Kyoto - All by myself...

I must apologize for not posting anything for the last few weeks.  I have been really busy!  So hopefully in the next couple of days I will be making up for lost time and I will post many different things in the next couple of days or so. This post ended up being longer than I intended, so I promise I will make up for it by posting more pictures in the next couple of posts.

For my first post I would like to talk about when I went to Kyoto…all by myself.  (Everytime I type that statement I hear that song running through my head.  Should I feel sad?  Because I don’t!  That song makes me laugh when I hear it in my head because I know that sometimes it’s ok to be alone.  And the experience of going to Kyoto alone proves it!)

So the week Erik left, I decided to go to Kyoto all by myself.  I planned the trip and booked the hotel one night before I was going to leave (it was a bit last minute, but what can you do?)  I also booked a Geisha tour and planned which temples I wanted to visit.  When I think back to my trip, even though it was so long ago (the end of August), I think I should have left upset that many of the things I had planned didn’t work out in the end.  But strangely, I wouldn’t have had it any other way!!  Let me begin:

I purchased my train tickets after work on Friday and was ready to go on the local train and the Shinkanzen (the bullet train) to Kyoto.  I arrived to Kyoto in one piece (after figuring out how to go through the train gates with two tickets instead of just one) and I ate a yummy meal at Kyoto station.  Kyoto Station has been recently renovated and it looks open, huge, and actually very modern.  In fact it looks so modern that I hear that many locals and Japanese people are not happy with this new look considering that Kyoto is known for it’s sacred temples and it’s historical relevance (Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan and has many National Treasures).  But I thought it was extraordinary!  Here are some pictures of Kyoto Station and my lunch.  (The pictures don’t quite capture the impressive architecture of the station, but what can I do with a simple point-and-click blue camera?  What am I saying?  I love my camera!!)

(Opps, I can't find a picture of Kyoto Station, so here's a picture of Kyoto Tower instead....sorry!!)

Anyways, before I went to my hotel I noticed that the Kyoto Theater (which is part of the station), had the Phantom of the Opera playing.  In fact, this was the final weekend this production was being showed at the Kyoto Station.  So when I found the hotel and checked in, I asked if they could contact the theatre and book me a seat for Saturday night’s show.  I was a little nervous because I only booked one night’s stay in Kyoto and I was supposed to head back to Tarui Saturday night, but the show was at 5:30 and I thought that that would give me enough time to get home.  I ended up getting a seat that was in the 10^th row on the main floor right in the middle (I later realized that that seat was just under the chandelier in the show.  And if you’ve seen the Phantom of the Opera, you know what that means!!)  The funny thing is that they warned me that there were going to be some Junior High students who were sitting in the back of the theatre and they asked me if that was acceptable.  Uh, no, please remove those crazy teenagers at once!  I deal with enough of their silliness all week!!  Ok, ok, I didn’t really say that.  I said that in my head, and then I said it was fine.  (I wonder what they would say if I gave them my initial response!)

When I finally got to my room, I realized that I only had 30 minutes to go to the meeting place where the Geisha Walking Tour would begin!  I wanted to originally go to the Toji Temple and then go the meeting spot, but I had obviously spent too much time at lunch, at the theatre, and at the reception desk!

So I grabbed a taxi and headed off to the meeting spot: the Minamiza Theatre.  This Theatre has Geisha’s perform in the evening for foreigners, but if you know what a Geisha is, I don’t think that part of their job description is to entertain people in a theatre.  But who am I to think I know everything about Japanese culture?! 

Anyways, the point is that I got to the theatre with five minutes to spare.  I was meeting up with a tour guide who was originally from Halifax.  (At least that is what his webpage said).  He has lived in Japan for over 15 years and has gained the trust of the Geisha population.  His tour consists of walking the streets in the Geisha Neighbourhood and meeting a couple of Geisha that he knows specifically, who trust him enough to allow people to ask questions and take pictures.  It sounded like a fascinating tour!

So I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Nobody ended up showing up!  Not even other potential people who were going on this tour were there.  I did send him an email and attempted to call him the day before.  And there’s the problem…I tried to contact him the day before.  So I realized after 20 minutes of waiting that perhaps this fellow Canadian tour guide leader was not going to show up.  Interestingly enough, though, he still hasn’t gotten back to me and it’s now October.  Hmmmm…

Now this is the first thing that I should have been upset about.  And I was a little disappointed.  A little.  Normally when things don’t go as planned, I tend to stress out and get angry or upset.  But as I waited outside of that theatre and watched the tourists go by (I even heard people speaking English!!  How exciting!!), I was a bit relieved at the thought of having my own time to myself.  I mean, I’ve been in this area before, but now I was on my own so I could take as much time (or little time) that I wanted to explore this area.  So after waiting for a total of 30 minutes, I finally decided I would walk around the Gion Corner area and perhaps I would run into a Geisha myself.

I didn’t run into a Geisha.  I ran into five!!  I was walking in the Gion area and I decided to go down some side roads instead of the main tourist roads.  I started taking pictures of the roads because these streets are so narrow and they are famous because many Geisha have walked these streets for years!  And in the middle of me taking a picture of the street, I was able to snap a picture of a Geisha walking towards me!!  Now, I heard that it is not polite to run up to the Geisha and start taking pictures.  So I let her pass and refrained from taking another (better) picture of her.  Geisha are so beautiful in the way they look and the way they move.  Everyone in the street was staring in awe as she skillfully walked down the street.  I was surprised that she was walking down such a busy street.  Here is the picture I accidently took of the Geisha walking towards me:

Another Geisha I saw was working and she was buying something for a gentleman.  He walked away from her and waved his hand and she said something back to him that made everyone who heard laugh.  He laughed, too, and followed her back into the store.  I have heard that Geishas have to master the art of witty conversation and I think that is what I witnessed in that moment.  I only wish I knew what was said because with one sentence she convinced the man she was with to come back without insulting him, yet everyone around was smiling and amused at her comment.  I must learn Japanese, quick!!

So I walked through this area and down towards the Sanjusangen-do Temple.  On the way, I ran into two/three more temples, Kyoto’s National Museum, and *gasp* the Hyatt Regency Kyoto hotel!!  When I finally came to the temple, it said that it was closed. 

I was disappointed, but continued on my way towards the train station. 

Along the way were two other smaller temples that I wanted to see.  Sure enough, they had closed by 4:30, too.  I was starting to see a pattern!  No Geisha tour, all the Temples were closed by 4:30.

SHESH!! 

So I decided if I couldn’t go to anymore temples, I would do my next favourite thing to do on holiday.  SHOPPING TIME!!

I went to a department store and decided to buy a mouse for my old computer.  (You know, the PC I brought to Canada only to have it break down on me with nothing backed up.  ARGH!!)  I asked a worker in the store where the mouse section was.  There wasn’t just one ISLE devoted to the computer mouse, not just two, but THREE ENTIRE ISLES. 

I didn't know where to start!

So I played a game before purchasing the mouse: Find the most expensive mouse!  And find the strangest looking mouse.  This is what I found:

This mouse was the most expensive of them all: over $130 Canadian dollars!

I later treated myself to the most perfect ice cream cone ever!!  And I’m not just talking about flavor here, people.  Check out the picture: 

Have you ever seen such a picture-perfect ice cream cone?  It’s so perfectly round.  It’s almost too perfect.  I almost couldn’t eat this masterpiece!  (Ok, anybody who knows me knows that I admired the ice cream cone for a whole 10 seconds before devouring it...just enough time to get a photograph of it.  I am in Japan and without Erik, I am having a love affair with Japan’s finest ice cream!  And yes, I went to another Baskin Robins Ice Cream Parlor to see if the ice cream would be just as round as before.  I feel it is my duty as a Canadian to do this important “research” for all fellow Canadians.  And yes, it is true, the second ice cream cone was just as incredibly round as the first.) 

Wow, I’m really off topic here.  Sorry for rambling, but what can I say, with Erik out of the picture this year, I have a new passion.  Just don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize the blob that will roll back into Calgary this December!!

AHEM!  Anyways, I went back to the hotel after “dinner” and went to sleep.  I got up early the next day and saw many, many great sites.  I took a taxi, I took the subway, I took the local train, but most of the time I just walked to where I wanted to go.  I ran out of time and had to miss a few Temples and sights, but I saw the ones I definitely wanted to see.  Highlights include the following:

The Golden Temple.  (Kinkakuji Temple).  What can I say?  Look at the pictures.  I think just about everyone gasps when you turn the corner to get a glimpse of this Temple.  I love the way the gold also reflects in the pond in front of the temple.  Just so you know, you can’t go inside of the temple, but there was a photograph of the inside of the temple.  Apparently, the inside is gold, too!  What a way to start the day!!

After the Golden Temple, I walked down to Ryoanji Temple.  This temple has the largest rock garden in all of Japan.  Most rock gardens have a specific story or represent a specific place, but this rock garden allows the viewer to observe and discover their own story and interpretation.  It is said that the longer you sit and look at this garden, the more you will discover…even if that means that your original interpretation is now a changed into something completely new.  Oh, yes, and check out the pictures of the pond.  This pond/park is in front of the temple.  I love the water lilies!!  Lovely!

I skipped the Ninnaji Temple because I wanted to go to a nearby temple for a meditation experience.  I almost didn’t make it!  I was running late and when I thought I finally reached the temple, I turned the corner on the street and saw dozens of temples down the street.  Luckily I found the correct temple.  The monk took me to the room where he was teaching about meditation.  There were a few other foreigners there.  He talked about meditation and we meditated together as a group twice.  It was quite an uplifting experience.  It was nice to find peace and stillness in that moment. 

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I’m suddenly changing religions or that the Monk was brainwashing us or anything like that.  The Monk was simply explaining his experience with meditation, how there’s many different types, and then he gave us personal behind the scenes tour of his temple.  He is a very kind, gentle man (who has a family) and he was very respectful and answered all of our questions.  This was probably one of my favorite experiences in Japan so far.

By the way, the picture of the bell that he is ringing is actually a Catholic bell.  Apparently, it was made in the mid 1500s, and then Catholisism was outlawed just five years later and it was illegal to have possession of that bell.  But it has been hidden for all of these years.  The Monk explained that even his Great Grandfather helped conceal this “illegal” bell.  About 40 years ago, the government allowed these historical artifacts to be out in the public again without being illegal and destroyed.  And so this bell was brought out, after spending over 400 years in hiding.  The Monk told us that many Religious people as far as Rome, Italy, have flown to Kyoto to see this bell.  When he rang it, you could tell how important this bell was to him.  The sound that resonated from that bell was not a Japanese ring, even though I thought that the bell looked Japanese.  It was a wonderful sound.  I regret that I did not record it with my camera with a video.  But who knows, maybe one day I will be back…

After that memorable experience, I went to Nijo Castle next.  It was huge!  And unfortunately I was not allowed to take pictures inside of it.  This is to protect the paintings, which were extradordinary!  It’s amazing to think how old all of this is.  I really liked the ground I was walking on.  It had special wood that “chirps” as you walk across it so that intrudors could be detected.  And let me tell you there were many intrudors in that moment because it was raining outside and all of the tourists went inside of the castle.  The pictures I am posting are from the outside of the castle. 

I wanted to see the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but I was running out of time and my first priority was the Sanjisangen-do Temple that I missed the day before.  This area contains a HUGE park and the palace is in the middle.  When Kyoto was the capital of Japan, this was the main Palace where the Emperor was.  Luckily, I found out severel weeks later that the Palace was closed off to the public during that time so I’m glad I didn’t stop by.  Instead, I walked by it.  The photo you are looking at is one of the entrances to the park that leads to the Palace.

Now you might say, what could be better or more important than the Imperial Palace?  Why would you miss something that big for another Temple?  Because the Sanjisangen-do Temple has over 1000 statues of the Buddha in it.  Let me say that again; OVER ONE THOUSAND STATUES OF THE BUDDHA!!  And they were all gold!!  (Although the gold was flaking off on them).  All of the statues had 40(ish) arms holding different things in different positions.  So all of the statues were different from each other!!!  And I guess in the Buddha Religion, there are 28 main characters or beings that are in the religion.  Many temples will have a few statues of these beings, but this temple has all 28 of them together!!  No other Temple has all 28 statues together.  And they are all National Treasures!  The eyes on these statues look at you as if they are looking into your soul!!  (As you can tell, I was really impressed with this Temple...you can tell because what I am saying sounds kind of cheesy.  But if you were ever at this Temple, you would agree with me.)  Keep in mind that there were rows upon rows of Gold statues with 28 National Treasure statues in front of these rows.  And all of these statues were put into a small space.  It was truly breath taking!

In the middle of these gold statues sat a big Buddha.  The artist apparently spent a lot of time on the face of this Buddha.  It had a lot of detail on the face. 

So do I have a picture of this once in a lifetime experience?  No!  Why?  Because, again, pictures were not allowed in this Temple!!  I’m noticing a pattern here: the more impressive the experience, the less likely I’m allowed to capture it with a photograph to share with my family and friends!  However, this means that my family and friends are now obligated to come to Japan so that they can experience these fantastic, breath-taking treasures.  Also, I have to admit, if I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, I wasn’t bothered with fiddling with a camera.  And so I ended up treasuring these moments even more.  Here is a picture of the outside of the Temple:

Finally, I ate dinner and saw the Phantom of the Opera.  I’m happy to report that the teenagers behaved themselves!  Now, I could go on and on saying how much I loved this show, because I did.  So I will just say a couple of things to express just how good the Japanese version of the Phantom of the Opera was.  (Please keep in mind that the entire thing was sung in Japanese and I could not understand a single word of it).

I have been to the Phantom in Canada, in London, and now in Japan.  My favorite version was the Japanese version.  I have never cried during these shows.  Until now.  And I was not alone…I could hear people choking back tears at the end.  The cast received a standing ovation (which I think I started…I was the only person standing at the beginning).  Did I mention that the cast received a standing ovation nine times in total?  There were so many standing ovations that the actors did an encore.  And finally, I need to stress again, it was NOT in English, it was in Japanese, I have seen the London version (to clarify, in English), and I preferred this one.  The Phantom is now playing in Tokyo.  I hate to say it, I thought I had no need to visit Tokyo…until now!  That’s how good this show was!  Anyways, I have rambled on enough.

Did I make it home in one piece?  Or was I stranded at the local village’s train station, sleeping on a bench for the night?  I did miss the train I wanted to catch, but I still made it to Tarui fine.  I just ended up arriving home at 11:00pm instead of 10:15pm

But Kyoto, and my dear Angel of Music, you were worth it.  I should have been upset that I missed out on a Geisha tour, I missed many Temples I wanted to see, and many of the Temples closed before I even had a chance to visit them.  But that's ok.  I'll be back.  I should have stayed another night…but wait!  I went back to Kyoto with Masako and Akira two weeks ago!  I won’t go into as much detail for that blog posting, because as you can tell from the length of this post, I am in love with Kyoto (and ice cream).  What a wonderful city!