Sunday 18th March
I set off from Tokyo station at the deliciously exciting time of around 8am, to get the world’s slowest bullet train to Kyoto. Now, on a normal train, this journey can be done in around eighty minutes. But I was not on a regular train. I was on the super saver, student, basically free, super slow, sometimes goes backwards, no roof, no seats, no walls, occasionally no wheels train. So it took four hours. I would have complained except it gave me chance to dive into the guidebook I had borrowed from Matt and plan out my first day.
However, when I arrived, all that planning went out the window when I met Yukiko and Naoko, friends of a friend in Tokyo who agreed to show me around for the first day. They decided the first thing to see was Sanjusangendo Temple, a huge temple inside of which stand one thousand six foot statues of Buddha, every single one a little different, as well as huge stone gods as well. Sadly, they don’t allow any photography inside, but they do allow it outside in the excellent gardens of the temple, so I leapt at the chance to try out my new camera.
Although the temple doesn’t look that big from the first photo, that is not the front of the temple. That is the side of the temple. The thing goes on for ages. Afterwards, we went to explore other smaller temples nearby. I have to admit, as spectacular as some of the collosal tourist traps are, I’m really a big fan of the tranquill little temples that offer a view not many people have seen. Infact, I filled about half my camera with shots of the graveyard that backs off the end of one of the lesser known temples. Sorry in advance for those of you who’ll sit through that one…
After that we headed for lunch, and then Yukiko dropped the bomb – I’d come to Kyoto on the same day that some Maiko (trainee Geisha, about 16-17 years old) were giving a free performance. She said we could get some good photos if we went to their training centre and waited for them to come out. So we did!
Very pretty they were too. Once they’d fought their way through the photographers to their Rikishaws (those carts pulled by a person), they set off on the long winding route to where the stage was, towards the north of Kyoto. While they were on their way, we decided to head towards the Kiyomizudera Temple, which is the water temple. I didn’t actually have time go inside, which is a shame, but I still took lots of photos of the surrounding area.
However, by about six, once the sun had started to go down, the Maiko had nearly made their way to the stage. So in a mad cap dash Tom and Jerry would be proud of, we quickly made our way to try to get the last few remaining seats for the performance. Sadly, we were about twenty minutes and three hundred people too late, instead cramped at the back of the courtyard. Thank god for zoom lenses, then…
Cool, huh? Afterwards we headed home, and on the way saw a group of young schoolchildren, no older than 7, singing about road safety. Now although that sounds very nice, I found it strange they were singing this at night in the middle of a road. I decided not to question the bizarre logic that was clearly floating around somewhere, and instead headed home for the night.
I couldn’t have asked for a better first day in Kyoto, and it really got me on my feet for the next three days. But you’ll have to wait to hear about that.
Possibly Related Content: