24h Japan - Japan. Endless Discovery [PDF]

Nov 14, 2015 - There are endless opportunities for rest and relaxation in Japan. What appeals to you the most? Just for

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24h Japan

Experience the perfect day.

Dear Reader, Breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, a vast choice of recreational activities, culinary delicacies, inspiring encounters – in Japan, every day offers something special. That’s the inspiration behind “24h Japan. Experience the perfect day!” We invite you to discover Japan from a highly personal perspective. In the following pages, you will be delighted by unique and unusual insights into the “Land of the Rising Sun”. Speaking of rising suns, Japan offers you everything you need for the perfect day. Whether first thing in the morning, at noon or in the evening. At any hour, there’s so much to enjoy – each and every day. Intrigued? Perhaps you’ll be inspired by our tips and decide to try out your own version of 24h Japan. Come visit us and experience your personal perfect day. Japan looks forward to indulging you.

Worth a trip at any time. There are endless opportunities for rest and relaxation in Japan. What appeals to you the most? Just for you, we’ve put together a shortlist of 24 amazing things you could do at each hour of the day. You can check out a few of these destinations inside this brochure. To find out more about the “Land of the Rising Sun” and discover all 24 destinations, visit us at welcome-japan.eu.

Hakodate Walking in Onuma Park

Kyoto Ryoan-ji Zen garden Shojin ryori Fushimi Inari Taisha

Tokyo Jogging near the Palace Calligraphy Shibuya New York Bar WOMB Club Ooedo-Onsen

Hiroshima Miyajima O-Torii

Kamakura Big Buddha Mt. Fuji

Kobe Ryokan Mt. Rokko

Hiking Mt. Fuji

Osaka Dotonbori

Okinawa Amazing beaches

Yugawara

Everywhere in Japan

Onsen

Eikiben in the Shinkansen Skiing Sake tasting Sushi Ramen Karaoke

6:00

© Central Japan Railway Company

In a Shinkansen, time truly flies thanks to the high speed and delicious travel snacks.

You’re bound to take an incredulous look at your watch as the Shinkansen trip ends – you truly did arrive so fast. Punctual to the minute.

EKIBEN IN SHINKANSEN

Right on time – trains in Japan

In fact, I have not once experienced a trip on a Shinkansen that was late (and never talked to anyone who has). So thanks to my Rail Pass, good timing and the ultra short journey times, I am becoming a real Shinkansen fan. The rail network (which the term “Shinkansen” actually stands for) is perfectly laid out – from Aomori all the way down to Kagoshima on the southern island of Kyushu. And it’s still being built. In 2016, you will be able to travel all the way to Hakodate on the northern island of Hokkaido. A recently completed line allows you to travel at high-speed from Tokyo to Nagano, and even one hour later you’ll arrive at Kanazawa with its Samurai quarter and wonderful Kenrokuen Park. Record-breaking speeds are possible not only thanks to the trains themselves, but also the perfect maintenance of tracks that are used exclusively by Shinkansen. This leads to average speeds of over 200 kilometres per hour on long distance journeys, including train stops. And always a mainstay of the “bullet” train – my Ekiben. This is a little box with food specially packed for train travellers. These boxes are offered with a variety of assortments. For the more traditional-

ly-minded the Ekiben is painted with historic pictures, and for modern urbanites it’s a sleek box only decorated with calligraphy. Usually the boxes are made of plastic, but some wooden and ceramic Ekiben can be found too. Some people even ask to have them warmed up during the journey. The wide range of shops carrying Ekiben is not only limited to train stations. Every region has its own exclusive specialties. One of the best-known Ekiben is the “Toge-no-Kamameshi” which has been sold for over 50 years in the Yokokawa station. What’s so special about this “food in a pot on a mountain pass” is that it is sold hot in a ceramic pot. Another well-known Ekiben is the “story of the Matsusaka beef”. This Ekiben is sold in the Matsusaka train station which is 100 kilometres east of Kobe and features Japan’s best beef. Some Matsusaka cattle get beer to drink and are massaged with distilled rice wine. But my favourite is the box with anago – lightly sweet, wonderfully soft sea eel on rice and with a little piece of rolled omelette.

© JR-CENTRAL PASSENGERS CO., LTD.

I will never forget my first trip with a Shinkansen. Only four minutes until arrival time – and no train station in sight. I indulged in a little bit of schadenfreude. So far it looked like there wasn’t much to the legendary punctuality and reliability of the speed train after all. Wait a moment – just three minutes later and we were already pulling into the station. Even one minute early! The train slowed down and, just as the three minutes were up, we came to a halt.

Ekiben are much more than just a snack for the trip – they are a culinary souvenir from a stop along the journey, a kaleidoscope of regional cooking styles and after finishing off the tasty morsels inside the l acquered wooden box or porcelain box, you have a memento which will last much longer than your train trip. A memory of a perfect train trip: fast, reliable, and always on time. Japan RailPass: www.japanrailpass.net Place of coverage: JR-CENTRAL PASSENGERS CO., LTD.

Zeitaku-Anago bento: 1,450 yen 24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

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8:00

© Claus Setzer

No other garden in the world invites you to meditate like “Ryoan-ji”.

No matter your perspective – you never see all 15 stones at once.

RYOAN-JI IN KYOTO

Cliffs in a sea of eternity

Before the first school groups arrive, more observers quietly walk in socks around the garden nearly devoid of green. Despite a sense of excitement, the mood is subdued, and they quickly count the stones. It looks like 12, individually placed, and some in small groups, but actually there are 15 in total. One can’t see them all at once, however, as there is always at least one stone hidden by another, no matter what angle one observes the garden from. Neither the greater meaning nor the architect of this little gem among gardens is known. As a result, speculations and interpretations of the Ryoan-ji abound. Many people see, like in the old legend, a tiger mother, who helps her cubs safely across the river. Others interpret the rocks on this sea of gravel as mountain peaks rising from clouds. Neuroscientists believe that, in deep observation, the human brain moulds the space between rock groups into the form of a tree.

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© Claus Setzer

Even if you arrive punctually at 8:00, just as the doors open to the world’s most famous Zen garden, the Ryoan-ji temple, you are not alone. A small yellow butterfly flaps among the large stones that seem randomly strewn over a 25×10 metre gravel bed. A bird rests briefly on another stone. The sun has now reached nearly the entire garden, and the small gravel rocks glow a bright white. They have been carefully raked into rows. Most of the lines run parallel to the wooden visitor’s terrace along one edge of the garden, and the others flow in concentric circles around the groups of stones.

An unsolved riddle for centuries. What does the garden mean?

back held straight and hands folded underneath his belly, thumbs lightly touching. The meditation can begin. I try to focus my eyes on the finely-carved door handle, yet I can’t concentrate. When did my foot slip off my leg? Am I sitting straight? Back to meditation! Calm down, I tell myself. Breathe in slowly and out quietly. I hold my breath in my abdomen and lungs, and breathe back in, not quite as slowly, and then veeeery slowly back out again. Calm starts to spread through me.

I would love to reach such a deep level of inner contemplation, so I ask the venerable monk Takafumi Kawakami in the neighbouring Shunkoin temple to teach me the basics of zazen, zen-meditation.

In my thoughts I am back in Ryoan-ji – I see the stones (still no tree in sight), and let my gaze wander over these symmetrical lines, following the circles raked into the bed of gravel. What a sublime mind it must have taken to create this.

Clack. Clack-clack. Takafumi hits two pieces of wood together hard and loud. Then he takes a long-shaped bell and hits the light-coloured globe four times with a thin iron rod, before finally lighting a stick of incense. His right foot rests on his left leg, the

Place of coverage: Ryoan-ji Zen garden www.ryoanji.jp Opening hours: summer 8:00 – 17:00, winter 8:30 – 16:30

24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

SHOJIN RYORI LUNCH IN KYOTO

Dine Buddha-style In a wonderful garden forgotten by time, a few steps from the Tenryu-ji temple, an excellent restaurant invites you to stop for a relaxing lunch. The restaurant itself is reminiscent of a traditional temple with its light-coloured wood and unrolled mats in open spaces. Yet, we are not only here to find peace of mind – but to eat like a monk.

Shojin ryori is a vegetarian cuisine based on Buddhist principles. It is forbidden to kill animals as well as to use intense seasoning such as garlic or onions. Originally conceived solely for monks, the simplicity of shojin ryori can now be enjoyed beyond temple walls, as well. However, the training to prepare a perfect sesame tofu, for example, can last up to ten years. Not because it is such a complicated dish, but because it is only perfect when it includes the appropriate respect and necessary contemplation when preparing ingredients like white sesame and water. Only a few establishments have successfully Who would have reached perfection and developed it into a thought vegetarian diverse culinary experience.

12:00

cuisine could taste so delicious and diverse.

I take a seat. In front of me is a little table that holds 10 different, carefully arranged bowls. The cook selects from five colours – red, yellow, green, white and black. There are then five types of preparation – raw, steamed, baked, fried and boiled. And finally five tastes: sweet, salty, spicy, bitter and sour. From all of this, the cook – who was first trained in preparing kaiseki, a light, multicourse Japanese cuisine – conjures up a surprisingly varied meal. And then I realise – I had no idea how diverse vegan cooking could be. Different textures and aromas pass over my lips. Sesame tofu, pickled vegetables, rice with soya beans, aubergines and miso, an unfamiliar potato puree, raw algae, shiitake mushrooms, endo beans. Light and dark, yellow and green, and just a touch of red. Surprisingly crunchy, and then comes an aubergine mousse which is soft on the tongue. Cool tofu and then a hot miso soup sprinkled with grainy rice. The pickled vegetables bring all the taste buds together, which then stretch out for a simple mushroom. Finally, some fruit rounds off the meal. Melons and strawberries mark my return from a journey to that has taken me to a world of unknown tastes. I am full, yet without a sensation of having overdone it. Energised, I step out into the garden, and let the day’s heat envelop me.

© Claus Setzer

© Claus Setzer

Place of coverage: Shigetsu-Arashiyama Restaurant www.tenryuji.com/en/shigetsu Opening hours: 11:00 – 14:00

Every bowl a new taste experience. Sometimes subtle, other times crispy.

Shojin ryori spoils your taste buds – with no meat, fish or eggs. 24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

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15:00

© Claus Setzer

The cinnabar gates wind for kilometres up the mountain.

The gates – interspersed only by forest green – wind up the hill to the shrine.

FUSHIMI INARI TAISHA IN KYOTO

The light of a thousand gates This light. It is at once both sun and shadow. It is cinnabar red, with black flecks and green strips. It guides and protects me, and is never obtrusive. It is the light of a thousand gates, called torii, through which the hiker walks – spaced apart to allow glimpses of the forest’s lush green. The gates are lacquered in a shining red, perched on a black base, decorated in black Kanji writing. They lead all the way to the top of the hill. They provide shade and bathe me in a magical light. I want to take a moment to contemplate and simply enjoy this interplay of clear forms, fiery colours and the quiet of the woods. Yet I don’t linger and continue on up, past the shrines, to the hill and back down. As I walk up and down the many stairs, through countless gates, I pause occasionally – because it is just so beautiful. Admittedly, one is rarely alone in the Fushimi Inari Taisha – this truly special Shinto shrine with its thousands of gates called “torii.” The visitors first throng through the torii passages – but soon the lines of people thin out. And the higher one climbs, the more one can enjoy the magic undisturbed. The Fushimi Inari Taisha is dedicated to Inari – the god of fertility, and the fox. One quickly notes this from the little stone fox statues which edge the path. Each draped with a bright red scarf. Suddenly, I see three young Japanese girls, dressed in traditional kimonos, standing in the arches. They photograph each other and bend their fingers in a strange position. “We are making fox snouts

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24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

with our hands,” explains one excited girl. Another has a papiermâché fox mask which she places on her head. A few minutes farther on, and a craftsman restores a damaged gate. Carefully, he reconstructs the writing with black paint – it is the name and address of the donor. Just a little bit farther, on a stream bank, sits a young Japanese woman. With her back to the gates, the light burbling of the stream in her ears, she has forgotten the world around her. Perhaps she is thinking about the legend of how Fushimi Inari Taisha was created? Supposedly, over 1,300 years ago, a man from the powerful Hata clan witnessed a “divine intervention” that laid the foundation for the Fushimi Inari Taisha. The legend is about the downfall of a mighty clan and wasted food, as well as about the realisation of ones own mistakes, remorse and repentance. And finally also about forgiveness. This girl I am observing, however, is not thinking about the legend. Upon closer inspection, I see the young lady on the bank of the stream is simply concentrating on her cell phone display. Even here, modern life seeps into a magical place. Place of coverage: Fushimi Inari Taisha

SAKE TASTING NEAR TOKYO

Pure taste

400 years together – the two huge Japanese elms, side by side, stretch their crowns of leaves to the sky. Shrines to honour the gods of rice and water stand at the base of the peeling trunks. Rice and water are the two most important ingredients for sake. We are in a small historic sake brewery not far from Tokyo. Old, light-coloured brewery buildings form a circle around the pair of trees. Inside, rice from all over Japan is first milled and finally washed and soaked in partially hard water, which is drawn from a 150 metre deep spring. Depending on the quality grade of the final sake, at least half or more of the rice kernel is polished down so that only the absolute core of it remains. Fermentation of the sake occurs during the cooler months, from October to March. The sake is only finished when the huge ball of cedar branches, which is traditionally hung at the entrance and by traditional believe should guarantee a successful brewing process, has shed its fresh green – and turned brown. Sake has been brewed in Japan for around 2,000 years and still today there are around 1,300 family-run breweries. But how does sake – which can be enjoyed both cold and warm – really taste? One can try it at bars or restaurants in Japan, but also at one of the many breweries. The most common translation for this brewed drink, “rice wine”, is just as misleading as its clarity, which makes people assume a 100% alcohol content. The actual alcohol content is closer to wine, yet the taste is totally unique. The taste is reminiscent of rice, but certainly has a diversity of aromas like any good wine. A good sake can be melony or even contain notes of red berries. There are nutty tastes and sometimes a touch of Muscatine grapes. But enough theorizing – now it’s time for tasting. How does our sake size up? Bottles with different qualities are lined up. To start, a “Daiginjo” for which half of the rice is polished down. What about the taste stands out? It’s very pure, and it’s difficult to recognise many of the secondary aromas. The next one, a young Namasake. Due to the freshness the sake yeast still ferments, never the less it tastes surprisingly fruity and intense. The mood heightens, and the fourth sake bottle is poured. The sake with a fermented Sake has a hint of plum tastes sweet, yet by no means sugary. The rice – yet tastes as highlight comes last – a particularly fine Daiginjo. versatile Only a third of the kernel remains after milling the as a good wine. rice for this fine sake. Once again, a very special taste experience – mild, with a subtle apple note.

16:00

© Claus Setzer

More and more Europeans and Americans have discovered the fine taste of sake, and the better quality sakes are popular abroad. We would love to immediately take one of the exoticlooking, small 18-litre wooden kegs. But reason kicks in and we “only” take a 1.8-litre bottle. It will fit better into my suitcase anyway.

Place of coverage: Ishikawa Brewery Co. Ltd. www.tamajiman.com/english Tours: Mon – Fri 10:00 – 16:00 The more intensely the rice kernel is milled at the start, the higher quality the sake. Astounding just how many nuances in taste are unleashed. 24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

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ONSEN BATH AT YUGAWARA

© Claus Setzer

Immerse yourself in deep relaxation This golden, clayey onsen water leaves you with a sumptuously soft skin.

Soothing warmth spreads through my entire body the deeper I immerse myself in the soft water. I sink into the tub right up to my neck, now completely engulfed in 40 degrees healing water. With only my head protruding above water, my eyes soon rest on the small trees in the green garden. Onsen – it sounds much softer and more relaxed than the translation, “hot spring”. It’s a word with many nuances just as the zen in zen buddhism can’t be explained with one word either. First my legs release the strain of a full day of walking, followed by my shoulders slowly forgetting the heavy bags. Lolling in the water, gently gliding through the tub and then just taking a moment to pause and feel the mind travelling, floating over gardens and streets, temples and shrines until it gets lost completely in reverie. What remains is total relaxation. Until the first beads of sweat abruptly pull me back. The other bath guests have folded a small hand towel to place on their foreheads. After fifteen minutes, my body is completely warmed, and I get out of the bath and sit down in the small green oasis to cool down. Now it’s time to let the environment sink in. To the front, a vestibule with a row of faucets, hand showers, shampoos and gels where all the guests sit on small stools and thoroughly wash. Guests are not

allowed to enter the hot spring water unwashed or with shampoo residue. (One should also consider that tattoos are forbidden here, as in most onsen.) Now back to the hot water which makes it so easy to lose track of time. One almost forgets that an onsen bath is not only good for the soul, but also for the body. Blood circulation is stimulated and muscle tension slowly disperses. Depending on the qualities of the hot spring water drawn from deep inside the earth – which usually needs to be cooled down to a bearable temperature – a bath can also help sooth arthritis, skin conditions or high blood pressure. And although I am gradually getting too hot in the water again, I’ve already decided – I definitely want to visit other onsen in Japan. The country is dotted with volcanic thermal springs; there are large and small baths, modern and rustic, designed and naturalistic, some herbal or Earth scented, iron-golden and crystal clear, co-ed or separate areas for men and women, private and public, hot and not so hot. After my bath, I slip back into my comfortable yukata – a kind of simple cotton kimono. I am already looking forward to the next enchanting time when I can enjoy a relaxing bath after a stressful day. Place of coverage: Yugawara Onsen Seiransou www.seiransou.co.jp

17:00

© Claus Setzer

In an onsen – a Japanese spa – the visitor dives deep into hot thermal water.

The hot water rises from the depths of the earth to the surface – and brings to the pools relaxation for body and mind.

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24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

Only in Japan does one experience the subtleties, which differentiate perfect sushi from very good sushi.

An epicurean gallery: left “O-toro”, the fattiest tuna, next to the less fattier “Chu-toro”.

SUSHI IN TOKYO

O-toro!

After my visit to Japan, where I learned the taste of perfect sushi, I will never be able to appreciate the normal fare again. The difference is in the details. Sushi is a little crispy, a little salty, a pinch of the sea – even the dried nori algae sheets are a pleasure in themselves. Add in the soy sauce, which doesn’t come from a factory but rather from an establishment where it has been seasoned by hand so that it supplements the fish rather than drowns it. Wasabi – gladly a little more so that the taste experience between fish and rice darts back and forth. And of course the fish. Fresh, big, tender. That’s the centrepiece. Sometimes a little salty – like the mackerel, sometimes melting like the eel. And other times full like salmon, which is now a real favourite among young sushi fans. But why just fish? A delicious piece of crab meat, not to be confused with the imitation surimi, wins over with its rich yet subtle aromas. The sea urchin uni is creamy, saltier than fish, yet not quite as salty as fish eggs. The fresh, soft jumbo shrimp. The very salty-crunchy herring roe, the surprisingly dry mantis shrimp. And, of course, a nice piece of tamago, the light, sweet – inside somewhat moist – Japanese omelette. And, with a shy smile, the boss dismisses the theory that you can recognize the quality of a sushi restaurant by the quality of the tamago – nothing but a myth!

And the final highlight – the tuna trilogy. Maguro, the typical piece of tuna, relatively low in fat. Deep red, it lies on the much too small bed of rice. Chu-toro, more fat and a distinctly lighter colour from the fat, is very tender. And at the very, very end – because when eating sushi you begin with discreet tastes and end with the powerful, fattier notes – the king of tuna: O-toro: the fattiest of all, spun through with veins of fat. With respect, I reach for the O-toro nigiri with one hand. Because I have learned – it’s alright to eat sushi with your hand from the wooden board, which is reminiscent of the Japanese wooden sandal “geta”. A slight turn of the wrist to first dip the fish in soy sauce. Don’t dunk it too deeply, just moisten. And then the whole piece in the mouth. Amazingly firm, irresistibly delicious. Oh – this wonderful O-toro! Place of coverage: Tsukiji Tama Sushi Harumi-dori www.tamasushi.co.jp Opening hours: 11:00 – 23:00

© Claus Setzer

I thought I knew what good sushi was. But now I really do. The tuna melts in my mouth, the wasabi tickles my tongue, and the rice, neither dry nor wet, is well-balanced with rice vinegar. The soy sauce intensifies the taste of the fish ever so slightly. Instead of assembly line sushi, I would definitely recommend going to the sushi bar where you can watch the sushi master freshly preparing your meal – how he holds the knife at a 30-degrees angle to cut a small piece from a larger piece of fish, dabs his finger in vinegar so the cooked rice doesn’t stick and then delicately brings it all into shape. A touch of wasabi on top and finally fish and rice are united. Watch and be amazed!

© Claus Setzer

18:00

The sushi master at work. 24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

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Ever since “Lost in Translation” was filmed here, the New York Bar is all the rage.

On the 52nd floor, way up high, with a drink in hand, and Tokyo at your feet.

NEW YORK BAR IN TOKYO

© Claus Setzer

22:00

Jazz dreams Starting up a jazz band sounds like a darn good idea. Because then I could play every night at the New York Bar way up on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, with Tokyo and its never-ending lights, buildings and streets, spread out below. Ever since Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray dreamed of founding a jazz band together in the New York Bar in the 2003 film “Lost in Translation”, film fans have been returning here time and again to dream of having their own jazz band while listening to the live sounds of top professionals who play there each night. They would happily welcome Johansson and Murray as band members. The New York Bar inspires dreams. High up, where even Tokyo, a metropolis of millions, looks like a miniature city, it’s far away from the everyday grind. My eyes wander among young and old, the Japanese and the many international guests, but also into the distance, over to the busy Shinjuku railway station an Imperial Gardens. Outside, red warning lamps on skyscrapers blink synchronously for the airplanes. Is it pure coincidence, or is everything controlled centrally? And to top off the perfect moment, I have a sip of “L.I.T.” – made of sake, cherry blossom liqueur, peach liqueur and cranberry juice.

up in conversations of the remaining guests at the long bar. The businessman across from us squints alternately at his smart phone and his wine glass. Tonight, there is no lonely Scarlett to discover Tokyo with. But there is a group of friends from Germany, a newly enamoured couple from China and a talkative Englishman, as well as many other Japanese, foreigners, tourists, business people and expats. The waiters take the last orders. If you don’t want to drink one of their unique or traditional cocktails, they also have whiskey, scotch, bourbon, cognac, calvados, champagne, grappa, wine and beer. You will surely find your favourite among the long list of drinks. Only the selection of sake is quite short and straightforward. But that’s not what you go to the New York Bar for – a home for those who feel a bit “Lost in Translation” or just want to enjoy a good drink. If you are overcome by late-night cravings, you can, depending on your budget, order a wagyu burger, smoked salmon or even a portion of “Royal Belgian Caviar”. We settled for some nuts. A new day has begun and the bar slowly empties. It’s time for me to go. Tomorrow morning, the evening in the New York Bar will be but a memory. A wonderful one.

So big and yet so small – a carpet of lights, Tokyo spreads out to the horizon.

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24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

© Claus Setzer

It’s late and the band is packing up. The popular film title keeps popping

Place of coverage: New York Bar in Park Hyatt Tokyo www.tokyo.park.hyatt.com Opening hours: 17:00 – 24:00/1:00

RYOKAN IN KOBE

The essence of luxury Real luxury is not about having more, but about being able to focus on the essential. What’s really important in life is having time for yourself and your loved ones, awareness of the small things, feeling welcomed and having space to think clearly. The world’s top hoteliers offer just that to guests who can really afford anything, but have become weary of constantly trying to acquire more. Well, this luxury has been available in Japan for many generations, and it’s even affordable. Any guest can find it in a well-run ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel. At first glance, the rooms may be reminiscent of a scene from an action film. A star jumping through a paper wall with one ninja

by guests at the hotel, is exchanged for the right size. At breakfast, all teaspoons lie on the right side, but at a left-handed guest’s table, they have already been placed on the left. Omotenashi is never intrusive, but as subtle as a warm breeze, a fleeting movement in the corner of your eye. It’s also just a gentle smile of the staff, reassuring the foreign guest to simply feel welcome and that the host will take care of everything else. THIS, I understand, is the most pure and sublime form of luxury. Place of coverage: Tocen Goshoboh www.goshoboh.com

23:00

© Claus Setzer

In a ryokan a guest’s every wish is surmised.

A hotel without beds? Guests are perplexed when they first enter their ryokan room. Yet by evening, the futon lies ready.

leap and landing on the tatami rice straw mat. In reality, the ryokan guest can be certain to find the following design elements: simple, straight forms made of natural materials like wood and rice paper, a small near-ground table with legless chairs, sliding doors and walls. In the evening, the futon that had been hidden in a wall closet is rolled out onto the floor.

“Hospitality” is an inadequate translation of the term omotenashi. In essence, it is about a clearly defined host-guest relationship, which is nonetheless based on equality. The host’s greatest concern is the guest’s well-being. In order to be able to offer a really unique and memorable stay, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of the guest and his or her very unique requirements. The host completely anticipates my wishes, without my having expressed them or even known them. This is particularly apparent in the details. Like magic, my too-small yukata, a simple cotton robe worn

© Claus Setzer

But however fascinatingly minimalistic the design may be, the outstanding feature of a ryokan lies embedded in one simple Japanese word: omotenashi.

In the evenings, delicacies like wagyu beef are served. 24h Japan. Experience the perfect day. www.welcome-japan.eu

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Win a dream trip to Japan. Participate in our online sweepstakes by telling us which time of day in Japan would be best for you to explore the most exciting or relaxing moments. With a little bit of luck, we’ll be welcoming you to the “Land of the Rising Sun” for a 10-day-trip between 14-28 November 2015 (according to flight availability). As a special highlight of the trip, we’ll treat you to 3 nights in Tocen Goshoboh – a historic 12th century ryokan in Kobe. You’ll be enchanted by the atmosphere and the special hospitality of this traditional

Japanese inn. You can also look forward to a travel voucher worth 500 euros to spend as you please.

© Claus Setzer

May your dream come true. In our big 24h Japan sweepstakes.

Participate now. Don’t miss this opportunity. But be aware – the sweepstakes ends on 15 October 2015. So visit us today at welcome-japan.eu and learn more about this unique possibility to experience Japan at any hour and in all its special facets. We wish you the best of luck.

Win the trip of your life

© Claus Setzer

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Managing Directors: Ryoichi Katsui, Shuntaro Ito, Norihiko Mizuno

Managing Directors: Torsten Bardohn, Dr. André Hülsbömer Editor in Chief: Boris Karkowski

Photo credits: p. 3: Central Japan Railway Company, JR-CENTRAL PASSENGERS CO.,LTD. All other photos: Claus Setzer

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