Japan On My Mind

We were in Japan from October 6-17, 2025.  Our trip included visits to Tokyo, Nakone, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Hiroshima.  Traveling via planes, trains and buses we saw a wide variety of landscapes from large cities to heavily forested mountains to small villages that felt unchanged from their early beginnings. So many beautiful sights and interesting experiences. So many shrines and temples. Here are a few photos that captured my favorite moments.

A 12 Story Stationery Store

Itoya- a 12 story stationery store in Tokyo's Ginza district

Each floor had a theme

It was on my list of things I wanted to see in Tokyo. We arrived at Itoyo, the world-renowned stationery store in the Ginza district 20 minutes before opening where a line had already formed. At exactly 10 AM the floor to ceiling glass door angled open and three employees welcomed us in. Fresh. Clean. Modern with immaculately displayed merchandise. Twelve stories and each floor had its own category- handmade paper, fountain pens, paint art makers, cards and letter sets-  the best of the best. There was also a small area where they held workshops. I bought some traditional Japanese origami paper, Posca markers, a giant red paper clip, colorful washi tape and a few memo pads.

Calligraphy Demonstration

                               Koshun Moshunaga, Master Calligrapher

Koshun-san invited us into her studio and demonstrated the art of both calligraphy and sobuku. Sobuku fuses traditional calligraphy with bold strokes of ink forms. She used a variety of brushes made from bamboo and hair.  The large brush pictured above was made from the hair of 200 horses. Besides demonstrating traditional Japanese calligraphy, she created dozens of images including flowers, animals, structures and, yes, athletes. We purchased a print of a painting she made of Shohei Ohtani for our son who is a big Dodger fan. She also gave each of us a personalized painting illustrating our names.

Takayama Cooking Class

                                                              Our lovely cooking instructors

While attending a cooking class at a Buddhist temple, we prepared a full meal including dashi broth, ajigohan (a vegetable rice), koroiomo (potatoes with soy sauce and sugar), spinach dressed with egoma, fried eggplant, miso soup and matcha jelly. We each had specific duties- chopping, stirring, tasting or frying. The meal took about an hour and a half to prepare and then we sat down and enjoyed the meal together in a traditional sit down dinner.  The potatoes were my favorite.

                                               Five course meal

Kosenyo Pottery Studio

Fifth generation owner of Kutani Kosen Kiln

The Kutani Kosen Kiln is the last operating kiln in Kanazawa. We had the honor of meeting the fifth generation owner in this historical family business. The kiln was established in 1870 and has produced pieces for the emperor and empress of Japan and has won numerous international prizes and awards. 

Here is a picture of the same fellow as a child, and an example of the beautiful pottery they produce.

                                                    Highly decorated Kosen style pottery

Fashion

We didn't make it to the Harajuku district but I did take notice of a lot of street fashion.  Teens and young adults were dressed primarily in black and white with a lot of volume in the pants and skirts. Sneakers were the shoe of choice followed by thick, chunky lug-soled boots. The girls didn't wear much makeup and much of the clothing was non-gendered. 

In Kyoto there were a lot of kimono rental businesses where one could not only rent a kimono but also have hair and makeup done. A standard couple's kimono rental can cost up to 10,000 yen (about $65)

(Borrowed this from the internet- happy to credit photographer if notified)

Organized School Trips

    

We were visiting during a long holiday weekend (National Sports Day) and encountered many school outings. Organized in groups up to 50 or so, they sat quietly in line listening to their teachers and chaperones. When moving in a group, they were organized and spoke softly. Dressed in various school uniforms with coordinating ball caps and bucket hats, they were a beautiful sight to behold. Many groups had their own photographer to capture special moments.

The Gardens

   Kenrokuyen Garden

 Imperial Palace Garden

The Golden Pavilion

Support systems to protect the ancient trees

There were so many and they were so beautiful. 

Calming

Inspiring

Thoughtful

Supported

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

The Cenotaph

Tricycle recovered after the atomic bombing

The single standing structure after the atomic bomb devastated Hiroshima

Thousands of school children visit annually bringing paper cranes

                                            We had our own paper crane folding experience

Extending southwards from the Atomic Bomb Dome and located mostly on a narrow stretch of land between two rivers, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is like a green island in the middle of the city. The area includes a museum, the Cenotaph (shell shaped structure) and the Bomb Dome.

The Bomb Dome is the sole surviving building from the bombing. While most Japanese structures were made from wood, it was built from steel and concrete. The museum includes personal objects recovered afterwards, testimonials and artwork. It was suffocatingly full of tourists. The combination of the crowds and the emotional significance of the personal objects was a bit overwhelming. Although I wanted to continue the tour, I had to exit before it was complete. 

Later in  the day we folded paper cranes at the Ozuru Tower where over a million paper cranes have been deposited into a glass wall on the exterior of the building. A beautiful ending to the day.

1000 Torii Gates

                                                                    Heaven on earth

                                                        Credit Art and Vintage Store, Ltd.

The Fushii Inari Shrine consists of over 1000 orange wooden gates that straddle the path leading to Mt. Inari. The gates are donated by companies and individuals and you'll find the donors' names inscribed on the side of the columns.  This was my idea of heaven. Walking beneath these towering columns and seeing only more tall gates ahead was one of the most visually beautiful experiences of my life. It immediately reminded me of Christo's 2005 Central Park installation named "The Gates".  The crowds thinned the further we walked. We passed a young girl in the middle of a photo shoot and Carl captured this lovely picture.  It was one of those moments I'll always remember.

Carl captured this lovely shot

If you're planning to travel to Japan, do it soon. Condé Nast readers voted the country the #1 travel destination for the past two years with a 47%  increase in tourists from 2023 to 2024. 

Carl and I in front of the floating gate, Mijajima Island