Japan by Paul

I was not sure of exactly what to expect when I arrived in Japan. I was told it was as foreign as you are likely to get. A society so entrenched in its own forward development yet so steeped in tradition that it is difficult to see how the two co-exist.

Japan is so busy, I was told. You are herded on to trains by attendants so that every last inch of space is maximised. I visited during the Chinese New Year and over a weekend. I had more space than to move in than if I had been in a small provincial Cotswold town. The Japanese it seems had left town and the streets were devoid of traffic. Where had they all gone? To the hotels it seems. Every hotel that I wished to visit for an inspection was full or, going back to my point about being a rigid society, was not possible to visit because I had not made an appointment. Appointments could not be made by me or by my guide.

Tokyo does have its bright lights and a trip through Ginza, the main shopping area, is ablaze with neon. Nearby though is a theatre performing Kabuki, a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Men are the sole performers playing the roles of both men and women. It is usual to go to a performance and see the whole show. Here one can buy tickets to see a scene only and these last anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and could cover a series of dances or just a story about the Samurai, the warrior class, for example.

An excursion to Nikko to see a collection of temples in the forests was made by local train. One temple still has a white horse in residence, a gift from the New Zealand Government. Large bell towers with skirts, numerous stone lanterns and devoted pilgrims make for a pleasant day out.

I left Tokyo for Hakone travelling by car through the small town of Karakura on the coast. Nestled in a valley with a view of the sea I visited the largest bronze Buddha in the world. Rebuilt several times over the centuries because of tidal waves and earthquakes it is now seated on a platform that moves so as to absorb any sudden movement of the earth. A nearby temple has a beautiful peony garden, in full flower during the February period, complete with straw hats to protect them from rain and snow. Hakone is on the shores of lake Ashi. On a clear day there are splendid views of Mt Fuji away in the distance. I was blessed with exceptional weather on the morning after I arrived having been unable to see more than a few metres the day before because of rain and fog. Mt Fuji stands majestically above the surrounding area and was engulfed in light blue sky, the winds whipping off snow from its upper slopes. It is possible to climb the mountain but only officially during July and August.

From Hakone I went to Odawara to board Japan's iconic "bullet train", the Shinkansen. There are in fact three classes of Shinkansen, the Nozomi, the Hikari and the Kodoma. The Nozomi makes only two stops between Tokyo and Osaka, in Kyoto and Odawara, the Hikari a few more and the Kodoma more still. As a result the maximum speed of each varies because of the distance between stations. Whistling along at a phenomenal speed the trains are both fast and comfortable. I arrived in Nagoya and transferred to a local train for the two hour journey, through the mountains following the Hida River for a while, to Takayama my first stop on the journey North to the Sea of Japan.

Takayama is a small town and although popular with the Japanese, few Westerners get here. It is easy to walk around in and sites include several preserved old streets with small wooden houses, saki breweries (open for visits in the winter only), a couple of street markets and a former governor's house. Here I experienced my fist taste of authentic Japanese hospitality, a stay in a ryokan or traditional inn. I was the only foreigner in residence. You take your shoes off as the floors are completely covered in tatami mats (rush) and walk around in your socks. My room was traditional. An entrance area, through which you proceed to the main room. Here there is a simple shrine, usually a slightly raised platform off the floor with a display of flowers or tree branches and some calligraphy. There is also a small table about a foot off the ground at which you can sit, on the floor of course or on a small seat. In the winter the table is covered by a heated blanket under which you can keep your legs warm. Finally, another small area has another taller table with two proper size chairs. Each area is divided by rice paper screens that can be drawn across. In every hotel or Japanese inn you are provided with a yukata (Japanese pyjamas) and or kimono. It is usual to change into these and quite normal to walk around the hotel in them, go to the restaurant in them and to the onsen (heated public baths).

The public baths are great. Most are fed from natural hot springs. One sits on a small stool and washes with soap and shampoo before rinsing off and soaking in the warm water, a great way to relieve the tensions of the day. Some ryokans have there own private hot springs attached to the room making for a most relaxing time.

Heading north again to Kanazawa, I stopped at a number of small villages to see the ancient "A" or "praying hands" houses. This area had no outside road access until the 1930s and so has retained its charm. The houses are huge, 4 stories tall, made entirely of wood with rice thatch roofs. In time gone by the thatch was replaced every 50 years or so. Today, fires for heating and cooking have given way to modern electric heaters and as a result the thatch is more prone to insect infestation and needs to be replaced every 25 years or so. NHK (a Japanese television channel) filmed a roof replacement seven years ago. It was phenomenal. 500 people from the village took a day assisting the family on a co-operative basis.

Kanazawa is port town although your views of the sea and the shoreline are usually from a high-rise hotel window. It has one of the finest gardens in Japan, Kenroukan, located opposite the castle on a hill overlooking the city. Pine trees, stone lanterns, bridges, tea houses and ponds make for an enjoyable visit.

Kyoto, Japan's cultural city, does live up to its status as being one of the most amazing cities to spend time in. It has Japan's longest wooden building, Sanjusangendo, where soldiers would hold archery competitions under the eaves but had to kneel down to hit the target and not the roof. Inside are a thousand statues of Buddha on elevated platforms. In the north of the city is the Kiyomicu Temple. Accessed by walking up "tea pot" lane, so named for the number of shops selling them, the hillside has a number of Buddhist and Shinto shrines that coexist. A terrace extends out from one of the buildings over the hillside supported on a timber framework. From this location it is possible to walk down via several other small streets past the Yasuka Pagoda, through one of the smaller geisha districts of Kyoto to the Shinto shrine of Heian. The Golden Temple is beautiful, set as it is in fine landscaped gardens. From Kyoto an excursion can be made to the Fox Temple, famed for the largest number of Tori gates in the country. Nara, another excursion, is located in a wooded area in which live deer who roam freely in the park. The largest wooden temple building, Todaiji, is here. Inside are three huge Buddhas.

Buddhism and Shintoism are the two main religions in Japan and of course almost every major site is associated in some way with them. For those wishing a more spiritual insight into Buddhism then a visit to Mt Koya should be included. This complex on the top of a mountain, two hours drive from Osaka, is the holiest Buddhist area in the country and the final goal of the most religious pilgrimage. A graveyard covering 200 hectares is located in the woods adjacent to one of the pilgrimage paths. The path begins at the bottom of the mountain, a six hour walk downhill, and is lined by ancient stone distance markers and enormous cedar trees. It is possible to stay in a temple here, since many offer accommodation to the pilgrims. I stayed overnight in a Japanese room, ate the vegetarian food provided and attended the early morning service which is expected of visitors. The chief monk was very willing to show me what was happening during the service and took me from shrine to shrine within the prayer hall, explaining what we should pray for. Driving back to Osaka I stopped at the Uji Byodin or Phoenix Hall. The hall is located on one side of a pond and has a number of Bodhisattvas carved of wood on the walls.

Many people like to relax at the end of their holiday. It may not be on a beach but at least in place which offers relaxation. Okinawa island, located 1200 km from the mainland, offers just such a location. The main town, Naha where the airport is located, is very busy but as one goes north more beaches appear with fine white sand and clear blue seas. However, don't expect to find idyllic coves and boutique hotels: there just aren't any. There are a couple of very large, but nice, 5* hotels with good beaches but if the beach is not an essential part of the holiday then there are a couple of smaller hotels set up in the hills with fine views to the sea. Both have golf courses attached to them for those wishing to partake. It is best to hire a car on Okinawa. Most roads are either signed or numbered but is possible to hire "sat nav" albeit with Japanese instructions. They drive on the left as well. Car hire gives you access to the sites in the north. There are forest walks, great views from the north of the island and a number of other attractions to visit including a botanical garden, pottery kilns and glassware studios.