Big in Japan

There are so many aspects of this country we were impatient to experience: the food (you haven't eaten sushi until you tasted them in Japan!), the green tea, the culture, the history, the arts. We were fortunate to see most of it but so may other aspects remained mysterious. Today's society in Japan is torn between he traditions and rituals and the hyper modernity (they watch television on their mobile phone on the metro and drink Fanta gel - delicious by the way!!) and the young generation doesn't quite know where to stand, leading to the most peculiar excesses. They love to dress up (mainly women as dolls, manga characters or geishas), to play video games or "pachinko", a mix between a video game and a slot machine, basically extremely loud, colourful and expensive and... to drink, preferably in karaoke bars. There are many things we couldn't grasp because of the language and the codes that need to be deciphered. We visited Tokyo which is indeed a very large and very modern city, stopped in Nagoya where I visited the museum and the castle while Miguel was at Toyota and finally the beautiful Kyoto which is alone worth a visit to Japan.

In Tokyo. The controversial Yasukuni Shrine, dedicated to Japanese war dead, including 14 war criminals since 1978 and some consider it as the symbol of Japanese militarism and ultra-nationalism, especially China and Korea.

The Sensoji Temple, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the goddess of mercy Kannon (where the name of the camera brand Canon comes from because the founder of the company belonged to that temple) which was built in 645. After the destructions of WWII it was reconstructed and is still a worship place.

In Nagoya Miguel and his students visited Toyota while I had time to see the Tokugawa Art Museum and the castle. 

Most of the city has been destroyed by bombing raids during WWII but the Japanese reconstructed buildings identical to the originals, transporting the visitor centuries back. The Tokugawa Museum shows pieces collected by the Tokugawa shogun while the castle is nested in yet another beautiful garden. 

The Nagoya visit didn't last too long and we rode the Shinkansen again towards Kyoto, the Japanese jewel.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit all of the temples and palaces and even more unfortunately, Miguel was sick so had to stay behind. Nonetheless is Kyoto the only city we visited which still has authentic old buildings (Kyotot has not been bombed) and  is an enchantment. 

We started with the Nijo castle and the Nijo Jinya, respectively the residence of the shogun and for his guests, both nested in a magnificent landscape garden. The floor in the castle was very interesting: the planks of wood are arranged and tuned in a fashion which imitates the song of a nightingale to warn the guards when somebody walks in: very poetic and yet extremely efficient!

We also visited Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion: everything about this place is overwhelming. The setting is beyond poetic since the castle is built on a little lake and a forest with golden-blossoming trees as a backdrop, the castle itself is a small delicate and fine construction on the water, surrounded by trees and flowers. The whole experience is unbelievable.

The Kiyomizudera temple is located on the slope of a mountain overlooking the city. This medieval temple complex is characterised by a large terrace over a 50 meter drop: in the Middle Ages visitors believed that if you jumped and survived (still 20% of the candidates), your wish would come true... I didn't feel like trying. This is also the temple the main character in Memoirs of a Geisha visits. 

Finally we visited the Sanjusandendo temple with 1001 human sized statues of the goddess Kannon. It's a lot of statues! Very impressive.

Unfortunately Miguel couldn't be there so I hope we have the opportunity to go back some day.

Amazing Korea

We did not have a preconceived idea of Korea and everything about it was a good surprise.

The first encounter with the country was going to the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) which is the border between North and South Korea. It's impossible to go anywhere close to the actual 38th parallel but the "buffer zone" (=DMZ) of 2.5 km on either side is of interest.

While the South Korean side is green and forest-covered, the North Korean have cut all the trees on their side to provide heating and construction wood to the population... 

South Koreans discovered 4 tunnels (to date) the North Koreans dug, planning an unexpected attack of Seoul located only 50 km from the border. We got to visit the 3rd tunnel, taking a little train down and walking underground at 73m below ground to almost the actual border. 

From an observatory we also could peek into North Korea and see the "model village" they built to display the greatness of the regime as well as the 20 m high statue of Kim-Il Sung... It reminded me very much of the German-German border I got to see in 1988 except that this one is far worse. Hopefully it will get to a similar ending...

The days in Seoul were wonderful. Korea looks back to a 5000 years history and the capital abounds with treasures. We particularly enjoyed the Gyeongbokgung Palace, the parks and the Folk Museum. 

In Insa-Dong we drank traditional tea and I witnessed the performance of a staged traditional wedding. The colours, the music, the dances in Korea are very lively and swinging since they combine the drums with the cords and the flute. 

We hope to come back soon and get a chance to see the rest of the country in Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and ... Spring! 

The not so Quiet Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City - or Saigon as the inhabitants call it - has everything we love about Asia. People are friendly and willing to attempt to communicate with hands and imagination, the food is delicious and the apparent chaos offers something to see and to do at all times. 

Saigon's streets also summarise the rich and tumultuous history of the country: colonial buildings remind of the French presence, revolution and war memorials of the "freedom fight" against the French and later the Americans and brand new buildings testify for the energy and the boom Mo Chi Minh city experiences now.

The traditional markets are overfilled with goods and allow to bargain endlessly, the colonial buildings give the city a familiar and yet outdated touch and more striking than everything, the motorcycle that drive by millions everywhere, all the time, mostly ignoring our organised rules of traffic. We enjoyed walking around and sitting on the back seat of motorcycles to explore a city that we liked very much. 

Above, the post office (French era building)

 with the inevitable portrait of Ho Chi Minh.

Right, the local guide during the visit of the Reunification Palace with attentive visitors.

We loved walking in narrow alleys downtown or in China Town, visited the oldest Pagoda in the country (dating from 1744) which is of breathtaking beauty (and I have already seen quite a few pagodas!), strolling in the markets and 

getting lunch from a food stall on the street for less than 1 USD! 

We hope we can come back some day and discover the rest of the country - very promising!