Kyoto Protocol
Trip Start
Feb 05, 2008
1
44
70
Trip End
Ongoing
Kyoto,
Kinki,
Japan
Friday, June 27, 2008
A girl named Sarah from England recommended a great little hostel, IchienSou Hostel, run by a very accommodating and friendly fellow, Yashi, who is fluent in English as a result of having spent a good deal of time in Australia studying and working. The six bed dorm cost me $30 a night, which seems to be the typical hostel dorm rate in throughout the country. The place only has 10 beds. It would be tied with Hostel Lao in Mendoza for the best hostel I've ever stayed in. It lacked a bit in the fun department but Yashi would recommend amazing restaurants you'd never find on your own and take you out for walks and show you cool little bars that were tucked away in some of the many little alleys.
Kyoto cemetery
Kyoto gives a great first impression but it was for me a bit of disappointment aesthetically. It wasn't what I'd call photogenic. It is another of many UNESCO world heritage sites (I think Canada has only one, Lunenberg, NS so I hadn't thought there was so many.), in this case for its many temples. While the Japanese temples are interesting and their architecture is unique, they lack in the grandeur I saw in the temples of Cambodia and Thailand. The city itself is surprisingly new and although clean and manicured, it isn't pretty. I can't say enough about how friendly Kyoto's people are, despite their limited english, they are extremely hospitable. Those that do speak english are keen to do so when they serve you, more so than in Tokyo.
Most interesting is the Geisha culture. I gather Kyoto is the last remaining bastion of this diminishing tradition. I saw many of them and their apprentices over the course of my three day visit. It's really something. I feel a bit bad for them when the tourist paparazzi gets at it, chasing them down the street, cameras clicking a flashing. My hostel was located in the Gion district, the area where they are mostly found and home to the venues where they do entertaining.
Mostly I spent my time exploring the city and checking out temples and eating and drinking coffee and reading. I always looked forward to meal time and I was never disappointed. On one occasion Yashi walked me down to a small spot in an tiny alley just down the street from the hostel.
yep
From outside the door I could hear Tom Waits' Orphans album playing. Right away I knew I'd like the place. Inside there was one small table that seated four and a bar counter with room for six. The cook didn't speak much english. He had an amazing cd collection and it was yet another amazing bowl of Japanese style soup. Every meal I had in Kyoto was outstanding. The Nishiki Food Market was good fun too. I'd heard and scoffed at tales of the $27 cantaloupe and other exorbitantly priced fruits in Japan. Well, a cantaloupe at a corner market in Kyoto will run you anywhere from six to eight bucks! Watermelons were over $7! This might explain why fruits and vegetables of any kind are scarcely found in almost all budget meals.
I saw eight or nine temples. I was keen to see an authentic Japanese garden and paid what would prove to be too much to get into the Nanzenji Temple so I could see the 'Leaping Tiger Garden'. Interesting but small and disappointing.
I had hoped to see the gardens and park surrounding the Kyoto Imperial Palace but alas, it was shut. Seems the Foreign Energy Ministers were summiting in town during my visit. There were photocopied 8-1/2 x 11 'Terrorist Alert' signs posted throughout the city. Garbage cans and recycle bins were taped shut and all public lockers were made unavailable for use. Cops were everywhere. At night the riot guys, with shields and batons would gather at the corners of the busiest intersections, nearest the river. Three helicopters hovered over the city most of the time, day and night.
Temple
Yet there was no sign of demonstration. I was told the G8 summit will be taking place there later in July so I'm guessing this was more for practice. Anyway, this meant that I couldn't get anywhere near the palace or its gardens. When asked, the local residents seemed oblivious. A 'kyoto' key word search on cbc.ca also revealed nothing current. Hmmmm. So, I didn't get to see a real Japanese garden and I didn't get to go to a tea ceremony.
I returned to Tokyo on one of Japan's renowned high speed trains. What was a six hour journey by bus clocked in at just under two hours on one of these trains. Quiet and comfortable and a really great experience and all for only 13,540 yen. I would have one more evening in the big T before flying out at 10:55 a.m. on Air Austria to Vienna where I would have a 14 hour layover on route to Istanbul.
K's House was fully booked for this last night so they reserved me a spot in the Sakura Hostel also in Asakusa just over behind Sonji Temple. After checking into cell block 304, I found a neat little restaurant a few blocks from the hostel and had yet another amazing meal. It was Friday night and just me and three local women and the man and his wife who run the place, most of home could speak or at least understand a bit of english. I ended up staying until well past 11 that night drinking and joking and chatting. What a fantastic way to finish my visit to this amazing city and country. I hope to get back to Japan one day.
Fare-the-well Asia. It's on to the Eastern Block!
