Today we got up a little late, as now Dennis is under the weather. We went straight to the Imperial Palace in the center of Kyoto, just a couple blocks from HGH (Hirota Guest House).
The Palace is hosting the start of the Hollyhock festival, a parade style celebration to bring good luck on the city over the coming year. We found a spot on a grassy knoll (no we didn’t see any snipers!) and watched the procession of elaborate archers on horseback, beautiful ladies dressed in kimonos, and finally a “princess” being carried by us.
We took several pictures, but there was nobody around us explaining what all was happening, so we just watched. It was neato.
By 1pm the event was over, and it was starting to get overcast. Say goodbye to the 4 hours of sunshine! We took a bus over to the Golden Pavillion (Kinkakuji Temple).
Riding buses in Japan is a unique experience in and of itself. One boards in the back, grabs a ticket, and makes their way up front so that by the time they get to their stop, one can give the ticket to the driver and pay the fee.
***If taking several buses a day, it is best to purchase a Kyoto bus pass-that way you save money if you go on the bus more than say 2 times. Anyways, the best way I can describe riding is by the picture (below) or by saying it is like being in a MOVING MASH PIT. Very thrilling.***
The Golden Pavillion was amazing, it really is golden-I had an idea in my mind that the photographers did magic in order to get it to look like that, but it really does shine brilliant! There were masses of school children there and many wanted to chat with us in order to practice their English. We got a picture of a group of the roughty kids that we met there-very cute and friendly!
Next up, the Ryoanji Temple (Zen Rock Garden) celebrated for the beautiful garden grounds. We walked around until we got to the rock garden featuring 13 strategically placed stones. You get out of it what your brain conjures up, and my brain visualized what it would be like to climb those stones if I were ant size. The rocks down there turned into cliffs, and the pebbles turned into crashing waves and the bits of moss turned into carpets of ferns. Mystical!!!
After the temple, we went back to HGH to unwind a bit and recharge for a bit of shopping. Kyoto has a SERIOUS network of covered shopping down by Kawaramachi-Dori(avenue). I was on a mission to find “Do As Infinity” a music album for my friend Petar. It took us 4 shops before we found it at a Tower Records on the 8th floor of a Department store. We also went into 3 shops looking for just the right Netsuki for my Mom. Those little trinkets used to be worn by Samurai, and now they are a craze. Most Netsuki’s are made of plastic, but I finally tracked one down that was made out of ivory or mother of pearl or something white (I just know it’s not plastic).
Saturday night is the main night the Japanese usually go out for dinner, but in this area, even on a Monday night it was crowded. All the youngsters were out shopping, hanging out, and just cruising. It was neat to people watch.
For dinner, we found a Chinese food place on the way back to the HGH. I had Chicken with spring onions and Dennis got some tofu with spicy beef sauce. Both dishes were okay, but it was very very different from the Chinese stateside. In fact, we have never seen anything like that at a Chinese restaurant here-not much on the menu looked familiar, so that was fun.
Seeing the folks walking about the streets in their kimono’s really sets it in – you’re in another world! Very cool.
The Hollyhock festival was interesting visually, but the commentary on the p.a. system was in Japanese, so we missed a lot of the historical significance of what we were seeing.
The Zen rock garden is another one of those places that you want to get to the minute it opens in the morning. Dozens of giggling school kids destroys the serenity of the place.
The covered shopping area, Kawaramachi-Dori, is very cool! Ideal for shopping, people watching, eating, wandering around, whatever! Another find Kyoto destination one can walk to and around!