We Left Our Hearts in Kyoto, Japan

Although we were only in Kyoto for three days, the city captured our hearts and spirit. With hundreds of temples and shrines located in the city, sometimes with retail shops or condos built up around them, it is hard not to feel a little spiritual as you walk around the quaint, picturesque streets.

Before we talk about our last day of adventures, let’s talk about Japanese Cuisine. We have had it all and probably way too much of it. Each meal is multiple courses served on exquisite ceramic plates and bowls…so many small bowls! So far, we have had sushi, ramen, robotayaki, tempura, yakitori, teppanyaki, and most recently kaiseki. Our Kaiseki meal in Kyoto was like nothing we have ever had before. It was about ten courses but we lost count after course number seven or so. Kaiseki is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. We had our own chef who artfully arranged and garnished each dish with leaves and flowers and interesting sauces. We had an animated conversation with a cute Italian couple next to us which made the two hours of dining fly by!

On our last day, we visited a magnificent Buddhist temple and gardens at the Tenryuji Temple in Arashiyama. The gardens, constructed by hand 800 years ago, are beautiful and apparently breath-taking (and crowded) when the maple trees turn in the Fall.

We did a little shopping and found some Washi-traditional Japanese paper-for our good friend Dana. She put in a little special request as she makes her own note cards and prints. We hope we got the right kind but it was a fascinating shopping experience looking at all the different kind of paper.

After shopping, we headed to our rickshaw (as one does) and headed into the Bamboo Forest. Our guide had been doing his job for 26 years and said he goes last because he is now the slowest. We did not find him slow at all and felt quite guilty about eating all that extra Japanese food as he had to pull us up hills into a spectacular bamboo forest. He was very proud of his city and he pointed out interesting landmarks and encouraged us to come back to visit and see some lesser-known temples and gardens.

The big event of the day was getting fit into and dressed into our own kimonos. Oh my! What a process. There are at least four layers of clothing for the women and each layer is pulled very tightly. I now know what corsets used to feel like in the Victorian era. Brad also had about three layers in his kimono so he also got dressed and tugged and tightened and layered. We now have appreciation for all of the people we have seen wearing kimonos in Kyoto. It must take them at least an hour to get ready every day and I have no idea how you would get into one if you were by yourself.

Walking is an adventure unto itself. Because the skirt is so tight and the shoes are small, you have to take very small baby steps and be careful going up and down stairs.

Dressed in our Kimonos, we headed to the Gesshi-in Temple for a Zen Meditation session. We learned that some of the monks actually meditate for 18 hours per day in a nearby temple. We were only doing a ten-minute session—the American version I suspect. He instructed us not to slouch and to breathe deeply for our meditation. Believe me, it is not possible to slouch in a kimono. Breathing deeply is another story and forget about eating. No wonder the Japanese women are so small.

After we had our moment of Zen, we participated in and learned about a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. Tea is very closely tied to Zen as the man who brought Zen to Japan hundreds of years ago also brought green tea. The macha tea was delicious and we enjoyed the serenity of it all.

Off to dinner where we walked slowly taking baby steps along the path. We were treated to a special ceremony by two geikos (which is geisha in Kyoto dialect) and a maiko (a young apprentice). In the 1920’s there were over 80,000 geisha. Now there are a little over 200 women. A girl can choose to enter an Okiya — a school to develop Geisha — as soon as she graduates middle school. She makes the decision herself but must get her parents’ permission. The Okiya is a boarding school that teaches these girls everything the need to know about being a Geisha — music, dance, puppetry, the art of conversation, etc. The maiko are not allowed to have any social media, cell phones or internet connectivity while they are learning the trade. They go each morning to a chalkboard where they find out their schedule for the day. They then go to those classes. Imagine your 15-year-old daughter doing this. While it is their own choice and they must have their parents’ permission, it is still a daunting challenge for a young girl.

A typical day involves classes from 9:00 am- 2:00 pm, followed by makeup, dressing into beautiful kimonos, and hair prep for the evening, and then going out every night to entertain groups from about 6:00 until Midnight. Geisha work almost exclusively at traditional inns, teahouses, and restaurants. Contrary to common perceptions about Geisha, they only engage in proper activities. The fee for the Geisha’s time is sent at the end of each month (apparently they never charge the same amount) in the form of a “Love Letter.” I am not sure I consider our PG&E invoices love letters but maybe it’s a new way of thinking about monthly bills. One more thing, the Geiko and Maiko only get two days off per month. They are hard working women!

We loved Kyoto and would highly recommend spending time here if you are ever traveling to Japan. It is the center of Japanese culture and a necessary stop to fully gain an appreciation for the rich history of this country. We are currently back on our very efficient, comfortable bullet train to the mountain town of Hakone where we will be staying in a ryokan — a traditional Japanese inn — and we might even get a little time to relax in an onsen hot spring.