Koyasan’s Okunoin (奥の院)

Posted on September 7th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: cemetery, koyasan 高野山, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, okunoin japanese cemetery 奥の院. Comments Off on Sun bursting through @ Okunoin (奥の院)

Kabuki Theater (Kurehaza or 呉服座) in Meiji Mura (明治村)
Inuyama, Japan

Inside the open air museum known as Meiji Mura (not too far from Nagoya) you can find this theater built in 1892. The Kurehaza was relocated to Meiji Mura (like the other 60 or so other buildings you can find here which were moved to this location beginning in the 1960s) in 1971. Kabuki and other performances were held in this building more than a hundred years ago. The building was officially recognized as an “Important Cultural Property” in 1984.

Posted on September 6th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: inuyama, meiji mura, museums, nagoya, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Meiji Village Museum

Fudoin Japanese garden (日本庭園)

The reviews and recommendations of the temples you can lodge in on Mount Koya are vague, to say the least. I looked in guidebooks and all over the internet and couldn’t find many details like you can when choosing to stay in a hotel, ryokan, or minshuku in most parts of Japan. While my review of Fudoin isn’t going to tell you which temple on Koyasan offers the best value or which temple to avoid, I can tell you about Fudoin.

The first thing to note is that if you plan to go to Koyasan (and you should), don’t make it a day trip. The best part (similar to Shirakawago) is the overnight stay. To make your overnight stay in a Buddhist temple as relaxing as possible, don’t bring all of your luggage with you. The people on the trains, cable car, and buses with a suitcase and large backpack are not happy campers. Instead, stay in the same place in Osaka or Kyoto the night before you go to Koyasan as you do on your night after visiting Koyasan. Most places will allow you to leave your luggage there if you are coming back after being away for just one night. Then you only have to bring a small backpack or camera bag for your one night on Koyasan.

There is no place to stay on Koyasan that isn’t a temple. There are many temples to choose from, but the thing that struck me when I was there is how similar they all appear to be. I somewhat randomly decided on Fudoin. The price was a bit higher than average, but there really aren’t any cheap or inexpensive places. Everything about Fudoin exceeded my expectations. The food was outstanding. The view from my room (pics here) was incredible. The morning prayers were wonderful. There really was nothing to complain about, and I felt the price was very worth every last yen.

Today’s photo, by the way, is a 180 degree panorama from the room where I ate my vegetarian monks’ cuisine (shojin ryori or 精進料理). I assumed that the meal would be served in my room or in a hall with everyone else. Instead, I was ushered into a room overlooking this lovely Japanese garden and ate by myself as the sky darkened.

Posted on September 5th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: fudoin, garden, koyasan 高野山, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, reviews. Comments: 2

kakigori (かき氷) on the table and Summer Koshien (夏の甲子園) on the TV

Two things can get you through Japan’s hot and humid August–the annual high school baseball tournament and shaved ice. I enjoyed both at the top of the Shosenkyo Ropeway near Kofu.

Posted on September 4th, 2013 under Japan. Tags: baseball, food, kofu, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, shosenkyo. Comments Off on Summer in Japan

Tetsu tsukemen storefront Roppongi Station (Tokyo, Japan)

As I exited the Roppongi Station turnstyle I seemed to remember from seeing “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” a couple years ago that his shop was in the underground maze between stations. I had some time to kill so instead of immediately exiting I took a route I hadn’t before. (Turns out I was confused and the original shop is in the Ginza Station, not Roppongi, and his son’s shop is in Roppongi but not in the station.)

I was also hungry so when I saw Tetsu I decided it was a good time to eat as I vaguely remembered seeing it on Ramen Adventures as a top choice.

哲 つけめん

Tetsu looked delicious, and the first couple bites were OK, but I grew tired of it quickly. By the end I decided it wasn’t one of my better ramen or tsukemen experiences. Perhaps the one in Sendagi (千駄木), reviewed by Ramen Adventures, is better.

Posted on September 2nd, 2013 under Japan. Tags: food, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, ramen, roppongi. Comments: 2