Japan

Tokyo

They drive on the left side of the road here.  I have to remember that.  But this place is far different from England - yet not as different as you'd expect.  I'm on the bullet train to Kyoto.  Looking out the window, I see the countryside planted with rows as you'd expect.  The houses are square with pointed roofs.  The only real difference is that they're closer together and have tiles on top rather than shingles.  the sun is streaming in my window, and I can catch a glimpse of mountains or ocean here and there.  It's hard to believe that at this very moment my family is having their annual Christmas eve party back home.

So far we've had a good trip.  We arrived yesterday and explored Asakusa - an old downtown/tourist area with a temple and souvenir shops.  After that we headed to our tiny hotel room with it's bathroom similar to one found on an airplane or in a camper.  It's funny that things are so small here, yet our toilet used about 15 gallons of water every time it flushed.  I guess saving space doesn't translate into saving water, too.  Next, we wandered around and got some bubble tea - but surprisingly I've had much better in Texas.  Then we grabbed some Indian food near our hotel.  It was by far the best I've ever had.  That's what I expected when I came to Asia, since we're so much closer to India and Thailand, but so far that's the fist time it's been noticeably better than in the states.

Things are just as cheerful and cartoonish here as in Korea.  We are in Nintendo and Anime land, after all.  Here the subway trains' arrivals are marked by cutesy songs, rather than they typical dinging. 

We went to the Meiji Jingu shrine this morning.  It was beautiful, but I find Korean architecture more beautiful thus far.  Korean temples and palaces are covered in beautiful artwork that is intricate and colorful.  Japanese architecture seems to be more austere and simple.  It has a beauty and a feel all its own.

Bathrooms can be quite bizarre and complicatedly automatic here, but at least all of them have had toilet paper so far. 

I'm excited about going to Kyoto.  Tokyo has lost all of its Old Edo feel, and now just seems like any other big city.  I came to experience traditional Japan; I think in that regard Kyoto will be much more satisfying. 

Kyoto

I'm gliding away from Kyoto with mixed feelings.  Kyoto had its charms, but I won't miss being a tourist.  Kyoto's buses were too cramped for Erik to sit down in properly, and we were kept waiting often by them.  It will be nice to go back to Busan, with its convenient subways and a language that I am a bit more comfortable with.

Kyoto was a bit of fresh air after Tokyo.  There were many tourists, but we saw some beautiful places.  On Friday we went to Kinkakuji - The Golden Pavilion.  Its gardens, as with all the temples' gardens, are beautiful and serene.  the contain lots of moss, and focus on controlling the growth of the trees and plants via trimming.  The Golden Pavillion is a square structure covered in gold leaf that gleams in the sunlight.  Next, we made our way downtown for some dinner.  We only found fast food at first, but after scarfing that down, we happened upon a Turkish restaurant with some tasty hummus.  We also tried the Baklava, which was delicious.  Saturday was great.  We hit Ryoanji first, which has a famous Zen rock garden.  A temple worker said that the rocks might symbolize tips of mountains peeking through the clouds, rocks in a river, or Buddah and his disciples.  Next, we made our way to Nijo Castle only to discover that it was closed for repairs.  We then headed to Ginkakuji – The Silver Pavillion.  It’s not actually covered in silver.  The builder died before it could be completed.  The gardens were beautiful though.  The Zen garden here used much thicker and dramatic rake strokes.  Next, we went to Sanjusangendo, the temple that houses 1001 statues of the Buddah.  It was an amazing sight to see.  The hall seemed to go on forever.  After that, we went to Kyomizu-dera, a temple with a large pagoda and a great view.  Perhaps the most interesting part was the “Mother’s Womb”, just beside the temple.  You go down into a maze of pitch black corridors, guided only by a rail of large prayer beads on your left.  The darkness and narrow halls represent the womb, and when you get to the dimly lit stone that appears to float in the darkness, you are supposed to turn it and make a wish.  I believe this stone represents the uterus or vagina.  We ate at a temple restaurant after exploring.  We had hot tofu served up in a wooden bucket, dipped in soy sauce mixed with spices and green pepper.  We sat on elevated platforms, cross-legged at a short table.  My leg fell asleep immediately. 

Next, we made our way to Gion, the geisha district.  The tea houses are built in the old wooden Japanese style, complete with sliding doors and lanterns.  They made for a charming landscape.  We actually saw three or four geisha heading to their nightly engagements.  We found a great Thai place for dinner, and had red curry to rival our favorite restaurant back in the states.  Then we went to Gion corner to see a show highlighting Japanese culture.  We saw a tea ceremony, Japanese harp music, a play, court music, and dancing.  The grace and deliberate movement of the tea ceremony accompanied by the Asian twang of the ‘harp’ was moving.  The court music, one of the earliest forms of music, was an interesting screeching melody – totally unique.  The conductor was dressed in an elaborate dragon costume, and he danced and stomped around the stage to lead the music.  The play was comical and to the point, while the Mieko’s dancing was very slow, graceful, and symbolic.  I have always admired geisha for their graceful movements, and the feeling of serenity that they create, as well as their mystique.  But as I watched this Mieko (apprentice geisha) dancing, I had an amusing revelation.  Here in front of me was a woman who, when you take away the mystery surrounding her, is just a girl in an oversized dress with her face painted like a clown, complete with a plastic tree and chimes stuck on her head.  It’s appreciated as part of Japanese tradition, but if I were to try wearing a plastic tree on my head back in the States, I would just be seen as weird or crazy.  American culture may not be steeped in tradition and symbolism, but at least it’s practical. 

On our way back to the hotel after the show, we picked up some strange Japanese snacks and tried them out.  They varied from strange to gross to delicious, but I think in general they were better than Korean snack food.  Then we went to sleep for the last time on our futons in our “tatimi” mat room. 

This morning we caught the train to the airport and left Kyoto behind, souvenirs in tow.  It was a good trip, and now I’m glad to be going ‘home’.