and puts down Yoshino and ... Asuka? A town of 5,000 people? It makes some of the least populated areas of Kansai look busy.

I do like the style though, reminds me of some old early 1990s game like Crisis in the Kremlin.

 

[warpus]

I wonder if it was focusing on displaying the main rail stations instead of the major cities?

 

[amadeus]

They’re not major stations. Asuka is home to Asukadera (tera/dera in this reading 寺 just means temple) and Yoshino home to Mt. Yoshino. I’ve been to Yoshino for cherry blossom viewing. It’s a bit of a hike to get up there and even once you’re up there, more hiking. I took the cable car.

So my guess is that the map is for holders of the JR unlimited railway pass (purchase is limited exclusively to foreign tourists)

I still really like the design, it’s just misleading to me as a long-term resident.

 

[warpus]

They’re not major stations. Asuka is home to Asukadera (tera/dera in this reading 寺 just means temple) and Yoshino home to Mt. Yoshino. I’ve been to Yoshino for cherry blossom viewing. It’s a bit of a hike to get up there and even once you’re up there, more hiking. I took the cable car.

So my guess is that the map is for holders of the JR unlimited railway pass (purchase is limited exclusively to foreign tourists)

I still really like the design, it’s just misleading to me as a long-term resident.

Yes, that's exactly it, it's for JR pass holders (the pass I had). I should have clued in earlier.

Ideally I should have been creating my own maps for this.. but the "my maps" service on google doesn't let you do multi-destination transit trips. I'd have to do it all manually.. I might create one like that at the end of the whole trip report, to show all the places where I travelled

 

[warpus]

Himeji Castle

Himeji was on my way to Hiroshima and the castle is a 20-30 minute walk from the train station.. I ended up having enough time to explore the castle rather casually

The castle is considered to be the finest surviving feudal castle in the country. It has famously never been destroyed by war, fire, earthquake, or anything else.. It dates back to 1333, but it was rebuilt from scratch and converted into a much larger complex in the early 1600s. Himeji castle is also the largest and most visited castle in the country.

 

[warpus]

Himeji Castle (continued)

The castle is essentially a collection of 83 rooms strategically connected to each other via corridors, walkways, and staircases..

Wood and stone are the two main materials used in construction. It is designed to be flexible and withstand earthquakes, which it has.. and somehow also all other disasters so far

 

[FriendlyFire]

Those Monkeys that bit you are now going on a rampage
Imagine like hundred monkeys beating the crap out of your for any food.

https://www.traveller.com.au/corona...over-towns-in-japan-thailand-and-chile-h1mu4q

 

[warpus]

Those Monkeys that bit you are now going on a rampage
Imagine like hundred monkeys beating the crap out of your for any food.

https://www.traveller.com.au/corona...over-towns-in-japan-thailand-and-chile-h1mu4q

This sort of thing is happening all around the world with various animals. I read that the deer in Nara are venturing out further in search of food, because there aren't tourists around to feed them, which is where they usually get most of their food.. I In the case of monkeys, they can cause more trouble than something like deer..

 

[warpus]

Himeji Castle (continued)

When I was walking through the castle I was accompanied by an English speaking tour guide in the form of an older Japanese lady. My own personal tour guide! For about 90 minutes she took me around the castle and explained things along the way.



The temple complex used to be a lot larger.



The castle is a fascinating creation with secret rooms and interesting architecture.



I believe this beam runs all the way from the bottom to the top of the castle.





We had a great time!

 

[JohannaK]

I've always wanted to visit that castle.

 

[warpus]

Goodbye to Himeji

Here's a shot of the castle I took with my nicer camera, which has a much better optical zoom.



I really enjoyed the tour of the castle. It wasn't rushed, I learned a lot from my guide, and almost felt like I made a new friend. She was super attentive to all my questions and you could tell just wanted me to understand more about what I was seeing. It's amazing that her services were free; I did not expect that as I walked towards the castle. So passionate about this too, it was probably the best tour guide I ever had!

I ended up walking back to the train station, which is about a half an hour walk. Here's me looking back towards the castle from just outside the train station:



Using the rail system in Japan is super easy. It blew my mind that I could accomplish so much in just one day! I jumped on the next high speed train heading west to Hiroshima just as it was beginning to get dark.



I arrived in Hiroshima at around 9:30pm and was checked into my hotel by 10. I had booked it from the train for about $50 CAD a night.

A late day, but not so bad! I went outside to try to find some food, and found a South American restaurant nearby which specializes in Peruvian dishes. A nice change which somehow felt appropriate at the time.

 

[JohannaK]

Peruvian-Japanese fusion is very trendy. Nikkei, I think they call it.

 

[warpus]

I ate at a fancy Peruvian/Japanese restaurant in Manhattan once, it was incredible. This cafe I went to in Hiroshima though, I didn't see that much fusion dishes there tbh. Unfortunately their website is now down, and that's the only place I could find their menu

 

[warpus]

Day 15 - Unagi Donburi

Also known as Unadon, the name of the dish essentially means "Eel bowl" and is exactly what you'd expect.. grilled eel over rice, in a bowl.



I woke up early this day and already had a plan in mind. I jumped on an early train that would take me to a ferry pickup spot.. which takes you to the beautiful Miyajima island. I would spend the next several hours there.

I ordered this meal at a restaurant right by the ferry dock, while I waited for the next ferry. I couldn't figure out if this place was targeted at tourists, but it was probably slightly overpriced. The eel was delicious, though

 

[Birdjaguar]

I found the quote you are talking about! I did not put it in quotes, as that makes it harder to read:

“I remembered once, in Japan, having been to see the Gold Pavilion Temple in Kyoto and being mildly surprised at quite how well it had weathered the passage of time since it was first built in the fourteenth century. I was told it hadn’t weathered well at all, and had in fact been burnt to the ground twice in this century. “So it isn’t the original building?” I had asked my Japanese guide.

“But yes, of course it is,” he insisted, rather surprised at my question.
“But it’s burnt down?”
“Yes.”
“Twice.”
“Many times.”
“And rebuilt.”
“Of course. It is an important and historic building.”
“With completely new materials.”
“But of course. It was burnt down.”
“So how can it be the same building?”
“It is always the same building.”

I had to admit to myself that this was in fact a perfectly rational point of view, it merely started from an unexpected premise. The idea of the building, the intention of it, its design, are all immutable and are the essence of the building. The intention of the original builders is what survives. The wood of which the design is constructed decays and is replaced when necessary. To be overly concerned with the original materials, which are merely sentimental souvenirs of the past, is to fail to see the living building itself.”

That fits nicely with the ideas around Buddhism and reincarnation.

@warpus Personal guides, can be wonderful if available. I used them in China and for the $80/day they cost, worth every penny. In China they are all licensed by the State and are knowledgeable about the places they take you. I could not have navigated Beijing without one.

 

[warpus]

@warpus Personal guides, can be wonderful if available. I used them in China and for the $80/day they cost, worth every penny. In China they are all licensed by the State and are knowledgeable about the places they take you. I could not have navigated Beijing without one.

Usually when somebody wants to be my personal guide somewhere, my scam alert goes off.. but in this case.. nope, no scam! Just a free amazing personal guide! It was very helpful and made my exploration of Himeji castle that much more memorable

 

[Birdjaguar]

Usually when somebody wants to be my personal guide somewhere, my scam alert goes off.. but in this case.. nope, no scam! Just a free amazing personal guide! It was very helpful and made my exploration of Himeji castle that much more memorable

I arranged mine ahead of time so it was easy.

https://www.privateguide.com/en/beijing_china/

 

[amadeus]

I ended up walking back to the train station, which is about a half an hour walk. Here's me looking back towards the castle from just outside the train station:



Using the rail system in Japan is super easy. It blew my mind that I could accomplish so much in just one day! I jumped on the next high speed train heading west to Hiroshima just as it was beginning to get dark.

I’ve probably stood in this exact spot!

I’m also sad to say that the big department store on the right side of the picture (ヤマトヤシキ) closed about two years ago. I had lunch there the last time I was at Himeji. I think they were still doing renovation work on the interior so I couldn’t get inside.

I ate at a fancy Peruvian/Japanese restaurant in Manhattan once, it was incredible. This cafe I went to in Hiroshima though, I didn't see that much fusion dishes there tbh. Unfortunately their website is now down, and that's the only place I could find their menu

Those Peruvians are probably partially descended from Japanese emigrants that were encouraged to move to South America in the earlier half of the 20th century. Japan’s government prior to its expansionism viewed the country as being overpopulated and encouraged poor Japanese to move to South America where they had fewer immigration controls.

Long after the war, Japan had a labor shortage and began offering work permits to those who could prove some Japanese lineage. A lot of them are concentrated around the Nagoya area now due to the need for workers in the Toyota factories and companies connected to it.

Then later on, the Japanese government started paying some of these people to leave and renounce their residency permits. Now the country is importing labor from China and Southeast Asia.