50 Japanese guys in Santa Suits on a Drinking parade through Tokyo.
Best Christmas ever :)
The day after the fish market, I was supposed to go see Tamao's friend's Japanese Gospel Christmas concert but the train I needed never came! I was frustrated and felt bad, but I decided to not waste my day and go wondering around Shibuya towards Yoyogi park. Throughout my walk, I had seen a few people running around in Santa costumes but thought nothing of it. As I was walking through an outdoor fair trade market, I saw two Americans wearing Santa suits, as well. I asked the guy what was going on and he said " Santa-Con!" He handed me a hat and a can of pineapple cocktail and told me to join. Basically, it was a group of maybe 50 Japanese and 10 American Santas having a drunk parade through Tokyo...amazing. I met a few people who work with digital editing and graphics and actually hung out with them on Christmas (we'll get to that later). I also met a Japanese woman, Shihoko, who invited me to go to a club with her this coming Saturday called "Pop It!" She also asked me if I liked girls or boys (haha ummm boys) and was trying to come up with a single guy for me...uh, that's ok. I had to cut the night short because I was getting on a bus at 10 headed to Kyoto overnight!
Needless to say, I had no problem sleeping through the entire bus ride. I arrived in Kyoto at five in the morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't goiungn to be meeting Tamao's friend, Hiromi, until noon, so I found a 24 hour internet cafe and hung out there until it was light out. Hiromi brought me to see Kinkakuji, aka the Golden Pavilion, which is a temple covered in gold, and to the Kiyomizudera which sits on a high hill and has a beautiful view of Kyoto. It is also for the springs that run through it; you are able to drink the water which is supposed to have healing power. There are numerous temples and shrines in this little area. I went back a few days later when it was early in the day and sunny out and explored a few of them. My favorite which I am struggling to find the name for, bring you into the basement of a temple. You pay 100 Yen (a dollar), take off your shoes, and follow a handrail of enlarged prayer beads through a windy, pitch-black hallway. The experience is very relaxing (it would have been even more so if people weren't disrespectful and immature and giggling); however, I just closed my eyes and walked slowly, blocking out all the sounds and focused. It's difficult to explain the feeling you get (or at least I had) when coming back out into the light. It's supposed to be like entering the womb of Buddha--to be a cleansing experience where you can focus on your deepest desires.
That first night, I stayed with Hiromi in Kobe; she took me out to sushi before heading back to her apartment (basically a small studio) where i passed out instantly. The next day (Monday) Hiromi had to go to work, so I went to Osaka and sat in Starbucks all day catching up on my journal and making a christmas card for my family. I ended up talking to an 86 year old Japanese man named Nakagawa for about two hours. He was very sweet and his English was fantastic. He told me all about his family; old Japanese traditions between men and women and in society in general, and about World War 2. He was born in the states but lived in Japan since he was very young. His father lived in America and sent money home for his entire life; Nakagawa one and only time he saw his father's face when he went back to Japan soon before he left for WWII--sad. This is actually something I heard a lot about in South America. Older women would talk to me on the bus because they liked to practice their Engilsh and would tell me about their lives--their children, husbands, and working. Many of these women had husbands in the States sending money back for their families; I'm not talking about for a few months or even a few years, I mean 10/15/20 years where they never see each other, they only talk on the phone. Anyway, he told me if I was ever back in Kyoto that he goes to that Starbucks every Monday if I want to chat...so cute.
That night Hiromi and some of her co-workers made dinner and had a few drinks. We had Nabe which is a traditional Japanese hot pot. They basically fill a deep bowl with water or some type of broth and add fresh vegetables, meats, noodles, and fish to make a stew that is continuously eaten. Each person purchased one, maybe two alcoholic beverages and were hammered--the Japanese have no alcohol tolerance--within a half hour the room was filled with red faces.
The next day I said goodbye to Hiromi and took a little trip into Osaka to run around the castle for a while and take pictures; then I took the train back to Kyoto for my two days there. I spent a long day walking around the city; I went back to the Kiyumizudera and then went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, or the Red Gate, where there are 500 Torii gates (basically a tunnel of orange pillars with Japanese writing on them) that represent each of Buddha's disciples. The "tunnel" goes on for about 4km and travels up and down hills through masses of trees and along waterways. I tried to make my way to the Philosophers path up to the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji) but I, of course, got lost. I ended up on a windy road which lacked a shoulder and figured I'd get run over if I continued. I turned around and went to the Nishiki Food market instead and wondered through Gion (Kyoto's Geisha district) on my way back to the hostel.
My last day in Kyoto was Christmas day! I met up with the Americans I met at Santa Con, Craig and John, and we went to see the Nijo Castle; it was beautifully decorated with scenic murals and golden leaf squares. When walking around the castle, the floorboards make a chirping noise (it's know as Nightingale floor) as a security system so they wouldn't be attacked by intruders (ninjas, more specifically). After the castle, we met up with Kathry and Soren to take some pictures of the Kiyumizudera temple and then went out to eat for a, um, traditional (?) Christmas dinner. The restaurant is called Okariba. The chef, Aoki, prepared us food that he hunted and foraged himself. We Sat on tree stumps surrounding a round table with a mini campfire in the middle. He then gave us Boar Skewers, Grilled mushrooms and tofu, miso cooked on a tea leaf in front of us, smoked goose, and BEAR sashimi. We had a dessert of bees and grasshopers in a sweet soy sauce and washed it all down with his own house infused alcohols--current, plum, black snake, red snake, and killer bee....mmmm. He even let us go to the tap and refill our own drinks. It was honestly delicious and Aoki was so helpful. He even gave us all going away presents--Kathryn and I both received hand warmers because he said the next day was going to be freezing and he also gave us chopsticks. Craig got a to go box of Grasshoppers and bees for a midnight snack :) Afterwards, I left everyone to get back on my second overnight bus back to Tokyo.
FOOD CORNER
Bees and grasshoppers. The bees tasted and looked like a soft peanut and the grasshoppers really just tasted like the sauce and were crunchy. Once you get over the fact that you are consuming bugs and all that comes with them, they're not too bad.
Taste 3
Aftertaste 1
AKWARD MOMENT
I am too big for this country. I hit my head on things, I feel like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation; the shower heads are at chest height, I have to contort myself in order to rinse soap out of my hair and get the shampoo bottle off of the floor. This country is small and compact and I am definitely not. That being said, let me tell you about the second over night bus right between Kyoto and Tokyo. Somehow, this bus was smaller than the initial one; and it was, of course, filled to capacity. I had a window seat, and a tiny Japanese girl sat next to me. I had my backpack and a shoulder bag with me with all of my important belongings; I bent over to situate them beneath me and when I tried to sit back in my seat, I found that I didn't fit. I tried to squeeze my shoulders in between the girl and the window, but it was useless--I looked like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy. I had to angle my body and lean against the window. I feel asleep for a bit and woke up a while later because the girl next to me had fallen asleep on her side with her bum up against me in my seat (there generally aren't arm rests on public transportation). I was basically plastered up against the wall. Annoyed and sleepy, I decided to just shove her over into her seat until she woke up and finally moved. Bit of a crude move, but she was half my size, she can't have half my seat! This bum battle went on for the entire bus ride......
Merry Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment