japan

Gateway to Nature

My trip to Japan was a juxtaposition of contrasts: of the modern bullet trains and ancient rituals, of concrete jungles and serene nature, of crowded onsens and peaceful villages. And yet, everyone of them was connected by an underlying thread of humanity in a cramped country, that, at times, didn't feel as cramped.

I experienced a part of this while hiking the sacred Kumano Kodo, an ancient pilgrimage route winding through the mountains of central Honshu. I passed through ancient Shinto shrines freshly decorated with incense and along forest paths that wound through bucolic villages and dense woods. The study in contrasts was very apparent in those three days that I hope to repeat in my future, if only to revisit those seeming contradictions once again.

Kii Peninsula

Japan

Gateway to Heaven

In Japanese culture, the Torii (gate) is a symbol that marks the entrance from the mundane to the sacred. Almost every Shinto shrine has this unique structure, clad in vibrant orange, standing guard at or near its entrance. And relatives of this structure are found as far away as India (from where the concept seems to have originated).

The Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto is unique in its long rows of torii gates, known as Senbon torii. There are more than a 1000 torii gates densely packed along the main pathways, attracting casual tourists and devout clerics in equal numbers. I found the long alleyways lined with the vermilion orange a fascinating subject to photograph, though trying to frame a shot without people seemed quite foolhardy! But just the walk around the shrine was rewarding enough.

This was one such attempt of the many trying to capture the essence of the Fushimi Inari Taisha

Kyoto

Japan

A Walk in the Woods

I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees

- Henry David Thoreau

The earthy trail wound through the tall denizens of the misty woods. It was eerily silent, the only sound being the crunch of every step I took towards my destination. And yet, I never felt alone - I had the forest for company and I had so much to learn during my trek on the Kumano Kodo.

Kumano Kodo
Kii Peninsula, Japan

Throwback to the Past

Two years ago, to the day, I was wrapping up the last few days on a guided tour through the island of Honshu in Japan. I am not normally a fan of guided tours that feel like a roller coaster ride, especially in a country like Japan where you can barely peel the surface of the complex subcultures of this diverse country. Between language barriers, the lack of any planning effort, or large mob mentality, I could never grasp the history and origins of a particular culture or place and thereby immerse myself as I normally try to do. It may not have been the right way to travel in Japan, but considering it was also one last goodbye to many friends whom I have known dearly for two years, it was worth the tradeoff.

Despite these barriers, I still felt a sensory overload: visual, aural, and oral. There was just so much happening on this whirlwind of a trip through different places, and the smells, the sights, and the sounds have taken quite a bit of time for my brain to process. My camera managed to preserve certain moments of time while the journal managed to capture some of the memories and emotions I felt as I traveled through very diverse locales and cities. And yet, I feel that I have barely scratched the surface of the experiences I have had.

Tokyo

Japan

Alone in the Forest

Two years ago, I found myself in Japan in the heart of its Golden Week, a week-long extravaganza of cramped train stations and buses, standing-room-only shinkansens, crowded parks and jam-packed restaurants. And I wanted to get away from it all.

And I found it on the lush greenery and rustic scenery in the Kumano Kodo, a multi-day trek through the verdant forests in the heart of the Kii peninsula of Japan. The moss-laden path wound its way through leafy glens and quaint villages, with views of beautiful cloudscapes and misty valleys. And along the way, tiny shrines, artfully preserved, welcomed weary travelers to seek solace and zen after tiring climbs.

One such shrine was this, set amidst towering eucalyptus and pine trees rising into the foggy landscape. It was an unforgettable journey set in a memorable destination.

Kumano Kodo

Kii Peninsula, Japan

Temples of Japan

As I am going to spend the next few months recuperating from surgery, I figured it would be a good time to go through my archives of my travels.

I distinctly remember Nachi Taisha, a beautiful temple complex near the Nachi falls. I had seen photos of a famous red pagoda rising from the verdant greenery against the backdrop of Nachi falls, and as I was exploring the Kii peninsula, I found out where that photo had been taken - the pagoda by the Nachi Taisha. I made my through the multiple levels of the complex, until I came to this viewpoint. And despite it being the Golden week in Japan, when seemingly every Japanese traveled around the country, it was remarkably empty.

The vermillion orange of the four-tiered pagoda was striking against the mountainous landscape draped in contrasting greenery. The Nachi falls, a 400ft waterfall, looked positively tiny when juxtaposed next to this beautiful pagoda. I spent quite a bit of time exploring this relaxing temple complex, absorbing the sights and sounds of a traditional Japan.

Nachi Taisha

Nachikatsuura Japan

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The Village Life

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The bus took it's own sweet time, winding through and around the forested mountain ranges in the eastern part of Honshu island. Through the wide windows, the life and landscape of rural Japan sped by: snow-capped peaks waiting for the summer sun with glacial blue waters heading down from them, terraced farms in every available piece of arable land in the valleys below, and bright green buds of the deciduous woodlands standing side by side with the evergreen conifers in the hills above. And in-between were tiny farmhouses with the vestiges of cherry blossoms, the perfect epitome of village life in Japan.

My destination was the village of Shirakawa-go, an old village in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan, that was so set back in time that it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, partily due to the unique farmhouse style called the gassho-zukuri. And while the day, with gentle spring sun and mild temperatures, was perfect for visiting a place like this, it also drew in a thousand other tourists who all had the very same idea. I wandered through the village, transported back to a simpler era of feudal farming and sericulture. And were it not for the contrivances of modern civilization, I most certainly would have been. To be fair, that is the main draw of this picturesque village set amidst snow-capped peaks.

Here is a sampling of that beautiful timeless village, replete with cherry blossoms and modern selfie-stick carrying tourists...

Shirakawa-go
Gifu Prefecture, Japan

In Search of Peace

In search of Peace.jpg

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial was one of the saddest places I visited. It recollects the history of the events that transpired on Aug 6 1945 through powerful stories: stories of angst-ridden mothers and father searching for their children, some buried, some burnt, some barely clinging on to life. There were stories of children who, despite knowing they were going to die, were calmly telling their parents that it is going to be ok. All of these stories, and more, were preserved so that the horrors of war can forever be remembered.

Why did I bring it up now? I felt that it was apt given the apathy we seem to have developed towards the loss of human lives. The Peace Memorial showed truly what happened when humanity turned against each other, and yet, countless wars have been fought since. And similarly, the recent (in)actions by our own leaders made me realize that someday in the future, humanity would look back at this day and age, when we seem powerless to stop something as trifling as gun violence, and wonder why we never learnt from history.

The issue (of gun control) may be complex, and may have different meanings for different groups of people, but the consequence is the same: red and black. It is most certainly time to elevate the right to live over the right to bear arms.

During the Hiroshima bombing, a 2 year old girl was exposed to severe radiation, and developed leukemia at the age of 12. She started making these paper cranes hoping it'll help her recover. She made more than a 1000 paper cranes, but recover, she never did. But these cranes (some pictured here) became a symbol of peace

I sincerely hope through these events (the shootings) which have resulted in senseless loss of lives, we can create a symbol that can unite the citizens of this country against gun violence.

Hiroshima
Japan

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Through the Green Jungle

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I got off the bus and stared at the trail-head - a wooded damp trail threading into the forests; a low layer of fog and rain mired my visibility further. A convenient multilingual sign gave a helpful description of the significance of the pilgrimage, but nothing about the 16km to cover today, nor the terrain I had to go through, or what I would experience. But perhaps that was best left unsaid, as it allowed me to fully be surprised by every single turn of the trail, but every foggy vista, by every pass I submitted, by every creek and cascade I passed by, and by every temple I stood in awe of.

This was the nature of the Kumano Kodo trek, one of the most sacred pilgrimages in the Kii Peninsula in the Honshu island of Japan. I had decided to come here to escape the crowds of the Golden Week, where every resident of Japan seemed to be traveling everywhere. And I was glad I did, for I found peace and solace in quite misty forests of the trek.

This shot was taken at one such place halfway through the first day, where the mist became part of the wonderful verdant greenery that made this trek ever so special.

Nakahechicho
Wakayama Japan