Today I took another trip outside of Kyoto; this time to Osaka. There really is too much to see and do in Osaka in one day (it's the third largest city in Japan), so I'll probably be back here one more time before I go back to Australia. Today's plan was sightseeing, and next time I come I can enjoy the city proper, shopping (try find the Osaka branch of K-Skit), and so on.
On the way to the station, I ran into my friend Naoki. We talked for a bit (in our strange mix of Japanese and English), and while we were there a friend of his walked past on his way to open his shop around the corner. Naoki told me that his friend sells juzu (prayer beads), and I mentioned that I wanted to buy one so we went around the corner to his friend's store.
I found a really nice wooden juzu for a cheap ￥1,000, so I was happy with that. It has one bead which is bigger than the others, and the shopkeep told me that it represents the eye of ho-oh, the Japanese mythological equivalent of a phoenix.
I said goodbye to Naoki and his friend, and with my juzu on my arm, I left for Osaka. The train ride was longer than I expected (about 40 minutes), but it was interesting watching the world go by through the window. Even though Kyoto and Osaka are separate cities, and in separate prefectures, its all one big metropolitan area, along with Kobe to the east. It's sort of like a Japanese equivalent of the tri-state area in USA, called Keihanshin.
Once I got to Osaka station, I had to try find the right connecting train to go to my first stop of today, the very famous Osaka Castle. This proved harder than I thought, because the layout of Osaka Station is very confusing, and it was hard to identify which platform was connected to which train line. This was the first time I'd had any trouble using public in Japan, even with my lack of Japanese.
After at least half an hour of aimless wandering about with a salty look on my face, I found an information desk. Hoping that they'd speak English, I went to ask them for help. Sure enough, the guy spoke English well enough to explain to me which line to take and which platform to get on.
I got off the train just on the outskirts of the castle grounds, which are HUGE. You don't have to pay to visit the grounds, just the main inner keep; the rest of it has just become a community park. On my way to the castle proper I walked past a group of girls practising a very strange dance routine, and also a baseball field. These are EVERYWHERE in Japan; they really love baseball.
As I mentioned, the grounds were huge, bigger than I expected. I crossed a number of moats and went through lots of big castle gateways on the way to top; all as imposing an impressive as you'd expect from such a castle. On the way up there were lots of little lookouts over the moat and surrounding metropolis, with some foot-high wooden railings that I'd imagine wouldn't be much help of you fell towards the edge of the wall. At one of these stops I had the good fortune to see a dove hanging out with all the pigeons! At least I think it was a dove; it was all-white, and smaller and differently shaped to the pigeons. Looked like the doves I've seen in movies, anyhow.
The white-and-gold tower that I was heading towards got bigger and bigger, until the sound of lots of tourists and school-children told me that I was near the top. There was a swarm of tourists, as would be expected, and I figured out that I'd actually come a sort of back way, from the north, while most people approach the keep from the south or east. I stopped at a cafe at the top for the usual kitsune udon, but it was quite underwhelming; and for the first time since I've been in Japan, I was unimpressed by the service. I guess the waiter gets a bit sick of all the gaijin he has to deal with.
After lunch I headed into the castle. It had the usual ¥500 admission, which were sold through the ticket vending machines that I am starting to get used to.
The interior of the keep has been turned into a museum of the history of Osaka; but when I went in I discovered that it had been entirely modernised inside. If you hadn't seen the building from the outside, you wouldn't be able to tell you were inside a hundreds-of-years-old castle.
The contents of the museum were interesting, to be sure, but I wasn't really in the mood for a heavy session of scholarly museum-information-board reading, and I was a bit short on time, so I sort of glanced over most of it. Looked at all the artifacts and models and such, but didn't read and take in any of the details.
On the top floor (there are eight floors) you can go outside and look out over the city, which was an incredible view. This also gives a good up-close-and-personal look at the roof of the castle; this was spoiled somewhat though by metal grating put in place to protect the delicate woodwork of the eaves from birds.
With Osaka-jo done, I went back to the train station and found my way to my next (and unfortunately final, due to time) stop in Osaka: Osaka Aquariam, Kaiyuukan. I must include that I did my token "getting lost" bit on the way, as there were three train changes, and stopped for some Japanese McDonalds (Teriyaki Chicken burger! Nice) which pretty much tastes the same wherever you go in the world.
I was unsure whether I'd actually make it to Kaiyuukan due to time, but it's open until 8.00pm and I got there around 6.00 when it was just starting to get dark. This actually worked out for the best: the two blue and white fairy-light models of the aquariums famous pair of whale sharks outside the entrance looked much more impressive than they would have in full daylight.
I paid my admission (¥2000!) and went in. The whole aquarium is based around the Pacific Ring of Fire, with different tanks representing different regions (16 exhibits, 27 tanks in all). It's laid out in a sort of large spiral, so you go around starting at the water's surface (which included non-marine life, like lizards), and you gradually get deeper and see each tank again from a deeper level.
I would love to list all the fish, seals, dolphins, sharks, penguins and such that I saw, but I can't remember them at all! Lot's of fancy scientific names.
Standouts though were the dolphins (which are always beautiful and mesmerising), the pair of huge whale sharks in the main tank, a very large manta ray, and a very lazy/laid-back/stoned green sea turtle that gave a good indication of where the creators of Finding Nemo got the idea of the turtles from.
Almost as amazing where the reactions from other Japanese tourists, lots loud "Oooooooh!"s. Entertaining.
I got to what I thought was the end of the aquarium, and turned a corner and was faced with a tank full of the biggest crabs I've ever seen; and this includes crabs seen in films and pictures. They're called Japanese Spider Crabs, found in the depths off the eastern coast of Japan, which grow as big as four metres. Amazing, and a bit creepy.
This still wasn't the end though; following the crabs was a jellyfish exhibit, with about 15 different kinds of jellyfish. Some tiny, some huge, and all very colourful and beautiful.
Still not finished, next up was a shark museum room, with no actual fishtanks proper, but various other fun/informative exhibits. There was a tank with a (dead) hideously ugly "goblin shark", a very fitting name. It looked very prehistoric, which I thought was the case; but apparently they still exist, and live in the very deep sea where all the other really ugly fish live.
There was a 1:1 scale model of the jaw of a megalodon, an extinct, prehistoric shark that was basically the real-life Jaws. The open jaw itself was taller than me, and apparently when they existed they are estimated to have grown as big as 16 metres long.
To add to the "Oh my god I'm about to be eaten by a shark" fun, there was a diving cage that you could go inside, with a lifesize model great white trying to bite it; so you could get an idea of what it feels like to be inside the cage facing a shark. Even though it was just a model, the experience was pretty intimidating. I want to do it for real one day though, when I learn to dive. (My sister has done this. Much respect, and envy!)
The shark room ended with a few small tanks with some very small sharks, all of which were very small compared to what we think of as sharks, and one of which looked more like a colourful eel than a shark!
But still, there was more! The last, optional, section of Kaiyuukan was a touching tank. It was a large (though very shallow, less than foot deep) swimming pool-esque tank with a number of small sharks and stingrays. All around the pool are guides, telling you where to touch them (hint: don't touch the stingray's tail), so you can pet and find out what they feel like. They rays were really slippery, sort of like an eel, and by contrast the sharks have very rough, sandpapery skin. I knew this from having touched pieces of sharkskin, but never an actual live shark.
It was an interesting experience, but I was a bit upset by the conditions of the touching pool. All the animals seemed really depressed and lethargic, like they'd been sedated (they probably had).
This is something I'm torn about with zoos and aquariums; I like to be able to see animals that I'd never really be able to see otherwise, but the captivity thing is concerning.
Last stop before heading back to Kyoto was the Kaiyuukan gift shop, where I picked up a very nice set of playing cards. Each card has one of the animals in the aquarium, with a photo, it's English and Japanese name, and where it's from.
I would have liked to have spent a bit more time in the city, experiencing the actual city itself, but time just ran away with me with all the getting lost. I'll be back again though before I leave.
Tomorrow, I put on my black hood and grab my shuriken, for a trip to Iga, the home of the famous Iga ninja clan, and Hattori Hanzo.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Day 13 (Monday, 18th Oct, 2010)
Today I finally went to a place that I'd been really looking forward to coming to since I first started planning this trip to Japan: Arashiyama.
I decided to cycle there, to save money (not that it's expensive to get there by train) and so that I wouldn't have to deal with public transport. It's on the outskirts of the city, but not too far from where I'm staying; about 10 minutes by train. The ride took about an hour, inclusive of getting lost, and it wasn't uphill at all, which I had thought was the case.
When I got there, I found somewhere to park my bike, and found a directory to orient myself.
I finally figured out why Japanese sign-maps seem to always have North facing a random direction, rather than at the top of the map like is the norm in the west.
Basically, the maps in Japan are always aligned with the direction you're facing while you're looking at them. So if you're facing south while you're looking at the map, south will be at the top of the map. So "up" is always "forward". I like it!
My first stop, and highlight of the day, was the Iwatayama Monkey Park. I bought my ticket, and the ticket-lady also gave me a canvas to put a plastic bag that I had with me inside. She said the monkeys think plastic = food, and will steal my bag!
I climbed up the (fairly steep) path, on the way trying to read some wooden signboards with trivia questions on them. Basically, they have a question on a hinged piece of wood, and the answer is underneath. They're designed for children, but still they were too hard for me to read! I managed to figure out what one of them was asking, though, and even answered it correctly. It was asking "What kind of monkeys are in Iwatayama?" with options between (a) Chimpanzee, (b) Japanese Monkey, and (c) Gorilla, for the answers. Not a hard one!
There was also some funny Engrish to read on the signs. "The monkey park is not only a monkey. The bird and the deer also look for." :)
Near the top, I finally started to see monkeys! They were bigger than I thought they'd be, and very cute. I was guided by an employee into the feeding hut, which is a caged building in which you can buy drinks for yourself and food for the monkeys, who hang on the outside of the cage waiting for food. Of course, I bought a bag of chopped bananas and fed the monkeys. They're quite incredible, and so human in a lot of ways. It's easy to believe in evolution when you're watching these guys eat.
I wandered about the park for a bit; there were a lot of other people there filming/photographing/sketching the monkeys; it was a really lovely atmosphere. I wish I had taken a book and picnic. I could have sat there all day with my brothers.
I had a lot more to see in Arashiyama, though, so I had to leave. First stop: fill my growling stomach. I found a little noodle house, and had my usual kitsune udon. Delicious!
Then I went to the nearby Tenryu-ji temple. It's one of Kyoto's many UNESCO World Heritage sites, but to be honest, I was a bit templed out by now. Also, you had to pay separate fees for the temple itself and for the garden (￥500 and ￥600, respectively) so I only went into the garden. You could actually see a lot of the temple itself from the path through the garden, so I don't know how worth it the temple pass would have been. The garden was big and lovely, as most temple gardens are. There wasn't anything particularly special that set it apart from any other temple garden, though.
I left the temple and took a stroll through the gorgeous Sagano Bamboo Forest, that Arashiyama is perhaps most famous for. Japan is no different from anywhere else, in that often the free things are better than what you pay to see. The forest goes on for a while, and there are a few other temples and gardens along the way that I didn't go into, as well as some nice ponds to admire.
I came out of the forest by some farmland, which really struck me. Only 10 minutes away from a bustling city, is this secluded little rural lifestyle. At the side of the field were some beautiful flowers, and a couple of butterflies who wouldn't let me photograph them.
I didn't really do much else with the day; just enjoyed wondering about this incredible little village.
I was sort of worn out still from the weekend, and feeling a bit mellow, so I went back a bit earlier than I normally would have (I left Arashiyama at about 4.30), and I had an early-ish night.
After I got lost on the way home, of course.
I decided to cycle there, to save money (not that it's expensive to get there by train) and so that I wouldn't have to deal with public transport. It's on the outskirts of the city, but not too far from where I'm staying; about 10 minutes by train. The ride took about an hour, inclusive of getting lost, and it wasn't uphill at all, which I had thought was the case.
When I got there, I found somewhere to park my bike, and found a directory to orient myself.
I finally figured out why Japanese sign-maps seem to always have North facing a random direction, rather than at the top of the map like is the norm in the west.
Basically, the maps in Japan are always aligned with the direction you're facing while you're looking at them. So if you're facing south while you're looking at the map, south will be at the top of the map. So "up" is always "forward". I like it!
My first stop, and highlight of the day, was the Iwatayama Monkey Park. I bought my ticket, and the ticket-lady also gave me a canvas to put a plastic bag that I had with me inside. She said the monkeys think plastic = food, and will steal my bag!
I climbed up the (fairly steep) path, on the way trying to read some wooden signboards with trivia questions on them. Basically, they have a question on a hinged piece of wood, and the answer is underneath. They're designed for children, but still they were too hard for me to read! I managed to figure out what one of them was asking, though, and even answered it correctly. It was asking "What kind of monkeys are in Iwatayama?" with options between (a) Chimpanzee, (b) Japanese Monkey, and (c) Gorilla, for the answers. Not a hard one!
There was also some funny Engrish to read on the signs. "The monkey park is not only a monkey. The bird and the deer also look for." :)
Near the top, I finally started to see monkeys! They were bigger than I thought they'd be, and very cute. I was guided by an employee into the feeding hut, which is a caged building in which you can buy drinks for yourself and food for the monkeys, who hang on the outside of the cage waiting for food. Of course, I bought a bag of chopped bananas and fed the monkeys. They're quite incredible, and so human in a lot of ways. It's easy to believe in evolution when you're watching these guys eat.
I wandered about the park for a bit; there were a lot of other people there filming/photographing/sketching the monkeys; it was a really lovely atmosphere. I wish I had taken a book and picnic. I could have sat there all day with my brothers.
I had a lot more to see in Arashiyama, though, so I had to leave. First stop: fill my growling stomach. I found a little noodle house, and had my usual kitsune udon. Delicious!
Then I went to the nearby Tenryu-ji temple. It's one of Kyoto's many UNESCO World Heritage sites, but to be honest, I was a bit templed out by now. Also, you had to pay separate fees for the temple itself and for the garden (￥500 and ￥600, respectively) so I only went into the garden. You could actually see a lot of the temple itself from the path through the garden, so I don't know how worth it the temple pass would have been. The garden was big and lovely, as most temple gardens are. There wasn't anything particularly special that set it apart from any other temple garden, though.
I left the temple and took a stroll through the gorgeous Sagano Bamboo Forest, that Arashiyama is perhaps most famous for. Japan is no different from anywhere else, in that often the free things are better than what you pay to see. The forest goes on for a while, and there are a few other temples and gardens along the way that I didn't go into, as well as some nice ponds to admire.
I came out of the forest by some farmland, which really struck me. Only 10 minutes away from a bustling city, is this secluded little rural lifestyle. At the side of the field were some beautiful flowers, and a couple of butterflies who wouldn't let me photograph them.
I didn't really do much else with the day; just enjoyed wondering about this incredible little village.
I was sort of worn out still from the weekend, and feeling a bit mellow, so I went back a bit earlier than I normally would have (I left Arashiyama at about 4.30), and I had an early-ish night.
After I got lost on the way home, of course.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Day 12 (Sunday 17th Oct, 2010)
I got back to the hostel at about 8am, just after the doors unlock again (curfew etc.)
I briefly entertained the idea of not going to sleep, but I was SO tired. I went to bed at about 8.30, and got in a couple of hours' sleep before I woke up around 11 by the hustle and bustle of other people in the dorm room being awake.
I had a quick shower, before I went to chill out at Kyoto Station for a bit.
I wasn't really hung over, just very very tired. I pretty much planned to have a lazy one today, heh. I had a quick burger at a place in Kyoto Station; I forgot the name of it, but their burgers are good and cheap, and their image is based on a (very filtered) image of America, so all the staff wear ten-gallon hats. Awesome.
I trolled some shops for a few hours, and spent a bit of time in the bookshop in the Avanti building that I was at before. I didn't buy anything, but I was sort of getting an idea of what books I want to buy to take back with me.
I did manage to find a Japanese copy of Alice in Wonderland （不思議の国のアリス, fushigi no kuni no arisu) which I will surely buy. Unfortunately it has a lot of kanji without accompanying furigana (google these terms, kanji and furigana, and you'll see my dilemma. I can read very few kanji). I'll also pick up a couple more comics; I've discovered that ALL Shonen Jump (a popular manga publisher in Japan) have furigana for every kanji, so that is very helpful. And they have a lot of cool comics.
They also have a copy there of an English book, "Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps", for about ￥2500. It's the only English book written on Shinsengumi, and its a bit cheaper than it would be to import in Australia (it doesn't seem to be available locally there), so I'll probably buy that as well.
On the way back to the hostel, I happened by a store specializing in flannel in shirts. I got a really nice black/red one for about ￥1200. Good cop.
Also on my way back, through Kyoto Station, I stumbled upon an amazing sight, which I'm not sure how to describe.
You may have seen videos of waterfalls, in which the water drops are timed, such that as they fall the water droplets create pseudo-pixels to create an image in the falling water. This one was I guess advertising a nearby hotel, and among the images produced were a variety of cool patterns, images of famous sights in Kyoto, the name of the hotel (in both Japanese and English) and some other words. It was pretty incredible; I took some film footage of it which I will edit and upload to YouTube when I get home (along with all the rest of my film footage from this trip).
I had an early dinner at a cheap gyudon place near the hostel on my way back, then, needless to say, I had an early night. Tomorrow will be a big, fun-filled day in Arashiyama.
I briefly entertained the idea of not going to sleep, but I was SO tired. I went to bed at about 8.30, and got in a couple of hours' sleep before I woke up around 11 by the hustle and bustle of other people in the dorm room being awake.
I had a quick shower, before I went to chill out at Kyoto Station for a bit.
I wasn't really hung over, just very very tired. I pretty much planned to have a lazy one today, heh. I had a quick burger at a place in Kyoto Station; I forgot the name of it, but their burgers are good and cheap, and their image is based on a (very filtered) image of America, so all the staff wear ten-gallon hats. Awesome.
I trolled some shops for a few hours, and spent a bit of time in the bookshop in the Avanti building that I was at before. I didn't buy anything, but I was sort of getting an idea of what books I want to buy to take back with me.
I did manage to find a Japanese copy of Alice in Wonderland （不思議の国のアリス, fushigi no kuni no arisu) which I will surely buy. Unfortunately it has a lot of kanji without accompanying furigana (google these terms, kanji and furigana, and you'll see my dilemma. I can read very few kanji). I'll also pick up a couple more comics; I've discovered that ALL Shonen Jump (a popular manga publisher in Japan) have furigana for every kanji, so that is very helpful. And they have a lot of cool comics.
They also have a copy there of an English book, "Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps", for about ￥2500. It's the only English book written on Shinsengumi, and its a bit cheaper than it would be to import in Australia (it doesn't seem to be available locally there), so I'll probably buy that as well.
On the way back to the hostel, I happened by a store specializing in flannel in shirts. I got a really nice black/red one for about ￥1200. Good cop.
Also on my way back, through Kyoto Station, I stumbled upon an amazing sight, which I'm not sure how to describe.
You may have seen videos of waterfalls, in which the water drops are timed, such that as they fall the water droplets create pseudo-pixels to create an image in the falling water. This one was I guess advertising a nearby hotel, and among the images produced were a variety of cool patterns, images of famous sights in Kyoto, the name of the hotel (in both Japanese and English) and some other words. It was pretty incredible; I took some film footage of it which I will edit and upload to YouTube when I get home (along with all the rest of my film footage from this trip).
I had an early dinner at a cheap gyudon place near the hostel on my way back, then, needless to say, I had an early night. Tomorrow will be a big, fun-filled day in Arashiyama.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Day 11 (Saturday 16th Oct, 2010)
Today I wanted to chill and have a relaxed one, because I was planning on going out tonight to enjoy the nightlife of Kyoto.
Another guest at Tour Club asked me if I would like to come along with her to Higashiyama, and I thought "why not?". I thought she was kinda cute...
...She was also really annoying. I don't know why, but I just couldn't stand to be around her. And she had bad breath, and she smoked this really foul smelling tobacco. I like the smell of cigarette smoke, so for me to not like this smoke means it was BAD.
We pretty much went to places I'd already been before, and have mentioned in this blog, so I won't retell those stories. Suffice it to say, it wasn't a great day. Hopefully the night would be better.
* * * * * * * * *
We got back to the hostel at about 4.30, and I washed and dried my clothes (I need some good wears for a night on the town, right?) and I had a quick convenience store bento meal. (I'm going to lose so much weight eating these meals, but they're so cheap and convenient!), and then I headed out for downtown. It's not too far, so I decided to walk; I didn't want to have to deal with a bicycle when I'm drunk at 5 in the morning.
I happened to pass by Teramachi-dori, so I had to stop in at a-Cho (that arcade) for a bit. I didn't play any games, as these top tier Japanese players pretty much crushed by spirits pretty quickly by revealing to me just how bad I really am; but I still like to hang out there. There was a Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike ranbat (Ranking Battle, a type of regularly held tournament) going on, so that was fun to watch. They're so GOOD, it's not fair.
A hung around for a bit, then went to find my first bar of the night: ING Bar. I've heard it's awesome, and it sounds/looks cool, so I wanted to see it.
It's the kind of bar that's easy to find when you know where it is; but if you're just wandering about looking for a drinking hole you won't find it. It's on the second floor of a random building in Kyoto downtown (Kyoto Royal Building), with almost no signage on the street (there's a small sign, one of about 20, listing the establishments in the building), but when you know where to go it's easy to get to.
And boy, was it awesome! The place is really small, seating for perhaps 25 people (2 large tables, 2 smaller tables, and a bar that seats 4), and you could perhaps add another 20 standing patrons. It's really dark and gritty, and posters (mostly of the Rolling Stones) cover the walls. There's also a Les Paul hanging from one wall. The bar itself is covered with all sorts of little nick-nacks; statues of skeletons, empty bottles of various liquors etc. It makes quite a nice display.
Behind the bar is Hako-san, perhaps the friendliest bartender I've ever met, and one of the most interesting people in general.
He has an incredible ability to do everything in the bar by himself, all at once (though when it gets busy he has one or two helpers): serve the drinks, mix the cocktails, cook the food, play the music, talk to the customers, and have some drinks and smokes of his own. And he makes it look like its easy to do all these things at once.
When I say he "plays the music", he has two CD players and a record player, and a vast collection of CDs and records behind the bar. He puts one on for a few tracks, then puts another CD in the other player. When the current song ends, he hits "Stop" on that one, then "Play" on the other. Very old-school, none of this fancy MP3s and playlists stuff. Good man.
I sat and had a few beers here, and chatted with Hako-san, mostly about music, then I left to decide if I would go home, or stay out.
Something I forgot to mention: the hostel I'm staying at has an 11pm curfew. So if you go out, you have to go out all night. The hostel opens again at 8am.
So it was about 10pm, and I was deciding if I would go back and sleep, or stay out and risk having to coma in a manga cafe somewhere. I was a bit drunk already by this point (3 longnecks will do that), and I decided to do the all night thing. You only live once, right?
I sort of sobered up a bit while wondering around trying to (a) find a 7-Eleven so I could get some more cash out, and (b) decide where to go.
I stumbled upon a British style pub called Hub, where I had a couple more beers and some buffalo wings, and watched a football game on TV. (Man Utd. vs someone), then I decided to go to a club called "Billy Bar", where foreigners usually get in for free. (Yay, saving money!)
...I couldn't actually find the place, even with my "Funkyoto" map of the downtown area's clubs, so I eventually I decided to go to a nearby place called "Sam and Dave" that looked like it was pumping. Incidentally, I did find a 7-Eleven on the way.
I'm glad I decided to drop in, because this place was great! ￥2000 cover charge is not bad, considering it includes two drinks. I was surprised to see that most of the bartenders were foreign. I still ordered my drinks in Japanese, though~
The place was great, as I said, basically I partied there till they closed at 5am. I made some friends while I was there, with a couple of really cute Japanese girls, and a couple of other guys (who were probably also jocking the girls).
After the place closed, we all exchanged facebook details (this is the first time I was concerned about not having a working phone in Japan), and then went to a nearby place for breakfast. The girls and one of the guys left, but myself and the other guy (who calls himself Johnny Walker) stuck around for another beer. I don't know where the place was, but ￥200 for a glass of beer was not bad! (Slightly bigger than a pot). By this time it was about 7am, and surely time to call it a "night".
As I was stumbling home, I was faced with a dilemma: when you have a night of pouring lots of beer into you, you soon have to dispose of it. Now in Australia, you can just find a dark corner and let it out. But not so in this clean city of Kyoto. And of course, at 7am, nothing is open.
It was getting fairly desperate, but I found a little 24hr cafe who let me use their toilet. I've never been more grateful.
During the stumble home I enjoyed some hot coffee from a vending machine for the first time. :)
Another guest at Tour Club asked me if I would like to come along with her to Higashiyama, and I thought "why not?". I thought she was kinda cute...
...She was also really annoying. I don't know why, but I just couldn't stand to be around her. And she had bad breath, and she smoked this really foul smelling tobacco. I like the smell of cigarette smoke, so for me to not like this smoke means it was BAD.
We pretty much went to places I'd already been before, and have mentioned in this blog, so I won't retell those stories. Suffice it to say, it wasn't a great day. Hopefully the night would be better.
* * * * * * * * *
We got back to the hostel at about 4.30, and I washed and dried my clothes (I need some good wears for a night on the town, right?) and I had a quick convenience store bento meal. (I'm going to lose so much weight eating these meals, but they're so cheap and convenient!), and then I headed out for downtown. It's not too far, so I decided to walk; I didn't want to have to deal with a bicycle when I'm drunk at 5 in the morning.
I happened to pass by Teramachi-dori, so I had to stop in at a-Cho (that arcade) for a bit. I didn't play any games, as these top tier Japanese players pretty much crushed by spirits pretty quickly by revealing to me just how bad I really am; but I still like to hang out there. There was a Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike ranbat (Ranking Battle, a type of regularly held tournament) going on, so that was fun to watch. They're so GOOD, it's not fair.
A hung around for a bit, then went to find my first bar of the night: ING Bar. I've heard it's awesome, and it sounds/looks cool, so I wanted to see it.
It's the kind of bar that's easy to find when you know where it is; but if you're just wandering about looking for a drinking hole you won't find it. It's on the second floor of a random building in Kyoto downtown (Kyoto Royal Building), with almost no signage on the street (there's a small sign, one of about 20, listing the establishments in the building), but when you know where to go it's easy to get to.
And boy, was it awesome! The place is really small, seating for perhaps 25 people (2 large tables, 2 smaller tables, and a bar that seats 4), and you could perhaps add another 20 standing patrons. It's really dark and gritty, and posters (mostly of the Rolling Stones) cover the walls. There's also a Les Paul hanging from one wall. The bar itself is covered with all sorts of little nick-nacks; statues of skeletons, empty bottles of various liquors etc. It makes quite a nice display.
Behind the bar is Hako-san, perhaps the friendliest bartender I've ever met, and one of the most interesting people in general.
He has an incredible ability to do everything in the bar by himself, all at once (though when it gets busy he has one or two helpers): serve the drinks, mix the cocktails, cook the food, play the music, talk to the customers, and have some drinks and smokes of his own. And he makes it look like its easy to do all these things at once.
When I say he "plays the music", he has two CD players and a record player, and a vast collection of CDs and records behind the bar. He puts one on for a few tracks, then puts another CD in the other player. When the current song ends, he hits "Stop" on that one, then "Play" on the other. Very old-school, none of this fancy MP3s and playlists stuff. Good man.
I sat and had a few beers here, and chatted with Hako-san, mostly about music, then I left to decide if I would go home, or stay out.
Something I forgot to mention: the hostel I'm staying at has an 11pm curfew. So if you go out, you have to go out all night. The hostel opens again at 8am.
So it was about 10pm, and I was deciding if I would go back and sleep, or stay out and risk having to coma in a manga cafe somewhere. I was a bit drunk already by this point (3 longnecks will do that), and I decided to do the all night thing. You only live once, right?
I sort of sobered up a bit while wondering around trying to (a) find a 7-Eleven so I could get some more cash out, and (b) decide where to go.
I stumbled upon a British style pub called Hub, where I had a couple more beers and some buffalo wings, and watched a football game on TV. (Man Utd. vs someone), then I decided to go to a club called "Billy Bar", where foreigners usually get in for free. (Yay, saving money!)
...I couldn't actually find the place, even with my "Funkyoto" map of the downtown area's clubs, so I eventually I decided to go to a nearby place called "Sam and Dave" that looked like it was pumping. Incidentally, I did find a 7-Eleven on the way.
I'm glad I decided to drop in, because this place was great! ￥2000 cover charge is not bad, considering it includes two drinks. I was surprised to see that most of the bartenders were foreign. I still ordered my drinks in Japanese, though~
The place was great, as I said, basically I partied there till they closed at 5am. I made some friends while I was there, with a couple of really cute Japanese girls, and a couple of other guys (who were probably also jocking the girls).
After the place closed, we all exchanged facebook details (this is the first time I was concerned about not having a working phone in Japan), and then went to a nearby place for breakfast. The girls and one of the guys left, but myself and the other guy (who calls himself Johnny Walker) stuck around for another beer. I don't know where the place was, but ￥200 for a glass of beer was not bad! (Slightly bigger than a pot). By this time it was about 7am, and surely time to call it a "night".
As I was stumbling home, I was faced with a dilemma: when you have a night of pouring lots of beer into you, you soon have to dispose of it. Now in Australia, you can just find a dark corner and let it out. But not so in this clean city of Kyoto. And of course, at 7am, nothing is open.
It was getting fairly desperate, but I found a little 24hr cafe who let me use their toilet. I've never been more grateful.
During the stumble home I enjoyed some hot coffee from a vending machine for the first time. :)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Day 10 (Friday 15th Oct, 2010)
Today's agenda: more temples, more shrines, more sightseeing.
Before setting off, I stopped briefly at Kyoto Tower to have a look at the apparently very good book shop on it's third floor. It wasn't that great; however due to the popularity of the NHK drama "Ryomaden," about Sakamoto Ryoma, there was a display of a selection of manga series based on Ryoma, Shinsengumi, and the Bakumatsu in general. I need to go back and note down the names of them all, they looked pretty sweet.
After that brief detour, I headed out to To-ji, "Eastern Temple", which is a little way south of Kyoto Station and is well known for having the tallest pagoda in Japan.
As always, I got lost, but I found my way there eventually.
I found somewhere to park my bike, then wandered around the temple grounds for a bit. In one of the halls, there was a free exhibition of an artist who's name I've forgotten; it was really awesome stuff though. They were woodblock prints, but they kind of had a contemporary sumi-e feel to them (I love sumi-e art).
After being amazed by these works of art, I went to the ticket counter to get into the good part of the temple. When I got there I got very confused.
There were three different sections of the temple, and each one was ￥500 each; or you could go to all three for ￥1000. Unfortunately, the sign detailing what each section was was all in Japanese, so...
Fortunately when I got to the ticket counter, they had a map to show where you could go and for how much. I decided to only pay ￥500 and go into the main, southern part of the temple grounds where the pagoda is, as that's really what I came here to see.
Inside this section, as well as the very impressive pagoda (54.8m high), there was a very nice garden, with a pond with fish and turtles and the like in it, and two other large wooden halls which house many buddhist statues. Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos inside (as usual), because the statues were really impressive.
I was also hoping the pagoda might be open to go inside, but it's apparently only open a few days a year.
When I was done there, I went to get my bike so I could head out to the next stop of the day, but... I couldn't remember where I parked it! All I knew was that I had parked it next to some other bikes. So I wondered about aimlessly for a while, until eventually I found where I had left it.
With my ass back on my bicycle seat, I set off to the next stop: a large white cube shaped building, with lots of windows, in the industrial area of southern Kyoto, with "NINTENDO" at the top of it in big letters. Yes, the Nintendo building! Unfortunately you couldn't go inside (its just a regular workplace, after all), there are no tours or anything. But just to stand outside, and look up in awe, and wonder what wonderful new creations are being concocted inside was great enough. It's like the Wonka Chocolate Factory of the digital age.
I managed to avoid getting hit by cars/buses/trucks etc as I rode through the narrow sideroads to what would be my final stop of the day: Fushimi Inari Tasisha (shrine).
I've been looking forward to this because (a) it's apparently very impressive and (b) it's free. When I got there, I finally managed to figure how to ask "Where is a bicycle parking area?" in Japanese (this one has had me stumped for days); and found the place. I ate some REALLY nice read-made tuna/mayo sandwiches that I got from a nearby Fresco for only ￥68 each; less than it would cost for the ingredients back in Australia. Whoever said Japan is expensive wasn't trying his best to be thrifty. Four of these sandwiches and my belly was full, for less than ￥300. Good lunch.
Fushimi Inari was certainly impressive. It's known for its many vermillion "torii" gates (google it, I can't explain); but I was first struck by the many beautiful fox statues. Foxes (kitsune) are believed to be messengers of the Shinto god "Inari", god of rice, agriculture and industry. As such, the kitsune statues are often seen with a key in their mouth, which is the key to the granary.
I studied the statues at the entrance for a spell (I'm fascinated by foxes and wolves and the like), then set off for the main draw of this shrine: the many torii gates.
Nobody told me I was getting myself into a 4km hike, a lot of which is uphill. These gates line almost the entire pathway; there are something like 10,000 in total, all of which were donated by companies (or individuals) who want good luck with their business. I think the biggest gates cost something in the region of ￥1,000,000.
Also, along the track there are a lot of little complexes of "mini-shrines" (they have a proper name, I'm not sure what it is though) and graveyards, all decorated beautifully, and with lots of fox statues. There were also a lot of spider webs, home to some very cool looking black and yellow spiders.
The entire track took me about 2 hours, I guess (I didn't time it), and needless to say I was VERY grateful for the vending machine at the top of the hill.
I had planned to visit one more temple, Sanjusangendo, which is home to 1001 buddha statues in 33 bays along the corridor (hence the name, San-ju-san is 33 in Japanese); but by the time I was finished at Fushimi Inari it was too late.
I navigated my way through more narrow streets (I've grown much more confidant in cycling on the road with cars now, though I have a couple of "cycling roads" that I prefer to use when I can), and settled in to the hostel for some much needed rest.
Before setting off, I stopped briefly at Kyoto Tower to have a look at the apparently very good book shop on it's third floor. It wasn't that great; however due to the popularity of the NHK drama "Ryomaden," about Sakamoto Ryoma, there was a display of a selection of manga series based on Ryoma, Shinsengumi, and the Bakumatsu in general. I need to go back and note down the names of them all, they looked pretty sweet.
After that brief detour, I headed out to To-ji, "Eastern Temple", which is a little way south of Kyoto Station and is well known for having the tallest pagoda in Japan.
As always, I got lost, but I found my way there eventually.
I found somewhere to park my bike, then wandered around the temple grounds for a bit. In one of the halls, there was a free exhibition of an artist who's name I've forgotten; it was really awesome stuff though. They were woodblock prints, but they kind of had a contemporary sumi-e feel to them (I love sumi-e art).
After being amazed by these works of art, I went to the ticket counter to get into the good part of the temple. When I got there I got very confused.
There were three different sections of the temple, and each one was ￥500 each; or you could go to all three for ￥1000. Unfortunately, the sign detailing what each section was was all in Japanese, so...
Fortunately when I got to the ticket counter, they had a map to show where you could go and for how much. I decided to only pay ￥500 and go into the main, southern part of the temple grounds where the pagoda is, as that's really what I came here to see.
Inside this section, as well as the very impressive pagoda (54.8m high), there was a very nice garden, with a pond with fish and turtles and the like in it, and two other large wooden halls which house many buddhist statues. Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos inside (as usual), because the statues were really impressive.
I was also hoping the pagoda might be open to go inside, but it's apparently only open a few days a year.
When I was done there, I went to get my bike so I could head out to the next stop of the day, but... I couldn't remember where I parked it! All I knew was that I had parked it next to some other bikes. So I wondered about aimlessly for a while, until eventually I found where I had left it.
With my ass back on my bicycle seat, I set off to the next stop: a large white cube shaped building, with lots of windows, in the industrial area of southern Kyoto, with "NINTENDO" at the top of it in big letters. Yes, the Nintendo building! Unfortunately you couldn't go inside (its just a regular workplace, after all), there are no tours or anything. But just to stand outside, and look up in awe, and wonder what wonderful new creations are being concocted inside was great enough. It's like the Wonka Chocolate Factory of the digital age.
I managed to avoid getting hit by cars/buses/trucks etc as I rode through the narrow sideroads to what would be my final stop of the day: Fushimi Inari Tasisha (shrine).
I've been looking forward to this because (a) it's apparently very impressive and (b) it's free. When I got there, I finally managed to figure how to ask "Where is a bicycle parking area?" in Japanese (this one has had me stumped for days); and found the place. I ate some REALLY nice read-made tuna/mayo sandwiches that I got from a nearby Fresco for only ￥68 each; less than it would cost for the ingredients back in Australia. Whoever said Japan is expensive wasn't trying his best to be thrifty. Four of these sandwiches and my belly was full, for less than ￥300. Good lunch.
Fushimi Inari was certainly impressive. It's known for its many vermillion "torii" gates (google it, I can't explain); but I was first struck by the many beautiful fox statues. Foxes (kitsune) are believed to be messengers of the Shinto god "Inari", god of rice, agriculture and industry. As such, the kitsune statues are often seen with a key in their mouth, which is the key to the granary.
I studied the statues at the entrance for a spell (I'm fascinated by foxes and wolves and the like), then set off for the main draw of this shrine: the many torii gates.
Nobody told me I was getting myself into a 4km hike, a lot of which is uphill. These gates line almost the entire pathway; there are something like 10,000 in total, all of which were donated by companies (or individuals) who want good luck with their business. I think the biggest gates cost something in the region of ￥1,000,000.
Also, along the track there are a lot of little complexes of "mini-shrines" (they have a proper name, I'm not sure what it is though) and graveyards, all decorated beautifully, and with lots of fox statues. There were also a lot of spider webs, home to some very cool looking black and yellow spiders.
The entire track took me about 2 hours, I guess (I didn't time it), and needless to say I was VERY grateful for the vending machine at the top of the hill.
I had planned to visit one more temple, Sanjusangendo, which is home to 1001 buddha statues in 33 bays along the corridor (hence the name, San-ju-san is 33 in Japanese); but by the time I was finished at Fushimi Inari it was too late.
I navigated my way through more narrow streets (I've grown much more confidant in cycling on the road with cars now, though I have a couple of "cycling roads" that I prefer to use when I can), and settled in to the hostel for some much needed rest.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Day 9 (Thursday 14th Oct, 2010)
Today I decided to go to one of the more popular sights in Kyoto: Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavillion. This is perhaps the second most famous, most photographed sight in Japan, after only Mt. Fuji.
I also saw that I could stop at Nishijin Textile Centre on the way; which is highly lauded by all the travel books. So I thought it would be worth stopping by even though I'm not really interested in textiles.
It actually turned out to be really interesting and fun. For the most it's a shop selling kimono, fabric and other such items, but it also serves as a bit of a museum.
They have a selection of different hand looms on display, with information boards explaining how they work etc.
On the third floor, you can actually go and watch people weaving the thread. This is the most incredible part: you can see why these Japanese textiles are so expensive, and sought after. The amount of focus, and time, and care, and effort that goes into making them is beyond comprehension.
I was about to leave, then I heard an announcement for a "Kimono Fashion Show in ten minutes," so I thought I had to stay and watch this.
The kimono on display were really beautiful; so were the girls wearing them...
I left the Textile Centre and set off in the direction of my main sight for the day, Kinkaku-ji.
The ride their got a bit uphill-y, and I guess after a week of almost constant cycling and walking my legs were getting a bit worn out, because it got quite hard going, even though it wasn't that steep.
I was rather hungry by the time I got to the temple, but I couldn't find anywhere to eat. There was an ice cream (soft cream in Japan) parlour though, so I settled for an ice cream to keep me going.
Inside, the temple was fairly crowded, but it wasn't too bad. Being a Thursday afternoon, there were a LOT of school children. Obviously, they realize that there will be a lot of foreign, English-speaking tourists there, so all the students bring their English workbooks with an exercise to interview an English-speaking person.
I got approached for an interview, it was fairly basic of course. "What's your name, where are you from, where have you been in Japan" etc. It was fun though, and afterwards the boy (Shuhei Ando was his name, and probably still is) gave me a gift: a bookmark he'd made, which has some pictures and says "Enjoy your stay in Japan!". So cute!
Throughout the rest of the day all the kids were fascinated by me; I think a lot of them probably have only seen foreigners on TV before (they were all from outside of Kyoto as well, probably small cities). I wish their teachers were as fascinated by me! Yeah, every class seemed to have a very hot teacher (cue Van Halen).
The golden pavillion itself was quite impressive, more-so than it looks in pictures. The rest of the temple was lovely; a nice stroll through a garden with waterfalls and other nice features, and small Japanese children staring at you, and some bold ones saying "Herro!" and then getting really hype when you say "Hello" back.
At the gift shop I finally found a really nice deck of playing cards. I collect decks of cards, and I try to get at least one pack from everywhere I go; I try to go for slightly more unique ones though, rather than the usual "generic back with photos of the popular sights on the faces" when I can find them. I found a nice pack of Ukiyo-e deck, which has a different Ukiyo-e figure on each card. They were a bit on the expensive side (￥1500) but I didn't know when/if I'd find another deck so nice, so I bought them.
After Kinkaku-ji, I set off to the next stop, Ryoan-ji, which has one of the more famous Zen rock gardens in the world.
As usual, I got lost, and as usual, it led to a cool discovery. This time it was a little independant video game store. It sold the usual selection of PS3/PS2/PSP/DS etc games, but also... Famicom and Super Famicom games! (for the non-gamers, Famicom/Super Famicom are the first two console made by Nintendo, which were HUGELY popular from about '85-'95. They had a slew of good games; and original cartridges are kind of hard to find these days and sought after by collectors. I'm not a collector, but it's still cool to see this stuff.)
They had, for example, an original Japanese Tetris cartridge, one of the most well known games in the world, I think.
I didn't buy anything there, but it was cool to look at what they have.
I found my bearings again, and got to Ryoan-ji. In a vending machine outside I found a drink calling itself "Protein Water." Of course I had to try it! It was really nice, I don't know how to describe the flavour; but for something that calls itself "protein water" it only has 1.7g of protein.
Honestly, the zen garden itself was not that great. After I pondered the garden for a while, I managed to see a rabbit lying down, and a badger standing up wearing a monks robes. It is interesting the way your view of something changes when you stare at it long enough.
Once again, the garden was really nice, and good for a leisurely stroll through.
Ryoan-ji was nice, but not a must-see, in my opinion.
I also saw that I could stop at Nishijin Textile Centre on the way; which is highly lauded by all the travel books. So I thought it would be worth stopping by even though I'm not really interested in textiles.
It actually turned out to be really interesting and fun. For the most it's a shop selling kimono, fabric and other such items, but it also serves as a bit of a museum.
They have a selection of different hand looms on display, with information boards explaining how they work etc.
On the third floor, you can actually go and watch people weaving the thread. This is the most incredible part: you can see why these Japanese textiles are so expensive, and sought after. The amount of focus, and time, and care, and effort that goes into making them is beyond comprehension.
I was about to leave, then I heard an announcement for a "Kimono Fashion Show in ten minutes," so I thought I had to stay and watch this.
The kimono on display were really beautiful; so were the girls wearing them...
I left the Textile Centre and set off in the direction of my main sight for the day, Kinkaku-ji.
The ride their got a bit uphill-y, and I guess after a week of almost constant cycling and walking my legs were getting a bit worn out, because it got quite hard going, even though it wasn't that steep.
I was rather hungry by the time I got to the temple, but I couldn't find anywhere to eat. There was an ice cream (soft cream in Japan) parlour though, so I settled for an ice cream to keep me going.
Inside, the temple was fairly crowded, but it wasn't too bad. Being a Thursday afternoon, there were a LOT of school children. Obviously, they realize that there will be a lot of foreign, English-speaking tourists there, so all the students bring their English workbooks with an exercise to interview an English-speaking person.
I got approached for an interview, it was fairly basic of course. "What's your name, where are you from, where have you been in Japan" etc. It was fun though, and afterwards the boy (Shuhei Ando was his name, and probably still is) gave me a gift: a bookmark he'd made, which has some pictures and says "Enjoy your stay in Japan!". So cute!
Throughout the rest of the day all the kids were fascinated by me; I think a lot of them probably have only seen foreigners on TV before (they were all from outside of Kyoto as well, probably small cities). I wish their teachers were as fascinated by me! Yeah, every class seemed to have a very hot teacher (cue Van Halen).
The golden pavillion itself was quite impressive, more-so than it looks in pictures. The rest of the temple was lovely; a nice stroll through a garden with waterfalls and other nice features, and small Japanese children staring at you, and some bold ones saying "Herro!" and then getting really hype when you say "Hello" back.
At the gift shop I finally found a really nice deck of playing cards. I collect decks of cards, and I try to get at least one pack from everywhere I go; I try to go for slightly more unique ones though, rather than the usual "generic back with photos of the popular sights on the faces" when I can find them. I found a nice pack of Ukiyo-e deck, which has a different Ukiyo-e figure on each card. They were a bit on the expensive side (￥1500) but I didn't know when/if I'd find another deck so nice, so I bought them.
After Kinkaku-ji, I set off to the next stop, Ryoan-ji, which has one of the more famous Zen rock gardens in the world.
As usual, I got lost, and as usual, it led to a cool discovery. This time it was a little independant video game store. It sold the usual selection of PS3/PS2/PSP/DS etc games, but also... Famicom and Super Famicom games! (for the non-gamers, Famicom/Super Famicom are the first two console made by Nintendo, which were HUGELY popular from about '85-'95. They had a slew of good games; and original cartridges are kind of hard to find these days and sought after by collectors. I'm not a collector, but it's still cool to see this stuff.)
They had, for example, an original Japanese Tetris cartridge, one of the most well known games in the world, I think.
I didn't buy anything there, but it was cool to look at what they have.
I found my bearings again, and got to Ryoan-ji. In a vending machine outside I found a drink calling itself "Protein Water." Of course I had to try it! It was really nice, I don't know how to describe the flavour; but for something that calls itself "protein water" it only has 1.7g of protein.
Honestly, the zen garden itself was not that great. After I pondered the garden for a while, I managed to see a rabbit lying down, and a badger standing up wearing a monks robes. It is interesting the way your view of something changes when you stare at it long enough.
Once again, the garden was really nice, and good for a leisurely stroll through.
Ryoan-ji was nice, but not a must-see, in my opinion.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Day 8 (Wednesday 13th Oct, 2010)
Last night I planned a route for today, for a bit of a "Bakumatsu Tour".
A bit of a history lesson: The Bakumatsu is the name the Japanese have given to the turbulent end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, commonly referred to in English as the "Meiji Restoration".
Japan had been closed off to the rest of the world, aside from very limited trade, by the Shogunate; as a result, the country was weak.
A man by the name of Sakamoto Ryoma was tired of this government, and saw them as corrupt; and was inspired by the American's belief of "All men are created equal".
He orchestrated what he intended to be a "bloodless revolution", but it in fact turned out to be one of the most violent periods in Japan's history.
On the other side was a very strong, very fierce group of Shogunate loyalists called "Shinsengumi", who were dedicated to the protection of the Shogun, and keeping the peace in Kyoto, the centre of the revolution.
So basically, today I was going around Kyoto visiting various sights related to this period of history.
I started with Mibu-dera, the temple where the Shinsengumi were formed and resided in the beginning. I was surprised at how small it is. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the statue of Kondo Isami, leader and founder of Shinsengumi, which I'd been led to believe was in the garden of this temple. I'll find out more, and go search for it again.
After this is it was a reasonably long ride to the next stop, a statue of Katsura Kogoro. He was the leader of the Choshu clan, and was a key figure in orchestrating the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
It actually took me a while to find the statue; it's kind of just chilling in front of an office building. As a bonus from not be able to find it, I also got to admire the unrelated, but impressive Kyoto City Hall.
A short ride south from there found me at the location of the assassination of Sakamoto Ryoma (and his friend Nakaoka Shintaro). Sakamoto was killed on the spot; Nakaoka lived for two days before succumbing to wounds from the fight, but he wasn't able to identify the assassins.
It's really quite strange; as with the statue of Katsura Kogoro, the monument for this historic site has just held its place while the city develops around it. The monument now stands in front of a convenience store.
After seeing this site, I went east to Maruyama Koen, a very nice park area in the eastern side of Kyoto.
I'm starting to learn my lesson about cycling in Kyoto, and that's that depending on where you're going, it can be VERY hard to find a bike parking. I wandered about for at least half an hour before I found one.
There are a few temples and shrines and the like in Maruyama Koen; but as today was a Bakumatsu Tour, I had a focus: the statues of Ryoma and Shintaro that are located in the park.
After admiring the statues, and also taking in the park itself (and enjoying some tempura udon), I set off for the next stop: the grave of Ryoma and Shintaro.
It proved difficult to find, but eventually I got there.
The entry fee to the graveyard was ￥300, which I was willing to pay because I had to visit the grave. As well as Ryoma/Shintaro, there are also hundreds (thousands?) of other graves of members of the revolution.
I wasn't expecting to find fresh flowers, and other gifts, decorating Ryoma's grave. I guess even 150 years later, the people of Japan still revere this visionary.
I watched some others pay their respects, before I put a lucky Goen (5 yen) piece in the box and paid my own respects. If not for him, perhaps I would not be able to visit this amazing country.
Buy now it was getting late, so I set off towards the last stop on today's pilgrimage: Ikedaya.
Ikedaya was an inn which is famous for being the scene of one of Shinsengumi's most crushing victories over the rebels.
The rebels were staying at this inn, and had a plan to burn the entire city of Kyoto to the ground. Shinsengumi found out about this, and stormed the building and routed the rebel force inside. Almost overnight they became heroes for saving the city; prior to this they were somewhat feared due to the actions of some members abusing their power (who were subsequently killed, and a set of strict regulations for members was drawn up).
For many years this famous location has been home to nothing but a crappy pachinko parlour (which a memorial stone and information sign outside the front), but about 2 years ago or so someone bought the location and turned it into a Shinsengumi themed restaurant, called "Ikedaya" of course!
It was a very nice place; I was sort of expecting a little izakaya type place with some themed decor, but its a very nice restaurant, with said themed decor. All the staff wear Shinsengumi uniforms (which can be bought from any souvenir shop for about $30), and all the placemats/menu/chopstick holder etc are decorated in this theme.
They even have a selection of cocktails, which are named after members of the Shinsengumi!
The food was more expensive than I was expecting (though not expensive, really; ￥1500-2000 for a meal), and I was running low on cash, so I just had some sashimi and German sausage appetisers (odd combo?) and of course, one of these cocktails. I chose Souji Okita, who is perhaps my favourite figure in the group.
The food was good, the atmosphere was great, the cocktail was really nice too.
I'll definitely be back here again before I leave, for a proper meal.
A bit of a history lesson: The Bakumatsu is the name the Japanese have given to the turbulent end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, commonly referred to in English as the "Meiji Restoration".
Japan had been closed off to the rest of the world, aside from very limited trade, by the Shogunate; as a result, the country was weak.
A man by the name of Sakamoto Ryoma was tired of this government, and saw them as corrupt; and was inspired by the American's belief of "All men are created equal".
He orchestrated what he intended to be a "bloodless revolution", but it in fact turned out to be one of the most violent periods in Japan's history.
On the other side was a very strong, very fierce group of Shogunate loyalists called "Shinsengumi", who were dedicated to the protection of the Shogun, and keeping the peace in Kyoto, the centre of the revolution.
So basically, today I was going around Kyoto visiting various sights related to this period of history.
I started with Mibu-dera, the temple where the Shinsengumi were formed and resided in the beginning. I was surprised at how small it is. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the statue of Kondo Isami, leader and founder of Shinsengumi, which I'd been led to believe was in the garden of this temple. I'll find out more, and go search for it again.
After this is it was a reasonably long ride to the next stop, a statue of Katsura Kogoro. He was the leader of the Choshu clan, and was a key figure in orchestrating the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
It actually took me a while to find the statue; it's kind of just chilling in front of an office building. As a bonus from not be able to find it, I also got to admire the unrelated, but impressive Kyoto City Hall.
A short ride south from there found me at the location of the assassination of Sakamoto Ryoma (and his friend Nakaoka Shintaro). Sakamoto was killed on the spot; Nakaoka lived for two days before succumbing to wounds from the fight, but he wasn't able to identify the assassins.
It's really quite strange; as with the statue of Katsura Kogoro, the monument for this historic site has just held its place while the city develops around it. The monument now stands in front of a convenience store.
After seeing this site, I went east to Maruyama Koen, a very nice park area in the eastern side of Kyoto.
I'm starting to learn my lesson about cycling in Kyoto, and that's that depending on where you're going, it can be VERY hard to find a bike parking. I wandered about for at least half an hour before I found one.
There are a few temples and shrines and the like in Maruyama Koen; but as today was a Bakumatsu Tour, I had a focus: the statues of Ryoma and Shintaro that are located in the park.
After admiring the statues, and also taking in the park itself (and enjoying some tempura udon), I set off for the next stop: the grave of Ryoma and Shintaro.
It proved difficult to find, but eventually I got there.
The entry fee to the graveyard was ￥300, which I was willing to pay because I had to visit the grave. As well as Ryoma/Shintaro, there are also hundreds (thousands?) of other graves of members of the revolution.
I wasn't expecting to find fresh flowers, and other gifts, decorating Ryoma's grave. I guess even 150 years later, the people of Japan still revere this visionary.
I watched some others pay their respects, before I put a lucky Goen (5 yen) piece in the box and paid my own respects. If not for him, perhaps I would not be able to visit this amazing country.
Buy now it was getting late, so I set off towards the last stop on today's pilgrimage: Ikedaya.
Ikedaya was an inn which is famous for being the scene of one of Shinsengumi's most crushing victories over the rebels.
The rebels were staying at this inn, and had a plan to burn the entire city of Kyoto to the ground. Shinsengumi found out about this, and stormed the building and routed the rebel force inside. Almost overnight they became heroes for saving the city; prior to this they were somewhat feared due to the actions of some members abusing their power (who were subsequently killed, and a set of strict regulations for members was drawn up).
For many years this famous location has been home to nothing but a crappy pachinko parlour (which a memorial stone and information sign outside the front), but about 2 years ago or so someone bought the location and turned it into a Shinsengumi themed restaurant, called "Ikedaya" of course!
It was a very nice place; I was sort of expecting a little izakaya type place with some themed decor, but its a very nice restaurant, with said themed decor. All the staff wear Shinsengumi uniforms (which can be bought from any souvenir shop for about $30), and all the placemats/menu/chopstick holder etc are decorated in this theme.
They even have a selection of cocktails, which are named after members of the Shinsengumi!
The food was more expensive than I was expecting (though not expensive, really; ￥1500-2000 for a meal), and I was running low on cash, so I just had some sashimi and German sausage appetisers (odd combo?) and of course, one of these cocktails. I chose Souji Okita, who is perhaps my favourite figure in the group.
The food was good, the atmosphere was great, the cocktail was really nice too.
I'll definitely be back here again before I leave, for a proper meal.
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