Arty farting on Naoshima

After accidentally underbooking my stay in Hiroshima I had a night free so I thought I'd head to Okayama which is the jumping off point on to Naoshima my next major port of call. The first main point of difference is the relative lack of English spoken, and signage for that matter. It's not exactly off the beaten track but outside the Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima route most taken. I found a small hotel near the station for 4500 yen a night and after changing rooms to get wifi reception I settled in for some blogging and postcard writing. I ended eating takeway in the room after an attempt at sushi train with no English menu saw me choosing what I think was raw pork which freaked me out somewhat. I know it's all part of the adventure and I have a cast iron stomach but... a solo traveller freaks occasionally!

So a 30 minute local train the next morning brought me to Uno, the ferry teminal for Naoshima. A short boat ride later (with some of the more colourful ferry decor I've seen) I arrived at Miyanoura, my home for next night. I say night because even though I'd intended to stay two days one of those was a Monday when everything is closed (except for the Benesse House Museum thankfully) so instead of being bored and lonely (and possibly hungry!) I cut my visit short and packed almost everything into my day of arrival. Now don't get me wrong - Naoshima is well worth the visit, just not on a Monday! I dropped my stuff at Little Plum a restaurant and dorm accommodation where I slept in a (well appointed considering) shipping container which I had all to myself. A 40 minute walk later with some lovely views, only slightly marred by the industrial smoke stacks in the distance, I arrived at Chichu Museum one of three built on the island in the 90's by the Benesse Corporation to house its art collection. The buildings are designed by Tadao Ando and are works of art in themselves. Chichu is subterranian and houses a few late Monets and a purpose built installation by Walter De Maria among others. The De Maria is certainly monumental and you have to take your shoes off to view the Monets. But all in all not my cup of tea. Likewise was my next stop the Lee Ufan Museum, very much of the 'a couple of rocks and sheet of metal and call it art' school. Now It might sound like I'm a bit down on the place but things improved imeasurably when I saw this:

The famous yellow pumpkin and sort of mascot of the island. Its so unlikey and adorable! But it was my next experience that made the whole visit worth it, and why I can recommend going there. The Art House Project are a bunch of houses in a quiet fishing port that were given over to a group of contemporary artists. By turns funny, surprising and downright beautiful they have to be experienced. After dinner and an early night watching Howl's Moving Castle it was up early to see the Benesse House Museum before catching the 11.10 ferry. The museum opens at 8am and as it was I got there by 9 after forgetting that the walk there is quite long and uphill most of the way! By 9.30 I was done - the collection is not very big and with few surprises. There was a Bruce Nauman work I liked! So a wander around the outside art and another wander past the yellow pumpkin and it was back on the road (sea, bus, train) to Osaka and the shopping that is inevitable in the last few days of a trip (well for me at least)!

Nuclear destruction and a floating tori - Hiroshima and Miyajima

So after ringing in the new year it was time to move on and pick up the pace. Next was 2 nights in Hiroshima which with travel days really meant only 1 whole day but compared to a whole chapter in the Lonely Planet for Kyoto, Hiroshima is dealt with in a few pages. That's not to say its less important but it can't help be overwhelmed by its relatively recent history. I threw my bag in a locker at the station for a couple of hours of sightseeing before checking into the hostel. I had intended to see the A Bomb dome first but I got on the wrong tram and ended up closer to the Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art Museum which was on my list anyway. I've been loving the art and museums I've seen in Japan. Hiroshima MOCA is relatively small but with fantastic architecture. I wandered through the permanent collection and saw one work, Each and Every by Koki Tanaka which fascinated me. Check it out on Vimeo if you're so inclined. Checking into another great hostel (K's House) I was in a proper shared dorm for the first time. It's been so long I wasn't sure of the protocols. I'm thinking it doesn't include rolling in at 3am after karoke and beer. Yes gentle reader, I ended up at karoke, crowded into a small room belting out The Passenger with an assortment of fellow backpackers from the hostel. When in Rome right? I did get to the A Bomb dome after walking for a little bit in light snow. It is quite a sight. Its hard to imagine a whole city wiped out in seconds with just a few buildings left standing at the hypocentre. On my last morning I went to the Peace Museum which gave a non sensationalist account of the lead up to and aftermath of the bombing. Although I must say for a peace museum the architecture of the building itself is squarely in the Brutalist school.

Hiroshima is also famous for its proximity to Miyajima and its floating tori. At high tide (1:38pm for all you nautical types) the tori which is a few hundred meters offshore, appears to float. It's rather fab. And so thought the other hundreds of holiday makers on the island that day. Between me, them and the wild deer that roam the island, it was quite a crowd.

And with holiday crowds come the yummy snacks like this custard filled fish shaped cake consumed near the shrine at the (reconstructed in the 60's) castle:

Another tasty fish! So with that I will leave you until we meet again on Naoshima, my next destination. H.

 

Ringing in the new year in Kyoto

After the craziness of Tokyo, it was a relief to get to Kyoto - a more compact, easily navigated city (in other words I didn't get lost once!). Continuing my return to hostels after a long absence I can highly recommend Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse, a fabulous hostel in which I blissfully had my own room. On my first full day I went on a tour run by some lovely local university students. The walk went through the old streets of Gion past the geisha houses and to a temple that from memory was dedicated to to the god of the liver (yes, I know, that's one god I should be getting on side!). Then on to one of the most popular temples, Kiyomizuda. The temple is two stories off the ground and the story is if you jump off your wish will be granted. And apparently most who have attempted it have survived. But I think the practice had been stopped now.

It's interesting being in Japan at the new year. All the shrines and temples are busy with people getting ready to literally ring in the new year by ringing the bell of the temple so the god will hear their wish. As for Kyoto's other sights - I had a wander through the Nikishi Market - it sells fresh pickles, seafood, miso and so on. Its a long, narrow lane so crowding and bottlenecks are inevitable! I also visited the "bamboo forest" in Arashiyama by way of an adorable electric railway. Now, being from Australia where it takes a concerted effort to see snow, when it falls somewhere like the middle of a bamboo forest I giggle with wonder like a child! Luckily it was a few flutters of the stuff not a blizzard so it was romantic without me worrying about frostbite!

Even lovelier was the Fushimi Inari temple, most famous for its lines of orange tori (gates) winding up the hillside. And when you got off the main pathways into the surrounding woods there are smaller shrines to discover and its own bamboo forest. If you've only got time to see one major temple in Kyoto, make it this one!

I also walked the Path of Philosophy that has many smaller shines branching off of it. And just in case you are thinking it was all temples and philosophy, I did end up on a pub crawl and at a club (yes, a smoke machine, laser lights, expensive drinks club) on New Years Eve for the countdown with a bunch of other backpackers. We will never speak of this again ;-)

Hiroshima next. Signing off. H