Having walked through natural bamboo forests on Shikoku, the cultivated Bamboo Garden was too orderly. Gone were all the small plants that thrive in a bamboo habitat.
The Gion District of Kyoto is one of the oldest and is associated with Geishas. Just blocks from my inn are the two streets most attached to Geishas. They slip along these streets with eyes cast straightforward looking at no one and seeking no attention.
Using an electric wheel to make a bowl also made a beautiful memory. The truly talented person was my instructor who continuously refined my bowl. Transferring fingertip muscle memory used to shape pastry dough gave me a bit of an edge.
Keep walking and you loose the gaggle of tourists. The brilliant chartreuse green maple leaves rival the cherry blossom trees.
Why did I take so much time planning my morning outing using paper maps, GPS, and Google maps? All I needed to do was follow the gauntlet of tourists.
Namiyo wizzed through the grocery store gathering dinner that required no cooking in their guesthouse. Dinner was a makeshift affair with the best of company. Our last meal.
Fushimi Inari Taisha’s inner shrine is reachable through a tunnel of thousands of Torii gates winding up a mountain. Tens of thousands rock alters are along the path.
Tofuku-ji Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple. I felt dwarfed beside the enormous building, its wooden boards and posts. It was as though I was a Lilliputian in Gulliver’s Travel.
Kinkaku-ji is Temple of the Golden and a Zen Buddhist temple. The top two floors are covered with gold leaf. It was believed that gold purified any negativity towards death. How Zen.
OVERVIEW
WALK: 5m from Natural Hot Spring Dormy Inn Himeji to JR Himeji Train Station
TRAIN: 1h @ 9:11on JR Shinkansen Hikiri 502 car #14 seat 2-E to Kyoto Station @ 10:02
BOARDED WRONG TRAIN: 8:20 disembarked at Kobe Statin and 8:35 embarked correct train at Kobe Station
TRAIN: 10:03 Kyoto Station
RENDEZVOUS: 10:03 @ Kyoto Station South Exit to Hachijo Exit West > general car area
An unexpected rendezvous with Namiyo and Saburo brought joy. They were sightseeing in Kyoto with three Spanish friends and Namiyo’s sister.
