To Travel Is To Live: Japan: Kansai 3 (Nagoya, Kyoto)

Nagoya, the fourth largest city in Japan, is outside the Kansai region but can be reached from Osaka in less than an hour by Shinkansen. Although Nagoya is not on the itinerary of most foreign tourists, we are spending a day here to visit a dear comrade from Camino de Santiago.

Beniya San takes us first to lunch where we try a popular regional unagi dish, Hitsumabushi. Then we visit Atsuta Jingu, a Shinto shrine that is supposedly the holding place for the sword, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the three sacred treasures of Japan. (But if no one has seen it, does it really exist?)

Nagoya: properly consuming hitsumabushi three ways - first just eel and rice, then add condiments, and then add the broth.

Nagoya: at the entrance to the old and revered Atsuta Shrine, some mysterious fowl are spotted on the tree (left upper).

Atsuta Shrine, Nagoya: purifying hands before tossing a coin into the offering box, bowing, clapping and praying at the alter

Atsuta Shrine, Nagoya: a wedding is not an uncommon site at a Shinto shrine.

Then it's off to Nagoya Castle, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in early 17th Century, largely destroyed by WWII bombings, and restored post-war to former glory. And it's cherry blossoms galore.

Nagoya Castle: the trees at the entrance announce that we are entering another cherry blossoms country.

Nagoya Castle: entering the grounds

Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle: appropriately, the tune is Sakura.

Nagoya Castle: cherry blossoms drape over the moat.

Nagoya Castle: a gust of wind results in an impressive "flower blizzard."

Nagoya Castle: the main donjon

Nagoya Castle: Honmaru is still being restored

Nagoya Castle: entering the main donjon

Nagoya: seen from the donjon

Nagoya Castle: among the excellent displays inside, this panel unifies the three unifiers of Japan - Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Nagoya Castle: ceiling pieces with pictures before the castle was destroyed during WWII

Nagoya Castle burning on May 14, 1945

Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle

After bidding sayonara to Beniya san, instead of returning to Osaka we take the Shinkansen to Kyoto in order to visit some of the sights at night. We join the large crowds who are out to enjoy the illuminations at Maruyama Park, Kodai-Ji Temple and the grand-daddy of all Kyoto temples for tourists, Kiyomizu Dera.