The Great Japan Pilgrimage 2 - Part VIII: Kyoto and Shiga

View from Kiyomizudera

Touching back down on the mainland of Japan for the first time in 2 weeks, we took no time in finding crap to take pictures of (I am of course skimming over the bus ride from Itami airport to Kyoto, navigating our way out of Kyoto station, lugging bags up numerous flights of stairs, Henry taking pity on my utter lack of upper body strength and lugging my bag up stairs for me….).

 Word of warning for travellers to Japan - there are a LOT of buildings and tourist attractions that are partially to totally out of commission as the country preps for the 2020 olympics. Kiyomizudera is one of them. Despite hearing that the main hall was covered in scaffolding, a friend had reassured me that it was still worth a visit. Maybe it was the satisfaction of having survived the walk up the crowded street of stalls, or the cream puff that gave us a sugar boost, or the stunning view of Kyoto from the top, but the friend wasn’t wrong.

Kinkakuji - the Gold Pavilion

On our first full day in Kyoto we ventured out early to visit kinkakuji, the golden pavilion. Built initially as a retire crib for Shogun AShikaga Yoshimitsu then converted into a Zen temple following his death, it seemed a like a good way of ensuring a cushy retirement and zilch inheritance for your kids. Having said that his grandson did the same thing, building ginkakuji (the silver pavilion) which was also on our list for the day. It is a stunning and peaceful complex to stroll around (could see myself having a happy retirement there) and, out of the many temple that we visited that day, was a personal favourite.

Ginkakuji - the Silver Pavilion

Other’s that we ventured to included Shimogamo shrine, after which we strolled down the philosopher's path (blissfully quiet due to winter being the only season in which it doesn’t look stunning) to Nanzenji, possibly more impressive than the temple was the sodding

great aqueduct chillin in the vicinity.

Nanzenji Aqueduct

Along our strolls we stumbled across the old railroad that was used to transport cargo ships between lake Biwa in Shiga prefecture and Kyoto before stumbling upon a delectable burger restaurant.

We strolled along the river which lead us into the main city, locating an okonomiyaki restaurant. One solid feed of okonomiyaki (and one recuperation beer) later we went via a second hand camera shop (one of many on the trip) and checked out Hanatorou the lantern lit restaurant street before trudging our weary feet home.

With the desire to beat the flocking tourists giving wing to our heels, we arrived at the Fushimi Inari Shrine gates early Sunday morning and began winding our way through the ongoing string of vibrant orange and red. The magic of the place that one feels after watching the likes of Memoirs of a Geisha evaporates somewhat upon realisation that the gates are effectively a bribe to the god inari from companies who have paid exuberant amounts wishing for good business.

Lake Biwa from the Biwako Ropeway

Regardless we continued our climb through the gates up the hill, the hordes of visitors growing steadily thinner until we reached the lookout over Kyoto. Feeling somewhat shrined-out after our many visits the day prior, that afternoon we stole away to Shiga prefecture to look out over Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, from the Biwako ski area.

Content with the stunning winter scenery, leisurely lakeside stroll (after the not so leisurely trudge up the hill to the ropeway) and the fact that we had crossed another prefecture off the list within one cheeky afternoon outing, we returned to Kyoto and boarded a local train to Osaka for the last leg of our holiday.

Fushimi Inari

The Great Japan Pilgrimage 2 - Part VII: Ishigaki and Taketomi

Kabira Bay

This was what my little frostbitten heart had been yearning for. With the windows of our fourth gutless yellow plate rental car rolled down, we cruised along the gold and turquoise coast of Ishigaki. I would highly recommend getting a rental car for at least a day if you’re travelling to the island. Though it is small, the stunning scenery stretches right from one end of the island to the other and it is so worth making the effort to see all of it.

My memories of Ishigaki consist of a blissful collage of coral beaches, tropical forests and clear blue seas. Thanks to the suggestion of friends who had visited previously, we took a pair of goggles with us to Yonehara beach. Just a few meters away from the shore we were surrounded by all manner of tropical fish, in the middle of winter!

Sunset Beach

Even for those who aren’t keen on swimming the beach itself is worth a visit. Laden with layers of bleached coral it sounds like glass when you run your fingers over it.
With a lazier start on our second day,we spent a total of 2 days cruising around the Island. Making stops at the famous Kabira bay, where we tried handmade soba one day and the slightly less traditional doner-kebab the next, Mt Nokoso, Yaeyama palm groves (be sure to try the guava and sugar cane juice!) making our way all the way up to Hirakubo lighthouse before watching the sun descend at the appropriately named sunset beach.

On our third and final day in one of the southern most parts of Japan, we boarded yet another ferry and disembarked on Taketomi island.

Yaeyama Palm Grove

Once again avoiding the tourist buses in favour of exploring the island on foot, we pottered our way through the sandy streets, lined with houses, Shisa shrine dogs sitting vigilantly over their doors, until we found the water buffalo carts.

I’m not sure of an appropriate title for the Jiisan that headed the short tour as the water buffalo pulling our cart knew the route by heart and appeared to be both driver and guide. The slow paced leisurely ride felt incredibly therapeutic after all the charging around we had been doing. Terracotta coloured roofs and seashell decorated fences breezed past as our Jiisan sang a traditional song from the island accompanied by his shamisen.

Shisa of Taketomi

Having gained an overt distrust of animal treatment in Japan it was heartwarming to see the care and affection with which the Jiisan treated the water buffalo. Once the ride was over he undid some of the ties from the buffalo’s harness and allowed the animal to flick the rest off of his own accord. Later that day as we were making our way back to the ferry terminal we watched as the Jiisan walked one of the buffalos home, just the two of them down a sandy path.

Following the buffalo cart ride I introduced Henry to kakigori (shaved ice), desiring a little more down time before we got back on our feet again. Making our way to the beach we strolled along the waterfront, familiarising ourselves with the Aza fruit  and locating an area to wade out into the crystal clear water. The water stayed little more than knee deep for what felt like miles.

Taketomi

If there’s one thing that I’ll remember from Taketomi, it will be the old man, walking barefoot through the shallows, singing and playing his shamisen. His calm voice carried across the beach and his graceful steps (quite the contrast to my own ungainly hobbling over the sharp and knobbly shells) suggested years of strolling barefoot. Wearing swimming attire I had no camera or phone to record the moment on, which in a way made it all the more special. I had to imprint the moment into my memory. This man was surely the epitome of ‘Island life’.

Mangroves, Ishigaki

Aza Tree, Taketomi

The Great Japan Pilgrimage 2 - Part VI: Mainland Okinawa and Tokashiki

 Welcomed with the bright purple blossoms of orchids as soon as we stepped foot off the plane, Okinawa reminded us we were in a totally different part of Japan before we even left the airport.

Disembarking the monorail we found ourselves in a city that screamed western influence and rapid development. Contrary to mainland Japan, Naha was full of drunk salarymen stumbling down the litter strewn streets, bouncers in flocks outside strip clubs and all manner of bodily fluids being expelled into gutters. Disclaimer, it turns out we were staying in a rather colourful area of Naha....

Grabbing breakfast on the go from lawson, we sabotaged Japanese etiquette and ate while meandering our way to our car rental. Okinawa really messes with your sense of distance. Our first stop saw us driving half way up the island and each time we checked our progress on the GPS we were surprised by how far we had travelled.

Fukagawa Waterfall

Our first stop on our daylong road trip was the Fukagawa waterfall just out of Nago. The bush we walked through was nothing like I had ever experienced, it had a much more tropical feel that New Zealand’s ferns and Akita’s pines. And in this jungle like scenery, we found the little oasis waterfall and its stunning blue-green pool. The weather may have been substantially warmer than Tohoku, the temperature of the water however, was an abrupt reminder that it was still winter.

We veered via nago for a combini lunch on the go before returning southwards to Futenma-gu Shrine. With restrictions on the number of visitors allowed in the area at any one time, this was certainly one of the more peaceful areas we visited on the trip. There is a large outdoor shrine building at the site, however the main attraction is the small shrine in a cave toward the rear of the compex. To visit the latter you must approach the staff at the office window and fill out a short form. The staff then lead you down a path to a small door that takes you under ground before you descend into the small cavern decorated with Stalagmites and stalactites. Despite few other people there (there was only one other when we visited) it’s one of those places that is so calm that you don’t want to break the ‘no photos’ rule even if you had the chance.

Sefa Utaki

It was back to feeling like a tourist at Nakagusuku castle, hearing English being spoken here and there as we wandered our way through the ruins and took in the views from the hilltop. With the clouds starting to roll over we continued south to Sefa-Utaki, claimed as one of the most sacred sites in Okinawa. It was on this site that many of the indigenous Okinawan religious rituals and ceremonies were conducted. We were taken aback by, despite the importance of the place, how boisterous and indifferent they seemed. Hollering across the path to family, pulling peace signs and taking selfies, it was to the point where Henry and I wondered if it was us taking the place too seriously that was the issue. Regardless, I found myself once again enchanted by the jungle-like foliage and towering rock features with simple alters nestled at their feet.

With the temperature dropping and sky growing steadily greyer, we made our stroll to cape Chinen a brisk one, returning to the car to chow down on the 6 different flavours of Okinawan donuts that Henry had invested in (including pineapple, pumpkin, sesame, salt, chocolate and one or two others that had caught his attention).

Cape Chinen

Losing the race against the rain, we returned to Naha and opted to spend the evening indoors, strolling through the pokemon shop before finding an Izakaya for our New Year’s eve dinner. Caution: when the menu states a large beer - they mean large! We were served brews that I kam convinced were nearly a litre so we were feeling sufficiently buzzed by the time we finished up and strolled down to the city beach to count in the new year. Henry’s curiosity of seeing in the new year the traditional way was smothered when he saw how long the line for the temple was, so armed with snack and sake, we found a spot on the beach, and listened to the ship horns blaring across the harbour as it ticked over new year.

Having slept through the 2017 new year in Asahikawa after an over indulgent night we felt quite chuffed with ourselves after managing to stay conscious to see in 2018.

Tokashiku Beach

Feeling a lot fresher on the first day of 2018 than we had done in 2017, we boarded the ferry to Tokashiki Island. We opted to avoid the tourist bus that seemed to shepard visitors rapidly between points, biff them out for photos and then herd them back on with little time to smell the roses, embarking instead on the 45 minute walk across the island to Tokashiku beach.

With the sun beating down on us it didn’t take long to shed our layers, baring my still-pasty white limbs and relishing in the cool breeze (Akita has 2 types of wind - howling icy gales in winter, and puffs of humid air in summer that is about as refreshing as an old man breathing on your face). We reached the top of the hill to be presented with the stunning turquoise waters of the bay below us. After dedicating an hour or so to beach lounging we continued uphill again to a lookout. Back at the port our curiosity (and hunger) led us to a cafe on the second floor. The store fit the feel of the island perfectly. Jack Johnston played calmly in the background, Henry was chuffed with his bowl of ramen and I was absolutely stoked with my bowl of granola (the things that make you happy after 18 months in Japan….). Somehow I look back on it as a perfectly relaxed day, despite having walked over 8 kilometers of hilly roads…

Once back in Naha we made our way to the airport for our flight to Ishigaki.