On the Move again!

Now Kyoto is known for culture but I need to see some that was more to my taste!! Difficult client, I hear you say and you are probably right!!! Two more Shrines/Temples on this morning’s agenda,  but my enthusiasm was waning, as the rain was pitching down!! However we did visit and wondered at the history and significance of said Temples.

These are called Tori Gates and were built as entrances to the Shrine. In this particular Shrine, there are 10,000 of them, forming a beautiful walkway amidst the trees.

The Golden Pagoda is exactly as it says, with one floor completely covered in gold leaf, but more about that anon!!

Later that day, we went to a traditional tea ceremony, which was so genteel! The elegance of the ladies, the precision of the cermony and the welcome we received, was wonderful.

I was anxious to see some Geishas and to go to the Gion area,  where many of them are based. On researching some shows, I decided to play hookie, leave the Group, and head off on my own to a traditional Arts Performance at Gion Corner! It was fabulous!

We were not allowed take any photos or videos of the performances, so I cannot really illustrate the evenings entertainment. We had the tea ceremony first, called Chado. We then had some Koto music, the national instrument of Japan, played beautifully by two ladies. It is a  little like a xylophone with strings.  This was followed by Ikebana, the Japanese art of Flower arranging. Then came the Bugaku Dance, a little terrifying but very colourful and then the laughs!!! We had Kyogen comedy, which although I did have a translation, one could follow it very easily!! Hilarious, a bit Morecombe and Wise on steroids!!! It finished up with Buntaku puppet theatre which was very deft and clever. Fantastic to be there and a bit of everything.

The Gion area is quite spread out and on another evening, if it was dry and I had company, I would have strolled in the area. Lots of restaurants and tea houses, but the night was wet and I thought it wise to return to the hotel. I also learned that in Kyoto the girls are not called Geishas, but Geikos. They train for up to five years for perfection.

So back to pack up again, as we were off early morning to Kanazawa, a bus journey of 4 hours covering 300 km

While we are moving a lot, we are seeing a lot of the country. There’s hardly a town we go through that the HQ of one of the intetnationsl Japanese companies, that would be familiar to us,  is not pointed out!! Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Mazda Epson, Nintendo, Sharp, I could go on. A huge industrial nation, their economy is not strong at present and with the yen being weak, it of course is offering great value to us tourists. Tourism numbers have increased this year by 23% and it shows!!!

The place is spotless! No litter anywhere, streets, pavements, public loos are so clean, puts us to shame. We have seen lots of children on school tours, as its the season. They are so neat, tidy, well behaved, but still having lots of fun!!

Traffic is heavy in the cities, but flows well with minimum congestion. Lots of bikes of course with bike parks everywhere. I was intrigued to see this smaller car, everywhere, especially in the cities. It’s called a Kei car, with maximum engine size of 650 c.c. and does not measure more than 3.4 metres. It costs about $1000 and carries yellow plates which gives it reduced road tax!!!

Space is at a premium in this country and to see how parking is arranged so neatly outside houses, is amazing.

As we drove to Kanazawa, we drove along by the Sea of Japan. Beautiful blue sky and a very different perspective to what we had previously experienced.

I was looking forward to our one night stop here as we were to visit two gardens and my expectation was totally fulfilled!!

We had been told that there were two kinds of Japanese Gardens, a Viewing Garden and a Strolling Garden, both self explanatory.

So we were to see examples of each. The Shogun has built houses in this Town for his Samurai ( soldiers) in the 16th Century and now a particular area is preserved with regular domestic families in residence. The houses are beautifully constructed but we were brought to a particular one to see the viewing garden! It was magnuficent! Designed in such a way that when sitting in a variety of areas, you will see the different perspectives of the Garden..as always, Nature is let flow free and never too far away from the tinkle of water and it’s  calming effect on tbe senses. While this house was quite small, as was the garden, it didn’t feel that way.

Then it was off to Kenroku -en Garden, one of the top three gardens in Japan.

It was truly exquisite and I as did not want to traips around it in a group, I bounded off on my own. I really am becoming very anti social! There are ponds, there are tea houses   there are Plum Groves. The Trees are magnificent and to see the level of maintenence going on was incredible! One gardener, on his knees, was sweeping leaves, with his hands, from the perimeter of the lake!! To walk, sit, contemplate or just empty ones’ mind in a haven like this,was really a privilege.

Then it was off to a gold leaf factory…as you do!!! All the gold leaf in Japan is produced here in Kanazawa, so we were instructed in the Art, which is labour intensive, as was the subsequent shopping!!!! There’s always a Shop!!! So, yours truly purchased a beautiful necklace,(surprise  surprise). which hopefully will look as good at home as it did there!!!!

This morning we have driven through the most amazing Japanese Alps, along twisty alpine roads, over narrow bridges and with every corner the scenery is even more dramatic. The trees on the mountains are just beginning to turn Russet red as Autumn approaches. We thought we would catch the Autumn leaves, but climate change has delayed this year’s arrival. However this does not take from our wonderment of Nature in all her guises in this area. Tricking mountain streams, cascading waterfalls and deep ravines. This area experiences heavy snow falls during Winter and skiing is big business in this area. The Winter Olympics was held in nearby Nagano in 1998

More to follow tomorrow!!!!