In the past two days, we have traveled from the northernmost part of the main island of Japan in Tohoku, southwest through Tokyo and ending up in Japan's third largest city, Osaka - we began at 9 am and arrived at Sawako's home around 7:30 pm. The next morning, in order to take advantage of our last day of the JR Rail Pass, we left at 7 am for an overnight trip to Takayama, in the Japanese Alps. The town of 60,000 is dubbed "Little Kyoto" because it has preserved its historic architecture and boasts nearly a dozen Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. It also specializes in several crafts, including woodcarving and laquerware. So starting from the night lights of Osaka to the stone lanterns of hilly Takayama, it was a 4-hour trip up and into the past.
The train ride took us through a gorgeous river gorge as we ascended into the mountains from Osaka. The countryside is dotted with tidy rice fields and tea farms, and it seems that every available spot of land is cultivated. Even though the population density is much higher than we had encountered in Hokkaido and Tohoku, the landscape here is much more dramatic and one understands why people would want to live in this area. You really feel the presence of the forested moutains all around, and they are huge greenscapes that have been folded by the movement of the earth over the millenia.
What made our stay in Takayama so special was the guidance of Mr. Ohnu, Sawako's father's dearest friend and a retired English teacher who had traveled to the U.S. several times. All had been arranged a few days in advance when Sawako texted her mother, along with a phone camera picture of us, so that Ohno-sensei could meet us at the train station. Sure enough, Ron spotted him as soon as we disembarked and we waved, bowed, shook hands, bowed some more, and were on our way to a wonderful introduction to the city by this delightful gentleman.
After a quick lunch of nooodles, we began our walk across the river to the old section of town and uphill to visit several temples and shrines. Each one is different yet packed together so you move from one to the next situated almost next door. We meandered through narrow streets rather than the noisier main avenues, and passed private homes and businesses with the typical "flip-edged" shingle roofs we had seen during our train ride.
After an afternoon of walking up and down the narrow streets and enjoying the panoramic views of the town, which is dwarfed by a huge gate, Ohno-sensei took us to dinner at a marvelous down-home restaurant. A second of panic overcame us as we entered through the shoji screen as we saw the low tables and imagined Ron's contortions trying to accomodate his long legs underneath. But we soon spotted space at the bar and sat side-by-side as the owner served us a round of three different types of sake to taste. I couldn't understand much of what she said, but her demeanor and tone of voice told us she was "The Boss," so we were in good hands. After a bowl of soba into which I cracked a raw egg, Ohno-sensei ordered a succession of local dishes for us to taste, including some tiny pickled eggplant, wasabi leaves, lightly fried oysters, sashimi of octopus, tuna, and a couple of other fish, all washed down with some good local beer. According to Ron the vegetarian, these were the best oysters he has ever had!
The next morning we met again for a tour of a village that showcases a typical architectural style of the region called "praying hands" because of the steep angle of the thatched roof to keep the snow off during the winter. I can't write about all we learned and saw, but one highlight was an exhibit of the silkworm cultivation on the upper floors of these tall houses that brought from other villages in the region and reconstructed to form a small village.
But by far the best part of our stay in Takayanma was getting to know Ohno-sensei, whose gentleness, spark and carefully enunciated English provided a delightful backdrop to our time in Takayama.
So now we are back in the hustle and bustle of Osaka, waiting for Sawako to come home from a long day of lectures and an interview with a reporter in Tokyo. Tomorrow will be a relaxing day and we look forward to visiting her favorite places and discovering another slice of the multi-layered life of Japan.
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