Japan's tale of two cities

Japan

"You've never seen anything like it." This was how Japan was described to me as my wife and I sat on the plane's coach seats. It's fascinating to think that in just over four hours, we would be transported from our hometown Manila to the whole new world of Japan.

The Kansai International Airport at Osaka was our entry point. After ogling at the large panaflex map showing the train stops, we miraculously figured out which train to catch. We were then whisked away to the center of the city. After a couple of subway transfers, we found ourselves walking the streets of Namba. 

As we walked to our hotel, the occasional smell and sight of food being cooked distracted us, but we were determined to get our hands devoid of any luggage before we explored the neighborhood.

We tidied up and  excitedly ate our first meal: a piping hot bowl of Ramen with a variety of toppings. It had a great kick that came from the crushed black pepper and was certainly a wonderful prelude to Japanese Cuisine. It was at this point that I was thanking the gods that led me to the ad of the discounted airfare that enabled us to travel to this place.

Ramen: Our first meal in Japan

The following day, much to our dismay, we had to leave the adorable neighborhood of Namba on our way to Tokyo. As we again lugged our bags through escalators and flights of stairs, our longing to stay at Osaka was easily replaced by a mix of excitement and confusion as we were again in the face of the panaflex map of the subway.

My instincts didn't fail me as we found ourselves on the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) to Tokyo. This technological wonder has an average speed of 300 km/h. It was such a comfortable ride. The seats were spacious and the train was spotless.

As rows of houses and glimpses of mountains sped by from the Shinkansen,  I studied one of the best purchases I made for the trip, an app of a lonely planet guide for Tokyo. 

It was everything you needed to know for just $5.99. Places to see, eat, shop, inlcuding detailed descriptions and budget advice were there. The digital map came in very handy too as we worked on our itinerary.

As views of buildings slowly replaced the houses and industrial plants,  I knew we were nearing Tokyo.

Tokyo

The Subway Station is a rightful welcoming spot in Tokyo as one will spend a lot of time on the subway going around the city. 

During rush hour, the Tokyo subway system is frenetic with a constant stream of people coming in and out of the stations and trains.

Inside the trains, though, people are calm and courteous. I learned in an online forum that the standard practice is that one has to put their phone in silent mode and avoid talking while in transit. And looking back, I never did once hear a phone ring while on the train.

The entire subway network of Tokyo is much like an underground city and is an adventure on its own. There are loads of mini stores that sell Japanese delicacies like roe and inari sushi, refreshing milk teas, flavored seaweed, and green tea dumplings for people on-the-go and for tourists like us who get hungry from figuring out the subway system.

I guess the reason why it's difficult to find your way in Japan is the fact that most Japanese don't speak English. The subway stations lack English direction guides. Some local trains don't offer English translations of train routes. 

We oftentimes had to resort to improvised sign language. When saying no, a Japanese would make an X sign by placing his arms in front of his chest, a sign often seen in Japansese game shows. In ordering food, we pointed to the actual items lying on the other person's table.

In finding your hotel, shops or tourist attractions, it would be helpful if you bring a map with an image of the place to show when you need to ask for directions. You could also have someone write down the name of the place in Japanese or take a picture of it on your mobile device.

Eating in Japan is a visual and palatable feast everytime. My wife and I didn't dine in fancy restaurants. Instead, I would scout streets for the eateries where the locals are. A queue outside cozy restaurants was always a good sign. The food was prepared and presented in such a clean, elegant manner.  The tuna, fatty salmon, and mackerel were the freshest I've ever tasted. 

A pair of Mackerel Sushi in Tokyo

We love Yakitori!

Fatty Salmon Sushi

One of the landmarks that will give you a picture of modern day Tokyo is Shibuya Crossing. This is where you can genuinely see and feel the vibe of the city. The glaring neon lights and the sea of people present in the place make it explode with energy.  It is here that one can see the Western influence interlaced with Japanese Culture.

Shibuya Crossing at night

Shibuya is also home to Hachiko, the world famous dog who waited for his master on the same spot 

everyday for 8 years even after he died. In that spot where Hachiko waited is his statue which has now become a meeting place for locals.

Hachiko's statue in Shibuya

We also visited Tokyo Disneyland, wherein majority of the visitors were in costumes dressed as their favorite Disney cartoon character. It was refreshing to see the people enveloped in vivid colors, in direct contrast to the general seriousness of Tokyo . This place showcased Japan's flair for fantasy. 

Coupled with an adrenaline-rushing ride like Space Mountain and the visual spectacle of It's a Small World After All, being in Disneyland rekindled the child in us. 

Some of the people in their favorite costumes

Tokyo is robust. There's no time to stop and think. The city is fast-paced. There's always a train to catch and a spot to check off the list.  The people walk briskly as if to the beat of the pachinko machines (the only allowed gambling machine in Japan). But don't worry, the multicolored lights will shine brightly to keep you from tiring.

Kyoto

Coming from the frenzy of Tokyo, Kyoto was a lovely, serene surprise. Surrounded by mountains and UNESCO world heritage sites, Kyoto is heralded as Japan's cultural capital.

On our first day, while looking for a place to dine, out of nowhere, beautiful quaint shops that featured one-of-a-kind items sprung one by one. There were norens (Japanese curtains) in various sizes and colors with pictures of bamboo trees, cherry blossoms, and the omnipresent owls. There were little fabrics of such beautiful colors and prints. They can be used for anything - as handkerchiefs, as runners, table napkins, or when framed, become instant art pieces. Home accessories also abounded. Curtains, cabinet- covers, baskets, wall decors - they all carried the daintiness of Japanese taste (even if some items were made in China). 

My wife, Angel loved the rows of quaint shops in Kyoto and what they offered.

Kyoto is a relatively simple city to navigate compared to Tokyo. The subway system is patterned like a grid as opposed to the ramen-like map of Tokyo's Subway.  

You won't be needing a map when you're in Kyoto. Walking aimlessly is actually the best way to discover the city. One may see a beautiful wooden Buddhist temple just around a backstreet corner, discover a restaurant that serves a great ramen by the creekside, or find himself in a row of European-style coffee shops.


Another way to discover Kyoto is to join Johnnie Hillwalker's walking tour. 

http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/

With 49 years of experience as a tour guide, Johnnie's walking tour takes you to the back alleys of Kyoto and gives a peek into its home industries ranging from a family making fans for the last 400 years, pottery artists, beancurd shops, buddhist prayer beads, and tea containers made of copper. 

A renowned Japanese pottery artist at work in his studio

Johnnie also showed us inside Higashi-Honganji, the biggest Buddhist temple in Kyoto and the world's biggest wooden structure. There was even a buddhist ceremony when we went inside and sat in the ceremonial area to join.

I was also pleasantly surprised in the tour as Johnnie brought us to the place where electronic gaming giant Nintendo started out as a playing card manufacturer.  I was a Nintendo nut during my childhood and it brought back memories.

Johnnie Hillwalker showing us the playing cards made by Nintendo

Johnnie also took us to a once thriving Geisha district and an abandoned Geisha house, which for me was the most interesting part as my wife and I saw Geishas roaming around later that same night at Pontocho.


When we spotted a geisha, we really didn't know what to do. Should we bow to them? Should we steal a picture - paparazzi-style? Or should we ask for permission to take their picture? Smile? Or keep a poker-face? But we just stood there - awed, amazed, glued to the floor. What mystical creatures.

A once thriving Geisha house in Kyoto

The walking tour ended at the most famous temple in Kyoto, the breathtaking Kiyomizu-dera, a wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a mountain.  It had a magnificent view of the city and a fountain with promises of better health and passing test scores to those who believe and drink from it. 

The Kiyomizu Dera

We visited Kinkaku-ji, (Temple of the Golden Pavilion). I became familiar with this temple as Apple has its image as a background for its MacBook Pro and I also learned that it was one of the late Steve Jobs favorite places in Kyoto. The Golden Pavilion was a sight to behold as it shined elegantly in the middle of the pond.  

For foodies, a must visit in Kyoto is the Nishiki-Koji Food Market. It displays all the freshness and uniqueness of the Japanese menu - pickled veggies, sashimi on sticks, octopus and cabbage dumplings among others.

Fushima Inari is a most memorable and frequented temple for it symbolized prosperity.  It had giant, bright-red orange wooden pillars with Japanese writings on them.  What makes this temple memorable are the never-ending steps we had to climb to get to the top. We didn't actually know what the top of the stairs held for us, but the sight of seventy to eighty year-old ladies walking faster than us motivated us to keep on going. So we climbed, panted, drank lemon sodas, and climbed, and climbed some more. On top was a cemetery. Without saying a word, we climbed back down.

The red wooden pillars of the Fushima Inari 

In contrast to Tokyo, Kyoto encourages thought and reflection. I don't know which it was - the zen philosophies, seeing such graceful landmarks like the Golden Pavilion, or the way Johnnie explained the history of Buddhism and Shintoism (most Japanese are both), or the sound of the water flowing along the cleanest creek I've ever seen - Japan made me appreciate the world, with all its diversity.


There's no place in the world like Japan. And there never will be.