Ancient Kyoto

There have been quite a few times while traveling when I’ve realized that a particular culture is much more impressive than I ever realized. For the Japanese culture, that moment came for me while wandering through the meticulously cared for temples and gardens of ancient Japanese Zen masters this morning.

A quick ride on the shinkansen took me from Hiroshima to Kyoto this morning and I headed straight for the temple of Tenryu-ji, where I began my self-guided tour of the ancient city. Tenryu-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple near the hills on the outskirts of Kyoto and was originally built in 1339. For about an hour I wandered through the minimalist Japanese temple and the Japanese gardens that were so surreal they could have come from ‘Alice and Wonderland’. Outside the grounds of the temple was a huge grove of bamboo stalks that must have been 50 or 60 feet tall each. During my visit I imagined the ancient shoguns that must have used the place and thought to myself, ‘these guys really knew how to live’.

Although the Lonely Planet book recommends that those with only one day to spend in Kyoto spend their time in the Southern Higashiyama section of the city, I was determined to cram as many temple visits as possible in to make the most of my brief stop in Japan. After Tenryu-ji came Ninna-ji, featuring a five-story pagoda and equally impressive temples and gardens. Ryoan-ji, my next stop, featured a Japanese rock garden that apparently was the first of its kind and is the most recognized rock garden in the world. The brochure I was given at the entrance says that ‘It is up to each visitor to find out for himself what the garden signifies. The longer you gaze at it, the more varied your imagination becomes.’ The garden was interesting, but I must not have gazed long enough. To me, at the end of the day it’s still just a bunch of rocks. Kinkaku-ji, originally built in 1397, was the last of my stops in the Kyoto suburbs and features a spectacular gold-leaf-covered temple that is one of the most recognized sights in Japan. I circled the perimeter of the pond at the temple and enjoyed the classic Japanese views with a hoard of enthusiastic Japanese first graders who were just as excited to see the place for themselves. People have been enamored with Kinkaku-ji for generations; in 1950 a young Japanese monk was so obsessed with the temple that he burned it to the ground. Fortunately the building was meticulously reconstructed in 1955 for future visitors to enjoy.

To finish off my day I headed down to Southern Higashiyama and spent a couple of hours enjoying the most famous neighborhood in Kyoto. Narrow cobblestone streets guide visitors past eclectic Japanese shops and cafes, and surrounding the district on all sides are various temples and gardens that date back to the 14th century. Chion-in was my first stop and was memorable for having massive buildings for Buddhist worship. It also is the site where a famous priest named Honen fasted to death and is immortalized by a portrait in the main hall. Kodai-ji, the next temple along Higashiyama’s cobblestone path, features more impressive Japanese gardens, bamboo, and ‘teahouses designed by the renowned master of the tea ceremony, Sen-no-Rikyu’. Finally, the last temple of the day was Kiyomizu-dera, first built in 798 and now a huge gathering place for the touristy crowds of Higashiyama. Altogether I enjoyed every place I visited in Kyoto, but I don’t quite understand why everything I read about the city recommends that visitors head to Southern Higashiyama. The greatest stuff in Kyoto, in my opinion, are the varied temples and palaces in the far-flung outskirts of the city. To me, avoiding the crowds and seeing the most authentic sights is the best of both worlds.

Towards the end of the day I headed downtown to Musashi Sushi, a ‘conveyor-belt sushi’ joint recommended in my Lonely Planet books. The place reminded me of a 1950’s era ice cream shop, except that everyone was Japanese and instead of ice cream and milkshakes, a narrow conveyor guided servings of sashimi, sushi, and miso soup along the edge of the bar. Each plate cost ¥137 (about $1.50), and I pulled plates of raw octopus, salmon, tuna, and squid off the conveyor until my belly was full. I definitely got the impression that Musashi Sushi is a ‘budget’ establishment, but conveyor-sushi is a quirky aspect of Japanese culture that I absolutely had to experience.

To top off the day I stopped by a pachinko parlor that I passed while heading back from downtown. I really don’t know anything about pachinko except that it’s a colorful Japanese casino game with tiny metal balls, and that I remember seeing a show about Weird Al in Japan when I was nine years old and I’m pretty sure he spent a lot of time in pachinko parlors. Pachinko is as close as you can get to gambling without technically gambling. The machines are brightly lit hybrids of pinball and slots, and in the chaos of flashing neon lights, artificial electronic music, and the raw enthusiasm that exemplifies the pachinko parlor, the idea is to end up with more metal balls than you started with. Unfortunately my ¥500 worth of balls lasted me about 25 seconds and my pachinko experience was over. If too much pachinko turns a man into Weird Al, though, then maybe it’s better that I headed in a little early for the night.

Bullet Train to Hiroshima

After touching down in Tokyo at 5:30 last night I rushed through immigration and customs to the JR train terminal at Tokyo's Narita Airport, determined to travel as far west as possible before the trains shut down for the night. Until yesterday I had only seen bullet trains, or shinkansen as the Japanese call them, in pictures and TV shows. Actually riding one for the first time was a pretty good rush, and I enjoyed every moment as the train ramped up to speed after each stop and hauled along the wide banking turns. I passed through suburban Tokyo and stared out at the endless streets filled with neon signs and giant concrete apartment buildings. The train stopped in Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, among other Japanese cities. As I headed toward Himeji, the stop I'ｄ get off at, I mapped out the route I was taking in my guide book. I added up the miles and divided by the number of hours it would take me to get to Himeji, and I figure the train I was on must have been traveling at least 150 MPH. Imagine a train that could take you from Salt Lake to Las Vegas in less than three hours and that's about what it's like to ride a Japanese shinkansen.

I forgot how much I love traveling. After my train pulled into Himeji I walked through the deserted city streets searching for a place to crash for the night. It's such a thrill to me to suddenly be half-way around the world wandering through a completely foreign city at midnight with no idea where I'ｍ going to sleep. As crazy as that sounds, things always work out. I found a cheap ｂusiness hotel　and for only ￥5000 I got my own room that was perfectly clean with a decent bathroom and hot-water shower. Even when things don'ｔ work out it's still an adventure. The worst situation I'ｖe ever been in was getting stranded in Pisa, Italy at 2:00 in the morning, and even that wasn'ｔ such a big deal. After wandering through the city to check out the Leaning Tower I spent a few hours sleeping on the concrete floor of train station with some friends I was traveling with, and by 7:00 the next morning we were back at our hotel in Florence.

Himeji Castle is widely known as the most spectacular medieval Japanese castle, and it was a great way to start off my month long trip through Asia. The castle was built in 1580 and features five stories, impressive tiered roofs and whitewashed walls, and countless features that allowed warriors on the inside to attack oncoming invaders. I spent about an hour wandering through the dark wooden interior. I stopped to look at several different exhibits, including ancient Japanese armor, guns and spears that were used at the castle during the 16th century, and artistic renditions of Japanese warriors defending their homeland. My favorite part of the visit was the amazing views that could be seen out of the windows of the castle. One particular room had giant windows on all sides, some of which opened up into an ancient courtyard and others that featured sweeping views of the city of Himeji.

I love Japanese food. In the US it seems like every last Japanese restaurant is dedicated to serving sushi, but there are so many other incredible things to eat over here. It's nice that there are cheap fast-food places in Japan that serve legitimate Japanese dishes. I stopped at one such place after visiting Himeji Castle this morning and had a giant bowl of rice, shrimp and vegetables covered in tempura, miso soup, and a tiny plate with a mysterious pickled vegetable that I could only bring myself to eat one bite of. Eating a cheaper meal in the afternoon means that I'ｌｌ be able to splurge on a real Japanese feast at night.

Another ride on the shinkansen took me to Hiroshima this afternoon. As I left the train station and waited for a bus that would take me downtown and old Japanese lady approached me and motioned that I was waiting for the wrong bus (everything was in Japanese, I had no idea). The lady pointed me to the correct stop, then made sure that I got on the right bus. Everyone here in Japan is incredibly friendly and incredibly respectful, and this lady was no exception. As I thanked her for helping me she smiled and bowed her head like everyone does over here. While riding the bus into town I realized that the lady was old enough to have been alive during the time when the bomb was dropped. She must have known I was American, as American travelers stick out pretty much wherever they go. I couldn'ｔ help but wonder if she lived near Hiroshima in 1945 and saw the terrible devastation that took place.

The Peace Memorial Museum, also known as the A-bomb Museum, is partly dedicated to campaigning for worldwide nuclear disarmament and partly dedicated to depicting the terrible effects of the atomic blast. One exhibit informed visitors that every time a nuclear weapons test has taken place since 1945 the administrators of the test have received a letter of protest from the mayor of Hiroshima. Copies of hundreds of the letters were displayed on the wall. Another exhibit depicted what life would be like during a nuclear war; informing visitors about ｎuclear winter, starvation resulting from food shortages, and worldwide radiation poisoning spread by radioactive soot circulating throughout the world.

Towards the end of the museum I passed several gruesome exhibits that candidly displayed the effects of the pressure wave, 3000-degree temperatures, and radiation caused by the blast. Some of the exhibits were relatively mild, including chunks of sand from ground zero that had been turned to glass by the blast, watches from victims that had stopped at 8:15 AM (the time of day when the bomb was dropped), and ceramic roof tiles that had melted and fused together like lumps of lava as a result of the searing heat. One exhibit was particularly disturbing for me. It was an old tricycle that had been disfigured and charred black during the blast. The father of the boy riding the tricycle originally buried the old toy with his four-year-old son, hoping that somehow he would be able to use it in the hereafter.

I spent about an hour wandering past several monuments in the Peace Memorial Park and circling the A-bomb Dome, a building near ground-zero that partially survived the blast and has been preserved in the condition that it was in after the explosion.

Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant called Kroud. I read in my guidebook that most restaurants in Japan aren'ｔ tailored to cater to tourists and this one was certainly the case with Kroud. My waiter brought out one of the chefs, who spoke some broken English, and with his help I ordered a plate of sashimi and a bowl of okonomiyaki a regional dish typically found in Hiroshima. I loved the fact that everything about the restaurant was authentic, from the food to the lack of English-speaking staff to the ambiance that reminded me of the interior of the medieval Japanese castle that I visited this morning.

I'ｖe always wondered how authentic Japanese food compares to what is served in the United States. Is the stuff I eat at Happy Sumo analogous to a Taco Bell variation of Mexican food, or is it more like Red Iguana？ After one meal at a real Japanese restaurant in Japan, I'ｖe decided that Japanese restaurants in America serve reasonably authentic food. With that said, the stuff over here is of better quality and there are plenty of dishes available that aren'ｔ offered in America simply because nobody would order them. I don'ｔ think I'ｖe ever seen okonomiyaki, for example, on a menu in a Japanese restaurant in America. Americans probably wouldn'ｔ order a bowl of shredded fried eggs over cooked cabbage topped with a tangy Japanese sauce. In Hiroshima, though, I thoroughly enjoyed my okonomiyaki and would probably even order it in the US if I could find it in any restaurant.

Asian Invasion 2009

April 24th I fly to Tokyo to begin a month of wanderings through Asia. I'll spend a week in Japan, three in Indonesia, and a few days in South Korea. May 24th I'll arrive back in Salt Lake City, and the next day I'll head to New York for the rest of the summer.

Anyone interested in last year's travels can read about them here: 2008epic.blogspot.com

NYC

Alright, this one is is long overdue, but here are a few pics from my trip to New York City a few weeks back...

42nd St & 7th Ave... Times SquareTaxis at Times SquareTimes SquareHad to get at least one picture of myself in The CityThe Empire State Building as seen from Rockefeller CenterManhattan skyline at sunsetStatue of Liberty

Other highlights included the following:

-Watching the Broadway show 'Wicked' from the third row
-Visiting Citibank HQ the day the company nearly went bankrupt
-Spending a few hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
-Chowing down on the best bagels I've ever had in my life
-Staying at a $30 hostel in Harlem and sharing a room with a giant Brazillian dude named Bruno

The 10 Best Places in the World

Alright, it's late at night and I'm bored and can't sleep, so why not blow an hour posting stuff on the blog?

I spent some time this weekend thinking over what my favorite places in the world are and I came up with this list of ten spots I've visited during the last few years. Before I start with the commentary I should mention that this list is at least a little bit biased and subjective, possibly inaccurate due to my half-conscious state at 1:00 in the morning, and definitely subject to change at any time.


10: Semuc Champey, Guatemala

Crystal clear pools of water streaming down a natural limestone bridge at the base of a giant jungle-covered canyon make Semuc Champey one of the greatest natural wonders I've ever visited. It doesn't hurt that hardly anybody knows about this place either. On the day I visited there were about ten other people there.



9: Delphi, Greece

If it's good enough for the Greeks then it's good enough for me. In ancient times the inhabitants of Greece believed that Delphi was the most beautiful place in the world and built a small civilization on the spot complete with an in-house oracle. Visiting during the off-season was perfect timing as the crowds were thin and the weather was perfectly cool. A cafe down the road serves mouth-watering Greek salad with a slab of feta cheese on top to go with a plate of tasty souvlaki.



8: Snowbird, Utah

What other ski resort can boast 400" of the world's best snow annually, the greatest terrain in the Rockies, and the longest legitimate ski season in North America? As far as I'm concerned there's no better way to spend a Saturday than by cruising up to Snowbird with the music blasting in my Honda Accord, getting a few world-class runs in, and picking up a hot chocholate at 7-11 on my way back home.



7: Venice, Italy

Show up at 5:30 in the morning and you'll have the entire city to yourself. Wandering through the maze of Venetian alleyways just before sunrise was possibly my favorite moment of my month-long trip through Europe in 2005. The city isn't quite so romantic though once the cruise ships pull up at around 9:00.



6: Taj Mahal, India

This is one that really lives up to the hype. Watching the sun come up over the Taj Mahal was one of the most jaw-dropping experiences I've had while traveling. The symmetry and proportions of the building are so impressive that I spent hours taking pictures and walked in circles around the thing until my feet hurt.



4: Machu Picchu, Peru

While visiting this ancient Incan civilization in the heart of the Andes, just about everyone asks themselves, "How in the world did those guys get all this stuff up here!?" One thing was obvious to me when I saw Machu Piccu for the first time - the Incas picked that specific location for a reason. Like Delphi, this might be one of the most beautiful spots on earth.



4: Varanasi, India

People-watching doesn't get any better than in Varanasi. During the course of two hours I sat with holy men on the banks of the Ganges as they smoked the "holy herb", watched hoards of Indian women in colorful sarees wash their sins away in the river, and witnessed a Hindu cremation at sunset from start to finish.



3: Kruger National Park, South Africa

About three months ago I found myself on a dirt road thirty miles from the nearest civilization surrounded by a herd of seven potentially belligerant elephants. Where else could something like that happen but at Kruger; South Africa's premiere wild game park? During my two-day self-guided safari at Kruger I also spotted many herds of giraffes, more zebras, gazelles, warthogs, hyenas, and buffalo than I can count, and two very lazy rhinos.



2: Angkor Wat, Cambodia

One of my favorite days ever while traveling was my first day at Angkor Wat. Forty-eight hours into my first ever solo trip overseas I climbed through countless giant caverns of Cambodian ruins, watched saffron-clad Buddhist monks worship in the ancient temples, and came face-to-face with giant, intricate Khmer carvings. In the subject line of my e-mail home that night, I wrote, "Is this for real!!!???"



1: Bhutan

One of the most intriguing aspects of Bhutan, besides the fact that the culture is one of the best-preserved in the world, the King measures the country's success in terms of "Gross National Happiness" (GNH), and marijuana plants grow absolutely everywhere - yet are not used for smoking, is that so few people have been to the country to tell about it. My favorite quote of the trip came from Tenzin, my Bhutanese guide; "Tourism is really picking up this year... we expect to have over 20,000 visitors."

T-Shirt or Horchata?

I made this t-shirt design for the BYU MBA program and was so proud of it that I thought I'd post it on the blog to humor myself.