Japan Travels

ADVENTURES TO TOKYO, JAPAN

TEXT BY MARC SMITH

In late March, my husband Aidin and I traveled to Japan for ten days.

We wanted to catch the Sakura - Cherry blossoms and avoid the heat

and humidity of the summer months. Two goals that, thankfully, we

accomplished in full.

We spent the night before our flight in San Francisco, where we wandered around Coit Tower and North Beach and enjoyed a casual Chinese dinner in Chinatown. The next morning, we flew Japan Airlines direct to Narita. It was a smooth, pleasant flight. A long flight. of course, but made better by the very Japanese service and impressively tasty airline food. We flew north along the California coast and across the Pacific, arriving in Japan late in the afternoon (having crossed the date line).

As we all know, Tokyo is immense, and arriving there can feel overwhelming at first, especially while navigating the trains from Narita. But everything worked smoothly, and after we reached our hotel in Shibuya. our trip was officially underway.

Shibuya is vibrant, busy, commercial, and full of energy, especially around the famous Scramble crossing. It was stunning to see the cars, trains, taxis all passing under

the arching pedestrian bridges that criss-cross Shibuya. We spent our first full day exploring the wider Shibuya neighborhood, including some of the quieter streets nearby. We ate at small restaurants and cafes tucked into alleys, and enjoyed our first taste of the incredible Japanese cuisine. On our first full day in Japan we walked to Yoyogi Park and to the peaceful Meiji Jingu Shrine. The contrast between the quiet

of the shrine and the bustle of the city was striking-and one of many contrasts we experienced during our travels.

That same day we also visited Yanaka, a quieter, older neighborhood that escaped much of the wartime bombing and retains a relatively subdued and traditional atmosphere, with countless shrines and temples dotting the neighborhood. We had a delicious lunch at a small traditional restaurant there, and were waited on unexpectedly by a British man (though the cooks were all Japanese), and followed this with a trip to Tokyo National Museum and a walk through Ueno park, where the cherries were just starting to come out.

From Tokyo, we took the train to Kanazawa. We accidentally bought non-reserved seats and ended up standing for the first hour of the journey, but the fleeting views of Mount Fuji along the way made up for it.  Part of the joy of the trip was watching the landscapes change as we traveled over the mountains from a clear and warm Tokyo, to chilly snow-covered higher altitude towns, and to the foggy and cool western coast. Kanazawa was charming, with winding streets, preserved samurai and geisha districts, and one of the most beautiful gardens we’ve ever seen (Kenroku-en). Our hotel in downtown Kanazawa (Mitsui Garden Hotel Kanazawa) was modern and sleek. It was both the nicest hotel during our trip and the most affordable. Hotel rooms in Japan, in general, have all the conventional accouterments of western hotels but are distinguished by their tight, and sometimes cramped layout.  The Kanazawa  hotel room felt spacious and very comfortable with large windows and  a view overlooking a garden courtyard. It had compact  light wood furniture and soft ambient lighting that gave a a few subtle nods to traditional Japanese patterns and design..The hotel even had a modern onsen (Japanese spa)  on the top floor, and we went there more than once to soak in the hot water while looking out at snow-covered mountains in the distance. The food in Kanazawa was delicious, and traditional. We ate in Izakayas without english menus and had the best sushi we’ve ever eaten. We had a traditional rice, miso, and fish breakfast in the fish market, and ate all kinds of delicious food. Ramen, Japanese tonkatsu curry, Yakitori dishes, Kaiseki.  Kanazawa became our favorite stop on our trip.

After two days in Kanazawa, we continued to Kyoto. The city is larger and more modern than one might expect, with its enormous central station and constant flow of buses and tourists. But amid the density, Kyoto also offered moments of quiet beauty: temple gardens, winding hillside streets, and little surprises (and of course, more good food!).   The tourist crowds at major sites like Kinkaku-ji and Fushimi Inari were intense, so we learned quickly to go early in the day—or to seek out less-visited temples and quieter corners of the city. Fortunately, Kyoto is full of quiet and beautiful less-visited temples and gardens.

We managed to beat the crowds at the Senbon Torii (the Thousand Torii Gates Shrine) by arriving early and hiking up to the higher sections to the top, where the crowds thinned dramatically. I’d highly recommend doing the same. Its not a bad hike and the peace and beauty at the top made it well worth the climb. Some of our favorite spots in Kyoto turned out to be the smaller, quieter temples and gardens we stumbled upon while walking between major sights. These hidden gems felt like tranquil oases, tucked just out of reach of the tour buses, and underscored just how abundant Kyoto’s oases of beauty really are.

We visited many temples—Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Nanzen-ji, and more—but also enjoyed just walking and exploring the city on foot. Kyoto rewards wandering.  In busy Kyoto, eating out often required a reservation, which we didn’t always prepare. More than once we had our meals from the Combinis (convenience stores) like Family Mart and Lawson station. Even this food was delicious, and would put US pre-made food in a grocery store to shame.

We returned to Tokyo by Shinkansen and spent our final days in the business district near Tokyo Station. It was a calmer neighborhood than Shibuya,  though not nearly as interesting. By the time we returned the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and after a visit to one of the major temples in Tokyo, Senso-ji in Asakusa, we enjoyed another walk through Ueno Park where we saw the same cherry trees and the sakura festival now in full swing.

On our last night, we met a friend of a friend and Tokyo native named Koichi, who took us to dinner at a hibachi restaurant  and told us about a music-themed gay bar called Bar Virtuoso. It was great to connect with Koichi and learn about life in Tokyo as a gay man, and get a sense of the scene and the connections he had made living there. Koichi had prior plans to see a movie with friends, so after a great conversation and hibachi dinner we said our goodbyes and made our way to Bar Virtuoso. It was a small, intimate and welcoming lounge-like, with a dark wood bar and a little crystal  chandelier, giving it a little touch of classic elegance. The bar is tucked into the second floor of a building in Shinjuku.The handful of patrons, all Japanese men in their 30s or 40s,  seemed like regulars who knew the owner and his partner quite well.  The owner, Tak, had once worked for Panasonic and now conducts an orchestra of LGBTQ+ musicians, and it’s Tak’s love of music that gave the bar its name and character  After talking about his musical activities and mine, .I was invited to play the piano, and played a short piece by Debussy, and  one of the other patrons, A violinist, gave an impromptu solo performance while we sipped cocktails.  It was a wonderful evening, one of those experiences that captures the best aspects of travel: unexpected, genuine, and memorable.

We’re already thinking about going back. There’s still so much to see, and next time, we’ll be sure to get reserved seats on the shinkansen.