Japan: Day 6

Our first day in Kyoto! Did you know Kyoto is an anagram of Tokyo?

Mr. Vidosic was informing me this evening that unlike Tokyo and Osaka, Kyoto was virtually untouched (by us) during World War II. This means that many of the old buildings that got destroyed in Tokyo still remain in Kyoto. And it does feel like a very old, established city. There is apparently a height limit for buildings here, unlike Tokyo, and there are even restrictions on the colors used, I believe. The colors of many/most buildings here tend to be earth tones, which ends up making things, at first glance, feel a bit drab. But when you look closer you see the character of the place and the traditional urban landscape hanging on amidst the change with a kind of old timey quaintness. 

Our first stop today was Nijo-jo Castle (not to be confused with Nijio-jo Castle close by) which was the residence of the Shogun in Kyoto (Kyoto was the capital for thousands of years before eventually moving to Tokyo "recently"). We couldn't take pictures in the "castle" itself (I used quotes because the castle is not what you're picturing), but here are some pics from us taking off our shoes to enter (we had to walk through barefoot or with socks only. And wow, did that place have squeaky floors! Apparently it ended up working out for the Shogun because it made it virtually impossible for someone to sneak around and cause trouble or try to assassinate someone, etc.) and of the surrounding grounds. Here's a CLIP of the entrance.

All the students here in Japan wear uniforms. They looked miserable to wear as it was so muggy today, so, Charter students, something to be grateful for--no more uniforms for you!

Inside the castle, we saw different paneled rooms covered with fantastical depictions of different types of animals. Seems like a fairly innocuous decor choice for your living room walls, right? But on closer inspection, the artwork is sending messages. For instance, the cherry blossoms represent the precious and important nature of life that is ultimately fleeting (to quote a German tourist's remark from my last visit to Japan just a week following the sakura trees blooming which expressed a similar sentiment, "Oh you pretty children of the spring, how feeble is your existence!"). More sinister were the messages sent by the peacocks and the tigers. The tigers' maniacal eyes were intentionally located at the same level as guests' eyes sitting in the room in order to intimidate them. The peacocks were believed to have eaten poisonous snakes, so their presence on the walls was to tell guests that if they acted in a "poisonous" manner they could be easily taken out by the Shogun. Also, fun fact. See the traditional samurai top-knot below:

We found out that the reason the samurai had such a... unique hairstyle was to accommodate their iron helmet in the heat of the summer. With the helmet resting on the raised middle portion of the hair, the shaved sides of the top of their head would allow the air to flow through the helmet and cool down the soldier. Fascinating!

The Golden Pavilion, a Zen Buddhist Temple, was our next stop, tucked away into the hills on the outskirts of Kyoto. Here were the rules of the temple (which we could read thanks to Google Translate):

During our visit, Victor had a memorable fashion moment (check out those socks!): "This is drip, Ms. Ruch."

Hmmm... 

Some of the guys reading their fortunes in this CLIP.

And look what I spied on our way to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove?

(Check out the sign on the far right!)

Our final noteworthy site of the day was Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, again, on the outer border of Kyoto against the forested hills. There was a lovely, fairly large river that passed noisily (in a pleasant way) through the portion of town we were in, filled with couples and friends trying to figure out the oars (there was even a snack boat that went around offering snacks for people getting thirsty or hungry while rowing their little boats), rickshaws taking tourists zipping around the small roads, and dozens of shops with snacks, souvenirs, food unique to the region and street vendors (I got sweet potato wedges covered in some wonderful sticky sweet sauce and some fried chicken yakitori (meat on a stick) that was "Oishi!" ("Delicious!"); later Ms. Ruch and I got some shaved ice with condensed milk, matcha flavoring and red beans on top. So good).

(See the girls in Kimonos on the far right?) 

We walked through town until we got to the Bamboo Grove which was peaceful and cool. It was a nice respite from the muggy heat (though I think that's where I got the mosquito bites I woke up to this morning...). 

A sightseeing "Romantic" train went clicking by us slowly, as some tracks cut through the middle of the bamboo grove and disappear into a tunnel. This is a CLIP of the train going by.

From here we all scattered for free time to explore on our own. Dia ended up braving a Kimono rental; way to go, Dia! You look splendid!

Some of us travelers tackled the twenty minute walk up switchbacks of paved-ish rode to the Monkey Park (Japanese Macaque is the type of monkey we saw) just across the river. It was definitely a little trek, but it was worth it to see the baby monkeys. See below!

Here's a CLIP of this little peanut playing around.

After taking another group picture by the river,

we piled back onto the bus to head to a local indoor mall to grab any groceries or souvenirs the students wanted to get before heading home (like a few students who grabbed every flavor of Kit Kat the grocery store had to offer *cough* Victor *cough*; we also ran into our local tour guide doing her shopping at the grocery store, which was surprising considering how many people live here). 

On the way to the mall, however, we got a special treat from Mr. Prodan. The Tokyo Edition of... 

"TRIVIA TUESDAY!" 

And it just so happened to be a Tuesday. Mr. Prodan rocked it as usual. Here's a CLIP of his trivia session.

We ended the evening with a dinner of ramen and gyoza (Ms. Ruch and I finally had the sesame ball with red bean paste inside that we'd been craving since we got here).

I'll end the evening with traveler interviews. My question was: Now that you've been here, where you would visit on a return trip?

JESSICA: The Studio Ghibli Museum that has replicas of scenes from his movies. I would go back to Komagatake and have the ice cream at the bottom of the ropeway. I would get the BLTE again outside the entrance to the bamboo grove in Kyoto.

DIEGO: I'd like to come back to Kyoto and do a kayak and the monkey park. Get more honey juice that was lemony and ginger flavored in Kyoto. In Tokyo, I'd go back to Akihabara Electric Town and shop more.

JOSH: Joypolis in Tokyo again, try Pachinko, and the Manga Museum in Kyoto.

YARMINZ: I'd like to visit Mt. Fuji and see it up close!

MELANIE: Would like to visit the beach and surf. And see more nature!

MARIBEL: I loved the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. It was very calming. I'd like to come back and visit smaller towns in the mountains.

MIA: The greenery made me want to explore more of the country as well as other Asian countries.

VICTOR: Visit Tokyo again and see the city at night.

Our last day in Kyoto tomorrow, as we will be heading towards Nara Park and Osaka in the late morning. 

Sayonara!

~Ms. Carr