Sunday, April 21, Easter
Today began with a bus ride to Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital before Tokyo. When we arrived, we proceeded to a park on the west side of the city called Arashiyama. There is a temple in this park called Tenryuji (which means "heavenly dragon temple"), but that is not the main attraction. Rather we were there to see the gardens and an adjoining bamboo forest. We have once again warm sunny weather thank to "teruteru bouz." Mimi told us that the word "bouz" can also mean "Buddhist monk" in addition to "boy" because the doll has a shiny head like a monk or a boy. We learned that dori means street (and that Kyoto has very long names for its street intersections). We noticed that many of the streets are lined with pruned ginkgo trees that were just beginning to leaf out.
Kyoto is one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations with forty million visitors per year. It is Japan's seventh largest city. Since the city was spared from air raids in WWII, there are many historical sites to visit. There are 1,600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines and 1,000 official national treasures, representing 20% of the country's total. There are also fifty colleges/universities. Kyoto University is the country's most prestigious.
The garden at the temple is considered a "borrowed landscape," as the nearby mountains are also considered to be part of the garden. As we strolled through the garden we saw a lovely rock pond and then many flowering plants. We made note of the Kanzan cherry tree with its dark pink flowers that was still in bloom. There were also many large bees paying attention to us, but not harassing us.
Then we entered a large bamboo forest. Mimi told us that each ring on the bamboo tree indicates a year's worth of growth. A large space between rings indicates a good growing year.
She also pointed out the brown bamboo shoots poking out of the ground (which we eat in our salads).
We also saw a frog statue in a fountain. Mimi told as that the frog, called kaeru, means "safe return." Then it was time for a walk through a park to reach our restaurant for lunch. Before entering the restaurant, however, we had the opportunity to see the Togetsukyo Bridge, a famous landmark, where scenes from samurai movies have been filmed.
Lunch was at a private dining room in the Suiran Hotel. We started with deep fried tofu with seasonal vegetables and then enjoyed grilled salmon. The meal again ended with miso soup and pickles. After lunch we returned to the bus passing a display of statues of Buddha's disciples. Each had a different facial expression.
Our next activity was a visit to the Kawai Museum, formerly the home of noted potter Kawai Kanjiro (last name first). On the way we passed the Kawagara River and learned that Kyoto is a low-rise city because high rises are prohibited. Kawai was also a noted calligrapher and poet, a son of carpenters. Some of the furniture in the house was also of his design. He also designed the home himself, which has a very large kiln. After his death in 1966, the house was converted to a museum. We had to remove our shoes to enter.
Inside we noted the large kiln as noted above and were also able to see a collection of the pottery. It was well shaped but the glazing was not that interesting in our opinion. However, the furniture, particularly in the second floor rooms, was amazing. One bureau was quite beautiful with zelkova wood. The main reason for visiting this museum, we thought, was not so much the pottery, but rather to be able to visit an authentic pre-WWII (built in 1936) dwelling. This gave us a real feeling for what the traditional homes were like. The house also featured the least private public mens' restroom we had ever seen, just off the main room, separated by just a few hanging beads!
Our next activity was a visit to a Buddhist temple, called Kodaiji Gesshin-in ("in" indicates this is a smaller temple, "ji" is used for larger temples). We parked in a nearby lot with an enormous statue of the goddess Kannon. Tea was introduced to Japan in the 12th century by Buddhists. The tea ceremony is called Chanoyu and was ritualized in the 1500's. Today there are schools to attend in order to master the ritual. The ceremony uses green tea powder, called macha. The Zen Buddhists used the tea to stay awake during meditation. The temple where we learned the tea ceremony was built in 1616. The room that we visited has a view of a lovely garden which we were told has not changed in 400 years.
The ceremony has three parts: (1) presentation of rice crackers (because it is not good to drink tea on an empty stomach), (2) make the tea, and (3) the closing ceremony. The making of the tea is elaborate. First, the preparer (kneeling on a tatami) purifies the utensils with hot water. The water is 70 degrees, the perfect temperature for the tea. Then the tea is prepared by using two spoonfuls of the macha powder, adding the water (one ladle of water -- 1/2 used to make tea, 1/2 returned to the hot urn), then the mixture is whisked to a froth. Rob was served the first bowl of tea since he was sitting closest to the alcove, which is considered to be sacred. The server bowed to Rob, who returned the bow. Drinking the tea is also elaborate. Rob took the bowl with his right hand, turned the bowl 180 degrees while holding with the left, then drank the tea. The final sip is supposed to be completed with a small slurping sound. Then the bowl is turned back 180 degrees (after taking some time to admire it). The motions are intended to send the message, "I enjoyed the tea and the tea bowl." The ceremony is to be a peaceful experience, especially liked by the Zen samurai who often lived a wartime existence. Our teacher today told us that her objective in every tea ceremony is to create a "once in a lifetime encounter."
After the tea ceremony we were taken to our hotel, the Four Seasons, built only three years ago. The hotel is lovely and overlooks a private pond and garden area with indoor and outdoor dining. Since we had some time before dinner, we walked to the Yodobashi Camera Store near the Kyoto Tower to see if we could buy a new camera for Rob. On the way we passed an Italian restaurant called Parpardelle near the hotel that looked nice (it had been recommended to our tour-mate Harry).
At the store, which was very large, we approached one young clerk, but he did not speak English. We asked if anyone did, and he said "no," assuming he understood our question. Another young man, who actually wore a Nikon badge was standing nearby and listening in. He also said that he did not speak English, but took us to the Nikon section. As it turned out, he was able to communicate with us quite well, and Rob found the camera that he wanted. The good news was that this new camera was compatible with his existing lens, which was a surprise as he had been previously told that new Nikons were incompatible with the old lenses. So all is well that ends well, and Rob got the new camera that he wanted. To top it off, subsequent research indicated that the camera was about $300 cheaper in Japan than in the US.
We returned to the Four Seasons, stopping at the Parpardelle restaurant to make a reservation, then returned for our dinner. The nice (but busy) woman who worked there had told us that we would not be able to order pizza, which seemed odd since the oven was lit and other diners were clearly eating pizza. There had to be a rational reason for this (I don't think we were being singled out). Then after asking, she checked with someone and said that we could order one pizza. Well that was all we wanted! We shared a delicious mixed salad then Roy had the pizza Margherita, while Rob had pasta bolognese. Roy can attest that this was perhaps the best pizza he had ever eaten outside of Italy. It was that good!
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed some red wine on the outdoor terrace before retiring.
Kyoto is one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations with forty million visitors per year. It is Japan's seventh largest city. Since the city was spared from air raids in WWII, there are many historical sites to visit. There are 1,600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines and 1,000 official national treasures, representing 20% of the country's total. There are also fifty colleges/universities. Kyoto University is the country's most prestigious.
The garden at the temple is considered a "borrowed landscape," as the nearby mountains are also considered to be part of the garden. As we strolled through the garden we saw a lovely rock pond and then many flowering plants. We made note of the Kanzan cherry tree with its dark pink flowers that was still in bloom. There were also many large bees paying attention to us, but not harassing us.
Then we entered a large bamboo forest. Mimi told us that each ring on the bamboo tree indicates a year's worth of growth. A large space between rings indicates a good growing year.
She also pointed out the brown bamboo shoots poking out of the ground (which we eat in our salads).
We also saw a frog statue in a fountain. Mimi told as that the frog, called kaeru, means "safe return." Then it was time for a walk through a park to reach our restaurant for lunch. Before entering the restaurant, however, we had the opportunity to see the Togetsukyo Bridge, a famous landmark, where scenes from samurai movies have been filmed.
Lunch was at a private dining room in the Suiran Hotel. We started with deep fried tofu with seasonal vegetables and then enjoyed grilled salmon. The meal again ended with miso soup and pickles. After lunch we returned to the bus passing a display of statues of Buddha's disciples. Each had a different facial expression.
Our next activity was a visit to the Kawai Museum, formerly the home of noted potter Kawai Kanjiro (last name first). On the way we passed the Kawagara River and learned that Kyoto is a low-rise city because high rises are prohibited. Kawai was also a noted calligrapher and poet, a son of carpenters. Some of the furniture in the house was also of his design. He also designed the home himself, which has a very large kiln. After his death in 1966, the house was converted to a museum. We had to remove our shoes to enter.
Inside we noted the large kiln as noted above and were also able to see a collection of the pottery. It was well shaped but the glazing was not that interesting in our opinion. However, the furniture, particularly in the second floor rooms, was amazing. One bureau was quite beautiful with zelkova wood. The main reason for visiting this museum, we thought, was not so much the pottery, but rather to be able to visit an authentic pre-WWII (built in 1936) dwelling. This gave us a real feeling for what the traditional homes were like. The house also featured the least private public mens' restroom we had ever seen, just off the main room, separated by just a few hanging beads!
Our next activity was a visit to a Buddhist temple, called Kodaiji Gesshin-in ("in" indicates this is a smaller temple, "ji" is used for larger temples). We parked in a nearby lot with an enormous statue of the goddess Kannon. Tea was introduced to Japan in the 12th century by Buddhists. The tea ceremony is called Chanoyu and was ritualized in the 1500's. Today there are schools to attend in order to master the ritual. The ceremony uses green tea powder, called macha. The Zen Buddhists used the tea to stay awake during meditation. The temple where we learned the tea ceremony was built in 1616. The room that we visited has a view of a lovely garden which we were told has not changed in 400 years.
The ceremony has three parts: (1) presentation of rice crackers (because it is not good to drink tea on an empty stomach), (2) make the tea, and (3) the closing ceremony. The making of the tea is elaborate. First, the preparer (kneeling on a tatami) purifies the utensils with hot water. The water is 70 degrees, the perfect temperature for the tea. Then the tea is prepared by using two spoonfuls of the macha powder, adding the water (one ladle of water -- 1/2 used to make tea, 1/2 returned to the hot urn), then the mixture is whisked to a froth. Rob was served the first bowl of tea since he was sitting closest to the alcove, which is considered to be sacred. The server bowed to Rob, who returned the bow. Drinking the tea is also elaborate. Rob took the bowl with his right hand, turned the bowl 180 degrees while holding with the left, then drank the tea. The final sip is supposed to be completed with a small slurping sound. Then the bowl is turned back 180 degrees (after taking some time to admire it). The motions are intended to send the message, "I enjoyed the tea and the tea bowl." The ceremony is to be a peaceful experience, especially liked by the Zen samurai who often lived a wartime existence. Our teacher today told us that her objective in every tea ceremony is to create a "once in a lifetime encounter."
After the tea ceremony we were taken to our hotel, the Four Seasons, built only three years ago. The hotel is lovely and overlooks a private pond and garden area with indoor and outdoor dining. Since we had some time before dinner, we walked to the Yodobashi Camera Store near the Kyoto Tower to see if we could buy a new camera for Rob. On the way we passed an Italian restaurant called Parpardelle near the hotel that looked nice (it had been recommended to our tour-mate Harry).
At the store, which was very large, we approached one young clerk, but he did not speak English. We asked if anyone did, and he said "no," assuming he understood our question. Another young man, who actually wore a Nikon badge was standing nearby and listening in. He also said that he did not speak English, but took us to the Nikon section. As it turned out, he was able to communicate with us quite well, and Rob found the camera that he wanted. The good news was that this new camera was compatible with his existing lens, which was a surprise as he had been previously told that new Nikons were incompatible with the old lenses. So all is well that ends well, and Rob got the new camera that he wanted. To top it off, subsequent research indicated that the camera was about $300 cheaper in Japan than in the US.
We returned to the Four Seasons, stopping at the Parpardelle restaurant to make a reservation, then returned for our dinner. The nice (but busy) woman who worked there had told us that we would not be able to order pizza, which seemed odd since the oven was lit and other diners were clearly eating pizza. There had to be a rational reason for this (I don't think we were being singled out). Then after asking, she checked with someone and said that we could order one pizza. Well that was all we wanted! We shared a delicious mixed salad then Roy had the pizza Margherita, while Rob had pasta bolognese. Roy can attest that this was perhaps the best pizza he had ever eaten outside of Italy. It was that good!
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed some red wine on the outdoor terrace before retiring.
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