1/24-25/06: Kyoto - Kitano Tenmangu, Kinkakuji, and The Metro

Warning: Long Entry

After leaving beautiful Nikko, David and I went to Kyoto and stayed at the Utano House (more about that later). The next day I decided that David and I needed to split up after Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. David had never travelled before, and was apprehensive about this situation, but I was quite confident that he would be fine and would have infinitely more fun being able to do his own thing. Like the steam engine museum, which David later told me was terrific. Anyway, we went to Kitano Tenmangu together for the monthly market. Supposedly, December and January are the best months. When we got there, it was incredible. [photo: candy] Food, flowers, and Japanese people everywhere! [photo: orange vendor] It was actually a lot like a US flea market, but with souvenir samaurai swords and lucky cats. And certainly less comprehension of what people were shouting. Oh, there was all kinds of food. [photo: okonomiyaki] David and I tried a couple things we had never seen before. We had some kind of octopus rolled into dough and cooked into balls with this tasty filling [photo], as well as those red bean pancakes [photo], which I found looked and smelled better than it tasted (there wasn't as much flavour as I had hoped. Mostly just red bean.). Despite the number of people there, it was always easy to find David [photo]. I, however, was not as obvious. (On this note, I am actually taller than most girls here, but because they insist on wearing three inch heeled boots lined with fur to match their very short skirts and ridiculous jackets of sometimes horrifying patterns and always with fur trim, it's not as noticeable. Although some of you have pointed out, Aaron, that this sounds HOT, that is debatable in person. Especially with their insistence to all have the same hair cut: medium to long hair with thinned, wispy ends. I just don't get it. It's like they're balding. Also, it's fucking winter and I've been told that this outfit comes out specifically when the snow begins to fall in Sapporo. And the heels on their boots are so thin that they end up walking with their ankles bowed and pigeon toed, which is supposedly attractive.) Anyway, the incredible thing was that this crazy market was at a shrine. So at the entrance of the market was a huge, stone shrine gate. And actual shrine buildings at the back . It was beautiful, and tons of people were milling about praying and taking photos. We strolled through the shrine and popped out of another entrance full of vendors. Then we went our separate ways. I went to see Kinkakuji Temple, and David went to go buy a phone for work (which you apparently can't do unless you have a different visa). Kinkakuji Temple was gorgeous [photo]. A golden temple set in an incredible garden. I've noticed, though, that all of the gardens are suppose to be much prettier in not-winter, and especially amazing when it's sakura (cherry blossom season). Also, as impressive and breathtaking as it was, it was just that temple. You couldn't go inside, and the garden was pretty short. So I'm not sure how I feel about it overall. Although it was certainly worth going, I don't know that it would make my top ten list. Just because so many other sights had such such a plethora of things going on that you could stay all day, but you couldn't do that here. On my way to the Uno House (youth hostel), I walked through the little shrine community surrounding Myoshinji, Torin-in, and Taizoin Temple. This place is great. It is walled off and chaulked full of old, wooden shrines and shrine-like buildings that I can only assume is where people live. There is a stone pathway wide enough for one car leading to each shrine-ish structure, and so of course cars, mo-peds, and motorcycles zoom up and down this path and park right out in front of the antique buildings. Incredible. And yet another example of what Japan is: (1) a joke shop (according to Stephen's friend Brett, who was not only telling me about this while holding giant toy ears to his head in a 7-eleven, but is also completely right) and (2) a mix-n-match culture (according to Stephen and Brett), in this case, a complete clash of old and new. Got to the Uno House and met 3 English dudes, 1 Texan snob who turned out to be shady, and 1 San Diego/Thailand girl [photo] . I was talking to the UK guys in the dining room (smoking is prohibited in the house except for the dining room where it is encouraged), and we swapped Japan stories. Like how everyone assumes I'm Japanese and when they find out I only speak English, they just stand there with wide eyes looking confused. Or how when Sam's Australian/Asian friend came to Japan, she slipped and fell, hitting her head, and how when she came to and spoke, everyone thought she had hit her head so hard she had forgotten how to speak Japanese. Or Sam's JET gaijin (foreigner/white) female friend who came and had some Japanese pervert circling around her on a bike and masturbating, and that while this story is disgusting and all girls agree, guys who hear this story are just generally impressed by his ability. After a good deal of conversation, everyone went to The Metro, a club nestled inside a subway station. 1000 yen cover (about $8), but that includes a drink. And this club, this god among Japanese clubs, knew how to make Long Island Iced Teas! So what is a Japanese club like? It looks like any normal US club... laser lights, dark atmosphere, music bumping, very nice bar with hot female bartenders. What does it sound like? A lot of house music. Horrible, horrible house music with dog barks artfully mixed right into the monotonous song. How do the people dance? They don't. They just don't. They stand in rows facing the talentless DJ and sway. And sometimes they laugh at the foreign kids who are actually dancing. So noticing this zombie-esque form of order, I rallied everyone to to the front, and we all faced them and started dancing. They had no idea what was wrong with us. Most uncomfortable and fun moment ever. Shortly thereafter, we took a break and snacked on some free red bean soup. My clubbing experience in Japan. Go Kyoto.




Fun/Strange Picture of the Day: Scary girl made of junk found wandering semi-lost










Picture of the Day: David showing father and son the picture he had taken of them at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine/Market