Workshop on hand-sewing

I attended a workshop on hand-sewing face masks embroidered with Ainu patterns. (Ainu are the indigenous people who live in the north of the country. They once lived in the Sakhalin and Kurile Islands, but they were forcibly incorporated into Japan. Now,  we Japanese are working to revive and maintain tant be respectful of the Ainu people's culture. )

In the past, women would pass the time chatting while sewing and embroidering simple geometric patterns of symmetry. I believe that hand sewing is a common thread in every human culture to make cloth strong, to make it as fashionable as possible, and to keep bad things away all the time.

Love for women! Love for hand sewing!

Golden Week in Kyoto May 2015 - Night in Gion

花咲(Hanasaki) in Gion serves us Japanese cuisine in Kaiseki(会席） style. 

After the dinner, I recommend you to walk up to Kodaiji （高台寺）which is lit up during the Golden Week.

Golden Week in Kyoto May 2015 - Arashiyama, Daitokuji

It was raining in the morning, so we cancelled walking on the trail and headed to Sagano（嵯峨野）in Arashiyama（嵐山）. At the Arashiyama station, there were so many people, but as we went further to the mountain side,  passing by the famous bamboo tunnel, it became calm. We went further, almost to the dead end to Giouji temple（祇王寺）.  It had been raining throuout the day.  The famous moss garden sparked when the sun rays shone down through the hanging branches of the broadleaf forest.  It was a magical moment.

After being satisfied with the beautiful garden, we moved to Daitokuji （大徳寺）.  It was the route I longed for.  Daitokuji is a complex of several temples which shares its history with the great tea master Sen no Rikyu(千利休）.  There have been great tea masters in the history, but Sen no Rikyu, who completed the present style of the "Way of Tea" in 16th century, is the most respected tea master.

Daitokuji (大徳寺山門）

Shown in the photo below is Koto-In（高桐院）one of the temples in Daitokuji. It is famous for its beautiful moss garden and colored maple leaves in autumn.

Koutou-In (高桐院）

You can have a bowl of tea viewing the beautiful garden in silence here.

Two famous tearooms are displayed here.

This tea room used be the residence of the great tea master Sen no Rikyu. You can see the writing in the alcove 関  which represents the meaning of "constant remind of the initial state" came from the Zen words.

This tearoom was once used at the famed Kitano Chakai,（北野大茶会） which was organized by Taiko Hideyoshi（太閤秀吉) and directed by Sen no Rikyu. The room is dimmed with minimum light, which is to bring on focus to the five senses.

Golden Week in Kyoto May 2015 - Kifune, Kurama, Rakuhoku

Day 3

We planned to run and walk in Kurama (鞍馬) area, which is located 13km north from the central city.  It is famous for Kifune Shrine (貴船神社) and Kurama Temple((鞍馬寺) and very beautiful place throught the year for its green. People can't believe that it is only a half hour ride on the train from the city.

Kurama Dera is a hidden buddist temple which used be a temple for Shugenja (修験者), montain ascetic priests,  who practiced ascetism in the mountain. The woods behind the temple spreads deeply and it is said there lived the Tengu goblins (天狗).  Tengu was believed to be a God who protects Shugenja and nature, yet people feared them.  There is also a famous history of Minamoto Yoshitsune (源義経) who stayed here during his ages of 7-16 and was mentored the by the Tengu.  Yoshitsune was the  younger brother of Minamoto Yoritomo (源頼朝), the leader of Kamakura Shogunate (鎌倉幕府), who was the first military general nominated by the Emperor.  He had talent in the leadership and honestly wished to help his brother Yoritomo, however, the elder brother feared that Yoshitsune would overthrow him, Yoritomo finaly assassinated him.  What a tragic ending...

On the other hand, Kifune is a very relaxed place. It has been a destination specially in summer to escape from the hotness in the city or to admire the green or the colored maple leaves.  Kifune Shrine (貴船神社 ) is believed to be a God of Water and also a God of Marriage. Now it is popular among the young people.  We can have dishes in the restaurants which are built right above the river (川床).

We took our breakfast, sandwiches and coffee,  by the side of Kamogawa River (鴨川), close to Demachi Yanagai Station (出町柳) which is the gate to the Kurama area.  So nice... We got off the Eizan train(叡山電車) at Kifuneguchi Station (貴船口) and walked up to Kifune Shrine.  After visiting the shrine, we creeped into mountain pass to Kurama Dera.

Kifune Jinja（貴船神社）

Kifune Jinja Okusha

Kurama Dera

Kurama Dera

View toward the city of Kyoto from Kurama Dera

Unfortunately, it began to rain when we arrived at Kurama station (鞍馬),  so we decided to return to the city after visiting Rakuhoku (洛北) area.  We ran a bit on the road to  Ninose station (二ノ瀬).   It reminded me of the event, the running race Saba Kaido Ultra Marathon (鯖街道ウルトラマラソン) which I would be back in two weeks here to participate. I will write about this race later.
 
 In Rakuhoku area, we visited Manshu-In (曼殊院) which used be a temple owned by the Imperial families. There were few people there.  It was calm and quite.  So nice....

 Inner Garden of Manshu-In

Golden Week in Kyoto May 2015 - Higashiyama Course

Day 2

Today, we walked and run from Fushimi Inari （伏見稲荷）to Ginkakuji（銀閣寺）which is about 24km. It is called Higashiyama Course and is the most bitten root.

Fushimi Inari is one of the most visited places in Kyoto by tourists.  It is famous for thousands of Vermilion Torii Gates contributed by merchants and companies, as it is believed to be the God for good business and many people visit to wish their business well.  Today,  we wished us a good luck through 24 km of the trail.

We struggled the ups and downs of the landscape, while we were entertained by the beautiful sceneries and kind local people we met along the way.   

Sennyuji (泉湧寺）

View of Kiyomizu no Butai(清水寺の舞台）from the trail

Kyoto Incline, inclined railway, at Keage（蹴上） is made as a part of the canal construction in Meiji Era  to pull water from Lake Biwa to the city.  This railway was used to carry the boats on the steep slope. 

Waterfall in the mountainside of Higashiyama（東山）

We happened to not encountered many people whichi is peculiar  for the Golden Week. We enjoyed the trail and finally arrived to Ginkakuji area where is clouded with so many people.

View from the entrance Honen In Temple（法然院）

Wisteria in full bloom

Ice Candy shop near Ginkakuji, which serves us variety of candies at modest price

Golden Week in Kyoto May 2015 - Ginkakuji - Hieizan

Day 1

We checked in the guesthouse to start with.  It is located close to Ginkakuji（銀閣寺）and is actually 5 minutes walk from the nearest bus stop.  It is fully equipped with 2 bedrooms, lounge, kitchen and bathroom (shower with the tab) . they also have a rice-cooker , dishes and any kitchen wares that you may need to fix the meal.

We are greeted by the staff who is originally from NY and speaks fluent Japanese and French.  She knows very well about Kyoto and you could ask her any questions that you want to know.

After having settled in the room, we started the trail from Ginkakuji to the north, the direction of Hieisan. I could barely feel human footage with lizard, snakes and crows crying.  It was a bit creepy, but it sometimes we encountered beautiful scenery which made us relaxed.  

We walked for about three hours without seeing almost anyone and finished the first day at the Hieizan Cable Car Station.  We wished to go further up to the top of Hieizan, but we were tired and we didn't have enough time.  Coming down the mountain on the cable car, we were welcomed by beautifully blooming bushes of azalea which made us glad to be in Kyoto in the most beautiful season through out the year.

Golden Week in Kyoto May 2015 - Machiya Stay, The Kyoto Trail

   

I was lucky to find a simple yet furnished guesthouse for foreign tourists in Kyoto which was still available  fro the GW in late March. This guesthouse is run by a French company named "Vivre le Japon", its English name is Japan Experience and I have been thinking that one day I'd like to stay in one of them. Most of their guesthouses are commonly Japanese style, but they are renovated to attract  international tourists.  I found the information on the internet and I got interested in their concept. Price per night seems to be the same throughout the year even during the GW, summer vacation season etc. It's quite affordable.  They also have several similar houses in Kyoto, Tokyo and Kanazawa and they are rent out for 4 nights minimum.

The Entrance Hall

Bed Room

Bathroom

Lounge

It all started when we were discussing our activities for the GW with my friends.  I came up with an idea and said, "How about Kyoto? Let's enjoy the Kyoto Trail!"

The Kyoto Trails is a 70km long hiking trail in the mountains which surround the city of Kyoto.  It goes from Fushimi(伏見稲荷) to Arashiyama(嵐山) and famous Kiyomizu(清水), Hiei(比叡山) , Kurama(鞍馬) can be visited on its way.  The trail is taken care of not only by Kyoto Municipal,  but also local train companies and thus it is loved by Kyoto people.

The Kyoto Trail

Kyoto is surrounded by low mountains. Due to its landscape, it's very hot in summer and it's very cold in winter though...  But it means we can access easily to the nature. When you are bored visiting old temples and shrines, try to go for it and you'll be relaxed.

We planned to run and walk on the trail for 4 days.