Kyoto

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After the relaxing time in the small town of Kinosaki, Kyoto was back to the reality of a large Japanese city where all your senses are assaulted simultaneously. Not satisfied with written and visual information, verbal instructions, music and other miscellaneous sounds often accompany the written word. Managing to get out of the train station was an achievement. The exit we took led us into a techno department store where even more signs, sounds and visuals confronted us. No wonder many Japanese like going into the outback. They must crave silence sometimes.

We spent the afternoon eating (just for something different) and wandering the Gion and Shizo areas. I think Japan is really one large shopping centre linked by subways. Hello Kitty pops up everywhere and I am amazed by the variety of situations this young cat finds herself in.

On the list of things to do in Kyoto is go 'Geisha watching'. I must admit that I felt somewhat ambivalent about this. It just seemed too weird to visit an area (Gion) where we would join throngs of tourists lining a street to catch a glimpse of a geisha. It was quite early in the evening when Dean decided that we should just go for a walk in the area because it still has some traditional buildings and is quite pretty as the sun sets. A few tourists were hanging around outside a restaurant like some geisha-paparazzi and as we walked past, a couple came out and were quickly ushered into their waiting vehicle. So our geisha-spotting experience was over pretty much as soon as it began. After all of about 10 minutes. Too easy. So we headed back to the hostel via Isetan department store. The basement is a massive food market where heaps of produce is discounted prior to closing time. We picked up some sushi bargains and ate in our room, watching a unknown movie of Japanese origin.

As usual, we woke early and spent the morning at Arashiyama in the bamboo forest and Tenryu-Ji Temple (Dean thought that as far as temples go, "...that wasn't up there..."). The gardens were nice but the best place was an old movie star's house called Okochi Sanso Villa. It was a bit of a walk up past the temple and we spent a few minutes debating whether it would be worth it. We're glad we decided to make the effort. The view over Kyoto was awesome and the gardens were really spectacular. A cup of matcha green tea (tasting like moss) and a little biscuit (sweetened moss encased in a wafer) were provided at the conclusion of our walk. Dean took Eleanor's and discreetly threw it out the window behind him. Although, with Eleanor laughing like a hyena, I don't think he could be confused with a silent ninja.The taste left in our mouths convinced us to abandon temple hopping and go for lunch.

Addicted to Okonomi-yaki (pan fried batter cake with lots of different toppings), we each had one for lunch. Eleanor's came with octopus dumplings and, I feel, were unnecessary. Despite this, they were eaten, tentacles and all.

Afterwards, we caught the subway to Nishiki market where we weren't really tempted by octopus skewers, eels or crabs. Lots of different foods to admire from a distance and wonder what they are and where they came from. The market and the area it's in is massive, so we spent a while wandering around aimlessly, until we felt weary.

We had an interesting experience for dinner. A little bar not far from the hostel didn't look promising, but once we had eaten I was happy to agree with Dean that I shouldn't always judge a book by its cover. We were initially shown upstairs to cushions on the floor and given menus. Everything was in Japanese and the waitress didn't speak English so we were a little lost. After a lengthy game of charades, she took us downstairs to sit at the very small bar. The barman spoke a little English, so we managed to order beverages and food without losing too much dignity. The grill was around the bar, so once the food was cooked it just got moved to the grill in front of us to keep warm. About six people could sit around the bar at any one time, so we were able to enjoy this meal in a very intimate setting. It was also interesting to see people drop in on the way home to pick up take away. Our chopstick skills improved immensely because of the pressure of having to transfer the food from the grill to the plate and then to our mouths in front of the person who was cooking the food. And the couple of other customers who could fit around the bar were also interested observers.

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Photos

Writing a postcard
to the O'Briens.

At Tenryu-Ji temple
The autumn colours are just beginning to show.

On the way up to the gardens
At the home of a Japanese movie star of the 1930s.