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Tourist
Attractions
Tokyo
The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect
of Japan's capital city. It's true the larger picture
can be somewhat depressing - shoebox housing estates and
office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded
with traffic. But this is the Japanese success story in
action. The average Tokyo suburb hasn't fallen prey to
supermarket culture though: streets are lined with tiny
specialist shops and bustling restaurants, most of which
stay open late into the night. Close to the soaring office
blocks exist pockets of another Tokyo - an old wooden
house, a kimono shop, a Japanese inn, an old lady in a
kimono sweeping the pavement outside her home with a straw
broom. More than anything else, Tokyo is a place where
the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the
quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's
a living city and you'll never run out of things to explore.
Tokyo is a vast conurbation spreading out across the Kanto
Plain from Tokyo-wan Bay. Almost completely rebuilt after
an earthquake in 1923 and again after US air raids in
WWII, Tokyo has literally risen from the ashes.
It's roughly split into the flashy commercial and business
districts west of the central Ginza shopping precinct,
and the more down-to-earth residential neighbourhoods
to the east. For visitors, nearly everything of interest
lies either on or within the JR Yamanote line, the rail
loop that circles central Tokyo.
Magical memories of Tokyo don't come from standard sightseeing,
as this isn't a city of architectural brilliance flooded
with monuments. Pragmatic considerations were foremost
in the postwar rebuilding, which has made for some pretty
dull streets capes. The real Tokyo experiences are soaking
up the hustle and bustle and revelling in the pockets
of calm. Ginza is the most famous shopping area in Tokyo:
it's opulent, vital and popular, and is the place to be
seen emptying your wallet.
Ginza is overflowing with small private galleries, too,
making it a lovely place to browse even if you're not
looking to buy. Ueno-Koen, a park north of the centre,
has some of Japan's best museums and galleries. The Tokyo
National Museum holds the world's largest selection of
Japanese art; the National Science Museum is a massive
free-for-all packed with scientific goodies; and the Shitamachi
History Museum is a recreation of the plebeian downtown
quarters of old Tokyo.
Long considered the heart of old downtown, Asakusa, north-east
of the centre, is one of the few places where you can
experience something of the real-life flavour of old Shitamachi.
The big attraction here is Senso-ji Temple, probably the
liveliest place of Buddhist worship in all Japan, but
the whole area is great for a wander. Asakusa was once
an infamous 'pleasure district', a fairground of theatre,
music and the seedier side, and vestiges of gaudiness
and glamour remain. Shinjuku, west of the centre, is present-day
Tokyo's rowdiest entertainment quarter.
If you have only a day in town and want to dive headfirst
into the modern Japanese phenomenon, this sprawling, relentless
district is the place to go. Nearly everything that makes
Tokyo interesting bashes elbows here: high-class department
stores, discount shopping arcades, flashing neon, government
offices, swarming push-and-shove crowds, streetside video
screens, stand-up noodle bars, hostess clubs, tucked-away
shrines and sleazy strip bars.
Tokyo is an expensive place to bed down. There are a couple
of youth hostels west of the centre and some relatively
cheap options in Ueno and Ikebukuro. Otherwise, Shinjuku
can be a good bet, if you don't mind squishing into a
capsule hotel. Shinjuku is also one of the best eating
areas. Ueno and Asakusa are good places for traditional
Japanese food. Ginza is good by day, but is best avoided
for evening eating - it's invariably expensive.
Fuji Mountain
Japan's highest mountain (3776m/12,385ft) is the only
natural feature most visitors to Japan are sure they want
to check out. Fuji-san is a perfectly symmetrical volcanic
cone which last blew its top in 1707, covering the streets
of Tokyo 100km (62mi) away with volcanic ash. On an exceptionally
clear day, you can see Mt Fuji from Tokyo, but for much
of the year you'd be lucky to see it from 100m (328ft)
away as Mt Fuji is a notoriously reclusive mountain, often
hidden by cloud. The views are usually best in winter
and early spring when a snow cap adds to the spectacle.
Officially the climbing season is July and August, and
the Japanese, who love to do things 'right', pack in during
those busy months. You can actually climb Mt Fuji at any
time of year, but a midwinter ascent is strictly for experienced
mountaineers. Whenever you tackle it, the climb should
be taken seriously: it's just high enough for altitude
sickness and the weather can be viciously changeable.
The best time to reach the top is dawn - both to see the
sunrise and because early morning is the time the mountain
is least likely to be shrouded in cloud. This means either
starting in the afternoon, staying overnight in a mountain
hut (expensive) and continuing early in the morning, or
climbing the whole way at night.
The Fuji Five Lakes arched around the northern side of
the mountain are popular with Japanese daytrippers from
Tokyo. They offer water sports, amusement parks, ice caves
and good views of Mt Fuji. The quickest way to get to
the Fuji area is by bus from Tokyo's Shinjuku terminal.
There's a comprehensive bus network in the area servicing
the lower hill region and the lakes area.
Kyoto
Kyoto, with its hundreds of temples and gardens, was the
imperial capital between 794 and 1868, and it continues
to function as the major cultural centre of Japan. Although
business and industry are closing in on the traditional
architecture, Kyoto still has the raked pebble gardens,
the sensuous contours of a temple roof, and the latter-day
geishas that western cliché-hunters long for. The
Imperial Palace is one of the few sights in central Kyoto.
The present building was constructed in 1855 and can only
be visited as part of a tour.
The eastern part of Kyoto, notably the Higashiyama district,
merits top priority for a visit to its fine temples, peaceful
walks and traditional night entertainment in Gion. The
Sanjusangen-do Temple is a particular highlight. It houses
1001 statues of the Thousand-Armed Kannon (the Buddhist
goddess of mercy). There are a number of superb Zen temples
in north-west Kyoto including Kinkaku-ji Temple, which
was burned to the ground by an obsessed monk in 1950,
and later rebuilt complete with gold-foil covering. The
Takao District, tucked away in the city's north-west,
is famed for its autumn foliage. Himeji-jo Castle, an
easy day trip from Kyoto, is the most splendid Japanese
castle still standing. It's known as the 'White Egret',
a title which derives from the castle's stately white
form.
There are hundreds of festivals in Kyoto during the year,
so booking accommodation well in advance is essential.
The most spectacular are Aoi Matsuri (15 May) which commemorates
the 6th century prayers of the people for the gods to
stop calamitous weather; Gion Matsuri (17 July), Japan's
most renowned festival, which climaxes with a massive
parade; Damon-ji Gozan Okuribi (16 August) when enormous
fires are lit to bid farewell to the souls of ancestors;
and Kurama-no-Himatsuri (22 October) when portable shrines
are paraded through the streets accompanied by youths
with flaming torches.
Most mid-priced accommodation is to the north and north-west
of the city, although there are a couple of spiffy hostels
to the east. Central Kyoto is excellent for digging up
reasonably priced Japanese and international food. Eastern
Kyoto is good for yakitori and western-style restaurants.
Daisetsuzan National Park
Japan's largest national park (2309 sq km/1432 sq mi)
is in central Hokkaido, the northernmost and second largest
of Japan's islands. The park, which consists of several
mountain groups, volcanoes, lakes and forests, is spectacular
hiking and skiing territory. It's almost insanely popular
in summer and early autumn when you really need a few
days to get away from the crowds. Sounkyo is the tourist
hub of the park: there's a hot-spring resort and a gorge
here, and this is a good gateway for hikes into the interior
of the park. Furano is one of Japan's most famous ski
resorts - its powder skiing is considered by some to be
the best in the world. A short distance north-east of
Furano are the remote hot-spring villages of Tokachidake
Onsen and Shirogane Onsen, which make good crowd-free
bases for hiking and skiiing.
Nagasaki
Nagasaki is a busy and colourful city, but its unfortunate
fate as the second atomic bomb target obscures its fascinating
early history of contact with the Portuguese and Dutch.
Ukrami, the epicentre of the atomic explosion, is today
a prosperous, peaceful suburb which encompasses the chilling
A-Bomb Museum, an evocative reminder of the horror of
nuclear destruction; and the Hypocentre Park, which has
a black stone column marking the exact point above which
the bomb exploded plus relics and ruins from the blast.
A bell in the turtle-shaped Fukusai-ji Zen Temple tolls
at 11.02 am daily, the time of the explosion. One of the
world's biggest Foucault Pendulums (a device which demonstrates
the rotation of the earth) hangs inside the temple.
At the southern end of Nagasaki, a number of the former
homes of the city's European residents have been reassembled
in the hillside Glover Garden. Moving stairways, fountains
and goldfish give it the air of a cultural Disneyland,
but the houses are attractive and the views across Nagasaki
are superb. An hour north of Nagasaki is Huis ten Bosch,
an astounding recreation of a Dutch town, complete with
windmills, dykes, a replica of the Dutch royal family's
residence, tulips and a cheese shop. Amazingly, this is
also a residential development with housing for 10,000
people who want to live in a sanitised version of the
Netherlands on the southernmost island of Japan. |
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