Mar. 5, 2013

While we waited for our train, I stepped into a shop on the platform. What did I find? Well this is Japan...so I found food and drink! It was all very nicely packaged for carry on to the trains, and of course there was a good selection of beer. Hiroko and Reiko had packed us a goodie bag for the ride full of assorted Japanese snacks, crackers, and a few different kinds of citrus.

With a wave goodbye to Hiroko and Reiko, our Shinkansen rolled out of Tokyo Station. The Bullet train was comfortable, clean, and very smooth. We only had four stops between Tokyo and Kyoto. The Nozomi N700 top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) sounds fast and is fast, but because the train is so smooth you don't seem to be traveling that fast. When I thought to myself that at the Bullet Train's top speed of 186 mpm it's just like the take off speed of a commercial jet, which seemed to put the fast ride into perspective. I LOVE the Shinkansen. If we were smart in California, we would be having the Japanese build our bullet train, or at least have them do some serious consultation.

e arrived in Kyoto a little after 11 am. We stayed at the New Miyako Hotel, which was just across the street from the Kyoto Shinkansen Station. Even though we were told that check in wasn't until after 2pm, we managed to get our rooms and dump off our luggage. Darrell had his sights on a few destinations today, so it was time to hop in a cab. First stop the Japanese Costume Museum.

The Costume Museum focus is on miniatures. The main portion is made up of doll sized models dressed in traditional Japanese costume depicting everyday life during that time. The costumes are all extremely detailed and authentically made of traditional silks.

After seeing all of the beautiful Japanese costumes we took the elevator to the ground floor and went in to a shop which sells silks, fans, Buddhist religious items, and some antiques.

We left the museum and started to walk through the neighborhood. The sun was shining and, at 70 degrees, it was the warmest day of our trip yet. The neighborhood had a mix of businesses and homes scattered among its narrow streets.

Some scenes from our cab ride to our next destination.

Our next stop was to visit the home and studio of Robert Mangold who is an acquaintance of Darrell's. Robert is an American introduced to Japan by his past military duty. He is now an antique dealer in Kyoto. His home and studio are right next the Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine grounds. On the grounds we saw numerous Ume trees which were just starting to bloom. Ume is a Japanese apricot, but the blossoms are known as plum blossoms and the fruit is usually referred to as Japanese plums.

Robert has a background in construction. He has been personally restoring his home and studio. They are both traditional and very beautiful.

After a very nice visit with Robert, it was time to see a very special place, which has been closed to the public for 27 years. The Daishôji Imperial Convent has existed since the year 1697. There was a special limited opening to the public from March 1st through the 18th. Photography of any kind was strictly prohibited, but because Darrell is a member of the friends of Daishôji and there is a need to generate awareness of the need to maintain and restore this very important place, I was allowed to take pictures and video. I am only currently posting some of the capture I shot because of the sensitive nature of some of the content. We met Michiyo Katsura at the Daishôji. Michiyo is with the Medieval Japanese Studies Institute in Kyoto and also a Friend of Daishôji. We also met Abbess Toun who is the gozen-sama or Mother Superior.

This evening's dinner was at Mankamero, a restaurant which has existed in Kyoto since 1722. Their specialty is yusoku ryori, cuisine intended for members of the Imperial Court. Every step of the meal is incredibly elaborate, down to the ceremonially dressed chef who prepares your dishes using specially made utensils. We were joined by Michiyo Katsura, Robert Mangold, and Kondo-sensei, who is retired from the Tsuji Cooking School in Osaka. The servers are dressed in traditional kimono. The meal was very delicious and wonderfully presented and served. For the show piece dish , the servers turned out the lights then brought in the plates. Each plate had a candle made out of thinly sliced daikon radish. The burning wick of the candle glowed nicely through the translucent skin of daikon. We were all very impressed with this elegant touch.

Eating at this amazingly wonderful and traditional restaurant was quite a double edged sword. On one hand, all of the food was spectacular leaving a desire for the evening not to end. On the other hand, sitting on a thin cushion at the traditional Japanese table with very short legs called a "chabudai" was a bit hard on most of the joints between the hips and ankles, so it was a relief to finally stretch the legs. One thing is certain...Mankamero was a perfect way to finish off an exceptional day and evening.

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