By Carol & Andrew
We have been back from our 2 week trip to Japan for 2 months and still miss it! We have a son in college in Sapporo so we took advantage of the opportunity to see Japan with him as our guide. He spent 6 weeks living with a Buddhist priest and family a few years ago, so we spent our first day meeting them and seeing their temple. This was a very special experience, visiting a Japanese family and being guests in a traditional Japanese home. Because of our son's experience, we got to see Japan differently than most tourists. We were able to eat in local restaurants with no language barrier. We never had to restrict ourselves to places with English menus. We only stayed another day and 1/2 in Tokyo. We are from NYC, so Tokyo wasn't very different in the sense of being a large city. We went to Asakusa and to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Had a great lunch in a conveyor belt sushi shop there. Had to see the JR Transportation Museum because older son & husband are big train buffs.
Took Shinkansen to Kyoto and met some of our son's college friends who study in Osaka. First day in Kyoto we saw Kyoto Gosho and Kiyomizu-dera. We really enjoyed the views and the many different shrines.
The next day we took a train to Nara to see Todai-ji. If you are going to Kyoto, you must see the Great Buddha at Nara. That evening we treated ourselves to dinner in Kobe, the one extravagance of our trip. It was well worth every yen! Not only the meal, but the artful presentation. Our last day in Kyoto was spent seeing Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji. The serenity of the rock garden at Ryoan-ji is worth experiencing and Kinkaku-ji is just lovely, great photo opportunities around the lake. Before boarding our train to Hiroshima, we took the escalators to the top of Kyoto-eki for the spectacular views.
First day in Hiroshima we take the ferry to Miyajima. At the ferry landing we are privileged to see a large group of young kimono-clad women boarding a lunch cruise. Arrive at Miyajima to see the shrine and by mid-afternnon, it is low tide and we are able to walk out to touch the shrine. Had a wonderful lunch of fried oysters. Next day is spent at the A-Bomb museum and around Peace Memorial Park. This was a very moving experience, especially so because our families are immigrants from Poland, Russia and Hungary who escaped during WW2. Hiroshima was the only place that we encountered a bad reaction from someone when we said we were American. Most of the Japanese people we met were very friendly, always gracious, and warm. I'm sure our son's excellent Japanese skills helped!
Finally, we board our train to spend the last 4 days in Sapporo and relax a little. Here we meet more of our son's college friends. One day is spent meeting a professor who works with International students and we also are privileged to see a modern Japanese home as her guest. We do the requisite tour of the Sapporo Brewery and even go to see a movie in English at the Sapporo-eki. Movies are quite expensive compared to the US.
We took the train along the Sea of Japan to spend a day at Otaru. We blew glass marbles and bought some lovely blown glass gifts for friends at home.
The last day was spent making the trip from Sapporo to Tokyo and then back home.
What I loved most about Japan was how different each region we saw was. Nothing in the US is over 3 or 4 hundred years old, so seeing the palaces and shrines in Kyoto & Nara was really memorable. Then comparing it to Tokyo or Hiroshima, each city gave a different sense of what Japan is and was.
I completely understand why our son wants to return after he finishes college!
