I arrived at Kyoto early yesterday morning on a bullet train traveling at about 180mph. The speedy ride offered spectacular views of Japan. It was amazing to see the small towns, industrial centers, rivers, rice fields, bamboo forests, Mount Fuji and all the other wonderful sites the unfamiliar country had to offer.
Kyoto is considered by many the most beautiful and holy of cities, and rightly so. It was superb. Kyoto served as Japans capital from the year 794-1868 and was considered Japan’s center of culture and art. This legacy is alive and well in present day Kyoto.
The attention to detail in Kyoto, Japan for that matter, is phenomenal. The city is filled with temples, shrines and gardens unlike anything I expected. A beautiful shallow river runs through it. People walk alongside the river’s lit banks at night or sit to the relaxing sound of its water at night. Some of Kyoto’s streets are so small that they are only accessible on foot. These small streets are overflowing with shops and restaurants all kinds of other inviting come-in-and-browse spaces. The Kyoto way of life seems very slow-paced and unlike that of some of the other large cities I visited.
I met up with my friend Nobuko and went to a Japanese style flea market. They had the coolest shit for sale. My eyes kept wandering towards the antiques, mainly the Katana swords. I wanted to buy one but was not sure how easy getting an antique sword past customs would have been. We then met up with my photographer friend Taka who has a Masters in Sociology but is all about the apertures and ISO’s. (my kind of people) My experience of him is hard to describe he comes across as hospitable beyond measure, very manner mindful and speaks and moves with the Kyoto-ish je no se qua. I found the people of Kyoto to have a unique grace and soft spoken nature about them. They reminded me of the elves written about in fantasy books who live in perfect harmony with their natural surroundings. And what surroundings they are!!!
We went to eat later that night at restaurant named Dongama and I had some great izakaya-style kamamesshi. After downing the largest glass of sake ever, I was ready for bed.
Today I woke up at the crack of dawn with a sore back. I guess that my back between sleeping on tatami and 14 hour flights is having a difficult time adjusting to the bed in my hotel room. I took a few aspirin, ate breakfast and headed out. I decided for some crazy reason that I would get the most out of the city if rented a bicycle and got around in it versus public transportation. Oh boy! Kyoto may look small on a map but map scales can be deceiving.
Long story short: Yusef, bike, non comprehendible maps, endless reasons to stop, more reasons to go, 15lbs camera bag, souvenirs, no more aspirin, hot as day, sweat –so much sweat, endless hills, turns, traffic, bike seat, sore booty, a 7pm train to Osaka, 26 miles and an overambitious agenda.
I basically got a crash course on Kyoto. It was so much to take in, especially considering that most of the temples I visited had more history them the country I live in. I would do it all over again though,…….. in a car, bus, or train, or with a moped, go cart, horse drawn carriage, piggyback or just about anything else that doest require as much calorie expenditure.
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