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Land of the Rising Sun
Visiting Japan's major cities, rural towns and villages is an odyssey through a thousand years, because no other nation on earth has been able to modernize and advance in technology and also reflect its traditions and cultural values at every turn.
Towering skyscrapers in Tokyo may have Shinto shrines on their roofs, feudal castles may be neighbors of new office complexes and train stations, and teahouses seem like time machines where hundreds of years melt away by crossing the threshhold into a bastion of ceremony.
Elaborately landscaped gardens, such as the Katsura Detached Palace in Kyoto, are places to breathe in vistas of the Japanese love of flora found wordwide. Festivals of holidays and shrines persist in retaining the culture of long-cherished values and beliefs. Tokyo's cherry blossom viewing parties in spring and fall capture a love of nature unsullied by bullet trains and 21st century automation.
For sightseeing purposes, we can give only a cursory sampling of some of Japan's many cultural and leisure attractions. See our useful links section for sources of other information to help traveler's enjoy their stay in Japan.
TOKYO 24 HOURS A DAY
New York may have earned the nickname as the city that never sleeps, but Tokyo rivals the Big Apple as a place where there is a million things to do at any hour of the night. No short visit can cover all of Tokyo's bustling entertainment districts, cultural attractions and renowned restaurants filled with sumptuous cuisine.
Tokyo metropolis covers about 840 sq. mi., which encompasses 26 cities (shi), seven towns, 23 wards, and eight villages.
The center of the city houses the Imperial Palace where the emperor of Japan and his family live. Edo Castle, a famous fortress in Tokyo's founding years, once rested in the same location.
Nearby, the Ginza shopping and entertainment center is renowned as a mecca of art galleries, tea houses, and shops. A plethora of bars, department stores and cabarets can be found along the back streets and alleys.
To the west of the city is Roppongi. It is here that servicemembers homesick for American cuisine, music and beer can find some solace.
One of Tokyo's biggest entertainment districts is Asakusa, located a few blocks northeast of Ginza. Within Asakusa can be found the historical temple called Sensoji or Asakusa Kannon Temple, and Kaminarimon, or Thunder Gate. The commercial center of Ueno and Ueno Park are located nearby. Ueno Park is home to the National Museum of Science; Tokyo National Museum, which is the country's largest art museum, and municipal zoo.
One of Tokyo's newest entertainment spots is Palette Town, an amusement park loaded with interactive virtual reality rides and thrill rides such as "Agent Metal," where visitors armed with stealth rader and a machine guns destroy monsters. Palette Town also has an IMAX ridefilm simulation and Venus Fort, a theme park designed exclusively for women.
Several major festivals are held in Tokyo. Each year people visit the city to attend the Sanno Festival at Hie Shrine, Sanja Festival at Asakusa Shrine and the Kanda Festival. The Yasukuni Shrine and Meiji Shrine also host an event each year.
Mickey Mouse and his gang of cartoon character friends can be found at Tokyo's Disneyland, located in Urayasu City in the Chiba prefecture. Disney recently opened its first official Disney hotel, Ambassador Hotel, and shopping district in its resort area in Maihama.
With so many things to do and see, it's no wonder that Tokyo is considered by many to be one of the world's most interesting cities.
KYOTO
Japan's capital for more than a thousand years, Kyoto opens a window to much of Japan's Chinese influence, which was at its peak during the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. The city of Kyoto was founded as "Heiankyo" in 794 A.D. and during its heyday was the birthplace of Japanese culture and traditions seen in Japan today.
Much of Kyoto's yesteryear can be relived in the city's nearly 2,000 shrines and temples and six historical preservation districts. Nevertheless, Kyoto remains rooted in the 21st century with its 47 colleges and universities, numerous research institutes and specialized schools.
At the heart of Kyoto is the Imperial Palace, with the nearby Kamo River flowing north to south through the center of the city.
Other key attractions include the Buddhist religious centers Kiyomizu Temple, Kinkakuji Temple, Sanjusan-gendo Temple, Nanzenji Temple, Heian Jingu Shrine and Nijo Castle.
Located in Higashiyama, Kiyomizu Temple provides an awe-inspiring view of the city and the surrounding mountains. The temple, which was built in the 8th century, provides an archetypal example of Buddhist architecture during that period.
Kinkakuji Temple, or Golden Pavilion, was built in the 14th century and incorporates classic Muromachi-style architecture.
Sanju-san-gendo Temple, in central Kyoto, has "a thousand and one" shining images of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, that make the temple seem to glow.
Built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Nijo Castle is filled with relics from Japan's recorded history. One of the castle's interesting features is its squeaking floors, called nightingale floors, which would alert the occupants of intruders.
On the western outskirts of Kyoto is Arashiyama, a beautiful area, replete with various temples and animals in their natural surroundings.
Kyoto is packed with numerous museums and art galleries. The Kyoto National Museum houses displays of ceramics, sculpture, ink paintings, scrolls and calligraphy. The National Museum of Modern Art exhibits Japanese paintings often influenced by western artistic traditions, as well as prints and photos by Japanese and foreign artists.
Kyoto's Japan Foundation offers a wide variety of books on topics related to Japanese culture, periodicals in Japanese and English. The Foundation shows Japanese films every week which are free to foreign nationals.
YOKOHAMA
Just south of Tokyo, but still in Tokyo Bay, lies the city of Yokohama, Japan's second largest city. Once a small fishing village, Yokohama, which literally means "a shore jutting into the sea," is another of Japan's centers for cultural attractions, museums and galleries.
Among its many places of interest, the Yokohama Museum of Art hosts a permanent display of 20th century art exhibits including surrealist works and a photography collection.
The Yayoi period ruins dating back to 300 B.C. forms the centerpiece of the Yokohama Museum of History while Yokohama's Sogo Museum of Arts holds frequent touring exhibitions of national and international artworks.
Other interesting museums in Yokohama include the Silk Museum, Tin Toy Museum and Streetcar Museum.
For the children there is the Yokohama Science Center, which enables children to learn through hands-on exhibits and games on optics, astronomy, and electricity.
A interesting sidetrip to the Yokohama's newest park, News Park, will shed some light on the role of newspaper journalism in society. It is located in the Yokohama Media and Communications Center.
Afterwards, stop at the the Yokohama Kirin Beer Village for a refresher. The village contains both a museum and the Kirin Beer brewery.
For a thrill, spend the day at Cosmo World and catch a ride on one of the world's largest Ferris wheels, take a spin on the "Vanish" roller coaster or enjoy any of the 24 other attractions at the park.
KAMAKURA
Kamakura is located close to the historic Tokaido Road that connected Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan's major east-to-west route through the mountains. Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun, established his capital in 1192 in Kamakura while the shoguns that followed Yoritomo ruled Japan from Kamakura for nearly 250 years.
Kamakura's famous five temples showcase the prosperity of Zen Buddhism during the Kamakura era. The most famous example is the The Great Buddha of Kamakura statue. Sculpted in bronze in the 13th century, the statue stands over 37 feet high.
In Kamakura City in 1192, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, a leading Shinto shrine in the area, was moved to the center of the city. Today, it is one of Japan's most frequented attractions.
Many shrines and temples are famous for their seasonal flowers. The most popular in Kamakura are the cherry blossoms of Kenchoji Temple, the hydrangeas of Meigetsuin Temple and the narcissi and ume of Zuisenji Temple.
HOKKAIDO
Early November marks the beginning of snow season for Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, and soon it coats much of the landscape, not thawing out completely until May.
Hokkaido's largest city is Sapporo, which holds its own annual Yuki Matsuri, or Snow Festival, at the start of each February.
And where there is snow, there is usually skiing nearby. Sapporo is no exception. Famous for its ski resorts, including Makomanai, Sapporo, and Mt. Moiwa, Sapporo's Teine Olympia was site of the 1972 winter Olympics.
And what better way to thaw out than at a natural hot spring. An hour's drive outside of Sapporo will land you at Jozankei Spa. The spring was originally discovered by monk Jozan more than 130 years ago and remains a hotspot for visitors.
A lesser known getaway near the western tip of Honshu island is Hagi, a historic samarai castle town. Only a remnant of the old castle still survives, but it is located on a beautiful point overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Several of the original streets have preserved buildings and some of them have been turned into museums. The old Samarai Quarter is well restored, as is the Kikuya, a noble family house that has been reopened as a museum.
Japan has numerous hot-springs villages spread throughout its islands, and one of the more out-of-the-way is Sekigane On-Sen in the coastal mountains just south of the Japan Sea coast, with a view of Mt. Daisen. Sekigane On-Sen is an alternative to the large resort-style hot springs, but with its small size comes a dearth of eating establishments and a total of two attractions: the hot springs and one shrine. Even so, its mountain setting makes it an enjoyable retreat from more touristy areas.
On the northwest coast of the Japan Sea is Kanazawa. Kanazawa is one of Japan's lesser-known centers for tradition and culture, particularly in its historical districts of Nagamichi and Teramachi, which originally were its Samarai quarter and its pleasure quarter. Nearby the former castle grounds is the Kenroku-en landscape gardens, among Japan's most beautiful and elaborate.
In the central mountains of Honshu lies Lake Suwa, a large lake that is usually depicted with Mt. Fuji behind it, even though Fuji is miles away from the lake. A free public hot-springs bathhouse is located near the lake. Boats can be rented and there are numerous lodging facilities. During the off-season Lake Suwa can be very peaceful. It can be reached from the Chuo Main Line and the Chuo Expressway.
Smack dab in the middle of the Inland Sea are the Shiwaku Shoto islands, which are popular for travel in the summer but a lot more quiet on the off-season, when fewer visitors aside from sport fishermen can be found there. The pace is very slow, and little island villages dot the landscape. Best visited from Okamaya, the main islands are Hon-jima and Mukkuchi-jima.
OTHER RESOURCES
There are plenty of websites and other resources to peruse for more information about Japan's sights and attractions.
Tokyo's New Sanno Hotel has a wealth of tourist information for U.S. servicemembers visiting Japan. The hotel switchboard can be reached at (03) 3440-7871, and reservations can be made at the DSN number 229-7121, or the front desk via DSN at 229-7220 or 7231.
Another resource is the Japan National Tourist Organization, located on the World Wide Web at www.jnto.go.jp.
The Japan Times online is available at the English-language website www.japantimes.co.jp.
Information about living in Japan can be found at www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Fulbright/INFO.HTM.
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