Return to the West: 8 Hours in Japan

What a strange feeling it is to leave Vietnam after a couple of months, with your whole family staying behind... just part of the surreal journey we're on I guess.

I had an 8 hour layover in Tokyo, so I decided to jump on the train (Karen, I can do the Keisei Line!) and check out a couple of towns.

The first stop was Narita, which is a wonderful town that has one of Japan's most important temples. Built over 1,000 years ago, the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple is a must see, not only for the amazing structures and temples, but also the beautiful gardens. It's worth walking through the entire grounds as you get a good feel of the culture combined with a great walk through spectacular gardens and manicured forests. With probably just a couple of warmer days, the cherry blossoms will be in full bloom, and I was fortunate to see some of the early-blooming varieties begin to burst.

The contrast between Hanoi and Narita was markedly opposite - no horns blaring, no mopeds, clean and neat streets, perfect store fronts... even the Buddhist traditions were so different, with offerings exquisitely placed in symmetrical pyramids, and access fairly cut off to the alters. Where Vietnamese temples feel like a community center where everyone is welcome, these temples and shrines were much more monumental, formal and serious. Here's a couple of pics:




After Narita, I hopped on another train and checked out the town of Sakura, famous for the Samurai warriors who used to live there in the Edo Period. I checked out some of their traditional houses and learned that in addition to their swordsmanship, they did quite a bit of gardening as well! From vegetable and fruit gardens to feed the family, to intricate plantings to fortify their residences against attack... Pretty cool, huh?! Here's a couple of shots: