Friday
I wake at 4am and check my e-mail and write a little. Now it is 5:15am and I wonder if I’ll ever get back to a normal sleep routine. It’s starting to get light outside and I can see miles and miles of buildings. There are tall skyscrapers in the cosmopolitan centers and smaller buildings and apartment houses spread out. Brian says the Japanese are obsessed with new things and there is construction going on everywhere. I am impressed by how neat and clean it is here. The people are all dressed well and the young women are so chic. One style here is over the knee dark stockings with a short skirt. They wear high heels with this ensemble and some substitute dressy long shorts for the skirt. We’ve seen many young school children alone on the subways and they wear uniforms. I’ve seen a few women in kimonos. Men on the subways are mostly young and wearing dark suits with good shoes and messenger type bags. Everyone reads while they are riding or listen to an ipod or push buttons on their phone (probably playing a game). Very few people speak on their phones in public which would be welcome in the US. Also no one eats on the subways or while walking on the street.
After breakfast we board a bus to Mt. Fuji and the resort area of Hakone.
Our first sight of the mountain is beautiful with the perfectly shaped cone top covered in snow. We had lunch at a hotel and then rode to Mt. Fuji's 5th station where summer hikers start their climb to the top. It is the dream of all Japanese to ascend to the summit of Mt. Fuji once in their life. Today it is very windy and we visit a Shinto shrine and take refuge from the wind in a gift shop. Back down the winding road to a lake near Hakone. We took a short ride on a catamaran ferry and then on to the hotel. Our room was comfortable and we put on robes and slippers and went to the public baths. The baths are fed by onsen or natural springs. Men and women are separate and there were lockers for all your clothes and belongings. After you are naked with only a small hand towel to cover yourself you proceed to the washing area. Here you sit on small stools and use the provided soaps and shampoos to clean yourself. Once you are clean you can enter the inside or outdoor baths to soak and relax. Later we dressed and our group met for a buffet dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.
Saturday
In the morning I walked in the beautiful gardens and then we left for Kyoto. We took a van to the train station and a bullet train (Shinkansen)to Kyoto. The Kyoto train and bus station is the largest in Japan and it is immense. Besides being a transportation hub it has six floors of shopping including a department store and a floor of restaurants. The hotel shuttle bus drove us to the Royal Rhiga Hotel around the corner. We had a tiny room with nice amenities and another electronic toilet. This one had a fan built in and a button which activated a flushing sound in case you made embarrassing noises. We immediately ventured off in a cab with Susan & Barry to the Philosopher’s Walk. We got off in a busy area and walked up a narrow street with open shops and food stalls on both sides. At the top of hill was the Silver Pavilion. The grounds are beautiful with large sand sculptures. Some cherry trees and azaleas were in bloom. Water trickling and great views from high walkways made this like paradise even though the temple building was never painted silver and remained brown wood. Later we walked along the canal and visited two Shinto shrines. There were little craft shops along the way and many people out for a stroll. I took a photo of a woman dressed in a kimono and we saw some beautiful houses. Afterwards we took a cab to the Gion area. Our driver showed us the museum area and Chion Temple where they filmed The Last Samurai. We passed under a very large orange Torii (Tor–e–e) Gate which means a Shinto Shrine and not a Buddhist Temple which usually has red paint and a purple drape.
Walking around Gion we saw Geisha’s coming in cabs to work. Many women were wearing kimonos and wooden clogs. We made our way to “restaurant street” and found a traditional tempura place. Sat at tables – they did have floor seating areas – and had a tempura set. This is a full course meal with sashimi, sweets, salad, tempura, rice, soup and fruit dessert. The guys had Shabu Shabu which was thin slices of meat cooked in a pot of boiling water in the center of the table. There was a huge plate of veggies added to the water and rice cakes. We are getting very good at eating with chopsticks. Most places have no napkins, but do give you a washcloth to clean your hands before the meal. Most Japanese carry their own hanky to wipe their mouth. Afterward we walked down a main shopping street with fan shops, candy and prepared foods.
Sunday
Breakfast included at the hotel was a buffet. Our group went on a half day tour of Kyoto. First stop was Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo), home of the Shogun. Very impressive grounds and gardens. Inside we took off our shoes and visited reception rooms with gorgeous wood carvings and silk painted wall hangings. Saw rooms where generals visited and wives met and they had mannequins in period dress.
Next was a Buddhist Temple with lots of lanterns which are dedicated by individuals. Inside there were many areas to pray. You make a donation – 5 yen – ring a bell to attract attention, clap two times, bow and pray. Students come here to pray for success on exams and new parents bring their baby to pray for good life. They are all brought here by the new father’s parents. There are also places to buy fortunes and good luck charms. The Japanese seem to be very superstitious. If you don't like your fortune you can tie it to a metal rack so there is no down side.
Third stop was the Golden Pavilion. Wow! A gorgeous setting with lakes and gardens and tea houses. The Golden Pavilion has gold gilt paint and just gleams. It sits in the middle of a pond with exquisite landscaping, rocks, waterfalls and trees of every shape, color and texture. We walked around the grounds and then to the Kyoto Handicrafts Center. I bought two small jewelry cases and 8 chopstick holders. They are male & female mallard ducks.
Now the adventure begins as we (Susan & Barry) take a cab to our Ryokan (traditional inn) in the Gion District. The cab driver was not familiar with our address and I had to say it in Japanese. Finally he found the street and actually got out of the cab to direct us. The cabs are so clean and have doily headrests and seat covers. The left rear door opens and closes automatically. You cannot get out on the right side in traffic. The drivers wear suits and some wear white gloves.
So we walk down the street and Barry finds the sign. We are able to leave our overnight bags and take off to have lunch. We ate at a coffee shop where we were the only ones not Japanese. I had a shrimp au gratin which I enjoyed. Looking out the window many women were strolling in kimonos. Traditionally each girl comes of age at 20 and her parents buy her a kimono which costs at least $3000. So I can understand why they want to wear it occasionally. After eating we walked around the small streets while Jeff took a nap lying on the riverbank.
We arrived back at the Gion Hishoyima Ryokan and were shown to our rooms. Of course you take your shoes off and leave them at the door and change into slippers. We were on the second floor and entered into a small hallway where you leave your slippers and walk around in special socks that separate your big toe from the rest of your toes. The sink and shower room are on the right and a western style toilet on the left. The toilet room has another pair of slippers inside and a small sink for washing your hands. The large room had tatami mats covering the floor and a cabinet for our things on one wall. There was a black lacquer low table with two legless chairs. Beyond that was a small veranda with shogi screens and a table with two chairs. Also a small dressing area and this looked out to a garden.
My next section will describe the bath, dinner and tea ceremony.
Judy
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