Going local : our Ryokan Experience

Today we climbed the Fushimi Inari shrine and shifted to our new Ryokan. 

Fox statue and Tori gate
at the Fushimi Inari shrine

The Fushimi Inari shrine is reputed to be one of the top rated attractions in Kyoto.  It is a shrine to Inari, the Japanese god of rice and of business  - in other words, built to honour the gods of good fortune.  Its characteristic is the tori gate, that classic symbol of Japan depicted as red in most guidebooks but turned out to be vermillion/ bright orange in reality.  The shrine has thousands of tori gates creating a corridor up the mountain, to the main shrine right at the top.  It's apparently a 2-3 hour trek to the top of the mountain.  We climbed up until we reached this little pond with some mini-shrines along side.  After that, we looked at the endless stairs going up we asked someone how much further and discovered that we were still not even one quarter of the way up.  So obviously we went down again and spent some time in the little souvenir shops near the entrance of the shrine.  I bought some nice little purses for family members.

We had a quick lunch subsequently in our favourite place, JR station.  At the conveyor belt sushi restaurant.  That was when I realised the incredible variety of sushi available in Japan.  Shellfish which I've never head of before.  A wide range of fish.  Uni (sea urchin), crab miso, crab roe, etc etc.  It was a pleasure also watching the sushi chefs at work.  Quick and deft, they prepared the sushi and put the little plates on the conveyor belt, with a little sign in front indicating what the topping was. We must have had around 15 plates between the two of us - substantial for the two of us but not much compared to some of the other patrons around the counter.

Our room in Yachiyo Garden Ryokan

After lunch,  we checked in at our new hotel - the Yachiyo Garden Ryokan.  Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns and I liked the comfortable, homey feel of the place.  We had booked a 12.5 tatami mat room, which was surprising spacious especially compared to our previous hotel room.  Of course, this was partly because the futons had not been put out for the night as yet.  A low table, with two seats alongside was in the middle of the room instead.  A simple alcove was in one corner of the room, with a scroll and a flower arrangement (ikebana) within.  The room has its own bathroom, and a little entry area where our slippers are kept.  Non-traditional items however included the television in one corner of the room.  

We took a short walk around the ryokan, to the Kyoto Handicraft Centre but thanks to all the purchases at

Doggies like hanami too!

the Fushimi Inari shrine, I only bought some food items for the office.  We found a little park serendipitously along the way back with a beautiful weeping cherry tree in bloom right in the centre. We spent some happy minutes taking photos, alongside a few others. One lady was taking photos of her two dogs under the blooms.  We took photos of them, too.

We got back to the ryokan in time for dinner.  We had ordered a traditional kaiseki meal and faced the eternal question - what to wear, what to wear, what to wear.  There was a simple cotton yukata and a sort of shorter robe (rather like a vest) over the yukata - a yukata jacket.  Since I was not too sure whether I would be able to sit decorously on the floor for an entire meal in the yukata, I opted to wear the jacket over my blouse and jeans.  At least from the waist up, I was very Japanese :-) 

At 7.30pm (our appointed dinner hour) there was a knock on the door - our hostess, here to escort us to dinner.  Whilst in most ryokan dinner is served in the room, here we go down to the dining area, which overlooks a serene Japanese garden, complete with cherry tree (no longer in bloom), pond, koi and moss covered stones.  Our hostess brought us some warm sake and some Japanese tea, then brought us our dishes, course by course.

A kaiseki meal is essentially the chef's degustation menu for the day.  Our ryokan is famed for its restaurant, which specialised in "washoku", the traditional Kyoto style of cooking and which in itself is on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (what a mouthful).  From my online research, I had earlier learnt that the typical kaiseki meal would typically comprise the following courses:

Our Kaiseki dinner

- appetiser selection

- sashimi (tuna, squid)

- nimono or simmered dish (we had octopus, very tender and yummy) 

- agemono or deep fried dish (tempura with green tea salt)

- yakimono or grilled dish (fish with pickled radish - the acidity of the radish went well with the richness of the grilled fish)

- sunomono or vinegared dish (baby squid with seaweed - I really enjoyed this too) 

- fish soup with rice and pickles (shokuji)

- fresh fruit with orange jelly 

Overall, a most enjoyable meal.  

We went back to our room and found out that our beds had been laid out.  Surprisingly comfortable, considering that we were on the floor.  It was a good night's sleep.

Photos of my Kyoto trip are here.

Poetry Exercise No. 18: Haiku

A rather late revert to my attempt to complete the poetry exercises in "The Ode Less Travelled" by Stephen Fry.  Inspired by my visit to Japan.

According to what I learnt reading "Miss Happiness and Miss Flower" as a child, haikus have 17 syllables

On Mount Yoshino

altogether, and are arranged in three lines, of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  However, according to Stephen Fry, it appears that this strict adherence to the Japanese syllabic form is not quite right.  Obviously Japanese words have fewer syllables than English words.  They say more with these 17 syllables then English speakers.  Rather the haiku is supposed to be the distillation of a moment of inspiration or imagination, the "haiku moment".  Stephen Fry also instructs that there must be a "seasonal word", or "kigo" in each haiku, to tell the reader what season this haiku is meant for, and should preferrably refer to the natural world.

The poetry exercise requires us to write four haiku, one for each season of the year.  But I don't really want to as my photos are all of spring and cherry blossoms.  So, I will just write three haiku, to celebrate the beautiful sakura flower.

Grounds of the Imperial Palace, Kyoto

Dreaming of the spring
Cherry trees begin to bloom
Buds await their turn

Sitting by the tree 

Pale pink petals float and sway

Blossoms on the wind

Silver on the ground

Above, fresh green leaves unfurl

Life begins anew

Mount Yoshino: Cherry Blossom Central

We went today to Mt Yoshino, Japan's no. 1 cherry blossom viewing spot.  We decided to go on a weekday in order to beat the weekend crowds, but there were many people nonetheless.  

We took the train from Kyoto station (2 hour journey, one change) to Yoshino.  This was on Kintetsu Railway, one of the private railways serving the Kansai region.  I must say that in general, I have found the Japanese transport system reasonably cheap, and fairly extensive.  And of course, everything runs on time!  

The Rojin-hiroba, or Senior Citizens' Corner!

We reached Yoshino station and then had to queue for the shuttle bus up the mountain (a rather long queue).  But it was worth it, as the bus took us for quite a winding trip up the mountain.  We walked up a little way and since by this time it was already noon, found a nice flat area for our lunch, filled with groups and surrounded by a number of flowering cherry trees.  I did notice that the groups seemed to be made of older people but did not think anything of it until later when I saw an English sign indicating that it was the "Rojin-hiroba" or "Senior Citizens' Corner"!  Silly me, I thought that the Japanese kids were in school and the younger Japanese were working.  Anyway, we ignorant tourists had a pleasant time sitting on our mat under the tree, looking at the beautiful blossoms on the tree beside us and going "wow!" with the rest of the groups whenever a wind blew the petals off the blossoms, sending them swirling around us, like snow falling and flying on the ground.  In keeping with the spirit of the hanami-parties, we ate sakura-inspired mochi (actually mostly full of red beans, or akuzi beans), as well as little arrowroot biscuits which reminded me of kueh bangkit.  

After lunch, we climbed to the top of the little hill behind us and there, before us, was a beautiful view of the

Somei Yoshino, I presume

trees around us and the distant slopes and hills.  Walking around, I also learnt that the area we were in was actually the Sakura Tenjji-En Cherry Tree Exhibition Field, where a variety species of cherry trees had been planted as an exhibition area.  Further research indicated that there were over one hundred varieties of cherry trees, of which one of the most popular was the somei yoshino!

So just from the name alone, you can see that Yoshino is really closely associated with cherry blossoms.  But the reason why Yoshino is Japan's No. 1 cherry blossom viewing spot is that the cherry blossom season lasts for most of a month, rather than just over a few days.  The trees at the bottom of the mountain (the Shimo Senbon or lower 1000 trees) start blooming first, then as you go up the mountain where temperatures are lower, the trees (first the Naka Senbon or middle 1000 trees, then the Kami Senbon or upper 1000 trees) will bloom later until you reach the Oku Senbon (or inner 1000 trees) at the top of the mountain.  In case you are wondering, the answer is no, we did not go to the top of the mountain.  From what I can guess (the map's not that clear to me) we were around the Naka Senbon and Kami Senbon strata to start with.  In addition, the different varieties have different blooming times.  So everywhere you go, even though there are trees which have already finished blooming and have shed all their petals, there are others in full bloom and others still about to bloom.

Sakuramotobou

In addition to cherry trees everywhere, there are also a few temples and shrines on Mt Yoshino but we didn't really have the time to visit them. We did enter one temple compound, drawn by the beautiful weeping cherry tree there.  The temple was called Sakuramotobou and was apparently built by Emperor Tenmu who had a dream about the cherry blossoms on the mountain. As an aside, we also made another stop to buy sakura ice cream :-) 

We took so long to get down the mountain that the crowds started thinning out and the sun began to set.  But it was truly fortuitous that we took our time because the glow of the setting sun on the cherry trees was really beautiful to see and experience without the crowds around us.

Sunset on Mount Yoshino

Eventually, we got to the base of the mountain and took our train back to Kyoto.  When we changed trains, a group of schoolchildren dashed in too and some got off only a few stations out from Kyoto.  Makes me wonder how far Japanese kids have to travel to school....

Got back into Kyoto around 8.40pm.   Fortunately for us, some of the restaurants in good old Kyoto station were still open and I had a quick dinner there, washed down with a little sake.  Then, back to the hotel- I am so glad we are at a convenient walking distance to Kyoto station!

More pictures on Flickr, as and when I upload them.  But let me share some favourites here:

In full bloom, from the top of the hill next to the senior citizen's corner

Shidarezakura, or the weeping cherry tree - seen at Sakuramotobou

Walking down the mountain

Quiet beauty

Arashiyama: Temples and Gardens

Today, we took the JR Train to Arashiyama on the outskirts of Kyoto.  Arashiyama is a quiet town, except for the many tourists who visit it! 

Cherry Blossoms at Tenryu-Ji Temple

We went first to the famous Togetsukyo bridge.   Not great for blossoms as the season is past for the trees beside the river but they must hv been wonderful in their prime, just one week before our visit.  There were kimono-clad visitors and young Japanese girls everywhere.  The Japanese girls were typically accompanied by their family members - we didn't come across any mention of a "Girl's Festival" taking place that day,  so it could perhaps be some local  event.  The kimono-clad visitors were tourists pretending to be geisha.  But their languages and accents give them away - they were speaking in Mandarin, Cantonese and the like!  

Minimalism at Tenry-Ji Temple

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Anyway, we knew we were a little late for the cherry blossoms, so we were here in Arashiyama to visit temples and the famed bamboo grove.  First, the famous Tenryu-ji temple - one of the best-known zen temples in Kyoto (and another UNESCO World Heritage Site).  As can be expected of a zen temple, all the interiors were very minimalist :-)  Not so, however, its beautiful gardens, in particular the bountiful "Garden of Hundred Flowers" at the back of the temple.  Azaleas, camellias, and cherry blossoms were all out in force.

Thereafter, we went through the famous bamboo grove  - full of people taking photos!  Indeed, the tall bamboo trees were quite impressive, towering over the pathway.  The bamboo grove connects the back exit of the Tenryu-Ji temple to the famous Okochi Sanso Villa - the home of a Japanese silent movie star, Okochi Denjiro.  There was a little exhibition of him - his most famous role was obviously one of this gangster (yazuka member?) who has lost an eye.  So he looks most menacing in his photos.

The Villa itself was a small structure on the grounds of the property, and visitors were not allowed within.  The gardens, however, were a different story.  This is one of the famous "strolling gardens" of Kyoto with its extensive grounds, spreading across the entire hillside.   Indeed, we were presented with a different

garden and a different view at every turn, particularly of the surrounding areas.  Unfortunately, the cherry trees had already bloomed or we would have seen the far away mountains resting on "an ocean of cherry blossoms" as one little sign in the garden put it.  The visit ended with a little sweet and a bowlful of excellent matcha (we would learn, that there were many types of Japanese teas, of which the powdered green tea, or "matcha", was the most expensive).

Panorama - the view from the Villa

Maiko

As we left the villa to get to our next destination, we bumped into two maiko (apprentice geisha), who were attending a ceremony at one of the temples in the area!  They were impassive and ignored the tourists who were flocking around them (one tried to tap them on their shoulder to take a picture).  I got a photo - of their backs.  But that allowed me to capture the beautiful obi (sashes) they were wearing, their intricate hairdos and the characteristic white make-up on the back of their necks.

Our next stop was the Daikakuji temple - quite a walk (about 1.2 km) away. It is a very different temple from the "zen experience" we had at Tenryu-Ji.  It is very much a working temple, with its resident Ikebana Club putting up a small exhibition over the period (we saw their kimono clad members in the  grounds).  The temple has a few great prayer halls, all connected by a series of wooden corridors, many with creaking or "nightingale floors", designed to give

Osawa Pond

warning that an intruder was on his way.  A legacy from the temple's origins, as it used to be a palace, before being converted to a temple.  The Osawa Pond next to the temple was another scenic spot, with a long necked dragon boat ride available for visitors.  .

We took the bus back to Kyoto station, our home away from home, considering the many meals we had here!  We had dinner at a famous tempura restaurant, Ten-ichi.  It is a branch of a famous Tokyo restaurant and can count US President Bill Clinton as a patron.  The batter is thin and crispy, the food perfectly cooked within - still juicy and moist.  Yummy crunchy prawn heads :-)  Perfectly cooked fish which I ate with salt and lemon juice.

We walked back downstairs through Isetan and that was when we realised.... Isetan closes at 8pm and we were just in time to see all the salesgirls lining the corridor, each standing next to their stations.  As we walked past they gave a little bow to wish us goodbye.   

We went next to Daiso - it was one place which had not closed. Yeah!  Daiso here is a 100 yen shop, everything is 100 yen or rather 100 yen plus the 8% sales tax ie everything is 108 yen.  Unfortunately for us the sales tax had just risen from 5% to 8%, or everything would have been 105 yen.  But given 105 yen is about S$1.20 or so, it is, incredibly, still cheaper than Daiso Singapore which is a S$2 shop.  Bought some drip coffee - 4 sachets per pack, so it was about 30cents per sachet.  Not too bad for a cup of ground coffee.

After all this temple visiting, shopping, etc, we were quite tired out at the end of the day. More photos will be put up in batches on my Flickr page.

Hanami time: Viewing flowers in Kyoto

Day 2 in Japan.  It was a good day for viewing blossoms!

Cherry Blossoms at the Imperial Palace

Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan for many years, until the capital shifted to Kyoto.  But as a result, Kyoto has many historical buildings, mystical gardens and peaceful temples. We visited only a small fraction of the many beautiful buildings but the Imperial Palace was a must-see on our list.

Serenity of a Japanese Garden

Access to the Imperial Palace is normally restricted - visitors to the Palace must sign up for a guided tour.  But twice a year, the Palace is open to the public - one week in spring, and the other in the fall.  We were lucky enough that our visit coincided with the spring "Open House" for the palace.  So there we went, ourselves and thousands of other visitors, Japanese and tourists alike.  There were special performances scheduled for the morning in the palace grounds.  So we went to watch, us and probably half the visitors in the palace.  We lined up around the performance dais and found that we still could not see the performers with ease.  After a while, we gave up and decided to explore the beauties palace and its grounds instead.

 The Palace is a collection of sprawling buildings, including an imposing Imperial throne hall in a gigantic

The Imperial Throne Hall

courtyard surrounded by brightly coloured orange pillars.  Smaller halls surround this main hall, and there is a small, exquisite little garden alongside - the Emperor's private garden.There were mannikins arramged in one of the halls, to illustrate how the members of the Imperial court would have lived. The bustle in the Palace was probably quite similar to what the place must have been like when Kyoto was the capital city of Japan. But I would like to come back, another time, when there are fewer people and the Palace is restored to its normal state of peace and tranquility.

We wandered outside, through the park surrounding the Palace, to the small little food fair which was set up just beside the exit. It was selling mainly snacks - sweets, pickles, cakes, nuts and many other things including sake.  Bought a green tea ice cream :-)

Artists and the Cherry Tree

But what was really pleasant to see were the people enjoying the beautiful weather, and the holiday atmosphere of the park - small groups of friends and family were sitting in the park, on benches and the ground. People were playing with their children, or walking their dogs - and a small colony of artists were painting the cherry trees! 

We finally found a magical little dell with weeping cherry blossom trees shedding petals on the ground below.  Our little hanami viewing party of two settled beneath our own cherry tree. Unfortunately we had no food but we sat and watched the petals fall on our mat, our bags and ourselves.  Around us, people were sitting and chatting, and having a good time catching up.  It was a delightful time.

Tulips in the Kyoto Botanical Gardens

After the Palace, we went to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens, a few tube stops away.  We had a pleasant surprise - brilliant, brightly coloured tulips were on show.  But of course we were there for one thing - and we were not disappointed as we discovered the enchanted grove of weeping cherry trees (fast becoming my favourite cherry tree variety). The trees were burdened with the most beautiful pale pink flowers, with the deeper pink buds alongside, the branches falling down like a gentle little curtain around us.

Going through the cherry tree groves, it is indeed very clear why the Japanese so love the cherry blossom.  Indeed, even after a whole day looking at and photographing these fragile blooms, I too must admit to becoming a very big fan.   So, here is a little video taken in the Imperial Palace park which I think captures perfectly the atmosphere in the grounds.  And one last photo taken in the Kyoto Botanical Gardens.  More photos can also be seen on my Flickr page, as I slowly update it.  Enjoy!  

Kyoto Botanical Gardens

Visiting Kyoto: A Night at Nijo Castle

Cherry Blossoms on top of the Keage Incline

Arrived in Kyoto, Japan today - a long-awaited visit. Our objective - "hanami" or flower-viewing!  It is cherry ("sakura") blossom time here in Japan.  We are here slightly past the first blooms, but our trip research indicated that the different varieties of trees bloomed at different times.  So although we were late for the first bloom, it was perfect timing for the "second bloom", which included the weeping cherry trees, and we hoped also to catch the late bloomers.      

We took the train from Kansai airport to Kyoto Station in the city centre (we are fortunate that our hotel is a short walk away from here).  The station itself is gigantic, with tonnes of eating places.  We would end up eating many meals here during our stay (not very adventurous,  but the wealth of restaurants is incredible). Indeed, our very first meal of the trip was here, in a humble ramen restaurant in Ramen Alley on the 10th Floor of the Station.   We also had dinner here, at Katsukura Tonkatsu Restaurant, one floor above.

We checked into our hotel and left quickly to go to the Keage Incline and Okazaki Canal in the hope of

Cherry Blosssoms at the canal

seeing at least a few of the early blooming cherry blossoms in these areas.  The incline is on elevated ground running parallel to the main road.  An old railway track runs here, presumably to bring goods from the city area to the canal where they would be further shipped to their destinations.  It is lined on both sides by cherry trees- must be spectacular in full bloom.  Right now, there were only a few trees in bloom, with the majority having dropped their petals and starting to unfurl their young leaves. There were also some later blooming trees overlooking the Canal, just inside the entrance to the Kyoto Zoo.  So we popped in and managed to get a photo or two.  Our first serious cherry tree photos!

Weeping cherry blossoms in the grounds of Nijo Castle

We went next to Nijo Castle.  It is a historic site, the home of the Tokugawa shoguns.  A UNESCO World

Cherry Blossoms at Night 

Heritage site.  But we were just there to see the night illuminations for the cherry blossoms!  At this time, we were only able to go through the gardens along the prescribed route which took us past a Japanese garden around a little pond, down an avenue lined with blossoms (again past their peak) and finally to a clump of illuminated weeping cherry blossom trees in full bloom.  We got there in the early evening, just before sunset (around 6.30pm).  So we were lucky enough to see the blossoms in the changing light, as the sun set around us.   

There was also a little fair in a courtyard beside the castle, and a performance area alongside.  We managed to catch a "koto" performance including the traditional favourite "sakura". (Koto is a string instrument, placed flat on the ground and the players sit by it and pluck the strings.

It is a bit of a pity that we were not able to see the castle proper, but I console myself that I can always revisit Kyoto (outside the cherry blossom period) and learn more about the Castle itself.

Overall, it was a good start to our stay in Kyoto, in terms of hanami experiences.  But my first impression is really of Japanese efficiency and how they are transforming the customer experience. Some examples:

• At the Airport.  Speedy immigration clearance, at baggage claim the bags all come out with the handle facing the passengers.  Made it so much easier to haul the suitcases off the track.
• Ramen restaurant.  You have to purchase a ticket for the meal from a vending machine upfront, which dispenses change etc before going within. A wait staff greets and seats you, and serves your tea (no charge) and your food.  No need for a cashier, faster turnover as customers don't wait for the bill. Not just fast food, but faster food!
• Hotel.  We paid for the room upfront (upon check in).  The room keys are to be returned upon check out (another vending machine)  The front desk dispensed a packet of coffee per person per day (choice between strong and medium coffee) and also asked us to choose from a selection of "extra" toiletries - we could take our pick of bath salts, hair grips, sponges, and many other things besides. The more standard items -  toothbrushes (one white, one pink), a big bottle of body shampoo, hair shampoo and conditioner etc.  No small little bottles for people to nick.  The toilet itself is small and highly functional.  With, of course, a heated toilet seat and bidet function.  

More photos on Flickr.  More posts and photos to come....

Succumbed

I have finally succumbed and bought an iPhone.  Well, if I had not I would not be able to take this picture of Ariel and Winky engaging in some playful swatting.