Story and Photos by John Sundsmo.
Feature Image:”Floating” Torii Gate, Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima Island
In Part-1, Tokyo to Kanazawa: By bus, we traversed the main Japanese island of Honshu from Tokyo in the east, past Mount Fuji and the Five Lakes District, through the Yamanashi wine region (the Napa of Japan) to Takayama in the Japanese Alps; then through the Nanto arts region to Kanagawa in the west (about 300 miles). Here in Part-2: By express train, we traveled from Kanagawa south to majestic Kyoto, the emperor’s home and seat of the shogun governments in the 11th to 15th centuries. From Kyoto, we wandered on the Shimanami Driveway between islands on the Seto Inland Sea, stopping on the Awagi and Oshima islands and at Kotohira on Shikoku Island before finally arriving in Hiroshima. Catching a ferry to Miyajima Island gave us a special visit to Itsukushima Shrine and its iconic floating Torii Gate. Again, we wandered in the South for about 300 miles.
Kanazawa to Kyoto: We left Kanazawa station early on the 9:05 AM train to Tsuruga (the sixth stop). There, with the expert assistance of our guide, Yama-san, we changed to the “Thunderbird” to Kyoto. Arriving at 11 AM, we had time for lunch and sightseeing.
Kyoto: A new chariot (bus) picked us up at the train station and whisked us to the local Omicho Market for a cultural immersion and a quick lunch.
The Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji)—The Sheridan at Rokuon-ji: After a sushi lunch in a small restaurant at the Omicho Market, we arrived at the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji, meaning Deer Garden), a world heritage site. It is one of the key tourist spots for all Kyoto visitors, including the Japanese, so it was expectedly crowded. Irrespective, the Golden Pavilion’s views were stunning.
We strolled past the majesty of the Golden Pavilion, its reflection in a beautiful pond with manicured ancient trees and a great white egret posing for visitors’ photos. Not to be outdone, lush Japanese gardens surrounded the temple. The original structure is thought to have been built in the 1300s and was the home of the powerful Ashikaga Yoshimitsu shogun in the early 14th century. Following his wishes, the pavilion was converted to a Zen Buddhist temple when he died.
Over the centuries, the Japanese embraced architecture and religion from the Chinese and modified them to make them their own. We learned that the Golden Pavilion was a typical Japanese amalgam. The first floor (in the Shinto style) was constructed to maximize open spaces and garden views. Its natural wood was designed to blend in with the surroundings. The second floor (in the Samurai style) is an active site of worship with a Buddha Hall and a large statue of the goddess of mercy, Kannon. The third floor is finished in a Zen-Chinese style.
The exterior gold leaf on the second and third floors was painstakingly restored in 1986-1987 using materials supplied by the traditional gold leaf factory we visited in Kanazawa. Tourist access to the interior is not possible as it is an active Buddhist temple housing what is believed to be some of the Buddha’s ashes.
After thoroughly enjoying the beautiful grounds, we still had time to walk around the nearby Gion Geisha District.
Gion Geisha historic district: The Gion district was established in the late 1400s during the Warring States period as an entertainment district near the Yasaka Shrine (then called the Gion Shrine). This was a time of great social upheaval and near-constant war between rival samurai lords. Even though Kyoto was home to the emperor and administrative shoguns, it was burned several times in upheavals.
Today, many buildings in the district date from the early 15th century and were most recently preserved during World War II when President Roosevelt, at the urging of Henry Simpson (a former ambassador to Japan), forbade Army Air Force Colonel Curtis La Maye from fire-bombing Kyoto as he had done at Cologne and Tokyo. Fortunately, the district survived and contains some of the best examples of early Japanese architecture. We roamed the streets and admired the craftsmanship in the old buildings, which are now filled with restaurants, gift stores, and artists’ studios.
As an aside, geisha in Kyoto now prefer to be known as a geiko (woman of the arts), justifiably so, since they are charged with maintaining cultural traditions of dance, hosting, and, importantly, the art of the tea service.
Sanjūsangen-do Temple: Each Japanese temple complex looked unique. Perhaps because I am an amateur woodworker, I particularly appreciated the extraordinary skills evident in each building, and for many, I could not understand how they could be still standing after so many centuries with just hand-hewn joints held together without nails, screws, glue or any other fasteners. Especially since so many earthquakes have rocked Japan over the ages, I was continually amazed by the skills of the 12th-14th century temple woodworkers. Sanjusangen-do temple was no exception. It has a massive internal free-standing post-free hondō (main hall) that took 15 years to build and was finished in 1266. To me, it seemed to defy both gravity and time.
One-thousand-and-one armed guards, with 28 standing attendants, a statue of Fūjin (the angry wind god), and a statue of Raijin (the thunder god) were all protecting Kannon, the principal 11-foot-tall statue, attributed to the 12th-century artist Tankei. The seated Kannon, referred to as the “Senju thousand-armed-Kannon,” is a Japanese Buddhist rendering of Buddhist Avalokiteśvara -meaning “the lord who looks down” (Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokiteśvara). While Avalokiteśvara was depicted as male in India, the lord is often depicted as a female figure known as Kannon in Japan. Noting the introduction of Japanese Buddhism from China by way of India, the statues have Hindu and Buddhist features. Reluctantly, we left Kyoto but vowed to return.
Shimanami Driveway Islands: Our four-wheeled chariot took us south to tour the Seto Inland Sea islands on the Shimanami Driveway (aka the Shimanami Kaidō or Nishiseto Expressway). The driveway was constructed to connect nine islands by building 55 bridges, including the Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge, (completed in 1999). This bridge is the world’s longest suspension bridge: 36.9 miles long and 89 feet wide. The bridge also has bicycle access, and the 43-mile road and bridge route has become one of Japan’s most popular long-distance bike routes. (Bicycle rental and drop-off locations are available along the route.)
After our long chariot ride from Kyoto across Awagi and Onruto islands, we were ready for a break, and our lunch stop on Oshima Island was a welcome chance to stretch our legs and try the local seafood. A seafood lunch was set up on picnic tables next to the quay, where we had hibachis to grill our shrimp, scallops, clams, and fish/calamari skewers.
After lunch, we were back on the bus, and our destination for the night was a traditional Japanese Ryokan (hotel) in the small hillside city of Kotohira on Shikoku Island.
Kotohira : Arriving in time for a walk before dinner, we set out to explore the near-vertical town and the mountain-top Konpira-san shrine. Our goal changed quickly when we approached the 1368 steep stairs leading to the summit. Without time before dinner, we were content climbing just 133 steps, taking time to linger and view the wonderful local artisan crafts in the shops.
As a bonus to ease our bus-weary bodies, we were scheduled for a wonderful traditional dinner with all guests dressed in kimonos (for women) and montsuki (for men). The dinner was both a visual and gourmet delight.
The next day, before leaving Kotohira for Hiroshima, we enjoyed a visit to the nearby Zentsū-ji Temple complex. We were rather “templed-out” by then, but this was again unique, especially since we were the only tourists.
Zentsū-ji Temple, Shikoku Island: The temple was first erected in 833 AD to celebrate the birthplace and life of the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Odaishi-sama), an amazingly learned individual. At a young age, he taught himself Chinese and Sanskrit so he could travel to China and learn Buddhism. Returning home to Japan, he founded Shingon Buddhism, the Japanese branch of Vajrayana Buddhism. Growing in stature and learning with age, he rose to prominence and achieved recognition from the emperor in what was then a non-Buddhist Japan. Founder of many monasteries, he is venerated, and many Japanese Buddhists make the Shikoku Pilgrimage to visit his birthplace. Two emperors, wanting to be near Kukai in the afterlife, had posthumous samples of their hair and nails interred in his temple complex.
Besides the impressive beauty of the temple complex, the most interesting feature for us was the monks’ graveyard and statuary next to the perimeter walls. The statuary seemed to vividly reflect the genuine personalities of the deceased monks, apparently without extravagant misrepresentation. We found the characters intriguing from a club-wielding, bandana-bedecked monk to a bookish grave-faced learner and a monk who could have passed for an ancient mariner.
Arriving in Hiroshima around noon on a rainy-misty afternoon, we had time for a quick ferry ride to Miyajima Island to see the beautiful Itsukushima Shrine and its famous “floating” torii gate.
Miyajima Island – Itsukushima Shrine: According to the creation myth for the Japanese islands, deities Izanagi and Izanami stirred the primordial ocean with a heavy spear, causing the seawater to spray in many directions. The spray solidified to form the Japanese archipelago. The location of the spear swirling in the myth was said to be near Miyajima Island.
Itsukushima Shrine, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first Torii gate to mark the site of the creation myth is believed to have been placed in the ocean in 593, with a subsequent Torii gate installed in 1168. The present gate dates from 1875. Looking small from a distance, it is fifty feet tall and is constructed of decay-resistant camphor wood. The Shinto shrine built on pilings over the water was first constructed in the early 12th century and is still an active site of worship. The beautiful shrine is a valued destination for Japanese and international visitors, so perhaps we were lucky to visit it on a rainy day with just a few other wet tourists.
Historically, the shrine was a display of reverence and worldly privilege by the powerful Taira clan, who controlled trade in the Inland Sea in the 10th and 11th centuries. Taira no Kiyomori rose to prominence as an imperial counselor and a shipping magnate who was key for moving troops and cargo. At the height of his power, he ordered the construction of the main hall (hondo) of the Itsukushima Shrine as a display of reverence for his patron god, the god of navigation. Visible from far across the water, the shrine served as a visual reminder to all ships of the Taira maritime empire.
Perhaps an inspiration for 20th-century Frank Lloyd Wright, the 12th-century Japanese Heian architecture focused on creating structures that “followed their environment” to create a more intimate relationship between the environment and the structure – hence, building the Itsukushima Shrine over the water, rather than on land. The simple beauty of the shrine buildings, disconnected from the land, hovering over the water, gives the shrine a unique ethereal and spiritual quality that made it a highlight of our soon-to-be-ending visit to Japan.
Returning to Hiroshima that night, we reflected on our Japanese wanderings and the wonders we had encountered, making it difficult to decide where we wanted to return on future trips. But before that, we had one more painful stop on our tour—Hiroshima.
Hiroshima: Now a vibrant, bustling city of many millions, Hiroshima was not as fortunate as Kyoto in World War II. As a seat of the Japanese Army and a major industrial city in the Imperial Japanese Empire, Hiroshima received a direct hit from one of two atomic bombs dropped to end the war. Visiting the “Peace Memorial” was a tear-jerking, painful experience that anyone contemplating nuclear war should be required to view intensely. The utter devastation and human suffering evident in the photographic exhibits were more than touching; they went to the soul, saying “don’t let this ever happen again.”
Reflecting on our Japanese experience, the gracious common people’s strength, courage, and perseverance stood out in stark contrast to the warrior class that ruled for so many centuries and suffered such hardship upon the people. But without them, many Japanese historic treasures would not have been created. The inspiring ingenuity of the temple and shrine builders and skilled craftsmen was memorable for me. Also, the beauty of the countryside came as a great surprise and awakening since, before the trip, I had assumed all of Japan was crowded with cities like Tokyo. Quite the opposite was true, with many memorable vistas that filled our chariot-bus windows and my memory. Japan is a beautiful country with gracious people and a deep cultural heritage. For us, it was worth more than just one visit. We embarked on our tour to identify destinations for future trips and succeeded. Now, the tough decision is where to go first.
IF YOU GO: We learned the need for thorough planning, especially outside big cities where English is often not spoken. The Google translator app and map app on our iPhones worked well nearly everywhere with the mobile hot spot we rented for two weeks from Japanese Telecom. Printed maps were usually available for the asking at our hotels. More than once, they proved helpful. National Geographic has a good tear-proof overview map for planning: “Japan Adventure Travel Map, #3023”. Local customs tend to be more formal than those of Western societies, so we dressed informally but respectfully.
For more on Japan travel see: In Japan: A Journey through clouds to Mount Fuji’s Sacred Peak and
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