Krazy Kyoto (or Escape from the Inaka!)

So Obon falls this week which is a Japanese festival to honor the spirits of one’s ancestors. Luckily for our hardworking JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) it means some well-deserved summer vacation time and one last opportunity for us new ALTs to travel around a bit before the school year starts. Since most of us newbies are still in the midst of settling in (and figuring out our budgets) it seems that most of us are exploring places within Fukui and hanging out with our fellow ALTs.

Yesterday was just such a day for myself and two friends of mine (who also happen to be Reinan ALTs. “Reinan” is the term used for the southern part of the Fukui prefecture which is where I and almost half of the Fukui ALTs are spread out over). We decided to be adventurous and head down to Kyoto for the day. It was the first time Hayley and I had left the prefecture since arriving two weeks ago and it was exactly the kind of city-jolt we needed after living in the inaka (countryside) for the past couple of weeks. I will admit, however, after being there for just a day that my wallet is most definitely glad I live in the inaka.

After some mishaps with the train (looking at you Hayley :P) and a rainy drive down the coastal road we finally arrived in the beautiful Kyoto! It was a muggy day but we headed quickly over to Teramachi which is a covered outdoor mall. After a quick lunch at an Indian restaurant (Obama is full of amazing Japanese restaurants but not very many international options so you take advantage of it when you can) we started our long (and much needed) day of shopping!

One of the entrances into Teramachi.

Entering into Teramachi. So many stores, so little time.

Amazing Indian food before a long day of shopping. We need to energy, right?

The really amazing thing about Kyoto is the intermingling of ancient shrines amongst modern day stores and restaurants. I didn’t realize that almost all of these shrines are attached to homes so most of these areas are private residences that open up to the public. It is an interesting dichotomy to walk by a very religious, reverent site and then walk in to the konbini or Starbucks next door.

A “torii” which is a Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance to a Shinto shrine. In this case, just another side street in the shopping plaza.

Entrances to one of the many, many shrines in the area.

Entrance to one of the shrines.

After you pass the gate with the lanterns you enter into the shrine area itself.

A fountain for purifying and cleansing. Apparently, you are supposed to drink some of the water and then spit it back. I passed on this one.

Fun board in front of the shrine.

A board for playing around in front of one of the shrines. You don’t have to be reverent all of the time 😛

I think I make a pretty good samurai.

We explored so many interesting stores so I’ll just touch on a few of them. The very first place we entered was an eclectic, second-hand store called Small Change. Now, don’t let the term second-hand put you off here. Second-hand in Japan is a whole other beast than second-hand in the US. These items are so meticulously taken care of that you would never realize that they had been owned previously (and the prices aren’t bad either!) The store across the street was the Model Gun & U.S. Surplus Store. We didn’t go in but it amused me to no end 🙂

Second-hand store Small Change. Favorite clothing store so far.

Take my money!

Yes, it’s real.

After some more roaming we found the best discovery of all: Mont-Bell! It’s basically an REI store but for people who had been searching high and low for the past week for gear for the upcoming Mt. Fuji climb it was a God-send! I was able to load up on gloves, new exercise pants, a hardy water-bottle, and best of all: a rain skirt! I’ve never seen anything like it before in the U.S. but imagine rain pants but in the style of a skirt that you can wrap around the rest of your clothing. It was definitely an investment piece for me since I walk and/or bike to school daily. Being able to wrap that around my work clothes, hop on my bike, and then whip it off once I get to school = MIRACLE.

After a quick stop over at Starbucks (with the most delicious green tea frappuccino ever) we found some delightful stationery stores with adorable postcards and an art print store that will most likely see the majority of my paychecks every month. I managed to control myself and buy just two prints: one with a Kabuki mask and the other with a variety of East-meets-West vintage costumes from past eras. I’m hoping to return every once in awhile and increase my print collection and slowly fill up the walls in my house.

No matter where you go. There will always be a Starbucks.

Best. drink. ever.

The postcards are special images just for Obon while the two prints are hand-block prints.

Last (but definitely not least) was a second-hand kimono store that we fell upon and fell in love with. Some of the most beautiful kimonos I have ever seen (and many within my price range! Success!) Hayley and I have decided that after our first paycheck we will celebrate by returning and purchasing our very own (and first) kimonos! I learned that there are different style kimonos for everything: summer vs winter, single vs married, undergarments, obis, etc. I loved trying on the very expensive wedding kimonos but I’ll stick to the single gals kimonos when the time comes 🙂

Rows upon rows of beautiful wedding kimonos. The fabrics are so heavy for these styles though.

How can you not fall in love with these fabrics?

I could wear kimonos all day. Just not wedding kimonos. Those things are no joke.

After an exhausting but exhilarating day of practical and frivolous purchases we finally dumped everything back in the car and went on the search for dinner. We found a little hole-in-the-wall ramen shop that had good food but even better music playing in the background!

mmmmm…yummy.

I was so tempted to start my own karaoke session right then and there but I managed to (barely) contain myself to the relief of the restaurant patrons. The following is just a sample:

The Coors – Breathless

ABBA – Chiquitita

Barry Manilow – Mandy

Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.

Celine Dion – Beauty and the Beast

Cher – Do You Believe

These songs might be old but you wouldn’t believe how catchy they are!

By this point, everyone was starting to feel the wear and tear from the day so we decided to head back to Fukui but by the mountain road this time. Word of advice: don’t take the mountain road when a) it’s nighttime, b) it’s foggy, and c) there’s construction and creepy detours. But we did it anyway (Ganbatte!) and I will admit that the Japanese construction crews have THE CUTEST construction signs. Instead of plain orange cones, imagine signs with animated deer, pandas, and other woodland creatures guiding you through treacherous turns and curves. I guess the idea is that if you die on the drive at least it will be adorable.

After that we made it back to Fukui (thanks to the amazing abilities of our driver Joanna!) where I promptly crashed and slept for about 10 hours straight. Apparently, I have lost all my stamina for shopping. But I’m not worried. It just means I’m saving it all up for the climb up Fuji-san tomorrow. To be continued…

Here are some random pics from the day. Enjoy!

Another street with nothing but restaurants. I think I’ll live here.

Inside another shrine.

Ummm…no squating and smoking people.