Stepping Back in Time: Thatched Roof Homes in Gero Onsen Gassho-Mura

Some years ago, I wrote about a trip to Gero Onsen, a place well known in Japan for its hot springs and charming scenery.

I recently revisited the town, and this time I stopped by Gassho-Mura, which is a 15 minute walk from the town center.

Gassho-Mura takes its name from "gassho-zukuri," meaning "thatched" and "mura," meaning "village." The roofs of the 10 historical structures were made by hand using traditional methods. In fact, the structures in the village are original, having been built more than 100 years ago. They were transported to the area to recreate the ambiance of a traditional village.

The site, for which you need to buy a ticket to go inside (I believe it was around 1000 yen), is open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The last entrance is at 4:30.

 Along with the homes, there are many antiques on display. Here are pics I took:

I love these old glass containers.

 More after the jump:

Experiencing Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks. It's located in Kansai, one of my favorite parts of Japan. With cities like Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, there's a lot to see and do there, in a fairly compact area. Himeji station is an easy 40 minute train ride from Kobe.

Mind you, in recent years I haven't been much of a postcard seeking sightseer. I'd rather walk through streets and supermarkets than museums or monuments. But I was in Himeji, and, with the castle in eyeshot of the train station, I figured it would be worth a visit.

I titled this post "Experiencing Himeji Castle" since seeing the storied place feels more like something you're pushed through than a place you visit to soak in. From start to finish, you line up, go up a hill, and go through the empty castle in a line of people that twists, winds, and goes up and down stairs. This is inevitable with a property that is on so many visitors' itineraries, but the experience is a far cry from the open, self-directed experience you'll have visiting other historical places, such as Windsor Castle in England.

Here's a bit of a photolog that will give you a sense of the experience:

The outer gate is about 10 minutes from the castle. You start by going over a moat.

 More after the jump:

Enoshima

Whenever I spend time in a place, I think about nearby areas that can be visited in a day. I prefer places accessible by train or bus and which don't require too many transfers. If you're visiting Tokyo, one such day trip in easy striking distance is Enoshima.

It's a popular tourist spot off the southern coast of Japan, and you can get to Enoshima station from Tokyo in less than 2 hours. From the station, it's a 10-15 minute walk through a small town and over a bridge to get to the island.

As you can see, it gets pretty crowded. However, the further you walk in, and the more you explore the higher-up areas and back alleys, the smaller the crowds become.

Enoshima has a lot to do in a day. You can visit shrines and parks, sample food at street stalls, walk along the coast, go to an aquarium (on the mainland, not the island), and look out for the many cats that inhabit the island. It's very hilly, so if you're hankering to get your walk on, this place is for you. If you're not so much into stairs and steep inclines, you can pay for an escalator ride to take you up to the main shrine.

More pics after the jump:

Yokohama Collectors Mall

If you're in downtown Yohohama, which is a nice place to walk around with a European feel, you might think about checking out the Yokohama Collectors Mall. It's in the basement of a building called the Silk Center.

It's got a bunch of little booths rented by different folks. So there's an eclectic mix of toys and other retro goods - mostly with a Western bent.

Details:

Website: http://www.usd.co.jp/collectorsmallmenu.htm
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:00-6:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-7:00, Sunday + Holidays: 11:00-6:00
Closed: Wednesdays
Address: 〒231-0023　横浜市中区山下町1番地
シルクセンターM1F
Phone number:  ０４５－６５１－０９５１
Map: Click here for a Google Map

More after the jump:

Spring is here! Sakura blossoms in Meguro, Tokyo

In Japan, the transition from winter to spring is clearly marked by a week-long event: the blossoming of sakura (cherry blossom) trees. The whole nation is swept up in the white and pink tide, with media reports forecasting the blooming periods in different parts of the country. In particular, the exact day when the trees will be in full bloom in each prefecture gets a lot of attention.

The main sakura watching period, called hanami, lasts about a week. This year, hanami arrived a bit earlier than usual in Tokyo, with the peak day landing on March 23.

There are many sakura trees in Tokyo, but some spots have large numbers of trees, either in clusters or, for more dramatic effect, in long rows. One famous area is in Meguro, which is on the Yamanote line. About 10 minutes from Meguro station is a long canal, and there are hundreds of sakura trees on either side, continuing for quite a distance. A man, a sakura, a canal: Meguro. If you translate that into Japanese and drink enough, it's a palindrome.

Some reports downplay Meguro sakura watching because the trees are along a man made structure (so the thinking goes that it makes the experience less natural), but I found it perfectly enjoyable.

And I brought some sofubi fellows (Elegab minis) along for the stroll.

More after the jump:

Yufuin

Yufuin is a Japanese resort town with a capital "R." Nestled in the mountains of eastern Kyushu, Yufuin's economy seems to be entirely built around the onsen (hot springs) which flow in abundance up from the ground, through networks of pipes, and into countless inns, hotels, and public baths.

A while back I wrote about another onsen town: Gero. The difference between the two seems to me as clear as a mountain spring. Whereas Gero is well known to Japanese lovers of onsen, Yufuin (while also famous) seems to cater to the foreign crowd. That's not suprising, as Kyushu is very close to Korea. And you'll likely hear as much Korean in the streets as Japanese, as visitors from the neighboring country pump cash into the economy.

One major advantage of Yufuin is the availability of inns that let you rent private onsen rooms by the hour at reasonable rates. Personally, I prefer this type of setup over public baths.

Let's take a stroll through Yufuin and check out some of the sights and attractions.

Hot springs are literally everywhere. This is a free foot soaking spring behind a souvenir/ice cream store. It's quite nice taking in a mixed blueberry/vanilla cone while your legs turn red in the steaming waters.

 

The springs are so abundant that some shops use the water for display fountains!

Yufuin's orientation

The red line on the map marks the main sightseeing stretch, which goes from Yufuin station to Lake Kinrinko.

Fear not for your safety, as there is a Self-Defense Force garrison nearby! I spotted some soldiers in a supermarket. They were very friendly.

Most people walk the 20 minutes from the station to the lake, but others prefer to be man hauled.

Shopping and eating...

There are plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants in the town.

More after the man jump:

Ameyoko Street (アメ横)

Ameyoko Street offers one of those rare Tokyo cultural experiences that is not only interesting and engaging, but also current and completely authentic. An adventure through the main thoroughfare, side streets, and hidden malls is a nice way to spend an afternoon. And you'll be joined by throngs of locals doing their daily shopping and bargain hunting,

The street is conveniently located near Ueno station, and it follows the Yamanote line (the main train line that circles around central Tokyo) from Ueno to Okachimachi station. (Incidentally, while in Ueno, you can actually find some indie sofubi at the famous Yamashiroya toy store, which I'll be writing about soon.)

There's a lot to see and do on Ameyoko Street.

You've got your seafood sellers,...

 More after the jump:

Tokyo -> Nagoya highway bus adventure!

Today I took a highway bus from Tokyo to Nagoya. Traveling in Japan is always an experience in itself, so I thought it might make a fun post.

This time I went with Willer Express. The company runs a bunch of routes throughout Japan, and they have an excellent English website. The prices are competitive, and they operate a diverse fleet of buses.

Some are bare bones, squeeze-as-many-seats-as-you-can-in-a-coach chicken buses (which are probably actually not too bad). At the other end are coaches with huge, plushy seats. Of course, the price bar moves from left to right as you go up in class.

 I went with the "RELAX with personal monitor" bus, which had a couple of interesting features.

The first is the personal "canopy." It folds up behind your seat, and you pull it to extend it over your head. Voila, private head cone.

self-portrait

 More after the jump:

Hozen Temple (法善寺)

Hozen Temple (Hozen Ji) is one of the most fascinating sites I've come across in Japan. Though I later learned it's very famous, we stumbled upon the temple quite by accident during an afternoon stroll around Osaka. But that's the way a lot of my Japan experience is unfolding - organically, and not by mapped-out design.

Organic is perhaps the perfect word to describe the temple, which is situated in downtown Osaka, in the Dotombori area. In toy hunter's terms, it's just a few minutes north of the Namba district, which houses Astro Zombies, Hiro Gangu, etc. The temple itself is very small, and it's surrounded by bustling alleyways and a constant stream of pedestrians either on their way to work, heading to one of Osaka's endlessly long covered shopping arcades, or maybe walking to Dotonbori-gawa Canal (well-known as the site where elated Hanshin Tigers fans tossed a statue of Colonel Sanders into the river in 1985).

The central statue at the front end of the temple is of Fudo Myoh (Immovable Wisdom King), a Buddhist deity also known as Mizukake Fudo (immovable when water is thrown on).

Speaking of water, the reason the statue is green is because it is covered by moss, a state engendered by a steady stream of worshipers lining up to pour water on Fudo Myoh and adjacent statues. I found it rather moving that the devout are actively contributing to maintaining the ever-growing nature of the statues.

Here's a video I shot of the temple:




To people traveling to Japan, I'd recommend setting aside "non-planned time" for unexpected encounters like this. If you're in Tokyo, plot a course to the Mandarake Complex and Third Uncle (I hear there's a good map on the Interwebs for that), but leave some unplotted time too. Sometimes the walk from the train station to a destination is the most interesting part of a trip.

Giant Godzilla Slide!

Pics and Videos of an enormous Godzilla slide have been surfacing, and I had to post here it's so cool. These are links, pics, and videos that I cobbled together from the Interwebs, so thanks to all who left the trail of breadcrumbs that made this post possible!

The Godzilla slide is located in Kurihama Flower World, which is near Kurihama, a city on the Miura Peninsula. I did some virtual leg work, and the closest station -Keikyukurihama - is about 1.5 hours from Shinjuku. Click here for public transportation routing from Tokyo.

I also plotted a walking route from the station to Godzilla. It's 1.9 kilometers. Here's a walking map. I imagine there are also buses and what not to get you from the train station to Kurihama Flower World, but even if there aren't, the good news is the park isn't too far out there in the boonies, and the most you'd have to walk is maybe 15-20 minutes from the train station to the park entrance, and then a few more minutes to Godzilla.

It sounds like a very nice park in its own right, with huge fields of flowers. But we're here to talk about flower stomping beasties!

Here are a couple more stills:

So you go in one end, and out the other. It's the circle of radioactive kaiju life! Oh, caaaan't you feel the...too much? OK, never happened.

Here's a video of Sir Beastie. Love the theme music!!!



Finally, here's an overhead satellite look + map to the site (zoom out from the top view). Unlike the huge Gundam which went up and down pretty quickly, this Godzilla seems to be a lasting fixture and has been around at least a couple of years. It looks like it would make a fantastic day trip from Tokyo.

Shuzenji Temple

Welcome to the latest in KK's Travels in Japan series. This time we're visiting Shuzenji Temple, located near Mishima on the Izu Peninsula.

I don't typically go out of my way to "see the sights" in Japan, since I prefer my stay here to unfold  organically. So it was with Shuzenji Temple, which we came across in a little town near Mishima. We were there for the hot springs (which were very meh...Come to think of it, the free foot soaking springs we found were a lot nice than our hotel's!) But just a sort walk from our lodge was Shuzenji Temple, which is very nice.

It was founded some 1200 years ago, though the current buildings are around 100 years old. I love wandering through spaces like this. Though the religious and cultural underpinnings are far beyond my purview, the temple and its adornments have an unmistakable aesthetic which has resonated through the culture for centuries. Matter of fact, more than a few indy toys draw their inspiration from this well.

OK, enough of my thoughts. More pics:

 More after the jump:

Gero

A few days ago, I left Tokyo in search of some rest and respite, to decompress from the twin towers of Taipei and Tokyo. I bussed to Takayama (about 5 hours from Shinjuku) and spent a couple of days there. It was a nice enough place (I'll blog about it in a bit) but not the quiet getaway I was after.

What I was really looking for was Gero, where I spent the better part of a day on my way from Takayama to Osaka.


The small town is situated between Nagoya and Takayama. It's surrounded by mountains, and a sleepy river runs through it.

The town is very manageable on foot, though the hills and stairs can wear out your walking shoes after a few hours. It's clean, quiet, and pleasant, and the people have a generally welcome, small town disposition.
Charlie Chaplin as The Kid, mais bien sur.

Of course, Gero's charms have not gone unnoticed. But what's fascinating is that whereas Takayama is overrun by Western tourists (I imagine the place must feature prominently in Frommers, Berlitz, and other guides) Gero seems to have mostly caught the eye of Japanese tourists.

I saw groups of young, middle-aged, and older folks ambling the streets and trying out the many foot soaking hotsprings. Interestingly, I didn't see a single Western wanderer during my daytrip.

Speaking of foot soaking, that brings me to the main reason I visited Gero: its onsen.

Normally, I'm not one for public baths, since I enjoy quiet and solitude as I'm boiling in the springs. But I decided to give this place a try. It's called Curegarden and is about a 15 minute walk from the train station.

The complex is pretty big (4 stories), and judging from the number of shoe holders at the entrance, it must be packed on weekends and during the warmer months. Fortunately, it was nearly empty when I arrived. Score!

Since nobody was using the baths, I was able to snap a couple of pics:
I like the way they have a covered section, so you can get out of the sun.
There 's also a jacuzzi, which is really fun (and rare) at public springs. Plus, there's a hotspring shower, a couple of small warm pools, regular showers, as well as "self-steamer" contraptions that look like something from a medieval torture chamber.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to snap a pic. But they are basically wooden boxes that you swing open and sit in. The only opening is a round slot at the top for your head. So you have to *very slowly* swing the door closed, after which you sit there and steam for as long as you want. You literally cannot move your head more than 20-30 degrees, so if you're not claustrophobic, this contraption might just change your mind! Actually, after a few minutes, you get used to it, and you can swing open and close the door a couple of times to let some cool air in and assure yourself you're not on your way to the pearly gates.

Once you're done soaking, you can take a rest inside. They also have a restaurant.
Your admission ticket to Curegarden allows for use of the facilities for 2 hours, which is more than enough time. I was given a 10% discount ticket at the friendly Gero tourist info center (next to the train station), so my stay at the garden set me back a whopping 540 yen (about 6 bucks).

On a side note - yes, Japan can be a costly place to visit, but there are so many bargains like this one that you can travel through the country (and have an excellent time) for a fraction of what it costs to visit Europe or the USA. Twenty years ago, Japan was definitely an expensive place. But economic sluggishness and deflation (which was something like -1.4% last year) mean that as other places get more costly, Japan is getting cheaper.

/side note/

Gero also has some excellent restaurants, like this friendly soba house:
Delicious!And you don't have to ask for soba broth (which is in the brown/white teapot), since they bring it to you automatically. After you eat soba, a nice way to finish it off is with some of the water which the noodles were cooked in. You just pour it into your soy sauce/wasabi/onion mix and then drink the whole thing. Savory!

After lunch, I wandered the town and came across a long brook, called Seseragi. I discovered a path alongside it and ambled up the hillside.
As the path ends, you're greeted by several stone statues - a very pleasant group overlooking the brook.
After an hour or so sitting there and munching on rice crackers, I wandered back down and explored another part of town. Like Takayama, Gero has a folk village containing examples of traditional houses. I was short on time, so I didn't go inside.
Just beneath the village is this excellent shop, which has some *damned fine* macha (green tea) ice cream!
As soon as I walked in, a window slid open and someone handed me a fresh from the oven cookie (made mostly of ginger and molasses, I think), which was so good I bought two bags!
I rounded out the feast with one of the finest canned coffees 120 yen can buy: Georgia Vintage. One more sight to see in Gero is its quiet, understated temple:

I think this has been my longest blog post in about a year. If you're still with me, l'chaim! Gero really is a nice place to rest yourself for a day or two. I like the town since it's so authentic and enjoyable. Sure, the economy is built around the hotsprings, but, from what I can gather, it's been that way for a long time and is a central part of its character.

Gero reminded me of a few other places. The resort feeling is similar to Ito (southwest of Tokyo) which is near the ocean. Also, in the southwestern USA, there's a place called Hotspring, Arkansas, which is very hospitable. Then you've got Beitou, a hotspring area just north of Taipei.

I really enjoy places that remain authentic and "alive" without turning into postcard villas that sell you an "authentic experience" while lacking a "lived in" quality. That's why I tend not to recommend places like Kyoto (though I hear it's extremely nice in places off the beaten path) but get really excited about towns like Kanazawa and Gero.