Japan ‘23 Day 3: Uji and Osaka

origamiunicorn ♦ October 14, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

Today I met up with my friend, Saori, who I have not seen in 5 years. We met via a language exchange and we Skype once a month. She met me at my hotel and we took several trains to Uji, a city in the Kyoto prefecture. The sky was cloudy and rain was predicted for the afternoon. Perhaps it was due to the weather or the time of year, but despite being a tourist attraction, the sites were relatively quiet with few crowds, especially compared with the hustle and bustle of Osaka.

Our first stop was at a Obaku-san Manpuku-ji, a Buddhist temple built in the Chinese Ming Dynasty style, making it very unique for Japan. The grounds were setup for a festival, with displays that light up at night. We walked around the grounds, taking photos and admiring the buildings and gardens.

Saori had made a reservation for a Fucharyori (vegetarian cuisine that was brought to Japan from China by a Zen master) lunch. We sat diagonally across from each other in a room that was set up to serve this cuisine. Lunch was served in a bento box. The food was made with seasonal vegetables and tofu, with each piece cut perfectly. I think this might have been the best meal I have ever had in Japan.

Starting in the upper left, mafu (sesame tofu), fried vegetables (including a pickled plum, shishito pepper, lotus root and others), a sticky gelatinous mix that tasted strongly of sesame, boiled vegetables and tofu, a sweet wrapped in leaves (it’s hard to see in the lower right corner), mochi, orange, green beans in thick sauce with a sesame flavor, mixed pickles, and rice. On the side was a bowl of soup with a thick broth.

After eating, we explored the grounds a bit more and then took a train to Byodoin Temple. Byodoin’s main building is called Phoenix Hall because the entire building is meant to look like a phoenix and there are two gold phoenix statues on the roof. We bought tickets for a timed entrance into the interior of the hall and walked the grounds while we waited for our entrance time. There is a museum showing what the original colors of the interior of the hall looked like and explaining the history. No pictures were allowed in the museum or in the interior of the hall. More information at http://byodoin.or.jp/en/learn

From Byodoin we walked to Ujigami Shrine. There were few crowds and most of our walk was very peaceful and quiet. From Ujigami shrine, we walked to a tea house and had green tea and some sweets. From there we walked back to the train and headed back to Osaka.

By now, the clouds had turned to drizzle. We were both tired from walking so we went to a small izakaya near in Saori’s neighborhood. Saori ordered sashimi: mackerel, katsuo and tai. Then roasted eggplant topped with two types of miso. Cold sake. Soup with sudachi (a Japanese citrus fruit).

From there we met up with Saori’s husband at another izakaya. We shared gingko and lots of sake. The bar owner and a friend were chatting with Saori and her husband. I understood very little, and the sake didn’t help matters. I muddled through and enjoyed the snippets of conversation I understood along with Saori’s translation.

I was pretty tipsy by the time we left, and Saori called a cab for me to get back to my hotel. We said goodbye. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness. Saori is a good friend and a thoughtful and generous host. The whole day was lovely from start to finish. I am so grateful to be this fortunate.