We had meant to get up early and do a few things before the 12 o'clock start, but we slept in, then had to pack our bags so they could be sent ahead to Hiroshima, then find somewhere for breakfast. Bob saw a sign on the way saying Kyoto Art Centre, so we had brunch in their cafe which seemed to have an Italian influence. Bob had a beef stew with rice and egg:
And I had a spaghetti with tomato and mackerel sauce
We decide to pop into the exhibitions which turned out to be sort of performance art, or 3D projection of a film of dance. The first was called Tango de Soledas and we put on 3D glasses to watch a girl dance to music alone in a room, with voice-overs in Japanese and Spanish. I didn't expect to enjoy it, but it was beautiful. The second, we had to stand in one spot with the glasses on, and look down at a girl moving on the floor. It wasn't as enjoyable. It was called "The Revery Alone" . The last was fascinating as we lay on our backs wearing the glasses and looked at the ceiling. The girl was nude in this and appeared to be hanging off the ceiling from four handles. She moved in this from one position to another, facing and with her back to us. It was called "In the Flesh" and was really interesting.
Leaving, we were talking about how there was always something new to find in Kyoto and came across this artist's work with fabric:
and this outside a glasses shop:
When we finally came to a place where we could watch the parade, it was crowded, of course, but we still were mesmerised at the beauty, elegance and style of the old costumes:
It certainly puts Moomba, in Melbourne, to shame!
It was also fun looking at the locals and their reactions:
We next had an adventure trying to use the bus system, with mixed and very slow progress, due to getting distracted by art shops, and the right bus never turning up, and taking the wrong bus in the right direction. We were trying to get to Kinkaku, the Golden Pavilion, a Zen Buddhist temple which contains relics of Buddha, and which was formerly used as a villa and guesthouse.
It was worth the trip. We entered through very understated gates and passed through a sort of woodland scene, with moss instead of grass:
Once we paid to enter, we saw the absolutely splendid Pavilion, which seems beautiful when seen from any direction:
The lake too, is beautiful, even when you are not looking at the pavilion:
Of course, some little boys had to throw stones at the koi and get told off by their teacher!
The paths through the garden have lovely little sights, even though we were accompanied by classes of school kids:
And at the end, there is the money-making side mixed with the praying side:
(You can pray for anything from world peace, to wealth, to doing well in exams, to a good marriage).
We gave up trying to get to Rokuon-ji Temple after a long walk and a longer wait for the appropriate bus, and caught a bus back to Kyoto station, where the Kyoto Tower was illuminated:
Food called, so we randomly chose a restaurant and had a brilliant meal:
This elegant box contained samples of regional food, steamed or stir fried.
(We ate the mixed tempura prawns and vegetables before we remembered the camera)
This was the beast dish we have had: Japanese beef on a special leaf, with grated ginger and miso, cooked on coals.
Clams in sake
Manderine sorbet
Green tea icecream (of course)
Green tea.
Off to Hiroshima tomorrow, but I am determined to come back to Kyoto or live here. It is brilliant, and I haven't even scratched the surface of its experiences!
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