Kyoto – Greg and Mandy's Travels

For the first time last night as we were looking for dinner options, we came across several restaurants with signs in their window “Do not enter if you don’t speak Japanese”. Gladly.

Took a late morning train to Kyoto. Arrived around lunchtime and emerged from the metro to the sight of a full blown procession of warlords, samurai, geisha and whole stack of other things that we really couldn’t identify with any great precision. It’s a yearly parade which goes from the imperial palace all the way down the road to the main temple of the city highlighting traditional Japanese society down the ages. Took two hours from the front to the back of the procession.

Eventually found our hotel, checked in, and dropped our stuff before heading out again.

Emperors live in ‘Palaces’. Shoguns only lived in ‘Castles’. Precision counts here. You may recall from my rambling a couple of days ago that one of the important eras in Japanese history was the Edo period from 1603 – 1867 when the Samurai leader assumed control of the country from the Emperor, made him redundant, and cut Japan off from the rest of the world. Well, at that time Kyoto was the capital, and when the Shogun wrested control he built himself a castle in Kyoto called the Nijo-jo Castle. Usual story – size matters. Big gardens, imposing walls, surrounded by an impressive moat.

In time, a subsequent Shogun moved the capital to what is now Tokyo, but when the American warships delivered their ultimatum in 1853 to open up or pay the price for resisting a foreign power, the 15th and last Shogun eventually admitted defeat, and in 1867 returned to the castle in Kyoto to surrender his authority to rule the country back to the Emperor. So this castle was the site of the first and last Shogun ruler.

We walked up the road to the Nijo-jo Castle, and walked around the perimeter of the moat looking at the walls and gates. Very impressive as you’d expect.

After dark, we ventured out again for an evening walk, and stopped for a dinner of ‘Berkshire Potstickers’ as the menu, provided for those ignorant people who only speak English, described them. Not having a clue what they were, we found the Japanese menu, and used Google Translate to find out. Gyoza! Why not just say so?

Then into one of the old districts of Kyoto. Kabuki theatre originated in Kyoto, and there is one theatre left, Minami-ma. Of course it’s been renovated since 1610, but it looked lovely all lit up. Then up to the Yasaka Shrine which is open and lit all night for people to visit outside the daytime crush. Wandered down a number of old streets with the wooden fronted houses where geisha are often seen (no luck tonight), and had a quick lesson about how the decoration on the front facade of the wooden houses told you what was probably happening inside.

Back down an incredibly busy and vibrant shopping road – much more like I had expected Tokyo to be – back to our room.