July 15, 2010

Thank you for the incredible trip!

By Raquel Benito | 3 comments

Akihabara district Tokyo

Japan is an amazing country, to say the least. Our 10 days there were bookended by Tokyo, with stops in Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Miyajima.

We spent our time in Tokyo exploring all the districts. I was shocked by how many “downtowns” Tokyo has. All areas of the city are constantly buzzing with activity at all hours of the day and night. Even more surprising is how clean the city is. I think my favorite spots in Tokyo were the Meiji Shrine, the Tokyo Tower, the Asakusa district, Harajuku, and the Sumida River waterfront. At the Meiji Shrine, we saw several traditional Shinto weddings, and I was in awe by the beauty of the brides’ kimonos. From the top of the Tokyo Tower we were treated to a 360-degree view of the city, and got some perspective on the city’s density.

Both Asakusa and Harajuku are great areas for walking. A type of promenade in Asakusa leads to the Sensoji Temple, and it is lined with small vendors selling souvenirs and traditional Japanese treats. We went to Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s a good thing we did! On Sundays, young people head out to Harajuku dressed as rockabillys, anime characters, and Goths. It was really cool to see a bunch of teens dressed up in elaborate costumes when it wasn’t Halloween. Another bizarre and unique thing we did was go to a cat café; meaning a café filled with cats for people to hang out with. Crazy!

Most famous for the Sensoji Temple, Asakusa is also a great place to meet animated statues.

Kyoto had a completely different feel from Tokyo. It’s what you envision when you close your eyes and think of traditional Japan. We stayed in a traditional Japanese inn and got to couch surf as well. The best sites in Kyoto were the Sanjusangen-do Temple that houses 1000 Kannon statues, Nijo Castle, the Pontocho neighborhood along the water front, Gion, and the Inari Shrine. While walking through Gion, we saw a geisha that was beautiful beyond belief. Her dress, hair, and make-up were unbelievably elaborate-much more stunning than I could have ever imagined.

Fushimi-Inari Shrine, Kyoto

Our couch surfing host lived around the corner from Inari Shrine. The main shrine sits at the base of Mt. Inari, but there are thousands of smaller shrines along a trail that circles the mountain. In addition to the shrines, the trail is completely lined with torii gates. Their size, quantity, and beauty did not cease to impress us even after walking under the last one. It was amazing.

Hiroshima's "bomb dome" stands as a reminder of what happened here 65 years before.

Our last stop was Hiroshima, and we were impressed by the liveliness and beauty of the city, especially considering what happened there 65 years ago. We first stopped at the Peace Museum and Peace Memorial Park, where we learned a considerable amount about what happened the day of the atomic bombing. We walked around the sobering memorials dedicated to victims of the event. It was an inspiring place.

O-torii Gate in Miyajima

From Hiroshima we took a ferry to the island of Miyajima where we were greeted by a herd of deer running about while trying to snag food from onlookers. Miyajima is famous for the O’torii gate that appears to float on the water. The gate was especially beautiful when the sun was setting on the island. We hiked up Mt. Misen, which gave us a stunning view of the ocean and surrounding islands.

The hike was intense, but the view from Mt. Misen was well worth it.

Besides all the great sight-seeing experiences, we also had excellent food experiences. The food in Japan is so delicious! We had our fair share of sushi, especially in Tokyo. We ate at several “floating” sushi bars in Tokyo. We were also lucky enough to have sushi at the Tsukiji Market. In Tokyo, we ate at a restaurant with an automated menu, where you ordered from a coin-operated machine outside the restaurant. In Kyoto we had excellent ramen and in Miyajima, we had a traditional savory pancake dish called okonomiyaki.

The floating sushi bars made eating out that much more fun.

I don’t think there are enough words to describe all the beautiful and interesting things that I saw in Japan, but all in all it was an amazing place with amazing character and incredible people. Thank you so much for this opportunity…it was without a doubt the trip of a lifetime.

Photos credits: courtesy of Raquel Benito