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Oxalis Holidays Newsletter March 2008 Spring is at hand in Japan. The first sakura (cherry blossoms) are eagerly awaited, which will add colour to the landscape of Japan. They have already blossomed in southern areas of the country, and are working their way north, from sea-level to mountain-top. So, you have a very good chance of seeing them whether you go in late March or even in early May. Hanami is not new - it's a centuries-old tradition, starting perhaps during the early Nara period when Chinese tradition still was having a profound influence on Japan. Aristocrats of Heian-era Kyoto would hold hanami parties and write haiku poems, while sipping sake. Karaoke may have replaced haiku, but it's still a uniquely Japanese event. Those of you who have travelled before to Japan may have noticed how certain holidays and events are celebrated in grand style. National parks famous for one or another flower, are mobbed by thousands of visitors during the peak time for blooming. This makes it easy for those of us who prefer peace and quiet to avoid the long lines and go outside these seasons. The National Park of Oze, which we visit on the Mountain Spirits tour, is famous for its mizu-basho (skunk cabbage) which bloom in late May. For several weeks hundreds of buses arrive daily direct from Tokyo, and the trails are like Tokyo station during rush-hour. But then, as quickly as they arrived, they depart, and Oze is restored to its pristine, beautiful self. A Japanese acquaintance once asked me, puzzled, why I would visit Oze in September. I responded saying that I preferred to be there without the crowds. For many Japanese, however, that's not an issue. They can focus on the flowers, the camaraderie, and not worry about the crowds.
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In this issue: 1. New cycling tour |
New tour! Our new tour for 2009 is Japan on Two Wheels, our first cycling tour. We have created a varied itinerary travelling from Osaka and Kyoto to the rural Kii Peninsula, and onwards to a route around Mount Fuji and finally Tokyo. There is cycling on 9 of the 14 days, with two optional levels on cycling from 15 to a maximum of 90km per day. Bring your own bikes let us supply one of our new hibrids. Highlights are Kyoto and Nara, Kumano Pilgrimage route UNESCO World Heritage site - Kawayu river hot spring - Temple stay at Nachi - Grand Shrine of Ise – Mount Fuji - hot springs - Tokyo. |
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Accommodation Spotlight Our favourite is Rengejo-in. The shukubo is run by monks of the temple, and has a Japanese garden as well as gravel raked into patterns by the monks. In the morning, you can get up early before breakfast to see the Buddhist morning service. Usually, after breakfast, the monks will explain in English the history of Mount Koya and the Shingon (true word) school of Buddhism. Rengejo-in is in Mount Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, about 2 hours south of Osaka by Nankai line railway. We stay at Rengejo-in on our Shoguns and Samurai and Nakasendo Trail tours. |
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Destination Spotlight The Japan Destination Spotlight for this newsletter is Nachi in Wakayama Prefecture.Nachi is famous in Japan for its 133 metre high waterfall, and Nachi Grand Shrine. On the south-east coast of Wakayama Prefecture, in the Kii Peninsula, this whole area is steeped in myth and legend. Nachi is part of the Grand shrines of Kumano UNESCO-registered World Heritage site, and one of the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano, which deify the three mountainsof Kumano. Now worshipped as part of esoteric Buddhism, the religious significance goes back to the pre-Buddhist period in Japan, when shintoism was the only religion. The difference between the two religions has become somewhat blurred. You may see pilgrims, dressed in white, making their way to Nachi- it is at the eastern end of the Nakahechi, of the ancient pilgrimage routes known as the Kumano kodo. If you are not arriving on foot, then the train from Osaka to Nachi is the logical alternative. The journey itself is dramatic; the train hugs the coast and you see the open Pacific as it laps at the rugged coastline and small villages. At Nachi, a bus takes you up the small road for 30 minutes to the shrine and the waterfall. In July, the famous Nachi Fire festival is held. 50kg torches made of pine branches are held and set on fire. The fire is meant to purify the mikoshi, portable shrines, that are carried by men up the stairs leading to the Nachi shrine itself. In the past, yamabushi, mountain ascetics, would come the waterfalls to undergo penance. They would immerse themselves in the icy water in winter, in an ordeal known as taki-gyo. Although Nachi is known in Japan, it is not well-known to foreign visitors, and part of the reason is its remote location. The bullet train doesn't come here, only a slow train from Osaka that takes about 4 to 5 hours. There are no highways, just a two-lane road that hugs the coast or an even smaller road through the mountains that takes about 5 hours from Nara. Nearby is the hot spring town of Katsuura; there are two amazing hot spring hotels in the bay, one on its own private island and the other built into a rock formation off the coast with a hot spring bath in a cave! Also, the former whaling town of Taiji is nearby, with its whaling museum and whaling monuments. Not for the squeamish. If you want to stay at Nachi, there are several shukubo, pilgrim's lodges, that will provide a room. One of them is Shonshoin temple, run by a friendly monk. We visit Nachi on the Japan on Two Wheels. |
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Summer tours Our April and May tours are now all full, however we have availability in June, July and August, and the autumn. Nakasendo Trail, Shoguns and Samurai, and also Mountain Spirits all have a few places left. |
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Share your photos on Flickr and Facebook For those of who using Facebook, we have a Facebook page. Come along and show your photos, make a comment, become a fan, or just take a look... |
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Photo competition For full details click here.. |
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