The Royal Armouries, Leeds

The Royal Armouries, Leeds
All photos: Itsumo Japan

Royal Armouries Museum
Armouries Drive
Leeds
LS10 1LT
View location on map
www.royalarmouries.org

The Oriental Gallery, on the 4th floor of the Royal Armouries in Leeds, is home to a good collection of Japanese swords, staff weapons, tsuba and archery equipment from Japan. In the section of the gallery dedicated to Japan you can view ancient bows and arrows, horse armour and a model of a mounted warrior. There are also exhibits from Toshogu Shrine in Nikko with which the museum is linked. The display centres around the traditional Yabusame horseback archery that is still practiced at the temple's spring festival. A video in the gallery shows images of the festival and the archery. There is even something to interest those, like myself, that aren't
completely fascinated by swords and weapons in the form of information about kimono and the chance to look inside a replica teahouse. Through an archway designed to mimic the architecture of a Japanese temple you will find glass cases displaying arms and armour from various periods and a video showing how traditional Japanese swords are made.

Though the Royal Armouries is sadly passed its heyday when it hosted major exhibitions like 'Shogun', which celebrated the museum's connection with Nikko and featured related events such as an excellent ikebana demonstration, it is still worth a visit for anyone that is interested in Japanese armour, swords and other weapons. I was lucky enough to be treated to a private tour by my husband, who used to work at the Royal Armouries, but as a result of recent severe cutbacks daily demonstrations are no longer held at the museum and there is a lack of knowledgeable staff working in the galleries.

The Oriental Gallery

Detail of horse armour

Exhibits from Toshogu Shrine, Nikko

Information about kimono

Display of Japanese swords

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Taste the Orient Oriental Supermarket, Leeds

The best place in Leeds for Japanese snacks, drinks and ingredients

TASTE THE ORIENT ORIENTAL SUPERSTORE
117 - 119 Vicar Lane
Leeds
LS1 7PJ
View location on map
www.wingleehong.co.uk
Image: Itsumo Japan


In its previous incarnation across the road on North Court the Wing Lee Hong Chinese supermarket was a well-stocked warren of tightly packed aisles piled high with all manner of exotic ingredients. The new premises on Vicar Lane are bigger, brighter and hold an even wider range of products. As you wander the aisles, gazing at the exotic and alien packaging, the sound of Chinese advertisements being played on TVs around the store creates the feeling of being miles away from Yorkshire making shopping here as much as about escapism as buying groceries. The shop boasts a good selection of oriental fruit and vegetables and a large freezer section as well as wide selections of spices, sweets and snacks, drinks, teas, noodles and desserts, everything you need for cooking up an asian feast. But, of course, what we're really interested in is the Japanese food and drinks on offer.

Taste the Orient has an extensive stock of Japanese food and ingredients which is varied and often added to. Recent months have seen many frozen Japanese products such as mixed vegetables, fish pastes and the infamous natto added to the store. It is also a good place to shop if you're craving the delicious sweets and snacks that you became addicted to the last time you were in Japan as they often stock brands like Pocky, Lotte and Glico. If, like me, you enjoy cooking Japanese dishes at home you will find the shop an invaluable source for ingredients like mirin, dashi stock and shoyu too.


Examples of products for sale:
Noodles: fresh, dried and frozen.
Rice.
Shoyu, mirin and rice vinegar.
Tofu: all kinds including abura age.
Miso.
Curry sauces.
Sushi-making ingredients.
Stocks and rice seasonings.
Frozen foods: Japanese vegetables, kamaboko and narutomaki fish pastes, natto, ice cream mochi and gyoza pastry.
Teas including matcha.
Sweets and snacks such as Pocky, Koala March biscuits, wasabi peas and seaweed crackers.
Soft drinks including Pocari Sweat, iced teas and aloe vera drinks.
Alcoholic drinks such as umeshu, sake and Japanese beers.

Opening Times:
Mon - Sat: 10am ~ 5.30pm
Sun: 11.30am ~ 5.30pm
Closed on Bank Holidays.

Shop Online? No
Japanese-Speaking Staff? No

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Review: Andon Ryokan, Tokyo

ANDON RYOKAN

2-34-10 Nihonzutsumi Taito, Tokyo,

Japan, 111-0021

TEL: +81-3-3873-8611

View location on map

E-MAIL: ryokan@andon.co.jp

www.andon.co.jp
All images: Andon Ryokan

The Andon Ryokan is an inexpensive yet unusual hotel in Taito, Tokyo. Hidden in a quiet residential street just a short walk from Minowa Station the innovative and modern Andon Ryokan is instantly recognisable amongst the hotchpotch of modern concrete towers and old-fashioned wooden structures that surround it. Conceived from the idea of creating traditional Japanese features in modern materials, the hotel was designed by architect Irie Masayuki and featured in a 2005 Architectural Institute of Japan journal. An opaque glass facade, representative of shoji screens, covers the front of the building while metal panels and louvres replace a traditional wooden framework. Just like the paper lantern that the ryokan takes its name from the whole hotel is illuminated at night as guest room lights shine through the translucent green glass. Inside the hotel's sleek black walls, narrow
corridors and concrete floors border on the industrial but are interrupted by alcoves filled with brightly coloured Japanese antiques. In keeping with the traditions that run through this very modern ryokan, shoes are left at the door when you enter your room and tucked under a lacquered wooden step. At around 7m² and just enough space for a double futon on the tatami floor the rooms are tiny and basic. However, like the rest of the hotel, they are cleverly designed. An alcove at one end provides enough room to store clothes and bags, a TV, DVD player and a small fold-up table while, at the opposite end, a recess filled with a floor length window and sliding perforated metal screen provides further storage and creates the effect of a traditional tokonoma. Bathrooms are shared and are situated on each floor along with a sink and an area for separating recyclable rubbish. If you need a more relaxing bath time experience after a day of exploring the busy streets of Tokyo, the Andon has its version of the onsen, a jacuzzi bath on the 5th floor that can be reserved and used privately. Downstairs, on the ground floor, breakfast is served from the compact, open-plan kitchen. On hazy summer mornings you can sit outside in the tiny courtyard squeezed between the hotel and the neighbouring building and enjoy scrambled eggs on toast as you contemplate the day ahead. Though, on paper, the Andon Ryokan may sound like an unattractive prospect there is something enchanting about its narrow landings lined with the black wooden doors of the guest rooms, the subtle lighting from floor-level bulbs and narrow windows and the compact rooms. If the outside is designed to look like a paper lantern the interior of the Andon Ryokan feels like the inside of an intricate lacquered box filled with secret compartments and hidden treasures.

The area of Taito, where the Andon Ryokan is situated, is unremarkable in terms of sightseeing and major attractions. It is, however, a homely residential area that provides a glimpse of everyday life in Tokyo. The walk from Minowa Station to the hotel takes you along pavements lined with resident's bikes and past tiny local bars,  restaurants and a taxi rank. A little further afield is a small shopping centre filled with housewives, a good-sized supermarket, several restaurants and a branch of the Sankus convenience store. During a stay here in July, a few years ago, I really enjoyed the walk back to the hotel every night through what became a familiar neighbourhood. We saw few tourists or westerners, just the local residents going about their lives. This isn't to say that we were far away from livelier or more popular areas of the city. Asakusa and Ueno are a 30 minute walk away and Minowa Station allows easy access to everywhere else.

My final word of advice is, if you're looking for somewhere cheap to stay in Tokyo, you could do a lot worse. The rooms may be tiny but they are comfortable and well-equipped, and where else could you enjoy such innovative, modern design at such a reasonable price?

NB. It is a good idea to request a room that isn't on the ground floor.  On our first stay here we were woken every morning by the sound of other residents going up and down the stairs and milling around in the lounge. On our second visit, our room on the 3rd floor was much quieter.

Price: 8190 yen per room.
Online reservation.
English language website.
English-speaking staff.
Breakfast available.
Shared bathrooms.
Internet access.

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Review: Annex Turtle Hotori-An, Nikko

ANNEX TURTLE HOTORI-AN

8-28 Takumi-Cho, Nikko City, Tochigi,

Japan, 321-1433

TEL: +81-288-53-3663

View location on map

E-MAIL: info@turtle-nikko.com

www.turtle-nikko.com/hotori-an
All images: Annex Turtle Hotari-An

The Annex Turtle Hotari-An is one of my favourite hotels in Japan. Nestled in a quiet Nikko backstreet amongst residential homes and the tree-lined banks of the Daiya River it has a friendly and warm atmosphere. The rooms are fairly large by Japanese standards with a small entrance area, well-equipped bathroom and, through a sliding paper shoji screen, a bedroom with tatami mats and futons. On both occasions that I
stayed here we were given a room at the rear of the hotel that backs onto the river. To wake up every morning tucked into my cosy futon with the fresh mountain air and the gentle rush of the river drifting through the window was lovely and gave me a wonderfully authentic Japanese feeling. The hotel has a spacious lounge where they serve breakfast, you can use tea and coffee making facilities or microwave a cheap lunch or dinner bought at the nearby 7-Eleven. The staff are very friendly and came over to help when they saw us struggling to understand the instructions on our instant noodles. There is also a vending machine that serves drinks and a freezer where you can buy ice cream.

Though the hotel is situated a little off the beaten track it is within walking distance of the Toshogu-shrine complex and Nikko's shops and restaurants. The walk from the hotel took us along quiet streets where local residents looked up from their gardening to bid us 'ohayō gozaimasu' and a craftsman worked on tatami mats, alongside the river where mist wafted up around our feet from the turquoise water below and past the crimson Shinkyo sacred bridge. This walk became a daily ritual during our stay in Nikko and gave us a glimpse of the town away from the major tourist attractions. Away from the town, a secluded path from the hotel took us along the river to the swirling Ganmangafuchi Abyss and past the never-ending row of Bakejizo statues. It was especially beautiful on our first visit there, in the autumn.

One of the best features of the Annex Turtle Hotori-An is the private onsen. The stone-tiled hot spring bath can be used by guests for around half an hour in complete privacy which is perfect for those that are feeling a little shy about stripping off in front of a group of strangers. After scrubbing and rinsing ourselves off we unwound after a day of temples and shrines in the steaming hot water. The bath itself is surrounded by ceiling high windows that can be slid back to let in the night air and the relaxing sound of the river. But don't worry, trees screen the bathroom from the view of any passers-by. After a long soak we slipped into yukata covered with the hotel's turtle logo and drank chilly beers in the lounge while we planned the next day's activities, our faces flushed pink from the hot water.

Price: 12,700 yen per room.
Online reservation.
English language website.
English-speaking staff.
Breakfast available.
Rooms with private bathrooms.

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