Monocles & Vagabonds.: 日本：京都 Kyoto Jive

I'm on a role this week! No? Yes. Yes I am. You can't deny it. Progress will be made whether it kills me or not. Why would it kill me you ask? Do you not know me by now? If you just answered, "Nope, I have no idea who you are" then my response is "Why are you reading my blog, stranger danger!?" It may kill me because, as much as I hate it, my natural being is what one would scientifically term, "a lazy ass." I fight against this reality every day and some days I may win the battle, but the war rages on.

OK. Reporting for duty. Today's objective: Kyoto.

Kyoto. Honestly, very different than the image I had in my mind. I think I envisioned a more contained city with small streets and a shrine or temple at every turn. Now there are a billion shrines and temples. It's a city steeped in culture, religion, and history, and much of it is simply amazing. But Kyoto as a city was sprawling. Not in the way that Tokyo is. Tokyo is large and in charge, with so much going on. Kyoto was calm--large boulevards and homes along every street. More suburban? ...But also not.

Caught the shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama to Kyoto Station. After some wandering, the guest house was finally discovered, hidden in a small backstreet next to a temple. Unfortunately, Ms. Tani wasn't at home, so instead of waiting around, wasting a chance to go explore, we left our backpacks and walked to Kinkakuji!

Definitely they way to start your Kyoto adventures. Nothing quite hits you in the same way as a building two-thirds covered in gold leaf beside a tranquil Japanese pond on an overcast day.

We debated trying to hit another site before concluding the day, but the bus wasn't coming for a while and it was already almost 5pm (when most sites closed to visitors). So, Family Mart for some bentos and back to the guest house it was! Ms. Tani was home and showed us to our little room. She was confused I guess and messed the rooms up, but honestly we were fine in our tiny tiny one. A pretty awesome house. Super old school Japanese. Tatami mats in every room, sliding doors, narrow staircase. Awesome. She even had some tea and cookies for us...cookies which happen to me my favorite cookies that I used to go get from Minamoto Kitchen by Rockefeller Center all the time when I called NYC my home (I think I still do). Bentos, cookies, and wifi. What else could one need?

Got an early start next day. Well, early for me. First stop! Ginkakuji! Kinkakuji is the "Golden Pavilion" and Ginkakuji is the "Silver Pavilion." Although, unlike Kinkakuji, it isn't actually plated in silver. [Side note here, if you ever go to Kyoto, take advantage of the bus system, especially the Raku buses which are specifically geared towards tourists and give you info in multiple languages. All rides (regular and Raku buses) = 220 Yen. ]

While Kinkakuji was the perfect way to start the Kyoto adventure, Ginkakuji was the perfect start to this day. We got there as it opened and were able to enjoy the tranquility of the grounds without being overwhelemed by tourists. This was the first place that really hit me. I've been to Japan before. I know stuff about it, I studied it in school for goodness sake, but I've never experienced first-hand the colors, the lushness, the lovely mysteriousness that hung in the morning air. I never thought a place would make me experience a feeling so closely resembling what one feels while watching a Miyazaki film. I'm not an eloquent person, so I can't fully explain it. But, I was definitely going to learn that this feeling and experience wasn't only confined to those specific grounds.

As the crowds started pouring in, Ginkakuji was left behind and a retreat was made to the peaceful Philosopher's Walk. Now this is closer to what I imagined for Kyoto--narrow, canal-adjacent, small cafes, boutiques, and home lined walk. I believe it was about a 2km walk to Nanzen-ji.

Nanzenji has vast grounds and numerous buildings you can explore. I only opted to hit a few which I was interested in. First thing one encounters on entering the grounds is the LARGEST, and I mean the LARGEST, gate I have ever seen. I can't even explain the sheer mass of it. The Sanmon Gate (built 1628 I believe?) was constructed by the ruling Tokugawa for those who died in the seige of Osaka Castle. It is ridiculous. Kind of stops you in your tracks. Large and intricate. Insane.

The Hojo was the one building I opted to pay for entrance. (Not saying I bamboozled my way into any others...) This building was the former head priest's residence and has a number of gorgeous rock gardens and perhaps the nicest bathrooms I will experience while in Japan (Except for the tofu restaurant I went to in 2006).

Last to mention about Nanzenji is the aqueduct. I believe this aqueduct was built during the Meiji period to carry water from the mountains to the areas neighboring Kyoto. I even got to walk up to the top and walk along it for a ways to one of the pump stations. It was old and eerie and I loved it.

Next stop, Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") which was founded in like 780 on site of the Otowa Waterfall. It was originally associated with the Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism, but formed it's own Kita Hosso sect in the 60s. By this point in the day, there were people EVERYWHERE. And to access Kiyomizu-dera you have to walk up a steep, narrow, people-filled street with shops and food stands all along the way. Now, if you know me (and we aren't having another stranger danger incident here), you may know that I have some asthma issues and a penchant for small anxiety/panic attacks when surrounded by tons of people I can't get away from. So, this wasn't the easiest walk for me. And although Kiyomizu-dera is quite impressive and has a lot to see, it wasn't my favorite stop of the day. It's still a beautiful spot with really impressive architecture. Who else has built a stage 13m above the hillside without nails? Crazy!

3 streams with different benefits-School, Love, and Longevity

Finally, I got to experience the location I really wanted to see -- Fushimi Inari Taisha. A shinto shrine dedicated to Inari Okami. While Ginkakuji first made me experience the Miyazaki feels, Fushimi Inari introduced the superior mystery and sense that there was indeed something special about the place. This mountain shrine contains thousands of torii lining the path to the summit and probably hundreds of smaller shrines the entire way up. The mountain also houses tons of tiny nekos. I hadn't seen too many cats before coming here. I have a difficult time once again explaining how cool this place is. It was also gaining on dusk which added another element of mystery to the whole situation.

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the summit. Turns out that mountain is a lot larger than I expected.

And there ended the shrine and temple exploration of Kyoto. Some dinner at Kyoto station and the discovery of the metropolitan side of Kyoto, including Kyoto tower and a hilariously awesome Aqua Fantasy show, brought us to the end of our day and restored us to Ms. Tani's house, this night in a much larger room--the party room. A night battle with mosquitoes and the cold brought us to the morning and our departure.