In the summer of 2003 I had a one-day meeting in Yokohama, Japan.  Since I was going to all the trouble of crossing the world's largest, deepest ocean, I decided to take a week of vacation to wander through the country.  My roommate came along for the trip, which we had loosely scheduled to include a visit to Yokohama, Kamakura, Tokyo, and Nikko.

Yokohama

I spent the first two evenings at the Yokohama Bay Sheraton. Below is a photo from the hotel lobby as well as some shots taken from my room. This was a great first place to stay as the hotel entrance is right outside the train station and all the attendants spoke English.

Yokohama Bay Sheraton

Downtown Yokohama

Taxis outside the train station

Kamakura

Although the busy avenues of Yokohama were exciting, the most rewarding leg of this trip was our visit to Kamakura. This city has a more traditional charm, which is why is sometimes referred to as the Kyoto of eastern Japan.  Kamakura has a high concentration of temples and shrines making it a great tourist spot. After a short train ride from Yokohama, we covered Kamakura on foot. After first visiting the Engaku-ji, Tokei-ji, and Jochi-ji temples, we following the Daibutsu hiking course that led us through dirt trails in the hills.

Entering Engaku-ji

Inside Engaku-ji temple

Hase-dera temple

Buddhist monks

Along the hiking trail we stopped at Zeniarai-Benten and Sakuke shrine before ending up at the Great Buddha (Daibutsu). The statue was impressive (and you could even go inside it) but this area was overrun by tourists who were an unwelcome contrast to what had been a quiet and mysterious journey.  Originally the Great Buddha was housed inside a large temple but, in the 15th century, the temple was washed away by a tsunami (tidal wave) and now he sits out in the open.

The Great Buddha (Daibutsu)

...and his giant sandals

Tokyo

The next morning we ventured in Tokyo, the bustling capital of Japan and home to 12 million.  After another train ride we got of in Shinjuku (one of the 23 wards of the Tokyo metropolis.)  Most of the large skyscrapers in Tokyo are located in this area. We stayed at the Shinjuku Prince hotel shown below. It was a lot more cramped and simple than the Sheraton.  We did some wandering around in Shijuku the first evening taking in the colorful signs and milling through the crowds.

After our first night in Shinjuku, we headed over to Asakusa, another area in Tokyo.  There we visited Sensoji temple. The temple was larger than others we had visited and there was a long walkway with hundreds of little shops for purchasing the kind of things that tourists like to buy (kimonos, fans, and snacks).

Big lantern in Sensoji temple

Shinjuku Prince Hotel

While in Tokyo we did a lot of subway hopping. Their subway system is great; we managed to travel throughout the city without ever having to worry about when a train would arrive. You can just buy a ticket, go over to the platform, and the next train will be there in a few minutes.  A few times we got on the subway during peak hours when people are jam-packed. You end up smashed against everyone and unless you're lucky you probably won't have anything to hang on to.

People falling asleep on the subway

Schoolchildren on the subway

Yes, they have McDonalds too

Nikko

After two days in Tokyo it was time for us to head up to Nikko, a small city north of Tokyo. As you can see from the photos, it was very misty in Nikko and it would start raining lightly several times throughout the day. We had booked a traditional Japanese style room to get a more authentic experience while in Nikko. While the room wasn't exactly as I pictured (paper walls, and lanterns, etc.) it did have a tatami mats, and low furniture. At night they removed the table and placed futons for us to sleep on. There were more comfortable than you might think.

Our hotel room in Nikko

The view outside

Our guide book talked about a waterfall in the area that was worth seeing so we ventured out into the forest. I'm afraid we never found the waterfall, instead we just wandered through the forest which was beautiful but full of spider webs and dragonflies. I never saw a spider but I tore through about a hundred webs as I went blundering through the paths.

The next day we visit the Toshogu shrine complex, which is home of Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine. Like the Great Buddha, this temple had flocks of tourists and even worse, tour groups. Though I enjoyed the visit, it didn't compare to the much quieter, peaceful temples in Kamakura.

Wandering through the forest in Nikko

Everything is so green

Toshogu shrine complex

Back in Tokyo

We never had a strict schedule for this trip and in fact, we didn't even book a hotel room for the last two nights. This gave us the freedom to travel wherever we choose. We were hoping to take a long train ride to a city at the base of Mt. Fuji, but we couldn't find a room so we ended up back in Tokyo.  In the morning we ventured out to the Tsujiki Fish Market, which is one of the world's largest fish markets. We were late though and there wasn't much excitement once we arrived. Instead we wandered through the shops there, mostly selling pottery and cooking utensils.

We also visited Meiji Shrine located in a wooded park in Tokyo. Perhaps more amazing than the shrine was the experience of going from the busy streets in Tokyo with giant screens and advertisements into a quiet wooded area with giants trees.

A family looking at a wall of lanterns

Prayer cards, in many languages

The next day we hopped a train back to Narita airport and flew home. I plan to visit again soon in the coming years, next time to Kyoto and western Japan.