"komorebi” - a word to describe the dappled sunlight that filters through the leaves.
We knew in April that we would return to Japan, and here we are, returning sooner than we would have believed. The cherry blossoms have been replaced by red maple leaves.
We arrived in Tokyo late afternoon, at a more reasonable hour this time. Last time we arrived at 5am, after experiencing a “red-eye” flight that was technically only 2 and a half hours, and therefore not long enough to actually sleep on. Rough; would not recommend.
Still, this was a big timezone shift. We jumped fifteen hours ahead in time, so that’s a nine hour time difference compared to our body clocks. We had a wee bit of jet lag; both up at 3am feeling like it was the middle of the day. Nothing that a family mart coffee wouldn’t fix! There was no time to waste, as there is always lots to do in Tokyo.
Firstly, we reunited with Miwa, my wonderful friend from Japan. When we met in April, it had been nearly a decade since we had last been together. We promised it wouldn’t be anywhere near as long til our next reunion, but I didn’t expect it to be only seven months…We’ll have to keep this going! We had a wonderful few days, filled with beautiful cafes, parks, and restaurants. We went shopping at Uniqlo to refill our wardrobes back home, and to look at prescription glasses, which are incredibly affordable here (if you have a straightforward prescription, they even do same day turnaround).
As I write this, we have been travelling for 51 weeks, with one more week to go. For our return to Japan, and our final stop, we were seeking the opportunity for reflection. We also wanted the chance to appreciate the momiji of the season. This brought us to central Honshu, in the Gifu and Nagano prefectures.
We travelled to Magomejuku, one of the post towns on the Nakasendo trail. This trail through the Kiso valley once linked Tokyo and Kyoto, and we planned to walk a couple of sections between some of the well-restored post towns in the area.
The Nakasendo trail was the ultimate exercise in living in the moment. As I read in the guest book along the way, "明日は明日の風が吹く" Ashita wa ashita no kaze ga fuku. The phrase can be translated as "tomorrow's wind will blow tomorrow." We spent our time eating kaiseki meals in our ryokans, onsen bathing, and slowly walking along cobbled paths through the forest and small towns. Every once in a while, we could distantly hear other hikers ringing the bear bells which have been peppered along the path; installed thanks to previous bear sightings (we did not see any). Between Ochiai and Magome, we saw a grand total of five people on the trail. There were a few more hikers between Magome and Tsumago, as it is a popular stretch, but we still had long periods to ourselves, to reflect on the beauty around us, as well as sharing memories from the past 50 weeks.
On the route, we were treated to local handicrafts for sale in towns and in the rest areas, with honesty boxes for fruit and vegetables along the way. People living in the villages were preparing their vegetable gardens for the coming winter. Autumn produce meant we ate chestnut and apple oyaki, and spotted persimmons growing on trees. They look so funny, with the leafless tree, which otherwise looks like it could be dead, absolutely laden with bright orange fruit. Persimmons were strung up at every house, drying. We stopped off at a donation-based tea house along the trail, complete with a cast iron teapot heating water on a pothook over the fire.
The systems in Japan are a myriad of contrasts. For us, a particular standout is the large network of super-fast trains, the Shinkansen. Japan is famous for this network, which contributes to its super modern reputation. However, this is contrasted with many cash only ticket machines across the country, which sometimes left us paying for tickets with coins, and handing them manually to the train conductor at the ticket gate. Modernity is often contrasted with deep traditions. Outside of the big cities, many accommodations and activities do not have booking platforms online, and even if they do, they conduct most of their business through landline phone numbers. This meant we struggled to get a hold of the ryokan outside Tsumago, to confirm they still exist and had our reservation. Thankfully, they did still exist, and a landline call from Magome Chaya confirmed they were still expecting us.
Our accommodation outside Tsumago was a bit of a mystery in general. We booked online, only shortly before the listing appeared to vanish, and they stated they were no longer taking visitors. On arrival, we understood that we were staying in a ryokan, which was across the road from a very flash hotel. We scored the lottery with this. Our affordable ryokan was simple but lovely, with a tatami mat room and comfortable futon bedding. In the (well outside of our budget) hotel, they had a luxurious onsen nestled in tree covered mountains, which we were able to use at our leisure. Thanks to the remote location, Jerry never saw another person in his onsen, while I was only very occasionally joined by others.
Japan is one of our highlight food destinations from our travels, and once again, we have been well fed on this stretch. We tried conveyor belt sushi and yakiniku with Miwa, two highlight meals as always. Buckwheat soba has been a key staple in several areas we’ve visited, as well as Hida beef and Takayama noodles. We’ve frequented plenty of our favourite teishoku meals, and been spoilt with amazing kaiseki meals in our ryokan stays.
Food, glorious food
In Nagoya, we even chose our accommodation for its famed breakfast. The premium Dormy Inn in Nagoya is a business hotel. Business hotels are often a good fit for us in cities, as they include all the amenities you need, in compact form, for a reasonable price. This hotel, however, is known for its ultimate hotel breakfast, with over 70 different dishes included in their buffet. It was a chance to try many of the star dishes from Nagoya, including unagi (eel). The hotel also included a host of freebies and an in-house onsen. The onsen was a wee culture shock to Jerry, who had gone from a five star private onsen experience to sharing an onsen with five other men.
We visited the science museum in Nagoya, to see their planetarium. The live lecture was in Japanese, but we loved the visual spectacle regardless. Plus, check out the comfy seats for looking up into the dome. As an aside, the Nagoya science museum is one of the coolest museums we have ever entered. Every single exhibit had interactive elements, to help you to understand different scientific concepts. While everything was labeled in Japanese (we put our Google translate photo function to good use!), the visual and hands-on elements made for a great time.
Hida-Takayama reminded me of a mini Kyoto, where there were crowds packed into a small area of three town blocks, and then there were equally beautiful spots where we saw no one at all. We wandered the streets lined with restored Edo period buildings, and ducked into small handicraft stores filled with ceramics and carved wooden furniture. I, of course, continue to add to my collection of ceramics, which I will bring home in my carry on bag (at this stage, ceramics will take up all of my carry on…)
Takayama is also where we have seen the brightest of the autumn colours. Japanese maples in vibrant reds and oranges, gingko trees in yellow, and the deep green of evergreen pines. We wandered amongst the shrines and temples on the edge of town to see sweeping vistas of the hills. Some people were filming for marketing material for the region, so you might see Jerry and me admiring the momiji on a brochure or advertisement one day soon.
HIDA NO SATO
We visited Hida no Sato, an open air museum similar to the Scottish Highlands open air museum we visited in Kingussie. The area had a range of traditional buildings, including gassho-zukuri farmhouses, with their thatched roofs. Wood carvers and weavers performed their crafts in the different houses. We joined in with the crafty atmosphere across the street at the craft centre, sanding our own chopstick set and painting a cover to go with it. It was a lovely cosy afternoon.
Nagano hosts one of the final fireworks festivals of the year. The winter season will soon arrive here, bringing with it countless skiers from around the world. You can feel its approach, with snow falling in the mountains, and a definite chill in the air.
Snow falling as our bus drove through the mountains
This posed an issue for our fireworks preparation - what to wear? Jerry and I were setting up in the free seating area, which meant arriving in the afternoon, several hours before the show began. I went for my warmest items, including merino underlayers, my alpaca wool jumper, a puffer jacket, and a raincoat. Jerry, however, had accidentally left some of his merino in our bag in Tokyo, so was left wearing no less than three t-shirts, two thin jumpers, and then his puffer and raincoat. He looked a little bit puffy, but it combatted the cold well enough.
We enjoyed our wait for the fireworks. Families settled around us on their tarpaulins, setting up with blankets and food from the nearby fair. As the sun set, the temperatures dropped, but the fireworks were worth the cold. Over an hour long, the Nagano Ebisu fireworks were a series of sets, with some set to music, some showcasing new or creative types of fireworks, and some which were accompanied by drones. The short commentary between each set allowed us the chance for a breather, and to appreciate each set anew.
Our final ryokan was in the small town of Yudanaka. Yudanaka is most famous for its snow monkey park, where people come from all over the world to see Japanese macaques bathing in hot pools in the snow. Since it is Autumn, we weren’t expecting to see many monkeys (this time of year there is a lot of food readily available in the surrounding hills, and due to it being mating season, they are usually busy with, ahem, other activities). Thankfully, a chilly snap in the past week meant they were starting their onsen bathing early, and we saw more monkeys than humans (and that is despite there being quite a few humans). The baby monkeys nestled into their mothers to hide from the icy wind, and there were many fleas to be plucked from each others’ backs.
MONKEYING AROUND
We made the most of our final ryokan stay, with our own private onsen, an endless dinner that lasted for more than two hours, and perhaps the most comfortable sleep of the trip. Jerry also received a very exciting call today - more on that in the next post! As I write now, we are on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, for the final few days.
My next post will be our final one of the year, so it will likely be filled with big emotions. We have learnt so much in this past year, about each other, our values, and the goodness that exists in the world. Looking forward to sharing it when we’re home, in the land of the long white cloud.
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