Kaleidoscopes of a World Traveler: December 2011

Mount Fuji

Friday, December 30, 2011 |

Mt. Fuji is Japan's highest mountain ranging 12,389 feet. It last erupted in 1707 and is still classified as an active volcano. It's also known as the shy mountain because often times, its hidden behind the clouds and is very difficult to see. Luckily for us, we had great weather and were able to see it from every point.

Visiting Mt. Fuji was an amazing experience. It was something out of the National Geographic Channel. Its peaceful, serene and very easy on the eyes. It is a definite must see when going to Japan.

Our bus ride from Tokyo took approximately 3 hours. We made a couple of rest stops on the way to the mountain's 5th station (half way up the mountain) called Kawaguchiko Town. Here you'll find some restaurants and shops equipped with hiking gear and supplies. This is the last stop for climbers to purchase supplies at a somewhat decent price. The higher up the mountain you go, the higher the prices.

Below are picture of the volcano up close and personal from the 5th station.

Afterwards, we headed to Togendai Station to ride the Hakone Ropeway which led to the 45 minute boat ride on Lake Ashi.

View from the Ropeway

Our Boat

Mt. Fuji Sunset

We spent the night in Hakone. Driving from Lake Ashi to the hotel was a bit scary. The driver didn't speak English and we didn't speak Japanese so we drove in silence for 40 minutes up a curvy, dark and narrow road. We were in the middle of nowhere. LITERALLY. We finally arrived at the hotel and couldn't see much of the area surrounding us because everything was pitch black. When we woke up early the next morning we were astonished at the incredible view.

View from Hotel Room

View from Outside the Hotel

This was one of my favorite tours on the trip. A picture is worth 1,000 words but these do not do it any justice. Its something you have to see and experience for yourself.

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Japanese Tea Ceremony

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 |

While in Tokyo, we visited The Koomon where we learned about the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

This cultural activity originated in the 9th century. It involves ceremonial preparation and presentation of powered green tea. The ceremony usually includes sweets and/or a light meal (I ate mine before taking a picture of it) and can last anywhere between 1 - 4 hours depending on how formal the ceremony is.

The techniques used are very poised and have been perfected throughout the last 700 years. Attention to detail is a must as admiring simplicity is the first step of the ceremony.

Calligraphy is often associated with tea ceremonies. Scrolls are usually hung in the ceremony room to honor both the guest and occasion. The scrolls usually have seasonal phrases written and are often times accompanied with a flower arrangement of some sort.

In Asia, green tea is used both as a beverage and medicine helping everything from controlling bleeding, healing wounds, regulating body temperature, blood sugar and digestion.

Below is a picture of the tea that was served to us at The Koomon. It was bitter, strong and thick, definitely something I'm NOT used to. Lucky for us, they only served a little bit because 2 days later, my urine was still coming out green.

Below is a picture of us with the nice lady that taught us how to make the horrible tasting beverage.

Special thanks to The Koomon for such amazing hospitality. Even though I didn't like the taste of the tea, I drank it all and was grateful for the learning experience.

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Kamakura

Monday, December 26, 2011 |

On our day trip to Kamakura, our first stop was Hasedera Temple.

Hasedera Temple (Entrance)

The temple was built in 686 and is known for its Kannon statue, the goddess of mercy which has 11 heads. Unfortunately, pictures were prohibited inside the temple and I wasn't able to take a picture of the statute.

The temple is built along side the wooded hills and is composed of 30 buildings all opened to the public. On the bottom of the slope, is a pretty garden with a pond. Unfortunately, it wasn't so pretty when I went because it was ruined by the tsunami earlier in the year. As you can see in the pictures below, the trees were extremely dried and brittle.

The temple's main building (where the Kannon statute is located) is up the slope and accessible by stairs. Along the way are hundreds of Jizo statues that are said to help the souls of dead children reach paradise.

Also along the way, is another pond and garden with bamboo water and lanterns. The two statues you see below are: Amida and Benten.

Amida is a Buddha who promised rebirth to all those who chant his name in devotion. Benton is the goddess of feminine beauty and wealth.

The swastika sign symbolizes a Buddhist temple. Its a sign of auspiciousness and good fortune and also symbolizes Buddha's heart and footprints.

Hasedera Temple - Main Building

Our second stop was the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This was the tour that I was most looking forward to.

The statue is made of bronze. It stands at a little over 43 feet tall and weighs 93 tons. It is the second largest buddha statue in Japan. It was built in 1252 and was originally located in a large temple hall. However, in the 14th and 15th centuries the temple building was destroyed multiple times by tidal waves and typhoons. Therefore, since 1495, the buddha has been sitting in the open air.

The buddha is hollow so I was able to go inside for only 20 yen! This is what it looks like inside:

Afterwards, we had a traditional Japanese lunch!

Steamed Brown Rice w/ Soy Skin & Seafood Paste

Pickled Chicken (Top Left), Sweet Tofu (Top Right), Tofu Tempura (Bottom)

Miso Soup w/ Soy Skin

Oh and lets not forget dessert!

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

The last stop in Kamakura was the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Yes, its a mouthful and I'm still trying to figure out how to say it. It was founded in 1081 by the first shogun, Minamoto Yoritomo. It was a dedication to the shogun's patron god, Hachiman. The shrine is reached by walking a long path throughout the center of the city. While walking the path, you pass multiple torii gates like the one below.

Main Stairway - 62 Steps to the Top

While visiting the shrine, we were lucky enough to see 2 weddings. One bride was more traditional than the other. I liked the modern bride more because her kimono was colorful. Both were very beautiful.

Traditional Bride

Modern Bride

Below is a picture of empty sake barrels that were donated to the shrine for decoration. Wish I could have brought one of those back home with me!

Our tour guide, Haruko, was amazing! Her mother actually lived in Forest Hills, Queens and she got the opportunity to visit NYC a few times. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a picture with her. But I believe that we will meet again. Thanks for everything Haruko!!! You are great!

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Tokyo

Sunday, December 25, 2011 |

We stayed in an area called Akasaka. Its the equivalent of Rockerfeller Center in NYC. There were tons of stores, a big xmas tree and even a skating rink.

Our very first outing was to Tokyo Tower. Built in 1958, the Eiffel Tower inspired monument is used to support the radio and tv antenna. It is the second tallest building in Japan soaring 1,091 feet.

Tokyo Tower

The view from the observatory deck is pretty damn amazing. You see all of Tokyo and to the south (if you're lucky, which I wasn't) you can see Mount Fuji.

Observatory View

Unfortunately, the tower's height is not enough to support digital broadcasting. Therefore, Tokyo Sky Tower will take over sometime in 2012. Yes, its taller.

Sky Tower

Afterwards we strolled through the Imperial Palace Plaza where the emperor and empress currently live. The plaza is a little less than 3 miles long and is made up of several buildings including the main palace, museums, offices and Edo Castle.

Edo Castle

Edo Castle was built in 1947 and is where the shogun lived. It also served as the military capital during the Edo period.

Lastly, we headed to Asakusa to see Tokyo's oldest and most famous Buddist temple, Asakusa Kannon Temple followed by some shopping in Nakamise Shopping Arcade. Below are pictures of the shopping area and temple.

Nakamise Shopping Arcade

Asakusa Kannon Temple (Entrance)

During a child's life, parents bring them to temples to pray for their well being and a healthy life growing up. They take children as babies, 3 year olds and 6 (or 7) year olds. They dress them up in what they call "costume". Below is a picture of a 3 year old and her mother and baby sister.

Below is a picture I was able to quickly take. Its a fan shop that I was amazed with. They had to many different kinds - very fancy but expensive as hell! I got yelled at (in Japanese of course) because no pictures were allowed.

Everywhere we walked, all you smelled and saw were vendors selling goodies. We decided on some ICE CREAM! They had so many flavors to pick from. I chose the traditional Japanese soy bean and vanilla one. It was delicious!

Soy Bean & Vanilla Ice Cream

Later that night we decided to unwind with some cold sake and 7 Eleven precooked food. My mother wasn't a big fan of the sake so she decided on some beer instead (which we conveniently purchased from the vending machine at our hotel). Oh well, more sake for me!