The week following the beach party had it's high points and it low points. High points included attendance at our English Converation class increasing by a whole third! Yes, 33 percent more students attended! Word has finally spread about how good we are. 6 students came instead of 4...
Oji-san (Nao-chan and Papa-san's 72 year old friend) has been trying to get me to come to dinner at his house for a very, very long time, and up until now outside forces have conspired against this. But last Thursday it finally came off, and Oji-san made a real effort- lots and lots of sushi, niku-nashi yaki soba (yaki-soba without the meat- a VERY rare occurrence in Japan) and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. With the food Nao-chan and I had made prior there was too much on the table but we had another evening of laughter and alcoholism. And other huests at the party included a high-school girl whose English was better than most Japanese people I have met...
The weekend was one of the first lasts if that makes sense. I keep forgetting that I am leaving this town in 4 weeks (destination: unknown) but managed to keep it in my head that this would be my last trip to Kyoto for a very long time to come, and a good trip it was. I broke my journey by staying at Adam's on the Friday night (kaiten sushi for tea- yum!) and on Saturday morning with surprisingly gorgeous weather Bob, Ashley, Adam and I converged on Okayama station, and thanks to the wonder of the fastest of the shinkansen we were in Kyoto in 65 minutes, meeting Betsy and wondering around the station taking pictures of each otehr with the architecture as backdrop. And having people film us because clearly foreigners in Kyoto are a rarity these days (pease note intense sarcasm).
Our hotel, the Kyoto Traveller's Inn was right next to the lovely Heian Jingu, the shrine featured in "Lost In Translation" in that shot where the girl goes to Kyoto at 5am. But we didn't bother going there, we just walked past it numerous times instead. We did however head to Kinkakuji- the Golden Temple- which was stunning as ever in the raging sunshine, and then, FINALLY!!!, I made it to Nijo castle. They close the gates at 4 and on my last 2 attempts the traffic has worked against me, delaying my arrival until 4:10. Nijo is possibly the most authentic castle I've been to in Japan with it's Nightingale floorboards (all of which squeak in a way that resembles bird-song- an alarm system to protect from Ninja) and its austere, if faded murals and decorations. Other castles have either been transformed into museums (Matsue, Osaka, Nagoya) while others remain as shells, albeit beautiful and well-restored ones (Himeji).
After this bit of history Adam, Ashley and I went on a guided tour of the Geisha districts taking in various areas in and around Gion. Our guide was interesting and his knowledge (much of it information passed from local people) was informative, but all of that was outshadowed by the fact that we repeatedly caught fleeting glimpses of Geisha turning corners and slipping away through busy streets, this in turn helping us appreciate the mystery and romance that surrounds the Geisha. It was only after the tour, once on our way back to the hotel and then again in the evening after dinner on a late night wonder around the tour area that we got a real look at some Geisha.
Sunday saw the weather turn to gloomy but our plans didn't change. We headed to a flea market in Tenmangu shrine where Betsy and Ashley bought used kimono for a minimal price and where we all succumbed to one bargain or another. Lunch was for a second day at a buffet restaurant Bob and Betsy recommended (1000yen for all you can eat) and soon we were heading to the Kyoto Handicrafts Centre which was hugely atrocious except for some lovely woodblock prints and lacquerware. Nothing there actually seemed to be have been made by hand (unless the t-shirts were hand-sewn in sweatshops in China) so we left the place only to bitch tirelessly about it while we set off home to our various parts of Okayama.
And now is the week in which the goodbyes start. But the trauma of that will need a separate post- what's happening to my eyes?!?
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