In Japan - 2

#112 - People and animals can break through a thin crust of earth and if unlucky, disappear. There are “no-go” zones.

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                           In Japan – 2 

This wasn’t an express train we were on; it made numerous stops down the coast and after it cut inland to Hiroshima.  

Through the rural countryside of farmland and small towns, buildings and people are slow to change in style and manner. 

It was fall and the tree leaves were turning their reds and yellows and falling. 

Away from cities and highways, the roads are narrow, making road travel slow. Cars and farm equipment must take care to accommodate each other.  

There are tunnels that frequently get jammed. 

It happened to us in the mountains on the way into Shino’s hometown. It took a while for the drivers of the truck and sedan to figure out the way to maneuver out of the fix. 

Shino’s parents had set up the travel itinerary and in the next few days we would see Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples - high roofed wooden structures of elaborate design with acres of gardens and parks, and Emperor and Prince’s castles of wood and stone, museums, hotels with hot springs, and a large swath of coastal Japan along the Seto Inland Sea.   

The Sea separates the main island of Honshu from two of the other main islands. Kyushu and Shikoku. There are hundreds of smaller islands that share the sea. There are thousands of islands in all of Japan, most uninhabited.  

We arrived midmorning in Hiroshima. 

First thing I saw was that the city looked different from its neighbors. Most of it had been destroyed by The Bomb. It was built anew, upstyled and upgraded to current standards. 

Nearby, was the Atomic Bomb Dome and Memorial. The Dome was directly under the bomb blast which was at 2000’ above ground. Only the Dome’s skeletal structure remains, and all else a mile out was reduced to ash and black char.  

Pictures showed what the bomb did to buildings at different distances from ground-zero on out.

Pictures of people who perished and those who had survived the initial blast well away from the center were hard to look at.

It was sobering. May it never happen again.  

We went west to Yamaguchi and the Akiyoshido Cave.  

A limestone cave, made so over time by water erosion. It is the largest in an area known for its caves, very deep and very shallow, spider-webbed under the ground.

People and animals can break through a thin crust of earth and if unlucky, disappear. There are “no-go” zones. 

A small half mile section of the six-mile cave is open to the public.

A well-manicured and lush trail leads down canyon and enters a gaping hole in the rock and down further before opening up to the Akiyoshido Cave.  

The millions of years old stalactite cave is 600’ across and over 200’ high. Huge, with nature’s art of eroding limestone making a dreamscape of the rock.  

At a constant temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As beautiful as it is, I’m uneasy underground. No way am I a spelunker. 

- They didn’t turn out the lights to give the tourists a rush as they do at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Even forewarned, it was a surprise. That was serious darkness. Dark upon dark. Even after time given for the eyes to adjust. It was uncomfortable. - 

We headed east to the 1600-year-old Itsukushima Shinto Shrine and Torii Gate, on Miyajima Island, southwest of Hiroshima. A short ferry ride on the Inland Sea. 

Wild, yet tame Sika deer, sacred in lore and legend, roam freely throughout this holy site of Shinto. They are everywhere.  

This shrine is one of Japan’s most well-known, and scenic. The red Torii Gate entrance, and the shrine itself are built out over the water and appear to float on the tide. 

Further east, and on another island is the Japanese Buddhist Kosanji Temple. Less than a century old, this temple is known for its buildings being replicas of other famous temple buildings.  

They are painted most colorfully. It has a cave beneath it. A long cave with images and figurines illustrating the tortures of Buddhist Hell.  

It was a long walk through a narrow space that led to the light at the end of the cave. I was getting claustrophobic. Yeah, I’m not comfortable underground. 

We headed for Kyoto where we would visit Chion-in temple, after which Shino’s parents would leave us to return to their home. We would continue on to Tokyo. 

Chion-in, the hundreds of years old Monastery of Gratitude, is the site where a religious man set up a place for himself in which to teach. 

A humungous sized gate, the largest of its kind in Japan, and the Temple Bell, the largest in Japan, at 74 tons, were impressive. It takes 17 men to sound the bell. 

And an umbrella. Stashed up high in the rafters for good luck supposedly by the architect who designed the building. 

With the busy routine of sightseeing and travel, we were overloaded, filled up with art and history. It was always, “We must come back when we have more time.” 

We said goodbye to Shino’s parents. We stayed the night in Kyoto and went to a couple of nightclubs. 

Then on to Tokyo. We stayed with Shino’s school friend, Tamiko, for a couple of nights before heading for home. 

More sites to see, including the oldest temple in Tokyo, Senso-ji, aka Asakusa, a popular and colorful Buddhist temple.  

Just inside the main Gate, on the street leading to a second Gate is a huge marketplace loaded with vendors.  

Over the course of the trip, I was accumulating souvenirs for those back home, and this market and the nearby even larger Ueno Ameyoko Market helped me finalize my buying.  

The loudest voice I’ve ever heard came from a man hawking his wares in the crowded market. Louder than the noise of the crowd and other hawkers with megaphones. 

We took in the sights and at night there was nightlife. We befriended a band playing in a club and after the gig we went out with them to eat. That was fun. 

Then, we were on a jet for home.  

At SFO, in going through Customs, agents were certain that we were trying to sneak something into the country. I don’t know what, I guess jewelry. Maybe in one of a number of small, gift-wrapped items.  

We may have fit some profile. I noticed two agents giving us the eye when we were in line. 

They went through all our things. Twice. And unwrapped all of our gifts. It was a mess. They were disappointed, they found nothing. 

We went home. End of trip one. 

It is the shrines and temples I remember most. But they had competition, Japan is a beautiful country.

                                           

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