Much to our misbelief, it was time to change hotels again! And that means it’s another morning of dragging luggage in and out of trains and subways. This time we went from Osaka to one of Japan’s most traditionally rooted cities: Kyoto, and it's quite warm. After a longer-than-expected walk from the train and dropping off our bags at the 9hour capsule hotel, our first destination of the day was the craft museum.
The theme of the day was craft. Kyoto is well known for its craftsmen and this museum is dedicated to them and their work. Videos and displays highlighted the beauty of the finished product as well as the awe inspiring process that led to it. Some craftsmen were actually working in the museum! One of the craftsmen was working with gold leafing, and we all thought his gold exacto blade would make a fine prize/ trophy for any design student (maybe when they graduate or something of the sort).
Our second stop was Kiyomizu temple. The temple and surrounding neighborhoods were unexpectedly busy and filled with oodles of Japanese tourists and school children from varying schools. It was supposed to be quiet and contemplative, but it was still very exciting. The temple was a beautiful sight to behold and it was good to see one so lively and filled with people. We also were able to drink from the lucky fountain. Our assignmet here was to pick a detail on a shrine and photograph the same detail on varying shrines to see the change.
Several of us got to help some children practice their English and make a few friends along the way. Speaking of which, Jesse’s been a bit under the weather recently and this morning he decided to go native with a face mask. The people here seem to wear them quite often if they're sick because everyone is in such close contact with each other. Said mask seemed to make our sick friend immensely popular because he got a declaration of love (repeated quite a few times mind you) from some of the little ladies, and the rest of us got a good laugh.
After visiting the temple we spent a few hours touring the nearby shops and further enjoying Kyoto’s craft. Some of us probably spent a little more than we should have. Many of us got souvenirs and appreciated how the stores were laid out in a very zen manner.
Our final event of the day was a walking tour of Gion, a small neighborhood in Kyoto well known for its beauty and its geisha. We hit the neighborhood right at golden hour (also known as sunset). I can’t begin to recall how many times my breath was stolen by the gate ways to small gardens that can’t be seen until they’re right next you. The picturesque scenery was completed as we saw an elegant geisha walk down the street and into a tea house. The moment was almost reverent as we all stood taking in the experience; no word spoken, no photographs taken. Kyoto is a place where the wealthy and the geishas can come and relax. Our group supposedly saw about 5 geishas out of the maybe 60 in Japan. A geisha is a very high class entertainer, and very widely respected for their singing, dancing, good conversation, arts and music. It was very lucky that we saw them.
Getting back to the hotel was quite an experience since it was a capsule hotel. Each bundle of floors is dedicated to either men's or women's where we would sleep in capsules in a wall. It was simply stunning. The capsules were actually quite spacious, private and comfy. I'm pretty sure most everyone had a good night's sleep (because in the morning, everyone slept through their 6 am alarms and woke everyone around them up *cough*cough*).
