Ever since we’ve been in Japan I keep thinking of the line from the play Rent that goes, “today for you, tomorrow for me.” I’ve gotten a little better with the time change and it still takes some brain power to calculate. When I’m making plans to chat with someone in the States I’m always like, “your Wednesday my Thursday,” or insert whatever day we’re talking about. Now that the Midwest has had Daylight Savings Time we are 15 hours difference. Ahead or behind I still haven’t gotten that straight. I guess it just isn’t the most important thing as long as we connect.
We are in our seventh week in Japan and it has been interesting to see how, all the places we’ve been, are so different. We added Osaka to our list, when we were initially make our plans for Japan, because it came recommended. We had heard that it is more laid back and has an incredible food scene. Unfortunately it is my least favorite of the places we’ve been and I know it 100% has to do with the neighborhood we’re staying in. The neighborhood is called Dontonbori and is basically like the Shibuya of Tokyo. Very busy, crowded and loud. Our apartment is very nice, clean and comfortable. Dave appreciates that he is able to stand upright and has been hitting his head less. He also has a 24 hour co-working place that he can go to, for the first time on this leg of the adventure, that is close by. And, I basically haven’t slept in a week because of the noise. Yes I have tried ear plugs and noise canceling ear buds with sleep sounds at full volume and nothing helps. Starting anywhere between 7pm and Midnight each night, there are what sounds like drag races, that last all night long through early morning. Dave has done some research on what is going on and discovered that it is part of The Kanjozoku culture that is centered on defiance. I was just surprised that none of the reviews, that we rely heavily upon when choosing our Air BnBs, mentioned the noise. Nor did the host include it in the description, when she had to know about it because there is a giant jar of ear plugs in the apartment. Oh well, lesson learned.
After the previous five weeks of peace and quiet Osaka has been bumming me out, so I went into my tool kit that I’ve been adding to over the past two years of travel, and booked a solo trip to Kobe for two nights. I’m grateful to have this chance to escape and hopefully get some sleep. I’m also grateful to my friends who recommended it, especially because of its proximity to Osaka. My hotel room is very nice and comfortable, not sound proof as advertised, but a LOT quieter than Osaka! The first day I visited Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway and it was spectacular! The sun was shining and some of the leaves are starting to turn. I haven’t had to wear a jacket since January, minus Patagonia, so I’ve been enjoying a little cooler weather. I took the gondola up and back and was able to see Nunobiki Falls and the dam from above. They have indoor spaces there that are so beautiful and fragrant it was absolute heaven for the olfactory. I also booked a Kobe beef course tasting for lunch that I’m excited to try and am going to visit the harbor. Maybe I’ll do a sake tasting at a brewery. It should be a great time!
We leave for three weeks in Seoul on the 7th and I can’t wait to see all that Korea has to offer. I’m praying it will be more quiet and am grateful for the learning that every part of this adventure provides. Even though we are “living the dream,” life is still lifing. Sending you love wherever you are! ❤️
Our second week in Kyoto there was still much to see. This is Yasaka Pagoda. It is at Hokan-ko Temple which is one of the oldest in Kyoto dating back to the 6th century. Ryozen Kannon. A war memorial built in 1955 to honor those who died in the Pacific War. It includes tablets for the two million Japanese that died in WWII. A Kannon is the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Power Spot. “There’s a saying, one’s wish comes true by circling around the wishing ball three times with the right hand on it making the wish.” Of course I did it!Wondering around the streets of the Higashiyama district near the Hokan-ji Temple. There are many traditional wooden buildings on the narrow streets and very few cars. Sanmon Gate of Chion-in Temple. It was build in 1621 and is one of the largest wooden gates in Japan. The torii gate of the Heian-jingu Shrine. This is one of the largest torii gates in Japan. Heian-jingu Shrine.Restaurant, Saryo Tesshin. I treated myself to one “fancy” meal that came highly recommended for their soba noodles. I got mine with tofu and it was delicious!On October 20th we went to Uji to see Byōdō-in Temple. A UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1053 during the Heian period. It was truly a sight to behold! And, you know how I love a good reflection shot. 😉Pond buddies. I was obsessed with the phoenixes on the roof of Phoenix Hall. The way that they trellis their wisteria is impressive. Statues on the fountain near Choho-ji Temple. There were swans there too. The Choho-ji Temple is also called “Rokkakudo” which means hexagonal hall. This temple is considered the birthplace of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. I was in this area to visit the ikebana museum. You couldn’t take pictures inside the museum but it was really cool to learn more about the history of ikebana. It’s so beautiful!I went to Sanjo Chasuian for a tea ceremony experience while in Kyoto. The tiny door behind our host is historically how you enter the tea room. No, Japanese people weren’t that short, the door is that size so you had to crawl into the room on your knees. This makes it so that everyone who enters is equal. The foundation of the tea ceremony. I tried some traditional Japanese confection called wagashi, specifically namagashi. It is filled with semi-sweet red bean paste. It was ok. 🙂I had a good time learning about the history of the tea ceremony and how to make matcha. Finally had udon noodles which you can only get a lunch time. Yummy!Beautiful orchids outside of a cafe near our apartment. An example of ikebana. The day before we left for Osaka we visited three more UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first was Ninna-ji Temple. Ninna-ji is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. It was first founded in AD 888 by Emperor Uda. This is the palace gardens. You can see the five story pagoda, or Gojunato, in the background. The interior of Ninna-ji Temple.The bell tower. I love how the leaves almost blend in with the color of the tower. Golden lotus flower. Amazing roof decorations. The five story pagoda, or Gojunato.Kongokebosatsu-zo (Vajrapuṣpa Bodhisattva) one of the thirty-three manifestations of Kannon. I loved the gold accents in the flowers. The second UNESCO World Heritage site we visited that day was Ryōan-ji Temple. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism.I was blown away by the screen art inside the temple. The rock garden at Ryōan-ji Temple. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place. The third site of the day and the final temple of our visit to Kyoto was Kinkaku-ji Temple. Officially named Rokuon-ji, it is a Zen Buddhist temple.Another beautiful garden. I love how the gold pops.Nidec Kyoto Tower. Until next time Kyoto. We arrived in Osaka on October 24th. We somehow found and Aussie bar where we could watch the second half of the Timberwolves game and then went next store to get a Wisconsin grilled cheese. WHAT?! Where are we?😂It did not disappoint!After that we explored our neighborhood of Dontonbori. Osaka was the host of the World Expo. It went until October 13th. Dontonbori is a vibrant entertainment district that uses giant statues as advertisement for the many restaurants in the area. We went to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts because we heard they had the statue of Atlas from Italy’s part of the World Expo. We didn’t realize you had to purchase advanced tickets and they were already sold out for the rest of our stay. We’re still going to say we saw it! 😂More sights around the Dontonbori canal and views from the Ebisu bridge. Sunset on the Dontonbori Canal. Visiting Osaka Castle. Osaka Castle. Golden adornments. Views from the top of Osaka Castle. It was a beautiful day!We had a lot of fun visiting the Nintendo store in Osaka. This past weekend we visited Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.We were able to see a lot of amazing things. Otters are SO cute!This is a male Mandarin duck. I love being able to see their feet under the water. Gentoo penguins are the third-largest penguin species. I just love love. The Whale Sharks were majestic. I had never seen these Spotted Garden Eels before and I was kind of obsessed. The striped one reminds me of Elmo’s worm Slimey. Pacific White-Sided Dolphin. We saw a ton of these when we went whale watching in Maine. Seal bobber. 😉After the aquarium we walked around the Amerikamura neighborhood of Osaka and saw this amazingness! #goalsWe saw the Art Deco exhibit at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka (NAKKA).This is the “Giant Torayan” by artist Kenji Yanobe.“Ship’s Cat” also by Kenji Yanobe. Myaku-Myaku was the official mascot for the Expo 2025.We discovered “R” RIVERSIDE GRILL & BEER GARDEN exploring the area around the art museum. Ikuta-jinja Shrine. Kobe, Japan. This shrine is “possible among the oldest shrines in the country. With a history of about 1,800 years.”Riding the gondola up to Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens. Nunobiki Waterfalls.Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens.The Glass House and The Veranda.The view from inside of the Glass House.The view from the Veranda. Bathroom inspo. I wish you could smell how amazing it smelled in here. Dream decor. Exploring around my neighborhood of Sannomiya in Kobe.
