Japan Day 6 - Kyoto!

This morning, we took the train to the the home of Nintendo's headquarters, Kyoto. Unlike Tokyo's system of trains and subways, in Kyoto, we spent the majority of our public transportation time on busses, all of which are a flat fee (either 100 or 220 yen).  We visited the Philosopher's Way and ate lunch at a temple along the path. The setting was peaceful as we enjoyed the beginning of the fall colors. We continued our day by walking to and around Nanzenji Temple. It is an enormous complex, opening with a large wooden gate. We followed the ritual protocol of hand and mouth washing before walking to the altar, throwing in a coin, ringing a bell, making a wish, bowing twice and clapping twice. The Nanzenji complex was a peaceful, garden retreat.

Next, we attended a traditional geisha performance. The performers were both maiko (geisha in training) and geisha. Kyoto still has a geisha tradition, including the teahouses and places to rent geisha kimonos. We were first shown to a small sitting room, where we were served sweets and matcha green tea. Then, we moved to the auditorium for the performance. The geisha and maiko acted out five scenes, including traditional dances. They were accompanied by shamisen and three vocalists. They even played a version of 'rock, paper, scissors', with 'samurai, mother, tiger'.

Since the temple where we were staying (Myorenji) didn't have a bath or shower, they provided us with coupons to the public bath. Public bathing is something that I haven't done since the awkward junior high and high school years after gym class. However, the public bath in Japan is an experience that one shouldn't miss. These baths are still frequented in the older neighborhoods, where when the homes were built, there was either not enough space or money to include a private bath. Men and women have separate locker rooms and bathing facilities. First one soaps and rinses at the shower heads. Then, one moves into the large hot-tub. It was a wonderfully relaxing experience.
We rushed back to Myorenji Temple past our 9 pm curfew. However, the friendly manager led us to our room while his young son entertained us with his antics. The room was covered in tatami mats. The only furniture was a low table with hot water for tea. We unfolded our futons and slept soundly.