The Age of the Samurai

November 9

Kyoto. Before Tokyo, Kyoto was actually Japan’s capital. It was considered a great defensive region since the city is surrounded by large mountains that assume the likeness of a basin. Nowadays, Kyoto is a city known for its purity and history. It is known for its antique artifacts and architecture that sustain the lost samurai culture. It is widely recognized for its history as the States deliberately preserved the city from the atomic bombings in World War II. In hopes to preserve Kyoto’s unique and delicate appeal, the government also implemented regulations requiring buildings to stay under 12 stories high.

I traveled to Kyoto by using the bullet train. The bullet train is new to Japanese transportation. It is also very expensive as a two hour trip can cost almost 150 USD. It was definitely a sight to see when the bullet train would zoom past you. It is scary to think that some people do fall onto the train tracks. You wouldn’t even have a chance. It was such a smooth ride though. I can’t wait for the prospective bullet train to be built in California! It would be so much easier to visit home. 

The Samurai Abode. My first stop in Kyoto was one of my favorites so far. I have always been very interested in the samurai culture. Ever since taking a full college course in samurai history, it is definitely a time and place I wish I was able to experience—except for the fact that I would not have freedom and independence being a woman and all. Kyoto definitely was a city that retained this past civilization or at least what was left of it. I visited Nijo Castle which was home to many shoguns, samurais, and concubines (then later the Imperial family). First walking up to the castle was extraordinary. An immense moat surrounds the castle walls and the buildings and roofs were designed elaborately and preserved with great care. It was a beautiful site and I got more and more excited as I approached this famous structure. 

I walked into the actual castle, barefoot of course. You know. We, Asians love to keep our floors clean. When I walked in, I heard a great deal of squeaks coming from the floor board. This was a very old building so I was afraid the wood has been disintegrating over time, ready to break away from the rest of the building. Turns out, it was actually meant to squeak. These floors were specifically designed to squeak in order to notify guards of ninjas and attackers entering into the building. These floors are called ‘Nightingale Floors’ as they sounded like a squeaky bird singing with every step you took. I tried so hard to not let it squeak. I was even on my tippy toes and stepping so softly hoping I was more ninja than those amateur ones back in the days. But I guess I’m not as ninja as I thought.

The paintings displayed on screen doors and windows were extravagant and encompassing each wall and space on the ceiling. Pictures of leopards, at the time what they thought might have been tigers, cherry blossoms, and immense trees. These paintings were so sacred that there were several signs that warned visitors of the severe consequences for those who take pictures or even make a sketch of the paintings and the interior of the building. They had scenarios set up in some of the rooms, one displaying the shogun announcing to his samurai followers that he is giving the power back to the emperor. Another interesting fact about the building is that in the shogun’s sleeping quarters, in which women were only allowed. It was usually his wife or his many, many concubines that would wait in this area. They say that each of the women would bring tea to the shogun’s room. If he liked one women’s tea, she would be chosen to sleep with him for the night. Man! I love tea so it would be a great measure to judge prospective male suitors—who has the best to offer?

Kyoto Downtown. They say that people go to Kyoto to buy clothes and thus become bankrupt.  So I didn’t buy clothes when I went shopping around in downtown Kyoto. I walked around aimlessly around the numerous shops and food stations. I really didn’t want to spend too much in Japan especially with the outrageous prices they have for such small items. The area had a great energy. There was a lot of yelling actually. It is the way shop owners would try to draw shoppers in. It almost sounded like a speaker at an auction except in a high-pitched, feminine, Japanese-speaking voice (even when the men spoke). 

Geisha District. In Kyoto, there are a lot of famous tea houses, specifically for the prestigious men of the region. Many of these tea houses are located in one of the Geisha districts called Gion. These men would pay hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars for a meal at one of these houses. But it wasn’t because the food and drinks were that good. It was the exotic, meek, and artistic Geishas. They would perform (in good taste of course) for these men as they ate and drank their money away. Regulars are even called their clients but they do not sell their body. They sell their art. They dance and play music. You can always tell if a Geisha is at work when the red lantern outside her teahouse is lit. Once hearing these stories, I wanted to see a real live Geisha. So I hustled over to the Gion tea house region of Kyoto. They usually arrive in a taxi car around 6 pm and quickly scurry off to their tea house in their wooden shoes. But they are fast I heard so I had to be ready with my camera. When I got to Gion, most of the tea houses had their red lanterns lit. I was disappointed that I missed the only opportunity I had to see a Geisha. As I sadly walked back towards the main street, I saw a blur of pure white skin, red-painted lips, and the flow of an elaborate and colorful gown. It was a Geisha! Two of them actually, speed walking to their destination. I put up my camera, excited and ready to take the picture. And then, a random man stepped right in front of my camera as I was about to click. I missed my shot. The two Geisha turned the corner and did not stop for anyone. They definitely don’t stop for tourists. I learned that they usually argue, “My clients have to pay for my time. Why should I just give it to you for free?” They were pretty fast. It’s funny, they were so fast, and I was only able to get a photo of their backs.

Ramen Noodles. I was hungry and I was craving ramen. I found out that there was a pretty famous ramen shop close to the river bank so I headed in that direction. But the river bank was pretty wide and almost never ending. It also seemed to be the hang out for young lovers and teenage hang out zone. I roamed the area for almost an hour trying to find the ramen restaurant. After being so frustrated and exhausted from my uncomfortable boots, I tried asking people for directions. For such a westernized, progressive country, there are actually not too many Japanese who speak English surprisingly. Every person I encountered would not give me the time of day. I would ask, “Eigo?” (English), hoping I would see a glimmer of hope for my ramen craving. Most people looked at me and laughed and immediately walked away. I felt hopeless. Then these teenagers came up to me and tried speaking to me with very limited English. They immediately recognized that I was a foreigner and wanted to practice their English on me. I was excited since I thought they would be able to direct me. But after finding out that I lived in California, that’s all they wanted to talk about. It’s strange that people from other countries light up when they hear that you’re from California. Maybe it’s Hollywood, maybe its surfing, but it’s like this magical land for foreigners. After having a very difficult conversation with these girls, I finally was able to ask them about the ramen restaurant. They led me in the direction of the restaurant. I was so excited! I knew that I was going to get some sort of spicy ramen and maybe with chicken or beef. Then, they pointed to the restaurant and said, “closed” I was so disappointed. I don’t know why I didn’t give up earlier as I searched for this closed restaurant for the last hour. So after thanking them in Japanese (‘Arigatou’), I moved back to the main street to fulfill my ramen craving. Considering that there are about 200,000 ramen restaurants in Japan, I couldn’t find any ramen. 

Vending Machine for Dinner? I couldn’t find any ramen so I settled for the closest alternative: spicy udon noodle soup. I picked this particular restaurant because it had the oddest concept. You order your meal from a vending machine; put money in the machine, take a seat, and a server will bring you your dish. Easiest serving job for sure! It was fun to experience. The advertisement outside displayed pictures of different meals to order but the vending machine only showed the Japanese characters. So I used some memory matching skills and tried to match the characters on the advertisement to the ones on the vending machine. I looked silly as I ran inside and outside the restaurant several times before finding it. The automatic doors made a ringing sound every time it opened so it made it more obvious that I didn’t know what I was doing. I ordered my spicy udon noodles from the machine, paid 450 yen for it (about 6 dollars), and was served my food right away.