Sakura Hotel Jimbocho, Tokyo, 28 June 2008

Morning breakfast in the hotel lobby couldn’t have been categorized as 5 stars hotel material, but boy, didn’t it taste great. After starvation of last night, the serve-yourself toast with butter and jam with list of choices of teabags and coffee is heaven.

Made myself toasts and sweet sakura tea. After the quick (very hungrily) breakfast, I still had time to go up to my room and do some last packing and lay down (still kind of sleepy) for half an hour before going down and checked out at the front desk.

From the quite annoying receptionist ( I forgive him thanks to the satisfying breakfast), I found out to go to Tokyo-eki, I need to go to Jimbocho-eki and take the Hanzomon Line to Otemachi-eki, then trasnfer to Marutomachi (the red circle) Line until Tokyo-eki. There I will meet my kind new friend Niswar who will be my guide to Kyoto and Nara.

The shinkansen leaves at 9:33. We take Hikari bullet train. Eventhough I already have my JR Pass handy in my hand, I still have to get the ticket to reserve the seats – but no fee required. Unfortunately we were there in the very last minute, so the only train car available is the smoking one. Yah, fine lah, second hand smoker for 3 hours.

Shinkansen board

We went to the special platform for shinkansen and waited only around 10 mins. Every 10 mins shinkansen arrived (and departed) in very punctual timing. The train inspector came and always check if the doors were all closed, and make sure that everything is in order. For an organized freak, Japan must be heaven!

Our train came, and we hopped to our car in the very end, and then off to Kyoto!

The stations on the way to Kyoto included Yokohama, Nagoya and some other cities that I’d want to visit (but have no time to). The train itself is very steady and not making any noise. We can stand as it runs in around 130 km/hour speed. That’s bleeping fast!

Shinkansen platform

Take two! Action!

I was hoping to be able to spot Fuji-san from shinkansen (so they said) but not today, since the weather lately had been cloudy. So we just enjoy the train. A couple of times there was a girl selling drinks and onigiri or snacks in a trolley. I bought ringo juice, more expensive than in combini.

The shinkansen, and most of JR trains, I like, because they use English also for announcement if closing to each station. Like Yamanote, the most useful line that circling around Tokyo, the announcements are bilingual, using a quite hip American accent girl voice, announcing related station. I think it created quite a different atmosphere altogether.

Kyoto Tower

We arrived in Kyoto at 13:30 or so. Quite hungry. Clouds hang low when we went out of Kyoto-eki. Right outside, there was Kyoto Tower (I thought it resembled the Seattle Needle tower, somehow looked like it came from Jetson’s cartoon – not too impressive, I’m afraid). We stopped by at the closest combini and bought another onigiri (believe it or not, I have survived so far by living on onigiri, bottled tea and sandwich only). I spotted even the convenient store in Kyoto carried small things souvenir-like, for example key chain or handphone strap. Wow.. Kyoto is so artsy (or maybe it’s just because the combini is near the station).

The Hostel

Turned out that the hostel that I booked was quite some blocks away from Kyoto-eki. Again people, remember advice no #1 : Don’t believe the map the hotel give you on their website!! We walked, luckily I have my friend that can help me (pak Niswar I owe you big time).  And then we finally found hostel, strangely noone was there. It was smaller than I thought, and quite scary.

Then I just realized I got a notification email from the hostel, telling me that in case of the hostel was full, they could give me a co-ed room. Uh-oh. Suddenly, cheap hostel was not such a good idea. My friend advise me to cancel and quickly reserve another hotel, preferably closer to Kyoto-eki. I browsed in a rush from my faithful z610i, but then most of the hotels are all fully booked (the day being Saturday, and summer too, so obviously visitors were already reserved the hotels).

Good thing I did a research before coming to Japan, remembering something about a hotel not so close to Kyoto-eki area, but near the Imperial Palace (Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan). So I Googled it, got the phone # and called… there was a room!

So we didn’t tell the guy, in fact we let the luggages there (because not check in time yet). We went to Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavillion), the so-called must-see destination no. 1 in Kyoto.

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion Temple) is the informal name of Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺, Deer Garden Temple) in Kyoto, Japan. It was originally built in 1397 to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, as part of his estate then known as Kitayama.^[1] It was his son who converted the building into a Zen temple of the Rinzai school. The temple was burned down twice during the Ōnin War.

The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku, is a three-story building on the grounds of the temple. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion functions as a shariden, housing relics of the Buddha. The building is often linked or contrasted with Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion Temple, which is also located in Kyoto.

From Wikipedia Kinkaku-ji

It was quite packed in Kinkaku-ji. We met some ’suspected’ students from Indonesia, it’s quite funny to hear Bahasa after so long not hearing it being used in public place. He he. It was raining a little, but didn’t stop the visitors from taking snaps at the beautiful  golden temple.\

Raining in Kinkaku-ji

Greeny..

Golden Temple

the villa

another view of the temple

After walking around the pond (with big koi fish swimming cheerfully), we followed the crowd  and went on the path and passed a tea house (where you can order tea too), and some souvenir shop that sells … amulet (jimat!) in tiny fabric bags, attached with a small tinkle bell. The sign in romaji said what the amulet is for, for example : traffic safety, health, success in study and many more. Tried to look for the amulet for love (ha ha i know) for my single friends, but there’s none. So I bought each from the pile for the fun of it.

We then walked out to the exit. The garden itself is also quite amazing, but being raining a little and the thought of having to get to the hotel (plus kind of tired) made us went quick. Stopped by at the souvenir shop, and bought yukata set (3,500 yen for a flowery yukata with obi and geta – I think it was a bargain).

And then went by bus again to the hostel. I canceled the booking after got reservation at the hotel near Imperial Palace, but in order not to make the manager angry, I said I’d pay the price of one night. Nicely enough, the guy (sticker on his chest said ‘Hide’) said he would call his boss and ask if I could get a refund. Arigatou, Hide-san..

I did get half price refund. So I went to the hotel by taxi, dropping my friend to the station on the way. The hotel was indeed quite far from the station, but that’s okay. I got my peace…

Hotel across Imperial Palace

Unintended I fell asleep. OMG! Two hours later I woke up feeling hungry, ate the sandwich I got from the afternoon, and then watched some TV. The programme in NHK, oddly enough was about several gaijins who commented on what’s cool in Japan, and they mentioned the pre-paid card (what is it called?) for train, and the shinkansen being two of the things cool. It’s so kewl… I just rode a shinkansen! (Kampungan mode on).

Then watched some weird teenage dorama about shogi. It’s like watching comic books or anime but it’s live action, complete with its exaggaration, including some flaming shogi chess.

After looking at my oleh2 in satisfaction (feeling that I have accomplished some of the tasks from this trip ) I forced myself to sleep again. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day, to Gion and then Nara.

Outside, rain was still pouring down on the garden of Imperial Palace of Kyoto

(still 29 June 2008)

I still walked for another hour, I think, the thoughts were quite blurry when I walked out of the park (Maruyama-koen), and found traditional houses, ochaya (tea houses), and several little shops. Unlike Tokyo where houses and building were all westernized/modernized, this neigborhood of Higashiyama still maintained its roots.
Here and there I found statue of tanuki in front of houses (I wonder what message would this creature bring to welcome the guests?)

Another temple in the rain

I walked again in the hilly areas with narrow roads, almost no cars, and less people on sidewalks. As I did several times, I asked again with one lady who seemed to be friendly, which way I should go if I wanted to go to Heian-jingu (already started to think, did it really worth to go to Heian-jingu? with wet clothes and backpacks and souvenirs that began to weigh like 100 kilograms?)

They kept telling me to look for the big torii (shrine), which I would obviously see right away (and how did I get the power to translate that far? This time I do think God works in mysterious ways). But still no red torii for me to see.

there it was!!

I got out of the hilly traditional neighborhood and appeared on the urban and more modern neighborhood, with traffic lights on road intersections and all. And there in the faraway I saw a tiny (but huge, in real) red torii. Oh yay!!

So I walked towards the torii. Along the way, some more shops stalled my way. The one that I stopped quite for some time carried a classy collections of sport shoes decorated with sakura patterns. Some tshirts with original designs, canvas bags, printed with the head of a girl with flowers from 3D kimono scraps, and so many cute dolls, hair berrets in floral patterns, and many many souvenirs. I tought I’m gonna buy the whole store! (again, couldn’t get a hold of myself… he he)

The girl that attended the store was really cheerful and friendly. When I forgot my umbrella in the store (which forced me to go back, when it suddenly pouring again when I almost reached the torii), then I asked her if she would want to keep my heavy backpack and souvenir there while I went to Heian-jingu and the museum of modern art (conveniently on the way). She agreed, and would keep all my things in the staff room, asking me how long I’d be. I said one hour (-ish).

I wonder why I was so trusting with her, but the way she attended me and the other customers of the shop somehow told me she was a good person (and in Japan, people don’t steal, well at least AFAIK). So I let her keep my backpack containing my brand new USD 2,000 laptop and others. Whatever.. the backpack almost caused me permanent neck pain.

the giant torii

across museum of modern art

on bridge towards shrine

on bridge

I walked, a lot lighter with only my sling bag containing camera, wallet, passport and a bottle of water. I took the time of having lunch while waiting for the rain to quiet down before, when I forgot to bring my umbrella in the store. And now I am happily skipping to the National Museum of Modern Art.

the torii still looks huge

view from 2nd floor museum

Could be my lucky day (still think that after the rainy walks in Maruyama-koen ) , there was a Renoir special exhibition with collection from Le Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France. Wuoh… I went to the ticket booth and bought both regular collection and the special exhibition. 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (February 25, 1841–December 3, 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that “Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau”.

From Wikipedia Renoir

There were quite a line to this exhibition. I guess rain don’t stop the art spectators of Kyoto from attending this special exhibition. I don’t know that much about Renoir, only that he is an impressionist artist, in the same era as Monet. But I recognize some of the works, from walking through the halls where the paintings were hanging. 

The exhibition was in 4th floor, and we directed to the elevator. In the entrance of the exhibition hall, they provide audio cassette with narration of the artworks displayed. Too bad no English. Moreover, then I am stuck with French titles and kanji translation, so might as well just enjoy it

The Japanese people were very orderly. I never see anyone cut any line since the first time I’m arrived. And now, in the packed hall of museum, noone produced any noises, and no pushing or cutting into each other’s line like we often experience in one particular country in south-east Asia (that I dearly miss right now).

The exhibition includes several famous works :

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (Le Bal au Moulin de la Galette), 1876, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and 

The Swing (La Balançoire), 1876, oil on canvas 

From Wikipedia

After finishing Renoir, and caught in a moment without canceling the thought of buying a Renoir book in Japanese, I took the stairs to the second floor of the regular collection. Seeing one Picasso (forgot the title), and some of the famous works, Japanese artist’s work like the room-separation painted in a pool of koi fish (sorry no photography permitted).

There were also some 3D works like pottery and really awesome kimono (an emperor’s ? he he). Somehow I felt uneasy of leaving my backpack with a stranger, then I cut the visit short, and head to the first floor where they have all the souvenirs of the museum. Bought several postcards of Renoir as a memento that I was here, and some mini-clear folders to keep the bills and receipts tidy.

Then I go on towards Heian Jingu, the destination that so hard to reach (seems like). I’ll give you some pictures of the Shinto temple :

the gate to the temple

the temple

in the rain

liat miko nya inget Kikyou di Inuyasha!

Another walk towards the red Torii and then went to the shop. My bag was safely sound, and the girl greeted me, making me felt slightly guilty for having bad thoughts about her. I asked her for the last time (since it’s difficult to find a person who can speak english), how to catch a bus to Kyoto-eki. And she told me, it was just right across the street. 

I waited for a while, not long the bus came (no getting lost this time – I’m too tired anyway), and then got there (I don’t know how I managed with the already full backpack – some of the souvenirs I moved there to avoid the rain) and still one plastic bag of another group of souvenirs.

After reaching Kyoto station, I had to take the subway to the station nearby the hotel, which is Marutamachi-bashi. Now, the challenge is how to get to the right subway platform. In the basement there was a department store, and everywhere I turned there were only shops, and no signs to subway. Hopeless, and the backpack is killing my neck once again, asking around, finally I got to the subway. Phew…

My friend already text-messaged me since I was still at Heian-jingu, so that meant that I was expected. I got into the subway, got off at Marutamachi-bashi, but wrong exit. (hehe, not remembering the experience of Takebashi…. duhhh) and then ask a really old lady where is the Gosho (imperial palace),  because I just know the hotel is right across the imperial palace park. She pointed out the place. 

I got a bit disoriented, and then found the kaban that I went to first thing in the morning before getting to the bus stop. Ah there must be the hotel. 

Finally I arrived at the hotel, dashed to the toilet to freshen up (if there is any difference that can be made, my clothes was dry, rained on, and dry again), claimed my luggage, and dragged the luggage to front porch of the hotel.

There I finished one carton of Glico strawberry milk (starving), and one onigiri. Then rearrange the souvenirs into my backpack and one travelling back and one huge plastic bag. Then I wonder still now, how I managed with all these stuff to Marutomachi-bashi subway station and then back to Kyoto-eki. 

I had a plan. I will drop the things at Kyoto-eki, in coin locker, and then I will go to Nara only with necessary stuff. Seemed that what I left behind at Tokyo still not enough, or I guess it was just my shopping mood that resulted into many additional baggage. But finally I got a coin locker, put 400 yen there and put most of my things there in one huge plastic bag.

Ah. Life is suddenly good again. Well, prolly not just yet! Gotta catch the train to Takanohara (station in Nara where my friend will pick me up). Uh oh. Gotta run.

29 June 2008

Good morning, Kyoto!

Weather isn’t the perfect for my tight schedule of visiting Gion, make walking tour through the Higashiyama trail as recommended by LP and then catch the train to Nara as promised as my hotel was booked at NAIST for tonight.

So I packed up all my things (which constantly grow into bigger pile in a much fatter travelling bag). I checked out and left my luggages in the front desk, which gave me a token to get it back. The receptionist guy was very helpful and offer about a one-day ticket for Kyoto bus (subway doesn’t cover as much as Tokyo), and I bought it since it’s only 500 yen. I only had yesterday’s experience riding the bus to Kinkaku-ji with my friend, it took sometime before really adjusting).

hotel that claims to be next to the Imperial Palace (Gosho)

church on the same block as hotel

Imperial Palace Park gate

From there I walk to the nearest bus station, conveniently passing a kaban (police station), and then I waited for sometime, first kinda forgot which number of the bus I should take (take notes!) then after the bus passed, I quickly remembered, it was that bus ! Heh.  Another wait then I took another bus and then it was wrong, so I dropped out on the next stop, and run back to the first bus stop because the right bus was appearing. Aduh, imagine the hectic plus it was raining (small, but still, an umbrella can add up into the chaos).

I got a seat next to an elderly lady, who, of course, can’t speak English. But having been in Japan for several days now, I now understand it’s better ask or you’d be left deserted in some unknown territory. So I asked her. She blurted out some explanations, and when my stop was nearing, i assumed she told me ask to the kaban for the maiko place (Yumekoubou), and pat me in the hand (blurted out some fast Japanese) and hurry me to the bus door. Arigatou obaasan!

Thanks to the lady, I arrived in Gion district.

Gion (祇園) is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Middle Ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine. The district was built to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan.

The geisha in the Gion district do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term geiko. While the term geisha means “artist”, the more direct term geiko means specifically “a woman of art.”

a shrine I passed on Shijō-dori

For sure I dropped of in the kaban (asking directions have never been an issue with me, I’d rather talk to some strangers than die not knowing where I am). The good thing about the policemen here are, they are very polite, they are nice even to strangers (i.e. don’t run away) and they speak OK English (at least the young officers do). 

So I got to the maiko makeover safely. It was in the 4th floor of an business building. I saw some shop selling traditional food (swear don’t know what they are!) on the way. But then I went to get in because my appointment time is almost on. The makeover place was rather small, with one studio, one waiting room, one rather big preparation room, where there are lockers to put your clothes when you are stripped into an undergarment for kimono, and three sets of make up chairs equipped with mirrors, and a wardrobe full of colorful kimonos.

So I got into the white undergarment and wear the tabi sock (sock with thumb separated from the rest of the toes he he) and sit on the chair. The amazing thing is, none of this people speak good English, so it’s crazy. I guess the make up artist memorize some of the lines like “This is  foundation”, “Now lipstick..” and some similar steps needed to be done to the customer. But, other than that, zip. However she is very nice and I was sort of on the state of “I’m gonna do it whatever it takes”.

Metamorphose 

                                                          HENSHIN !!!

pose pasrah menanti tamu

smile of a geiko

The whole process of making over took about 1 hour, and the photography session is probably 20 minutes. Then, the whole make up was torn down in about 10 mins. He he. And all of the sudden I was 10,000 yen poorer.

Can’t say that I’m totally satisfied with the whole thing ( especially because they canceled the photograph session outside in the streets of Gion because of the constant rain). I guess I just have to come back (why do I keep saying this ?)

After that, my journey was a bit at ease. The rain still went on, but I got my 1,000 yen umbrella (from Fujisawa), and I got my shopping mood on. Kyoto turned out to be a lot more artsy craftsy than Tokyo (or was I looking in all the wrong places?), but true, I got most of my souvenirs from yesterday’s trip to Kinkaku-ji. Last night I got some counting of the souvenirs that we have to bring (in Indonesia we have the tradition to bring back something from the place that you visit). So I was visit the little shops along the street of Shijō-dori, had a lot of fun, and bought some souvenirs.

They aren’t that expensive (I managed to stop converting from Yen to Rupiah to save myself from heart attack), and they are all so full of arts… traditional sakura, rabbits, or dragon flies print fabrics was made into purses, lady wallets, cellphone straps and scarf. I almost bought everything.

There was one really lovely store called Chiri-men, highly recommended. The prices weren’t all that cheap (even in Japanese standard), but they have i-will-kill-to-have cute earrings made of kimono fabrics, and hina dolls, and i-wonder-why-there-are-people-who-are-dilligent-enough-to-make tiny fabric vegetables and mini woven basket, and sushi and tiny sized bento for the sushi. I almost fainted! 

Managed to buy only 4 vegetables (they’re to kawaii not to have), several pairs of earrings for my family and myself (spent so much today!). And run away…

Heavenly Macha Ice Cream

Still on the same Shijō-dori, there was a store that sold everything green tea. Hubby is a big fan of greentea, in fact the only thing he wanted from my trip as oleh-oleh was only this. So I went there, there were so many kinds of tea to pick from (but no english speaking waiter to help me), so i picked one can of green tea and one sakura tea (because it sounds so sweet), and two packs of green-tea astor-like biscuits which there were testers, so I could taste it (and it tasted great..)

Before I went out the shop, couldn’t help not to pick one cone of this smooth macha ice cream with green-tea biscuit. Taste was not sweet, it was really authentic green tea (yeah as if i know), unlike the macha milkshake I used to have in Japaneser resto back in Bandung.

After that I went to a couple of shop that sells maiko and geisha accessories, wow really expensive. The hair accessories like pin on the hair can cost aout 15,000 yen. OMG! Then I bought a bag of kimono scraps for my craft project (if I ever got a chance), a summer fan decorated in red flowers, and a tabi (not knowing that for the yukata that I bought at Kinkaku-ji, we don’t need to wear socks).

I also went to a kimono shop, that the owner was really nice, and she helped picked out one male yukata (on sale), for hubby, navy color with minimalist pattern. 1,500 yen from 3,500 yen was quite a bargain! So I got it, and she showed me how to tie an obi.

The red gate to Maruyama Koen

From there, while rain is still pouring, I got myself a lunch at Lawson, a very familiar combini (convenience store), and ran in the rain towards the red gate. The lady in the photo shop right across this gate said that to go to Heian Jingu (my next destination), I would have to go through Maruyama-koen (park). Since I was reading this walking trail of Southern Higashiyama, I chose to walk (though I remembered in vain when the rain became really hard, that the lady actually asked if I would want to take the bus or walk).

Anyway, I am most proud of my physical strength that day, carrying my backpack, my little sling purse, and a huge bag filled with souvenir, a result of a little uncontrollable shopping earlier.

Because it was raining, and my hands were full with things, it’s very difficult to snap a decent photo. Some of the photos I took either not including me, show a silvery blurry image of rain, or shaky.

anyone could translate this?

Maruyama-koen duck, at least one of us is enjoying the rain!

Yasaka-jinja

I still walked and walked… would I ever find Heian-jingu?? The souvenir bag was already dangerously soaked wet, and so were the gray pants that I was wearing … (to be continued)