Pan Pacific Junket Day 15b: April 16, 2025 (Wednesday) - Kyoto Day 2, Afternoon and Evening

After our anniversary lunch, on our second sightseeing day in Kyoto:

• Afternoon visit to the Nijo Shogun Castle in Kyoto, a short walk from our hotel.
• Theater in the evening - a sampler of Japanese theater traditions.
• Dinner in a small, off the beaten path wine bar.

One of the famous built a huge castle and residence in Kyoto, even though he only spent a few days per year. There was an impressive entrance gate. The shogun would hold forth in these rooms - he was elevated on a platform while his minions would be on tatami mats looking up to him. His armed guards would remain behind screens, ready to summarily deal with anyone who even thought about causing any trouble.

The multi-tiered roof structures were impressive, made with joints rather than nails.

We had some great weather throughout our whole time in Japan, very few dreary or drizzly days. Impressive roofs!

Impressive gardens with ponds in gardens surrounding the castle. We learned that there are three types of Japanese Gardens: Dry Gardens, Pond Gardens, Tea Gardens. Beer and sake were apparently not consumed in the gardens.

Interesting rock arrangements in the Shogun's gardens.

The Gion Corner theater specializes in preserving and teaching about the Japanese artistic traditions. We got a sampling of most of the items shown above. The Bugaku dance was especially impressive because of the size of the figure shown in lower right. Was hard to tell how exactly this was brought off - it looked like one actor was inside an overside costume, maybe on stilts or with extensions for limbs, head. The comedy was actually pretty amusing, and the Noh play was esoteric, but taken on its own terms, engaging.

Google Maps works fine in Kyoto, though the character symbols are sometimes used with familiar phonetic letters. We set off for dinner to a French restaurant Le Boule, which turned out to be closed. No problem, the "Libera" wine bar was open. The owner prepared us a light dinner and poured some good wines from Russian River Valley CA.  Good night Kyoto!

Pan Pacific Junket Day 15a: April 16, 2025 (Wednesday) - Kyoto Day 2, Morning

Our second sightseeing day in Kyoto was packed full. I'll split into two posts. Overview:

• Morning visit to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple - a magnificent hillside location.
• Sally and Joe Anniversary celebration lunch (37 years)!
• Afternoon visit to the Nijo Shogun Castle in Kyoto, a short walk from our hotel.
• Theater in the evening - a sampler of Japanese theater traditions.
• Dinner in a small, off the beaten path wine bar.

In this post I'll cover only the Kiyomizu-dera temple, up through lunch.

What makes today's Buddhist temple stand out from ones visited earlier is its hillside location. This affords a great setting for the buildings, gardens, small shrines and spectacular views out over Kyoto and to the mountains beyond.

Steps at entrance, leading upwards.

Plaza landing on the way up.

Looking through ornate gate, back down over the city and mountains in distance.

View of the top, just after starting down.

View of iconic tiered tower.

Plenty of gold, and honor to ancestors and deities.

Curious custom of clothing the small statues.
Reminded me of how some people will attire
their small dogs, no disrespect intended.

Looking back up over lush landscape as we make our way down.

One last look back up through the gate as we leave.

---------------------------------------

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JOE AND SALLY

at the

GARDEN CAFE, KYOTO

Who would have ever thought that we would celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary so far from home. What a great privilege it is to share so many memories and still be healthy and curious enough to be creating so many new ones!  With gratitude for all experiences, health and the best family and friends.

Pan Pacific Junket Day 14: April 15, 2025 (Tuesday) - Kyoto

Our first full day in Kyoto. We visit three beautiful outdoor sites. The first two temples are on the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage sites list.

• The Ryoan-ji temple with a famous Zen Rock Garden and beautiful lake.
• The Kinkaku-ji temple with the famous "Golden Temple".
• The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, a popular site with visitors posing with the tall bamboo as backdrop.

We continue to have outstanding weather, and benefit from the extended bloom of the cherry trees that has occurred this year.

View of Kyoto from our window. Kyoto is surrounded by mountains on three sides, making for warm summers and cool winters. It was the capital city from 794 to 1868, fostering the development of the arts, science and cultural traditions. We found it to be a vibrant city, more bicycles than in Tokyo. Lots of restaurants, parks, walking along paths along the river lined with cherry trees, cultural attractions.

Partial view of the rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple. To enter the wooden floor area next to the rock garden you must remove shoes. Crowds were not too bad here. I sat at edge of this rock garden for a few minutes, and managed to have a meditative time, warm sun on my feet, relative quiet.

Throughout Japan, particularly in Kyoto, accommodations for blind persons were evident. Here, is a model of the rock garden in miniature that could be experienced by touch. At street crossings, bus stops and in train stations there were raised rubber markings on the ground, just high enough to feel with feet to mark the right places to cross or board.

View of the lake at Ryoan Ji. Most Japanese garden ponds have an island. The tree blossoms float on the surface.

The great Golden Temple at Kinkaku-ji. This was very popular attraction. Sally managed to take this poetic photo that shows the Golden Temple but omits our many fellow sightseers. Real gold leaf colors the temple. In town, you can also get ice cream with gold leaf as an ingredient, providing untold but highly extolled health benefits.

Selfie overlap!

A side temple pagoda, lush and tall trees in distance up the hill.

-----------------------------

Walking through the very tall Bamboo Forest. A bit windy; the sounds of bamboo clicking overhead.

Pretty scene with pink rhododendrons in full bloom in front of the bamboo. We saw azaleas and camellias too, daffodils and the flowering trees.

Lovely Japanese garden next to Bamboo Forest. A nominal admission charge to this garden made it much more serene.

Front yard Buddha in neighborhood surrounding the Bamboo Forest, redbud in bloom. No pink flamingos in sight.

Rickshaws were available for hire at this popular destination. 

Shallow river was being dredged near the town around the Bamboo Forest. Meticulous care of just about everything was in evidence wherever we went. No trash cans on trains or stations, people carry plastic bags to pack out any refuse generated. We also learned that in schools, kids actively participate in the cleaning and maintenance of their classrooms and facilities at the school, and they teach each other how to do these things. What a good way to foster a sense of community, and it shows.

As mentioned previously,
here is the entrance to the old
Shimadzu corporation building.

Pan Pacific Junket Day 13: April 14, 2025 (Monday)

Monday April 14 was our last day in Tokyo. We visited the very large and popular Senso-ji Buddhist temple, strolled through the surrounding touristy shops in the Asakusa area, and took a very exciting ride on the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto.  

This is the Westin lobby. Normally we look for the light they leave on for us at the Motel 6, but we may have to rethink that after staying in the opulent Westin in Tokyo. The breakfast buffet was unforgettable, they had a small garden surrounding the hotel, complete with a small waterfall and ponds. Great location. Our room looked out with a view showing how densely packed Tokyo is, in every direction*.  A few weeks ago some friends told us about the sophisticated engineering and features available in Japanese commodes - a state of the art model was provided here. If you know, you know.

*Gemini AI tells me:  The "population of Tokyo" depends on which definition of "Tokyo" is being used. For the city proper (23 special wards), it's around 9 million. For the Tokyo Metropolis (prefecture), it's over 14 million. And for the Greater Tokyo Area, it's about 37 million.

Entrance to the very popular Senso-ji Buddhist temple. There was incense burning in a large vessel as we approached. Opportunities for several types of devotions and appeals to the deities for favor and good fortune, such as written prayer requests, tablets, face-to-statue appeals. There were also smaller shrines and statues in the surrounding garden area that were quieter and more contemplative.

We were here! Massa, our Geohagan group fixer and good-luck guy for all transfers took the photo. He was everyone's favorite.

We learned a bit about the no-nails wooden joinery used to make these tall structures earthquake-safe. This 5-teir pagoda was quite impressive to see.

If you get a bad fortune, no problem. Tie it on here and it will be reconsidered.

A more peaceful Buddha on the side.

Another Buddha, with halo frame. Great weather, trees were in bloom, small green Spring leaves shimmering in the sun.

A moving, quiet tribute and remembrance to the devastation of the war. War memorials were sparse - so far, this is the only one I recall seeing. 

The Asakusa area is fun-fair food and shopping along one main street leading from the temple. The strawberry crepe was tasty. As we ventured out beyond Tokyo, we saw agricultural plots tucked in to spaces everywhere. Rice paddies flooded, and being prepared for spring planting, harvest in the fall, similar to grains we are more familiar with in the US breadbasket states.

At the Tokyo station, ready to board the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto.

The train exhibits this impressive profile at both ends. No cabooses here! We had reserved seating, truly luxurious, like business class in an airplane. Clean bathroom facilities on board.

Fast train map. While the speed was not displayed, my Uncle Ray's question of how fast we were going prompted me to start up my "RideWithGPS" biking app - I watched the speed get up to about 185 mph, slower in curved sections. 

We had great views of Japan's iconic, snow-capped Mt Fuji from the train. This is special, since clouds, fog, rain often shroud the peak. We had an option to take an excursion to Mt Fuji, but opted instead for Tokyo touring based on the likelihood of poor weather.

Our tour operator provided delicious bento box lunches on the train.

We arrived in Kyoto early evening, after a long day of morning sightseeing and transfer. In Kyoto, we stayed at the Okura Hotel. I was surprised to see a stately stone building across from our hotel with "Shimadzu Corporation" carved above the entrance. Shimadzu makes scientific instrumentation, like liquid chromatography systems and mass spectrometers that I used during my career; I have several friends and colleagues who are (or have been) Shimadzu employees in the US. I learned that the building no longer is a Shimadzu location, but has been preserved for historical interest.  They also have a very nice restaurant called the Garden, where Sally and I would celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary on Wednesday April 16.

For our first evening in Tokyo we explored dinner at a 7-11 store. These are tremendously popular throughout Japan, and provide very convenient and decent foods and a wide range of products. 

Pan Pacific Junket Day 12: April 13, 2025 (Sunday) - Tokyo Tour Day 2

 On our second day of Tokyo sightseeing:

• Meiji Jingu Shrine (Shinto)
• Shibuya Crossing
• Mori Art Museum
• Sushi Chef Training Lunch
• TeamLab Planets multi-sensory experience.
• Pack up bags for collection in evening
• Dinner at 38th floor of office tower in plaza

Will post this now, with what we have. Getting busy with the tour guides ambitious sightseeing plans every day!

Reiko one of our local guides.

In the forest at the Meiji Jingu Shrine

40 ft tall Torii, entrance gate to shrine

Offerings of sake ...

... and wine at entrance to sacred shrine. 
The gods must be kept happy!

  

Prayer tablets, later collected and burned by priest

Tokyo from the Mori Art Museum. While much of the residential architecture in Tokyo is mostly just functional, there are many small city parks, and an occasional very interesting building.

Short video of suspended sculpture at the Mori Art Museum, ~6 ft tall.

Sushi chefs in training. We were awarded certificates "with distinction"

Our sushi-making trainer

One of the multi-sensory experiences at the TeamLab Planets where "seamless artworks transcend boundaries and transform space". We may have a few more surrealistic photos to add later.