Leaving Ourselves Behind

Maybe it goes back to my smoking career, which ended over 40 years ago, but it I catch a cold, it worms right into my lungs and grabs hold for days and days. I’m almost better now, but my wheezing, coughing, phlegm-y self cost us both what should have been a full-on eight days in Kyoto.

Not to make this about my little head cold, but it serves as a bit of an explanation for our diminished activities. One day – one thing. First up – the renowned Kyoto Station.

This gorgeous, futuristic building is a marvel in both people-moving and in design. The interior is filled with dozens and dozens, if not hundreds, of shops and restaurants.

This was our view back down to the station’s main entrance; we had already climbed several sets of gleaming exterior escalators to the rooftop.

There’s so much to tell you about and so many observations to share. First of all, if you don’t already know, a temple is Buddhist and a shrine is Shinto (indigenous Japanese religion) and at this point I am hard-pressed to tell the difference.
Now this is tricky – the importance of shrines and temples in Japan cannot be overstated, but at the risk of sounding disrespectful or disinterested, visiting many, many shrines and temples is my least favourite thing about Japan. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it is because to my uneducated eye, they share so many common qualities. They are beautiful, they are peaceful and the ones that are still standing after hundreds of years are remarkable.

Perhaps it is because there are so many of them, and a visit to each “important” one feels obligatory and yet brings a sense of deja vu. Still, most of them are such transforming mood-lifters and they are often set in incredible surroundings. Why would you not want to stroll around these buildings?

We were really looking forward to our time here, with so much to see and do in the city and the surrounding area. Honestly, even if I had been in the bloom of health and packed each day full, eight days would still have left us wanting.

We really enjoyed strolling Gion – an historical neighbourhood that was traditionally a geisha area. To get there we left our hotel, walked along the river for about half an hour, walked up the hill and into the district.

Kyoto can accurately be described as walkable, although many of those walks can stretch out for many kilometres. Our average day we clocked 12-15 kilometres.

Not a (real) geisha to be found in Gion, but dozens and dozens of tourists kitted out in kimono for the day. The rental is actually quite reasonable (about $30) and includes little bags, hair accessories and the zori or geti (wooden clogs/flip-flops). A number of men chose to “go Japanese” for the day as well, most of them unironically.

We met up with these girls in our restaurant at lunch. Our Stephen referred to them as “geisha”, which caused them all to cover their mouths and giggle and happily pose for a photo. Possibly they thought they had him fooled.

An aspect of Kyoto we really loved was the predominance of “alleys.” They’re not back alleys, just small narrow streets, but they bring so much character to the city. Kyoto escaped bombing during WWII due to its historical significance and you can really feel the difference in architecture and city layout. It’s cozy.

We walked along this alley several times on our way back to our hotel.

This former headquarters for Nintendo is now a nice hotel. We spoke to one of the staff who told us the hotel had only been in business for three years; having been “ghosted” for 30 years. You can live with the Nintendo ghosts for just under $1000 a night.

On the other hand, in a nearby neighbourhood, this poor soul is just about done with tourists mistaking their home for an inn.

Part of being tourists is being marketed the “tourist traps”, and they’re not all awful.

As markets go, the Nishiki market is a standout. It is several centuries old, starting around 1310 and covering 5 blocks. It’s lovely to wander about and admire the beautifully curated food items, Japanese knives and specialty chopsticks.
Locals don’t shop here – there was a dearth of fruit and veggies, a dearth of market smells and noise and a dearth of authenticity.
There was no dearth of tourists – inching their way along from stall to stall.

The sushi and the wagyu skewers were not going to waste. The food was beautiful to look at and I’m sure a stop here for lunch or a snack is a highlight.

The Philosopher’s Walk. A pathway that runs alongside a canal for 2 km., and was said to be the daily walk of famous Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida. It was mercifully uncrowded, which did leave a little room for meditation.

Lots of other things to take in along the way, such as the note outside this restaurant, monk. This 14-seat eatery, with tasting menus of $154 CA, can no longer accommodate the demand. In a city and country filled with singular dining experiences, has over-tourism also over-burdened the restaurant business?

We bumped into this delightful gentleman a little further along the road. We asked him about his camera (an 8×10) and he quite obligingly stopped to chat. Avery Campbell, from Chicago, moved to Kyoto with an art job, and is now breaking out on his own as a freelance photographer.

Oh, to go to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove? We had read that a) this was an impressive stand of several-centuries old bamboo, but b) the crowds were incredible and detracted from the experience.
We decided to risk it. Yes, loads of people, but our views were not obstructed, and the slow pace suited the walk. We liked it.

This gentleman played a melancholy chord on his flute, which was in keeping with the atmosphere, until some idiot decided to run up beside him for a selfie. Even his buddies looked embarrassed and he protested, ” but I gave him some money.” A fly in the ointment, and then he was gone and the mood returned.

You want crowds? Try going to the pilgrim route, the Fushimi Inari Shrine, a 5 km. round-trip trek past the shrine and up sacred Mount Inari by climbing up steps through thousands of vermillion torii gates.
It’s entirely our own fault – we should have been there first thing in the morning.
People are funny – they are comfortable holding up the line while they get the perfect shot of their girlfriend, and one woman was walking slowly, solemnly intoning, ” We have just begun our ascent through the 10,000 gates on our way to the summit“, as though this was a trek to Nepal.

A brief break.

A side view of the gates.

We reached the top of the climb, walked around the structures before heading for the city view and our descent. Would this not be the very definition of karma?

And now to Nara – an hour’s train ride south of Kyoto and home to many sacred temples as well as a huge population of deer. The does and fawns are adorable and tame,and pop up everywhere.

The bucks are a different story. This is mating season and the males are, as the sign warns us, “feisty.” We saw a buck head-butt a tourist, and they generally wander around looking ragged and ready to pick a fight.
After a lifetime of being taught not to feed wildlife, I do wonder at the sale of “deer crackers”, which has both increased the population, taught these creatures to be extremely tame, and depending upon what you want to believe, they will even bow for a treat.
Not to further anthropomorphize animals, but I do wonder at the effect of such great quantities of crackers. If it were me, would this be the equivalent of Thanksgiving dinner every single day? Would my digestive system be shot? If it wouldn’t work for me, how can it work for them, I guess is my question – crackers not being deer food found in nature.

And finally, my new friend Ian. I heard her talking to a small tour group, in her perfect, unaccented English, and I walked over to her to ask her if I could take her photo. I loved her fashion and her attitude, and she gave me permission to approach people on the street if I want to take their photos. She felt most stylish people appreciate the acknowledgment that they stand out, and I think she’s right.

Up next – we will be on the Nakasendo Trail for a couple of days.