Culture lesson in Kyoto

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When I was in Osaka I was really tired and sometimes, even though I enjoyed it, I felt like I was just going through the movements of sightseeing, seeing but not really seeing, if you know what I mean. Today is actually the 6 week mark of my holiday, but I think that while I was in Osaka I was a little over it. Travelling, especially by yourself, can be so exhausting, the early mornings and travelling times and having to be here for this and there for that and trying to see all that you can in one day etc. I really felt quite lethargic while in Osaka, but like I said I still enjoyed it and saw the things I wanted to see, just didn't have my usual enthusiasm. BUT, when I hit Kyoto that all changed! I was revitalised!

I had already been to Kyoto back in early April with my Chinese friend and I loved it so I thought I would include it in this trip as well. And I'm so glad that I did. I loved it last time, loved it this time and will definitely go back and no doubt love it again! It was a really good feeling knowing where everything was too, I didn't waste time searching for lockers and the tourist info booth and bus stops and all the rest because I already knew. And although I was only there for a very short period last time it just felt really relaxing walking into that station, as I was familiar with everything for a change. That's probably why it revitalised me I think. Everything always being new, it's overwhelming, like sensory overload. Sometimes you really need to sit back and let your mind take it all in. Or better yet, give your mind a rest all together!

Kyoto is very tourist-friendly and has a well developed bus network so I knew that if I went to the bus ticket centre just outside the station and bought a one day bus pass they would give me a bus map and that was all I needed. That was the first time that I didn't use the tourist info booth somewhere! I then went and sat at a cafe for a while for brunch and decided where to go. I had already seen a lot of the main sights last time so my first port of call was a park called Maruyama Park. The park surrounds one of the bigger shrines near a suburb called Gion and although at the shrine there were a few people the park was practically deserted. Which was great because it added to the the feel of the peacefulness of it, and it was a really really pretty place. It had a small waterfall at the back of it too. I walked around there for a while enjoying the serenity, as, contrary to what most people imagine, the rest of Kyoto is definitely not like that! Then I walked around Gion for a bit too.

Gion was traditionally the area of Kyoto where the geisha used to work, and they still do but there are also other shops and things there now too. A geisha is a hostess and I don't mean prostitutes, that they are not, although that is the misunderstood perception of them. I actually thought that myself too at one stage, but I bought the autobiography of a lady that used to be a geisha, when I first arrived in Japan, and it taught me a lot about them and what they actually do. This lady was the most popular geisha of her time, back in the 1990's but she quit and decided to marry and then wrote an autobiography about her life, I actually think at the time she wrote it it was the only book ever written about geisha's by a geisha. Anyway, it was really interesting! Their traditional role was to entertain people, be it male or female, but the majority of customers were male so I suppose that's where the misunderstanding comes from. Male clients would hire them to entertain at a gathering or party, and they would be there to talk to guests, dance, sing, play musical instruments that sort of thing. So they are actually very talented people. Oh, perhaps I should mention their appearance, I'm sure you've seen a picture. They paint their faces white with makeup and wear traditional, absolutely gorgeous kimono and geta (wooden sandals), and they have their perfectly black hair done up in fancy styles with flowers and pins stuck in it. They really do look gorgeous. But back to Gion, this was the area where they used to work and get paid very handsome amounts of money too I might add, but then again the kimono and hair clips and their special education isn't cheap either! If you're lucky, at night in Gion, you can spot some geisha and maiko, who are apprentice geisha, walking around Gion on their way to work.

So I walked around there and went to a place called Gion Corner which is part of the theatre, because like I said in my last email I wanted to see a bunraku show and I had heard that they did them there. In fact, at Gion corner they have a special show which covers a whole lot of traditional Japanese arts that you watch and so I picked up a brochure about that and since you didn't need to book planned to come back that night for the performance. But more of that later.

After that I headed to the Kyoto Imperial Palace because I wanted to do a tour of it but you actually have to register in advance at the Imperial Household Agency. So I went there and registerd and booked a place in the 10am tour the next morning. Exciting!

I'm going to mention something about the accommodation I stayed in because it was so good! It's called K's House Kyoto and is only 2 years old and also one of the cheapest places in town, in fact it has been one of the cheapest places I've stayed at so far. And it was great. It's a 3 storey yellow building, and actually throughout the whole place the theme is yellow and blue. Everything is spic and span and new and clean. The people who run it are only young, I think there might be about 5 of them all up, all friends and in their 20's and they all speak excellent English, although I prefer not to talk to people in English, I'm not in Japan to polish up my English after all!!! They were really friendly, helpful, nice and efficient. Anything you wanted they did, nothing was too much trouble. And the atmosphere the place had was also great, very relaxed and friendly. The rooms were dormitory style, and not too big, but the beds were actually quite comfy (for a bunk bed!). They had a big common room where they had THE most comfortable couches, a bookshelf packed with books, guide books, novels, newspapers, magazines, in English, Japanese and even some Korean! A big dining room table, a kitchen chock-a-block full of utensils and crockery and appliances that you would want to use, with two huge refrigerators. They had a small area near the common room that was Japanese style, you know tatami mats and low table etc. They also had an outdoor area, where they had a wooden deck with table and chairs and lovely gardens. What else? Oh, the bathrooms were also very new, they had western toilets and proper showers (yay!), although there was also a room with a bath, and although the bathrooms were unisex and communal, that was only the sink area, the toilets and showers all had doors so you had privacy. On the top floor there was also another common room with a TV and DVD player. I could go on and on, it was fantastic! Just little things that you would notice and think that makes it just that extra bit better. The only bad thing I would say is that 85% of the guests were foreigners and the majority of them English speakers. I didn't mind but I know that some people come to Japan to really enjoy Japanese living, and this place was quite westernised. But a place that I absolutely recommend!

I hung out there all afternoon, resting up and then headed back to Gion for my show! And it was great! It was one hour long, and consisted of (in order): tea ceremony, koto performace (Japanese harp), flower arranging, ancient Japanese court music and dance, kyogen (ancient comedy act), kyomai (a kyoto dance performed by maiko- the apprentice geisha's) and bunraku (puppet show). They all only went for a short time but it was good to get a taste of everything, and some of them, like tea ceremony, flower arranging and koto I have had classes in so it was really interesting to watch since I knew about them already.

The bunraku was the best though, after all that was what I had gone to see really, and it went for the longest. It really was amazing to watch, they way they move the doll and make it seem real, it's probably 3/4 the size of a human so it is believable. And the 3 men that control it, the two lowest are completely in black, even hoods but the main guy who controls the head and right arm has his face revealed. I was a little surprised at first as I thought that he would distract from the puppets perfomance but the movements of the puppet are that defined and precise and realistc that my eyes never left it. It was unreal. After the show you could also have a tea ceremony lesson if you wanted and since it had been so long since my last one in Hakodate I joined in. I can't wait to tell my tea ceremony teacher that I did it in Kyoto! She'll be impressed! It was good, although the other people who did it with me had never done it before so we went very slowly and only did the most basic procedures, and I didn't actually learn anything new but it was good to practice again after so long. I actually thought that I would have forgotten after 6 weeks but it came back as soon as we started. A fantastic experience anyhow, especially for first-timers.

I would say that out of the 40 people who went to Gion corner to see the performance, there were 6 Japanese people, the rest foreigners! That was the first time since February this year that I have been in a group of that many foreigners!!! It was a very strange feeling, I even felt a little out of place, like I was more a part of Japan than they were, I'm not officially a tourist anyway you know, I'm a resident of Japan at the moment! Out of those foreigners (notice the term "those", I didn't even mean that, just sort of slipped in!) the majority were American. And here is a story that has intrigued me for some time (I hope nobody takes offence to this, as it is merely an observation). As we were waiting for the show to start I started talking to an American man in front of me and another Australian, next to me. We were going through the "Where in Australia are you from?" questions when, I don't know why, but the next thing out of the American guy's mouth was "All you Australians are criminals aren't you? Your descendants got kicked out of England for being crooks, isn't that right? Nice history" He said this with a laugh, but also not really realising what he said at all. I looked at him in utter shock, now what would make a person say something like that to people who he had only just met and who were being nice to him? Surely he didn't think that we would find that funny? But even now, I just don't understand it, I really don't think he meant to offend us, he was trying to make conversation probably, but still, there is no better way to put someone off you than to offend them and talk badly about their country, most people are very protective and loyal to their homeland, so I just don't understand. I've always wondered what he expected us to say. "You know, you're right mate, we are just a bunch of criminals"????? The reason I mention this is really just in hope that nobody else ever feels the need to say something like this to an Australian that they just met. More importantly it was a good lesson for me: firstly, it opened my eyes as to how other people might see Australia, not the beautiful country that I think of; and secondly, I will be more aware of what I say to people from different countries and cultures from mine int he future.

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Photos

Shrine
Inside Maruyama park

Gion
Two geisha walking down a street in Gion