At the end of August I traveled to Japan for nine days, taking in Tokyo, Kyoto, Joetsu, Sado Island and Nara.
Though Japan has recently been in the news for scuffles among lawmakers and controversial security bills, the country stands out thanks to its mix of beautiful old buildings and dense urban centres like Shinjuku and Roppongi, two areas of Tokyo.
Kyoto, a bit less than three hours by bullet train from Tokyo, is a big tourist attraction — after all, it features 2,000 religious sites. I paid a visit to Higashi Honganji temple. which was under some construction.
Though some interesting ornaments remained.
From Kyoto’s main train station, you can take buses to various temples and shrines. But as a tourist, there are a number of things you could do that will annoy residents, so be careful.
About two hours by ferry from Joetsu is Sado Island. Known for its historical ruins and outdoor activities, it’s also the home of Chad Robert Jenkins. The former GI deserted to North Korea in 1965 and was detained there until 2004. During the weekend I visited, the yearly Earth Celebration festival was on, organized by the local taiko drumming group. At the lively harbour market, numerous musical groups put on energetic performances.
Kiseki Shrine was the main hub for the big-ticket musical performance by Kodo, which marks the end of the festival.
Tokyo, meanwhile, offers a little bit of everything, depending on what you want to do. In the Yanaka area, you can see numerous religious sites just tucked away from the busy main streets.
Ueno, Tokyo is known mainly for Ueno Park, a massive green space that hosts, among other buildings, the Ueno Zoo, the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Western Art.
In the main square, you will sometimes see street performers.
On the west side of the park is a large shrine.
To the east is the Tokyo National Museum, home to numerous collections of Japanese artifacts from swords to battle armour to paintings and scrolls.
Just to the south of Ueno Park is a number of narrow streets bursting with shops.
To see Japan’s real urban centres visitors can check out Shinjuku or Roppongi. The latter is home to huge entertainment complex, Roppongi Hills.