Kyoto Khaos

The past two weeks have been fairly easy, work-wise. It feels like I’ve spent more time doing interesting Japanese-y things than working, which is great, but believe it or not, I am actually ready to start ‘real’ work, 2 months into the job! Japan has had two long weekends in a row, thanks to ‘Respect for the Aged Day’ and ‘Autumnal Equinox Day’. By comparison, Australians really shouldn’t get so excited about their one or two slack ‘do we really need this?’ public holidays- the Melbourne Cup and Queen’s Birthday. Japan is the world leader in those kinds of days off… a sample from my diary: Health and Sports Day; Culture Day; Coming of Age Day; Vernal Equinox Day (and it’s on a Thursday!); Emperor’s Birthday; Greenery Day; Children’s Day; Marine Day… etc.

Anyway, the last few days at work have been taken up with high school exams. I think they have them every couple of months or so. I actually had to write one of the tests for the 3rd grade class (Year 12)! That was interesting, given that I hadn’t even taught them the material they were going to be tested on. Oh well, somehow I cobbled together a few questions using the textbook. I also had to mark the tests, and freaked myself out because the first 5 or so were terrible- like 20 out of 50. I thought I had made the test too hard, until I found a few students who managed to get in the high 40s. Phew! “With great power comes great responsibility.” ;-pBut the main thing that’s blog-worthy this time is my trip to Kyoto ! I went last weekend with 4 other people (all doing the same program as me). Kyoto, in case you didn’t know, is the cultural capital of Japan . It wasn’t bombed during WWII, so many of Japan ’s oldest and most famous temples are there. AND, it’s only a 2 hour train ride (only around $20) from here! I knew Gifu was good for something… getting away!

Saturday, September 22-
Wake up early and try to discreetly (i.e. through much banging of pots and pans; turning taps off and on; opening and shutting doors) force my friend Sandra to wake up and get moving because we can’t miss the train! Arrive at the station on time, but receive a call from the other three, saying they’re gonna miss it. Decide to go anyway- screw them, they can get the next one. (hehe) Are surprised when they step on the train one stop after us; they made it after all, but had to do a last-second car park in a weird spot. We all pray the car is still there in two days time.

Arrive in Kyoto, ravenous. Must eat before we can sightsee. Wander the station for half an hour and finally get a meal in an ‘Italian’ restaurant. After eating, realize we need bus and sightseeing info. Find the tourist info office, but unfortunately, it’s only for Japanese people. A sign informs us that foreigners must go to the 9th floor. “Apartheid!”, we protest. 2 hours after arriving at Kyoto station, we manage to exit it. Get the bus to our first destination, Nijo-jo (Nijo castle). Buy an entry ticket from machine (yeah, why DO we need ticket booth attendants anyway?) Enter the glory that is Nijo-jo. Marvel at the architecture, straight out of a samurai movie, and the sheer number of middle-aged French tourists. Marvel again at the ‘nightingale’ floors- the floorboards are arranged so that when you walk on them, they squeak and sound exactly like birds twittering (designed so that intruders could be detected).

Take the bus to the hotel, Orange Inn, chosen by yours truly. Check in and flop on the bunks. But realize we must soldier on. Take the train to an out-of-the-way, but reportedly incredibly awesome, shrine: Fushimi Inari Taisha. It’s a Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes and industry (according to Wikipedia!). Her spirits, or messengers, are foxes, which supposedly hold the key to rice granaries in their mouths. I just like the bit about the foxes. Anyway, behind the shrine, there are hundreds of red gates (torii) lined up like dominoes, which are very impressive and picturesque. If you come to Kyoto , you must go.

Take bus to Gion, the old ‘geisha’ district of Kyoto, with visions of geisha dancing in our heads. Fail to spot a geisha but are too hungry to care. Eat okonomiyaki at a traditional-looking restaurant near a very beautiful stream and bridge.

Go to bed early, with plans to rise early to make the most of the day.

Sunday, September 23-
Miss the alarm; sleep in until 10. Abandon all hope of getting out early, knowing the reputations of two of our crew (they like to groom). Eat a combini (convenience store) breakfast on the way to first sight: Kinkakuji. This is the most well-known landmark in Kyoto . It’s a temple coated- COATED- in gold (Kin means gold). It’s a bit smaller than I imagined but absolutely stunning.

Take bus to second site, Ginkakuji. Gin means silver. But alas, it’s not coated in silver. The intention was there, but it never happened. Instead, (cue pretentious language) this temple has become an example of the wabisabi aesthetic- basically an idea of beauty that’s not about perfection, but about seeing beauty in imperfect, impermanent, incomplete things. The gardens surrounding the temple are beautiful; so cultivated- every branch and rock has been pruned or placed just-so, but it still manages to look natural. Personally, I found Ginkakuji just as, if not more, impressive than Kinkakuji, but in a different way.

…Continue our temple-crawl- onwards to Kiyomizudera (It means ‘clear water temple’. Little did we know, it was to live up to its name in an unexpected way). Anticipate the most breathtaking view in all of Japan , perhaps the world (the view has just been declared one of the new 7 wonders of the world, or something). Walk for 30 minutes through a cemetery, slowing developing the suspicion that we’re going the wrong way. Eventually arrive at the temple. Confirm that it’s beautiful. Look up as the heavens open and the first of many, many raindrops hit us. Look around at all the Japanese tourists, huddled under the sheltered parts, staring gloomily out. Decide we might as well look even weirder than we already do, and run through the rain to the temple. Look out at haze. Wonder if the view really is nice and decide we may never know. Get even wetter, running from one pagoda to another. Get separated. Call each other with instructions for how to find each other. Don’t find each other. Get literally pushed into the rain by grumpy Japanese woman trying to close up her souvenir shop. Leave the temple, this time walking the correct way down the hill, along with 10 000 other Japanese tourists. Finally give in a pay 400 yen each for an umbrella. Walk for another half hour to the bus. End up in Gion again.

Decide an sento (public bath) is what we need. Arrive at sento – boys and girls separate. Fumble around with our lockers et cetera for 10 minutes before we get up the courage to strip off. Enter bathing area, cover certain areas with our ‘dignity towel’. ‘ Wash ’ (whoops, forgot to bring soap!) before getting in the bath. Enter 50-degree water. Turn pink, but enjoy the feeling of having the top 2 layers of skin die. Move to outdoor bath. Notice old Japanese lady in bath. She notices us. She leaves.

After sento, find a random restaurant and eat. Go back to hotel. Fall asleep.

Monday, September 24
Awaken to the sound of loud American and Australian backpackers talking about nothing. Check out of hotel and take bus to Kyoto station. Find omiyage (souvenir) store and fork out 1000 yen for the obligatory edible presents all Japanese work colleagues expect upon one’s return from afar.Take train back to Gifu . Celebrate when we find the car still in the car park. Officially declare the trip a success!