Sushi, sake, sights....what more could you ask for?
After spending a few days in Japan, I had to ask Will - you couldn't have studied Japanese, huh? Not that I don't love China, but Japan, Kyoto in particular - I really loved it. I loved the elegance of the city, the kind people, the sense of tradition and protocol, all the details (even the toilet seats are warm - see pic below), and how everything has a purpose and a point - from the random pile of salt on the front steps of a restaurant (in the old days emperors' wives would lure their husband - in particular their horses - to stop at their home by putting salt on the doorsteps; these days it's used to lure in customers.) I liked the efficiency of Japan - how cool is that high speed train! Everything is on time. And the environment is respected - from clean air (much different than Beijing!) to clean streets and well-cared for homes and public buildings. In Gion even air conditioners are covered by neat little wood boxes.
So...here are some pictures and highlights from our trip. We flew to Tokyo and then took the speed train to Kyoto. Our first night we had a great dinner consisting of Kyoto specialties - eggplant, yuba (tofu skin) tempura, and of course sake. Our first day in Kyoto we started off the day at a great little coffee house, and then headed to the Kiyomizu-dera temple - a wooden temple nestled in the mountains.
That night we took a walking tour of Gion (think Memoirs of a Geisha .) Our guide taught us all about the geisha (actually called geicho - see below for a picture of a real geicho!) and how very few actually exist today. She said that businessmen (and yes some women) today prefer to buy expensive cars and electronics, rather than belong to a tea house. Today, only a very few celebrities, local politicians, etc. visit the tea houses and the charming ways of the geisha.
The next day we did a little shopping (we were in search of Japanese cutlery!) and then headed to Ninomaru, once home to the Tokugawa shoguns (picture Samurai swords, etc.) It was really cool. It was also snowing that day which made the grounds even more intriguing. The building has numerous rooms, filled with tatami mats where the shogun and his lords used to sit and discuss issues of the day. Quite obvious was the importance of security - the shogun was always nervous that one of his lords would try to kill him, and take over his position. Therefore there are all these neat little security measures - hidden doors where guards would wait ready to pounce, and most interesting, wooden "nightingale" floors - that made little squeaking noises (and still do!) to alert guards
of unwanted vistors.
That night we went to what we thought was a Zen meditation instruction, but what really was praying not to freeze to death and a tradition that involved being whacked in the back with a wooden stick. I definitely need to do more reading up on zen buddhism. It was still really cool though - we were in a meditation room at a beautiful temple in the middle of a snowstorm in Kyoto - if that doesn't bring you instant zen, i don't know what does...
Then...on to Tokyo! We took the speed train back to Tokyo...and didn't stop moving from there. While we found Kyoto calmly invites you to soak it in history and charm, Tokyo very loudly flaunts its modern, busy and (very!) expensive culture. It was fun to soak in all the sights and of course the sushi.
Our first day in Tokyo we headed to the Yasukuni Shrine and Museum, a Shinto shrine, dedicated to soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. It's quite a controversial place. The weekend
we were there was a holiday weekend - Foundation Day - so there were a lot of ceremonies, veterans around, etc. Although very interesting and informative, the museum definitely seems to depict a history of Japan's involvement in certain wars, a little differently than the one we read in our history books at home.
That night we did what I guess a lot of folks in Tokyo do - went to the mall for dinner. The malls in Tokyo are immense - tons of upscale shops and
over-the-top food courts. Oh and the line for Krispy Kreme - wow. Although they smelled amazing we opted against a fresh doughnut.
The next day we spent wandering around some of Tokyo's neighborhoods, including Ginza (like NYC's 5th Avenue), where we checked out some really cool paper stores and also the Sony building - with all the latest high-tech gadgets. We also went to Asakusa (an older section with shrines, and lots of neat kitchen shops), and then after a bento box and some sushi, we ended up at Roppongi - an upscale area of town with swanky bars and restaurants. We went to this cool hotel bar and listened to a great jazz band. I felt a
bit like i was in Lost in Translation. It was great.
The next morning we got up at 5a.m. and went to the Tsukiji Fish market - the biggest fish market in the world. It was dark when we got there, but pulsing with life! We almost got run over by these little speed carts - everyone is working as fast as they can to sell their fish. I don't think i'll ever see as many tuna fish as i did that day. Then we went to a sushi bar for breakfast and had some of the freshest sushi we've ever had. Although some of it looked a little scary, I tried it all...
Our bellies full of sushi, sake and mochi, we left Tokyo, dreaming of future trips to Japan to come....
ed interactive mirrors and cardboard mazes. I'm not sure yet about the deeper meaning of the exhibit, but nonetheless it was fun to wander around the maze and look at ourselves in the images.
