Arashiyama/Kyoto

March 29

The next morning my mom made the decision to sleep in and leave around 8:30 because everyone was tired of walking so much yesterday.  We all met downstairs for another full day in Kyoto.  Upon arriving we were supposed to meet Joanna near the information station but we kind of got a little lost.  Luckily she bumped into us on our way to the information station.  We made our way to the next train station where Joanna had to buy her ticket to Arashiyama.  Luckily we had our ICOCA cards with money so we didn't have to study the machines.  As she went to buy her ticket the group ate at a small bakery.  I ate a bear shaped bread looking thing.  

When we got to Arashiyama we walked through a park with a bamboo forest and sakura.  We snapped lots of pictures in the park.  

We made our way to the Togetsu bridge.  Along the way we saw a water way where people would go out on boats and float in the river.  We crossed over the bridge and decided to eat lunch before we would catch the bus to the next temple.  

We waited for the bus for over an hour after lunch!  We kept looking for a number 62 or 72 to take us to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple.  We called it quits and asked Joanna what we should do.  She suggested a walk to the monkey park just down the road. We got to the ticket booth but we had to hike up a mountain for about 20-30 minutes.  When we finally got up we fed the monkeys in a cage with apples and peanuts.  After feeding them you can walk around with them in this open scenic area.  

After playing with the monkeys for about an hour we made our way back down to the bus stop to wait for the bus.  Joanna checked the sign of the bus that was passing and it wasn't a 62 or 72 but it had a sign indicating that it would drop us off near the temple.  We all hopped on and got off in what seemed like a residential area.  We walked up and down a street for about ten minutes and even asked for directions.  It seemed like no one knew where this temple was.  We kept wandering up into the residential area where we finally found it!  And yes it was worth it coming here.  There were what seemed like a thousand carved Buddhas in different facial expressions all in one area.  They were carved out of stone and actually commemorated someone dead that didn't have a grave.  It was amazing to see them all lined up and all in the same area... I took the most time taking pictures here playing with settings and focusing points.  After all that photography it was late afternoon.  We caught the next bus that came and made our way to Kyoto station.  I passed out on the way there.  

We met up with Joanna's mom and Kohta at a Chinese restaurant where we talked about our day in Arashiyama and ate some Chinese food.  Kohta was happy to see me one last time before we left.  After dinner we made our way to the train station where we said our thank you's and good byes to the Yoshimuras.

Mom trying out the Sakura ice cream flavor.  I don't recommend it. 

 The famous Arashiyama bamboo forest.

Sakura was in full bloom!

Boats along the river.  You can see the Togetsu bridge in the background.

Joanna asking for directions. 

We ate at a small hole in the wall restaurant.  Still super good tempura udon!

Ronald and Caryn making their way up to the monkey park. 

Feeding the monkeys. 

Monkey's view of Kyoto city.

Up close and personal.

Hundreds of these statues were near the temple. 

These statues represent people all around the world with unmarked graves or bodies that weren't found.  

Found a statue representing myself.

Like I said hundreds maybe over a thousand of these statues! 

Many cool photo opportunities with these statues.

One of my favorite poses by the statues.

The last night in Kyoto with Kyoto tower in the background.  

This day in Kyoto was really long with lots of waiting for buses for us.  We saw lots, I really enjoyed this day and gave my camera a really good work out with the bamboo forest and the temple as my places most favorite shoot. 

Hiroshima and visiting family in the country

March 25
We got up and ate breakfast at a beef bowl place close to the street car station.  We went to Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Peace Park.  It was a rough time walking through and reading all the first hand accounts and seeing all the drawings of the bomb survivors.  The memorial and exhibit was really moving that I was at a lose of words on what to say or write at the end.  It should be some place everyone should visit once in their life.

We (Mom and I) left the group and made our way back to Hiroshima station to meet Kumi and travel to meet her brother near Joge so that he could drive us to my grandpa's brothers house.  The train ride was really long and we had to transfer once to another train.  I say about two hours by train to where we stopped.  We met Kumi's brother, Chiaka when we arrived at the train station.  My grandpa's sister Rose was waiting in the car.  She looked exactly like uncle Fred back home in Hawaii but not like my grandpa, and now i know where I get my infectious laugh from!.  I get my laugh from Aunty Rose. 

They all talked about how my aunty's and uncle's are doing in Honolulu.  I didn't understand a lot but I knew who they were talking about.  We arrived at my uncle George's house.  We exchanged presents to one another when we got there.  Uncle George looks like uncle Fred and aunty Rose but not like my grandpa.  They played Hanafuda while I watched baseball.  We ate snacks and hung out for about an hour and a half.  Aunty Rose, Chiaka, and Kumi had to leave because they lived far away and weren't sleeping over.  We said our good bye's and I thought to myself I'll probably never see aunty Rose again because it's so hard to travel here, she also knew this but we both were so happy to meet finally.  We took pictures and they left the house.

At first I felt a little uneasy staying at uncle George's house along with aunty Tomoe and mom but I came to realization that it was exactly like staying at my grandpa's house back home.  I felt George treated my like his own grandson.  We talked and drank tea until about 7 p.m. when his son Kazuki came home and brought a ton of sushi and all this food for dinner.  I drank some Sho Chu and whiskey "black" while uncle and aunty drank beer.  I was surprised that they drank but we Kanpai and had a feast for dinner.  I ate and drank so much while watching Formula 1 on tv.  I ate so much that I had a kanak attack and fell asleep and I didn't sleep correctly under the heated blanket... so I was freezing most of the night.

March 26
The next day we spent the whole day at uncle's house.  I n the morning they cooked so much food for breakfast.  We had sausage, bean sprouts, cheese bread, tea, and eggs with tsukemono.  After we ate we went to visit our ancestors graves.  The first set of stones were my great grandparents.  The ones behind was my great great grandpa and his children.  There were more stones to the left, aunty Tomoe said we don't know who they are but they are related some how to our family.  They suggest that it dates back to the 1500's maybe earlier.  We came back near the house and went to visit a samurai grave.  After that we came back in the house and ate lunch.  Steak and fried chicken.  After lunch I crashed out on the futon for two to three hours.  When I woke up uncle had some oranges but it didn't curb my appetite.  I was hungry again and we waited till about 8 to eat because everyone went to take a bath in the furo.  The bath experience was on another level.  It was in the mid to lower forties but warmer than last night.  I'm guessing my body adjusted to the temperature but it was still really cold!  In the bath you rinse with water and soap up.  You wash all the soap off and you sit in a tub after filled with really hot water.  It was like a jacuzzi but it didn't bubble.  That night Kazumi brought home shabu shabu meats.  We ate and drank like the night before.  I was just as full as the night before.  We played a little Hanafuda with grandpa and Kazuki.  We arm wrestled a little too!  This time around I fell asleep the correct way sleeping under the heated blanket.  It was a lot easier to sleep that night!

Outside the Peace Memorial.

Hiroshima before the atomic bomb.

Hiroshima after the atomic bomb.

A bike and a helmet melted from the bomb.

This was the most moving room for me where survivors of the atomic bomb drew what they saw the day of or days after the bombing.  Some of the pictures they drew were graphic and the little card on the bottom explained first hand accounts on what they saw.  

It is unbelievable what they saw and what they went through.  

Peace Park with the eternal flame and Genbaku Dome lined up.

 Genbaku Dome

First day at my uncle's house with mom and aunty Rose playing Hanafuda.

My family in Joge Japan

Mom and uncle George.

Kanpai on the first night with lots of sushi shrimp and takoyaki!

Second day was in the rice fields and a little exploring on the mountain side.  

We went to a temple close to our uncles house on the second day.

Lunch at uncles house.

After my bath on the second night I went to take some night time photos.  The ring around the moon signifies there will be rain the next day.

Our last dinner together... Shabu shabu.  

My thoughts on Hiroshima...  This was the first time I went to Hiroshima.  The city it self was not like other cities in Japan.  I felt Hiroshima wasn't as welcoming as the others.  For some reason the hotel we were staying at wasn't that great either and they weren't too service oriented like Iwakuni.  The city felt dirty, there was tagging in a lot of places and lots of rubbish compared to other parts of Japan.  But don't let that stop you from going.  The food is great, you have to try the Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki!  The one major place to visit is the Peace Park and Peace Memorial.  The Park we ventured at night on the first night and it was great!  I got to take some sick night time photos of the Genbaku Dome.  The Peace Memorial is really good too.  It's very depressing yet you learn what the Japanese people had to go through and you kind of sympathize with them.  It is some place everyone should get a chance to visit!

 Visiting and meeting family was one of the main purposes of this trip.  I finally got to meet some of my Japanese relatives that live there.  They live far away and I understand now where my grandpa came from and how that side of the family operates.  They live far in the country but live happily with each other.  They are rice farmers and samurai.
I'm so grateful for my mom on taking me on this trip to meet them.  This will probably be my only time I see them in my life time!
Like I said before take advantage if you do have family over seas to see them because you don't know if you'll ever meet them in real life.  I was lucky enough to see them before they pass away. 
I can now say that I know where I come from and am proud of it.

Stay tuned for more in rainy Nara!

Iwakuni

March 23
We woke up at 4 am to get ready.  We all met in the lobby and made our way to the train stations.  We had to exchange our rail vouchers for actual rail passes.  The rail and subway system is kind of hard to understand but I think I'll get used to it once we start using it more.
I was talking with my mother on who we are exactly meeting today.  I am meeting my grandma's youngest brother in Iwakuni.

In Hiroshima I am meeting my grandpa's side of the family.  Most of them are in there 80's and 90's.  I will probably never see them again.  My grandma's brothers son (Kazuo) came to meet us at the train station in Iwakuni.  Hitoshi and Hisako also came to meet us but they came from Kyushu (6 hour drive to where we were), Hiroshi is Kazuo's brother and Hisako is his wife.  They came to meet us at the Iwakuni train station.  We went to the hotel after that and dropped off some luggage.  When we were all set we went across the street to the Kintai bridge and Iwakuni Castle.  There we saw some Japanese tv show filming.  In Iwakuni castle I thought it would have been more castle like but it was more like a museum dispalying swords, armor, and other various weapons.  The castle also had historical pictures of the site and pictures of famous bridges and castles all around Japan.  When we came back down we went to a temple and went to the white snake exhibit.  The white snake is only found near Iwakuni and is endangered.  We got ice cream after and said our goodbyes where me and my mom would spend the afternoon with Kazuo at my uncles house.

My grandma's youngest brother Shizuo lives near Iwakuni and is over 90 years old.  He still farms and grows all kinds of vegetables.  He knew we were coming and he saved us a bunch of strawberries to pick.  We also picked daikon and we saw that he grew green onions and various other plants.  Shizuo also showed us where he used to work as a tailor in his younger years as a profession.  After we were done taking a tour of the garden and house we went to the ancestral graves where my great uncles and aunties were buried.  Kazuo showed us the monument where they were buried at.  Their urns and ashes were underneath it.  We said our hi's and goodbyes to them and headed to Kazuo's house where his son in eighth grade greeted us.  After that we came back to Shizuo's house and me and Kazuo left to go pick up his oldest son from the train station.  I only had met him once over 15+ years ago when he came to Hawaii and came over to play once.  He's now in college and goes to Hiroshima University.
We came back to the house and talked until it was time to return back to the hotel.  At night we had a full 8+ course Japanese meal with a Geisha performing.  It was one of the best meals so far.  After eating I went to take some night time pictures by the bridge with Eric while the parents went to the onsen.  Near Kintai bridge was really cold!

The group with our tickets onto Kintai bridge and Iwakuni Castle.  L to R Ronald, Eric, JoAnn, Roy, Jere, Caryn, Ryan

Looking towards the mountains on Kintai Bridge. 

Sakura was almost in full bloom across the bridge.  There was a sign on this tree indicating it was over a 100 years old!

The group finding their way to Iwakuni Castle.

We took a rope way car up to Iwakuni Castle.  We saw a well where the samurai used to get their water and we had to hike a few stairs to get to the castle.  

We saw some villains in a tv show they were filming just below the castle.

Inside Iwakuni Castle they had weapons armor and pictures of old Japan.  

The view from the top of Iwakuni Castle.  You can see the hotel across the river on the left side and Kintai Bridge near the middle of the picture. 

Iwakuni Castle

The white snake exhibit.  These snakes are only found in and around Iwakuni and no where else in the world

Along a bridge in Kikko Park in Iwakuni

You are able to buy carp food for 100 yen to feed the Koi in the water.

My mom and I at a Jinja in Kikko park

Today was a picture perfect day with blue skies and Sakura.

The group eating ice cream.  I ate a regular chocolate ice cream while Eric had Habanero flavored one.  The ice cream shop at over 50 different flavors!

My Aunty Hisako, Uncle Shizuo and my mom picking strawberries in my Uncles garden.  

My uncles also grows green onions also known as negi in Japanese.  

Aunty pulled some fresh daikon out of the ground.

We all exchanged gifts and at castella cake.  Here is my mom and her cousin Kazuo.  

Masanori and I sharing some stories and strawberries.  

One group family picture before I leave.

 Dinner, at the hotel we had a full on Japanese dinner with different kinds of food.

A geisha performed a song and danced for us during dinner.

We all had to dress in Yukata, we also asked the geisha to take a picture with our group.

Kintai bridge at night surrounded by Sakura

Sakura near the Kintai bridge

Some light painting near Kintai bridge

Futons in the hotel.  Probably one of the best nights I've slept in Japan.

 

Iwakuni was one of my favorite places to visit in Japan.  It wasn't crowded with buildings like the cities are in Japan.  There is actual space to walk around and actually have a personal bubble.  Kintai bridge is one of the coolest bridges I've seen.  Supposedly it doesn't have a single nail in the bridge and is all man made!  Iwakuni castle was cool to see but the shooting of an episode for tv was really distracting.  I also thought Iwakuni castle would have been more preserved as a castle than a museum.  The night time shots of Kintai bridge were the best night time shots I took for the whole trip so don't expect too much shots during the night in my upcoming blog posts.    

A little background on the family side of the trip.  I never really knew my grandma that well.  But finally visiting my uncles house where my grandmother is from was very good.  I feel that I know a little more of my family now that I never knew before.  If you are fortunate enough to travel and go to Japan to see your relatives or even anywhere else in the world be thankful for that.  Some people aren't that fortunate to travel.  I am so thankful that I got to meet them before they passed away.  I hope to stay in touch with my family more in Japan now that I actually met them in person and I really hope to one day go back to Iwakuni.

Stay tuned for more!

-Ryanschang