It's been several weeks since my first visit to Kyoto, and I've been raring to go back ever since. Finally, this last Saturday was my opportunity. We didn't go to as many places as last time, but it was still a blast.
Our first stop was a bridge called Togetsu-kyo (渡月橋), which roughly means "Moon-spanning Bridge" or "Bridge that Reaches the Moon." It's supposedly very old, and the view of the mountain Arashiyama (嵐山, literally "Storm Mountain") in the fall is said to be very pretty. I thought the summer view was exquisite as well.
The river running beneath it is so tranquil. I can picture a cloudless night, with the bridge passing over the full moon reflected in the slow-moving water.
After this we took a stroll through a nearby bamboo forest. It felt like I was walking through Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It was awesome!
See? It's meee!
On the other side of the grove was a small neighborhood of purposely provincial houses. They had been built and maintained so as to keep the feel of ancient Kyoto town life (with appropriate modern conveniences, of course; these people aren't the Japanese equivalent of the Amish).
This shrine is an Enmusubi shrine, like the one I visited last time I went to Kyoto. This one is mentioned specifically in the Tale of Genji.
We seemed to be winding around in a large circle, because not too long after the shrine we arrived back on the main street where we had parked. We took a break to get snowcones (I got melon flavor; yum!) and then went shopping in some amazing stores. Most of the places we went to had incredibly unique, handmade crafts made from bamboo, specially woven cloth, etc. Most of it was beyond my meager budget, but I did pick up a noren (the cloth cover put in front of store fronts) and a new pair of summer jinbei (Japanese pajamas).
After lunch at Big Boy, where we ate delicious hamburgs (not hamburgers; hamburgs, or hambaagu, are a Japanese invention, taking the patty from a hamburger, mixing bread and other ingredients into it, and serving it up as its own dish). I'm so happy my wife knows how to make so much of this delicious food; I don't have to be without it in America! :)
Now, given that Kyoto is the ancient capital and is often synonymous with tradition and the old ways of life, I figured that our next destination would be yet another example of the deep and rich history of Japan. And in a way, I was right. However, the depiction of this era of Japan was not only a commentary on Japan's general history, but also on Japanese cinema during the 20th century.
The place we went to is called Toei Kyoto Studio Park, which is essentially Universal Studios for old samurai period pieces, called jidaigeki 時代劇. Preserved here are the set pieces for many famous historical dramas in Japan, which range from the Warring States Period in the 16th century to the tumultuous end of the Shogunate and return of Imperial power in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
The park itself is designed to look and feel like you're walking in an old Japanese town. The first thing you see is a busy city street, full of shops (though they now only sell souvenirs and memorabilia).
Even the roads were dusty, like a typical town would be of that time. Of course, if you're feeling particularly lordly and wouldn't deign to sully your feet on the dirt, you might consider getting yourself a rickshaw.
After lunch at Big Boy, where we ate delicious hamburgs (not hamburgers; hamburgs, or hambaagu, are a Japanese invention, taking the patty from a hamburger, mixing bread and other ingredients into it, and serving it up as its own dish). I'm so happy my wife knows how to make so much of this delicious food; I don't have to be without it in America! :)
Now, given that Kyoto is the ancient capital and is often synonymous with tradition and the old ways of life, I figured that our next destination would be yet another example of the deep and rich history of Japan. And in a way, I was right. However, the depiction of this era of Japan was not only a commentary on Japan's general history, but also on Japanese cinema during the 20th century.
The place we went to is called Toei Kyoto Studio Park, which is essentially Universal Studios for old samurai period pieces, called jidaigeki 時代劇. Preserved here are the set pieces for many famous historical dramas in Japan, which range from the Warring States Period in the 16th century to the tumultuous end of the Shogunate and return of Imperial power in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
The park itself is designed to look and feel like you're walking in an old Japanese town. The first thing you see is a busy city street, full of shops (though they now only sell souvenirs and memorabilia).
Even the roads were dusty, like a typical town would be of that time. Of course, if you're feeling particularly lordly and wouldn't deign to sully your feet on the dirt, you might consider getting yourself a rickshaw.
Come here, slave! Pick up this photo-op and cart me hence!
If you're rather stay concealed, then perhaps a palanquin?
They had samurai, ninja, and geisha literally roaming the streets as you walked through the different sets.
They were surprisingly friendly folk, and were aching people to take pictures with them.
Some samurai were less friendly than others, though....
Gagch! Killed by a policeman samurai? Ugh, slain by the sword of Justice...
Some of them would even get into brawls right on the street. Here's a video of an encounter between two rogue samurai and a member of the Shinsengumi, a special police group of under the command of the Shogunate during the years leading up to the Meiji Restoration. His light blue coat is a dead giveaway that he's the guy with the chops for chopping.
After the demonstration the performers asked for volunteers to come up and help defeat the evil samurai. Despite my earnest hand waving and shouting, I lost the spot to another intern in a game of rock-paper-scissors. I still regret not challenging her to best two out of three.
Struggle....
Cut!
Victory!
Needing a break from the sun (it's far too hot for June), we went to an indoor venue to watch a "making of" show, where a "director" helped two witless "actors" to enact a samurai/ninja battle. They were speaking really fast and I really didn't catch much of what they were saying, but the slapstick styling of the whole thing was pretty easy to pick up on. We watched as the samurai chased after the ninja and challenged him to battle, only to have the tables turned on him at the end. It was quite entertaining!
We continued on, looking at different sets. Brother and Sister Sugimoto (who were our guides for the day) were reminiscing about all these old shows they used to watch as we went past various sets. There was a photo booth were you could dress up as a character from these old shows and get your picture taken, but it was rather expensive so I couldn't get one. I would have made a killer Miyamoto Musashi.
One set in particular caught their interest, a fire station from a show called Me-gumi め組, which is about old firefighters in Tokyo. They had a big stick that they'd hoist on a nearby roof to draw attention to the fire.
As far as drawing attention is concerned, though, I think my pasty whiteness does a good job of that already.
After that was another show, a Ninja Show!
Ninjas are just as glorified in Japan as they are in the States.
Again, the language was a bit beyond my comprehension level, but the gist of this glorified action show was readily apparent. I only caught small portions on camera, but here they are.
After that we headed home, tired and very satisfied. Well, almost satisfied. I should have tried harder to be in that samurai show....
I would come back to Kyoto in a heartbeat. I'd come back to this park in a heartbeat too. Man, it was a BLAST! I want to watch a bunch of samurai shows now.
