Vignettes of the World
Along the busy Queen’s Road Central stands a market that has a long history serving the daily needs of Central residents since the beginning of Hong Kong as a British colony. First opened in 1842, the year after the British formally began their colonial administration …
The day was bright and perfect for al fresco dining. I joined my family in a casual lunch at the Beas River Country Club of the Hong Kong Jockey Club in Sheung Shui. I lived close, so I walked about 40 minutes to arrive at …
When I woke up on my first full day in Japan, I decided to ditch the Osaka Castle and head right on to Kyoto. I took the JR line to Kyoto from the Osaka Station, having to navigate the morning’s rush hour, and arrived in Kyoto in an hour or so. From Kyoto I took the metro to the Pocket Hotel at Gojo Station first. I had my first ever Japanese breakfast. I then decided to visit the Nijo Castle.
Kyoto, meaning “the capital city,” was in fact the capital of Japan for most of Japan’s premodern history. Beginning in the start of the Heian period (794 A.D.), Kyoto replaced Nara as the seat of the emperor, until in 1868, when the capital was moved to Edo, modern-day Tokyo, after the Meiji period.
With such a long history comes the abundance of historically significant sites to visit. From castles to temples, from shrines to century-old wet markets, Kyoto offers enormous opportunities for the heritage tourist to feel the presence of history. In the fall, the foliage of ancient trees dresses Kyoto in every shade of the palette. In Kyoto the expression of its historical character is anything but subtle. In the fall, the city exhibits a symphony of colors that celebrates, unabashedly, the beauty of the historic currents that made Japan itself, be they exuded in the form of architecture, or in its nature alike.
In Kyoto’s centuries-old tenure as the capital city of Japan, there was one particularly important period that bore significant implications for the political development of modern Japan, and that is the Shogun Period. It took place between 1192 and 1867. The Nijo Castle of Kyoto will be the best place to learn the very basics about the Shoguns, who ruled Japan (as in, having the real power to exercise) during the medieval times up to the Meiji Restoration.
It is through the lens of the Shogun period that one appreciates the Nijo Castle. This castle would mark the very beginning and the very end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which would also be the very last of the Shogun period, in Japan.
The Shoguns, meaning “the general,” were the national military rulers of Japan in the feudal times. In the 7 centuries that the Shoguns wielded real power, the Shoguns were the ones that ran the show with the Emperor of Japan serving merely nominal and ceremonial roles. The Shogun title was succeeded along the Shogun’s family line. There were three families of the Shoguns during the Shogunate period, two of which donned its name to that particular historical era: the Ashikaga Shogunate (1338-1573 A.D., in Kyoto) and Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868 A.D., in Edo). The first shogunate was named the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333 A.D., in Kamakura), which was the name of its administrative capital. These shogunates were based in different cities, but the official seat of the emperor was always Kyoto.
The Nijo Castle was constructed in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa (Edo) Shogunate. The imperial visit by Emperor Go-Mizuno-o was a significant event in the history of the castle, as it resulted in an expansion of many key structures by the third Tokugawa Shogun, named Tokugawa Iemitsu. After the fifteenth Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, yielded his power to the Emperor in 1867, the Nijo Caste was an occasional imperial residence between 1884 and 1939 or so.
The Nijo Castle would be forever remembered for being the site where the Taiseihokan, meaning the restoration of imperial rule, was pronounced by the last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu. The Nijo Castle remains the only surviving example of a fortified palace in Japan.
I chose Nijo Castle as my first stop in Kyoto because getting there would require almost no planning. From the Pocket Hotel at Gojo Station, I simply took the metro to the Nijo station and walked over with Google Map directions. The entrance fee was ¥1,300.
I advise people touring the temples and castle of Kyoto to wear socks. I have been to a few sites that require one walking without shoes. The tour of the Nijo Castle takes you through the interiors of the Ninomaru-goten Palace. Shoes off as tourists walk around the many chambers inside.
The Ninomaru-goten Palace presents interesting historical perspectives that were socio-political, architectural and aesthetics all blended in the layout. The Ninomaru-goten Palace itself was the very testament to the Edo period, as Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ended a 130-year civil war in Japan and began the Tokugawa Shogunate, built it as the shogunal residence whenever the Shogun made imperial visits in Kyoto. As said before, the Ninomaru-goten Palace was also where the last Shogun declared his final submission of power to the Emperor, effectively ending the Edo Shogunate (and the Shogunate period) in Japanese history.
Please note and respect that no photographs are allowed inside the Ninomaru-goten Palace. Although there are no photographs, I can share some interesting features with readers.
The Ninomaru-goten Palace features the significance of the interior décor of the rooms. There are six structures within the Ninomaru-goten Palace. Each of these structures served distinct purposes for the ruling Shogun.
The first feature of the palace is the Nightingale Corridor, purportedly built with a kind of wood that creaked like a nightingale singing when one walks on it. The nightingale corridor will lead you through the Tiger Room. This is where the guests of the Shogun were received. The guests could have been foreign dignitaries or the feudal lords of the daimyo. As the first entrance into the Shogun’s residence, the tiger room and its paintings on all the interiors are meant to impose a sense of authority and grandeur upon the visitor. The Shogun received his guest whilst sitting on a raised platform, facing south. All these customs were expressions of the Shogun’s actual ruling power during the Shogun period.
The artwork that are featured in each of these chambers are the prime examples of Japan’s Kano School of painters, dating 1626, when a major renovation took place in preparation of the Emperor’s visit. In the Tiger Room, for example, the tigers were painted by gathering the impressions from the paintings of Korea and China — as tigers were in fact not native in all of Japan.
Going forward, the tour will take you through some other beautiful chambers, such as the Pine Room, the Cherry Blossom Room, the Sitting Room and the Peony Room etc.
Having visited the Ninomaru-goten Palace, the rest of the touring would take you to the outside in the gardens, moats, watchtowers and a few significant gates of the compound.
The Nijo Castle was my first encounter with the premodern history and beauty of Kyoto. I wanted views of the autumn foliage in midst of historic structures. Nijo presented some very good opportunities of learning, as well as the appreciation of beautiful scenery. Perhaps I enjoyed walking in the garden space the most, and I will introduce some of the key features outside of the Palace.
At the Higashi Ote-mon gate visitors enter into the world of the Shogun via the main gateway of the castle compound. The East Gate as it stands now was a renovated gate in the year of 1663 for a gate constructed in 1626, at which time it was built to welcome an Emperor’s visit by Emperor Go-Mizuno-o. There was, however, always an East Gate standing here as the main entrance to the Nijo Castle.
The East Gate’s status as the main entrance to Nijo Castle is indicated by its structural features and also the fact that there was a large open area just outside of this gate, perhaps meant to be a public plaza, beyond the moats.
Architecturally, the yagura, meaning the watchtower, on the second floor was not a structure built during the Emperor’s visit. It was considered not appropriate to have a higher structure above when the Emperor’s procession passed through this gate. But it was added after, with latticed windows that come with a hatch to drop boulders onto attackers, serving both offensive and defensive purposes.
The Honmaru Garden was reconstructed in 1896 with the explicit instructions of the Meiji Emperor, supervised from the top floor of the former Honmaru-goten Palace. It is said that the Emperor himself supervised the very kind of trees to be planted in this garden.
A visit of some depth will require at least 2 hours, but certainly allow about 20-30 minutes to consider the display of the chambers inside the Ninomaru-goten Palace.
Britannica, Samurai.
Descriptions on site at the Nijo Castle.
The Wikipedia on Kyoto.
Samurai-Archives.com, the Nijo Castle.
Worldhistory.org, Shogun.
Historic Sites to Visit in Central A walk amidst the hustle and bustle of Central during a weekday rush hour can be a bewildering experience. As Hong Kong’s business district, Central is the heart of the matter when it concerns business. But visitors to Hong …
The plane touched down at Kansai Airport and I looked for the train ride to Osaka. The plan, originally, was to stay that evening in a hotel in Osaka, then the next morning I would see Osaka Castle before heading out to Kyoto. I saw …
Ask just about any Hong Kong person and you would find answers to all things Japan. Japan is hands down the most popular travel destination for Hong Kong people. In fact, many in Hong Kong call it “going home” when they go to Japan. Clearly, I do not think of Japan this way, but there are so many wonderful things in Japan, and I finally made it out there for autumn foliage viewing in the fall of 2023. This was my first trip in Japan.
I was traveling on a shoestring and to ensure that I swooped up the best deals, I planned early. This is also my advice for anyone who wants to see the autumn foliage. Autumn is the high season for traveling in Japan, both for locals and the foreigners. If you do not plan early, you would have to pay a premium for the same experience.
I planned my trip as early as May 2023. My dates in the Kansai area was November 23 to November 30. The first thing to do is to plan a rough itinerary. There are literally millions to do in Kyoto alone and you must prioritize your objectives.
This was my itinerary: I visited the Kansai area for 7.5 days. Five full days were at Kyoto, one day in Nara, and then half a day in Osaka before I headed home. This schedule reflects the relative numerosity for sightseeing locations in these cities, well, at least for a heritage tourist. If you are looking more for food and city life, perhaps Osaka would be a better option. As with always, I will discuss the heritage and history of the sites that I visited in this series on Japan, with tips on how to navigate travelling in the foliage season. For a detailed itinerary for the Kyoto leg of the journey, please see here.
Autumn foliage is everywhere in Japan, but I opted to go to Kyoto, because I wanted to see the foliage in the midst of beautiful ancient temples. Kyoto certainly did not disappoint. In Kyoto alone there are thousands of temples to visit, and five days were not going to be enough for sure. Having gone once, I have plans to go again, to visit the sites that I hadn’t managed to visit last year, but that’s for later.
If you are looking to visit Japan specifically for its seasonal colors, timing is the most important indicator to watch. There are two famous seasons, namely the spring for cherry blossom, and the fall for autumn foliage. For foliage viewing, the best timing would be the last week of November to mid-December or so. As you can see, this is not a long window. Come those times, Japanese and foreign tourists alike would flood to Kyoto. My dates were November 23 to November 30, and as the days went by even in just that one week, I could observe an increasingly overwhelming presence of tourists. As such, I was becoming quite keen to move on to Nara toward the end of my trip.
There are many online sources that can give you an idea about the foliage schedule. Needless to say, when the leaves turn crimson depends on how cold that year is. If the temperature dropped early that year, then you can plan for an earlier date. I actually planned my trip in May, and I made a good bet—when I went to Kyoto, the leaves had turned red and the colors were amazing. Suffice to say, sometime late November to early December would be a safe bet.
As of 2023, there is no requirement for VISA application if you hold a U.S. passport or an HKSAR passport. Please visit Visit Japan Web, set up your account, fill out your information, and present the code for easy customs clearance upon arrival.
There was no snowing when I went to Kyoto at this time of the year, but some sort of down jacket is necessary. The best approach is to bring layers with you, because the weather could induce quite a bit of sweating during the day, especially when you walk so much. Jeans would be appropriate for this weather. Comfortable shoes are a must, be prepared for a whole lot of walking in Kyoto.
I would say that you wouldn’t need to bring any toiletries with you, because most hotels would provide these items, and if not, there are drug stores and supermarkets everywhere. Trying Japanese products is itself an experience.
For the foodies out there, Kansai certainly has its own school of cuisine. As with everywhere else, the famous restaurants require very advanced booking. I did make such a booking with a restaurant that specializes in unagi don (grilled eel over rice). I also learned that, for restaurants that require reservations, they really will turn you away if you didn’t. There is no need to try your luck with them. Therefore, perhaps a month or so before your departure date, you should look into booking at those higher-end restaurants.
For sightseeing, most temples in Kyoto do not require pre-booking, save for one. The Saihoji Temple is known to be the “moss temple,” where vibrant green moss graces its grounds. To protect this ecological feature, foot traffic is to be limited and as such you must make booking in advance. You would be best-served in contacting the hotel that you stay at to make the relevant arrangements at least a month before you plan to visit.
Other suggestions for things to do is to stay at a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese house. These accommodations are not cheap and they get sold out quickly during peak season. Finally, for visitors looking for spiritual experiences, consider staying at a temple and practice zen principles. There are plenty of online sources about these various options, and I am no expert.
In terms of accommodation, I cared most about a convenient location. I stayed at a 3-star hotel in the Goji area, right off the subway station. The rooms were small and private but bathrooms were shared.
For me, there were two objectives: to see beautiful ancient temples, learn about their histories, and then take a whole lot of wonderful photographs of the autumn foliage. And my purposes were well-served in my first visit in Japan.
Besides the Cha Chaan Teng’s, the Dai Pai Dong’s are also a way of dining that is distinctly Hong Kong. In recent months I have had the pleasure of visiting a few Dai Pai Dong’s in Hong Kong. I do consider the Dai Pai Dong’s …
The train to Shenzhen would depart in the early evening and I debated how to spend the day in Jiangmen. To be honest, there was not very much in this city that I wanted to see, as I was almost always only keen on heritage …
I have a very favorable impression of Jiangmen due to a personal memory of my grandma. When WWII began, resources were scarce. She would take her mother’s Qing dynasty clothes to the merchants of Jiangmen in exchange for money. “One piece of my mother’s Qing dynasty tunic could be tailored into a few pieces of modern style clothing,” as she would tell me. Indeed, Jiangmen had every geographical feature that gave rise to its emergence as a key trading port in Guangdong Province.
Meaning “The Gate of the River,” Jiangmen at its inception as a trading port was an area flooded by the waters of Pengjiang River. Two islands, as mountains submerged in the river, were the land mass in this area. Jiangmen was the river mouth, where the river merged with the ocean. The view of these two mountaintop islands standing opposite to each other created the imagery that inspired Jiangmen’s name. The mountaintop islands were the gate of Pengjiang River.
From Nan Lou in Kaiping we called a car to ride for more than an hour before reaching the vicinity of 33 Hui, a photogenic area in Jiangmen. We had to walk through a web of alleyways to find it.
Photo: A nice alleyway on the way to 33 Hui
You can’t miss the oldest marketplace of Jiangmen, however. From every turn of the streets at 33 Hui, a sense of assuredness emanated. From the introductory signs there one sensed a pride revived — a dilapidated part of the city being thrusted into the national limelight because a popular Chinese TV drama called Kuangbiao (2023) was set in here.
Photo: A hair salon on Jingguo Jie capitalizing on the TV drama that was set in 33 Hui by offering hairdos that replicate the hairstyle of the TV drama’s characters.
Toward the dusk hours we headed into a world of old qilou’s, the sprawling arcades that typified the old urban developments of southern China. As the daylight waned, the street lamps casted a yellowish hue upon a busy street scene, unveiling an age-old community that has stood tall amidst the currents of time.
Yet 33 Hui clearly struggles between meeting the day-to-day needs of the locals and the sightseeing demands of the tourists. Throngs brushed shoulders under the arcades. Hawkers and proper shops alike placed their goods for sale, encroaching on the pedestrian walkways, and rather shamelessly so.
We were overwhelmed and opted to walk on the motorway instead. The loud honking of the vehicles brought us back to a time that my friend and I grew up in, when Hong Kong’s own streets held pedestrians spellbound in its chaos. We realized fully then that we have long lost a survival skill.
33 Hui, pronounced “Sanshisan Xu” in Mandarin, is known to be “the origin of Jiangmen.” Meaning “the 33 market,” this area of Jiangmen was established during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.
Photo: The 33 steps of 33 Hui are the most photographed in this part of Jiangmen
As early as 1363, during the Yuan Dynasty, a marketplace was set up in this area of Jiangmen. Situated on the western slopes of Penglai Mountain, the Jiangmen Market was the beginning of trade in the Jiangmen area. The street that was located on the very top of the market was called Xuding Jie (Top of Market Street), and it has remained so to this day.
33 Hui acquired its name due to the 33 steps on the major stairway in the market. This was the stairway that traders embarked upon to reach the marketplace from their arriving boats loaded with goods.
Photo: Jingguo Jie, a street for fruits
The names of the streets in 33 Hui convey a cultural history that echoes the aged structures on the streets. The street names indicate the kinds of goods being sold in those very early days of market life. Maijidi, for example, referrs to the fact that chickens were sold in this section of the market. Zhuzai Xu was then aptly named for the section that sold pigs. Streets named lantern and coffin suggest that the market offered all varieties of goods that met the needs of life, from food, to home furnishing, to netherworld necessities.
With careful navigation we made our way through to some of the most-visited spots in this area. Neither of us has heard of the TV drama. But we did see why 33 Hui is a good spot to film. As opposed to the studio city in Chikan, 33 Hui remains somewhat dilapidated and certainly unadorned. What stands out to a visitor of 33 Hui is a vitality that rises above the signs of decay. The neighborhood is assured of its meaningful existence as the origin of Jiangmen, and it will continue to shine as such.
Descriptions on site at 33 Hui, Jiangmen, Guangdong, China.
The theme of security and protection has been prominently featured in the diaolou’s that I have visited in Kaiping. But Nan Lou is perhaps the only diaolou that came with an official history in the defense of the nation. We called a car to take …