京都 Kyoto: JAPAN TRIP 2011, Part 04

Gion, Kyoto, March, 2011

Flickr photo slideshow is available.

Kyoto is a luxurious place. You can enjoy the smell of its history in every block. In 794 AD, Kyoto was the capital of Japan.The town was exempt from bombing during WWII, for the preservation of historical buildings throughout the town.

Yamagata, earthquake and memorial Service: JAPAN TRIP 2011, Part 02

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On March 11, when the earthquake hit Nothern Japan for the first time, we were in Yamagata, Northern part of Japan, where my mother was originally from. We were there for my grand parents' memorial service, that was scheduled the following day.

It wasn't so long after we arrived in Yamagata when the first earthquake hit the Pacific coast of Northern Japan. 2:46pm.  Though it was the kind of shaking I've never experienced before, there were almost no physical damage to the house we were staying.  I secretly suspect it was the snow, which kept the old house from collapsing.  As in the photo above, the snow was accumulated up to the second floor, on three sides of the house.

We did lose electricity for a day and a half. Luckily, our water and gas were running, so we were able to cook. After dark, our light source were flashlights and candles that they keep to light their alter.  Under the candle light, the dinner table looked rather romantic and made me think of a dinner from hundreds of years ago.  At night, nine of us kept ourselves warm by dressing like we were outside, (partially preparing for the possible evacuation due to the aftershocks) sleeping together in one room, with one oil-heater.

Next day, we decided to carry out the memorial service, despite the lack of electricity.  A monk and about 20 relatives and neighbors gathered in front of grand parent's alter. The service was followed by script reading at a temple, then dinner at a local banquet hall.  I don't know exactly how cold it was that day, but it was cold enough to make our breath white while we read scripts inside the temple.

While we had such an emergency occasion,  it was the most intimate experience with my family in Yamagata.  It must be a human nature that people get closer to each other when there's a challenge to overcome. I felt the temperature of people around me, warming each other inside out. I found some beautiful quality that was missing from my daily life after four days of stay in this little mountain village.  Life is not all about convenience.

Arrival in Tokyo: JAPAN TRIP 2011, Part 01

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This picture is from a night spent in Shinjuku with our friends, Kimie and Akira. The lady in the center is Aya, who teaches belly dance to Kimie. She is surrounded by the percussion group who accompanied her dance that night.  The gentleman standing to her left is her husband.

~ JAPAN PREP PART 2 ~ 金沢 Kanazawa

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My first visit to the Hokuriku region (which faces on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps) was
Kanazawa City, of Ishikawa prefecture.  Kanazawa, the biggest city in the Hokuriku region is a castle
town that was ruled over by the Maeda family for three centuries after the first lord Toshiie Maeda
entered Kanazawa Castle in 1583.

The Kaga domain (加賀藩 Kaga han: includes current Kanazawa city as the capital), which was
founded by Maeda Toshiie, was powerful feudal domain.  Its income rating, over 1,000,000 koku, was
the highest in the nation, after the Tokugawa shogunate itself.

Since the Kaga Clan invited many artists and craftsmen to this area, it achieved a high level of
craftsmanship that continues to flourish to this day. Kanazawa is also famous for their special products
like rice, sake, sweets, etc., due to its temperate and rainy climate with heavy snow in winter.

We rented  a couple of bicycles for a day and toured around town during the day,  and then head West
for about 1 hour to Taihei Sushi (太平寿司), a sushi restaurant, that was recommended by our friend,
who is a Sake Sommelier in NYC.  It’s needless to say that the sushi was excellent, but I was really
entertained by the presentation of each sushi piece.  I felt like I was eating pieces of  craftwork.
The local sake we tried, Tengumai Yamahai (天狗舞の山廃仕込み）tasted pure and smooth. It was
the perfect compliment for the freshest meal (In fact most of the fish were still alive till we ate them) .
It even made our bike ride back more exciting.  We ended up getting back in town in 40 minutes, racing
a quiet road at night.

The picture above is a rice field near Taihei Sushi. It was well worth riding bicycle (ママチャリ） for
an hour to the suburb area of Kanazawa, since we’ve got to feel the vibe of what the real life is like
around the area.

初めての北陸旅行で訪れた街は金沢でした。五月の日本海は穏やかで、海の色はカリビアン
を思わせるようなエメラルドグリーン色なのには驚きでした。

加賀百万石の勢力を誇った前田家の城下町である金沢の町並みには、繁栄時の歴史の足跡
が街の各地に見られて、歩いていても自然と優美な気持ちになりました。街全体の美意識の
高さによるものでしょうか。また、観光客でごった返す京都や鎌倉などの古都に比べると
比較的静かで、全体的に落ち着いた印象でした。五月にしてはわりと日差しが強く、カラ
フルな日傘をさした女性の姿が印象に残りました。

ハイライトは自転車を一日レンタルして東茶屋街、各お寺などを巡った後、昼下がりに酒
きき師の友人のおすすめで太平寿司さんに一時間かけて自転車で一時間かけてうかがったこ
とでしょうか。太平寿司さんは金沢市内より西の郊外にあり、周りは田んぼで蛙の合唱が聞
こえてくるのどかなエリアでした。お寿司は新鮮でローカルでしか目にする事のできないネ
タを沢山出していただきました。一品一品が美しい細工者のようで、味覚と視覚の両方で楽
しませていただきました。お寿司と一緒にいただいた 天狗舞の山廃仕込みは、とてもスムー
ズで飲みやすく、お寿司には最高の組み合わせだったので沢山飲んでしまいました。おかげ
で帰りの自転車の旅は、もう夜で車も少なかった為、レースのように駆け抜けて４０分くら
いで戻れました。

私にとっての旅行の醍醐味とは、やはりその街の華やかな表の顔と、地元の方の暮らしぶ
りをかいま見れるローカルなエリアにある裏の顔の両方を訪れる事と、そこの空気を吸って
食べ物を食べて、地元の人と会話を交わして、その街に住むって一体どんななんだろう、
と肌で感じられることでしょうか。

~ JAPAN PREP PART 1 ~ 鞍馬山 (Mount Kurama) , North Kyoto

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Mount Kurama (鞍馬山 Kurama-yama^?) is a mountain to the north-west of the city of Kyoto. 
It is the birthplace of the Reiki practice, and is said to be the home of Sōjōbō, King of the Tengu, 
who taught swordsmanship to Minamoto no Yoshitsune. 
Kurama Temple (鞍馬寺 Kuramadera^?) is now designated as a national treasure of Japan.


I had a chance to visit my friend, Rosie-san (in the pic above), who lives below the mountain.  According to her,

Mount Kurama has been known as a power spot for about a century, and she comes almost every other day, 

before she goes to work.  So we joined her ritual one morning in May. The dewy air, sounds of insects, birds, 

frogs and chanting by the monks were heavenly harmonized and quite soothing.

I'd recommend every one to go there early in the morning (around the sunrise) where you can have it on your own.

This is what I call "a luxury time".