1.3 million people in Kyoto. It’s the second biggest city after Tokyo. And this morning, those people were COLD. It was strange day, weather wise… a very Melbourne day with all sorts of things going on.
”No matter what the weather is outside, inside is always sunny!” said Ben on the bus. As we passed by yet another Starbucks, I asked him if this was a traditional Japanese eatery.
“It’s US temple, “ said Ben “They’re everywhere.”
Our first stop was Ninensaka street. There’s a temple here, but Ben says that the street is more interesting. It has a pagoda that has 5 stories.
Lots of tourists from Korea and China hire the traditional dress. It makes for fabulous photos.
According to Ben, there a local curse lasts a thousand years. If you fall in Ninensaka, you’ll die in 3 years. I’ve never walked so carefully in my life!
“If you fall, don’t worry. There are lots of anti evil shops here where you can buy an amulet,” said Ben.
The Japanese think of everything!
The temple was here before the city.
Longevity, prosperity and happiness are symbolised by 3 streams around the temple.
A thousand years ago, monks used to stand under the waterfall to meditate. This is really hard, so over time they switched to the streams instead.
You drink from whichever stream you feel you need. They all sound good to me!
I passed by this place. Here’s a close up:
It’s a shame that it was closed. My garden is crying out for a baby coming out of an alien’s head.
There was an incredibly colourful temple across the street from the pagoda. Zoom to the top of the gate. It’s the three wise monkeys.
This sign made me laugh!
Ten what?
Here’s the pagoda from the other side.
There’s always plants around in Japanese streets. In Vietnamese streets, too, come to think about it. Even on major city streets, all concrete and glass, people nurture bonsais in pots and create small gardens. It’s very nice.
Remember that I brought incense and a holder a couple of days ago? I saw this little plate and thought it would be perfect to catch the ash.
14th century. 3rd shogun of the Ashkarga family. He was the richest person in Japan.
When he was Shogun, there were 2 emperors but he persuaded them to settle to decide on one, to bring everything back to normal.
He was a very astute politician.
Top roof is like pagoda Buddhism.
Second story like a samurai style of building… square.
Ground floor unpainted , in the style of the aristocracy.
Showing that the Shogun controls all of society.
Golden phoenixes on the top. In Japanese culture, phoenixes are only in paradise, so the Shogun built his version of paradise.
The pine tree boat is 600 years old and it was planted when the Shogun who built the golden temple was alive. Basically, they’re saying that because you put your heart and soul into bonsai trees and you train them, you don’t just let them grow, that the soul of the Shogun is still alive today in the boat.
I wonder how he feels about all of the commoners and tourists flooding the place?
Again there were so many small things to observe. It would have been a stunning place to wander in when it was a private garden.
There were a couple of places where people were throwing money at the statues, trying to hit the cup. I don’t know why, but they were pretty invested in it, in both meanings of the word.
The Golden Pavilion from further away. This is a replica. A mad monk burned the original in 1950. It’s been painstakingly recreated, with 20kgs of gold leaf.
It’s surrounded by extensive gardens and ponds, which the ducks appreciate.
How did I feel about the pavilion?
Not as impressed as I should have been, I think. It’s certainly spectacular, especially when you first see it, with the reflection in the lake. But honestly, it seemed a little gaudy…
This little ceramic man came home with me. I looked at him and I knew exactly where he’d go in my lounge room.
It was only when I got to the cash register that I realised that he was an incense burner. I guess, like Canada turned out to be the holiday of the eagles, this one will turn out to be the holiday of incense.
More blossom.
Then it was off to the Bamboo Forest.
You could say there were a few people there.
From ancient times, the lord of each area would choose a female virgin to serve in the temples for the next year. They would be sent to live in the middle of the bamboo forest for a week, to be purified before they began their task. It used to be a house in the middle of the forest. Now there’s a shrine.
We had two hours to spend in this place before we had to meet back at the bus. I decided to walk further into the forest, then make my way to the river and then back to the Main Street.
I walked with a few different people from the group. We made our way back to the Main Street and we still had over an hour. Once lunch was bought… I had fried chicken on skewers for $5… there wasn’t much left to do. Around 95% of the shops were food places. Not being a food-motivated traveller, there wasn’t much to interest me.
The street was jammed with-packed full of people and I was glad when I could finally get back on the bus.
When I booked this trip, I picked the last week before high season. It was $600 cheaper and I was only a week out from the high season weather. But this made me realise just how crowded Japan was going to get during cherry blossom season. It’s going to be insane.
An optional tour was to go and see the Shogun’s palace.
This is an original building. The Shogun’s primary residence was in Edo/Tokyo, but he would come here for ceremonial reasons once or twice a year, as the emperor lived in Kyoto.
Again, like with the Golden Pavilion, I was a tad underwhelmed. It was interesting to see how the Shoguns used perspective and decor to create a feeling of mystique, but honestly? The most memorable thing was the squeaking of the floorboards as we walked over them in our socks.
It’s called a hummingbird sound, and although it’s so loud that you’d swear it had to be intentional, it isn’t. It’s rust on the nails holding the floor together.
The murals in the empty rooms are reproductions. Pretty, but not the real thing.
So today was feeling a little bit like a fizzer. Until we went to the geisha dinner. omg so good.
I nearly didn’t go to this. I’m doing so much travel this year and it was nearly $400… that’s a lot of money for one person to have dinner! I ummed and ahhhed, but in the end, when was I going to get the chance to see real geishas again? I might as well just do it.
I’m so glad I did.
There are 5 Geisha streets in Kyoto.
270 active geishas today. In the 1970s there were over 1,000. In Kyoto, they aren’t called geishas, but ‘meiko’ for apprentice geishas, and ‘geiko’ for fully qualified ones. The girl on the left is a meiko called Kotono, while the girl on the right is a geiko.
The language they speak is ancient and they live in the ancient ways.
5 years of training in singing, dancing, tea ceremony and language. Meikos are not allowed to even hold a mobile, let alone use one! They are not paid a wage as a meiko, but once they become a geiko, they earn money, can date and can have a phone. A bit like an apprenticeship, I suppose.
The meikos keep their hair and have to have it styled once a week. To keep it looking good, they sleep on very high pillows to keep it from being mussed up. Geiko swear wigs. Much easier. The girls do their own makeup, which takes around an hour and a half.
Here they are, introducing themselves and giving me their business cards.
Ben said that it is believed that if a geisha gives you her business card, you put it straight in your wallet because it brings good luck. So now I have double good luck.
Also pictured are the cards I’m currently using. I’ve used UBank as my travel card for years, as they don’t charge international fees. I got the Wise card before Vietnam and it’s my backup card. It’s ok, though I’m not rapt at how you have to allocate funds to a specific currency. Still, it worked fine in Vietnam and I’ll use it on my last few days in Japan to get rid of the yen on it.
Anyway, back to the dinner!
The Japanese consider a long neck to be a sign of beauty, so she’s painted her neck this way to appear longer.
Kotono stayed at our table and although Ben stayed to translate, she had learned English for the couple of years she was at high school, so we could converse.
Someone asked her why she decided to pursue this career.
”I was at the shopping mall when I was 13 and some geishas were singing and dancing. They looked so beautiful. I knew I wanted to be like them.”
She’s now 16, and has been a meiko for a year. She has a younger sister and when someone asked if her sister would follow in her footsteps, she laughed and said, “Oh no. She is a tomboy!”
Kotono has two hours of trading each day, then she and the other 10 girls in her house rest until 4. Then they start getting ready for the night’s work. Their clothes are heavy. They weigh 15 or 20 kgs so they need help getting them on.
They go from tea house to restaurant until around 1AM. Then they go home, remove their makeup and sleep until 8. This is 7 days a week, with only a once a year holiday at New Years to go home and see their families.
If they don’t marry, they can keep doing this until their 70s.
They never used to perform for foreigners but the state of the economy changed that. Now, people like me can see them.
Earlier in the conversation, Kotono said that she liked to watch sumo wrestling. When someone asked if she wanted to get married someday, she shook her head and said, “Not for 10 or 20 years.” When someone then asked, “What about if it was to a sumo wrestler?” she laughed and mimed putting a wedding ring on her finger.
They performed 2 songs, but I had to cut down a video for you, because the wifi couldn’t cope with a 2 minute video. Look at Kotono’s precise movements of her head and hands. This dance has been passed down from a very long time ago. It made me wish that I knew Japanese, so I could follow the song.
It made me wonder how they feel about training so hard to be perfect in everything they do, then coming out every night to perform for tourists who can’t appreciate the subtleties.
Anyway, before they left to go to their next appointment, we played the geisha game. It’s simple, but it’s fun.
I didn’t play. I knew I’d had too much sake to be any good at it!
It was a fascinating glimpse into a world that’s so very different from ours. These girls are living history. This is something I’ll remember forever. It was so very interesting.
Dad Joke of the Day:
Love that photo with umbrella you geisha you!
Haha!