Japan

Other traveller reviews on Japan

2010-02-04T11:49:00Z

Read Japan travel reviews by other travellers from our friends at bugbitten.

Spiritual Japan

2009-02-28T11:28:00Z

Spiritual salvation in Kumano has long involved plenty of blisters.

As we ascended a 12th-century stone-pitched footpath through mossy forests Brad, my hiking companion, told me about the ancient Yamabushi who used to test themselves in these mountains.

“They’d march through winter, eat little, and chant mantras,” he said. “But if they became sick and slowed the others down, they’d be expected to hurl themselves off the nearest cliff.”

This was going a little too far.

Yet ever since the 8th-century, pilgrims have endured many hardships seeking out a trio of grand shrines hidden deep in the Kii Peninsula forests on Japan’s Honshu Island.

The shrines grew from the worship of local forest spirits and the region of Kumano became renowned all over Japan as the place to find eternal salvation.

Pilgrims, from emperors to peasants, hiked from Kyoto for 40 days using footpaths known as the Kumano Kodo, to worship at the three shrines.

These days, Kumano retains its mystique and offers a rare glimpse into the spiritual and historical underbelly of the most advanced technological society in the world.

The Japanese still come to worship here, albeit mostly by coach.

But for the adventurous, the network of ancient footpaths has scarcely changed in a thousand years, and you can spend weeks hiking between the grand shrines, enjoying hot spring onsens and traditional inns serving delicious food en route.

It took me half a day to reach Kumano from Osaka by high-speed train.

Journeying down Kii Peninsula’s coastline was wildly pretty: canopies of emerald forest jutted into black sandy bays fringed by a cobalt-blue ocean.

The grand shrines were striking. I first visited Hongu Taisha: a 9th-century shrine rebuilt after a flood in 1891.

Its immense 34m red-lacquered torii (gate) can be seen kilometres away and draws coach-loads of Japanese visitors.

The beat of a thunderous drum, clouds of incense, and the clanging of bells rung by devotees before an open-fronted hall with a trimmed bark roof created a frisson of excitement.

The shrine priests were almost as colourful as the shrine, clad in mint-green and white robes with black-lacquered clogs and hats that resembled fruit pastilles.

For my first few days I walked a few shorter sections of the Kumano Kodo and invariably followed the paths with ubiquitous onsens where I could stop for a dip along the way.

The River Kawayu onsen was quite superb.

The river bubbles with luxurious warm water and bathers dig small shallows in the gravel to enjoy a very public bath.

I wandered down to the river in the yukata robe I had borrowed from a nearby local ryokan (inn), where I had stayed in a traditional Japanese room with a futon mattress spread across straw tatami floor mats.

After my soak, I sampled kaiseki ryori.

These intricately prepared meals are worth the splurge.

The individual dishes are sculpted works of art: from delicate raw fish and miso soup to tempura prawns and beef boiled in a sesame sauce.

Food had never tasted better.

This prepared me perfectly for a full day’s hike between the grand shrines of Hongu to Nachi.

We began at 5am for a 12-hour journey on one of the Kumano Kodo’s toughest sections known locally as Nakahechi.

Breaking dewy cobwebs across the trail, Brad and I hiked up mountainsides thickly forested with maples, camphor trees and leviathan cypresses strung with lichen trailing like old men’s beards.

The drums of Hongu drifted on the wind.

There were lots of ancient reminders of the trail’s halcyon days.

We passed oji (small shrines dedicated to forest deities), poetry-inscribed pillars, and dilapidated teahouses that once revived weary pilgrims.

It was hard going.

An ascent up ancient stone steps beyond Koguchi village made me breathless; the slippery descent afterwards left my knees begging for mercy.

When we eventually hobbled into the magnificent Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine just before dark, I sensed something of the awe generations of pilgrims would have experienced on their arrival.

Nachi is not only a Shinto shrine but is also located besides a magnificent Buddhist temple, in which (after a night’s sleep at the monastery lodgings) we attended a morning ceremony given by lime green-robed monks.

The temple was inspired by the nearby Nachi Waterfall, which at 133m is Japan’s highest. Yamabushi, explained Brad, immersed themselves in its freezing waters for purification.

But for me, nirvana represented a hot onsen bath and a delicious temple meal.

Japan's great outdoors

Dive Okinawa

Subtropical seas of Japan’s southernmost Ryukyu archipelago make for great diving. Snorkelling and sea-kayaking (pictured left) are also highly recommended.

Shimanami sea cycle

A bizarre yet fun cycling route takes bikers across the inland sea, hopping between Honshu and Shikoku Islands via massive suspension bridges. I cycled the 77km trip in a day but it’s more relaxing to take two. See kancycling.com/shimanami.

Climb Mount Fuji

Scaling Mount Fuji (3776m) can only be undertaken between late July-late August. Organised two-day summit trips start from £120. See hisexperience.jp.

Snowboard hokkaido

There’s awesome powder on Hokkaido Island in November-April. Soak in an onsen after a day on the slopes. See seejapan.co.uk/winter.

Shinto in a nutshell

To outsiders, Japanese Shintoism is shrouded in mystery because it bears little resemblance to organised religions we’re used to.

Shintoism pre-dates Buddhism in Japan (which arrived around AD550) by many centuries.

It has no single all-powerful god, just thousands of local deities inspired by nature; no single holy place like Mecca, but thousands of public shrines; and there is no definitive spiritual text like the Bible, but written stories about the exploits of deities.

Roughly translated, Shinto means ‘way of the gods’.

It reveres natural objects, believing anything from trees to rocks possesses a spiritual nature.

When visiting a typical Shinto shrine you’ll pass through the torii gate, which represents crossing into the realm of the gods.

Pilgrims wash their mouths and hands in a fountain before entering.

Worshippers then stop before open-faced halls, ring a bell to wake the spirits, bow twice, drop money into an offertory box and clap several times before withdrawing for the inevitable photo.

Some purchase a small wooden tablet, an ema, and write a wish to bring good fortune.

More for your yen

There is a lingering perception that Japan is prohibitively expensive. Sure, it’s not dirt cheap, but once you’re there it can be done on a reasonable budget without compromising the experience. Check out japan-cheap-travel.com for tips.

FOOD

It’s easy to eat cheaply and well in Japan for as little as £5-£8 per meal.

TRAVEL

If you’re planning to travel extensively, invest in a JR (Japanese Railways) rail pass. See japanrailpass.net.

ACCOMMODATION

Youth hostel dorms are around £20 per night, but consider the greater authenticity of Japanese-style accommodation such as minshuku (B&Bs) or ryokan (inns): They can start from around £25-£50 per night. See ryokan.or.jp. Coffin-like capsule hotels for those untroubled by claustrophobia start at around £20 per night.

Hanami – cherry blossom viewing

2009-02-16T14:07:00Z

What: Hanami – cherry blossom viewing

Where: Japan

When: March-April

The Japanese go crazy for their national flower, the cherry blossom, which comes into bloom in spring. It’s a great time to visit the country, especially Kyoto and Yoshino.

See www.jnto.go.jp

Weird and wonderful Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan

2008-08-15T11:50:00Z

When The Hair’s ready, someone pumps up the rock ’n’ roll and the clones begin to move to the music, flicking their legs and snaking their hips while their hair stays frozen in time.

Ten metres away, a rival stereo plays and a stern-looking woman in sunglasses and a ’50s prom dress leads a shambolic dance crew to Let’s Twist Again. Caught in the middle of a dance-off we turn from group to group, not quite sure where to focus, but certain we’ve found the best free entertainment in Tokyo.

These are the last takenoko-zoku (meaning bamboo shoot kids, because they just sprang up in the ’80s) of Harajuku. In the mid-’90s authorities decided to drive them away from their stomping ground of Jingu bridge, but the takenoko-zoku simply relocated, and every Sunday they continue to gather, just round the corner.

In their place, a much stranger crowd appeared — the cosplay-zoku, meaning costume play gang. Now, on the bridge from Harajuku station you’ll find goth lolitas, maids, nurses, cross-players (men dressed as women), anime characters and, when we were there, someone dressed as a turtle.

It’s polite to ask, but most cosplayers will happily pose for photos — for many it’s the whole point. “Do you know anyone who does this?” I ask my guide Yuca Suzuki, in between overloading my camera’s memory card. “No”, she replies, shaking her head vigorously. “This isn’t normal.” Despite Gwen Stefani making the look mainstream with her Harajuku Girls, cosplay is still very much counter-culture.

The alternative vibe starts at Harajuku’s most memorable street Takeshita-dori. A world away from the sleek shopping malls and designer stores of Omote-sando, it’s lined with independent shops selling everything from macaroon pendants to goth gear. Sandwiched between pink ice cream parlours and crêpe stalls you’ll find risqué underwear boutiques and trainer shops blasting out hip-hop. And among the crowds of tourists and Tokyo teens, saunters the odd geisha girl or fetish fiend.

At the end of the street it’s a short walk to Harajuku station and the cosplay bridge, then it’s on to Yoyogi Park for the rockabillies and from there things continue on a surreal bent.

“It’s like Britain’s Got Talent, in a park,” says one of our group, as we pass indie bands, dance troupes, bongo drummers and a man making elaborate sculptures out of balloons. “Harazooku,” quips another.

It seems only right that in Tokyo, where the madness of modern living is tempered by the traditions of old, that 10 minutes away from this alfresco entertainment lies the largest Shinto shrine in the city, Meiji Jingu, dedicated to the emperor, who reigned from 1868 until 1912. The closer you get, the more the counter culture craziness fades, absorbed by the towering cypress trees, which line the path. By the time you reach the entrance, a huge, wooden torii (gate), the atmosphere is serene.

The shrine was built in 1920 (and rebuilt in 1958 after World War II). Shinto shrines (for Japan’s native religion) are usually less elaborate than Buddhist temples and Meiji is no exception — its simplicity adding to the feeling of retreat.

The main courtyard is flanked by buildings of muted colours, injected with a flash of vivid orange when a Shrine Maiden hurries past. In one corner a small structure is covered in ema — wooden plaques on which people write their wishes. They’re hung for all to see — multilingual prayers for health, wealth, happiness and good exam results.

With its mix of old and new, quirky and serious, natural and man-made Harajuku is a pocket-sized Tokyo. All you’re missing is the advanced technology, but then a hairdryer in the park is pretty impressive.

» Amy Adams travelled to Japan with Virgin Holidays Real World Adventures (0844-557 9275; www.virginholidays.com/realworld). A Land Of The Rising Sun tour is £1899 including return flights, a 14-day Intrepid tour and accommodation.

In the neighbourhood

Tokyo is too huge to explore as a whole. Instead, break the city down into neighbourhoods. Here are a few to add to your itinerary.

Window shopping in Ginza

That Ginza is Tokyo’s equivalent of Madison Avenue or Knightsbridge will tell you everything you need to know about the calibre of shop, and shopper here. Even if you can’t afford the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton, it’s worth joining in the Ginbura (meaning Ginza strolling) along the extra-wide pavements that line the most expensive real estate in Japan. Drop into the eight-story Sony Building for a chance to check out the latest gadgets and gizmos.Just round the corner is the Kabuki-za theatre, where you can see this traditional Japanese performing art in action.

Early to Tsukiji Market

Down the road from Ginza is the world’s largest fish market, open from 3am and more than worth an early start. Get there at 8am at least for the tuna auctions when workers crowd into a chilled warehouse to prod and poke the huge corpses before bidding frantically for the catch of the day. Being wholesale you can’t buy anything, but tourists are permitted to nosey around the bubbling tanks and colourfully gory stalls provided they keep out of the way. This is easier said than done when you’re dodging electric carts and huge crates of seafood so keep your wits  about you. Drop into any sushi restaurant nearby for a breakfast of the freshest raw fish you’ll ever eat.

Love in Shibuya

“They look like they’ve had a good time,” quipped our guide when we saw a couple emerge from a love hotel. Despite the jokes, hotels you can book for a couple of hours aren’t frowned upon in Tokyo — in fact they’re seen as a practical solution to living in a city so crowded it’s hard to find privacy.

Love hotels are spread across the city but in Shibuya, on so-called Love Hotel Hill, there’s something to suit everyone. The area is also a nightlife hub, with some of the city’s hotspots like Club Asia. Shibuya doesn’t sleep during the day either thanks to streets lined with trend-setting clothes shops and record stores. If you want to see the kind of crowds outlets like Shibuya 109 attract, head to Hachiko, the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, made busier by huge, flickering video screens and billboards.

Ancient Asakusa

The highlight of Asakusa is Senso-ji (also called Asakusa Kannon Temple), a grand Buddhist temple built in 645 to house a statue of Kannon that, the story goes, kept leaping from the nearby Sumida River into two brothers’ fishing nets. Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) with its giant red lantern is the main gate to the temple, which leads you via souvenir stalls. Load up on sake glasses and Japanese fans on the way back so you can have your hands free for the hand-washing, incense-wafting and fortune-telling in the temple . If your fortune happens to be “really bad” tie the pessimistic piece of paper to a string rack in the hope that it will change. Then, worries assuaged stand back and admire the towering pagoda, glittering Main Hall and nearby Shinto shrine Asakusa Jinja.

Trips from Tokyo

Hakone

Don’t head to the Fuji Hakone National Park with your hopes set on a view of the snow-capped cone of Mt Fuji. This secretive mountain is often hidden in clouds. The good news is, there are plenty of other things to do here. Our route took us via a funicular and cable car to Owakudani, an area of pongy hot springs where you can buy freshly boiled eggs turned black with the sulphur. Back in the cable car to Togendai we boarded a pirate ship for a journey across Lake Ashinoko that was less about buried treasure than treasuring the views of the passing shinto torii (gates to shrines) and hazy mountains.

And there’s more good news at Hakone — not all the thermal waters are piping hot. Some are just the right temperature for onsen (hot spring baths) where, once you’ve got over the fact you’re essentially having a bath, naked with strangers, you can soak away your worries gazing up at the night sky.

Nikko

Nikko is a big hit on the tourism trail thanks to being a World Heritage Site of temples and shrines. If you don’t have time to see them all, start with Toshogu, a mausoleum for the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu. The Shinto shrine welcomes visitors with a huge stone torii and five-storey pagoda before leading them to the Main Hall and Hall of Worship via intricately carved, colourful gates and buildings. Just up the road from the shrine is the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa, a sparsely elegant, former holiday home for the emperor. South is the photogenic sacred bridge, and if you continue on into town you’ll find a main street of quirky shops, antique stalls, a dragon-painting workshop and great little noodle restaurant called Hippari Dako.

Before we left we walked to the Gamman-Ga-Fuchi Abyss where a row of stone statues called jizo line the riverbank, built to protect travellers and children. Perhaps it was the early morning mist or solitude after the crowds, but these broken, occasionally decapitated statues, with their knitted red hats and neckerchiefs, left more of an impression than both the shrines and emperor’s villa put together.

Make sure you

1 Buy a pair of chopsticks to use rather than wasting valuable bamboo resources.

2 Join the locals in karaoke. Rolling up your trousers, sumo-style optional (this actually happened).

3 Eat at an okonomiyaki restaurant where you cook your own food on a hotplate.

4 Hit the sake and live with the consequences.

5 Hire a bike and learn that cycling round Tokyo is a lot less scary than it looks.

6 Take a boat trip down Sumida River to get a different perspective on Tokyo.

Japan Itineraries

2008-07-16T17:15:00Z

Japan in 2-3 days

This is a tough one because any trip to Japan should tick off both Tokyo and Kyoto. A couple of days isn't enough time to do both, though, and as Tokyo's easier to get to, it makes more sense to see the capital on a short break.

In 7-9 days

Spend 2-3 days gawping at the modern marvels of Tokyo before jumping on a bullet train and whizzing down to Kyoto. Roam the anicent wonders of the former imperial capital, and the world heritage sites of nearby Nara. On the way back, consider a trek to the summit of Mount Fuji if you're feeling energetic. If not, get off the train at Nagoya and take a side trip to Takayama for mountains and sake breweries.

Two weeks +

With a bit more time you can afford to get off Honshu and explore the other islands. Head south from Kyoto to Kyushu for the hot springs of Beppu, the volcanic chain of Kirishima and nightlife hub Fukuoka. Learn about resilience in Nagasaki and continue the theme at Hiroshima before heading back to Tokyo.

Alternatively, tour the mounainous regions of Japan by heading north from Kyoto to Nagano and the Japan Alps, before comtinuing to the island of Hokkaido. From Sapporo you can hike the National Parks in summer, or carve up the pistes in winter.

Getting around Japan

2008-07-15T15:28:00Z

Getting There

Air

The main internaional airport is Tokyo's Narita Airport (NRT) but if you're keen to head straight to Kyoto then Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka is a good option. Chubu International Airport Centrair (NGO) in Nagoya also gets flights from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and more.

Sea

Why not tag Japan onto the end of your Trans-Siberian itinerary? Ferries run from Vladivostok and Fushiki. If you're in China you can take a boat from Shanghai to Osaka or Kobe, Tianjin to Kobe and from Qingdao to Shimonoseki in West Honshu. Ferries also operate between Japan and South Korea and Taiwan.

Getting Around

Air

Domestic flights are a good option if you want to explore some of the islands of Japan, and also if you want to head up to the snow fields of Hokkaido (you can fly from Tokyo to Sapporo).

Rail

Find out how rail travel is meant to be on a bullet train (shinkansen) across Japan. See Japan Railways for information on fares and routes. If you're planning on travelling by rail a lot in Japan then it's definitely worth getting a Japan Rail Pass, a discount ticket that allows unlimited rail travel throughout Japan over a seven, 14 or 21 consecutive day period. You can only buy these outside of Japan as they're only avaiable to foreigners.

Sea

There are four main islands of Japan, and 3000 smaller ones making up the archipelago. It follows that ferries are a well-honed art here. The main routes for tourists are from Osaka/Kobe (on Honshu) to Beppu/Oita (on Kyushu), Niigata on the Japan Sea coast to Otaru/Sapporo (Hokkaido) and Sendai to Tomokomai in southern Hokkaido. For more on ferry travel in Japan see Japan Visitor.

Bike

Japan is good to bicycists — even cycling in Tokyo is no problem thanks to rules that let you bike on the pavements. A good resource for tips and ideas is Japan Cycling Navigator.

Food and drink

2008-07-14T15:41:00Z

There are more types of cuisine in Japan than you could shake a chop-stick at, and almost as many rules for eating it. Here are a few things to try, and try not to do.

Food

Rice

Known as kome, you’ll find rice in just about everything, from sugary snacks to alcoholic drinks. Onigiri (chewy rice balls) are everywhere and will shut you up for a good 20 minutes.

Sushi

Usually various types of fish on rice or in a seaweed roll but you can get vegetarian options such as welsh onion. A sushi platter is often served with fresh ginger and a bowl of soya sauce for dipping. Thankfully, this is one of the few occasions when you can use your fingers.

Bento box

A great lunch if you’re on the move or fancy a picnic, a bento box is a tray of compartments containing rice, meat, fish, tofu and pickled and cooked vegetables.

Okonomiyaki

At an okonomiyaki restaurant you cook your own dinner – bowls of meat, fish, cabbage and vegetable batter – on a hot plate. The result is a tasty pancake affair but half the fun is the preparation.

Shokudo

A cheap and popular restaurant option, and a good way to try lots of different Japanese food. A set-course meal usually involves a meat, fish or tofu dish with a bowl of rice, miso soup and pickled vegetables.

Noodles

Choose from soba (thin, buckwheat), udon (thick, white wheat) or ramen (the Chinese version).

Tempura

Battered vegetables, fish and seafood served with a dipping sauce.

Drink

Vending machines

One on every corner means you’ll never go thirsty. Choices range from vitamin water and fruit juices to a cold beer or hot café au lait.

Green tea

The perfect way to round off a meal. It’s often free in restaurants and if you’re buying your own comes as both a powder and tea leaves.

Sake

Potent (17%) rice wine that is drunk in small glasses for a reason. Raise your glass for a hearty kampai (cheers) before you drink.

Beer

The poison of choice for most Japanese and the absence of half pints shows how well they can handle it. The main breweries include Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo.

Etiquette

Don’t put soya sauce on your rice as it’s considered an insult to the cook
Don’t pour your own drink — wait for someone else to pour it for you
Don’t stick your chopsticks up in a bowl of rice, or pass food between chopsticks – both are reminiscent of Buddhist funeral rituals
Do say itadakimasu (meaning, I will receive) before you tuck in
Do feel free to make a slurping noise when you eat noodles
Do ask for the bill by crossing your index fingers to form an ‘x’
Do buy some chop-sticks and carry them round with you so you don’t have to use a new pair each meal

Japan highlights

2008-07-14T14:03:00Z

Talkin' Tokyo

Live life in the ultimate fast lane, cruising Electric Town and Ginza’s designer stores before hitting the sake in Roppongi and, inevitably, the karaoke stage. Take time out to explore Yoyogi Park where you can gawp at the Harajuku girls before getting spiritual at Meiji Shrine.

Ancient Kyoto

Step back in time to the former imperial capital of Japan, where geishas roam the streets of the Gion district and more than 2000 temples and shrines dot the landscape.

Hit the slopes

In winter, Japan gets the kind of snow that will make any powder-hound drool. There are 600 ski resorts, most near Tokyo in the Japan Alps but some of the best on the northernmost island of Hokkaido. And what better après-ski that a soak in a hot spring?

Hike Mt Fuji

Japan’s highest mountain is notoriously secretive, hiding behind a haze of cloud for most of the year. The best way catch a glimpse of its perfect, snow-capped cone is to climb it - the trekking season runs from July-August.

Tropical beaches

Few of us associate Japan with beach holidays which makes its long stretches of fine, white sand all the more idyllic. Head to the southern islands of Okinawa where you’ll find the coral reefs of Ishigaki and the jungle-covered Iriomote.

Karaoke bars

Even if singing in public is your personal nemesis, you can’t go to Japan and not croon into the mic at least once. A couple of tips: sake helps but rapping is never a good idea.

Sumo wrestling

Time your visit with a sumo tournament for a chance to see the Shinto rituals and surprising athleticism of this 2000-year old sport. The action takes place in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

Onsen a lifetime

There are 3000 onsen or hot springs across Japan, some amid the urban sprawl of Tokyo and others hidden away in the Japan Alps. You have to bathe completely starkers but once you get used to this it’s a surefire way to relax and unwind.

Cherry blossoms

Cameras at the ready – there’s nothing quite as photogenic as Japan in the springtime. Cherry-blossom viewing parties (known as hanami) are held to celebrate the season with some people camping overnight to secure the best spot.

Soaking in Japan's onsen hot springs

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

Boiled octopus. That's what you feel like when you've reached onsen nirvana, apparently. Lifting an arm out of the water to check, I've certainly turned an impressively vivid shade of pink. I'm definitely cooked: now how the hell do I get out of here?
Japan's natural hot springs or onsen are as numerous and widespread as they are popular, with some serving as public bath houses and others belonging to a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn. For an onsen virgin like myself, the ryokan is perhaps a little less likely to lead to full-on public humiliation, but nevertheless my experience since checking into the Hidatei Hanaougi ryokan in Takayama has been a steep learning curve to say the least. Simmering naked in the company of near-strangers is just the half of it.

Checking in
Trying to guess the appropriate behaviour may be something of a minefield of manners, but to stress too much is to miss the point of the ryokan, however. Refreshed with green tea and sweets on arrival, it's made clear that we're here to relax. We check in and pick up our yukatas, the simple cotton kimonos that will be our uniforms for chilling out in during our stay.
My room is like a miniature set from You Only Live Twice - a traditional Japanese layout with sliding paper screens, tea set out on a low table and ornamental alcove decorated with fresh flowers and hanging scroll. The maid indicates for me to removing my shoes so as not to damage the delicate tatami-mat floor. I obey, then inexpertly don my yukata. Adding the pair of socks provided in the cupboard - the ones with the stitched part in between the toes, made to go with wooden thong sandals - I feel sufficiently attired to brave the onsen.

Getting wet
Adding my slippers to the neatly lined up pairs at the door, I enter the steam. Following the example of someone who seems to actually know what they're doing, I put my towel, yukata and everything else into a basket. I make a laughably pointless attempt to cover my modesty with a flannel the size of Barbie's picnic rug.

Before you enter the bath you have to get clean first, pulling up a stool at the row of wash basins and having a good scrub with the soap and shampoo provided. Clean as a whistle and ready to be boiled, I tiptoe over to the pool and, after several minutes of squealing like a monkey, adjust to the heat. Moving into the open-air section and finding a smooth rock to sit on, my face is cooled by the twilight air. Blissing out no longer seems a problem.

Indoor or outdoor, gender separated and mixed, lavish or simple, the estimated 20,000 onsen in Japan are treasured as places where people can come with friends or family to relax after work or at the weekend. Different springs are distinguished by the minerals in the water, each blend offering its own benefits to the mind and body. Some onsen add ingredients themselves, including chilli for improved circulation. Any more heat seems unthinkable as I eventually emerge from the pool to find myself dry from evaporation before I even reach my towel.

The multiple-course feast
Feeling serenely regal after my soak, it seems only right to follow with a feast fit for a queen. Translating literally as 'stone in the chest', the traditional kai-seki meal originated simply as a snack to 'keep you warm' before the tea ceremony. It's come a long way since its days as an appetiser.

Over the course of the next few hours, an efficient team of waitresses keeps our long dining table continuously replenished with bowl after bowl of immaculately presented dishes that qualify as works of art. The series of visual delights begins with a spread of bamboo in green tea, octopus in sour plum sauce, clear soup with pink sushi rice, tuna and sea bream sashimi topped with a tiny marigold flower and chili-hot purple watercress is followed by meltingly crisp tempura and beef cooked on a hot stone.

Then the main course arrives: miso soup, pickles of cucumber, turnip and ginger, and of course, rice. This however is served only when permission is granted - sake aficionados claim that seeing the rice grain while drinking sake spoils the flavour. And still come plates of steamed veg, salmon in bamboo leaf, clam with meringue and tofu custard. Unsurprisingly, I learn that a feast like this for eight diners takes up to five hours to prepare. Preparation is beautiful yet minimalist, allowing appreciation of the subtleties - for the most sensitive of taste buds, some kaiseki are composed of only tofu-based dishes.

After-dinner entertainment
I Feel cleansed, purified, nourished ... and totally knackered. Yet somehow, as I make my weary way to bed, a tractor-beam drags me into a doorway and I am powerless to resist. Several beers later, and still in what might as well be my dressing gown, my prowess on the karaoke prompts the barman to request that I join him in a rendition of Country Roads. Probably for entertainment value I suspect, but I don't take much encouragement. Returning, eventually, to a cosy futon spread out and waiting in my tatami-floored chamber, I sink quickly into the deepest sleep in years. Public nudity and a whole new world of etiquette are more than worth a feeling like this - I'm the most contented boiled octopus in Japan.

Drinking sake in Japan

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

It's a lovely time to be in the Japan Alps. The snow is melting in the bright sunshine, sending crystal-clear rivers streaming down the mountainsides. The air is fresh and crisp as we wander along the beautifully preserved old streets of Takayama City. But most importantly, outside the Funasaka sake brewery, the sugidama - cedar-leaf spheres that have symbolised sake since the Edo period - have turned an earthen brown. Spring is here, and there's sake to be drunk.

The tradition of sake-making in Takayama City dates back 300 years, although where once there were 20 breweries, Funasaka is now one of only eight kura in the city. In recent decades, the age-old Japanese spirit has fallen out of fashion with younger drinkers seduced by beer, wine and Western spirits.

As the mass market drops away, however, small boutique breweries like this one producing quality, artisanal sake or jizake are fuelling a growth in interest at home and overseas. Specialist sake bars in Tokyo appeal to the burgeoning connoisseur market with up to 50 different brands, while in the US sales of sake have tripled in the past decade. With extensive sake lists now featuring at already-fashionable Japanese restaurants Zuma and Umu, London is also picking up the trend.

True enthusiasts know, however, that for the ultimate sake experience you have to go to the source. With around 1200 microbreweries scattered across rural Japan - mostly family-run and producing modest quantities to be sold only within the district - sake-tasting tours are increasingly popular around the production season from late autumn to late spring (October-April).

A return to tradition on one hand, but behind the old-fashioned wooden exterior of the 200-year-old Funasaka brewery lie gleaming steel vats that point to the increasing use of technology in sake-making. Director Seiji Hiraoaka has been making sake here at Funasaka for 22 years, and says that technological advancements have done nothing but improve the quality of the sake.

He shows us the grains of rice, grown locally and specifically for sake. The outer layers of each grain must be polished down according to the grade of sake being made - for the finest, daiginjo, only 35% of the kernel remains. This painstaking work, once done by hand, can be done more accurately by machine. While technology may hone the final product, the three most important ingredients for good sake will never change, says Hiraoaka: good rice, good water and an ice-cold winter to kill off any undesirable bacteria.

With the three boxes ticked, we're about to taste the result. Although brewed, sake is closer to wine than beer, with a sherry-like strength of around 15%-17% alcohol - while cheap sake is usually served warm, jizake is too good to heat", Hiraoaka tells us as he delicately pours out ice-cold samples of daiginjo.

The sake-tasting vessel is a small, delicate white cup with deep blue rings in the bottom to help distinguish colour and viscosity. First, we swirl a little and inhale - the fragrance is fruity and floral but feather-light. With only the faintest tinge of colour, the liquid looks so pure and clear as water ... or indeed, neat alcohol. Remembering that my last sake experience was something akin to warm paintstripper, I take a deep breath and sip. This is like the nectar of gods has been collected in a flower, flown down from heaven by an angel and poured directly onto my tongue. I think I hear tiny silver trumpets in the distance.

It isn't just jizake's complexity of character that rivals that of Bordeaux's finest. As with the French terroir, there are numerous site-specific factors that mean each sake is different: water quality, production methods, type of koji and type of rice (there are 65 kinds). Premium-grade sake makes up less than 10% of Japan's total output, and with each tiny kura producing up to 10 different bottlings (labelled, of course, in Japanese), it's a world of intricate detail.
When I'm buying my own bottle of elixir to take home, the cashier urges me to drink it straight away. Like the spring cherry blossom, the best sake doesn't hang around for long - sake is not vintage-dated and, with the exception of special aged versions, is best consumed within a couple of months. "The sooner the better," says Hiraoaka. "That's why the best place to enjoy sake is here in Japan."

WHERE TO DRINK IT
In Japan
The Kansai Region is a good place to visit sake breweries, such as Kitashoji Brewery in Osaka, Sake Harushika Brewery and Yagi Sake Brewery in Nara and Nada Izumi in Kobe. For details on these and other breweries that welcome visitors, see www.jal.com/en/sake. The Esake website lists the top 10 places to enjoy sake in Tokyo at www.esake.com/Knowledge/Pubs/Top10/top10.html.

Matsuo Taisha, in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto, is a shrine dedicated to the god of sake (open 9am-4.30pm, entry ¥500 (£2.25)) - take the subway from Kyoto station to Shijo-Karasuma then take the Hankyu Railway Arashiyama line to Matsuo.

In London
Impressive (if pricey) sake collections can be found at Umu (14-16 Bruton Pl, W1; 020-7499 8881) and Zuma (5 Raphael St, SW7; 020-7584 1010; www.zumarestaurant.com). A more affordable option are Japanese izakaya (tapas- style restaurants) such as Ikkyu (67a Tottenham Court Rd W1; 020-7636 9280) and Yoisho (33 Goodge St, W1; 020-7323 0477).

THE SAKE-MAKING PROCESS
• Special hida-homare sake rice is polished down according to grade of sake required.
35% for daiginjo
40%-50% for junmai-ginjo
60% for junmaishu
65% for honjozo
70% for regular sake
• Rice is washed several times and left to steep for 20 minutes.
• Compressed steam is pumped in from below to cook the rice for 40 minutes.
• Steam-cooked rice is cooled, mixed in a tank with yeast and koji spore (aspergillus oryzae) and left for a couple of days at a temperature of around 30°C, with more rice, koji and water added in batches. During this fermentation process ('shikomi'), the bacteria transforms the rice starch into glucose, resulting in 'shubo' seed mash.
• Mash is left to ferment for a further 18 to 32 days, then pressed to remove solids. After a few days more, the sake is usually charcoal filtered and then pasteurised.
• Sake is aged for around six months, diluted slightly with pure water and blended to achieve consistency."

The Geisha experience in Kyoto, Japan

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

As we enter the city, our guide Haruko leans in with a confession. The way they speak and act here is very feminine," she says. "Tokyo girls like me get a cultural complex when we come here." In a country in which most of the female population make your average Western gal feel like a galumphing elephant, it's almost comforting to know that even Japanese women feel the same at times. This is where being a woman becomes an art form.

Kyoto is the cradle of Japanese civilisation, Haruko tells us, imperial residence and centre for politics, economy and culture for over a thousand years. Still seen as the country's cultural capital, Kyoto is filled with temples, shrines and historic sites, but what really sets the cameras clicking is as mysterious and beautiful as any of them.

Kyoto is the prime location in Japan for maiko-spotting. Tottering daintily through the streets on vertiginous wooden clogs, these apprentice geisha are an arresting sight, with hair elaborately adorned and faces made up in the traditional pure white. Japan's geisha and maiko live mainly here in Kyoto, in five hanamachi or 'flower towns'. That even here there are only around 50 maiko in the city makes it even more exciting to glimpse one.

Always a source of fascination, the world of the geisha will soon be in the spotlight as Memoirs Of A Geisha, the Spielberg-produced film adaptation of Arthur Golden's bestselling novel, hits the big screen in the New Year. Set in 1930s and '40s Japan, the story is that of a young girl from a rural fishing village who rises to become one of the most celebrated geisha in the country.

In terms of tourism, the film may do for traditional Kyoto what 2003's Lost In Translation did for the bright lights of Tokyo. Yet among geisha, worry has been reported that the more sensational aspects of the story - the main character, Sayuri, is sold to the geisha house as a child and loses her virginity to the highest bidder - will strengthen popular misconceptions about geisha, specifically the early links of their craft to prostitution.

Back in London, a week before the preview screenings of the film, I meet Fumiyu, a geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha) who was in town to accompany a young maiko on promotional duties for her country. Beside her, 18-year-old Toshiaya sits resplendently beautiful in full regalia, but after 20 years as a geisha, it is Fumiyu's charm that is most captivating. She tells me she read about half the book, but waves off questions about its accuracy. Please understand that our talents are as artists and performers - there are no little rooms at the back for other things," she says with a polite smile. "That story took place a long time ago. Maybe it was true at that time, but it's nothing like that now. Anyway, who cares - it's just a movie!"

Nevertheless, as establishments that stake their reputation on discretion, most of Kyoto's geisha houses refused access to the film crews, and those seen on screen are mostly recreated sets in Los Angeles. Anyone hoping to spot a Sayuri or two can head to Gion, the main setting for the film and the most well known of the five geisha districts, where maiko and geiko can often be seen clopping delicately to their evening appointments. Other locations from the film which visitors can explore include the bamboo forest of Arashiyama on the outskirts, the Fushimi Inari Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera Temple in the eastern part of the city, a Unesco World Heritage site and one of Japan's most celebrated temples.

Geisha are hired to attend gatherings at tea houses or traditional restaurants, where their time is still measured in incense sticks. Yet with only around 200 geisha in Kyoto compared to over 3000 in the early 19th century, even geisha are having to move with the times. "Our role is as performers of traditional Japanese culture," says Fumiyu. "We try to keep the traditional part of our art alive, but we have had to modernise to make things more interesting for our audience." When I raise an eyebrow at the mention of karaoke, her response is utterly diplomatic. "People are less knowledgeable about the arts than in the past. But our clients are nicer than they used to be!"

Today, the decision to become a maiko is entirely voluntary. Although not all parents approve of their daughters' decision, Toshiayo says that hers were very supportive. The training of a maiko takes around four years, during which she learns everything from traditional song and dance and how to perform the tea ceremony to flower-arranging, kimono-wearing and conversation skills. "There are more and more girls who want to become geisha, but fewer stick with it long-term," says Fumiyu. "It is a way of life - we must be continuously working to improve our skill and craft. A successful geiko is one who is still practising."

Charmed and disarmed by Fumiyu's vivacity, I'm almost unsurprised to hear that she's quite a beer drinker. "When performing we are very polite," she says, "but in our free time we relax, have a drink and don't worry about etiquette." This sounds like a scene I could relate to, yet I sense that I'm destined never to fully understand the geisha world, least of all by crashing their after-party with a six-pack.

My pockets are not quite deep enough to afford an evening with the geiko - it wasn't until I was literally about to leave Kyoto that I had finally glimpsed a Kyoto maiko in her hometown. At the train station, I followed the two kimonos of maiko and accompanying geisha through the turnstiles and up onto the platform, where I caught them buying bento boxes to take on their journey. Seeing my camera, the maiko turned and, with the practiced serenity of a film star, posed graciously for pictures. Feeling more mystified than ever by these visions of feminity, I thanked her with a clumsy bow. Sometimes it's hard to be a woman.

Where to get the geisha experience
• The best place to spot maiko and geisha out and about are in the five hanamachi, particularly Gion or Pontocho. For a sure view, head to Gion Corner (Yasaka Hall, Shijo Sagaru, Hanamikoji, Higashiyama-ku, +81 (0)75 561 1119), a theatre established in 1962 as a venue for traditional culture. A one-hour show of seven performances includes tea ceremony and a traditional dance by a maiko. Shows take place March-November and admission is ¥2800 (£14).
• Several places in Kyoto offer 'maiko makeovers', in which you'll be dressed in a traditional kimono, have your make-up and hair done and photos taken, either in a studio or in an outdoor setting. Geisha Make Over Studio Shiki (351-16 Masuya-cho, Koudaiji, Higashiyama-ku, +81 (0)75-531-2777; www.maiko-henshin.com) have over 100 choices of kimono and offer a geisha makeover for ¥12,000(£59) or maiko plan for ¥10,000 (£49). To live the celluloid experience, Yumekoubou (www.yumekoubou.info) have studios in Memoirs of A Geisha locations in Gion, Arashiyama and Kiyomizudera.
• If you're still saving up for the air ticket, London's V&A Museum (www.vam.ac.uk) is currently displaying a collection of early 20th century Japanese dress, featuring garments from a major private collection being exhibited for the first time. The display will be rotated on December 12 and runs until May 1, 2006."

Culture clash

2008-07-09T10:53:00Z

For those residents of Tokyo who believe all the world's a stage, the Harajuku and Shibuya precincts have long been their theatre.

Young people flock here in an eye-dazzling range of costumes and coiffures to strut their stuff. It's the epitome of hyper-stylish, modern Tokyo - far removed from Japan's rural backwaters, where time seems to have been frozen in a samurai-era bubble.

The country boasts many ancient wonders, including the World Heritage city of Kyoto (the former capital), the temples of Nara (the eastern terminus of the medieval Great Silk Road) and, in the deep south, the outstanding natural treasures of Yakushima Island, home to the world's oldest cedar trees.

But in Tokyo, where everything is fast, shiny and new, it's difficult to remember this other side of Japan.
Besides the trendy attractions of Harajuku and Shibuya, Tokyo overflows with mind-boggling new entertainment precincts, including the Roppongi Hills and Odaiba. The newest attraction in Roppongi is the National Art Center Tokyo (NACT), which opened in January this year. With 14,000 sq ft of exhibition space, NACT claims to be the largest art gallery in Japan.

Another spanking new precinct is Shiodome, built on top of old railway yards. An extensive network of buildings is linked by sky-walks, giving pedestrians a surreal feeling of being suspended in space. The biggest shopping area is Caretta Shiodome, where three levels of shops overlook a spectacular fountain. The Shiodome City Center Tower has two floors of shops below ground and two above, with a number of bars and restaurants that deliver great views from levels 41 and 42.

The world capital for consumer electronic goods, the 250-plus shops of the Akihabara precinct may come as a bit of a bummer for foreign visitors. Most of the state-of-tomorrow's-art techno-wonders come at a hefty price, or verge on the kitsch. But there are occasional delights to be found - such as the amazing acrobatic robot Kondo, at Robot Colosseum in the Asutop complex.

On Tokyo's waterfront, the Odaiba precinct is the hot new recreation and entertainment centre. Highlights include Mega Web car theme park, the Museum of Maritime Science and Palette Town, a live performance and shopping complex. The range of new attractions to come online at Odaiba are previewed by the state-of-the-art facilities at the huge Ariake Tennis Park, with its 48 tennis courts and 10,000-seat Ariake Stadium. Opened last year, the new Ariake-Tennis-no-Mori station gives immediate access to the Park from all over Tokyo.

But in this city of the future, it is possible to glimpse the past. The Meiji Shrine can seem like another universe (particularly on Sunday), holding fast to an image of old Japan - traditional, ordered and inscrutable. There's a shrine to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort Empress Shoken; wedding couples in their finest attire led in a procession by Shinto priests; youngsters in formal kimonos parading with their similarly elegant, Western-attired parents.

Whatever the venue or occasion, the show must go on. It's a window to a world that existed before the flash developments, and proof Japan can adopt the new without discarding the old.

Old Japan
The city of Kyoto was made famous by the movie Memoirs Of A Geisha. When the young geisha Sayuri first ventures out onto the rooftops of Kyoto, she encounters a rustic 1930s cityscape, parts of which have remained unchanged.

Part of the scene is the Goju-no-to pagoda of Toji Temple, resplendent against the setting sun. The pagoda is still in the same place near Kyoto's main railway station, and remains the tallest wooden structure in Japan.

With more than two thousand temples, some of the world's finest gardens and no fewer than 17 World Heritage sites, allow plenty of time to explore Kyoto. Get hold of a copy of the illustrated guide Must-see In Kyoto, an excellent and easy-to-read source of inspiration.

Climbing Mt Fuji
The near-perfect symmetry of Japan's Mt Fuji has long made it a muse for poets, painters and mystics. It's no wonder climbing Mt Fuji is an almost sacred adventure. The official climbing season lasts just two months, from July to August.

Traditionally, the climb began with prayers at Fuji Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida City, at the base of the mountain. Nowadays climbers usually set off from Kawaguchiko Fifth Station, about a third of the way up. The hike from Kawaguchiko to the summit takes five to ten hours (depending on how leisurely you take it). A popular choice is to start the climb around 10pm, so as to reach the top in time for sunrise. From the summit back down to the Fifth Station takes four to five hours.

From Tokyo, the easiest access is by bus direct from Shinjuku rail station to Kawaguchiko Fifth Station. There are six buses daily, which take just over two hours.

It's Only Natural
• Hiking the Kiso Valley
Four hundred years ago, the Kiso Valley towns of Magome and Tsumago were staging posts on the Nakasendo 'Highway' - a foot-trail along which local warlords had to make an annual visit to Edo, then Japan's capital.

Now Magome, easily accessible from Nagoya by rail, has a modern part of town with a few low-key gift shops, but once you veer onto the broad foot-trail leading north through 'old' Magome, it's easy to forget that the subsequent centuries ever existed.

Getting there: From Nagoya's main rail station, the JR Chuo Line runs regularly to Nakatsugawa Station. From Nakatsugawa, a half-hourly bus (¥690) takes about 30 minutes to Magome. The last train from Nagiso back to Nagoya leaves at 8:17pm. For detailed rail schedules, see www.hyperdia.com.

• Step back in time
Visiting the village of Sawara, less than an hour by road from downtown Tokyo, is like stepping back 300 years into the past. This atmospheric Edo-era town on the willow-lined Ono River is minutes from Narita International Airport, but could be in another universe.

Getting there: From Narita Airport, JR Narita Line runs to Sawara in about one hour (with a transfer at Narita city).

• In awe of big trees
Of all the places where cedar trees still thrive, top marks go to Yakushima island. It's home to perhaps the oldest trees on the planet, and recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of its listing as Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage site with the opening of a new interpretive centre. Hiking Yakushima's trails reveals some awesome nature-sights.

Getting there: Head there via the city of Kagoshima, at the southern tip of Kyushu Island. From Kagoshima, a ferry (¥5000 one-way) makes a daily crossing to Yakushima island. It departs Kagoshima at 8:35am arriving at Yakushima 12.30pm, then departs Yakushima at 1.20pm arriving in Kagoshima at 5.20pm. The Toppy jetfoil (¥7000 one-way) makes four runs daily each way in summer, taking about 2 hours 30 minutes.