Nagoya

From Kyoto, we went on a Shinkansen Nozomi Bullet train to Nagoya.  The experience of riding one of the world's fastest trains was like a dream come true.  We covered 135 km in about 30 minutes.

The Nagoya Station

The Nagoya station complex was baffling.  There were twin towers in the complex, each about 50 floors.  Furthermore, there were several underground levels.  The station was a major hub in the local subway system, as well as a junction for the national railways (JR).

After catching another train to a station close to our hotel and freshening up, We went to
The Nagoya Electricity Museum.  This was a fun place to go to.  There were really good explanations of the various aspects of electricity. On the top floors, there were optical illusions and we learnt about the art of animation. Also, we learnt about the polarizing film which became darker as it was turned.

The Antarctic Museum

Next, we went to the Nagoyako or the Nagoya Port.  The port was huge and in its vicinity was a museum on Antarctica, a nice park and the Nagoya Public Aquarium. The Antarctic Museum was on a ship, and it had a helipad. It looked very realistic. We walked there for a while, in the parks there.


Afterwards, we went to the Shirakawa Park, and saw a traditional event taking place.

Tomorrow, we will head to the Toyota City for a Toyota Plant tour.


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The Second Day in Kyoto

Fushimi Inaari

In the morning, we went to a temple called the Tofukuji Temple.  There was a Zen Garden here.  The garden had rocks in various formations.  This symbolized plasma, air, water and land.  In the temple complex, there was also a rest house for monks in the old days.  It is one of the five Zen temples of Kyoto (or one of the Kyoto Gozan).

After the Zen garden, we went to a mountain temple called Fushimi Inaari.  The mountain trail was lined with orange gate-like structures.  This is the temple's claim to fame.  The trail was lined with many small shrines.  There were also some statues of many holy animals.  The Shinto belief is that all of nature should be worshiped and revered.

The Golden Temple

We had lunch and then went to the Kinkakuji Temple (or the Golden Temple).  This temple was a royal guest house in the past.  The lakeside building is golden all over, and we could see a reflection of it in the lake.  In the backdrop were beautiful mountains.  The overall setting was nothing short of breathtaking.  There were orchids and lotuses all around.

Following our visit to the Golden Temple, we went to the Gion Shopping District and Kyoto Downtown.

Kyoto - Temples, Temples Everywhere!

The Kiyomizu-dera Temple

In the morning, we left for Kyoto from Nara in a JR Rapid train. The system of advanced reservation for trains is not required in Japan, because trains are very frequent. There are trains connecting Nara and Kyoto every 15 minutes. After arriving in Kyoto Station, we went to our Ryoken (Japanese style homestay) by car. 

We went all around Kyoto by bus.  Our first stop was the Kiyomizu-dera, an ancient Buddhist temple. We had to hike a good distance to reach most temples in Kyoto, as most of the famous ones are in the outskirts and out in the hills.  

The magnificent view of Kyoto city and the lush greenery surrounding the temple was a sight for sore eyes.  There was a beautiful idol of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, along with some Japanese deities in the main hall. Outside were many street vendors selling charms of various kinds.  There were even charms for passing examinations.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

After the morning sightseeing, we went to an Israeli restaurant, Falafel Garden, for lunch. We had delicious Falafel sandwiches there.

The most exciting part of the day, however, was the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, which was in an area called Arashiyama in the western part of the city.  We went there by a bus from the eastern part of the city, on the other side of the Kamo River.  The grove was simply beautiful.  We could hear the sounds of chirping birds, and the air was fresh, devoid of pollutants.

After that, we went to downtown Kyoto, and shopped there for a while, before heading back to our Ryoken for the night.

Our room was unlike anything we had seen before.  There were mats all over the floor, floor mattresses and very low tables and chairs.  Traditional Japanese houses are like this.

  

To be continued...

The Ancient Capital of Japan

We reached Nara at about 11 am and walked to our hotel, Hotel Nara Kommachi.  It was a cozy, little hotel, really comfortable, and spotlessly clean.  From there, we walked to the Kofukuji Temple.  Nara is a small town, so you can walk around everywhere.

After about 10 minutes, we could see the towering structure of the pagodas right in front of us. We went there and were amazed by the ancient architecture of the Japanese.    

All major Nara attractions, including the Kofukuji temple, are located in an area called the Nara Park.  There are hundreds of deer wandering all over the park.  We could touch the deer.  We also took many pictures.

Next, after a short walk through a nice tree lined grove in the park, we went to the Nara National Museum.  Here we learnt many different things. For example, we saw the exact processes involved in placing crystal eyes into the sockets of the head of a Buddha statue.

We were now on our way to see the main temple of Nara, the Todaiji Temple.  On the way to the temple, we stopped by a traveler rest house.  This rest house was made by a Japanese Multinational Corporation which makes buildings and structures earthquake-proof.  Here, there was a earthquake simulator which showed the vibrations which were felt during various high-intensity earthquakes all over Japan.  Me and my brother sat on the chair of the machine and felt what it was like to be in an earthquake.

The Todaiji temple was huge and magnificent.  It was established by a monk from India, Bodhisena in the 8th century.  Coincidentally, the very next day was the anniversary of the establishment of the temple, and it was to be celebrated in a grand way.  Kathakali dancers were going to perform, as the celebration was organised by the Indian Embassy in Tokyo.

In the temple, we had a guide with us, who told us about the history of the temple.  There was a hole (Buddha's nostril) in which people were wriggling through.  Supposedly, any person who goes through the hole will be enlightened in their next life.

After the day's sights, we went to a shopping street.  At about 9 pm, we went to our cosy little hotel room and slept like logs.

Nature day in Osaka

Our Last Day in Osaka was with mixed feelings.  We went to the Osaka Botanical Garden in a place called Nagai, by the metro.  We have been using the Osaka Unlimited Pass for the last two days.  So, this helped us a lot as it included the fares for all trains, trams, buses and many attractions.

The garden was impeccably maintained, and there were beautiful flowering plants from all over the world. There were Chinese Roses, Chrysanthemums, Orchids, German Iris' and Cherry blossoms among the 160,000 other species of plants.  We walked around the place and took a lot of pictures.  One of the many interesting things I noticed was that there were many people, both young and old, drawing and painting on a canvas. There were also many old people, some of them even handicapped, who seemed to be locals (I couldn't talk to them because of the language barrier, although I would've loved to). These people were taking pictures with SLR cameras. It was nice to see so many senior citizens pursuing their passions.

Later, we went on a quick tour of the Osaka Museum of Natural History. They had real skeletons of blue whales there.  The exhibits were really nice, but unfortunately, most of the explanations were in Japanese, so we didn't really enjoy much.

After lunch at Denny's Restaurant, we went to the Tennoji Zoo. Here, we saw animals like polar bears, giraffes, owls, elephants, and a lot of birds.  This wasn't really new to us (we've been to a lot of zoos), but the Zoo was not great as animals were in relatively small enclosures.

One other observation - there were groups of school children (even some preschool kids), who were on field trips to the zoo, the natural history museum and even the botanical garden.  We have seen so many such groups not just here, but in other attractions in Osaka.  One of the staff in a Hotel told us that their kids go to regular picnics and field trips. 

Tomorrow we leave for Nara - the ancient capital of Japan. 

The Heights!

The cityscape

The view was breathtaking from the top.  No, I'm not talking about a plane or helicopter or even a building.  This was the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, which takes you up 112.5 m into the sky.  As we went up, we got a panoramic view of the Osaka Bay, and the city of Osaka from the very top.  There were ships chugging along, minute cars on the many bridges across the bay and high-speed trains going under the cars, on the same bridges.  The overall experience was simply amazing.

But I have to say I was a bit disappointed -  I expected the Ferris wheel to make high speed turns, but for whatever reason, it was quite slow.

The Yodo River

Next, we boarded a train going to a place called Umeda, where we went to the Floating Garden Observatory.  This was located at the top of the Umeda building, in Osaka's downtown.  From atop the 173 m tall tower,  surrounded by glass on 360 degrees, we gazed out.  The glass did a great job filtering out wind and noise, so we could get a bird's eye view of daily life in Osaka - planes ascending and descending, slow and super fast trains whizzing by every few seconds, and thousands of people walking endlessly in every direction.  It felt nice to sit back, relax and just look outside, which is what we did.  

Inside the Floating Garden Observatory

After about an hour of shopping in one of the underground malls, we went to yet another Ferris Wheel.  This was the HEP 5 Ferris Wheel and it offered a great view of the other parts of the city.


 To be continued...

Osaka Castle

Today was a nice expedition for us.  We went to the Osaka Castle.  The place is massive and it is in the midst of a huge park called Osaka Castle Park. There is also a river in the park, adjacent to the Castle.  On the route to the castle is a pine tree where a Buddhist monk, Rennyo, hung his robe as a relic.  Legend says that he did this for the prosperity of his clan.  Today there is a monument built right next to the very tree.  The Castle is about 9 floors high and there is a nice observatory on the top. Here is a picture:

Inside the Castle is a huge museum all about the history of the castle, the various kings who ruled from there, and the city in general. Since a lot of the exhibits were explained in Japanese, we were given English audio guides. The place was built by a nobleman, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in the 16th Century. And he was the son of a beggar! His inspiring life story was also portrayed in the museum.

The castle was the subject of many controversies.  Two wars were also fought for it. 

Another interesting aspect of this place was the time capsule that was buried 20 m in the ground in front of the castle in an expo that was held here in 1970. The terms of when to open the capsule were pretty simple: at the beginning of every century and a special capsule, protected by the most extensive security measures, which is to be opened only on the 1st of January, 6970. 

After that, we went to the banks of the Dotombōri River. There are hundreds of exclusive stores in and around the area.

The Dotombōri walking street

To be continued.....

Coming next: The Tempozan Ferris Wheel