October 4th
We usually try to learn the language when we go overseas, don’t we? I
guess it’s very difficult for you to learn Japanese as our language is
very unique. Also, there are hundreds of dialects in Japan, so that makes
you harder… The local Kyoto dialect is called Kyo kotoba (Kyoto words).
During your stay in Kyoto, it can be fun to use these special words when
talking to the local people. They will appreciate your efforts. O-kini
(thank you), Kan-nin (sorry), Nanbo? (how much?), Kamahen (no problem)
etc etc… these are typical Kyoto dialects. Younger people don’t usually
use them much…so, try to find older people and talk to them!!!(Risa)
October 5th
The autumn sightseeing season has already come! As you know, Kyoto is one
of the most popular tourist cities in Japan. So, lots of people visit here
to enjoy the beautiful autumn leaves. But, sightseeing is thirsty work,
huh? There are quite a few nice places for a coffee break. I introduce
one of them here today. [Shizuka] hasn’t been refurbished since it was
opened by a retired Geisha in 1938. Once you enter the cafe, you feel as
if you were in 1930s… Shizuka, meaning quiet in Japanese, is named after
its founder, the former Geisha. It was bought by the parents of the current
owner in 1945. It is a small coffee shop where the owner and waitress chat
happily with regulars over a cup of coffee. The prices at the coffee shop
are pretty reasonable too. (Coffee ? 350yen, Cheese cake ? 300yen) Sizuka
is located on the south side of Imadegawa west of Senbon. How about having
a rest after visiting Kitano Tenmangu Shrine? You can’t miss the name
in large letters across the front!!! (Risa)
October 10th
It was a public holiday here in Japan yesterday. [Health and Sports Day]
is held annually on the second Monday in October. It exists to promote
sports and an active lifestyle.The first Health and Sports Day was held
on October 10, 1966, two years after the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo.
October was chosen for the unusually late Summer Olympics to avoid the
Japanese rainy season, and the day continues to be one of the fairest days
of the year. It used to be on the 10th of October because it was the day
when the 1964 Summer Olympics started. As a result of the Happy Monday
Seido implemented in 2000, Health and Sports Day was moved to the second
Monday in October. As Health and Sports Day is a day to promote sports
and physical and mental health, many schools choose this day to hold their
annual sports day. This typically consists of a range of physical events
ranging from more traditional track-and-field events such as the 100 metres
or 4 x 100 metres relay to more uncommon events such as the tug of war
and the Mock Cavalry Battle etc… If you find a man with tanned face in
their 30s and 40s, he might have attended his children’s sports contest.
(Risa)
October 11th
Did you know you could stay in a Buddhist temple? If you read the news on Sep.
28th, you should know that. Temple accommodation is called shukubo. Shukubo
accommodation may not be as comfortable or convenient as a large hotel or
full-service ryokan, but there are other advantages and features that make a
night(s) at a temple a great option. One of the attractions of staying in a
temple is the access to the exquisite gardens, buildings and settings. This will
be a gateway that leads you to the Zen world. Here are a couple of options in
Kyoto to consider…
Omuro Kaikan in Ninna-ji Temple
Myoren-ji
Temple
Torin-in Temple in Myoshin-ji Temple complex
Wajun Kaikan in
Chion-in Temple
Shinnyodo Temple
If you want to know more details about the temples, please let us know.
I will give you the detailed information!!! (Risa)
October 13th
Osechi-ryori is traditional Japanese New Year’s food. Originally, during
first three days of the New Year it was a taboo to use a hearth and cook
meals, except when cooking Zoni (a soup meal mainly eaten with rice cakes).
As women didn’t cook in the New Year, osechi was made by New Year’s Eve.
In the earliest days, osechi consisted only of nimono, boiled vegetables
with soy sauce and sugar or mirin. Today, osechi may refer to anything
prepared specially for the New Year, and some foreign dishes have been
adopted as Western-style osechi or as Chinese-style osechi.
October 16th
How was your weekend? We had lovely autumn weather here in Kyoto. I went
to Kurama/Kibune area (the northeastern part of Kyoto city) on Sunday.
Actually it was my first time to visit there BY TRAIN, but it was much
much nicer than I expected. After I got off the train at Kurama station,
I walked up to the Kurama-ji Temple for about 40 minutes. Although the
hill was quite steep, I enjoyed the walk very much. I took a little break
for lunch, and then I had a chance to listen to one of the monks. It was
a really good story. I was on the top of the hill, so I had to walk down…I
took the route to Kibune (not back to Kurama) on the way back. It was a
typical mountain road, but it was very refreshing to walk in nature. I
guess the leaves in the mountain will turn red and yellow in a few weeks…so,
I want to go back there at the time again! (Risa)
October 17th
One of the attractions in many traditional Japanese gardens and locations
is the moss (Koke in Japanese). Saiho-ji Temple located on the west side
of Kyoto has 120 kinds of moss, and all of them grow naturally there. The
temple is also called [Moss Temple]. If you want to know more details about
the temple, please go and check our website;
http://www.kyotoguesthouses.com/sitedyn.php?SITE_ID=13
October 19th
I had a day off the other day. It was such a gorgeous weather that I decided
to go to one of my favorite shrines in Kyoto, Kamigamo Shrine. It is located
in Kita-ku (North area) by Kamo River. It is such a beautiful shrine with
a clear creek running through the shrine compound. Please check the URL
below for more details on this shrine:
http://www.kyotoguesthouses.com/sitedyn.php?SITE_ID=8
October 20th
We often use an expression, [Aki no Yonaga], which means [Long autumn night].
Do you have an expression like that too? You know how you realize the sun
goes down way too early now and the night is getting longer and longer…yes,
that is [Aki no Yonaga]! The expression is used like [Get these new books
for Aki no Yonaga!!!] or [Rent these newly released DVD’s for Aki no Yonaga!!!]…yes
most likely for advertisement. But actually we still have 24 hours a day,
and it’s not like we go to bed late now…so why do they think we suddenly
have lots of extra time and are bored? Yes, it gets dark early but it doesn’t
stop us from having fun, does it? (Junko)
October 23rd
Did you have a good weekend? I went to the oldest cafe [Shinshindo] in
Kyoto yesterday. The coffee shop was established in 1930, and it is now
managed by the great-grandson of the original owner. It was designed to
provide a space in which students and scholars from Kyoto University (only
a few seconds away) could meet, talk and study. To this end, the founder,
poet Hitoshi Tsuzuki, had the airy interior furnished with large, wooden,
picnic tables and benches in the backyard. The tables allowed plenty of
space to gather around and talk, spread out work or sleep…Actually there
were lots of university students (I guess) studying very hard yesterday
too. The Shinshindo is located near Hyakumanben intersection in Sakyo-ku.
To get there, walk east on the north side of Imadegawa for about a couple
of minutes. I’m pretty sure you can enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere and
relax there… (Risa))
October 24th
Lots of my foreign friends say we have too many national holidays in Japan.
Well, we do have lots of national holidays because otherwise people just
keep working without any breaks! They also say most Japanese people don’t
know what the holidays are for. Most of my foreign friends in Japan are
English conversation teachers, so they often ask their students about national
holidays and [according to them] the Japanese students usually don’t know
what the national holidays are for. I am one of them. I don’t know what
national holidays are for. All I know is when a date printed in red during
weekday on a calendar is coming us soon, I don’t have to work. Woohoo!!!
But I did my research this time. We have a national holiday coming up in
10 days [Nov. 3rd] and it’s a Culture Day. We are supposed to do something
cultural, I guess…but who cares! We do whatever makes us happy! Oh and
I can tell some Japanese people DO know what our national holidays are
for. I did a test with my co-workers and they both knew all the national
holidays! They are pretty smart. (Junko)
October 25th
Machiya or merchant townhouses are somewhat unique to Kyoto. They are generally
narrow at the front and extend way back from the street. That’s because
taxes were based on the width of the property in the Edo period (1600-1867).
We see lots of machiya around our office too. I will introduce one thing
about the merchant townhouses today.
October 26th
HMany people think Thanksgiving celebration is for North American countries only, and I have been one of them up until this morning. Well, I just found out that some shrines celebrate Thanksgiving here in Japan too! One of the biggest Thanksgiving celebrations in Japan is going to be held on November 8th at Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. They build a huge bonfire and burn straw and thank the gods for the harvest. They also burn over 100,000 sticks with wishes written by people all over Japan and pray so all those wishes come true. There are some other similar Thanksgiving celebrations in Kyoto in November, for example there is one on the 7th at Kifune shrine, on the 14th at Imahie Jingu shrine. If you are American or Canadian and you would like to celebrate Thanksgiving in a different way for a change…which I doubt because most of you love the food, right?...or if you are neither American or Canadian and never celebrated Thanksgiving, I recommend you to visit one of those shrines here in Kyoto! BUT remember there won’t be any turkey there! (Junko)
October 6th
Visitors to Kyoto are lucky because the traditional, unpopulated, idyllic Japanese countryside is so close to the city. In fact, you can get to a number of exquisite rural villages in less than an hour. Pack a lunch, bring your camera, and enjoy the wonders of countryside Japan right here in Kyoto! I will tell you a secret place called [Kumogahata]. The village of Kumogahata (meaning Field of Clouds) at the head of the Kamo River was used as an exclusive imperial hunting area until the end of the last century. Today, the area is truly an outstanding example of ancient Japanese village life and the great outdoors. You can get there in roughly 40 minutes from downtown by bus. As the road ends in Kumogahata, it is always peaceful and not crowded. The area is highly recommended for a half day of walking. The best way to see the area is to take the bus to the end and then walk back through each of the three village areas. The bus will pick you up if you flag it. You will never miss the bus as it comes with music playing! I’m sure you will have a refreshing experience!!! (Risa)
The dishes that make up osechi each have a special meaning celebrating the New Year ? I will explain to you another time! While it was traditionally prepared at home, it is also sold ready-made in specialty stores, grocery stores, and even convenience stores, such as Seven-Eleven…Why am I talking about the New Year’s food now??? ? The department stores in Japan have already started selling osechi!!! People can pick it up on December 30th or 31st or they can get it delivered to their own home. (Risa)ere is a nip of autumn in the air especially in the morning and evening. I woke up
Recently, moss balls (Koke-dama in Japanese) have become very popular as a way to have moss in your home or garden. The moss balls are especially popular among young people. There is no doubt that they are looking for an oasis in their urban life. The ball is made of peat and bound very tightly with string. Moss has been grown all over the ball, so it is very green and fresh. Like bonsai, which is known all over the world, the moss balls are small and simple. I think it also has a chance to be worldwide and very popular! Don’t you think so? (Risa)
Since this shrine is located in north part of Kyoto, close to mountains, it gets colder a bit earlier than the rest of Kyoto…which means the autumn leaves start turning red earlier up there. I found this tree by the stream which is starting to look pretty autumnish. Here’s the picture. Although I hate to know the summer is over, it gets me excited to know that many temples, shrines and the mountains will be burning red in no time. (Junko)
[Inu yarai] is a bamboo fence that curves outward to the street from the merchant homes. This device served several purposes: 1) it prevented the machiya earthen or wooden wall from becoming dirty from rain splashing up from the road 2) it was meant to stop dogs from peeing on the wall 3) it kept people from leaning against the wall 4) Inu yarai also made it hard for burglars to climb the wall. If you have a chance to come to Kyoto, you will find a lot of interesting features. (Risa)
October 30th
I will introduce a couple of old cafes in the centre of Kyoto entertainment
and shopping district. The names of coffee shops are suggestive of the
Japanese people’s interest in European culture at the time; [Francois]
and [Soiree]. When it opened in 1938, Francois aspired regular customers
(Lots of them are artists or thinkers) desiring somewhere to engage in
intellectual conversation. With its Italian gothic interior, gorgeous red
upholstery and classical music playing in the background, Francois today
offers the nostalgic feeling. Just up the cherry tree-lined canal from
Francois is Soiree. The name is from the French word for evening. The cafe
is dimly lit by softly glowing table lamps and pale-blue concealed lighting.
The stained glass lampshades and carved wood interior aim to recreate the
ambience of a 19th century French cafe. I introduced quite a few coffee
shops in the news on the website… I hoe you enjoy drinking in the history
of Kyoto. And if you happen to find any other nice old coffee shops on
your trip here, please let me know! (Risa)
October 31st
Happy Halloween!!!! Have you been having a good Halloween week? I know
it’s Halloween only today but we usually have parties on the closest Saturday
night here. Also some places have Halloween parties a week earlier or later
so they can get more people…which means you can wear your costume and
go partying more than once! I don’t know how it works in other countries
but it's a great idea, isn’t it?
When I was little, no one really knew what Halloween was. You never
saw any pumpkin or ghost decorations at any stores. I think Halloween got pretty
big in the last several years. Lots of kids now know what Halloween is because
they learn about it in their English conversation classes. Now we see pumpkins
everywhere…cafes, book stores, department stores etc…but they usually are fake
pumpkins, and they usually are the cute ones. If you want to buy one of those
huge orange pumpkins here…it would be SCARY EXPENSIVE! (Junko)
