The morning broke, and I was so happy to be waking up next to my girl. And knowing that I will be doing the same thing for the rest of my life, made me so happy. I know, it sounds soppy and romantic, but there is nothing more special that opening your eyes and seeing the person who means so much to you, laying there next to you. It was made even more special by the fact that it was in her country, and that it followed a period of separation. But enough of the soppy stuff, let’s get on with the day.
Kyoto was Satomi’s choice of place, over Osaka. It’s considered the romantic heart of Japan, and was mercifully sheltered from US bombing during WWII after the intervention of one of the architects of the H-bomb mission, Harry Stimson, due to its “cultural significance”. The results are fascinating, with the old world charm being retained even today, and being witnessed with the tiny, almost impossibly, small streets and alleyways.
We wandered back to Kyoto Station in daylight this time, and were greeted by the sights of tiny little Zen gardens attached to the archetypal Japanese house. The scene would have been totally out of Karate Kid, if not interrupted every 50metres or so by a vending machine. I had been warned about the vending machines, but didn’t realize they permeated this much. Selling mostly cold drinks and cigarettes, the machines are well frequented and are seriously omni-present. But the cute factor does wear off pretty quickly, and they almost fade away into the accepted streetscape.
We targeted a few key areas today for our sight-seeing mission, with the public transport system being cheap and relatively easy to negotiate (albeit, constantly packed). We headed immediately out to Sanjusangen-do, a massive temple built in 1164, but completely refurbished in 1266 after a fire. The huge temple building is about as long as a football field, and inside it boasts 1001 statues of the Buddhist deity. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside. Which is, I suppose, fortunate, as the photo opportunities were vast. After a while, though, the novelty wore off and the gold statues became just “an attraction”. We departed and made our way to Gion – a cute little shopping and restaurant district noted for its intricate and confusing alleyways and home to the traditional heart of the geisha. We even spotted some who could have been true maiko, but there are also a fair smattering of fakes for the tourists. As we sat down to my first Japanese meal, I was greeted by an omelette-like pancake concoction, filled with fishy, slimey, runny, raw things. Not in itself all that disgusting, but very hard to deal with with my limited chop-sticking abilities.
With lunch over, we decided to brave the humidity and head south towards the beautiful Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine, which was established in 711 as a means for bringing luck and fortune to businesses. The shrine itself is unimportant, but behind it is a mass of torii (red arch-type things) which line the path up a hill. There are literally thousands of these things, with the sun shining though giving the path a beautiful glow and a cool respite from the oppressiveness of the humidity. The two digital cameras were working overtime at this point.
After the calm, we headed back to downtown Kyoto for a wander around, before retreating to the air-conditioned hotel to ready ourselves for dinner. Satomi’s grandma had kindly handed her some money before the trip to ensure we went to a proper Japanese restaurant as a welcoming gift from her to me. And what a feast! After wandering around Gion on at night, searching for an authentic Japanese dining experience (plus also trying to catch a glimpse of a geisha scurrying around in the shadows), we settled on a tiny, nondescript doorway of a restaurant called Rumble. Despite the name, we were treated as kings from the moment we stepped inside. Seating ourselves at the bar table, we enjoyed the experience of the chef/cook preparing the 9-course meal. It was an experience I will never forget, and all for the right reasons. While the menu consisted of things that even thinking about them now makes my stomach churn (yes, I did eat sweet-fish innards… and liked it!) it was the “vibe” which truly took the cake. My first proper meal in Japan, and enjoying it in such great company and with the love of my life holding my hand throughout… who could ask for more? If this was the style of Japan, then I never want to leave.
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