August 30, 2007 – Kyoto & Shikoku

I woke early and headed over to the Ritsumeikan campus to meet Aki for breakfast and get my other huge garment bag she had been so kindly storing for me. We ate at McDonalds (Jpn: Maku) which is very out of character for me, but the place was spotless and the food was not bad. I always kinda liked Egg McMuffins. I brought Dan breakfast and then we rushed out again for a very exciting and important appointment…I was getting my haircut!

I really just wanted a trim, but lots of my friends had raved about how great the beauty shops in Japan are. I ended up with a very cute cut, and it was all done by a very stylish group of young men with very pointy cowboy/elf boots. I won’t bore with details, but I am very happy with my new cut.

Dan and I spent the afternoon strolling down the “Tetsugaku no michi” which translates as the Path of Philosophy. It is a little path that goes by many temples and shrines in the hills of Kyoto. The first was spectacular – Ginkakuji. The sand structures and the landscaping was so beautiful! We also saw Honen-in, the temple devoted to Honen, the founder of the Pure Land sect. The buildings were closed, but we walked around the beautiful grounds. We also saw another Pure Land Temple, Eikan-ji, but this one was still an active training place. A group of monks were chanting, and we were able to sit in on it. It was truly a unique and memorable experience. The last temple we visited was Nanzen-ji, a Zen temple with a rock garden and equally beautiful grounds and buildings. It was great to see so many historical places in one day.

The evening was spent walking through the Gion district, where Geisha used to flourish. The back streets are so tiny and just full of life! Our dinner was at a very nice Chinese restaurant. Despite there being so many foreigners in Kyoto, this place was devoid of any but us. For one, they didn’t have an English menu. I tried my best at reading the all kanji menu, but settled on the set course meal. It was delicious, including crab legs and all sorts of vegetables and assorted rice and other dishes.

We left Kyoto the next morning, but not before we stored two HUGE bags at the Kyoto station! We are so happy to not have so much luggage now! It is pretty affordable to store and even send bags in Japan. I had arranged our reserved seats for the trains to Shikoku, and although we literally ran to the track after waiting for a Margherita pizza for Dan that never came, we reached the top of the stairs just as the train was pulling away. For some reason, I was really upset. I have worked pretty hard to make everything go smoothly, and missing that one train messed up my scheme of perfection! Dan comforted me and bought me a cute cardigan and a green tea parfait. Then everything was fine and we got on the train an hour later.

The latter part of the train ride, south from Okayama to Takamatsu, passed through the Inland Sea that separates the island of Honshu from Shikoku. It was gorgeous scenery! We were promptly scooped up at the station by the owner of the guest house we were to stay at, Mt. Domu. We drove in her red Jeep Wrangler out of the city and into the mountains, winding through the wilderness. It was gorgeous and we were excited to see the place. We arrived at Mt. Domu, which is nestled in the mountains, secluded from everything else, which seems to be rare in Japan. We are now staying in a Canada-themed log cabin that was, like everything else, hand-made by the owner, Mr. Junzi.

After settling in and taking a brief walk through the woods and being attacked by a pesty horsefly, we went to the main lodge for dinner. Junzi and Junko, his wife, prepared grilled vegetables, shrimp, sausage, and lamb steaks, which were excellent! There was a large bar inside that had Crown Royal, so Dan had a cocktail and I drank 30 year old plum wine that had the absolute best flavor. After dinner, we hung out with the owners and the one other family that was staying out here. Dan and I brought a bottle of sake from Nagano-ken and shared it with all, but Junzi preferred to drink Beefeaters Gin straight (in fact, he drank an entire bottle!). We ended up hanging out all night with the owners, and it was maybe the most fun we have ever had! Junzi loves America and American music, and used to be in an R&B band. We played American oldies like “It’s my party,” “My girl” and the Temptations, the Beatles, Santana, etc. while playing along with various instruments. The other family got into it as well, and it was lots of fun. Then Junzi brought out a wine cork that had been blackened and drew mustaches on everyone. I think it is a tradition out here.

Junzi and Junko told us they were very happy to meet us and that they really had a busy summer and that night with us was the most fun! We were equally glad for the experience. We just had breakfast at the lodge, and are resting before we head to the station to continue on down to South Shikoku, where we are staying on the beach for several days. New adventures await!

The kind owners drove us to Takamatsu Airport so we could catch a bus to the train station. They even parked, made sure we got our tickets, and then sat with us to wait and bought us a beverage. I didn’t want to say goodbye to them! They said we had a home in Japan whenever we came back and that they would update the Mt. Domu homepage in a few days to add pictures of us! We felt very special and happy to have met them.