Monday,
June 30, 2014
Kyoto,
Japan
On the Subway to Arashiyama:
In
the far north western end of Kyoto is Arashiyama, an area well-frequented by
visitors for its interesting nooks and crannies. Having equipped ourselves with
a Day Pass for unlimited subway and bus rides, we rode the subway to the last
stop and then hopped into a bus (No. 71) to the first stop on our sightseeing
agenda for today. It was a long and slow
journey through narrow lanes of a modest village but after we crossed a river
over a wide concrete bridge, we arrived at the Zen Garden we had travelled far
to see.
Because
we were all temple-d out, we did not spend any time venturing inside the
important Zen Temple of Tenryuji; but because its gardens are so famous for
their Zen Buddhist minimalism, we decided to spend the 500 yen to take a tour.
Known to be among some of the best ‘stroll’ gardens in Japan, these did not
disappoint. As we strolled at our leisure on what was another uncomfortably
humid day, we took in the multitude of low growing cherry trees (that must be
quite spectacular when in blossom), the several low-growing maple trees with
their very tiny fine leaves and the dozens of hydrangea bushes that were in
full bloom in a variety of vivid colors as they were planted strategically
around the ponds and pools and fountains of this magical space.
By
this time, we had learned that Japanese gardens are of two types: Dry gardens
that represent the Earth—these are recognized with their white sand and pebbles
in which geometrical patterns are raked; the second kind are Wet gardens with
ponds and pools that represent the Ocean. Tenryuji’s gardens have both and
there are also well-shaded areas (as a result of taller, well-established
cypress trees) where the ground is covered thickly with moss and ferns. And as
you saunter through these narrow lanes bordered with bamboo fences and stone
paving, you meander through the traditional ryokan (homes) with their wide dark
wooden verandahs that have shoji doors occasionally left open so that you can
glimpse the tatami-mat covered floors within. It was very cool, very romantic
and we were glad we made the long hike to this part of Kyoto which is nestled
at the foot of the mountains that ring the city.
At
the northern end of the garden is a little wicket gateway that leads to one of
the most magical parts of Kyoto—the Arashiyama Bamboo Groves. This is well
touted in all the guide books which is why it is so popular. You suddenly find
yourselves on a narrow pathway lined with brown colored low bamboo fronds while
towering above you and enclosed on both sides of the fence are bamboo trees.
The sun filters softly through the lush foliage of the well-formed trees as
they softly dapple the forest floor. It makes a perfect location for a long
romantic walk and such venues just beg to be photographed—although, as the
guide book rightly points out—pictures do not do it justice. Of course, there
isn’t very much to do in this part of town—other than gawp in delight at the
soft quality of the light that at times is so soft as to be barely there at
all. Needless to say, Llew and I took several pictures as the path curved
softly at intervals. This is an excursion I would most heartily recommend to
anyone visiting Kyoto because I am not sure this sight or this experience can
be replicated anywhere else in the world.
With
not a moment to spare, we retraced our steps back to the Main Kyoto Station on
the bus and the subway line in order to catch yet another bus that would take
us to our next port of call—the Shinto Shrine of Fushimi-Inari. Now you might
wonder why we would make an excursion to yet another temple—but the fact is that
in Kyoto it is not the case that when you have seen one temple, you have seen
them all. Far from it. While the temples might share similarities of style and
design, each one is slightly different in an extraordinary kind of way. And
here at Fushimi, the Shinto shrine is world-renowned for its ‘tori’ or
vermillion gates in the shape of a giant T that are repeated endlessly so as to
create tunnels of tori that fascinate the visitor.
So
although the bus ride to the temple on the No. 5 bus was long-drawn out and
wearying, it took us to this incredible spot where, once again, we expended a
great deal of film in order to capture the superb atmosphere of the place.
Fushimi was conceived as a place to celebrate bounty and in keeping with that
aim, there are stone sculptures of foxes all over—said to be symbols of plenty.
In their mouths they carry stone keys—said to be keys to the city’s granaries.
Visitors are so fond of these foxes that they tie little red bibs around their
necks.
We
spent a good one hour in this lovely spot as we walked under the arched tunnels
caused bv the tori that had sutras from Buddhism painted over them in Japanese
script. Occasionally, there were dark metal lanterns that swung from the low roof
lines—as evening falls, this area must appear truly enchanted as the soft glow
of these electric lights meet the century-old romance of the vermillion
tunnels.
But,
of course, we could not wait to find out what it must look like at dusk for we
needed to get to the next spot on our agenda—a Visit to the Imperial Palace of
Kyoto.
A
few days ago, Llew had obtained a permit pass that would allow me to take a one
hour tour of the Imperial Palace which is located in the sprawling Imperial
Park in the middle of the city of Kyoto—he had taken it alone a few days ago.
Our tour was at 2. 00 pm and we were told to arrive there 20 minutes prior to
its commencement.
Grabbing
ham and cheese sandwiches form a subway station, we ate our makeshift lunch on
a bench in the Imperial Park and then quickly arrived at the start of the tour
where our permit slips and passports were checked before entry was permitted.
Our
tour began with a film screened in a Waiting Room where we were taken through
the paces of our tour. It lasted about ten minutes and then a guide
materialized. In heavily accented English and wearing a portable mike, she then
led us on a tour of the palace precincts that lie concealed behind extremely
heavy, ornamental gates. I have never been on a tour with so many people—there
were at least 200 from many different parts of the world. The tour wound its
way through the royal structures each of which has an interesting indigenous
name and then through the gardens at the back that are created in accordance
with the principles of Zen.
Overall, the tour was disappointing as we did
not go inside any of the buildings but merely saw them from the outside. The
guide explained the Kyoto was the capital of Imperial Japan for a thousand
years and saw the lives and times of several emperors—until the capital was
moved to Tokyo. Most of the furnishings of the palace have been moved to Tokyo
and the buildings, although gorgeous from the outside, are quite empty within.
We did have a glimpse into some of the old rooms with their ancient screen
paintings of cranes and cherry trees and tigers and, in another room, of men enjoying
a garden party. But, except for these minor aspects of history, there was not
much that the tour offered. And, I suppose, after a whole week of strenuous
sightseeing, we are slightly jaded at this stage. At the very end, she showed
us a grove of topiaried pine trees that are deliberately shaped into
bonsai-looking specimens by the painstaking pulling away of individual pine
needles that simply boggled my mind.
By
this time, both Llew and I were exhausted from all the walking and climbing we
had accomplished during the day and so we decided to return to our hotel at 4.
00 pm for a quick nap and a spot of tea. And that was exactly what we did. Both
of us slept for a good hour after which we brewed some tea in our hotel room.
We also figured out what route we needed to take for our train journey to
Hiroshima tomorrow morning. By 7 pm, we
decided to go out for a ride again to explore the Food Halls of Takashimaya—but by 8.00 pm, the store
was closing for the day. We would have an early start tomorrow, so it made
sense to get dinner somewhere close by.
Since
we had enjoyed the gyoza (dumplings) and ramen noodle soup at Ippudo, we decided to return there
tonight and indeed we had a repeat of our meal—except that this time we ordered
the spicy soup which was absolutely delicious. Together with the gyoza and
Asahi beer, we had a very enjoyable meal and upon finishing it, we lost no time
getting back to our hotel.
A
hot shower later, we were ready to hit the sack having set the alarm for 5. 30
am so that we can accomplish the long train journey to Hiroshima and the
neighboring island of Miyajima at the crack of dawn.
Until
then…sayonara.
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