Deutsch
Michael Fischer
When we look out the window, we see that it is pouring rain. Quickly we put our stuff in suitcases and handbags and enter the elevator. "Attention, the door will be closing!" The elevator moves downwards and we are on the first floor. "Attention, the door will be opening!" I will not miss this. "Attention, the door will be closing!"
We leave the Hotel. It is a miracle it has stopped raining! We can walk to the station without getting wet. Suddenly we hear a familiar sound: cuckoo - cuckoo - cuckoo. At the next pedestrian crossing, the audio signal for blind people is so loud that you could think blindness and hard-of-hearing always go together in Japan. I am sure I will not miss that either.
At the station, in addition to a ramp parallel to the staircase, we find an extra lift for wheelchairs. This again shows that there is more than enough done for the handicapped to make their lives easier.
It is the last time that a Japanese Rail Attendant accompanies
us to the train. He lays down a foldable ramp so that I can enter the train
easily. I should mention that the step into the railway car is so small that
the ramp would not have been necessary.
As soon as we arrive at the airport it starts raining again. It seems that Japan would like to say goodbye to us. After more than three adventurous weeks, we leave the remote and unknown country with many new impressions and experiences.
From the initial idea, until the execution of our journey to Japan, planning took nearly a year. As it turned out, the Internet offers only little information for handicapped tourists in German or English language. Finally, I found the homepage of the Wakakoma Independent Living Information Center (WILIC). This is a small and independent organization. It helps handicapped citizens in their own country, and gives advice to tourists. I asked, whether I can rent a wheelchair accessible van. In fact some larger companies offer such cars, but their home pages are only in Japanese. They suggested I contact a Swiss person who traveled through Japan, the year before, with a handicapped rental van. His experiences were not very encouraging:
The traffic in major cities is incredible. In general it is always difficult to find a parking space. Therefore, you should book hotels that have their own parking lots. Usually public transport is wheelchair accessible. You only need a car for changing hotels and for trips to the countryside. It is difficult to find the hotels as the names of the streets are written in Japanese and the car navigation system works only in Japanese. You have to pay a toll fee on many roads and bridges and you must not drive fast because of the speed limits.
Because of this information we had the idea to travel by train.
I was told that you are allowed to use all trains, (except the fastest
Shinkansen), on Japan Rail as often and as far as you want to go, with a
reasonable rail pass. The railway network is well developed and nearly always
wheelchair accessible.
In September 2007 I booked the flights for me and my three companions: my assistant Allmut, my sister Angelika and my brother-in-law Gerhard. I found a convenient travel route from Stuttgart, over Helsinki, to Osaka.
The consultant from WILIC gave me the advice to book all hotels in advance. Therefore, I had to first work out the details of our route. Then I searched for wheelchair accessible hotels in the Internet. Again it was difficult to find home pages in English language. By chance I discovered the hotel group Tokyo Inn, which offers accommodation in most of the larger towns, situated close to the station. The rooms are inexpensive, clean, simply equipped, and sufficient for us. Some of these hotels even have extra large barrier free rooms. I sent them inquiries in English and received answers; sometimes in perfect English, sometimes I could not understand the sentence at all. For example, I wrote: "Do you have enough space for my wheelchair?" and they replied, "We have enough of your wheelchair."
At the end of January 2008 I had booked all hotels, but two. An employee of the Japanese Consulate helped me with the remainder. Everything for the trip was prepared and we had only to wait for our departure.
2008-03-26: after more than eight hours in the airplane we discover the land of the rising sun. Japan is a chain of islands on the east side of Asia. The main islands are Hokaido in the north, the largest central island Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in the south. Furthermore there are a 6848 smaller islands. The country is a little bit smaller than Germany and Switzerland together. The majority of their 127 million inhabitants live at the metropolises along the coast. The main reason is that about 73% of the land is mountainous.
We land at Kansai International Airport, which is built on an artificial island in the bay of Osaka. At the beginning of the 90's whole mountains with the volume of 70 Egyptian pyramids were pulled down and the debris was thrown in the sea. An artificial island five square kilometers large was born. Every day 20.000 travelers and airport employees come and go. A four km long bridge connects the airport with the main island Honshu. It takes us one hour to reach the center of Osaka, which is 50 km away. The train passes buildings all the way: ugly concrete blocks with tiny apartments, factories and little compact Japanese houses with gently curved roofs. Sometimes it seems like we are thundering through the buildings at more than 60 km/h. More than 2.5 million people are packed in this concrete desert, which is cut apart by railways, rivers and highways.
In the evening we begin our first exploration. Our hotel is
situated close to Namba Station with its huge shopping malls on several
levels. Immediately we find a restaurant. The window display of plastic models
is typical. It shows the choice of dishes and drinks available inside. The
advantage is, that you can point at the desired thing, but often the plastic
models look a little bit disgusting. Furthermore we find these ugly plastic
stuff even on remote roads, where tourists rarely go.
Due to Allmut's experience and good knowledge of the Japanese language she can translate much of the menu and give us advice.
After dinner we stroll through the endless shopping arcades. Again and again little treats are sold on the side of the roads. Loud music escapes the gambling halls, called pachinko. Young women walk in front of us, balancing dangerously on usually too large high heeled shoes - surprisingly no one falls in front of my eyes -, their hair colored unnatural brown or blonde. The elegance of their movements shows us that Japan has to be a paradise for physiotherapists.
In a remote lane we discover a very popular temple of Osaka
called Hozen-ji. Due to their flexible faith, businessmen pray for success,
young couples pray for a happy future and old people for health. For this you
have to pour a little bit of water over a statue, which is completely covered
with moss.
The shops close late so, on their way home, sedulous buyers find 24 hours shops which sell drinks, food and other stuff.
On the following day we take the subway to Umeda station. Here three different private railway lines join together. The mall in the underground is one of the largest in the word. A labyrinth of passages connects the stations with department stores, hotels, hundreds of little shops and boutiques and uncountable big and small restaurants. Eventually we find our way out into daylight.
The Umeda Sky Building is about 1 km behind the station. Two high rise buildings, each of them with 40 floors, are connected to each other in the upper two floors. This region is 54 m times 54 m large and heavier than 1000 tonnes. In 1993 it was assembled on the ground and then pulled up with steel ropes, 35 cm per minute! Just below this bridge, two escalators run diagonally through the wide space and give the building an exceptional elegance.
From the observation deck on top (173 m high) we have a
breathtaking view of the city. Over the ocean of houses, airplanes prepare for
landing, rivers with numerous bridges cut through the chaotic town shape, and
some roads even go through buildings.
In one of the buildings is the German embassy. Here we get a translation of Gerhard's drivers licence in order to be able to rent a car.
At the next automated teller machine we try to get money with the international Visa card. It does not work. Allmut asks a passerby for help. Without further ado she accompanies us to the next bank, which is at least two kilometers away. This place is extremely crowded, so she leads us to the next automated teller machine, which is below the station. After a successful cash withdraw she shows us our platform for the way back, then the reservation desk of Japan Rail. After one hour the helpful woman leaves us. Frequently we experience this cooperativeness on our tour. However you should not look lost, when you do not need any help ...
The following morning we buy our tickets for our first excursion
by train. At the entrance gate is an extra wide access for wheelchair users.
The agent stamps our tickets and calls a colleague who then accompanies us to
the elevator and further on to the platform. There you can see signs written
in the ground where you will find the doors of each railway car of different
trains using that track. As a matter of principle all trains are exactly on
time! As soon as the door of our car opens our helper on duty lays down a
foldable ramp to make entering with the chair easier, although the gap between
the train and the platform is very small and the step inside only minimal.
After a 10 minute ride we must change trains. As soon as we want to leave our
train-car, a ramp is laid down from outside. The agent from the first station
has already informed his colleague about our journey. He takes us to our
connection train. At our destination the staff greets us and shows us the way
out. That is a standard service in Japan!
We have arrived in Nara, the old capital of the Emperor.
Therefore, you have to know that Japan was not combined as a state until the
fourth century. At that time the Shintoism was the most important religion.
Its origin and its founder is still unknown. Mainly the Shintoism is coined by
the veneration of nature, forefathers and national heroes.
In the sixth century, Buddhism made its way from Korea and China to Japan. In following centuries, this played a major role in the development of the unique culture of Japan. At that time, from the year 710 until 794, Nara was the first capital of Japan. Even today you can see the influence of Buddhism from that time.
In the Nara-koen Park there are about 1200 deer. In pre-Buddhism time they were seen as messengers of Gods. Today they are vehement beggars due to tourists who feed them regularly. It is recommended to close all of your bags and pockets that contain eatable stuff. Be careful, they even eat paper!
We discover a five-story pagoda built 1426. It is a copy of the original from 730 and is the second tallest of Japan. The pagoda of To-ji in Kyoto is only some inches taller.
We walk through the park to the temple Todai-ji, which was found
in 743. At first we arrive at the Great South Gate, Nandai-mon, with its 18
columns and its skillful roof construction. The frightening guardians were
carved in the early 13th century.
The way through the gate leads us directly to the Great Buddha, Hall Daibutsu-den. Its length is 48 m, the height is 57 m and the width is 54 m. It is the largest wooden building in the world. It is incredible that it is only a copy, from 1749, and only 2/3 the size of the original building. The huge Buddha in the hall measures 16 m and is one of the largest bronze statues in the world. It consists of 437 tons of bronze and 130 kg of gold! At the side of the colossus we seem to be very tiny.
After three days, we eventually caught on to the subway system
of Osaka, before we have to say goodbye. The friendly lady at the reception
desk of our hotel wishes us all the best for our trip. She said jokingly that
we might meet again at our next destination as she will spend the following
two days in Nagasaki.
We take the train to the Shinosaka station. It is here that the high-speed trains called Shinkansen depart. As we wait for our train we watch several groups of Sumos, who are on their way to the traditional spring competitions. They stand in the waiting hall like bulky rocks, dressed in elegant bathrobes with naked legs, in clogs with a strap over the toes, under the soles with two little cross bars for unrolling when walking, and their hair tied up. If I had such a fighter as a personal assistant, I could throw away my utilities and appliances, which make life easier for my helpers. However, I would have to invest a large part of my income in food!
Of course we are accompanied to our train compartment again. The
look of the train engine reminds me of a cross between a cigar and a rocket.
The non-subdivided passenger compartment is very spacious with a wide isle in
the middle. On each side are two rows of comfortable reclining and rotating
single seats, one after the other, each equipped with a folding table and
beverage-holder. The leg-room is impressive. Two seats are omitted to create
wheelchair space. Right on time the train starts moving. The observance of the
schedule is internationally unrivaled. The main reason is the separation of
the high-speed net, the local traffic and the cargo traffic. Regularly the
attendant walks through the compartments. As soon as the automatic door opens,
he enters and then bows. When he walks to the other end of the compartment, he
turns around, bows again and then goes out. The train stewardess, who sells
drinks and snacks over and over again, behave in the same manner.
The journey is much smoother than in a excursion train, although the maximum speed is close to 300 km/h. After just 2.5 hours we must change trains. We have already covered more than 620 km. In spite of several stops we averaged more than 240 km/h!
After another two hours, we reach Nagasaki in the evening.
When we step out of our hotel the following morning, we meet Kyoko, the nice lady from the reception desk in Osaka, together with her friend, Rieko. That is big fun!
On 9th of August, 1945 at 11:02 h an American bomber dropped an atom bomb, called Fat One, over the Mitsubishi weapons factory when just a gap opened in the clouds. The original aim was the shipyards. Although the bomb missed the planned goal by more than 2 km, (the dropping had to be controlled by radar because of thick clouds), it leveled nearly half of the town and killed about 36,000 of the 200,000 inhabitants. More than 100,000 people died as a result of radiation illnesses. In the atom bomb museum we are confronted with awful photos and reports showing every visitor, quite plainly, the brutality and futility of the atom bomb in particular, and the war in general.
Although Nagasaki has at least about 450,000 inhabitants, we meet Kyoko and Rieko again, this time at the entrance of the museum.
In the evening we celebrate our third accidental meeting, again
at a different spot, in a comfortable restaurant. Kyoko orders our dishes and
drinks and translates from Japanese to English and back again - very
practical! Our first beer shows us the enthusiastic use of automation and
technique in Japan. The waitress puts a beer glass in a machine, a grip-arm
takes the glass and tilts it about 15 °. Slowly, beer flows out of a pipe
into the glass. Briefly, before it is full, the glass is again tilted
vertically so that with the final filling some foam is generated. The grip-arm
releases the glass and the guest is served. We have so much fun with the
machine that we order one beer after another. After the main course, Gerhard
orders the dessert of the house. I think it is South Korean; an almost black
jelly-like mass with bitter aftertaste. Nobody is exalted, especially after we
find out that it is made of grated tortoise shell. It could also have been a
ground shoe sole...
The following day we rent a van. We have a lot of fun due to left-lane-driving. In most cases, when we want to turn, Gerhard operates the windshield wiper instead of the turn indicator. We drive to the Shimabara peninsula and visit the Unzen-Amakusa National Park. Mt. Unzen is an active volcano which is among the most dangerous in the country. Unzen is known primarily by its activity phase from 1989 to 1995 which ended a 197-year-old dormant period. Thousands of pyroclastic streams have reshaped the landscape since that time. Fifty people died. At first we reach a place with countless hot springs and thermal baths. Everywhere it steams and bubbles out of the ground and the air stinks terribly of sulphur. After watching films of the violent volcano eruptions of the nineties in the visitor center, we cross a pass and drive through the volcanic scenery. Far away in the dust we discover the coastal town of Shimabara.
Surveys determining which religious affiliation the Japanese
favor, regularly result in a value of over 100%. Most participants decide on
the Shintoismus as well as Buddhism. Japanese might marry in a Shinto shrine,
celebrate Christmas enthusiastically and bury their family members in the
cemetery of a Buddhist temple.
Before we leave Nagasaki we discover such a typical Buddhist cemetery cramped between buildings. The graves are magnificent with wonderful, completely plain polished slab stones. However, they are lined up close together.
Our next destination, Kumamoto, situated to the east of
Nagasaki, serves as a base for our expedition to the mountains of the Aso Kuju
National Park. This time our rental car has a navigation system, however, only
in Japanese. Nevertheless,the announcement of the directions as well as the
street numbers which are shown in Arabian figures are very helpful. The system
is so advanced that the number of lanes, together with their allowed
directions at crossroads, is indicated. If you go in reverse gear, the display
becomes the screen for the rear driving camera!
The volcano Aso is situated in the center of the island Kyushu. Its caldera is reputed to be the largest one of the world. The diameter measures between 18 and 24 km, the circumference amounts to about 128 km. The caldera was formed 300,000 to 80,000 years ago in several incredibly big eruptions. On this occasion, the whole island of Kyushu was covered with several hundred cubic kilometers of volcanic material.
Five crater cones rise in the caldera, from which only Naka-dake
is active. With the help of remote control cameras, from the visitor center,
we can look directly into the crater. After an active phase in 1995, a lake
was formed whose color reaches from emerald-green to turquoise-blue. Later, we
reach the edge of the crater by car. The viewing platforms are only 100 m away
from the opening. Unfortunately, the wind is so strong that we only view the
crater lake for fractions of seconds, which lies under climbing, stinking
clouds. The bubbling, unpredictable power of the interior of the earth
unsettles us. The concrete bunkers at the edge of the crater, which should
offer protection in case of a sudden outbreak console us only a little bit.
Kagoshima
Down south of the island Kyushu lies the seaport of Kagoshima. The weather is wonderful and sunny. In the parks of Kagoshima, we discover blue plastic mats under white and white-pink blossoming cherry trees, on which friends, colleagues or families assemble for the traditional party of the cherry blossom (Hanami) season. The happy people drink beer and sake and enjoy tasty food. The season of the cherry blossom lasts about 10 days and marks a climax in the Japanese calendar and the beginning of spring. You should know that Japanese cherry trees carry no fruit.
The main reason for our visit to this town is the fantastic view of Sakura-jima, the immense, 1120-m-high volcano on the other side of the bay. Its constant outbreaks rain ash again and again, on occasion, however, also bigger stone lumps fall down on Kagoshima. Most of the shopping streets in the town are covered with protective roofs. Usually the umbrellas are black and serve less as protection from rain as from cinder precipitation. More than half a million people live in the vicinity of 10 km around the crater. In former times the volcano was surrounded by water. During an eruption in 1910, approximately 3,000,000 t of lava radiated and produced a connection with the mainland. Only white smoke climbs from the chimney of the volcano, so we dare to visit the foot of the volcano!
The whale shark is not only the biggest of all sharks but also
the biggest fish. The longest species measured until now was 13.7 m long! In
the huge aquarium at the quay we see, beside a whale shark, many other
interesting fish, for example a sting-ray with a span of several meters.
Here I also discover the first (and until now, the only) escalator appropriate for wheel chairs. A friendly man of the staff changes the mode of the escalator using a key. It moves further on for a few more seconds, then shifts three steps to one level and stops. Now I can be pushed comfortably on the newly built platform. The escalator starts moving again. Just behind my chair a security elbow appears, so that my chair cannot roll off. On the next floor, the stair stops automatically when the platform is flush with the surface. I leave it without any steps. Afterwards,the escalator is switched to normal use. It starts moving and the platform changes again into three steps! Mitsubishi makes it possible!
We reach this small town from Miyazaki by a slow train within
half an hour. Thanks to the warm currents of the sea, here dominates the
mildest climate on the south island. We walk from the railway station through
a wonderful palm park and reach the endless sandy beach. A footbridge connects
the mainland with the principal magnet of tourism - Aoshima Island. It is
surrounded by wave-like rock formations which are orientated in parallel
formation. It is said, they are between 15 and 30 million years old. Because
of their spectacular form they are called "Washing board of the devil." The
diameter of the island is only some hundred meters. The middle is covered with
a dense betel palm wood. The fan shaped sheets are so thick that hardly any
light penetrates to the shrine situated in the center of the island.
From our room in the hotel we have a magnificent view over
Beppu. Everywhere we discover spots where steam flows out of the ground. The
new white clouds move over the small town.
More than 100,000,000 l of hot water emerge from the interior of the earth to the surface every day. More than 3000 thermal springs (onsen), and more than 160 public baths attract about 12 million tourists yearly.
We visit eight spectacular Jigoku (hells). These are springs where the water is about 100°C hot. Embedded in wonderful parks are steaming lakes. One is colored cobalt blue, the other is blood-red, the next white. Mud pots bubble out brown splashes. In one of the "hells" the hot water is used for breeding alligators. Nevertheless, the scanty, overcrowded concrete basin offers extremely cramped and unnatural living conditions for the animals. Anyway, the feeding of the animals impresses us. The alligators usually lie in the water like being dead. Now they tear away the meat lumps from their fellows, even jump out of the water!
On the edge of the springs the hot steam is used to cook eggs, tasty corncobs, sweet potatoes and full yeast dumplings.
By chance, in the center, we stumble across a large street party. Divinities in shrines are carried joyfully through the streets of the town, so that the whole municipality can receive their blessing. Presentations of drummer groups follow. They are observed enthusiastically by the spectators. Even youngsters and children appear with appropriately small drums!
Back on the main island of Honshu, we rent a car in Yamaguchi.
Again the navigation system works only in Japanese language. At the rental
office, I ask them to program our destination. When compared with our map, I
find that we are taking the shortest route. We turn onto a small road. It
becomes extremely narrow, just wide enough for the car. In Germany such roads
are called field path. Although our driver Gerhard sits on the "wrong" side",
he masters the bottleneck without causing damage to the vehicle.
In front of us we discover a hilly plateau covered with grass. Toward the
horizon, innumerable gray lime rocks stick out of the meadow like needles. Under
these picturesque mountains, (Akiyoshi-dai), there are hundreds of limestone
caves. Akiyoshi-do, the biggest cave of Japan, is accessible to the public. The
10-km-long cave developed over a period of 300,000 years. Its volume is estimated
at 420,000 m³ - my flat would fit into it 2000 times! More than 1 km is
passable. The first 700 m are free of steps. Parallel to a river, we penetrate
into the inside of the cave. Not the lime stones impress me so much, but the
extensive width which is up to 100 m is breathtaking! 
A slightly rising rock slope with thousands of small, lovely
gleaming water washbasins, which fill from terrace to terrace, reflects the
weak light. Small waterfalls rush into the depth. A fifteen-meter-high lime
stone column stands majestically at the side of the path. On the way back to
the world outside, the sunlight gleams at us from the far distance and
reflects sparkling in the river.
On the following morning we wait for our train at the railway station of Yamaguchi. In front of us lay four pair of tracks. The two outside tracks are accessible from the platforms, the two middle tracks are not. The railway station lies in a light curve of the track. The external rails of both internal ropes are raised a little bit.
Suddenly we hear a menacing rumbling and roaring. An earthquake? Explosively ear-deafening noise hits us. I turn my head and just see the end of a train which has raced with his 20 cars through the railway station! This was the quickest is, (Nozomi = hope), whose cruising speed is over 300 km/h. Nevertheless, the railway official who accompanies us with the ramp for my chair, says seriously that the train speeds merely about 250 km/h in the railway station. Our Shinkansen brings us a little more slowly, however still impressive, in 30 minutes to Hiroshima which is at least 130 km away.
Several cities of Japan offer English speaking tour guides, free of charge, who volunteer to show the guests their town and give them an understanding of their city. We meet our volunteer guide, Haruko Tamura, according to agreement at the exit of the railway station of Hiroshima. She accompanies us for several hours and gives us detailed history:
At 8:15 a.m., on the 6th of August 1945, a short moment has forever changed the history of the world. The dropping of the first atom bomb destroyed the city and claimed more than 200,000 human lives. The immediate remaining effects on Hiroshima give concrete reality to the fright of a nuclear war. In Nagasaki, the second city destroyed by an atom bomb, we were confronted only with a little history in the museum. But here, the recollections of the disaster are still very much in the minds of the living. Hiroshima was selected for the first dropping of the atom bomb because of its importance for the wartime economy. Here were relevant military depots and armament factories. After the war, it is astonishing how fast the inhabitants of Hiroshima succeeded in developing a dynamic city from the cinder again, greater and wealthier than the old industrial center at the sea. With more than 1.1 million inhabitants, today it is ranked 11 of cities with more than 1 million inhabitants in Japan!
A few days after the dropping of the bomb, the survivors already
gained courage again. One reason was the fact that the old streetcar was still
working. Today, with a little more modern streetcar, we go through the
recollections of the atomic disaster.
We leave the streetcar at the ruins of the former Hiroshima Industrial Promotion Hall with its skeleton of the dome, after which it is now called Atomic Bomb Dome. It was one of the few higher constructed buildings still remaining in part after the disaster. Almost directly above that point, the bomb exploded at 600-m height. After the war, it was decided to dedicate the dome as a memorial and thus the shocking remains are carefully preserved till this day.
Later, we go to the Peace Park which is on a nearby peninsula. There, a quiet, ceremonious atmosphere dominates. Tones of the peace bell resound through the trees. School children bring unconcerned life into the quietness. They walk around with boxes in their hands and collect material for their class projects.
At the time of the atomic bombing, Sadako Sasaki was 2-1/2 years old and grew up as an apparently healthy, athletic girl. In 1954 she suddenly fell ill with leukemia, a cancer of the blood, often appearing in survivors of the bombing.
An old Japanese legend says that the person who folds 1000 origami cranes would get a wish fulfilled from the gods. As a result, Sadako began to fold paper cranes during her 8-month hospitalization to have her wish for good health come true. After she had finished 1,000 cranes, she continued her work in hope of healing. How many cranes she actually folded until she died is unknown. Because of the history, and world-wide spread of Sadako Sasaki's story and condolences received, origami cranes became a symbol of the international peace movement and opposition to atomic war. With donations received in her name, in 1958 a monument surrounded by glass boxes was established in the Peace Park of Hiroshima for world peace and named the Children's Peace Monument. The glass boxes are regularly filled with paper cranes sent from all places in Japan. Since 1989, a commemorative event takes place each year at the end of July.
The stone monument, in the form of a turned U, contains a stone
chest with the names of victims and carries the inscription: "Rest in peace,
because this mistake will not recur!" After the awful pictures in the Peace
Museum we hope fervently that these words correspond with the truth.
The next day we visit Miya-Jima, the island of the shrines (in the western linguistic usage it is quite common to call the sanctums of the Shintoismus shrines, those of Buddhism are temples). In front of Shinto shrines stand at least one open gate (torii). After a short journey by train we see probably the most famous, huge red Torii of the Itsukushima shrine from the ferry harbor. We are in luck because, at our arrival time, the building is washed around by the tide. The 16-m-high gate seems to swim on the water. Behind it we see the shrine which rises on posts and seems to float above the sea.
The island has been used as a cultural site for a long time. The first shrine was created more than 1,000 years ago and today's buildings are mainly from the 16th Century. The gate has existed since 1168 and the last time it was rebuilt was in 1875.
We arrive just in time to see a wedding party with everyone
dressed splendidly. The face of the bride is made up in an almost white
foundation make-up, mouth and eyes are emphasized, the hair is piled up on the
back of her head. Like a doll she minces on wooden sandals, in her narrow,
splendid kimono, together with her bridegroom across the footbridge.
On our return, we realize that our platform at the railway station is accessible only via stairs. This is no problem in Japan; the railway official comes to assist with an electrically powered stairway caterpillar. He pushes the device close to the steps and folds down a ramp so that I can be pushed onto the platform with my wheel chair. Afterwards my chair and I are secured with belts and the journey begins. At first, the platform tilts to the back, then both drive belts (which remind me a little bit of a tank) slowly push me up the staircase, step by step. The inclination of the platform is automatically held steady. At the end of the staircase, my assistant is able to push me to the stairs which end at our platform. When I have finally reached my goal, two trains have already driven through. The aid is not especially quick, but extremely impressive and practical! From the train we observe how the official returns to the starting point minutes later with the caterpillar.
One of three most famous gardens of Japan is the Koraku-en in
Okayama. It was finished in 1700 and still has the appearance from that time
up to today! Blue sky and warm sunshine lures many visitors into the wonderful
park. On one side, in front of the delightfully blossoming cherry trees, under
which a white flower carpet spreads out, we discover a traditionally dressed
wedding couple for their photo shooting appointment. Behind several tea plants
a small lake lies in hilly scenery. At the horizon, the black castle rises
over Okayama. It was destroyed in the Second World War, then it was rebuilt,
nevertheless, in 1966. Gardeners stand in the brooks and clean the stones of
algae with brooms. Small wooden bridges lead to Japanese teahouses in front of
which cut trees stand, unnaturally in the form, however, harmoniously for the
eye! For several hours we enjoy the rest, not far away from the town.
The next highlight of our tour is the Seto-Ohashi, a combination of several bridges which spans the Seto Sea and connects, besides Honshu, with Shikoku. It was built between 1978 and 1988.
The structure is basically two-story. The upper deck is a highway and the lower one is a railway. All together about 296,000 kilometers of steel rope were used on the 13.1-kilometer long length, which would reach more than seven times around the earth. For the construction, 705,000 tons of steel and 3,646,000 cubic meters of concrete were needed. The bridges are constructed in a way that they can also survive typhoons and earthquakes. The average height of the bridge pylons amounts to 200 meters.
We want to take part in a trip to the bridge in a small boat. Unfortunately, my wheel chair is too wide and I have to remain ashore. But Angelika and Gerhard do not miss out on this technical masterpiece. Though they do not understand the Japanese explanation which clang out of the loudspeaker, Gerhard takes photos of every view and every detail of the bridge extensively, so that, after the trip, I can nevertheless admire the achievement of architecture at that time.
To the east of Osaka lies the small town Ise, known to have the holiest of the Shinto shrines in Japan. The shrine was founded in the 4th century and exists of approximately 200 buildings. These are newly established every 20th year, due to a Shintoism custom. We are unlucky because it rains heavily and therefore the visitation is canceled.
On our stroll through the town, we find a comfortable restaurant in a residential area. The ordering of our food is uncomplicated as we are merely asked whether we prefer meat or crustacean. Of course I try Ise-ebi, the local crawfish speciality. A look at the wine list surprises us as fine French wines are offered. Later, we learn from the cook that he was for more than one year, trained in French cooking in Brussels. We enjoy a French-Japanese menu with at least seven courses. It tastes excellent, even if - like often in Japan - our well-chosen wine is a unique specimen and, hence, we have to change grape and cultivation area with the next bottle. Unfortunately, I am already full before the desert is served so that I can eat nothing more.
The next day we travel through close wooded mountains, past picturesque bays, before which countless small islands rise from the sea and arrive in Toba. Here Kokichi Mikimoto succeeded in breeding the first real pearl in 1893 after many fruitless approaches. On Pearl Island we can see all the stations of the development from the young oyster to the pearl.
The pearl cultivation is a highly sensitive craft. From one
million oysters, only 270,000 are left for the pearl cultivation after 3
years. Sixty percent of these die before the pearl harvest and only few of
them produce pearls of the highest quality.
In former times the oysters grew on the seabed in front of the coast in several meters of depth. Divers (ama) collected the mussels for implantation of the pearl nucleus and after the ripening period for harvesting. They show us the traditional method. Today the breeding oysters grow in nets swimming below wooden grates, for one-half year to one and one-half years. Then they are ripe for determining the delicate procedure of the "tama-ire", the implantation of the nucleus. In water temperatures less than 15 degrees the oysters do not begin to transform the foreign body to a pearl. Most activity will take place at the temperature of 18 to 25 degrees. If the water becomes too cold or if a storm comes, the swimming breeding arrangements are brought into a warmer or better protected bay.
After years of laborious care, when the oyster has survived all natural dangers and has covered the nucleus with up to 1000 fine layers of Aragonit a wonderful pearl is harvested! This naturally also explains the high value of flawless pearls!
We reach the last stage of our tour. The new railway station in Kyoto, finished in 1997, is a railway-technical masterpiece of the most modern state. Thus the rails are arranged partly one over another. The Shinkansen platforms are at the second level, the subway in the underground and other railway lines in between. The building is approximately 470 m long and up to 15 floors high. The architecture is optimized in the hot summer climate and the rainy season. The large foyer, which is roofed by an imposing glass construction, works like an open cathedral.
When we look at this modern building, we do not believe we are in the center of the traditional Japanese culture. The bombardments of the Second World War have destroyed almost every city in Japan. Nevertheless, Kyoto with its 1600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto Shrines, palaces and gardens was spared.
The accumulation of cultural places of interest originates in the fact that Kyoto was officially the capital of Japan, and the residence of the emperor, during nearly 1100 years, from 794 to 1866. Of course the town has been struck in the course of the centuries over and over again by earthquakes, floods, fires and wars. The original constructions were moved, changed and increased, so that they often show a mosaic of different historical periods. Only few buildings are older than 400 years. However, a lot of replicas of older original monuments were reproduced, faithful to the old style.
Again, I have engaged a local expert to give us an understanding
of the foreign culture a little bit. Already, after our first e-mail contact,
I was inspired with the enthusiasm that Masako prepared our day with. She
researched where low rise busses operate. She investigated the accessibility
of different temples with the wheel chair, measured door widths and a lot
more.
When we arrive at our hotel, already dear news greeted us from Masako: "Welcome to Kyoto! See you tomorrow morning 11:00 a.m. in the hotel!"
After saying hello she shows us our day route on the city map. Everything was prepared very well and organized in detail! At first we go to Nijo-jo, the castle by bus. It was built in 1626 as a residence of the Tokugawa Shogun. We visit the Ninomaru palace which is larger than 3300 m² and was built almost completely of cypress wood. The construction serves as an excellent example of the social control which is reflected in its architecture. Visitors of low rank were received in the external, simple rooms. On the other hand, high-ranking guests were led further inside where the more splendid rooms lay.
Marvelous gold leaf decor and wonderful wooden carvings were put
on display with the intent to impress the visitor with the power and the
wealth of the Shogun. The sliding doors, coverings and walls of every space
are decorated with mural paintings.
To protect the inhabitants of the building against intruders, the floors were constructed so that they squeak like quiet twittering of birds. Hence, it is called affectionately "Nightingale Floor".
Probably the best known temple is Rokuon-ji with its pavilion, kinkaku. The steel-blue sky and golden walls of this splendid building are reflected in the lake lying in front of it. The view is gorgeous! The buildings on the temple area were established in 1397 and served originally as a residence for the Shogun when he was old. In 1950, the pavilion was burned down by an envious Buddhist monk who could not endure so much beauty. The pavilion was rebuilt in 1955 and, since 1994, now belongs to the world cultural heritage.
The third station of our excursion leads us to Ninna-ji. This is
a huge Buddhist temple complex which was built in the year 888. The fiercely
looking guard figures at the splendid gate are the best of that kind. We look
from the temple across a delightfully invested garden and see a pagoda which
shines in the warm post-midday sun.
Not only has Masako looked after us all day long but her husband also did a lot for us. We came together in the evening, in a restaurant situated close to our hotel, that he had selected that afternoon. Of course it is barrier free. Together we celebrate the end of our journey to Japan. We drink beer out of jugs which really contain 1 litre! We enjoy tasty dishes of fish, meat, and noodles and we drink wine and enjoy that we have found such helpful friends.
The next day we go to the railway station by bus. There we hear the announcement, "Attention, the doors shut!" A little bit later, "Attention, the bus turns left at the following crossroad..." I will not miss this! But, the organized cooperation, the cultural monuments, the nature and scenery, the readiness to help and the friendliness and, a lot more will not soon be forgotten.
The map shows the west of the main island Honshu and the two larger, southern islands Shikoku and Kyushu. The main stations of our travel are shown in the map:
International Tourism
Center of Japan
Japan
National Tourist Organization (JNTO)
List
of Volunteer Guides
Toyoko Inn
WILIC
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Rikai.com to learn Japanese Kanji or as a Japanese Dictionary
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