JAPAN, KOLKATA AND BHUTAN -- 2024
This was a Bucket List journey. Since all in life in uncertain and impermanent, Cheryl and I wanted to visit Japan together at least once, and I was very excited about Bhutan, which I knew would be completely different than any trip we had ever taken. In essence, we assumed that we had one more trip to Asia in us, and this is what we wanted to experience. It turns out that it was a perfect decision.
We flew directly Boston to Tokyo, which is pretty easy, if a long flight. We traveled in Japan by car and train to Harkone and Mount Fuji, then to hot springs resort spa, then Kyoto, Koyasan, Hiroshima and a short visit to Osaka. Then we flew to Kolkata by way of Singapore, holed up at the Taj in Kolkata for 3 days, then Bhutan for a week, including Paro and Thimbu, then Kolkata and and home via Doha and Qatar Airlines (we used points to upgrade to Business Class; it was sublime). Total about 3 weeks away.
In Tokyo we stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel, which was fine and convenient. We had a fantastic evening at Chagohan Cooking School and Restaurant, which we enjoyed a fabulous sushi cooking session and meal with Masa and Junko. It was a wonderful kickoff for the trip. We did some sightseeing at the oldest Shinto and Buddhist temples downtown, some shopping, a stop at Shibuya to see Hachi the dog and old imperial building, and delicious food almost everywhere.
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| Cooking class with Masa and Junko |
Harkone is a a very pleasant area to visit, and gives one a great view of Mt. Fuji with a museum to understand the mountain and its importance culturally. We stayed at the Harkone Kowakien Ten-yu, a resort where every room has an outdoor hot tub fed by local springs. There were also scenic outdoor walks, incredible feasts, and (my favorite) two large ice-cream vending machines that were token-operated, where you can have as many pops, cones or cups as you wanted. People milling around in leisure wear and slippers.
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| Walking around the spa resort in Harkone |
We both fell in love with Kyoto. So beautiful, plenty of gardens, old temples and tea houses, terrific food in holes in the wall, not expensive. We loved the sushi, soba and tempura, all much better than US grade. Perhaps the best thing about Kyoto was our guide Yoko. She was so wonderful and helpful. Booked some evening entertainment for us, took us to the best sites that we had missed in planning Kinkaujicho, a museum exhibit in Nara, Nijo Castle, Kasugataisha Shrine, etc. We were also participants at a tea ceremony, which is fun and a very calming experience, highly recommended. Yoko also arranged a short tour of the Genke (Geisha) area, which is a world unto itself. Our hotel in Kyoto was The Thousand, which was very good in terms of rooms, amenities, breakfast and location. https://www.keihanhotels-resorts.co.jp/the-thousand-kyoto/en/. An English-speaking robot brought ice to our room!
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| Golden Temple in Kyoto |
After leaving Yoko and Kyoto, we traveled by train up to the Koyasan area. This requires a cable car ride up a steep mountain to a community of home-stay temples, where one stays overnight, is fed breakfast and dinner, and can practice meditation or visit the surrounding area. We stayed for two nights at a very fancy "shukubo" (Koyasan Shukubo Association) with our own bathroom, two additional rooms, and a sweet view into a lovely garden just outside. The meals were excellent and accommodations very comfortable. We went to a local museum and one of the two very old outdoor mausoleums, with lots of moss and vibe. A stay in Koyasan is very unique, restful and fun, but two days maximum.
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| outside our rooms at the shukubo |
After coming down from Koyasan, we took a train to Osaka and checked into the Zentis. I might skip Osaka next time, although we enjoyed Osaka Castle and some shopping downtown. Of course we had to try takoyaki (octopus dumplings), but they were just okay.
We flew from Osaka to Singapore and the onto Kolkata. We stayed at the Taj because the Oberoi was under construction. The Taj is a bit old and is undergoing a face lift. Still, everyone in the hotel was very friendly to us, and we had the fabulous Mr. Rao to drive us around for sight-seeing at Mother Teresa's home, two temples (including a sumptuous Jain temple), and by my request, a visit to the best fresh paan walla in Kolkata. The Taj has an amazing Indian restaurant and an award-winning Chinese restaurant. We availed ourselves to both. And the bar was introducing a menu of new drinks, so we had a few (on the house). Kolkata is a rough place -- old, broken, poor -- but it does have some worthwhile sites. We suggest a local guide.
Fresh Paan Walla in Kolkata
We flew out of Kolkata and into Thimphu Bhutan, where we had arranged for a guide and driver through Yak Holidays International and Mr. Sithar. Bhutan requires a visa and all arrangements were made easily through Yak. The one "drawback" of visiting Bhutan is that one can enter from only a handful of designated cities; we chose Kolkata; Singapore is another option.
Honestly, nothing prepares one for Bhutan. It is stunningly beautiful with snow-capped mountains, lots of forest, very little industry, no "Western" stores or eateries (I mean none whatsoever), people dressed traditionally, and lots of Buddhist overlay. No one speeds or leans on their horn. There are some wild dogs, but they all look like they just came from the groomer and are vaccinated for rabies. We traveled with Karma and Sunil for about a week, and I had requested some birding, so that was a constant theme. We did four hikes of varying difficulty, with the last day dedicated to climbing Tiger's Nest outside of Paro (5 hours total). Everywhere there were prayer flags, stupas, statuary, and characteristic buildings. Really beautiful country! The only downside of traveling in Bhutan is the many Indian families who drive over for vacation in large family groups; they take up a lot of psychic space.
Our trip provided us with "hotels" at night and three squares. The food was good, perhaps a bit spicy for some people. All the accommodations were fine except for one (in Phobjikha Valley, Gadgety), where we were shut out of Yak's first choice by a big biking group. Those digs were cold, power was interrupted, and we heard critters crawling in the walls, but they were nice folks and it was all tolerable. Again, this place was not the choice of Yak Holidays, and Mr. Sithar was apologetic.
We were very lucky to be able to visit Chukka for a yearly dance festival and it was a high point. Lots of people dressed up as astrological animals doing traditional dances inside a small outdoor stadium. Color, pageantry, finery, celebration and a real family moment for the locals.
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| Hiking above the clouds |
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| Tiger's Nest |
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| Chukka Fest |
On the way home, we flew through Kolkata with a brutal 14-hr. layover, but had smooth sailing to Doha and then onto Boston via Qatar Airlines.
