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What does one discover when arriving off the plane? Heated toilet seat covers, vending machines in residential streets and face mask donning locals - we must be in Japan!
Kyoto is the must see city in Japan, second only to Tokyo in tourism. Although lots of Kyoto does involve neon and the like, it certainly has more than its fair share of "real Japan" - yes I know I just uttered the heinous phrase but Kyoto really does have raked pebble gardens, temples galore and the tripping step of a latter day geisha in pursuit of a taxi. With more than 2000 temples and shrines, a trio of palaces, dozens of gardens and museums, not to mention a total of 17 Unesco World Heritage sites, months or even years could be spent exploring Kyoto and turning up even more surprises. True to form though we only had a few days. In reality, thank god, because pricey does not even come close!
Despite our trip being delayed we certainly hit the seasons right and arrived at the height of Spring for cherry blossom viewing. So called 'Maruyama koen' lasts for two weeks in April when the cherry blossom hordes of
revellers enjoy Hanami (blossom viewing). If we thought that we had seen some enthusiastic Chinese tourists, the Japanese certainly gave them a run for our money. Cherry Blossom is the most favoured time for Japanese tourism and they go WILD for it. Everybody has seen a Japanese tourist, or the "Nikon Brigade"(is that racist?) as I used to call them at home, with at least one camera around their necks whilst another is being used to take a picture - crowding around tourist attractions so that you cannot even see past. Well, you know the little flower button on your camera which you use for close ups - it was clearly invented for cherry blossom viewing. Speaking of cameras, it is no cliche that the technology they have is incredible!! I shit you not, in a couple of years when you see the camera phones we will be getting they are amazing and there will no longer be a need to own any other camera than the one on your phone. I digress though and, joking asides, I think it may have spritual conotation also for them (the cherry blossom not the button on their camera). They regularly hold "hakami"
parties on blue tarpaulin under the blossom. This basically involves picknicking on Sake in your suit and getting quite pissed whilst marvelling at the pink. You can see why though. From a tourist point of view it is gorgeous, and the shrines and temples look amazing against a backdrop of pink. The party atmosphere is always in full swing and we managed to catch a cherry blossom dance off outside the town hall - cool! The downside of this has to be that during this time accommodation is scarce. "Oh it will be fine" we quipped whilst trying to locate a dorm bed. "sold out?" what does hostelworld know. Hmmm.
We got off the aeroplane and everything ran like clockwork. The trains, true to form, are amazing. The 'Shinkansen' or bullet train which has become a symbol of modern Japan deservedly holds the title for the best train in the world and delivered us to Kyoto in record time, leaving us feeling more than a little travel sick. The speed these things travel at is incredible - matched only by the Nozomi - a newer, sleeker and faster breed. Kyoto station is a cool place to arrive in itself-
To Ji
Highest pagoda in Japan at 57mall steel and glass with fantastic restaurants and even a department store. We were quickly realising Japan is all about convernience and the look. Everything has to be fashionable and trendy and surprisingly is so functional aswell. There is a huge atrium that soars over the main concourse and you can ride the escalator all the way up to the 11th floor aerial skywalk and 15th floor observation point - St Pancras eat your heart out!
So, on arrival we dutifully followed the Lonely Planet advice and rocked up in Tourist Information. "Dorm beds"! she cried with a look of despair - "not likely". So, we were wrong (and I am not usually one to admit to this!). We ended up sleeping quite literally on the floor of a Japanese house. We were subjected to the Japanese phenomenon that is the 'tatami mat'. Basically the floor - no padding and no bedding and it was freezing and wet....we will get to this later!
Downtown Kyoto is funky and bustling although the place is pretty much all about the temples. All of these you have to take off your shoes in and many of which had active Buddhist ceremony's
and chanting going on. They are all very ornate with sumptious carvings and rich colours and paintings, and, although I thought I had seen pretty much all the temples in the world it was possible to see, Japan actually does have their own architectural breed of 'Japaneesy' temples. My favourite was Chion In which houses the headquarters of the buddhist school of Jozo. It had the largest temple gates in Japan which prepare'd you for its immense main hall and gold alter - beautiful! Walking the path of philosophy was pretty cool aswell although I did not feel particularly philosophical!
As well as beautiful temples and shrines Kyoto is home to the famed district of Gion - or the 'Geisha district'. Easily some of Kyoto's most beautiful streets, on the easten bank of the Kamogawa, the narrow dark lanes are lined with 17th century traditional restaurants and tea houses, many of which are exclusive establishments for Geisha entertainment. Having just finished 'Memoirs of a Geisha' (a great read by the way) I was keen to see this area and learn about the trade first hand, so we joined up to a walking tour led by a teahouse owner. Geishas
are not hookers. Geisha means 'artist' and patrons pay more thasn US$3000 to spend an evening with one. They can be described as kimono clad women with white painted faces who are versed in an array of visual and performing arts, fan dancing, playing the 3 stringed thingy and singing. It is virtually impossible to enter a teahouse without the introduction of an estabished patron so we strolled around early evening hoping to catch a geisha or meiko on their way to / from an appointment and we were not disappointed. Unfortunately, with the weather so bad they were almost running to and fro and our Geisha Hunt was hard to record as they trotted away faster than our digital cameras could keep up. Luckily, we had seen a couple during the day previoulsly texting their mother to let them know where they were. That is a picture to win prizes as they are rarely seen in themselves - let alone texting!! They were soon disgruntled to learn they had been spotted!
Ponto Cho, the traditional nightlife district was also a favourite. It is a narrow alley best visited in the evening when the traditional wooden buildings and hanging
lanterns create a wonderful atmosphere of old Japan. Another great find was Nishiki Market where you can see all the weird and wonderful foods required for cooking in Japan. The frequent cries of "Irasshaimimase'' (Welcome) were heartwarming. That brings me to the food......I was more than a little bit worried about the food in Japan. Having become a lot more adventurous in my eating the thought of sushi was still not exactly comforting, but I did it. Having sampled the delights of cook your own tempura (easily the best fun I have had mealwise since leaving home), we sampled a recommended sushi restaurant. It was one of those places where you need to watch what to do and I was certainly nervous about making a tit of myself. I mean, is it normal to serve food onto a marble counter just in front of you but far enough away not to know whether it is to be eaten or if the chef has just laid it their until he needs it?...very confusing. Anyway, we sat rubbing elbows with our neighbours at a marble counter and watched as some of the fastest sushi chefs in the land did their thing. It
was great fun and some unagi (eel), sashimi and octopus later we retired to our tatami mats.
The problem with Kyoto is that all the sights are pretty spread out and our poor lil' feet! I have never been in so much pain. We were up and out by 7.30am and not home until midnight. We ate breakfast and lunch on the move, stopping only for the toilet. Plus the rain made everything so much harder. We have not seen rain like it for a long time. It poured with rain ALL the live long day, every day. That is the one (or should that be another) problem with being a backpacker. Once your cold weather clothes get wet, there is no way to dry them and it was horrible to have to get up so early in the dark to put on the same wet clothes again. But, if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger and we can say with certainty that we saw the very best of Kyoto.
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