Golden Guide to South & East Asia

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TO SOUTI

The 5th edition of the most popular and authoritative guide to: Bhutan Brunei Burma Cambodia Ceylon China Hongkong India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Macao Malaysia Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Philippines Ryukyus P Sikkim Singapore Taiwan Thailand Timor & Vietnam

Golden Guide TO SOUTH & EASTASIA

Golden Guide

TO SOUTH & EASTASIA

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Fifth Edition, Enlarged and Completely Revised Published by the Far Eastern Economic Review Edited by P. H .M. Jones

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The Far Eastern Economic Review Ltd, 401-6 Marina House, Hongkong, P.O. Box 160, Hongkong.

Copyright 1967 by the Far Eastern Economic Review Ltd. All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers. Printed in Hongkong by Toppan Printing Co. (U.K.) Ltd, Hongkong.

CONTENTS Preface by P . H . M, Jones .......................................................................... Motoring Through Asia, by Horst Reinemer .......................................... Asia on the Cheap, by Frederick King Poole and Nik Wheeler ............ The Road to Saigon, by John Dearlove .................................................. To China by Package, by Dick Wilson ...................................................... In Fields of Wild Oats, by Frederick King Poole and Nik Wheeler . . . . Removing Cause of Friction . . . . , by Frederick King Poole and Nik Wheeler .......................................................................................... The Great Tradition, by Arturo F. Gonzalez, Jr...................................... Bhutan ........................................ Brunei .......................................... Burma .......................................... Cambodia .................................... Ceylon .......................................... China .......................................... Hongkong .................................... India ............................................ Indonesia .................................... Japan .......................................... Laos ............................................ Macao .......................................... Malaysia ...................................... Mongolia ....................................

35 37 40 59 73 87 113 151 195 210 261 269 279 303

5 9 12 18 19 21 28 31

Nepal .......................................... North Korea .............................. North Vietnam .......................... Pakistan ...................................... Philippines .................................. Portuguese Timor ...................... Ryukyus ...................................... Sikkim ........................................ Singapore .................................... South Korea .............................. South Vietnam .......................... Taiwan ........................................ Thailand ......................................

306 316 317 319 343 367 369 373 375 393 411 429 445

Hospitable Y’s by James R. Ullyot ............................................................ Guide to Asian Currencies .............................................................................. Guide to Asian Electricity ............................................................................ Guide to Asian Weather ................................................................................ Index to Advertisers ........................................................................................

480 482 484 487 493

------- Maps ------Bhutan .......................... Cambodia ...................... Ceylon .......................... China ............................ Central Peking, Facing Hongkong .................. Central Victoria Hongkong ................

Kowloon, Hongkong . . Indonesia ...................... Japan .............................. Kanto District .............. Central Tokyo, Facing Malaysia ...................... West Pakistan .............. 126 East Pakistan ..............

36 58 72 88 100 114

129 198 214 216 220 278 326 338

Philippines .................. Singapore ...................... South Korea .............. South Vietnam .......... Taiwan .......................... Thailand ...................... Central Bangkok, Facing South East Asia, Facing

350 374 392 412 428 444 454 502

Colour-Plates Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon . . . . 43 Terrace of the Leper King, Angkor Thom, Cambodia .......................... 71 Rehearsing for an October 1 parade, inside the Forbidden City, Peking . 91 Hongkong Harbour .......................... 132

Royal Palace, Jaipur, India .......... Mount Fuji, Japan ............................ An old Spanish church at Paoan, Ilocos Norte, Philippines ............ The Marble Temple, Bangkok, Thailand ............................................

ISO 212 349 449

Black-and-White Plates’ A Muslim princess from Mindanao, Southern Philippines ......................... Wat Phra Singh, Chiengmai, Thailand ............................................ The Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, Brunei ................................................ The lights of Patpong Rd, one of Bangkok's night life districts . . . . Miag-ao Church, Iloilo, Philippines ........................................ The Taj Mahal at Agra, India . . . A Bhutanese orchestra ...................... A water festival dance, Burma . . . . Mahamuni in the Arakan Pagoda, Mandalay .......................................... Ananda Temple, Pagan .................. The Valadage, Polonnaruwa .......... A traditional dance by members of Ceylon’s National Dancers ........ The Great Wall, near Peking . . . . The Tien An Men, Peking .......... The Bund, Shanghai .......................... The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation building and Statue Square, Hongkong .......................... A Hongkong street scene .............. Hongkong, the New Territories . . . . Temple, Khajuraho ............................ Celebration of the Holt festival in Delhi .................................................. Temple facade, Khajuraho .............. A Buddha of Borobudur .............. Maiko girls in Kyoto ...................... Black Thai women in Vientiane . . , Vientiane: Opium-smokers prepare a pipe ....................................................

4 13 14 23 24 33 34 44 53 54 81 82 92 109 110 119 122 149 167 168 193 194 211 265 266

A street in Macao ............................ Macao and the Guia Lighthouse . . The Secretariat Building, Kuala Lumpur .............................................. Clocktower, Malacca ........................ The Hanuman Doka, Kathmandu . . Pasupatinath Temple, Kathmandu . . Makli Hill, near Thatta .................. Badshahi Mosque, Lahore .............. Islamabad, with the Marghalla Hills in the background ..........................

275 276 285 286 311 312 321 322 ’ 331

Sailing boats on the Meghna, E. Pakistan ............................................ 332 Mayon Volcano .................................. The Chocolate Hills of Bohol . . . . Singapore, a Malay fisherman's hut ...................................................... Central Singapore .............................. The Pulguk-sa temple, Kyongiu, South Korea ...................................... The Popchu-sa Temple, near Chongju, South Korea .................. Cham Towers, Po Nagar, Republic of Vietnam ...................................... Temple du Souvenir Vieinamien, Saigon .............................................. Confucius Day riles in Taipei . . . . Sun Moon Lake, 50 miles east of Taichung .......................................... Wat Chedi Luang, Chiengmai Wat Arun, Bangkok ........................ Bang Pa-in Palace, Thailand . . . . Preparing for the elephant round-up, Tatoom ..............................................

359 360 377 378 395 396 421 422 439 440 459 460 477 478

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plateau at the foot of Mount Asama has plenty of peaceful accommodation. It offers many sporting facilities including golf, tennis, a skating rink, and good cycling as well as lovely walks and drives. A hill climb to Sunset Point is especially agreeable; wild flowers adorn almost every £atch of turf. Several Tokyo Stores open summer branches in the town, where souvenirs can be shopped for at leisure. Houses may be rented for the summer. The Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park includes Mount Fuji and its five lakes, Hakone and Lake Hakone, and the Izu Peninsula — some of the finest scenery in Japan. There are many organised sightseeing tours of this area. Sacred Mount Fuji is a universally recognised symbol of Japan: about 3 hours by electric train from Shinjuku Tokyo to Kawaguchiko Station at Funatsu; then 1 hour 50 minutes by bus and a climb on foot of 5(6 hours to the summit (4 miles). It is the highest and most often climbed mountain in Japan. The official climbing season is from July 1 to August 31. Two bases frequently chosen are Funatsu and Fuji-Yoshida. Perhaps the mountain’s essential beauty is best seen from the many different vantage points at a distance. There are now several bus tours to the area via the new skyline highway. The Five Lakes at the foot of the mountain — Yamanaka, Kawaguchi, Hotel in Fuji-Yoshida F u j i V i e w (Lake Kawaguchi, Tel. Katsuyama 813, Tokyo Office 201-4101). Quarter-hour by car from Fuji-Yoshida Station. 53 Western bedrooms at Yl,300 single. 2,000 lo 3.800 double, with or without bath, central healing, golf course. 7 bungalows housing four at Y5.000 per night.

Saiko, Shoji and Motosu, all 2,700 ft above sea level — provide good fishing. The Five Lake Tour is most popular and rewarding in early summer and mid-October. Hakone is about an hour and 40 minutes by rail from Tokyo to Odawara where electric cars and buses are available to the hill country resorts. The main ones are Yumoto, Miyanoshita (a fine centre for exploration), Gora, Kowakidani, Lake Ashinoko (Hakone), with pleasure steamers, yachting and fishing, and (via the Nagano Pass with its magnificent view of Fuji) the innermost resort. Sengakuhara. The Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway serves the Miura Peninsula from Shinagawa, Tokyo to Uraga on the eastern tip. with a branch line to Zushi on the west. Zushi is a popular seaside resort about an hour from Tokyo. It has fine views, a mild climate and a sandy beach. The Zushi Nagisha Hotel has Western-style rooms. Hayama, reached in 15 minutes by bus from Zushi, is another pleasant resort with a coast line of pinetopped headlands and sandy beaches. Yokosuka. 1V4 hours from Tokyo Central, the chief city of the peninsula and the former naval base for eastern Japan but now frequented by GIs and their followers, is a flourishing sea and fishing port as well as the sightseeing base for Miura. The Mikasa, the flagship of Admiral Togo in the Russo-Japanese War, is on view as a historical monument, full of remarkable paintings and relics. Kurihama is the terminus of the Yokosuka line. Another fishing port, it has an excellent bathing beach. There is a stone monument to commemorate the arrival of Commodore Perry with his squadron. The rest of the Miura Peninsula has only been

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Hotels in Hakone Fujlya (Miyanoshita, Tel. 2-2211. Tokyo Office 572-1625). 166 Western bedrooms at Yl,000 t o 2,200 single, 2,100 to 4,400 double, with or without bath; central heating, tennis courts, swimming pool, hot spring bath. A rambling but comfortable hotel in the old tradition, fine gardens and unique bathing rooms. Hakone (Hakonemachi, Tel. 3-6311, Tokyo Office 572-1625). 30 Western bedrooms at Yl,100 to 3,400 single, 1.800 to 5,000 double, with or without bath; central heating. Fv|iya Sengoku Annex (Sengokuhara Plain. Tel. 4-8511) . 22 Western bedrooms at Y1.200 t o 2.000 single. 2,000 to 3,300 double; usual meal charges, central heating, golf course. Hakone Highland (Katahira. Sengokuhara Plain, Tel. 4-8511, Tokyo Office 561-2933 ) . 17 Western bedrooms at Y1.000 to 1,500 single, 2,000 to 5,000 double, with or without bath, central heating, hot spring bath. Gora Hotel at Gora A base for cable car trips to Owakidani with its steaming hot sulphur springs. Also a fine collection of Chinese pottery at Gora Museum. Kowaki-En (1297 Ninotaira. Hakonemachi, Tel. 2-2211, Tokyo Office 5720161). 68 Western bedrooms a l Y1.200 single. 2.600 to 4,500 double, u p t o 20,000 suite, with or without bath or shower; natural steam heating, aircondttioning, tennis courts, swimming pool, hot spring bath. Hakone Kanko (Sengokuhara Spa. Tel. 4-8501, Tokyo Office 281-8463). 116 rooms single Y2.000 to 2.600. double 3.800 to 4.800, twin 3.000 to 6.500. suite 9.000 to 11,200. Japanese room for two 4,000 to 8,000. You could also try the Sengoku Golf Club (Hakone Sengokuhara, Tel. 4-8511. Tokyo Booking Office 572-1625).

fairly recently opened to tourists, with connecting bus services and some new hotels. A delightful return ferry-trip from Misaki, a fishing port, conveys the tourist round the tiny and picturesque island of Jogashima which is now joined to the mainland at Aburatsubo by a bridge. Aburatsubo Cove has a fine yacht haven and particularly beautiful cliffs. Kannonzaki Cape at the southeast end, with a wonderful sea-scape and

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bracing air. has a modern seaside hotel near the beach. .Japan’s first Western-style lighthouse still stands there and is in use. Kamakura, a lively, modern town 30 miles S-W. of Tokyo, is only an hour by rail from Tokyo, half an hour from Yokohama; it overlooks Sagami Bay. In the I2lh Century the first shogunate was established here and the Kamakura period (1185-1336) has left many legacies in architecture, sculpture and painting. The principal objects of interest are the Kamakura Daibutsu, a bronze Image of the Buddha 42 ft. 6 in. high; the Hose Kannon Temple nearby; the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine; the Engakuji, Kenchoji, Gokurakuji and other Buddhist temples, and the Art Museum. Kamakura is a popular bathing resort for Tokyo and Yokohama and its extensive beaches are very crowded in summer. Enoshima. or Picture Island, is a tourist curiosity 25 minutes from Kamakura and connected with Katase on the mainland by a concrete bridge. At Enoshima the myriads of holiday-makers themselves provide a fascinating pageant of Japanese life and manners. A yacht basin was established here for the Olympic Games. The Izu Peninsula’s proximity to Tokyo, mild climate, beautiful inland and coastal scenery and hot springs attract many visitors. On the coast of the Peninsula is Atami, the most popular of all the hot-spring resorts on what has been styled the Japanese Riviera. It is particularly enjoyable early in the year, with its gentle winter climate and early flowering plum blossom. The Boso Peninsula has Tokyo Bay on the west side and the Pacific Ocean on the east and south. There

228

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is a good train service round the Peninsula from Shinjuku or Ryogoku Station, Tokyo. Boso supplies the capital with vegetables, fish and shellfish. The richly cultivated farming country beyond Chiba, almost a suburb of Tokyo, provides a picture of old Japan. The cone-shaped treecovered hills as they rise range after range, the picturesque coastline, and the many shrines and temples recall the scenery of traditional landscape paintings. There are excellent beaches, not too crowded, on the Pacific side. A two-day outing may be made by taking the train from Ryogoku Station to Choshi (72 miles), a deep-sea fishing port at the mouth of the river Tone where there are many places of interest; then, after staying the night at Sawara on the river, visiting the ancient Katori and Kashima Shrines which stand among ancient woods of huge and sacred cedars. In the afternoon leave Kashima Shrine by water Hotels in Yokohama N e w Grand (10 Yamashitacho, Tel. S8-1841). The city’s premier hotel with fine view o f the harbour; Star Lite G r i l l Room noted for fine food: dining room and bar. 94 rooms, single Y I . 300 to 3,000, double 2,500 to 4,800. suite 9,000. S i l k ( 1 Yamashitacho. Tel. 64-0961). Above the new Silk Centre in front o f South Pier; panoramic view of seafront; dining room. 81 rooms, single YJ.500 to 2,000, double 2.700 to 4.000, twin 2.800 to 5,000; apartments with kitchenette Yl00,000 a month. Most convenient for liner berths. Pleasant rooms with spacious balconies overlooking harbour. A s t e r . Small new hotel near Chinatown. Yokohama T o k y o (1-chome. Minami Saiwai-cho, Nishi-ku, Tel. 44-7061). A t Yokohama Central Railway Station and close to all transport; dining room, cocktail lounge. West End snack bar, tempura Tenkichi. 90 rooms, single Y 1,800, twin 3,400 to 5,000; semi-Japanese 3,600 to 4,200 and suite 5,000.

Hotels in Atami Atami (Izusan, Tel. 3536; Tokyo Office 572-0931-3). 3 minutes by car from Atami Station: 30 Western bedrooms at Y900 to 1,600 single. 1,400 to 2.400 double, up t o 4,500 suite; central heating, swimming pool, hot spring bath. A t a m i Fujlya (316 Atami, Tel. 7111; Tokyo Office 561-1865). 5 minutes by car from Atami Station; 46 Western bedrooms at Y3.500 to 3.800 single, 3,500 to 8.500 double, up t o 30.000 suite; central heating, swimming pool, dance hall, hot spring bath.

for Tsuchiura on Lake Kasumigaura, and then on by rail to Tokyo. Further south there are attractive sea-side resorts and good beaches on both coasts: Hota Tateyama, Awa Kamogawa, Katsura and others. Japanese-style hotels, some of them luxuriously modern, are available.

The Japan Alps The tourist who has time to spare and enjoys mountain scenery with climbing in the summer or skiing in the winter, should decidedly not miss a visit to the Japan Alps. This volcanic range, stretching along the centre of Honshu from north to south in three high ridges, is becoming increasingly popular, especially with the younger generation. Matsumoto, some 5Vi hours from Tokyo (Shinjuku Station) and 3'/2 hours from Nagoya, is the gateway to the Japan Alps. It is a pleasant, mildly old-fashioned town with a historic castle and a remarkable museum. The town is in a wide valley dominated by peaceful mountains. The railway journey to Matsumoto from Tokyo is one of the most picturesque and rural in Japan. Branch lines and buses take moun(Continued on Page 233)

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from Page 228)

taineers to convenient places for climbing. Shrouma, Olenji, Harinoki and Takeyama mountains have the most frequent huts and best paths. Mount Yan (Spear Peak), the highest in the northern range, is approached from Matsumoto via the Jonan range. Kamikochi valley can be reached on descending Yan or from Matsumoto (216 hours by bus). This district, 10 miles long, a mile wide and 5.000 ft. above sea level, is surrounded by high snow-clad peaks. With its clear river Azusa, its lakes, exciting mountain scenery, hot springs, Alpine flora and cold bracing air, it is perfect in summer for camping, fishing and boating. Skiing, skating and mountain climbing areas are located near hot spring resorts and are easily accessible to tourists. Equipment can be rented from resorts or lodges very cheaply. From Tokyo to the farthest resorts is no more than 6 hours by train.

Sendai The most important city in Northeast Japan, Sendai gives an opportunity to see a quieter and. some think, an even friendlier Japan than the more crowded South. On the 516Hotels in Sendai Sendai (3, Ura-Gohancho, Tel. 27195). 21 Western bedrooms at Y700 single, 1,300 to 3,500 double, with or without bath; central heating; breakfast Y250, lunch and dinner 450. Central (ex-Aoki, 23 Higashi-Yobancho, Tel. 2-4161). 35 Western bedrooms. Matsushima Park (10 Namiuchihama, Matsushima Tel. 103153). 13 Western bedrooms at Y1,000 to 1,300 single, 1,600 to 3,000 double, up to 5,000 suite; central heating; lovely gardens.

233

hour journey from Tokyo, the traveller sees many northern thatched farmhouses, surviving all modernisation. However, Sendai, among its low-lying wooded hills, is quickly becoming a vast industrial city, though on August 6-8 it still celebrates one of the gayest Japanese festivals, the colourful Tana bata Matsnri (Star Festival). Matsushima, a fishing village and seaside resort (half an hour from Sendai) is famous for its curious scenery. At least 300 variously shaped rock islets, helmeted with ancient pines, lie scattered over its bay; ferries and boats convey enthusiasts to these natural grotesques. Matsushima also offers hillside walks with views in abundance. Near the shore of Matsushima the ancient temple of Zuiganji contains many historical memorials and art treasures. A fine avenue of Japanese cedars leads past cave after cave in the rocky cliff face; some were once used by priests for loney meditation. Towada National Park is further north again, between Aomori on the north coast of Honshu and Akita on the west coast, and includes mountain and lake districts. Lake Towada, the largest mountain lake in Japan, can be reached in 4!6 hours by bus on the route from Aomori to Kemanai, or in 134 hours from Towada-Minami, on the Hanawa Line. It is almost circular, with wooded sides and pine-clad islets. Motor boat trips and salmon trout fishing are available in June and July. There are agreeable Japanese-style inns on its shores, and places of historic interest. The Hakkoda Mountains, a volcanic range, 22 miles S. of Aomori, provide climbing and camping in the summer and skiing in the winter.

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Round Hokkaido The best plan is to make the circuit Sapporo — Daisetsusan National Park — over the Bihoro Pass to Akan N a tional Park — then back westwards by the southerly train route from Kushiro to Sapporo ( 7 hours by special express, 1st class available). Take the train from Sapporo to Asahigawa where the National Park is entered. This i s the chief town in central Hokkaido; the A i n u hamlet at nearby Chikabumi consists only o f a handful o f shacks and is not worth visiting. From Asahigawa comfortable coaches go to Sounkyo (Y450) which has good Japanese inns. Sounkyo is a cool and pleasant spot for mountain walks; Daisetsusan is still partly covered with snow in mid-summer. The Sounkaku H o t e l has double rooms with two meals (Japanese or semi-Western food) at Y4.000 for two persons. The Soun H o t e l is more Westernised, with Western-style rooms and food. Eastward from Sounkyo, i t is a short bus journey to Kamikawa. where you rejoin the railway and travel to the small town of Bihoro, via the port of Abashiri. A t Bihoro Station you take a bus (2'/i hour drive) to A k a n National Park. All the tourist buses in the Akan National Park area stop at points of interest to give travellers a chance to have a drink, buy souvenirs and admire the view. A recommended stop is Kawayu Spa, between Lakes Kutcharo and Mashu. The halt at Bihoro Pass provides a splendid view o f Lake K u t charo and the surrounding region; you can also get yourself photographed in A i n u costume. A mile out of Kawayu is the Sulphur Mountain where acrid clouds of steam hiss from the ground; the tourist buses stop here also. The Misono Inn at Kawayu is excellent for those willing to sample exotic Japanese food (including hairy crabs, a larger version of the famous king crabs). A double room with meals for two and private Japanese bath costs f r o m Y4.000. Some English is understood at the Misono, where the staff are most obliging; the Grand Hotel chain has just opened a Western style hotel next door. Kawayu is a good place to buy local souvenirs. From Kawayu, Kushiro can be reached by train in two hours or by bus in three. I f you do not wish to return by train to Sapporo, there i s a daily plane service in good weather, and occasional boats sail direct to Tokyo.

Hokkaido Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, was originally populated by the Ainu; there are about 10,000 pure Ainu left in Hokkaido, but they are being gradually absorbed by the Japanese through intermarriage, subsisting in small groups as tourist attractions. There is a reservation for Ainu near Akan National Park, a settlement on Lake Tancho, another at Shiraoi and an Ainu village called Chikabumi near Ashigawa city. They continue to follow their own religious customs; many hunt bears and some carve wooden figures of bears, with or without salmon in their grasp, for the tourist trade. The winters are severe but dry. Snow begins to fall in late autumn and lasts for 5 or 6 months. The weather is fine and cool in the late spring and summer; September and October are rainy. Sapporo, the capital, can be reached by train and ferry from Tokyo in 22 hours 40 minutes — the ferry crosses from Aomori to Hakodate — or in 214 hours by air. The telephone service to Tokyo is excellent. Sapporo is a pleasant modern city laid out on American lines. The 19th century University of Hokkaido is gracefully designed and the botanical garden and museum are noteworthy. The nearby skiing grounds are the best equipped in Hokkaido; new facilities are being prepared for the Winter Olympics. Hokkaido is ideal for summer excursions and Sapporo and Otaru are two of the best winter sports centres in Japan (however the hotel in Otaru is poor and you are well advised to stay in Sapporo, which is only 45 minutes away by train). The island is rapidly developing its holiday amenities. Several long excursions to Daisetsusan and Akan National

Japan

Parks are now arranged. Noboribetsu Spa, one of the many startling natural wonders of Hokkaido, is 216 hours by train and bus from Sapporo. The Spa, with its eight different kinds of medicinal spring, lies in a deep, wooded ravine. Round a bend in the road the so-called Valley of Hell appears — a huge desolate depression a mile round and 400 ft deep, filled with hillocks and incrustations formed by the hot springs. A short walk reveals an immense chasm with a lake of hot mud and boiling water at the bottom, pouring out clouds of steam and sulphurous smoke. There are vast slopes near the lake, with skiing in the winter. Lake Toya. 216 hours from Noboribetsu by road, is almost circular, with one large wooded island, and, to the Northeast, the graceful mountain of Shiribeshi. It is rich in salmon and even crabs. Toyako Spa stands on the south shores. Daisetsusau

National

Park,

for

the most part unexplored by travellers, possesses the romantic Sounkyo Gorge, 116 hours from Kamikawa. Its dramatic, unpredictable scenery with towering wooded cliffs, sometimes rising sheer from the river, and huge waterfalls, can be explored by Hotels in Hokkaido Hokkai (2 Higashi, 5-chome. Inahocho, Olaru, Tel. 2-4121). 22 Western bedrooms at Y700 to 1,200 single, 1,400 to 3,000 double; central heating. Sapporo Grand (Nishi, 4-chome, KitaIchijo. Sapporo, Tel. 4-1141, Cables GRAHO) . 72 Western bedrooms at Y1,000 to 1,600, up to 8,000 suite, with or without bath: central healing. Noboribetsu Grand (154 Noboribetsu Spa, Tel. Noboribetsu-onsen 101-3). 9 Western bedrooms at Y1.800 to 2,800 single, 1.800 to 3,300 double, up to 9,500 suite. Hol spring bath, central heating.

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road and footpath. Sounkyo Spa beneath the 6,000 ft Great Snow Mountain — Daisetsusan — is a very quiet place surrounded by forests of silver and white firs. Akan National Park is best approached from the port of Kushiro, which is 16 hours by rail from Sapporo. Its huge mountains, forests and crater lakes are connected by good motor roads and bus services. Lake Akan. surrounded by thickly wooded hills, contains 20 wooded islets, beside Mt Akan, an active volcano, and is well known for a strange globular green weed. Kokan Spa is on the south shore. Lake Mashu, 3 hours from Kushiro in wild scenery, is a deep set crater lake with no inlet or outlet and of a startling sapphire blue colour. It holds the world’s record for transparency and, like Lake Akan, suggests the primeval world to the imagination. Ten minutes by bus from Kawayu, Lake Kutcbaro is larger than Akan or Mashu. It has its own large island, and hot springs on the shore. Kushiro. the base for touring Akan, can be reached by steamer from Tokyo in 62 hours, as well as by rail from Sapporo. About the best place to stay is the Fujiya Inn. A smaller hotel, the Kushiro Grand, has Japanese style rooms with one or two of Western style. Kushiro is a limber and fishing town and offers little in the way of entertainment. The only bright spot is a cabaret called the Gin No Me (Silver Eye) which has the largest number of hostesses in that part of the island. In Kushiro lives the only person — or one of the few persons — in Eastern Hokkaido who speaks English well, a taxi driver named

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Mike. If there is anything you want to know, Mike can generally tell you.

Nagoya About 180 miles S-W. of Tokyo lies the port of Nagoya, a large industrial centre with a noble castle. From Nagoya it is a short journey to Gifu, famous for its cormorant fishing (see P. 255). The fishing expeditions, each of a fleet of boats showing their decoy fires, make a picturesque tourist attraction, to be seen from gay lantern-lit pleasure boats. Boats can be engaged through any of the main hotels in Nagoya or directly at the pleasure boat office near Nagoya Bridge. Iseshi is about 80 miles S. of Nagoya, across Ise Bay. In the IseShima National Park see the Ise Hotels in Nagoya Miyako (2-chome. Nishiyanagicho, Nakamura-ku, Tel. 571-3211). 301 rooms all with bath, single Y2.000, twin 3,000, Japanese-style 6,500. suite 8,000. The newest and one of the best. Fujiko Kanko (38, Aoicho, Higashiku, Tel. 94-9511). 52 rooms, single Y2,400 up, twin 3,800 up, Japanesestyle 4,500 up, suite 6,000. New Nagoya (Mainichi Kaikan Bldg., 1, 4-chome, Horiuchicho, Nakamura-ku, Tel. 55-5131). 100 rooms, all with bath, single Y1.600 up, double 3,400 for two up. twin 3,000 up, suite from 6,000 to 15,000 for two. Nagoya Kanko (6, l-chome, Nakanochi, Naka-ku, Tel. 23-7711). 133 rooms, all with bath, single Y 1,500 up, twin 3,000 up, suite 4,000 up. Gamagori (421 Shiroyama-Fusocho, Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, Tel. Gamagori 2145). 29 rooms, single Y650 to 800, twin 1,000 up, suite 1.300 up. Nagaragawa (51 Nagara-Ugaiya, Gifu Prefecture, Tel. Gifu 2-4111). 22 rooms, double Y900, twin 1,600 to 2,000, suite 4,000. Shi m a Kanko (731 Shimmei, Agocho, Shima-gun, Mie Prefecture, Tel. Kashtkojima 50/2). 33 rooms, double Y1.000, twin 1,700 up, suite 2,300 up. Nagoya

Hotels in Osaka N e w Osaka (5, 3-chome, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Tel. 441-1431). 211 rooms, all with bath, single Y2,000 up, twin 3,200 up, suite 7,500 up, Japanesestyle 4,000 up. Osaka Grand (22, 2-chome, Naka nosh ima, Kita-ku, Tel. 202-1212). 365 rooms, all with bath, single Yl,800 up, twin 3,500 up, double 4,000, suite 23,500, Japanese-style 3,500 up. Osaka Miyako (Tennoji Station Bldg.. 110 Horikoshicho, Tennojuku, Tel. 716-7751). 95 rooms, single Y 1,300 up. double 3,200 up, twin 3,400 up, suite 8,000, Japanese-style 3,300. Toho (15, 2-chome. Bakuromachi, Higashi-ku. Tel. 261-0151). 31 rooms, single YI,500 up, twin or double 3,000 up.

Jingo shrines and the Mikimoto pearl farms in Ago Bay and Toba — 2 hours by hydrofoil from Nagoya — where women pearl-divers work to bring up the oysters which produce the world-famous cultured pearls. Iseshi, the most sacred city of Japan, boasts the Ise Jingu shrines, the oldest and most honoured Shinto shrines in Japan. Designed in the severe, archaic Japanese style dating from before the introduction of Chinese-style architecture, the shrines are rebuilt every twenty years from plain Japanese cypress wood. Gekuji, the Outer Shrine, in a grove of ancient cedars near the station of Ise, is held in deep reverence; the ordinary visitor is not allowed beyond the first enclosing fence. The inner temple includes a shrine with a thatched roof built of unpainted wood. The Kodaijingu or Naiku (Inner Shrine) further away is sacred to the Sun Goddess. One of the three sacred treasures of Japan, the Mirror of the Goddess, is said to be here. Both these temples stand in extensive grounds, and the atmosphere of the whole area is religious and impressive.

Japan The beach resort of Futami-ga-Ura is convenient for this region and also offers excellent bathing. However inn prices here are high, and even private baths and iced water figure as extras on the bill.

Osaka Japan’s second largest city (6V2 hours by express from Tokyo and about 2 hours by air) and famous as the place where people greet each other with the inquiry “Are you making any money?”, Osaka is also noted for its annual international Arts Festival. See the Nakanoshima civic centre, the fine public library, the reconstructed Osaka Castle and the Sennichimae and Dotombori pleasure quarters — noted for the rapidity with which the lonely traveller’s wants are satisfied. Eating and relaxation

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Hotels in Kobe Kobe International (Sannomiya, Ikutaku, Te). 22-8050). 50 rooms, single Yl.500 up, double 2,800 up, suite 6,500, Japanese-style room 3,000. Oriental ( 6 Kaigandori, Ikutaku, Tel. 3-7771). 86 rooms, single Yl,200 up, twin 2,400 up, suite 7,000. Oriental M a i k o V i l l a (Maikogahama, Tarumiku, Tel. Tarumi 6001). 13 rooms, single Y 1,000 up, double 1,300 up, suite 4,300. Rokko Oriental (1878 Nishi-taniyama, Sumiyoshi, Higashi-nada-ku, Tel. 890333). 23 rooms, single Y800 up, twin 1,500, double 2,800 up with bath, suite 5,500 up. Rokkosan (Rokkosan, Nadaku, Tel. 89-0300). 74 rooms, twin Y2,500 up. Takarazuka (123 Umeno, Takarazuka City, Tel. Takarazuka 3181). 97 rooms, single Y800 up, double or twin 1,500 up, suite 4,000. Japanese-style inns: Hyoe Ryokan (289 Utsugidani, Arima, Tel. Arirna 3) and Ikenobo Ryokan (865 Arima, Tel. Arima 25).

vSp Say " H e l l o " to M t , Fuji from Ffairone’s

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Featured in Lift

RATES Twin : $ 1 2 . 3 0 Suite : $ 2 8 . 0 0

H o t e l K o w a k i e n : H a k o n e (2) 2221 C a b l e : HTLKWK H A K O N E Hakone, Kanagawa Pref., Japan

f*

Magazine

See your local travel ogenb or reservi 3 sales officei

Chicago: STate 2 5835 Honolulu: 935 085 Los Angeles: 879 0830 M n i c o City: 18 06 20 Now York: Murray Hill 8-4344 San Francisco: EXbrook 7 1464 Seattle: M u t u a l 2-6161 Vancouver: 682 5566

~

Tokyo: Fujita Tourist Enterprises Co. , Ltd. No. 6, 7-chome. GinzaNishi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 572 0161

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are taken seriously here and the small, select Japanese restaurants, when discovered, have an atmosphere of old Japan to contrast with the great department stores on the main streets. A stretch of the Yodo river is devoted to boat restaurants specialising in fish dishes and oysters, when in season. Immediately to the west Kobe, a great industrial city, is one of the two main gateways for tourists arriving in Japan by sea, the other being Yokohama.

Kyoto Centre of Japanese civilisation for over 1,000 years, Kyoto is the locale of some of the nation’s chief architectural treasures. It also holds the unique position of being the home of geisha and maiko (young girls under the tutelage of professional geisha,

who train them in the traditional arts). Kyoto is 6 hours on the Tokaido Line from Tokyo, P/i hours from Kobe, 35 minutes by electric express from Nara and 40 minutes by express from Osaka. There are many regular sightseeing bus tours in and around Kyoto and Nara run by the Japan Travel Bureau. Daily morning and afternoon tours of Kyoto (Y1,000) start from Kyoto Station and collect visitors at the main hotels. The Garden Tour takes 4 hours to explore some of the lovely temple gardens, and the Art and Craft Tour visits a silk dyeing and weaving factory, a wood block printing studio and Kiyomizu pottery and tea ceremony house with a Japanese-style lunch (3 times a week, April-November, Y3,000). There is a 4-hour Night Tour (Y3,500) for a tempura dinner party with hostesses

Nagoya's ’'Welcome” Sign

RATES

' ■

Single : $ 5 . 6 0 Double : $ 9 . 0 0 - 1 0 , 6 0 Twin i $ 1 0 , 6 0 - 1 2 . 5 0 Suite

t $28.00-41.70

International Hotel Nagoya : NAGOYA {96) 3111 Cable: INTERHOTEL NAGOYA Sakaemachi, Naka-kii, Nagoya City, Japan

See your local travel ogenh or r e s e r v a t i o n jolej offices Chicago; S t a t e 2 5835 Honolulu: 9 3 5 - 0 8 5 Los Angeles; 8 7 9 0830 Mexico city: 1 8 - 0 6 20 New York: M l l r r a y Hill 8-4344 &

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San Francisco; EXbrook 7-1464 Seattle: M u t u a l 2 6 1 6 1 Vancouver; 682-5566 Tokyo: Fujita Tourist Enterprises Co , Ltd. No 6 7-chome, GinzaNishi. Chuo-ku, Tokyo 572-0161

Japan

Hotels International Kyoto (in front of Nijo

Castle, Tel. 23-9171). 350 rooms, single Y2,000, double 4,500 up, twin 4,300 up, suite 13,000, Japanese-style room with bath 4,000. Kyoto (Kawaramachi-oike, Tel. 234301). 115 rooms, single Y1.700 up, double 3,000 up, twin 2,800 up, suite 6,000, Japanese-style room with bath 2,800 up. Kyoto Station (in front of Railway Station, Tel. 37-8191). 95 rooms, single Yl,600 up, double 2,500, twin 3,000 up. Miyako (Sanjo-Keage, Tel. 77-6001 ) . 285 rooms, single Y2,000 up, twin 2,700 up, Japanese-style room 3,000 up. Mount Hlei (Ippon-Sugi, Mount Hiei,

and dancing performances by geisha and maiko, a one-day tour of Nara daily in March-December and a tour of the Hozu Rapids (shooting the rapids in a flat-bottomed boat). Every evening from March 1 to November 30 the Kyoto City

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in Kyoto Sakyo-ku, Tel. 78-1126). 74 rooms all with bath, single Yl,800, double 3,000 up. twin 3,400 up, suite 4,800, Japanesestyle room 4,600 up. Biwako (1190 Nishi-Korimachi, Olsu, Shiga Prefecture, Tel. Otsu 4195). 89 rooms, single Yl,200, twin 1,800 up, suite 4,500 up. Japanese-style inns: Hilreglya (Oikedori, Fuyamachi, Tel. 22-1136); Kanolwaro Bekkan (Gojo-Kiyamachi, Tel. 35-5010). Seikoro (Gojo-Toyamachi, Tel. 56-0771 ) ; Sumiya (Fuyamachi-Sanjo-Sagaru, Tel. 22-2180); Tawaraya ( Fuyamachi-Anekoji-agaru, Tel. 22-2685).

Tourist Association arranges demonstrations for one hour in the Gion Corner Hall on the first Floor of the Yasaka Kaikan Building of traditional Japanese arts such as the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, classical dancing, puppet plays u vSp

Hi> tory liv es across rhe j

international

RATES Single : $ 9 . 6 0 Doublet $10.00-16.00 Twin i $12.00-19.00 Suite : $ 3 6 . 0 0 J a p a n e s e Room : $11.20-20.00

International Hotel Kyoto: Kyoto (23) 9171 Cable: INTERHO KYOTO Nijo, Kyoto City, Japan

from

Hotel Kyoto

8

your l o c a l t r a v e l jenti or reiervaHon lalei offices

Chicago: S l a t e 2 5835 Honolulu: 935-085 Los Angeles: 879-0830 M i n c o City: 18 06 20 Now York: MUrray Hill 8-4344 S i n Francisco: EXbrook 7- 1464 Seattle: Mutual 2 6161 Vancouier: 682 5566 Tokyo Fujita Tourist Enterprises Co , Ltd. No 6, 7chome, Ginza-Nishi , Chuoku Tokyo 572 0161

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Its great glory lies in its innumerand ancient court music. The Kyoto City Office operates a Home Visit able Buddhist temples and Shinto System to give foreigners a chance shrines and days could be spent seeing to see real Japanese home life, them, as they should be seen, in Kyoto residents pride themselves on leisurely fashion, two or three at a retaining traditional customs and time. Even with only a day or two old ways of life. to spare it is best to absorb a little Spring and summer are the best- in detail rather than become jaded temple-collecting. times to visit Kyoto. The magni- with superficial ficent Aoi festival is held on May These temples and shrines contain 15, and even more spectacular is the about a quarter of Japan’s National Gion festival, from July 16 to 24, Treasures among their old paintings In August there is the Bon festival and historic relics. Many are set in beautifully designwith street dancing. Jidai Matsuuri, the annual festival of the Heian ed old gardens where an atmosphere Shrine on October 22, includes a of peace and other-worldliness is unique historical procession through created by the sound of falling water the main streets. or the glimpse of a still pond, and Kyoto, the imperial capital of by imaginative arrangements of trees Japan from the 9th century to 1868, and shrubs or of rocks and stones on remains an old city, but it was laid grass or raked pebbles to represent out on geometrical lines with all its a land or seascape. To wander in streets intersecting at right angles these gardens and to learn to admire after the model of the Chinese the classic calm of Japanese architeccapital, so that compared to Tokyo ture in its natural setting is to disit appears modern and is easy to ex- cover a remarkable civilisation in plore. The outskirts of the city run which art and nature are completely into pleasant countryside and wooded in harmony. Kyoto is almost excessively rich hills, especially beautiful in cherry blossom time and in autumn when in places to visit. Close to Kyoto the climate is best (it is very hot in Station are the Higashi Honganji and Nishi Honganji temples, 17 th summer and very cold in winter). structures of Although now a bustling modern century Buddhist city with an impressive new city hall, different schools of the Shinshu both with fine buildings. international conference centre, tower- sect, ing modern hotels, crowds and a Further on is the Old Imperial whirl of tourist buses, it still keeps Palace, of classic severity and the atmosphere of its historic ele- simplicity; visitors can see the gance in many tranquil temple stately Shishinden, the main hall gardens, or along the lively fashion- used for State functions. able shopping and amusement quarNijo Castle, built by leyasu in ters of Gion, Pontocho and Shin 1603, is gorgeously decorated by Kyogoku. The old fashioned streets comparison. The most enchanting with mellow houses, the little coffee of the palaces is the Katsura shops and restaurants, the fascinating Detached Palace in the western variety of tourist temptations in silks, suburbs. Permission to visit must be lacquer ware, wood block prints, pot- obtained from the Kyoto Office of tery, fans, dolls and clever toys make the Imperial Household Agency; it Kyoto a pleasure to wander in. can be reached by the Keihanshin

the Hotel Okura

The Hotel Okura is as good as you to the art and culture of J hotel of modern convenience. We also he 550 luxurious air-conditioned guest bath. Seven superb restaurants, all with priv; leeting rooms with facilities foi banquet ant national conferences. A swimming pc and tea ceremony room. And an ideal Allow us to be your guide in J j assured a delightful vacation.

you

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Electric Line. Dating from the 17th century, it is a triumph of the Japanese gardening and architectural arts. The Palace, which is exquisitely built in different woods and contains some fine paintings, looks on to a spacious garden designed round a winding stretch of water and several tea pavilions. Also to the west of the city is the Salhoji Temple (Kokedera or Moss Temple) where the entire wooded garden is covered with over 120 species of thick moss. Here on a rainy day, when it is deserted, is to be found a special tranquillity. To the N-W. stands the far-famed Ryoanji Temple. Here is the most celebrated kare sansui dry landscape garden in which the sea is symbolically represented by a spread of sand, and islands and mountains by rocks. It is only a rectangle of dazzling white sand against an ancient wall, set with 15 rocks of different sizes. This bareness, with all superfluities eliminated, is a manifestation of the ideal of Zen Buddhism which values the latent essentials of things beneath their outward appearance. A most rewarding visit can be paid to Daitokuji in the northern part of the city. This is a wellknown Zen Centre with buildings dating back to the 15th century. The two-storeyed main gate (16th century) was built by Sen-no-Rikyo, a noted master of the tea ceremony; there is a statue of Rikyo and a fine ceiling painting of a dragon. The halls of the Temple have well-known paintings of birds and animals on the sliding doors, and the Temple is rich in priceless works of art. The gardens were designed by great landscapegardeners and that of the DaisenIn Temple, one of the subordinate temples, is another less austere ex-

ample of the kare sansui type. The Tenryuji Temple at Saga (to the West) has a celebrated 14th century garden. Another noteworthy temple, in the N-W. corner of the city, is Kinkakuji, the Gold Pavilion or Rokuonji Temple. The present pavilion, a copy of the 14th century original, is coated with gold leaf from the first to the third storey. Reflected in its small lake, this makes a dazzling sight. To the N-E. of the city lie several temples worth seeing. Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion or Jishoji Temple, was never coated with silver; it has a beautiful 15th century garden and a tea ceremony room, the archetype for all later tea ceremony rooms. Nanzenji Temple to the East, another centre of Zen Buddhism, has beautiful ancient buildings and gardens including one landscape garden which is a monochrome made with rocks and sand. Kiyomizu Temple in the S-E. stands on the western slope of Higashiyama Hill overlooking a wooded valley, and its platform provides a far flung view of the city. Teapot Lane (so-called) leading up to the main entrance is lined with shops selling ceramics, mostly Kiyomizu ware. The Heian Shrine in the north part of Okazaki Park was built in 1895 to commemorate the l.OOOth anniversary of the founding of Kyoto. Hotel in Nara Nar* (1096 Takabatakecho, Tel. 27101). 51 Western bedrooms a t Y l , 9 0 0 to 3,000 single. 1,500 to 3,500 double, up to 9,000 suite, with or without bath; central heating, some airconditioning, tennis courts, children’s playground.

Japan

the It has a vast courtyard and buildings are a replica, on a reduced scale, of the first Imperial Noh plays are Palace in Kyoto. performed in the precincts of the shrine by well-known Noh actors on the evenings of June 1 and 2.

Nara Easily reached from Kyoto or Kobe, Nara makes a good centre for excursions in the summer, when Kyoto becomes crowded and uncomIt was the Imperial fortable. Capital for 70 years from 710, but is now a quiet provincial town in pleasant surroundings with many temples mostly set in its famous Deer Park, half a mile E. of Nara Station. Here visitors can wander and feed the tame sacred deer, and buy unusual souvenirs. Kofukuji Temple, famous as the headquarters of the Hosso sect of Buddhism, is one of the 7 Great Temples of Nara. In the grounds stands the second highest pagoda in the country, near Sarusawa Pond where people used to set free fish to assure a happy future for their departed relatives. It abounds in turtles and carp. Approached through the Nandaimon (Great South Gate), which has two great animated wooden statues of the Guardians of Buddhism, the Todaiji Temple is famous for its colossal bronze Daibutsu, a representation of Buddha Vairocana, made in the 8th century. The Hall, last rebuilt in 1708, is presumed to be the largest wooden building in the world; an octagonal bronze lantern standing on the pavement leading to the Hall was cast in the 8th century. The Water Drawing Ceremony (see p. 254) is held here from March 1 to 14. The Kasuga Shrine, an important Shinto Shrine, has a large number of

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stone lanterns standing in rows on either side of its long avenue. From February 3, some 3,000 lanterns of the Shrine are lighted nightly to celebrate the end of winter; on March 13 there is an impressive historic procession. The Kaidan-ia is a small temple well known for its realistic images in painted clay depicting the four heavenly guardians. Shin-Yakushiji Temple was erected in 747 by the consort of the Emperor Shomu; the chief object of worship in the temple is a seated wooden image 8 ft high representing the Buddhist Lord of The Eastern Paradise. It is flanked by an equally famous eleven-faced Kannon. The Horyuji Temple, founded in 607, is the oldest existing temple in Japan and is regarded as the source of Japanese art and culture. In the quiet countryside 50 minutes by bus W. of Nara, this gracious old temple with its buildings of various ages and styles should not be missed. The five-storeyed Pagoda of the Saiin — 7th century — and the Yumedono or Hall of Dreams in the Toin — 8th century — are unique. Two of the best excursions from Kyoto — Lake Biwa and Mount Hiei — can be reached by rail. Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, is famous for the eight views round the lake. There are regular sightseeing boat services taking 5 hours to make the circuit. Another interesting trip is to shoot the rapids of the Hozu River from Kameoka to Arashiyama, taking about 1J4 hours. Kameoka is about 11 miles from Kyoto and can be reached by the San-in line from Kyoto Station or Nijo Station. The best way is to drive to where the boats start and then return by electric car from Arashiyama. The river

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trip between picturesque rocks and hills is exciting but safe.

Inland Sea and Shikoku The beautiful Inland Sea of Seto separating Honshu from the southern islands of Kyushu and Shikoku is a lovely expanse of seascape. Hiroshima, which still preserves its relics of the first atomic bomb, is the main centre for this region. Miyajima (Shrine Island) is a gem of the Inland Sea, about an hour from Hiroshima by train and ferry. Its Itsukushima Shrine has galleries extending into the

sea, so that at high tide the whole edifice seems to float on the water. Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four major islands, is best reached by the Uno-Takamatsu ferry of Japan National Railways, but is also accessible from Osaka and Ujina (the port of Hiroshima). Shikoku has a distinctive atmosphere, more rural than Honshu. The Ritsurin park at Takamatsu, the chief Inland Sea port, and the castle at Matsuyama are worth seeing. Takamatsu has several inns, such as the Kawaroku; Shinoe, 1 hour and 20 minutes south of Takamatsu, is a mineral spa with an

Hotels in Kyushu In Fukuoka the: Hakata Imperial (15 Kami-Gofukumachi, Hakata, in the eastern part of Fukuoka city, Tel. Hakata 3-6131). 48 Western bedrooms at Y2.000 to 2,600 single, 5,000 t o 5,500 double, 10,000 suite, all with bath, central heating, airconditioning. Hakata Nikkatsu (277 HigashiNazaku, Hakata. Tel. Hakata 3-6621, Cables H A K A N I H O ) . 50 Western bedrooms at Y1.800 to 2,500 single, 2,000 t o 4,000 double, 6,000 suite, all with bath, central heating, airconditioning. Inns: Haginomiya Sanso, Hanaya, Iwai Hotel, Ohorikoen Hotel, Marumeikan, Rakusano and Taikoen Hotel. Elsewhere the: Karatsu Kanko (4106 Midoricho, Karatsu, Tel. Karatsu 4191). 30 Western bedrooms at Y500 single, 1,000 t o 2.000 double, with or without bath, central heating. Aso Kanko (Yuontani Spa, Choyomura, Aso-gun, Tel. Akemizu 12). 41 Western bedrooms at Yl,500 t o 2.800 single, 2,000 to 4.000 double, u p t o 6,000 suite, central heating, golf course, hot spring bath, tennis and badminton courts, swimming pool. Kamenoi (Nagaregawa-dori, Beppu, Tel. Beppu 3300). 12 Western bedrooms at Yl.000 single, 1,800 to 3,900 double, hot spring bath. Nagasaki Grand (5, Sotoura-machi, Nagasaki, Tel. 3-2251) . 3 minutes by car from Nagasaki Station, one hour from Omura Airport; 67 Western-style and 11 Japanese-style rooms from Y1.500 t o 2.000 single with bath, 2,500 t o 2,700 double with bath, suites up to

7,000; breakfast Y300 to 400, lunch 600, dinner 800. New Nagasaki (3, Daibamachi, Nagasaki, Tel. 3-0151). I n front of Nagasaki Station; 67 Western-style rooms from Y1,35O to 2,000 single with bath, Y2.500 to 3,500 double with bath, suite up to Y7.000; breakfast Y250 to 300. lunch 450 to 600, dinner from Y600; aircondilioning. Beach (76. Mogimachi, Tel. M o g i 21). 15 minutes by car from Nagasaki Station; 20 Western bedrooms at Y500 t o 1,500 single, 1.000 to 2.300 double with bath; central heating, badminton courts. Y u m e l (Dozen Spa, Tel. Dozen 206). 24 Western bedrooms at Y1.500 single, 1,500 t o 2,500 double, usual mea] charges, central heating, hot spring bath. Shinyu (Dnzen Spa, Tel. Dnzen 100). 7 Western bedrooms at Y800 to 900 single, 1,400 to 1.600 double, usual meal charges, central heating, hot spring bath. Unzen (Dnzen Spa, Tel. Dnzen 501). 6 Western bedrooms at Y500 single, 700 t o 1,800 double, central heating, h o t spring bath. K y u s h u (Dnzen Spa, Tel. Unzen 9 ) . 6 Western bedrooms at Y2,000 to 2,500 single, 2,200 to 3,500 double, usual meal charges, central healing, hot spring bath. Unzen Kanko (Unzen Spa, Tel. Unzen 263). 58 Western bedrooms a l Yl.000 to 1.500 single, 2,500 to 3.000 double, up to 7,000 suite, with or without bath; central heating, hot spring bath. Midorlya (Unzen Spa. Tel. Unzen 223). 8 Western bedrooms at Yl.000 single, 1,000 to 1,500 double, usual meal charges, central heating, hot spring bath.

Japan

Hotels in Hiroshima New Hiroshima (Hommachi, Nakajima, Tel. 4-51H l . Cable H O N H I ) , 38 Western bedrooms a l Y 1,500 to 2,000 single, 2,000 to 5,000 double, central heating, airconditioning. Hiroshima Grand ( Hatcho-bori, Tel. same as New Hiroshima). 3 minutes by car from Hiroshima Station; 10 minutes from Iwakuni Airport; 126 Westernsiyle rooms Y1.500 to 3.500, double 2,700 to 3,500, suites Y6.000 to 7,000. all aircondilioned and with bath.

inn, the Hanaya. Tokushima is known for its exciting annual Awa Odori dance festival, and nearby Naruto for its tidal maelstrom, which may be seen from an observation tower, Shodo Island, 116 hours from Takamatsu by regular steamship, is noted for its Kankakei valley with its grotesque rock formations and abundance of wild monkeys. A visit to the valley takes about 4 hours. The port of Tonosho also has a Japanese inn, the Kankairo.

Kyushu

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National Park with lovely azaleas, maples and hot springs.

GENERAL INFORMATION Weather Spring and autumn are the best seasons; for a long visit September to November is recommended. Most of Japan is temperate, with average temperatures of 16.7 °C in the far South and 9.4°C in the far North. Tokyo temperatures range from (mean) 2.8°C in January (reaching -4.9°C at times) to 25.6°C in August (reaching 33.9°C on occasion). Spring and autumn temperatures range about 15.6 °C. Hokkaido is usually about 10°C cooler. Rainfall is heaviest in June, but there are over 10 days of rain a month between March and November. Northern Japan is covered with snow for 2 or 3 months in winter but snow is rare in the South. An overcoat is needed in winter and warm clothes for evening in spring and autumn.

Kyushu, the southernmost island, of which the twin city of FukuokaHakata is the main centre (17 hours

Food

by express train from Tokyo), is again slightly different in character. Visit Karatsu (33 miles west of Fukuoka) with its splendid pine-fringed white sandy beach at Nijonomatsubara, Beppu is a famous hot spring resort full of boiling ponds and hot sand baths and Mount Aso. the largest volcanic crater in the world, forms the heart of a nearby National Park. Nagasaki, an ancient port and the take-off point for the Unzen-Amakusa National Park is historically and scenicaily outstanding. Three hours away by car or bus is Unzen, a major holiday resort in the Unzen-Amakusa

You can find almost every kind of food from every nation of the world in Tokyo. Apart from strictly Japanese dishes, Chinese, Russian, French, Italian, German. Scandinavian, Indonesian and Korean cooking are available. Better establishments offer an atmosphere in harmony with the type of food served, from jolly conviviality to the calm of a temple cloister. Some are nightclub style while others are located in the serenity of extensive gardens with lotus ponds and ancient pines. Japanese food is by Asian standards relatively simple, lacking the variety

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and ingenuity of Chinese cuisine. It stresses seafood and pickled, salty preparations of vegetables. Start with the familiar sukiyaki (thin-sliced beef stewed with vegetables in rice wine and soya sauce) or tempura (fish and vegetables dipped separately into batter and deep-fried in sesame oil). A favourite dish is sashimi, raw fish (or sometimes raw chicken or beef or even whale) dipped in soya sauce laced with wasabi, a strong horseradish. Maguro (tuna) sashimi is most popular and adapted to the foreign palate. Sushi are small balls of vinegared rice topped with raw or pickled fish, shellfish, squid, octopus, roe or a sweet omelette, flavoured with wasabi. The Japanese eat little meat, preferring fish and other seafood, which are served raw, dried, broiled, boiled, pickled, salted and in other ways. For a special treat, ask for ise ebi (similar to lobster). Broiled eel is popular, especially in summer. Most visitors like kushiyaki (commonly called yakitori), skewered pieces of meat, fowl or seafood dipped in soya sauce and broiled over charcoal. Dishes prepared at table in earthenware vessels are called nabe, with many variations such as yosenabe (fish, shellfish, chicken etc. with vegetables, mushrooms and herbs boiled together): chirinabe, made chiefly with fish; mizutaki (much the same, but featuring chicken); shabu-shabu (thinsliced beef or mutton, with vegetables, dipped separately into boiling broth and eaten immediately). Other dishes prepared at table are teppan yaki (grilled beef) and Genghis Khan (barbecued mutton or beef and vegetables). Pork is usually eaten as tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet served with sweet soya sauce). Katsudon is tontatsu on top of a bowl of rice with egg and onion; tempura is often

served this way and called tendon. These two are among the innumerable economy dishes commonly consumed by Japanese. Noodles are popular. In addition to “Chinese” noodles, the commonest varieties are udon (whitish wholewheat noodles served hot or cold with meat, vegetables, egg, etc) and soba (buckwheat noodles, thinner than udon but served in similar ways). Oden is an assortment of seafood, fish-paste, bean-curd and vegetable items cooked in fish broth with tangle and served with mustard; it is commonly sold from pushcarts late at night, or at drinking places. A staple of the Japanese diet is tofu (soyabean curd) served in innumerable ways, often as a substitute for fish or meat. It appears in many soups and nabe dishes and is eaten iced in summer. The foundation of the Japanese diet is, of course, rice, in which the nation is nearly self-sufficient. It is usually eaten boiled, with side dishes of pickles, fish and soup. However, there are many other ways of serving rice, such as sushi. Common lunches for travellers, students or workers are onigiri (rice balls wrapped in dried seaweed nori with a salted plum inside) or bento (cold rice in a wooden or lacquer box, topped with fish, vegetable, pickles, chicken, fish paste or almost anything). Bemo may be very simple or very elaborate, and is the traditional refreshment at Kabuki or other theatrical performances. Ochazuke consists of a bowl of rice topped with almost any kind of salty fish, seaweed nori and pickles, irrigated with Japanese tea; it is usually eaten at the end of the meal. Somewhat similar is kayu, rice porridge. The traditional Japanese breakfast is not complete without miso shiru, a soup based on soya-bean paste in broth made from flaked katsuobushi

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(dried bonito) and tangle. It may be enhanced with vegetables, small clams, tofu, mushrooms etc. Another essential is tsukemono (pickles of many vegetables, most commonly made from garden radish, turnip, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, greens, small onions or green plums). The diet of rice, miso, tofu, dried fish, seaweed, tsukemono and tea provides all the food elements required for good health, except that polished rice lacks vitamin B and should be fortified with unpolished rice or rice bran.

Drink Foreign liquor is expensive and not everywhere available. Japanese Suntory whisky is good, and sake, the national rice wine, will be enjoyed by everyone; it is served in tiny thumbnail cups. A bottle of the many good Japanese beers (the best are Sapporo and Kirin) costs between Y180 and 300, and a Scotch and soda between Y300 and 500.

Nightlife Tokyo is the city par excellence for entertainment, and popular music of a high standard flourishes. The nightlife is among the most varied and lavish in the world. Asakusa has become the fashionable centre for de luxe dining, dancing and cabaret shows. The cabarets in the Ginza are less expensive but well endowed with female talent. If you have money to burn, it will blaze merrily here. Also at Asakusa is the Kokusai Gekijo, a music hall presenting hybrid extravaganzas. Similar to this but more risque is the Nichigeki Music Hall in Nishi Ginza. An unclassifiable theatre form is the Takarazuka

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all-girl opera (Nishi Ginza); Japanese teenage girls swoon at these romantic and lavishly staged musicals. Moreover the Fujiwara company stages creditable grand opera performances every year. Typical Japanese dancing, singing and instrumental music are offered by minyo-sakaba or folk-music saloons such as the Shichi-Go-San and Matsubaya near Asakusa Park: Japanese style food, beer and sake, performing waitresses and local talent. Lots of fun but better take a guide. All the big hotels in Tokyo have their own bars and cocktail lounges. Favourites are the Phoenix Bar at the Imperial, the Starlight Lounge at the Okura. the Samurai Bar at the Marunouchi and the Li-Po Bar at the Hilton. Some Japanese bars are like clubs; the clientele is limited to regular customers. Unless a foreign visitor is accompanied by a Japanese friend, he may not see the best. Most bars in Japan operate on a credit system and are fairly expensive except where prices are posted. The Suntory, Nikka, Tory’s and Ocean bars however have standard, reasonable prices. Beware of street touts who try to lure unsuspecting foreigners into “no cover, no-tip” establishments. They are tourist traps. If your bill is clearly outrageous (this often happens) you should demand police intervention. Hostess charges at the nightclubs average Y 1,000 an hour and are normally added to the bill. In addition to charges incurred for actual consumption, the customer when sitting at a table will usually have to meet a 10% waiter’s service charge and a 15% entertainment tax. There is also the cover charge which is normally around Y600 to 1,000 per person, but

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quite often raised to Y3,000 or more according to the show presented. Under present laws, nightclubs are supposed to stop serving drinks and food by 11.30 p.m. and to close before midnight, the exception being “Supper Clubs’’ (officially supposed to offer no hostesses, dancing, live music or shows after 11 p.m.), which can stay open for 24 hours. There are thousands of bars, sake shops and cabarets — gay and offbeat — but you w i l l stand a better chance of enjoying them if you have a good Japanese friend. Language and custom differences make this a difficult world to penetrate more than superficially. I f you have no Japanese friends, one idea is to take a night package tour operated i n Tokyo by the Japan Travel Bureau and other travel agencies. JTB does a luxury AfterDark-in-Tokyo night tour, including a visit to the Uruwashi Cabaret (Japanese style), Matsubaya theatre restaurant (Qi ran show, sakiyaki dinner), and Queen Bee Cabaret (floor show) for Y7.200 including drinks. Another popular package tour is offered by the Japan Gray Line (Tel. 591-0778) which includes a visit to Matsufuku restaurant (sukiyaki dinner), Minato Cabaret (Japanese-style), Geisha houses (geisha-style games) and Golden Akasaka (floor show) for Y4,800 including drinks.

Hotels The principal Western-style hotels i n the places of major interest are listed above, totalling about 130 i n all. But the 50,000 ryokan o r Japanese-style inns are well worth trying and rather cheaper. You sleep on a tatami rush-mat at floor level and your futon (or bedding) w i l l be laid

out each evening with quilted cover. Your room w i l l be partitioned off with sliding screens, and you w i l l have to yet used to taking your shoes off at the front door. You w i l l also have to accustom yourself to the constant attentions of the maid, who is trained to anticipate your needs. The 700 ryokan belonging to the Federation of Japanese Tourist Hotels can be recommended. Costs, including two meals, usually range between Y 1,250 and 2.500 a day. Ask the Japan Travel Bureau i n the town you arrive i n to recommend a ryokan, and negotiate the charge if you pay i n advance. The Federation publishes a Ryokan Guide, available from JTB. I n a good ryokan the rooms are partitioned off by walls. One side has sliding doors, panelled with glass, which allow direct access to the garden. The sizes of the rooms are standardised according to the number of 6 ft by 3 fl tatami mats, made of the long stems of a weed called i, which cover the entire floor. The tatami is always clean, as no shoes are permitted inside the house, A Japanese room serves as living room, drawing room, dining room and bed-room. I t can be made larger or smaller by removing or adding partitions and the garden forms an important complement to the house, giving the effect of living close to Nature. The furniture and ornamental objects o f the ryokan are adjusted to a life i n which people sit directly on the tatami floor, using furniture of plain or lacquered wood. Ryokan are mostly of wood and two-storey, though 3 or 4 storeys are not uncommon. They are all built i n the traditional Japanese style, though sometimes modernised i n both construction and facilities. Some ryokan i n the cities are of

W i t h . . . or without a crown you’ll be a king at the Palace Hotel in Tokyo. N o t i p p i n g . No waiting. N o r u s h . I n f a c t , n o " n o ” at t h e Palace H o t e l i n Tokyo. You can order a demons t r a t i o n of t h e Japanese tea cerem o n y , a m i d n i g h t snack, vintage French wines — whatever y o u w a n t . We planned t h e Palace H o t e l so t h a t your visit will be a positive pleasure. This brief l i s t i n g will give y o u an idea : • Our d o w n t o w n location comm a n d s an incomparable view of t h e Tokyo Imperial Palace. We’re r i g h t next door. • French t o Japanese, our 8 restaur a n t s are a m o n g Tokyo's best. T h e above photos show t h e Crown Room o n t h e 1 0 t h floor. T h e

Crown has a superlative m e n u a n d wine list. Plus a sweeping view of t h e Tokyo Imperial Palace Grounds a n d t h e neon l i g h t s of t h e Ginza. • All r o o m s are completely soundproof w i t h bath-shower, air-conditioning, radio, TV, telephone (and a view). • Downstairs are shops for tax-free cameras, TVs, radios, pearls, etc. • Japanese garden, t e a ceremony room and art museum. • Nearest t o transportation, entert a i n m e n t and shopping. Whether or n o t y o u wear your crown, please v i s i t u s i n Tokyo soon. We'll t r y hard to c o m p l e t e your m o s t royal expectations.

TOKYO

Moriye Tachibana, Managing Director & General Manager

Represented by WESTERNINTERNATIONALHOTELS Our Representatives :

UTELL INTERNATIONAL and GEORGE R. SMITH ORGANIZATION

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reinforced concrete with interiors furnished in the Japanese style. Some also have recessed entrances approached along lanes with lovely thickets on each side. The garden round the building is designed to make a harmonious whole with the building itself. The Japanese garden may be termed a model of a natural scene. A mountain or a hill, a gorge or a pond, all in miniature, with trees of fantastic shapes at just the right spots, make a perfect natural scene that can be enjoyed from within. After exchanging your shoes for slippers in the genkun (vestibule) you will be guided through halls floored with highly polished wood or stone. The door of your room may be of Western type, or a wooden sliding panel or just a sliding screen. The two latter can seldom be locked either from the inside or the outside. One side of the room has an alcove called the tokonoma, the floor of which is raised about three inches. This is not a place for your baggage, but an ornamental feature. On the wall of the tokonoma is hung a scroll, with either a painting or some handwritten Japanese characters, and there is usually a vase of flowers on the floor. The centre of the room usually displays a table about a foot high with some cushions called zabuton round it. Japanese people sit on their knees or cross-legged on these cushions. The side of the room nearest the tokonoma is considered a place of honour, and there the guest is invited to sit. You will be provided with a tanzen (a wadded robe) to wear and a yukata, or light robe made of cotton cloth, to put on under the tanzen. There is nothing like a Western-style bed in a Japanese room.

The bedding is kept in the closet, and the maid will make up the bed whenever you wish. This usually consists of two thick quilts (futon) laid out on top of each other directly on the tatami. Some extra ones may be added for Westerners. The coverings are quilts of a similar patterned cloth in gay colours, but less thickly padded and a little larger; sheets are often attached to the upper futon. A clean white cotton sheet is spread on the lower quilts for the guest to sleep on. Most ryokan now provide a foam rubber mattress under the quilts to give the same comfort as a Western bed, others again will have a Japanese room adjoining a Western-style bedroom. The maid will provide a service designed to make you feel perfectly at home. Thus she will help you to change your clothes, and make tea for you from time to lime. These attentions may seem embarrassing if you are accustomed only to service in a Western hotel where things are done only on request and — by Japanese standards — rather impersonally. Most rooms in better-class ryokan are now provided with television, normally played at full blast. Since walls are thin, the rooms tend to be extremely noisy until bed-time.

Transport Apart from the admirable modern motor highways, roads in Japan are generally poor — narrow and crowded with deeply-pitted or unmade surfaces. The visiting motorist is advised to take things carefully for a few days, until he is used to the hair-raising dodg’em car-like conditions. Give way to large trucks — they are bigger than you and they know it.

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All important places have taxis. Over 16,000 ply for hire in Tokyo alone. They are not expensive, but have their drawbacks, Tokyo drivers, especially the younger ones, are notorious for their breakneck style, and the city’s accident rate is appalling. Many of them are recent arrivals in the city and do not know their way around. It is best to carry the address of your destination in Japanese, with a map, and always keep a card with the name and location of your hotel in Japanese. You can go about 2 kilometres for Y100, but be sure the driver pulls down the flag on the meter. Sometimes they cheat, especially at night. They do not expect tips but appreciate them if the going has been difficult. You can beat the traffic jams and reach most parts of Tokyo by train or subway, cheaper and often quicker than by taxi (railway maps are available). All subway stations in Tokyo are clearly marked in English as well as Japanese, and at the larger stations (Tokyo, Ginza, Nihombashi etc) there are poster maps with each stop clearly marked, showing the transfer points and all stops on each line as well as the terminals. Buses and trams are considerably more complicated. Rush hours in Tokyo are fierce and it is best to avoid them: travel after 10 a.m, and before 4 p.m. Japanese subways start running at 6 a.m. and shut down around 11.30 p.m. Nagoya also have subway systems. City elevated trains are convenient and the stations are clearly marked in Roman letters. A trip round the Yamate Loop gives a comprehensive view of Tokyo. The best way to get the feel of the city is on foot, but pedestrians should beware: Japan’s new race of motorists has become expert with the

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accelerator and klaxon but has not yet mastered the brake. At dangerous crossings, yellow flags are provided for pedestrians. Use them. There is a good internal air network by Japan Air Lines and AllNippon Airways, linking major cities in Honshu, Kyushu and Hokkaido. JAL run 19 to 22 jet flights (Convair 880Ms) a day between Tokyo and Osaka (Y6,300 one way and Y11,970 return). Daily JAL jet services connect Tokyo with Sapporo and Fukuoka. All-Nippon Airways operate 7 flights between Tokyo and Osaka daily, using turbo-prop Viscount 880s (same fare as JAL) and 4 flights a day between Tokyo and Nagoya (Y4.000), using Convair 240s. Nine flights a day connect Tokyo and Fukuoka via Osaka, by piston-engin-

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ed DC-6Bs and DC-7Cs (Y12,600 one way and 23,940 return), beside one daily jet. North Japan Air Lines of Sapporo run internal services in Hokkaido, using single-engined planes. There are hundreds of domestic steamship services, favourites among visitors being the Osaka-Kobe-Beppu run through the Inland Sea and the Unzen-Amakusa and Aso run. Buses have developed spectacularly in the past decade; some are built specially large for long-legged foreigners. Over 5,000 sightseeing coaches are in operation, most of them very comfortable. The network of bus services extends to the remotest areas and is the villagers’ favourite mode of transport. In such large tourist centres as Tokyo and Kyoto, sightseeing buses with English-speaking guides are operated regularly on fixed routes. The Imperial Hotel's Limousine Service provides airconditioned sedans, with English-speaking chauffeurs, at Y150 for the first 1.5 kilometres and Y40 for each additional 450 metres. A one-way trip to Hakone costs Y10,000; a one-way trip to Hakone via Kamakura costs Y12.000 and the round-trip Y 15,000. Limousines are available at Y900 an hour or Y 15,000 a day. For further details call the Hotel’s City Information Desk. Transport is also provided to Tokyo International Airport for Y1.800 one-way or Y2.700 the round-trip. An Airport Limousine Service runs between the main hotels and the terminal building at the Airport at Y400 per person. The railways are excellent, fast and efficient. Pullman-type sleeping cars and dining cars run from Tokyo to Nagasaki and Kagoshima in Kyushu (via Nagoya. Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe) and to Sapporo in Hokkaido (via

Sendai). Since completion of the New Tokaido trunk line from Tokyo to Osaka. the super-express Hikari (Light) — the world's fastest train with an average speed of 150 m.p.h. or so — makes the run in a little over 3 hours: a rough ride but it saves time. Seats may not be reserved over a week in advance, but should not be reserved much later. The sound insulated and aircondilioned “limited” express Kodama (Echo) takes about 4 hours. The Asakaze (Morning Wind) between Tokyo and Hakata, Kyushu, is all airconditioned with air-suspension cushioning. Foreigners have little difficulty in travelling by rail as directions in English are posted at most stations. Tokyo's railway stations are now carrying 4 or 5 times the flow of passengers for which they were designed. Hence ordinary Japanese trains are usually jammed to capacity and beyond. Moreover 2nd class train seats, if you can get one, are small, hard and uncomfortable, and the carriages are dirty. Your only guarantee of getting a seat is to travel 1st class, when a seat is definitely assigned to you. However this is available only on a few main lines. Visitors disembarking at one Japanese port and sending their luggage on to another to be picked up later should obtain a covering declaration from the Customs, or face endless complications. If possible, do not send out unaccompanied luggage by sea, as the Japan Express Co. have a monopoly of this business and charge very high rates.

Shopping The department stores and shops are abundantly stocked with domestic and imported goods, traditional and

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modern. For distinctively Japanese articles, members of the Japan Souvenir Association are to be recommended. Prices in Japan are closer to those of Honolulu than to those of Hongkong or Manila, so do not expect bargains. On such items as cameras, radios and tape recorders the speciality shops offer substantial discounts, but these are often deducted from unreasonable mark-ups. Most imported goods are expensive as they pay high duties. By presenting to the shop a form issued by the Customs on arrival, visitors can gain exemption from sales tax for: pearls, articles in precious metals, tortoise shell, coral and ivory ware, cloisonne ware, furs, interior furnishing articles, woodblock prints, cameras, binoculars, ceramics, dolls, radios, tape-recorders and a few other items. The Customs will check that you have them when you depart. In Tokyo, Yamada Heiando in Nihombashi is best for lacquerware, the Yamaoka Fur Co. in Ginza for furs. Yoshitaku Co. in Asakusabahi for dolls, Takumi for folk crafts and Yoseido for modern prints and woodcuts. Kyoto is the best centre for traditional Japanese goods. Recommended purchases: silk kimonos, cultured pearls, Satsuma chinaware, Nara lacquerware. Kyto damascene, all the many regional wooden and other dolls, Noh masks, Japanese lanterns and fans, Ukiyoe colour prints and bamboo fishing rods.

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Enough basic Japanese to create a good impression and make some standard requests is not too difficult to learn, and if you are staying more than 10 days it is worth trying. The destinations of buses are not usually given in English.

Festivals It is impossible to see all the festivals in Japan but the following are among the finest, those marked with an asterisk being especially noteworthy. Jan. 1, New Year’s Day. During New Year’s week, a holiday mood envelops the whole country. Every house front is adorned with New Year decorations of pine twigs, plum branches, bamboo stalks and ropes with paper festoons — all symbolic of good luck. People put on their best clothes, pay homage at shrines and visit their friends and relatives to give and receive New Year greetings. Jan. 6, Dezome Shiki or Firemen’s New Year Parade, in the Meiji Shrine

Outer Garden, Tokyo. After a colourful parade of the brigades, followed by fire engines equipped with the most modern apparatus, several agile firemen of the old school perform acrobatic tricks at the top of bamboo ladders. This celebration is said to have originated in the 17th century when the firemen of Edo (the present Tokyo) dedicated their agility and skill to the deity of the Toshogu Shrine at Ueno during the New Year celebrations.

Languages

Jan. 15, Burning of the Grass on Wakakusayama Hill, Nara. In the

English is not commonly spoken, but educated people understand it and most foreigners have little difficulty in getting about, particularly with Japanese courtesy.

evening twilight, at the call of a trumpet, the hill is set afire, while fireworks are let off on a slope nearby. The spectacle recalls a burning of the turf on this hill over

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10 centuries ago to celebrate the settlement of a long dispute over the boundary line between the precincts of two major temples i n Nara. Mid-January, Hatsubasho Sumo Tournament in Tokyo. The first of the 6 annual sumo tournaments takes place at the Kokugikan Arena, Asakusa Kuramae, and continues for 15 days. Others are held i n May and September at Tokyo, i n March at Osaka, i n July at Nagoya and i n November i n Kyushu. Sumo may be seen at other times i n Tokyo. Feb. 3 or 4, Bean-Throwing Ceremony at the Shinshoji Temple in Narita, Chiba Pref. This is performed at many shrines and temples on the day of Setsubun which marks the last day o f winter by the lunar calendar. The ceremony at Narita is especially famous. “Men of the Year", such as priests, actors, sumo wrestlers and other celebrated persons are chosen to throw toasted beans and talismans to the crowds from the portal of the main temple building i n the hope of invoking good fortune for the coming year and driving out any threatening misfortune, and shout “Good Fortune in. Devils out!" This quaint observance is said to have originated i n the Muromachi Period (1339-1569). March 12, Omizutori or WaterDrawing Ceremony of the Todaiji Temple, Nara. This 1,200 year-old ritual takes place i n the Nigatsu (February) Hall of the Todaiji Temple for 2 weeks from March 1, during which period the priests confine themselves within the Hall, performing solemn Buddhist rites. The Omizutori is performed at the sacred well beside the Nigatsudo i n the very early morning of March 12. I n the evening twilight on the same day, young priests carry 12 enormous torches on to a stage set up before

the main hall. They brandish the flaming torches and shake off the burning pieces, which the people scramble to pick up, as the fire flakes are believed to be talismans against evil. April 1-May 18, Miyako Odori at the Gion Kaburenjo Theatre, Kyoto. This has long been considered one of Japan’s finest cherry dances. The performances add a colourful note to the springtime gaieties o f this ancient city. Many beauties of the G i o n quarter i n colourful kimono take part in a series of graceful dances on the stage o f the Kaburenjo Theatre. April 14-15, Sanno Festival of the Hie Shrine in Takayama, Gifu Pref., said to date back to the 16lh century when a feudal castle was erected for the first time i n this scenic mountain town. I t is noted for its gala procession o f beautiful dashi, floats with huge wooden wheels. The 20 or more floats, which parade the main streets on both festival days, have been carefully preserved since the Edo Period (1615-1868). A similar parade also features i n the Hachiman Shrine Festival in September. On three days between mid-April and late May, the Black Ship Festival at Shimoda, Kanagawa Pref., is held to commemorate the arrival of Commodore Perry’s “black ships" at this peaceful fishing port on April 18, 1853. Japanese and American Navy cruisers make a spectacular entry into the Shimoda Port on the first day and a colourful procession of American and Japanese naval officers and personnel and other citizens parades through the streets on the second day. April 23-25, Senteisal Festival of the Akamagu Shrine, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Pref, This is said to have

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been celebrated for over 8 centuries in memory of the Taira clan (also called the Heike), most of whose members died tragically in a historical battle with the Minamoto clan at Dannoura (an inlet near Shimonoseki) in the 12th century. The main feature of the festival is a procession on April 24 in which the participants wear traditional kimono costumes and parade through the main thoroughfares on the way to the Akamagu Shrine. April 29, Emperor’s Birthday. On

this day and on January 2 the public may enter the Imperial Palace at Tokyo by way of the Nijubashi Bridge to offer greetings to the Emperor and his family, who return the salutations on a stage set up in front of the Imperial Household Agency. May 1-5, Kite-Fighting Contest at Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Pref.; dates

back to the 16th century when a feudal lord sponsored the first one to celebrate the birth of his first son. From noon to 5 o’clock every day, the participants fly kites of various sizes and shapes and try to cut the strings of their adversaries’ kites by skilful manoeuvres. May 3-5, the Dontaku in Hakata, Fukuoka Pref., originated in the pro-

cessions made by the merchants in the 16th century to offer New Year greetings to their feudal lord. Various types of procession parade along the main streets. Some of the participants are young girls in theatrical make-up, some appear on horseback, disguised as legendary gods, and others pull fancy floats along the streets. May Il-Oct. 15, Cormorant Fishing on the Nagara River, Gifu Pref., an

ancient method of catching ayu (river smelt) by means of trained cormorants. Every moonless night, the Usho or master of this traditional type of fishing, clad in an antique

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costume and wearing a strange headdress, manages 12 cormorants by manoeuvring with wonderful swiftness the strings attached to the birds. He stands at the bow of his boat under a blazing torch which attracts the unwary fish, until they are caught by the cormorants. These wear rings round their necks to prevent their swallowing the prey. May 12-15, Grand Festival of the Kanda Myojin Shrine, Tokyo, a great

favourite since the days when Tokyo was called Edo. It vies with the Sanno Festival of the Hie Shrine in scale, and is held alternately with it every other year. Huge palanquins are carried along the busy streets of the Kanda, Nihombashi and Ryogoku districts, recreating scenes from the colourful Daimyo days. May 15, Aoi Matsuri or Hollyhock Festival of the Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines, Kyoto. This com-

prises an interesting reproduction of the imperial processions made in the feudal days to pay homage to the shrines. An imperial messenger and his suite, in full court costume, proceed from the Old Imperial Palace to the shrines, accompanied by splendidly costumed gendarmes, pages, halberdeers and others, and escorting a hollyhock-decorated Imperial chariot drawn by oxen. * May 17-18, Grand Festival of the Toshogu Shrine, Nikko. The high-

spot is a gala procession on May 18, in which some 1,000 people equipped with helmets, swords, spears and banners escort 3 shrine palanquins to the Otabisho Hall and back. The festival is said to have originated when the holy altar of the Toshogu was transferred from Mt Kuno on the Pacific coast to the present mausoleum in 1617. At the traditional Yabusame (war games) men in samurai costumes vie in archery,

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shooting with Japanese bows from galloping horses. June 13-15, Hyakumangoku Matsuri or Million-koku Festival in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. Observed since 1923 i n memory of Maeda Toshiie, first feudal lord of Kanazawa and the surrounding area, who held a fief yielding a million kokti (about 5 million bushels), I t comprises a colourful historical procession and many interesting and artistic performances, such as the tea ceremony at the famous Kenroku Park and the Noh dramas at the Kanazawa N o h Theatre. June 15, Sanno Festival of the Rie Shrine, Tokyo. One o f the most famous of its kind held i n Tokyo, it goes back to the early days of the Edo Period. Shrine palanquins parade the main streets o f central Tokyo i n a long and colourful procession. * July 13-15, the three-day Buddhist Bon Festival, similar to A l l Souls, is celebrated everywhere. On the last night, community dancing called Bon Odori provides an occasion for much gaiety. The most noted Bon Odori are at Kiso, Nagano Prefecture, Tokushima i n Shikoku (the Awa Odori), Sado Island. Niigata Prefecture and Shiraishi-jima, an island i n the Inland Sea. Mid-July, Kangen Sai, or Music Festival, of the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima, Hiroshima Pref. This is said to be a reproduction of the ancient imperial ceremony inaugurated at the shrine by Taira-no-Kiyomori, a feudal general who lived i n the 12lh century. I n the evening, a fleet of colourfully decorated sacred boats sail i n a procession from the large red-painted torii gate standing in the sea to the opposite shore. On the boats classical gagaku (court music) is played by

musicians in ceremonial robes. * July 11-12, Nomaoi Matsuri or Horse-Chasing Festival, on the Hibarigahara Plain, Haranomacbi, Fukushima Pref. On July 11, many horsemen i n ancient armour and helmets gather from the surrounding districts at the site of the ancient Nakamura Castle and parade the streets o f Soma, and on July 12 Yabiisame and horse races are held. The most important event of this unique festival is a stirring contest by horsemen on July 12. In the early morning the armoured horsemen on the wide plain vie with one another i n trying to catch shrine flags which are shot into the air. * July 17-24, Gion Festival of Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto, widely known as Kyoto’s grandest summer celebration. I t dates back to the 9th century, when the head priest of the Yasaka Shrine ordered a large number of people to form a procession together with the shrine cars for the purpose of seeking divine protection against a contagious disease then raging. On July 17 and 24 gorgeously decorated floats, called hoko and yarna, parade the main streets to the accompaniment of flutes, drums, gongs and other instruments. The hoko is an ornamental tower on 4 huge wooden wheels with a mast about 120 ft high i n the centre, drawn by a group o f men; i n the evening the hoko floats are decorated with many paper lanterns. The yama, containing a figure or figures grouped i n an elaborate setting, is carried by long poles on the shoulders of many assistants. Aug. 3-7, Nebuta Matsuri or Dummy Float Festival, Aomori. This is said to have originated from a legend about a resourceful warrior 12 centuries ago who subjugated some

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rebels by means of nebula or dummies of men, animals etc., which he devised to trick them. During the festival the nebula representing legendary heroes, animals and birds, are pulled around on carriages to the sound of flutes and drums, and followed by many townsmen singing in colourful kimono. Aug. 6, Kanto-balancing Festival, Akita. This event has been observed

annually since the Edo Period to invoke the blessing of the gods on the harvest. Young men in fancy dress demonstrate on the main thoroughfares their skill at balancing kanto, a long bamboo pole with several horizontal ribs hung with lanterns, on their hands, foreheads, shoulders and hips. The most skilful can balance a kanto with 50 or more lanterns, weighing about 130 pounds, on different parts of their bodies. Aug. 6, Peace Festival, Hiroshima.

In memory of the explosion of the atomic bomb at 8.15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, a grand memorial service for the war dead is observed in the Peace Memorial Park and the citizens make an appeal for No More Hiroshimas to people all over the world. Similar ceremonies on a smaller scale are held at Nagasaki on Aug. 9. The Tana bata or Hoshi Matsuri (Star Festival) on the 7th night of the 7th month is celebrated in every

town, city and village. The *Star Festival held in Sendai on Aug. 6 to 8 is celebrated on an especially grand scale and is the most impressive of all the regional festivals. Every house displays leafy bamboo stalks decorated with paper streamers and strips of paper with mottos or short poems on them. Aug. 16, Great Bonfire on Mt Nyoigadake, Kyoto. A large bonfire

tn the shape of the Japanese ideogram