Kyoto Kyoto Kyoto!
Pardon me for the overzealous title. I know Kyoto is one of our favorite destinations but still I do not need to shout like this. We spent 3 days in the ancient capital and hence the 3 repetitions, very original isn't it? Ok, enough of justification, or the lack thereof. A bad title is a bad title no matter how :p
Kyoto is a classy city. Especially more so after having traveled from the concrete mess that is Osaka. Although less than an hour train ride away (and a mere 25min or so if you're taking the bullet train) Kyoto is the complete opposite of its neighbour. At first sight though upon arriving at the train station, Kyoto might seem a bit of a letdown. Somehow it looks just like any other ordinary Japanese cities. And you find yourself thinking, hey where are all the shrines I've come here for? Where are the geishas you thought will be wandering on the streets? But let not the facade of the extremely modern station mislead you for much of the old Japan await as you make your way out of the station area.
In fact, after a day, you may even begin to suffer from an overdose of shrine-hopping. I love the beautiful shrines and temples that are dotted all over this city believe me. But unless you have an immense interest and profound knowledge of shrines/temples, their different structures and the various sects of Buddhism that they represent, chances are that many will start to look the same after a while. Moreover, most of these attractions require an entrance fee and many of them are not cheap. So really the best balance is to shortlist a number of the more representative ones to get the general feel, you know what I mean.
I remember 7 years ago when I first visited Kyoto, armed with a good map in hand, my friends and I got down to the business of hunting down all the very famous and must-visit sights that are listed in almost every guidebook and brochure about the city that you lay your hands on. This time round, I intend to take it a little easier and just let my whim and fancy of the day guide me along. The main purpose for this visit is to enjoy the city's famous spring sights and try the famed Kyoto cuisine that is believed by many to be the mother of all Japanese cooking.
First stop is Kiyomizudera or 清水寺, perhaps the city's most celebrated temple. Part of the fun of visiting this temple is making the way there. Before reaching the attraction itself, tourists have to walk along narrow and sloping stone paths that are lined with stalls on both sides selling all sorts of Japanesey trinkets, souvenirs and lotsa local snacks! For those who may be seeking a quiet and spiritual retreat, the eastern side of the city where Kiyomizudera is, this area may be a tad bit too touristy. That however did not stop us from enjoying ourselves. Mainly we had so much fun drifting in and out of shops, snacking on Japanese sweets and ice-cream and this was also the place where Alvin's samurai's aspiration was mildly satisfied with the purchase of a wooden sword or 木刀.
And here's a look at beautiful Kiyomizudera. This particular spot is perhaps the most famous and most photographed view of the temple. The beauty and marvel of this architecture is the platform hoisting the temple, built with huge wooden planks without using a single nail.
The entire Higashi area makes for a perfect photo taking background and so we spent the afternoon walking, stopping, eating and posing for many pictures. Though crowded, the place has got a lively yet relaxed atmosphere, a very scenic and attractive part of the city indeed.
Nishiki Market (錦市場) in Kyoto, otherwise known as the 'Kyoto's Kitchen' is a shopping street that extends about 400 meters, lined by more than one hundred shops on both sides selling various kinds of fresh and processed foods and many Kyoto specialities such as pickles, Japanese sweets, sushi and fresh seafood and vegetables. The history of the market goes back several centuries and many stores have been operated by the same families for generations. Although it supplies mainly to the hundreds of big and small eateries in the city, it is also frequented by both locals and travelers making the place a popular destination for many.
Having discovered a new found interest in anything culinary related, this place was a must-see on my itinerary and I was glad that it did not disappoint. I found much joy in tasting the colorful pickles and learning about local Japanese ingredients and vegetables though the same could not be said for my boyfriend whose eyes literally sparkled when I signalled that I was finally done with marketing :P
One of the main highlights while in Kyoto was definitely gorging myself silly with the huge variety of Japanese sweets that are sold everywhere in the city. You can eat most of these confectionery anywhere in Japan but I swear that of all the places I've visited so far Kyoto has got the biggest selection!
Unlike their western counterparts whose basic ingredients consist of flour, egg, butter,sugar and cream, Japanese sweets, known as wagashi(和菓子) uses mainly beans (which are make into bean paste as fillings), mochi-rice (which is our glutinous rice), rice flour, sweet potatoes, sesame seeds,chestnuts,soybean powder, maccha etc. The King of wagashi ingredients is undoubtedly red bean or what they called Azuki beans. In fact, I've never seen any country so fond of it that they seem to think that they are the only people who use them in their cooking.
While some younger Japanese may find wagashi less tempting and perhaps a tad old-fashioned, Japanese confectionery nevertheless remains widely popular among many. For reasons unknown, my family had always loved anything mochi related (daifuku, dango, sakura mochi, warabi mochi, you name it) so you can imagine everyone's joy when they visited what they've since regard as 'The Mochi Kingdom'. If you are too like us, I'm sure you will be very happy here too :)))
Tell me how can you resists these sweet temptations?
I had hope to catch the famed cherry blossom views that Kyoto is well-known for but because it was still early April when we visited, not all the trees were in full bloom yet. But for those that were, it was nevertheless a sight to behold. The sakuras seem to evoke a particular feeling among the Japanese for I've never seen any others who placed thus much emotional attachment to the cherry blossom. During this period, shops and restaurants serve special sakura menu, sakura-flavoured dishes and ice-cream and special bentos for sakura viewing. I've since learnt from my friends that there are different types of sakura trees and that their leaves are picked during this season, pickled and kept to be use for making sweets later.
On day 3, we made our way to our final stop in Kyoto, a quaint little suburb-countryside area known as Arashiyama. What was intended to be a half day trip became almost a one day affair for the place exceeded our expectation and we found ourselves wandering the streets leisurely and taking in the breathtaking scenery.
There wasn't any actual itinerary while in Arashiyama, no check list or whatsoever and perhaps that was why it was so enjoyable. We simply walked along the river, chanced upon an almost deserted garden and found ourselves at the doorstep of a fabulous temple (天龍寺)that afternoon. We simply lost track of time.
The most unforgettable encounter has got to be the stretch of bamboo forest near the temple. The walk through the growth was so surreal that for a moment it was hard to tell where we were. It reminded us vaguely of the fighting scene in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' where Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh were flying above some bamboo forest displying their martial skills. Really, if you do visit Kyoto, Arashiyama and this bamboo forest are definitely 2 places you should not miss. You've got to see for yourself to believe.
Connectivity
Let's see, I still have several dozen travel pictures to put up but what with less than half an hour to the next class, I might as well just stop by for a quick, real-time update. Figure I was due a rambling blog entry anyway.
For some reason, I feel extremely out of touch with everyone and everything for the past week. Without the luxury of going online as and when you feel like it, my connectivity level depends entirely on my work schedule. A Tuesday is almost certainly impossible for me to get anywhere close to a computer, both my own or the schools', reason being that it's my weekly elementary school day and I can be sure of a day packed full of teaching and prancing.
A typical online day is every Wednesday and Friday, when I am back in my base school and able to access the internet using my personal laptop. So in between classes and as and when I have free time, I would ineveitably spend most part of these two days staring intently at my screen and typing away furiously. It must be a rather strange sight I presume, to be so abosrbed and looking terribly busy for an ALT in a school with a total population of less than a hundred students. There are days when the paranoia streak in me take precedence and a general sense of uneasiness overcomes me. That my sort of anti-social presence in the staff room, mainly a by-product of my intense preoccupation with the computer may not be look upon too kindly. There are days however, when I simply threw caution to the wind, preferring not to let my hopefully over-imaginative mind get in the way of my only window to the outside world.
Last Sunday I had work the entire day and as such we had Monday off. Without having to go to work, naturally I have no means of accessing the internet. So you bet I was really glad that it's finally Wednesday once more.
Much as I am able to understand most of the news on TV, the Japanese news and newspapers I must say, is not for one who are pining for some up-to-date account of what's going on in the world outside Japan. Otherwise how else would I have been able to know how a waterspout off East Coast looked like, or that UNSW's Singapore's campus' premature closure within 3 months of its opening. Indeed, never before had I been such an avid reader of Channel NewsAsia, The New York Times and yes, even Lian He Zaobao! I would love to be able to read good old Straits Times too had it not been that for some strangely incomprehensible reason, subscription fee is a prerequisite for Singaporeans trying to access their only national paper. In comparison, the Chinese paper's website turns out to be such a pleasant surprise, a real treasure cove of nicely archived news and articles.
Besides reading the news, whatever precious online time I have is divided between updating this blog, catching up with friends and siblings over emails and doing research for all the trips that I've made so far. Though I do miss the occasional MSN chat over the weekend with friends and webcam sessions with family, life without internet is not as unbearable as it may seem. Fact is, I hardly have the time or urge to be constantly log on after working hours these days. What with the little time I have left of this place, I'd rather spend more of it watching local TV program, making simple meals or taking my bike out for a ride along the coast anytime while I still have the chance. The Internet can wait.
The Question
To be honest, I've been wondering how to approach this particular entry. In fact, I wasn't even sure in the first place if I should share something this personal over cyberspace. It seems a bit strange, as if making an announcement over the PA system.
As you might recall, this blog was started as a place for me to record the many things that happened during my days in Japan and is also a means where I keep in touch and updated with friends. So that when life resumes to normality once again after I am back and many years down the road, the time spent in Japan will not simply morph into a dreamlike existence. Thus it occured to me that it would be a bit incomplete, like a missing piece from a jigsaw puzzle, to not have mentioned what is possibly one of the most significant moment of my entire story here.
It's quite simple and straightforward affair. There weren't any romantic poems or self-composed song sung to strumming guitar. No frills no nothing. Nevertheless, it was the sweetest thing to me. Just a face flushed with excitement, a little black box clenched tightly in the fist and a tumbled strings of words. He asked The Question. I was stumped. It took a while for the moment to sink in before I realised what happened.
Do i see it coming along? Have I been anticipating it? Well, it's both a yes and no. Yes because it's a natural progression for the relationship. No because I wasn't expecting a proposal until I return to Singapore, after things settle down again once more.
But either way, the reply will still be the same isn't it? I always think that the world is such a big place and the possibility of one being anywhere and meeting whoever is infinite. The fact that you're able to find someone who wants to travel through life's journey together with you is indeed a real blessing.
My feelings at the moment are perhaps best encapsulate by a Japanese proverb that I had recently been taught by a kindly school principal. 全てに時あり(subeteni toki ari) simply means in life there is a time for everything. And I can't agree more.
This time last year, I just got news of my posting to an island and remember feeling really anxious yet excited at the prospect of finally realizing the long cherished dream of working and living abroad on my own. In fact, that was all I could think about at that time. Now, with less than 3 months remaining, my one year adventure in Japan is coming to a close soon. No doubt I will miss my life on the little island a lot. Make the best of each day and cherish the moment now, that's what I've been reminding myself constantly these days. Come August, I will be homeward bound. This time I am looking forward to the beginning of a new chapter in life. :)
Kuidaore Osaka
Kuidaore (食い倒れ)literally means eat till you drop and no other city other than Osaka befits this title more aptly. Mentioned Osaka to any Japanese and chances are food will inevitably become the main topic of any discussion.
Food attraction and perhaps shopping aside, there is hardly anything about the city that is off much interest to me. Although this is my second visit, my first being some 7 years ago, I've forgotten how ugly the city looks. Well, I know that you can't expect much from a concrete jungle of a city but somehow Osaka just appears grayish and messy. Or perhaps this is a result of having stayed in the countryside for too long now.
Anyway, we've seen enough castles for the time being and were feeling a bit too old for Universal Studio so after a really cheap and good sushi lunch, we spent some time in the afternoon wandering the streets before heading to our intended and much anticipated destination, the ancient capital of Kyoto!
The Ride of Our Lives
I usually dedicate one post to each destination that I visit but the ride on this particular overnight ferry (it's called Kansai Kisen (関西汽船) since it ply the route from Kyushu to the Kansai region) from Beppu to Osaka had been extremely eventful in more ways than one that I thought it deserved an entry on its own.
You might ask why take the ferry in the first place? It all boils down to one simple reason i.e. cost. In Japan, there are, often than not, more than one way to get to a destination. The thought of cramping into an overnight bus for 13 hours is simply too appalling; the bullet train option was out too as it was the peak season and all the absurd surcharge added up to quite a bit; the fastest and most comfortable way for travel in Japan, in my opinion, is to take the plane but you will be surprise that domestic flight doesn't come cheap.
Moreover, taking the ferry actually fitted quite nicely into my plans. Besides being the cheapest option, (a one-way ticket for adult booked via Internet comes with a 20% discount and comes up to slightly under ￥7500 for the cheapest ticket which is open sharing) it was also the most comfortable, or at least that was what I thought during my trip planning. I was recommended by several well-meaning friends who informed me that because this ferry travels within inland waters on the Sea of Japan, it doesn't rock as much thus ensuring a relatively smoother and easier ride.
Not only do we get to save on accommodation, we will arrive in Osaka at six-thirty early the next morning ready to hit the city after a good night's rest on board. I must mention at this point though, that my image and idea of any sea journey is influenced strongly by my experiences of the ones I had thus far (all those inevitable ferry rides back and forth Nagasaki city and my little island), which is not at all that bad. At last a mode of transport that is not only economical but also practical I thought and congratulated myself happily as I clicked on to confirm my purchase. Oh and my bf thought my plan sounded impressive and promising too.
Taken shortly after boarding the ferry, note the still relatively smiley and fresh faces.
Of course like any form of transport, you have your economy, upper, first class or what not. When I chose the cheapest ticket I was mentally prepared to be sleeping on the ground with a dozen other strangers. I know it sounds very odd and primitive, almost refugee-like to be sleeping on the ground of a moving ferry, I felt the same way too when I first boarded one from Narao. But trust me, after a while, you will get used to it though still don't like it. So long as it gets me where I want to go, I can put up with a few hours of discomfort, or so I thought.
To enable you to picture roughly what I am talking about, I've attached a picture taken on another occasion on the ferry I often took to Nagasaki city. Passengers can choose what spot to take and in what manner they want to lie around in these category of seats. This is not actually a fair representation I must say of the passenger scene, it is usually a little more crowded than what this picture shows.
Imagine my horror when I was handed number tags and realised that instead of a rather spacious and free-seating ride to Osaka, we had to sleep on mattress roughly the size of a yoga mat and beside total strangers! Neither of us was terribly thrilled at the prospect of being squashed between half-drunken Japanese men but we didn't have much of a choice did we?
To make matter worse, eating is allowed in all forms of transportation in the country and by the time we located our compartment, the whole room was filled with the smell of food and booze, men's sweat and sock stench, I don't know which is worse, yikes!
And so we sat on our limp mattresses taking in the sight before us. The old men next to Alvin, who had had a drink or two, sized us up and asked if we were Koreans. Shaking our heads, I offered simply that we are Chinese Singaporeans. The next thing we knew, he was talking loudly in his version of English and boasting to his friends his knowledge of Malaysia! We pretended to look occupied by reading papers and tried our best to avoid the old man's strings of questions directed at us but at last we gave up, took whatever important belongings and went to the lounge area where we spent the most part of the night and only returned to the room after lights out.
Not surprisingly, I could hardly sleep the entire night, waking up every hour in between to check the time. It is not too exaggerating to say that it was probably the longest and most tedious night I've ever had.
Gave up sleeping at around 5 in the morning and took this shot (the room was still not lighted then) to remember one of my most unforgettable night ever. Yes, that's my boyfriend in the picture trying to sleep.
And this was how our situation looked like with the lights on. Too close for comfort heh? Look at those shoes and socks strewn around the place! The scruffy looking green thing was our pillow!
We scrambled out of the room before anyone was wide awake and took our last night's seats at the lounge once more.
2 very disturbed, ill-rested and grubby souls who couldn't wait to jump off the ship the minute it pulled into the port!
While it wasn't the most terrible situation to be in, it certainly wasn't that amusing either at the point in time. Looking back and after several recounts to family and friends, i must say that the whole episode was no doubt funny and entertaining in its own right. Good or not so good days, lucky or unlucky incidents, without which travel stories wont't be half that colorful isn't it? That having said, you won't find me on board of one of these overnight ferry ever again!
A Tour of Hell (別府地獄巡り)
I don't know about you but i always feel a little disconcerted whenever I have to blog about something and relate the events as if they just happened not too long ago, when in fact all these actually took place quite some time back. I hope you are fine with the way I will be bringing up the past in the next few weeks or so.
So if you would (actually you don't have much of a choice!) do travel back in time with me to 26th March 2007, the morning after we checked out of our little Japanese inn.
As we were scheduled to leave for Osaka that very same day in the evening on board an overnight ferry, what better plan than to make use of the extra half day to embark on a 'tour of hell' in the town of Beppu, located merely a half hour drive away.
I believe, for some, that the name Beppu (別府)already rings a bell, no? You are right in thinking that isn't this the name of some Japanese eateries we have at home?Whereas the images of bowls of spicy ramen may come to the minds of many Singaporeans, Beppu is associated in all Japanese minds with only one thing: hot springs. (Yes, i know you must be thinking you have had enough of hot springs stories for a while but i promise this is not another of those entry about me wearing yukata and posing with more delicious-looking but not that great-tasting food!).
Simply put it, Beppu is Japan's onsen capital, producing the one of the largest volume of hot water in the world. Now, there are 2 kinds of onsen in Beppu. There are the ones for bathing (such as the ones we went to in Kumamoto and Yufuin) and there are the ones for viewing. The latter is what made Beppu famous as a tourist destination and they are collectively know as ‘the 9 Hells of Beppu'. These are really 9 geothermal spots around the city that produce high-temperature spring water and forms one of the major ‘highlights’ of any Beppu sightseeing program. And thus born the famous Beppu tourism jingle: jigoku meguri(地獄巡り)in Japanese, literally translating into ‘Hell Tour’.
Sad to say, to me, Beppu proves to be a disappointing, overly commercialized and touristy city. Naturally occurring hot spring sources are thus rounded up to become tourist attractions and charge a hefty ￥400 for each entry. There is a discount ticket (think it cost about ￥2000 if i am not wrong)if you purchase the whole package which means a tour of all 9 of the hot springs but trust me after a few of them, you would have had enough of hell touring for the day.
So anyway, as a tourist of course we had to do touristy things right. The truth was if you are not in another Japanese inn enjoying a hot bath, there is nothing really of much interest to do in the city. Instead of visiting all 9, we went to 4 which are supposedly the more happening ones.
The first hell we visited is called the oniishibozu jigoku or the 'shaven head monks' hell. This spring produces muddy bubbles which was thought to resemble a monk's head and thus the name. Aside from some murky ponds, my memory from this place is just the overpowering smell of sulphur.
We proceeded to umi jigoku or the 'sea hell' which as the name might suggests, display boiling hot blue water. This hell is slightly better than the last one. It is located inside a pretty nicely maintained park and so the viewing lasted 5 min while the wandering and phototaking took 30min.(Note: If you look carefully, notice the rod with a basket dipping into the pond at the bottom right corner? It is used to cook hard-boiled eggs or what the locals called onsen tamago (温泉卵)).
Next up a tour of chinoike jigoku or the 'blood pond hell'. We were told that there are days that the pond water appear much redder and do look quite a bit like blood but what we witnessed that day looked just like any other ordinary muddish puddle.
Last up was the tatsumaki jigoku or 'tornado hell' which is a geyser that sprouts water every 30 minutes. I can't even quite remember why i paid money to see a waterspout anymore, gah.
Well at least now when people mentioned about a tour of hell in Beppu, I won't have to be curious about it anymore and wonder if i had missed out some exciting spots in my backyard (I am a Kyushu JET after all). The most enjoyable bit of the whole afternoon was perhaps eating hard-boiled egg cooked by the hot spring water and the lovely garden which we took what is one of my favorite picture of our whole travel. :)
Dead beat
Before I continue with our Kansai travelogue (which took place more than a month ago!) let me just do a quick update on my latest whereabouts.
As usual this blog is always running a season behind time. Besides the fact that I had been busy making trips out of the island (2 trips in a span of one and half month) and thus lack of time and energy to blog, the lack of internet access from home has no doubt contributed to this immense time lapse.
Anyway, I am finally back in Narao and resumed my secluded islander life once more. After having spent close to 10 days in mind-boggling and overcrowded Tokyo during the Golden week period, it is certainly a relief to come home to the quietness. Exhaustion aside, I had a great time showing Rob and Jac around, shopping, ravaging the ever amazing convenience stores that are littered all over this country and just plain catching up with mommy. Such that the day they left was probably one of the most depressing days I had in Japan to date.
The long and trecherous journey back to the island certainly contributed to my down factor. We set off from Tokyo at around the same time in the morning on 9th May. Mom and sibs transited at Bangkok and reached Changi in the evening on the same day; I caught the flight back to Fukuoka with a good 9 hours to while away in the city before boarding the craziest overnight ferry ride. Given how tired I was by then, the terrible sea condition didn't really bother me and I slept for most part of the journey except for 2 occasions. One was when i spotted the hanger almost flying in the air admist my sleepy slumber (for a moment I thought the ferry's gonna flip over!), the other being awoken to the griping sound of some obaasan puking uncontrollably in a distant :(
I was finally transported back to the island at 7 in the morning, just in time to grab a quick breakfast at the terminal before putting on the most alert and fresh front I could master and headed for work. Yes, I actually went directly to school, luggage and all! Really, looking back I can't help but to think I was one superwoman!
So that was a summary of my fourth major trip in a short span of 9 months and the reason for my apparent disapperance. Now that I am finally back and officially into my final quarter of work and life in Japan, I can forsee another busy 2 and a half months ahead on the island. There are many stories awaiting to be told and pictures to be showed. So if you will be patient with me, do drop by as I recovered from my latest travel fatigue to share with you my life-on-the-road experiences.
