Enso sail

It was a fairly quick trip to get here. I took the 6am flight from Eugene to San Francisco and then hopped on the united flight to Osaka. Arrived about 3 in the afternoon and got through customs fairly quickly, rented a Wi-Fi device, changed some money and bought a train ticket on the express to Namba station. 40 minutes later I was walking past the 7-11 as instructed and Jon, Bree and Simon met me. We walked the block and a half to the hotel through an intersection where all the cars stop and everyone goes any which way they want across the streets. After dropping off luggage we walked through some shopping streets and went to a soba shop Bree had found that had 100% buckwheat noodles I could eat and even buckwheat tempura. Yum. We walked for a while so we wouldn’t go to sleep too early and that was a very good day one.

We took the metro to see Osaka castle but didn’t go in. The grounds around it are very large. We went to some museums and did a little shopping. Then we headed south to Nara to meet Kana, Jon’s friend from his last trip to Japan, and see what all the fuss was about the deer there. So on the way to the temples the deer approach you and dip their heads trying to get treats, which are usually for sale nearby. We learned to avoid the bucks with big racks. They are really pushy. The does aren’t so bad but you can’t hold a handful of crackers in one hand and feed with the other. You need to hide the extra crackers.

The temples are large and impressive especially the one with the giant Buddha statue, Todai-ji. We experienced our largest crowds there. Beyond that there were several different temples and shrines and lots of stone lanterns and hanging metal lanterns. They must look spectacular when all lit up. We went to a couple of gardens which were small but lovely; then saw a kimono exhibit at the museum. And that was just the first day.

The trip to Kanazawa took three trains, one express and two Shinkansen. We had our first Bnb there; nice to be able to eat breakfast and cook dinner ourselves. We went through the castle there; very impressive although it had burned 3 times and was rebuilt smaller than the original. It was great to see how it was built in layers, first bamboo with clay and straw, then many layers of plaster and then tile over that, with wood lining the inside. All the castles are surrounded by moats and have high stone skirting walls that curve up high, making assault difficult. There are murder holes under the windows where rocks can be dropped.

A famous garden next to the castle; Kenroku-en, which has impressive ancient trees with branches held up by many wooden poles. It has a big reservoir which supplies the castle moats and has small pools and cascades. The walks are made with small pebbles which make noise as you walk on them. These are common in gardens and walkways to alert inhabitants of trespassers.

Kana met us again Kanazawa and we took a bus thru mountain tunnels to Takayama. We have a spare but lovely 3 story bnb, kitchen and bathroom on 2nd floor along with a large almost empty living/dining room with a table that can seat up to 6 with long benches. There is a tv and some tatami mats and a small low table with floor cushions. There are 2 bedrooms upstairs, one with a double bed and ac, one with a single futon. The first floor has 2 single beds and the main bath with a shower and tub.

One thing in these smaller towns is a system of waterways on each side of the streets and alleys that can be dipped into to water one’s plants. They are mostly covered but occasionally left open (watch your step), and they have fresh water flowing through them, I think from the river. You can see where they consolidate flows and empty into the river and yesterday we saw where river water was diverted to supply the channels further down the hill. It’s quite ingenious; I wonder if it was for fresh water to supply the houses originally?

Tomorrow we take a bus and two trains to get to a small town named Hikone, where we have a hotel next to the castle. Then on to Osaka and either a plane to Bangkok or we stay another week in Japan. Depends on whether we can change the flights. The boat was delayed so we have an extra week somewhere or other.

We’ve had an interesting and hot and lovely stay in a clean, polite and beautiful place. It is difficult to find gluten free and dairy free foods and sometimes vegetarian food too but most people have been very helpful. I certainly look forward to returning someday to this amazing country.

-Dana