This is my third trip to Japan. Each trip I took I focused on a different aspect of Japan’s culture and traditions. My quilting friend Laura and I attended the World Quilt Show in Yokohama this time. We started our trip in Kyoto – the ancient Capital of Japan, famous for its temples and Geisha. We stayed at a traditional Japanese ryokan that features tatami mats for bed and communal bath. The breakfast included eggs, sandwiches, and Laura’s favorite “shoe cream”.
We took a walking food tour in the district of Gion. Even though this is where most of the Geisha houses are located, nowadays there are only about 100 Geisha still in business. Rarely will tourists see them walking on the old alleyway anymore. Gion area, however, is still full of people and bars. Our tour took us into bars that are the size of closets (barely fit 10-12 people shoulder to shoulder inside). The foods, however, were very tasty, each small plate was delicately prepared, with fresh shrimp tempura, grilled Waygu beef, and assorts of vegetable pickles. These dishes were not only satisfying to our taste buds but also artfully presented to please our eyes. It’s the famous Kyoto cooking style. The visit to Kyoto aquarium was on a whim but it was one of the best aquariums we had seen. It was famous for research on the Giant Salamander (it could be longer than 5 ft and weigh up to 55 lbs). In addition to the salamander, it also has an impressive collection of jellyfish and aquatic animals. Out of all the famous tourist attractions in Kyoto, we decided that ‘The Golden Pavilion’ was the one temple worth fighting the crowd for. This iconic temple glimmering in the morning sun was breathtaking. It also has a beautiful garden and a pond full of koi. Laura found ‘Otagi Temple’ which few tourists were aware of. An old temple resurrected by monk sculptor Kochi Nishimura. He and his disciples carved 1200 Rakan (followers of Buddha) heads scattered all over the hills. Each head is unique and usually reflects the carvers’ passions.
From Kyoto, we took a train and a bus ride to the Kawaguchi Lake region right at the foothill of Fuji Mountain. Other than to get a closer look at Japan’s national symbol, we went there, especially to Kubota Itchiku’s Kimono Museum. Itchiku was a Kimono Landscape Dye Master. His technique was intricate and labor-intensive but the result was exquisite. He had exhibited his works in many countries including in Smithsonian Natural History Museum. In addition to exquisite kimonos, Master Itchiku also designed his museum, every stone, every garden path, and every room was artistically arranged with primitive artifacts he collected from all over the world. The garden led to a cave with two sculptures inside. The tea house served tea and sweets with gold leaf sprinkles over them. It is a museum worth visiting. Kawaguchi is one of the Fuji Five Lakes, we happened to be there during the Autumn Leaf Festival. Walking along the lake given the magnificent Fuji mountain surrounded by different shades of maples was a ‘Zen’ moment to be always treasured by me.
Another train ride got us to Yokohama where the International Quilt Exhibition was held. Yokohama is a port city only 35 km from Tokyo. Our room at the Hotel New Grand faced the harbor and the park and had a wonderful view of the 8-meter-tall Giant Gundam Factory Robot. It was also conveniently located half a block from Chinatown. We were able to get a good Chinese meal there. Most of the quilts in the show were from countries with Asian flavors that were different from American quilts. Many were appliqué with intricate quiltings. My favorite was the Pink Plum Blossom made of tiny squares in various shades of red. Laura loves the quartet.
Our last stop was Tokyo, with 40 million people in the metropolitan area, it is one of the most dense cities in the world. Its subway map looks like a spider web. Tokyo Train Station, so full of shops and restaurants, we got lost immediately and it took an hour to find our way out. We found that in-person shopping is still popular in Tokyo. There were streets, especially for fabric, electronics, kitchenware, or hardware. There were giant malls everywhere, and most stores preferred cash over credit cards. We visited the Sensoji Temple and saw some cute Japanese children dressed up for the special celebration. We went to the exhibition of ‘teamLab’ – a digital artwork that challenged our perspective and orientation. It blew our minds since we have never seen anything like that. The millions of light hurdle through space toward us and the mirror reflection made space borderless. The video clips here don’t do justice to the sensation we felt. If you have a chance to see the teamLab exhibition, don’t miss it. We also went to see the 3D billboards we saw on YouTube. We were impressed with the calico cat, it was quite realistic. Two weeks in Japan went by quickly and I enjoyed seeing a different aspect of Japanese life.
To see additional photos, click the photo link below the YouTube!
For additional photos, click this link https://photos.app.goo.gl/UvFMNT5iba2qB7o18.