Japan

Neil and his family were visiting Japan and for their first day exploring, I took them out to the town of Sakura in Chiba. They had the Sakura Jidai Festival there which celebrated the town's old history. We got there a bit early and the festival stalls were already selling their goods. We got our first meal of the day in the form of pastries with mozzarella cheese fillings. We walked around towards the end of the street, supposedly going to the castle park but we were called by the sound of music and dancing figures in blue kimonos in the distance.

We watched them dance in a line parade towards a parking lot where we admired the choreography while more passers-by joined in. We were further sidetracked by an opportunity to try on samurai armor and Neil was quite keen on that. We explored more of the other end of the street while waiting for his turn and once it was time, they were all over him, putting pieces of armor meticulously. It took a while before the helmet or kabuto was put on as well as the two katanas got pulled out from their scabbards. The pictures were definitely unique.

After a successful transformation, it was time to find lunch around the multitude of food stalls, we opted for the classic karaage, as well as grilled squid and scallops. It was more than enough to get full. Neil's parents holed up inside a soba store to stay away from the cold while we were given time to continue and explore the area, the main reason why we came here in the first place.

We first dropped by Makata Shrine, a Shinto shrine where coincidentally a wedding was happening. The construction next door disrupted the peace a bit but I was able to show Neil the misogi and other Shinto essentials. We walked away from the noise towards the Samurai Residences where we were able to appreciate the lives and abodes of samurais of the past. The Samurai forest was particularly interesting as it brought us up close to nature, there was a bamboo forest right on the outskirts of the garden, and from there we could hear the chirping of various birds. We also saw a frog that was unafraid no matter how close I got to take its pictures. Right at the pond, we also noticed mating frogs too, first time I've ever seen something like that.

One of the coolest parts of the trail was the Hiyodori-zaka, a bamboo grove slope that had us enveloped by towering bamboo. From there, we did a small hike up the hill towards Sakura Castle Ruins Park where we were pleasantly surprised by plenty of blooming sakuras in a sea of pink. Much photos were taken here and we were still sidetracked by various sights including some rocks and a pond. The final objective of the day was to find the Great Stone Buddha of Usuki. I had thought it would just be a small one but I was amazed by the sheer size of it, and it's just standing there without anyone else admiring it. What a find and what a joy it was to discover it.

We had finished circling the town of Sakura and met Neil's parents over at the station where we went to Narita next. I've always skipped this place going to and from the airport but it's actually a really beautiful area. The Old Town featured old architecture with a lot of interesting food to try. The group ended up in a matcha store and we also got some unagi skewers at the Omotesando.

From there, Neil saw the Narita Shinsho-ji's Niomon Gate and thought that was already the temple due to its sheer size and grandeur. What came next was a series of surprises as things just kept getting better and better, first with the arrays of giant stone lanterns, and a pond with the turtle rock. We then proceeded up the stairs to witness the temple's main hall, which was absolutely massive. Neil and I went up where he drew an Omikuji and got semi-good luck. It wasn't over though as we went further back where the crowds started to disappear and we got to see the Great Pagoda of Peace, with very unique architecture that I haven't seen before in Japan.

Encircling the entire temple compound was Naritasan Park, a traditional Japanese garden we were able to explore in peace and solitude. The main highlights for them had to be the plum groves. Though there were plenty of interesting sites to see including a koi pond, cats, and stones. After finishing the loop, we ended back at the resting station to plan the next day and where to eat dinner. We decided to eat at a nearby izakaya specializing in seafood, the sashimi platter itself was humongous and the fish tasted super fresh. All the other food tasted exquisite like the karaage, egg, and the aburi sashimi which became a favorite for them.

We went back to Tokyo satisfied after a very successful and fulfilling day.Läs mer