Action Painting
Apr. 1st, 2011 07:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
astillarThrow some blue love,
it's like action painting.
Dash yourself against the canvas,
it's very action painting.
I headed to north Higashiyama in the morning. I rode up the Philosopher’s Path, a picturesque little trail that followed a wooded canal running along the foot of the Higashi mountains. Parts of the trail were being rehabilitated and the sakura trees weren’t blooming yet, but it was still a pretty route.
At the north end lay Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion. The pavilion itself was fairly humble; the garden surrounding it was the real attraction. I took lots of pictures but none really captured the atmosphere of being there, in the cool shadow of the mountain, with springs feeding the garden that was entirely green with moss, flowering shrubs, and trees. It was so verdant and lush.
After Ginkaku-ji I headed back south along the Philosopher’s Path, checking out a few smaller temples along the way. I crossed through Mareyama (?) park and noticed that people were already laying out tarps to claim their areas for the evening’s sakura blossom viewing parties and there were food stalls setting up for it as well. It seemed a little hasty, since the buds were just _barely_ beginning to open, but I couldn’t blame them for being eager to party with friends. I made a mental note to come check it out later.
Then, by total accident, I came across one of only two places throughout my entire Japan trip that made me say, "Holy shit," in awe. I almost drove my bike into traffic when Chion-in came into view. The mere gate to the temple was unbelievably MASSIVE. It hadn’t been on my list of places to see, but now I had to stop by. I entered the gates and climbed the steps to the temple. To me, it looked like a man-made mountain. A huge building made of heavy timbers that supported an enormous roof of heavy ceramic tile. I wish I’d had a wide-angle lens to properly capture how enormous it was. The interior (no photography allowed) was all gold and incense and chanting monks. Pretty groovy atmosphere in there.
Click for video
I continued to south Higashiyama. That place was . . . exactly what I’d been expecting to see when I came to Kyoto. Stone streets lined with traditional wooden shops selling everything from pottery to fans to green tea dumplings. I would’ve called it a tourist trap, except there were so many Japanese visitors too! For a moment I thought I saw geisha before I realized there were a few places in this neighborhood that specialized in the kimono-and-make-up package. Out of everywhere I’d been on my trip, this was the one place that was really tugging at my wallet. But I knew if I bought the cool rice bowl, that would snowball into getting a whole pottery dinner set, plus chopsticks, plus maybe table settings, and hell, why not some furniture while we’re at it? I went to the same pottery shop three times, that’s how much I was tempted. But in the end I only bought a small wind chime.
Within the same neighborhood was Kiyomizudera, a temple known for its sacred waters. I hadn’t planned on going since it was one of THE tourist destinations and I didn’t want to bother with hordes of people. But more than a few people strongly recommended to it so I went since I was in the neighborhood anyways. Kiyomizudera offered a good view of the city and was mildly interesting but I had more fun watching the people drink the water from the sacred spring.
After catching lunch at Our Lady of the Sacred Babbling Brook, I rode my bike down the mountain to central Kyoto. The bike was turning out to be a good investment. I was making better time and seeing sights a lot faster and cheaper than if I were still relying on the subway. While cruising downhill at high speed though, I forgot that this $8-a-day rental bicycle with a basket on the front was not my $300 mountain bike. So when I tried to hop onto the curb the bike said, "No," and my body’s momentum said, "You’re cleared for take-off."
I didn’t _quite_ crash into that telephone pole but in avoiding the crash I somehow really messed up my knee. It hurt like hell. That pain refused to be walked off. There wasn’t much else I could do but get back in the saddle and coast down into the city.
I went to Nijo castle next. My painful limp probably dulled my enjoyment of the place but even taking that into account, it was still an underwhelming attraction. The outer gardens were great of course and the nightingale floors inside were nifty, but that was it. The paper screens and walls were covered in gold leaf and paintings and to protect them from deterioration, the windows were closed and there was no interior light. The interior was almost completely dark, which made it hard to appreciate the paintings which were already pretty faded to begin with. There were some mannequins in costume, but mostly it was just dark rooms and paintings. I was really disappointed, considering this was the only castle I’d been to so far.
I returned to the hostel after that, hoping that if I gave my knee a few hours of rest I could go out later that night. But my leg turned into an anchor once I got back and that was it for the day.
it's like action painting.
Dash yourself against the canvas,
it's very action painting.
I headed to north Higashiyama in the morning. I rode up the Philosopher’s Path, a picturesque little trail that followed a wooded canal running along the foot of the Higashi mountains. Parts of the trail were being rehabilitated and the sakura trees weren’t blooming yet, but it was still a pretty route.
At the north end lay Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion. The pavilion itself was fairly humble; the garden surrounding it was the real attraction. I took lots of pictures but none really captured the atmosphere of being there, in the cool shadow of the mountain, with springs feeding the garden that was entirely green with moss, flowering shrubs, and trees. It was so verdant and lush.
After Ginkaku-ji I headed back south along the Philosopher’s Path, checking out a few smaller temples along the way. I crossed through Mareyama (?) park and noticed that people were already laying out tarps to claim their areas for the evening’s sakura blossom viewing parties and there were food stalls setting up for it as well. It seemed a little hasty, since the buds were just _barely_ beginning to open, but I couldn’t blame them for being eager to party with friends. I made a mental note to come check it out later.
Then, by total accident, I came across one of only two places throughout my entire Japan trip that made me say, "Holy shit," in awe. I almost drove my bike into traffic when Chion-in came into view. The mere gate to the temple was unbelievably MASSIVE. It hadn’t been on my list of places to see, but now I had to stop by. I entered the gates and climbed the steps to the temple. To me, it looked like a man-made mountain. A huge building made of heavy timbers that supported an enormous roof of heavy ceramic tile. I wish I’d had a wide-angle lens to properly capture how enormous it was. The interior (no photography allowed) was all gold and incense and chanting monks. Pretty groovy atmosphere in there.
Click for video
I continued to south Higashiyama. That place was . . . exactly what I’d been expecting to see when I came to Kyoto. Stone streets lined with traditional wooden shops selling everything from pottery to fans to green tea dumplings. I would’ve called it a tourist trap, except there were so many Japanese visitors too! For a moment I thought I saw geisha before I realized there were a few places in this neighborhood that specialized in the kimono-and-make-up package. Out of everywhere I’d been on my trip, this was the one place that was really tugging at my wallet. But I knew if I bought the cool rice bowl, that would snowball into getting a whole pottery dinner set, plus chopsticks, plus maybe table settings, and hell, why not some furniture while we’re at it? I went to the same pottery shop three times, that’s how much I was tempted. But in the end I only bought a small wind chime.
Within the same neighborhood was Kiyomizudera, a temple known for its sacred waters. I hadn’t planned on going since it was one of THE tourist destinations and I didn’t want to bother with hordes of people. But more than a few people strongly recommended to it so I went since I was in the neighborhood anyways. Kiyomizudera offered a good view of the city and was mildly interesting but I had more fun watching the people drink the water from the sacred spring.
After catching lunch at Our Lady of the Sacred Babbling Brook, I rode my bike down the mountain to central Kyoto. The bike was turning out to be a good investment. I was making better time and seeing sights a lot faster and cheaper than if I were still relying on the subway. While cruising downhill at high speed though, I forgot that this $8-a-day rental bicycle with a basket on the front was not my $300 mountain bike. So when I tried to hop onto the curb the bike said, "No," and my body’s momentum said, "You’re cleared for take-off."
I didn’t _quite_ crash into that telephone pole but in avoiding the crash I somehow really messed up my knee. It hurt like hell. That pain refused to be walked off. There wasn’t much else I could do but get back in the saddle and coast down into the city.
I went to Nijo castle next. My painful limp probably dulled my enjoyment of the place but even taking that into account, it was still an underwhelming attraction. The outer gardens were great of course and the nightingale floors inside were nifty, but that was it. The paper screens and walls were covered in gold leaf and paintings and to protect them from deterioration, the windows were closed and there was no interior light. The interior was almost completely dark, which made it hard to appreciate the paintings which were already pretty faded to begin with. There were some mannequins in costume, but mostly it was just dark rooms and paintings. I was really disappointed, considering this was the only castle I’d been to so far.
I returned to the hostel after that, hoping that if I gave my knee a few hours of rest I could go out later that night. But my leg turned into an anchor once I got back and that was it for the day.
