A look through the heart-shaped window at Shojuin Temple in Ujitawara, Kyoto.
Immortal Heartー I’ve been to Kyoto many times in many different seasons, but this month was the first time I’ve ever been to the remotely located heart-shaped temple called Shojuin in Ujitawara. Amidst the fear of the corona virus, I was worried this temple may be closed like many other facilities in Japan, but I was fortunate to travel during a time when it was still open. Located in a rural area accessible by bus from Uji Station, you will find that the view through the window is well worth the trip. Even though I visited during the winter, I managed to take a lot of quality photos and learn about its history with only a few other Japanese tourists around me.
I arrived to the temple around 2pm when I predicted there would be optimal sunlight. The weather was raining on and off but due to the way Shojuin is constructed, the light always falls through the heart-shaped window. The temple consists of a few small building complexes but everything can easily be seen within 40 minutes. Tea and a light snack are provided with the entrance fee as well as an explanation of the history as the inome window. The word “inome” refers to a heart shape motif commonly found in Japanese temples and Buddhism. The definition literally means “eye of the wild boar” in Japanese (which is said to be heart-shaped so it makes sense in theory). It could also refer to the lime trees with heart-shaped leaves that are closely associated with Buddhism. I have uploaded the English explanation I was given for reference if anyone wishes to investigate it further.
The inome window is also nicknamed the “Window of Happiness” making it the ideal place to pray for peace and love. Though I do not consider myself a religious person, coming to this temple was a truly bright experience to me. In addition to the window, there are also over 160 art tiles on the ceiling painted in brilliant colors. While I was taking pictures, it started snowing for a brief period through the window. This was my first time all year seeing snow in Japan, so it is a special moment I’ll never forget:
Though I was only here for around an hour and a half, I feel like I had the chance to witness this temple during all four seasons. During my time here it rained, snowed, turned overcast, then sunlight came out right before it closed. It was amazing! The people around me couldn’t believe it either. Just like my Quest to the Tower of the Sun, this also felt like an experience pulled straight from a video game. I highly recommend this temple to everyone visiting Kyoto, because it’s not nearly as touristy or crowded as the Golden Pavilion or Kiyomizu-dera.
During the summer there is a wind chime festival here as well. Please check the official Kyoto Tourism website for more information.
Access
294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862 Entrance Fee: 400 yen (includes tea and sweets)
Directions: From Kyoto Station, ride the Nara Line to Obaku Station, then ride the Uji Line to Uji Station. From Uji Station, take the Keihan Bus to Ichumae Bus Stop. Please note that Google Maps will suggest you to take a taxi to Shojuin Temple from this point, which I did on the way there for 2000 yen, but there is a “community bus” (which actually a small white van) that I missed which is free. On the way back, I walked with some friendly Japanese girls from Hyogo to the free bus stop. The bus stop looks like a shack that belongs to someone’s backyard because Uji is very rural, but we managed to find it with teamwork. Keep your eyes out for the iconic heart-shaped bus stop that leads you to the magical heart-shaped temple (this is the best travel advice I’ve given anyone):
Wanting experience life outside of Taipei, I researched other cities in Taiwan that would fit my adventurous spirit. Taichung, Taiwan’s 2nd most populous city, caught my interest right away because of its Rainbow Village and picturesque Sun and Moon Lake which are both accessible by bus from the central station.
Rainbow Village
The bright and beautiful colors of this village immediately caught my eye–plus I was curious to know the origin of how it became so psychedelic–so I wanted this place to be my first destination in Taichung. I took the MRT from Taipei to reach Taichung Station within 2 hours, then I took a local bus to reach Rainbow Village within 15 minutes. I was greeted by these crazy-colored murals painted on a neighborhood of cozy houses. The village was a bit smaller than what I had expected, but there were literally so many things to see here!
This village was designated as a home for refugees that fled to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War, but was sadly planned to be demolished after the war ended. Not wanting to see his home destroyed, Huang Yong-Fu (who was drafted for the war but still resided in the village), started painting the entire village in rainbow colors in hopes that it would be preserved. Though not many other refugees were living there at the time, his artwork was noticed by nearby university students and they formed a petition to keep the 11 houses intact. Fortunately it was successful, and the village has become a popular tourist attraction for everyone to enjoy and learn about the history of the war. Yong-Fu is nicknamed the “Rainbow Grandpa” of the village, and his murals will always be an important part of Taichung’s history.
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This village is literally a photographer’s paradise! I was really happy to capture a lot of quality footage on my GoPro even though there were a lot of people around. The murals seem to have cultural influences from all around the world. There are a number of animals and humans depicted in them with interesting symbols so your interpretation of them completely depends on you.
After spending a good hour here, I decided to take a taxi back to Loosha Hotel where I was staying for the night (I chose it because it was cheap and centrally located). Taichung can be done as a day trip, but I would recommend staying here 2-3 days if you can see everything. I will be covering the famous Sun and Moon Lake in my next article this week! Thank you for reading.
Koh Rong, a tropical island in the Sihanoukville Province of Cambodia, is an extremely attractive destination with its white-sand beaches, jungle full of waterfalls and wildlife, and its weekly parties on Police Beach. Though the island is about the size of Hong Kong, most of it is undeveloped so it feels like an untouched paradise. Most of the villages here only stretch for about a mile so everyone recognizes one another and knows each other by name. I compare a lot of the islands that I’ve traveled to The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, but this actually felt like an island straight out of an RPG the way it was laid out. There are tons of places you can freely explore on foot, and you can also take boat taxis to access more remote parts of the island. Or just stay in the main village and enjoy drinking with the locals every night on the beach!
Similar to Koh Phangan in Thailand, there are Full Moon Parties thrown here that attract a lot of backpackers, but the atmosphere of this island is truly rural and more off-the-grid than any other island I have ever traveled to. Most of the people I met here had already been to Thailand and were looking for a different experience. I learned a lot from the observing the life of the villagers here and am extremely excited to share my experience!
Getting to Koh Rong
In order to reach Koh Rong, you must fly or take a bus to Sihanoukville and take a ferry because there are no airports on the island. I opted to take an overnight bus from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville that I booked through 12goAsia for $25. The journey was 10 hours, but I actually slept quite well on the bus because I was exhausted from exploring Angkor Wat and the floating village.
When I first booked this bus, I was expecting to meet some strange people (like those you see riding the MegaBus in America), but I was surprised to see that actually everyone riding this bus was quite normal. Everyone around me were international backpackers trying to save money, so we opted for the cheaper route. I even cheersed the guy that was holding a beer beside me with my tiny bottle of wine. After about an hour, almost everyone was asleep so it was a pleasant ride.
Sihanoukville itself is a strange town full of construction and Chinese-owned casinos. The roads are absolutely chaotic, and though it has beaches, the ones in Koh Rong are much more beautiful so I would not recommend staying here. Go straight to Koh Rong and experience life in paradise instead! The ferry ticket there was only $11 and the ride was about 30 minutes long. Though the overnight journey took a while, everything I was about to discover on the island would make it worth it.
Staying in a Treehouse
Since the village of Koh Touch is near the weekly Police Beach parties, I opted to book a private room at Treehouse Bungalows. I paid around $50 a night for this room, but in my opinion, the stay was worth it! Not only is it quiet and more private than other hostels, but it also has a great view of the beach. I enjoyed playing music from my balcony and being up in the trees. There is a wonderful restaurant down below, and a massage place on the beach that I went to nearly every day. For those looking for cheaper options, please check Hostelworld (some dorms are only $5 per night).
I made a somewhat funny video to commemorate my treehouse stay which you can watch below:
Sunset on Long Beach, which I was informed by one of the islanders is the best beach to watch the sunset.
During my first day at Koh Rong I decided to explore the beach nearby my treehouse called 4K beach, and I also hired a motorcycle driver for $30 to take me to some of the other remote beaches. What amazed me is how truly undeveloped this island is. Most of the roads are made of dirt and some twist through the jungle, so I would recommend hiring an experienced driver or a boat taxi your first time. These can easily be found within the village, and the bartenders can also recommend you where to get a cheap ride. There is also a lot of abandoned property on the island. I really hope it is put to use someday, because the atmosphere of this island is lovely.
Sweet Dreams Beach was the first place that we ventured to. It was extremely gorgeous with its swimming pool and paved road to the beach. I saw a few families staying here because this is a safe and relatively quiet location away from the main village:
The next place we went to was Long Beach so I could go swimming and watch the sunset. My driver told me that in the fall season this is the only place where you can clearly watch it, so I was grateful to see this on my first night. I think this is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island because it is extremely quiet and pristine.
In addition to the beaches that I visited, you can find a fantastic Koh Rong Beach Guide here. There is also a nearby island called Koh Rong Samloem with a nice vibe that I will be covering in my next post. Overall I really loved staying on the main Koh Rong island due to all of the nice people that I met and the privacy of my treehouse.
Finding Happiness
Throughout the main village of Koh Touch (and other locations in Cambodia) you will see signs advertising “happy” consumables that you can buy, but also signs reminding you that you cannot buy happiness. What do these things all mean, and what is happiness to Cambodian people and travelers on this island?
Happiness is Khmer is “សុផមង្គល” (so ph mongkol), but rarely will you see the word written in anything but English. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and many of the country’s people were slaughtered by their own kind or forced into slavery during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The country is still rebuilding itself from those times and the devastation from the war is very apparent. However while traveling here–especially on this island–I saw nothing but smiles from all of the local people. As a fellow traveler examines in The Happiness Plunge:
“When you live through a genocide, life is kind of like a miracle. And maybe the people here live each day like it’s a miracle.
I suppose when every day is a miracle, you see things you wouldn’t otherwise see – things that make you smile.”
A lot of backpackers come here to escape life and party on the beach to find happiness, as well as consume psychedelics and cannabis to forget their worries, but the miracle of happiness and life that Cambodian people have cannot be replicated by this. However, staying on this island gives everyone a chance to connect with one another and appreciate nature while learning about the culture of this country. This feeling cannot be bought because happiness is not a concrete thing or consumable, but it can be shared a celebrated with others and found within yourself. Though the horrors that Cambodia has faced in the past cannot be erased, we can do our best to pay our respects and look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
Happiness is both a journey and realizing to be thankful for what you have in life. Whether it takes a happy cookie or a long journey to realize this depends on you. But if you make it all the way out to Koh Rong, likely you will find happiness in some way or form. Life here is so different than living in the city or a first-world country. People have simple lives and because of it they are relatively carefree. You can learn a lot by simply spending a few days here. If you are living a high-stress life, then coming here may simply be the cure.
In my next article, I will be writing about the techno rave in the jungle I went to while I was here for my birthday and re-examine happiness once more. Thank you for reading.
