Kyoto Redux
Nov. 25th, 2003 01:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanA summary of my weekend is lurking
I don't know why, but for some reason I always think that going to Kyoto during the busiest tourist weekend in Kyoto is a Good Idea. Allow me to state that it is, in fact, a Bad Idea. And yet, I had a very very good time.
Went down at the last possible minute, and ended up standing for all of the 2.75 hour train ride. Luckily K was on the same train with a reserved seat, which he let me use for about half an hour. Spent that time chatting with the obaasan beside me, who was a total sweetheart. Got into town, checked into our hotel, and headed back out, stopping to eat some awesome udon. (Allow me to state here how much I adore Kansai-ben. There's just something about it that makes me happy. And it's pretty darn similar to the ben in my prefecture, which makes it easy for me to use/understand it. But I digress...) K and I used a map to try to get to Ginkakuji and the Philosopher's Path, and got horribly lost in northwest ghetto!Kyoto. Finally took a sub and bus to get to Ginkakuji and enjoyed the gardens there, then took off down the path to various temples and jinja.
Unfortunately everything closes at about 4:30, but for some reason Honen-ji was still open at 5:30, so we went in and stumbled on a (perhaps invite-only) showing/reception for a visiting artist named Yamaguchi. His stuff was awesome, and it's amazing how much his style has changed over the years while remaining consistently good. Anyway, since most of the Japanese in attendance were already well lubricated with alcohol, we were invited (or corralled, take your pick) inside to share their food and beer. We refused, but did get to talk to the artist for about 20 minutes or so. He's an extremely cool guy, and went so far as inviting us to stay at his studio whenever we're in his neck of the woods.
Headed back to our lodgings on a bus. We boarded at 5:55pm. We disembarked at about 8:45. That's right, a normally 5-10 minute bus ride from beneath Honen-ji to the station took 2.75 hours - as long as it took us to get from our prefecture to Kyoto. We could have walked from the Path to the station and back about 3 times in that period. Not to mention the fact that there were 162 people on the bus - I counted. I was forced to stand on one foot for the whole damn ride.
Back to the hostel, dinner at the station, and then clubbing. Unfortunately, Daniel was in charge, so we went to an English pub and a place called Bar, Isn't It?, where they play bad 80s retro and suck. We stayed there for 7 freakin' hours, and lo and behold all but twenty of the JETs in my prefecture showed up, independently of one another, in that exact same bar. It was surreal.
Got back home at 5 in the morning to discover blood and pubic hair on my bedding and no one awake to change it. Managed sleep for an hour until the people in the next room decided to awake at 6 and have a long, loud conversation for two freaking hours. At one point, the topic of discussion was whether or not they'd woken anyone else in the place. Interesting, because they were six Japanese girls, and it was the foreigners staying in the joint who were quiet and courteous.
Gave up on sleep, rented bikes and toured the city. Everywhere - Toji, Highashi Hongan-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Heino-jinja, Gion, Sanjyuusan Gendou, the station area. Of course, it took us well over an hour and a half to get from the station to Kinkaku-ji. We finally figured out that the map K, Daniel and I had been given was the "for foreigners" map, which shows only bus and subway stops, and is woefully out of scale. (Incidentally, that would be the reason it took so long to find Ginkaju-ji the day before.) Once we realised this, it was smooth sailing.
Bought tickets back home (the uriba was a freakin' zoo) and ate vondahful Indian food. Followed that up with a long bike ride up and down the river, a visit to the sento, and then drinking in the lounge until one a.m.
Next morning I took a long walk to and from the Keihan Sanjou eki, chatted with an ojiisan about herons and the Indy 500, went to UniQlo and other areas of interest about the station, headed back to Higashi Hongan-ji one last time, then checked out and headed back home. (Again, standing room only.)
And then there was SMAPxSMAP and sleep.
All in all, a very good weekend.
That will be all.
I don't know why, but for some reason I always think that going to Kyoto during the busiest tourist weekend in Kyoto is a Good Idea. Allow me to state that it is, in fact, a Bad Idea. And yet, I had a very very good time.
Went down at the last possible minute, and ended up standing for all of the 2.75 hour train ride. Luckily K was on the same train with a reserved seat, which he let me use for about half an hour. Spent that time chatting with the obaasan beside me, who was a total sweetheart. Got into town, checked into our hotel, and headed back out, stopping to eat some awesome udon. (Allow me to state here how much I adore Kansai-ben. There's just something about it that makes me happy. And it's pretty darn similar to the ben in my prefecture, which makes it easy for me to use/understand it. But I digress...) K and I used a map to try to get to Ginkakuji and the Philosopher's Path, and got horribly lost in northwest ghetto!Kyoto. Finally took a sub and bus to get to Ginkakuji and enjoyed the gardens there, then took off down the path to various temples and jinja.
Unfortunately everything closes at about 4:30, but for some reason Honen-ji was still open at 5:30, so we went in and stumbled on a (perhaps invite-only) showing/reception for a visiting artist named Yamaguchi. His stuff was awesome, and it's amazing how much his style has changed over the years while remaining consistently good. Anyway, since most of the Japanese in attendance were already well lubricated with alcohol, we were invited (or corralled, take your pick) inside to share their food and beer. We refused, but did get to talk to the artist for about 20 minutes or so. He's an extremely cool guy, and went so far as inviting us to stay at his studio whenever we're in his neck of the woods.
Headed back to our lodgings on a bus. We boarded at 5:55pm. We disembarked at about 8:45. That's right, a normally 5-10 minute bus ride from beneath Honen-ji to the station took 2.75 hours - as long as it took us to get from our prefecture to Kyoto. We could have walked from the Path to the station and back about 3 times in that period. Not to mention the fact that there were 162 people on the bus - I counted. I was forced to stand on one foot for the whole damn ride.
Back to the hostel, dinner at the station, and then clubbing. Unfortunately, Daniel was in charge, so we went to an English pub and a place called Bar, Isn't It?, where they play bad 80s retro and suck. We stayed there for 7 freakin' hours, and lo and behold all but twenty of the JETs in my prefecture showed up, independently of one another, in that exact same bar. It was surreal.
Got back home at 5 in the morning to discover blood and pubic hair on my bedding and no one awake to change it. Managed sleep for an hour until the people in the next room decided to awake at 6 and have a long, loud conversation for two freaking hours. At one point, the topic of discussion was whether or not they'd woken anyone else in the place. Interesting, because they were six Japanese girls, and it was the foreigners staying in the joint who were quiet and courteous.
Gave up on sleep, rented bikes and toured the city. Everywhere - Toji, Highashi Hongan-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Heino-jinja, Gion, Sanjyuusan Gendou, the station area. Of course, it took us well over an hour and a half to get from the station to Kinkaku-ji. We finally figured out that the map K, Daniel and I had been given was the "for foreigners" map, which shows only bus and subway stops, and is woefully out of scale. (Incidentally, that would be the reason it took so long to find Ginkaju-ji the day before.) Once we realised this, it was smooth sailing.
Bought tickets back home (the uriba was a freakin' zoo) and ate vondahful Indian food. Followed that up with a long bike ride up and down the river, a visit to the sento, and then drinking in the lounge until one a.m.
Next morning I took a long walk to and from the Keihan Sanjou eki, chatted with an ojiisan about herons and the Indy 500, went to UniQlo and other areas of interest about the station, headed back to Higashi Hongan-ji one last time, then checked out and headed back home. (Again, standing room only.)
And then there was SMAPxSMAP and sleep.
All in all, a very good weekend.
That will be all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2003-11-26 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2003-12-06 05:21 am (UTC)It was awesome to see you back online (sorry it took me so long to comment on this - life has taken a turn for the worse these past few weeks)! I'm glad you still remember me & read the journal too. I totally miss you guys and B-town life, even the crappy parts. Stay in touch, and if you send me your address I'll send you something cool from Japan for Xmas.