Koyasan, and Social Distancing When Traveling (or lack thereof)

Happy November!

And here we are at this time in 2020. Finally. November. In Japan, this usually means it's autumn colours month here in Kansai. I know with COVID19, it's best to stay indoors... but could not resist the chance to be away from the big cities and out in the countryside for the autumn colours.

I was really hoping without the tourists, there would be less people in Koyasan, which is about 2 hours away from Osaka.

However, it seemed like everyone had the same mindset to leave the house for autumn colours, because the crowds in Koyasan this Sunday (11/1) was almost like the tourists never disappeared. All the express trains (that require reserve seating) to and from Koyasan were all fully booked out. The non-reserve express train I had taken to Koyasan were also pretty busy too. Not packed, but all the seats were taken. On the platform at Hashimoto station early in the morning, there were tons of people waiting for the connecting train.

We arrived in Okunoin at around 10:30 am. The large parking lot there was full. Everywhere were also packed with day trippers and tons of local overnighters with suitcases and bags. The sweets shops in the main downtown area all had lines out the door when our bus passed by. Restaurants that were opened were already busy at 10:30 am.

It was like the tourists never even disappeared at all.

People are definitely not really practicing social distancing at all anymore. I mean, it is safer out in the nature I guess.

But in public transportation, it seems like people have given up already for the sake of convenience. No one wants to wait an extra 10 minutes for another cable car when it's already there are we can clearly fit. And we definitely don't want to wait another extra 30 or 40 minutes for the next train or bus. Especially in rural areas where the frequency of trains are more sparse. We'd rather just all crowd in the bus like old times, and be on with life. The staff don't seem to be all that bothered either, despite seeing so many people pack into a cable car or a bus. And for that reason... If there's any place I am nervous about, it is definitely public transport.

Whilst commuting to work, I am slowly noticing that people are foregoing the masks or wearing it under their nose nowadays. Young and old.

Because the adults don't seem to take it all too seriously either, young school children who I see during my commutes are also going back to their old ways. Sticking really close to friends and chatting, taking off their masks to drink water and wipe their face, etc. Most of them still wear masks because they know that adults can tattle-tale on them to their school for not wearing a mask, but I feel they are definitely the ones most fatigued.

Mask fatigue. I think that's probably the best way to describe this.

I'm thankful that most people in this country will still wear a mask out of conformity. However, I feel Japan could be doing so much more... and I suppose that's a discussion for another time. For now, I just wanted to highlight what I'm seeing as I'm traveling (for work & leisure).

Anyway, please enjoy the pictures of the start of autumn colours here in Kansai!

Thanks for reading! See you all next blog!

A Day in Nara (in 2020)

Since the pandemic this year, I've halted all of my travels. I stay at home when I can, and only go to work or to Osaka - which is my transfer point to and from work, so sometimes I just spend an hour or two around the station before I return home.

I took my first day trip out to Nara this October as a part of my one-day excursion with my school. Every year my school plans different one-day excursions for each grade to go to different places. This year, one group was sent to Nara, and I got to follow along.

You may have heard that some schools have virtual excursions, but I think this is mostly for graduation trips - and even still, like the article I linked mentioned, most schools are opting to push the trip and postponing instead. And during my day out in Nara, I saw plenty of other schools out and about. So it definitely wasn't just our school taking advantage of the Go To Travel campaign.

ALSO! This is actually a good time to mention that, it's quite rare for people working as an English teacher to get to go on school trips. ALTs are mostly just guests at the school, and some schools probably see us as a liability anyway. But as a direct hire ALT, you may have a higher chance to join these one-day trips.

This is definitely something I will miss when my direct hire contract comes to an end. :(

Anyway, enough moping, here's how Nara is like since the pandemic started:

This is my first time arriving in Nara not by train, and I only just noticed that they have what seems like a revamped (coach) bus terminal because it looks really brand new and very elegant! There is one souvenir shop, and one restaurant here. But the restaurant wasn't opened, as they probably don't need to anyway due to lack of tourists.

in 2015

in 2020

Here's a comparison of the same photo I took of Kasuga Taisha in 2015 (left), and the one I took during this trip in 2020 (right). Both of them are on weekdays.

There are still a good number of Japanese local tourists, and non-Japanese as well - which I suspect are local residents of Japan themselves (unless they've somehow sneaked through). But point is, the numbers of people visiting are at a very comfortable amounts.

A baby deer posing for my picture. Thank you, little one!

I'm sure most of you are curious about this. The deer.

The deer themselves don't look too bad anymore. Most of them don't seem to be really thin or losing weight. Of course, they will always act like greedy little hungry hippos as long as you are holding the deer crackers. And fight for them, as I was lucky enough to capture when my student dropped her cracker on the ground out of fear.

I mean, how could you resist feeding them when they come at you like this...

Please, take all my monies!!!

Now... Todaiji was busy, but nowhere as busy as before. Mostly just locals and students on day excursions, like mine are.

There's supposedly a crawlspace in one of the pillars that you can normally go into, but due to COVID19, it's been completely blocked off by plywood. I'm sure once the situation gets better, they will reopen it back up. But for now, it's a good chance to just take in this magnificent structure without hoards of tourists.

I've been to Nara plenty of times, but I admitted never paid to go into Todaiji. I always just stood right where the huge wooden fences were and took a photo of the temple like a frugal tourist that I am.

It really is pretty spectacular seeing it in person.

The trip would be incomplete without going up to Nigetsudo for this view.

I was here once late afternoon, and a local told me that I had to go up to Nigetsudo for the sunset. I wish I still had pictures of it then, but it really was a beautiful spot to see the sunset. I highly recommend it myself on a sunny day like this. Unfortunately, I would have gone home by sunset this time.

A bit to the south of the park, but often missed, is Ukimi-do. It's honestly not that far, but I don't think many people go looking for it unless they came across it accidentally. It's definitely easy to miss - but something I highly recommend going to see.

Last time I was here, a couple was taking their wedding photos in their outfits. It must have turned out really beautiful for them, as it was also a nice sunny out then too.

From Ukimi-do, it's about another 5-10 minute walk (depending on whether or not you get distracted by deer and how fast you walk) to Naramichi - your restaurants, shops, souvenirs and goods. It's basically where you would get food.

I opted for some Taiwanese Tofu snack/dessert at Sarasawa Doufua. I wasn't too hungry that day.

Very quaint little shop. The tofu desserts weren't bad at all.

I also dropped by my favourite tea shop, Tamuraseihoen, to stock up on my Hojicha loose leaves. They roast the most aromatic hojicha, and I highly recommend their Karigane Hojicha on their website. This blend is extremely floral and if you like the stronger kinds of hojicha, you'll like this one very much!

Don't forget to hop by Nakatanido for that mochi. You know, this one that circulated all over the web where the workers were pounding mochi at a speed of light? Yeah, that's in the Naramichi area!

A nook in Naramichi selling clothes and other local goods.

Lastly, this trip wouldn't be complete if I didn't see Kofuku-ji and the five-story pagoda. So I crossed through the park again back to the bus terminal just to see it.

As you can see, very easy nowadays to get really clear shots of attraction without people getting in your way. I'll absolutely treasure these photos as best as I can!

I really enjoy Nara Park every once in awhile. I think it's very easy to navigate around, since most attractions are contained without a few kilometers of walkable distance. Unlike Kyoto, which yes - there are more things to do, but you'll need to take subways and trains (unless you like walking but you'll waste a lot of time). The area is also quite flat overall, and you don't need to rush if you are travelling in big groups or with elderly members of family.

That's it for today. Thanks everyone for stopping by!!

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While there are no major outbreaks of COVID19 in Japan anymore, I still just want to say that you shouldn't travel if you have symptoms. If you do travel locally, please exercise caution. Wear a mask, sanitize, etc etc. You might not die, but you might kill tons of other people in the process.

Thanks again for reading today's Photo Blogtober!

Halloween 2020 (in Japan)

I've always enjoyed Halloween back in Canada. As a child, I had a lot of really fun memories going out trick or treating with family friends, and later, my own school friends. I went trick or treating until I was way too old for it.

Trick or treating is not so common in Japan, though there are small communities that do more "controlled" type trick or treating.

In the first neighbourhood that I lived in here in Osaka, I saw a group of several families gather outside their homes with their children dressed up in costumes. It seems like they were getting ready to celebrate Halloween just within their small group. I imagine that they would just go around to each other's homes, doing some sort of a mock trick or treat.

I was actually surprised to see that happen, since I heard that trick or treating was non-existent in Japan. But I think it definitely goes to show that Japan has taken something and adapted it to suit their needs.

Going to a stranger's house and knocking on doors would not be something that's done here, especially with little children. There's no rule that people need to open their doors to give children candy, nor do people expect it. Thus if any trick or treating happens, it's definitely much more contained and only among people they know.

Theme parks in Japan are a big part of the entertainment culture, and they embrace Halloween and many of the big western holidays quite well in their own way.

I thoroughly enjoy going to USJ for Halloween. It's nice to be around tons of people who just want to dress up and have fun, even if they don't really see Halloween as a festivity the same way we do in Canada. Not that we Canadians truly understand Halloween either.

But as long as people are having fun, right?

I think that's what counts the most. I don't think Halloween nowadays is really much of a serious type of festivity.

I'm not much of a party-person anyway, but if you do come to Tokyo or Osaka during the weekend of Halloween (or usually the weekend prior to Halloween if the day falls on a weekday), I do recommend checking out the streets for party-goers and people in costumes.

In Osaka particularly, most of the crowds and fun happen in Amerikamura (between Shinsaibashi and Namba). Some people may hang around Dotonbori or at least bar hop around there, so you will see tons of people in costume walking around regardless. It's quite an experience to see just people having fun and enjoying themselves with friends.

With COVID19 this year though, I would hope that the festivities would be halted... but see that people's attitudes towards the virus is becoming more lax, I absolutely think we will still see crowds out this year. Which is a shame since COVID19 numbers are still pretty much steady and not changed much daily since July and August. I want to have faith in people, but it's kind of hard these day.....

If you are thinking of going out, I do hope you would reconsider - at least not do any big group events for this year.

Be safe everyone!