Mom's visit, part Seven

On our last day together, one of my sweetest and shyest students, Mikiko, came to meet up with us. She actually had taken the day off work and showed up in a kimono, just for the event! We walked through the Nishiki Food Market, where various ingredients and fresh fish are displayed and available for purchase or sampling. Afterward, we went shopping in the covered shopping arcade, and I took them shoe shopping at a store I'd been eyeing because of their uniquely Japanese brands. Spoiled guy that I am, I ended up with some new shoes out of it all! Even Mom and Jacque found some they liked at that shop, but of course, nothing was like the traditional ones Mikiko was wearing (the tiny wooden sandals and split-toe socks)!

All in all, it was a great visit. I'm so glad that they came and showed an interest in my home for the last year, bravely trying new foods, meeting many of my students, and even learning a few words in Japanese. Way to go...

Mom's visit, part Six

According to ancient beliefs, each side of the capital needed to be protected. There is a symbolic animal for each of the four directions who does that duty, and the creature for the East is a dragon. Mom and Jacque happened to be here on the day of the year when they celebrate the dragon at Kiyomizudera, a temple built into the mountainside. This temple was recently nominated to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was a long slow climb up to the temple, but it was worth it!

The festival began with energetic taiko drumming. Then, there were women dressed as spirits, coming to bless the mountain, the temple, and the people there. We pushed (and were pushed) our way to the front and actually were able to receive a blessing from them! After walking around the temple some more, we came to the front where the procession just so happened to be taking place. We actually had a great view of the dragon itself.

We left the temple and made our way to a live performance by actual geisha, who also presented us with some tea beforehand. This dance is called the Miyako Odori, and it heralds the coming of spring. There are five houses of geisha left in Kyoto, each giving a unique performance. We went to see the Miyako house's show. The performance was accompanied by traditional instruments and singing, but of course, we couldn't understand any of it! I thought the costumes and sets were beautiful, and so was the way the geisha moved, but it was about a hour long, and after 20 minutes or so, I'd had enough...

Once it was over, we left the performance and headed downtown to meet some other traveling foreigners and eat some really good fresh food at a buffet. At least everyone could eat as much as they like of things they actually liked rather than the tiny dishes we'd been getting everywhere else! It was another long day, but full of spectacular events...

Mom's visit, part Five

The next day, we met Yasuko and Hiroko, two more of my students, for a tour of the Imperial Palace in English. (please be patient with that page of photos...it may take some time to load fully.) For some reason, they allow foreigners to visit the palace year-round, but Japanese people are restricted to touring it on only two special days a year unless they are accompanying foreigners, so my students were thrilled. It was so pristine, and it was the same bright orange color as the Shinto shrines here. We found out that the orange color was thought to ward off bad energy and evil spirits. Many of the accents were capped with a white paint, and we were told that it somehow prevented termite infestations, since the buildings were all made of wood.

The palace also houses some of the most beautiful gardens I have seen in Japan. Grass is almost never seen here, but moss is abundant. While the West tends to think of moss as a sign of no progress, Japan reveres it, as it creates a feeling of stillness and peace. These gardens were used for poetry readings and meditation, so moss is perfect for setting the stage.

Once we were outside the palace walls, we went into the park surrounding the palace itself. Here, we found some of the most gorgeous, fully blooming cherry blossoms yet. They seemed to fill the space and your view, almost having an unreal effect, like living in a fantasy or on a movie set. Plus, it was the best weather we'd had yet. There were tons of people there just taking in the view and relaxing. Even a couple of cats got in on the action! Many people were taking pictures or even sketching and painting the trees too. Some couples were just lounging on the ground or benches. It truly was romantic.


We went to lunch with the students for yet another traditional spread. After having had a few jam-packed days in a row, we called it a day, as far as sightseeing went.

Mom's visit, part Four

On Tuesday, we met up with Sadao again, for another day of being led around. He first took us to one of the most important and largest zen temples in Kyoto, called Nanzen-ji. It's up on the East mountainside, and has a giant protective gate that we were able to climb up. The stairway is steep and narrow, with hordes of people going up and down at the same time, making for a difficult climb. But the view from the top was amazing. You could see all of Kyoto from over the treetops, and just looking down at the subtemples below was beautiful.

Sadao then treated us to yet another traditional meal, and I think the novelty had worn off for my visitors by this point. There is so much to Japanese food besides sushi, teriyaki, and tempura that most Americans know nothing about. So each of my students wanted to introduce them to traditional cuisine here. But that meant a little redundancy, especially for food they didn't really like but had to eat to be polite!

After lunch, we got on a boat ride that took us around a nearby canal, lined with cherry blossoms. It had started to rain (again!) so the covered roof was nice. As we went under low bridges, the roof actually lowered by hydraulics so that we could clear them.

From the dock, we walked to the Kyoto Handicraft Center to do some shopping. I left Mom and Jacque with Sadao so that I could teach a couple lessons and meet up with them later. Unfortunately, Sadao took his duties too seriously and began to drag them all over the place, stopping for only brief intervals. They barely even made it in time to meet me later!

During certain times of the year, some of the tourist attractions have special night time "light-ups" where you can see illuminated vegetation. In this case, we met up with some of my students to see the Nijo Castle Light-up. Unfortunately, the blossoms hadn't fully bloomed here yet, but it was still a beautiful night, and we were surprised by a concert of koto, traditional Japanese stringed instruments, played by women in kimono.

Along with the students, we went to dinner and then to see a movie (in English), which didn't let out until midnight. Another long day was behind us...

Mom's visit, part Three

Another big day ahead of us, we headed out to the Westin Miyako Hotel, where they have a traditional tea house. We received the traditional tea ceremony and had it explained to us. The ceremony, like all zen things, is focused on the way it's done. Each movement is specific and precise, and all parts are to be enjoyed, including the making, the drinking, the cup it's served in, and the decoration of the space itself. The cups and decorative alcove also reflect the season by having something representative present.

From there, we got on a 45-minute train ride to Nara. It was the ancient capital of Japan before Kyoto, up until 794 AD. From the train station to the tourist attractions, we walked through deer park, where hundreds of deer roam around freely and are used to getting fed by visitors. In fact, they are rather pushy about it, and I got butted a few times! Mom didn't want to feed them at first, but after a few minutes, she warmed up to it.

As we walked onward, we encountered a few monks. Some were visiting, and another was chanting, asking for money. Mom gave him some and got a blessing in return. When he saw I was taking his photo, he perked up and posed with her!

After walking through deer park, we arrived at the largest free-standing wooden building in the world. The temple is called Todai-ji, and it houses the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world, also known as Daibutsu or "Big Buddha." It was pretty dark inside, so some of the photos didn't come out that well. Outside the building, there was a statue of a healing god. You are supposed to rub the part of the statue that pains you, and then rub that part on yourself as well. All three of us took our turns, hoping to relieve whatever ailed us!

Up on a nearby hill is a five-story pagoda and temple known as Horyu-ji. It's very beautiful, but at this point, we were hungry and freezing from the wind, and decided to head back toward the train station.

Another 45-minute train ride later, we arrived in the hustle and bustle of Osaka. The bright lights everywhere are accompanied by fashion, which is just as popular with the men as the women. In fact, I think the guys spend more time tanning and blowdrying their hair than the girls do! After walking around a bit, we stopped at a pet shop/cafe where you can drink a cup of coffee while you pet the rescue dogs there. If you want you can also "rent" them by the hour and take them for a walk as well. We then met up with a few girls who work for a company that has helped find me students. They are really cute and fun, and they had a great time meeting my mom and Jacque.

Mom's visit, part Two

We woke up early on Sunday to head off to a large Zen temple known as Tenryu-ji. We were able to tour the inside of the temple itself, which is pretty empty. One aspect of zen is the idea of emptiness or nothingness, and so the temples are full of just that. Besides a few instruments used to call followers to prayer or daily meditation, there wasn't much to see. Even the Buddha statue was hidden under a curtain, mostly obscured from sight. (if you click on the word "Tenryu-ji" above, it will take you to the photos, but there are three small pages of them. Make sure you click on the little arrows in the upper left corner to see all three pages.)

One of my favorite things about zen temples is their gardens. They are neatly kept and have blooming flowers nearly year-round. There were many flowers I'd never seen before, and we never even found out the name! We didn't stay long because it was starting to rain, and we had plans to eat at a restaurant where Haruko, one of my students, works. It was their first experience with the many courses, all served on small individual dishes. I'm so proud that they tried everything, even the things that looked sketchy! On our way to the restaurant, we walked through Arashiyama, one of my favorite areas in Kyoto. That included first encounters with geishas and guys pulling people on two-wheeled carriages.

After lunch and a couple lessons, one of my other students, Chikako, joined us to go to a traditional residence and garden up on the mountain side. It is called Okochi Sanso, named for the silent film actor who lived there for many years. Unfortunately it was still rainy and gray, and I got soaked, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

We left there and took a trip to another student's family home where Yoshiko and her family served us another traditional meal, starting with cherry blossom tea (a little too salty if you ask me). It was a long day, and we were all glad to get home, get dry, and get to sleep...

Mom's visit, part One

Well I'm going to do my best to catch you up. My mom and aunt Jacque were here for a week. The day they left, Randy arrived and was here for over a week. Three days later, I went to South Korea to get my visa renewed as I came back to Japan. I'm back now and will show you the highlights of these events...

{As usual, you can click on the links for names of places, and it will take you to the photos for that place. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them, and you can save them by right-clicking on them...}

DAY ONE: After I taught a few lessons, we headed out for the first day. One of my students, Sadao, is learning English so that he can hopefully become a tour guide. He was so excited by my visitors and insisted on guiding us around a little bit. He was actually very demanding, and even scolded me for letting my mom pay for anything! In Japan, that would be disrespectful and unheard of.

Our first stop was Kinkakuji, also known as the "Golden Pavilion." It was there that they got their first taste of Japanese sweets. Many of them are derived from mochi, which is rice gluten, sweetened with various flavors. It is sometimes gooey or mushy, and according to my mother, has the consistency of Elmer's Glue! Mochi would be known as "Elmer's" for the rest of the trip.

After the Golden Pavilion, we headed to Hirano Shrine, known for its cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, we were a little too early to get the full bloom there, but it was their first glimpse of them and to see people lined up to pray at a shrine. In April, everything changes in Japan. It's when people get promoted or change jobs, the tax year ends March 31st, menus change at restaurants, and everything seems to get overhauled at once. So the new employees at a company are expected to go to the shrines and stake out territory for the company outing to sit under the cherry blossoms and have sake or wine or beer. At this shrine, we could see some employees setting up their tarps and guarding their space.

We took the back road to one of my favorite shrines next: Kitano Tenmangu. It was built to honor one of Japan's great educators who lived over a thousand years ago! Students travel from all over to rub one of the many ox statues, thought to bring good luck in exams or education. Sadao also helped my mom get her fortune, a piece of paper that tells you about your future. If it's no good, you tie the paper to one of the nearby plants or trees (so that's what she did).