Sayaka
I went up to Osaka/Kyoto this past weekend for a long overdue visit with a good friend. Sayaka is the high school exchange student my family had hosted back in 1998. We've been friends ever since, but even though I'm in Japan now we still don't get to see one another that often. It had actually been 2 years between visits, so we planned to meet up and travel a little together. She took care of the arrangements, and my job was to show up. Which I performed admirably.
I arrived just before noon on Saturday, and she found me quickly. And our trip immediately got off to a funny start because, as we walked away from the bus stop, she pointed out to me a man in a yellow shirt, followed by a cameraman, who was trying (and failing) to stop passers by. It turns out he's a comedian from the duo Rozan, though I had never heard of him. As we walked and talked we realized we didn't know where we were headed, that we'd both automatically started following the other. This was foreshadowing...
We left Osaka immediately, training out to a small area in Kyoto where we were to make wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets formed to look like flowers and such). It was a first for both of us, so we were a little nervous. We had a lot of time to kill beforehand, so we had sushi for lunch nearby. And this place was awesome - each table had a little monitor on which you could order new dishes - and when your plate neared your table on the conveyor belt the monitor would beep! As well, when you were finished eating you fed your plates down a chute where they were counted. And for every 5th plate you put in, the monitor would display a roulette wheel and you could win a prize! And would you believe that we won on the first try? She let me keep the pin we got, and it's awesome.
After sushi we went to the wagashi place and were the first to arrive. We were led into a little arts+crafts-looking room, with long tables and a small tray and box set before each one. There were about 20 people in total, including a small group of older ladies, and a slightly creepy group-date of 6 people. And we needn't have worried about our performance - everyone else was way more intimidated and shaky. The instructor was a woman, which is apparently rare in the wagashi-making world. And she was really great, except for the incredible speed with which she instructed us. It was inhuman, the pace she expected us to keep, and everyone's face was fixed in a concentrated frown. Sayaka and I did, we think, a passable job. After we all finished making the flower and butterfly patterns, the lady demonstrated a few techniques for us. When she was done we returned to our seats to find a piece of wagashi (shaped to resemble Ajisai), and a cup of green tea. Then we were presented with a certificate of completion. It was a pretty darn good deal for $20, considering we got to take 4 pieces of wagashi each with us. It was really fun and Sayaka said she may go back in August when they change the designs for summer.
After that we were kind of surprised to have a whole afternoon and evening ahead of us with no plans. But oh, we indeed spoke too soon. We went next to the town where we'd be staying (she'd found a guest house for us), which also turned out to be very near to Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher's Walk. Well, near in theory. We checked in and left our bags and headed out. We realized quickly that we both tend to get lost easily, and that with our powers combined we were lost almost constantly. Luckily the locals were very helpful, so we did eventually make it there. Of course Ginkaku-ji was closed by then, but the point is we made it. And then we tried to come back to the guest house...lost some more. We eventually found a road we could follow, but by that time we were also starving and knew there'd be no place to eat by the guest house. As the road got darker and less urban we began to fear we'd be eating wagashi for dinner, when lo - we found an organic Italian restaurant! It was wonderful and cozy, and filled us up.
We returned to the guest house and were exhausted from what had turned out to be nearly 5 hours of meandering walking. Though the guest house had a shower we decided to use the nearby sentou. It was pretty cheap, but very nice. They actually had several baths and a sauna. The baths were cool - one was a kind of lime green and is apparently medicinal. And another..it confused me because it was labelled Electric Bath. Assuming I was reading the kanji wrong I checked with Sayaka, and she simply told me to stick my hand in it. I did, and immediately the muscles in my arm started jumping while my fingers curled up involuntarily. Yes, despite all logic to the contrary, the bath is actually wired for power. So of course I had to try it. I got in and couldn't feel much until I moved my legs to the sides, and then the muscle twitches started again. Finally it was making me laugh too much, so I got out. As we dried off Sayaka got us some milk to drink (when in Rome...) and then we went back.
We laid out our futons and prepared for bed. We ate some wagashi, listened to music, and I read a little bit. We were ready to sleep by 11, and had mentioned earlier to the owner that we'd be getting up early the next morning. So we were a little surprised when he and a female companion continued to sit up chatting right outside our room. Now, it's a small place so they were basically sitting in the common area, but there was only a thin wall between us and they were talking in regular voices. Well, mostly - the girl's indoor voice is kind of loud. So they were just sitting there, chatting merrily away, while the two of us got more and more annoyed. We just didn't know if we should say something or not. We tried turning off the light in our room so they'd notice we were going to sleep, but nothing. And then the guy actually knocked on our door to ask us if the bulb had died! Sayaka called out that no, we were going to sleep now. We layed down thinking we'd be ok, but then the two of them poured themselves some beer (we know this because we could hear ev.ery.thing they were saying) and came back to keep talking. Finally it was midnight and we'd had enough, so Sayaka got up, stuck her head out the door and said "Hey sorry to bother you but we have an early morning and are trying to sleep and everything you say is coming through the wall goodnight" and closed it. They appologised and took off. Blessed sleep followed.
We intended to wake up by 6:30 on Sunday morning, but the bright sun had us up by 6. We were out the door by 7:30, after having changed, eaten wagashi, put away the futons, and packed up all our stuff. We walked around until we found Heian Jingu (man, that torii really is huge), and then went to McDonalds for breakfast. After that we went closer to Kyoto's downtown. We were looking for the kimono rental shop at which we had a 9am appointment, but kept getting more and more lost. Finally we stumbled on it with the help of about 6 elderly ladies. The shop is called Hokkori and it is fabulous. It's fun by these 3 ladies, and they are total characters. they clearly love their job the most and were so! excited! to have a foreign customer who speaks Japanese. We each chose a kimono from their modest-sized collection, and then began the ritual Embarrassing Undressing And Accidental Inappropriate Touching! As you may/not know, wearing kimono is a 2-man job. Very few people are skilled enough to dress themselves in one, so there will always be a demand for kimono dressers. The ladies are pros and had me in mine quickly. I chose a pale (almost mint) green with a sakura pattern, and a red and cream obi. Sayaka went with soft mauve-ish tones and a dark obi. They also did up our hair (with the most hairspray!) and then we chose our own handbags to borrow. At the door we were presented with zoori. They took a ton of pictures of us among the ajisai, and then we tottered off for our day on the town.
I've worn kimono once before (during my exchange in high school), but I only sat in it and posed for pictures, and I've worn yukata countless times, but that's a lot lighter and looser. We were luckily that about 20% of the outfit is towels stuffed into the kimono to give it shape as we were soon sweating like muthafuckas. Sayaka also had only worn kimono once as a child, so walking around in it was a learning experience for both of us. We were totally making those little geisha steps until we got the hang of it and could walk more freely. We actually caught a bus to the temple area, which was hilarious. And did we ever turns heads. It's not th weirdest thing to wear kimono in Kyoto of all places, but it's still not common. More over the girls who do wear it these days are so flashy, with giant bleached-blonde bouffants ad terrifying jeweled press-on nails. Oh, and then there's the fact that I'm not Japanese :)
We were showered by compliments all afternoon, by older ladies who said we were "wearing it properly", and we were actually thanked on more than once occasion. Amazing! We had this one little old lady come up to thank us for wearing them, and then she apologized for bothering us, but she's 76 you see, and we looked so nice! So we climbed up the kill to Kiyomizu and then we found the crowds. So many people!! Augh...I had been there once before with Chantelle and Dustin, but I hadn't remembered it being so claustrophobic. And people were really staring at us now, and taking our pictures. And then we ran into the foreign tour groups and it got weirder. For one thing none of them smiled at me! Like, not even as they were taking pictures of us. I tried saying hello a few times, but I think most of them were from Europe, so I gave up, but even so! No smiles, just creepy dead-eyed shark stares ans they leveled their cameras at us. WTH, people, be human! The one except was a junior high school student who came up to us and in breathless English begged us to let her take a picture with her. Of course we agreed and she was just beaming. We agreed that we were performing a public service ;)
We decided not to actually go into the temples as we'd both already been before, and they charge admission. We enjoyed walking around the paths instead, and having the best crepes ever (mine had a piece of cheesecake in it - yo dawg...). I bought a fantastic umbrella and some nama yatsuhashi. We did go into one admission price-less shrine, which is dedicated to beauty. There I got my stamp book signed and felt justified in having brought it along. And it was such a gorgeous day - sunny with fluffy clouds, and a slight breeze. We were still sweating a great deal, but it's still not too hot here yet, so it was ok.
We finished at the temple area and walked downtown. Our goal: print clubs! We found and arcade and got two sets of prints and they are hilarious and awesome. Then we walked all the way back to the kimono shop and returned them. We were given the tabi socks we had worn as take-away gifts, as well as little hand-made potpourri sachets. I'll miss those ladies. Then we went back to Osaka and thus began another hunt. Sayaka's boyfriend had mentioned that I'd probably be interested in this shop called Mandarake. I'd actually been to the one in Tokyo, and it is awesome, we went (and got lost). We finally found it and there I bought a manga I've been searching for. We also went to the Yodobashi Camera, as they have little photo printing machines there. You ca stick in any memory card and print off your pictures for only 30yen/copy. Sayaka got 1000yen worth of my pictures. After that it was about 4 o clock and we were just exhausted. We'd done so much walking and in the sun, and we had no more energy left. So we went to the bus ticket office and actually exchanged by 7:30 ticket for a 5:30 one. Then we sat and chatted for a time, and then bought me a bento to take on the bus. Finally it was time to part ways and she waved me off from the terminal.
It was a great visit and super fun. And you know I'll have a lot of temple and kimono pictures up on Flickr soon enough! ;D
I arrived just before noon on Saturday, and she found me quickly. And our trip immediately got off to a funny start because, as we walked away from the bus stop, she pointed out to me a man in a yellow shirt, followed by a cameraman, who was trying (and failing) to stop passers by. It turns out he's a comedian from the duo Rozan, though I had never heard of him. As we walked and talked we realized we didn't know where we were headed, that we'd both automatically started following the other. This was foreshadowing...
We left Osaka immediately, training out to a small area in Kyoto where we were to make wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets formed to look like flowers and such). It was a first for both of us, so we were a little nervous. We had a lot of time to kill beforehand, so we had sushi for lunch nearby. And this place was awesome - each table had a little monitor on which you could order new dishes - and when your plate neared your table on the conveyor belt the monitor would beep! As well, when you were finished eating you fed your plates down a chute where they were counted. And for every 5th plate you put in, the monitor would display a roulette wheel and you could win a prize! And would you believe that we won on the first try? She let me keep the pin we got, and it's awesome.
After sushi we went to the wagashi place and were the first to arrive. We were led into a little arts+crafts-looking room, with long tables and a small tray and box set before each one. There were about 20 people in total, including a small group of older ladies, and a slightly creepy group-date of 6 people. And we needn't have worried about our performance - everyone else was way more intimidated and shaky. The instructor was a woman, which is apparently rare in the wagashi-making world. And she was really great, except for the incredible speed with which she instructed us. It was inhuman, the pace she expected us to keep, and everyone's face was fixed in a concentrated frown. Sayaka and I did, we think, a passable job. After we all finished making the flower and butterfly patterns, the lady demonstrated a few techniques for us. When she was done we returned to our seats to find a piece of wagashi (shaped to resemble Ajisai), and a cup of green tea. Then we were presented with a certificate of completion. It was a pretty darn good deal for $20, considering we got to take 4 pieces of wagashi each with us. It was really fun and Sayaka said she may go back in August when they change the designs for summer.
After that we were kind of surprised to have a whole afternoon and evening ahead of us with no plans. But oh, we indeed spoke too soon. We went next to the town where we'd be staying (she'd found a guest house for us), which also turned out to be very near to Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher's Walk. Well, near in theory. We checked in and left our bags and headed out. We realized quickly that we both tend to get lost easily, and that with our powers combined we were lost almost constantly. Luckily the locals were very helpful, so we did eventually make it there. Of course Ginkaku-ji was closed by then, but the point is we made it. And then we tried to come back to the guest house...lost some more. We eventually found a road we could follow, but by that time we were also starving and knew there'd be no place to eat by the guest house. As the road got darker and less urban we began to fear we'd be eating wagashi for dinner, when lo - we found an organic Italian restaurant! It was wonderful and cozy, and filled us up.
We returned to the guest house and were exhausted from what had turned out to be nearly 5 hours of meandering walking. Though the guest house had a shower we decided to use the nearby sentou. It was pretty cheap, but very nice. They actually had several baths and a sauna. The baths were cool - one was a kind of lime green and is apparently medicinal. And another..it confused me because it was labelled Electric Bath. Assuming I was reading the kanji wrong I checked with Sayaka, and she simply told me to stick my hand in it. I did, and immediately the muscles in my arm started jumping while my fingers curled up involuntarily. Yes, despite all logic to the contrary, the bath is actually wired for power. So of course I had to try it. I got in and couldn't feel much until I moved my legs to the sides, and then the muscle twitches started again. Finally it was making me laugh too much, so I got out. As we dried off Sayaka got us some milk to drink (when in Rome...) and then we went back.
We laid out our futons and prepared for bed. We ate some wagashi, listened to music, and I read a little bit. We were ready to sleep by 11, and had mentioned earlier to the owner that we'd be getting up early the next morning. So we were a little surprised when he and a female companion continued to sit up chatting right outside our room. Now, it's a small place so they were basically sitting in the common area, but there was only a thin wall between us and they were talking in regular voices. Well, mostly - the girl's indoor voice is kind of loud. So they were just sitting there, chatting merrily away, while the two of us got more and more annoyed. We just didn't know if we should say something or not. We tried turning off the light in our room so they'd notice we were going to sleep, but nothing. And then the guy actually knocked on our door to ask us if the bulb had died! Sayaka called out that no, we were going to sleep now. We layed down thinking we'd be ok, but then the two of them poured themselves some beer (we know this because we could hear ev.ery.thing they were saying) and came back to keep talking. Finally it was midnight and we'd had enough, so Sayaka got up, stuck her head out the door and said "Hey sorry to bother you but we have an early morning and are trying to sleep and everything you say is coming through the wall goodnight" and closed it. They appologised and took off. Blessed sleep followed.
We intended to wake up by 6:30 on Sunday morning, but the bright sun had us up by 6. We were out the door by 7:30, after having changed, eaten wagashi, put away the futons, and packed up all our stuff. We walked around until we found Heian Jingu (man, that torii really is huge), and then went to McDonalds for breakfast. After that we went closer to Kyoto's downtown. We were looking for the kimono rental shop at which we had a 9am appointment, but kept getting more and more lost. Finally we stumbled on it with the help of about 6 elderly ladies. The shop is called Hokkori and it is fabulous. It's fun by these 3 ladies, and they are total characters. they clearly love their job the most and were so! excited! to have a foreign customer who speaks Japanese. We each chose a kimono from their modest-sized collection, and then began the ritual Embarrassing Undressing And Accidental Inappropriate Touching! As you may/not know, wearing kimono is a 2-man job. Very few people are skilled enough to dress themselves in one, so there will always be a demand for kimono dressers. The ladies are pros and had me in mine quickly. I chose a pale (almost mint) green with a sakura pattern, and a red and cream obi. Sayaka went with soft mauve-ish tones and a dark obi. They also did up our hair (with the most hairspray!) and then we chose our own handbags to borrow. At the door we were presented with zoori. They took a ton of pictures of us among the ajisai, and then we tottered off for our day on the town.
I've worn kimono once before (during my exchange in high school), but I only sat in it and posed for pictures, and I've worn yukata countless times, but that's a lot lighter and looser. We were luckily that about 20% of the outfit is towels stuffed into the kimono to give it shape as we were soon sweating like muthafuckas. Sayaka also had only worn kimono once as a child, so walking around in it was a learning experience for both of us. We were totally making those little geisha steps until we got the hang of it and could walk more freely. We actually caught a bus to the temple area, which was hilarious. And did we ever turns heads. It's not th weirdest thing to wear kimono in Kyoto of all places, but it's still not common. More over the girls who do wear it these days are so flashy, with giant bleached-blonde bouffants ad terrifying jeweled press-on nails. Oh, and then there's the fact that I'm not Japanese :)
We were showered by compliments all afternoon, by older ladies who said we were "wearing it properly", and we were actually thanked on more than once occasion. Amazing! We had this one little old lady come up to thank us for wearing them, and then she apologized for bothering us, but she's 76 you see, and we looked so nice! So we climbed up the kill to Kiyomizu and then we found the crowds. So many people!! Augh...I had been there once before with Chantelle and Dustin, but I hadn't remembered it being so claustrophobic. And people were really staring at us now, and taking our pictures. And then we ran into the foreign tour groups and it got weirder. For one thing none of them smiled at me! Like, not even as they were taking pictures of us. I tried saying hello a few times, but I think most of them were from Europe, so I gave up, but even so! No smiles, just creepy dead-eyed shark stares ans they leveled their cameras at us. WTH, people, be human! The one except was a junior high school student who came up to us and in breathless English begged us to let her take a picture with her. Of course we agreed and she was just beaming. We agreed that we were performing a public service ;)
We decided not to actually go into the temples as we'd both already been before, and they charge admission. We enjoyed walking around the paths instead, and having the best crepes ever (mine had a piece of cheesecake in it - yo dawg...). I bought a fantastic umbrella and some nama yatsuhashi. We did go into one admission price-less shrine, which is dedicated to beauty. There I got my stamp book signed and felt justified in having brought it along. And it was such a gorgeous day - sunny with fluffy clouds, and a slight breeze. We were still sweating a great deal, but it's still not too hot here yet, so it was ok.
We finished at the temple area and walked downtown. Our goal: print clubs! We found and arcade and got two sets of prints and they are hilarious and awesome. Then we walked all the way back to the kimono shop and returned them. We were given the tabi socks we had worn as take-away gifts, as well as little hand-made potpourri sachets. I'll miss those ladies. Then we went back to Osaka and thus began another hunt. Sayaka's boyfriend had mentioned that I'd probably be interested in this shop called Mandarake. I'd actually been to the one in Tokyo, and it is awesome, we went (and got lost). We finally found it and there I bought a manga I've been searching for. We also went to the Yodobashi Camera, as they have little photo printing machines there. You ca stick in any memory card and print off your pictures for only 30yen/copy. Sayaka got 1000yen worth of my pictures. After that it was about 4 o clock and we were just exhausted. We'd done so much walking and in the sun, and we had no more energy left. So we went to the bus ticket office and actually exchanged by 7:30 ticket for a 5:30 one. Then we sat and chatted for a time, and then bought me a bento to take on the bus. Finally it was time to part ways and she waved me off from the terminal.
It was a great visit and super fun. And you know I'll have a lot of temple and kimono pictures up on Flickr soon enough! ;D