Weekend With Nori
Ever since I met Nori at Moffitt two years ago and mentioned that I'd like to study abroad in Japan, we've been talking about him coming to visit me while I'm in Japan. This weekend was the culmination of that planning: my weekend with Nori; one of the best of my life. He showed me around the historical cities of Nara and Kyoto, the first and second capitals of Japan, respectively, in the course of two days. We made full-day trips out of Saturday and Sunday, hitting some major temples but not so many that we couldn't fully appreciate the ones we did visit. And I couldn't have asked for a better travelling companion than Nori. Not only did he pay for everything- from train fare to the hotel fee to all of my meals and the temple admissions- but he was very organized. He had studied a guidebook of the area very well before arriving, so he had a good idea of what sites were possible to see in the time we had. And he knew a lot about the temples we saw. Unlike the short tour conducted by Kansai Gaidai students that I went on when I first arrived in Japan, Nori actually knew the significance of many of the buildings and statues we visited. And he was very patient with me- he never complained that he was tired even though he had jet-lag from the 14-hour trip to Japan and couldn't sleep on Friday night, and he let me take as many pictures as I wanted wherever I wanted without batting an eye. So I was very grateful to have him with me. Travelling alone is actually kind of depressing, so having someone to travel with is nice to begin with, but having a great friend like Nori to travel with is even better! It's kind of funny, though, because at times I kind of felt like a kid, Nori took such great care of me. Like, I have enough train-riding experience to know how to read the signs, yet he took it upon himself to figure out the routes. And at restaurants he gave me English menus, and he told the waitresses my orders for me. Actually, in retrospect he didn't treat me like a kid at all, but rather as a native showing a foreign tourist around, which I am. But I'm not really used to that, because in Japan travelling has been sink or swim. Since I've travelled by and large by myself, I've been forced to learn the train and bus system, and read the Japanese menus, and use my Japanese to get directions from people. But Nori took care of all of that for me, so this weekend I felt less like an alien living in Japan and more like a tourist visiting Japan. It wasn't a bad thing; just different.
So I'll start with Saturday morning. At 8:30 I met Nori at the Ansurii convenience store outside of Hirakata-shi station. What a shock seeing him in Japan! We took the train to Nara, which was an adventure in itself because Nori wasn't used to the Kansai (Western Japan) train system and we actually ended up going in the opposite direction a couple of times. It's really easy to do, because different platforms have trains going in different directions and it's not always so obvious which direction that is. So after hopping on and off a couple of wrong trains, we finally found the right one and got to Nara. Our first stop was Horyuji temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in all of Japan (I'm glad I'm taking a Japanese history course, because otherwise the temples wouldn't mean anything to me and it wouldn't be as fun visiting them). The temple grounds were very nice. There was a main gate in the classic Japanese style (large, wooden, with a curved tile roof) flanked by two intimidating statues of Buddhist dieties to keep away evil. There was also a five-storied pagoda, which was neat because it was 1400 years old! I can't fathom how much time that is. I think what I really liked about the temple grounds was that most of it was outdoor paths with pretty trees and pebbles for the ground, and since the weather was great all weekend it was really nice to walk around. I tried to imagine what it was like for people 1400 years ago walking around the temple. I got to pour temple water on my hands to purify myself, that was kind of cool.
After Horyuji temple we took a train to Nara Park, famous for its many tame deer. You can buy crackers to feed the deer for 150 yen, so of course I wanted to try it. Let me tell you, those deer are greedy! When I went up to buy a pack of crackers at the stand, a deer was already craning its neck up to the counter for a free meal. And as soon as I gave her a cracker, more deer came until I was literally surrounded by them. As I fed a deer on one side of me, a deer on the other side would rub its face into my legs or even nip at my jeans to let me know it was her turn. The male deers' horns were trimmed down to little stubs, and it was the weirdest sensation having them rub their stubs against my leg. After I fed the deer they stuck around for a while thinking I would give them more food, which gave me enough time to pet them. Oh, I loved those deer. You know they actually bow to people too? Oftentimes when a person approaches them they will bend their necks down to the ground like they're bowing, because supposedly people reward them with crackers. It was a fun site to see.
So Nara park led to the Todaiji temple, the largest wooden building in the world with the largest bronze Buddha in the world (the Daibutsu). We just so happened to come on the anniversary of an important priests' death, so we caught a sort of procession coming out of the temple grounds. First there were orange-robed priests, followed by women in kimono, and finally men in business suits. On the main building housing the Daibutsu itself were hung enormous drapes with lively stripes of color. There was a slight wind, making the drapes curl and flap, which made it look like the temple was actually breathing and gave everything a very living, breathing feelings. Within the main building, the Daibutsu was truly awe-inspiring. The first words that came to mind were, "me o utagau gurai, subarashii," or, "it's so wonderful I can't believe my eyes." As I told Nori, as a Protestant seeing statues and elaborate ornamentation in a holy place is very strange for me. In the churches I have gone to we might have banners that have a dove on them or a verse from the Bible, or we might have a wooden cross at the back of the altar, but we never have statues of God or Jesus or other biblical figures. Idolatry is a very big no-no, so were a very conscious not to place any physical object between us and God, not even the cross (as I explained to Nori, we believe that we pray to God, not to the cross). To me, even a Catholic church with its stained-glass windows of priests and statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary are marvelous to behold. But Buddhist sculpture, with all of its magnificent statues of bosatsu's with a dozen arms sitting on lotus flowers with Buddhas coming out of their heads and flame wheels around their bodies, is really breathtaking. Oh, and I learned something very interesting about the lotus flower, or "hasu." My favorite Japanese vegetable, "renkon," is actually the root of the lotus flower! How about that?
After the Todaiji temple, we took the train to Kyoto station, which was close to our ryokan (traditional Japanese-style inn). Kyoto station was massive (it looked more like an airport) with multiple platforms, modern architecture (kind of a wave design for the ceiling), and lots of shops. At the ryokan an employee (wearing kimono) showed us to our room and explained the facilities (what floor the ofuro was on and where we could find our yukata's, what time breakfast was, etc.) in very polite Japanese. I'm glad I had Nori there to explain what she had said after she left. Once we had settled into the ryokan we walked to the subway station and set out for the restaurant Nori had made reservations at. It turned out to be very difficult to find, even for a Japanese person, and while we set out early to find the restaurant we actually arrived a little late because we got turned around so many times. But Kyoto is a big, beautiful city to walk around at night so I didn't mind. The restaurant was very swanky, called "M," short for "Murasakagyu Yakiniku." At that restaurant we sat in an open yet tucked-away booth with a small charcoal grill in front of us. The waitress would bring us strips of beef and vegetables, which we would then cook ourselves on the grill and eat. I really enjoyed myself! The beef was fantastic, as were the vegetables and the rice. And the soy sauce was very sweet and tasty, so I practically drank it with my meal. The charcoal burner put out a lot of heat, kind of like an open fire but not as intense, which was really soothing. Adding to that feeling was the fact that we were barefoot and sitting down on cushions on the floor, which always makes me feel really casual. The jazz music playing in the background was nice because it kind of drowned out other conversation around me and Nori. I was shocked at the end of the meal when our waitress brought us a copy of our cow's ID. I kid you not- I know our cow's name (Yoshihana), what farm it came from, the number of days it was raised, AND it's nose print (it's necessary when you don't have fingers). I really got a kick out of the certificate. When we got back to the ryokan we watched a bit of TV and then hit the ofuro (Japanese hot bath). Again, I'm glad Nori was there with me because I had no idea how to use the bath facilities. We forgot to bring our obi (belts) to the ofuro, so after the ofuro when we walked back down the hallway to our room we had to clutch our yukata closed. Of course, our room had a tatami mat and we slept on futons, which are surprisingly comfortable. Nori made some ocha (green tea) for us and I tried the traditional Japanese sweet "yatsuhashi." It's like thin, soft dough powdered with sugar and folded into a triangle, enclosing a ball of anko (sweet bean paste). Really tasty.
Sunday morning we woke up early to catch the traditional-style breakfast on the first floor of the ryokan. I liked the rice, and the nori (dried, seasoned seaweed), and the fish paste slices, and the miso soup, and the ocha, and the tofu/vegetable thing. But I couldn't do the almost-raw egg (how are you supposed to eat that thing with chopsticks?), or the thick, black seaweed rolled around little fish-flavored sandy-looking things. Needless to say, afterwards we hit the Starbucks- Nori needed some coffee and I needed a donut! Outside of our ryokan was a temple (I don't know the name), with a lovely large wooden gate and beautiful lotus fountain in the front. Afterwards we took the train and then the bus to Sanjusangendo temple, the same one Big Bird went to in "Big Bird in Japan." In the main hall there are 1,000 gold-painted wooden sculptures of the Kanon Bosatsu, each with 40 arms holding staffs, Buddhas, flowers, etc., and with Buddhas coming out of their heads. These are maybe 3 or 4 feet tall each, so you can only imagine the magnificance of the scene. Each statue differs a little bit from the next one (e.g., the face is narrower), so supposedly Japanese people try to find the sculpture that looks like them. In front of the 1,001 images of Kanon are wooden sculptures of Buddhist dieties. Unlike the Kannon Bosatsu's, with their gentle features and distant half-closed eyes, the Buddhist dieties were in very dynamic poses like beating drums or being in the middle of a punch. They often had huge muscles with bulging veins, and they all wore some sort of robe or wrap that was sculpted in a way to make it appear like it was floating. The sculpture of the Thunder God, with his arms flexed to beat the drums floating around him in a circle, and his spiky hair being pushed behind him, made me feel like he was looking down on the world in chaos, with energy and heat pushing back his hair and robes. Woo, it was intense. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I have to say the Sanjusangendo temple was my favorite.
After the Sanjusangendo Nori took me to the Gingakuji Temple, known as the "Silver Pavillion." Along the way we passed under a huge red torii, right in the middle of Kyoto, that was about 4 lines wide and I'd say at least 5 stories tall! I don't think any evil could get through that gate. So Nori wanted to show me the Gingakuji Temple to explain what the Japanese feeling of "wabi" is. It's kind of appreciating things for simplistic beauty, rather than flashiness. Ginkakuji was definitely that. The building is not actually silver, but wood. And the wood is not in the greatest condition at that- you can see it peeling away and splitting. There was a very strange sand garden that was supposed to represent the current of a river, but I just couldn't see it. I could, however, appreciate the beauty of the paths we walked along on the side of the mountain, lush with moss, rocks, and tall, skinny Japanese cypress trees. After the Ginkakuji Nori took me to the Kinkakuji, or "Golden Pavillion." This was built on a lake and is actually plated with gold. The owners of the two sites were actually brothers. The brother that owned the golden pavillion was shogun, and his brother that owned the silver pavillion was a general. I wonder if their personalities come out in their choice of flashiness or simplicity. It's really funny because having seen pictures of the Kinkakuji in America I was really excited to see it in person. But I actually wasn't that impressed with it; I could see what Nori was talking about how the "wabi" is really nice. When you have a golden statue amidst a plain wooden temple, then the statue is special. But when you have an entire structure coated in gold it looks fake, maybe even kind of cheesy and over the top, and it's not as special. Maybe I'm becoming Japanese... who knows. I guess I've seen quite a few temples and shrines so far, so my tastes are starting to shift toward that of a typical Japanese when it comes to art in temples.
After Kinkakuji temple Nori and I took the train back to Kyoto station so he could pick up his baggage at the ryokan, and then we set out for Shin-Osaka station. Nori was so nice: he bought us each a bento (Japanese luch box) that we ate together at Shin-Osaka station, and before we split up (he was going straight to Tokyo by Shinkansen) he walked me to the train ticket gate and pointed me in the right direction to go. He even wrote out instructions for where to transfer to the Keihan line to get back to Hirakata-shi station. The weekend was truly special. Not only was it fun to see Nori again because I like Nori, but also talking to someone from home made me feel not so far away.
So I'll start with Saturday morning. At 8:30 I met Nori at the Ansurii convenience store outside of Hirakata-shi station. What a shock seeing him in Japan! We took the train to Nara, which was an adventure in itself because Nori wasn't used to the Kansai (Western Japan) train system and we actually ended up going in the opposite direction a couple of times. It's really easy to do, because different platforms have trains going in different directions and it's not always so obvious which direction that is. So after hopping on and off a couple of wrong trains, we finally found the right one and got to Nara. Our first stop was Horyuji temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in all of Japan (I'm glad I'm taking a Japanese history course, because otherwise the temples wouldn't mean anything to me and it wouldn't be as fun visiting them). The temple grounds were very nice. There was a main gate in the classic Japanese style (large, wooden, with a curved tile roof) flanked by two intimidating statues of Buddhist dieties to keep away evil. There was also a five-storied pagoda, which was neat because it was 1400 years old! I can't fathom how much time that is. I think what I really liked about the temple grounds was that most of it was outdoor paths with pretty trees and pebbles for the ground, and since the weather was great all weekend it was really nice to walk around. I tried to imagine what it was like for people 1400 years ago walking around the temple. I got to pour temple water on my hands to purify myself, that was kind of cool.
After Horyuji temple we took a train to Nara Park, famous for its many tame deer. You can buy crackers to feed the deer for 150 yen, so of course I wanted to try it. Let me tell you, those deer are greedy! When I went up to buy a pack of crackers at the stand, a deer was already craning its neck up to the counter for a free meal. And as soon as I gave her a cracker, more deer came until I was literally surrounded by them. As I fed a deer on one side of me, a deer on the other side would rub its face into my legs or even nip at my jeans to let me know it was her turn. The male deers' horns were trimmed down to little stubs, and it was the weirdest sensation having them rub their stubs against my leg. After I fed the deer they stuck around for a while thinking I would give them more food, which gave me enough time to pet them. Oh, I loved those deer. You know they actually bow to people too? Oftentimes when a person approaches them they will bend their necks down to the ground like they're bowing, because supposedly people reward them with crackers. It was a fun site to see.
So Nara park led to the Todaiji temple, the largest wooden building in the world with the largest bronze Buddha in the world (the Daibutsu). We just so happened to come on the anniversary of an important priests' death, so we caught a sort of procession coming out of the temple grounds. First there were orange-robed priests, followed by women in kimono, and finally men in business suits. On the main building housing the Daibutsu itself were hung enormous drapes with lively stripes of color. There was a slight wind, making the drapes curl and flap, which made it look like the temple was actually breathing and gave everything a very living, breathing feelings. Within the main building, the Daibutsu was truly awe-inspiring. The first words that came to mind were, "me o utagau gurai, subarashii," or, "it's so wonderful I can't believe my eyes." As I told Nori, as a Protestant seeing statues and elaborate ornamentation in a holy place is very strange for me. In the churches I have gone to we might have banners that have a dove on them or a verse from the Bible, or we might have a wooden cross at the back of the altar, but we never have statues of God or Jesus or other biblical figures. Idolatry is a very big no-no, so were a very conscious not to place any physical object between us and God, not even the cross (as I explained to Nori, we believe that we pray to God, not to the cross). To me, even a Catholic church with its stained-glass windows of priests and statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary are marvelous to behold. But Buddhist sculpture, with all of its magnificent statues of bosatsu's with a dozen arms sitting on lotus flowers with Buddhas coming out of their heads and flame wheels around their bodies, is really breathtaking. Oh, and I learned something very interesting about the lotus flower, or "hasu." My favorite Japanese vegetable, "renkon," is actually the root of the lotus flower! How about that?
After the Todaiji temple, we took the train to Kyoto station, which was close to our ryokan (traditional Japanese-style inn). Kyoto station was massive (it looked more like an airport) with multiple platforms, modern architecture (kind of a wave design for the ceiling), and lots of shops. At the ryokan an employee (wearing kimono) showed us to our room and explained the facilities (what floor the ofuro was on and where we could find our yukata's, what time breakfast was, etc.) in very polite Japanese. I'm glad I had Nori there to explain what she had said after she left. Once we had settled into the ryokan we walked to the subway station and set out for the restaurant Nori had made reservations at. It turned out to be very difficult to find, even for a Japanese person, and while we set out early to find the restaurant we actually arrived a little late because we got turned around so many times. But Kyoto is a big, beautiful city to walk around at night so I didn't mind. The restaurant was very swanky, called "M," short for "Murasakagyu Yakiniku." At that restaurant we sat in an open yet tucked-away booth with a small charcoal grill in front of us. The waitress would bring us strips of beef and vegetables, which we would then cook ourselves on the grill and eat. I really enjoyed myself! The beef was fantastic, as were the vegetables and the rice. And the soy sauce was very sweet and tasty, so I practically drank it with my meal. The charcoal burner put out a lot of heat, kind of like an open fire but not as intense, which was really soothing. Adding to that feeling was the fact that we were barefoot and sitting down on cushions on the floor, which always makes me feel really casual. The jazz music playing in the background was nice because it kind of drowned out other conversation around me and Nori. I was shocked at the end of the meal when our waitress brought us a copy of our cow's ID. I kid you not- I know our cow's name (Yoshihana), what farm it came from, the number of days it was raised, AND it's nose print (it's necessary when you don't have fingers). I really got a kick out of the certificate. When we got back to the ryokan we watched a bit of TV and then hit the ofuro (Japanese hot bath). Again, I'm glad Nori was there with me because I had no idea how to use the bath facilities. We forgot to bring our obi (belts) to the ofuro, so after the ofuro when we walked back down the hallway to our room we had to clutch our yukata closed. Of course, our room had a tatami mat and we slept on futons, which are surprisingly comfortable. Nori made some ocha (green tea) for us and I tried the traditional Japanese sweet "yatsuhashi." It's like thin, soft dough powdered with sugar and folded into a triangle, enclosing a ball of anko (sweet bean paste). Really tasty.
Sunday morning we woke up early to catch the traditional-style breakfast on the first floor of the ryokan. I liked the rice, and the nori (dried, seasoned seaweed), and the fish paste slices, and the miso soup, and the ocha, and the tofu/vegetable thing. But I couldn't do the almost-raw egg (how are you supposed to eat that thing with chopsticks?), or the thick, black seaweed rolled around little fish-flavored sandy-looking things. Needless to say, afterwards we hit the Starbucks- Nori needed some coffee and I needed a donut! Outside of our ryokan was a temple (I don't know the name), with a lovely large wooden gate and beautiful lotus fountain in the front. Afterwards we took the train and then the bus to Sanjusangendo temple, the same one Big Bird went to in "Big Bird in Japan." In the main hall there are 1,000 gold-painted wooden sculptures of the Kanon Bosatsu, each with 40 arms holding staffs, Buddhas, flowers, etc., and with Buddhas coming out of their heads. These are maybe 3 or 4 feet tall each, so you can only imagine the magnificance of the scene. Each statue differs a little bit from the next one (e.g., the face is narrower), so supposedly Japanese people try to find the sculpture that looks like them. In front of the 1,001 images of Kanon are wooden sculptures of Buddhist dieties. Unlike the Kannon Bosatsu's, with their gentle features and distant half-closed eyes, the Buddhist dieties were in very dynamic poses like beating drums or being in the middle of a punch. They often had huge muscles with bulging veins, and they all wore some sort of robe or wrap that was sculpted in a way to make it appear like it was floating. The sculpture of the Thunder God, with his arms flexed to beat the drums floating around him in a circle, and his spiky hair being pushed behind him, made me feel like he was looking down on the world in chaos, with energy and heat pushing back his hair and robes. Woo, it was intense. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I have to say the Sanjusangendo temple was my favorite.
After the Sanjusangendo Nori took me to the Gingakuji Temple, known as the "Silver Pavillion." Along the way we passed under a huge red torii, right in the middle of Kyoto, that was about 4 lines wide and I'd say at least 5 stories tall! I don't think any evil could get through that gate. So Nori wanted to show me the Gingakuji Temple to explain what the Japanese feeling of "wabi" is. It's kind of appreciating things for simplistic beauty, rather than flashiness. Ginkakuji was definitely that. The building is not actually silver, but wood. And the wood is not in the greatest condition at that- you can see it peeling away and splitting. There was a very strange sand garden that was supposed to represent the current of a river, but I just couldn't see it. I could, however, appreciate the beauty of the paths we walked along on the side of the mountain, lush with moss, rocks, and tall, skinny Japanese cypress trees. After the Ginkakuji Nori took me to the Kinkakuji, or "Golden Pavillion." This was built on a lake and is actually plated with gold. The owners of the two sites were actually brothers. The brother that owned the golden pavillion was shogun, and his brother that owned the silver pavillion was a general. I wonder if their personalities come out in their choice of flashiness or simplicity. It's really funny because having seen pictures of the Kinkakuji in America I was really excited to see it in person. But I actually wasn't that impressed with it; I could see what Nori was talking about how the "wabi" is really nice. When you have a golden statue amidst a plain wooden temple, then the statue is special. But when you have an entire structure coated in gold it looks fake, maybe even kind of cheesy and over the top, and it's not as special. Maybe I'm becoming Japanese... who knows. I guess I've seen quite a few temples and shrines so far, so my tastes are starting to shift toward that of a typical Japanese when it comes to art in temples.
After Kinkakuji temple Nori and I took the train back to Kyoto station so he could pick up his baggage at the ryokan, and then we set out for Shin-Osaka station. Nori was so nice: he bought us each a bento (Japanese luch box) that we ate together at Shin-Osaka station, and before we split up (he was going straight to Tokyo by Shinkansen) he walked me to the train ticket gate and pointed me in the right direction to go. He even wrote out instructions for where to transfer to the Keihan line to get back to Hirakata-shi station. The weekend was truly special. Not only was it fun to see Nori again because I like Nori, but also talking to someone from home made me feel not so far away.