Odysseys Unlimited prides itself on the “Unique Experiences” it provides to travelers. I certainly enjoyed these experiences. Some of these experiences, such as visits to a Sake Brewery, a traditional Japanese washi papermaking place, and the 16th-century craft of applying gold leaf to objects (where we each made a bowl), were enjoyable but did not provide exceptional photographic opportunities. Other experiences were both fascinating and provided good pictures, and I will describe these here.
On our first day in Tokyo, we visited the gallery of preeminent calligrapher Koshun Masunaga. Koshun described this ancient art of artistic writing and showed us some of her artwork.
This is Mount Fuji.
Cyclists for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Shohei Ohtani.
She then demonstrated the craft by creating art for us.
Here is a video of her at work.
She asked for volunteers, and with her guidance, two members of our group created their own works of art with her guidance.
The Tokyo National Museum has an incredible collection of ancient art.
The garden at the museum was spectacular.
We left Tokyo by bus and headed towards Mount Fuji. It is the highest mountain in Japan.
It is revered as a sacred site in both Shinto and Buddhist traditions, and its perfect conical shape and snow-capped peak have made it inspirational for artists and poets.
Our guide was concerned that viewing the peak would be obscured by cloud cover, but then, magically, the clouds shifted, allowing a view from the Mount Fuji Visitor Center.
Here is a picture of my friends Knute and Mazal at Mount Fuji.
Since there are so many visitors to Mount Fuji, the area has many hotels, restaurants, and attractions. Before we arrived at Mount Fuji, from the bus window I got this photo of an amusement park with Mount Fuji in the background. This reminded me of all the amusement parks near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
We spent the night in traditional ryokan lodgings in the mountain town of Hakone. A ryokan is “a traditional Japanese inn that provides a unique and immersive cultural experience. It’s more than just a place to sleep; it’s an opportunity to experience Japanese hospitality and culture, with features like tatami-matted rooms, onsen hot springs, and traditional meals.”
The meal we had was delicious, but I must confess I found the traditional furniture uncomfortable.
I loved Takayama and Kanazawa, both historic cities, without the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. We attended a Traditional Japanese tea ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Takayama. This ceremony dates back to the 12th century and involves a ritualized method of preparing green tea, known as Matcha. Exact hand movements are required in each step, including measuring the powdered green tea, pouring the hot water, mixing the ingredients with a specific whisk, and rotating the tea bowl when presenting it to a guest, as well as admiring and rotating the tea bowl before drinking.
The procedure was fascinating, and our teacher asked for volunteers to prepare tea for others. I volunteered and learned that whisking the tea required vigorous wrist action. Photos of me, taken by others in the group.
We also had specific tea cakes, made with matcha.
One of the highlights of the trip was the Hida Cooking Class in Takayama. We made Dashi Broth, Ajigohan (a rice and vegetable dish), Koroimo (fried small potatoes), Spinach Dressed with Egoma, Miso Soup, Fried Eggplant, and Matcha Jerry for dessert.
We put our lunch into a Bento Box, minus the dessert and the soup. The recipes we used are available online HERE.
The cooking class was a lot of fun. Of course, I took pictures. Here are five of them.
There were 21 good photos that I shared with the group, and people enjoyed them. I was asked how I get such good pictures, and I answered, “I take a lot of photos, and end up discarding most of them. If I am lucky, I get a few good ones.” I was then asked how many pictures I took at the cooking class; I checked, and it was more than 200. I figure a 10% success rate is pretty good.
We visited a house in a small village in the Ogimachi district, the Iwaseke Residence. The 5-floor Gassho-style structure (with a steep thatched roof) was built more than 300 years ago, and originally had 35 family members living there. The couple currently living there support themselves by giving lectures and tours, demonstrating traditional musical instruments, selling souvenirs, and maintaining the museum on the attic floors. They were very entertaining!
In Kanazawa, we visited the Kutani Kosen kiln, where we learned about traditional methods to make pottery. An individual piece can take weeks to make, with multiple firing steps and hand painting. The pottery was true works of art, with corresponding prices!
I really enjoyed the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design (also known as the Fureaikan). Interesting objects, along with displays demonstrating traditional methods. And any place that has a cat icon in their logo is okay by me!
I certainly enjoyed the trip to Japan!