One Last Shot at Japan

Please, Just Let Us Rest 

Finally, a day without structure.  We can do whatever we like.  We feel like kids let out of school. Not that the tour wasn't fun - it was.  But it WAS intense.  So we just loitered and relaxed for a day.  We took a walk over to Kyoto Station.  This was even bigger and cooler than Tokyo station largely because of its fascinating architecture.  The station's architect was Hiroshi Hara and the opening in 1997 was timed for the 1,200th  anniversary of the founding of Kyoto   The denizens of Kyoto hated it quite a bit for a while.  And then it grew on them and now it is the pride of Kyoto.  So often things happen that way, si?

It was providential that I have overcome my fear of heights (phobia #1) because the station is filled with multi-story escalators which could give an eagle vertigo.  By standing very close to Michael's back on the downward ones I managed to maintain my composure.  Really the photos are what will hopefully give you a sense of the scale of the station.

It is impossible to capture the immensity of the Kyoto Station in one photo.

There was even a rooftop mediation garden...

with multiple prohibition warning signs.

Looking down from the very top you still can't see the bottom floor of the station.

The reflection of the surrounding buildings and sky in the Karasuma side of the station.

There were signs, sculptures...

skywalks and a bell.

There were many, many escalators to ascend the various levels within the station.

This is a 1/100th scale Lego model of the Kyoto Station...

which consists of 301,584 blocks and was constructed in 2012 to commemorate 50 years of Lego in Japan and the 15th anniversary of the Kyoto Station.

This optical illusion was near the Lego model. It looks like Deirdre is balancing on a ball, but in fact she is on the solid floor.

On the skywalk there was a tribute to the relationship between Kyoto & Boston.

This worker has figured out the easy way to keep the escalator clean.

The steel superstructure of the station is fascinating to look at.

A picture of the Kyoto Tower from behind the superstructure of Kyoto Station.

After lunch at the station, we returned to the hotel for a dip in the indoor pool.  I then discovered that swimming appears to be a male dominated sport in Japan. There were no women in the lavishly appointed locker room nor in the pool area once I managed to negotiate the convoluted route to the pool.   And it was dark in there.  And there was loud music.  It was the virtual opposite of every American indoor pool.  Every lane of the lap pool was filled (one with Michael) so I sat and observed a truly boring scene until I could flag Michael, get the key and return to our brightly lit room.  On another day Michael decided to swim laps and then get a massage.   Massages are only offered for men. Hurrumph.  To get to the massage area Michael had to walk through a lounge of sorts in which a number of middle age men (who should be working mid-day) were lounging in robes, smoking a lot and watching sports on TV.  Michael is quite sure they were Yakuza (Japanese mafia) although the long sleeves on the robes precluded identification via tattoos.  The massage was a trip too.  No dim lights and chime filled music there.  Glaring lights and the sounds of hocking up of phlegm from the denizens of the lounge, but one of the best messages he's ever had. This in spite of being instructed through sign language to keep his robe on.

We headed out to dinner to another Japanese (maybe our 400th) restaurant when we stumbled upon a restaurant flying the French flag named Ikariya Petit.  Dare I hope?  Could it be an actual French restaurant with a bastardized name like that?  We dove right in and it was amazing.   Tiny, poorly lit, much dark wood -- so French!  And the Duck!  Merveilleux!  It was so good we went back on the last evening we were in Kyoto.

Hoofing it to Himeji

We had planned a day trip to Osaka from Kyoto for one of our remaining days but Hiro strongly urged us to go to Himeji to see its famed castle.  Now bullet train (and train station) pros we managed to obtain round trip tickets to the city we actually wanted to go to and managed to find the platform and dutifully stood on the yellow line and voila!  Forty minutes later we were in Himeji.  I should have reflected on the fact that Hiro had marched us eleven miles in a single day and had the stamina of a mountain goat.  I looked with a combination of awe and dread at the Castle perched atop a significant hill.  We paced ourselves in the ascent and took a tad of a rest before entering the castle. The Castle consists of eight floors.  The ceilings are high meaning the stairs are long.  Each set of stairs becomes steeper and steeper until you are virtually climbing a ladder by the end.  And then you have to go down.  Up is hard for me and down is hard for Michael so by the time we emerged from the Castle there was enough pain to go around for both of us.  And yet, the Gardens beckoned.  The Koko-En Gardens are adjacent to the Castle and, I am pleased to say, on relatively flat ground.  It is hard to say which garden in the world I think most wonderful but this one would have to be in the top ten.  By the time we detrained in Kyoto once more I realized that even without Hiro's prodding we had walked close to ten miles.  Time for sleep.

A boat in the moat of Himeji Castle with a portion of the castle in the background.

A view of Himeji Castle with the bridge over the moat.

This was the official seal of of one of the feudal lords of the castle.

The castle is also known as White Heron Castle and is over 400 years old.

One of the gates leading to the castle keep.

This was an inner moat of the castle. Originally there were three moats, but the outermost moat was filled in long ago.

The triangle, squares and rectangles in the wall of the castle allowed archers to fire down on anyone approaching the castle.

The fish ornaments on the gables were there as a form of fire protection.

There were many gates, each successively smaller the closer one got to the castle keep.

This entrance was not only narrower, but also much shorter.

An explanation of the wall pictured below.

An astounding amount of wood went into the construction of the castle, which consists of six floors and a basement.

These wooden racks would have held weapons for the defense of the castle.

This is a closeup of one of the fish ornaments which they believed would protect the castle from fire.

These are three examples of the fish ornaments from the various periods of Japan's history.

The steep stone walls offered further protection for the castle keep.

Even the fire hydrant covers at the castle were quite ornate (even if of the modern era).

The Koko-en gardens next to the castle were established in 1992 to commemorate the 100the anniversary of Himeji City.

The gardens were spectacular with many water features...

as well as a Japanese tea house overlooking the pond. These women were cleaning the tatami mats in the tea house.

No Japanese garden would be complete without many koi...

and this one was no exception.

Even the bend in the stream added to the beauty of the garden.

Due to the time of year there were not many plants in bloom, however this plant with purple berries got our eye.

This fence of tightly bundled sticks was also unique.

We leave you with this view of Kyoto Tower lit up at night.

Wrapping it Up

A bus to Osaka airport, a plane to Narita airport, a plane to Dallas, a plane to Guadalajara, a reunion and drive with Alex and Chico to the house and in a mere 24 hours (roughly) of travel we were back home.  I actually don't know exactly how long because you've got all those time zones and the international date line and it is just too much to contemplate.  As we arrived at the domicile we looked at each other and said:  What were we thinking when we signed up for the Copper Canyon trip in two weeks?  So our next blog will discuss our adventures/misadventures in a diametrically different world.