I am now in Osaka. The outside temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius and it is transiting from winter to spring. You can tell it is spring when Sakura or Cherry Blossom is everywhere. For this trip, I am quite motivated to do something different. All my trips to Japan had always been about food and shopping, nothing about sightseeing at all. Maybe I am not too engrossed with the history here or I don't speak Japanese. Somehow, I thought of Kyoto and wanted to see the District of Geisha, known as Gion. I also read a passage somewhere that, it is good to take an unexpected route and get out of our comfort zone, sometimes.
This morning, I woke up early. From Osaka Station, which is five subway stops away from where I am put up, I then took a train of JR Kyoto line to Kyoto, which takes another 40 minutes. I can see the trasition from a fully-industrialised city of Osaka to, somehow a more laidback and humble rural when I was in another train from Shin-Osaka station to Kyoto. Before long, the rural homes, vegetable farm and cemetery changed into another magnificent city again. I could tell I had reached Kyoto.
I must mention, inside each train that I boarded, I never failed in seeing girls and women who had full make-up on and always with a mirror in their bag or hand. They seemed so occupied with perfecting their look, that they screamed "vanity is everything" in your face! I speculate that this culture is about packaging, everything has to look nice on the outside. Just like when I bought some take-away food yesterday, I wanted to just grab the box and put it inside my big bag, but the seller insisted on wrapping it with a colourful paper, equipped with fancy utensils that, I guessed, would make my eating experience somehow enhanced. In my heart, I was thinking, what a waste of paper and plastic! But as I always do, I try to immerse into their culture and I give them the benefit of doubt that they also recycle everything here. I had my take-away food and couldn't agree more that my eating experience was somewhat, satisfying.
Once I reached Kyoto Station, I headed to the Tourist Information Centre located just a floor above. I wanted to get hold of a map and walk to Gion. A lady there who speaks very good English, advised me to take a bus instead, as by foot, it will take me about 40 mins. But I wanted to see Kyoto hence, when I saw the queue to the bus was so long, I opted for my first option instead. With the city map in hand, I braved the streets of Kyoto. I took an unusual route, as I don’t want to see any more neon lights and billboards, which are found on the main streets. Instead, I took the small roads and lanes, where I could see residential houses, shrines (Shinto), temples (Buddhism), small restaurants and shops that sell everything from clothing to services like hair cutting and postal. It is a great way to see how people actually live here.
What a delightful encounter when I approached a middle-aged man, just to make sure that I was on the right track. He turned out to be English illiterate. He seemed to understand my query but he decided to ask the shop owner, an old lady instead. Then came an elderly man from an opposite shop and all three of them started speaking in Japanese, trying to explain to me how to get to Gion. All I could do was, say endless “Hai” and “Arigato” and politely indicate that I understood and now ready to continue my journey. I bid good bye to them and I could tell, they wished me luck. When I saw a 13th century temple that matched my map,I took a breath of relief.
The weather in Kyoto was quite odd on this afternoon. Rain and shine took turn diligently. After about an hour walk, I finally saw Gion. It is a street full of cultural happenings and tourists. It has red lanterns but not to be confused as a red-light district, as Geishas are entertainers, not prostitutes. The street has tea houses, cafes, restaurants and shops selling local delicacies and mostly packed in the nicest packaging. I didn’t manage to see any white-painted face women but only the posters of them. I comforted myself that the two quite young looking girls walking in kimono and holding an umbrella could be maiko (apprentice geisha). I wanted to go to Yasaka Shrine but since my objective was Gion, I decided to save it for some other time.
As for now, I should just pat myself for making this unexpected trip and experience for myself how in a foreign land, though you don’t necessarily speak their language, you can still understand and be understood. Only if you want to.
