(Very) Rough Guide to Japan

Posted on 2003/02/18 17:05:02 (February 2003) by john.

A few notes on Japan I wrote for Palin's Travels, which I thought I'd also post here.

I've been very fortunate and have been able to visit Japan three times now. Most of the time I've spent there has been in the West - particularly around Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima.

During my first trip I visited Tokyo for a couple of days, although to be honest it isn't my favourite Japanese city - I had no idea what I wanted to see before I got there, and I guess I really needed somebody "local" to show me around. If you think of most of the world's great cities, landmarks immediately come to mind - London has the Big Ben clock tower or St. Paul's; Paris has the Eiffel tower or the Arche de Triomphe; Rome the colosseum and so on. Even after having been to Tokyo I can't think of any landmarks. All I remember of the Emperor's Palace is a keep out sign. Probably fair enough though. What I did enjoy about Tokyo though were not so much the big landmarks (as I'm not even sure if there were any or not) but more just the districts and their differing characters - the steely futuristic nature of shinjuku and akihabara, as well as the extravagant excess of odaiba, and the slight eery feeling of Ueno.

Also during my first trip I spent a couple of days in Nagoya, as I had a friend living there at the time. This seemed to be the most cosmpolitan of all the Japanese cities I'd visited, and had great night life. Other than that though, quite industrial, and I can't think of anything particularly interesting about it (sorry!).

Kyoto is absolutely beautiful, and was everything I had hoped Japan would be. I'd particularly recommend the gold and silver temples (Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji), which are very touristy but definitely worth seeing. Also two other particular favourites wer the zen garden in Ryoanji and Chishaku-in (?).

Osaka is quite commercial/industrial (in my opinion) and not quite as interesting as Kyoto. Still though, the castle there is nice, but don't be surprised to find a lift inside!

My girlfriend is from Hiroshima, so I have spent a lot of time there. Obviously it's hard to go there without dwelling at least a little bit on the history of the place, and it would seem almost wrong to visit without making a trip to the Peace Park. For me Hiroshima isn't a depressing place though - it's actually a place that fills me with optimism. It shows me that even when the worst possible thing has happened to a city and it's people, they can rebuild and life can continue afterwards. My experience is also that these people are not filled with bitterness and resentfulness as you might perhaps expect. They are very warm and welcoming - it sounds like a cliche but these genuinely are some of the most peaceful friendly people I have ever met. It is important to acknowledge what has happened there, but don't let the history of the place totally consume you - Hiroshima is now a buzzing and vibrant city, and I really enjoy spending time there.

Very close to Hiroshima is the island of Miyajima. Half of my girlfriend's family are there, so I have visited a few times. It is a really beautiful island, and there is something quite wonderful about being there, although I can't exactly put my finger on why. If you have time, then make the climb to the top of Mt. Misen. It is well worth it.

On my last trip I visited the North coast around Totori. I went to an Onsen (volcanic spring) for the first time. To be honest I was a bit nervous but it was a really great experience.

Well reading back through what I've written I'm not sure how positive a picture it has painted of Japan. I think if there ever have been bits I haven't enjoyed, it's probably largely my own fault; you can't really expect to just turn up in a foreign land with absolutely no idea of what you want to see and expect it to entertain you. That aside, I do absolutely love the country, and would heartily recommend that everyone to try and get there at some point. Just do a little bit of research first!

You can find pictures of my various travels here.

kyoto is boring

Posted by anonymus at 2003/02/26 19:40:22.

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