Christmas isn't really celebrated here. Some kids get presents and some stores put up signs, but that is about it. The Christmas traditions here are more like Valentine's Day, almost. Christmas eve is a night for young lovers to go out to a nice dinner and then on Christmas day people eat Christmas cake with strawberries. We did both, having a really fancy Chinese dinner last night, and really good strawberry cake today!
We are leaving Kyoto tomorrow and I have to say I am sad to leave. Kyoto is a very historic city with shrines and temples galore. I'll post a smattering of photos and videos below, but they won't really capture the beauty of all the places we've seen.
Highlights: Shopping at the flea market, the temple of 1,001 Buddhas, and Yasaka Shrine in the Gion. Yasaka is the first shrine we went to, and we saw it first in the rain. It was nice because we were some of the only people there. The next morning we walked through it again and it was quite lovely. The temple of 1,001 Buddhas (Sanjusangendo hall) was really interesting. There were sculptures of the 28 guardians of Buddha (I think) with informational signs at each one. It was interesting to see how Indian Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism influenced Japanese Buddhism through the different names of the guardians. There were also the 1,000 other statues along with the giant golden Buddha. Pretty impressive. We weren't allowed to take photographs, but we found a few pictures online that I think we can post.
This morning we found a HUGE flea market at a nearby Shinto shrine (we actually read about it before coming to Japan and happened upon it by luck). We were able to get some really cool stuff. Jon got a Haori (short kimono coat thing) to tattoo in, a cool hat and rice straw rope. We also found some really cool ceramic foo dogs that we are going to try to bring back. Kyoto really has been a shopping mecca. The flea market was cool because it was all locals. We got fried stuff on a stick (I had a spiral potato thing, Jon had squid balls), shopped around, found deals, etc. It was fun.
Another thing we did in Kyoto was group tours set up through our travel agent. Jon and I both agree we aren't big fans of the guided tour. We get rushed through really amazing places that deserve far more than the 45 minutes we are alotted. Like the golden pavillion or shogun castle. One tour I liked, even though it was a bit rushed, was a trip to Nara. About 1 hour by bus, Nara was an ancient capital of Japan and is full of really old stuff. The largest wooden structure in the world, for example. Or the oldest wooden structure. Or the largest bronze Buddha in the world. Very historic. It is also home to the Nara deer park, which is full if miniature deer that demand cookies from you and try to eat your clothes if you don't deliver. It was fun.
Tomorrow we leave Kyoto and head to Kobe. We'll be there for about four days and will use it as a home base to go elsewhere. Himeji castle, Osaka, and someplace else I can't remember. Jon is getting tattooed in Osaka the day after tomorrow. Then it's back to Tokyo and home on new year's eve. I'll be sad to leave Japan, but glad to be headed home.
Some musings and observations:
1. The Japanese love things hot. The food comes to you so piping hot that it is impossible (for me) to eat for a good 10 minutes. It is ridiculously hot. The steamy washcloths they bring you before your meal are scalding hot. The toilet seats are heated. The buses and trains and subways and overly heated. Everyone walks around in bulky coats when it isn't that cold. Our hotel is really warm. Everything everywhere is hot.
2. Japanese TV is surreal...crazy...weird. There are no evening scripted dramas or comedys. From what I can tell, the same 12 people are on every show (and no it is not that I can't tell the people apart) and they sit around in large groups watching videos and then talking about them. There are shows where people watch commercials and than talk about them. There are shows where people read the newspaper, and then talk about them. It's like the entire evening TV block on all channels is a weird version of Regis and Kelly, but with 12 people. Strange infomercials, something Jon and I like to call JapanBall (it looks like a cross between field hockey, rugby and basketball)...it is so different than America.
3. It has been said before, but it is really true, that everything runs on time. The buses, subways, trains, tours--everything. Nothing is late, nothing breaks down. It is amazing.
4. Convenience is paramount at a lot of places. The bus stops have little windows to tell you how many stops away your bus is. The crosswalks and subways and buses all have little chime songs to help you navigate. Like the vending machine lunch chooser restaurant places we ate at in Osaka.
Also, there are vending machines everywhere, selling everything.
Jack Black
I think this grape looks like the devil...
Batteries
No comments:
Post a Comment