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Published: November 11th 2007
First morning in Kyoto
Feeling Zen and in the momentNov 7 to Nov10
Konnichiwa (that's Hello) from Kyoto
Arrived at our hotel in Kyoto after almost 20 travelling hours and began the evening "Untangling our Chopsticks" with a sumptuous Japanese feast (featuring the REAL deal sushi) . Then to ease our travel weary bodies and renew our souls, we suffered through shiatsu massages in our rooms. What better place to be pummelled and shiatssu-soothed than in the country of its' birth.
Some impressions of Kyoto: Tranquility, order, spirituality and calm. Walking through the streets of Kyoto is like walking through 11 centuries of history.One is immediately overwhelmed by a sense of history and tradition. Everything Japanese has a symbol, so all things have a special purpose. From the Kaseki tea ceremony to the daily greetings, life is steeped in ritual and order.
Our first day of sightseeing took us to Nijo Castle built in 1603 as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun , named Ieyasu . The 34 rooms of this castle, (which has been declared a national treasure by U.N.E.SC.O.) , are resplendent with gold leaf carvings, and 800 tatami mats ( for the many concubines and guards). One interesting feature of this
structure is the deliberately squeaking wooden floors that sound like a nightingale's song . These serve as warnings of approaching assasins (remember the book Shogun ) In Japan , house sizes are measured by the number of tatami mats that can be accomodated. Nijo, being an 800 tatami mat castle is very large by Japanese standards. We now estimate that Toronto's Bridle Path homes must be at least 10,000 tatami mats !
The next stop, The Golden Pavilion , Rokuon-Ji Temple , glitters with gold leaf design and is reflected in the tranquil ponds filled with koi fish and blue heron. The temple is surrounded by Zen- like gardens of bamboo trees and Japanese maples resplendent in the brilliant fall colours.
Personal shrines dot the area . Prayers on notes are attached to trees and fences near by.... the Japanese version of the Wailing Wall ?
Moving on to the Nishijian Textile Hall, we enjoyed a Kimono Show and viewed traditional artisans at work. (Lindsay got a few ideas for her sculpture).
DAY 2
"Ohio" ...that's "Good Morning" for you Gaijans.
We began the day with a tour of Japan's Wine country (except it was Sake),
at the Gekkeikan Okura Sake museum to discover the process of making this national brew of rice wine. During the 10:00am tasting of this potent drink, MaryEllen declared that the plum sake was a thinly disguised and expensive version of Manischewitz kosher wine.
Next on the agenda was Nara (Deer) Park, where we saw the Todaiji Temple , the world's largest wooden structure , containing The Great Buddha. Beside the enormous Buddha, at the base of a column was a hollowed out very narrow opening. Legend has it that those who slip through this small passageway are guaranteed entry to Paradise. Lindsay did it! (M.E. is sure it's because she skipped dessert the previous night.)
Nara Deer Park is so named for the thousands of free roaming deer which are believed to be Messengers of the Gods. Much to M.E.'s disgust Lindsay insisted on feeding the deer (before they almost attacked her) Trust us, these deer do not look like Bambi.
After an authentic Bento box lunch, we toured the Kasuga Shinto Shrine (try saying that 10 times) , with its' thousands of stone lanterns.
Shinto, based upon nature worship is Japan's oldest religion. A polytheistic practice which
celebrates happy occasions such as weddings and births. As they say here, ' Japanese are born as Shinto, die as Buddhists, and at Xmas are Christians' . (Santa might be one of their gods judging by all the Xmas decor here).
Those of you who know us well, are expecting a beauty parlour visit ... after all we've been away for 5 days.
Before our Shabu Shabu dinner at the famous Heihachi, we wanted to look our best. While having our hair done, we were struck by inspiration! The Zen of the moment compelled us to act on our inner Eastern Destiny.
But, without a Kimono, what's a geisha to do? Improvise! We each donned a 'yukata' , the cotton kimona sleepwear, supplied in our rooms), added a stuffed pillow makeshift obi around our waists, with white tennis socks peeking out from our dainty sandals. Bright red lipstick completed our transformation to the lovely (not so young) Blonde Canadian Geishas. Boy did we make an entrance in the hotel lobby. This may have been the most fun to date. We couldn't stop laughing as the Japanese Paparrazi (a.k.a. our fellow travellers) took our photos. We loved it.
At the restaurant, after removing our shoes, following the traditional Japanese , we were entertained by Geisha and Maiko (geisha apprentices) followed by a Japanese drum show called "Yokaro-Taiko". Ringo Starr wasn't here, but Lindsay was. (see photos)
"Lost in Translation" is an apt metaphor for Japan. The perspective of Westerners is of an isolated country with a very unique culture in all ways. Little English is spoken here. The American dollar is not widely accepted and outsiders have difficulty penetrating the complex set of rules which dominate this society. The people are very gracious, ever smiling and eager to please , but as visitors it was difficult albeit fascinating to navigate our way.
So as we say Sayonara to this serene and beautiful island, we send you all our love. Next report: from Hong Kong.
Love and hugs to our families and friends,
Lindsay and MaryEllen xxoo
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carol
non-member comment
Shabbat Shalom
How apropos to have Shabbat Shabbat dinner in Kyoto on Friday night. Oh... Shabu-Shabu!! Well, boiled beef is universal i guess.