Travel: JAPAN, part 3

Well, you may be tired of my Japanese pictures by now, but this is my last installment and hopefully I have saved the best for last.

In between our two stays in Kyoto we went off on a bit of a road trip, or a train trip I should say. Our first stop was Naoshima, an old fishing island now devoted to contemporary painting, sculpture and site-specific installation that many fashion and art friends highly recommended. Also, in my experience kids tend to react very enthusiastically to contemporary art, especially when its thoughtful, clever and visually stimulating. In face the kids got excited before we even descended from the ferry when they caught sight of on of Yayoi Kusama's pumpkins in the rainy park next to the ferry terminal!

Do you know SANAA? They are a duo of Japanese architects who designed the New Museum in New York, the Christian Dior building in Tokyo and the Serpentine Gallery pavilion in London, among others. They also designed the ferry terminal in Naoshima. It was stunning in its simplicity, and I also liked how it announced how serious the seemingly sleepy fishing island island was about art the moment you arrived.

I had read about an American diner on Naoshima, and we made a beeline to it from the ferry. We loved all the Japanese food we'd had, but 10 days in we were ready for some more familiar food. Zach was in heaven with his hot dog, root beer and popcorn.

The entrance to the Benesse House Museum, where we stayed. Yes, you can stay in the museum. You walk through the galleries, passing all the beautiful contemporary art, and at the back of the building you take a private monorail up to your room. As a guest of the museum, you are given access to view the art at any hour of the day or night. Pretty cool. 

A classic Donald Judd on the way to our room at Benesse House.

The view from our private monorail. It was great fun to have this quirky experience, but it certainly required patience - the trip from the room to our lobby could take 20 minutes if the monorail was at the wrong end of the line.  Having had this great experience, I may stay at the Benesse Beach hotel on my next visit, which is less unique but more user-friendly.

The Tadao Ando-designed "Oval" of rooms gathered around a reflecting pool in the centre. We spoiled ourselves and had a suite at the end with sweeping views over the Inland Sea. 

Our beautifully hand-painted room in the Oval at Benesse House.

"100 Live and Die," by Bruce Nauman at Benesse House. Our kids especially liked this one, as it lit up in different configurations and patterns. And, being kids, they were delightfully scandalized by the curse words.

Zach and I felt compelled to walk down to the beach to see Yayoi Kusama's yellow pumpkin up close. This piece is clearly the art star of the whole island, with people lined up to see have their picture taken with it.

There were constant reminders around the island that Naoshima is still very much a fishing community, as most obviously evidenced by the octopuses hanging from flagpoles and laundry lines around the villages.

A classic Cy Twombly at Benesse. Always my favourite.

This is what I most loved about Naoshima: amongst all this super cool art are rather mundane Japanese fixtures like the American diner, a kitschy but deliciously soothing bathing house, and this funny little cat café where you have a meal prepared for you and then you can pay an additional five dollars to spend thirty minutes in the cat room, surrounded by hilariously adorable and friendly cats. This may have been Coco's highlight of Japan.

Coco and I both agreed that James Turrell was the standout artist of Naoshima. We saw three completely different installations by him around the island, each blowing us away in their originality, and in the human interaction required to enjoy them. 

Christopher and I were resistant to seeing Monet's Water Lillies at the Chi Chu Art Museum, but they turned out to be a highlight. In another incredible Tadao Ando building, this one built underground, the five giant Water Lilly canvases were installed in a tile room with rounded edges and only illuminated with natural light. The result was subtle, but entirely unique and unlike any other painting viewing experience I have had. Chi Chu is a must see in Naoshima.

The view of the Inland Sea from Naoshima.

Next we headed to Miyajima Island, with this incredible Torii shrine in the water just off the shore. We would use Miyajima as a two-night base to go see Hiroshima by water taxi.

As soon as we exited the ferry in Miyajima we were surrounded by tame deer, which we all enjoyed so much. The kids were a bit nervous about visiting Hiroshima, having seen a rather violent documentary about it preceding our trip, and it was as if the deer were there to provide comfort.

The main street of Miyajima early in the morning. Feeling rather broke from many nights in expensive hotels, we stayed at a very simple but charming guesthouse run by an elegant 84 year old Japanese lady. She made us home-cooked meals and gave us directions in English. It was the most authentic part of our stay in Japan, and we loved it. Off the main shopping street, there were lovely coffee shops, tea rooms and tiny little restaurants, and once the sun set at 5pm, driving the tourists back to the mainland, we felt we had the whole island to ourselves. We loved this place.

Zach made a friend that followed him all around town one morning. No matter what Zach did the deer followed. It was too cute.

The Atomic Bomb Dome at Hiroshima. It is the only original building still standing in the city. It survived because it was directly under the epicentre of the blast and the radiation waves spread from up in the sky missing what was right beneath it.

A tricycle devastated by the Hiroshima blast. 

The peace flame burns at the centre of the Peace Park. It will not be extinguished until all the nuclear weapons in the world are destroyed.

 Our last meal at Miyajma, cooked by our lovely hostess.

All the deer gathered, as if to to say goodbye as we left Miyajima, a wonderful adventure.

Travel: JAPAN, part 2

We actually did Kyoto in two trips. We were there for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then back there for four days over New Year's, but I'm going to show you all the photos at once for maximum effect. On first glance, Kyoto is not a beautiful city. But once we started to explore and found the smaller neighbourhoods, it was everything we hoped it would be. In fact, it was everything we hoped Japan would be! The first night there I wandered down the street from our ryokan towards the shiatsu parlour, and I saw the most elegant husband and wife in their 70's, both dressed in kimonos and wooden sandals, walking down the the street together. They were the most elegant couple I'd ever seen. But what I would soon discover is that everything in Kyoto is elegant. There is tremendous attention paid to detail, quality, craftsmanship and creativity. Even the tourist-y shops are beautiful. We also got the sense of "real life" that was taking place - charming cafés where people write or meet a friend, delicious food markets where women were doing the weekly shopping, and neighborhood folks saying their daily prayers at the local shrine. We crammed a lot into our 6 days in Kyoto, and still had so much more we wanted to do. In fact, I could easily spend a month in Kyoto. Maybe one day.

The twelve-course Christmas Eve dinner served in our room at the Hiirajiya Ryokan.

We didn't expect to see much evidence of Christmas in Japan, as it is generally not celebrated there. So the kids were delighted to see the few Christmas lights around Kyoto in honour of the tourists.

A buddhist priest on his way to work. I love the string and straw sandals they wear, even in winter.

Kiyomizudera a.k.a. Kyomi's Temple. These temples are amazing when you first see them, but I slightly felt like once I'd seen one, I'd seen them all. So we paced ourselves and made sure not to overdose on the temples.

On Christmas Day we treated ourselves to a guided tour in Kyoto. It was such a relief to just follow someone around all day, not to have my head buried in maps and guide books the whole time. Our guide showed us the best of central Kyoto - the temples, the restaurants, the stores. It was so much fun.

I loved how imposing this temple was. We all felt very very small and humble standing inside the main entrance. Zach really enjoyed all the Shinto and Zen Buddhist rituals he learned at the temples - drinking the holy water, ringing the bell, lighting incense. He is the most spiritual in our family.

The beautiful park between temples in Kyoto. Even though it was winter, there was still lots of greenery and sunshine.

Christmas Dinner at the Hiirajiya Ryokan.

If you have any plans to go to Kyoto, I highly recommend a trip to the Kokedera moss garden which you have to plan well in advance. We arranged our tickets through Chris Rowthorne tours (you pay a $50 fee for this arrangement) or you can write a letter to the garden and they will reply in writing with a day and time. The hassle of getting tickets was absolutely worth it. The gardens felt like a secret, lost world.

At Kokedera, it was also a relief not to be surrounded by hordes of people. They only let in  handful of people at a time, so you really get to absorb the beauty of the garden without tourists in your view.

The tea house at Kokedera.

We walked around the Geisha district at dusk hoping to catch a glimpse of a Maiko going to work, but as it was New Year's Eve we didn't have much luck. Nonetheless, the areas where they live and work looks just like old Japan, as it could have existed a hundred years ago. This walk was one of my favourites.

On New Year's Day Zach and I woke early and went to Kinkaku-Ji, the golden temple, just outside of Kyoto. Wow. It was everything we hoped it would be, and so lovely to start a new year staring at such beauty. We beat the crowds and didn't have to wait in line to ring the huge New Year's bell and receive a blessing.

The surrounding lake and gardens around the Golden Temple were as stunning as the building itself.

Christopher and I headed to a New Year's Day soak in the baths.