Himeji Castle in Himeji, Japan, built in the 1300s, is nicknamed the “White Egret Castle.” (Colin Helmer)
Our readers share tales of their ramblings around the world.
Who: Francisca Helmer (author), her husband, Colin Helmer, and sons David and Richard Helmer, all of Bethesda.
Where, when, why: We traveled to Japan in mid-December 2015 to visit Richard in Akita, Japan, where he was spending his junior year at Akita International University. Before joining Richard, who was taking final exams when we first arrived, we spent a week and a half visiting other Japanese cities, including Osaka, Himeji, Kyoto and Nara. The three of us met up with Richard in Akita a few days before Christmas. Then we traveled together to Kowakubi, a village outside Akita, as well as Nikko, Kamakura and Tokyo, where we all participated in Japanese New Year’s celebrations.
From left, Colin Helmer, Richard Helmer, the author and David Helmer gather in front of Akita International University in Japan. (Amy Tseng) [Interested in sharing your own ‘What a Trip’ story? Apply here.]
Highlights and high points: The dozens of beautiful Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines we visited were memorable in their own ways. Some were elaborately carved and gold-encrusted, while others were simple and quietly elegant; some were modest neighborhood places of worship, while others were famous pilgrimage sites. All showed a reverence for nature and exemplified ancient Japanese traditions and aesthetics. We also fell in love with Himeji Castle. We understood why it is nicknamed the “White Egret Castle” as we approached the striking building situated on a hill overlooking the city.
Cultural connection or disconnect: New Year’s festivities are important in Japan. On New Year’s Eve in Tokyo, we joined hundreds of people packed into the courtyard of a Buddhist temple at midnight to listen to the temple bell ring 108 times. According to Buddhist tradition, that is the number of evil desires humans are subject to, and it is thought that listening to temple bells ring that many times will rid us of those desires. The following day, thousands of people throughout the country visit Shinto shrines, where they burn incense and perform other rituals to purify themselves for the New Year. We joined them at a number of shrines in the city, where we enjoyed the festival atmosphere and many tasty treats being sold by food vendors. Our favorite was the grilled octopus.
Biggest laugh or cry: I had heard of the famous Japanese vending machines that sell a huge range of products, but for some reason I never expected that the machines could dispense hot beverages. I was delighted to be able to buy hot coffee in a can from vending machines all over Japan, and it became a regular habit on chilly mornings during our visit. Similarly, it would never have occurred to me to buy lunch in a convenience store, but they stock a wide variety of delicious Japanese and western snacks that made for cheap and easy meals on the go.
How unexpected: The somewhat shabby and depressed appearance of Akita, a city with about 330,000 inhabitants in the north of Japan’s main island, contrasted strikingly with the vibrancy and youthfulness of Tokyo, with 38 million people in its vast metropolitan area. We were surprised to see empty high-rise buildings in Akita’s downtown center, and in the nearby tiny agricultural village of Kowakubi, about 20 miles from Akita, we saw a number of elderly people, but only one child. Both places made us think of the demographic and economic challenges Japan is facing today. Tokyo’s streets, trains and subways teem with people of every age, but visitors who only see the capital would never know that the rural areas of the country are struggling with a demographic crisis.
Fondest memento or memory: Our family spent Christmas Eve in a traditional Japanese inn with hot springs, known in Japan as an onsen, in Kowakubi. The inn is an old, wooden building with traditional family communal bedrooms where tatami sleeping mats are laid out for guests every night. There was a full moon that night, and we bathed in an outside pool fed by the natural hot springs. Steam rose from the hot, milky mineral water into the cold, clear night air as the moon lit the surrounding trees. Afterward, we ate a traditional Japanese multi-course feast. Although some of the dishes were strange to our western taste buds, they were all beautifully prepared and the innkeeper was so kind and eager to please that we all enjoyed the meal. The next morning, our hostess gave us each a pair of gift-wrapped chopsticks for Christmas. It was a magical holiday.
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