Japan: Kyoto

Somehow, with the craziness of Mud Festival, trips to Sokcho, Suwon, various hiking expeditions, and of course the ever-present Hong-Dae I never wrote about Kyoto.  Which, ironically, was by far my most favorite city I have been to so far while travelling, and my favorite city in Japan (which included a temple stay)! Tokyo had the amazing people, sights, and good food, but Kyoto held the history, and I was anxious to get there.

It started off with what was a good plan on paper and not-so-ideal in real life.  Like most plans made for logistics and not comfort, it maximized my time there. So no: I do not regret trying to sleep on a midnight bus from Tokyo to Kyoto, then trying to find a secret place to nap (and failing) until the city woke up.

The bus and train station in Kyoto is absolutely beautiful with amazing restaurants and a truly wonderful visitor center I highly recommend.  Unfortunately, it didn't open until 9 a.m. so I had three hours to kill.  I threw my luggage in a locker and walked to the nearest temple, which happened to be (as would most everything I saw) embedded in a deep and fascinating history.  With the help of Johnnie, an self-professed ancient man who's been leading tours in the area for about a million years, I learned all I needed to know (and maybe a little more that didn't really matter)  Still, well worth the 2,000 yen.  (http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/)

My favorite place was the Gion District, with its old alley ways and wooden buildings.  Within the old structures, there are English-friendly menus, jazz clubs, and delicious food.  It's right on a river, with a canal running down the main street as well, and the sunsets were beautiful.

There's an old theater, and an interesting geisha show that depicts all the different talents a geisha learns (with brochures in every language, which was great for the German friends I made at the hostel).  It was in this area that I made sure to take a tea ceremony class, which I rudely interrupted and overall failed as a geisha.  I was much better at the sake tasting.

Gion is also a good area for getting the subway and buses, which I immediately took to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kinkakuji (Golden Temple), and Ninnaji Temple, and Arashiyama (with its bamboo forest and monkey park). 

In the end, I was in Kyoto for four days, but learned and experienced so much I remember it as a journey.  It was a perfect blend of old and new, modern and traditional, urban and suburban.  I can't wait to do it again.

Ninnaji: Temple Stay

Originally built in the 9th century (but of course burned down numerous times, as is everything stubbornly rebuilt over and over in wood), Ninnaji Temple was a palace-turned-Buddhist-temple built for those with imperial lineage to serve as head priest.  It's oldest buildings are now from the 1600's.  It's famous for its five-story pagoda, large sprawling grounds, and cherry trees that have been cultivated for hundreds of years. 

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  And I stayed there for the night.    

In most of Japan I spoke in short phrases I had learned and they simply guessed what I needed or responded in English.  Thankfully, this temple has a website with good directions in English.  The blog takes a while to get a response from, but the hotel lobby had Wi-Fi.  This was fortunate, because it was the first time while I was in Japan that there was truly a language barrier between me and the man in the simple clothing.  Fumbling with Google translate ensued. 

Because I've been living in Korea, I knew enough general Asian etiquette: what to expect as far as meals, how to accept and receive money, and how they used baths--I was able to fully take advantage of a hot spring and bath area all to myself, which felt heavenly after a long day of hiking my bag all over Kyoto.  I made some tea in my room and was asleep with the sunset. 
    

The next morning I awoke well-rested at 5 a.m. in time for the service.  I found that besides the Buddhists living at the temple, the other guests were one Japanese family of four, a foreign man married to a Japanese woman, and me.  The ceremony was just what I hoped for.  Although there was no English, my interest and knowledge of Buddhism served me enough to appreciate the beauty in the symbolism and simplicity.

The ceremony lasted thirty minutes or so and afterwards, with the sun just rising, I felt I had been transported to ancient times.  The tourists still hadn't arrived by the time we finished breakfast.  I had time all by myself to wander in and out of the cherry trees, appreciating the uniqueness of the experience.  The simplicity of the service had gotten to me.  Not having a phone, simply living out of a bag, simply taking each moment as it came to me was a meditative experience in its own right--something true travelers experience and become addicted to for its freedom. 

After a while, the couple approached me and the man asked if I would like to listen to his wife translate the introduction the priest gave to us at the beginning of the service, welcoming us and explaining a bit of the temple's history. As she finished the fascinating explanation the front gates opened, letting the tourists in for the day.  That was my cue to leave.

Gyeongju (경주): The Museum Without Walls

Starting in the first century B.C., the Silla Kingdom was unified for almost 1,000 years.  Gyeongju was the capital of that empire. As anyone who has visited South Korea knows, any original historic structures are rare and to be regarded as invaluable.  Between visits by the Mongols, the Japanese, the Korean War and various tensions with North Korea, any temple or statue older than 1950 is hard to find.  Thankfully, grand palaces like the one at Anapji Pond held enough history in the ground all this time to able to resurrect a city that had been all but forgotten about until the 20th century. 

Gyeongju is the perfect place to spend a weekend, but since it is the museum without walls, any time outside of winter is ideal.  In two days we definitely couldn't see it all, but the highlights were really worth seeing, and I definitely plan on going again. My boyfriend and I took a bus from the Express Bus Terminal at 11 a.m., and we were in downtown Gyeongju by 2 or 3p.m.  Immediately outside the bus terminal is a tourist office, which had a very helpful employee and an informative map.  We walked in the direction that had the most to offer.

 

The  first site that caught our eye was a park surrounded by a low, decorative gate that allowed you to see many neat, trimmed and maintained hills sticking out, plain and unadorned.  Not knowing what they were, we paid the 1,000 won entrance fee and ambled through.  The trees were mostly bear save for a bright orange fruit of some kind, and the bright hills stood out against the stark blue sky.  It turns out, these were the ancient burial grounds of kings and queens, filled inside with paintings and relics on display at the wonderful Gyeongju National Museum.  Since it was late fall, the only other green that could be found besides the tombs was along a winding path through Evergreen and Fern trees as we headed towards the back exit.

We got lucky: without a specific plan besides the usual "see stuff", the back exit led us right to the famous observatory tower.  It was only 9.17 meters (30 feet) tall, but every sign in Gyeongju tells you to see it immediately.  Past that is Anapji Pond and just down the road is the the National Museum...which makes for a perfect walking day. Each had a compelling character, rich history, and allowed you to glimpse into a city as ancient as the Egyptians.

My favorite part of the trip was Seokuram Grotto.  From Bulguksa Temple, (which is a wonderful stroll, where I was compelled to start a heated debate about the value of original works versus replications) take the bus to Seokuram Grotto.  DO NOT WALK.  Koreans are wonderfully, notoriously hikers.  Even throughout this, the coldest winter in Korean history, the subway was filled daily with ajummas and ajoshis in full-out hiking gear, having spent the day trudging through snow to the tops of mountains.  So, when I decided we should walk, the Koreans we asked simply said, "Walk in that direction."  What we didn't know was they meant, "Walk in that direction, uphill, over boulders, for three hours".  Thankfully my boyfriend insisted we take the bus up a winding course over precarious ledges.  It was worth the bus fare.

Although you can't take pictures, I will remember the statue of Buddha in the grotto.  The slight smile and open nature of the image, the way it was guarded by various Bodhisattvas, the way it filled the round and secluded room with life, the moon-shaped ceiling, and the faint glow of candles on this 1,200 year old statue made it memorable and more impressionable that I had thought possible.  The idea that it's been hiding, kept safe from attacks by the reclusive nature of the Korean mountains made it a special moment that seemed almost serendipitous.  It was worth the equally terrifying ride back down the winding mountain path. 

Overall, Gyeongju might be my top favorite trip in Korea so far.  Its history, accessibility, and beauty make the entire city a priceless relic to stroll through on a fine autumn day.