Going to the Countryside

Miyuki and her two friends invited the four of us to go to the countryside and pick wild plants. It took over an hour to arrive at our destination, making a few stops along the way. The countryside is nothing like I imagined it would be in Japan. There are mountains covered in green pine trees, lots of rice fields and houses scattered everywhere.

at stopped at Hitomi's parents' house to see their small Japanese garden. I couldn't imagine having to drive up this extremely narrow driveway. In the garden there was a natural spring running from a pipe into the garden as well as some beautiful plants. One plant in particular is used in wasabi, big green leaves. They also had some pretty tulips growing. A natural spring runs from the local mountains and in this town there's place where you can fill your water bottles with the fresh, clear water. We tasted some and it was the best water I've ever tasted.

Before we began our plant-hunting adventures we had lunch at a soba restaurant. This type of soba is made from buck wheat and has a dark grey colour. The soba noodles we ate were made at the restaurant.Our delicious lunch (again required chopsticks, not that this worried mum and dad anymore!) consisted of soba noodles in a broth, wild rice with carrots and wild plants, tempura (fried) wild plants and pickles. Yum, yum, yum. After the meal Dad took the bill for the table and paid. When the ladies discovered that this was going on they almost had a panic attack! It is not Japanese custom for guests to pay for others' meals, but once they settled down they were very grateful.

Miyuki's friends were on the hunt for some really small wild plants, similar to those we ate for lunch. After spending time walking up a path and studying the hillside, the 7 of us found a total of 3 plants! Mum managed to find what looked like the wild plants we were searching for, only to be informed that they were a mere imitation! Not your most successful day, but at least we weren't depending on them to feed us! It was such a different feeling being in the countryside compared to the city. We heard birds call and swatted away large mozzie-looking insects. The best part was chatting with Miyuki who taught us Japanese animal noises! Hilarious.

VISITORS COMMENTS

Our driver, Miyuki, was extremely good at manoeuvring through the narrow streets of the country side, which reminded me a little of New Zealand with it's steep hills, covered with pine trees and clear running water. We had to pull over to the side of the road a few times to let another car pass us. The air was fresh and clean and the meal at the local eatery was most unusual, but tasty. We saw the camping area, no tents but huts off the ground.

Kyoto Tower - By Night

Looking down on the city of Kyoto at night was magnificent. The street lights continued for as far as the eye could see, and the neon lights gave a whole new atmosphere. I was mesmerised by watching the many taxis driving along the roads. They looked like toy cars. We found an instrumental machine that measures the movement of the tower, and this being a windy night, had a lot of movement drawn on the paper (much like a seismograph). Just remember we were higher than 100m from the ground. Here is Mum and I with the Kyoto Tower mascot.

VISITORS COMMENTS

The lights of Kyoto went on as far as the eye could see, on and on and on. Through binoculars provided, we could see temples dotted around the area which reminded us of where we were, Japan. (funny about that) The tower itself was moving in the strong wind, which made it more exciting or was that sea-sickness?

Dinner Time = Ramen

You can't come to Japan and not eat Ramen. We decided to continue the culinary introduction of Japanese food and so went to a Ramen restaurant for dinner. We had to use the vending machine outside the entrance to order our meals (pictures are soooo good!) and we were quickly seated inside. Test #2 on use of chopsticks...can you pick up noodles swimming in broth? Once again Mum and Dad did really well and enjoyed this soup type dish with pork, spring onion, noodles, dumplings and cabbage. Tasty!

VISITORS COMMENTS

By this time, we were getting quite good at using chopsticks.......... I think. At least we finished before midnight! During dinner, I was presented with a beautiful kimono the kids had bought while we were at the show. Then, I was given an early birthday/mother's day gift of a fan. The meal was good too. Very filling, and quite a large serve compared to the usual size you find in Japan but not as large as a standard meal in Australia.

Miyako Odori - The Cherry Dance

Mum and Dad were lucky enough to catch the Miyako Odori theatre show before it closed on the 30th of April. Mum thought it was simply beautiful, though both of them were critiquing the performance in calisthenic standards. Were the lines straight? All in time? Spacing even? All the same they enjoyed the traditional experience. Jono and I dropped them off at the theatre and went shopping instead (seeings how we saw it last month).

VISITORS COMMENTS

The kimonos were all very beautiful and bright. The ladies glided across the stage with ease as if they were floating on air. Down one side of the stage was a live band consisting of 4 ladies playing authentic instruments. We couldn't read the program but got the idea of the story after a while. One scene had cherry blossoms all over the stage which took our breath away, it was so beautiful and was appreciated by the audience. A worthwhile experience and worth the wait.

Ryoanji - Rock Garden

This attraction was a lot smaller than anticipated. There was one rock garden as well as lots of lush green garden surrounding a temple. The rock garden is meant to inspire deep thought as you ponder what this particular garden, with its rocks raked in circles and lines, represents. Many people sit and study it. It was very interesting.

These lush gardens were a welcome relief from the warmest day we have experienced in Japan thus far. The ground was covered in moss and the trees were a brilliant green. A very peaceful place.


VISITORS COMMENTS

Another beautiful area. More comfy vinyl slip-on shoes to wear! The rock garden itself was ordinary to look at, so I guess it was more of a spiritual experience than a sight seeing one. The surrounding gardens were worth the walk.

Kinkakuji - Golden Temple

Up bright and early (especially Mum who read the clock wrong and woke us up 2 hours early!), we headed to Kyoto. Unlike when Jono and I went where we walked everywhere, we managed to catch the bus around the place. MUCH EASIER! We were really lucky because we always managed to get a seat and within 2 stops the bus was chokkas with more and more people piling in. We were thankful that we didn't have to do the sardine impersonation! It was crazy. First stop for the day was the Kinkakuji.

Simply breath taking. This temple is covered in real gold. The photo really doesn't do it justice. You can't actually go inside, but there are many paths and beautiful gardens surrounding this gorgeous structure. There were heaps of over sized goldfish with moustaches in the water surrounding it. We wandered through the gardens soaking up the sheer beauty of the place, so green and lush. If you keep your eyes peeled you can find all sorts of shrines and statues hidden away.

VISITORS COMMENTS

This temple sat nestled in the middle of some beautiful gardens, lush and green and very peaceful. The lowest floor was not covered in gold which made us wonder if the renovations were still in progress. (ha ha) There were some impressive gold fish in the lake surrounding the temple. I have never seen gold fish so big! Jodi and Jono were the best tour guides so far on our trip.

Miso Kutsu

We dove straight in to the local cuisine, enjoying miso kutsu with Miyuki and Hitomi. We sat at a traditional table, however without the tatami (much to Mum's delight). We sat on the floor and beneath the table was a whole for our legs. It was much like sitting in a chair. The only tricky part was getting down there!

Taking Miyuki's advice, we ordered the no. 1 recommended item on the menu, miso kutsu set. It had ton kutsu (crumbed pork fillet cut into strips) with a dark miso paste coating. We also got rice, miso soup and Japanese pickles. Mum and Dad's chopstick skills were put to the test and passed with flying colours. They even finished their meals! Slowly but surely! Melon Soda was a must-try beverage, which Mum enjoyed. We had a great time joking around with Miyuki. We headed home early and headed to bed. Both Mum and Dad had hardly slept at all on their overnight flight from Osaka the night before.

VISITORS COMMENTS

The meal was delicious. The seating was surprising, but comfortable. We were relieved to see a cavity under the table to put your legs and feet. Once you were down and seated it was quite comfortable. We were happy for recommendations on what to order, which were provided by our hostess and the waiter. The Japanese people are very polite and courteous, and remember, when going out to dinner, wear good socks with no holes. There was a large commotion coming from the room alongside and we were expecting a sumo wrestler to come crashing through the rice paper wall at any moment. Luckily, it didn't happen, and wonderful evening was had by all.