Archive for February, 2008
February 25th, 2008 at 10:04am
Under Travel Blog
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| Maiko (apprentice Geisha) |
Arriving at my ryokan in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto, a commotion of tourists near the hotel entrance erupted as maiko (apprentice geisha) stopped in front of a silvery-leafed tree to pose for a photographer. Given my location near Gion, famed for the ochaya, or teahouses, where geisha entertain affluent clientele, the sight of maiko became a common experience during the week I spent in Kyoto.
At night I would see them on their way to appointments, balanced high on wooden clogs called okobo, kimono shifting gracefully with each tiny step upon flagstone streets lit by old-fashioned lamps–a singular image that sums up the elegance and romance of the entire city. Kyoto offers a glimpse into the past of Japan, a city of rich tradition and cultural importance.
It’s been said that the historical side of Kyoto must be sought, with layers of the past nestled here and there among bustling city streets and tall modern buildings. But for me, it felt like the other way around. There are several thousand temples, hundreds of Shinto shrines, pagodas, Zen gardens, and numerous historical districts to be explored.
It’s possible to get a taste of the city as a day trip from Tokyo – the trip by shinkansen, or bullet train, is only a few hours. But for those with more time in Japan, three days is the suggested minimum by guidebooks. Considering the traveler’s affliction known as ‘temple fatigue’, for some three days might just be enough. With more time, day trips from Kyoto to more far-flung destinations are possible, thanks to Japan Railways, a network of track and speeding trains that connect cities all over Japan.
Kyoto Day 1: Historic Neighborhoods
Get a feeling for the city by exploring the historic neighborhoods in eastern Kyoto, starting with Higashiyam and then moving onto Pontocho Alley.
Higashiyama & Gion
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| Higashiyama |
Higashiyama translates to ‘Eastern Mountain District’, a literal description of its location on the East side of the Kamo River, at the base of the Higashiyama mountain rage. It’s perfect strolling territory, with narrow stone-paved lanes that wind their way through tidy, aged neighborhoods; spires of pagodas that peak above silvery rooftops and the crisscrossing patterns of electrical lines; and temples and shrines that intermingle with modern day shops and homes–a sight that becomes familiar at every turn, but still manages to surprise.Begin with the Yasaka Shrine at the end of Shijo-Dori, and then make your way down the quaint Ishibe-Koji Lane, past traditional inns and teahouses. Take the stairs up to the Kodai-ji Temple and gaze upon the rooftops of Kyoto from the hilltop. Say a prayer to the giant Buddha called the Ryozen Kannon on your decent towards the Yasaka Pagoda and Sannenzaka Slope, known for its jumble of shops selling traditional crafts and souvenirs. Top it off with a rickshaw tour, powered by men in black tights.
Head over to the heart of neighboring Gion, Japan’s most widely known geisha district. Called geiko in Kyoto rather than geisha, the term means ‘a woman of art’ – geiko are entertainers, trained in conversation, music, and dance. As Gion is an entertainment district, it’s quiet during daylight hours, and offers pleasant strolls along streets lined with old-style houses and traditional teahouses, as well as exclusive restaurants.
Kyoto’s Pontocho Alley
On the other side of the Kamo River, Pontocho Alley comes alive in the evening, when the restaurants and bars that line the narrow lane and branching streets open for business. Another place to spot geiko on their way to and from appointments at traditional ochaya, Pontocho Alley began as a gay quarter and remains a lively entertainment district best experienced at the dinner hour and beyond.
Kyoto Day 2: Temples & Gardens
While Kyoto possesses too many temples to name or visit during the average traveler’s stay, several temples in the Northwest area of the city provide plenty of peace and Zen for any spiritual diet, and rank among my favorites.
Ryoan-ji Temple
Best known for its Zen rock garden, the ‘dry landscape’ style of Ryoan-ji is comprised of nothing more than 15 rocks and white gravel, and dates all the way back to the 15th century. Visitors are encouraged to ponder the sight and determine their own interpretation of the message conveyed–and though I find meditation difficult, I felt peace here. Another point of interest is Tsukubai, a stone water basin for the temple’s tearoom with a Zen-inspired inscription that reads, “I learn only to be contented.” Along with its great pond, a manicured forest that reflects the beauty of Japanese gardens provides a quiet respite from the outside world. Get here early before everyone else as the temple does get crowded.
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| Ryoan-ji Temple Zen Rock Garden |
Daitoku-ji Temple
A large temple complex with many subtemples, Daitoku-ji is home to the Daisen-In rock garden that dates back to 1509 AD and was created by one of Japan’s most famous abbots. Visitors are able to purchase a cup of green tea to enjoy while contemplating the garden that not only surrounds the temple, but also becomes a part of it.
For me, though, the highlight of Daitoku-ji is found at the Koto-In Zen Temple. Established by a military leader and great warrior named Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1601, Koto-in Zen Temple is comprised of a famous teahouse known as Shoko-ken, and a garden considered to be a masterpiece of simplicity, especially noted for its maple trees in the autumn. Even in the winter the garden is captivating, peaceful, and poignant. The site contains many rare paintings and other artworks, along with the graves of Tadaoki and his wife. Tucked on one side of a towering bamboo forest, the temple is a place of quietude and beauty, made all the more special once returning to the street sounds of traffic and city noise.
Kyoto Day 3: Day trip to Nara
The capital of Japan from 710 to 784, Nara was considered the cradle of Japanese culture, arts, and crafts–today its many treasures are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the city can be reached from Kyoto by train in under 45 minutes. Plan to spend a full day in Nara exploring the park, where most of the city’s attractions are found, along with sacred deer–thought to be messengers for the gods in the olden days, they are now protected by law. The Todai-ji Temple is Nara’s biggest highlight. The present structure (completed in 752) is the largest wooden building in the world and houses a 50-foot bronze Buddha. My favorite place in , though, is the orange-colored Kasuga Taisha shrine, which is lined with hundreds of lanterns.
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| Nara |
Kyoto Day 4: Modern Kyoto
Aside from the many temples and historic districts, Kyoto is a modern city full of concrete and neon. Beyond the city’s train station, a modern mammoth of steel and glass, downtown Kyoto provides a wealth of activities for those feeling templed-out.
If museums and shopping fit the bill, check out the Museum of Kyoto or the Nishiki market located in the center of town. A long covered alley with vendors selling veggies and fish, mounds of bonito flakes, pickles (which you can sample), and baked goods, come to Nishiki for snacks like sashimi on a stick, or to simply take in the sight. Kyoto’s shopping district (which offers everything from notebooks to the latest fashions or traditional fans) is located around the intersection of Shijo-dori and Kawaramachi-dori, and spans many blocks.
With its start as a simple fort in 1333, the Himeji Castle evolved over the years under the guidance of various lords – the castle as it stands today was finally completed in 1609 and can be reached from Kyoto by train in a few hours. Plan a full day to visit the Himeji Castle, and keep in mind that the premises close at 4 pm (September - May) or 5 pm (June - August).
Called the ‘White Heron’ for its white plaster exterior, the castle is considered the best preserved in Japan, and is listed as a World Heritage site. It may look familiar if you saw Kurosawa’s 1985 film, Ran.
The graceful curves of Himeji Castle is one of its distinctions, along with fish images on the roof known as Shachi-gawara, and the Osakabe Shinto Shrine at the top, where Japanese tourists pause to donate a few coins and say a prayer that ends with a swift 3 claps. Originally located on the top of the hill where the castle was built, the shrine was moved during construction, and then returned to the site when the new location proved ‘unlucky’.
Next door to the castle, be sure to visit the Koko-en Garden, built in 1992 to celebrate Himeji’s 100th anniversary of municipality. Located where the castle’s samurai houses once existed, the Koko-en is comprised of 9 individual gardens designed in the style from the Edo period. There’s also a teahouse where visitors can partake in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
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| Himeji Castle |
–Cheryn Flanagan
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours in Japan, things to do in Kyoto, and tours & activities in Tokyo.
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February 25th, 2008 at 10:01am
Under Travel Blog
Is there anything worse than waiting to travel? When you know you’ve got a trip coming up, but you’re still saving money. Or, even worse, if you want to travel, need to travel, but yet have no idea when you can spare the time or money to actually hit the road again.
It’s at times like these that being home can drive you nuts.
But there is relief in sight. Meeting friendly locals, learning a few words of another language, tasting something indescribable, stumbling on a breathtaking view when you thought you were just lost: almost any travel experience (including a bout of diarrhoea, if you’re really hardcore) can be replicated in your own hometown. It may not be quite as good as the real thing, but try a couple of the adventures below and you might find some slight relief for your itchy feet.
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| Have Camera, Will Travel: Take a Photo of Tourists in Your Hometown |
Meet the Locals
If you’re like most people, you go out to the same few places every weekend. You consider yourself a certain type of person, so you go to a certain type of club, bar or pub.
It’s time for a change.
Where’s the drinking hole you’re least likely to visit? (If it’s incredibly dangerous, cross it off your list and choose the second-least likely.) This Saturday night, you’re going there. And on your visit, keep in mind the most important tenet of travel: respect the local customs and learn from them.
How do the locals dress? Dress similarly, so as not to offend them. Observe their customs and ways of behaving and try to fit in. Try to talk to the regulars – you never know what you might learn about horse racing, construction work, snagging a rich husband, beach volleyball or what that guy from Poison is up to these days.
Be open-minded and tolerant. Just because they do things differently, doesn’t mean they’re wrong. And enjoy your cultural experience.
Next Stop: Q8
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| Having a great time in Q8: Wish You Were Here |
Back in 1991, everyone wanted a piece of this previously unheard of autocracy in the Arabian Peninsula. Now the rush is over, you can grab yourself a piece of Q8y action.
Get a street directory or map for your hometown and open it to a random page. Put your finger on the coordinates Q8. What’s there? Probably not much. And that is your destination for today.
Treat this like an expedition to a far-off land. Remember to pack all the things you’ll need – bottled water, camera, comfortable shoes – and put your money in a safe place. Take plenty of photos, pick up some souvenirs (some interesting leaves, a flier taped to a lamp pole), and remember to send your family an email telling them what a great time you had.
Have Camera, Will Travel
Think of somewhere in your hometown that tourists love to visit (if you live in a really tiny town, it may require a day trip to do this excursion). Go to that place, and take a camera with you. Your mission: to photograph the tourists.
How you do this depends on the kind of person you are. You could take candid shots of tourists taking their own photographs (very post-modern). Or you could politely ask them to pose for your camera in front of the attraction, and ask them who they are, where they’re from and what they came to see, then write a little bio to go with each photo.
Recipe for Disaster
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| Recipe for disaster? The smile suggests yes. |
Some countries have a magic touch when it comes to distilling liquor; others just ferment whatever they find buried up the back of the shed under some burlap sacks. But whether glorious or vile, the thrill of tasting exotic booze is one of the highlights of travel. (The photo? In Cambodia with a vat of rice wine, drunkenness ensuing.)
And thanks to globalisation you can now gamble your liver and eyesight in the comfort of your very own home. Invite your closest friends to your place for a cocktail party. Everyone has to bring a bottle of something foreign that they’ve never tasted before: your local liquor store or supermarket is bound to harbor at least one dubious spirit, beer or wine of unidentifiable lineage. Then, mix and match at your discretion. And remember, you can’t have too much water. Seriously. Drink up.
Speak to Me
There are any number of frivolous ways to dabble in different cultures. See anything in this blog, for example. But just for a minute, be serious. Please.
So much of traveling is about finding out how other people live: visiting tribes in the hills of Thailand, dancing with the locals in a bar in Nicaragua, renting an apartment for a couple of weeks in Paris. Knowing that things can be done differently gives us a fresh look at the way we do things. And sure, if you’re staying home you can have dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant or see a French film and get a little bit of that insight. Or you could become a volunteer English tutor for a recent migrant.
Do what now? Don’t you have to go to university for that?
You don’t. All over the country, community-based organisations train people to be volunteer English tutors. All it requires is a commitment of your time (try calling your local university, technical college, migrant centre or local government for more information). Even if there’s no such organization in your area or you don’t feel comfortable formally tutoring someone to speak English, lots of migrants really just want someone they can practise English with. All you have to do is have a little chat with them once a week or so. You can discuss football, cooking, weddings, what’s on TV or the country they’re from: whatever the two of you feel like talking about.
Put up some notices around your local schools, shopping centres or cultural centres and see if anyone’s interested. Helping someone out with their English, seeing the way this improves their life, and at the same time finding out about a completely different way of living is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.
–Jane Rawson
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February 6th, 2008 at 07:52am
Under England
Big Ben is one of London’s best-known landmarks, and looks most spectacular at night when the clock faces are illuminated. You even know when parliament is in session, because a light shines above the clock face.
The four dials of the clock are 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. Minutely regulated with a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum, Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper, which has rarely stopped.
The name Big Ben actually refers not to the clock-tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell hung within. The bell was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.
This bell came originally from the old Palace of Westminster, it was given to the Dean of St. Paul’s by William III. Before returning to Westminster to hang in its present home, it was refashioned in Whitechapel in 1858. The BBC first broadcast the chimes on the 31st December 1923 - there is a microphone in the turret connected to Broadcasting House.
During the second world war in 1941, an incendiary bomb destroyed the Commons chamber of the Houses of Parliament, but the clock tower remained intact and Big Ben continued to keep time and strike away the hours, its unique sound was broadcast to the nation and around the world, a welcome reassurance of hope to all who heard it.
There are even cells within the clock tower where Members of Parliament can be imprisoned for a breach of parliamentary privilege, though this is rare; the last recorded case was in 1880.
The tower is not open to the general public, but those with a “special interest” may arrange a visit to the top of the Clock Tower through their local (UK) MP.
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February 6th, 2008 at 07:49am
Under Eco-Travel
In the Florida Keys Earth Day is the year’s biggest draw at famous Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada. The Queen Conch Restoration Project on Long Key is the current hands-on project, and local high school students conduct a “Coral Reef Classroom” on Cheeca Rocks. Nowadays the way to go after deep-sea fish is catch-and-release with the Keys chapter of the Nature Conservancy a regular benefactor of tournaments.
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February 6th, 2008 at 07:26am
Under Eco-Travel
How often do you spend outdoors? Researchers sought to reply that question for many of Americans by tracking the visits to National parks which included hiking and camping. What they found was that we spend 25% less of our time external doing these natural recreation activities than Americans did in 1987.
That’s about a 1 percent drop per year, for the past 20 years. that study didn’t include citizens doing their own thing external of these parks though. What’s the cause of that decline in interest regarding Mother Nature? Well, you probably don’t have to guess whether you’re reading that right now: TV, computers and other electronic time-wasters help occupy our schedule.
I don’t think it is entirely fair to point fingers at these things exclusively, but they do lend themselves to indoor lifestyles. Of course, not everyone has a computer at home — I actually know humans without cable TV! So that doesn’t describe all Americans, but it’s an interesting report nonetheless.
Original post by Adams Briscoe
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