天気： 晴れ
Today was another exhausting day spent in Kyoto; at least the weather had improved, although it was still very cold… I woke up at 8 and had scrambled eggs for breakfast, before getting ready for the outing. I met Sarah and Rachael out in the corridor just before 9, and after talking for a bit, Sarah commented that we were supposed to be wearing formal clothes; I was just wearing jeans. So I quickly got changed into my pants and shirt, but not before giving Rachel a big hug; she had just arrived back from Tokyo. Getting back out, everyone was waiting for me in the lounge (Ash, Katie, Sarah, and Rachael), and as soon as I explained myself, Ash piped up with, “oh you didn’t have to get dressed up”; oh well. The 5 of us were soon on our way to Hirakatashi to pick up Ash’s parents from the hotel. We made a quick stop at the uni, and then continued on foot.
Getting to the hotel, Ash soon collected her parents, and then we went straight to the station, and hopped on the train to Tambabashi, changing over for Kyoto station when we got there. The weather was sunny at this point, and I enjoyed reading Reborn on the way. Getting to Kyoto station, we made our way to the buses, and took number 50 to 上七軒 (Kamishichiken – lit. “Above seven rooves”). On the way, we witnessed a freak hail storm, the ice so small it was almost like snow; though it was definitely falling too fast. So as you can imagine, when we got off the bus, the weather had considerably worsened, although it wasn’t quite raining as yet. We walked across the street, and after a while took a right, going past 天満宮 (Tenmangu – the shrine Katie and Sarah had gone to, to see the plum blossoms) before reaching our destination; the 上七軒歌舞練場 (kamishichiken kaburenba?). It was almost 12 by this point, so we purchased out tickets, and then walked back out onto the main drag to grab a snack from 7/11; the rain starting to come down.
We got back soon after, and entered the establishment, immediately presented with a view of a beautiful garden and pond, as we made our way through a raised passage, and up stairs to a waiting room, which was filled with orchids. We were soon ushered on to another room where a tea ceremony was taking place. After a bit of a wait (the room had fill up), we were allowed entering, and were soon sitting down enjoying anko-filled mochi and sipping green tea while watching two women clad in kimono conducting the ceremony; a beautiful and refined art form in its own right. The coolest thing was that we got to keep the ceramic plate they served the mochi on, each yellow, blue, or green, and bearing the name of the performance, 北野をどり (Kitano wo dori) on the underside; I got a yellow one. After watching the ceremony, we continued on through a corridor, and down stairs (I was loving it) to a room selling merchandise; I decided to pick up some postcards. They also had DVDs of the performances that I really would have liked to get, except for the fact that they wouldn’t work back home; damn region locking.
Anyway, we spent a little bit of time out in the garden, taking photos, and getting a bit wet in the rain before going into the main theatre hall, and taking our seats; I was almost dead centre. The performance that ensued would have had to have been the most beautiful and traditionally Japanese activity I have ever witnessed; it was beyond words. The sets were stunning, the costumes amazing, and the music and singing enchanting; well I guess it really wasn’t beyond words. But still, I was really, really impressed, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing; it lasted for a little over an hour. There were three “acts” (with short intermissions in between), and Ash was able to recognise the second one as the story of the 47 Ronin; so in fact the all female ensemble were taking on male roles. A lot of the acting was done through mime and allusion, each movement elegant and filled with purpose. There was a live and visible orchestra, consisting of at first, shamisen, voice, flute, and a few types of drums; this lessened to just shamisen and voice after the first act. However, there was also additional voice and music played offstage.
The women were so beautiful in all their different outfits, and there was a huge range in age, from the beginner maiko to the veteran geisha; one of the really old ones was actually having a bit of trouble getting up during the last act.
We all had a bit of a laugh afterwards about the “ninja curtain closer”; a guy dressed all in black, manning the curtains as the performers entered and exited from the side. Another thing I really liked was the added touch of “snow”, or “cherry blossoms” falling onto the stage. We were all in awe by the end of it, and I was a little disappointed when it was over; maybe I’ll be able to see it again soon. It had bucketed down while we were in the theatre, but when we exited it was sunny once again. After finding out how cheap the program was, I had to buy one. So now I have a book full of beautiful pictures; at least I can show people something since we couldn’t take any photos. We walked back to the bus stop, and were soon on the bus back to Kyoto station.
Getting there, we walked across to the other side, to Miyako-michi, and I had a moment of déjà vu, having just been here with Alex and her Nan and Aunt on Tuesday. What was different was the water jet sequence, which we had to show Ash’s parents; there were love hearts this time. But before that, we went to lunch at a Chinese place, and it was really good. I decided to just get some dumplings, and spring roles, but Katie, Ash, and her parents got sets, and they looked really good; I got to finish Ash’s rice. After that Rachael and Sarah, split, and so the rest of us spent some more time in the station, taking in Kyoto city from the sky garden, and walking through a suspended corridor, which offered a really good view of Kyoto tower. Getting back down, we decided to take the subway to Shijo, since Ash wanted to show her parent’s Yasaka shrine.
Getting to Shijo, it was a bit of a walk to get to Yasaka, though very cool; so many shops and interesting buildings. It was almost nightfall by the time we got there, and very cold. It was well worth it though; after walking through the shrine we went onto the park and saw a beautiful old cherry blossom at about 50 percent bloom. It was all lit up, and my photos really don’t do it justice; most of them are terribly blurry. I’ll definitely have to go back in the near future, to see it in the daytime. Going back into the shrine, Ash’s mum picked up a “safety in birth” Omamori for Ash’s sister, and then we went to the nearby Starbucks. I was a little reluctant, but seeing the sakura steamer on the menu, I knew I had to try it; everyone else got it too. Again, I was amazed at the taste of sakura, and have accepted the fact that it is completely unique. The drink was really interesting and strangely, the sakura “powder” (presumably the crushed petals) that was sprinkled on top was salty; very odd. The drink itself though was sweet, but I don’t know how much of that is thanks to sugar and cream. Anyway, it was certainly something to try.
After Starbucks, we made our way back to Hirakatashi on the sub-express, and I read reborn for a while, and then had a bit of a sleep. I’m really happy with my progress; I’ve already gotten through 58 pages; much better than Deltora Quest. Mind you, most of the pages are taken up with pictures, but still; it is very fulfilling to get through a decent amount of text. Once we got back, we bought some takoyaki to enjoy back in the hotel room, which was actually really, really small. This was Ash’s Parents’ last full day in Japan, and I know they really enjoyed it, because I sure did. Ash will be going to see them off tomorrow, and then they’ll be making their way to the airport, and home; it was great to meet them. The three of us then walked back home, Katie and I doing a bit of grocery shopping midway; I went to Kirindo, and then met up with her in Fresco. It was freezing walking back, and I was so glad of the warmth once inside again. I unpacked my groceries, and talked with Hugo in the kitchen for a bit, before getting everything from today sorted out. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere tomorrow, but that’ll give me a chance to get my blog in order. I’m also thinking about going to get my hair done, but we’ll just have to wait and see…
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