Our journey to Mastumoto was smooth and easy.  The only hiccup turned out to be that we caught our taxi driver’s cold.  He sniffled in the hot car both ways from the train station to the ferry and back.  As he said goodbye to us at the train station in Okayama he handed us each a package of Kleenex, foreshadowing the cold symptoms that would begin the next day.  Oh well, we hear almost everyone has a cold back home too!

  The train to Matsumoto was a special “wide-view” train.  Jim was giddy when he saw the big, wide, front window with a 180 degree forward view of our surroundings, including the engineer, who put on a great show with dramatic gestures noting every track light (green, yellow or red) along the journey.

From the Matsumoto train station, we took a small bus out of the city through ever narrower curvy roads up the hills until we arrived at the Tobira Onsen Myojinkan Inn. This small “traditional” Japanese resort and hot springs  is an enchanting, magical place. We were the only Anglos once again and the other visitors who could speak a little English kept asking us how we found it.  

           
 Our room was very large and had a beautiful winter view of the nearby stream and the snow covered trees. It felt a little like home, except for the lack of beds. This was our first hotel where we slept on mats, rather than beds.  It wasn’t as bad as we thought, but a bed is much more comfortable. For our dinner we enjoyed another delicious work of Japanese “food art.”  

                         And the traditional Japaneese breakfast was also perfect, held in a stunning view room, decorated with birch tree lights and wall coverings. 

Breakfast

  This place is also famous for their public (although gender separated) hot spring baths. It was extremely hard for us to leave the next day and take the bus for a day trip back into Matsumoto to visit the historic feudal castle, but we did and it well worth the time. Once again the weather cooperated with a sunny sky that allowed us to see the beautiful  mountains that overlook the city.

  
 
  Jim and I climbed the 6 stories up the interior castle steps. With 3 levels of moats and a first story built from large stones, the castle’s design is strategically imposing. Before artillery, airplanes or very large catapults, it would be virtually impossible to capture it and its hundreds of samurai defenders.

After our excursion we returned to the lodge and rested and enjoyed the pools before repacking our small bags for the next 2 days in Tokyo. We love the Japanese process of shipping big bags ahead so that the train travel the s only done with small overnight bags.  

It turns out the weather in Matsumoto really turned a few hours after we left, blocking the winding narrow road with snow, ice and falling trees, stranding the guests. 

   Although it would be a great place to be stranded, we were glad to make our 2 day trip to Tokyo with a quick  3 hour stop in Nagano to explore the Zenko-Ji Temple. After arriving at the Nagano station we followed our instructions and put our luggage in a locker. It took a bit of time to find a place to get change because the lockers took only 100 yen coins, but a quick juice purchase solved that problem.  From there we proceeded to the appropriate bus stop for an easy bus ride to the Temple.  

Although it was a rainy cold day, the walk through the grounds up to the Temple set the stage for a perfect visit. We had hoped this trip to find a meditation bell for our travels with no luck until Zenko-Ji.    

  The little shop just outside the gates of the Temple had a great selection of small bowls that make a deep, resonate bell sound when struck with a little mallet.  We chose one with a pitch we both loved and the shopkeeper was very helpful, even though he spoke no English. 

  The Temple is large with an enormous incense burner before the entry. Once in the Temple you can walk through a pitch-black tunnel under the alter to touch the “key to paradise”. Of course this was a must do. It was absolutely dark, and as you walked (no shoes of course) we were instructed to keep our right hands along the wall until we felt the metal bar on the door to the under-alter chamber.  We are pretty sure we accomplished the goal. On the way back to the bus and train we stopped for some warm noodle bowls to take the edge off the cold rainy day.

After we checked into our Tokyo hotel, we got to meet and have dinner with Leif and Natalie Mortenson. They are the son and granddaughter of our friends Dave and Pam Mortenson.  After meeting us at the hotel we walked to a fun local spot and enjoyed good food while getting to know them both.  

We stayed in Tokyo at the Four Seasons Hotel and it is a perfect hotel.  Perfect location, small, tasty breakfasts, comfortable rooms & beds and fantastic service.  After a long travel day and feeling the effects of our blooming colds, it was an wonderful and welcome respite.

We woke a little worn out, but once again ready to rally for a guided tour of Tokyo. Keiko Kamei had read some of our blogs and articles about Dick’s Drive-Ins and Jim’s Dad and felt like an old friend as we headed off via the Ginza subway line to the Haraju district for a stroll through the Meiji Shrine.  Because much of Tokyo was destroyed in the war, the grounds and imposing  entrance gates and Shrine are all relatively new ad surrounded by 120,000 trees brought and planted as gifts.  

  This is a place where people come for weddings, blessings for newborns, new cars, new jobs, new trips and similar new things. Spending the day with Keiko helped us learn more about our last 2 weeks. For example, we are now able to distinguish between Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples.  

 When removing your shoes,  immediately you notice the heated floors, which were very nice compard to the ice-cold floors of every other Temple & Shrine we hav visited.

 We took part in a sacred Shinto blessing ceremony.  The priests give blessing to the visitors by name using special prayer sticks.  Jim got a healing blessing in the ceremony.  

After the Shrine we did a bit of an architectural tour through the Omotesando district, where flagship designer stores are housed in amazing buildings. Japanese love new trendy things and we passed young people cued in long lines for a fashion show and a western-style silver jewelry boutique.  

We shared a delicious lunch and then Jim headed back to the hotel for some quiet time, while Keiko and I explored the museum and the Yanaka district.  The Yanaka district is home to the Museum of  Art.  It’s a quiet neighborhood with lovely old shops, and homes along with artists.  I liked the peaceful energy.  I bought some delicious rice crackers from a shop that has been making them the same way for 100 years.

  
 We had the opportunity to visit Allen West’s gallery. He’s an American who uses an old Japanese technique of mixing deer glue with ground stone pigment to create beautiful pieces of art. For winter his themes are plum tree blossoms and bamboo in snow representing beauty and success in harsh times. . Birds in pine trees are another theme. Like our last artist visit in Kyoto, it was very special. Allen, his wife, Keiko and I chatted about pigments and painting, his recent commissions, the states, families and life. I purchased a small Shinto-themed horse painting that reminded me of our morning Shinto service at the Temple.

 By the time Keiko and I worked our way back to the hotel, I was pretty exhausted.  jim and I went out for a quick simple dinner from the collection of small restaurants in the massive Tokyo train station next to our hotel.  With Keiko’s help we purchased some NyQuil-like cold medicine to help clear our nose and help us get some sleep.  We both woke the next morning feeling much better, and then enjoyed another yummy leisurely  breakfast.  

Before heading to our train we went for a quick (& successful) excursion to buy some casual Japaneese robes (called Yukatas).

As I finish this blog we are sitting on a small local train during the 30 minute trip from Nagano to Myokokogen for our final week in Japan, all of which will be devoted to skiing.  Skiing was the reason we came to Japan in first place.  If the skiing is anywhere close to the rest of our trip, it’s going to be epic!

We have arrived and settled at the lodge .  It’s rustic, small and has a great skier feel.  It’s certainly very different from the rest of our trip.  But it feels great!   This is definitely an interesting out of the way sky area.  It’s snowing and the adventure continues.

The Nara fire ceremony was a kick.  Combining a community fair atmosphere with great tradition, religious cooperation and fireworks.  Really, what could be better. We joined in on the parade up the hill with chanting and conch shell blowing and stayed for the grass burning. I’ve posted some of the video on Facebook. Jim paticurlalry loved the Shinto head coverings.  This is a must do if you are here this time of year.  It combined interfaith (Buddhist and Shinto) prayers for the departed and world peace along with fire safety for the town and the shrines (which have burned down a lot over hundreds of years).

We ate lots of yummy street vender foods (the healthy food is not photographed) including the ceremonial soup topped with a salty-sweet cotton candy.   We didn’t actually eat the crazy bananas, but we did photograph them.

  The last 4 days immersed us in the experience of Kyoto both modern and ancient.  Kyoto was chosen originally for its Feng Shui because it is surrounded by mountains on the north east and west with a river running north to south.  Interestingly, this is exactly the same as our beautiful Alpental Valley.

When we left the healing sanctuary in Toba for the train ride to Kyoto the snow began to fall.  The train ride was easy. The Kyoto train station is enormous, with many levels and entrances but the grandeur and epic scale of the modern North entrance made it our favorite, especially the view of the adjacent Kyoto Tower (Kyoto’s Space Needle).  In fact last night after a full day of touring we headed back to experience the hussle and bustle of the area at night.  The station combines transportation, food, shopping, museums & hotels into an engaging and delightful cacophony.

This of course is in complete contrast to the peaceful history of the monasteries and zen gardens throughout the city.  We are staying at the Hyatt in the SE part of town situated between 2 major tourist destinations.  After checking in and dropping off our bags and bundling up we walked to the Golden Temple next door.  The Sanjusangen-do Temple contains over 100o gold plated, life size statues of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) in lines surrounding a much larger central Buddha, all contained in the longest wooden structure in the world.   

The building was created using an ingenious foundation of alternating layers of sand and clay, allowing it to survive the area’s periodic earthquakes for almost 1,000 years. 

 Back at the hotel we decided to take a fish break and went to the Italian restaurant at the hotel.  The pasta was comforting and warm

 Our second day in Kyoto we met our guide Kenzo for a tea ceremony with a tea master grower before an exploration of the Daitoku-ji  Bhuddist Temple complex and Zen monastery.  Interestingly, this is where our good friend Erica trained for 3 years.  

  We got to meet the Abbot who immediately, with a smile, corrected our posture. Our posture was exceptionally stooped due to the  cold.  But he was right, as soon as we straitened up and re-engaged our cores, we warmed up.  The snow falling all around us added a special, enchanting energy to the morning. 

    
Kenzo took us to the monastery restaurant for a chance to warm up with a yummy vegetarian lunch and warm sake before we strolled through narrow streets to a gold leaf artist, Hakuya Noguchi.  His family has been doing gold leaf work since 1877.   

 This is picture of the gold leaf background design sliced (his great great grandfather did the same thing but used a hatchet) so that it can be used in the weaving of Kimono sashes.  He showed us the technique, and gave us a lesson in the history and the different tools his father and great grandfather used.  We enjoyed tea and conversation with Hakuya and his wife before purchasing a very small piece.   

Our day ended with a visit to a covered outdoor shopping area where we successfully searched for an inexpensive used Japanese Kimono-style robe before saying goodbye to Kenzo.  For dinner we choose Indian food and then collapsed in bed.

As I said earlier, The Hyatt is located in the SE part of town.  It’s a quiet area and our room was on the eastern, garden side so we slept with our window open and were awakened by the monastery bells next door.  The quiet at night suits us just fine.  After a long day of exploring we love the peace and quiet. 

Yesterday was a day in  Nara , about 30 minutes south of Kyoto by local train.  Nara is a park-like setting, with deer everywhere, a cute little town, with many museums and shrines including the big Buddah shrine at Todai-ji Temple. And the big Buddah doesn’t disappoint.  

  The Todai-ji Buddah is 53 feet tall.  It is the largest bronze Buddah statue in the world and is housed in the largest wood structure in the world.  Pictures do not do it justice. The shrine and surrounding park are lovely.  English guides are available to give you an introduction before entering the shrine.  

After a lot of walking Jim decided to hire one of the rickshaws. I was uncomfortable  from the start for so many reasons.  Let’s just say we were surprised when our young, strong, delightful driver, took us on the main road, with buses passing us in the opposite lane, to get to our destination, the Kokufu-ji Temple, with its five-story pagoda.  As we picked up speed down the hill, even Jim was questioning his choice.  But we survived and got a lovely tour.  On the way to our destination we passed the Nara Hotel where apparently both Albert Einstein and John Lennon have stayed.

After more shrine and museum visits it was time to head back to the train station where we grabbed a yummy meal in a local little restaurant for a late lunch.  That night, we were able to get a dinner reservation at Mishima-tei, a famous old “shabu-shabu” restaurant in Kyoto, where the food is cooked at your table by a young woman.

 The meal was delicious, and lovely, but too expensive (although we enjoyed the experience).

Yesterday was one of our favorite excursions, this time to the 11 acre Katsura Villa and gardens, followed by Arashiyama, with more gardens and a lovely area near Kyoto’s river and the Saiho-Ji (Moss) Temple.

Katsura Villa is the former residence of the Emperor, and now a tourist destination that is available by advance reservation only.  And once again our agent, Esprit Travel, took care of that for us.  The Japanese Gardens there are exquisite and thoroughly enchanted us.   

 It’s given me lots of ideas for improving our mountain house and a much greater appreciation for the beautiful rockeries and garden areas that Glen created for us at our old home on Mercer Island.  They truly are works of art in nature.

Arashiyama is another rock garden  experience next to a glorious bamboo forest which is near a larger park along the river.  We could have spent more time in this little place in the NW part of Kyoto.   

    
 
But, we were on a vey tight schedule so we grabbed a very quick lunch at a lovely little restaurant with a  nice view of the river.  Then we hailed a taxi to take is to the Saiho-ji (Moss) Temple.  It’s hard to explain how tranquil and amazing this place is.  Again it’s reservation only and the experience begins with Buddhist monks chanting and praying in the temple.  Afterwards we strolled through the grounds of moss covered gardens, rocks, and trees, all dappled in sunlight.  These gardens were designed 1,300 years ago and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   

 I tried to capture the glowing greens in the photos but they are elusive.  I love moss and have been trying to grow patches in the mountains (sometimes successfully). This truly is a Zen activity.  The moss must be gently and continually swept of debris to survive and thrive.  As much as we would have like to linger longer, we were getting cold.  On our way out we found a little tea shop with a private rock garden where we were fed and warmed.
To end our day, and for something completely different, we took a taxi back to the Kyoto Tower (next to the Kyoto Train Station).
Jim and I always like to explore any Space-Needle-like towers when we travel to get better perspective of the surrounding area. We grabbed a drink at the bar while waiting for a gentle sunset and the lights of the city. From the tower we saw some really cool large lit steps on a open floor above the bustling train station.  

Our nex mission was to walk to those steps. After some wrong turns and escalator choices, and with the helpful guidance of a smiling lady at the tourism office in the station, we arrived only to be mesmerized by the ever-changing light display. It turns out the lights begin on the 4th floor outside of the department store, and go all the way up to the 10th floor (the top of the Kyoto train station).

After playing on the stairs we once again found a small local shop for some spicy soup and later ended our evening with ice cream.

Today is our final full day in Kyoto and it began with early morning (6:30 AM) Bhuddist chanting at Chishaku-in, only a five minute walk from our hotel.   

 We missed the correct entrance in the dark, surprising a young monk.  We were about to give up when we found the correct location.  The spiritual chants and ceremony were well worth the early start.  As part of the ceremony we got the opportunity to burn incense to “honor a recently departed ancestor” (Jim’s Dad).

Today is a housekeeping day.   

 Time for laundry and packing before we transition tomorrow.  The local laundromat had great machines that both wash & dry, and automatically add both detergent and softener.  While waiting for the laundry I had time to write this blog.  We have to pack our larger bag to ship tomorrow to Matsomoto where we will meet up with it after first exploring the Benesse Art Island and Museum on the little Island of Naoshima.

But, while in Nara we learned that tonight they are having their annual hill-burning and fireworks ceremony.  Yes the Buddha and Shinto sects cooperate to burn the hill to “honor our ancestors and call world peace.” We feel it was well worth another excursion to Nara.  It sounds like quite the local spectacle involving fire, trumpets, fireworks and food.  We will report back in our next blog.