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Jaunted Embedded Travel Guides: Temple Fatigue

September 26, 2007 at 2:00 PM | 0 Comments

Embedded Travel Guides: We are searching the world for folks who can take you on a field trip of their "backyard." When we find these folks, we then stealthy embed them into their local travel scene and ask them to be our eyes and ears out in the field.

We are expecting the same sort of grainy video, choppy sentences and snapshot photos that you are use to seeing from other sorts of embeds. At the end of the day we should be left with a backyard travel guidebook like no other.

Our man in Osaka is AJ McGuire, and, wow, does he have stories to tell.

"If I have to see one more safety-orange painted torii gate..." I hear that muttered pretty often, always after one of my friends has finished playing tour guide to parents, family friends or whoever else comes blowing into town with a list of Must See's that reads like a religious pilgrimage.

Sure, descriptions of things more than two hundred years old are often the only accurate things in the average guidebook. (Don't believe me? Hit the bookstore and check out the restaurant recommendations for your hometown.) The area around Osaka has its share of great sights to see. But, and let me put this in bold because its important, there are better ways to spend your vacation than hunting down every temple, shrine or battlefield in your guidebook.

Still, you should get some culture: Here's how to do it right.

First, my tips, then the best spots to see.

Mix it up:
Cater to both sides of your tourist soul, combining the cravings for cultural stimulation with some cheap thrills or local comforts. Head out in the morning for the shrines and temples, and you'll still have time to spend dusk in Osaka sipping something at an outdoor cafe. Or plan geographically and pair up a good tourist trap with something sacred. With the Kansai rail system and the dense clustering of attractions, there's more than enough time to see a 400 year old shrine and a 40-ton whale shark in the same day.

Go local:
Fame and historical importance don't make the experience. The peace and beauty of a well kept Shinto shrine are best experienced without a throng of camera-toting tourists and mobs of school children run amok. Look around for smaller neighborhood shrines and take the opportunity to explore them at your leisure.

Pace yourself:
Trying to do the complete temple trek around Kyoto hardly puts you in a mood to enjoy the ambiance. Pick one or two places to really explore and buy postcards of the rest. It's a vacation, not a scavenger hunt.

Avoid the theater:
Just say no to Noh. I'm going to warm you right now: Traditional Japanese theater has all the excitement of a three toed sloth race. This stuff takes endurance, my friend. And gobs of cash. If you plan on being in Osaka for less than a decade, give it a miss and spend your time elsewhere. (That said, if you still have a craving for the stage, check out the home-grown thespian thrills to be had in the all-female melodrama of the Takurazuka Revue or the super-weird dance/existential nightmare of Butoh.)

The top spots for spiritual refreshment:

Nara
The capital of ancient Japan and one stop shopping for your traditional culture fix. Todaiji temple houses the world's largest bronze statue (a Buddha, naturally). Sarusawa-no-ike Pond is filled with massive koi (shiny Japanese carp) and offers an excellent view of the Kofukuji Pagoda. Also, there are deer everywhere delighting, scaring and eating children. All this and the tackiest souvenir vendors anywhere, featuring the ever-popular plush Buddha hand puppet and a wide selection of obscene hand towels.

Fushimi Inari Jinja
It's off the beaten path enough to dodge the masses that swarm Kyoto City on any given day but well worth the effort to get there. Explore the footpath that winds around the forested hills canopied by thousands upon thousands of bright orange torii gates: visually stunning and spiritually satisfying. Don't miss the gift shop's ultimate distillation of the essence of souvenir: holy sand in a plastic baggie.

Koya San
The place to be dead, Japanese and Buddhist. Amazing ancient cemeteries, awe-inspiring stupas and a crisp mountain climate. It can be done as either a day trip or a comfortable overnight in one of the guesthouses run by local monastaries.

Hozemji Temple
Tucked down a side street just off the tourist madness of Dotombori-dori, this shrine is a favorite of those in the "water business," the euphemism for any trade that involves wetting your whistle or taking off your clothes. Wash your hands, say a prayer and toss a dipper of water onto the moss covered statues for a boost of good luck for your business, illicit or not.

Related Stories:
· Embedded Travel Guides coverage [Jaunted]
· Osaka Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Osaka Hotels [HotelChatter]

Where: Osaka, Japan

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Author Photo: Judson by Judson

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