We toured Japan free and easy from 26 October to 7 November 2016. Travel free and easy is always cheaper and more fun. On average each person spent about SGD$2,800 (food/accomodation and transport – minus shopping)
Day 4: Wasabi Farm & Apple Orchard
Day 5: Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
Day 6 & 7: Kurobe Gorge & Shinminato Fishery
Day 8: Shirakawago: World Heritage Site
Day 9: Kanazawa Castle & Kimono Photoshoot
Day 11 & 12: Hida Takayama & Nagoya
Saturday, 5 November 2016
The realization that soon the vacation was about to end slowly dawned on me. I guess that was one of the reasons I had been feeling listless. Yet at the same time there was that desire to return to the usual rhythm of work and prayer I was used to back in Singapore.
We took the shinkansen from Kanazawa to Hida-Takayama a town in the midst of the Japanese Alps. We wanted to visit its old town and its morning market. We would stay overnight there, and then leave for one last evening in Nagoya before flying back to Singapore.
By now I have gotten used to the lack of trash bins in Japanese streets. As a Singaporean I am so used to having bins at hand in many places. It was frustrating from day one when I found the opposite to be so in Japan. I learned that everyone is expected to be responsible for their own trash. I had to keep mine in my pocket or backpack until I could find one in the shopping mall toilet or somewhere else. Most times it ended up in the trash bin in my hotel room at the end of the day.
We walked a short distance from the station to the Miyagawa morning market by a river. It was a picturesque street market about 1 km in length with shop houses on one side and temporary stalls on the other side. Behind the market were other streets that preserved the old town from another era.
We later traced our steps back and ate Hida beef at a popular Michelin restaurant. Waiting was a hassle but the beef was so tender and juicy that we were fully satisfied. We returned to the tourist area and spent an hour or so exploring other parts of the souvenir shopping belt. I was feeling tired and listless and rested at tiny café with a table and chairs outside. There I sat and observed people and traffic pass me by until I got bored and took out my Kindle and read. Later we got together again and sauntered along a street with san machi old houses on both sides till we reached a temple. I was ready to retire for the day and from the heavy steps of others I knew others felt the same way too.
Sunday & Monday, 6 & 7 November 2016
The Country Hotel Takayama was conveniently located opposite the station but the service and the rooms were average for that price (4,200 yen). Takayama is a popular tourist area and since we were out most of the day it made sense not to pay more for a better hotel. In fact, the hotel in Dormy Inn Nagoya that we had booked would cost 45 yen more but had much better rooms and service. It even had free onsen and ramen in the late evening for its guests.
The next morning we took the shuttle to Nagoya airport where some spent their remaining yen on more snacks and souvenirs before departure. There was even a special sale on for Hida beef. In the plane, I caught up some movies and took a nap when I could. The flight was pleasant. As I recalled the whole tour I cannot help but give thanks to God for his presence with us in all the many high points of spectacular views, cultural insights, great reasonably priced food, and God incidents. Japan is a lovely, safe and sad place to visit. Sad because I do feel for the cultured well-mannered Japanese people and the emptiness and hollowness of their souls. Lord, have mercy on the Japanese people and pour out your Spirit upon them as You have promised through your prophets. Help Your workers in this forlorn harvest experience breakthroughs in fruitfulness.
Friday, 4 November 2016
I was beginning to feel listless by this stage in our tour. The initial excitement has worn off. However today a new element was thrown into the mix: Makiko, a volunteer Kanazawa guide. She was assigned to us through our online application. She would bring us out for the day and we pay for her lunch. Tips would not be accepted. She does it to keep her English current, to meet people, and to show them beautiful Kanazawa. She was friendly, informative, polite and helpful.
This morning she brought us to the precinct where the old samurai houses still stood. We walked the streets where samurais used to swagger with their swords, and ninjas used to jump from rooftops to rooftops. It reminded me of Shintaro, that once popular TV character, a supremely skilled itinerant samurai who was always righting the wrongs and dodging ninja darts wherever he went. The group entered a samurai show-house but I was languid and looked around for coffee. By the waters of Kanazawa, I sat down weary. Even if Shintaro suddenly came alive and stood in front of me, he would not be able to rouse me from my screensaver mode.
Makiko brought us to a lovely place for lunch. As a local she knew where the good food was. This was a prelude however to something better: a geisha show at the Kanazawa Cultural Center that Makiko recommended to us. This resurrected me! The geishas’ pristine performance transported me back to a past era. It slowly charmed me till I was completely enchanted. Like others, I thought they were prostitutes for the higher class. They were not. They were highly trained performers, entertainers and hostesses who catered to the noble classes centuries ago, and today to those who can afford their services.
Then we went to this underground station where there was a network of stores and eateries. And it was affordable. However most of the stores catered to the women – so this was the day made for women, while the men waited and watched. After some time, I got lethargic and went looking for a juicing shop, and there I sat and read from my Kindle. By the time we met again, my wife had bought bags with fresh designs, and cosmetics which are cheaper in Japan than in Singapore. No matter how boring it is, it’s always a good idea to keep company with your wife in a shopping mall.