Inspired Wanderings in Japan…

Looking back, one of the great highlights of 2025 was our trip to Japan in late Spring with our daughter Honor. We had wanted to go for years but time and covid constraints put a stop to an earlier trip.

We started in Tokyo, visiting the amazing Team Lab - an immersive experience navigating through art, science, technology and the natural world - and walked about the National Museum complex to look at pottery. I was especially interested to see original pots by Chinese, Korean and Japanese ceramicists who had an immense influence on some of the key artists at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives including Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew and Trevor Corser whom I collect.

We researched knives, ate the best sushi and found incredible cafes and hidden markets for fashion.

It rained and we each bought a clear plastic umbrella, like all other people, which made navigating down tight streets so easy. Above us there was a mad spiders web of cables, wires and billboards enabling easier repairs in the event of an earthquake.

Whilst Tokyo has 38 million inhabitants, the city seemed calm and quiet in residential areas and transport was beyond peaceful, pristinely clean and well organised - bullet trains rushing in and out of stations with 3 minutes between boardings.

We travelled to the hill town of Hakone, 100km southwest of Tokyo to take in the best sights of Mount Fuji, gliding in a cable car over sulphur mines from eruptions of 3,000 years ago and viewing the fabulous art museums including the incredible Pola Museum and garden and eating at Nobu. Mount Fuji is considered Japan’s greatest cultural icon inspiring thousands of artists and poets, making it a site of pilgrimage.

Then on to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum and pay homage to the 140,000 people killed by the first atomic bomb strike on 6th August 1945, 9 days before Japan surrendered.

The city has been totally rebuilt and feels far more modern, clean and luxurious than any other city in Japan. There was a giant firework display that night which made this even more life affirming. New life born.

Our favourite place of all was Naoshima, the art islands created by the meeting of Tetsuhiko Fukutake and Chikatsugu Miyake in the late 80s. They started with the Benesse Art Museum, employing the wonderful architect Tadao Ando who built many of the museums, especially the Chichu Art Museum which is almost entirely underground and uses clever natural lighting.

We had never experienced art, nature and architecture like this. Works by James Turrell and Walter de Maria and of course Kusama were awe inspiring. We were able to hug her iconic Yellow Pumpkin which was created as a permanent exhibit on its pier overlooking the sea and mountains in 1994 and called ‘out of bounds’.

Throughout our trip we stayed mostly in local Ryokan or even traditional Minshuku.

We stayed for three days and were boated over to the main island from our little homestay, sleeping on tatami mats and squatting for every home cooked meal. The calm setting and culture here are the best I have ever experienced.

We then hit the bright lights of Osaka for some street food, night life - joining in the great karaoke fun - and fashion and then onto ancient Nara, which houses the largest wooden temple and Bronze Buddha from the 8th century. The roaming deer in the park - who bowed to us as we bowed to them - are considered messengers of the Gods of Kasuga Taisha. We bought lots of the best incense here and lit copious amounts in temples of worship.

Lastly we went to Kyoto which is a jewel indeed.

We visited the Golden Pavilion built in 1399 as a private house, later becoming a Zen Temple and using real gold leaf for the two upper stories which shine across the lake framed by deep purple irises.

In the evening we wandered in the rain around the old town of Higashiyama District which surrounds the Kiyomizudera Temple and where the old wooden houses and shops seem like an untouched old world.

We walked the winding 4 km path to the Fushimi Inari Tasha Shrine with its 10,000 vermillion gates.

We travelled 40 minutes to have the very best coffee and toast with honey at the minute but perfect world in every way, 'Husband and Wife' cafe.

Japan is another world. The people, the way of life, culture, food and art are quite different and it will always remain possibly my favourite place to have visited.