Today was devoted to just walking the streets of Kyoto. Our
hotel, The Royal Park Hotel, is located in the center of the this city of 1.2
million people. It has easy access to public transportation (subways, busses
and taxis) and all of the stores that you can imagine. It must rain a lot here
(the sidewalks are covered and there are several arcades that run for blocks
and blocks. It drizzles off and on, then stops. The natives clearly are totally
used to the weather. I haven’t seen anyone in a raincoat. All most all of the
stores, taxis and hotels offer free umbrellas. You take one and leave it where
ever. The next person then can use it if they need it. It is a great civic
sharing experience.
We did a lot of walking and shopping today, mostly were
buying gifts. Kyoto has a very high taste level and there are lots of expensive
antique stores (we didn’t buy anything). It also has a contemporary side to it.
If you looked at the youth they all seem to be dressed with great style in a “grunge
look”. They would look great in Silverlake or Seattle or San Francisco.
Simultaneously you see women in Kimono’s. They are honored here, and get
special benefits. For example, a women in a Kimono gets a discount if she takes
a taxi.
Walking thru the Nishiki Food Market was a repeat for us
from previous trips, but totally interesting. It is a covered arcade spanning
many blocks. On either side of the street are stalls dedicated usually to a
single item. Fish Stalls, Rice Stalls, Vegetable stalls, knife stall, sweets
etc. The Japanese are obsessively clean and there are no flies, no garbage, no
smells or odors that shouldn’t be there. You would NEVER see a Japanese person
walking down the street eating food or throwing away trash on the street, it just
isn’t done here.
We decided to have lunch at Din Tai Fung at Takishimaya. We
have eaten many times at DTF in Los Angeles. It is a branch of a Taiwanese
Restaurant. Scott had always told us the one in Taiwan is far better. It turns
out that the branch in Kyoto has a far more expansive menu than the Los Angeles
one. (Note to self: Check out the new one opening in Glendale, see if has
touches of Armenian cooking). For me the test of a Dim Sum is shumai. The
shumai here was unlike any I had ever had, the dough contained soup within it,
like so many DTF dishes in LA. I don’t know which is authentic, but this soup
dumpling version was excellent.
Japan takes earthquakes very seriously. As we were walking
down the street music plays over loud speakers. It is really quite insipid.
American movie music from the 60’s played like elevator music. All of a sudden
a voice came on, first English then in Japanese saying this was a test of the
earthquake alarm system. Then there was a siren. The siren subsided and then the
insipid music returned. I guess they have some sort of technology to give them
a short window of opportunity before an earthquake hit. Ok, lets think I am
walking down the sidewalk and an alarm goes off: Earthquake! What would you do.
Run into the street and get hit by a car, run into a collapsing building, I
don’t know what I would do? I always wanted to be in front of a jewelry case in
at Tinfany’s infront in the advent of an earthquake, what about you?
As insipid as a lot of the music is, surprisingly in lots of
stores and restaurants we have been in they have been playing very progressive
Jazz and Bebop. I always am reminded when I hear this type music of the way it
is used in the novels of Murakami. I now know where he gets his inspiration.
Dinner was at another Kaiseki restaurant: Yonemura. This is
an absolutely gorgeous restaurant. They dumped a ton of money into it. It has
an ultra-modern kitchen with counters and drawers made of wood. The
architecture and craftsman who built this restaurant were great combining new
equipment with the eternal Japanese love of nature and wooden objects.
The dinner was excellent but very filling. I can’t believe
we are doing another and different Kaiseki dinner tomorrow night!
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