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Kyoto is for Everyone

By Rita Cook

Have you got a desire to visit a real piece of Japan? Then be sure and make this city a 24-hour stop in Kyoto.
Easily accessible by bullet train from Tokyo (a mere two hours and 40 minutes), the differences you find will have you thinking you have entered another world. Proud to be Japan’s capital for- count it- 1000 years, nowadays Kyoto still boasts the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sanjusangendo Temple and Gion Corner near Shijo-Kawaramachi, to name just a few of the specialties you will find here.

Kyoto is home of the geisha, in fact this city is where the geisha originated and even today you can have your own sighting in Gion, a district located in Kyoto where geisha have lived since the 1600's. Otherwise, there are as many things to see and do in Kyoto than you will have time for, so for a sampling of it all do like I did and start with a few temples, a short shopping trip, a peek at some cultural specials like food and handcrafts, and a show to end the evening before walking the streets and enjoying the twinkling lights of the tea houses lighting up the night sky.
When you arrive by train go ahead and check into the Kyoto Granvia Hotel at the train station, you will thank yourself in the morning. Trust me, finding your train will be much easier upon departure since you are already at the station. It was a good choice on my part because the train stations in Japan are mini-cities and one wrong turn can mean a totally readjusted schedule because of a missed train.

I was in Kyoto during cherry blossom season, but I will warn you this is a busy time to go. However, if you can visit in March or April you won’t be disappointed as the beauty will not be “lost in translation.” Speaking of lost in translation, it’s a must that you head over to the Heian Jingu Shrine where scenes from the film “Lost in Translation” were shot. Remember the scene where Scarlett Johansson is skipping across stones on a pond? This is the place that scene was shot, so go try it out for yourself. I did and got a bit dizzy. Wonder how many takes they had to do before she got it right? The shrine was built in 1895 in memory of Kyoto’s 1,100 year anniversary.

Okay, on to more important things such as the temples that won’t disappoint. Japan is all about Zen.

The peaceful quietness and being in the moment is something that can do you no harm and it’s a good thing to find in this treasured country and within yourself as well. A good place to search for your own Zen moment will be the garden of the Kokedera Temple or the Daitokujji temple. You won’t be able to visit every temple or every street so pick and choose the places that call to you. My first temple experience was Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a UNESCO world heritage site. From the cliff-like balcony at this temple you can see the world, or at least it feels like it.
Kiyomizu means “pure water” and while there I bought a symbolic cup and took a drink from the natural and healing spring. The Japanese culture also has many gods that are revered. Perhaps you will pick a favorite one for yourself and find the likeness of it at the temple. If you hear someone referring to Rakuchu do not be alarmed as this is the area that has been used in Kyoto since the 16th century when Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a wall around Kyoto as a part of a regeneration plan for the city. Today it consists of the downtown area and that includes the train station, the Shijo Kawaramachi shopping area and the more traditional Gion and Nishiki districts. In fact, my next stop after the morning temple excursion was Nishiki Food Market where you can find just about everything. Find it between Teramachi and Takakura streets as you will walk through a virtual outdoor grocery store of fresh produce and fish.

From there I headed over to the Kyoto Handicraft Center where I had the opportunity to make my own incense and do some Dorei doll painting. The incense was easy, but the doll painting indeed proved to be a challenge. These little dolls have bells inside them and my task was to paint on the dress and face. Well, I tried. I also took a look at the shops and picked up a few souvenirs. Stop in at the Confectionary Tsuruya-Yoshinobu and watch master craftsmen continue a history of candy making that has been going on for 190 years. This shop even served as the specialty shop for the ancient Imperial household and you can also experience a tea ceremony here.

The cake making process is found on the second floor, but the cakes are different than anything I had ever tasted and one tasted more like beans, which is part of the ingredients anyway. To end the evening I took in a show at the Gion Corner Theater and got a good sampling of the cultural history of Kyoto and Japan overall.
I took part in a tea ceremony, watched a Japanese harp being played like it has been for thousands of years and saw a Kyoto style dance, again a tradition that dates back to the 17th century and are performed by Geisha in the Gion district. Kyoto has found an interesting way to blend the old with the new and make it work in “Zen” fashion.
Always steeped in tradition, the modern-day familiarity still presents itself well and hey, before bed I even found my way down into the mall under the train station and had my favorite meal of all, A PIZZA!!

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