Nara

I’ve seen some pretty weird stuff while traveling. From hairs and toenails of Mohammad and Buddha, to pot-smoking Hindu priests, to fiercely designed spiked chastity belts in medieval European fortresses, it can be shocking what the various cultures of the world deem appropriate and even necessary at times. Occasionally I find that once the culture shock of a country wears off a little bit I’m no longer very surprised by things that would otherwise confound me. Apparently three days in Japan isn’t long enough for that to happen… I was seriously bewildered by some of the stuff that I experienced today.

The day started off on a mild note. A train ride to Nara, an ancient capital of Japan, then a walk through the city and into the hills took me to Daibutsu-den; the world’s largest wooden building. Built in 1709, the enormous building houses a giant Buddha statue made of 437 tons of bronze and 250 pounds of gold. I’m not sure exactly what the religious significance of the place is, but today it seems to be a favorite field-trip spot for huge crowds of Japanese elementary school kids. After having a few brief conversations with Japanese kids hoping for a chance to practice their English I circled the giant Buddha inside the building. Of the hundreds of Buddha statues I’ve seen while traveling, this one has to be the most gigantic. Apparently the statue was cast in 746, but I can’t imagine how people who lived so long ago would have the technology and means to create such a thing.

In the back corner of the building I noticed several Japanese kids trying to squeeze through a tiny hole through the base of a giant wooden column. It seemed a little strange to me that there would be a hole in a column for no particular reason, but I decided to try my luck and attempt to squeeze through myself. At first I was sure I’d be way to big and that I’d have no chance of making it all the way through, but with my arms stretched above my head I actually made it and even got a round of applause from the Japanese kids. I later read that the hole is exactly the same size as one of the Great Buddha’s nostrils and that those who can squeeze through are ensured of enlightenment. It’s nice to know that I’m covered should Buddhism turn out to be the correct religion.

Back in downtown Nara I stopped into a noodle shop filled with local Japanese and sat down to a heaping bowl of tempura udon. A giant cooked prawn covered in tempura topped off a soup made of thick noodles and a mild beef broth. The restaurant is apparently very popular with locals and I was obliged to share my table with a 70ish Japanese man who had his own lunch of ramen and a beer. I was quickly reminded of something I read in my guidebook when the man started eating his soup. Slurping your noodles is considered to be very polite in Japan. The ramen-and-beer guy slurped his noodles in a way that made Japanese etiquette a new art form. I like to think he was just happy to be sharing his lunchtime with a foreigner.

One essential Japanese experience that I’ve been looking forward to for months is bathing in an authentic Japanese onsen. After a quick visit to Nijo-ji, an ancient castle in Kyoto, I headed to an indoor onsen called ‘Goko-yu’. I had no idea how unprepared I would be for the experience. I took my swimsuit with me because I didn’t know quite what to expect, but ‘Goko-yu’ is strictly a birthday-suit-only place (a high wall separates the male and female bathers, however). I had to break down some serious inhibitions to bring myself to strip down and walk into a steamy room filled with naked Japanese men, but I assured myself that this was merely a cultural experience… if not an awakening. Careful not to break any rules of onsen etiquette, I showered thoroughly before entering one of the tubs. I started my onsen experience with a scalding hot tub in which I would be the only one bathing, but a large Japanese man quickly got in with me. I literally had to cover my mouth to keep him from seeing my reaction. At one point the only other non-Japanese man in the place, a European tourist, got into a tub with me and tried to strike up a conversation. I was a little standoffish until he yelled over to his wife on the other side of the wall.

After the culture shock of the onsen wore of a bit I could better appreciate the amenities the place had to offer. Besides four scorching tubs to bathe in there was also an ice cold tub, an aromatic tub colored dark by herbs and medicine inside, a frothy white tub that smelled of menthol, and a tub with a strong electric current circulating through it. I spent well over an hour sampling the tubs and became so relaxed that I nearly fainted several times. I also took time to enjoy a sauna that was 92 degrees inside… Celsius. That’s 198 degrees Fahrenheit. Once my nostrils became dry and scorched I returned to the herbal tub for a while. Before leaving I tried desperately to tolerate the electric current tub, but could only bring myself to lower in waist-deep. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the experience… I thought it best not to bring my camera inside the onsen.

I wanted at least one high-quality sushi dinner while in Japan, so after my thoroughly relaxing onsen bath I headed to ‘Den Shichi’, a restaurant that reportedly has the best sushi in Kyoto. Den Shichi has such a bustling atmosphere and enthusiastic waitresses that dinner felt like a big party. After reviewing the English menu I ordered raw halibut, smoked salmon, squid, and ‘pickled bonito’ (recommended by my waitress). I decided to steer clear of the ‘liver of angler fish’, ‘very fatty tuna’, ‘internal organ of crab’, and ‘ovary of cod’. Together with a plate of shrimp tempura and two ginger ales, the sushi dinner was fantastic and it’s no wonder that the stuff has become such a hot trend in the US. Onsen bathhouses, however, might never quite make it in America.