Takayama Old Town

This article is based on a visit made on Friday, 18 May 2018.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited the Showa-kan museum in Takayama.  The museum stands on the edge of one of Takayama's main draws, its old town.  Formally known as the Sanmachi Historical Houses Preservation District (三町伝統的建造物群保存地区, Sanmachi Dentouteki Kinzoubutsugun Hozon Chigu), the old town is a neighbourhood of homes and shops, some of which have been standing since the Edo period (1601-1868).

The old town is located on the east side of the Miya River (宮川, Miya-gawa).  One of Takayama's two popular morning markets, the Miyagawa Morning Market, is set up every morning along the riverside, just north of the old town area.  But since it's the afternoon, let's move on to where the real action is.

The action in the old town is centred around three parallel streets.  Some of the buildings are private homes, but many others are shops which specialise in all manner of foods, crafts, and sake, a.k.a. nihonshu (日本酒, lit. 'Japanese liquor').  Like the Higashi Chaya district in Kanazawa, I found that the similar building styles and Japanese signage tends to make each business blend into the next, but the wider variety of businesses does help each to stand out a bit.

One object you'll see lots of in Takayama is the sugidama (杉玉, lit. 'cedar ball'), a common decoration found in front of sake-related businesses.  They are made of cedar branches and leaves, the same tree whose wood was traditionally used to make casks for fermenting liquor.  They are coloured green when made in the winter, and turn brown later on in the year, when the sake has aged enough and is ready to drink.

Numerous sake shops in Takayama offer samples for a low cost.  The sample shown above is umeshu (lit. 'plum liquor').  For obvious reasons, only those who are of drinking age in Japan (20 years old) and who are not planning to drive anytime soon need apply.

One of the other sake breweries in the area even sells sake-flavoured ice cream!  If the alcoholic bite of the real thing is too much for you to handle, this is a good way to experience it with a more mellow sweetness.  The same age restrictions apply for the ice cream, just to be on the safe side.

Looking for something more substantial?  Hida beef, along with the more famous Kobe beef, is one of the most prestigious varieties of wagyu (和牛, lit. 'Japanese cattle'), and Takayama is the best place to try it out.  One of the most accessible places to try out Hida beef is a nikuman, or steamed beef bun, from Kihachiro Beef Bun, whose signboard is shown above.  Kihachiro also has additional stores as far away as Kyoto and Kamakura.

Sugidama aren't the only creative signage to be found here.  This soba restaurant incorporates some noodles draped over a pair of chopsticks.

And in front of another place, I came across this animatronic puppet.  Simply put, you never know what you'll find out here!

Case in point, I found a chopsticks shop where I was able to get my name printed on a pair of my own.

Making this moment even more special, I also got a ¥2,000 note back with my change.  This denomination was first printed, appropriately enough, in the year 2000, but is rarer to come across than the other bills (¥1,000, ¥5,000, and ¥10,000).  In that sense, it's a lot like the US $2 bill, although closer in value to $20.

Not every business in the old town is steeped in tradition.  My grandmother was drawn into a shop that specialised in tomato juice and similar products.  The store itself gave off a hipsterish schoolhouse vibe.

We came across that place while we were searching for some place where we could get a rickshaw ride.  It took some searching, but we found one.  Our guide for the ride spoke enough English -- not that much according to her, but suitable enough for me -- to give us insights that helped us enjoy the neighbourhood even more.  She was even willing and able to take a couple of pictures of us, one of which I've used for my sign-off above.  If you'd like a rickshaw ride for yourself, expect to pay ¥5,000 for 30 minutes, but if you can get a shorter and cheaper course like we did, you'll still get your money's worth.  As for us, there was one more city we made a stop at on our way back to Tokyo.  Find out where, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Access: From the Takayama Bus Centre, take the Machinami loop bus to Sanmachi-dori (さんまち通り, ¥100), in the middle of the old town.  The Counterclockwise route takes 9 minutes to get to this stop, while the Clockwise route takes 24 minutes.

You can also reach the area in about 10 minutes on foot from Takayama Station.  Turn right out of the station's East Exit, then take the next left at the traffic light.  Continue on up the main road for about 850m (½ mile).  After crossing the river, you will have arrived in the old town.

Kihachiro

Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Closed on Wednesdays.

Address: 35 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken 〒506-0845

Website: (Japanese)

Arashiyama Walk and Tenryu-ji

This article is based on a visit made on Monday, 14 May 2018.

Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I wrapped up a day-trip from Kyoto to Iga City.  In contrast to the rainier, hectic-paced day before, the next day, which we spent around Kyoto, was far sunnier and more leisurely. And it began with a trip over to Arashiyama (嵐山, lit. 'storm mountain'), a district in Kyoto's western outskirts.

We didn't spend too much time in Arashiyama, only an hour and a half.  The three spots I focused on were the Tokgetsu-kyo bridge, Tenryu-ji temple, and the adjacent bamboo forest.  All three spots are within short walking distances of the local tram station.  Speaking of...

To get there from our hotel, we took the Tozai subway line to its western end, where we hopped on to the Keifuku tram line at an adjacent station.  This car had a small advert for Toei Kyoto Studio Park on its bumper.  All in good time, my friend...

The last stop on the tram line is right in the centre of Arashiyama.  The platform is lined with pillars of kimono fabric patterns.  I think they get lit up at night, too!

The central part of Arashiyama is a charming, if touristy, neighbourhood of shops and restaurants.  In that way, it's much like Higashiyama on the other side of town.  Arashiyama is also a pleasant place to get a rickshaw tour.  We passed on it for the time being, but there would be other places ahead offering the same services...

One of Arashiyama's most famous landmarks is the Togetsu-kyo (渡月橋, lit. 'moon-crossing bridge').  This 150m (500-foot) bridge crosses the Katsura river to a small island.  The first version of Togetsu-kyo was built way back in the Heian Period (9th-12th centuries AD), but the current one dates back only to the 1930s.  This river is one of the places in Japan where cormorant fishing (鵜飼, ukai) is performed nightly during summertime.  Just beyond this river is the Arashiyama Monkey Park, a popular attraction which I personally have no interest for.

Our next stop was Tenryu-ji (天龍寺, lit. 'sky dragon temple') a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai Zen sect.  Originally an imperial villa, it was converted to a temple by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji (足利 尊氏, 1305-1358) in 1345, as a tribute for the deceased Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇, Go-Daigo-tennō, 1288-1339).  Tenryu-ji is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Kyoto's historic shrines and temples.

Admission to the temple's buildings and garden are separate; we opted just to tour the garden.  Although most of Tenryu-ji's original bulidings were destroyed, the current reconstructions dating back just over a century, the garden is the original one from the temple's inception.  As brilliant as this place was in May, I'm sure this would be even more so during the autumn colour season.  I actually thought of visiting Arashiyama the last time I was in town during that season, but that didn't quite work out.

The garden path follows the edge of this pond.  I got another nice panorama out of it, so here it is.  Blogger's a bit funny about how it handles pictures, so click this link to see it in full resolution.

One of Arashiyama's back roads, which the exit of Tenryu-ji's garden leads right out onto, cuts through a large, dense bamboo grove.  The bamboo from this little forest has been harvested for use in crafts for centuries.

This is just about the largest and densest mass of bamboo I've ever seen, but unfortunately, this applied to the people visiting, too.  Keep in mind that this is a public road, so you may have to make way for the occasional car or taxi, too.  If you want to have the place to yourself, you'll want to come as early as possible, in particular before 8 AM.

Still, if you just look up, it's not that bad.  In fact, it makes me wonder how, despite how thin and top-heavy bamboo plants can be, and how easily they sway in the wind, they are so resistant to falling down.  Amazing, eh?

Just past the east side of the bamboo grove is a Shinto shrine, Nonomiya-jinja (野宮神社).

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By Hiroyuki0904 [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

There's so much else to see in Arashiyama, however, that my barely-an-hour visit couldn't do it justice.  If you have more time on your hands, there are other places I would recommend, starting with the Okochi Sanso.  This villa was owned by a famous film actor named Denjiro Okochi (大河内 傳次郎, Ōkōchi Denjirō, 1898-1962), and was converted to a public attraction after his death.  At ¥1,000, the admission fee is slightly expensive compared to nearby temples, but it includes a cup of matcha tea and a sweet snack.

By Daderot [CC0 or CC0], from Wikimedia Commons

To the north are a row of three Buddhist temples.  The first two, Jojakko-ji and Nison-in, have sweeping views of Arashiyama from their upper grounds.  And the third, Gio-ji (pictured), has a brilliantly green moss garden.  All three are also famous for autumn foliage in November.

Photo by 663highland [GFDL, CC BY-SA 4.0 or FAL], from Wikimedia Commons

And if you have even more time, go further north and walk up the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street.  At the end you will find Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, a temple with a vast field of stone mini-statues.

By pang yu liu from Taoyuan, TW (2016-08-26 09.22.59) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Alternately, you could take a ride on the Sagano Scenic Railway.  This leisurely-paced, 25-minute train ride snakes above the Hozu river (the upper section of the Katsura river), on a section of what used to be the JR Sagano line before it was re-routed in the late 1980s.  On your way back, you can choose to return by a two-hour boat cruise down the river, ending right around the Tokgetsukyo bridge.

But back to the present. The garden at Tenryu-ji includes a viewing platform of the bamboo grove, and that's where my grandmother and I took today's sign-off selfie.  I would definitely enjoy a return visit to Arashiyama someday, but for now, it's off to Toei Kyoto Studio Park, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Access: Three train lines service the area: the Keifuku Arashiyama (A) tram line, the JR Sagano (E) line, and the Hankyu Arashiyama (HK) line.  The tram line starts at Shijo-Omiya, and ends in central Arashiyama (25 minutes, ¥220).  The JR line starts at Kyoto Station, and stops at Saga-Arashiyama (12-15 minutes, ¥240, JR Pass OK).  Central Arashiyama is a 10-minute walk from this station.  The Hankyu line starts at Kawaramachi station in east-central Kyoto, requires a transfer at Katsura, and ends across the river at Hankyu's Arashiyama station (20 minutes, ¥230).  Central Arashiyama is a 15-minute walk from this station.

Tenryu-ji

Hours: Open 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, or to 5:00 PM from late October to late March.  No regular closing days.

Costs: ¥500 for entrance to the gardens, ¥300 for the temple buildings.

Address: 68 Saga Tenryū-ji, Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 〒616-8385

Access: Tenryu-ji is 5 minutes on foot from the Arashiyama tram station.

Directions: From Arashiyama station, turn right, then take the next left.  Keep straight until you reach a dead-end, then turn right and left around the temple building to reach the entrance.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Roppongi Night Walk

This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 23 November 2016.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited the Shinjuku district, on the hunt for winter light installations.  My next stop on that quest was Roppongi (六本木, lit. 'six trees'), in central Tokyo.  Like Shinjuku, Roppongi is famous for its nightlife, especially among foreign ex-pats.  In the 2000s, the neighbourhood went through a small economic boom with the construction of two high-rise "cities within a city", Roppongi Hills in 2003, and Tokyo Midtown in 2007.  They also host some of the best winter illuminations in Tokyo, as I had read, so I went down there to see them in person.

Since it was closer to my subway stop, the first of the two places I visited was Tokyo Midtown (東京ミッドタウン, Tōkyō Middotaun).  The Tokyo Midtown complex is dominated by the 248-metre (814-foot) tall, 54-storey Midtown Tower.  The tower was once the tallest inhabited building in Tokyo (since dethroned by the tower at Toranoano Hills), and is occupied by various offices and condominiums. It is crowned on its upper floors by the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo hotel, where one can find some of the most expensive suites not just in Japan, but in the world.  The Presidential and Ritz-Carlton suites can both go for upwards of US$20,000 a night! (English)  For everyone else, you can expect to pay at least $500 a night for the entry-level "Deluxe" rooms.  ...Don't look at me; I stayed in a capsule hotel that night!

At the tower's base is the Galleria shopping mall, the Suntory Museum of Art, and multiple green spaces outside.  Near the back entrance there was a display of cars from the French brand DS, a spin-off of Citroen, designed in collaboration with the fashion brand Givenchy.  I had never even heard of DS cars before this, and I was only vaguely familiar with Givenchy because it was name-dropped in a Beyoncé song ("Formation", if you're wondering).  ...Can you tell I'm not in their intended market?

Ah well, just past that is something everybody can enjoy.  "Midtown Christmas" is the name of a light installation that Tokyo Midtown puts on every November and December.  Its highlight, the "Starlight Garden", is a vast field of animated blue lights.

Of course, there are other varieties of seasonal lighting along the paths encircling Tokyo Midtown.  These trees look like they're growing out of champagne glasses.

The other big "city-within-a-city" of Roppongi is Roppongi Hills (六本木ヒルズ, Roppongi Hiruzu).  The centrepiece of this complex is the Mori Tower, seen here, standing 238 metres (781 feet) and 54 storeys.  In addition to office and residential space throughout the tower and neighbouring buildings, an art museum and observation deck are on the upper floors.  Said observatory, known as Tokyo City View, has 360-degree views of the city from both indoor and open-air sections, the latter opened in good weather.

A popular, if creepy, meeting place for people in Roppongi Hills is this spider sculpture in front of Mori Tower.  It's just standing there... MENACINGLY!!

Roppongi Hills's winter illumination is called "Artelligent Christmas".  It doesn't have a grand centrepiece as in Tokyo Midtown, but there are lots of little decorations all about the place.  For instance, this tall pyramid of lit-up gift boxes.

Most of the trees and shrubs about the place had lights that changed colours over time, from wintry whites...

...to autumnal oranges.  This hue goes perfectly well with how Tokyo Tower, seen rising up in the background, happens to be lit up.

Not having the sense of mind to simply retrace my steps back, I wound up walking through the back of Roppongi Hills and taking the long way out to the next subway station, Azabu-Juban.  There was another light installation I would have loved to visit, not that far away in Shiodome, but it was late and I was tired after it all.  At least, I got to see this novel installation on the sidewalk.  This chair here is not made of ice as it seems, but of a warmer, more permanent plastic.  It's called the "Chair [that] disappears in the rain", and its wavy surface is designed to capture that effect, I would imagine.

Well, this will be my last sign-off selfie for a while, but I sure picked a good spot for it, in front of the Starlight Garden at Tokyo Midtown.  After all this, I would check in at a capsule hotel.  Find out what it was like, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Access: Roppongi Station is served by the Tokyo Metro Hibiya (H) and Toei Oedo (E) lines.  The Hibiya line platforms are closer to Roppongi Hills, and the Oedo line platforms are closer to Tokyo Midtown.  Other nearby stations include Roppongi-itchome (Tokyo Metro Namboku (U) line), Nogizaka (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda (C) line), and Azabu-Juban (Tokyo Metro Namboku and Toei Oedo lines).

From Tokyo Station, take the Marunouchi (M) subway line to Kasumigaseki (M15, 5 minutes), then transfer on the Hibiya line to Roppongi (H04, 5 minutes, ¥170).  From Shinjuku Station, simply take the Toei Oedo line from Shinjuku -- NOT Shinjuku Nishi-guchi! -- to Roppongi (E23, 10 minutes, ¥220).

Tokyo Midtown

Hours: Shops are open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, restaurants until midnight.  For 2017, the "Midtown Christmas" light installation is active from 15 November to 25 December, from 5:00 PM to midnight.

Address: 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒107-0052

Directions: From the Oedo line platform, take exit 7.  At street level, turn around and walk down the sidewalk.  The front plaza of Tokyo Midtown will be immediately on your right.

From the Hibiya line platform, take exit 4A.  At street level, cross the street in front of you and turn left.  After the next traffic light, Tokyo Midtown will be on your right.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Roppongi Hills

Hours: Shops are open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, restaurants until 11:00 PM.  For 2017, the "Artelligent Christmas" light installation is active from 7 November to 25 December, from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Address: 6-11-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒106-6108

Directions: From the Hibiya line platform, take exit 1C.  This will take you directly in front of the Roppongi Hills complex.

From the Oedo line platform, take exit 4A.  At street level, turn right, cross the street, and turn right again.  After about 3 minutes, Roppongi Hills will be on your left.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Tokyo City View

Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM, or to 1:00 AM on Friday, Saturday, and pre-holiday nights.  Sky Deck is open from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Cost: ¥1,800.  The Sky Deck costs an additional ¥500.

Access: Tokyo City View is on the 52nd floor of Mori Tower; Sky Deck is on the 54th.  Please see above for directions to Roppongi Hills.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Shinjuku Night Walk

This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 23 November 2016.

Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku (新宿, lit. 'new lodge'), one of Tokyo's 23 wards.  I had never been to Shinjuku before, so once I got my fill of the nighttime views from that tower, I walked over there to finally kick it off my bucket list.

Shinjuku Station is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's busiest railway station.  In 2007, for example, it handled an average of 3.64 million people per day.  The central cluster consists of the JR East, Odakyu, and Keio stations.  Nearby, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, and Seibu also have stations using the Shinjuku name.

The walk from the Tocho building to Shinjuku station is about 600 metres (2,000 feet).  There were a few light installations set up along the way, including these trees which had animated lights "falling" from their branches.  Coincidentally, the weather started getting misty off-and-on at this point.

My path then went through an underground passage, emerging on the west side of the station.  On the way, I encountered a branch of Megane Drug (メガネドラッグ, Megane Doraggu), an eyeglass pharmacy chain.  Many of their stores are identified by two things: 1) a statue of their mascot, a bespectacled samurai-looking person of indistinguishable gender, and 2) a free station for people to clean their glasses at.  I used it, and it helped a bit.

After re-emerging in front of the station, and briefly getting lost amidst the Odakyu and Keio stations/department stores, I had to get something to eat.  To that, I turned to Omoide Yokocho (思い出横丁, lit. 'memory lane'), a short and narrow alley, due west of Shinjuku Station.  Omoide Yokocho is packed with tiny restaurants serving quick Japanese bites, like yakitori chicken, ramen and soba noodles, and sushi.  Most of these places are so small, you could count the number of seats on your hands.  I can't remember which of those places I ended up eating at, but the yakitori I got there was delicious!

After leaving Omoide Yokocho and crossing under the train lines, I wound up here.  On the east side of the station, the plaza in front of Studio Alta is a popular meeting place.  Studio Alta is an advertising agency whose office is identifiable by its giant video monitor.  (This picture was taken during a revisit on Wednesday, 9 May 2018.)

The other side of the plaza also had a pair of Mount Fuji light displays, one in blue and one in red.

Pass Studio Alta and cross Yasukuni-dori, and you will wind up in Kabuki-cho (歌舞伎町, Kabuki-chō).  The name comes from a Kabuki theatre that was supposed to be built here in the 1940s, but never came to be.  Nonetheless, Kabuki-cho guarantees a wild time.  It has many restaurants and nightclubs including, Robot Restaurant, the now-world-famous dinner theatre.

It is also Japan's biggest "red-light district", owing to its concentration of massage parlours, love hotels, hostess clubs... pretty much everything short of actual prostitution (which is technically illegal in Japanese law).  If you do choose to venture out into that sort of thing, take extra-special care of your wallet, and your drink.  The cover charges on these places can be exorbitant, but that's nothing if someone spikes your drink, and you get charged for way more than you bargained for!  But if you stay on the more populated streets, and don't give the touts so much as a glance, you should be fine.  Really, the worst thing that happened to me is that I lost track of time at a game centre, time that I could have spent at other winter light places.

This avenue ends in front of the Toho Building.  Its tenants include a movie theatre and a hotel, the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku.  It's a nice mid-range hotel, from what I've looked up.  I have never stayed there, but have considered it on several occasions.

And up on the corner of that building is a statue of, you guessed it, Godzilla.  The most famous of Japan's movie monsters, Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira) first showed up on the scene in its self-titled 1954 film.  Since then, Toho Studios have made 30 official entries in the series.  This includes the latest movie, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, which should be in Japanese theatres and on Netflix by the time you read this.  In fact, not too long ago, Godzilla was appointed as the cultural ambassador of Shinjuku, [1] where we are now.

By 江戸村のとくぞう [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Once you're done with Kabuki-cho, another nightlife area you might like is just next door, to the east.  Golden Gai (ゴールデン街, Gōden Gai) is something of a cross between Kabuki-cho and Omoide Yokocho, in that it is a densely-packed collection of small bars.  Each of these watering holes has a unique character brought on by their distinctive decor.  Some cater to a few regular customers, accepting new patrons by recommendation only, but others welcome foreigners and locals alike, and are even run by ex-pats themselves.  While somewhat less seedy in nature than the rest of Kabuki-cho, the cover charges for these places can add up as well.

Back to places I actually did go to, this is what it looks like when you turn around from the Toho Building above.  There's a luxury goods store here whose front was decorated like an old-style warehouse, which I felt was kind of neat.

Not as neat as this building over here, though.  It is called the Yasuyo Hall (安与ホール, Yasuyo Hōru), and it contains public event space in addition to a bank, a hair salon, and an art gallery.

After much aimless navigating, I finally wound back up at Shinjuku Station.  Across from the main exit, "Busta Shinjuku" (バスタ新宿, Basuta Shinjuku) is a new bus terminal that opened earlier in 2016, replacing and improving upon the pre-existing one.  If you are taking a long-distance bus from Tokyo, especially to places such as Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi, chances are good that you will depart from here.

As for me, I had to head back down to the subways, as I was on my way to Roppongi for even more holiday lights.  Find out how that went, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Access: Shinjuku Station is served by the JR Yamanote (JY), Chuo (JC), Chuo-Sobu (JB), Saikyo (JA), Shonan-Shinjuku (JS), Odakyu Odawara (OH), Keio (KO), Tokyo Metro Marunouchi (M), Toei Shinjuku (S) and Oedo (E) lines.  From Tokyo Station, take the JR Chuo (Rapid) line to Shinjuku (JC05, 15 minutes, ¥200).

Note: If you are using the Toei Oedo line, be aware that there are actually two stations serving different parts of the line.  Shinjuku (新宿, E27) is on the south side of the loop, and is closer to Roppongi, Daimon, etc.  This station is shared by the Shinjuku subway line and the Keio New Line.  Shinjuku Nishi-guchi (新宿西口, E01) is on the north side of the loop, and is closer to Iidabashi, Ryogoku, etc.  Both stations are connected with the JR station by underground passages, and both are one stop away from Tocho-mae, so if you mess up and walk into the wrong station, you could go there and transfer to the other half of the line.  It is still best to be aware of this ahead of time, lest your commute take longer than expected!

Omoide Yokocho

Hours: Varies between restaurants.  Most are open from 5:00 PM to midnight; some are open for lunch.  Last orders are usually 30 minutes before closing time.

Website: (Japanese)

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/09/godzilla-recruited-as-tourism-ambassador-for-tokyo