kinkaku-ji

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering which begins here)


Thursday, September 6th, 2001 (continued)


After lunch, we set off for Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Temple), one of Japan's best-known and most-photographed sights. The original building was constructed in 1397 as a shogun's retirement villa, but an unhappy monk burned the whole thing to the ground. The temple was reconstructed in 1955.





After we figured out which bus to get on and when to pay for our ticket (you pay as you exit the bus), an Asian-looking couple also boarded the bus. They looked a bit confused, obviously searching for something, and then asked Jeff in English where to get tickets. Jeff answered, and as friendly conversation ensued, it turned out that the couple was visiting from Korea for the husband's physics conference.


It was a fun moment, meeting another English-speaking couple whose native tongue was NOT English. They were super-nice. We parted ways when we reached the temple, but ran into them a few times later on.





The second and third floor of Kinkaju-ji is covered with gold leaf on Japanese laquer, making quite a striking scene in the sunshine....I'm not surprised it's such a popular tourist attraction.


There were a ton of schoolchildren there, and of course that's where I met the three schoolgirls who interviewed me for a school project.





Next, we walked to Ryoan-ji. This temple belongs to a Zen school and was founded in 1450. Jeff and I only had about half an hour, so we beelined it for the main attraction, which was the zen garden (kare-sansui, or dry landscape). I have to say that although the rocks and the raked sand made a pretty scene, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about (Debbie cringes as Zen-types jump on her). The rest of the grounds were GORGEOUS, with weeping willows draped over scenic ponds, cranes, flowers, beautifully kept gardens.I really wish we had more time here. Anyone planning to visit Ryoan-ji should definitely allocate at least a half day to wander the gardens and pond.


Jeff and I have decided that we have to come back to Japan someday, hopefully within the next five years or so. We'll be better prepared, and both of us plan to study the language. I also plan to learn how to read well enough to be more useful in terms of navigation and reading tourist signs.





Next: sukiyaki and traditional Japanese tea ceremony!


Today's Blatherpics:


- Photo taken by the nice Korean couple we met on the way to Kinkaku-ji.


- Chic girl we encountered on our walk.


- Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Shrine)


- Another photo of Jeff and me with the schoolgirls who interviewed me.


- Sign outside the public washroom.


Today's Poll:



Are you friends (with regular contact) with anyone whose main language is not the same as your own?

rickshaws and shaved ice

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering which begins here)


Thursday, September 6th, 2001


The next morning, our maid came at 8 pm to put away our futons and bring us breakfast. We had opted for a Japanese breakfast, of course. Who would come to Kyoto and pay for the ryokan experience and choose a Western breakfast?? Jeff was somewhat hesitant (he had heard rumours of raw eggs, for example), but discovered his fears were unfounded...nothing on the dishes the maid brought looked scary. Everything was delicious!





We checked out some of the little back streets in the area; some streets were so narrow you could almost touch both walls if you held your arms out straight to either side. If any of you have read Memoirs of a Geisha, we were in the Gion district. The small restaurants were all still closed, but we had fun checking out the different types of architecture. A LOT of wood (I hope they have a good fire department in Kyoto!), beautiful and simple lines. As in Tokyo, some of the English translations were entertaining to read (see "Sent James" on sign above).





Despite the heat, both Jeff and I loved walking around Kyoto. We got much more of a sense of "old Japan" than in Tokyo...no wonder tourists flock here in such droves! Most tended to come in cooler weather, especially during cherry blossom season.


My dad had actually advised Jeff and I not to go when we did because of the heat and humidity. We decided to go anyway because of the unique opportunity (staying with our friend Alison, having the benefit of her expertise and advice, etc.). So far, I've only found the humidity really bad on this one full day in Kyoto. Whenever I felt like complaining, however, I reminded myself that at least (unlike our Killarney hiking trip), I wasn't carrying a 40-lb backpack and climbing up rockslides at the same time! :-) Sure helped put things in perspective.





I did a little souvenir shopping in a few shops where the prices weren't too bad. I also followed a pair of trendy-looking young women into a trendy-looking shop which was pretty much the equivalent of a U.S. "Origins" or Canadian "Body Shop". I had seen so many women carrying out white bags with a stylized logo of a woman's face, and was curious.


To help cool down, Jeff and I would pop into air-conditioned shops fairly often. We also found an icecream shop where we bought a bowl of strawberry-flavoured shaved ice (made of shaved ice, fruit flavouring, sweetened milk, called uji kintoki). Yummmmmmmmm!





In Maruyama park, Jeff stretched out on a bench and took a short nap. A number of other men seemed to be doing the same thing. I decided to wander a bit instead, and ended up spending most of that time standing outside a sushi restaurant, entranced by the strains of koto music (Japanese harp) coming from a second floor window. I thought it was a recording at first, but then the performer made a mistake and had to repeat a phrase. Koto music is gorgeous! I want to learn to play koto someday.


After Jeff woke, we continued our exploration of Kyoto. We checked out the Koto Handcraft Center, where I picked up a gift for my sister, then had lunch in a nearby noodle shop where the plastic food displays outside looked pretty good. I took a photo of the dishes we wanted to order on my digital camera, just in case we had to use the photos to show our waitress what we wanted. Fortunately there were photos and prices listed on the menu inside, so ordering was easy.


Next: making friends with locals and tourists, visiting the Golden Shrine and Zen Garden





Today's Blatherpics:


- Exploring the streets of Kyoto.


- Sign down the street from our ryokan.


- Strawberry shaved ice.


- Rickshaw. These guys were similar to the ones in downtown Toronto in that they were pretty aggressive (in a friendly way) about soliciting customers. They always targeted me since they assumed Jeff couldn't speak English (little did they know that I couldn't speak English, either :-)). They were pretty cute. :) :) Later on, Jeff and I realized that it might actually have been a good idea to get a rickshaw ride, but we had been so conditioned to turn down the Toronto rickshaw guys.


- Jeff taking a nap in Maruyama Park.


- Me after doing some souvenir shopping. Note how I'm prominently displaying the bag with the trendy logo.


Today's Poll:



When you're exploring a new city/area, do you tend to like to have certain destinations in mind (e.g. certain tourist attractions, etc.), or do you prefer to just wander on whim? Choose 'YES' for destinations, 'NO' for whim.

ryokan feast

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th (cont'd)


We had picked 6:30 pm as the time we'd like to eat. Right on time, the maid came in with the first tray of food.





Each tray was filled with small dishes, and each dish contained a different part of the meal. Every item was arranged carefully, the colours, textures, and arrangement turning each into a miniature work of art.





The maid went up and down the stairs a few times, each time arriving with a tray of still more dishes. Each time she put the dishes on the table, she would explain (with short Japanese words or hand motions) how to eat the contents of various dishes, what sauce went with what food, etc.





When most of the dishes had been laid out, the maid gave us each a bowl of steamed rice and a cup of green tea. She left a larger container of rice behind in case we wanted more, as well as the thermos of tea.





Jeff and I had a lot of fun going through various dishes and trying to figure out what each was, taste-testing. With only one or two small exceptions (mostly because of texture), we found everything absolutely delicious.





Partway through the meal, we realized that we were whispering to each other even though our room was completely separate from everyone else's, and was as soundproof as a regular Western hotel (at least we never heard any of our neighbours during our stay at the ryokan).





After dinner, the maid came to clear away the dishes. After the table was cleared, she dragged the table and chairs into the smaller room and brought out our futons and pillows, which had been stored in a small storage space beside the bathroom.





The pillows were filled with rice husks. Neither Jeff nor I minded this, but I know some others might want to bring their own pillows (though this might be a pain to carry on a plane). The futon blanket was too short for Jeff. He was definitely taller than the average Japanese person...the poor guy kept accidentally bumping his forehead into the low doorframe into the smaller room. :-(





Jeff is constantly having to watch out for doorframes during our visit. He even has to duck slightly to get into Alison's apartment. Guidebooks all warn Westerners, especially tall ones, to not count on getting shoes in Japan...it will likely be difficult to find the right size!





After our bath and wonderful feast, Jeff and I were both ready for bed soon after the futons were laid out.


Next: exploring Kyoto!





Today's Blatherpics:


- Jeff at dinner.


- Most of the rest are close-ups of some of the dishes we were served.


- Maid setting out our futons.


- Good night message we found as we went to bed.


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Do you tend to want a dessert (or at least something sweet) after dinner?

japanese bath

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th (cont'd)


We were greeted at the ryokan by two older women. One was obviously a manager-type; the other was a maid. We took our shoes off and were each given a pair of slippers to wear inside the ryokan, then the maid took the luggage Jeff had been carrying and led us to our room. Jeff later said he felt very strange letting a small elderly woman in a kimono lug our suitcase down the hallway and up the stairs. Neither of us were confident enough to wrest the suitcase away from her, however...she didn't speak any English, and was clearly used to doing this.


Upon entering our room, we were instructed to take off our slippers before stepping on the tatami mats (Alison had also warned us to do this before we left). There was a small bathroom with a tub (VERY deep tub, yay!), shower, sink, and one of the über-toilets I had seen in Tokyo's Akihabera (see photo later on this page). The maid also showed us a small closet which also contained yukata (light cotton summer kimonos) and obi, socks (the kind with two toes, not sure of the proper name), toiletries set, towel. The main space was divided into two areas: a larger one that was obviously meant as the main room, and a smaller one divided from the former by a shoji (sliding rice paper screen).





The main room had a low black table as the main piece of furniture. Two zabuton (cushions) were provided on zaisu (legless chairs) beside the table. In one corner of the room were two woven chairs (either chairs or low tables; Jeff and I never figured out which), and in another corner was a vase containing artificial flowers. There was also a television and a rotary dial phone, neither of which we used during our stay (well, we did try out the tv out of curiosity, but could only find a few snowy stations).


The smaller room had a small, legless vanity table (see photo; there was a cushion in front for kneeling) with a mirror, two small drawers, and a number of containers of lotions I couldn't identify except for a moisturizer. Two were Shiseido products, one with the English words "Hair Tonic" and the other "Hair Liquid". If any of you know what these are, I'd love to know. :-) My guess is that the Shiseido products are for men, perhaps for before and after shaving.


At the other end of the room hung a piece of Japanese artwork, and a low bench with a single empty vase on it. I had read in several "Ryokan Tips For Foreigners" that this was NOT for storage of any kind.





After turning on the air conditioning, the maid poured us two cups of green tea and also gave us each a Japanese sweet cookie of some kind. She left a laquered container beside the table with a thermos of hot water and more tea leaves.


After getting changed, we decided to take a bath. Alison had told us to try the public bath rather than the one in our room, so we asked the front desk. They told us it would be ready in about ten minutes.


Ten minutes later, we were downstairs in the public bath room. It was a small area separated into two rooms. The first contained a sink and a number of storage bins for our clothes and other belongings. After getting undressed (we were wearing our yukatas, since we had been told it was okay to wear them around the ryokan even outside our room), we went into the other room, which contained the tub.





I assume the wooden tub was traditional Japanese style. The maid had filled it to the brim with hot water, with the hot water tap left on to just a trickle. As warned by the guidebooks and others, we washed ourselves before getting into the tub. Sounds weird to Westerners, I know, having to wash before taking a bath, but it's the norm in traditional Japanese households. Everyone uses the same bathwater, so after finishing our bath, we knew NOT to drain it. There was a sign with these instructions in English in the outer room as well.


It took some fiddling with the faucet controls before Jeff figured out how to turn them on (the instructions were all in Japanese). I had left my glasses in the other room, so was useless in helping out. He did figure it out, however, and we washed up, making sure every bit of soap was off before getting it the tub.





The bath was WONDERFUL. Very hot water (guidebooks warned about this as well)...the trick is to get in slowly and then not move around very much. The tub is much deeper than it looks in the picture at the top...part of it is embedded in the floor. Jeff and I could both fit, with some minor maneouvering.


By the time we got out, put on our yukatas, and went back up to our rooms, we were both feeling incredibly relaxed. And a little hungry. :-)


Next: ryokan feast!





Today's Blatherpics:


- Me and a Japanese-style tub.


- Small room that was separated from the main room with a shoji.


- Controls for the toilet (!). Yes, I felt compelled to try all of them. :-)


- Our slippers in the ryokan. Jeff kept cursing his because they slipped off his feet a lot. Personally, I'm amazed that they fit him at all!


- The other half of the room with the Japanese tub. The faucets are for washing before taking a bath. Shampoo and body soap in the corner. The wooden benches and pails are also for washing.


- Main area of our ryokan room.


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Have you checked the batteries in your fire alarm recently?

kyoto arrival

(continuation of a multi-part Blathering, begin here)


Wednesday, September 5th (cont'd)


Kyoto shinkansen station is very large and full of a zillion interesting little shops. I forced Jeff to wait while I browsed a few. There were shops of Japanese delicacies, beautifully hand-painted fans, laquerware, chopsticks...a souvenir-shopper's dream, or at least one with a lot of money. I ended up not buying anything here (though I did do a lot of drooling) because of the prices. A child's fan cost about CAN$30, for example (yikes), though I'm sure it was a good quality fan. If you're looking for high-class Japanese souvenirs to take home, however, this is definitely the place.


Jeff used the washroom facilities in Kyoto station, and came out looking somewhat odd. He said that a woman started cleaning the urinal beside him in the men's bathroom, very matter-of-factly. Definitely not something that happened very often back home in Toronto. :-)





The Kyoto tourist office was excellent, with a ton of useful maps and information. All the staff spoke English.


Despite the heat, we decided to do a 50-minute walk from the station to our ryokan rather than take a bus so we could enjoy looking around our surroundings along the way. Very interesting people-watching opportunities, and the scenery was already much prettier than in Tokyo despite the fact that we were so near the train station. In such an idyllic area, Jeff was self-conscious about the sound of the wheels of his carry-on rattling on the road, feeling compelled to pick it up sometimes and carry it by the handle instead.





I saw my first crane while we walked along a shallow river...I was pretty excited; I'd only seen cranes in Japanese artwork and books, after all. It was wading on the rocks, looking for things to eat in the water (small fish, maybe? insects?). From time to time, its head would dart forward as it grabbed something.





Soon we came to an area with small streets and more traditional-type buildings. On the way, we passed four women dressed in kimonos, sweeping leaves from a street. The scene was so unexpected, so enchanting, that I felt like just standing there like a gaping tourist (which I was, of course). But it was hot, and Jeff and I were anxious to get to the ryokan, and I took a "stealth picture" instead. I'm getting pretty good at taking stealth pictures, where I take photos with my camera without making it look like I'm taking photos. Not all of them turn out, of course, but it's a way of getting interesting people shots without sticking my camera in their face.





We found the street where our ryokan was supposed to be located, Shin-monzen dori", and found the Yoshi Ima itself by recognizing the kanji symbol on a banner by the entrance.


We were finally here, woohoo!


Next: Our first experience with a Japanese bath, first night's feast!


Today's Blatherpics:


- The entrance to Yoshi-Ima, the ryokan we stayed at for two nights.


- Fashion-conscious Kyoto youth. Jeff and I have both seen many girls like this in Japan so far.


- Kyoto intersection. One of the things I've loved about Japan is seeing women in traditional costume mingling casually with the bustle of regular traffic.


- There were a LOT of cyclists in Kyoto. Like Tokyo cyclists, none wore helmets (including infants!!). This photo shows a double-rider style we saw quite a few times in Japan.


- Scene we passed on our walk from Kyoto train station to the ryokan: four women in kimonos, sweeping leaves.


Today's Poll: (courtesy Alison George)



Do you feel you live in a safe neighbourhood?