Thursday, October 31, 2013

Yanesen, a stroll through retro Japan

We decided to explore Yanesen to get a look of Japan's not so distant past. YaNeSen is a collective name of the three neighborhoods Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi. All three have had a charmed life for much of the structures and houses escaped the devastation of 20th century war bombings and earthquakes. Such as it is, these neighborhoods still had a lot of homes and shops that date back to the Meiji-Showa period (1912-1989). 
 

A few steps from the Nippori Station is the huge Yanaka Reien (Cemetery).  It is known for its beautiful cherry blossoms that would carpet this road in spring time. Aside from that, a lot of famous people are interred here including the last shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa.  

 
 
I love how this cemetery is hardly spooky at all.
Actually most Japanese cemeteries are not spooky. They all have a peaceful beauty about them... makes you want to hang out there, sip your tea and practice writing your haiku.


There are about 7,000 graves in this cemetery.

Since most of Yanesen can be travelled on foot, we figured that we could get a walking map from the Tourist Information Center which was located in the Yanaka Ginza, a shopping strip.






...only to find out they were closed on Saturdays.


So after much huffing and puffing, dejected, I accepted the fact that we had no choice but to explore it blindly much to Thad's delight and my chagrin. 

We went to look for the famous mud wall of Kannon-Ji Temple...but not having a map, we walked all over the place, serependitiously finding temples and shrines along the way...


Zensho-an Temple was built in 1883 by katana and Zen master Yamaoka Tesshu dedicated to the fallen of the Meiji Restoration.  Interred in the temple complex is Sanyutei Encho, a rakugo (which literally means fallen words) performer. Rakugo is a form of verbal entertainment by which a lone person begins telling a story using only a paper fan and a small cloth (tenugui) without standing up from his sitting position.     


 Climbing up the slope...


Zensho-an Temple has an unusual gallery of Yurie-ga, a collection of silk scrolls with ghoulish images. They range from bereft to frightening. The gallery can be viewed annually in August which is the month of the Obon Festival when the Japanese welcome back the spirits of the dead .  


Who you gonna call?


Daenji is both a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine in Sendagi. It is dedicated to one of Edo's (old  name for Tokyo) famous ukiyo-e (wood block) artists, Suzuki Harunobu. A pioneer, he was the first to produce full color wood block prints called nishiki-e. He produced a considerable amount of shunga (erotic) prints. His work and style were subsequently copied by other artists.


The temple/shrine is also dedicated to O-sen Kasamori, a local beauty at that time who was a waitress in many tea houses. She is depicted in many of Harunobu's wood block prints.
You could say she is Japan's first "aiduro" a Japanized word for "idol".
   






I'm not quite sure what the name is of this temple is, my knowledge of kanji and kana is probably that of a 2 year old Japanese child so I'm not going to attempt to translate it for fear of translating it into something like "Praying Place Apple Monkey Carburetor" but this was one of the temples we passed by while exploring/getting lost. 



Jizo or Ojizo-sama is a bodhisattva or saint. He is the patron saint of expectant mothers, children, pilgrims, travelers and even firemen. He has many appearances but in contemporary Japan, like the ones shown here, he has a child-like face. Below are the Six Jizo or Roku Jizo. They are associated with the 6 states of desire and karmic rebirth in which a person is trapped before being brought to Amida's western paradise.


 
   

And this temple or it could be a shrine, with its fresh bright vermillion paint doesn't look too dated. 
I'm not sure what it's called.




After trekking the labyrinthine streets, we finally found the mud wall of Kannon-Ji.  The  “Tsuji-bei” wall was built in the Edo Era (1603 – 1868). It is constructed unusually where mud and tiles were placed alternately on top of the other.

  


The mud wall was once a part of the Kannon-ji Temple.


Kannon-ji, a nondescript temple holds a lot of rich history about a tragic heroic tale. The stone pagoda on the right just by the entrance is dedicated to the 47 ronin (masterless samurai) who avenged the death of their master Asano Naganori.  Naganori was forced to commit sepukku (ritual suicide) for assaulting an official by the name of Lord Kira Yoshinaka. Kira was a corrupt douchebag and a spineless rat. The only reason he held a high position in court was he was born into it.

After plotting for two years, the 47 ronin eventually got their revenge. Even knowing that their punishment when caught will also be seppuku,  the plan commenced and Kira was beheaded by the ronin leader, Oishi Kuranosuke Yoshio. Two of the 47 ronin were the brothers, Chikamatsu Kanroku Yukishige and Okuda Sadaemon who were also brothers of Bunryo, a monk who was studying and living at the temple where they had held their secret meetings. 



Another tale of tragic loss is that of the Five Storied Pagoda that used to be a part of the Tenno-ji Temple Complex and was a symbol of the Yanaka Reien (Cemetery)


Thad  is standing by the enclosed base of where the pagoda used to stand


The original pagoda was built in 1644. It burned down in 1771 and was rebuilt 19 years later. In 1957 two lovers, a young seamstress and a middle aged laundry man decided to atone for their adulterous relationship by burning the pagoda with them in it. Which doesn't make sense because the pagoda had nothing to do with their clandestine affair. I am mad at them. A rather selfish way to atone for a selfish act, for Yanaka lost one of its treasures.

It was never rebuilt and all that remains now are the five foundation stones.


There was a little playground right by where the foundation stones were and I couldn't resist sitting on the swing...


On the way out of the cemetery, Thad found a gravesite enclosed with trees and shrubberies.
It looked very warm, enclosing and comforting, much like Neil Gaiman's take on Death as an old friend who comes to meet you in the end.



By this time we were all templed out and getting hungry plus we wanted to go eat at Hantei restaurant
in Nezu so we proceeded to look for it.


Along the way we saw some old shops...


Sidetrack, on the newer side of Nezu, we saw these little kids trick or treating. Halloween is actually a very new concept inculcated into Japan's culture by none other than Tokyo Disneyland when they held a Halloween event a few years ago.
 


This place was some sort of cafe. It looked closed but there were people inside sipping their kohi (coffee) ...or it could a workshop of some sort. I won't know until someone corrects me or when I learn how to read kanji and kana.


We found Hantei Restaurant! This restaurant is known for their kushi-age, deep fried skewered food. We had been so dependent on ordering food by pointing at realistic plastic versions on window displays that I got intimidated and worried about how to order...so I told Thad we should just go back to Yanaka Ginza and eat at the Sushi restaurant we saw a few hours earlier.  Because of this, Thad came up with the term Xiokyo, a new diet fad in which one looks for a certain restaurant for four hours and then decide against eating there. He thinks he's funny :-P




This old kimono shop was right across the street from Hantei


It was dark by the time we got to Yanaka Ginza and missed the sunset which we would've had a nice view of the skyline from this vantage called the  Yuuyake Dandan (Sunset Stairs) 


If you're a stray cat, you would want to live in Yanaka Ginza. This shopping street is stray cat friendly. They are not shooed or chased away by shop owners and customers. They are in fact, fed, talked to, groomed and fed again. This guy was sitting by the entrance to the ginza as if guarding it.

 

This is a souvenir shop selling all sorts of cat related items. Only one cat is real in this photo.


There was this little bookstore that had these children's books that caught my eye on the carousel display shelf on the right of this picture. On closer inspection, they were these series of fairytale books that I had once seen on a Japanese magazine when I was a kid. I wanted ALL of them.


 Several years later and with serendepitous luck, I now have them all!



We kept looking for that sushi place that we saw earlier but we couldn't find it. Damn Twilight Zone Sushi Restaurant...

And then there's this shop that sold skewered fish ( I think, not sure) and they posted photos of celebrities who have eaten there. It must be good to have that kind of patronage but I honestly couldn't tell what they were selling.  



Right next to it is this closed shop with a very lively mural that reminded me of Mary Blair's It's A Small World art. It's actually a sign saying the Iranian Restaurant Zakuro is just 650 meters in the direction the curvy arrow is pointing. I had stupidly thought I had taken a very nice shot of it judging from what I saw from the digicam screen on playback. So I only took one photo. Now I'm realizing too late how crappy it is but it's the only one I've got. Booo.



Thad sat down for a bit to have some Sapporo beer.



I bought a tenugui from this shop to give to my friends Drew and Paula. The shopkeepers looked very well dressed and professional in their three piece business suits.



We found this shop that predominantly sold clay tea cups but they also sold other omiyage (souvenir) type items like netsuke figurines, tengui, keychains, etc. They also sold some high-end tea which they give a sample to people who enter the shop.  The tea is served in an exquisitely sakura shaped cup.



I've always wanted a clay tea cup and found the perfect pair from there...These are a bit pricey anywhere that is why I never got to buy one but from this shop, they were a steal.



We could've had our kushi-age experience at Hantei but I succumbed to my anxiety so we ended up eating at, where else? McDonalds.


Which was mighty damn fine to me because they had the McEbi burger. Ebi means shrimp!
and everyone who knows me know I love shrimp. This McEbi was actually delicious and not greasy or over fried. Look how tiny it is though. But it filled me up. Thad had the $7.00 cheeseburger which costs only $.99 in the US but you have to understand that McDonald's in Japan is pricey because it is somewhat "imported" while better quality local foods like a soba set (which for example, includes rice, pork cutlets, egg, soba, miso soup and pickled vegetable) will only cost you about $5.00
I also don't understand why people were saying eating in Japan is expensive, we never found that to be true...well unless you go to McDonald's. Oh the paradox.

Back to Nippori Station waiting for the train to take us back to our hotel... I've seen this scene so many times before I came here but it is mostly in animation... It feels surreal to be part of it.



...and that's how the YaNeSen frolic ended...

Next up, Harajuku!




 


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Immortal Beauty of Nara

I must admit, even with my abject love of Japan and all things ancient, I haven't even heard of Nara until my best friend Bevlee Tanedo mentioned to me that one of her good friends, Dado (Dads) Montano whom I have met briefly when I was still living in Cebu, now lived there as an art instructor and resident painter with his lovely wife, Yoshi and kawaii daughter, Juri ^_^

So I brazenly contacted him and reminded him we know each other and that we plan to hang out with him to which he graciously invited us to come! 


view of the countryside from a speeding train


brief view of Nagoya

The travel to Nara was about 4 hours on shinkansen (super 300 mph fast bullet train). Nara is not as touristy as Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. You hardly find anything translated into English. Nara is very much steeped in old tradition as it is the first capital of Japan. Dads informed me that Japan's historical chronology even has a Nara Period when in 701, the capital city of Heijo-kyo was constructed in the north of the Nara Basin modeled after the Tang Dynasty Capital, China. 


Thad snapped this station mural of what Nara must've looked like in ancient times


The ever hospitable Dads accommodated us by freeing up his schedule and showing up even in the rain! Salamat kaayo, Dads! We are so humbled by your kindness. He met as at the station, and of course, recognized me by my flashing pink hair. It felt awesome having to speak a language most familiar to me, Visayan.



As if this kindness wasn't enough, his super nice, mother-in-law, Tomoko-san drove us around for a bit to see some of the famous sightseeing spots and even bought us our soba lunch. 
She also gave me my first taste of persimmons! Yasashi ne!



With inclement weather, Dads suggested we stayed around Nara Park which was more than enough for us since we really only had an afternoon of sightseeing before heading back to Tokyo. So first stop, Kofuku-ji. It is a Buddhist temple that was built in 669 and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Below is the Tokon-do or East Golden Hall. The temple has been damaged by civil wars and fire and have been rebuilt many times but there were other three halls that remain missing. 



Goju-no-to (Five Storied Pagoda) is the second tallest wooden tower in Japan. 



Nanendo (South Hall)


Next, we went to Nara Grand Hotel that was built in 1909 to accommodate visiting dignitaries in the Kansai area. There have been mixed reviews of this hotel ranging from it being rundown to a most spectacular place to stay in Nara. 
I would still opt to stay here if I could, given the history of this place. 




The hotel also housed a collection of classic paintings such as these...




  ...and this one I saw from the second floor mezzanine, piqued my interest that I had to climb up and take a photo of it. It reminds me of a yurei (ghostly woman). 


We moved on to Sagi-ike (pond). Dads kept lamenting the fact that the bad weather lessened the beauty of this place. In clearer weather, the view would've been perfectly reflected on to the pond. I believe him. Even on a dreary day, it is still breathtaking...


Dads and Thad



Ukimedo Gazebo and hashi (bridge) with a Thad on it ^_^



Tomoko-san and Dads took us out to lunch for some authentic and delicious soba 
and tempura veggies. Oishi desu! 


Tempura veggies!


Then we went to Kasuga Taisha. Nara's most celebrated shrine, it is famous for its lanterns donated by its worshippers. There are hundreds of bronze lanterns as well stone ones. Twice a year, they are lit during the Lantern Festival in early February and mid August.




Onwards to Nigatsudo Temple, part of the Todaiji temple complex. 
Here's Dads showing me how to wash your hands before entering the temple as part 
of the purification ritual.


About to trek the long slope...





The view from where we were... 


then trekking down the stone stairway...



Now we're off to see Todaiji, the most famous temple complex in Nara. It is the  UNESCO World Heritage Site list. When it was originally built in 728, it was flanked by two massive pagodas. They have long since collapsed and were  not rebuilt. The temple is also the headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. This was what it looked like in modeled in scale 1:50

What remains now is only 2/3 of its original size.   


To get an idea of how massive the pagodas were, this is one of the spires that used to sit aloft the pagoda. 



Deer (sika) are sacred animals in the Shinto religion. They are believed to be messengers of the gods. They roam freely around the park.  There was a time when hunting deers was punishable by death. Coming from a state in America where they are hunted for sport makes me sad for our deers...if I can just ship them all to Nara where they will be safe, venerated and fed. 

 

They're everywhere! The temples were all beautiful to look at but the deer sighting was

what I was really looking forward to! I pretty much squealed in childish delight every time I spied one, which was every second. 



The gate viewed from outside

Daibutsuden or The Main Hall of the Buddha houses the one of largest enclosed bronze 
Buddha statues in the world. It is an impressive structure, even though it is now only 2/3 of its original size, it is still the largest wooden structure in the world.   



The weather is doing all sorts of unkind things to my hair while Thad's remains immaculate. 


Just a few meters off the entrance is a 15 foot high octagonal bronze lantern. It is one of Japan's national treasures which dates back to the 8th century. 



The  Bronze Daibutsu Buddha, one of the largest in the world. The construction of the statue nearly bankrupted Japan's economy as they were using all the bronze available.







A massive wooden sculpture of Tamon-ten, one of the Guardian Kings. In Japanese folklore he is considered as one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. In Filipino legends, he is known as Bathala.



One of the supporting posts in the hall has a hole that is said to be the same size as the Daibutsu's nostril. It is believed that if you can squeeze through the hole, you will be granted enlightenment in the next life. I resisted the urge to do this because I was wearing that frilly skirt. 


Outside the hall is a  wooden statue of Binzuru. He is one of Buddha's disciples. Legend says that if you rub the statue and the rub a part of your body that has an ailment, it will be cured. Since I was still recovering from my upper respiratory congestion and wasn't feeling too great with it flaring up my asthma, I rubbed my chest and throat when I felt a touch on my back and saw Thad offering his ailment cure for me :-) I'm not quite sure what the akazukin (red-hood) is for.



Exiting Todaiji, this little deer decided to walk with me ^__^



Thad and Dads approaching Nandaimon (Great Southern Gate)



Before we reached the gate,we saw stalls that sold shika sembei (deer biscuits) for Y150.  You can feed them to the deer. As soon as I opened a pack, they all gravitated to me. The buck was especially aggressive. He butted me on my leg, thank God they shaved off his antlers
or it would've skewered me!


I admonished this one who tried to eat my skirt.



Nandaimon Gate up close

The gate contains two Nio Guardians (Nio means Benevolent Kings),  never mind that they look fierce and menacing. According to Japanese belief, these guardians traveled with the historical Buddha to protect him. The statues were sculpted by the great Unkei in the 13th century. The gate itself together with the statues are Japan's national treasures. 

I just can't help but be spooked by them though. I remember a scene from the anime Gantz when sculptures that looked like them came to life and started killing people! 


Outside the gate, we spied a dango stand! 



It was getting dark and we had to catch our shinkansen back to Tokyo. It was so fortunate that Dad's wife, Yoshi was still at her shop so I was able to meet her! She gave us some sweets and tea. What a lovely way to end our day in Nara. 



I love deers. I sometimes collect anything that look like vintage, cartoony deers, so coming to Nara with all their kawaii (cute) deer-related omiyage (souvenirs) was a delight! I had a hard time leaving the store because I wanted to buy one of each! 






But Dads surprised me with the best omiyage of all, a set of postcards of his watercolor paintings of everything Nara! I am so honored. This is such a truly, wonderful gift. Arigatou gozaimasu, Dads. Salamat jud kaayo! 




Aside from his special art classes, he also paints murals and his paintings are used in calendars and postcards. This man is so talented and I am so proud of his blossoming career as an artist in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Look! he's even on TV! 


This Nara trip enriched us so much. It's one of the best part of our trip. Tokyo may be world famous with its gritty off beat charm and dazzling lights but if there was a city in Japan I could see myself living in, it would be Nara. It has no pretentions. It has such serene beauty untouched by the passage of time. Tranquility, the order of the day. I may dress loud, for goodness sakes, my hair is neon pink but deep inside I relish peace and quiet and Nara delivers that. It's a paradise on earth for all we know, it is the real Shang-ri La. 

So many thanks to Dado Montano, Yoshino Montano and Tomoko-san for their warm hospitality which is I think a ploy so that we'd come back and never leave... ^_^ 

Next up, off to Yanake, Nezu and Sendagi, the districts that got stuck in Meiji-Showa Era...