09 avril 2008
Kyoto
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We wake up ready to jump on our feet to discover Kyoto: it’s 3 AM... Too bad. We start working on our itinerary instead until we fall asleep again and wake up around 9. Mrs. Tani, has already prepared us breakfast by humble western standards: tea (green of course), bread, butter and jam. Mrs. Tani is an nice and determined old lady who has started hosting tourists after the government’s request to alleviate the accommodation situation during the 1964 Osaka Olympic games. She has continued doing so ever since. We move to the bigger tatami room with private bath. It has a special old time feeling and small fine details that gives it all the charm. With our rented bikes, we head towards Kinkaku-ji temple, known as the Golden Temple, one of the most visited temples. Small little shops surround the temple. The little sweets on display are unusual. We pick up toothpicks and imitate the Japanese, tasting different samples and making mmmhhh or oooh sounds after. Arigato gosaimaaas. We thank the shop owner politely and wander around the incredibly beautiful garden. It’s Sunday and many Japanese are visiting from other cities. The place remains very quiet. Young girls align to have their picture taken with the golden structure. The victory sign A is on display by almost everyone. Later on, we would find out this is mistakenly supposed to mean peace, an imitation from the oh-so-different West.
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Kyoto Imperial Palace’s park is our next stop. The 200 plum trees have started to blossom and that gives us a good reason to wander around and see what everyone else is doing. It’s a bright sunny day. Couples are having their pictures taken while having sushi under the trees. Children are running around.
Kyoto by bike is very enjoyable and we take some stops at small temples on our way. Kodo (Gyoganji) is also known as Reiyusan Gyoganji, belonging to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism. It was built in the Ichijo Ogawa area of Kamigyo Ward in 1004 by the monk Gyoen. The temple’s popular name (literally “leather hall”) is said to derive from the fact that Gyoen was known as Kawa-no-hijiri (the “leather saint”) due to his habit of wearing the skin of a pregnant deer that he had inadvertently killed, an event that greatly troubled him and inspired in him an attitude of kindness toward deer…
The Yurei Ema, a votive picture of horse depicting the ghost of a young woman, is on display in the temples of Homotsukan.
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Our bike stroll takes us through shopping areas on our way to famous Gion. Famous as it is widely described in the ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’. We spot one Geisha, as she accompanies customers outside the tea house where she has made her job of entertaining them. She is very gracious and walks with small steps bowing to passers by.
A large building structure hosts the Kyoto National Museum. Though pottery and ceramics are not high on our list, the collections on display are well presented. We liked the collection of kimono, the calligraphy and unique paper rolls.
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Shop after shop are aligned in the Shinjo area. We start discovering how expensive a shopping stroll can be in this part of Asia.
A catchy sign with a nice entrance leads us to a Manga café. A unique Japanese concept where you are given a quiet closed spot for one or 2 persons. You can surf the net, watch TV, choose from the wide selection of Mangas to read, or sleep. You pay by the hour and can stay as long as 12 hours in a row. Meanwhile, drinks are served free of charge and you can also have a shower to freshen up.
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Tips of the day
Rent a bike at 400¥/day with our guest house (it’s cheap as it can be rented to up to 1000¥ in Kyoto) If the weather is good, visiting the city by bike is a rewarding experience as one discovers the many facets of the city.
Lunch at Musachi Sushi , a small cheap sushi joint, at the entrance of Sanjo covered arcade.
