DEL.ICIO.USThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/29/06
Tokyo — Relaxed and warm after my late-night Japanese bath, and sitting in my indigo-and-white yukata (cotton robe) on my futon, I had a few minutes to reflect on the whirlwind of the past eight days in Japan.
My traveling companion was watching yet another high-energy, indecipherable TV game show, and though we couldn't understand exactly what was going on, it made us laugh.
 Photos by Betty Gordon / Staff | |||
| More than 30 groups in colorful costumes participate in the annual Tokyo Jidai Festival on Culture Day, Nov. 3. The festival in Asakusa tells the history of Edo (the old name for Tokyo) from the founding of Senso-ji Temple to the present day. | |||
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| The six-story Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu is in one of Tokyo's most historic sections. At night, the illuminated pagoda at Senso-ji Temple can be seen from the communal bath on the top floor. | |||
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| Young Japanese dress their best on national Culture Day for a visit to the sprawling Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. | |||
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| A typical Japanese-style room at Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu features tatami mats on the floor, futons with thick, sheet-covered quilts and shoji doors that open onto a small balcony. | |||
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| Shrine visitors often purchase wooden plaques called ema, where, on the back, they write requests to the gods asking for such things as good health, good fortune and help in finding love. | |||
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| Ryokan Heianbo, on a quiet street only a five-minute walk from Kyoto Station, has 20 rooms. It's conveniently located close to shopping, public transportation and many restaurants. | |||
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| At some traditional inns, bedding is rolled out only at night, but at Ryokan Heianbo, futons and quilts hug the wall during the day. | |||
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MOST POPULARThis trip, my fourth to this Asian country, was being experienced Japanese-style. That is, no high-rise Western chain hotels, no elevated beds and certainly no American fast food. We slept on the floor in a ryokan (traditional inn), used only public transportation and ate meals as the locals would. We also spent many lighthearted and delightful hours with the Japanese family that became my friends after my last trip six years ago and attended some special activities on Nov. 3, Culture Day.
Asian culture, particularly in Japan and China, has intrigued me for decades. I hoped that my plan for immersion in the Japanese lifestyle would give me added insight into this fascinating country of more than 127 million.
I know only a few Japanese words, and I can't read any kanji. While this is nothing to brag about, it only goes to prove that independent travelers need not be daunted trying to get around Japan's big cities. In places tourists would go, someone usually speaks a little English, and the station stops on the subways and train lines are posted in English. Even if you go off the beaten track and need directions, you'll probably run into someone who will try to help. A good map, readily available at tourist information centers, a good guidebook and some research before you go are all you need.
Staying at a ryokan
After my 141/2-hour nonstop flight from Atlanta and a 90-minute transfer into town by train and subway, the six-story, modern-looking Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu was a welcome late-afternoon sight.
Several guidebooks and Web sites recommended the reasonably priced inn for its location, cleanliness and hospitality. That it was just up the street from the Senso-ji Temple, one of the most well-known Tokyo sights that I had visited previously, and within walking distance of my friends' house, clinched the deal.
At the ryokan, a demure, dark-haired young woman in a blue-and-white kimono checked me in and showed me to my room (my companion's flight was delayed). It was here that I took off my shoes, though at some ryokan you remove them at the reception area. Large green house slippers, which on my small feet reminded me of clown shoes, were stacked in a corner cubbyhole in the room's tiny entranceway.
You're not supposed to wear the slippers on the tatami (straw mats), so, in my socks, I stepped up into a compact, rectangular room to see a low, dark wooden table pushed up against the right wall, its thin light blue cushions (called zabuton in Japanese) underneath peeking out halfway. A wooden tray, a couple of cellophane-wrapped sweets and implements for making tea rested on the table. A rectangular coffee table flanked on either side by regular-size armchairs backed up to the shoji (sliding paper doors), which let light flood the room. The shoji opened onto a tiny railed balcony, which had its own outdoor slippers.
About two steps to the left of the low table were two thin futons, each with a pillow, lying flat side by side, topped with thick, sheet-covered quilts with the left corners folded back.
To the right of the futons, in front of a small window, was a TV perched atop a shelf with yellow sliding doors below that hid storage space. At the futons' head was an alcove that ran the width of the room. Atop the shelf were a small white vase and a small lamp that increased in brightness with the proximity of a hand. Framed calligraphy hung on the wall above. In some ryokans, there might be a scroll or an arrangement of flowers in this space. Regardless, whatever is in this alcove is to be treated with respect; it isn't a storage area. To the left of the futons was a cupboard where the bedding was stored during the day.
To the left of the entrance was a small closet with folded yukata and obi (belts) in two trays on the floor, just beyond the Western-style bathroom. (Some ryokans have Japanese-style toilets, which are more awkward to navigate than Western-style. You may want to determine which version you'll be facing so there will be no surprises. At some less-expensive ryokans, you may not be able to get a bathroom en-suite.)
Our bathroom had a small sink and mirror, deep square bathtub and a movable showerhead between the sink and tub so you could spray the water in either direction. The idea here is to allow you to replicate a communal bath by completely washing outside the tub (a drain is in the floor) and then climb into the tub for a good soak.
Our inn in Kyoto, our next stop, was Ryokan Heianbo, about a five-minute walk from the train station. It is an older, red wooden building on a quiet street not far from the rear loading docks of the Kintetsu department store. We took our shoes off in the reception area, stored them in a cabinet's cubbyholes and slid into our inelegant slippers. We walked clumsily past the eating areas, under the red-and-white hanging lantern and over a small red bridge (garden to the right) to get to our room up a few steps at the back of the inn.
The room was a bit larger than the Shigetsu, and we could close the painted paper doors at night to shut out the entranceway. The low table had a colorful fabric place mat, atop which was a red hot-water thermos, a red round lacquer box with tea supplies and red legless chairs that sat on the tatamis.
The toilet, with its own special slippers, was in a space separate from the sink and shower/tub. Again, the showerhead was movable, and the shower area had a low stool (and I mean low) with a bucket for a complete wash before getting in the tub.
What we also had here was our own small rock garden outside a narrow, ground-level window. It had several medium-size black rocks and many off-white pebbles. The garden sat behind a shade, and we said good morning and good night to it daily. Silly? Sure. But we were trying to get into the Zen of the experience.
So how did we sleep in both ryokans? Just fine. The futon padding was thick enough and the faintly fragrant tatami had a gentle give so as not to make us miss our mattresses at home. The quilts were plenty cozy. For the most part, it was quiet, except for the noise from the early arriving workmen in Tokyo who were renovating the apartment building across the street. We were both a bit stiff from all the walking, but our only issue was trying to gracefully get up off the floor in the morning.
Awash in tradition
A stay at a ryokan wouldn't be complete without trying the communal bath (o-furo in Japanese). And like almost everything else in Japan, there are rules to follow. Most ryokan have separate men's and women's baths, or if the inn is smaller, it will have designated times for each gender. It's a good idea to learn the kanji for men and women in case the doors don't display any English.
While a yukata is for lounging (though it also can be worn as pajamas), it's also what you wear to the bath. Close the left side over the right (the other way around is reserved for dressing bodies for burial) and secure the robe with the obi. You should also take a towel from your room. Everything else you'll need you'll find at the bath.
When I arrived at the Shigetsu's o-furo on the sixth floor, I had it all to myself. I left my robe in a basket in the outer room and went inside to find two washing stations in front of a wide full-length mirror. A removable showerhead was attached to the wall, but etiquette dictates that you shouldn't stand to use this. Each station had a low plastic stool and a wide bowl for dumping water on your head and body. All soaping and rinsing must be done here. When you get in the bath, you are expected to be totally clean.
It was only a few steps over to the cedar tub, which was filled to the brim. Everything I had read cautioned about extremely hot water, so I eased in slowly at first, amused by the displaced liquid sloshing over the side. But much to my surprise, the temperature was comfortable, and I had no need to turn on the faucet to cool it off. I had not expected to be so buoyant.
The tub was barely large enough for me to stretch out my legs, and I could steady myself by anchoring my elbows on one of the corners. I soaked for about 15 minutes, enjoying the peace and solitude. My only regret: The window was fogged up, and I couldn't see the illuminated five-story pagoda at Senso-ji.
Food, glorious food
Like most major cities, you can spend a fortune on food in Tokyo — or not. You'll be surprised at the sheer number of places where you can eat cheaply, from humble noodle shops where diners stand around the counter slurping from bowls of broth to conveyor-belt sushi bars where, for a fixed price, you pick dishes as they pass by, to bento boxes purchased at convenience stores or train stations. The hygiene standard is very high, so you shouldn't worry pretty much anywhere you purchase food.
Also make sure to check out the food floors in department stores. Aside from being endlessly fascinating and tantalizing to your nose, the variety and quality are top-notch, and samples are often available. Many Japanese shop here for fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and seafood, meat and prepared foods. Pick up a couple of skewers of yakitori (grilled glazed chicken pieces or other meat), some pickled vegetables, noodles or rice, and you have a picnic for about $6.
We did our share of picnicking, but we also kept to the Japanese theme at mealtime.
Our first morning at the Shigetsu, we tried the Japanese breakfast in the small restaurant on the ground floor. Pickled vegetables, a bowl of rice, soy sauce and nori (dried seaweed) were set before us on trays. Our server showed us how to dip the paper-thin, deep green nori sheets in the soy sauce and place it atop the rice. Then she positioned chopsticks at both ends of the nori and gathered up a scoop of rice inside.
Also on the tray was a small dish of what looked like navy beans but they were sweet, and two rectangular pieces of cooked scrambled eggs that also were sweet. A few minutes later, our server brought out ample pieces of grilled fish and hot miso soup in a covered bowl. The meal was filling and a far cry from my usual toast and coffee.
For lunch one day, we tried okonomiyaki ("cook whatever you like"), a cross between a pancake and pizza. It's a simple, inexpensive food often served from carts at outdoor festivals. At Edomonja Hyoutan, a bustling restaurant across from the Shitgetsu, they serve okonomiyaki and monjayaki, a Tokyo specialty. The difference is in the batters, the former using eggs.
We sat on either side of a griddle, and first tried monjayaki. Our server decided to cook for us, though neighboring tables were making their own open-face pizzas. He brought out a large bowl filled with beef, cabbage and other vegetables soaking in a thin batter, then squirted some oil on the griddle, dumped the contents of the bowl and used his two spatulas to cut, spread and stir-fry the ingredients. Then he mounded everything into a mountain, patted it down and spread it flat.
As the monja was cooking, he pushed some of the batter off to the side, where it cooked up to resemble the crispy edges of a fried egg, only much thinner. With his spatula, our server scraped these pieces into a roll as a treat, which we picked up and ate.
Our monjayaki took only a few minutes to cook, and we were given tiny spatulas, called hagashi, to eat with. Considering that you're scraping your meal off a hot griddle, you don't want to be taking big bites.
We also ordered okonomiyaki, said to have been invented in western Japan. Again, you can choose the ingredients, and we had more vegetables and cheese, though the cheese didn't taste like any variety that I could identify. Octopus, shrimp and squid seemed to be popular toppings at the tables around us.
This looks more like a thick pancake and gets flipped to cook on both sides, while monjayaki doesn't. When the okonomiyaki was done, our server used a brush to slather on a semi-thick dark sauce that tasted a bit like Worcestershire, topped that with a design in mayonnaise squirted from a plastic bottle and then scattered dried fish flakes and dried seaweed over everything.
Okonomaiyaki can hold its shape, so it was cut into pieces and divided into our bowls to eat. It's a bit salty and a bit chewy and heavier than I expected. And lunch cost only about $15 for two.
In Kyoto, we splurged on shabu shabu, a dinner where you cook your meat and vegetables in a fonduelike pot in the center of the table. Beef is expensive in Japan, and the price of your meal is based on the quantity and quality of the meat (including the all-you-can-eat concept).
We selected what was billed as "domestic beef" for 3,500 yen (about $30) each. The per-person prices at Shabu-Zen restaurant top out at 8,800 yen.
Some sources date shabu shabu to the 13th century and Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan's need to feed his huge army quickly and efficiently as it conquered Asia, though the dish wasn't introduced to Japan until centuries later. The name loosely translates as "swish swish," imitating the sound the meat makes as it is swirled in the broth.
We were served one plate of beautifully arrayed vegetables (mushrooms, cabbage, bean sprouts, tofu) and a plate each of richly marbled, paper-thinly sliced beef (about a third of a pound). With our chopsticks, we placed some of the vegetables in the roiling broth and then swished slices of beef, which took only seconds to cook. We had a choice of sesame-based and soy-based dipping sauces, each light enough not to overpower the flavor of the tender beef. The final step of shabu shabu was eating the enriched broth (with noodles added) as soup.
A festive time to visit
When I travel, I try to plan my trip to coincide with a local festival or national holiday. This isn't difficult to do in Japan as it has several hundred festivals throughout the country during the year. Some events are linked to nature, such as spring's cherry blossoms, and others to religion or history. (See www.japanvisitor.com for an extensive list of festivals by month.)
This trip coincided with Culture Day, a national holiday when residents go to shrines to ask for blessings, good health and good fortune.
The Meiji Shrine in Tokyo played host to a ceremony to honor businessmen, but the real photo op was children dressed in brightly colored kimonos. Some of the little girls looked like dolls, their shiny black hair swept up and decorated with hanging floral ornaments. Their kimonos were mostly pinks, blues and reds featuring floral mofits. The little boys were no less formal, though their kimonos tended to be darker colors with designs mostly on the sleeves, worn with full-length striped culottes. We even saw twins, which my Japanese friends said is fairly unusual.
Also at the shrine was an exhibition of kendo (stick fighting), ikebana (flower arranging) and equestrians practicing for the afternoon's yabusame, where highly trained archers dressed in samurai regalia shoot at three evenly spaced targets from the back of a horse at full gallop. It was as fast and thrilling as it sounds.
Back in Asakusa, my friends took us to the Tokyo Jidai Festival, a well-attended historical parade. More than 30 costumed groups — with several featuring children, including my friends' 5-year-old — and floats made up the two-hour procession, which told the history of Asakusa since Senso-ji Temple's founding in 628, though its heyday as a pleasure quarter (represented by a group of geisha), to the arrival of Commodore Perry (a U.S. flag leading Western men in naval uniforms) to the technology of the present day in the form of Tsukuba, the cartoonish mascot of a recently opened express section of rail line, bringing up the rear. With his big, mostly blue and white body, he bore more than a passing resemblance to Izzy from Atlanta's 1996 Olympics.
Like a cup of frothy green tea, we had steeped in the culture for more than a week. The noise, the pace and the crowds in Japan's big cities can be invigorating as well as overwhelming. All the more reason to retreat at day's end to the simplicity of a quiet ryokan and a nice hot bath.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Delta Air Lines has one daily nonstop to Tokyo's Narita airport. It's about $740 (taxes and fees included) round trip for a midweek February departure. American, United, Continental and Northwest also have flights, but you'll have to make a connection.
Where to stay
• Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu, 1-31-11, Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 111-0032. 03-3843-2345, www.shigetsu.com. 23 rooms (eight of them Western-style). $133 a night for two (including tax) at 118 yen to $1. Most staff speak good English. Accepts MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Japanese breakfast is 1,300 yen (about $11); Western breakfast is available.
• Ryokan Heianbo, 725 Heianbo-cho, JR Kyoto Ekimae, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan, 600-8216. 075-351-0650. 20 rooms. $106 per night for two (including tax). Japanese breakfast only for 1,000 yen (about $8.70), plus tax. Very little English spoken here, and payment must be in cash.
About ryokans: The inns can vary widely by price, size, number of rooms and exterior composition. More than 80,000 can be found throughout Japan, and some are more accepting of foreign guests than others. Ones in the countryside with hot springs are called onsen. In cities, the exterior may be a block of nondescript concrete — or it could be in a small wooden structure with a bamboo fence. Whatever the exterior look, you will find pleasant staff, some type of garden and simple uncluttered rooms. Many ryokans close around 11 p.m., so if you're going to be out late, you'll need to make arrangements to get a key or learn the number code to get in. Most ryokans expect you to vacate the room by 10 a.m. for cleaning and not return until late afternoon, so if you need a midday rest, a ryokan may not be for you. And check-in is generally not until after 3 p.m., though they will store your luggage while you go sightseeing.
Many ryokans pride themselves on the quality and preparation of their food, served either in your room or a dining room. Some offer only breakfast. If you want to meet Japanese travelers, chances are better at a ryokan than a densely packed, multistory chain hotel. And if you want to stay in a ryokan, book as early as you can. It may be difficult to find accommodations in April during cherry blossom season, in the fall months when the leaves are at their peak colors and on national holidays when millions of Japanese are on the move.
I booked the Kyoto ryokan through Japanese Guest Houses, japaneseguesthouses
.com. It has descriptions of the types of ryokans, prices, what's included, pictures and guest comments, plus links to other useful Web sites. It charges no booking fee, and was quick to respond to my inquiries for a room. Once your reservation is confirmed, it will e-mail the name and address of your ryokan in English and Japanese, detailed directions for how to get there and a map. Print them all out, and take them with you.
Where to eat
For shabu shabu in Kyoto: Shabu-Zen, B1 Fuji Building, south side of Shijo east of Nawate. 075-541-5421. Open 5-11 p.m. www.gnavi.co.jp
/shabuzen (Japanese only).
Also of interest
• You may not know his name, but you certainly have seen the images created by prolific master artist Katsushika Hokusai. His "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" and the "Great Wave off Kanagawa" are widely reprinted in books, advertising campaigns and other media. At the Tokyo National Museum, we saw a major retrospective of Hokusai's lengthy career, part of which will be on view March 4-May 14 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.
More than 180 works, including 41 paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art (collected between 1898 and 1907 by Charles Lang Freer), will be exhibited with printed books and drawings.
Hokusai (1760-1849), who used several names during his career, worked into his 90th year. Courtesans from the "floating world" and scenes of everyday life were also frequently represented on hanging scrolls and colorful woodblock prints. Three six-panel folding screens are included, the artist's only known large-scale works. It's been more than 40 years since a major show devoted to Hokusai was on display in Washington, and this exhibit coincides with the 100th anniversary of Freer's gift of his collection to the museum.
10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Free. 1050 Independence Ave. S.W. 202-633-1000 or www.asia.si.edu.
• The recent book "Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa" by Karin Muller (Rodale Books, $23.95) recounts the author's search for harmony in her own life and her attempt to better understand the sometimes puzzling (but always polite) Japanese and their traditions. Among other endeavors, she undertakes a 900-mile pilgrimage to 88 Buddhist temples, attends raucous festivals, visits sumo wrestlers in training, enrolls in a taiko drumming seminar and observes an apprentice sword maker who has come all the way from Brazil to learn the trade and whose most fervent wish is to become a master. WPBA aired her accompanying four-part film, which can be ordered at www.japanland
online.com.
Information
• Japanese National Tourist Organization, www.jnto.go.jp.
• Japan Travel Bureau, 3355 Lenox Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-262-3014. www.jtbusa.com. Some brochures and maps available. You can also purchase a voucher for a Japan Rail pass here; you cannot buy them in Japan. A seven-day pass is $262 for unlimited travel on any JR train, including the Narita Express from the airport; any bullet train except the very fastest (the Nozomi); the Yamanote line train that circles Tokyo; and affiliated buses and ferries. It costs 26,440 yen (about $224) for the 458-mile round-trip Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo, so the pass is a good value. And you can get your seat reservations at no extra cost. Japan Rail, www.japanrail.com.
Guidebooks
• "Tokyo" (Lonely Planet, fifth edition, $18.99); "Timeout Tokyo" (Timeout Guides Ltd., fourth edition, $19.95); "Japan" (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, $25); "Kyoto" (Lonely Planet, third edition, $21.99).
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