Name: Hidden Gems of Japan | NAGOYA, Kakuozan
Uploaded: 2025-03-04T09:40:45.000Z
Duration: 11 min 32 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

様態の副詞

It's been a while since I traveled this far, especially after giving birth to my beautiful baby girl, but I'm excited to return to Nagoya where I resided a long time ago before moving to Tokyo and explore a little deeper off the beaten path with you on this video.

Amongst the popular tourist spots of Nagoya, I'd like to show you one of the most exclusive residential areas in the city called Kakuozan.

I actually used to work in the area, and with tons of fashionable shops and an upper-class vibe, this is a hotspot not many know about.

Kakuozan is where the elite used to gather hundreds of years ago, and a lot of the noble and elegant architecture has survived.

This is a great way to spend a portion of your trip if you're in the area.

I literally had no idea this was here, so I'm glad I can open the gates to something as historical as Tamesaburo Memorial Museum, a Japanese mansion where you can feel like the upper class did back in the day as you enjoy some delicious tea.

This mansion was built in the 1930s, surrounded by lush trees and grass, nestled in a pretty ordinary neighborhood.

The gardens and house architecture is like stepping into a piece of Kyoto, so if you're into Japanese history and culture, this is for you.

Inside the building, you'll be stepping into a representation of nature.

All of the walls are laced and carved with symbols of the outside world, mountains, flowers, the ocean, trees hidden in the walls.

What makes it more intriguing is the meaning behind the architecture, mountains representing a sense of distance, flowers blooming on the paper doors as a way to connect with the seasons of life, and so much more.

Pretty much every room had a view of the outside, so it almost felt as if you weren't inside at all.

You were exposed to nature in all senses, and each view felt like I was looking at a painting, which, by the way, are actual paintings in these rooms because they sometimes have exhibitions here, which is also pretty cool.

Unlike a lot of Japanese homes I've visited, each room had its own personality and energy.

There was even an upper level and lower level that led to more tea rooms, so if you ever have a chance to visit, you can enjoy the scent of incense while sipping on some tea in a house that feels so timeless.

Here's a deeper look on some of the rooms that I was able to view.

Within the building, you'll be greeted with a warm scent of traditional Japanese incense that's supposed to transport you from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

In fact, I was able to learn more about traditional Japanese incense from a skilled teacher here at Tamesaburo, and I had no idea how deeply the practice of incense was ingrained in Japanese culture.

It was something that was introduced in the 6th century around the time Buddhism was introduced to Japan, and since then, Japanese incense has been in development for over a thousand years.

Even though incense originated from India, Japan was the country that developed the custom of giving a good aroma to the gods.

I was told there are three ways of using incense, serving to the gods, purifying a room, and a form of entertainment.

I was taught a traditional way to hold and smell burning incense.

Yes, there is a specific way to truly enjoy it.

The jars used to burn incense in some situations have line markings within the sand, representing the Chinese symbol of yin and yang.

Our teacher carefully shared with us how it was done.

Traditional incense are usually wrapped in a Japanese cloth-type material, tied up like a piece of art.

The rope used to tie the incense is tied in a way that represents the seasons, like momiji leaves for autumn and sakura for spring.

I was able to participate in a game played at gatherings which included guessing what the incense burning was and writing it on a piece of paper, or if one incense was different from another.

I feel like I don't want to get it wrong.

I ended up getting one wrong, so I didn't win the game, but that's okay.

Just smelling all the incense was heavenly.

After the game, if you won, you actually win the paper that tallied all of our scores up.

It's honestly all in good fun, and the incense was so warm and light that unlike a lot of you would buy in the states, it didn't burn my nose and you could sit there for hours and just smell.

This place also has a gift shop where you can purchase your favorite Japanese aroma.

Amongst other traditional customs you can learn about here, you can enjoy a tea ceremony along with delicious matcha to taste and Japanese sweets.

A few things you maybe didn't know about Japanese tea ceremonies.

The Japanese tea ceremony is known as sado, which translates to the way of tea.

The Japanese tea ceremony is not just about tea, but also serves as a means to appreciate art, culture, and hospitality.

The choice of utensils and decorations in the tea room often reflects the season and adds to the overall experience.

This was reflected in the handcrafted bowls we drank the matcha from.

Wabi-sabi, as you know, I am in love with the concept.

The aesthetic philosophy of wabi-sabi is often associated with tea ceremonies.

It emphasizes simplicity, imperfection, and appreciation of beauty in the imperfect.

Silence and a focus on the present moment are important aspects of the tea ceremony promoting mindfulness.

Furukawa Art Museum is close by and is normally a collection of works from Tamesaburo himself.

This time we had some modern art by Judy Hamada who uses nature and different textures to create beautiful art pieces such as this.

This is a perfect place to relax and take in the creativity.

If you're interested in exploring some spiritual places such as temples or shrines, there are a couple noted ones nearby.

One is an Itaiji temple built in 1904 and houses Buddha's actual bones given to Japan by the king of Thailand.

Here's me purifying myself and I started an actual fire.

Okay so we finished our matcha and we finished doing the tea ceremony and we finished doing the incense which was super interesting because I'm really interested in like incense things and smelling that and I didn't know it was so in-depth like there's so much to know about incense and the tradition behind it.

So now we're at Itaiji temple and this temple there's not that many visitors.

There's not a lot of people that come here.

This is the only temple in Japan that has the actual Buddha's remains like actual bones from Buddha.

This temple was gifted by Thailand so that's why you see a lot of like Thai related like architecture and things like that and art and elephants and things like that.

This temple I remember I came here a long time ago.

If you walk only five minutes from Itaiji you can find a cozy looking sanctuary that goes by the name Yokiso.

This was built by the first president of the Japanese department store chain Matsuzakaya.

Back in the day there were a ton more buildings even a secret underground passageway and was a place for Japanese royalty, entrepreneurs, and guests from around the world.

This was a place for many tea parties and moon viewing parties.

The war was actually the reason for a lot of buildings missing as they burned down.

This place is free to visit and you wouldn't believe you were even in a city just by walking the gardens.

If you see the fake crane's legs, the fake crane's legs inside the ground.

In the southern courtyard is Choshokaku designated as a tangible cultural asset of Nagoya city.

Each room influenced by other countries around the world.

Complete with a ballroom, theater stage, meditation space, living space, and cozy bedrooms.

Multiple fireplaces which is almost unheard of in Japan.

This mansion was lived in not only by the president of Matsuzakaya but the wife of the US military leader during the war.

I could feel the energy of this place and the lives that once lived here and the stories that played out.

I feel like I shouldn't be sitting on it.

We just about ended our time in Kakuozan at Soji Temple where one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's wife was laid to rest who was the founder of the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.

What was interesting about this temple is the fact that people actually come here to burn and pray or thank the used wooden whisks used for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies or whisking matcha.

This is a beautiful place to explore and just be present.

I'm sure some of you can get these at imported shops.

The ball goes into the bottle when you open it.

So it's a carbonated drink and it tastes kind of sweet.

If you'd like to learn more about the places I went to you can click the link below.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram at kalimarita underscore lifestyle for extra mini vlogs and content and let me know what you'd like to see next.