Kyotosaka Jam

 Boxing Day 2024. We've just left Hiroshima to catch a JR train to Kyoto. We'd heard that's the cultural capital of Japan. Apparently, the whole world and their sisters got the memo. Kyoto was by far the most touristy city we'd visited thus far, and it looked like the entire student population of Korea, China, and Japan had descended en masse to enjoy the holidays. Still, we're from India. Forget avoiding the crowds. We are the crowds. 

Kyoto station vista

Kyoto station - huge, self-contained and beautiful. 

As usual, we only stopped long enough at the hotel to drop our bags off before heading to the Bamboo Grove. Lovely place, but oh-so-touristy! We had people queuing up for Arabica coffee and matcha tea like it was the last cup for the foreseeable future. The few temples that were in the vicinity didn't particularly spark any sense of awe or wonder. 

Bamboo grove

One of the temple complexes at bamboo grove

pretty winter vistas- bamboo grove

Matcha ice cream

Tourists flocking to the bamboo grove

We took it relatively easy on the day since we'd had a pretty punishing schedule since we'd arrived. We did, however, decide to visit the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine later in the day, we were told it would be much less crowded in the evenings, and the lights in the evenings were said to be beautiful. 

The shrine at night

The Torii Gates at the shrine

The play of light across the toriis

Not only were the lights beautiful, it was also far less crowded; we'd successfully avoided intrepid Instagrammers, posing endlessly in front of the thousands of vermilion toriis, and we got to experience the temple in all its serenity. 

The following day, we decided to skip the originally planned trip to Nara in favour of spending a couple of days in Osaka. The Osaka Amazing Pass was great for our 2-day exploration of the city. Our first stop was the Umeda Sky building to experience 360 degrees of the city on a clear day (and what a beautifully clear day it was!). The observatory was 140 metres up and we could see clear to the mountains. 

View from one side of the Umeda Sky Building

The Observatory. Can you spot me? 

Me.

Also in the sky tower, we caught a special art exhibition by contemporary Japanese artist Koji Kenutani Tenku. It was brilliant and immersive, and I loved the use of mixed media and vibrant colours in his work to depict his message. 

An angel in New York

Kenutani Cafe

We then travelled halfway across town to what appeared to be the heart of Kitsch Osaka to slide down the exterior of a building. Such fun. 

Osaka kitsch

Tsukenkaku tower

But that's not all you can do at Tsutenkaku Tower. You can also do the dive and walk- which essentially lets you do just that - walk around the top of the tower, tethered to ropes where you could choose, if you so desire, to 'hang out' and then dive (admittedly a very short distance, about 40 metres or so) off the tower. If you're anything like our thrill-seeking family, this is a must-do! 

The walk was rather fun

Another traipse halfway across town (in the other direction, this time)  saw us at Osaka Castle, a 16th-century edifice built by a warlord- Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and steeped in a very turbulent history (which is beautifully explained within the castle). The many floors of the castle house costumes, artefacts and historical dioramas. 

The Osaka castle

The castle pictured on the drain cover

A war diorama

We also took a very forgettable sunset ride around the castle moat. lasted all of 20 minutes and could've been wrapped up in 6. We ended the day at a lovely local joint at Osaka station, where Rahul, our friendly Nepali server, hooked us up with some excellent, authentic Japanese grub before crashing at our Kyoto hotel. 

Osaka cityscape from a Ferris Wheel.

The restaurant at Osaka station with excellent grub. Ask for Rahul. No. Don't say it. I know you're thinking it, but don't.  

We had every intention of heading back to Osaka the next morning, but not before we were up at the crack of dawn to cover two famous temples in Kyoto- Kiyomizu Dera and the Kinkakuji temple. The Kiyomizu Dera temple is over 1200 years old and halfway up Mt. Otowa - so if you're using public transport, be prepared for a short uphill trek. There's a fair bit of uphill walking within the temple complex as well, but the view of the city laid out before you makes it worthwhile.  

Sai-Mon or the west gate

City lights from the temple

One of the massive chandeliers in the main hall

The main hall, built on the steep cliff

The Kinkakuji temple, or the golden pavilion had the upper two stories covered in gold leaf, and is achingly beautiful to behold. It's not just the temple, but the setting of the temple, in the grounds, surrounded by water that makes it special. 

The pavilion in its picture-postcard setting

Another view

...and another

...and another. I couldn't stop. 

This temple wasn't purpose-built, but a retirement villa that was converted to a Zen temple, and that could explain why there is so much emphasis on aesthetics here. Most tourists come here to get their pictures clicked (understandable), but that makes the entire complex treated towards the tourist trade. The lettering of your name/ fortune in red ink (for a fee) and vendors selling everything from keychains to wasabi peanuts (admittedly, the wasabi peanuts were very good). 

Anyhoo, a quick trip to pick up a snoozing child 2 later, we were back in Osaka, at the pier, which, considering it was the weekend, and the holidays, and in close proximity to Legoland, Disneyland and the aquarium, was heaving with children. We gave ALL of these a wide berth and hopped on the Tempozan ferris wheel to take in the city views. This was apparently the largest ferris wheel in Asia and had helpful stickers on the glass pointing out all the key landmarks of the city. What a fun way to get your bearings, eh? 

The Tempozan Ferris Wheel

The Santa Maria

The Santa Maria cruise along the Osaka provided another perspective but we all but froze our faces off in the cold. We planned to head to the Osaka Botanical Gardens a bit later in the evening, but we had a bit of time to kill, so we decided to take in the Osaka Figure museum, and boy was I glad we did. 

The traditional Kaiyodo

...with pop culture references

It started with each of us receiving a gacha toy (included in the ticket price) - and then we came across room upon room of Kaiyodo figurines. The beautifully crafted, detailed figurines from various genres, from Star Wars to Japanese Mythology, were a collector's wildest dream come true. One could spend hours wandering the exhibits and marvelling at the perfection. We didn't realise how long we spent here until we happened to glance at the watch and realise we were running late for our Team Labs interactive exhibits at Nagai Botanical Gardens. 

This one was inspired by the movement of birds in the wind on a giant sculpture. The movement in the sculpture will stop if birds and insects do not fly around the garden. 

Lines radiating across the Nagai Satoyama forest.
Each person walking across the forest creates
a brand new set of lines that intersperse with 
the previously formed lines, creating ripples

Floating, reasoning lamps on Oike Lake.
The light and sound of one lamp resonates with
nearby lamps, spreading the light.

Resonating microcosms in the common camellia garden. 
These orbs are reflective during the day and radiate with light at night. 

Autonomous orbs in the eucalyptus park.
When you touch these orbs, they change colour and resonate with a particular frequency of sound

Despite it being bitterly cold with biting winds, it was one of the most enjoyable hours we'd ever spent in any garden at night. All the artworks on display were inspired by the trees and birds that live in the garden. Creating an interactive light and sound experience integrating nature into it was absolutely magical, and we couldn't have asked for a better finale to this leg of our journey. While Kyoto is considered the more beautiful of the two cities, Osaka has an undeniable energy all of its own and perfectly juxtaposes the old-world charm of Kyoto. A perfect Kyotosaka Jam. 

Hiroshima Hijinks

The train ride from Yufuin to Hiroshima was pretty uneventful- things started when they were supposed to, stopped when they were supposed to and worked as they were supposed to. The initial shock of things working as they're supposed to was wearing off. In fact, we actually expected them to work as they were supposed to. I could tell I was going to have a major reality check the moment I left this country. I was not looking forward to that. We arrived in Hiroshima around noon, and shortly after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we high-tailed it to catch the ferry to Miyajima. Miyajima is an island just off Hiroshima that boasts the famous O-Tori gate at the Itsukushima shrine, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This was interesting as we'd visited Mont-Saint-Michel a few years ago

Of course, there were many other attractions that Miyajima was known for, or so we heard. Like its 'wild' Sika deer population, for example. They seemed to have an odd fondness for paper and cloth. How er... wild.

The 'wild' deer. Seconds before it attempted to eat Child 2's shirt

The famous floating O-torii

It also has a lovely botanical garden with many walkways. We missed the cable car to the top of Mount Misen by a whisker, but it allowed us time to roam the streets of Miyajima (the island had no traffic signals) and click a picturesque photo or two.

We caught the sunset ferry back to Hiroshima to dine at one of the most popular Tapas chains in Japan - Torikizoku. I loved everything about the yakitori experience - The drinks, the service, the ambience and the food. (There might be a bit of a wait to get seated, but it'll be totally worth it once you're seated. Also, they're really quick with your orders.) The next morning, we set out on an early ride to Himeji to explore Himeji castle . The town is sort of built around the castle, and everything (even drain covers) reflects that.

Himeji Castle

This 400-year-old castle is beautifully preserved, and the serene wooden interiors belie the bloody history of the castle. The castle has witnessed revolts, wars, and murder-suicides of 13 different families over 48 generations. Needless to say, it has its fair share of legends (and ghosts), but what truly impressed me was how well-preserved it was, and how lovingly they took care of the wooden interiors. (You're advised not to wear heels or shoes with hard soles, and once inside, you're expected to remove your shoes and carry them in a shoe bag to preserve the flooring.) The ancient construction techniques on display were such a pleasure to experience.

Rokuyo- Kugikakushi - A six-petalled decorative element to conceal nailheads 

Himeji-interiors

We arrived back in Hiroshima by afternoon, with a surprising lack of anything Christmassy - but not bereft of hordes of gaggling teens on shopping sprees, judging my fashion choices. 

Alice garden

Really, move on, child, I already have 2 judgy teens of my own. Totally water off a duck's back at this point. Totally. Hiroshima was rebuilt from the ground up after 1949 (hardly anything survived the A-bomb and the typhoon). We walked along the A-bomb dome down to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the Children's Peace Memorial as we headed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Child 2 spent a good 20 minutes penning down a message at the Peace memorial dedicated to Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the radiation from the atomic bomb fallout. The peace memorial has thousands of paper cranes from all over the world - made by children who wish for a world without nuclear war. And it is a beautiful segue into the Peace Museum.

The atomic-bomb dome, or the Genbaku dome. The world's first atomic bomb exploded just above the dome of the building. 

Water left at the memorial because immediately after the bomb, the survivors could be heard screaming, begging for water. 

The memorial is perfectly aligned with the Genbaku dome

Sadako Sasaki's memorial

The museum itself is a must-visit, to really understand the absolute devastation caused by nuclear weapons and why we must never come to a point where countries threaten to use them. The world's first Atomic war should hopefully be the World's only atomic war. Even the staunchest of supporters can't help but be moved by the absolute devastation that the atomic bomb caused. Calling it cute-sy names like 'Little boy' and 'Fat man' only makes the pain and suffering felt by the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by trivialising the potency of this death machine.

vibrant colours outside the peace museum

It took a while to fully get back to our usual selves, but we decided to end the day with a traditional Japanese theatre production -Kagura. Kagura is a dance-drama of sorts with gorgeous costumes, accompanied by a live traditional orchestra.  

It was originally performed as a Shinto ritual, but these days, it is used to promote traditional Japanese arts. This particular Kagura retold the story of Mount Suzaka - the key baddie was - get this - from India and female! Already two pluses in its favour. The Kagura was performed brilliantly by the artists and reminded me of some of the traditional Terukkuttu performances from Tamil Nadu.

They also had subtitles in English displayed across the top of the stage, which helped us understand the play better, and it was a completely immersive and thoroughly enjoyable hour at the theatre.

Hiroshima was everything and nothing like I'd imagined. Hiroshima tugged at your heartstrings and made you feel utter despair one minute and full of hope the next. Hiroshima had my heart.