May 16_Exploring Osaka

 

             We started out the morning with our first breakfast at the Yamatoya Inn down by the river at 8:30. Much like the monastery breakfast we have no choice over what we get, but it’s always very exciting. We got to cook our own fish over the little grill and it was such a treat.

            After breakfast we headed out to get to the department store before it opened to see quite an amazing scene. When the store opened a pair of adorab
le ladies acting perfectly in sync opened the door to us, much like a military procedure. As we walked in and approached the people working there, they all would turn to us and bow deeply. We walked around the Takashimaya department store to experience their showcase of craft and store design. To make this short, it was breathtaking to see a belt go for 8000 and a tiny suitcase go for well over 100,000, but the craft was so well done. Unlike most department stores in America where only showcase items are displayed, in Japan, the items are displayed out before you where you can have your pick, not only that, but they bring in the crafts person that makes the products. This is becasue the work behind the item is valued very highly. 

 

            We soon then left to Namba Parks, a new development in the city where stores, cafes, restaurants and beautiful gardens were scattered about a green hill. It was a beautiful example of landscape architecture where we saw all kinds of people eating at their leisure in the shade of a tree looking out over the city.

            Seeing other people eat made us hungry so we went and got some lunch. Our group went to a small restaurant run by what I believe to be a family. We got to practice some Japanese and got to eat the most delicious fried pieces of eggplant.

 

            Since we were already close, we went to the electronics district for a bit and browsed the popular culture for a bit. There was so many exciting toys and games that the 20 minutes we had wasn't nearly enough time to look through it all. Hopefully we'll come back.

            From there we went to the Osaka Castle which is huge. From the top of the castle it seemed like a small patch of green space in the middle of a forest of buildings. We went up in the elevator to the 5^th floor and made our way up and then down. Inside there were many historical articles, models and stories of how the castle came to be. There was also a duplicate of the three tatami mat tea room made with no nails and bathed in red.

            When we left from there most of us I guess were left spiritually refreshed and took in the sites around the castle and started to pick 4-leaf clovers ( I found a 5 leaf one, just saying!) most of us also already drained all our battery life from our cameras. With a little too much dilly dallying we made it to the train station just in time. It was a real rush and a close call.

            We were off to get our dinner in the basement of Takashimaya where the bentos can be bought. We got a bit lost, but nothing we couldn’t handle. It was a real fast paced experience where the vendors would again try and persuade us to try their food and convince us that theirs is the best. We split up and got our own bentos and headed back to the hotel where I’m confident to say that after we ate, we all passed out dead tired around 10pm or so.

May 15_ Departure from Koyasan/Arrival in Osaka

 

Woke up in the morning' (feelin' like P. Diddy, oh Kesha..). We mediated with others staying at the monastery. It was a really different experience from the last mediation session because a lot of the people were encouraging us to take part (although, Jesse messed up and is probably going to Buddhist hell, wait, is there a Buddhist hell??). Once again, Rochelle was mistaken as being Japanese. After meditation, we went to the Woodland cemetery of Japan and took epic pictures, played Where's Waldo (aka Jesse) and guessed what kind of ethnicity the asians we saw were (of course Rochelle won but Jesse did alright, absolutely no contest with Amanda). We finally left Koyasan (Sayonara, "soggy" Buddhist vegetarian meals =) ). 

 

After a four hour train ride, we arrived in Osaka (FOOOOOOD!!!! CAPITAL OF JAPAN). On our walk to the hotel, David pointed out our landmark, a GIANT moving crab! We all gathered to watch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode on Japan highlighting Osaka's food district while gorging ourselves with snacks such as dried squid, dried fish, edamame chips, candy, koalas, soy snacks and more delicious snacks (Japanese people love the word DELISHUS [note: say it really fast]). Afterwards, a few of us decided to pre-explore the food district and we met this really awesome girl name Edigo. She made us promise her that we would eat at her restaurant and her selling point was that they served alcohol "very strong" (yes, we just got stereotyped). All of us felt really out of place because we didn't look like dolls (google image doll eye contacts please [disclaimer: we haven't actually done that, so be careful] ). We met up with the rest of the group, then broke up into small groups. We made our way back to the main food street and ate takoyaki (octopus balls, DELISHUS!). Then we found Edigo! She was so happy to see us she almost cried (for real). Bernice asked why she was so surprised to see us and if people don't usually keep their promises…Edigo replied, "Uhhh no, most of the time no". We ordered sashimi and our server was named Justin. During our long wait, we figured out Justin's life story (born in US, half Japanese and his mother is Japanese?) More FOOOOOOD specifically octopus balls. We were attracted to this specific stand because there was a dancing worker singing to New York by Alicia Keyes (he was also a fan of Elvis). 

Then it was dessert time (apparently we all have multiple stomachs), we found this really awesome bakery that had different flavored custard pastries. A couple of Japanese dolls helped us decide which ones to get by pointing and giggling (ask Jesse to reinact the ….squealing??"). We met back up with the rest of the group learned about the true nature of  love hotels (they're actually about love and not adultery), shared stories and learned about Avigail's "sexy bartender." Then we drifted off into a lovely FOOOOOOD coma. 

Sayonara!

Rochelle, Amanda and Jesse

May 14_A Day of Pilgrimage

May 14, 2011

We began our morning at six by joining the Buddhist monks in meditation at the Fukuchi-in Temple. Kneeling in front of the chanting monks and priest, we were awed by the gilded lotus flowers and decorations, which were slowly lit by the sun's soft light, filtered through the screens behind us. Toward the end of meditation, one monk opened the screen and revealed a beautiful Japanese garden, a combination of raked sand, rocks, and plants. It was truly breathtaking. Although the service was in Japanese, the chanting was both calming and refreshing, starting our day with a peaceful yet interesting experience.

            After an elegant breakfast, Bernice and Piper, who were relieved to arrive at Koyasan after three days of attempting to catch up with the group, finally joined us. Once the group was reunited and fed, we spent several hours capturing images of the Kondo, the main hall of Koyasan, and its surrounding pagodas.

            We then left the Koyasan precinct through the Daimon and followed the Women's Pilgrimage Path up the mountain and around Koyasan. The Women's Pilgrimage Path, accented by breathtaking mountain views, was built once women were allowed to enter the temples. After a few relaxing hours, we had another vegetarian meal and returned to the Kondo and surrounding halls to practice night photography.

 Finally, we took part in a sutra-copying class at Fukuchi-in. We were given calligraphy pens and instructed to trace over Japanese symbols, which formed a traditional prayer. We learned how to form the symbols as we progressed, our hands learning how much pressure to apply and how quickly to make the brush strokes. This relaxing experience closed a full day at Koyasan. 

5-13 _ ARRIVAL IN KOYASAN

5-13

Starting day two we woke up and had breakfast at 6:30. The breakfast was very good with a mix of Western and Asian cuisine. Then it was train time to Kyoto. We rode over 100 miles by train, and boy was that an experience. 

Train number one: packed and stuffed to the brim. We had to stand the whole 30 minutes to the next. On it there were the little school children riding the train to school. It was very adorable to see them in their uniforms, chatting away and doing the homework they forgot to finish the night before.  

The next train was much quieter and emptier this was a pleasant ride full of scenic photographing of the mountains and towns whizzing by.  The last train up the mountain to Koyasan was a beautiful one. The deep valleys and lush landscapes were only made even more interesting by the old man that offered his help in pointing out particular interesting objects. He was quite the gentleman, and knew English fairly well!  

After the train up to the last mountain stop, we then had to take a cable car to the Fukishi-in monastery.Arriving at the monastery we were greeted with a handwritten sigh that said University of Tennessee (and probably "welcome" was written in the top in hiragana). It was a wonderful gesture for none of us had expected to have been received with such grace.

 

 We then dropped off our luggage then meandered the streets of Koyasan looking for some food. David suggested a restaurant which was very good. Soon after we finished lunch we decided to go visit the cemetery of the monks. This is no typical cemetery, it is an elaborate burial ground in which offerings are placed at the base of graves and incense is burned. There were many amazing and beautiful statues and monuments along the walkway.  Once thru the cemetery we arrived to the tourist-y part of the walk. There we washed our hands in the fountains and got our books stamped with the temple's logo. Continuing on, we had a quick tour of the main Buddhist temple. This was a magnificent temple, of which no photos were allowed (but I'm sure there were some taken). Inside one of the monks was chanting what seemed to be an ancient hymn. 

 

After finishing  the cemetery walk we arrived to the monastery in which we were staying the night, Fukishi-in. We were all glad to finally be able to take off our shoes at the door, and sit down for a while. at 18:00 we had dinner…. OH DINNER.

This dinner was an onslaught to taste buds. While everything was vegetarian, just as the monks eat, it was all strange, and delightful…(while some were not so delightful). There was vegetable tempura,

four kinds of tofu and just a myriad of textures and tastes that no one had experienced before. Everyone agreed, that while not actually being full, the combination of all the new flavors filled our stomachs in another way that prevented us from stuffing our faces. 

By now it had become dark, and David encouraged us to use the Onsen. This is a public bath where you enter your room of gender, strip down necked, shower, and then sit in a bath with others. It sounds strange, but the experience is wonderful. Especially after a long day of traveling and walking, the hot waters soothed our feet and our souls. 

First Night Sketches

After dinner I just could not resist going out onto the streets. It was raining but the sounds the trains, chimes calling the passengers, and the glistening streets were beautiful. I found a man selling octopus balls and had several right off the griddle. The following are some shotes of a small train station just outside of our hotel. The small scale of the streets and the compressed urban fabric in the suburbs of Osaka makes a person from North America feel like they are in a movie set. Heading to Koysan tomorrow. 

 See more images on the gallery page.