Kyoto: So (too) many shrines and temples
Trip Start
Mar 22, 2009
1
21
43
Trip End
May 03, 2009
Kyoto, Kinki, Japan
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Day 1 was the Higashiyama district in the western part of Kyoto. It began at the Silver pavillion, Ginkakuji (under renovation) early--I left just as a horde of tourists showed up. From Ginkakuji, you can wander down a cherry blossom lane called the Philosophers walk (believe me the irony of my being a PhD candidate was not lost on me). From the walk, I detoured to a few free shrines which look so much less impressive and bright than their funded counterparts, but it was so much more serene there that I prefer it. Ended up before noon at the Heian shrine, a Chinese looking red-green affair set in a huge Tienenam square-like gravel yard. With the sun beating down, it was like torture.
After a weird lunch of a westerny bento from 7-11 (salisbury steak, pasta, egg and ketchup and onigiri), continued onto packed souveneir streets before ended up at Kiyomizudera, a rather nice Buddhist temple. It's chepare than the other shrines, it's got great views of the hills and city, and it's got healing waters. Overall, it ended the day on a good note.
The next day was early again, this time visiting the Arashiyama area in western Kyoto. I expected this area to be even busier because the temples are in the forests surrounded by sakura. Ended up there pretty early and began to see a few temples, but overall I was rather disappointed. Tenryu-ji, for example, was expensive, had an OK park and rather like everything else I had seen. While the scenery was great--the forested hills and bamboo groves were totally nice, I had no time to savor it as the crowds began to arrive and I had other things to do. So I got the hell out of Arashiyama with nothing to show for it--I didn't even spot 1 monkey, the cheeky buggers.
Luck would have it that some random shrine had a Cherry blossom festival that day so I went to brave the crowds for a look at people in court costumes. Overall the festival was pretty much like a carnival but there was a parade of people in elaborate dress, which gave me some good picture opportunities, and yes, the sakura were awesome as the petals began to snow down with every gust of wind.
Wandered until nightfall to arrive in Gion, the nightlife district. This is where tourists go Geisha stalking and I thought, if I can't beat them, join them. So I stood with tourists in the back streets of Gion waiting for Geishas to rush by to appointments to steal a picture or two. And I did manage to get a couple but it was clear this was bothering them because they walked by quickly, heads turned away. So I felt guilty and got crappier pictures than my bolder paparazzi counterparts. Figures, right. But at least that was something non-shrine related, and in hindsight, kinda hilariously pointless. But I do have to say, some of the streets in Gion have that lanterny old quality you'd really like to wander around in. Unfortunately, the next turn leads you back into a maze of one room nightclubs and love hotels.
So that's Kyoto in a nutshell. Lots of history, totally accessible I feel like people rarely do, only becuase there's so much that you can't keep anything straight. All you know if you've got tons of temples under your belt, a stack of photos you won't be able to match names to and some converation material back home about the magic of traditional Japan.
-mike
