What do geisha and maids have in common? In Japan, they are sought after, stared at, and much photographed.
In Akihabara (Electric Town) in Tokyo, or the electronics district, there is a maid phenomenon going on where cafes, restaurants and casinos have women who dress up as maids and call customers "master." We chanced upon a maid casino and saw many maids handing out flyers on the street to restaurants and god know what else. Akihabara is known to cater to those with fetishes and the maids are just the latest way that the otaku (nerds) are indulged. I asked one maid if I could take a picture of her and she emphatically gave me an "X" with her fingers, so I declined to snap a photo.
Here are a couple of maid photos from the Web:
http://www.hdrjapan.com/akihabara-maid-picture/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drguid/2018997380/
http://japanwindow.com/index.php?showimage=341
In the geisha district, geisha sightings are what people live for. Whenever a geisha would pop out of an alley, there would be much twittering and snapping of pictures. I felt sorry for the poor women who were swarmed by paparazzi as they simply tried to get to work. I snapped a couple of photos, then decided it was rude to pop my camera flash right in their faces. Besides, between me, Jonathan, Tree and Kevin, we had enough photos of these beautiful women. So CJ and I just waited at the side of the road as two geisha walked by. I murmured "komnbawa" (good evening) and asked CJ to do the same. The normally harried and passive geisha actually smiled and waved at CJ. It was a nice moment.
Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Food, Glorious Food
We are eating our hearts out in Japan and enjoying every minute. Yesterday, we enjoyed Kyoto style ramen noodles which consisted of egg noodles in a thick miso broth, with vegetables and roasted pork. The broth was very different from the broth in the ramen noodles we had in Tokyo.
Tonight, we ate at Tankumakita, the Kyoto style restaurant at the Righa Royal hotel where we are staying for a few days. Most of us ordered the six- or seven-course meals that included miso soup, tempura, roasted vegetables, sashimi, tofu, crab, roe, and pickles. CJ asked (yes, he asked) for tempura and tuna, so that's what he had (no kidding, his dinner was more than twice more expensive than my dinner). Kevin ordered saba (mackerel) sushi and tuna sashimi. The tuna sashimi we've had over the past couple of days has been most excellent. We were too tired to leave the hotel and the restaurant turned out to be a good choice. We had a private, tatami room and the sake and beer were excellent.
BTW, we were told that the best sake is always enjoyed cold, never hot, that the less expensive sake is heated up to make up for lack of flavor. After hearing that advice at a bar in Tokyo, we've been ordering only cold sake.
At the flea market this morning, we got some yakisoba (Japanese noodles), okono-miyaki (omelette with vegetables) and various red bean paste sweets. The flea market was amazing. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything from used kimono to antique scrolls, roasted mochi, dried chrysanthemums (for eating), chestnuts, ceramics, designer clothing, bags and other accessories. We were in luck to be in town on the one day a month (the 21st) that the flea market is open.
Nearly every day, I have o nigiri, or rice ball. It's not actually a rice ball, but a triangle-shaped rice thingie made with the finest rice, wrapped in seaweed and often including salmon, spicy roe or pickled plum. I love these things and pack one with me everywhere we go.
Tonight, we ate at Tankumakita, the Kyoto style restaurant at the Righa Royal hotel where we are staying for a few days. Most of us ordered the six- or seven-course meals that included miso soup, tempura, roasted vegetables, sashimi, tofu, crab, roe, and pickles. CJ asked (yes, he asked) for tempura and tuna, so that's what he had (no kidding, his dinner was more than twice more expensive than my dinner). Kevin ordered saba (mackerel) sushi and tuna sashimi. The tuna sashimi we've had over the past couple of days has been most excellent. We were too tired to leave the hotel and the restaurant turned out to be a good choice. We had a private, tatami room and the sake and beer were excellent.
BTW, we were told that the best sake is always enjoyed cold, never hot, that the less expensive sake is heated up to make up for lack of flavor. After hearing that advice at a bar in Tokyo, we've been ordering only cold sake.
At the flea market this morning, we got some yakisoba (Japanese noodles), okono-miyaki (omelette with vegetables) and various red bean paste sweets. The flea market was amazing. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything from used kimono to antique scrolls, roasted mochi, dried chrysanthemums (for eating), chestnuts, ceramics, designer clothing, bags and other accessories. We were in luck to be in town on the one day a month (the 21st) that the flea market is open.
Nearly every day, I have o nigiri, or rice ball. It's not actually a rice ball, but a triangle-shaped rice thingie made with the finest rice, wrapped in seaweed and often including salmon, spicy roe or pickled plum. I love these things and pack one with me everywhere we go.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Kyoto and Ieyasu Tokugawa
We've only been in Kyoto for 2 1/2 days and already we feel like we're a world apart from Tokyo. Kyoto is a modern city, but it is steeped in tradition and culture. There are 1600 temples in Kyoto - 1600! How is that even possible?
On our first, full day in Kyoto, Monday, we spent the morning visiting the Path of Philosophy and Ginkaku-ji. The Path of Philosophy was previously a stroll path that let up the hill to the famous Ginkaku template (ji means temple), but it's now a path of tourist shops and food stalls. The path is still pleasant, as the views are great and I enjoyed my mochi cakes and green tea smoothie. Ginkaku-ji (or Silver Temple) is set in the hills and boy were we rewarded when we got there. The colors are at their peak of changing color, so we got to enjoy views of the temple and gardens set in a riot of greens, yellows and reds. I especially enjoyed the raked Zen garden and the view of the temple from the top of the hillside.
Next stop, the Imperial Palace, which is where the emperor lived for nearly a thousand years while the (official) capital was in Kyoto. Kevin said he's used to the castles and palaces of Europe, which are lavishly furnished and decorated, while the palace in Kyoto is made of beautiful, wooden structures that are sparsely furnished with tatami mats and beautiful screens, but no furniture.
On Tuesday, we visited the Nijo Castle, which was the home of the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa. Ieyasu was really the ruler of Japan, making his home in Edo, and visiting Kyoto only several times during his tenure. Nijo is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it's magnificent. In fact, Ieyasu specifically made his castle and grounds more lavish than the emperor's palace to show who was boss. There are actually many, many buildings in the castle complex, including a moat and several gardens. I LOVED the nightingale floors in the main castle building. The floors squeak and sing like nightingales when you walk on them; this was done to prevent intruders from entering without warning. We also appreciated the little anterooms off the main rooms, where the shogun's bodyguards would hide and emerge from, in the event of an attack against the shogun. Finally, the main garden is unbelievable. Rocks are placed beautifully, there are several waterfalls, and the views are spectacular and ever-changing as you walk around this garden of rocks, bushes and low trees.
Here's a link to Wikipedia's entry on Nijo Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nijo_Castle
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Ieyasu Tokugawa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ieyasu_Tokugawa
On a separate but related note, I found out from Maki that CJ is named after Ieyasu Tokugawa. CJ's Japanese name is Yasuhiko; Yasu is from Ieyasu and hiko is a male suffix common in Japan. How this bit of information escaped me all these years, I'm not quite sure. All I know is that when we were coming up with names, Maki and his dad were in charge of CJ's Japanese name and I remember that they wanted the health character to be in his name. I like the idea of my son being named after the shogun who united Japan and was the most powerful shogun in history. :-)
On our first, full day in Kyoto, Monday, we spent the morning visiting the Path of Philosophy and Ginkaku-ji. The Path of Philosophy was previously a stroll path that let up the hill to the famous Ginkaku template (ji means temple), but it's now a path of tourist shops and food stalls. The path is still pleasant, as the views are great and I enjoyed my mochi cakes and green tea smoothie. Ginkaku-ji (or Silver Temple) is set in the hills and boy were we rewarded when we got there. The colors are at their peak of changing color, so we got to enjoy views of the temple and gardens set in a riot of greens, yellows and reds. I especially enjoyed the raked Zen garden and the view of the temple from the top of the hillside.Next stop, the Imperial Palace, which is where the emperor lived for nearly a thousand years while the (official) capital was in Kyoto. Kevin said he's used to the castles and palaces of Europe, which are lavishly furnished and decorated, while the palace in Kyoto is made of beautiful, wooden structures that are sparsely furnished with tatami mats and beautiful screens, but no furniture.
On Tuesday, we visited the Nijo Castle, which was the home of the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa. Ieyasu was really the ruler of Japan, making his home in Edo, and visiting Kyoto only several times during his tenure. Nijo is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it's magnificent. In fact, Ieyasu specifically made his castle and grounds more lavish than the emperor's palace to show who was boss. There are actually many, many buildings in the castle complex, including a moat and several gardens. I LOVED the nightingale floors in the main castle building. The floors squeak and sing like nightingales when you walk on them; this was done to prevent intruders from entering without warning. We also appreciated the little anterooms off the main rooms, where the shogun's bodyguards would hide and emerge from, in the event of an attack against the shogun. Finally, the main garden is unbelievable. Rocks are placed beautifully, there are several waterfalls, and the views are spectacular and ever-changing as you walk around this garden of rocks, bushes and low trees.Here's a link to Wikipedia's entry on Nijo Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nijo_Castle
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Ieyasu Tokugawa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ieyasu_Tokugawa
On a separate but related note, I found out from Maki that CJ is named after Ieyasu Tokugawa. CJ's Japanese name is Yasuhiko; Yasu is from Ieyasu and hiko is a male suffix common in Japan. How this bit of information escaped me all these years, I'm not quite sure. All I know is that when we were coming up with names, Maki and his dad were in charge of CJ's Japanese name and I remember that they wanted the health character to be in his name. I like the idea of my son being named after the shogun who united Japan and was the most powerful shogun in history. :-)
Old School, New School
Whenever we take CJ to the potty, he asks if the bathroom is old school or new school, referring to the squat toilet and Western toilets in the public bathrooms. The toilets are an example of how Japan seems to blend old and new seamlessly into everyday life.
We see it everywhere. In the depato (department stores), consumers can purchase the latest fashions, high end cosmetics and perfumes, the best Japanese, American and European brands. But each depato that I've ever visited also has a floor devoted to Japanese kimono and arts and crafts. And, the age old tradition of greeting customers at the beginning and end of the business day continues to this day. It works like this: when the depato open for the day, the employees line up at the entrance in two rows and bow to the first customers of the day. The same custom is honored at the end of the day, as the employees say good-bye to the customers. It's incredible to see.
On Tuesday night, we visited the Gion district of Kyoto. Gion is famous as the geisa district and known for its teahouses, theaters and shops. Gion could be another tourist area in any major city in the world, until you reach the geisha quarter, where old, wooden buildings house restaurants, small hotels, and shops. Some of the buildings do not have English signage and we were told that many of the establishments where the geisha perform are not open to the non-Japanese without a special introduction from a valued customer. In the midst of the crowds, we saw beautifully made up and dressed geisha hurrying about, trying to be gracious to the crowds gawking at them and popping flashes in their faces.
Finally, you see old and new in the ryokan hotel where we stayed our first two nights in Kyoto. Ryokan are traditional Japanese guesthouses. During our visit to Edomura, we learned that the first ryokan were established during the early Tokugawa period for travelers; prior to the ryokan, travelers slept in open fields or barns. Ryokan hotels are modern structures, but they have traditional rooms with tatami mats, futon and low tables for enjoying a cup of tea. Traditional ryokans tend to be outside the city limits and are housed in older, traditional structures. Ryokan are famous for the public bath areas where men and women (separated) can enjoy a soak in a large, heated bath. Both mornings at the ryokan, I got up early to shower and soak in the women's bath. I had the place to myself and the steam, hot water and sound of water were a great way to start the day.
We see it everywhere. In the depato (department stores), consumers can purchase the latest fashions, high end cosmetics and perfumes, the best Japanese, American and European brands. But each depato that I've ever visited also has a floor devoted to Japanese kimono and arts and crafts. And, the age old tradition of greeting customers at the beginning and end of the business day continues to this day. It works like this: when the depato open for the day, the employees line up at the entrance in two rows and bow to the first customers of the day. The same custom is honored at the end of the day, as the employees say good-bye to the customers. It's incredible to see.On Tuesday night, we visited the Gion district of Kyoto. Gion is famous as the geisa district and known for its teahouses, theaters and shops. Gion could be another tourist area in any major city in the world, until you reach the geisha quarter, where old, wooden buildings house restaurants, small hotels, and shops. Some of the buildings do not have English signage and we were told that many of the establishments where the geisha perform are not open to the non-Japanese without a special introduction from a valued customer. In the midst of the crowds, we saw beautifully made up and dressed geisha hurrying about, trying to be gracious to the crowds gawking at them and popping flashes in their faces.
Finally, you see old and new in the ryokan hotel where we stayed our first two nights in Kyoto. Ryokan are traditional Japanese guesthouses. During our visit to Edomura, we learned that the first ryokan were established during the early Tokugawa period for travelers; prior to the ryokan, travelers slept in open fields or barns. Ryokan hotels are modern structures, but they have traditional rooms with tatami mats, futon and low tables for enjoying a cup of tea. Traditional ryokans tend to be outside the city limits and are housed in older, traditional structures. Ryokan are famous for the public bath areas where men and women (separated) can enjoy a soak in a large, heated bath. Both mornings at the ryokan, I got up early to shower and soak in the women's bath. I had the place to myself and the steam, hot water and sound of water were a great way to start the day.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Taking the Shinkansen to Kyoto
On Sunday morning, Maki, CJ, mom, dad and I traveled back to Tokyo from Tsukuba. Mom and dad had a lunch to attend, so Maki, CJ and I met the rest of the group at Shinagawa station to catch the 12:20pm shinkansen to to Kyoto.
Maki, CJ and I got to Shinagawa station early, so we had a chance to explore the station a little bit. Japanese subway and train stations are a wonder. There are clean bathrooms everywhere and the signage to get to the bathrooms is very good. Most importantly, there are food stores and tiny restaurants everywhere. I got hungry just looking at the signs for ramen, udon and tempura. Yum! We even found a hot soba food stand right on the platform. Maki says hot soba on a cold day is just the best! We settled on a couple of bento boxes of futomaki, tofu pockets (enari), chicken and rice.
Our Kyoto adventure began when we got on the shinkansen. Boy, you can set your clock by the train schedule. Our train arrived right at 12:20. Maki says trains typically make a 90-second stop, so we had no time to spare getting on the train. We had purchased reserved seats, which were roomy and comfortable. There are Japanese and Western toilets on the train, and the refreshment cart comes by every half hour. You can get beer, soda, bento, candy and other snacks from the refreshment cart.
We got to Kyoto in under two hours, then caught two cabs to the ryokan (more on that later). The shinkansen ride was sort of anti-climactic since it was, after all is said and done, just a train ride, but it was definitely speedy and smooth.
I think about how I prefer to take the train to New York, as opposed to flying. And I wonder if I would opt to visit more places in the US if the trains got me there faster and less expensively.
Maki, CJ and I got to Shinagawa station early, so we had a chance to explore the station a little bit. Japanese subway and train stations are a wonder. There are clean bathrooms everywhere and the signage to get to the bathrooms is very good. Most importantly, there are food stores and tiny restaurants everywhere. I got hungry just looking at the signs for ramen, udon and tempura. Yum! We even found a hot soba food stand right on the platform. Maki says hot soba on a cold day is just the best! We settled on a couple of bento boxes of futomaki, tofu pockets (enari), chicken and rice.
Our Kyoto adventure began when we got on the shinkansen. Boy, you can set your clock by the train schedule. Our train arrived right at 12:20. Maki says trains typically make a 90-second stop, so we had no time to spare getting on the train. We had purchased reserved seats, which were roomy and comfortable. There are Japanese and Western toilets on the train, and the refreshment cart comes by every half hour. You can get beer, soda, bento, candy and other snacks from the refreshment cart.
We got to Kyoto in under two hours, then caught two cabs to the ryokan (more on that later). The shinkansen ride was sort of anti-climactic since it was, after all is said and done, just a train ride, but it was definitely speedy and smooth.
I think about how I prefer to take the train to New York, as opposed to flying. And I wonder if I would opt to visit more places in the US if the trains got me there faster and less expensively.
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