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sailorstarsunI've been neglecting this, ne? But I did want to talk a bit about my trip to Kyoto.
Of course, first I went to Comiket, in Tokyo, and successfully managed to get the books I'd missed out on in August. Yey! Though at first I didn't think I'd be able to. I had this big plan to catch the 5am train so that I could be in line by 7:30am, and I figured if I woke up at 6am and left the apartment at 6:40am, I'd make it. Then on the day of, I got up at 6am and was making breakfast when I realized 6 comes after 5. How I thought I'd get the 5am train by waking up at 6am, I'll never know. .~_~ So I ended up taking a train at 7:30am... You know... the time I'd wanted to arrive by.
I think I got there around 9:30-10am or so, and there were already long long looong lines to get in, so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my books (though I was a lot more chill about it this time, because at least if I missed out now it would be because of my own silly mistake, not because other people wouldn't listen to me..). But I got in finally, bee-lined for the artist's table (whose location I had memorized), and voila~ There they were~ And success.
I floated around all the tables in the whole place (and I swear to gods, I was being stalked by Rikkai the whole time), and ended up buying 10 doujinshi altogether - all of them TAT. derp
Though the line to the cosplay photo area was over 9,000 hours long, so I skipped that part.
Afterward I went to where I'd have to catch the bus to Kyoto. I'd planned originally to bum around Shinjuku until it was time to go, but became so paranoid that I wouldn't be able to find the bus stop that I just went straight there and waited..... for seven hours.
Ok, ok, so I didn't just sit there staring at the bus stop for seven hours. It did actually take me about an hour to find it, then I spent time wandering around the building it was next to. Had lunch, lurked in a bookstore, etc.
The bus ride itself was uneventful. I slept most of the way, though they had the heaters on full-blast, so I was roasting toward the end of the trip.
I arrived in Kyoto at 8am, and four seconds after I stepped off the bus, it started snowing. By the time I'd made my way through Kyoto Station, used the bathroom, and had breakfast, there was a full-on blizzard. How convenient, considering my first day there was supposed to involve walking around the city.
Well, I am from Michigan, so snow isn't that big a deal. I still walked all over the place, and managed to find Shosei-en Garden.
It was very beautiful, I think because of the snow. If it hadn't snowed, it would have just been dead trees and grass, ya know? Since there's no flowers this time of year. I enjoyed it.
Right near there was Higashi Honganji Temple, but I only stopped by there for a minute and took a few pictures.
By this time I was soaking wet, and my camera was getting wet, and most of all I feared for my books. Yes, remember, this whole time I was walking around carting a stack of doujinshi. My bag was so heavy. And while the bag is mostly waterproof, it leaks at the zippers, and after waiting five months to get those books, I did not want them destroyed by wet snow.
I had also planned on going to Kyoto Tower, but with the blizzard I wouldn't have been able to see anything, so skipped it.
So I just went back to the station until I could check in to the hotel... Another five hour wait. .>_> Had lunch, dried off. There are a lot of shops in Kyoto Station, so I had a lot to poke at, but the majority of the station is open(there's a roof, but no walls), so going from one store to another was freezing.
When I was finally able to check in to the hotel, I immediately unloaded all the doujinshi. Luckily the bag hadn't leaked, so they all came out unscathed. And my bag felt amazingly light. .^^ Exchanged some texts with Aniki, then left again to meet up with her. For dinner we found a Subway, and I got very excited, then discovered they had totally different ingredients than an American Subway, so became disappointed.
Then we headed to Chion-in Temple, where we would spend New Year's. They have what I'm told is the largest (or was it heaviest?) bell in Japan, so we went there and waited for it to be rung. It was very crowded, and I couldn't see very well, but when the monks came to ring it, it was amazing. Their chant was absolutely haunting and beautiful. And it was my first time seeing a real Buddhist prayer. I loved it.
They rang the bell, and people took pictures then moved a little, took pictures then moved a little, took pictures then moved a little... and so on. But somewhere in all the bustle, Aniki and I got separated. I couldn't see her anywhere, so I thought maybe she'd exited and was waiting for me outside the bell area. So I left, but didn't see her. Went all around, but didn't see her. Tried sending a text, but my phone died (the world is against me, always). So I thought maybe she would be waiting in front of the temple, or if I waited there maybe she'd think to look for me there. So I waited and waited, but never found her. People started cheering at the stroke of midnight, and I just stood there by myself. A little after 1am, I was too frozen to keep waiting around, so I just left. I felt bad, and hoped she wasn't still waiting for me somewhere, but there was nothing else I could do.
As soon as I got back to the hotel, I plugged my phone in and sent off a message of apology. She understood - turned out she'd gotten crushed against the fence in the bell area and couldn't move until it had been rung all 108 times - and all was well.
The next day I slept in a decent time, then got up, coffee, shower, etc. My number one thing I wanted to see in Kyoto was Kinkaku-ji, so I set out for it. Had to take a city bus to get there, which... I hate city buses. .>_> The Pavilion and surrounding area was super crowded, but seeing it was... well, amazing! Sooo shiny and beautiful!
Though I did get a little irritated when I was trying to take pictures - there was some Italian chick taking up space by the railing, but she was on her phone, with her back turned, not even looking at the sights, and I just wanted to scream "If you're not interested in it then go the fuck away so people who are can see it!" Meh... damn Italians. (and lets not tell Antonio I said that.. ;P )
Then some little shithead hit Kinkaku-ji with a snowball.
..... I have never wanted to strangle someone so badly before in my life.
You do not hit national treasures with snowballs!
I glared for a good long time, until a cute little lady asked if I would take a picture of her with the Pavilion for her. .^^ The area around was nice too, though of course very touristy. I bought a good-luck charm for Nee-chan, then found a little tea house, so had tea and these little treats with gold on them.
I hope that's safe to eat.
Was a good time.
Since it wasn't blizzarding that day, I went back to Kyoto Tower, and went up. Lovely view of the city! And since it was turning evening by then, I stayed long enough to see it in daylight and nighttime - all lit up.
I loved the juxtaposition of regular, modern city buildings and centuries old temples.
I also really wanted to see Sanjuusangen-do, but when I looked for it on the first day, I couldn't find it (it was lost in the snow). So I took a nighttime walk to find it again. I was actually able to see it from Kyoto Tower, so knew for sure where it was this time. Of course it was closed by that time, but it was a nice stroll anyway. Then I strolled my way back to the hotel, watched some TV, and went to sleep.
The next day - last day in Kyoto - I got up bright and early. Nishi Honganji Temple (the counterpart to Higashi, mentioned above) was right across the street from the hotel, so I went there. The grounds were under construction, so I didn't see much there, but inside the temple itself was very nice. Of course, shoes had to be taken off before even climbing the outside temple steps, and as I walked around, I tried picturing what it must have been like to walk around the same floors in the 1600's. And I thought, there's nothing like walking the length of a 400 year old temple... in your socks... in four degree weather. .^^
And half the time I was there this older Japanese guy was following me around, asking questions. .^^;; "Where are you from? What do you do? What are you taking pictures of?" *laugh*
After that I checked out of the hotel, but was able to leave my bag there, thankfully (was not looking forward to carting all those books around again.. .^^; ). Then caught the city bus to Sanjuusangen-do.
This place..... While before the trip I had been looking most forward to Kinkaku-ji, in the end, Sanjuusangen-do ended up being my favorite place. It was so beautiful and powerful, I actually ended up crying like the blubbering idiot I am.
One-thousand-and-one 800 year old statues, all carved by hand. There were also little worships to do; I bought a small candle to light and leave on an alter, and lit some incense too. I happened to be there when a monk was saying prayers before the large statue of Kannon - my second time ever seeing a Buddhist prayer service.
Pictures weren't allowed inside, though I don't know if it's to protect the old statues, or because it's a religious site. So I bought a book that has pictures and talks about some of the gods portrayed. And I also bought a little arrow quill charm that's supposed to protect drivers and for traffic safety. It has a little suction cup, so I think it's supposed to be hung in a car; I keep joking that I should hang it on my bike. =P But instead it's just sitting in my room, until I can drive again. Then I also bought a small good-health charm for Jessie, that I swear I'll send as soon as I can locate her address. Oh, and I bought a paper fortune. It was "good," and told me that love will be slow in coming. LOL
Photos were ok outside.
After that, I thought about stopping again at Higashi Honganji Temple, since it wasn't out of the way and I'd get to see it not in a blizzard, but in the end I decided it probably wouldn't be all that different from Nishi, so skipped it. Instead I caught a train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Now, I have this thing where every time I pass under a torii gate, I have to take a picture of it. But at Fushimi...
I have been challenged.
I didn't even try. I'm pretty sure I didn't even pass under all the thousands of torii. The place was a maze, though a very beautiful one. There were many, many, many many many many many many many many stairs, and when coming to a rest area I realized they were taking me up a mountain. And then I proceeded to get lost on that mountain. Somehow I lost the shrine's path and ended up on a hiking trail around the mountain, and then up and up and up.
I think the fox spirits were messing with me.
"It's play fetch time right now, motherfucker!"
Of course, I eventually found the shrine again, but was tired and dripping with sweat from my mountain hiking adventure, so I planned on just leaving. On my way out I caught a monk giving prayers....
My first Shinto prayer service ever. .^_^
Everything after that is boring. Got my bag from the hotel, then waited around at the station for seven hours (sitting in a corner with some homeless guys) until it was time to catch the bus home. Got super lucky and had the row of seats to myself, so I could semi-lay down to sleep. Then train from Tokyo to home.
Oh, the not boring part there was that there was a real live geisha on the train. .O_O
And... that's it! My grand adventure! Wasn't it fun!? .^__^
Also, I bought an iPod. .>_>
As I've mentioned before, I brought my American phone here, and have been using it as an MP3 player, but recently it fell while plugged in and the charger broke... off... inside the phone. So while the phone still works, once it dies it's done. It's dead. I have no way of getting a replacement charger from here, or digging out the piece stuck inside.
Knowing this, and knowing I need some kind of music player for my hour-long bike ride to work, on one of my long waits during the trip I went browsing MP3 players at an electronics store. Though since I hate Apple and abhor the idea of being shoehorned into using their shit, I avoided the iSection of the store. Problem is, apparently the only other brand of MP3 players in Japan is Sony, and their players are in the almost $200 range. .-_- So, fine, I went to the iPods, thinking maybe I could find a cheap shuffle or something.
That's when I saw the new iPod Nanos... They're friggin' adorable. They're a little more than an inch squared, touch-screen, has a little clip to attach to shirt/jacket/whatever. I loved it. And $140 wasn't too bad a price, so I told myself if I had enough cash leftover after Kyoto, maybe I'd get one.
I came back from Kyoto with $130, and I thought "That's close enough."
So I went out and got my first (and hopefully only) iProduct.
His name is Izaya (because he "plugs in" to Shizuo ;P ).
I consider it a work expense.
Of course, first I went to Comiket, in Tokyo, and successfully managed to get the books I'd missed out on in August. Yey! Though at first I didn't think I'd be able to. I had this big plan to catch the 5am train so that I could be in line by 7:30am, and I figured if I woke up at 6am and left the apartment at 6:40am, I'd make it. Then on the day of, I got up at 6am and was making breakfast when I realized 6 comes after 5. How I thought I'd get the 5am train by waking up at 6am, I'll never know. .~_~ So I ended up taking a train at 7:30am... You know... the time I'd wanted to arrive by.
I think I got there around 9:30-10am or so, and there were already long long looong lines to get in, so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my books (though I was a lot more chill about it this time, because at least if I missed out now it would be because of my own silly mistake, not because other people wouldn't listen to me..). But I got in finally, bee-lined for the artist's table (whose location I had memorized), and voila~ There they were~ And success.
I floated around all the tables in the whole place (and I swear to gods, I was being stalked by Rikkai the whole time), and ended up buying 10 doujinshi altogether - all of them TAT. derp
Though the line to the cosplay photo area was over 9,000 hours long, so I skipped that part.
Afterward I went to where I'd have to catch the bus to Kyoto. I'd planned originally to bum around Shinjuku until it was time to go, but became so paranoid that I wouldn't be able to find the bus stop that I just went straight there and waited..... for seven hours.
Ok, ok, so I didn't just sit there staring at the bus stop for seven hours. It did actually take me about an hour to find it, then I spent time wandering around the building it was next to. Had lunch, lurked in a bookstore, etc.
The bus ride itself was uneventful. I slept most of the way, though they had the heaters on full-blast, so I was roasting toward the end of the trip.
I arrived in Kyoto at 8am, and four seconds after I stepped off the bus, it started snowing. By the time I'd made my way through Kyoto Station, used the bathroom, and had breakfast, there was a full-on blizzard. How convenient, considering my first day there was supposed to involve walking around the city.
Well, I am from Michigan, so snow isn't that big a deal. I still walked all over the place, and managed to find Shosei-en Garden.
It was very beautiful, I think because of the snow. If it hadn't snowed, it would have just been dead trees and grass, ya know? Since there's no flowers this time of year. I enjoyed it.
Right near there was Higashi Honganji Temple, but I only stopped by there for a minute and took a few pictures.
By this time I was soaking wet, and my camera was getting wet, and most of all I feared for my books. Yes, remember, this whole time I was walking around carting a stack of doujinshi. My bag was so heavy. And while the bag is mostly waterproof, it leaks at the zippers, and after waiting five months to get those books, I did not want them destroyed by wet snow.
I had also planned on going to Kyoto Tower, but with the blizzard I wouldn't have been able to see anything, so skipped it.
So I just went back to the station until I could check in to the hotel... Another five hour wait. .>_> Had lunch, dried off. There are a lot of shops in Kyoto Station, so I had a lot to poke at, but the majority of the station is open(there's a roof, but no walls), so going from one store to another was freezing.
When I was finally able to check in to the hotel, I immediately unloaded all the doujinshi. Luckily the bag hadn't leaked, so they all came out unscathed. And my bag felt amazingly light. .^^ Exchanged some texts with Aniki, then left again to meet up with her. For dinner we found a Subway, and I got very excited, then discovered they had totally different ingredients than an American Subway, so became disappointed.
Then we headed to Chion-in Temple, where we would spend New Year's. They have what I'm told is the largest (or was it heaviest?) bell in Japan, so we went there and waited for it to be rung. It was very crowded, and I couldn't see very well, but when the monks came to ring it, it was amazing. Their chant was absolutely haunting and beautiful. And it was my first time seeing a real Buddhist prayer. I loved it.
They rang the bell, and people took pictures then moved a little, took pictures then moved a little, took pictures then moved a little... and so on. But somewhere in all the bustle, Aniki and I got separated. I couldn't see her anywhere, so I thought maybe she'd exited and was waiting for me outside the bell area. So I left, but didn't see her. Went all around, but didn't see her. Tried sending a text, but my phone died (the world is against me, always). So I thought maybe she would be waiting in front of the temple, or if I waited there maybe she'd think to look for me there. So I waited and waited, but never found her. People started cheering at the stroke of midnight, and I just stood there by myself. A little after 1am, I was too frozen to keep waiting around, so I just left. I felt bad, and hoped she wasn't still waiting for me somewhere, but there was nothing else I could do.
As soon as I got back to the hotel, I plugged my phone in and sent off a message of apology. She understood - turned out she'd gotten crushed against the fence in the bell area and couldn't move until it had been rung all 108 times - and all was well.
The next day I slept in a decent time, then got up, coffee, shower, etc. My number one thing I wanted to see in Kyoto was Kinkaku-ji, so I set out for it. Had to take a city bus to get there, which... I hate city buses. .>_> The Pavilion and surrounding area was super crowded, but seeing it was... well, amazing! Sooo shiny and beautiful!
Though I did get a little irritated when I was trying to take pictures - there was some Italian chick taking up space by the railing, but she was on her phone, with her back turned, not even looking at the sights, and I just wanted to scream "If you're not interested in it then go the fuck away so people who are can see it!" Meh... damn Italians. (and lets not tell Antonio I said that.. ;P )
Then some little shithead hit Kinkaku-ji with a snowball.
..... I have never wanted to strangle someone so badly before in my life.
You do not hit national treasures with snowballs!
I glared for a good long time, until a cute little lady asked if I would take a picture of her with the Pavilion for her. .^^ The area around was nice too, though of course very touristy. I bought a good-luck charm for Nee-chan, then found a little tea house, so had tea and these little treats with gold on them.
I hope that's safe to eat.
Was a good time.
Since it wasn't blizzarding that day, I went back to Kyoto Tower, and went up. Lovely view of the city! And since it was turning evening by then, I stayed long enough to see it in daylight and nighttime - all lit up.
I loved the juxtaposition of regular, modern city buildings and centuries old temples.
I also really wanted to see Sanjuusangen-do, but when I looked for it on the first day, I couldn't find it (it was lost in the snow). So I took a nighttime walk to find it again. I was actually able to see it from Kyoto Tower, so knew for sure where it was this time. Of course it was closed by that time, but it was a nice stroll anyway. Then I strolled my way back to the hotel, watched some TV, and went to sleep.
The next day - last day in Kyoto - I got up bright and early. Nishi Honganji Temple (the counterpart to Higashi, mentioned above) was right across the street from the hotel, so I went there. The grounds were under construction, so I didn't see much there, but inside the temple itself was very nice. Of course, shoes had to be taken off before even climbing the outside temple steps, and as I walked around, I tried picturing what it must have been like to walk around the same floors in the 1600's. And I thought, there's nothing like walking the length of a 400 year old temple... in your socks... in four degree weather. .^^
And half the time I was there this older Japanese guy was following me around, asking questions. .^^;; "Where are you from? What do you do? What are you taking pictures of?" *laugh*
After that I checked out of the hotel, but was able to leave my bag there, thankfully (was not looking forward to carting all those books around again.. .^^; ). Then caught the city bus to Sanjuusangen-do.
This place..... While before the trip I had been looking most forward to Kinkaku-ji, in the end, Sanjuusangen-do ended up being my favorite place. It was so beautiful and powerful, I actually ended up crying like the blubbering idiot I am.
One-thousand-and-one 800 year old statues, all carved by hand. There were also little worships to do; I bought a small candle to light and leave on an alter, and lit some incense too. I happened to be there when a monk was saying prayers before the large statue of Kannon - my second time ever seeing a Buddhist prayer service.
Pictures weren't allowed inside, though I don't know if it's to protect the old statues, or because it's a religious site. So I bought a book that has pictures and talks about some of the gods portrayed. And I also bought a little arrow quill charm that's supposed to protect drivers and for traffic safety. It has a little suction cup, so I think it's supposed to be hung in a car; I keep joking that I should hang it on my bike. =P But instead it's just sitting in my room, until I can drive again. Then I also bought a small good-health charm for Jessie, that I swear I'll send as soon as I can locate her address. Oh, and I bought a paper fortune. It was "good," and told me that love will be slow in coming. LOL
Photos were ok outside.
After that, I thought about stopping again at Higashi Honganji Temple, since it wasn't out of the way and I'd get to see it not in a blizzard, but in the end I decided it probably wouldn't be all that different from Nishi, so skipped it. Instead I caught a train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Now, I have this thing where every time I pass under a torii gate, I have to take a picture of it. But at Fushimi...
I have been challenged.
I didn't even try. I'm pretty sure I didn't even pass under all the thousands of torii. The place was a maze, though a very beautiful one. There were many, many, many many many many many many many many stairs, and when coming to a rest area I realized they were taking me up a mountain. And then I proceeded to get lost on that mountain. Somehow I lost the shrine's path and ended up on a hiking trail around the mountain, and then up and up and up.
I think the fox spirits were messing with me.
"It's play fetch time right now, motherfucker!"
Of course, I eventually found the shrine again, but was tired and dripping with sweat from my mountain hiking adventure, so I planned on just leaving. On my way out I caught a monk giving prayers....
My first Shinto prayer service ever. .^_^
Everything after that is boring. Got my bag from the hotel, then waited around at the station for seven hours (sitting in a corner with some homeless guys) until it was time to catch the bus home. Got super lucky and had the row of seats to myself, so I could semi-lay down to sleep. Then train from Tokyo to home.
Oh, the not boring part there was that there was a real live geisha on the train. .O_O
And... that's it! My grand adventure! Wasn't it fun!? .^__^
Also, I bought an iPod. .>_>
As I've mentioned before, I brought my American phone here, and have been using it as an MP3 player, but recently it fell while plugged in and the charger broke... off... inside the phone. So while the phone still works, once it dies it's done. It's dead. I have no way of getting a replacement charger from here, or digging out the piece stuck inside.
Knowing this, and knowing I need some kind of music player for my hour-long bike ride to work, on one of my long waits during the trip I went browsing MP3 players at an electronics store. Though since I hate Apple and abhor the idea of being shoehorned into using their shit, I avoided the iSection of the store. Problem is, apparently the only other brand of MP3 players in Japan is Sony, and their players are in the almost $200 range. .-_- So, fine, I went to the iPods, thinking maybe I could find a cheap shuffle or something.
That's when I saw the new iPod Nanos... They're friggin' adorable. They're a little more than an inch squared, touch-screen, has a little clip to attach to shirt/jacket/whatever. I loved it. And $140 wasn't too bad a price, so I told myself if I had enough cash leftover after Kyoto, maybe I'd get one.
I came back from Kyoto with $130, and I thought "That's close enough."
So I went out and got my first (and hopefully only) iProduct.
His name is Izaya (because he "plugs in" to Shizuo ;P ).
I consider it a work expense.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 04:32 pm (UTC)And you're right, the snow definitely made the scene more beautiful. While I'm sure the evergreens would look fine, the snow really adds to the scenery.
I am amused at the procurement of modern necessities (I consider mp3 players a necessity) on a trip that is mostly about traditional Japan. Glad to hear you've had such a fulfilling trip. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 01:06 pm (UTC)And, thank you! It's very easy to take beautiful pictures in Japan, since so many things are lovely. I want my photos to make people feel like they went there themselves, and understand what I felt when seeing these things.
I just wish I could have gotten pictures inside Sanjuusangen-do; that place was totally awesome. .^__^
*laugh* MP3 players are absolutely a necessity!