Churaumi aquarium is famous for its scale and a large collection of animals. It is also controversial, basically for the same reasons. It is highly promoted as one of the top attractions in Okinawa, so we expected to see something grandiose. It actually blew the expectations away. Truly fascinating! For what it’s worth, I personally learned a lot. But I wouldn’t have believed that such incredible variety of species could coexist in such close proximity if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes just a day earlier while SCUBA diving at the local coral reefs (didn’t see a whale shark then, though).
Had a great day of SCUBA diving at the amazing Kerama Islands National park. The corals and the variety of brilliant marine life is the best I’ve seen. Thank you, Dorka, for guiding us on this amazing adventure!
This shrine was established at the base of the Hakusan mountain over 2,100 years ago! Hakusan, which stands over three prefectures (Ishikawa, Fukui and Gifu), has been considered a sacred mountain since ancient times, being an important water source for the valleys below. The deity of the shrine is a goddess of matchmaking and family happiness.
Hakusan Hime jinjya has an incredibly tranquil atmosphere – a cool, quiet forest full of the sound of running streams. The 800-years-old sugi cedar, a sacred tree, that stands at the omote-sando walkway is 12 meters in circumpherence at the base and is 45-meters tall! I’ve see several trees during this trip to Japan that reminded me of Studio Ghibli’s “My neighbour Totoro,” and this is one of them.
We were lucky to enjoy some golden light when we came up to the main shrine. The building is both grandiose and elegant at the same time. And the shimenawa rope, which is meant to ward off evil spirits, over the entrance is some of the most impressively thick I’ve seen.
Our daughter, for whom this the first visit to Japan, was soaking up the incredible surroundings and enjoying learning the etiquette of visiting a shrine: make an offering of money, bow twice, clap twice, bow once. When leaving, turn around and bow again.
Kotoji lantern at Kenrokuen garden. This iconic symbol of Kanazawa resembles a bridge on a koto – a traditional Japanese string instrument. It is different from other Japanese lanterns, because it has two pedestals of uneven length – one on the ground and one in the water. Their beautiful curves give the lantern its unique shape, and they are quite difficult to capture precisely in a sketch.
The first full day of our extended visit to Japan. We spent the morning exploring the Tokyo Station neighbourhood and took a Shinkansen train to Kanazawa.
Visited the 21st Century museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa yesterday and saw Shinsuke Yoshitake’s exhibit. Amazing amount of work, creativity and attention to detail! Not to mention, a great sense of humour.
While browsing through my bookshelf, I stumbled on a book called “Samurai Tales” by Romulus Hillsborough. I bought this book at an airport, during one of my first trips to Japan. I read it then, during the flight, and found it to be a nice match for my interest in Japanese history and all things related to kendo, while unmistakably written for a by a foreigner. Incidentally, an advice for foreigners that I came across early on in my becoming fascinated with Japan and found to be absolutely essential for adjusting to living there – while being eager to adapt to the Japanese culture, do not try to “become Japanese”. First, this attempt would be doomed to failure by its objective impossibility, and second, being authentic (yet considerate to others) is perhaps the most valuable trait that allows one to bridge the cultural gap.
This time, what caught my attention was the photo on the cover of the “Samurai Sketches” book. It’s the last portrait of Sakamoto Ryoma taken in 1885, just days before his assassination. The remarkable feature is how relaxed he looks. I realize of course that this is probably due to the slow shutter speed used in those times. Yet, the contrast between the national-scale turmoil of the Meiji Restoration period and the personal-scale tranquility that the key players of that drama were able to project, even if temporarily, is amazing. Somehow, when I initially read this book, I didn’t pay much attention to this aspect, being mostly engrossed in the excitement of the quintessential samurai saga of loyalty, individual bravery and martial arts. This time, I am looking forward to re-reading it from a different perspective.
Kanazawa was our home base for three months during my last sabbatical. Coming there again has some strong sense of deja vu.
Riding a bus to the university and hearing the names of the stops that I thought I had forgotten, walking past the building called “Rifare” near the train station where my wife went for Japanese lessons, wondering around Kenrokuen in the the summer heat and stopping to have green tea with sweets in a teahouse by the pond, sliding in my socks on the wide wooden floor planks of the castle and wondering how many samurai died while climbing those insanely steep stairs – everything seems familiar and nostalgic.
But things has changed a lot in Kanazawa since the last time I was there, and the reason is the new shinkansen line that now makes the city easily accessible to tourists. While seven years ago there were hardly any English signs at the bus stops (many stops had no written signs at all), now there are tourist information points and signage in both Japanese and English everywhere.
Oyama Shrine. Kanazawa. Japan.
Most strikingly, there are many foreigners on the streets, while it seems that seven years ago my wife and I were the only ones. I still remember one time when I turned a corner in the Nomura bukeyashiki district and came face-to-face with a schoolboy of about 10 years of age. When he saw me, he stopped right in his tracks, turned around and ran back to his friends yelling: “Gaijin san! Gaijin san!” Now, it seems, there are as many foreigners as there are Japanese tourists around main attractions like the castle, the Kenrokuen and the Higashi Ochaya district.
Hagashi Ochaya district in Kanazawa. Japan.
The Higashi Ochaya deserves a special mention. I went there on my last day of this visit, and the place was swarming with tourists. Just like in Higashiyama in Kyoto, people were strolling around in rental kimonos, taking selfies. I remember that during our last trip, my wife and I were enormously happy that by shear luck we were able to capture a photograph of a group of people in yukatas walking along the street. The whole place was largely empty then. This time, there were literally crowds of yukaja-wearing people, and my main photographic challenge was to isolate just one group in the frame.
And of course, the teahouses themselves have multiplied. Where before there were only a couple of cafes serving sweets and tea n the whole district, now I had a choice of at least five or six on a single street. I went to the same place where my wife and I went before. This time, there was a book by the door, where I had to sign in my name and wait in line until it was called. And the menu has expanded too since the last time. I had a hot matcha latte and a “matcha parfe” – a culinary masterpiece made of vanilla and green tea ice-cream, whipped cream and soft sweets made of mochi and red beans.
The shinkansen has definitely opened Kanazawa to the world, and the change has been sweet!
