Kyoto: The Four Seasons & Retracing "Memoirs Of A Geisha" Footprints

Blog number 18, Japan: Passage 3. 16.01.2021. nguptatravelscrapbook.blogspot.com

Kyoto: The four seasons and retracing Memoirs of a Geisha Footprints 

Covid-19 status in the UK: Persistent hike in covid case thru out the country with no respite. Simultaneously historical NHS mass vaccination programme in progress.

Count each echo of the temple bell, as it tolls the vespers by the mountainside, then you will know how many times, my heart is beating out its love for you. Poem by Sei Shonagon

Cultures and treasures of Japan( from my collections of brochures)

Kyoto is the storehouse of japan's traditional culture, one of the most popular travel destinations and famed for its picturesque and elusive temples, shrines, zen gardens and quaint streets lined with traditional Japanese buildings. Due to its exceptional ancient significance, the city was withdrawn from the atomic bomb's attack list and escaped destruction during WW2. To endure Kyoto's distinctive sights and sounds displaying the Japanese city's culture, rich with rituals, we arrived in Kyoto travelling via Shinkansen from Hiroshima. 

Kyoto streets decorated with lanterns at night 

Japanese locals are legendary for their persistence that the four seasons changing is one of the qualities that makes Japan special. They are not mistaken as the twelve-monthly cycle in Japan is stunning and entirely graphic. Wrapped up in seasons of snowy winters, cherry blossoms covered spring, to the oppressive heat and rich greenery of summers ending with the spread of vibrant red to brown autumn foliage all over, Kyoto is filled with the poetry verses on nature!

An elusive Shinto shrine in Kyoto

In April 2003, when we visited Kyoto, the cherry blossom was at its tail-end and with comfortable temperatures and colourful kimonos and sweet rice treats to saviour everywhere. A keen observer and a listener can enjoy Kyoto's merging sound with explosions of the urban city into Zen monk's early morning begging tours, temple bells, and weavers' clattering in the neighbourhood, together with wooden shoes as geishas stroll in the Gion district. A unique synopsis of the city's rich legacy. 

 Ginkakuji shrine, kyoto

Cultures and treasures of Japan

Kyoto's one thousand years as the capital city was remarkable in Japanese history as no Japanese capital ever lasted for more than one hundred years. If you look into the map, the land slopes towards Osaka and the sea in the southwards manner, and is bordered north, east and west by mountains, forming a protective bay. East India Company established its first post here in Osaka in 1613 CE. Japan's historic isolation has produced a unique culture that flourishes to this day. Distinctive traditions are still honoured from the reflective beauty of intricate tea ceremonies and zen garden design to the loud sumo wrestling shows.

Himeji Castle ( Also called white heron of japan) 

Grand castles are tokens of the country's feudal pasts, and ageless temples witness Japan's profound spiritual influences. The city is said to hold 20% of all Japan's national treasures, including more than 2000, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, all scattered, often hidden amongst the modern sky-line. In our three-night stay, the main temples that we visited in Kyoto were Ginkaku-Ji, Kinkaku-Ji, Nishi Hongan-Ji, To-Ji, and Ryaon-Ji,  and Todaji in Nara. Ji meaning temple in Japanese. With the history of emperors and samurais, Kyoto has long thrived as a centre of artistry, craftsmanship and traditions; the skilled artisans still use ancient skills to create unique artefacts. As we headed to Nishiki Market, we came across diverse artisans, skilful in making swords, knives, bamboo artefacts, delicate fabrics on looms, bespoke dolls and delicate hand fans and ever so popular silk paper. 

Nara

Nara is the heart of old Japan. A former capital, almost 1200 years ago, the past has only glorified the city having cherished its environs and monuments. The temple famously stands on an eminence in Kofukuji temple grounds completely dominates the city's landscape. 

Todaji

The Philosopher's Walk is a beautiful pathway in Kyoto along a canal lined with Skura on both banks, making almost a flowery archway over the river.  A Japanese philosopher practised daily meditation along this route, hence the name, Philosophers path. However, the cherry blossoms had partially fallen being almost late April but were still the best as we ascended for the Golden Pavillion temple and looked towards the city. The whole city appeared like a spring haze, almost like a painting. The Philosopher's Walk is trendy during the cherry blossom festival and has many small cafes, shrines and restaurants along the way.

Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavillion temple) 

Ryokan experience

There are some unusual and delightful places to stay in Japan, from personal capsules and love hotels to pads in five-star luxury. There is one type of accommodation that has conserved its tradition for centuries: the Ryokan. Staying at one of these Japanese inn-style guesthouses is the ultimate Japanese encounter. The experience includes an exceptional dinner, slumbering on futons on tatami mats and enjoying the Onsen, a type of communal bath soaked in hot springs mostly situated close to many volcanoes. Onsens are conventional public baths and are a way of life in Japan. We had the opportunity to enjoy this practise while in Takayama, a rural town in the northwest. Men and women are segregated during bath times. Associated rituals were explained to us on arrival! A typical ryokan is a  low, wooden building with translucent paper screens, sliding entrances, straw tatami floor mats, hostess serving tea and immaculately designed Zen gardens. It was stepping back centuries with slowing down all around us when we walked inside after two days of feverish sightseeing and touring on foot. 

Ryokan experiences

On both evenings while at dinner ( in the same part of the room), staff laid out a futon( floor mattress), with crisp bedding and a soft pillow. The team returned the next morning to pack the futon away. After the soaking hot bath (water at 40c), the ultimate luxury was affording a yukata, a casual kimono, set with a belt and an outer jacket before sitting for the low set dining tables in kneeling position, like thunderbolt yoga pose( Vajarasan). I couldn't sit in this position for long despite my regular yoga practice routines. 

What can I expect to eat and drink?

The evening meal called  Kaiseki-Ryori (Japanese haute cuisine) was served in our room. Multiple Courses appeared, served in impressive ceramics and lacquerware. Each dish was a work of art featuring seasonal, locally sourced constituents, decked with flowers and a balance of tastes, textures and colours. A very conventional hot pot ( Nabemono) on a burner is the showstopper where we cooked the small pieces of fish and vegetables while dining on other dishes. Rice is served last, signifying the end of the main meal.

Breakfast had the choice of  Japanese vs American– including miso, egg, grilled fish, tofu and nori (dried seaweed)  but we chose western-style breakfast which included the heavenly toasts. Bread is indeed virtually unknown to the eastern world beyond India.

Various foods served to us.

Tales of Tea ceremony in Japan

The Japanese tea ceremony tradition is linked to Buddhism, dating back to the 9th century when the Buddhist monks savoured it in China. Tea had been known in China for over a thousand years before becoming popular in Japan being drunk mostly for medicinal reasons. A much thicker and paste-like Green tea was used in Buddhist monasteries after the religious courses. Green tea drinking became a status symbol amongst Japan's warrior class and gradually started to evolve its aesthetics among commoners. It is a ceremonial way of preparing and drinking green tea in a conventional tearoom; floor spread with a  tatami to sit on. The ceremony helps to enjoy the hosts' hospitality away from the fast pace of life in a tranquil atmosphere.

Kyoto is amongst the best destinations in the country to enjoy Japanese tea culture. It is a ritual with a  lot of implication within the philosophy representing sincerity, serenity, respect and melody of life with a lot of preparation going into this strong performance. 

Tea ceremony

The procedure for the tea ceremony will diverge depending on the venue and the time of year. Still, the host and the guest will usually give each other a silent bow and then ritually purify themselves in a stone basin by washing their hands and rinsing their mouths with water. We removed our shoes before entering the tea room through a small door. In the business set up, guests would be seated in order of their status, prestige and fame. We were served a regional speciality meal called Kaseiki Ryori in several courses in beautifully plated and delicately portioned dishes prepared by chefs on-site accompanied by sake and a small sweet. The main dishes were delicious tofu, vegetable tempuras, fish, soba noodles and Nimono, a soup. 

Kaseiki Ryori meals

After the meal, there is a break when the guests leave the room, and the host sweeps it down, sets up a flower arrangement and makes preparations for serving the tea.

The guests are invited back into the tea room, and they purify themselves again.  Every object used in the ritual is ritually cleansed, including the tea scoop, the whisk and the tea bowl. Bows are exchanged, and then the first guest is given a bowl of thick green tea called Matcha. We took a sip, complimented the host on the tea, bowed, and then wiped the rim and passed it along to the second guest. The procedure is repeated until everyone had taken tea from the same bowl. It was advised to keep the best design on the cup facing others so that everyone else enjoys the craft's beauty on the ceramic cup. We were then served Matcha in individual teacups accompanied by sweets, called matcha sweets, cookies, jellies or even matcha ice creams. At the end of the ceremony, we return and collect outside in a forecourt, collecting our shoes etc. One of the important ideas behind the Japanese tea ceremony is Wabi ( spiritual aspect) and Sabi ( the materialistic element). Understanding this bareness and flaw is reflected as an essential part of spiritual stirring. 

Retracing Memoirs of a Geisha Footprints

Shrine of the God of arts, a famous spot

I had read the novel "Memoirs of a Geisha" and was surprised to know that there was a walking Geisha district tour with the same name. Hence, it was an obligatory pilgrimage for me to retrace Sayuri's steps, the novel's protagonist.

"To be a geisha is to be judged as a moving work of art. Remember Chiyo, geishas are not courtesans, and we're not wives. We sell our skills, not our bodies. We create another secret world, a place only of beauty." – Mameha, Memoirs of a Geisha.

Kyoto rose to become the most famous geisha district in Japan preparing the highly trained performing artists in singing, dance, poetry reciting, the art of kimono dressing up, special makeup, hair styling etc. Gion is a spectacle of modern and ancient Japan, intertwined. The Shirakawa area, the most famous in Gion district, is crowded where most of the tours start.  As it got dark,  paper lanterns along the Shirakawa stream banks illuminated Gion's cobbled streets presenting the city even more dreamlike by beautiful geishas trotting by. As we walked along this beautiful stream, the guide explained the significant spots where the novel's protagonists, Sayuri,  met her love interest for the first time, near a shrine, the famous Okiya where she was trained, the tea houses used for training of geisha etc. At the dusk time, the narrow streets got crowded with visitors eager to photograph a geisha.

Scenes in Gion district

Our host lead us down Hanamikoji-Dori, the bustling main road passing through the centre of Gion, lined with bars, izakaya, temples, and shrines.  At Gion Corner, seven Japanese traditional performing arts converge in one hour in one theatre performance. We enjoyed watching these performing arts, including hairdressing, makeups, flower arrangements, dancing and singing and the famous tea ceremony that I have explained in detail earlier. 

A geisha's primary job is that of the hostess. All of her skills make sure a party is a tremendous success and that everyone has a good time. A geisha entertains with singing, music, dance, story-telling, attentiveness and flirtation. She can speak about politics as smoothly as she can explain the rules of a  game. When Japanese wives were overlooked from public life in general, geisha were the women who could play the role of attentive female at business gatherings. 

Zen Gardens Of Japan

Ryoan-Ji

Japanese traditions allow various natural elements to aid meditation, being arranged at several levels in zen gardens. Zen in Japanese, translates to absorptive or a meditative state. Zen emphasizes the attainment of direct personal insights through Mahayana Buddhist teachings instead of worshipping or chanting from scriptures. It is a way of life, creating stress reduction and evoking tranquillity, calmness, and peace. 

 Zen gardens

Zen gardens use rocks and gravel or sand in swirling patterns to recreate the essence of nature. These lines are essential as they have a calming effect on the mind. In older times, monks re-raked the sand patterns, helping to secure peace to the drifting minds. Ryoan-Ji Zen garden highlighted such an impact on us, which chanced to be our last stop. By this time we were tired looking forward to returning back home. I sat there on the steps, following the rake drawn lines in the sand, in my mind and appreciating a calmness surround the place. An ocean or river or even a small water stream incorporated in Zen garden can assist in reflection. The tea ceremony is one of the traditions that started in Zen temples as an exercise in-- you guessed it-- meditation.

In 1993 I visited Hongkong to attend the  International RCOG  conference in Hongkong while working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I had an opportunity to stop enroute in Bangkok, along with my colleague, and visited the Bridge on the River Kwai, a part of the Death Railway. I intend to write the next blog on this infamous historical site.

I thank you sincerely for catching up on my blogs.