Chapter 9
Day 9
Kyoto
Kinkakuji - The Golden Pavilion
It was our third day in Kyoto and we decided to take as easier as e could. So, lazily, we got up from bed, had breakfast and then we packed our small backpacks. It was time for a relaxed visit of Kyoto.
We went to the train station nearby and we took a local bus toward the first landmark that we planned to visit. The gorgeous Golden Pavilion.
At the entrance we were given some calligraphy-banner-like huge tickets and as soon as we went through the gate, we found ourselves in front of “Her Majesty”. The Kinkakuji Temple, known also as “The Golden Pavilion” was standing there, across a small artificial lake. It was reflecting the sun light, like a faith beacon glowing above the quiet surface of water.
The history of the Kinkakuji dates back to the 1397, when the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, bought a villa rising where the Temple stands now. The original building was called Kitayama-Dai, which means “Kitayama the Second”, and belonged to a powerful man named Saionji Kintsune.
The Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu started new works and turned the previous mansion into the complex called Rokuon-ji (meaning “Deer Garden Temple”) also known as Kinkakuji (meaning “Temple of the Golden Pavilion”). During the life of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu the Rukon-Ji turned into a very important cultural centre where was developed the art of Garden Design. After that the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu passed away, following his will, the Rukon-Ji was turned into a Buddhist Zen Temple. For Westerners the “Zen” Buddhism could be thought as the “art of empty spaces” and “dry sand gardens”, but actually is a very complex form of Buddhism that goes far beyond the “empty spaces” appearance.
The appearance of the Rukon-Ji that is the way that the main building is still called, is captivating. In fact, the pavilion is literally covered in Gold Leaf. We spent some time in front of it. In that day, the area was very crowded and people were quite noisy, but the temple itself was definitely amazing.
We circled the small pond and we went up the hill in the park that surrounds the Temple. From high above, where roofs of the Pavilion are partially covered by the trees, we had a good panorama of the city.
We spent some long time there, and then, we went toward the exit. Here we met a nice old lady dressed in a traditional way. She was offering tea samples at the passers-by, and we couldn’t say no. So, she poured us some instant tea. It was jade-green and on the surface were floating some small gold crumbs.
The tea was very sweet, warm and nice. The lady said that it was a brand of tea made for the “Golden Pavilion”, of course the “Golden Tea”. She asked us to buy a box from her, but in the end the price was too high, so we just covered her with our best congratulation of that good tea.
We went to the train station nearby and we took a local bus toward the first landmark that we planned to visit. The gorgeous Golden Pavilion.
At the entrance we were given some calligraphy-banner-like huge tickets and as soon as we went through the gate, we found ourselves in front of “Her Majesty”. The Kinkakuji Temple, known also as “The Golden Pavilion” was standing there, across a small artificial lake. It was reflecting the sun light, like a faith beacon glowing above the quiet surface of water.
The history of the Kinkakuji dates back to the 1397, when the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, bought a villa rising where the Temple stands now. The original building was called Kitayama-Dai, which means “Kitayama the Second”, and belonged to a powerful man named Saionji Kintsune.
The Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu started new works and turned the previous mansion into the complex called Rokuon-ji (meaning “Deer Garden Temple”) also known as Kinkakuji (meaning “Temple of the Golden Pavilion”). During the life of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu the Rukon-Ji turned into a very important cultural centre where was developed the art of Garden Design. After that the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu passed away, following his will, the Rukon-Ji was turned into a Buddhist Zen Temple. For Westerners the “Zen” Buddhism could be thought as the “art of empty spaces” and “dry sand gardens”, but actually is a very complex form of Buddhism that goes far beyond the “empty spaces” appearance.
The appearance of the Rukon-Ji that is the way that the main building is still called, is captivating. In fact, the pavilion is literally covered in Gold Leaf. We spent some time in front of it. In that day, the area was very crowded and people were quite noisy, but the temple itself was definitely amazing.
We circled the small pond and we went up the hill in the park that surrounds the Temple. From high above, where roofs of the Pavilion are partially covered by the trees, we had a good panorama of the city.
We spent some long time there, and then, we went toward the exit. Here we met a nice old lady dressed in a traditional way. She was offering tea samples at the passers-by, and we couldn’t say no. So, she poured us some instant tea. It was jade-green and on the surface were floating some small gold crumbs.
The tea was very sweet, warm and nice. The lady said that it was a brand of tea made for the “Golden Pavilion”, of course the “Golden Tea”. She asked us to buy a box from her, but in the end the price was too high, so we just covered her with our best congratulation of that good tea.
Ryoanji - The Zen Temple
Once outside of the Kinkakuji is advisable to take a “right-bound” bus, so in this way, in a matter of few stops, is easy to arrive to the next temple, the famous Ryoanji. The Ryoanji is a Zen temple and most of the tourists come to this place to admire the dry sand Zen garden.
The very temple is a wooden structure with a sort of balcony facing the Zen Garden. In this garden the monks, using rakes, draw lines which resemble the sea waves. Some boulders are placed in the middle of the garden, resembling islands in the middle of the sea. We sat long by the balcony with our feet hanging from the edge. There were lots of people, but everyone was silent, just gazing at the garden. This was a place of contemplation and introspection. If there were less people it would be perfect. Anyway, it was still a magical place.
The very temple is a wooden structure with a sort of balcony facing the Zen Garden. In this garden the monks, using rakes, draw lines which resemble the sea waves. Some boulders are placed in the middle of the garden, resembling islands in the middle of the sea. We sat long by the balcony with our feet hanging from the edge. There were lots of people, but everyone was silent, just gazing at the garden. This was a place of contemplation and introspection. If there were less people it would be perfect. Anyway, it was still a magical place.
Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple - The Kitsune Mountain Temple
After all this spirituality, came to the surface our hedonistic part, and we felt the urge to do something less spiritual and much more material. When we came back to the centre, we first had a stop into a gorgeous ice-cream parlor, where we had ultra-coloured ice creams topped with the most bizarre combinations we could think. Then we started our window-shopping tour, and in Kyoto there is plenty of shops and malls. Anyway, while strolling around we understood that we weren’t very interested into the shopping, as most of the things could be found in Italy too. So, why were we wasting time? We had to hurry to find something more interesting. We browsed our notes and there we found out what we were looking for. We rushed to the station where we took a metropolitan train and in a matter of short we were in front of the entrance of the Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple, also known as the Foxes Temple.
We have a rule, and it looks like it’s the one and most important that we follow. We are always late. It’s unbelievable, we are never early. Of course, this rule works in Japan too.
We left the centre of the town and following the directions that we found before leaving Italy, soon we reached the Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple that was dusk. The sky was covered by thick clouds, and only few spots among the clouds were gleaming with the orange sunset rays.
We entered the Torii Portal and we went around the temple grounds. There were Halls and some small building, all around there was some Fox statue.
The Kitsune are Fox Spirits, and with “Fox Spirit” Japanese people mean a living Fox with Supernatural Powers. Following the local folklore, a fox should live from 50 to 100 years to achieve a Supernatural Power, any time the fox enhance the power, grows a tail until the Kitsune has nine tails. At this point, the Kitsune becomes grey or golden. The Kitsune can be benevolent, usually called Zenko, or malicious, usually called Yako. The Zenko Kitsune are often connected with the Deity Inari Okami. The Deity Inari Okami is the Deity of the Good Harvesting, Crops, Sakè and other rural things. Usually there is not a common gender for this Deity as could be represented as a girl, a man or androgynous. There is folklore saying that Inari Okami is a Kitsune too, but Buddhist monks discourage this version. The Kitsune are the Inari Okami’s messengers too, they are extremely wise and shape shifters. Many folktales say that they can take the shape of men and women, they can be good lovers, good friends, even if they keep Fox characteristics. At times it was told that they could cause possession of some people. In that case, people yelps like a fox, the face looks more “foxy”, eat the things that Foxes love and, if illiterate, they gain (temporarily) the ability to read or speak foreign languages. In this case, the exorcism should be to prick the person with a needle, or beat him, or taking him to have an exorcism into an Inari Temple. Most of the Kitsune statues are represented holding a key, it’s the key of the grain storage, as they are the good guardians too.
We entered the main part of the temple, that is made of halls scattered up the hill, all connected by passageways covered by long successions of red Torii portals. At times, it feels like walking under a sort of red-hypnotic tunnels.
We were alone. Around of us the silent was broken only by the sounds of the woods at sunset. Only a dim light was passing under the Torii portals and we were fast falling into the darkness.
The Temple is very famous both for its real beauty and because here was shot a famous scene of the movie “Memories of a Geisha”, when baby Chiyo (the main character) runs along these Torii tunnels.
All around the temple grounds, near any hall and along the ways up the hill, there are hundreds, or maybe a thousand Kitsune statue, of any shape and size. Here people take offerings and incense to the statues, just like they were deities. Or perhaps, they really are…
All of a sudden, a raindrop “Lula, was it a drop?”, BAAAAAAM! A thunderbolt. We didn’t even had time to get scared of it that instantly started a torrential downpour. I said to Lula “Surely, if we run under the Torii tunnels we’ll get shelter, I’m sure that people built them in this way”. Drops kept falling, but in a form of small rivers through the space between a Torii and the next. Twenty minutes later, we were in the topmost part of the Temple grounds, and totally drenched.
Darkness was surrounding us, and the air was filled by the noise of the rain in the woods. Thunders lighted the Kitsune statues of a sinister electric blue light. The smell of wet wood, the cold of the rain, and the darkness. Thunders were keeping on striking down all around of us. But we weren’t scared at all. We were hyped. It was an incredible emotion. We felt lost. We felt like in a suspended alternative reality. In that madness of rain, lightning strikes, Torii Portals and stone Foxes, we were laughing like crazy. Oh yeah, the Kitsune were doing another magic trick. They presented us an unforgettable emotion.
Slowly we went back downhill and when we reached the main Torii Portal, we said a “See You Again” to the Kitsunes. We took a local train bound to reach the Kyoto central station. Usually Japanese people have a really strong self control, at least, they had toward us. Except this time. They were looking fresh, clean and ironed like they were given birth by a laundry. Any of them with their private, perfectly folded umbrella. We were soaked wet and dirt after a day of exploration. Quite like the wanderers that we are. I guess that’s why the Japanese people were looking at us quite badly. European Barbarians! Luckily they stayed at bay, otherwise I’d unleash on them the fury of my new friend Kitsune.
We have a rule, and it looks like it’s the one and most important that we follow. We are always late. It’s unbelievable, we are never early. Of course, this rule works in Japan too.
We left the centre of the town and following the directions that we found before leaving Italy, soon we reached the Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple that was dusk. The sky was covered by thick clouds, and only few spots among the clouds were gleaming with the orange sunset rays.
We entered the Torii Portal and we went around the temple grounds. There were Halls and some small building, all around there was some Fox statue.
The Kitsune are Fox Spirits, and with “Fox Spirit” Japanese people mean a living Fox with Supernatural Powers. Following the local folklore, a fox should live from 50 to 100 years to achieve a Supernatural Power, any time the fox enhance the power, grows a tail until the Kitsune has nine tails. At this point, the Kitsune becomes grey or golden. The Kitsune can be benevolent, usually called Zenko, or malicious, usually called Yako. The Zenko Kitsune are often connected with the Deity Inari Okami. The Deity Inari Okami is the Deity of the Good Harvesting, Crops, Sakè and other rural things. Usually there is not a common gender for this Deity as could be represented as a girl, a man or androgynous. There is folklore saying that Inari Okami is a Kitsune too, but Buddhist monks discourage this version. The Kitsune are the Inari Okami’s messengers too, they are extremely wise and shape shifters. Many folktales say that they can take the shape of men and women, they can be good lovers, good friends, even if they keep Fox characteristics. At times it was told that they could cause possession of some people. In that case, people yelps like a fox, the face looks more “foxy”, eat the things that Foxes love and, if illiterate, they gain (temporarily) the ability to read or speak foreign languages. In this case, the exorcism should be to prick the person with a needle, or beat him, or taking him to have an exorcism into an Inari Temple. Most of the Kitsune statues are represented holding a key, it’s the key of the grain storage, as they are the good guardians too.
We entered the main part of the temple, that is made of halls scattered up the hill, all connected by passageways covered by long successions of red Torii portals. At times, it feels like walking under a sort of red-hypnotic tunnels.
We were alone. Around of us the silent was broken only by the sounds of the woods at sunset. Only a dim light was passing under the Torii portals and we were fast falling into the darkness.
The Temple is very famous both for its real beauty and because here was shot a famous scene of the movie “Memories of a Geisha”, when baby Chiyo (the main character) runs along these Torii tunnels.
All around the temple grounds, near any hall and along the ways up the hill, there are hundreds, or maybe a thousand Kitsune statue, of any shape and size. Here people take offerings and incense to the statues, just like they were deities. Or perhaps, they really are…
All of a sudden, a raindrop “Lula, was it a drop?”, BAAAAAAM! A thunderbolt. We didn’t even had time to get scared of it that instantly started a torrential downpour. I said to Lula “Surely, if we run under the Torii tunnels we’ll get shelter, I’m sure that people built them in this way”. Drops kept falling, but in a form of small rivers through the space between a Torii and the next. Twenty minutes later, we were in the topmost part of the Temple grounds, and totally drenched.
Darkness was surrounding us, and the air was filled by the noise of the rain in the woods. Thunders lighted the Kitsune statues of a sinister electric blue light. The smell of wet wood, the cold of the rain, and the darkness. Thunders were keeping on striking down all around of us. But we weren’t scared at all. We were hyped. It was an incredible emotion. We felt lost. We felt like in a suspended alternative reality. In that madness of rain, lightning strikes, Torii Portals and stone Foxes, we were laughing like crazy. Oh yeah, the Kitsune were doing another magic trick. They presented us an unforgettable emotion.
Slowly we went back downhill and when we reached the main Torii Portal, we said a “See You Again” to the Kitsunes. We took a local train bound to reach the Kyoto central station. Usually Japanese people have a really strong self control, at least, they had toward us. Except this time. They were looking fresh, clean and ironed like they were given birth by a laundry. Any of them with their private, perfectly folded umbrella. We were soaked wet and dirt after a day of exploration. Quite like the wanderers that we are. I guess that’s why the Japanese people were looking at us quite badly. European Barbarians! Luckily they stayed at bay, otherwise I’d unleash on them the fury of my new friend Kitsune.
Evening in Kyoto
When we reached the hotel it almost stopped raining. We reached our room and after a nice hot shower, we got dressed well and we left for an evening in the beautiful city of Kyoto.
When we went out of the hotel it already stopped raining. We went to the centre and we had a stroll around there until we found a nice restaurant where to dine. It was crowded and it was a clue that food should be good there. We were asked to sit on stools near the table where the Sushi cooks were working. It was interesting to see how they work and to learn some of their techniques. In this restaurant we dined with noodles and a load of different kinds of sushi. They were all fantastic, but the best was the Tuna, that was amazing!
Like the previous evening, we finished our dinner with a very good Sakè, but this time, perhaps because it was hot, or maybe because we were tired, the Sakè shoot us into another dimension. A fluid dimension or misty images where everything was funny and we felt chilled.
It was late, too late. The last bus to the station already left a while ago. The street were populated by tuned cars that were going around showing off a glory of neon lights and LCD screens. A stream of funny cars, because they exceeded the limit of the “tuned car” and entered the area of the “parody of a tuned car”, were in parade along the otherwise empty streets flanked by closed shops. We wandered a little looking for an open bar, but then, we decided to walk back to the hotel. Luckily we could see from far the Kyoto Tower that shown us, like a beacon, the approximate position of our hotel. Three kilometers later, a couple of missed crossings, twenty or so pictures that will never be shown to the Japanese people, many laughters and a terrible foot pain for the closed shoes, we arrived at the hotel.
While going to our room, for the first time, we noticed that those cold-furnished corridors reminded the Stanley Hotel from the movie Shining. We wouldn’t be surprised if a door burst open and got out of it the ghost from the movie “The Ring” (the Japanese original is called “Ringu”) hand in hand with the ghost from the movie “Shutter”. No, it couldn’t be possible. The movie “Shutter” is Thai, not Japanese, so, case closed. That Sakè was driving us nuts.
That night Lula felt quite bad for that Sakè. The next morning, while we were packing our backpacks she swore on the head of the Swords seller of Sakurada Dori (Tokyo) that she wouldn’t touch Sakè for the rest of the travel.
Now were already ten days that we were in Japan. In the beginning we felt like we landed on another planet. People looked like acting funny and impossible to penetrate. But now, after these days, we started to get along with them, and to understand them too. Japanese people were extremely kind and willing to help. They are proud of their country and do their best to keep it in the best state possible (and this isn’t obvious as in other countries I’ve seen a strong nationalism paired with racism while they kept their country as a mere landfill). The Japanese culture is definitely fascinating and people, after the first barrier, are generous and very helpful (except when giving directions, in that case, it’s sure to get lost). Now I definitely love Japan.
When we went out of the hotel it already stopped raining. We went to the centre and we had a stroll around there until we found a nice restaurant where to dine. It was crowded and it was a clue that food should be good there. We were asked to sit on stools near the table where the Sushi cooks were working. It was interesting to see how they work and to learn some of their techniques. In this restaurant we dined with noodles and a load of different kinds of sushi. They were all fantastic, but the best was the Tuna, that was amazing!
Like the previous evening, we finished our dinner with a very good Sakè, but this time, perhaps because it was hot, or maybe because we were tired, the Sakè shoot us into another dimension. A fluid dimension or misty images where everything was funny and we felt chilled.
It was late, too late. The last bus to the station already left a while ago. The street were populated by tuned cars that were going around showing off a glory of neon lights and LCD screens. A stream of funny cars, because they exceeded the limit of the “tuned car” and entered the area of the “parody of a tuned car”, were in parade along the otherwise empty streets flanked by closed shops. We wandered a little looking for an open bar, but then, we decided to walk back to the hotel. Luckily we could see from far the Kyoto Tower that shown us, like a beacon, the approximate position of our hotel. Three kilometers later, a couple of missed crossings, twenty or so pictures that will never be shown to the Japanese people, many laughters and a terrible foot pain for the closed shoes, we arrived at the hotel.
While going to our room, for the first time, we noticed that those cold-furnished corridors reminded the Stanley Hotel from the movie Shining. We wouldn’t be surprised if a door burst open and got out of it the ghost from the movie “The Ring” (the Japanese original is called “Ringu”) hand in hand with the ghost from the movie “Shutter”. No, it couldn’t be possible. The movie “Shutter” is Thai, not Japanese, so, case closed. That Sakè was driving us nuts.
That night Lula felt quite bad for that Sakè. The next morning, while we were packing our backpacks she swore on the head of the Swords seller of Sakurada Dori (Tokyo) that she wouldn’t touch Sakè for the rest of the travel.
Now were already ten days that we were in Japan. In the beginning we felt like we landed on another planet. People looked like acting funny and impossible to penetrate. But now, after these days, we started to get along with them, and to understand them too. Japanese people were extremely kind and willing to help. They are proud of their country and do their best to keep it in the best state possible (and this isn’t obvious as in other countries I’ve seen a strong nationalism paired with racism while they kept their country as a mere landfill). The Japanese culture is definitely fascinating and people, after the first barrier, are generous and very helpful (except when giving directions, in that case, it’s sure to get lost). Now I definitely love Japan.