Benri desu

I’ve just started my second week in my new job and, with Simon back in his London office too, it’s very clear that, for the time being at least, our Japanese adventure has come to an end. What an amazing adventure it was too – nine months of new sights, sounds, smells and tastes that have given me a whole different outlook on many things.

A while ago I wrote a post on one of the overriding senses that I got from Tokyo – that of politeness. The other one, perhaps even more so (or perhaps they feed into each other) is how benri the place is. This is a word I learned quite early on in my Japanese course, and from then on, "benri desu" became a phrase that Simon and I used on a daily basis. It means convenient or efficient, something that makes life a little bit easier. We obviously used it a lot in Tokyo as at least three of the people who came to visit us out there have retained it and used it to me since I’ve been back.

A few photos of some of the benri things in Japan, and back at home. Seriously just a few – had I taken a photo of everything that made life that little bit more benri this post would never end!

I think you all know how much these loo devices fascinated me.
Totally benri - a loo, a bidet and flushing noises all in one!

3 hours to do 300 miles? That's pretty benri

Benri squirty butter in a tube

Can't decide whether to have green tea or an
ice cream? Have both together!

Portable loos for emergency use. If only they had the
flushing noises too...

My new and benriest acquisition - welcome to the 21st century Abi...

It may seem simple but it's newly
installed and it is very benri

Stairs that count calories for you in Kyoto

Erasable pens in a multitude of colours. My life is complete

Without this wonderful book I never would have
made it home on several occasions.
The benriest of benri things.

Since returning to London I’ve been surprised by how benri things are here. It’s not like I was expecting something from the dark ages, but I did remember this place as being slightly less efficient than the Japanese metropolis. In all honesty, it is less efficient, but actually stuff works (sort of…I did just have to complete a paper form and send it to our other office by snail mail in order to get internet access on my work PC…) By happy coincidence we live in the middle of a large Japanese community so I hear the language every day, and two of our nearest shops are Japanese so I can practise every now and then. I’ve also gleefully pole-vaulted onto the bandwagon of benriness and equipped myself with a new smartphone. As we continue to do our DIY on the flat we try to add more and more benri aspects too, and I think we’re generally much more on the lookout for gadgets and other useful little things. We may not be in Japan any more but the benriness doesn’t need to end, nor for that matter does the politeness. As the next adventure starts, these are two things I’m going to keep hold of and see what positive impact they can have on my life. For now though, it’s sayonara dudes, and thanks for reading.

さよなら!

Nikko Part 2: a HUGE waterfall!

Refreshed from our post-gyoza sleep in our Utsunomiya hotel, we decided against the hotel’s breakfast in favour of seeing what was available locally. I was totally up for more gyoza but I think Simon felt that would be a little overkill so instead we opted for the ueber-healthy McDonalds next door to the hotel. Well, every once in a while can’t hurt I suppose! Fortified by fake meat and plastic coffee (it’s wrong but it is tasty) we took the very sweet dedicated Nikko line back through the countryside. Upon arrival we got straight on a bus which wound its way up and up into the hills, far above where we had been the previous day. The views back down the valley were stupendous.

Lovely little train to Nikko

At the very top of all the hairpin bends lies the huge Lake Chuzenji, surrounded on all sides by more mountains. Above the small town of Chuzenji-Onsen where the bus dropped us rises Mount Nantai, the volcano whose eruption 15,000 years ago blocked the valley, meaning that the water running off the mountains collected to form the lake. The clarity of the water is astounding. It is this lake that, once it filled up enough, burst through the hills at the south end of the valley and spilled over, creating the thundering Kegon Falls.

Mount Nantai dominates one side of the Lake Chuzenji

Stunning Kegon Falls

Spring greenery hadn't quite finished blooming
so we could see the falls peeking through

We took the lift (it’s Japan, of course there’s a lift) 100 meters down through the ground, walked along a long corridor and emerged into the spray and rainbows at the bottom of the falls. It was truly epic. With a drop of 97 meters, the Kegon Falls are twice the height of Niagra Falls and the water pouring over the edge, constantly shifting and changing shape, was so compelling that we were transfixed and just stood and stared for ages.

Honestly could have looked at this for hours

  

The weather was absolutely fantastic

From the viewing platform you can also see a secondary fall, and some magnificent rock formations. Because of the bright sunshine and all the spray, rainbows danced all over the place, adding a magic sparkle to the scene.

Beautiful rainbows all over the place

The smaller, secondary fall joining the Kegon Falls at the bottom

You could almost walk through the rainbows - magical

Thousands of years have created these rock formations

Eventually, soaked through and deafened by the roaring water, we returned up through the earth to the level of the lake. It was another glorious day so we went for a wander along the water’s edge, stopping for a delicious lunch with an amazing view of the mountains. After lunch we carried on walking. There’s a course that takes you round the whole lake but it’s 25km long and sadly we didn’t have enough time before our bus left to take us back to the train that would transport us all the way back to Tokyo. So instead we had a relaxing coffee in the sunshine, sitting on a deck overlooking the lake. It has to be one of the most peaceful and beautiful views I have ever seen, and was the perfect end to our wonderful weekend in Nikko. 

Quite high up in the mountains

The beautiful Lake Chuzenji in the sunshine

What a wonderful view with which to end our trip

またね!

Utsunomiya: gyoza town

Back in May I won a free night’s stay in a hotel so we chose Utsunomiya, 80km north of Tokyo, for its proximity to Nikko – it’s just a 45 minute train journey from the shriney wonderfulness. Apart from that I knew absolutely nothing about the place. I mentioned this to a Japanese friend one day and was answered by her gleeful cry of “Gyoza! That’s all you need to know!” So I did some online research and found out that, according to many people from all corners of the earth, Utsunomiya is indeed gyoza capital of Japan. Needless to say, this made me very happy indeed.

 Having spent a fantastic day walking in the sunshine in Nikko, Simon and I were pretty hungry by the time we got to Utsunomiya around 6pm. We checked into our hotel and went out foraging for an early evening snack. My research had suggested that, out of the huge number of outlets that exist in the town, Min Min, right by the station, is the ichi-ban place to go for your pork-filled dumpling delights.

Min Min is indeed right by the station. In fact, it’s in the station carpark. There are several other gyoza restaurants nearby, all offering various deals on twelve-filling selection plates (honestly, I had no idea you could put so many things in a gyoza!). But Min Min was supposed to be the best so that’s where we went. It was the only restaurant in the vicinity with a queue; in fact it was the only restaurant with anyone in it at all. We figured we’d made the right choice.

The selection of gyoza restaurants. A little empty...

Min Min. The best.

 The menu at Min Min is simple: pan-fried gyoza; deep-fried gyoza; water-boiled gyoza; rice; beer; juice. What more could you need? As this was just our pre-dinner amuse bouche we decided that two out of the three varieties would suffice. Being the health-conscious Brits that we are, we naturally went for the two fried options. And a beer of course, to make it a well-balanced snack.

Literally six things on the menu, three of which are gyoza

Oh so happy with the snack

 I expect that a restaurant that offers only three dishes plus rice knows what it’s doing with those three dishes. And Min Min does. The deep-fried gyoza were small, rich but not oily, golden parcels, while the pan-fried gyoza were plump and juicy, with a delicate crispy bottom. Delicious. And at 240 yen for six, excellent value too.

A closeup - they were that good

 When we left Min Min around 6.30pm, the queue had quadrupled in size as people presumably came between finishing work and catching the train home. The restaurant shuts at 8pm, so caters perfectly for the evening rush hour. We considered some takeaway gyoza to keep us going until dinner, or perhaps some omiyage (souvenir) gyoza boxes, but eventually managed to tear ourselves away and head back to the hotel for a disco nap.

In the gloaming the queue kept forming...

Later that evening we headed out again, this time to a restaurant just round the corner from the hotel. Its speciality was…gyoza! Having walked around town for a bit, it had become clear that the gyoza restaurants really were the best bet – nothing else looked half as tasty. So this time round we ordered some honourable meat dumplings and some garlic dumplings. But to make it clear that it was dinner and not a snack we also had some rice and a small salad.

Dumplings, rice, salad and beer. Delicious

Very full of dumplings, we waddled back to the hotel where we finished off the evening’s feast with a small bottle of whisky and some pocky chocolate while watching a programme about the building of the Sky Tree. It was an unusual evening, but a good one, and I’m glad that we got the chance to check out the gyoza capital of Japan!

A well-balanced dessert after all those gyoza!

またね!

Nikko Part 1: statues and shrines

As the very early morning train pulled out of Asakusa Station, Simon and I yawned and watched the now-familiar mish-mash of concrete pass by the window. It’s not necessarily homely, but it certainly feels like home at the moment. The buildings get lower and further apart as you reach the edge of the city and I could feel the air changing too. The breeze drifting in every time the doors opened at a station brought with it the promise of green spaces, mountain rivers and sunshine.

Almost open - the Sky Tree towers
above the rest of the city

We settled back into our seats to watch the scenery change and make a start on the packed breakfast that we’d brought with us. I was pretty pleased with myself for having procured some tasty pastries from a posh bakery, as well as orange juice, iced coffee and bananas. But when we saw the four middle-aged guys sitting next to us, beautifully turned out in their suits, tucking into the beer at seven o’clock in the morning I did feel that we were lacking something.

Yes, we definitely should have brought beer to start the party early

On the train chugged, all the while climbing steadily as it shook off the city. We passed farms, forests and rice fields that looked like mirrors in the morning sunshine. On reaching Nikko, the end of the train line, we kept climbing, this time on foot. The main street was still sleepy that early in the morning so we didn’t stop, but headed straight to the Daiya River to see the beautiful Shinkyo Bridge, which marks the edge of the town and the beginning of the area famous for its shrines.

Nikko Station at 9.30am. Bright sunshine and blue skies.

Simon desperately wanted a go...

Picture postcard beauty of the Shinkyo Bridge

When he found out we were coming to Japan, my uncle lent me a great book called Weekend Adventures Outside Tokyo, which is full of suggestions of places that are reachable from Tokyo within a couple of hours. The author, Tae Moriyama, is more concerned with her readers finding hidden bits of Japan than hitting the major tourist spots, and decorates her route descriptions with fascinating historical and cultural details. We decided to follow her Hidden Face of Nikko route so that we would take in some lesser-visited sites as well as the really famous ones. The route started by taking us along the river away from the World Heritage site that contains the large shrines. We wound our way down through a beautiful area on the banks of the river, before crossing a bridge and continuing along the far side. Here was the most gorgeous path lined with both sakura and momiji trees. The busy centre of Nikko felt a million miles away. And Tokyo? Well, it might as well have been on another planet.

Everywhere around the river was a lush green

The beautiful Daiya River

Sakura and momiji in the same scene - incredible

At the far end of the field through which the path ran was a gate, on the other side of which began a line of stone Jizō statues. These are Buddhist carvings, often taking the form of a child-monk, and they protect women, children and travellers. The statues along the Daiya River particularly guide travellers to ensure they don’t get lost in the forest. Many of the Jizō we saw have been there for so long that they have been worn down by the elements, and some were missing limbs, but still they remained, unmoving, quietly marking the path. They are said to guide people both in life and death which, at first thought, is a little eerie, especially when alone in the middle of a forest. However, on reflection I actually find the idea quite calming and there was certainly a very peaceful atmosphere in the grove of Jizō statues.

Simon pretending to be a statue

Serene in their ancientness

The path continued along the river, which races between the stones on the banks and the bed, forming the Gamman ga fuchi pools, which we contemplated from a shade of a wooden pergola next to the water. From here we could also see ancient Sanskrit carvings on the rocks on the opposite bank.

The Gamman ga fuchi pools

Moriyama-san’s route got us to retrace our steps past the Jizō statues and through the field, back over the river to Joko-ji temple, which is just gorgeous. It’s very quiet and wonderfully looked after – beautifully manicured plants and wooden buildings sit together in harmonious tranquility.

Joko-ji's main prayer hall

Beautifully kept grounds

Handwashing station watched over by a dragon

On we went, entering the huge World Heritage site from the west, by Tayuin-byo shrine. This is where the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, is buried. According to all the guide books and information we read, this isn’t nearly as lavish as the neighbouring Toshogu Shrine, where the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, has his mausoleum. All I can say is that I’d be happy with decoration as ‘plain’ as this for my tomb… (although I would rather have it in my house right now!)

Wonderfully lavish decoration under the eaves of Tayuin-byo

Hon-den, the main prayer hall

  

One of four deities guarding the shrine

Dragons all over the place too!

Tokugawa Iemitsu's tomb. Not bad for the 'plain' one!

Next, we took a narrow, steep path up into the hills to the north of the main site. The trees got taller and taller and wider and wider the higher we climbed. And everything was such a vivid green – the whole place felt full of energy. Silence barged in like a giant and persistent cotton wool ball, swallowing us up in its clutches. The path turned from tarmac to stones and kept on rising.

A tiny shrine perched at the top of a stone staircase

Huuuuuge trees!

We began to be aware of the sound of running water, splashing, gurgling and having a lot of fun. The path wound down slightly, towards a small wooden bridge. To our left, the reason for the noise became evident: a large waterfall, one of the many distributaries of the Daiya River, which falls tumultuously from the massive Lake Chuzenji, perched high in the mountains, danced its way down the hillside, laughing and playing under our feet as we stood on the bridge. Crouching silently next to the river is a Shinto shrine and it was here that we went next. We stopped to try our luck at the wishing tori – throw a stone through the small hole in the cross beam and you are granted one wish. Simon didn’t manage it but to my surprise I was successful. My wish? That remains between me and the trees. I could feel the serenity of the place creeping into my veins as we continued around the grounds of the shrine.

The path through the trees, under the wishing gate

The tiny hole through which you need to throw a stone to have a wish granted

Entrance to one of the smaller shrine buildings

A little way ahead was a small grove of bamboo shoots fenced off from the path. Legend has it that if you can tie one of the leaves into a knot using only the thumb and little finger of one hand you’ll get to marry the person of your choice. Neither of us managed this one. Uh oh. Next to the bamboo grove was the main shrine, and behind this was a small sparkling pool of sacred water, often collected by sake brewers from the Tochigi Prefecture to make their tipple that little bit more special. The whole place felt alive and welcoming, sitting on the side of the mountain waiting for visitors.

Knotting bamboo...we both failed

Sacred pool favoured by sake brewers

We headed back towards the foot of the mountain, down a long avenue lined with gargantuan trees, ancient cobbles underfoot. The view can’t have changed much for centuries and I could almost feel the devotees of years gone by gently brushing past me on their way between the shrine and the town. On the way down was another small shrine, the altar piled high with giant chess-like shogi pieces. Pregnant women from the local area come to borrow one of these pieces to ensure a smooth delivery. After their baby is born, they donate a new, bigger piece to the shrine to give thanks.

Another tiny shrine hiding just off the main path

Simon really loved the trees

Hasn't changed for centuries

Giant shogi pieces from new mothers

We explored the area around this shrine for a little while longer, looking for some Buddhist statues that Moriyama-san’s book had mentioned. Eventually we spotted them – six stone carvings resting quietly in a recess under a sheer cliff face, guarding the area from intruders. They looked at us and we looked back at them before retreating quietly to the main path, and carrying on back into Nikko.

We looked, they looked; we left, they stayed

By now the early afternoon sun was high in the sky and it was getting pretty hot. Definitely time for a break and some lunch. On our way up through the town in the morning we had spotted several nice looking restaurants so we pottered back to one of these and had delicious ramen in a great little place whose walls were decorated with messages from travellers who had visited from all over the world.

Unassuming from the outside, it's well worth popping in

The menu and some of the messages from travellers who have visited

After lunch it was time to head back to the main shrine complex. The queue for Toshogu Shrine itself was long so we wandered around the grounds then skirted the edge of the complex and headed instead to Futarasan-jinja to take in the beauty of the main prayer hall and the coloured wishing papers. The whole World Heritage site really is a majestic place and it was wonderful to spend time taking it all in in the gorgeous sunshine.

Entrance to the World Heritage site

Mikuji - wishing papers - tied to a tree

Entrance to the grounds of the Toshogu Shrine

Nio-mon gate at Toshogu Shrine

Amazing five-storey pagoda

Stone marker for the entrance to
Futarasan-jinja

Main prayer hall at Futarasan-jinja

Colourful mikuji outside the shrine

Taking it in took its toll on us weary travellers though, and so we wended our way back to the river where we drank some beer and dozed in the sunshine. Finally, it was time to make our way back to the station to catch the train to our overnight destination, Utsunomiya. Famous for gyoza, this town, and our stay there, is deserving of its very own blog post…

All this sightseeing is exhausting!

Daiya River in the afternoon sunshine

Our view on the way back to the train station

またね!