Kelsey Visits Kyoto, Japan

Kelsey visits Kyoto, Japan

 

On the last day of our stay in Japan, I traveled to famous Arashi Yama of the city of Kyoto, with the two inter-port students, Ayako and Marie from the University of Kobe. Along with my friends, we had a total of nine people. We used the common transportation method in Japan, the train. The ticket procedure was quite overwhelming, but by the end of the day I was an expert; it reminded me a lot of Disney World. It's all done by technology, there's a touch screen with choices, in Japanese of course, and a huge map above the screen that shows all the stops that the train makes, and there are hundreds, all color-coded, tons of different tracks, warped together, stringing like threads in a scarf. I felt like I was no longer staring at just an ordinary train station map, but a precise layout of the city. One wrong move of my finger on that touch screen and I was doomed to an unknown place, miles away from my sought destination. With limited money for new tickets, and limited knowledge and help resources, the ticketing purchase was pressuring and critical. Luckily we had our English-speaking inter-port students with us, who were mere professionals at this train business.

 

So after about five stops and three train swaps, we arrived in Kyoto. It was the exact image of what I thought all of Japan would look like. Low-to-the-ground buildings and shops, tiny bridges arching over flowing rivers with pink cherry-blossoms on the banks, a wall of mountains keeping Kyoto from the rest of the world. Along with seeing my breath in the chilly air, I also saw women in beautiful kimonos, with white faces and striking red lipstick, flowers in their dark hair and brilliant umbrellas shading the sun from their eyes. This was a major change from the business center of Kobe, where everyone wore business suits with clicking heels, or the teens boasting the mix-matched harajuku style. The kimonos symbolize tradition and wealth, and we experienced that tradition at a restaurant we stopped at for lunch. The tables were about a foot off of the ground, with sit-upon mats encircling it. We pointed at the pictures on the menu that looked appetizing, and they proved to be much more than simply that. I chowed down on rice with eggs and shrimp tempura. And, once again, in tradition, we cleaned our bowels, every single grain of rice, for it was an insult to leave left-overs, even one grain. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting criss-cross applesauce at the dinner table. =)

 

After lunch, we all set a meeting time and place, and split up in groups of two or three. Some people wanted to go to temples, others wanted to travel by another train to yet another part of Kyoto, and several people wanted to just walk around, wander and shop. I chose the later, so three of my friends, plus Ayako and Marie strolled around the town. I took into consideration that there was no crosswalks present, because there was no traffic that required them. The street was rarely crowded, big buses replaced with bicycles. It was relatively quiet, I heard the shopkeepers advertising their products outside their shops, the river babbling, the gentle steps on the kimono-ladies, and the occasional bike bell ding. I've come to find this very strange, after experiencing life threatening journeys across the street in India and Vietnam.

 

We stopped in many shops, and I purchased some Japanese-style sandals,  a sumo headband,  and a bright red umbrella. We had the pleasure  to enjoy many samples, most loaded with soy beans. I liked one enough to buy a box, the sweet treat had cinnamon and chocolate seasoning. Yummm. We also tried some cherry blossom and green tea ice cream, I loved the cherry blossom flavor, who knew?

 

We gave ourselves a good two hour window to get back home, and when the time came, we reluctantly walked over that bridge, shuffled the fallen blossoms with our shoes, and said goodbye to the quaint town of Kyoto. A skip, hop and jump on the trains later, we were back in busy Kobe. We were near the port, and saw familiar billboards and signs, so we departed from Ayako and Marie. We went to a sushi restaurant with a conveyer belt bringing dishes around. Depending on the color of the plate you picked up, was the amount they would charge you. So at the end, you stacked up all your plates and someone came by and counted up your total. People all around me were slurping up tentacles, but I stuck with the stuff I could identify; shrimp, crab, tuna, etc. Man, that wasabi was hidden in secret places and shocked me every time.

 

My day in Kyoto was a memorable one, and a nice change from the loud, packed city of Kobe. I had a great time with my friends, Japanese and American. I hope I can see Ayako and Marie again in the future, maybe when I return to Japan. I declared it my fourth favorite place on this trip!