Monday, November 08, 2004
Field Trip
The Japanese rail system, one of the best in the world, is the hub of transportation for most. Japanese schoolchildren on a field trip overrun us on our way to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.
Nara Park
As evening wore on we walked over to Nara Park, or more appropriately called Deer Park. Thousands of gentle deer can be fed and petted. Nearby a crowd formed around a young performing artist who juggled flaming batons and knives. El and I just wandered around until the sun set. It was a nice ending to a full day. Afterwards we took the bus back to the Rihga Royal Hotel where we dined on (at our hesitation) MCDONALD'S. We had no choice really. We were incredibly hungry and didn't feel like getting cleaned up and dressed for dinner. All I wanted was a hot shower and something to eat - ANYTHING. After all the delicious Kyoto cuisine we had been dining on, eating McDonald's for "a taste of home" actually made me want to puke. I can't believe Americans eat this crap all the time.
Lanterns of Kasuga Shrine
Nearby Kasuga Taisha Shrine is considered one of the three greatest Shinto Shrines of Japan. The Japanese worship a plethora of deities and this temple consists of four shrines consecrated to all the different Shinto
deities. Thousands of stone and bronze lanterns cover the grounds and roam with wild deer. Reading some literature I learned that the deer are perfectly comfortable with human contact and return to their pens at the sound of a trumpet in the evening.
deities. Thousands of stone and bronze lanterns cover the grounds and roam with wild deer. Reading some literature I learned that the deer are perfectly comfortable with human contact and return to their pens at the sound of a trumpet in the evening.
Todaiji Temple
One of the busiest temples in Japan it was built during the Nara period for Emperor Shomu from 724ad to 749ad.
Golden Buddha of Todaiji Temple
After lunch we met up with the rest of the tour to head over to Nara to visit the Todaji Temple, Nara Park and Kasuga Shrine. Todaji Temple is considered one of the busiest attractions in all of Japan. As one of the most important temples it houses the colossal statue of the Vairocana Buddha and the world's largest wooden hall. The Vairocana Buddha is constructed of bronze and covered in gold leafing. It is central to the Kegon Sect of Buddhism. Ironically, the wooden hall was reconstructed, but only as a third of the original size! This was what me and El really wanted to visit. To see the size of the Buddha is breathtaking! Two other monstrous buddhas sit next to the main statue, but look tiny in comparison. Around back featured two fierce looking guardians carved of wood and a scaled down verson of the temple grounds. To hear the history of this building was interesting enough, but the eye candy made me wander around on my own to shoot as much as I could.
Entrance to Todaiji Temple
Incense is lit and a quick prayer made outide of the one of the world's largest wooden halls.
The Golden Pavilion
The last excursion was probably the highlight of the tour. Kinkakuji Temple, or Golden Pavilion, was a stunning example of an authentic Japanese style garden. This fantastic pagoda sits on Kyoko-chi pond (or mirror pond) and it's virtually impossible to take a terrible photo from any angle. Gilded in gold leaf this structure was built by Yoshimitsu, the 3rd Shogun of Ashikaga who designed this beautiful area to indulge himself in the area's naturally tranquil setting.
Afterwards, we headed out to the Kyoto Handicraft center where we would have lunch and await frothe second half of our tour towards Nara. The handicraft center was surprisingly a great collection of all the crafts from Japan and had decent pricing. We were starving and had only an hour for lunch and didn't have time to really shop around. We made plans to come back here when we went to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace the next day.
Afterwards, we headed out to the Kyoto Handicraft center where we would have lunch and await frothe second half of our tour towards Nara. The handicraft center was surprisingly a great collection of all the crafts from Japan and had decent pricing. We were starving and had only an hour for lunch and didn't have time to really shop around. We made plans to come back here when we went to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace the next day.
Higashi Honganji Temple
Because it was a national holiday today the Imperial Palace was closed and we were forced to detour to one of the local shrines. El and I were pretty bummed about it, but made the best of it. We visited the Higashi-Honganji Temple, the largest wooden building in Kyoto. It would have been a more interesting visit but the whole exterior of the shrine was encapsulated in scaffolding as they were restoring it and to boot we weren't allowed to shoot photos inside. All in all this had to be the most disappointing part of Kyoto.
Nijo Castle
The next day we have actually planned out a tour of Kyoto with stops at Nijo Castle, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and the Golden Pavilion. Unfortunately because of restorative plans we were unable to photograph Nijo Castle. Apparently it was the second home of the powerful Tokugawa shogun who built the castle in 1603 to be closer to the emperor of the time. Interestingly, we learned from our guide that it was typical for the real ruling power to emanate from the shogun. Because he actually controlled the military might he also had the financial abilities to maintain the country. During the time of Kyoto's term as the capital, the Tokugawa shogun actually PAID the emperor a stipend. The castle itself was until recent years of restoration used for administrative purposes of Kyoto and was quickly deteriorating. The gold leaf murals were systematically being restored to its former glory and the castle secured for touring purposes only. Its most notable feature were its "nightingale" floors which were purposely designed to creak when a person stepped on it. This was used as an early alarm system to allow shogun aware of any person walking in any area of the castle.
Shopping in Gion
After the shrine we still weren't ready to head back so we decided to head out shopping in the Gion District. The city lit up now has the appearance of a decent city. We move around the shops for a couple of hours but the humidity is just too much. When we ocassionally find an a/c vent we have to hang out for a few minutes to cool down. The Japanese tolerance for humidity and heat is amazing. We've seen girls layered in shawls, boots, fur lined jackets and complain it's too hot and remove a glove to cool off. Unfortunately, they have zero tolerance for cold and their a/c in hotels is stuck on vent or 80 degrees (probably their coldest setting). Everyday we pour out sweat within an hour of walking around. We do notice that things are somewhat less expensive here in Kyoto vs. Tokyo. Not by much.
Yasaka Shrine Entrance
Next we decide to venture out farther towards Yasaka Shrine, which a young Japanese who speaks perfect English volunteers to help us find our way (which we were completely going the wrong way) and even writes a note for us to show people if we get lost. We head back towards the bus terminal and are soon on our way. Yasaka Jinja is the most famous shrine in Kyoto with it's bright orange Tori gates. Unfortunately it is swarmed with tourists and peddlers or trinkets and cheap jewelry. Everything is overpriced. It's hard to focus on the shrines when you see all this. We stray away from the shrine and end up in Maruyama Park. At first it doesn't look like much, but then again it's most often visited in the spring when the cherry blossoms are flowering. As soon as evening sets in everything has a more romantic glow to it. Even the shrine has its shoji lanterns on and I can't resist but attempt to capture some intriguing night shots for the next two hours.
Yasaka at night
At night Yasaka takes on a more romantic air as couple wander around the temple. It was a great opportunity to try the night features on my digital camera, but unfortunately doesn't quite work out.
Kyoto Cuisine
We check into the Rhiga Royal Hotel and clean up. After our long train ride she is ready to move around and explore. We decide to head back to Kyoto station since it was most convenient and offered the most with restaurants for lunch and shopping. We notice we haven't even once had sushi or sashimi since we got here so it becomes the next mission. We find a nice dark wood restaurant that seems to have a huge selection and are seated in a huge room with dark slat windows. We order a sashimi platter with miso, seaweed salad, pickled daikon and a couple of other cold dishes. El gets the tempura platter with basically the same sides as mine. I can't get myself to eat the octopus which El tries. Surprisingly she doesn't like the texture. I'm actually kinda shocked since she loves Unagi and squid. Bleck! If she doesn't like it there's no way in hell I'm gonna eat it. The tuna sashimis and squid are good though.
Kyoto Train Station
We got to Kyoto in about two and half hours. The station is amazing as well. Well lit and modern it has wide open spaces. What we do notice, though, is that it's not as well marked in English as Tokyo. Tokyo you could literally go anywhere using only the rails. Here you usually have to use the buses which are written only in Japanese and most people here don't speak English. I guess the locals here are either repulsed or afraid of the gaijin. It's unfortunate. Not what I was expecting as far as Japanese to show disdain openly. Friendly is going too far to describe their attitude. More like polite because they have to be. They openly chat with each other including other touring Japanese, but as far as outsiders are concerned they won't help or say hello to you if they think don't have to. There is definitely a change in attitude towards westerners here. It completely makes sense that the people in Tokyo are more accepting of outsiders since it is a major stop for traveler's. Kyoto is definitely more in line to what I was expecting as far as the culture is concerned. There are more parks, museums, shrines (or jinja) than Tokyo. It's more of a rural setting on teh verge of becoming a large city. Within minutes of leaving Kyoto Station we can see homes and mom and pop vendors.
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