JAPAN – KANSAI WESTERN (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
Day 1 Sat Mov 8
OSAKA (Greater)
I arrived at 12:30 and took the train into the centre of Osaka. There were 3 sites with minor detours on the route to my hostel.
Namba Yasaka Jinja is a Shinto Shrine for Gion worship with a large lion-shaped building which is famous in Japan. In the Bombing of Osaka, it burned to the ground in 1945 and was reconstructed in 1974. In the central square of the temple there is a stage building 12 meters high, 11 meters wide and 10 meters deep, made of stone, in the shape of a lion’s head. Every third Sunday in January, a rite inspired by Japanese mythology is performed there. It tells the story of Susanoo, the god of Wind and Sea, and the dragon Yamata-no-Orochi . In 2001, this ritual was officially recognized as an element of the intangible heritage of the city of Osaka. Bizzarium
Kizu Market. A massive wholesale market on one floor. Across the corridor is a normal-looking store, but with large sizes.
The old-fashioned Hankai Tram Line is very near my hotel. Gates are lowered when it passes.
ON Finding a hostel was an adventure. First, I booked Bon Hostel for the wrong night (Nov 7), but was allowed to cancel by Trip.com. When I tried to book for Nov 8, the prices of every hostel and hotel had doubled, and I changed the hostel to Maru for CA$48. It was terrible, and I complained. Amazingly, the manager (who only spoke Korean) gave me a complete refund. I eventually went to Shin-Imamiya, a capsule hotel, the cheapest in town for CA$36. The tiny room was a capsule with a tiny chair and a table with a shared bathroom. Showers and a tiny kitchen with tables were on the 10th floor. It was actually comfortable, and I played bridge till late.
Day 2 Sun Mov 9
My big day to see as many sites in Osaka as possible using the metro and walking.
First, I took the metro to Nakatsu metro stop. It was then many walks of one to two km, all in the rain. I took a metro between the ceramic museum and Shinsaibashi shopping streets.
Row House is a personal residence designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando in his early career. It was designed without exterior windows, reflecting the desire of the owner to feel that he was not “in Japan”. To compensate for lost light, an interior courtyard with a crosswalk was created. This was confusing as the building was covered in ivy and I was unsure what I was looking at.
HEP. A shopping mall that has 9 floors above ground and two below. A huge whale and her calf hang from the ceiling of the main entrance. Has a ferris wheel on the roof.
HANKYU Department Store Umeda, In a massive transit hub with many stores, and has 11 floors above ground and two basement floors. Has all the usual high-end stores.
Umeda Sky Building is a two-tower mixed-use skyscraper in Osaka, Japan. Located on the outskirts of the Umeda business district, it consists of two 40-story towers interconnected at their two uppermost stories via glass bridges with escalators and elevators that cross an open atrium space. It is currently the fifteenth-tallest building in the prefecture. The towers are 170 m (557.74 ft) high and 190 metres (623.4 ft).with the spires. They were completed in 1993.
Museum of Oriental Ceramics. Lovely ceramics, most of which i have seen before. Special exhibit on celadon (the luminous ceramic). 2000Y, no reduction (free for Osaka residents over 65
National Museum of Art. Two exhibits, and I went to the cheaper one. Smaller than expected, the art was average. Included several large photographs. 400Y, free reduced.
Dōtonbori and Shinsaibashi. Combined shopping districts on different sides of Ebisubashi Bridge. It goes over a canal and was thronged. It has lovely grey polished granite walls and crosses over a canal that separates Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi shopping streets.
Dōtonbori. When you think there is enough shopping, it continues over the bridge, but this is a district that spreads out from the covered street. Both covered streets and very busy on a Sunday. I was surprised by how many foreigners there are here.
Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum. In Dotonbori, over 4 floors, it has many Osaka prints of portraits of actors and Kabuki (traditional Japanese plays) theatres. They are multicoloured wood block prints. 700Y, no reduction.
Kuromon Ichiba Market. Another covered market, but much more ordinary than Shinsabashi. And much less busy.
On my way to Shitenno-ji, I passed a Japanese cemetery, the Shitennofi temple cemetery. Wow, what an elegant place, granite tombs inscribed with the person’s story. It is called
Shitennō-ji. (Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings). It is a Buddhist temple, the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan, although the temple complex and buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries, with the last reconstruction taking place in 1963.
Prince Shōtoku was known for his profound Buddhist faith when Buddhism was not widespread in Japan during the 6th century, and he built Shitennō-ji.
“Shitennō” refers to the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism. The temple Prince Shōtoku built to honour them had four institutions, each to help the Japanese attain a higher level of civilization.
The garan consists of a five-story pagoda, a main Golden Pavilion (Kondō) housing an image of the Bodhisattva Kannon, and a Kōdō (Lecture Hall) under a covered corridor holding three gates. The main prayer hall was under construction. The 5-story pagoda sits in the middle of a large compound and was not open.
Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts. I arrived just before they closed the cash register so it was a rushed visit. Far East and Japanese art with paintings, sculptures, calligraphy, metalwork, porcelain, lacquerware, and textiles. 530Y, Free reduced.
It was a long walk back to my hotel.
ON Shin-Imamiya for the second night. Saturday cost CA$36 and Sunday CA$19, The latter price reflects the tiny room and shared bathroom.
Day 3 Mon Nov 11
I took the Shinkansen to Kyoto 3000Y, 15 minutes.
As in many countries, several museums were closed on Mondays.
KYOTO
A big walkabout day with many 1-2 km distances between sites. I met some lovely people – an Israeli woman and a man from Cyprus who lives in London. I used a bus to get back to Kyoto Station 230Y. A taxi (Uber) was 2,000Y!
Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. Originally built in 1602, it was completely rebuilt In the 1880s. The Founder’s Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world – 76 m x 35 m x 38 m tall and has 90 support pillars. It holds the grave of Shinrae (1173-1262), but this portion was screened off. Like many Japanese temples, the construction is wonderful with massive beams and joists.
Mimizuka. On a small hill, this monument consists of 5 stones with Japanese writing. It commemorates the 1592 capture and deportation of Koreans. Their ears and noses were cut off, and this monument contains the removed parts.
Kenninji Temple. Several stone pigs decorate the east entrance. The sprawling grounds have water features and 4 grounds dating over several periods. To enter the main temple costs 500Y. I didn’t bother to see another prayer hall.
Japan Kanji Museum & Library. Kanji are logographic characters introduced to Japan from China around the 5th century AD for the Japanese writing system, where each character represents a word or a meaning. The name “kanji” literally translates to “Han characters”. They are used alongside the phonetic scripts hiragana and katakana and are mainly used for nouns, verb stems, and adjectives.
Each kanji has a specific meaning or represents an idea. For example, 山 represents the word for “mountain”. Many kanji have two ways of being pronounced: one with the original Chinese-based pronunciation. New words can be created by combining different kanji. For example, the kanji for “electricity” (電) and “car” (車) combine to mean “train” (電車). There are tens of thousands of kanji, but only a few thousand are in common use. The Japanese government has designated a set of 2,136 characters for “everyday use”.
Think of kanji as symbols that have a specific meaning, unlike hiragana and katakana, which represent sounds. They are essential for understanding written Japanese, as they form the backbone of most nouns and verb/adjective stems. Learning kanji in the context of vocabulary words is often more effective than learning them in isolation. 800Y, no reduction. Yasaka Shrine. A Tao shrine with several small monuments. The large hall was closed.
Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts Fureaikan. In a large museum complex, the most interesting are the crafts made by individuals – dyed textiles, stencil dyeing, wood working and many others, many beautiful. 500Y, no reduction.
Heian Shrine. With a grand gate, there are several gardens requiring a fee. Heiankyo was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years until the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1868. The shrine prayer hall was closed. The instructions on how to bow: Slight bow, 2 deep bows, clap hands slowly twice, and finally one deep bow.
Honke Owariya Restaurant. It was a 2 km walk here. There was a long lineup to enter. A soba noodle place, it has been owned by the same family from the beginning. It is noted for its atmosphere, traditional atmosphere (dark wood, low light, and décor), but it was expensive. Some reviews weren’t good.
Kyoto International Manga Museum. Manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term manga is used in Japan to refer to both comics and cartooning. Outside of Japan, the word is typically used to refer to comics originally published in Japan.
In Japan, people of all ages and walks of life read manga. The medium includes works in a broad range of genres: action, adventure, business and commerce, comedy, detective, drama, historical, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction and fantasy, erotica (hentai and ecchi), sports and games, and suspense, among others.[4][5] Many manga are translated into other languages.
Manga is not of much interest to me. I find the faces unrealistic, the stories not interesting. But I wanted to investigate it further and maybe appreciate it more. 1200Y, no reduction
Gallery of Kyoto Traditional Arts & Crafts. Don’t miss this wonderful museum, better than the previous one. Over 4 floors, there are many examples of student work in their 4-year programs (wood, Buddhist carving, metal, and many examples of lacquerware). Teachers also presented some of their best work. 500Y, 400 reduced
Kyoto Railway Museum. An interesting museum with many locomotives and modern trains like the Shinkansen. 1000Y
ON Livemax Hostels. Near Kyoto Station and the cheapest place in Kyoto CA$43. A dorm room with individual “capsules”.
Day 4 Tue Nov 11
I took the Shinkansen to Yokohama
GO TO KANTO (Yokohama)
Day 17 Mon Nov 24
RETURN TO KANSAI WESTERN (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
AWAJI ISLAND
Water Temple (Hanpuku Temple). Getting here was a test and I don’t think you are meant to drive. Google Maps directed my across a field of several rice paddies on a road more meant for a golf cart. One corner, I couldn’t make, ended yp at t deadend but managed to turn around. Go to the top to see this architectural masterpiece. Approach to a long reinforced concrete wall and follow a curved wall to the roof of the temple, an oval with a pond for water lilies that looks like a flying saucer. Descend stairs to a small, red, round temple with a small shrine. Architectural Delights:
Esaki Lighthouse. Besides being a long drive, it was also a long walk up the 200 steps to this lovely LH with awesome views across the water to Kobe. It is a white semicircle with a small white dome. The fresnel lens only rotates through about 140 degrees.
Cross the mammoth Akashi Kaikyō Bridge (Pearl Bridge) from Awaji Island to Kobe). There was construction happening and there was a 25 minute delay in the crossing.
KOBE
4 X 4 House. On the water, this 7 m square reinforced concrete house has four floors, no windows on the back and a tiny window on each side. The front facing the water has a door covered by a small overhang. The second floor has a door that ends up on the overhang, but with no railing! The third floor has windows across the floor and the 4th floor overhangs the windows for a passive solar effect. The front yard is a larger enclosed space with minimal views of the water.
ON I parked outside Taisan-ji temple for a very peaceful night
Day 18 Tue Nov 25
KOBE
It was a rainy, gloomy day.
Taisan-ji. Walk through the big gate and along a stone path, passing two lovely gardens. The main temple hall dates to 1293 (small shrine inside) and the three-roofed pagoda is to he right.
Onsen Minatoyama. I decided to treat myself to this well-known onsen. It was full, mostly with old men. As this was my second visit, I had the routine down pat. I weighed myself and was exactly twice the weight of the very skinny guy who weighed himself just before me. I was decidedly the fattest guy there as the Japanese all appeared to be ideal weight. 800Y A great deal.
Wadamisaki Battery. On the grounds of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, it is only open one Thursday by month, and reservations are almost impossible to get. It can be seen from Nishenomyahama. It is a round granite battery used for coastal defence at the end of the Edo Period. Only the tower remains. Apparently, it is lovely inside with great wood staircases and walls.
Kobe Maritime Museum. The usual maritime museum with many ship models emphasizing Kobe’s history as an industrial port. Many photographs and maritime paraphernalia. 900Y
Kawasaki Motorcycle Museum. Assessed through the maritime museum, this is Kawasaki Heavy Industries – Good Times World museum. See the history of Kawasaki, many motor.cycles, a helicopter and several simulators. More orientated to children. 500Y, no reduction.
Kobe City Museum. See archaeology, art (a great Van Gogh exhibition was there), documents and the history of Kobe as an industrial and global city. The building is lovely. 300Y, free only if a Kobe resident and over 65
Kōbe Lampwork Glass Museum.
Ikuta Jinja. A Shinto shrine dating from the early 3rd century (and one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. It has big gates, and large park-like grounds.
Sannomiya Station. Kobe’s main train station. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Nunobiki Ropeway. Besides getting to the top of the mountain, this is a good way to see Nunobiki Waterfalls (without the long 350 m climb) and the Herb Garden. 2000Y return
Nunobiki Falls. A series of 4 waterfalls Ontaki (the highest at 43 m, falls into a lovely large pool), Mentaki, Meoto, and Tsujunigataki.
Nunobiki Herb Garden. A big space with grass and medicinal herbs. This time of the year was not the best time to see it.
Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum. Obviously, many woodworking tools, models of which the Japanese are famous for. Offers workshops. 700Y, 500Y reduced
Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art. The main exhibit by Yokoo Tadanou is about death, manifested by many pieces of art featuring skulls and skeletons. Not great or interesting. Much better is an exhibit rotating between three prefectures with many lovely pieces. 800Y, 490 reduced if over 70
Asics Sports Museum. Gives the history of running shoes (one of the greatest frauds perpetuated by shoe manufacturers. Read “Born to Run” that exposes that fraud. 95% of people are born with normal feet, but 77% of adults have problems, caused by shoes with too much cushion, an elevated heel, too much arch support and a narrow toe box. The foot has 10 muscles that need to be exercised, and shoes cause a 70% reduction in foot muscle strength.
Sports culture through interactive displays and historical exhibits of athlete-worn gear. It features an “Athlete Field” with autographed equipment and a “History Field” with early products, and visitors can try sports simulations like Usain Bolt’s stride or participate in workshops. Then see the history of Asics shoes. Free
UCC Coffee Museum. Temporarily closed
Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution. This uses the 1995 7.3 Great Hanshin earthquake to learn about disaster prevention. Many disasters from around the world are related. 650Y, 300Y reduced
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art. Contemporary Japanese and Western art, and 19th century European sculpture. Worth the money for a contemporary art museum, which I usually dislike. 550Y, 250 reduced
Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum. See the production steps via 4 videos presented amongst a lot of wood barrels, buckets, ladles and stirring methods: polish the rice using water, store and wash again to remove the bran, soak to absorb water, add Koji spores, a special mold that converts the starch into sugars and amino acids (smells like chesnuts and the quality of the koji determines the quality of the sake), add moto or starter yeast, mash all using hot water, cool slowly and ferment for 2 weeks at an exact temperature until large, light bubbles form, press out the saki that is clear, heat to pasteurize, and store till the autumn. To taste saki, 800Y buys three small cups (i didn’t bother). Free
Hanshin Expressway Earthquake Museum. Tells the story of the 1995, 7.3 earthquake centered around the expressway that was raised several feet. Neat to have preserved this. This normally requires a reservation, but it wasn’t busy and I was admitted. 500Y, no reduction.
NISHINOMIYASHI
Otani Memorial Art Museum Nishinomiya. Concentrates on children’s books. Not worth the expensive entry. The lovely and free garden is great. 1200Y, no reduction.
Nishinomiya Jinja. Hundreds of stone lanterns, a lovely garden, lions and horse sculptures and the usual Shinto temple. There were many families here with their children dressed up (kimono and robes) and the parents with nice suits. I asked a man and said that thier children at ages 3, 5, and 7 are commemorated at a temple.
Piggy Bank Museum. Thousands of money banks, some arranged by country. Canada’s were a maple leaf, branch bank and Casse Populaire (a Quebec bank). The most interesting were the old American mechanical banks and some of the cartoon mechanical banks. There were some lovely wood carved banks (birds and ducks). In an old bank, the vault had several banks. Free
OSAKA
Mint Museum. Normally boring, this had some very old money dating to the 10th century, many special coins (olympics), and coins from various mints around the world. Free
Parking here was impossible but I managed on the sidewalk.
Peace Museum Preserving the Memories of the Osaka Air Raids. Includes info on the sacrifices made by the Japanese people in WWII, many photos of a devastated Osaka and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It paints a grim picture, but never mentions all the atrocities committed by the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. 250Y, Free reduced
Abeno Haules Building. A skyscraper in downtown Okaka. The art museum stayed open until 8 pm, bit was 2,000Y so I skipped it.
Sorihashi Bridge. In a gorgeous Shinto park with hundreds of stone lanterns and large trees, this lovely red bridge arches high over a long narrow pond. I was here at night and was all alone.
In the evening, I did my usual, had a coffee at Starbucks and worked on these posts.
There was no parking, I parked illegally and then decided to go out to find a better place ot park. I accidentally turned down a one-way street (it was dark, and I couldn’t even see the one-way sign). Unfortunately, there were police and they stopped me on the one-way street. After 30 minutes of taking all my information, taking photos of my passport, DL and International DL, I was finally taken to the police station and up to the 4th floor where we were joined by two women (one an interpreter) and another two police. It was explained that I had broken the law and had to pay a fine. After at least another hafl hour, they had photocopied everything at least 5 times and had written out the ticket. I whined about being a tourist and that they could use some discretion and not give me a ticket. But, I had broken the law and must be fined. The interpreter (who was the ugliest Japanese woman I have ever seen with a receding chin) got pissed off and yelled at me to stop whining. It was all to no avail. I couldn’t help but continue to make comments. “It has taken 6 police officers 30 minutes to write out a ticket for going the wrong way down a street. I would hate to see what would happen if I had done anything serious.” etc etc.
In the end, I was given the 7,000Y ticket with instructions to return to the police station at 9 am and be escorted to a bank or post office to pay. One of the young police officers kept saying he was sorry when they escorted me back to the van.
It was worth 7,000Y just to see Japanese police in action. It was painful.
I have broken the law driving at least 400 times (many red lights I have lost track of, passing on a solid line so many times I have forgotten, parked illegally multiple times, and will now drive completely legally, it would not be worth having to deal with the Nip legal system again.
ON Outside the Mounded Tombs site.
Day 19 Wed Nov 26
SAKAI
I saw the tombs (they are open 24 hours per day) from across the moat.
MOZU-FURUICHI KOFUN GROUP: MOUNDED TOMBS OF ANCIENT JAPAN WHS. Located on a plateau above the Osaka Plain, this includes 49 kofun (“old mounds” in Japanese). These tombs were for members of the elite. These kofun have been selected from among a total of 160,000 in Japan and form the richest material representation of the Kofun period, from the 3rd to the 6th century CE, a period before Japanese society became an established centralized state under the influence of the Chinese system of law. The kofun have a range of contents, such as grave goods (weapons, armour, ornaments); and clay figures used to decorated the mounds, known as haniwa (in the form of cylinders arranged in rows, or representations of objects, houses, animals and people). They demonstrate the differences in social classes of that period and show evidence of a highly sophisticated funerary system. Burial mounds of significant variations in size, kofun take the geometrically elaborate design forms of keyhole, scallop, square or circle. They were decorated with paving stones and clay sculptures. The moats and geometric terraced mounds reinforced by stone are exceptional technical achievements of earthen constructions.
My Experience. I parked (illegally) in front of an information siign and slept there for the night. Additional information from the sign:
The main burial mound here is one of the largest burial mounds in the world. It is the mausoleum of the 16th emperor, Nintokue and is part of the 49 mounds inscribed as a WHS, Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun’s mound is 486 m long, of which the rear is 249 m in diameter and the square front section is 307 m wide. Including the surrounding moats, it is 840 m long, 654 m wide, 2,718 m in circumference and 464,124 m square in area.
The mound has a three-tier structure surrounded by a triple moat with many satellite tombs around it. Assuming 2,000 people per day, it would have required 15 years and 8 months and 6.8 milllion man-days to construct.
On the surface of the mound were found 30,000 earthenware funerary sculptures arranged in lines in the shapes of a woman’s face, horse, waterfowl etc. The tomb dated to the middle of the 5th century. He selected the site at age 67. During the construction, a deer suddenly ran out of the field into the crowd of people and felll down, thena shrike flew out of the deer’s ear, inside of which was totally eaten up. the site was named “Mozu Ear Field”. When the emperor died at age 87, he was buried in the mausoleum.
A bridge crosses the outer moat but a low locked gate and a further locked fence prevented closer access to the view across the inner moat to the mound, a hill of trees. The gravel was carefully raked to show any trespassers.
I walked across the street to the Mozu Tombs Visitor Centre and the Sakai City Museum in Daisen Park across the road. They had many funerary sculptures and many 3-D constructions. A 10-minute video showed aerial views of the entire complex. On the way to the visitor centre, pass Magodayuyama Kofun, a scallop shaped tomb 65 m long with the rounded rear part 7.7 m high.
I spent an hour at a convenience store and returned to the police station at 9 to pay my 7,000Y fine. .
Bicycle Museum Cycle Center. The Shimano museum with a history of bicycles and Shimano bikes. 500Y
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (St Mary’s).
Kitora Tumulus.
Ishibutai Tumulus. Walk inside this 7th century mounded tomb made of 30 granite boulders.
Horuu-ji Temple. A Buddhist temple with lovely pine trees and an 8-pillar gate. To enter to see the pagoda (which couldn’t be entered anyway cost 2000Y, so I didn’t enter. The place was packed with many school groups.
Hoki-ji Temple. A small Buddhist temple with nice trees and a 3-story pagoda. 500Y
KYOTO
I then drove through most of Kyoto stopping only at the path.
Philosopher’s Path (Tetsugaku NO Michi. A pedestrian path that passes by several temples, wooded areas and gardens. Urban Legends
Heihachi Jaya Restaurant. A Japanese restaurant that was not at the location Google Maps said. It was either permanently closed or in the wrong location.
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KANSAI EASTERN (Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, Mie)
NARA
Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography. The 53 scenes of Nara were lovely black and white photos. Other photographers were Daido Moriyama (ok) and Monika Orpik (awful). Six famous cameras. 500Y
Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Part of the WHS, this was packed with foreigners. The best were the hundreds of ancient stone lanterns dripping with moss and epiphytes. I didn’t pay and didn’t see a ticket booth.
Parking was 1,500, so I parked in the trees below the parking ticket office. When I returned, a green pylon had been placed behind the van. I moved it, and as I was about to drive away, the two parking guys stopped me and demanded money. I said I didn’t know it was not possible to park in the trees. I couldn’t drive on as they stood in front of the van. I then did something foolish as I didn’t think they would persist, but I gently continued to drive. The guy opened the door and took my keys. I offered to pay the 1500Y, but at that point, he called the police. Two cars with blaring sirens and lights pulled up, blocking forward movement. Soon, I was surrounded by 10 policemen. From my previous experience with Japanese police, as I had done something much worse than driving down a one-way street, I was worried about going to jail. After much discussion, where I repeatedly lied, saying that I needed to be in Tokyo tomorrow to return the van, that I didn’t know I couldn’t park in the trees, whined about treating tourists nicely and said that I didn’t push the parking guy along in front of the car. One officer said that it was an accident (even though no one was hurt and there was no damage to the van) as there was contact with a person. They took multiple photos of my DL, International DL, passport and the registration of the van). I eventually apoligized to the parking guy (which surprisingly he accepted) and they let me go!!!!!! And I didn’t have to pay the 1500Y! What a fool I am. I am rarely scared but this time I was.
Nara Hotel. A large two-story hotel that I couldn’t enter as I wasn’t a guest.
UJI
Nintendo Museum.
Byōdō-in. Another Buddhist temple that I entered just before closing.
Uji Bridge.
Tsuen Tea House (Japan’s oldest Tea shop). In a modern store, it sold tea!, matcha products and ice cream. It had a nice area for sitting. Hospitality Legends:
I then left the Kansai East area and drove north with a destination of Lake Biwa.
ON McDonald’s lot half way to the National Park
Day 20 Thur Nov 27
It was almost 580 km to the Samurai Campers office, so I decided to miss any sites (unless they were specially marked.
Metasequoia Tree Road.
Day 21 Fri Nov 28
The van had to be back by 1 pm, so I had time to clean it out and remove a large area of scratches caused by a bush.
SACRED SITES AND PILGRIMAGE ROUTES IN THE KII MOUNTAIN RANGE WHS encompasses three main sacred sites – Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan, and Yoshino & Omine – and the ancient pilgrimage routes that connect them. These sites, rich in natural beauty and spiritual significance, reflect a 1,200-year-old tradition of sacred mountains and mountain worship, representing a unique fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism.
Kumano Sanzan: This refers to three grand shrines: Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha, which are revered as sacred sites of nature worship. The most popular pilgrimage route to reach these shrines is the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi, a historic trail traversing the Kii Peninsula.
Shingu: Kumano Hayatama Taisha
Koyasan: Located in Wakayama Prefecture, Koyasan is a major center of Shingon Buddhism and was founded by Kobo Daishi. It is connected to the Kumano Sanzan via the more challenging Kohechi route.
Kora: Saimyō-ji
Koya: Koyasan Okunoin
Yoshino & Omine: This area in Nara Prefecture is renowned for its sacred mountains, including Mount Yoshino, famous for its cherry blossoms, and Mount Omine, a spiritual training ground for the Shugendo sect of Buddhism. Kumano Kodo: This collective term refers to the network of pilgrimage routes, including the Nakahechi, Kohechi, and Ohechi routes (which runs along the coast), linking these sacred sites. Another route, the Iseji route, connects to the Ise Grand Shrine.
Yoshino: Kinpusen-ji
Tentative WHS: Hikone-Jo (castle) (01/10/1992)
WAKAYAMA
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Wakayama: Wakayama Castle
YOKKAICHI/SUZUKA/TSU/KAMEYAMA
Urban Legends: Suzuka: Suzuka Forest Garden
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Kameyama: Kameyama Castle
Art Museums
Tsu: Louvre Museum of Sculpture
Tsu: Mie Prefectural Art Museum
Archaeology and Anthropology Museums: Wakayama: Wakayama Prefecture Kii-fudoki-no-oka Museum of Archaeology and Folklore
Religious Temples
Suzuka: Tsubaki Grand Shrine
Tsu: Senju-ji Honzan
Villages and Small Towns
Nara: Totsukawa
Omihachiman
Wakayama: Yuasa
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Kōyasan Cable
Mie: Gozaisho Ropeway
Shiga: Sakamoto Cable
Roads, Road Bridges and Tunnels
Bridge – Ardabil: Kara Su Bridge
Road – National Route 42 (Hamamatsu-Wakayama)
Scenic Road – Metasequoia Tree Road in Shiga
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Hikone Castle
Iga: Iga Ueno Castle
Kameyama: Kameyama Castle
Vestiges of the Past
Asuka: Ishibutai Tumulus
Asuka: Kitora Tumulus
Art Museums
Koka: Miho Museum
Otsu: Museum of Modern Art
House and Biographical Museums
Iga Ueno: Basho’s Birth House
Kashihara: Imanishi Family Residence
Archaeology and Anthropology Museums: Asuka: Asuka Historical Museum
Architectural Delights: Otsu: Lake Biwa Otsu Prince Hotel
Religious Temples
Ikaruga: Hokki-ji
Ikaruga: Hōryū-ji
Nachikatsuura: Seiganto-ji
Nagahama: Hōgon-ji
Otsu: Enryaku-ji
Otsu: Mii-dera
Sakurai: Hase-dera
Tenri: Isonokami Shrine
Uda: Murō-ji
Monuments: Kushimoto: Turkish Memorial
World of Nature: Biwako Quasi-National Park, Ibi-Sekigahara-Yōrō Quasi-National Park, Kōya-Ryūjin Quasi-National Park
Waterfalls: Nachi Falls
Trails 1 – Treks: Kumano Kodo Trail
Aquariums: Toba: Toba Aquarium
Theme Parks, ‘Fun’ Museums and Miniatures: Kuwana: Nagashima Spa Land
Lighthouses: Shima: Anorisaki Lighthouse
Museums – Decorative Arts, Design, Fashion: Shigaraki: Ceramic Cultural Park
Museums – Various: Iga Ninja Museum
Bizzarium: Gojō: Nara Kaki Persimmon Museum
