August 15, 2007

Today I went to the most beautiful place I think I have ever seen. Perhaps that statement will be revised by the end of this trip, but Kiyomizudera is simply marvelous. It is a Buddhist temple that sits in the mountainous hills just outside Kyoto.

Before the temple, we visited a small shop down a windy alley to learn how to dye fabrics. For my planned "Cultural Experience" today, I chose to visit a small shop where they continue a traditional art of dyeing, called yuzen, which involves stencils and thick paint brushed onto various mediums of fabric. The shop owners and workers were very very nice and helpful! I made a nice little wall hanging. I told the man who was helping me it was “wabi sabi” which in Japanese means something along the lines of “perfect because of imperfections.” Really I just am not good at stenciling, let alone any other more difficult art form. Nonetheless, I like it and I’m proud!

Okay, now onto the temple. After bearing the sticky heat in the city, and then walking up a long and narrow road, and then climbing lots of stairs, you are treated to the spectacular view of the vermillion entrance to the temple. I say temple, but it is actually a temple complex with some 30 structures. I was only able to see a few and it was just amazing.

I cannot wait to explore Kyoto more in the coming days, and then later with Dan. After the temple we walked around the Gion area (famous for geisha and maiko) looking for cheap yukata (casual kimono). Kyoto is a very romantic city, with a 1200 year old history. A lazy river strolls through the middle of the city by the Gion area, and is lined with old traditional buildings that are low to the ground. As I gazed down from a bridge on a busy street at sunset, I really understood the beauty of the city. The mountains that surround the city seemed to float on the clouds, a fine mist settling at their base, and the colors of the sky turned warm and toasty (although the heat was slowly subsiding). I looked down to the river banks and saw people, coupled up, all along the banks. I thought I didn't want to leave! We decided to do some shopping, and boy oh boy the shopping in Kyoto is amazing! Tiny unmarked sidestreets pop out all over and they are full on bustling shops and people.

Despite my great excitement, I tired quickly because of general fatigue as well as very hot and thick air, and we decided to head up 7 stories in a nice building for an all you can eat Chinese buffet. Now when I say that, most of you in America probably have something less than appetizing that comes to mind. Well, let me tell you, this was soooooooooooooo not like that. It was all delicious, well prepared and even fancy food. Even more, they had the most polite servers (women in mini-skirt kimonos) coming around with many varieties of dim-sum (even sweet mango custard kinds which were very good) and also a hot rice pudding called okayu that was very good. The dessert I had was also great, it was a vanilla type tapioca pudding with other sauce…can’t describe well….it was well worth the roughly $18 (plus, though I didn’t eat too much, you can gorge yourself for two whole hours for that price!)

I am now back at Ritsumeikan University on the far NW end of Kyoto. A nice cool shower and rest at the end of the day feels so nice. Heat like this is very exhausting (that perhaps explains why so many JASCers are deathly ill at present). My cold is subsiding and, all in all, I feel okay. BTW, just a note. Cold medicine in Japan is a) much weaker, and b) very expensive!!!

I LOVE JAPAN! CAN YOU TELL!