The city I most looked forward to visiting in Japan was Kyoto. Kyoto was the first imperial court of Japan, and for over a millennium, from 794 until the Meiji revolution of 1868. It's still considered the cultural capital. Think of European capitals that were the seat of empires: London, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Prague, Stockholm, Moscow, Rome, Vienna, Berlin; with their grand palaces, cathedrals, boulevards, and parks. Likewise, Kyoto has over 2000 shines, temples, gardens and imperial residences.
The reason Kyoto has these remnants of a bygone era was a chance encounter during a time of peace between the wars. In the 1920s diplomat Henry Stimson was Governor General of Philippines and visited Kyoto several times. He was impressed with the culture and beauty of the city. In 1945 he was Secretary of War in the Truman administration. In the lead-up to the attack on Japan the US military put together a list of cities over which to detonate the world's first atomic bombs, and Kyoto was number two on the list. As the Secretary of War he removed the city citing its cultural significance only to have it added back in by the military due to its population and industry. He finally took his case to President Truman and convinced him to remove it permanently - Kyoto was spared. Number two on the new list was Kokura, and it was covered by clouds, Nagasaki was not. Fate is the hunter.
Kyoto came into my consciousness during my first design studio at UW. The professor was Philip Thiel who had a Japanese wife and was fascinated by the sophistication of their design and culture. One handout he provided students was a story about perfection. It takes place in a traditional Kyoto garden. The zen master tells the novice to clean up the garden. The boy returns claiming he'd swept up all the fall leaves. The zen master sitting on his tatami mat looks through the sliding doors to the garden and says it's not perfect. The novice goes out again and diligently washes the pathway and rakes the gravel. When he returns again he's told it's not perfect. After several attempts to get approval, the zen master walks onto the pristinely cleaned path and shakes a branch to cause a few colored leaves to flutter onto the pathway. "Now" he says, "it's perfect". I'll discuss later the elegance, refinement, and simplicity of Japanese design.
We arrived about noon from Mishima and immediately went out into the bustling city. Our first stop was across the Kamo river to an historic district.
Map of Kyoto in Hotel Lobby
Kamo river, promenade and with buildings on left.
Historic Kabuki theatre
Ironically, Kabuki theatre was originally performed by all female actors. During the first Shogunate of Tokugawa in the seventeenth century females were banned from acting as it was considered immoral. Males then took the parts performing both male and female roles, and that too was banned a few decades later for similar reasons. However, the tradition was revived and continued reaching its peak in the nineteenth century.
Poster for all male performance
Statue outside of theatre paying homage to the actors.
Historic street in Kyoto
After visiting both contemporary and historic secular Kyoto we ventured to sample their many temples, palaces and shrines. These can be simple alcoves on a street for a buddhist shrine, or vast complexes for the imperial court with medieval moats, fortified walls, and gardens.
Entrance gate to Nijo Castle
Interior gate at Nijo Castle
Garden at Nijo Castle
Part of the Nijo Castle grounds
Cherry Trees just budding at Nijo Castle.
For five days we'd been walking over ten miles a day, navigating trains, busses, and subways, going from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm every day. Our next day would be no different. So Robin, Teigan and I were alone in wanting to see the Bamboo Forest about half an hour out of the city. Since this was not on our tour we arranged a taxi for a 6:00 am pick up to take us there. Unlike most American cities, the city doesn't sprawl, it just ends and rice fields begin. We arrived in a small town and walked the quiet street to the entrance of the forest. It was delightfully cool and green and empty. By the time we left an hour later we could feel the swell of people like a rising tide. We'd seen photos that in mid-day, the path is wall to wall people as far as the eye can see. The advantage of rising early.
Robin and Teigan about to enter the forest from the small town.
Inside the bamboo forest - without people
Kyoto is the only city we had two days to explore on this highlights tour. After returning to the hotel and breakfast with our group we headed out to one of the most iconic tourist images of Japan - Fushimi Inari Taisha. This pathway for the supplicant (and the tourist) is lined with multiple red Torii gates that are ever changing as people sponsor to add to them.
Long pathway through Torii gates to the summit of Mt Inari
Entry to temple grounds
A popular historical novel from the 1950s, is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was dying from leukemia caused by radiation from the atomic bomb. She wanted to be on a running team and believed the tradition that if you fold 1000 origami cranes your wish will come true. Discrepancies exist between the novel and the family. The novel claims she only made 644 and then her friends finished the rest when she no longer could; while the family stated that she folded 1450 by herself before succumbing. Regardless, it is a tearjerker story that has inspired a movement.
Origami Cranes strung together.
Start of the Torii gate path
Curving around the hillside
After leaving Fushimi Inari Taisha Shu asked if the group wanted to go to Nara, a city about 45 minutes away by train to see Koriyama Castle. All but our family agreed. Having been on the move for almost a week, and not wanting to spend another hour and a half on trains we decided to spend more time in Kyoto. This was also Robin's birthday and we wanted to have time for a proper celebration. However, the group did get to see full bloom cherry trees and a lovely view of the castle. And also got back about 9:00 at night.
Photo by Shu of Koriyama castle
But we enjoyed ourselves visiting more gardens and historic areas that Robin remembers from living in Japan and I recall from studies in school. Specifically, we wanted to see the raked gravel gardens of Ryoanji Temple, which was originally an aristocrats residence before being converted to a zen temple. The raked gravel represents the waters around the islands of Japan and how they reflect off the shorelines in ripples - for contemplation. Afterward, we all went out to a local Ramen restaurant. This is very casual dining. No waiters, just a high tech screen at the entry to select your orders. It was all in Japanese Kanji script so we had to order by just photos and then pay by cash. It took a few tries.
Ryoanji Temple with raked gravel waves and stone islands.
Interior of residence
While wine is available in fine dining restaurants,
beer is more commonly available. Robin adapted.
Rokuon-ji Golden Temple
The impetus for the Japan trip was to celebrate together two milestone birthdays - Brynne's 30th and Robin's 70th. To that end we asked many friends and relatives to video record a 30 second memory of their times with her. We received about 35, and Brynne edited those that were excessively long and added music. They were humorous, poignant, creative, poetic, and a joy to watch. Robin laughed and cried through it all. We then went out for a proper celebration.
In the girls bedroom under the excuse we'd look for a restaurant.
Happy Birthday and Cheers!
Our next and final stop on the highlight tour was Osaka. I've heard so many different pronunciations of this city over the years with different emphasis, (OH-sa-kah, oh-SAH-kah, or oh-sa-KAH, and even ohsahkah; very flat with no emphasis), and still I got it wrong. The Japanese pronounce it OHHH-sahkah. A longish long-O sound and then the rest together.
Osaka is the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and tenth largest in the world. It is Japan's economic and financial hub since before Kyoto became the cultural capital or Edo (Tokyo today) existed. It was a major port in the fourth century; and today is rivaled only by Tokyo as a showcase of urban phenomena and high-tech glitz. Shu told us that Ridley Scott was inspired by his experience in Osaka to portray the dystopian future of LA in Blade Runner. Throughout Japan's large cities Anime, Manga novels, Kawai (cuteness), electronic bill boards, pachinko (pinball), and sexualized teenage girls dressed in mini-skirts, knee socks, and thick soled boots make it all hard to absorb at times. I'll let the visuals speak for the city and culture.
Almost all advertising is Anime
People spend hours in front of machines in pachinko halls.
Some are games, some are clutching for stuffed dolls, and some you just watch a pinball bounce.
Kawai (cuteness) is everywhere.
Even business men have stuffed kitties dangling from their briefcases.
Teenage fashion is called Harajuku
Gothic Harajuku
Large, predominantly female, faces cover buildings
Screen shot from Blade Runner
I have no idea.
A ferris-type wheel, that is surrounded by high-rises. Not much of a view.
Many Chinese visitors. Rice in bowl of black beans (unless their hair is dyed)
After marinating in Japanese modern culture we were taken to a few more peaceful places. In a small alcove off a side street a moss covered buddha is visited by locals. After the ritual washing of hands and dipping ladle, we tossed water on the Buddha. We didn't know it at the time, but Lunar New Year, which we will celebrate in Laos, is also the annual washing of the Buddha, with profound consequences for visitors. Stay tuned.
Robin paying respect to the Buddha, before washing him.
Our final stop on the tourist trail was Osaka Castle Park. The medieval castle has been built and destroyed many times over the centuries by both war and natural disasters. Once again the Tokugawa Shogunate of the sixteenth century played prominently in both its destruction and reconstruction. After lightning strike burned it down in the seventeenth century it was not rebuilt again until the 1930s, then out of reinforced concrete and with an elevator. Miraculously it was not destroyed again during the US bombing campaigns of WWII. The main Keep is now a museum.
Model of castle grounds with main Keep in the center.
Moat and fortified walls.
We noticed the corner battered stones are almost as tightly joined as the Inca walls in Peru.
The Castle Keep.
There was a half hour line to take the elevator to the top, so we just walked.
After our farewell dinner with Shu and the group our family and a couple others went out to a Japanese Whiskey bar. Here Shu introduced us to venomous snake infused whiskey. Tasted like Fireball with "cinnamon notes".
Venomous snake marinating in Japanese Whiskey. (The snake didn't drink a lot).
Next Post: To the Sea of Japan and Back.
