Kim in Kyoto

Kyoto is one of the most magical places that I have ever been.  Kyoto, which literally means capital city, was the capital of Japan until about 1869 and currently has a population of about 1.5 million.  It boasts over 2000 religious sites, including 1600 Buddhist Temples and 400 Shinto Shrines.  Unfortunately, I was only able to see a few of those, and I already ready for my next trip there.  The commute was a short train ride from Osaka.  As soon as I stepped out of the station, I was transported to a place where time stood still.  This beautiful Sakura was my first sight upon exiting.  

My first stop was to the Gion district, which is famous for its Geisha (person of the arts), or better known in Japan as Geiko (woman of the arts).  I was lucky enough to see some Maiko, or women in training, wondering the streets in the early morning.  I was headed to the Gionkobu Kaburenjo, which is a theater that has been operating in Kyoto since 1872.  Each year in April, there is a Miyako Odori festival which celebrates the music, acting, and dance of the maiko and geiko.  I was lucky enough to hear about it through a Japanese friend, so I called to get tickets and showed up just in time for this tea ceremony.  

Thankfully, I got a couple good pictures of the maiko here, because no pictures were allowed at the actual show.  It was interesting that these women made and served tea while barely moving and without any facial expression or body language.  I KNOW that I could never do that!  The show was fabulous and made of 8 scenes, with each of the seasons depicted.  I wish they sold videos, because the set and backgrounds were absolutely stunning!

After leaving the show, I wandered the streets of Gion, wondering where to go next when I felt the need to head down a particular street.  This was how it looked on the way.  Suddenly, I found myself on temple grounds.  

Here I found Kenniji Temple, which is the oldest Zen Temple in Kyoto, founded in 1202.  I found it extremely peaceful with many places to stop and meditate.  I, along with many others stopped here with this garden in view and reflected.  I stayed for awhile, but was the first to leave, and sadly so.  I knew that if I wanted to see more of Kyoto I needed to get on my way, but I felt so light here it would have been great to stay.  It's official name is Cho On Tei, or garden of the sound of the tide.  It's seems appropriate.  

After leaving the gardens, I headed over to the building with the dragons.  These two were painted on the ceiling of a different building.  Dragons are considered to be the protectors of Buddhist teaching as well as gods of water, sending the nourishing rains of the teachings of Buddha down to its followers.  

This is the altar of the same building.  Although everything here was dark and muted, it seemed to make all its visitors have a certain lightness.  

After the suggestion from another friend, I made my way to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is the head shrine in Kyoto.  

Since Inari was seen as the patron of business, each of the thousands of torii here were donated by businesses, with the names carved on the sides.  

Since the Shrine was on the base of a mountain, of course, I decided to hike up it.  I walked for a couple of hours here through the thousands of torii.  Do you remember the scene from Memoirs of a Geisha?  This is where the young woman ran and ran.  It was a beautiful scene.  No, I did not recreate it.  

I did however, take many pictures as I found the way the light shone through the gates as breathtaking.  Thankfully, I visited on a Monday, so there weren't many other visitors.  I enjoyed a fabulous walk through the gates until I finally admitted defeat.  I had no idea where I was, only that I had been walking in gates for over an hour and a half.  I turned around and retraced my steps.  This time I walked with more of a purpose and less awe, with the goal of reaching the main gate so I could move on to my next sight.  

Along the way, I passed a wall of these Ema (prayer boards).  They depicted the fox, which is thought to be a messenger.  I thought it was clever that the patrons of the Shrine could design the face of their very own fox.  

Not only were there thousands of gates along the walkway, there were thousands along the sides too.  I bought one for my Christmas tree to accompany the numerous prayer boards.  I'm sure that it will bring back fond memories of strolling along the paths during my spring break.  

On the way back, I noticed the business names engraved in the torii.  They weren't on the front side, so I only saw them from the back as I retraced my steps.  

After I found my way back to the beginning, I looked through the main gate saw the hustle and bustle of the outside.  I thought that the chaos on the outside was a direct contrast to the peace that I felt on the inside.  I finally understood why so many of these places are treasured in Japan.  It's the only place where one can relish in the silence and reflect without the crowded, real world encroaching.  

Just another building at Fushimi Inari that made me think happy thoughts.  

After leaving the Shrine, I knew that I wouldn't have any time to make stops at the other sites on my list, so I headed back toward the train station.  I knew there was a large park on the way, so I decided to make a detour there, and I'm thankful that I did.  Once I got there, I noticed many food booths, so I googled the park on my phone.  I found out that it was Maruyama Park, which is famous for its weeping Japanese Cherry Tree in the center.  

The cherry blossoms here were stunning, and I wasn't the only one enjoying them.  There were tons of people here, strolling in the rain, and relaxing while taking in the beauty of the blossoms.  

After the sun began to set, I knew that I needed to make my way back to the station and then onto Osaka.  But I couldn't leave without a little snack.  I can't believe how open I've become with food.  A few years ago, I would have never stopped to try fish on a stick, but now I find it delicious!  There's no use fighting the culture where I live...I choose to embrace it instead.

On my stroll back to the station, I came across this shop selling cloth that can be made into bags and candies.  Initially, I didn't think that it was worth a picture, but then I thought of my shopping experiences in the US.  I love shopping in Japan and seeing the women taking such care of the goods.  They are so precise and consider the things they sell to be of the highest quality, which makes me think that my purchase is worth it.  They also take great care to ring up and wrap my purchase, which shows me that they value gift giving.  It shouldn't just be a quick purchase, it should be thoughtful.  They also tend to toss in a small gift of appreciation for the buyer, which shows me that they appreciate my business.  It's a completely different experience in Japan, one that I have come to love.  

I couldn't leave Kyoto without one more stroll through the Gion district.  As you can see, it was packed not only with pedestrians, but also with traffic.  Seriously, I love this city and can't wait to go back and share the experience with someone special.