Day V - Kyoto

Day V - Kyoto

We spent all day Monday in Kyoto as well, although we didn't cover quite as much ground as we did Sunday.

Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Temple)

Kinkaku-Ji (the Golden Temple) is the informal name of the Rokuon-Ji (Deer Garden Temple). It is a temple that was built in 1397 to serve as the retirement home of a former Shogun. The home was later turned into a Zen temple.

The temple is located in a very beatiful garden and overlooks a body of water known (not surprisingly) as Mirror Pond. The temple is covered in pure gold leaf and was in my opinion the most aesthetically pleasing of all of the temples we visited.

It is often associated with Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilian Temple, also located in Kyoto, but we only visited Kinkaku-ji on our trip.

Ryoan-ji

After checking out Kinkaku-ji we went over to a Zen temple called Ryoan-ji.

The temple is located deep within a beautiful park

To many, the temple's name is synonymous with the temple's famous karesansui (dry landscape) rock garden, thought to have been built in the late 1400s. The garden consists of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.

We sat for a long while (along with a large gathered crowd) to take in the rock garden. It was absolutely fascinating. The longer I looked at the garden, the more impressive it became. The precision of the placement of the rocks and the intricately combed gravel pit gave the garden a very purposeful feeling.

The longer I looked the more the meaning would change. At times it looked like an archipeligo of islands in a rock sea, other times it looked like a desert landscape, while still other times felt like the rocks were protruding from a sea of quicksand. I'm sure for other people the meanings were different.

The indescribable ambiance of this garden is such that it has been viewed, analyzed and studied for centuries.

Onsen

After grabbing some lunch we ventured over to an Onsen to participate in another historic Japanese tradition.

Onsen is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. Japan is a volcanically active country and has thousands of onsens spread throughout the country to allow people to bath themselves in the natural hot spring water, thought to have therapeudic effects or healing powers derived from its mineral content.

Onsens draw many tourists, Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of "naked communion" for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphere of an onsen inn.

Traditionally, men and women bathed together at the onsen, but single-sex bathing has steadily become the established custom since the opening of Japan to the West.

Cleanliness is king in Japan, so all Onsen attendees are expected to wash themselves thoroughly before entering the baths. The onsen we attended had dozens of showers lined up around the interior - people would clean everything, even shaving their faces and brushing their teeth, before entering the onsen.

Onsens typically have several different baths, all with a different mineral composition. The Onsen we attended had maybe 5 or 6 different types of baths. One had different colored water, making me feel like I was sitting in a giant cup of Japanese tea. Another had a slight electric pulse running through the water, which caught me off guard and scared the living sh-- out of me. Yet another one was ice cold, which was extremely uncomfortable but absolutely necessary after sitting in multiple different hot tubs and hot springs. This particular onsen also had a steamroom, which I didn't enter as I was literally going to pass out after sitting in a hot tub for about an hour.

Overall I thought it was interesting but I didn't really care for it. Personally I couldn't take the heat - I stood outside in front of a fan for about 15 minutes before I could get fully dressed just so I wouldn't pass out. The fact that I could jump in some ice cold water to neutralize the heat didn't really make up for it.

Furthermore, there was a little too much dudity for my liking in the onsen. "Dudity" is a term that I coined to refer to male nudity.

Yup. A little too much dudity going on in onsens for my taste.

But hey, to each their own.

Kaiseki


For dinner we decided to have a Kaiseki (or go to a Kaiseki, I'm not sure of the proper phrasing). As mentioned in my tea ceremony post, Kaiseki originated as a meal that accompanied a tea ceremony. According to wikipedia, in the present day, kaiseki is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. To this end, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor. Local ingredients are often included as well. Finished dishes are carefully presented on colorful plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the seasonal theme of the meal. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble natural plants and animals.


My trip companion Eli summarized our Kaiseki experience in his blog and did such a great job that I am simply going to post his summary word for word here, so feel free to read on to get a feel for what a traditional Kaiseki dinner would be like.


Last night we went to a kaiseki ryōri (note - this is one of two types of kaiseki). The restaurant, Yata, was finely appointed in a luxurious eastern style. We were greeted in an enclosed entry and asked to take our shoes off, a request we are very familiar with at this point. We were led to a small room where we sat on mats and cushions around a bar-like table we were to share with two couples who were finishing up their dinners. Our host brought us hot towels and discussed with us which meal we wanted. The three of us decided on the Hagi menu, a nine-course meal.



Course 1: Marinated Mackerel and Grilled Eggplant -- This was a pleasant way to start the meal, more because of the textures and the presentation than the taste. Sure, the fish was incredibly fresh and the other ingredients accompanied its flavor quite well, but the arrival of this dish signaled to me that we were in for a long-evening assault on many senses, rather than just the one that is typically targeted.


Course 2: Deep-Fried Sea Eel and Matsutake Mushroom in Clear Soup -- This course was quite a change of pace. The deep-fried sea eel was completely encased in sesame seeds, which preserved the fish from any of the oil during frying, and it was not fried long. I ate the ingredients out of the soup with chopsticks, and initially thought that the broth had little or no flavor. As I ate, however, the flavor of the broth became clearer and stronger, either because the remaining ingredients lent it flavor or because my palate became more attuned to the subtlety. In any event, when I drank the remaining broth at the end of the course, it had fully taken on the flavor of the ingredients. Also, I love eel.


Course 3: Seasonal Sliced Raw Fish -- This was sashimi, as you might expect. Four pieces, all extremely fresh, and garnished with flower petals and a piece of daikon radish. Again, I thought this course was quite beautiful.

Course 4: Grilled Eggplant and Shellfish with Sauce -- A revelation! This steamed giant clam sandwich had grilled eggplant in exchange for bread, was crushed with a thick, sweet teriyaki-style sauce, and garnished with a soybean. Each half of the sandwich was small enough (barely) to eat in one bite; this was like nothing I had ever seen. It was playful; more importantly, though, was that it had a deep and rich flavor. Now we were on a roller-coaster ride, for sure.

Course 5: Vinegared Brown Seaweed --
Although this was not my favorite dish, probably because my western palate and predilections prevent me from fully recognizing its redeeming flavors and texture, I thought this dish was exquisitely presented. Our instructions were to mix thoroughly before eating, which we did, although I had only half my bowl. The other couples in the room watched with anticipation as the three of us battled with this one, and giggled a little more than just to themselves.

Course 6: Grilled Sweet Fish --
This fish was about four inches long, and aside from a small opening in the side where the chef had stuffed some corn meal, it was completely intact. It was grilled, and served whole, as you can see. Our instructions here were to pick it up by head and tail, and eat. I mangled mine. I was thrilled when our host gave me a compliment for the state of the carcass once I was done.

Course 7: Simmered Turnip with Blue Crab Sauce -- This dish was equally beautiful in taste and appearance. I had never had a large piece of turnip that had been cooked until it was as soft as a fully cooked onion. This one was in the middle of the bowl, surrounded by lump crab, more flower petals, and turnip greens (I think). The broth had little taste, but accentuated the flavors of the other ingredients. The combination was quite nice, and was a perfect next step after devouring a fish whole.

Course 8: Rice with Pacific Saury, Mushroom Miso Soup, and Pickles -- Although I enjoyed the taste of everything here, I did not completely understand the grouping. We had fried rice with fish in it, which was some of the best fried rice I`ve ever had. Then we have a miso soup with the tiniest, most delicate mushrooms and a fantastic dark flavor. Finally, we have traditional Japanese pickles. I know I`m neither Japanese nor do I even partially understand the cuisine, but these tastes just do not seem to go together.

Course 9: Grated Pear and Grape -- Ah, desert. Some people know I`m not the biggest dessert eater, but when there is a fantastic one I am happy to eat it, and sometimes in large quantities (see, for instance, banana`s foster at Commander`s Palace). This dessert was a perfect end to our meal. A light and refreshing soup of pear, with two large grapes split in half and divided by a small mohawk shaving of ginger. It`s so simple, and I like to cook, and yet I have no idea how the chef created the consistency of pear. It was transcendent.So, that is all. This was easily the best meal I have had in Japan, and one of the best meals I`ve ever had. We left quite full, and happy. There were a couple misses, mostly for cultural reasons I expect, but the experience overall was off the charts.

That's it for this post. I'll follow this up with a description of our trip to Hiroshima.