05 .. SHINNEN /, 5.1 .. Tempel in Kansai, 関西   

Koyasan

With breakfast from a 7evelen I start the ride with the Loop Line. After two stations I change into the Koya-Nankai-Line. This time the gates are clearly seperated. Even with Kansai Pass I have to pay a Ltd. Express fee. From the second last station Koyashita the train tracks are winding uphill; rock on the left, abyss to the right. It is a mystic atmosphere, fog is hanging in the trees.

For the last mile I have to use a cable car. The thermometer is showing 46°F. Upstairs it is fallen to 39°F. The next half mile is a compilation of curves and pedestrians are not allowed. Fog everywhere. To be precisely: clouds. And I am inside. Drizzle. It is cold.

Tokugawa Mausoleum
Koyasan
Koyasan
Koyasan Stone Lantern
Arriving at Koyasan
Koyasan
Koyasan 1

I take the bus and get off at the Tokugawa Mausoleum. Looks good. A nice beginning. It starts to rain. I walk to the city center, passing several temples. There are more than 100.  In ancient times there were over 1000. Koyasan is looking like a cozy little town.

I reach the beginning of the forest track Sando. It leads to the most important temple, Torodo. The whole forest is a graveyard with thousand of tombs, stone columns and Stupa. The are weathered; covered with moss. High cedar trees, drizzle and a little bit of fog. The perfect atmosphere for this place. Here the time has stopped.

Behind the bridge no cameras are allowed. A monk is giving me some powder that I have to rub into my hands. An incense. He also gives me a small package to take it home. Here are only monks, pilgrims and I. This is like the end of the modern world and the beginning of the spiritual.

The main hall is impressive. I would like to take some pictures but I respect the rules. I embrance the moment. I hear chanting. Next to the main hall a smaller one with hundreds of iron lantern hanging from the ceiling. Where is the Okunoin? I ask a monk. I have to enter the temple, turn right. It is behind the sliding door.

Okunoin
Gokusho
Okunoin, Koyasan
Gokusho
Koyasan 2

I take a taxi back. Next stop Kongobu-ji. No shoes. At 39°F. That is mean. There are many rooms with sliding doors with zen-paintings on them. The corridor is a leading to a big hall with tatami floor. There is a small stone garden between the buildings. Tea is served. Behind the hall is another bigger stone garden.

The next point in my list is the Jakai. This is no temple. It is a buddhism ritual at the Daishi Kyokai temple. There is some time left before it starts, so I go to the museum around the corner. Acient scrolls and pictures. No I have to hurry. I forgot my umbrella. Back to the museuem. I am back on time but I am the only one. Ups.

I monk is asking my name. I follow him into the main hall. We are passing the golden Buddha statue and enter the „off limits“ area into a hall. It is dark. No light but two candles at the altar. I sit down at the tatami mat. A monk is closing the sliding doors. The priest is entering and sitting down in front of me. I only see his silhouette. Drums. Chanting. Chimes. The Jukai starts with a Mantra. Then I have to repeat his works. Aiyee. Now my japanese knowledge is needed. A monk is repeating with me. That is a lot of help. I syncronize with him. Then I have to step forward. The priest is giving me a envelope. Another mantra and it is over. Impressive ritual. Nothing special but powerful.  A special holiday experience. The Jukai vow!

Garan
Koyasan Daimon
Kongobujin
Konpon Daito Pagoda
Garan
Kongobujin Garden
Koyasan 3

The fog is vanising. Koysan is loosing some of its mysticism; I need more fog. Sadly enough that there is no snow. It was a good idea to do the Sando first. Without the fog it would only be a pathway in the forest. The last stop on my list is the Danjo Garan; a pagoda (Konpon Daito); Huge. 157ft. There are three „smaller“ one. Also the Kondo, the big hall, is really big. The entrance is closed. A warning sign. Snowslides from the roof. Damned. Looks like the had plenty of snow a few days ago. I visit the inside of the pagode before the close. Dawn is starting. The fog is back. A lot of fog. Hard to take pictures. My tripod is still in Tokyo.

There is time left to visit the daimon, the big entrance gate to Koyasan. It really is dai = big. The roof ridge is hidden in the fog. The exposure time is on its limit. No more pictures without a tripod. Now it is dinner time an the then the ride back to Oosaka. The last open resto is next to the bus station; Tendon; Sake; Souvenirs.

Bus, ropeway and train are coordinated perfectly. This is Japan. I leave Koyasan behind me in the mystic fog. 2 hours later Namba, Oosaka. What a contrast. Neon lights. People everywhere. Sky scrapers. Loud and hectic. Amusement. The combination of food, drinks and women (optional). I discover a small booth on the street with Takoyaki. Looks like a gaijin like me was not expected. The is not the typical tourist street and food supply.

Osaka Namba
Tsutenkaku Tower

On the way back to the ryokan I do a small diversion to the radio tower, the landmark of Oosaka. No anime in Oosaka without a reference to this tower. Green illuminated. They want to tear it down but the people of Oosaka stopped the project. On the way back I have a feeling of dejavu. Maybe I walked this way in  2004.

[P.S.:i took a picture at the train station in Oosaka. A departure every 4 minutes. This is only possible if trains are on time. Not possible in Germany. For the Deutsche Bahn a delay of 15 miuntes is still „on time“. In comparsion the japanese rail network is a swiss clock. The time table for the train driver is listing seconds for the departure time. No kidding.]

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05 .. SHINNEN /, 5.1 .. Tempel in Kansai, 関西   

Asuka and Yoshino

Today I have a double header: Asuka (Hasedera and Tanzan shirne outside the city) and Yoshino. I start early (for me). At 8:45am I arrive at the Kintetsu Station „Osakaabenobashi“. But I am wrong. I have to go to Tsuruhashi and from there to Asuka.

With a lot of routine I am moving forward, not impressed by all these Japanese. I am used to this chaos. I am stopped by the exit gate. Wrong ticket? No, just the wrong exit. The Loop Line is JR. But I tried to use the exit that is also the entrance to Kintetsu (Kintetsu is also running the subway in Oosaka). I show my Kansai Thru pass and everthing is fine. The next train is a  Sub-Semi-Express.

Hasedera Mon
Hasedera Stairs
Hasedera Stairs
Hasedera
Hasedera 1

Half way I nearly got undocked. Only the first 6 cars go further. A nice conducter warns me before this happens. At Hasedera Eki is a small stairway downhill. The street and the old houses look cozy. The weather is sunny. A right turn, passing the city and uphill to the temple Hasedera, founded in 686.

I am walking thru the Mon and climb up the corridor with its more than 300 steps. This is the first time I see somthing like this. It is like walking into ancient times. At the top there is a big hall with a nice view into the valley. A patio is errected on several feet high piles. This is how the Kiyomizudera may look like. In three days I know the answer.

The big hall contains the second greatest Kannon in Japan. 12m high. Impressive. The legend says that the tree trunk was big enough to carve two statues. The second one was thrown into the see and was washed up in Kamakura. This is the Kannon at the Hasedera temple there. Now I have seen both and a picture of neither. I respect the ban of taking pictures. Monks are praying and I record a 20min audio track. [It is silent and overlayed by wind noise.]

Hasedera
Hasedera Terasse
Hasedera 2

On tThe way back I pass a pagoda and then I need to hurry. I only have 20min. left. The stairway up to the station is harder to take than it looks. We are talking about a heigth difference of about 100m. I am finished but I get the train.

From Sakurai it is a 7km walk and there are only 4 busses a day. I jump into taxi to get stuck in traffic. Arghh. Then it goes uphill. Switchback. The drivers tells me that in winter the street is sometimes closed if snow and ice cover the road. To steep for driving. I believe that. We are going up and the taximeter too. This will be an expensive ride.

The shrine is old and not in a good shape. The dark red colour is weatherd. The honden and the 13-level (!) pagoda are still worth a visit. The were errected in 1532. Here the kami of Fujiware Kamatari, founder of the Fujiwara Clan (Heian period) is enshrined. In the honden some exhibits from this area can be visited. During autumn color the view from the patio into the forest must be amazing. But now, without the leaves, everything is grey. All the iron lantern are a nice motif for a picture.

The taxi driver is waiting. He drives me to Asuka Station. Expensive ride. $100. But without the taxi is wasn’t possible to catch a train to Yoshino in time. The driver stops at Ishibutai, a megalithic tomb from the Asuka period (and the reason for the name).

Tanzan Shrine Lantern
Tanzan Shrine Pagode
Tanzan Shrine Pagode
Tanzan Shrine
Inside Tanzan Shrine
Tanzan Shrine

The Local to Yoshino passes buildings, forests and bamboo groves. The houses are very close to the tracks. 5m or less. A bridge, narrower that the train cars. Just even wide enough for the tracks. For the last meter up to Yoshino I have to use a cable car. Made in Germany! It looks old, very old.

Yoshino: The Kuromon above the street builts the entrance. Behing  small road with old houses; shops and restos, but all closed. Zombieland feeling. During Sakura this place must be awesome and crowded. At the moment I prefer the Zombieland. It is peaceful and quiet.

Next Stop: Kinpusei-ji. The temple is a construction site. Mon and Main hall are big. Here the second biggest Buddha statue can be found. It is to dark for pictures. I walk to the Yoshimuzu shrine. It is small and compact but worth a visit. It has a small courtyard with honden, stone garden and a pond.

At Chikurin I forgot to visit the temple garden. Damned. If I can walk to the Mikurimari shrine before dawn? The last cable car leaves at 5:40pm. The way goes uphill. A junction. I walk back. Am I wrong? No. This is the way. Uphill. The town ends. A small sign („Less than 1 mile“) is directing into a forest. A tiny trail. Uphill. Exhausting.

Yoshino Kuromon
Yoshino
Yoshimizu Shrine
Kimpusenji
Chikurin-in
Chikurin-in
Yoshino

Dawn is beginning. The latest time for my return is 4:40pm. 20 minutes until then. I see some houses. The incline is unbelieveable. Close to 50%. Every single step is hard work. Again a trail; with stairs. 650m. I am finished and at the finish. It really is getting dark. I am back on tarmac. A car passes. The smell of hot brakes is in the air. No surprise if I remember the incline. The shrine is closed. Arghhh. Winter Time. 4pm was closing time.

And now: Downhill. In the dark. It starts to rain. The trail is slippery. 40 minutes until the last cable car. A mixture of hurry and caution. I am back in time and I am exhausted. On the train ride back I fall asleep. I get up a few minutes before I arrive at Abenobashi. It is raining. Dinner is an intersting combination for 890yen: salad with japense dressing, miso, rice, chicken nuggets, sausages and meatballs. Unusual but tasty.

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05 .. SHINNEN /, 5.1 .. Tempel in Kansai, 関西   

Kobe

9:50am. I have japanese soil under my feet. The entry formalities are routine but this KIX is new for me. I have no orientation. I don’t find a shop with Atarime, so a Teriyaki burger it is; plus the traditional can of Asahi beer (picture of the beer at top of my duffel bag). Me has arrived!

First stop is a ATM, then I buy the Kansai Thru Pass. Hm … Wakayama or Kobe. The decision has to be made now. It decides if a 2-day or 3-day pass is necassary. And Kobe it is.

Ikuta-Jinja
Ikuta-Jinja
Ikuta-Jinja
Autumn Colors
Kitano
Kobe Gallery 1

At 11:50am a bus brings me to the ferry terminal. The „High Speed Ferry“ (a catamaran) is connecting KIX and Kobe Airport with a speed of 30 knots. This connection wasn’t mentioned in any guides. There is no outer deck, therefore the view is limited. Another shuttle bus brings me from the ferry to the monorail that is connecting the artificial islands with Sannomiya Eki. All together it is a 90-min ride. I get the last coin locker that my bag is fitting into.

First stop in 2012 is the Ikuta shrine. The way to the shrine is a typical japanese amusement street; bars, cafes, restos and shops everywhere. I am in Kobe the first time but everything is looking so familiar. I don’t feel like a tourist, it is more like I am dreaming. A strange feeling.

The shrine is a perfect start, and the weather is too. 50 degrees and sunshine. It doesn’t feel like December, more like late September in North Germany. The vermillion shrine buildings are glowing in the sun surrounded by a blue sky.

Next stop is Kitano (kita-no = northern field). Here are many old european houses, that were built during the Meiji restauration. The streets are small, steep and charming. Kobe was the correct decission. There is a place in front of an old english house where I forget, that I am in Japan. Here in Kitano is a shrine with a nice view over the harbour area and a statue of a cow. I am not sure if this has something to do with the Kobe-beef.

Observation: Kobe seems to be „wedding village“. I never saw that many shops and restaurants concentrated that are specialized on weddingsin one place.

Suwayama-Schrein
Suwayama-Schrein
The Bund
Kitano
Kobe Gallery 2

On the way down to old harbour aera I stop for some ramen. From the harbour I have a good view to the city and the express way in front of it. It is located at the 7th floor level. Nothing unusual in Japan. Here is a part of the old pier that was destroyed during the Hanshin earthquake in 1995. The rusty lamps and the tilted and broken concrete reminds me of Toya.

Here at the harbour is Merikan Park with the Kobe Port Tower, the TV tower. One of the few, that doesn’t look like the Eiffel Tower. On the next pier is Mosaic, an old warehouse that now contains restaurants. Passing Kobe Eki I walk up to Minatogawa Jinja. The way is not easy to find. The train tracks and a express way is to pass. And the entrance to the train station is not easy to find either.

When I arrive at the shrine, dawn is in progress. Two big lantern on both sides of the torii show the way. The main hall is illuminated. I spot a tiny Inari Shrine on my right with tiny Torii. A moment later it is dark. Wow. I am still surprised about how fast it turns dark in Japan.

At Mosaic Garden the trees are illuminated. Xmas is close but we are in Japan. This may be an all-year illumination. In a side street I find a nice dutch draw bridge. Back at the pier I have a nice view to the Port Tower, completely illuminated in orange, and the Marine museum, whose roof construction is illuminated in white.

I spot Xmas booths with hot win, German Hefeweizen and fried squid. Why is the later not available on German Xmas markets? The guy in charge is from France (no joke). I learn: The same agency is also running the Oktoberfest, But this Xmas market fails. He says Mosaic is the wrong place for it. Not for me, but the Japanese may thing different. Lucky for me. Because they have so much squid in the freezer that they give it away for free before it turns bad. Last stop is China Town. Small, but I was here.

Minatogawa-Schrein
Minatogawa-Schrein
Merikan-Park
Kobe Port Tower
China Town
Kobe Gallery 3

I pick up my bag and get on the next Local to Oosaka Eki where I change to the Loop Line, the Yamanote of Oosaka. Exit North in Tennoji. There should be a narrow street on the other side of the pedestrian light. Oh boy. Not this really tiny thing. It is only 1,5m wide and surrounded by third class Izakaya. But, yes it is. The ryokan is in second row in the third side streets. All I can see from the street is a big sign and the typical entrance with the curtain.

The owner of the ryokan is about my age and his daugther (2 years old) is keeping staff and guests busy. The breakfast room shows an interesting roof contruction. There is a gallery with hundreds of Mangas on the second floor. Next to it is my room. Tatami. The bath room is on the first floor. That is what I really need now. A hot tub. It is not an onsen but it does the trick. Relaxing.

There are only two problems. (a) My AC is batteling with the ventilation of the neighbour bar. I should start it after the bar is closed.  (b) Like typical for Japan, the floorway has no heating. It is chilly if you are only wearing a Yukata.

After a relaxing time in the tub I ask the owner for a good Izakaya close by. He suggest one of the bars I mentioned earlier. Benefit: No tourists but me. No gaijin would enter this place by accident. The first day is ending.

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05 .. SHINNEN /, 5.0 .. Planung und Anreise   

Door 24 – DEPARTURE

Today I open the last big door of my special Xmas calendar. Today it begins. Japan V starts. And here are the boundary conditions of this trip:

  • The weather is not good and not bad. Tokyo and Oosaka are reporting clouds and 50°F. Kanazawa is reporting 32°F with the chance of rain or snow.
  • In Shirakawa we have 8″ of snow. In Kusatsu Onsen is no snow. The snow that was there a few days ago is gone. Arghh. Looks like the winter is already over. No winter holiday. And why I have bought all this winter clothes?
  • The Yen is down to $1,17. YES. This reduces the cost for this holiday by 10%. Thid covers the additional cost for the hotels above the limit.

Just before the taxi arrives, it is getting hectic. I have to put my bike into the house and take out the garbage. Power is offline except for the heating, alle windows closed. The door is closed. Forgot my glasses. Open the door. Lights on. Then the holiday starts with a short taxi ride. The bus is leavong at 5:50am. It is dark. Surprisingly there is a passanger waiting at every single bus stop. On my last ride the first guest entered at Barsbüttel. The holiday before that there was a small group in Bad Oldesloe.

I arrive the airport at 7:20am; right on time. Now I have 2 hours for check in and the security check. Easy. The Slate causes a special check of my luaggage. To much „organic material“. I would say to much plastic. At 7:40am I arrive at the airport lounge. I like this all inclusive. Fruits, Sherry and a nice whisky. A nice breakfast. Boarding at 9:25 and take off at 9:50. The seat size is economy all over. Lucky that the seat next to me is empty. One hour later I arrive at Schiphol (Amsterdam airport). First stop passport control, then McD. The last burger (a „1955er“) for three weeks. I want to stay away from western food as much as I can. At 12:15 I check in at the airport lounge 42. The design is a little bit older but the seats are comfy. Perfect before the 10 hours of economy starts.

Boarding at 2pm. I arrive late. There is a long queue anyway and my luaggage is already in the plane. They will wait. The next 10 hours are boring. I try to sleep. But I fail. I stayed awake the whole night. But this didn’t helps. All that is left is the on board cinema. Madagascar 3 in English and Japanese. The Dark Knight Rises. MIB III. The route is like always. The last 2 hours are towards south, passing Beijing and South Korea, and then east again. Another turn let us pass Chuubu and leads us to Kyuhsu. We are completing the 270 and approaching Kansai.

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05 .. SHINNEN /, 5.0 .. Planung und Anreise   

Door 23 – Koffer-Hoffer

Ich packe meine Koffer und nehme mit … einen zweite Koffer. Egentlich wollte ich gestern schon mit dem Packen anfangen und heute die Wohnung aufräumen. Naja. So viel zum Plan von gestern.

Jetzt türmen sich hektisch die Wäscheberge vor mir. Das muß alles in den Tatonka.  Und ich sollte unter 25kg bleiben. Das wird angesichts der Winterausrüstung nicht einfach. Außerdem muß ich für die Rückreise einen zweiten „Koffer“ mitnehmen. Ich Tokyo stehen seit 2010 Kendosachen und mein Fotostativ. Für den Rückflug habe ich einen zweiten Koffer angemeldet. Ich kann also grob 18kg Souveniers einsammeln. Aber denken wir nicht an die Rückreise. Ich muß erst einmal hin, damit es zurück geht.

Back to packing the luagguage. All the technical equipment is put togehter and will be put into my hand lugguage. This time I will store some cloths there too as a backup. Half of the shirts, socks, shorts is labeled „dump after use“. This will give me some space for souvenirs and cleans up my wardrobe. If I bring back this stuff, if will say again, that I can use it one more time.

I have reached 23kg. I hope nothing is missing because this is the limit. And I also hope that this little scale is working correctly.

The bus shuttle to the airport is reserved, my packing list is complete. My motorcycle is covered and protected against snow. The fridge is empty and offline and cleaned. The backup of my computer stuff is travelling with me. Everything is ready for take off. And there is still time to clean up the house.

Again I will stay awake thru the night. The bus is going at 5:50. I don’t want to risk to go to bed and overhear the alarm clock. My plane to Amsterdam is starting at 11:40. This time I will try to sleep during the flight to Oosaka, because I will arrive early in the morning. This is the first time I’ll try this approach. All the other times I arrived late in the afternoon, worked myself thru the rest of the day and went to futon (bed) at 10pm.

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