On the morning of our second day in Japan, I awoke early to join about 40 other voyagers for the SAS trip to Kyoto. It was one of the best excursions I have been on yet. Other participants described it as, “fabulous and a lot of fun.” One student told me that she “never thought we would get to see all of this in one day.”
Our first stop was the Nijo Castle. It is an incredibly large complex and contains two palaces, the
Ninomaru Palace and Honmaru Palace. Construction began in 1601 and was completed twenty-five years later. Nijo became a residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns, who ruled Japan under a feudal system from about 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. At that time, imperial rule was restored and the shogun was forced to submit to the emperor. Prior to 1868, the real power of Japan lay with the shogun, who controlled the nation's military power, while the emperor had been more of a religious and political leader.
The majority of our time in Nijo Castle was spent seeing Ninomaru Palace and the extensive gardens of the complex. Most of the original palace, built out of Hinoki cypress, remains standing today just as it did over 400 years ago. There have been some modifications made by subsequent shoguns and emperors since its original construction but it remains an incredible symbol of the power of the Japanese shogunate.
The palace was built in concentric rings, the innermost being the shogun’s private sanctuary. As we walked through the different layers of the palace, the tone changed to reflect those who had been granted access to it. The outermost part of the palace was the most opulent and intimidating part, because this is where the shogun displayed his power to those he ruled over. As you moved closer to the center, the decorations became simpler until finally we reached the residence of the shogun, which was for the most part bereft of any lavish symbols of power. It was a simple room where the shogun could retreat and be with his own thoughts.
The gardens of Nijo Castle were equally if not more spectacular than the palaces themselves. The meticulously manicured trees and shrubbery with the ancient Japanese architecture of shrines and other buildings scattered throughout the grounds, coupled with the simple luck that we were there at the height of the cherry blossoms provided for a magnificent addition to the palace tour.
Another highlight for those of us on the Kyoto trip was the Garden of Heian Jingu Shrine. It was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the capital and the main entrance was built as a ¾ scale replica of the first Imperial Palace. Voyagers walked through the gardens at their own pace and were given the opportunity to enjoy the scenery, which was nothing less than stunning. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.
Tokyo
One of the great things about Japan is just how easy it is to get around. A number of Voyagers opted to travel independently from Kobe to Yokohama and meet the ship there at the end of our time in Japan. Robert Perry, an SAS student from San Diego State University who traveled Japan by rail explained that, “We just went from station to station. No matter where you got off, the longest you would have to wait for the next train was five minutes or so. It was a great way to travel.”
Robby shared one of his favorite experiences with me, something that I was lucky enough to see as well. For those of us who were willing to wake up just a tad on the early side, visiting the Tsukiji Fish Market of Tokyo was probably one of the most unique and fun experiences to have in Japan. Robby told me how he and the group he traveled with had a 4:45am wakeup call, dragged themselves out of bed and were off to the fish market, arriving by about 5:15am to see the live auction of that morning’s tuna catch. “It was just an intense experience,” Robby told me. “It was just something so unique to see, there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world.”
Robert provided me with this video of the auction to share with everyone. Enjoy!
After observing the auction for a few minutes, visitors could just walk through the marketplace
and in and out of the small stalls where you could encounter just about every type of fish and seafood imaginable. There were eels, crabs, lobsters, salmon, tuna, squid, and whale, amongst an even greater number of things that I could not name.Just exploring Tokyo could show you so many different sides of the city. There were SAS trips that showcased Tokyo’s modern side, like the Akihabara Electric town, Tokyo Tower, and sleek car exhibits, as well as others that presented the historical and cultural aspects of the city. Voyagers on these trips were able to see the Imperial Palace, the Meiji Shinto Shrine, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple.
It was an incredible five days, but now it’s time to hit the books again. With the end of the academic semester in sight and exams in the not too distant future, students have really ratcheted up their studying and the entire ship has been consumed by students, busily pouring over their notes and organizing work completed in the field.
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