A day trip to Fushimi Inari-Taisha and Byodo-in, late 2015.

 Kyoto has always been my special destination. Once it was supposed to be my residence. It was a long time ago, of course, but even now, I promise myself to come to visit Kyoto every now and then, take a day walk, or just spend time in a small sophisticated cafe.

 A few weeks ago, just before leaves began to change their colors, I hit the road to Kyoto. As always, I suddenly decided to get there a day before.  Since my ordinary destination is the central city of Kyoto, I wanted to visit temples where I had never been. So I drove to a shrine called "Fushimi Inari-taisha (伏見稲荷)", located in southern Kyoto.

 Parking a car nearby, I began to walk slowly. Taking a walk is something like feeling connected to the world for me. By stepping one by one, I gradually realize I'm a part of this place.

 On the road, I found so many visitors, especially from abroad. Perhaps almost a half of all visitors are foreigners. That's not surprising because this shrine is chosen "The best spot for foreigners visiting to Japan" in 2014 and 2015. The exotic red gates and architectures, easy to access from the nearest station (only 3 minutes or so), and you can visit there almost anytime, even in the evening. Listening to their language, Chinese, English, French, I went across the main gate to go deep inside.

 Fushimi Inari-taisha is famous for its countless gates. Actually, they have about ten thousand gates in its territory, and they are all offered by ordinary people as well as companies across this country. They are placed along narrow roads in its mountainous are, and you can walk and take a rest inside.

Like hiking, I started climbing and immediately found it wasn't as easy as I imagined at first. According to the maps hung around the shrine, we have to walk hours to get on the top and come back to the main gate. "Well, it's okay because I came here to just walking :)" No music, no smart phone, just take steps.

As I continue to walk, I noticed some gates were under repair. It reminds me of this religion Sinto respects something new. Considering the fact that most gates were built within 30 years, maybe they destroy some of them and build it again.

 Keep climbing up, I saw some rest spaces with tiny shops and places to sit. They also sell alcohol, including beer, snacks, so it's not inconvenient if you just come up and visit unexpectedly, like me :)

 Not yet?

 Not yet?

 And finally....

We're on the top :D It wasn't that special than I expected, you know...but it's all right ;) Okay, time to go back and visit another place to walk :)

 This world heritage temple Byōdō-in (平等院鳳凰堂) was originally built in the 10th century in Uji city, Kyoto, although it had been burned out many times because of wars and other disasters. That's not unusual for most of historical architectures in Japan, and we often find them under repair partly. This time, fortunately, I could see new one which construction was completed last year 2014. The temple was so famous that you can find the icon on a side of 10 yen coin.

So, why don't we have a look :) The city of Uji is a famous place for matcha, and you could see so many old tiny matcha shops along the streets. As a green tea fan, I was eager to drop in as many as possible, however, I couldn't make it due to my late arrival. For the record, there are a plenty of shops for selling it in Kyoto.

 Before getting back to my car, I wander around the temple. The small city turned the lights on, and like many other historical city, shops were already closed. I love this kind of mood, and couldn't help but walking a bit. If there was a river to walk along, it must have been the best....

Oh, here it was :D

 I spent another 20 minutes or so before leaving for my home in Nagoya. It was way behind my prior schedule, but still, I was so satisfy that I'll do another day trip by car :)

Photos from last week :)

I'll be back...as soon as possible :)

Green tea and bread.

 All I need to make my life sartisfy is green tea and well-baked bread :)

Visiting Shunga exhibition, Autumn 2015.

 It's widely believed that the Japanese had recognized sex matters more openly before they introduced Western education, including ethic. And this Shunga Exbition, held in Tokyo until 23 December 2015, might support the point. In a warm morning of October, I visited it by bicycle. The exhibition focusing on Shunga, which is the traditional pictures of sex and pleasure, is actually the first time to be held in Japan. "We all admit its value and beauty, yet it was so hard to find a place to exhibit" The organizer mentioned in a panel hung in the museum. "Almost all the museums kindly rejected our proposal, seemed to avoid getting in trouble"
Considering the current situation of how we think about sex, I wasn't surprised to hear it. In my view, the problem wasn't whether it was too sexual, it was how they regard it: showing private issue like sex in public. Is it embarrassing? Well, let's go visit and find out :)

 I was amazed that was restricted under 18-year-old, I definitely have never seen any other exhibition under the rule. Taking photos were prohibited in the entire place, of course, so I apologized not to be able to show some. I felt it wasn't that sexual, but more like great pieces of the traditional art. And I found so many women, young and elder alike, looked closely at each drawing. I noticed how Shunga helped develop the techniques of drawing. It was once prohibited from publishing in 1722, which was the period of the Edo-era, and because they kept drawing and publishing it outside the rule, they no longer had to follow any regulation, hence they could express and created the latest ways of drawing at that time. That’s why Shunga is sometimes said the supreme art in Japan.
 Thankfully, the organizer has announced they change the whole works during the term, which means I have another chance to visit as a first-timer. I’m sure I’ll be back :)
 Okay, let’s have a lunch at a park next to the museum, then why don’t we take a walk? :)

Just walking 10 minutes or so, there is a wooden garden belonged to a hotel. It’s my favorite place to take a rest whenever I come close to the area. A red tiny bridge and narrow trails here and there, and gorgeous interior once you step into the hotel. Oh, you don’t have to get permission, just pretend to be a guest ;)  After taking another break at a café, let’s get back!

Autumn has come!

As the temperature gets cooler, I often find myself taking a long walk in Tokyo. Walking is one of my few things that became my weekly habits since I moved to Tokyo. I love wandering anywhere in this big city, literally, anywhere. Unlike many other cities in Japan, Tokyo is so diverse that I can sense quickly where I am, even if it was my first time visiting. Sure, it looked all the same from the window of the train. But once you actually set foot on its soil, you could find the difference. Old post-war-style houses stood along a narrow street, but once you look up, there are a bunch of skyscrapers on your eyes. New and Old, stylish and traditional, European and Asian...And an office district comes along with collage students' town... All of them live along side by side in the city. Every time I walk, I find something new, and it was Taco Bell one day. They were long gone since they withdrew from Japan, though, they finally came back in Shibuya, a city loved by young age. Many elders and people spend time in abroad welcomed its return, I heard from someone, and it reminds me of my only one experience eating there: Costa Rica. So why don't I drop off at it to remember my old days? ;)

I expect another wonderful walking within days, perhaps :)

A sunny Saturday.

 I'm sure I'll be back soon :)