ARRIVE IN TOKYO
We stay at Hotel Unizo in Shibuya
Late arrival means we set out to explore the after hours scene.
Amazing five way cross walk full of people at midnight!
Great sushi spot near Shibuya station.
Tsukji Market
Freshest Sushi in town
Benesse Art Hotel, Naoshima
We make a run for the Nozomi Shinkosan bullet train (http://www.hyperdia.com for train times) to Okayama then local train to Uno then ferry to Hanamura on Naoshima and dinner at the Benesse Art Hotel, followed by cocktails at the Oval and bed! What a first day...
Benesse House, the core of the Art Site, is one of the most unique museums in the world as it doubles as a hotel. Visitors are free to roam the halls of the exhibits well into the evening, and retire in the modern, luxurious rooms. Designed by legendary architect Tadao Ando.
http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/
Dinner under the Warhols
Cocktails at the Oval
Transported above by a six seat tram!
ANOTHER DAY
The Art House Project began as a means to transform old houses into works of art. A series of seven permanent installations in the Honmura district, the Art House aims to establish a community trademark through its commissioned artists' work. According to its mission statement, it is no longer acceptable that artwork exists by itself; rather, artwork must be accepted as part of the regional environments with local support at its foundation. This inherently Japanese aesthetic of the collaboration between nature art is beautifully exhibited all over the island, and as the organic project develops, a cohesive intermingling of art and community results.
The latest addition to Naoshima's art culture is the Chichu Art Museum, which opened in 2004. Widely described as a place where art and architecture are harmoniously joined to play off each other's style and message, the Chichu Art Museum is one of Ando's more progressive works. Built primarily underground, the permanent works of Claude Monet, Walter De Maria and James Turrell communicate with the architecture's natural light emitted through modern, swooping apertures.
James Turrell
Now to Kyoto
Kyoto’s Best Gardens
Kyoto is a garden lover’s paradise. It is the best place in all of Japan to immerse yourself in the wonders of the Japanese garden. Here are my favorite gardens in Kyoto, organized by type.
Many of the best Japanese gardens can be found inside temples, and with over 1600 temples, it’s no surprise that Kyoto is chock-a-block with fantastic gardens. Indeed, Kyoto has the thickest concentration of good gardens in all of Japan. Every type of Japanese garden is represented in Kyoto, from austere karesansui (“Zen gardens”) to flamboyant stroll gardens of the Shoguns and Emperors.
Gardens and temples in Kyoto we visited
Karesansui (dry landscape or “zen” garden) at Ryoan-ji Temple
Stroll garden at Ginkaku-ji Temple
Hojo Garden at Tofuku-ji Temple
Stroll garden at Okochi-Sanso Villa
Garden at Taizo-in Subtemple at Myoshin-ji Temple
All the subtemples of Daitoku-ji Temple (especially Koto-in)
Kodaji temple
Nanzenji Temple
Kiyomizu-derra Temple
Ishibei lane
Kodaji Temple
Higashiyama Temple
Yoshida temple
To the food market
Back to the Ryokan Yuzuya
A superb ryokan right next to Yasaka-jina Shrine, in the very heart of the southern Higashiyama district. We stayed here and it was so lovely! Eat in a beautiful dining room with a waterfall.. Not in your room.
Yuzu (meyer lemons), you look at them, eat them and they even float in the hot tub where you bathe! Amazing.
Rioan-ji Rock Garden
and now for the freshest...
Don't forget to...
