Japan – The First Return – Spring 2024

Six years have passed since my last trip to Japan, in the falls of 2017, which I detailed in another post.

I wanted to return to Japan but, I admit, I didn’t plan on doing so in 2024. It’s just that, by applying to the Tokyo Marathon, I had the pleasant surprise of being selected this year (basically, I won the right to register in a raffle). So, we mobilized and set off, little by little, on a two-week expedition, February 29-March 13, about 9,000 km east (7 hours ahead of Romanian time, during this period).

We went on our own, we arranged our route, flights and all the activities. For the sake of simplicity, I will give a brief presentation in chronological order, and I will also point out some general aspects at the end. Cost benchmark: at the time we are referring to, Yen 1000 means approximately 6 Euro. I will try to limit the text, although I did a lot and I will probably get carried away. However, I will mostly let the images do the talking…

Tokyo, Feb 29 – Mar 4

We landed in the morning, at Narita (around 8AM). We bought tickets for the Narita Express (NEX) to Tokyo Station (aka Tokyo Eki, the central train station in the capital). I took a round trip, it’s cheaper (it cost Y5000 per person). I also activated the JR Pass at the airport. I had a 7-day pass (one per person). It can be ordered from the country, I urge those interested to consult the relevant sites. Be careful, this pass must be prepared in your home country, it cannot be purchased there. For those who want to travel around Japan, it is recommended. It costs quite a lot but is extremely useful. Given our schedule, we decided to activate it for the period March 1-7.

Our first accommodation was in Sumida, the neighborhood of the famous painter Hokusai (by the way, the hotel was a few minutes walk from the Hokusai Museum). We stayed at Petit Grande Miyabi, a decent place and close to the subway (Toei) and JR stations. Be careful of the different train lines in Tokyo, there are practically several companies, which can create confusion.

This area, Ryogoku, is the epicenter of Sumo in Japan, hosting Ryogoku Kokugikan (national sumo arena). Unfortunately, I didn’t catch any tournament, I would have loved to see one live (there was one on March 10, but in Osaka and the planets didn’t align for me to be there). I visited the Sumo museum, but I wasn’t part of the event thrills.

Kanazawa – March 1-2

From Tokyo, we took the Shinkansen to Kanazawa, a medieval city located to the north, the capital of Ishikawa prefecture (region where the earthquake of early 2024 occurred). We stayed in a hotel with a specific Japanese design, Yuya-Ruru-Saisai. I wouldn’t classify it as a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), however, because the building doesn’t look like one. But the interior of the rooms is very beautiful, in the spirit of the place.

We had pretty bad weather, cold and even light snow. We ate well at a recommended restaurant (Fuwari), walked around the Nishi Chaya District, visited Myoryuji (the Ninja Temple) and had fun with the lady who was our guide. The entire speech was only in Japanese, so I didn’t really understand much of what she was saying, but she had an anime-like gesture that was really cool; however, we also received some written details, in English. Myoryuji is a kind of villa where samurai lived (not ninja!), with the role of creating a first wave of defense for those who intended to attack the castle. Not exactly scary…it was like the tree house every child dreams of 🙂

Kyoyo – March 4-7

I think I could go to Kyoto (京都) 10 times and still not get bored. The almost completely preserved medieval quarters, the atmosphere, the food, the temples and the Zen gardens, all create a harmony that is difficult to describe. You are placed not only in a different world, but also about 200 years earlier… And there is nothing forced, you are not in a Hollywood theme park or in a studio. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1000 years, from 794 to 1868 – although at the beginning of the 17th century, with the Edo period, the real power, that is, the shogun, moved to Tokyo, with the emperor still remaining in Kyoto.

The trip from Tokyo was a pleasure. We arrived at Kyoto Central Station around noon, from where we took a local train to Nijo (for which the JR Pass is valid). We stayed at Urban Hotel Kyoto Nijo Premium, which I recommend, for its great location and for the food (we had lunch there, having come from the road, all-you-can-eat with everything you need, good aperitifs, soups, main courses with meat, fish, seafood, desserts – including fruit and a chocolate fountain :), water, coffee/tea and fruit juices… pretty much everything you want… for 2000 Yen per person. That means about Euro 13…

In Kyoto, everyone sets their own goals, according to their taste and mood, because the area has a lot to offer. We opted for a few objectives or activities that we considered priorities for this trip. Unfortunately (or fortunately, considering that I intend to visit there again), I still have quite a few unticked…

What did we do? We (re)visited Nijo Castle (my favorite in the area), walked the streets dressed in traditional costumes, ate very well, from the kaiseki restaurant (a little “arrogance” on the occasion of an anniversary, where you also have to add that we were there between March 1-8…) to the delicious street-food in Nishiki market. I visited the Samurai & Ninja Museum, a fairly small location but with a very nice program, an overview of many aspects related to the culture and history of Japan, a must-see from my point of view, while the girls went to the Arashiyama bamboo forest and Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion). I bought all kinds of souvenirs and left the visit to Mt. Hiei, Enryakuji, Lake Biwa, Hikone Castle, the Kyocera Art Museum and many other places I want to go to for another time…

Nara – March 6

Being close to Kyoto, armed with the “superpower” of the JR-Pass, we took a run to Nara. It is the former capital, before Kyoto (710-794). There are certainly many aspects that the city can be proud of, but, pragmatically, I appreciate that it has two elements that attract most tourists:

The first is Todai-ji , the Buddhist temple built in the 8th century. Until 1998 it was the largest wooden building in the world (now surpassed by other buildings built more recently). Over time, it has undergone several reconstructions. Inside is the largest bronze statue of Buddha Vairocana (Daibutsu in Japanese, about 15m).

The second attraction in Nara, present in all promotional materials, is the deer! There are dozens, hundreds, everywhere in the temple area, in the parks and on the alleys. Quite friendly, especially if you give them biscuits, which are sold at kiosks in the area.

Okinawa – March 7-10

We flew to Okinawa, in Naha (那覇), from Kansei Airport, near Osaka. This is the airport that also serves Kyoto. A flight of over 2 hours, with JAL (Japan Airlines). Very good conditions, decent prices. We stayed at Hotel and Rooms Naha Port. The hotel is ok, but I chose it mainly for the location (close to the airport, walking distance to the port, the bus terminal and the shopping area).

Okinawa has a Hawaiian feel. Not only is the temperature higher, but everything is a little different. If you woke up here overnight, you wouldn’t think you were in Japan. There may also be a more pronounced American influence (Okinawa has been the main American military/naval base in the region for decades, after World War II), but there is also a population with influences from Taiwan and the Philippines.

We went there mainly for whale watching, as it was the right season. But I would say that the island is famous for two other aspects: karate originated here and it is also home to one of the two villages most frequently mentioned as having the oldest population in the world, Ogimi (the second is Ikaria, in Greece – also on an island in the Aegean Sea, near Kuşadası). I wanted to get to the karate museum, but it was located a bit out of the way, about 12 km away from the hotel. During the few days I spent on the island, I didn’t manage to visit it. However, I went on a whale watching trip, which was fully refundable if they didn’t show up. So, people were pretty safe, as it was a very good season. The trip lasted about 3 hours. I did indeed see the whale/whales a few times, but quite far away. It wasn’t exactly like National Geographic, but I did see a bit of a queue 🙂 For lovers of details and sensational snapshots, better look for the world famous photographer, Brian Skerry 🙂

On March 8th I took the bus from Naha to Nago. Nago is a much more boring city. From here I rented bikes for 4 hours (I had researched online where to go, at Hubcycle Okinawa). Very ok and decently priced. I set off towards Ogimi, about 21km each way. The road is mostly along the coast, very beautiful. Most of the route also has a bike lane or wide sidewalk that can be used. We had a strong wind on our way, which caused some inconvenience, but it didn’t keep us in place. The village of Ogimi didn’t tell me anything special, at least not down near the coast. I didn’t go up the hill, I didn’t have much time. But there must be something special there. A lot has been written about it, it’s still a subject of research, there’s no point in making my own observations. I also ate there, I found an old lady (probably considered young by the locals! 🙂 ), in a house that didn’t look like a restaurant, somewhere upstairs, where I ate very well and properly, with an enviable view (at least in good weather and… without a tsunami).

In Naha, outside the central area, full of souvenir shops and restaurants, from what I saw, I recommend Fukushuen Park. It is an oasis of peace, small but absolutely gorgeous. It is worth visiting both day and night…

Some specific elements, that you find in souvenir shops and wonder what they are: Shisa (animals resulting from the mixture of lions and dogs, with the role of protecting the house, always in pairs: male, on the right, with open mouth – and female, on the left, with closed mouth), Haisai (their greeting, instead of Konnichiwa or Hello) or Orion beer (very good, by the way).

Tokyo, March 10-13

For my second stay in Tokyo, I opted for accommodation in Akasaka, in the art museum district. I stayed at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn, perfectly located in terms of access to the subway (opposite the station). I didn’t know that at the main exit of Akasaka station there is an impressive Harry Potter area.

In these last few days in Tokyo, I planned several visits. One priority was to go to the National Art Center, which is a few minutes’ walk away. I knew it didn’t have any permanent exhibitions. When I was there, I caught a Matisse exhibition (which I didn’t go into, my intention being rather to see local culture), an amateur exhibition managed by a foundation that promotes artists with less pompous CVs, and a large calligraphy exhibition. It was interesting, but to be honest, I was expecting something more. I wanted to visit a museum that would take me through the history of Japanese painting, which, surprisingly, I didn’t really manage to find!

The next day I went to the Hokusai Museum in Sumida (which I hadn’t visited in my first few days in Tokyo, because I was under renovation). I liked it, it was in line with my expectations.

Obviously, we walked and did some shopping in well-known areas, such as Shibuya (famous for the Hachiko statue and for being the most crossed intersection in the world), in Harajuku and in Shinjuku. In Shijuku I also paid a short visit to my colleagues from Kantar Japan and made sure that they were facing contexts in the research market quite similar to what we were experiencing in Romania.

I also spent some time briefly delving into another element with a strong local specificity, namely manga and anime. I went through what seems to be the largest specialty store in Tokyo, Animate, in Ikebukuro. It may or may not be the largest, but it had 8 floors! Very interesting that, I estimate, more than half of the manga magazines were sexually oriented (many even very explicit). It would not be surprising, unless we are talking about an area with free access, where there were also many children. Well, as I said, a lot of things have to be taken as they are…

Somehow in the same category, but with a completely different register, we also include the Ghibli studios. We wanted to have a Miyazaki experience. We tried to book tickets to the museum but it was sold-out, for the entire month of March, in less than 2 hours after the online sales opened. So we settled for some stores that sell Ghibli products. We bought a few things and encouraged myself to see other films, which I had skipped…

Another of my intentions was going to Kudokan, a kind of ground zero of World Judo. Although for many Japanese people sumo is the characteristic sport, judo is undoubtedly the sport born in Japan that has achieved the widest spread and recognition worldwide (eloquently, for those who have doubts, the interview with the famous UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov – link, first approx. 2 minutes). In addition to visiting the museum, I also witnessed a training session. I wasn’t about to sign up, they also had classes for visitors. Maybe on a future trip :).