Chapter 7
Day 7
Kyoto, Silver Pavilion, Temples and Philosophic walks searching for a Tea Ceremony.
It was sunrise and we were already outside of our Hotel. We were walking in an Asakusa that was just quietly waking up, down the street that we already knew quite well, carrying our backpacks, reaching for the local metro station. This was the day that we were leaving Tokyo for Kyoto. The closer we got to the station, stronger was the feeling that we were leaving many places of this beautiful city still unvisited. As usual, our travel schedule was tight and with a philosophic “we’ll see it better the next time”, we were heading to a new part of Japan already knowing that we’ll be meeting brand new places to fall in love with.
From Asakusa we took a train of the Ginza Line to the Tokyo Central Station and from there we took a Shinkansen to Kyoto.
The journey on the Bullet Train lasted a little less than three hours and it took us to Kyoto passing through the Japanese countryside. I didn’t expect to see so many crop fields. Japan was surprisingly green… The train was fantastic. I mean, I’m accustomed to the “Italian Standard”, which in the last half century didn’t improve a little bit form the trains used in the WWII for the holocaust. You want to travel in bed smell? You want to get some parasite? You want to get to destination late? You want to gamble not knowing if you will ever arrive at your destination station? Take an Italian, or maybe an Indian, train. Japanese trains are the opposite. They are high-tech, they are clean and scarily precise. How do they manage all this? Simple, Japanese people are amazing (and crazy too).
From Asakusa we took a train of the Ginza Line to the Tokyo Central Station and from there we took a Shinkansen to Kyoto.
The journey on the Bullet Train lasted a little less than three hours and it took us to Kyoto passing through the Japanese countryside. I didn’t expect to see so many crop fields. Japan was surprisingly green… The train was fantastic. I mean, I’m accustomed to the “Italian Standard”, which in the last half century didn’t improve a little bit form the trains used in the WWII for the holocaust. You want to travel in bed smell? You want to get some parasite? You want to get to destination late? You want to gamble not knowing if you will ever arrive at your destination station? Take an Italian, or maybe an Indian, train. Japanese trains are the opposite. They are high-tech, they are clean and scarily precise. How do they manage all this? Simple, Japanese people are amazing (and crazy too).
Arrival in Kyoto
We arrived in a Kyoto under a partially cloudy sky, but the sun was promising for an appearance soon. As soon as we went outside of the station we found ourselves in front of the Kyoto Tower, already knowing that our hotel was just behind the corner. So, we turned left (straight and to the left) and we followed Shiokoji Dory all the way down until we met Horikawa Dori, then we turned left (straight and to the left again) and around the block there was our hotel the Apa Horikawadori. The APA is a hotel company which means “Always Pleasant Amenities” and is all around Japan with a huge number of hotels. We entered the hotel and the very professional and kind concierge people checked us in and took us to our micro room. In fact, the room was very clean, it was provided with folded Yukatas, amenities in the tiny bathroom, two nice crane origami on the bed, but the room was very small, if possible, even smaller than the one that we had in Tokyo. So, we took our time to unpack the backpacks, get ready, and we left the hotel. Hello Kyoto, it’s a pleasure to meet you!
History of Kyoto
The city of Kyoto, or better, of Heian-Kyō, dates back at the 6th century AD. It’s by that time that was built the first temple, the Shimogamo Shrine, and presumably, a village around of it. Later the village took the name of Uda. In the following centuries the Buddhist clergy rose to the power entering directly into the management of all the Imperial Affairs. Knowing that this situation couldn’t be stood any longer, the Emperor Kammu chosen to move and set up a new capital in the former village of Uda, which was the settlement that rose in the ancient Shimogamo Shrine area, formerly in the Yamashiro Province. The Emperor named the new city as “Heian-Kyō” (in Japanese 平安京 that means “Capital of Tranquility and Peace”, a replica of the Tang capital, Chang’an). The city became the Imperial Court in 794 beginning the Heian period of the Japanese History. Kyoto remained the Capital of Japan until the transfer of the Imperial Court in Tokyo in 1869. During the WWII Kyoto was known as the Cultural Capital of Japan, and by this way the United States of America chosen Kyoto as a Atomic Bombing target. By good luck (for Kyoto) Henry L. Stimson did anything he could to avoid the Kyoto bombing. Still at the place of Kyoto was picked Nagasaki. By the same time Kyoto was target of only few (conventional) bombings that did little damage. By this way, in our days, Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities with pre-WWII buildings. For further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto |
Ginkakuji the Silver Pavilion
Just outside the Train Station there is the Bus station, here we took a local bus to Shirakawa Dori, and then, from the bus stop we walked all the way to the famous Ginkakuji, known also as the “Silver Pavilion”. Along the way we noticed that Kyoto has lower building than Tokyo and a totally different look. By the same way, we felt like Kyoto is a historical city and we liked it. By the way, we tried one extreme drink. We needed something fresh and we chosen, from a vending machine, a Grapefruit-Fanta. It was marshmallow-pink, geyser-bubbly, sugar-concentrate-sweet and tasting like Bubblegum. Weird and interesting.
The Ginkakuji is a Zen Temple and it rises on the Eastern Kyoto hills. The temple was built in the end of 1400 by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. It’s commonly known as “Silver Pavilion” to relate it at the famous Kyoto “Golden Pavilion” built by the Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s grandfather. In spite of the name, it’s not covered in silver, but it’s said that in ancient past, when the tiles were covered in lacquer, it shone in the moonlight with a silvery light. The shogun was obsessed with art and by his time this became the main Japanese cultural centre (the famous “Higashiyama Culture Period” of the 15th century takes the name from the hills where the Ginkakuji is built). This cultural centre wasn’t only for the aristocrats, but influenced the entire community. The arts developed or refined by this time included the Tea Ceremony, Ikebana (Flower Arrangement), Noh Theatre, Garden Design and Architecture. In spite of this, I guess that most of the tourists visit this place just because it’s very beautiful.
While approaching at the Ginkakuji we noticed that on the hills surrounding Kyoto there were meadows with, somehow, carved Kanji fonts. Later we were told that there is a Festival in Kyoto when people light bonfires in these spots to make the Kanji glow in the night.
We visited the Ginkakuji starting from the main building, the Kannonden (The Hall of the Goddess Kannon), a two story building hosting a statue of the Goddess Kannon. The building is closed to the tourists, but it’s still beautiful to be seen from the outside. Near the Kannonden there is a beautiful Zen dry-sand garden. It’s shaped like a Volcano in the middle of a desert, but I guess that it might mean an island in the middle of the sea. All around there are other halls, buildings, small lakes and gardens. The visit was both interesting and relaxing.
The Ginkakuji is a Zen Temple and it rises on the Eastern Kyoto hills. The temple was built in the end of 1400 by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. It’s commonly known as “Silver Pavilion” to relate it at the famous Kyoto “Golden Pavilion” built by the Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s grandfather. In spite of the name, it’s not covered in silver, but it’s said that in ancient past, when the tiles were covered in lacquer, it shone in the moonlight with a silvery light. The shogun was obsessed with art and by his time this became the main Japanese cultural centre (the famous “Higashiyama Culture Period” of the 15th century takes the name from the hills where the Ginkakuji is built). This cultural centre wasn’t only for the aristocrats, but influenced the entire community. The arts developed or refined by this time included the Tea Ceremony, Ikebana (Flower Arrangement), Noh Theatre, Garden Design and Architecture. In spite of this, I guess that most of the tourists visit this place just because it’s very beautiful.
While approaching at the Ginkakuji we noticed that on the hills surrounding Kyoto there were meadows with, somehow, carved Kanji fonts. Later we were told that there is a Festival in Kyoto when people light bonfires in these spots to make the Kanji glow in the night.
We visited the Ginkakuji starting from the main building, the Kannonden (The Hall of the Goddess Kannon), a two story building hosting a statue of the Goddess Kannon. The building is closed to the tourists, but it’s still beautiful to be seen from the outside. Near the Kannonden there is a beautiful Zen dry-sand garden. It’s shaped like a Volcano in the middle of a desert, but I guess that it might mean an island in the middle of the sea. All around there are other halls, buildings, small lakes and gardens. The visit was both interesting and relaxing.
Tetsugaku-no-Michi - A Traditional Tea Ceremony on the The Philosopher’s Walk
We went outside of the Ginkakuji and we entered the nearby Tetsugaku-no-Michi, the street also known as “The Philosopher’s Walk”. This street follows a small river. The riverside pavement is made of stone tiles and there are aligned many small trees that, I think, should be Sakuras (Cherry Trees). Every now and then there are small pretty bridges (ok, few are enough broad to let cars to cross the river). That day was very hot and humid, but the trees provided enough shadow to have a relaxed walk along the whole way.
The same morning, when we visited the Tourist Information office at the Kyoto station, we asked for some advice to find a place where to attend a Japanese Tea Ceremony. The kind girls helped us and suggested a place just on the Tetsugaku-no-Michi. We asked them to mark the place on our map and to write the name in Japanese, so we could show it to the local people. As predicted, we asked to a number of people for advice, but nobody was able to show us the right direction. So, in the end, we kept going for so long that we reached the end of the road. Here there was a road going downhill with many shops and, among them, there was one with many pretty and colourful dresses. We stopped by and a nice lady came out of the shop. She could speak a perfect English. Kannon the Merciful Goddess was smiling at us! We shown the indications to the lady and she knew exactly where we should go. So, she took our map and shown us exactly how long we should go back on the Tetsugaku-no-Michi to find the right place. We went the way back and, as predicted, we found a bridge, we crossed it and we found the place.
We entered the blue banner curtains hanging from the gate and then we entered the door of this place. We kept on calling for the attention of somebody, but the place was deserted. The place looked like an empty Zen bar. It was fresh, dimply lit, it smelled of furniture polish and wax. The furnishing was only made of few tables and few benches. Everything was so clean, tidy and nice… And I sensed that it’d be very expensive, very expensive. All of a sudden, from the thin air, appeared a lady in traditional clothes. She approached in soundless small fast steps. Actually, she wasn’t looking like walking, but more likely she was gliding or levitating. She welcomed us in English and she offered us the menu. We replied her that we were looking for a Tea Ceremony and, finally, she said that we were in the right place. We were taken into a private room where we were asked to sit on comfortable sofas. We already expected to sit on the floor, but this room looked like thought for Westerners. The room had a sort of a stage, few tables along with few sofas. Few minutes later came a young lady with an arsenal made of tea tools, pots, cups and many other things. She said “Konnichiwa” to us and then she started with the ceremony. She was delicate, ethereal. She wasn’t looking like preparing a tea, she was looking like dancing. She was elegant and hypnotizing. In the ceremony she warmed the water, she washed the cups, she brew her tea whipping it with a Chasen (a bamboo whisk) and she kept with this ceremony until she reached the end of her alchemical potion and served us two cups of bright-green-foamy-tea with two sweets made of rice dough filled with sweet beans sauce.
The Japanese “Macha” Tea, that we were used to drink at the restaurants, was already much different from the tea that we were accustomed to drink back home. This one was even more different. It had a strong taste and smell of chlorophyll and was foamy. Lula definitely loved it as much she loved the sweet beans sweets. For me the tea was nice, it was like tasting a Kyoto ancient tradition, but talking about “taste”, I prefer teas with stronger taste, like the Assam ones. We spent a long time relaxing in this place out of the time flow. We sipped our teas and nibbled our cakes like they were something rare, but the best part, for me, was the ceremony itself. Later came the time to keep up with our explorations, and regretting of not having the chance to stay longer, we left the place.
The same morning, when we visited the Tourist Information office at the Kyoto station, we asked for some advice to find a place where to attend a Japanese Tea Ceremony. The kind girls helped us and suggested a place just on the Tetsugaku-no-Michi. We asked them to mark the place on our map and to write the name in Japanese, so we could show it to the local people. As predicted, we asked to a number of people for advice, but nobody was able to show us the right direction. So, in the end, we kept going for so long that we reached the end of the road. Here there was a road going downhill with many shops and, among them, there was one with many pretty and colourful dresses. We stopped by and a nice lady came out of the shop. She could speak a perfect English. Kannon the Merciful Goddess was smiling at us! We shown the indications to the lady and she knew exactly where we should go. So, she took our map and shown us exactly how long we should go back on the Tetsugaku-no-Michi to find the right place. We went the way back and, as predicted, we found a bridge, we crossed it and we found the place.
We entered the blue banner curtains hanging from the gate and then we entered the door of this place. We kept on calling for the attention of somebody, but the place was deserted. The place looked like an empty Zen bar. It was fresh, dimply lit, it smelled of furniture polish and wax. The furnishing was only made of few tables and few benches. Everything was so clean, tidy and nice… And I sensed that it’d be very expensive, very expensive. All of a sudden, from the thin air, appeared a lady in traditional clothes. She approached in soundless small fast steps. Actually, she wasn’t looking like walking, but more likely she was gliding or levitating. She welcomed us in English and she offered us the menu. We replied her that we were looking for a Tea Ceremony and, finally, she said that we were in the right place. We were taken into a private room where we were asked to sit on comfortable sofas. We already expected to sit on the floor, but this room looked like thought for Westerners. The room had a sort of a stage, few tables along with few sofas. Few minutes later came a young lady with an arsenal made of tea tools, pots, cups and many other things. She said “Konnichiwa” to us and then she started with the ceremony. She was delicate, ethereal. She wasn’t looking like preparing a tea, she was looking like dancing. She was elegant and hypnotizing. In the ceremony she warmed the water, she washed the cups, she brew her tea whipping it with a Chasen (a bamboo whisk) and she kept with this ceremony until she reached the end of her alchemical potion and served us two cups of bright-green-foamy-tea with two sweets made of rice dough filled with sweet beans sauce.
The Japanese “Macha” Tea, that we were used to drink at the restaurants, was already much different from the tea that we were accustomed to drink back home. This one was even more different. It had a strong taste and smell of chlorophyll and was foamy. Lula definitely loved it as much she loved the sweet beans sweets. For me the tea was nice, it was like tasting a Kyoto ancient tradition, but talking about “taste”, I prefer teas with stronger taste, like the Assam ones. We spent a long time relaxing in this place out of the time flow. We sipped our teas and nibbled our cakes like they were something rare, but the best part, for me, was the ceremony itself. Later came the time to keep up with our explorations, and regretting of not having the chance to stay longer, we left the place.
Heian Jingu - The Shrine of the Emperor Gods
We went back on the Tetsugaku-no-Michi, we followed it again all the way and in the end we turned right, toward the centre. We kept on this road without taking any deviation and soon we arrived at the next point of interest, the Heian Jingu (Heian Shrine).
History of the Heian Jingu
This Shrine was built in the end of 1800 and today it’s ranked as a “Beppyou Jinja”, that is the higher rank for the temples. In the beginning it wasn’t really meant as the temple that we know today. In fact, the original plans were to build a reproduction of the ancient “Heian Palace”, home of the Emperors rulers of Japan when Kyoto was capital. Unluckily the ancient “Heian Palace”, being made of wood, was burnt down so many times that there weren’t traces anymore of it than in ancient scrolls. The new building should be a great attraction for the people coming to visit Kyoto in the 1895, the year of the 1100th Aniversary of Kyoto foundation and also the year of the Kyoto Industrial Exposition Fair. Unluckily, the organization that should build the Heian Palace didn’t manage to buy enough lots of land to build it. The original Palace was an enclosure with palaces and gardens. So, architect downsized it, making a 5/8 scaled reproduction. When the Kyoto Industrial Exposition Fair ended, Kyoto had this beautiful palace, and they needed to do something with it. So, was taken the decision to convert it into a Shinto Shrine, and in this occasion Emperor Kammu, the founder of Kyoto as Imperial Capital, was deified in this temple. The tomb of Emperor Kammu is still in the Kashiwara Mausoleum (located in Momoyama, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto). In 1940, in a time of terrible crisis for the Kyoto population was decided to hold a new ceremony to give hope to the people. By this way, in the Heian Shrine was held the ceremony for the deification of the Emperor Komei, the last Japanese Emperor before that the Capital would be moved to Tokyo. The tomb of the Emperor Komei is still in the Gotsukinowa Higashiyama Mausoleum (located at Sennyu-ji Temple, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto). |
We entered the front yard passing under the bright red Torii Portal. The Heian Jingu is made of few building that surrounded us on three sides. Actually, this is only a small part as behind of the Heian Jingu there is a huge beautiful park. We wandered a bit around. The Shrine is awesome. It’s painted in red and the elegant shape of the walls and roof enhanced the sense of holiness. Looking around we even found some small trees that from far looked like Cherry Trees in blossom. We thought that it might be some sort of artificially-blossomed Sakura, but when we got closer, the white that we seen weren't flowers but small pieces of papers with wishes written over and then bound to the tree branches.
Seen that we had still some time before sunset, we entered the park behind of the Shrine. The park was extremely quiet and there was nobody round. Along our way that circles around a large pond, we even met on our way few ducks and cranes.
There was a covered bridge that was crossing the pond. On both sides of the walkways there were benches. So we took some time and we laid down to relax for a few minutes. The sound of water was cuddling us. The silence was only interrupted by the singing of some bird or the buzzing of a insect. Kyoto and her sounds felt very far, perhaps, 1000 Km away. There was the smell of lake water and grass. The last sun rays felt warm on my skin. It was a perfect spot to relax.
Seen that we had still some time before sunset, we entered the park behind of the Shrine. The park was extremely quiet and there was nobody round. Along our way that circles around a large pond, we even met on our way few ducks and cranes.
There was a covered bridge that was crossing the pond. On both sides of the walkways there were benches. So we took some time and we laid down to relax for a few minutes. The sound of water was cuddling us. The silence was only interrupted by the singing of some bird or the buzzing of a insect. Kyoto and her sounds felt very far, perhaps, 1000 Km away. There was the smell of lake water and grass. The last sun rays felt warm on my skin. It was a perfect spot to relax.
Evening in Kyoto
We came back into the Kawaramachi area that it was already dark. The streets were packed with tourist and smart-dressed locals. We looked around for a restaurant and by now, we already learnt the trick that we shouldn't look for a restaurant at the street level, but into the higher floors. Along the way, in our research we found one of those pearls that only travelers like. I don’t know if the word “Porche” in Japanese means anything. But in Italian, pronounced “Porke” has a precise meaning. It may mean both the plural of sows (plural female of pork) or “Sluts” if said it’s meant disregard toward women. Of course, we first laughed and then we decided to avoid of going to eat into the Sluts House, you don’t know what you can find and who will serve you. Soon later we found a restaurant with the name in Japanese and descriptions in English, so we picked it. It was at the 6th floor of a building. High enough.
We entered the restaurant and it was full of people, sign that it should be good. It was partially dark, well furnished and with some nice music. Japanese people all around were cheerful and noisy. We were welcomed by the smiling staff that took us to sit at a shelf-table that surrounded a large flowers composition. The waitress brought us the menu and, seen that were so many nights that we were eating fish or vegetarian, we decided to take meat. I chosen a dish with some nice grilled small meat slices piled like they were pancakes, Lula took a dish of skewers. As side-dishes we took two nice huge mixed salads. The dinner was amazing. The meat was juicy and tasty and the salads were rich in varieties of vegetables. During the evening some girls sitting next to Lula started to talk with her, asking where we were from and how we picked this good restaurant. We finished our dinner with some nice cold Sakè.
We came back to our hotel on foot. From far the Kyoto Tower was guiding us to her. The sky was starry and the wind pleasantly fresh. We were happy for this day of exploration. The next day we would make a jump into the Japanese past, and we were looking forward to it.
We entered the restaurant and it was full of people, sign that it should be good. It was partially dark, well furnished and with some nice music. Japanese people all around were cheerful and noisy. We were welcomed by the smiling staff that took us to sit at a shelf-table that surrounded a large flowers composition. The waitress brought us the menu and, seen that were so many nights that we were eating fish or vegetarian, we decided to take meat. I chosen a dish with some nice grilled small meat slices piled like they were pancakes, Lula took a dish of skewers. As side-dishes we took two nice huge mixed salads. The dinner was amazing. The meat was juicy and tasty and the salads were rich in varieties of vegetables. During the evening some girls sitting next to Lula started to talk with her, asking where we were from and how we picked this good restaurant. We finished our dinner with some nice cold Sakè.
We came back to our hotel on foot. From far the Kyoto Tower was guiding us to her. The sky was starry and the wind pleasantly fresh. We were happy for this day of exploration. The next day we would make a jump into the Japanese past, and we were looking forward to it.