Day 3. Kyoto.

We slept in today and decided to have a day off sight-seeing, and go and get a replacement from my ailing suitcase.  Of course, we got side tracked on our mission and found a wonderful little gift shop come art store called Akao Shobundo ( 256 Yamazakicho Nakagyoku, Kyoto). A marvellous shop for tourist souvenirs but he also sells woodblock prints and crafts  from the vey cheap to the very expensive.  I was in heaven but was very restrained. The owner is gorgeously friendly and helpful.  In the end, he gave us directions to the cafe where he often eats lunch, and his favourite traditional tea house if we wanted Japanese tea.

We decided to try the restaurant, and found it in a back lane in what looked like a private house.   It is called the Fukuyama diner, only open between 12 and 3, and is to be found behind the bowling centre, in a little alley. It was tiny, very atmospheric, with stools round a counter, and a lovely lady who cooked and served in her minuscule  kitchenette.  The menu was a set one, seasonal, specialising in local Kyoto recipes, and cost 1800 yen.  For this, we got tea, white rice,  pickles, green vegetables and an egg.  The highlight was a mushroom soup broth in a small teapot which contained fish, mushrooms and chicken.  You drank the soup after pouring it into the lid, and then ate the solid bits with your chopsticks.  She also served us fried pork with a sweet sauce.  Absolutely the highlight of our trip.  We would never have found it without the help of our friend at the shop.   Plus, in trying to find the diner, we came across some lovely gardens and buildings amongst the more modern monstrosities. We skipped the other recommended shop, the Ippodomtea shop behind the Kyoto city hall, but we might make it there another day.

Sated, we popped into Loft to find the suitcase and I got one, even though we were a bit distracted by the huge Gashapon selection.  Gashapon are little collectibles which you can get from coin machines - usually in arcades or train stations- for about 200 to 400 yen .  We have become quite addicted to them and amused the boys at the cashier no end by our excitement over their machines.  Actually, as usual, my whole trip seems to have been dedictated to amusing the locals.  I seem to send them into fits of giggles, as I drop things, wear odd earrings, get mixed up with the coins, push around what is considered a very large suitcase, dress eccentrically ( Japanese ladies of a certain age are very feminine, discreet and refined on the whole), and generally be myself.

On the way back home we got distracted by an amazing Danish shop called Flying Tiger, which sold a huge assortment of things, very well designed and very cheap. Would that it existed in Melbourne.  I must say, the Japanese and the Scandinavians get my vote for being superb designers.

Another distraction was the amazing distraction was the Bal store, which has lots of beautiful shops spread over several floors.  My favourite was the amazing Nicolai Bergman flower and design store.  If anyone wants to buy one of their colourful flower displays, I will love them for ever!  Hint, hint.  We did eventually make it home, and vowed to have an early night and get up early tomorrow, to get our body clocks more in order.

Day 2 Kyotoo and Arashiyama.

Yesterday, after getting lost in the vast metropolis which is the Kyoto train station, we caught a train to Arashiyama, which is to the west of Kyoto.  Ostensibly, we went there to see the famous bamboo forest, but like a lot of people visiting the area, we discovered that there was a lot more to see than we originally expected.  Not only are there countless eateries and souvenir shops, but there are lots of temples and traditional homes, an amazing river, gorgeous mountains, monkeys, birds  as well.  Photographic opportunities abound.

As we took a stroll through the back streets, we found that a lot of Japanese had dressed up in their traditional clothing for the visit.  Even some men got into the act. While they took selfies and posed at beautiful spots, I became a stalker and took photos of them, generally from the rear, although I think everyone was so pleased with how they looked that they would have been quite happy to pose for me.

A lot of the homes here are beautiful houses with beautiful traditional gardens.  I get the feeling that a lot of very rich people live here.  I wonder if they commute to Kyoto for work or whether these are their holiday homes?

We reached the wide, flat but very fast flowing river, with its famous bridge, the Togetsukyo, and the rising hills above it.  The autumn colours were just beginning and the textures and colours of the trees  provide a pleasing sight.  Once past the bridge, the river is flatter and calmer you can hire a boat and boatman to slowly take you for a ride.  We saw some girls in kimonos doing this and it looked so peaceful, languorous and poetic.  Lovely.   Actually, this top part of the river was considered a great place to take photos.  Husbands were taking photos of their beautifuly kimono  clad wives and children, mothers had dressed up their daughters for photos.  It was a photo opportunists paradise.

Eventually, hunger struck, and with her usual aplomb, Trish found a treasure of a restaurant for me to go into raptures over- the Yudofu Restaurant "Sagano".  In keeping with the Buddhist temple theme of the town, this restaurant  specialises in  tofu based cooking, which sounds bland, but isn't.  It was magnificent! Firstly the gardens and buildings are impressive.  Think moss lawns, a mini bamboo forest, traditional houses, trained pine trees, rocks, representations of Buddhist monks.....we chose tatami mat dining so had a beautiful, traditional, low set table overlooking the gorgeous garden. The menu is a set one and we discovered that we were having sesame flavoured tofu, which tasted like sesame cream, a soft boiled egg, raw wheat gluten which was deliciously sweet, baby gori fish in soy, a sort of vegetable and tofu dumpling, konjac or devil's tongue jelly, vegetable tempura, steamed rice and a broth boiled tofu which you ate soaked in a soya sauce based bowl with ginger and sliced spring onion.  Dessert was a sweet tofu dish.  The meal was accompanied by Japanese tea. It was so filling, neither of us could finish it.  If I could eat like that all the time, I would become a vegetarian.

We dragged ourselves out and wandered round the back streets, avoiding all the temples, to the bamboo groves which gently slope of the mountain and are broken by the occasional temple. Apart from the tourists, the sounds are of the wind through the leaves, the songs of birds and the occasional beat of the trunks against each other.  It was a warm humid day but under the bamboo, the light and heat were muted.  Very beautiful, but very hard to get the feel of the place in pictures.

After that, I stressed Trish out by taking her on a walk through more back streets to disorient her. We found craft and gift shops, thatched cottages, more temples, vegetable gardens and more private houses and gardens.  Eventually, we found civilisation in the farm of the rickshaw stalwarts pulling the tourists round for a tour of the town, and the main shopping street, and wandered in and out of the souvenir shops.  We collapsed at dusk at  Tully's coffee shop, beside the amazing Kimono Forest - lit tubes of kimono fabric lining the Keifuku Arashiyama railway station.  Absolutely beautiful.

We completely lost our bearings on our way back to the station for the train to Kyoto, and found ourselves walking up what felt like an entrance to a freeway in the dark, with cars whizzing by.  It turns out it was a bypass, and we made it safely off it, but for a while, it felt that we were in a horror movie.  We finally made it back to the station and back to Kyoto.  In spite of the adrenaline ride at the end, I would love to have more time in Arashiyama to do more exploring.  There is so much to see and do that a long weekend would be great.

In Kyoto, we explored the station and discovered a model in Lego of the station, a display of lights, music and water, and the incredible Isetan department store, trying to find a place to have a drink.  For some reason we were very tired when we got home!

Day 1 Kyoto.

I am so in awe of the Japanese train system.  We caught 4 interconnecting trains yesterday, and all of them were on time ( the suburban ones required us to wait 2 minutes between trains).   All the staff were pleasant and helpful and offered help when we looked perplexed. Why are  the Australian systems so awful.  Can't they just copy the technology and methods of the systems that work overseas?  Isn't it easier to be pleasant to people and take pride in your work than be unpleasant?  The only complaint I have is that my cheap suitcase I bought in Vietnam several years ago decided to break its handle mid journey which made it jolly hard to navigate with.  Then, getting to our apartment, we chose the exit with stairs rather than the one with a lift and I had to haul the horrible thing up several flights.  I was  so exhausted from the experience of getting from Tokyo to Kyoto that I forced my fellow traveller to stay home and we only went out to get dinner.

We made up for the lack of activity today, when we decided to visit Takashimaya department store to investigate the floors dedicated to Kimonos and handcrafts and arts.  Again, I am in awe.  Would that Australian department stores valued artisans enough to dedicate whole floors to displaying their work.  The kimono section was completely mind- blowing with its vast range of fabrics and accessories necessary for wearing a traditional or not so traditional Japanese outfit.  From obis, to hair adornments, from hair combs to slippers, scented clothes fresheners to brooches, they had it all.  The craftsmanship, designs, colours and styles were stunning.  We also fell in love with the floor focusssing on Japanese arts and crafts.  Wonderful ceramics, glowing lacquerware, hand painted greeting cards, ikebana,  hand printed wrapping cloths, netsuke, scarves, cords and slippers and more.  There is even an art gallery there!  The exhibition hall floor had the most incredible collection of gold ornaments, including a huge phoenix.  There were more kimonos, wrapping cloths, etc up there and beautiful wedding dolls. Even the food in the basement is artistic.  The cakes and chocolates rival those in France and are beautifully displayed and packaged.  We amused the locals with our bad manners  as we sat in the resting area and had our divine take-away lunch.  I know you are not supposed to, but we didn't know where else to go and no-one told us off.

Our next stop was the Teramachi Shopping Arcade and the Shinkyogoku Shopping Arcade which is full of a huge range of shops,  including stamp shops where you can get traditional motifs, local craft shops,  a wonderful fabric/ craft supply shop called Nomura-tailor, incense shops, and  a crazy wonderful sticker shop.  As well as shops, there are the occasional temples which presumably remain from yesteryear - lovely havens of peace amongst all the commerce and bustle. We finally made it to the Nishiki Market as  many of the traders were packing up.  Their shutters are gorgeous rendtions of past art.  The displays of food are so tempting: delectable seafood, beautifully bright sugar candies, fat little dumplings and buns, a myriad of pickled vegetables and seafood, marinated vegetables.  All so photogenic.  Another exhausting, inspiring, amazing day.

Tokyo: day 6

We walked to Ueno station today, stopping to clean our glasses at the free automatic spectacle cleaning machine outside the chemist.  The Japanese are so clever at design, and they have a gadget for everything and a service for everyone.  For instance, in the station there is an ostomy facility, there are special traffic facilities for the blind, and there are rooftop gardens for children.

Anyway, we then caught the train to Nippori station and walked to the Asakura Museum of Sculpture. This used to be the home and studio of the famed sculptor, Asakura Fumio, and his sculptress daughters.  He designed the structure himself and it is truly beautiful. Very traditional in a lot of ways with tatami mats, sliding screens, a beautiful goldfish pond  with the biggest koi carp I have ever seen, and traditional garden surrounding it,  and traditional furniture, yet very Western in others due to the vast bookcases  and the large rooms, and very original with its rooftop flower and vegetable garden, its wood- like balustrades and its skylights.  It is truly a centre of peace cut off from the outer world, in spite of the fact that it also served as a private art school.  Many of his sculptures are displayed, such as his famed, " Grave-keeper",  depictions of  his daughters and his marvellous cats (he had about 10!)., but one can also see his sketches, paintings and photographs of his work.  In the museum, one has to wear socks, which are lent to visitors, avoid touching the walls and exhibits, and not take any photos, but photos are allowed at the outside rooftop and entrance.  I am so glad we did not miss out on this museum, but wish I could have taken photos. It was beautiful.

After the visit, we wandered around the neighbourhood back streets, visiting the many graveyards and cemeteries, peering into local hoses and gardens, and visiting the myriad of artisan shops and stalls dotted around. A walk in this area is a great way to see a suburban side of Tokyo.  We also had afternoon tea at a rather nice cafe with both Japanese and Western drinks and cakes and desserts, eavesdropping on a couple who seemed to be in the process of stealing a design for a flowing top.  We got the giggles at Americans of Japanese descent trying to communicate with the waiter by using Pidgin English and sign language. We had a really brilliant afternoon.  Very photogenic, relaxing, interesting and informative.

Back at Ueno station we enjoyed wandering around the gift shops and admiring the truly gorgeous flower shops.  They really have such a huge variety of plants for sale and creative arrangements.  Inspiring!

Tomorrow we catch the bullet train to Kyoto.  A new adventure!

Day 5 Tokyo

Today we wandered  through our local back streets again.   Quite frankly, the architecture and the building materials are prettty grotty, which is odd considering the Japanese appreciation for good design and craftsmanship. Yet it is a very clean city.  Partly this is because all garbage is sorted into bottles, burnable garbage and PET, partly because it is not considered good form to eat, drink or smoke in the street, and partly because there are no public bins, except near vending machines.  But, considering how much packaging goes into every purchase, one would expect a lot more rubbish to be floating around.  We found a lovely little glass shop yesterday.  Today, we found a little shop that sold stamps.  You can get your own name in kanji or kana , made up with beautiful handles and  cases.  Quite divine.  On the way, we came across an elderly man who had come off his bike and was lying on the pavement looking very dire.  A heart attack, perhaps?  A crowd of people were ministering to him.  One was on the phone to the ambulance.  Another had put a pillow under his head and a teddy to hold.  A third was taking his pulse and monitoring.  Another stood in the road to hail the ambulance when it drove down the street.   Nice to see such community involvement.

We scooted off into Ueno Station to buy our train tickets to Kyoto.  We must have been the most under-prepared customers he had ever come across but he was so polite, tolerant, patient and helpful. Being here makes one realise just how rude the service to customers in general, but to foreigners especially can be in Australia.  This seems especially true in our railway stations and airports.  Why the difference?  Is it because in Japan there is respect for every job, and people feel pride in their work?  I don't know, but I do know how appreciative  I am of the sheer kindness and generosity of the  people we have met here.  We haven't met one unhelpful person.  Even in restaurants where on would  assume only locals would go, an English menu will appear, or at least a menu with pictures.

Lunch was from a little store that sells pre-packaged meals or lets you choose your own combinations, charging by weight.  The only drawback is that we found it impossible to find the public dining area.  Desperate, we crouched unobtrusively, we hoped, outside and ate in a secretive manner.

From Ueno, we travelled by train to the JR Nippori Station.  We noticed little homilies everywhere on respecting others' space and feelings.  It is not customary to speak on the phone on the train.  One is warned about the dangers of texting and walking.  There are reminders to be aware that backpacks can inadvertently jab others.

 Then, we walked to the Nippori Textile district, otherwis known as a Fabric Town.  An amazing kilometre of shops.  From the outside, they look like you would find nothing.  Inside, each shop is a wonderland, often with floors and floors of goods.  My friend, a keen and talented artist on the sewing machine,  bought liberty prints, furnishing fabrics, and dress materials, as well as ribbons, cords, fur pom-poms, sew- on motifs,  buttons, rubber stamps and containers.  I got  Japanese cords, sew on motifs, and Japanese prints.  We both got tempted by jewellery making supplies, furnishing tassels and braids, felted ornaments and toys, bag handles and more.  A real must for crafters and those who sew.  The business of the streets makes one realise how common making your own clothes is in Japan, not only older women were there, but young women, and men.

Next, we crossed the train line to try to find a sculptors' home and gallery in Yanaka.  Google maps lost the plot, and by the time two very nice locals had stopped us to offer help, it was too late to get in.  All was not lost.  We wandered around this residential district, peering into graveyards and  finding wonderful little gift shops. We then found Hebi-dori, a street that serves as an artisan centre, food court, antique centre, market street.  This is the only place that people eat in the street.  We found a wonderful tea shop with exquisite ceramics and decided we have to come back to this area tomorrow.

Day 4 Tokyo

Today , we decided to walk to Ueno park  through the back streets of our neighbourhood.  Such wandering is one of my favourite ways to explore a city.  We discovered that the Japanese use bicycles to get around in a leisurely fashion.  Even the elderly and infirm cycle elegantly and slowly through the streets rather than taking a car.  We also discovered that they store their bicycles in tiered bike stands under their apartment buildings, and crime is so low that no one bothers to use bike locks.  We also noticed how keen the locals are to create little gardens: either groups of pots on the footpath outside their homes, or in garden beds if they have them.  There is something cheering about these flashes of colour amongst all the concrete.  We passed a group of childcare workers pushing 3  big pram-loads of children , all wearing their identifying nursery hats, out for a walk.  They look so cute.  Once children go to school, parents seem to happy to let them navigate the streets and trains alone.  This indicates a high rate of confidence in their safety that  makes one wonder why we don't have the same confidence in Australia.

We passed through bustling street markets near the railway line selling everything from dried squid to mochi, shoes to toys, sexual dress ups to restaurant meals.  So alive and vibrant.

Then we were miraculously among the trees and paths of Ueno park.  The miracle of an oasis in the city.  We came upon Kiyomisu Kannon -Do where one can leave prayers for a pregnancy which is safe and healthy.  Inside the temple is beautiful, and there is a view through the gardens towards the Shinobazu Pond and the Bentendo Temple.  This temple reminded me of the similarities between all religions with its stress on cleansing oneself before prayer, its specific deity for a specific problem, its    candles and its atmosphere of quiet and peacefulness.

We strolled on through the woods to the Tokyo National Museum.  The Honkan, or Japanese Gallery, a very impressive and imposing building, with beautiful lamps, lead lights and mosaics.  The collection provides a summary of Japanese art from ancient times to the 19th century.  We enjoyed its collection of ceramics, fabrics, painting, woodblocks, furniture, enamel wear, netsuke, metalwork and more.  The craftsmanship involved in the creation of even something as simple as a bobbin is extraordinary in this country.  We tried stamping Japanese motifs and had a lot of fun. Truly worth a visit.

 We also visited the Toyokan, which showcases art from Asia, which includes India and Egypt.  Again, the collection is quite stunning.  The links, similarities and differences between the different cultures is very interesting.  We tried our hands at interpreting dreams and embossing, but passed on fortune telling with knucklebones.  Another very impressive museum

We returned home via the amazing, lotus covered , Shinobazu Pond .  Descending the steps towards Bentsen Island with its Bentendo temple, we were startled to see the roadside lined with people leaning on the railing all checking their phones.  How odd.  Passing fast food vendors, and multitudes of statues, we climbed the steps to the temple, which proved to be very rich and photogenic.

Then it was slowly home in the dusk, to put up our feet and rest.

Day 3 Tokyo

Today, we went back to Shibuya to see if I could connect my camera to my iPad.  Thank goodness for smart young people.  The young lady in the store kindly set up the app for me,  gratis.  We all cheered when it was done.  Now I can post photos - if I don't write too much, and if nothing else happens due to my ineptitude.

The next stop was Loft to check out the stationary department.  Absolutely amazing!  Everything from pens to calendars, stickers to note books, papers to washi tape.  You could really go mad in here.

We moved on to Muji for lunch and then strolled down to the incredible Tokyu Hands for craft supplies.  I kept getting diverted by the incredible non-craft things for sale.  What an obsession the Japanese have with Halloween, which they seem to regard as an excellent opportunity for dressing up and decorating, party mode. I am blown away by the enormous range of goods for increasing your flexibility.  I think I really need a massaging chair.  It is as good as a physiotherapist!  When we finally reached the craft section, I desperately wanted the modelling clays, the leathers and the papers there, but settled for incredibly cheap embroidery threads, patchwork squares, and a cross-stitch pattern.  How come these are so much cheaper than in Australia?  Next time, I am bringing a larger suitcase.  I got a crush on some of the stylishly quirky, senior citizens shopping in there.  Wish I had to nerve to photograph them all.  One woman was dressed in an electric blue satin skirt, a sequined jacket and a magnificent hat.  A man had a sort of skirt, sweeping coat, blocky platform shoes and  pony tail and looked like a sci fi hero.  While in Tokyu Hands, we also checked out the pet shop with its incredible array of accessories for pets.  Somehow, I don't think my cats would wear a fedora, or the dogs would appreciate being dressed in Halloween outfits, but I can dream!  I yearned after a very cute hedgehog and played with a tame baby budgie, then reluctantly left them and moved on to Science base which was awesome.  Lots and lots of science based goods which were so much fun!

The next department store on the list was the Incredibly expensive Tokyu Honten store.  We focussed on the 8th floor Art Gallery with its collection of antique china and glasswear, an paintings by Japanese artists such as Tomoko Abe and  Leonard Foujita.  Very different and very interesting, but way beyond my price range.

We were exhausted so popped into the French, Brasserie Viron for a sit and some tea.  The couple beside us was enjoying a, for us, very odd combination: French pastries and a salad with what looked like blood sausage, washed down with cappuccino.

Then, it was back home on the metro, stopping to buy a pre- prepared meal at the local supermarket.

Ps.  Having problems accessing photos right now. Sigh.  Will add them later.