First, let me say “on our own” is a misnomer. I COULD have been on my own during “free” time, but Mori was working overtime, organizing wonderful activities for us. I will admit, I skipped two evening activities because I needed a rest. (Damn, we were ACTIVE during the day!) I believe the Energizer Bunny’s Team of Renee, Ruth, and Janis did EVERYTHING, but unfortunately they’re not writing this blog, so you’ll only see and hear about the activities I took part in.
Our first night adventure in Kyoto started in the hotel bar. It was a rainy night, so we correctly figured we needed some fortifications before our tour of the train station.
During my lifetime, I have certainly been in many train stations, but never have I seen seen anything quite like this one! The architecture is stunning, the lighting is spectacular—it is a visual feast!
Unlike most escalators, which require you to walk around to the opposite side on each floor, this one went straight up, and parts of it were outside the building.
Notice how clean everything is? No trash ANYWHERE!
We were able to see the Kyoto tower from the covered part of the rooftop. I thought that the raindrops on the window gave the tower an impressionistic feel.
It isn’t obvious from the still photos, but we were treated to a light show as we walked along the corridor.
Can you see the two people walking down the stairway upon which images are being projected? Here’s a hint–look for the umbrellas.
This is the site of one of twenty one immersive multimedia installations created by Naked, a digital art collective. If you want to learn more, check out their website: https://en.japantravel.com/kyoto/naked-garden-one-kyoto/69924
We returned the following night, when the weather was better, to listen to the pianist while we watched the light show. If you would like the full effect, just hop over to YouTube to watch and listen to the video. (Click on the underlined word)
The photo is a screen shot from the video and admittedly is a poor substitute, but uploading a video into WordPress takes forever.
In the previous post I mentioned that Nijo Castle was also a site for a Naked installation, and THIS one was even more sensational!
The castle walls became digital displays with changing graphics. You know the drill: if you want to experience the full effect of the “Naked” show, click on YouTube.
But wait— there’s more! The garden and the buildings were also beautifully illuminated.
There were so many gorgeous sights–it was hard to decide which ones to include in this post.
And if that wasn’t enough, there was even a “ special effects” machine, pumping out fog.
Our extras weren’t just limited to night time activities. We also had adventures with Mori during free afternoons. Sometimes, the bus drivers recommended stops along the way at places they thought we would enjoy.
That’s another wonderful aspect of Japanese culture. People take pride in their work, regardless of what it is. Everyone’s contribution is valued.
Earlier in the trip, we stopped at a store selling fruits and vegetables. On the wall were photos of the farmers who grew the store’s products. Talk about a personalized approach!
Notice the white gloves our bus driver is wearing and how he is dressed?
This particular driver suggested these two additional stops enroute to a planned activity. I won’t bother with the names of the temples because they are long and totally forgettable, at least by me. But what is seared into my brain are the temple grounds with its flowering trees.
We didn’t have time to participate in the Buddhist ceremony, but I peeked inside and was impressed that they thoughtfully provided chairs for those unable to sit on the floor.
The second temple contained 1001 statues of the Buddhist Deity Kannon. What is interesting is that all of the statues are slightly different, which initially led me to believe that the statues represented DIFFERENT Buddhas. Then I read the brochure.
Here’s what else I learned. 124 of the statues were made in the 12th century, when the temple was founded and the remaining 876 were made in the 13th century when the temple was renovated. The statues are all made of Japaneses cypress, so I’m guessing they have been covered with gold leaf.
We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the temple, but hanging on a wall outside was this poster,
which will give you a very rough idea of what the temple was like. It was slightly longer than a football field (According to the brochure, the length is 120 meters, for those of you fluent in metric). We walked in front of the statues, along a PACKED narrow corridor. It wasn’t tragic that I couldn’t take a photo inside–it would have been an impossible shot anyway.
On our last afternoon in Kyoto, we set out for the Philosopher’s Path. Although we never made it there — we got a little lost– we instead had a had a delightful adventure, walking along an old railroad track, during which we saw an abundance of blooming trees and Japanese taking advantage of the photo ops the beautiful day offered.
As Mori was trying to figure out how to get us back to the hotel, some of us wandered around and discovered this rather unusual sculpture in front of one of the art museums. Sorry, there wasn’t enough time to figure out what it was trying to communicate, but then, it is ART. It can be anything you want it to be.
Next stop: Hiroshima, for the ten of us taking the post trip, but before we leave, here’s one last photo of the Kyoto tower when it WASN’T raining.
Destination NOW 