Saturday in Gion

Yesterday I went with a few friends to district in Kyoto called Gion. Gion is best known for being one of the most prominent Geisha districts in Japan. Although numbers of geisha have dwindled over the years, Gion is known for its cultural preservation and it's preservation of traditional architecture.

Many of the old style townhouses (machiya) remain, as well as the tea houses where geisha entertain (ochaya). There are lots of temples and shrines, and the streets and scenery are lovely.
In the first picture is the Yasaka shrine. It attracts a lot of tourists, and beyond the shrine is a park with many food stands and souvenir stands. At this time of year the fall foliage (momiji) is at its peak. There were also quite a few geisha out and about. If you ask, they'll kindly stop for photos, but most of the geisha had female assistants with them that would gently shoo the crowds away so they could continue with their errands or engagements. I was quite nervous about approaching the geisha, but I snuck a few pictures that turned out well. Most of them were Maiko, who are apprentice geisha; their clothing, makeup, and hairstyle is generally more extravagant and they attract a lot more attention.

A few 'dress up maiko' were walking about as well; in Kyoto you can pay a considerable sum of money to get done up like a geisha, have a photo shoot, and get paraded around the streets for a few hours. It led to an amusing shot of a 'geisha' checking out pictures on her digital camera.

There are a number of shops and restaurants in Gion; most of the shops were too expensive and sold things like fancy ceramics and lacquer ware, and the restaurants were mostly fine dining, it seemed. However, we went to a shop that sold Studio Ghibli merchandise and I bought a Totoro plush, a soot sprite that I can hang on a wall, and a glow in the dark kodama key chain.

My friends and I also paid a small fee to get into a temple to see a large Buddha statue up close. It was quite impressive, but I was amused by the somewhat condescending expression on its face. Upon entry we received a small pamphlet and an incense stick to offer.

We intended to visit a temple lighting, but our timing was off and the line was ridiculous by the time we reached the temple in question. All in all, it was a good day and I got some great shots.

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Here are a few more pictures:

The Golden Pavilion and The Gaijin Plague

Well, it's been a little while since I last posted. Unfortunately, November hasn't been treating me (or many of my friends) very well.
I've been quite sick off and on and I've missed some class, including a test. I'm really worried about my grades and I hope I can catch up/manage to make up for it. I don't cope with stress very well and unfortunately that's been reflecting in my grades lately.
Being sick + stress + homesickness + having to take care of your sick self on your own= not a happy camper.
My closest friend here seems to be dealing with the same things I am, so it's nice to have someone to talk to. Everyone here at the International House is a bit under the weather; we've named this phenomenon "The Gaijin Plague" (Gaijin is a slang word for foreign people).

At the moment, I'm just doing my best and that's all anyone can really ask for. I'm the queen of beating myself up over things, telling me not to worry is like telling a fish not to swim. I tend to want to punish myself for not doing well by denying myself fun activities, when a little bit of fun can be the cure for a bad week. I'm working on getting better, I swear. >_<

But speaking of fun, that leads me to the positive bit of my post. This weekend while everyone was at the school festival, my friend Steph and I went to Kinkakuji, or The Golden Pavilion, one of the most famous tourist sites in Japan. We were both really surprised with how close it was to our university; in pictures it always appears to be situated in the middle of nowhere, but the temple grounds are right near a fairly busy shopping/restaurant area and is within a ten minute walk from campus.

It was also quite crowded, since it was a weekend. We had to wait our turn to get a good spot to take pictures, and there were several American tour groups there that unfortunately were doing a great job at perpetuating the "obnoxious American tourist" stereotype. Steph and I both noted that we can't help but feel a little superior to the standard tourists...

But anyway, the grounds were really lovely, and the temple itself was stunning. We got there in late afternoon, so the sun was at just the right height to glint off the gold on the walls. You could walk along some pretty garden paths that were fringed by trees that were just beginning to get their fall foliage. In Japan the leaves change much later, (fall/winter temperatures set in later as well; the weather has been quite mild so far) and they change much more gradually so you get to enjoy the scenery longer.

Crowds aside, it was a great place to visit and I got some nice pictures out of it. Admission was also reasonable and my entry ticket is large and covered with pretty calligraphy. It's a nice souvenir.

I took a peek at my calendar and I have just about 10 weeks left in Japan. Time is passing so slowly and yet so quickly at the same time. The days themselves seem to go at a snail's pace, but then I'll look at my calendar and suddenly realize two weeks have passed. These past few weeks have been hard (November, I don't like you!), but I hope I can get out of this funk I'm in. School frustrations aside (long story short, I am dying to get back to taking art classes and being sick doesn't make this any easier), I've seen some amazing things and I look forward to seeing even more of what Japan has to offer before I leave.

Next time I come to Japan, it's going to strictly be a vacation! Haha.

I have no clue how many friends/family members read this blog, but a big thank you for everyone who's been so supportive of me. No one ever knows how study abroad is going to turn out, and few people tell you that it's not always sunshine and roses. Aside from being sick and school stuff, I've settled in pretty comfortably and I've made a couple great friends. My only wish is that everyone from back home could be here to share in this with me! Well, except for my plague. I don't think anyone would appreciate it if I shared Gaijin Plague with them. :P