Guide in Kyoto-Shihoko Hirooka's Private Guide Blog-

The year starts with beautiful blue sky. So beautiful I can expect something good news this year !

Everybody visits Shinto Shrine to play for happy new year with refreshed spirit. I remember when I was a small girl we all dressed up in Kimono but now most in casual clothe.

At the shrine they bought good luck charms and the sacred arrow, bring it home, put it inside of the house to get rid of the evels from the homes : who knows it works or not.

Even I got the one at the price 3000 yen.

In front of the Shrine she prays : ring the bell, bow twice, crap the hands twice, bow once.

Beyond the screen the Shinto Priest makes a special prayer for the protection and big harvest for the comming year.

We happened to see a Geiko ( in kyoto we name geiko instead of geisha ) visiting the Shinto Shrine with assumably her patron.

The patron said to her to let the children taken picture together.

He told the boy to study hard, work hard, to be rich to be able to come toKyoto and  patronize geiko.

To the girls he said you are beautiful, when you grow up come to Kyoto to become geiko.

He himself doesn’t look like a rich buisinesman with jacket and tie, rather he looks like a merchant ( surely with a success story ).

We rather had a cold winter and the spring also starts cold. Still, we can feel the sense of something fresh in the air which carries something we can expect. Cherry blossoms are late to bloom this spring but here by the canal in Gion some weeping chery trees have flowers now. I did not bring a telephoto lens but you might see a young Maiko sits in a restaurant.

Even the air around the five storied pagoda feels so soft and sweet we lingers around enjoying the faint foot sound of the spring approaching.

In a few days it will getting warm and we are sure the flowers are blooming all of a sudden. I hope you should not miss it.

  February might be a coldest month but it also means spring is approaching.

Each sweet is given the name: this is named a bird “Japanese bush warbler” which sings in clearly noticeable voice and tone and let us know spring is certainly coming.

Spring in “north field” suggested by the colours of young leaves and fresh flowers in early   spring.“peach flower in spring”

         ” plum blossoms with sprinkles of snow”

“sleeves of kimono put on a doll of a girl” The Japanese were used to wear several layers of silk Kimono dyed in different colors showing their sensibility and refinement. This suggests fresh green of young leaves and pale pink of flowers.

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It is too cold for sago palm trees in winter here in Kyoto, gardeners dress them with straws in a way almost abstract art.

Japan is blessed with plenty water and garden ground is covered by velvet like green even in winter.

In japan the New Year is still the most important period.

Everything, material and spiritual, should be refreshed and cleaned.

According to the Buddhism every one has 108 worldly desires which cause our evil behaviors.

Conveniently by tolling the temple bell 108 times those 108 worldly desires are disappearing from our minds.

All the temple toll their bells.

Many temples people line up and they can actually toll the bell in turn, listen to the deep low sound and reverberation, contemplating the passing year.

The outstanding temple must be Chion-in Temple.

There, the bell is so huge that it needs well more than 10 monks to toll the bell.

The huge bell hammer hanged from the belfry and more than 10 ropes hang from the hammer.

One monk holds one rope and stands back to the bell.

Other monks make a line facing the bell with a rope in their hands.

It is very important to work well together.

They swing the hammer several times with encouraging shout then at last toll the bell using all their body weights.

After one bell they pray and repeat again, so it takes 2 minutes before the next bell sound.

You might imagine it should be very noisy when you hear the bells from all the temples in the town.

But actually it is absolutely quiet….

I took a movie, and when I looked at that later I heard murmuring voices around me but no sound of the bell… I just could see the monks repeat tolling the bell and prayer again and again in absolute solemn silence.

Almost 50 million Japanese visit Kyoto every year especially in spring and autumn, famous spots are crowded like a rush hour tram. Even though, if you step into for example the garden of the Golden Pavilion you will forget the crowd around you and you can be absorbed in tranquil beauty, you and garden and mountain behind  and the air and water can be united : I took some pictures on the 24th November but my skill is far from showing what I felt. I have to ask you to come yourselves and feel it by yourselves.

 Sunday morning starts with very merry sunrise. Farmers can not miss this lovely day. All the family members are busy harvesting rice.

Around 40 years ago farmers were really working hard by doing many things by their own hands : bending over rice fields they cut a handful rice plant at the ground level one after another ; they made them up a bundle and dry by hanging on bamboo pole supported by x shaped pillars on the fields for about a week then threshed the grains using machine.

Today by this machine he can harvest rice and rice grains automatically get into sacks !  Only he has to do is to dry grains by machine and thresh.

Rice is not just a stable crop for the Japanese but something more spiritual thing. Till some years ago grandmother used to tell her grandchildren not to leave even one grain of rice in the rice bowl when they  finish their meals, because special spirit named “kami-sama” something like god is in each grain of rice.

When we start our meals we say ” itadakimasu “: simply I am going to have this, with hands join together in praying form. In this way we thank to everybody : farmers, mothers, good weather, special spirit who gives this, etc.  When we finish our meals we say “gochisousamadesita” : meaning something like “I had delicious meal”, again thanks to everybody especially to”kami-sama”

On the small island named Ohmishima there is an old Shinto Shrine : there every year very unique Sumo ( something like wrestling ) is held. We can see only one man very seriously have a bout with himself. Actually he is having a bout with kami-sama, of course invisible, of rice. When “kami-sama wins…of course kami-sama wins… we can see the man is thrown on the rink…by himself, we can be sure good rice harvest in coming autumn.

Until the end of the feudal age of Japan rice was used to measure the wealth of feudal lords and samurais ( warriors )  received rice from their lord as a salary. It is obvious they could not carry rice to buy anything, so they change their rice with money at the big merchants. Gradually money started talks. Samurai who was the ruling class often had to borrow money from  merchant who was put the lowest rank of the society. By the middle of the 19th century feudal system could not continue in Japan and at the same time foreign pressure started persistent : eventually Shogun era was over.

 
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For you, who would like to travel in Kyoto,
Johnnie Hillwalker’s Kyoto walking tour
Kyoto Private guide, Shihoko Hirooka, Kyoto private guide
———————————————————————————————————

_____ The landlady and all the staff of Ryokan, Japanese style accommodation, see off the guest leaving till they disappear from the sight with benign countenance.

bonsai on the table in the lounge, changing according to the season and occasion

simple,elegant lamp stands at the corner of the small lounge.

small recess named “tokonoma”, alcove, is the formal face of the house, timbers for the pillar and floor are carefully examined to be beautiful and special.

decorated with “ikebana” flower arrangement, or treasure of the house like a small piece of ceramic incense burner, or scroll of paintings or calligraphy._

As you will notice in japan we are not used to welcome others by open arms and big hugs, but with a modest smile and bow instead of stretching our hand for shaking. I hope you notice they prepare to welcome you by, for example, sweeping the street outside the door and water a bit for fresh feeling, by selecting the vase and flower, selecting the sweet of the season, asking the kids to behave…etc.

When you happen to meet the group of students taking school excursion you might be surprised by their big voice saying “hello!” and often they surround you asking simple questions giggling or sweating, then ask you awkwardly for joining together for the photos.

The spirit of “omotenashi” can be seen even now at any place in Japan…I hope.

 
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For you, who would like to travel in Kyoto,
Johnnie Hillwalker’s Kyoto walking tour
Kyoto Private guide, Shihoko Hirooka, Kyoto private guide
———————————————————————————————————

Autumn season is at last coming !

Northern part of Kyoto is the area named Tanba and it is well know with very big and sweet chestnut. Each pastry has different design to make this cake named Mont Blanc. but always use chestnut paste with whipped cream. when we first bite it we can feel autumn is coming.

Another autumn sweet is purple coloured Sweet potato. Mashing it and with whipped cream  each confectioner can represent his own feeling of autumn.

Chestnut and purple coloured sweet potato are sweet by itself and have subtle scent. To enjoy this faint scent not artificial essence is added and not much sweetness are used.

They are two examples of Japanese sweet I tasted in this week. During this season I should stroll about to find more autumn.

 
———————————————————————————————————
For you, who would like to travel in Kyoto,
Johnnie Hillwalker’s Kyoto walking tour
Kyoto Private guide, Shihoko Hirooka, Kyoto private guide
———————————————————————————————————

  On the day a typhoon is approaching 10 year old girl from Brisbane is in deep meditation facing the famous Stone garden of Ryoanji zen temple.
———————————————————————————————————
For you, who would like to travel in Kyoto,
Johnnie Hillwalker’s Kyoto walking tour
Kyoto Private guide, Shihoko Hirooka, Kyoto private guide
———————————————————————————————————