From Kobe, we had to make a choice in tours today – either one in Osaka or one in Kyoto. We chose the latter because of the city’s rich history and rich tradition. It is said to be the soul of Japan. In Kobe and Kyoto, we are on the island of Shikoku.
Our guide was the best we’ve had on this entire trip. She was not only informative, but gave us precise directions and was always attentive to any of our needs, as well as humorous! She told us a lot about Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. I’ll start with Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868 – almost 1,100 years. Our tour would include a temple, a shrine, and a castle – representative of what to see in Kyoto.
Most people in Kyoto celebrate both the Shinto and Buddhist religions. Shinto has many deities, and it mainly worships nature. For happy occasions, such as weddings and baptisms, the people celebrate as a Shinto. Buddhism is used for funerals and for the reverence of ancestors. Temples are for Buddhists; shrines are for the Shinto religion. There are about 1,600 temples and 300 shrines in Kyoto.
Our first stop was the Golden Pavilion. It was originally built in 1397 (had to be restored after a monk set fire to it in 1950) as a retirement dwelling for Shogun Yoshimitsu.
The elaborate gold foil gives it its name. He had beautiful gardens laid out around it. After the Shogun’s death, according to his wish, it became a temple (Kinkaku-ji temple.) You cannot go into the temple, but you can walk around the garden area which includes many maple trees. There is a 600 year old pine tree which was originally a Bonsai tree and is now propped up with bamboo scaffolding. At the top of some stone stairs, there is a tea house which is typical in its small size – could only have 5 or 6 people inside for tea.
Our next stop was the Nijo Castle built in 1603 for first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. It is one of the finest examples of Momoyama architecture in Japan that made use of early Edo period building designs, and lavish paintings and carving. In 1994 it was designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What you can’t see here is the strong, bronze entrance gate and all the details in the entry.
Important note: the difference between an Emperor and a Shogun. An Emperor was thought to be more of a living god and was the most important and powerful person in Japan. A Shogun was more of the administrative head of the government – very powerful – but appointed by the Emperor.
The Shogun only lived there when he visited Kyoto, which was only about once or twice a year. There was no furniture because his staff brought what he needed when he came.
Shoguns tended to kill many people with the help of Ninjas (who were lower ranking Samurai warriors with more specialized techniques such as stealing information and killing people.) Because of this, the Shoguns had many enemies.
The Nijo Castle was built to house the Shogun as well as protect him. It had a moat and then a sturdy stone wall before the thick bronze gate to the castle area. Inside the wood used for the rooms was the Japanese cypress. We had to remove our shoes before entering so as to protect the beautiful wooden floors. The floors are sometimes called the “nightingale” floors because they squeaked when you walked on them and it sounded like the nightingale singing. They were designed to warn the inhabitants of intruders.
Inside there were many rooms for different functions. They all had sliding wooden panel doors – many decorated with beautiful paintings. The outer walls were wooden framed rice paper. Some rooms were for meeting with feudal lords, others were waiting rooms, and some private quarters for the Shogun and his family.
As an extra protection, the feudal lords had to wear extra long pants when visiting the Shogun. This way they could not just run and attack him. Also, they were only allowed to carry one of their two swords – the shorter one. Behind certain panels in this room stood guards, on duty, and ready just in case the feudal lords made an advance upon the Shogun.
A word about the two swords Samurai warriors carried with them. The longer one was used in battle. The shorter one was used for suicide. It was considered honorable for these warriors to commit “hari kari” if they failed or were defeated.
Our next stop was the Heian Shinto Shrine. Kyoto’s 1,100th birthday was celebrated with the construction of this Shrine. Surrounded by gardens, this two-thirds scale model of the Heian Imperial Palace features a Chinese-style bridge. Heian means “peace and tranquility.”
Outside this Shrine were boy scouts and girl scouts requesting money for their organizations. In return, they gave you a green feather, which we all wore proudly the rest of the day!
The entrance to the Shrine was a bright orange gateway. Inside was a big open courtyard area with smaller shrine areas inside. Before entering, the local Japanese did the water purification process which is to dip the ladle in the water to wash each hand, then put water in the mouth and spit out. Thus, you were cleansed before prayers. Inside were also prayer lines with lots of little pieces of paper attached to them.
At the main shrine area (we were not allowed to take pictures here), our guide showed us how to throw a coin in, bow, and then clap twice (to get the attention of the gods), say quietly your prayer or request, then bow and back up to leave. There were lots of Japanese people doing this.
The garden area was next.
A view of the Chinese bridge, water, greenery, and the special cherry blossoms in full bloom!
We were so fortunate to be here during the Cherry Blossom season. The gardens were large and spectacular with the pink blossoms everywhere. Even without the trees in bloom, it was a beautiful setting. We took hundreds of pictures of this area, but none can capture the true beauty of it all! Last year 47 million visitors came to Kyoto because of its beauty in the spring and fall.
Close to this Shrine was the Kyoto Handicraft Center. We were not prepared for the quality and quantity of items here. There were 7 levels with wonderful Japanese handicrafts on each one. We only had 40 minutes, so we had to choose carefully! We ended up finding a picture painted on their special Japanese paper. Also, they are known for their woodblock printing here. I bought four little pictures of women in their kimonos celebrating each season. We could have spent half a day here exploring all the fine crafts.
By this time it was almost 2 p.m. and everyone was very hungry for lunch. We had an excellent large buffet lunch in the Le Temps Cafe in the big and beautiful Hotel Granvia Kyoto. As we were going up the escalator to get to the main floor of the hotel, below us was a huge crowd of band students performing. They were still playing when we left.
On the way back to Kobe where we were docked, our guide shared more information. She said that Japanese husbands don’t help in the house or with the children. The women are in charge of the household, so they just ask of their husbands to “work hard, make money, and stay away from home!” And when men retire, they are compared to a “wet fallen leaf” because they just always follow their wives around everywhere they go!
As to why they drive on the left side of the road – it could be the British influence, but there is another possible reason. The Shoguns always carried both their swords on their left side and they walked on the left side so they had their free hand (right) to quickly grab their sword!
How some Japanese spend money(according to our guide!): Kyoto women spend on silk fabric products; Osaka women (the commercial center) spend money on food; Kobe women spend money on shoes!
Kobe beef – feed cattle beer and massage them. One pound costs $100 (USA $)
Toilets – the western ones are really, really fancy. The seats are warm and you can push different buttons to have different sounds to mask “your sound.” They were all in Japanese, so you didn’t know what you were pressing! Also, there are no paper towels for you after you wash your hands because all Japanese women carry a handkerchief for this purpose.
The ugly, scraggly trees we saw all along the streets are Gingo trees.
Kyoto is the birthplace of the Geisha – women who entertain men. They are not prostitutes, but women specially trained in the art of conversation, dining, etc.
One of the funny things our guide told us as we headed off on our own at the different stops – don’t get lost, because “only Buddha knows” how we’ll find you! She was our best guide on the whole cruise.
Back on the ship for a 5 p.m. sail away, we decided to skip dinner in the dining room – they made it formal night and we didn’t feel like getting so dressed up after such a busy and long day. Plus, we had had a HUGE buffet lunch at 3ish and we were not hungry. So, Doug ate in the Lido later in the evening, and I skipped all together. But since it was formal night, we received another gift in our room. It was one of my favorites – a deluxe origami set complete with paper, tools, and a “how to” book in color.
This was a LONG Blog entry, I realize. But there was so much to share and so much we learned, I couldn’t leave any of it out! Wish I could have included many more pictures.
