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Detailed dossier
JAPAN
The Narrow Road to the Deep North…
(Tohoku)
Travel Dates: Sun 3 October – Sun 17 October 2004
Sun
2 October – Sun 16 October 2004
Introduction
Stirred to roam
“by the sight of a solitary cloud drifting with the wind” the great
haiku poet Matsuo Basho set off on
foot to explore the remote Tohoku region of Japan.
He recorded the events of this five-month pilgrimage in his poetic
travelogue
“The Narrow Road to the Deep North” – one of Japan's best-loved literary
classics.
The Oriental Caravan will follow in Basho's footsteps, and then travel even deeper north
through a landscape of rugged coastlines, volcanic lakes
and holy mountains,
for a glimpse into a rural Japan rarely seen by Western eyes.
Far
from the bustle of Tokyo, the traveller to Tohoku has a rare opportunity to
witness
the 'real Japan'. We wander the pilgrim routes to the mountain temples of Dewa
San;
peer into Japan's feudal past in the Samurai quarters of Kakunodate and the
castle towns
of Akita and Hirosaki; stroll amidst the great Tokugawa shrines at Nikko; and
marvel at the
snow-capped volcanoes of Iwaki and Iwate. Adding to the magic of the
journey
are the nights spent in charming and characterful accommodation: mountain-top
and
lakeside 'shukubo' temple lodgings, as well as traditional, family-run ryokan
guesthouses.
This off-the-beaten-track itinerary (researched by and
exclusive to The Oriental Caravan)
can be taken as a 15 day journey or as an extension to “the Caravan
through
the Land of the Rising Sun”. Various elements of the itinerary may be exploratory –
a fact that will appeal to the adventurous and pioneering traveller eager to
take
their first step on “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Tokyo
Group
rendezvous in Tokyo and after time to relax in and around our centrally-located
hotel the opportunity to explore the city. Tokyo is well-known for its bustling energy and futuristic architecture. However,
it also has a gentler side and its citizens often reveal themselves –
particularly outside of working hours – to be some of the friendliest
of any capital city in the world. Behind the skyscrapers and
neon signs, there are many vestiges of the past, with historic temples and
shrines still to be found in some of the most unexpected places, as well as an
abundance of parks and gardens. Overnight
– hotel
Day 2
Tokyo Today we have a varied, full-day tour of the city
beginning in the lively Senso-ji temple district of Asakusa, with its many
interesting craft stalls. After lunch we are afforded an alternative view of
Tokyo as we relax on a short cruise down the Sumida River. Our boat drops us off
at the delightful Hama Rikyu gardens where we
have time to stroll along paths that were once the sole preserve of the
shogun. Later in the afternoon we make our way to the shopping district
of Ginza where, depending on the
theatre schedule, we have the chance to see a short performance of Kabuki, one
of Japan’s more spectacular performing arts. We will then meet up again in the
evening over dinner for a trip briefing. Overnight
– hotel
Day 3
Yamadera Leaving
the great metropolis of Tokyo behind we take our first steps on a journey made
famous over 300 years ago by the great haiku poet Matsuo Basho. Moving at
a somewhat faster pace than that made possible by Basho’s wooden clogs we
speed north by bullet train through rural communities far removed from Japan’s
neon-filled capital. At first the scenery is quite flat – and, with its wide
stony riverbeds and arable farmland, similar to the vast Huabei plateau in
Northern China – but then, soon after our train leaves the station at
Fukushima, we find ourselves travelling through an increasingly impressive
landscape of steep, pine-clad mountains. At Yamagata we change on to a narrow-gauge
line that passes through a valley to the small town of Yamadera where we make
our way to the charming, if rambling, pension that will be our
home for the night. In the afternoon we climb the short
distance up the enchanting wooded slopes behind the town to visit Okuno-in and
Rissahku-ji temples which houses the same sacred flame brought here over
1,000 years ago from Kyoto. It was here that Basho wrote the famous haiku:
In
the utter silence
Of a temple,
A cicada’s voice alone
Penetrates the rocks
Overnight
– ryokan
Day 4
Tsuruoka In the morning we continue to the Tsuruoka, our staging
post for visiting the temples of Haguro Mountain. Tsuruoka
is a small, slow-paced town, and during the afternoon we will have time
to visit some of its intriguing sights. One of the more interesting places to
visit is the Chido museum which houses
old Meiji buildings and a large ‘stroll’ garden. Somewhat further away is
Zenpo-ji temple with its 10th
century pagoda and a pond famous for fish that appear to have human faces.
Overnight – hotel
Day 5
Haguro San This
morning we take a bus to the foot of the Dewa San mountains. This remote site
has been a place of deep religious
significance for over 1,500 years, as it was here that Prince Hachiko, in
emulation of the Buddha himself, gave up the luxuries of princedom to take up
the life of an itinerant monk. Since then the region has been associated
with yamabushi (ascetic mountain priests) who follow the shugendo
sect of Buddhism – a form of
worship strongly influenced by Japan’s ancient shamanistic rituals. These
Japanese yogis – dressed in white robes, staff in one hand, giant conch
shell in the other – wander these same
mountain paths. The walk to the top of Haguro San takes us through a beautiful
forest of ancient towering cedars, and
past some magnificent, old wooden temples, including the 600 year old Goju-no-to
pagoda, all in perfect congruousness with the trees from which they were made.
There are steps all the way to the top, ensuring that the climb – which can be
done in a leisurely 1-2 hours – is not
overly strenuous. Once at the summit we will spend the night at a splendid shukubo
(temple lodgings) enjoying spectacular mountain vistas and delicious
vegetarian food. Overnight – shukubo
Day
6 Akita
We
return to Tsuruoka, and then travel by train along a section of coast
that faces the Sea of Japan. Akita is a modern, down-to-earth city extensively
rebuilt after the Second World War. There is
a certain intrinsic fascination to the place, and as few foreigners venture this
far north its citizens are particularly welcoming to visitors. We stay in
a very friendly ryokan with excellent home-cooking and a bilingual parrot. The charming lady of the house, always dressed in
her kimono, will at some point, no
doubt, entertain us with photos from her Grand European Tour. In the evening,
particularly during the cherry blossom
season, it is quite pleasant to walk around the castle grounds, and visit the
small museum for a glimpse of how the
heavily fortified Akita looked in feudal times. Elsewhere in town the
Akarengakan Museum also
provides an
interesting insight into life in Akita in earlier times.Overnight – ryokan
Day 7
Akita A
short train ride from Akita, we make a day trip to Kakunodate, a small town noted for its remarkably well-preserved Samurai district dating from the
early 17th century. Wandering around the old wooden mansions it is still
possible to get a feel for the Japan of bygone days and sense the importance
of bushido – the Way of the Warrior – in which personal honour and
loyalty to one’s master was rated more highly than life itself. A
couple of stations further on from Kakunodate is Tazawa–ko – Japan’s
deepest lake – where for the adventurous there is the possibility of short
hikes in the surrounding hills. In the late afternoon or early evening we return
to Akita. Overnight – ryokan
Day 8
Hirosaki Today
we continue our journey north to Hirosaki, across wide coastal plains and
past spruce-covered mountains. This is very much an agricultural area
where the people still live in tune
with the seasons, and where Japan’s ancient rural rhythms can still be
felt. We pass fields and orchards where peasants are busily tending
the land, dressed in white smocks and ‘bee-keeper’ hats to protect
them from the sun. Tohoku’s cultural centre is an atmospheric place
where the people’s accents are as strong as the saké for
which the area is famous. Dominated by the sacred snow-capped Iwaki San
– a volcano almost as impressive as Fuji itself – the town is small
enough to be easily explored on foot during a day left free for individual
exploration. Of prime interest is Hirosaki Castle with its extensive park
and fine gardens. Not far from the castle lies the tranquil Zenrin-gai
temple district where many smaller shrines lead up to the Tsugaru family
temple of Chosho-ji – an area that is particularly pleasant to stroll
around during the late afternoon. Overnight
– ryokan
Day 9
Osore San From Hirosaki, we
travel via Aomori up the axe-shaped Shimokita peninsula to the
semi-mythical Osore San mountain. This remarkable and somewhat eerie place
is where the souls of the dead are considered to congregate. With its
bubbling pools, sulphurous hot springs, forested hillsides and beautiful
lakeside setting, this is an extremely unusual and slightly ‘other
worldly’ place, famous for the itako ‘blind witches’ who, through their mastery of the language
of the dead, are able to act as mediums
between the living and the spirit
world.
We spend the night in
comfortable temple lodgings with access to an interesting outdoor hot
spring.
Overnight
– shukubo
Day 10
Hiraizumi Travelling back down the mountain we
skirt the coast of Mutsu bay and make our way back to the junction
station of Noheji where we now begin our journey south. Passing first the
towns of Hachinohe and Morioka, and another great Fuji-like mountain,
Iwate San, we arrive in mid afternoon at the small town of Hiraizumi.
This area was once home to the
Fujiwara clan who, in the 12th century, turned the town into something of a
cultural and economic capital, almost rivalling Kyoto in the south. One of the
clan’s leading members, Fujiwara Kiyohira, set out to turn the
existing temple district into a Buddhist ‘paradise on
earth’ and some of his efforts can still be seen at Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji.
Centuries after the demise of the Fujiwaras, a reflective Matsuo Basho, while
visiting the area, was inspired to write the following haiku…
A
thicket of summer grass
Is all that remains
Of the dreams and ambitions
Of ancient warriors
Day
10 (continued)
Our
stay at Motsu-ji, is made all the more special by the fact that, our
accommodation – a small, lakeside temple hostel – Iies in the
grounds of one of Japan’s most renowned paradise gardens.
Overnight
– temple hostel
Day
11 Nikko
Continuing
south, we pause at Sendai and make an excursion to Matsushima, one of Japan’s ‘three famous views’ – famous because of its strangely
shaped, pine-clad islets. On visiting here Basho was apparently so
overcome with the place’s beauty that, lost for words, he wrote the haiku…
Matsushima
ya
Aha Matsushima ya
Matsushima ya
Later however, after thankfully recovering his diction, he penned the somewhat
more eloquent lines…
Clear
voiced cuckoo
Even you will need
The silver wings of a crane
To span the islands of Matsushima
From
Shiogama we take a ferry across Matsushima Bay before continuing our journey to Nikko.
Overnight – ryokan
Day 12
Nikko Nikko
– meaning ‘sunlight’ – is
justifiably one of Japan’s major travel destinations, and we
have a full day to explore its many interesting sights. Sacred to Buddhists
since the 8th century Nikko achieved
its present grandeur during the 17th century when its forests of giant cedar and
cypress trees became the site of the tombs
and shrines of the Tokugawa shoguns. Grandest of them all is
the wonderfully opulent Toshu-gu shrine which houses the mausoleum of the
greatest shogun of them all, Ieyasu
Tokugawa, as well as the famous three monkeys carving that expresses the Zen
maxim to “see no evil, hear no
evil, speak no evil”. There are
other attractions near Nikko, including Yashio-no-yu
onsen
(spa) or, just a bus ride away, Chuzenji Lake and the nearby Kegon-no-taki
waterfalls. Our accommodation for the night is a 10 minute walk from the Nikko
shrines, in a small ryokan near the Gamman-Ga-Fuchi
Abyss – a wooded riverside area. There is a lovely short walk near here
passing by a collection of jizo
Buddha statues. The ryokan also has its own hot bath that
looks out over the flowing waters of the Daiya River.
Overnight – ryokan
Day 13
Tokyo After, in the
words of Matsuo Basho, “turning the corners of the narrow road to the
deep north and soaring on the exhilaration of our hearts”
we today make our way back to Tokyo. Bewildering
though it can sometimes be in terms of first impressions, Japan’s great
capital is in the end, like London,
merely a collection of villages that can be a joy to explore. We arrive in time
for the weekend when the city relaxes and night-time Tokyo comes alive.
This evening we discover some of its many
highly atmospheric back streets. Overnight
– hotel
Day 14
Tokyo Today the whole day has been
left free for further independent exploration or shopping. It
is also possible to arrange day-trips outside of Tokyo, including a visit to the Hakone area of Mt
Fuji. In the evening, a great way to bid Japan farewell is by spending a few
hours in Tokyo’s unforgettable nightlife district of Roppongi. Overnight –
hotel
Day
15 Journey’s end… The
Oriental Caravan heads home
Practical Information
Tour price (excluding international flights)
– £1,695 per person on a
twin share basis
Group size
& Leader The
group will comprise between 6 and 14 members, and be escorted throughout by an
experienced Japanese-speaking tour leader from the UK.
Transport
We make good use of Japan’s well-developed and
highly efficient train system, travelling on super fast bullet trains as well as sleepy branch-line locomotives. It is felt
that use of the public transport system allows for a
more in-depth and personal experience of Japanese life – and is also
invariably a lot of fun. We will, on occasion, also be using private
taxis, local buses and boats. However when
visiting some of the remoter sites there will be, due to the nature of these
locations, a certain amount of walking.
Accommodation
In terms of charm, hospitality and
local character, the places we stay at are one of the highlights of the journey.
In Tokyo and Tsuruoka we stay in comfortable centrally-located, tourist class
hotels. Elsewhere we stay in ryokan
(traditional Japanese guesthouses)
or occasionally shukubo (temple lodgings). At all places we can
expect a warm welcome and a relaxing stay, and as these are traditional Japanese
properties, the experience of sleeping on futon mattresses on
tatami matting floors – a system many people find to be more
comfortable than sleeping in a Western bed.
Food
At Yamagata, Haguro San, and Hirosaki
all evening meals and breakfasts are included. At Hiraizumi breakfast is
included. Elsewhere meals are not included but
are easily arranged en route according to individual preferences. (Depending
upon appetite and choice you can expect to spend, on average, between £15-20 a
day on food and drink. It is possible
to eat more cheaply than this, or to spend considerably more). Often the best
and most convenient way is take advantage of the typically excellent
home-cooking provided by the ryokans.
It is worth mentioning that Japanese cuisine is generally of a very high quality and extremely varied, and for
many visitors it is a distinct highlight of any visit. As elsewhere
in Japan ‘piscivores’ will find themselves in paradise, with some of the
finest fish dishes in the world on
offer, especially in coastal areas.
Vegetarians can get by though sometimes the choice of meat/fish-free meals is
limited – that said, at the shukubo on Haguro San we will enjoy
a great gourmet vegetarian meal.
Weather
Japan
has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Our departures are during
Spring and Autumn, the most comfortable seasons for travelling, when we can
expect mild to warm weather. June and July are seen
as the ‘rainy season’ though
rainfall is possible throughout the year. September is the month most prone to
typhoons.
Insurance
It is a condition of travelling with The Oriental Caravan that each group
member be insured against medical and
personal accident risks (including the cost of emergency repatriation) and have
adequate baggage cover. In addition, it
is strongly recommended that all participants take out cancellation insurance at
the time of booking to cover their
costs should they, for any reason, need to cancel prior to departure. (The
Oriental Caravan is able to provide
details of a suitable single trip insurance policy, available direct from
Campbell Irvine Insurance Ltd).
Health
Formalities There
are currently no statutory vaccination requirements for visiting Japan.
Passports
& Visas All
nationalities require a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of departure
from Japan. For most nationalities –
including British – a single-entry (‘temporary visitor’) Tourist Visa is
issued on arrival in Japan. This tour is not available to those of other visa
status (e.g. business or student).
Luggage
Requirements Detailed
information on what to pack, and other practicalities, is included in the PDI
(Pre-departure Information) that will be sent to group members closer to the
date of departure.
This dossier, and the itinerary it describes, have been carefully
compiled and are provided in good faith. As with any such journey
to a remote
destination unusual and unexpected conditions can occur at any time, and this
kind of holiday can be subject to unforeseen changes;
to fully enjoy this kind of travel it is, on occasion, necessary for
participants to be prepared to adopt a certain amount off flexibility.
Copyright
© The Oriental Caravan PJC 05/03
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