Kyoto and Matsuzaka Festival
Trip Start
Apr 28, 2004
1
4
Trip End
Ongoing
Kyoto, Japan
Friday, July 30, 2004
Nearing the end of my 23rd year on this planet what a better time then ever to reflect on life and the general progress of planet earth
um..maybe next year
So this month I actually got to taste a bit of tradition in Japan. Surrounded by urban culture inclusive of Starbucks worshipping, shrines to the latest Louis Vuitton Handbag and the only god in sight seeming to be a dog like creature lovenly titled "Snoopy"; one can forget that this country is seeped in history.
This month a wave of festivals and events climbed their way through our prefecture.
I managed to make it to the festival in nearby Matsuzaka. Soon as we left the train station we were affronted by hordes of summer loving Japanese digging into local tucker from the numerous stalls that lined 4 streets. My tummy was going into overload thinking of all the different types of food that it would be forced to digest in the space of an hour. It didn't take long to realise that amazingly there seemed to be only 4-5 different types of stalls mass cloned in large quantities separated by mere metres from each other. It gave rise to the thoughts of some thoughtful Japanese company having franchised a whole street full of Yaki-tori stalls. Another thought was where exactly do all these stalls go after the festival. Unlike other asian countries Japan lacks the numerous street vendors that normally give rise to a wonder of smells in humid evenings. Were these vendors wandering gypsy travelling from festival to festival plying their trade or local families hoping to gain a momentary sales boost.
who knows...who really cares?
Anywho the main event began shortly enough. It consisted of a large group of people banging drums and running crazily around in circles carrying these portable shrines and shouting something over and over again. Now this may seem terribly ignorant of me but having asked many nearby Japanese we discovered that not even the locals quite knew exactly what they were saying or what it meant. It was quite the spectacle regardless and went on for quite some time, sometimes the crowd getting almost crushed in the process. All good fun of course. When the parade finished I joined some friends involved in it at the local shrine and took up their offer of some free beverages...certainly the highlight of the evening, oh as well as the numerous Yukata wearing young ladies.
I got my first taste of Japanese boy racers and teenagers hanging around the station doing nothing exactly but trying to be cool that night...it was great...reminded me of home.
Ok this is too long already...anyway
Kyoto
Much has been said about Japan's cultural capital before me and probably good stuff so I will remain silent.
well maybe
Yep, arriving into the CUBE, Kyoto's train station and one of the newest additions to the world's great ugly metal structures I wasn't left thinking that the genteel history had left this place, as my guidebook suggested I would, I merely thought how typical of Japan. Kyoto central city is ugly. An ugliness that eats at you...especially in the 36 degree heat I had arrived into. Do not be despaired as much of Kyotos hundreds of wonderful temples and shrines lie on the perimeter of the city and are surrounded by immaculate gardens that I have come to adore. It seems that the liking for separating the refuse of peoples everday life with the beauty of spiritual centres is not just a regional anomaly. Even the river area which is much applauded looks quite decayed in daylight. At night it becames alit with golden lanterns, wandering maiko's and hordes of tourists. You can find places to breathe though and when you do so you will be absorbed in the imaginative qualities that this city can only bring upon quiet contemplation or reflection.
My advice: go in any season part from mid summer, eat as much as you can and bring a partner to wander the nights with before you retire to your ryokan.
'Kyoto I will return' were my parting thoughts upon scooting out past the mountains to the east of the city.
Other thoughts before I leave you once more:
* There are no rubbish bins in Japan but not much rubbish. People are encouraged to carry it with them. Numerous times I have opened my bag to find cans or wrappers from days earlier as one hour searching for a suitable dumping ground turned up empty.
* Rice paddies are beginning to sprout rice. All very exciting for me, I even saw scare crows in the city...hah.
* Most common responses to o-genki desu ka? (how are you?): 2nd place - 'fine' and 1st place - 'sleepy'. So many Japanese students I teach confess to me how tired they are. It is no wonder really after talking to my waitress in Kyoto who works 13hrs a day 28 days a month...oh but she loves meeting new customers...wow!
* so much for shy Japanese in public, as my last Kyoto pic shows. This was captured in central station around 4pm in wide view of anybody. Now I hope you don't think Im too voyeuristic but I was interested at first because his actions suggested he was raping her...go figure
* In follow up to the above, a BBC report I saw yesterday states that Japan is the only OECD member country with a rising aids statistic. Apparently 1/3 of 17yr olds have had sex already and a high proportion unprotected. So much for social development.
That ends my current update, I hope you enjoyed and are still breathing.
Photo links:
Kyoto: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blaylock_2/album?.dir=/3572&.src=ph&.tok=ph5w4fBB4.6MokQ1
Matsuzaka Festival n Futami Town: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blaylock_2/album?.dir=/5b1b&.src=ph&.tok=phcz4fBBDD371iSi
Ise n Nara: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blaylock_2/album?.dir=/d1c9&.src=ph&.tok=phRs4fBBYbXHglAc
(wierd quality - photo of my photos)
Mt. Gozaisho n Tsu: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blaylock_2/album?.dir=/4699&.src=ph&.tok=phrz4fBBl3ux2uO1
Comments
Where are you?
Nice writings! Where are you now? Are you being a good boy? Update this travelogue or mail me soon.