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ОглавлениеCHAPTER 1
JAPAN’S “Don’t Miss” Sights
Ask anyone who has visited Japan to recommend a “must see” or “must do” list for your trip and you will get a variety of responses that underscores the diversity of the country. Some will tell you to go straight to the ancient temples of Kyoto or lace up your walking boots for the breathtaking natural scenery of the Japan Alps. Others will suggest you dive head first into Tokyo’s old east end. The 18 listings that follow are a selection of Japan’s “Don’t Miss” Sights, chosen to offer a mix of the traditional and the ultramodern, the tranquil and the intense, the sacred and the cutting edge–components that combine to make Japan such a wonderfully distinctive and indelibly memorable experience.
2 Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown
4 The Great Buddha at Kamakura
7 Traditional Houses of Shirakawa-go
8 Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en
14 Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park
15 The Holy Mountain of Koya-san
17 Niseko Ski Resort, Hokkaido
18 The Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa
Kenroku-en, Kanazawa
Tosho-gu Shrine, Nikko
Shirakawa-go, Japan Alps
1 Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo
A journey to the heart of Old Tokyo’s Asakusa district
Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa splits opinion. For some it’s a tourist trap, for others it’s the highlight of a visit to Tokyo. In truth, it can be both. The colorful Nakamise-dori, the shop-lined street that forms the main approach to Senso-ji, is as touristy as it gets in Tokyo with its plastic samurai swords, trinkets and slow-moving horde of tourists. The rest of the Senso-ji Temple complex is simply magnificent.
According to legend, there has been a temple here since the 620s, when two brothers snagged a golden image of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, in their nets while fishing in the nearby Sumida River. Awestruck by the tiny statue, they were inspired to build a temple in which to enshrine it, and Senso-ji was born. As Senso-ji’s power grew over the centuries with the support first of the Kamakura imperial court and later of the Tokugawa shogunate, so too Asakusa grew around it, expanding from an insignificant fishing village to a thriving merchant town and then the city’s premier entertainment district in the prewar years (page 29). Throughout, Senso-ji has always remained at Asakusa’s heart and it’s not hard to see why.
Senso-ji greets visitors with the great Kaminari-mon (Thunder Gate), a roofed gate standing almost 12 meters (39 feet) high and 12 meters wide under which hangs a 1,500-pound (680-kilogram) red paper lantern that itself measures some 4 meters (12 feet) in height. Protected on either side by the menacing bronze statues of Raijin and Fujin (the gods of thunder and wind), Kaminari-mon is the first of several imposing structures in the complex. At the other end of Nakamisedori, the two-story Hozomon Gate stands 22 meters (72 feet) high and is decorated with three giant lanterns and two 800-pound (362-kilogram) straw sandals. Used to store many of Senso-ji’s most precious relics, it is guarded by two identical 5-meter (16-foot)-tall statues of Nio, the guardian deity of the Buddha–two statues that make Raijin and Fujin look positively friendly. Beyond that, in air heavy with pungent incense, comes a five-tiered pagoda and the larger, albeit less ornate main building, in front of which visitors pray and wave incense smoke over themselves for its supposed curative powers.
Is it touristy? In parts, yes. But in the middle of a city as modern and short on space as Tokyo, it’s a combination of tradition and scale that you shouldn’t miss.
Opening Times Open all year round. Getting There Senso-ji is several minutes walk from Asakusa on the Asakusa and Ginza subway lines. Contact Senso-ji Temple: senso-ji.jp Admission Fee Free.
2 Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown
The capital at its most modern and most stylish
Not much more than two decades ago, Roppongi was the preserve of late night drinkers and restaurant goers, just another drab piece of urbanity that would come to life (often raucously so) after dark. How things have changed! Today, with two of the city’s most fashionable urban redevelopments, it’s the epitome of cosmopolitan Tokyo.
The catalyst for change was billionaire Minoru Mori, head of the giant Mori Building Company, and the $2.5 billion Roppongi Hills complex he launched to much hype and success in 2003: the crowds that flocked to the complex in the first few months after it opened made Shibuya Crossing look sedate.
With more than 200 shops, boutiques, restaurants, cafés and bars, as well as the sleek Grand Hyatt Hotel, the stunningly contemporary Mori Art Museum (page 106) located on the top floors of the complex’s glistening main tower, plus, in separate buildings, the head-quarters of Asahi TV and some of the city’s most exclusive apartments, it was rightly billed as a “city within a city,” breaking new ground for Tokyo with its scale and luxury. It set the stage for other sleek urban developments that would soon follow, one of which would be built very near by.
Not to be outdone by Mori, Mitsui Fudosan, Japan’s largest real estate developer, built a city within a city of its own–Tokyo Midtown–just down the road. Opened in 2007, Mitsui’s complex is made up of five buildings and a central tower that, at 248 meters (814 feet), is the tallest building in Tokyo Prefecture. Its five-story Galleria is home to 73,000 square meters (790,000 square feet) of stores and restaurants, while the surrounding grounds include a spacious park and garden.
Where Roppongi Hills boasts the Grand Hyatt, Midtown has the five-star Ritz Carlton (page 79) on the upper floors of its main tower. Midtown doesn’t do badly for art either, with the Design Sight 21_21 (2121designsight.jp) gallery and workshop, created by renowned architect Tadao Ando and fashion designer Issey Miyake to showcase modern Japanese design, as well as the Suntory Museum of Art (suntory.com/sma) with its fine collection of traditional Japanese art. The result is two cities within a city, standing face to face and creating the quintessential Tokyo experience.
Opening Times Varies by store, attraction and restaurant, but most places within Roppongi Hills and Midtown will be open by 11 a.m. Check the websites below. Getting There Roppongi Station is on the Hibiya and Oedo subway lines. Contact Roppongi Hills: roppongihills.com. Tokyo Midtown: tokyo-midtown.com Admission Fee Free
3 Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market
Energetic tuna auctions and the city’s best sushi breakfast
It’s 5.30 a.m. and Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market bursts into life with the ringing of a bell that heralds the start of the daily tuna auctions. What follows is a blur of hand signals set to a cacophony of hollers, a rapid to and fro between auctioneer and wholesalers that’s incomprehensible to the outsider. It’s like watching a classical performance, but with choreographed kabuki moves and with kimono replaced by rubber boots and overalls. And instead of a theater, you are in a cavernous warehouse filled with line upon line of whole frozen tunas.
Away from the auction, the sprawling main market is a hive of activity all through the morning, with more than 60,000 wholesalers, buyers and shippers busy supplying the city’s restaurants and shops with what amounts to more than 700,000 tons of seafood a year. To put that into context, each day in excess of ¥1.5 billion ($19 million) worth of produce is traded here, and not only seafood. Tsukiji, or Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market to give its proper name, also trades in vegetables, meat and even cooking utensils, while the outer public market teems with small sushi bars.
What the original fishermen of Tsukiji would make of it now is anyone’s guess. The area was nothing more than mud flats when the first Edo-era shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, brought the fisherman in from Osaka at the start of the 17th century with the order to supply his new capital with seafood. Not until after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the subsequent consolidation of small private markets into large wholesale venues did Tsukiji takes its current form.
Tsukiji reigns as the world’s largest fish market, but that looks set to end. The Metropolitan Government of Tokyo is planning to move the fish auction market to a new (and controversial) site in eastern Tokyo in order to cash in on the land value of Tsukiji’s current location, which is estimated to be 350 billion yen or approximately 5 million yen per tsubo (3.3 square meters). However, the outer market precincts with their food stalls and sushi restaurants will remain.
Opening Times The fish auction market is open from 5 a.m to 3 p.m. The tuna auctions are limited to 120 people on a first-come basis and begin at 5.25 a.m. Closed Sunday and 2nd/4th Weds. The outer market and sushi restaurants are open all day. Getting There Tsukiji Shijo Station is on the Oedo subway line and Tsukiji Station is on the Hibiya subway line. The market is a short walk from either. Admission Fee Free. Important While the outer market and sushi restaurants will remain at the current location, the fish auction market may move to a new site in Toyosu sometime in the future but the date has not yet been decided upon.
4 The Great Buddha at Kamakura
Japan’s most serene and storied religious figure
With a smile as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa’s and a face that has appeared on almost as many postcards as Mount Fuji, the giant statue of Buddha at Hase, near Kamakura (page 36), is one of Japan’s most recognizable sights. It is also one of the most worthwhile places to visit within day-trip distance of Tokyo.
Plenty of history has unfolded during the 750 years the Daibutsu has held court on its stone pedestal at Kotoku-in Temple, where he serenely sits cross-legged, eyes gently closed in meditation. The Muromachi, Momoyama, Edo, Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras have come and gone, as too have numerous wars and natural disasters. In fact, it was because of one of the latter that the Daibutsu is now exposed to the elements, for the wooden building that once housed him was washed away by a tsunami in 1495, a frightening thought given that Kotoku-in is almost a kilometer (half a mile) inland. Yet other than turning his bronze finish into its distinctive streaky mix of gray, green and soft metallic blue, the years exposed to the sun, wind and rain have been kind to the Daibutsu. The only real damage he has suffered is losing the gold leaf coating that some believe he may have had when he was completed in 1252.
Although tourists primarily come (at times in droves) to see the giant Buddha, the rest of Hase is also worth exploring. Hase-dera, a temple high on the hillside between Kotoku-in and Hase Station, contains a 9-meter (30-foot)-tall gilded wooden statue of Kannon, said to have washed ashore at Hase after being carved and tossed into the sea by a monk from Nara during the 8th century. Nearby is Yuigahama Beach, a peaceful weekday spot with broad ocean views that’s ideal for a picnic away from the worst of Kotoku-in’s crowds. And just a few stations away are the historic temples and shrines of Kamakura (page 36), Japan’s capital in the 13th century, which with an early start you can comfortably combine with Hase to make a great day trip from Tokyo.
Opening Times Open daily 8 a.m. to at least 5 p.m. Getting There Hase is three stops from Kamakura on the Enoden Line. Kamakura is best reached from Tokyo on the JR Yokosuka Line (via Yokohama) or on the JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line from Shinjuku or Shibuya. Contact Kotoku Temple: kotoku-in.jp Admission Fee ¥200.
5 Tosho-gu Shrine, Nikko
A memorial to Japan’s first shogun–in a stunning setting
Garish or grand? The Tosho-gu Shrine complex in Nikko (page 41) most definitely qualifies as both. Its Yomei-mon Gate (Sun Blaze Gate) is a riot of color adorned with 400 ornate carvings of dancing maidens, birds and flowers. Its deep red five-story pagoda is accented with intricate decorations and vivid golds and greens. The more serene white and gold of the Kara-mon Gate provides the backdrop for even more elaborate carvings.
An estimated 15,000 craftsmen took two years to build the Tosho-gu complex, during which they went through some 2.5 million sheets of gold leaf, a fitting decadence perhaps considering that the shrine was built for one of Japanese history’s most towering figures–Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan at the start of the 17th century to become the first of the Edo-era shoguns.
Yet Tosho-gu isn’t all about Edo-era ostentation. Its natural setting, amid an ancient cryptomeria forest, evokes a sense of calm. And away from the glare of the main shrine buildings, Tosho-gu boasts many subtle points of interest. Above the shrine’s sacred stables, which shelter a beautiful white imperial horse given to Japan by New Zealand, hangs a famed carving of the three wise monkeys–remember “Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil”?–an image that represents the three main principles of Tendai Buddhism. Nearby, en route to Ieyasu’s surprisingly understated tomb, is the equally renowned (though so small it’s easily missed) 16th- or 17th-century Nemuri Neko carving of a sleeping cat.
Just as impressive is the Honji-do, a small hall that is actually part of a separate temple, not Tosho-gu. The hall’s ceiling is adorned with the painting of a raging dragon that the temple’s priests bring to life by standing directly under its head and clapping two blocks of wood together, thus creating an echo that shrieks dramatically through the temple.
Opening Times Open daily from 8 a.m. to at least 4 p.m. Getting There Nikko is best reached on the Tobu Line (Tobu Nikko Station) from Asakusa in Tokyo (2 hours 10 minutes). From there frequent buses make the short run to Tosho-gu, which is otherwise a 20-minute walk. Contact Nikko Tourist Association: nikko-jp.org Admission Fee Admission to Tosho-gu is ¥1,300, but to see all of Nikko’s main attractions it’s better to buy a ¥1,000 combination ticket permitting entrance to Tosho-gu (Ieyasu’s tomb then costs an additional ¥520) and the nearby Futarasan and Rinno-ji temples.
6 Mount Fuji and Hakone
Japan’s most iconic sight, now a World Heritage Site
Whether you catch a fleeting glimpse of the near perfectly symmetrical dome through a train window or watch in wonder from Tokyo as her snow-capped peak appears far to the west through the city smog, there’s something mesmerizing about Mount Fuji (known in Japanese as Fuji-san).
Maybe it’s the way Fuji-san dominates the vista as she straddles the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka. At 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), she is comfortably the nation’s tallest peak, and with no other mountains nearby, Fuji-san stands fully visible from sprawling base to narrowing peak. Her influence on Japan has been profound. The peak has inspired countless artists and integrated herself into both Shinto and Buddhist traditions. The legendary ukiyo-e woodblock printmaker Hokusai (1760–1849) was so smitten that he dedicated much of his work to capturing Fuji’s changing moods. His woodblock series, 36 Views of Mount Fuji, includes the celebrated Great Wave Off Kanagawa, whose snow-capped Fuji in the distance and giant foaming wave menacingly poised to break in the foreground is recognizable to anyone with a passing interest in Japan.
In Shintoism, the peak of the now dormant volcano is home to a fire god and, despite its naked lunarscape, a goddess of trees. In Buddhism, Fuji is home to Dainichi Nyorai, the Buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom. Consequently, pilgrims have journeyed to Fuji’s peak for spiritual enlightenment for centuries. Fuji-san’s symbolic power was reputedly even recognized by the Allied authorities in World War II. According to one tale, they planned to bomb Fuji’s white cap with blood red paint in order to break the Japanese spirit.
The best way to enjoy Fuji-san up close is to visit the Hakone area (page 39), a popular weekend retreat for Tokyoites because of its natural hot springs, fine inns, mountain vistas and an array of other attractions, including the brilliant Hakone Open Air Museum (page 107) and the volcanic Owakudani Valley with its steaming sulfur vents and hot springs.
If you want a really close look at Fuji, you can even climb it in the summer months, although it is a long challenging hike. However, you don’t need to venture out of Tokyo to get a good view. On a clear day, head up to the free observation deck on the 45th floor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku (page 34) and Fuji-san reveals all her wonder.
Getting There The Hakone area is served by Hakone-Yumoto Station, which can be reached on the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo in 80 minutes. Contact Hakone Town Tourist Association: hakone.or.jp/english
7 Traditional Houses of Shirakawa-go
Head back in time to the villages of the Hida Highlands
Seeing Ogimachi village for the first time, it’s easy to imagine you are looking upon a scene unchanged for centuries. The village is one of several in the Shirakawa-go region in the Hida Highlands (page 46) that is still dominated by towering thatched farmhouses that blend with a carpet of lush green rice paddies and a backdrop of dense forest to create a scene that could be straight from a Brothers’ Grimm tale. There’s good reason these villages have barely changed over the centuries. Less than a hundred years ago, the densely forested valleys here were among the most secluded in Japan. Heavy snowfall and a lack of road connections left the area’s villages cut off from modernization.
The gassho-zukuri name given to the farmhouses comes from their sloping A-shaped roofs. Designed much like those in Scandinavia to stop snow accumulating in the harsh winter months, they are said to resemble hands in prayer (gassho). The distinctive thatched houses also reveal much about the traditional lifestyle of the area. Sometimes reaching up to five floors in height, they can house several generations of a family, and in some cases more than a single family, and allow enough space for indoor cultivation. Taking advantage of the heat rising from the living quarters down below, often the upper floors are used for the raising of silkworms.
All seasons provide a stunning backdrop to these isolated mountain villages. Because of the highly flammable nature of the structures, on the last Sunday in October the local fire departments hose down the straw roofs after the parching sun of summer. In winter, when the roofs seem to support more snow than it is possible, the interiors are lighted and snow-covered pathways are lantern-lit to allow visitors to carefully wend their way and imagination into a lifestyle that is virtually unthinkable, a time when people lived merely inside, a few degrees warmer than outside.
Ainokura, another gasho-zukuri village, is about an hour’s ride north with fewer homes but also far fewer tourists. The setting is just as majestic but access is less convenient.
Getting There Shirakawa-go can be accessed via Nagoya, from where it is just over 2 hours on the JR Takayama Line to Takayama Station. Buses that run to Shirakawa-go take 50 minutes. Also accessed by a 90-minute bus ride from Kanazawa. See online timetable: japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawa-go.html Contact Shirakawa Village Office: shirakawa-go.org/english
8 Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en
A traditional castle town on Japan’s western shore
All that glitters in this city is gold, a city whose wealth was dug out of the gold mines of Sado Island and put to good use arming one of Japan’s most powerful clans. Pre-modern cities were built around her temples, shrines, ports and castles. Kanazawa (page 42) is one of Japan’s best examples of a castle town with its scattering of warrior homes and the artisans who provided objects of beauty for its residents.
A new Shinkansen train barrels into Kanazawa Station from Tokyo in two and a half hours, bringing an infusion of tourists and their appetites. The station and its massive glass and steel dome displays a unique hand-crafted wooden gate that resembles a traditional hand drum.
Located on a slight rise in the center of the city, Kanazawa Castle offers a view of Lord Maeda’s domain and the ridge of mountains that foiled any attack upon his well-armed and faithful warriors. The castle walls are a sparkling white, matching the snowy peaks in the distance a good five months of the year.
Lord Maeda’s wealth came not only from its gold reserves but also from shipping. The port provided the townspeople with many of the refined goods that came from Kyoto, carrying back the sea products that abound in these waters.
The garden that adjoins Kanazawa Castle is ranked as one of the top three gardens of Japan. Opened to the public in 1874, Kenroku-en is expansive and beautifully maintained, with glorious ponds and some of the most pampered pine trees one will find anywhere. The seasonal floral display is well depicted on the information board inside.
Speaking of the rich bounty of seafood lavished upon its citizens, Kanazawa’s Omi-cho market is a kaleidoscope of color, aromas and tastes, capable of pleasing everyone who wishes to sample the delicacies on display in its busy shops.
Kanazawa Castle Park Open 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. year round. Getting There A 5-minute walk from the Kenrokuen bus stop or a 15-minute bus ride from Kanazawa JR Station. Contact www.pref.ishikawa.jp/siro-niwa/kanazawajou/ Admission Fee ¥310; children ¥100; over 65 years of age free. Kenroku-en Park Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Getting There Take the Loop Line bus from Kanazawa Station. Contact pref.ishikawa.jp/siro-niwa/Kenroku-en/index.html/ Admission Fee ¥310
9 Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto
The quintessential “Golden Pavilion” of historic Kyoto
Few sights in Japan are as iconic as the golden reflection of Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) shimmering on the still waters of Kyoko-chi (Mirror Pond) that heightens its beauty.
The pure gold leaf coating the top two floors of the three-story building is what sends the hordes of visitors to Kinkaku-ji into a photographic frenzy, but pause a while to study the structure and you notice that there is far more to Kinkaku-ji than its gilding. Each floor is in a different but complementary architectural style. The first is in the shinden-zukuri style common to Heian (11th-century) imperial aristocracy; the second in the style of warrior aristocrats, or buke-zukuri; and the third in traditional Chinese cha’an style.
As stunning a sight as Kinkaku-ji is, many visitors are surprised to learn that the temple building is actually a modern reconstruction. The original, built in 1397 as part of a retirement villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and then converted into a Zen temple upon his death, was burned to the ground by a young monk (whose possible motives and internal strife were the subject of Yukio Mishima’s 1956 novel, Temple of the Golden Pavilion) in 1950. By 1955 it had been rebuilt except for the gilding, which was eventually restored in 1987.
Kinkaku-ji’s rise from the ashes was crowned in 1994 when the temple was deservedly granted World Heritage status along with 16 other sites in Kyoto. The fire-loving monk didn’t enjoy a similarly happy end. As Kinkaku-ji burned around him, he botched an attempt to commit suicide and was sentenced to seven years in jail. He died of tuberculosis in 1956 shortly after his early release for medical reasons.
Opening Times Daily from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Getting There From Kyoto Station take bus number 101 or 205 to the Kinkaku-ji Michi bus stop or take bus number 59 or 12 to the Kinkaku-ji Mae bus stop. Contact Kinkaku-ji Temple: shokoku-ji.jp Admission Fee ¥400
10 Kyoto’s Kiyomizu Temple
Refined beauty in perfect harmony with its surroundings
Few places in Kyoto are as pretty or better illustrate the deeply entwined relationship between Japanese culture and nature than Kiyomizu Temple. By day, the temple’s main hall, the Hondo, is set against a rich natural backdrop that changes with each season: pink hues of cherry blossom in spring, lush greens in summer, earthy reds and yellows in autumn, and the occasional white tint on naked branches in winter. By night, when many of the temple’s buildings are illuminated and lanterns accent the shop-lined Chawan-zaka slope that leads visitors up toward the complex, Kiyomizu’s three-storied pagoda bathes the area in a soft orange glow. Whenever you visit, it’s captivatingly beautiful.
Built on a rock face that overlooks a small valley, the Hondo is Kiyomizu’s star attraction, its protruding wooden veranda one of the classic images of Kyoto. It used to be said that anyone who leapt from the overhanging veranda and survived the 13-meter (43-foot) fall unscathed would have his or her dreams answered; those who died would be rewarded by sainthood. No doubt seen as a win–win situation by some, jumping became such a problem during the Edo era that in 1872 the government outlawed the act.
A far nicer tradition awaits beyond the Hondo, at Jishu Jinja, a shrine partially dedicated to a deity of love and a good marriage. In front of the shrine are two “love stones” set 6 meters (20 feet) apart. It is said that if you can walk between the two stones with your eyes closed, you will one day find true love (some interpretations say you may already have found it). Stray from the path, however, and the romantic news is not so good–but at least you’ll have the glorious sight of Kiyomizu to console you.
The grounds of the temple lead to a fountain, Otowa-no-taki, that allows visitors a taste of its special therapuetic spring waters. Long-handled dippers allow one to catch a ladle full. The grounds go downhill from here, into a forested area and eventually to Kyoto’s largest cemetery, Toribeno, with 90,000 graves. The living and departed citizens still maintain a spectacular view of the ancient city.
Opening Times Main hall is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Getting There Head to either the Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-zaka bus stop served by buses 100, 202, 206 or 207 from Kyoto Station. Contact Kiyomizu Temple: kiyomizudera.or.jp Admission Fee Main hall ¥300.
11 Horyu-ji Temple, Nara
The world’s oldest wooden building, founded in 607
To choose just one of Nara’s many ancient temples for special attention is a hard task. One could opt for Todai-ji Temple (todaiji.or.jp), a World Heritage Site that houses a 15-meter (49-foot)-high bronze statue of Buddha in one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. Or there is Kofuku-ji Temple (kohfukuji.com) and its 600-year-old five-story pagoda, the original of which was moved here from Kyoto, 35 km (19 miles) to the north, in the 8th century.
But in the city that many Japanese consider the birthplace of Japanese civilization, indeed a city that was the country’s pre-Kyoto capital from 710 to 784, the standout has to be the grand temple complex of Horyu-ji. Boasting the nation’s oldest five-story pagoda, which remarkably was dismantled in World War II to protect it against Allied air raids and then reassembled with the same materials after the war, Horyu-ji is also home to the equally important Kon-do (Golden Hall), a building believed to have been built around 670, making it the world’s oldest extant wooden building.
Horyu-ji was founded in 607, just 50 years after Buddhism first came to Japan, and its scale and splendor serve as a testament to how quickly and deeply the then recently imported religion rooted itself in Japan under the patronage of Prince Shotoku (574–622), the man who founded Horyu-ji. It was Horyu-ji that Shotoku used as a base from which to spread Buddhism across the country, and some of the earliest relics from that period of growth (some of Japanese Buddhism’s most precious items) are still kept at Horyu-ji’s Kon-do today.
These items include the original Medicine Buddha that Shotoku supposedly built Horyu-ji to hold and a bronze image of Buddha dated to 623. Yet the most revered of Horyu-ji’s images is elsewhere, in the 8th-century Yumedono building in the complex’s eastern precinct. This is the 178.8-cm (5 foot 10 inch)-high statue thought to be a life-size replica of Prince Shotoku, and which for centuries was kept hidden from all under a white cloth, only finally being uncovered in 1884.
Opening Times Open daily from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Getting There Nara is 40 minutes from Kyoto on the Kintetsu-Kyoto Line’s Limited Express and can also be reached by JR lines from Kyoto and Osaka. Buses run half hourly between Nara Station and Horyu-ji. Contact Horyu-ji Temple: horyuji.or.jp Admission Fee Horyu-ji ¥1,500; Kofuku-ji ¥300.
12 Himeji Castle
The archetypal “White Heron” samurai fortress
Of the 142 castles dotted around Japan, none can quite match the majestic Himeji-jo, 50 kilometers (28 miles) west of Kobe. Just ask Hollywood. The distinctive white plaster façade and gray kawara roof tiles of Himeji-jo’s five-story main tower (the Tenshukaku) and its three smaller donjons have provided a quintessentially Japanese backdrop for The Last Samurai and the Sean Connery-era Bond film You Only Live Twice.
Originally built in the mid-14th century, then restored and added to on several occasions over the following three centuries, this imposing collection of keeps and turrets has been likened to a heron spreading its wings, earning the castle the nickname Hakuro-jo (White Heron Castle). But it’s a heron both cunning and virtually impossible to breach. Originally, the castle had three moats, 84 gates and a maze of narrow, zigzagging passages designed to disorient attackers while defending forces could fire upon them through the safety of 1,000 “loophole” firing windows.
As one might expect of a structure that dominates Himeji’s skyline, the castle is a focal point for many of the city’s main annual events. The Himeji Castle Cherry Blossom Viewing Fair and Princess Senhime Peony Festival in spring, the Himeji Castle Festival in summer, and the Moon Viewing Fair and Himeji All Japan Ceramics Market in autumn are all held on its grounds.
Alongside Himeji-jo’s moats you will find the splendid Koko-en Gardens, a collection of nine linked Edo-style gardens built in 1992, while within a short walk are two stunning examples of modern architecture: Kenzo Tange’s Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History and Tadao Ando’s Museum of Literature. The former is a minimalist tour de force of concrete and glass cubes by the man many consider the godfather of modern Japanese architectural design. Tadao Ando is the force behind many of Naoshima’s art galleries (page 21) and the Omotesando Hills urban development (page 31), and the Museum of Literature is an example of his finest work, combining rough concrete, water features and angular patterns, with Himeji’s defining structure–the castle–providing the perfect backdrop.
Opening Times Open daily from 9 a.m. to at least 4 p.m. Getting There Himeji can be reached direct by train from Tokyo in 3 hours. From Osaka it’s an hour on the JR Sanyo Line. The castle is a 15-minute walk from Himeji Station. Contact Himeji Castle: himeji-castle.gr.jp Admission Fee ¥600 (¥720 with combined Koko-en ticket)
13 Naoshima, Island of Art
Cutting-edge art installations on a beautiful island
Two decades ago, the Japanese publishing company Benesse Holdings and the Fukutake Foundation chose the picturesque island of Naoshima as the site for a project aimed at showcasing the best of Japanese and international contemporary art, including the iconic Yellow Pumpkin (pictured) by Yayoi Kusuma. The result has been a spectacular renaissance, transforming a sleepy fishing island into an undoubted high point on the country’s art scene.
The Benesse Art Site Naoshima (BASN) project began in 1992 with the construction of the Tadao Ando-designed Benesse House, a strikingly sleek beachfront gallery and hotel that today includes in its collection pieces by David Hockney, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. That would be impressive enough, but on the sun-kissed beaches and wooded hills that make up Benesse’s grounds, there are also numerous outdoor art installations that for many visitors are the most memorable of Naoshima’s artistic offerings.
BASN has also had a hand in the island’s Art House Project, which began in 1998 and has seen a handful of the old wooden houses and an Edo-era shrine at the fishing village of Honmura converted into permanent art installations. Ando has also continued his involvement with Naoshima, designing the Chichu Art Museum, a cavernous concrete structure built into the island’s southern hills that opened in 2004 and holds works by Claude Monet, Walter De Maria and James Turrell. More recently, he was involved with Naoshima’s latest major gallery, the Lee Ufan Museum, dedicated to works by artist Lee Ufan.
Fans of the esteemed architect Tadao Ando should visit the Ando Museum, which features his signature use of unadorned concrete in a traditional 100-year-old wooden house, a fitting expression of his iconic architecture.
On Naoshima, there is art in unconventional locations as well. Inside and out, the island’s fully functional public bathhouse, I Love Yu (yu means “hot water” in Japanese), is a riot of pop art, mosaics and erotica designed by Japanese artist Shinro Ohtake.
The Naoshima Art Project is now extended to two other islands, Inujima and Teshima, offering a stunning look at some of Japan’s contemporary artists. Once on these islands, visitors, after paying an entrance fee to the art works, are free to walk around as they please. Against a backdrop of sea and sky, the airiness of the structures lifts the spirits, a soaring gesture into the future of art in Japan.
Getting There Ferries from Takamatsu (1 hour, ¥520) and Uno (an hour from Okayama; 20 minutes, ¥290) sail to Naoshima several times daily. Boats also go to Inujima and Teshima from Takamatsu on Shikoku and to Uno and Hoden on Honshu. Contact Benesse Art Site Naoshima: benesse-artsite.jp/en/Admission Fee Admission to Teshima ¥1,540; Inujima ¥2,160; Chichu Art museum ¥2,060.
14 Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park
A poignant memorial and a symbol of hope
Nothing has come to symbolize the horrors of nuclear war like the disfigured frame of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Hall. Situated in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, the Gempaku Dome (its familiar name) serves as a vivid reminder of the destruction that befell the city on the morning of August 6, 1945, when the 4,400-kilogram (9,700-pound) nuclear payload of the B-29 Super-fortress bomber named “Enola Gay” annihilated central Hiroshima in a split second, claiming some 80,000 lives.
As a trip around the park’s moving and in places harrowing museum reveals, that was just the start. Another 60,000 of Hiroshima’s then 350,000 residents died of injuries in the days and weeks that followed. And some two-thirds of the city’s structures were lost in the blast and ensuing firestorm, so it seems almost inconceivable that the dome, located in the bomb’s hypocenter, could survive. In part that’s why the Gempaku Dome speaks so poignantly to so many. It isn’t just a testament to the horror of nuclear war, its survival against the odds has come to represent hope, perseverance and the indestructibility of the human spirit, the same qualities that saw Hiroshima rebuild from rubble to become a thriving modern city. It’s impossible not to be moved when you stand before it.
The same can be said for many of the park’s other sights, among which the most heartrending is the Children’s Peace Monument, a 9-meter (30-foot)-high domed pedestal atop which a life-size bronze statue of a child holds aloft a giant paper crane. It is dedicated to 12-year-old Sadoko Sasaki, a leukemia patient in Hiroshima, who hoped she would be cured if she could fold 1,000 origami cranes, traditionally a symbol of health and longevity in Japan. Sadoko never got to 1,000, succumbing to her illness in 1955 before reaching her teenage years. Her classmates, however, continued to fold cranes for her and later successfully petitioned the nation to construct the Peace Monument in honor of Sadoko and the thousands of children whose lives were cut short by the blast. Thousands of schools around Japan contributed donations to fund the monument, and every year some 10 million cranes are sent here from around the world, some of which you’ll see on display in glass cases surrounding it.
Opening Times Museum open daily from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Getting There Hiroshima can be reached by rail from Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Hiro-shima Airport also has connections to Tokyo, Sapporo and Okinawa. Contact Hiroshima Peace Site: pcf.city.hiroshima.jp Admission Fee Admission to the museum is ¥200 for adults and ¥100 for students.
15 The Holy Mountain of Koya-san
Monastic life on one of Japan’s most sacred sites
In 816, the Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi came upon Mount Koya (locally called Koya-san) while wandering the country in search of somewhere suitably meditative to establish a temple. One can only imagine what Koya-san was like then, but something about the densely wooded mountain must have resonated with Daishi because he chose Koya-san as the place to found the Shingon school of Buddhism. Today, some 120 Shingon monasteries cluster around the site of Daishi’s first temple, attracting a steady stream of pilgrims and tourists to what has long been considered one of Japan’s holiest mountains.
A first stop for many who make the journey south of Osaka, on train lines that gradually become more winding and remote before immersing themselves in thick woodland and verdant valleys, is Okuno-in. This vast wooded cemetery exudes an almost primeval atmosphere with its tall cedars, moss-covered stone stupas and small jizo statues dressed in vivid red bibs. At its eastern end, the cemetery gives way to a richly decorated hall lit by 10,000 constantly burning oil lanterns, the Hall of Lanterns, behind which, almost hidden in a cloud of incense and dense woodland, is Daishi’s understated and off-limits mausoleum. Whether you are religious or not, the incense and droning chants of visiting pilgrims coming through the ancient wood create a powerful, electrifying energy.
Okuno-in is one of several reasons Koya-san received World Heritage status in 2004. On the other side of Koya-san, the Shingon sect’s main temple, the Kongobu-ji, is another. Although not the most eye-catching of structures, it boasts a must-see collection of 16th-century screen paintings and one of the country’s largest landscaped rock gardens, which, much like the one at Ryoan-ji in Kyoto (page 50), offers visitors a cryptic arrangement of rocks and raked gravel.
Rounding off the Koya-san experience is the accommodation. Approximately 50 of the monasteries offer shukubo (temple accommodation; see page 83), which typically features a Spartan and tranquil tatami mat guest room, a multicourse vegetarian dinner and the chance to join the monks and pilgrims for early morning prayers. If you are lucky, that will include being able to observe the morning fire ceremonies, during which a lone monk burns 108 small pieces of wood representative of the 108 defilements that must be overcome before reaching enlightenment. Accompanied by pulsating chanting and leaping flames, it’s a spectacular way to start the day.
Getting There From Namba Station in Osaka, take the Nankai Line to Gokurakubashi Station (70–100 minutes; sometimes requiring a change at Hashimoto Station). From there it’s a 5-minute cable car ride up to Koya-san. Contact Koya-san Tourist Association: eng.shukubo.net
16 Yakushima Island, Kyushu
A richly diverse ecosystem and World Heritage Site
If you are like the tens of thousands of Tokyoites who reach for face masks and antihistamines every spring, when cedar pollen floods in from the western hills, Yakushima may not be the most suitable of destinations. The small circular island, 30 kilometers (17 miles) in diameter and 1,000 kilometers (almost 600 miles) southwest of Tokyo, is famed for its giant, ancient cedars.
Dubbed the “Alps on the Ocean” for its 40 or so craggy peaks that reach upward of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), providing the slopes on which the mighty cedars grow, Yakushima came to international attention when it was granted World Heritage status in 1993 because of its unique flora and fauna. That designation was made primarily because of the several thousand-year-old Yaku-sugi cedars (the eldest of which are claimed by some to be the oldest in the world at an estimated 7,200 years), but also for a rich diversity that includes the Yakushima rhododendron, which speckles the island pink, white and red in June.
Although it attracts Japanese tourists, Yakushima has so far remained off the beaten path for international travelers, which is remarkable given its stunning primeval beauty. The cedars tower above dense foliage that carpets an undulating sea of granite-rich mountains. Hiking trails cut across Tolkien-like mountain streams in subtropical rainforest that perspires a deep mossy aroma. Away from the interior, the rainforest gives way to a coastline of pristine beaches and offshore diving spots.
The island is a naturalist’s dream, but it’s not always easy on travelers. The heat and humidity can be oppressive, especially in July and August, while the island attracts so much rain–some 10 meters (33 feet) a year on average in the interior–that the 14,000 inhabitants wryly claim it to be the only place on earth to get 35 days of rain a month. But don’t let that put you off. Yakushima will leave you wet but awestruck too.
Getting There There are daily flights to Yakushima’s small airport from Kagaoshima and from Itami in Osaka. The island can also be reached from Kagoshima, 60 kilometers (33 miles) away, by hydrofoil (2 hours) and ferry (4 hours). Contact Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau: kagoshima-kankou.com
17 Niseko Ski Resort, Hokkaido
Japan’s northern island has the world’s best snow
The small ski resort town of Niseko in southwestern Hokkaido, in Japan’s far north, lays claim to the finest powder snow in the world and volcanic alpine vistas to match; the 1,898-meter (6,227-foot)-high Mount Yotei, often likened to Mount Fuji for its symmetry, stands out among the clouds opposite the main slopes. The name Niseko is derived from the ethnic Ainu language of Hokkaido and is short for Niseko Annupura, which translates as the rather long-winded but apt “mountain with a river, which runs around the bottom of a sheer cliff.”
After a 1970s boom that saw the area establish itself as a favorite among Japanese skiers, Niseko went into gradual decline, and the once fashionable hotels showed their age as skiers headed to newer destinations. In recent years, however, Niseko has risen again and it now boasts four interconnected resorts–Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri–that are up to international standards and finally do justice to the quality of the area’s snow. In the process, Niseko has also become one of the most foreigner-friendly destinations in the country, in large part thanks to an influx of Australian property developers and tourists from Southeast Asia and China. Almost all the hotels, restaurants and ski schools offer English service, still something of a rarity in Japan outside major urban centers and major destinations like Kyoto.
The area also offers diversity. Away from the resorts in Niseko there are prime backcountry powder and ample opportunities for ice climbing, telemark skiing and snowboarding through virgin snow. And when the ski season draws to a close in April (it starts in late November), the snow makes way for a summer season of whitewater rafting, mountain biking, hiking, golfing and kayaking. Add to that the year-round mineral-rich hot springs, perfect for soaking away your exertions, and it’s no wonder Niseko is going through a renaissance.
Getting There From Sapporo Station, take the JR Kaisoku Airport (Rapid Service) to Otaru Station (45 minutes), then the JR Hakodate Line to Niseko Station (1 hour 40 minutes). Alternatively, buses run direct from Sapporo (approximately 3 hours). Numerous daily flights connect Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport with Tokyo, Osaka and other major cities. Contact Niseko Promotion Board: nisekotourism.com/en
18 The Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa
Pristine nature and distinctive Ryukyuan culture
The Yaeyama Islands are as remote a place as you can find in Japan. At the southernmost and westernmost extremity of the country, this group of 10 islands is closer to Taiwan than to the main island of Okinawa, 450 kilometers (280 miles) to the northeast. Tokyo is 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) away. Given the geography, the islands have historically been so detached from Japan’s major islands that some of the islanders here speak a local Ryukyuan language, with Japanese as their second tongue. Spend a few days here and you begin to wonder if you’re still in Japan.
You easily could spend weeks slowly exploring the chain’s various islands, but most visitors tend to focus on Ishigaki-jima, the second largest island in the group. At picturesque Kabira Bay on its northern shore, dense vegetation and turquoise waters sandwich thin strips of virgin white sand to create hypnotically beautiful views. The island’s coastline also offers up numerous opportunities for snorkeling, diving and other water sports. From Ishigaki, boats run to Taketomi-jima, a great day-trip option just four kilometers southwest of Ishigaki, where visitors can soak up traditional Okinawan culture like nowhere else in the Ryukyus (Okinawan islands). Thanks to strict building regulations, the villages here are still defined by sandy roads, traditional red-roofed housing and stone walls; modern trappings keep a very low profile. On its southern end, Taketomi also has some of the best beaches in the Yaeyamas.
If time isn’t a concern, think about exploring farther afield. Boats run to the largest of the Yaeyamas, Iriomote-jima (30 kilometers; 18 miles) from Ishigaki, which is covered almost entirely in dense jungle and mangroves that provide the natural habitat for an incredible diversity of wildlife, including the critically endangered Iriomote Cat and a local variety of highly venomous pit viper. Not many foreign tourists make it out this far, but those who do take with them indelible subtropical memories.
Getting There Regular flights operate from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Ishigaki, taking 3 hours 25 minutes, and also from Naha, taking 30 minutes. Boat services run from Ishigaki to and between the other islands in the chain. Contact Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau: ocvb.or.jp/en
