It was almost to the year
when I capped my first trip to Japan by spending days walking aimlessly around
Tokyo—getting lost while discovering the character of its gigantic city spread
over towering skyscrapers and spacious sidewalks filled with hastening crowd. A
total of 12 days constituted my first foray into the Land of the Rising Sun,
and yet, I still desire for more. Only India had me yearning for a return trip
to the same country too soon—and in Japan I felt that same attraction quite
hard to resist.
 |
the winding bamboo path leading to Tenryū-ji temple
|
Present day and I found myself again being on the receiving end of the courteous greetings of “ohayou gozaimasu” from, probably, the most polite people on Earth. Whatever I learned from my first trip to Japan barely scratched the surface of the wondrous personality and culture of this country.
 |
A beautiful woman rinses her mouth at the purification fountain
|
Aside from looking forward
to downing more bowls of ramen—my curiosity grew threefold and is directed at
the number of heritage sites situated in the cities of Osaka, Nara and Kyoto.
Several hours of Shinkansen train ride away from Nagoya and Tokyo; two cities I
had the chance to familiarize myself last year; these triumvirate of cities
appear like a cultural triangle waiting for my curious and wandering soul to
explore.
Counting Orange Torii
Gates at Fushimi Inari-taisha
Depending on the pace of
your strides, a few minutes of walking could lead you underneath dozens, or
even hundreds, of Orange torii gates already. These mother of all shrines
dedicated to Inari, the Shinto God of Rice, Foxes and Sake, spreads to an
uphill trail leading to a mountain where pockets of shrines and temples
situates.
 |
Walking underneath the Torii gates at Fushimi Inari-taisha. Photo by Kara Santos
|
Caught between trying to
weed out the crowd from the frame of my camera, and staring in awe at the women
adorned in kimono dresses, my interest was drawn to the messages scribbled in
Japanese characters on each of the Torii gates. Setting aside my camera, I
walked in a slower pace and just marveled at the lingering air brought upon by
the presence of these vibrant Orange torii gates, which appears to stretch
endlessly.
 |
Outside Nijo Castle
|
Circling my back into the
main temple, the Honden near the entrance, where I earlier performed the ritual
of washing my hands and rinsing my mouth with the water from the purification
fountain, I looked back at the centuries of history glowing beside me. The
countless Orange torii gates, which gleams under the small speck of sunlight
seeping through the cloudy skies, echoes an understanding to myself; that
Japan’s history and its fascinating religious practices are all abundant and
waiting for me to unearth.
Entering a parallel world
into Ancient Kyoto
Sixteen of the 17 places
listed under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization World Heritage Site categorization of “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” are all found within Kyoto
and, for my wandering cultural junky self, this fact screams of visual and
learning orgasm.
 |
One of the wooden bridges inside the grounds of the Imperial Palace
|
Disregarding the heavy
downpour and the threat of typhoon coming within hours, we trudged along the
snaking bamboo forest path that leads to the Buddhist temple of Tenryū-ji and
the same grounds that once served as the playground of ancient Japan’s noble class.
Separating myself from my two friends, I wound up in a spot where the towering
branches of bamboos stood, and thick enough to almost shelter me from the rain.
In that instant, I felt entering a chasm taking me back to ancient Kyoto.
 |
Rokuon-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion)
|
A glimpse of the centuries-old
Kyoto would continue with our bus-hopping incursion into the other Zen-like
places of importance within the city. Most of the time, we’d find ourselves
walking through the foot of high-rise buildings into a busy stretch of sidewalk
lined up with a fusion of modern and old establishments, and into the interior
of a vast walled complex that hides lavish gardens and centuries-old temples
and shrines.
 |
Jishō-ji (Temple of the Silver Pavilion)
|
Immediately after stepping
inside, you feel transported back in time. As I amass a list of Kyoto’s other
historic monuments under my belt, namely, the Jishō-ji (Temple of the Silver
Pavilion), Nijo Castle, Rokuon-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion),
Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water Temple), Kyoto Imperial Palace, my cultural
experience in Kyoto left me with longer list of sites to be explored. I felt
the days we spent are still lacking to fully engross myself to the rich
culture, history and traditions that prevails in the city. Once again, I find
myself barely grazing on the cultural wealth this part of Japan has to offer.
And a Japanese song plays
in the background
During our last night,
while I was having dinner with my friend Gael in a small joint fit enough for a
dozen diners and a small acoustic setup, a Japanese singer belted a string of
haunting melodies. After our meal, I excused myself for a walk around the city
that night. As I took medium hops over the pavement, I can still hear the
Japanese ballad playing in my ears while the Kyoto city lights flicker with
lively signage. As I continue my stroll with the cool air breezes through me,
chased by endless thumping of footsteps, I once again feel the atmosphere that
pulls me and leaves me emitting strong emotions. A thought came into my mind.
“I’m
open to spending a long time here,” I muttered to myself. Teeming
with culture, history, food and modernity that are all present in a fast-paced
life surrounded by a Zen environment, the contrasts are presented in a myriad
of beautiful ways.
I passed by a row of cabs
parked on the sidewalk. I peeked inside and saw those seated behind the wheels
are men of old age with gray hairs. A couple of them nodded with smiles as
their gazed met mine. A life lived well in the Land of the Rising Sun, and even
in their advancing age, their own society still finds good use of their
skills—much like everything else is put to better use in this country. Much
like what the tradition and culture that dates back many centuries ago are
continued and preserved up to this day.
 |
A girl sketching inside the Imperial Palace grounds
|
************
This article appeared on the Lifestyle pages of the October 16, 2016 print issue of Business Mirror.
Travel Tip: Kyoto is an
hour away from Osaka by train. Travelers can avail themselves of a
single-ticket day pass for trains and buses to explore all of Kyoto’s Ancient
Heritage Sites for a day or two.
Cebu Pacific, the largest
airline in the Philippines, flies between Manila and Osaka five times weekly,
with lowest year-round fares starting from PHP6,399. Cebu Pacific also
flies from Manila to Tokyo (Narita), Nagoya and Fukuoka, as well as from Cebu
to Tokyo (Narita). Book its trademark lowest fares now through Cebu Pacific's website or (+632)7020888, or follow its Facebook or Twitter pages
for the latest seat sales.
