So, true to form, I’ve been wandering around the greater Kyoto area just sort of looking at temples and shrines. It’s been a blast, especially because I really have no schedule like I did when I was hear last. Back in Nagoya, I had to meticulously plan every day so that I could get to the most important temples, or reach a certain point on the Nakasendo, or what have you. But since there’s nothing really driving this week, I’m just kind of living it up in a gorgeous city. I hesitate to call it a vacation, though, and I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s because there are so many unknowns along the horizon, like meeting up with my host family and figuring out how the study abroad program is going to work and all that. Not a source of stress, by any means, but definitely not a fun and fancy free romp. I guess what I’m saying is ultimately I still have to be some place tomorrow at 2 PM, so I’m enjoying limited freedom. Incredible, limited freedom.
Like I said, my last trip was very scheduled to the point where each hour had an event planned into it. Here, though, I’ve just been enjoying walking around Kyoto. For example, my one mission today was to find this Indian restaurant that had gotten rave reviews on Trip Advisor. I’m god awful with directions, but I knew which street the restaurant was on and figured that if I could just wander long enough and find myself on that street, I’d be golden. So I set forth from my hostel at around 3 PM, (knowing full well that the restaurant didn’t open until 5) and set out for Ajanta Indian Restaurant Kyoto. What followed was a two and a half hour lollygag through one of the most interestingly beautiful cities I have ever seen.
Kyoto is an almost surprising city. What I mean by that is, you can walk through the Gion shopping district and see people from all over the world, and then take a right down an old street and see women dressed in traditional Japanese garb running past old men grilling fish outside their tiny old apartment. There are very specific pockets of globalisation in Kyoto, but it doesn’t permeate every aspect of the town like it does in the greater Tokyo area. I mean really, I would literally turn corners and find myself outside a McDonald’s and a Gap, and then walk three blocks and see someone praying at a three-hundred year old shrine.
My hostel is across from a beautiful river, and I’ve spent a great deal of time there just people-watching and enjoying myself. On this Ajanta excursion, I got a Peach Nectar drink (quite honestly the greatest beverage in the world) and sat down on a bench watching as the joggers and dog-walkers went by. After finishing my drink, I got up and crossed the bridge to the street where I believed the restaurant to be on, and came across a Buddhist monk reciting what I’m pretty sure was the Amidha Buddha sutra. He was standing stock still right in the middle of the bridge, and was completely adorned with the robes, hat, and even the metal staff with the rings attached to it. The bridge itself was packed with people, and I noticed everyone was giving him a wide berth. So, much to my dismay, I passed him by. Had I seen even one person interact with him, I would have gladly spoken with him for as long as he would have let me.
Finally, after traipsing through the tiny streets of Kyoto, I found Ajanta tucked between a sweets shop and a gas station. I walked in just as they were opening, and was treated to a hot towel and some delicious tea before ordering my meal of chicken curry and garlic naan. After chatting with the owner for awhile, he had someone bring me a mango lassi as a service. Needless to say, it was delicious.
All to report for now, as I’m going to sleep. Tomorrow I plan to walk the Philosopher’s Path, and I promise a ton of pictures.
Dan in Japan 