Japan through A Good Friend’s Eyes

Heian Shrine

Betsy and me at Karuizawa

For the last three weeks my good friend Betsy came to visit.  It was such a treat having her here and discovering Japan from someone else’s perspective.  It’s fun to see the different ways people are drawn to this country.  We spent most of our time in Kyoto, where Betsy was fascinated by old Kyoto – the machiya (old wooden buildings), tea ceremony, ceramics, etc.  We relied heavily on Old Kyoto and Exploring Kyoto, which focused on the old shops still doing business and the side streets that reveal what the city was like during the Edo period.

Betsy at a tea ceremony

On our first day, we happened upon the Sen-oku Hakukokan, a museum housing the Sumitomo family’s art collection.  There we saw a wonderful display of tea ceremony utensils:  beautiful macha bowls for the powdered green tea, gorgeous ceramic tea caddies with ivory lids and silk tea cases, pottery water containers and iron braziers and pots to heat the water.  Betsy was hooked:  we went to not one but two tea ceremonies, learning about and appreciating the ritual, the symbolism, the respect for each other and the ceremony vessels, and of course the macha itself.  Later, at the monthly antiques market at Toji Temple, she found a beautiful old macha bowl to take home.  As we wandered the pottery shops, we spent a lot of time looking at other bowls and tea caddies, but nothing seemed quite right.  Finally at Ippodo, an old and excellent tea shop, she found what she wanted: a macha set complete with whisk, spoon, little tea caddy and macha.  We also learned that loose tea should be drunk within two weeks of opening the packet, so Betsy will be having lovely tea ceremonies daily after she returns to Denver.

We explored other aspects of old Kyoto as well.  We went to Gion to see a maiko performance, Edo-period dance and music performed by maiko, i.e., geishas in training to acquire the skills needed to entertain gentleman:  playing the shamisen, dancing and carrying on a lively conversation (they read the newspapers to keep up to date on current events).   We watched the maiko dance slowly, often using fans, while others played or sang the somewhat atonal music.   Another day we went to Shimabara, Japan’s first licensed “pleasure quarter”, on Kyoto’s west side. The prostitutes, who were slaves, were kept in this walled part of town so they could not escape, which proved to be a disaster when they perished a fire in the mid 1800’s.  There we visited the Sumiya, a big hall where men were entertained with song and dance, with smaller rooms on the upper floor for sexual pleasure.   Still another day we went to an old machiya that had formerly sold kimonos and now catered to tourists, offering them the chance to try one on and attend a tea ceremony (we only did the latter).

 

Moss at Saihoji

Of course we went to see some of Kyoto’s temples and gardens.  Friends had recommended we go see Saihoji, known as the Moss Temple because of its lovely garden covered with many varieties of moss.  The walled garden looked like a miniature of a much larger one, with young saplings rising from small undulating hills covered in moss.  

Katsura Imperial Villa

The Moss Temple was quite a contrast to Katsura Imperial Villa, a beautiful, expansive garden about half an hour outside of Kyoto. There, on an hour-long tour in Japanese, we struggled to take it all in:  the lake with a narrow peninsula built to look like the Amanohashidate Sand Bar I’d seen in the summer, maples just starting to turn, serene tea houses with stunning views framed in their windows, and many lanterns and walks, each unique.  Everywhere we turned, we saw a different view.   

Part of Ryoanji's famous rock garden

Ryoanji Temple offered another contrast with its moving and serene rock garden.  There, after some searching, we found the temple’s restaurant and had a wonderful yodofu (boiled tofu) lunch overlooking another garden, a lovely pond with water lilies bordered with pines.

Sightseeing wasn’t just temples and gardens, however. Betsy was fascinated with the many charms dangling from people’s cell phones.  “How are they attached?” she kept asking as she peered around, trying not to look too obvious (Japanese phones have little eyelets built into the case specifically for them).  “What are they for?” she would ask, and learned that in this Buddhist/Shinto society, people want charms to ward off evil, attract good health, etc.  Later she would buy charms at temple tourist booths, intrigued by the different purposes (for business luck, to be a good student, etc.).  She was amazed that men, too, had charms, sometimes stuffed kittens 3-4” tall or one with a stuffed red bow with white polka dots.   Wisely but with a tinge of regret, she decided against getting any for her husband, son or son-in-law.

We also had much fun watching children, who danced and laughed and “were boys” just like children everywhere.  We took a day trip to Osaka to see the Outdoor Village of Old Farmhouses, and saw many classes of children going through the train station, each group identified by a different cap, all walking in line, two by two.  We watched them divide into groups of 5-6, each with assignments, then run around to collect pine cones or other plants, visit the houses to find answers to the questions, etc.  Later, as we headed home, we saw the school children sitting on the platform in neat lines, waiting for the train.

After savoring old Kyoto, we went to Naoshima, the island in the Inland Sea that I love for its amazing integration of sea, land, light and contemporary art and architecture.  We savored the art on the walls and sculptures on the grounds, and enjoyed exploring the new museum of the Korean artist, Lee Ufan, with his serene, engaging, minimalist installations.  We drank in the sunsets, relished the delicious food, let the cool air into our hotel room overnight, and gazed out at the sea. 

Pedestrian crossing sign

On Monday, when most of the museums were closed, we went to Honmura, the small fishing village that was dying and is now lively with new cafes and art house projects.  We walked past the older buildings, sided with wood charred to keep out bugs and bad weather, some with hand-designed noren (banners) over their doors.  Betsy loved the sign with two elderly Japanese, warning people to let pedestrians have the right of way.  But our favorite, as for everyone, was Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Pumpkin, especially when it glistened in the sunset.

Karuizawa waterfall

Mima with Sadie, Betsy, and Kim

Last, we went up into the mountains for a couple of days, to Karuizawa about an hour’s shinkansen ride northwest of Tokyo.  Karuizawa is an unpretentious summer resort town for the wealthy, with large, western style houses just visible amongst the trees.  It’s also the place where Japan’s current emperor met and fell in love with his future wife.  We stayed with two of Betsy’s friends, Kim and Mima, in their lovely home with large windows looking out onto trees and moss.  It was distinctly cooler there than in Kyoto or Naoshima, so we were glad to bundle up in the down jackets Kim and Mima lent us and enjoy the wood fire as we sat and talked.  We went to an onsen the first night and the next day went to see some beautiful waterfalls nearby, one of which reminded me of a small Niagara Falls.  That afternoon turned rainy as the tail of a typhoon passed through.  So we settled down inside, first with naps and later with sushi in huge round bento boxes, delivered to our door by a man in white garb and a chef’s hat. What a wonderful time we had!

So that was my time with Betsy:  much fun, sharing what I loved, discovering new things through her eyes, savoring Japan’s serene beauty and rich history, and making new friends.  What more could one ask for?!