As human beings, we are able to hold multiple truths together at one time. At this current moment in time, and over the last six weeks or so, I’ve been dealing with the following questions all at once:
- We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and despite Japan re-opening many normal things, a degree of caution is very advised.
- I have been staying home for most of this pandemic, which is Good, but it’s hell on the nerves. We’re still human, and require some time to be outside of the four walls that the wife and I call home.
- There are some places which may be safer to visit than others, and some travel methods which are safer than others, but they sometimes run counter to the summertime weather.
Given the desire to get out of the house on weekends combined with the safest way to deal with the pandemic, myself and my wife have embraced day trips by car as a balance of those factors. Luckily, we’ve been able to see some cool places outdoors and — hopefully! — avoid illness or spreading disease. Here are some of the stories and details behind places we’ve visited of late.
Nihon Minka-en — Japan Folk House Museum
The first place we visited was the Nihon Minka-en, aka the Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum. Tucked away in the suburbs of Kawasaki, it’s connected to a big public park, and spreads over a very large area. The museum has collected traditional Japanese homes from the pre-industrialized era and ranging in styles from northern or alpine Japan through the Kanto area, and featuring homes that served various levels of tenant and forms of business inside. One of my favorites doubled as a roadside inn and restaurant, with stables taking part of the interior on the first floor.
It’s a really cool walk around at the very least, and reasonably priced. I know my family will visit Japan again, and assuming we’re not going in the peak of summertime, it’d be a great afternoon spent wandering around. It’s a recommendation from me if you can reach there by car — it’s a bit far from the nearest train station, and may not be easily accessible.
Nikko — The Home of a Shogun
A week or so later, we discussed taking a day trip and considering I haven’t been to the shrines at Nikko, it was an obvious choice. It’s also a good choice for a driving trip — going by train would require much more time, even without fears of safety at this time. It’s a pleasant highway drive as well, especially the dedicated smaller highway heading up to Nikko. My one issue with living in Tokyo is a lack of greenery, so days out getting to see the countryside are always a treat.
So we made our way to Nikko Tosho-gu without any real issue. The shrine is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of Japan who originated the Edo era that lasted for more than 260 years, and certainly a worthy location on your travels.
It’s built into the hills, and the very top of the complex is the resting place for Tokugawa himself — but making it up there requires a very long climb up stone stairs, and it is extra tough in the summertime heat and humidity. But the shrines and what is available to see in the complex is absolutely magnificent — the detailed woodworking on the fences and gates in particular. It’s absolutely incredible, and I could have taken photos forever of those details. It’s definitely a place I’ll want to visit again, especially as the journey there takes in so much of the countryside.
Enoshima — South Coast Special
The most recent of our three day trips, Enoshima — a small island shrine and tourist spot just off the coast south of Tokyo and Yokohama, firmly in the Shonan area — is the only of these to a location I’ve been to before. The last time the wife and I visited here was a very quiet day in January two years ago; very different scale of crowd and weather compared with early August! Most of the sightseeing is under cover and outdoors, but a lot is up and down hills on an island.
Compared with the other two spots, which were new and different, going to Enoshima for a third or fourth time is a different experience. This time it was trying to enjoy what this opportunity offered; what could we see this time, how could we stay cool, all of that. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy, so views of Mt. Fuji were in short supply. But the gardens and lighthouse tower are still fun to explore, even if there are plenty of other tourists alongside.
Even though the Japanese tsuyu rainy season and properly hot summertime have kicked in, it’s still fun to explore and get out on the weekends. Considering the limitations, I think we’ve done pretty well with these day trips.
Doug Bonham Dot Blog 