Japan
Recently I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Japan. This was not long after the Tsunami disaster that crippled the country. I had no idea what to expect and was very overwhelmed with the kindness of the Japanese people. They really are the most polite, welcoming people that I have ever come across and nothing is more important to them than looking after their guests.
On arrival at Osaka Kansai airport we got the train to Kyoto where we based ourselves for five days. The city of Kyoto is beautiful and we spent most of our time on foot discovering lots of Buddhist temples and shrines. We also visited art and craft centres, local shopping districts and visited some traditional Japanese accommodation houses also known as Ryokans. We were lucky enough to spot some Geisha girls as well.
The traditional Japanese food was very interesting, although an acquired taste I think! Lots of raw fish and eggs! Western food was readily available as well for the little less adventurous.
As crazy as it seems, I can’t talk about Japan without making mention of their toilets! It did take me a little while to work out just how to use them, as there were so many buttons, but I did like the heated seats and the little button you could press to cover up any “noises”! Ok I’ll stop now!
Japan has some fantastic sites such as the Golden Pavilion. This Buddhist temple stands in the most beautiful garden surrounded by water and is such a peaceful place. You can get a fantastic photo of the pavilion and its perfect reflection in the water. I would like to make particular reference to a very holy place that we visited called Koyasan.
Mt. Koya-san is located in the North-eastern part of Wakayama and is in Koya-Ryujin Quasi-National Park. On the peak of Mt. Koya-san, surrounded by mountains, is Kongobu-ji Temple, founded by Kobo Taishi, the Head Temple of Esoteric Buddhism, which has a 1200-year-long history. More than 120 temples are scattered throughout the area, thus forming a great religious city.
We caught the train to Gokurakubashi where we took the Cable Car to Koyasan. We spent the day at this sacred mountain site visiting numerous temples and the Okunoin Cemetery, which is surrounded by three mountains. The Cemetery is set amongst trees that are 500 years old and is such a peaceful place.
All in all my visit to Japan was fascinating and I think everyone should put this beautiful country on their list of places to experience.