Travel is made up of experiences, not always positive ones, but they come together, intertwining with one another to form something like the DNA of each trip. A formula that, in an incomprehensible process of alchemy, brings together experiences, memories, and sensations with the tastes and the personal moment of each individual to result in a unique journey, surely very similar to that of many others but different because it bears your mark.
After days of research in the laboratory, I have managed to obtain the DNA of my trip to Japan. I admit that it has not been a country that I have fallen in love with despite the cultural differences and the exoticism that make it special; perhaps, in my capacity as a backpacker, it lacked some adventure and had a bit too much civilization, perhaps I missed some places on the route, perhaps it was not the time. However, there are things you can only do in Japan y which are the ones that have defined the genetics of this journey through Japanese lands. Here are my 10 experiences.
1.- Getting lost among torii in Fushimi Inari
If you are lucky enough to visit the Fushimi Inari Shinto shrine, just a step away from Kyoto, when there are no hordes of people, you will be able to enjoy in relative solitude the thousands of torii that run along the paths of the mountain in which it is nestled. A crimson snake that slides uphill among trees to worship the god Inari, the deity of rice and now of merchants. Quite an experience to step into the skin of this reptile and let it swallow you irremediably to wander through its also crimson entrails. If you occasionally manage to escape from its interior, break free from its appeal, step off the marked path to contemplate it from the outside, to discover the foxes that protect it and walk through a unique cemetery.
2.- Being amazed on a Sunday with the cosplays in Odaiba
There is no better Sunday plan than taking the camera and going for a walk through the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo to see lots of young Japanese people dressed up in great detail as characters from comics, manga, anime or video games. And there, in the middle of these particular urban tribes, you feel a bit like an intruder, a bit of a voyeur and a bit of a paparazzi because your eyes wander from one side to the other, from the lolita full of accessories, to the androgynous cyclist, passing through those you have no idea how to categorize. Yes, I admit it, I would have given anything to strip off my ordinary Western tourist clothes to dress like them.
3.-Feeling the magic of the bamboo forest in Arashiyama
Places where you have put too many expectations often tend to disappoint. More or less this is what happened to me with the Arashiyama bamboo forest, very close to Kyoto, but it was only for a moment. It was enough for me to stop in the middle of the path, look up, observe the branches tickling the sky with their plume of feathers and the sky returning the flirtation with a caress of light, to feel the magic. The initial disappointment faded, the tourists seemed to dissolve and my imagination and I were left alone, fantasizing about nymphs and fairies playing hide-and-seek among bamboo trunks with the rays of light.
4.-Stumbling upon a maiko in the night of Gion
It is night and no one is to be seen in the streets of the traditional Gion district in Kyoto. Everyone who was lurking around in the afternoon searching for geishas on an uncomfortable and insolent urban safari has already disappeared. A door opens, a maiko comes out in a hurry but with elegance, she passes in front of me and disappears down the alley opposite. Only her okobos can be heard clicking against the ground. I started walking behind her, afraid that she might suddenly vanish. A short walk full of absurd childhood excitement that I enjoyed perhaps more than the moment of reaching her and politely asking her if I could take a photo.
5. Photographing the sunset in Miyajima
I never saw the silhouette of Mount Fuji, but I did witness the long-awaited sunset on Miyajima island with its characteristic torii balancing over the sea. There are times when dreams do come true and expectations do not disappoint. Just sitting there watching it, looking for the best spot for the tripod among a couple of sleepy deer, believing you’re a real photographer for a while… Ultimately, savoring happiness in one of those delicious moments that travel offers.
6.- Discovering that fresh fish doesn’t smell like fish
The Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo can enchant you or make you loathe it. It fascinated me because markets and I have something like a worldwide love affair, but I understand there are those who aren’t thrilled by seeing fish guts. The largest fish market in the world has frantic activity early in the morning, and even if you don’t wake up early enough to see the famous tuna auction, it’s more than interesting to observe the mastery with which they use knives, dodge the carts moving quickly through the corridors, or discover that truly fresh fish doesn’t smell bad, it doesn’t smell like fish.
7.- Becoming Japanese at a Shinto festival
And suddenly you find yourself dancing in a Shinto temple during a Bon Odori festival that welcomes the souls of ancestors with lively dances to the rhythm set from atop a tower by the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum. If you’re also lucky enough to be accompanied by a local or someone who knows the culture, you can live a unique experience and even learn a lot of things. Leave your shyness in a corner, memorize the steps, and jump in to celebrate with them. You’ll discover how welcoming Japanese people can be.
8.- Falling in love with the fog in Koyasan
One of the most special places on the route through Japan was undoubtedly Koyasan, a town nestled in Mount Koya, reached after a long but not tedious train journey with spectacular views. The town exudes Buddhism, dotted with temples where you can stay overnight and even pray with the monks. But what makes it even more unique is Okunoin, a vast and amazing Buddhist cemetery protected by towering cedars, shrouded in vegetation, and with a cobbled path you don’t want to end. Far from spoiling the visit, the fog and rain enveloped the place in a captivating halo of mystery.
9.- Defying vertigo alone in Osaka
Before you, the Umeda Sky Building, 173 meters high, an outdoor glass elevator, two symmetrical towers joined by escalators suspended in the air, and a circular open observation deck 150 meters above the ground from which you have a bird’s-eye view of Osaka and in 360 degrees. Do you have a fear of heights? Bad luck, because you’re missing out on a mind-blowing experience. The horizon of this futuristic Japanese city lacks nothing, and time will stand still as you discover everything it hides.
10.- Hunting for jizos in Daisho-in
I knew from some travel photographer that at the Daisho-in Temple, on Miyajima Island, there were some hidden jizos, small statues dedicated to children and motherhood. I arrived there, camera in hand, ready to find them. Some? Heaps of them, scattered along the paths, camouflaged in nooks, protected in the shade, lying by the edge of the ponds, serious, funny, tender… So many that I even ended up getting tired of looking for them, but even so, I think I didn’t leave any without photographing them. It must be that after several days in Japan you bring out your inner geek.
