The best memories of Japan (part II)

Hello! Today I will continue with my best memories list :). Like I wrote before I chose those that I bear in mind for a particular reason. So : hajimemashou!

3. Hanami at night

One of my favourite memories concerns the night that we spent watching the blooming cherry blossoms in Kyoto at the Yasaka temple. I would recommend Hanami to anyone, even if you are not especially interested in Japanese culture. Admiring pink blossoms illuminated at night on the temple's grounds is one of the most beautiful things you can see. The whole event is accompanied by an incredible atmosphere created by dozens of Japanese people gathered to cultivate their ancient tradition. Hanami is also an ideal opportunity to try traditional dishes and sake. 

Mayurama Park - Yasaka Temple (Gion, Kyoto)

When I and my mom sat down on the table we ordered yakitori and sake.While we are waiting for the dish we tried to discreetly watch and admire the Japanese in traditional kimonos. We did not have to seek far because we sat next to the Japanese pair in the beautiful, colourful kimonos. To our surprise, after a few minutes Japanese which sat next to us introduced himself in English and so our conversation started. As it turned out he was a musician who played most of his life in Europe and America and he lived for a few years in Germany and Hungary. The rest of the evening we spent eating and talking about Europe, Poland and Japan. I always find this memory as of the unique opportunity to know Japanese better. It is rare that the Japanese themselves starts a conversation with gaijin (foreign).

Yakitori :)

4. The meeting in the park

As I have often mentioned before, the Japanese avoid conversations in English as much as they can. Therefore, if I am able to, I try to ask for directions in Japanese, or find the way myself. But, sometimes, even if its a really rare sight , the Japanese themselves approach you and begin to speak in this exotic language (English of course) :). Unfortunately it happens rarely. 

It was a sunny day, when me and my mother walked aimlessly around one of Tokyo's gardens. Suddenly, I saw a Japanese that looked at me smiling. When I looked at him he kindly asked, if I wouldn't mind to talk with him for a minute. He spoke fluent English and as for a Japanese I understood him pretty well. As the three of us sat, it turned out that he was extremely happy to have a chance to speak in English with somebody. He was very helpful and keen to give us a lot of informations about places to visit in Tokyo. He was so kind to even  drew us couple maps and asked few Japanese passers-by for more accurate information (when himself he did not remember something). It is amazing how much the Japanese people asked for help will do. Sometimes they do not leave you until they are sure that they were able to help you. It does not matter whether they are in hurry or have their own worries, or if they can speak English. Every time I am really touched by kindness of the Japanese people.

The best memories from Japan :)

In today's post I want to start a short list of the four best memories from Japan. Of course there are so many good things to mention, that I would like to focus myself on those concerning Japanese people, whom I had the opportunity to meet. 

It is worth noting that Japanese people are rather shy in case of dealing with foreigners. Often it is connected with the need to communicate in English. In Japan, learning English in schools is obligatory, but due to outdated teaching model they can not speak fluently. In schools, emphasis is put on learning grammar and writing essays. Usually the only exercise of conversation is reading at loud the text of the manual. It should also be remembered that the Japanese who speak English, often for inexperienced Europeans are completely incomprehensible. Of course, the problem lies in a distorted pronunciation of words that is similar to Japanese one. :) 

But among the daredevils who risked arduous conversation in English were, among others, those Japanese:

1. A crane which grants wishes

I must admit that it is my favourite memory regarding Japanese, because I was deeply touched by kindness and selflessness. Once, in Tokyo I was turning back alone to the hotel, so I stepped in Tenya (a chain restaurant) to eat some tasty tempura :). Normally I never ate alone so I wanted a table just for myself. As it turned out the restaurant was crowded with people so I had not other choice as to sit at one of the longitudinal tables, surrounded on the one side by salary-man and on the other one by Japanese pensioner. Feeling the pressure and keeping in mind how the Japanese sustains the traditions, I tried my best to express the esteem respecting for food. At the beginning I felt uncomfortable, afraid that I can offend someone with improper behaviour, but soon I was able to  relax a bit. Then suddenly the pensioner on my right said, "sumimasen" (I am sorry). Surprised and a confused I looked in his direction, only to realize that he apologized for taking the sauce from the table, which was between us. Actually he did not have to say it, because he did not interrupt my eating, but  apparently the old gentleman must have considered as a lack of respect- not to apologize me for "intrusion" on the table. I tried to hide my shock caused by his kindness with a smile. When I finished eating, the old gentleman (who apparently did not speak English) asked me to wait, and took out a small coloured box and handed it to me smiling. It was origami box with a pair of cranes inside. He said that it was a gift for me and that crane made from paper can make dreams come true. I like a lot this kind of nice, random encounters that you can remember for a long time. It is good to know that there exist people who are trying to make your day a little better :).

2. Children's smiles

I think that even if we have nothing to share with another person, we can always smile. It is nothing much, but it can improve someone's mood. :) Japanese children are so lovely! It often happened that during my stay in Japan children were approaching me with a wide smile saying with a thin voice  "Herrrou"(it is hello of course ;) ). At this point, unfortunately, our conversation had to end, because children were not able to say something more. The only thing I could do was say "Herrou!" with a smile on my face. Can we call it a conversation? I think so, because you can communicate in non-verbal way also. Sometimes a few brief moments without using words can leave a very good memory to which you will want to remember (for example, in gloomy and rainy days;) ).

If you want know more ->

 See you next time! ;)

Himeji

Hello everybody! In today's post I would like to describe my favourite Japanese castle-Himeji-jou, which is also called "White Heron Castle". This feudal castle is located in the town of the same name in the Hyougo prefecture . It is worth noting that Himeji-jou is a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site and belongs to the most popular monuments in Japan. The name "White Heron Castle" comes from its elegant, white appearance that resembles a flying bird. After a long renovation period, in 2015 Himeji-jou was finally completed and reopened for visitors. Despite of renovation, Himeji castle by a miracle was not destroyed during World War II bombing. From Kyoto or Osaka it takes about one hour of shinkansen ride to get to Himeji. 

We came to the city in the morning, because apart from visiting the castle we wanted to see the Kokoen Garden and visit Kobe's Chinese festival in one of the most famous Japanese China Towns. Fortunately, we quickly found the castle. From the JR station, it was about 15 minutes along the main road! As it turned out later, we were lucky coming to Himeji in the morning, because after 2 hours at the front of the castle lined up huge line of people. 

The sightseeing takes about two hours, during which we saw the inside of the castle, walls and grounds among the walls. It is worth mentioning that Himeji-jou has preserved the interior, and not, as in the case of the other Japanese castles like : Hiroshima, Osaka or Nagoya, where the traditional interior design was abandoned in favour of a modern interactive museum.

Himeji Castle did not disappoint me! The weather was good, and the views from the castle windows were breathtaking. Combined ticket for the castle and Kokoen Garden costs only 1,030 yen, about 30 zloty's. 

Although at first I did not know is it really worth to visit the Kokoen Garden, now I would recommend it to everyone! Right after the Kanazawa's garden, the Kokoen is the most beautiful garden I had seen in Japan! First of all, this garden is an landscape made of several small gardens that perfectly connect the water and greenery. Passing the parts of the garden you can admire the azure waterfalls, lakes full of colourful koi, small streams  surrounded by a lush and intense greenery. IF you ever go to Himeji, you definitely must visit the Kokoen Garden!