Flying solo, rickshaw ride and two tons of gold

The sickly one took to his bed…at 7pm, leaving me to party on my own. I looked at my options. Solo travellers get together with “gentlemen hosts” Mike and Kevin. Then there was Ladies Night with DJ Anthony “spinning the tracks you love.” Such promise, but the truth is, as my purpose in life appears to be watching over my beloved, I ordered in room service and listened to the plaintive harking and barking tones of said ill one. Guess it’s going to be another sleepless night … for some.

Last year, Japan was visited by a staggering nearly 43 million foreign visitors, as opposed to a mere nearly 37 million in 2024. I’ve been wanting to visit this country for many years and there’s a part of me that feels I’ve possibly arrived too late due to the over tourism. As with certain places in Europe, the Japanese are becoming frustrated with some tourists and their lack of respect for the natural beauty of their country. Horror stories of visitors shaking the trees to get the blossom cascading off the tree so that it makes for their perfect “influencer” shot has meant that certain areas of Japan are now shutting down well known tourist spots so that the locals can get their environment back. Let’s face it, we’re hearing similar stories about the Cotswolds, the Peak District, Snowdonia, The Lakes.

A spluttery night was enjoyed or should I say endured by all, but Nick heroically showered, breakfasted and went in search of the doctor. We had already agreed there was no way he was going on today’s trip, so I’d be flying solo.

Another chill but sunny day greeted us as we arrived into the very industrialised port of Osaka, around 7am. It was, perhaps, just as well Nick didn’t come out of the ship today. There would have been mutterings of “pointless” as we walked the length of the ship, past all the coaches, into a shed with lots of signs guiding us, plus two blokes standing around kicking their heels. No hint they actually wanted to see a passport at all. We then walked back the full length of the ship to find the right coach. Nothing quite like a good hike to start your day, especially as it’s going to involve a lot of driving. To be precise, an hour and a half’s drive to Arashiyama.

We set off Japan time, ie ten minutes before our departure time. Our guide today is another Hiro. We drove slowly through the sprawling concrete city. First impressions were sub Hong Kong (in excitement and interest) and sub South Korea (for shininess). I tried, but couldn’t see any beauty in the outskirts of Osaka. It felt more soulless than the squashed in apartment blocks in South Korea. There seemed to be barely any sun on the ground due to the volume of skyscrapers. Maybe understanding the greeting in Osaka would help us understand the city: “Are you making money?”

So a few facts:

• There are 47 prefectures (states) in Japan

• 120 million people in Japan

• Tokyo is the largest city

• Osaka is Japan’s second largest city

• Main trees are pine, bamboo and plum

• Temples belong to Buddhists and shrines belong to Shintos

After about an hour’s drive the countryside became green and mountainous with houses instead of high rises. We could see snow on the high mountains.

First stop, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and rickshaw ride. What a treat. I felt like an Empress being hauled along the streets by my driver Keisuke. He wanted to talk, but talking and walking, plus hauling me must have been an effort. Keisuke was a spindly lad. Probably half my size. He told me it takes three months to train to be a rickshaw driver. He spoke Japanese, Chinese and English and the training was more verbal than physical. I only saw one female driver and she had a couple in her rickshaw. I was bundled up with blankets and hand warmers. The 120 year old forest was beautiful and it was evident the rickshaw drivers had priority over the pedestrians, plus we had areas we could go where the pedestrians couldn’t. At one point Keisuke put the hood up to keep me warmer. It was such a pleasurable journey and I was saddened Nick wasn’t with me to enjoy it too, but maybe Keisuke was grateful it was just me.

Next stop, the Tenryu-Ji temple. This was the head temple of the Tenryu branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The temple was founded in 1339  by Ashikaga Takauji. Construction was completed in 1345. In 1994 the temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was more a garden than focussing on the temple and as with other gardens on this trip, some early flowers were out, but the cherry blossom was yet to come out. It wasn’t an issue. There felt to be enough to still see.

Then on to wander the streets of Arashiyama and to view Togetsukyo bridge, Moon Crossing Bridge, built during the Heian period 794-1185 and reconstructed in the 1930s.

A convivial lunch at Yoshoiya restaurant with similarly minded members of the “special needs” food table. All washed down with Japanese Sapporo beer. I took the opportunity of using the facilities with tweeting birds, waterfall and heated seat. Awesome.

Next stop, the Kinkaku-Jim Temple Golden Pavilion. Built as a villa in 1397. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site which was later converted into a temple. The temple burned down in 1950 and was rebuilt in 1955, approximately 41 feet in height. The second and third storeys are covered with two tons of gold foil. Quite simply, this was breathtaking.

The gold reflection shimmered on the lake making the vision surreal. Again the garden was not particularly endowed with blossom, but it had a calm and beauty considering there were so many people there, though they were mainly Japanese. Foreign tourists were certainly in the minority. All in all, a wonderfully visual day. Just one thing missing, but it did mean I had the whole seat to lounge around in.

We had a similar drive back to port and learned the difference between Geisha, Geiko and Maiko. Geisha are professional Japanese artists/entertainers specialised in traditional dance, music, and conversation. In Kyoto, they are called Geiko (masters), while their apprentices are Maiko (apprentice "child dancers"). Maiko wear more elaborate, colorful kimonos and styles, while Geiko wear more refined, subtle attire.

On my return Deepu was waiting for me at the top of our deck to tell me that Nick was in our room ready and waiting for my arrival. It’s utterly bizarre how used to each other you can get, but throw in a curved ball that says you’re not going to be spending the day together as planned and all of a sudden you’re like a pair of teenagers again, even though one of you hasn’t had the best of diagnoses back on ship.

So long story short, he has a chest infection and has been prescribed antibiotics, a gargle formula and…Strepsils. We were so excited to see each other, that we opened a bottle of pop which had miraculously appeared in our fridge, before heading out to La Terrazza.

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