For my 25th birthday, I wanted to spend it doing
what I do best… traveling. Now, when you read all through my accounts, it may
seem like straight out wandering, but I must note that not all who wander are lost.
: )
25 is quite the big year, and I especially needed the
retreat after finding my first grey hair a week prior… which I then preserved
in packing tape and sent to my parents… I was glad to have the time off for
this trip of self-discovery. In this trip, I experienced tranquility and pain,
disorientation and rapture, retraced loss and regaled new friendships. The
following posts: KYOTO, OSAKA, and HIROSHIMA are my accounts.
KYOTO
4March2014
I left Yokota at 0525 with a 28 lb pack on my back and a
smile on my face. Heading towards Fussa station was no foreign journey, but the
task sure was. I had never taken the trains by myself. Sounds pretty silly, but
I had always had someone else there to help guide me along. Through a
combination of the Hyperdia app and the even more surprisingly helpful Google
Maps app, I was able to clumsily navigate myself through stations and make it
to the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). I was on the Nozomi 205 and the seats were
like an airplane. Looking outside, it really was amazing how fast we were
going. It took about an hour and a half to get to Kyoto. Once in the main
station, I took a local train up North.
I walked through the Myoshin-ji area, it seemed like a lot
of house/garden areas surrounding the temple that was under construction. I
hooked up with a Geriatric Japanese tour and we all walked over to the Ninna-ji
Palace/Garden and treasury area. I thought wandering around the grounds was
nice and almost didn’t put down the 500 yen for the palace/garden walk through.
Wow… am I glad I did. I was absolutely taken aback by beauty. The palace was
open with gorgeously manicured gardens. It was just so tranquil and I felt just
absolutely calm and happy. Also, I got to rest my back for a minute : )
There is about a 10 minute walk from the Ninna-ji to the
Ryoan-ji along a street called Kinukake-no-Michi. It is known to have many
important historical landmarks as well as fun ‘boutique-like’ shops along the
way. I stopped at Albo Café for lunch where I had buckwheat noodles “Kyoto-style”.
Buckwheat noodles, despite the ‘wheat’ in the name, are gluten free and served
up cold. I know what you may be thinking… “Cold noodles?” and to you I respond: “Awesome
noodles!” The owner taught me how to eat it: crack a raw egg into a bowl and
mix that up, then add in some pureed potato and mix 50-60 times, then a sauce
(consistency and color – but not smell- of soy) and mix that 90 times. He told
me bowl in L hand, chopsticks in R hand. Quite a few more people came in, so I
even got to see him make more homemade noodles.
After lunch, I felt revitalized and decided to run up a
random and interesting looking path that turned out to be pretty cool. It was a
graveyard at the top of a hill and on the path up, there was just a neat wooded
area. Anyway, then I went over to Ryoan-ji, which is famous for the rocks in
the swept stone Zen garden. Honestly, as beautiful as if was, I took more
solace in the garden/lake that it provided. Reminds me of when Christina and I
went on our camping excursion and I needed to get out of the desert and back to
the woods and trees. Either that or the fact that there were so many people
there it was hard to ‘meditate’. All of that aside, it was quite aesthetically
pleasing.
Next, I continued up the road to Kinkaku-ji or the Golden
Temple. That was sure stunning! It came out of nowhere too. I was walking
around a curved path and then BAM, beauty. I went at a great time of day too.
The sun was just hitting the golden exterior and I could see the reflection
coming off the lake that it sat on. I really like how different the trees are
here and everything is so well manicured. There was a group of Geishas… and
guys… walking around and I got a picture of them. I hear that in Gion they do
not like you to take pictures of them, but this group did not mind at all, so I
figured I might as well while I can. This group actually seemed a little more
like the Lolitas of Kyoto… or Steampunk of US… rather than the traditional
Geishas.
I have really liked observing others pray and their rituals
at shrines. Mainly because I have no idea what is going on and I am trying to
figure it out. I do not mean to get deeply philosophical, so I will simply
leave it at that, and also I literally mean, I am observing what is going on so
I do not make a fool out of myself if I were to want to participate. There is
incense to burn at some, candles to light at others. In some of the boxes you
throw coins, others people purchase wooden planks that they drop in. One I like
is a bell that hangs down by a cord. People bow, sometimes they clap a few
times, sometimes they don’t, but then ring the bell, then bow again. After
watching a few times I can figure out the motions and process at the given
shrine, but I would still feel like an imposter if I did it myself.
Anyway, after that, I had a green tea ice cream cone and a
walk across town to Daitoku-ji. Walking through town, I would like to point out
that I really like how there are little wall shrines in random places. For
example, if you look down a side street, you may see someone bowing to the
wall… Oh, nope, there is a shrine there!
The grounds of Daitoku-ji are like a rich, old-timey
neighborhood, Japan-style. The houses are all like mini temples with amazing
gardens that are on display during the day. Unfortunately, I only caught two of
them (minor trespassing for one) because it was already 1645 when I showed up
and everyone but one man had closed their doors for the day, and he was in the
process of closing his. He was kind enough to open his gate back up so I could
take a picture. After that, I wandered around for a bit, found a mini bamboo
forest, but even cooler, I found Imamaya Shrine; which was not in the plans but
totally awesome. Fully made up for not being able to see all those gardens.
Finally, on my way to my bed for the night, I happened to
see another tori gate… What’s this? Another random shrine in the middle of a
neighborhood? Hardly! Funaokayama Park was a whole lot of stairs but a whole
lot of awesome. I swear it was probably some of the best pictures I have gotten
so far… maybe because the light was the ‘right time’, maybe the color contrast,
maybe just because my endorphins were so high from just having to climb so many
stairs. Whichever way, cool place. Glad I side-tracked. (I always seem to be).
5March2014
Waking up on my second day in Kyoto was slow because I heard
it raining outside. Still, I left Itoya at around 0720 and made my way to the
Daihonzan Myoren-ji then Goryo Shrine. In between the two, I think I found two
or three other great temples. They were closed, but I liked walking around the
grounds. It is interesting that with some, people live just right around them.
Especially the closer into the city I get. Well, on second thought, that really
shouldn’t surprise me since it is the equivalent to say a Christian church in a
rural neighborhood in the US. I am at the Goryo Shrine right now and it is just
amazing. If I could bottle the spirit of this place up and take it with me
wherever I went, I would be a step closer to pure happiness. The rain suits the
essence of Goryo Shrine too. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I put my observations to the test at a particularly
intriguing shrine here. I took a bow at the tori gate and proceeded up the
stairs. I bowed again at the foot of the shrine then tossed in my offering. (I
remembered reading that the coins with a hole in the middle – 5 or 50 – are
especially good fourtune). I clapped a few times, said my wish/prayer, and then
rang the bell. I definitely like watching other people a lot better than doing
it myself. I have also found that I like shrine more than temples. I have done
some research after my trip to find the actual difference between them and my
reasons were not necessarily any of those (I may later do a ‘Temple vs. Shrine’
Post for those interested). The main difference that I noted was that the
temples seemed more elaborate, there were more people at them, and around the
main temple were various smaller shrines that people could pray to. Also, if it
has a ‘-ji or sometimes -in’ at the end of it, it is a temple. Shrines seemed
to be more earthy and set back with fewer people frequenting them, fewer
shrines to pray and most had a stage and many of those stages had rice lanterns
hanging. I generally found them to be more peaceful.
After meditating of a bit at Goryo, I headed toward the
Shimogamo Shrine. I walked through neighborhood areas for a bit until it was
time to cross the river. I decided to walk along the riverbank path instead of
through more neighborhood streets. At this point, I was really starting to get
miserable with the cold, rain, and heavy pack on my back… probably hungry too,
but I made it to Shimogamo, walked through the woods for a distance, then found
this incredible bridge and either cherry or plum tree that made me happy again.
Then, over to the Imperial Grounds which vast. In the rain. I was hungry. Haha.
So, I snacked on some trail mix quickly and kept telling myself I would grab
something to eat between whichever place and the next… I just kept putting it
off. Once again, just as I think some place is a bust, something awesome
happens. At the Imperial Grounds, it was a bridge and lake combo that took my
breath away. After that, I said ‘screw it’ to walking everywhere like a darn
martyr and hopped on the subway. In my quest to find Shoren-in, I found Atawa
Shrine, which was up a huge hill and I knew it would be worth it. As I am
finding, and I know I need to apply it to my life, that which causes the most
struggle tends to reap the sweetest reward. Also something I kept telling
myself if that there is no change without suffering. (Typing that out now I am
reminded when Rafiki hits Simba with his staff from Lion King... haha!)
Back to my trail, I actually found Shoren-in and the trees
outside were massive and their root structures were incredible. I did not feel
like going in the grounds though because as stated earlier, I tend to like
shrines better and I was hungry. So on down the path, Chorin-in was right next-door
and it is the more famous (or ‘famouse’ as I saw in print) however, wedged in
between the two temples was a small path that I just could not refuse
exploring. It led up to the Mausoleum of Emperor Hanazono. It was pretty neat.
There was an empty booth up there and I got spooked because I swore I could see
face in there. I’m pretty sure it was a reflection of the bushes and the brain
likes to formulate faces, but man did my imagination fly. I thought Emperor
Hanazono was there saying ‘what’s up’. Plus, by going up there, I could see
over the fence of the Shoren-in and see the grounds. I stand firm that I made
the right decision.
So, as I was, walking along a brick wall, I turned left, and
BAM! Massive gates for Chorin-in. So SO many stairs too. I had to sit for a bit
and take in the incredible scenery before I tackled those beasts. It turns out
a lot of Chorin-in is under construction so I just wandered around for a
respectable amount of time before I headed back down. One of the funny moments
I had was after I had tackled the giant set of stairs and was a tad out of
breath, I looked right and saw a gentle sloped path that a bunch of people were
walking up. I just had to sigh and look down. A bit of a face/palm moment. I
see it as I took the badass route… I’ll stick with that.
Maruyama Park was really close after Chorin-in and oh my,
was it beautiful. I bet it is even more beautiful when the foliage comes in
fully. Also when it isn’t just above freezing and raining. I would have liked
to have sat and chilled there for a bit, but it just was not feasible. Attached
to Maruyama Park is the Yasaka Shrine. I really enjoyed that and started to see
a few Geishas walking around… must be close to Gion… I happened to be at one
shrine at just the right time. I figured to be a shrine to beauty because there
were flags of a “pretty” face by it and a group of schoolgirls came by to dab
some of the water on their faces. Their actions were just priceless as they all
wish/prayed as a group.
Yasaka led straight into Gion and I was switched from
Temple/Shrine mode into people watching mode! It is like I was flung back into
society, and man, was it great. I wandered for about an hour then dove into a
shop for some food. I had a rice bowl and herring wrapped in kelp. All washed
down with some hot sake of course : )
After my meal, I thought I would just see where Jam Hostel
(my lodging for the night) was located. Turns out, it was not far at all… like
a block and a half away. I took my chances, and they were already open for
check-in (1500). I locked up my backpack and headed back on the streets. The
combination of a full stomach and the lack of a pack on my back made me feel
like a whole new person. I felt pretty comfortable about leaving it there too
since it was locked from the street, then locked in my dorm of four beds (that
I had to myself) then locked in a locker… should be good.
I walked just across the river and found Pontocho… an
old-timey street with a bunch of restaurants, then walked up and over to
Shinkyogoku. Goodness gracious. Instead of having a mall that goes up, imagine
one that goes out. Just pours out street by covered street. Just when you
think, “Am I still in Kyoto?” There is a random shrine through all the
chaos. Like where a store spot should be but it goes out into a full open area.
Madness and I loved every minute of it. There is also Nishiki Market attached
which is like Pike’s Place Market from Seattle here in Kyoto. Lots of different
sorts of seafood than we saw in Seattle though. There was a moment that I had
to cringe and laugh… Walking through all these displays of dead fish and fish
parts with ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ softly playing on the speakers overhead:
that is straight up nightmare material for a diehard Vegetarian. Me though, I
had some Takoyaki, which was on my food to-do list for my trip. Takoyaki being
fried octopus balls. They were good, but kind of goopy inside and super hot. I
was, however, reminded that not every Asian person in Japan is from Japan. It
was a ticket ordering system at the Takoyaki booth and it was all in Japanese.
I was proud of myself for managing – in Japanese: “Excuse me, is this
<point> this <point>?” and the guy I asked replies with no accent
at all, “Yeah, that’s the right one.” It threw me off for a second, like ‘Holy
crap, I can understand him’ but then I realized I was just being an idiot. Hey,
it happens to the best of us.
As I headed back towards the center of Gion (and yes, there
are Geishas walking around everywhere) the sun was down and I could see things
in nightlife-full swing now. Certain spots really do come alive. After awhile,
I just didn’t take as many pictures though. They are good and I have a great
camera, but I am not that great at taking pictures and they do not always
capture what I want them to so I decided to quit trying and just soak
everything in. I re-walked down Pontocho which had sparked to life, then back
across the river and wandered around Gion for a bit. Then I realized what Gion
was famous for, that it was still very much alive, and that I was right in the
middle of it…awkward. Exclusive clubs with well-dressed security guards standing
at the doors and such…
Well, since my hostel was attached to a sake bar, I thought I would go back and enjoy that for the rest of the evening. I went to freshen up and my horrible mistake was thinking that I could just take a 20-minute nap and feel totally refreshed and ready to party. Darned it if I didn’t fall asleep for good with the lights on and everything. Darned I tell you.
6March2014
The shower at Itoya was like a tiled room (traditional). The
one at Jam Hostel was more modern and reminded me of something you would see if
you were on a ship. I felt a bit claustrophobic and like I was in a time
capsule, but that passed pretty quickly. I like it when there is a window in
the shower. This one was about 18” away from the next buildings brick wall on
the third floor, so I knew no one would be peeping.
To my joyous surprise, it was snowing! The sun was shining
but it was snowing. It was like the Earth was giving me a Birthday present and
it was straight up magical. I took my sweet time getting ready and took the
extended long way to the rail station so I could soak in the glory of the snow
with sunny Gion.
I really know just enough Japanese to get by and not offend
anyone too badly. Also enough to be able to ask for help. One thing I love
about every Japanese person I have met so far is that if you ask for help, they
will straight up drop what they are doing, go out of their way, and do anything
in their power to help. This is something that I have made a point to carry
forward in my life. I asked for directions twice on my way to Osaka and both
times I was greatly and selflessly assisted.
Continue to OSAKA post…
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