Japan - D6

And the time has come to go further. To Kyoto by Shinkansen Kodama (Kodama means echo or bird).
I arrived at late afternoon, thus not much happened this day.
I got used to the Tokyo transportation in a few days, not much difference in Kyoto.
My new accommodation was a rather Western style small hotel in an old district called Higashiyama, with narrow streets, lot of wires, small brook with bridges, truly lovely area:

   

I was reading some newspapers and booklets in the hall, when the middle-age receptionist  guys came to me and pointed out one: this shrine is only 5 minutes walk from the hotel with lovely lighting, worth to see.
If he recommended it so nicely, why not see it? ;) And indeed, it was worth to visit it.
It consists of several buildings and wonderful garden. Shoes off, bags on inside the buildings, and even got a pouch for my umbrella.

The garden was illuminated with blue tiny bulbs, they got more and more stronger and finally went out.
Unfortunately I forgot to make video about it:

   

   

Japan - D5

Hanging out without any real plan day :) Instead of Nikko.

I was walking in the Ueno Park.

The first two pictures were made in front of my favourite shogun's shrine... unfortunately the building was under construction, a big poster hid it :(
On the second picture these colorful things are made from origami cranes, they symbolize the flame of piece (read more about it, including a very lovely and sad story of Sadako Sasaki)

A very cute little restaurant, I love this Japanese habbit to show the menu with plastic in the show-window, in front of the restaurant. Really very practical. And despite the Hungarian "tradition", here the foods look exactly the same, if not better live!

 

More sacred holiness :)

    

A day is not a nice one without nature photographing:

Accidentally I found a nice temple, Yushima Tenman-gū, just reconstructed some years ago, wonderful cypress smell everywhere. It was full of chrysanthemums, started with traditional wreathes, through bonsai to dolls dressed up with the flower. Amazing, what a creativity!

  

   

    
   

Oooh, those wagashis! The most beautiful sweetness in my opinion, sometimes really difficult to eat and destroy that beauty. In colorful forms, very often using seasonal patterns, like on the first picture some pumpkins and I also saw Halloween forms. On the second picture you can see plum-flower  with a small hint of umeboshi (pickled very salty and sour plum) in the middle. It was a really interesting taste!

   

For girls, the new autumn kimono collection:

    

     

And for the tiny ones, the new Disney collection:

The cream of the day was the Kabuki experience. Arrived in the last minute, because after the long walks I couldn't feel my back anymore, so I felt obligated to try out a Japanese massage :) Well, no woman had walked on me - till this day :) The massage technique was really good, cannot be compared to anything else. And the service itself - incredible, inexpressive. Still I try to tell it: the salon was in a small street's 3rd floor, in a flat - just run into their poster on the street nearby. Shoes off, slippers on. I made my choice, visited the bathroom and very politely I was asked whether I want to pay for service in advance :D Yes, got used to pay after in Europe. After paying, I could chose a suitable dress - or rather pajama. Because the Japanese girls are so small, I just put on the XL size - which turned out to be a sumo wrestler size :D No big deal, it is not the Vienna Opera Ball.
In the room there were several tables next to each other. They were not separated with anything. The word "gruppen" got a new meaning :)
There was a small hole for the face, which reminds me always to an old Jackie Chan movie, when a naked girl was pushed in - under him. No, I did not got this special service - even not with naked Japanese guy :(
But the girl immediately started on the top of me and trod my back. She continued on the ground with very soft finger movements.
After the massage she waited for me to dress up, accompanied me, opened the door, came after me and bowed very deeply "We are waiting you back" :) In this country I feel like a queen.

Back to the theater - sorry for jumping between the topics.
Surprisingly people do not dress formerly, although there were some old couples wearing kimono. But most of them were after work, wore what they had on on the whole day. I bought a nice sweater just for the occasion.
Three pieces were included in the tonight show in different styles and themes.
The first one was a drama, the second one an onnagata piece (onnagata is a male actor, playing woman role), where he can show beautiful feminine movements, dancing. The third piece was a comedy.
I asked for audio guide, which was synchronized with the play, was a really big help, however the actors were so expressive that even without the guide everything was pretty clear. I was even laughing during the comedy, the facial and body language was so definite.
The whole show was about 4-5 hours, but time just flew so quickly.

Japan - D4

The National Culture Day - holiday for the whole nation, so I was expected to see lot of people everywhere. Unfortunately Nikko is a very popular destination on this day, so I had to postpone it for my next future visit. :(

On my smoking area I found a small market, with extremely cheap stuffs. For example this small plush toy was 1 EUR!

They sold dresses, kimonos, ceramics, vegetables, dolls. A funny old lady group was performing some dance, the music was totally awkward, for me sounded rather Chinese :)))

 

I headed to the Music Instrument district, but found a lovely shrine again, got some gifts and saw the practicing for the afternoon show:

   

 

I so much waited to see an ugly city part, because in the movies, mostly which laid in countryside, the streets and buildings are so dejected. Well, you can find it in Tokyo, too:

In the Music Instrument district everything is all about music of course - and food, because you have to eat! :) I saw mostly guitars:

   

 

I crossed through the previous ugly part, and found a leather shop, where you could buy also samurai armors and accessories. The prices were so high, even in HUF the amount would be extra expensive, but it was YEN! Maybe I could buy the thingie on the third picture:

   

Electric City - all about anime and electric stuff. On the streets young girls are trying to tempt the guys  into the shops. Unfortunately they did not allow me to take pics - I was a bad girl, and stole one shot :o

   

The anime shops have the newest commercial stuffs only :( I could find only one Hakuouki phone skin.
I had no chance to find anything Captain Harlock related to my old-fashioned boyfriend.

I was innocently walking inside a shop and entered the next floor - turned out to be the adult section. I would not say it was  a sexshop, because they had mainly magazines, videos and DVDs.
For some male friends I bought the souvenir here - unfortunately the porn is not really enjoyable, the important body-parts are not visible :D Sorry guys.

  

I am not a  hazardous, but have seen so many cuties in these toy-shops... maybe next time. You can get plush toys, the latest anime printed towels or decks.

On my way to the kitchen accessory area I found a street with undertaking "equipments" like wooden boxes for the ash, candles, incense-burners and the compulsory taiko drums for the ceremony.

When I was taking a photo about this drum, an old man stopped next to  me:

- Hello, how are you?
- Hello, fine.
- !/%+/=%= taiko =%!%/+  (this was some Japanese speech, I could understand only one word, taiko :))
- Taiko?
- Hai, =//!+!"/%/%(=(!+!'"'!%%
- OK
- Did you understand it?
- No.
Big laugh...
- Good luck then!

On the kitchen accessories street you can buy everything you need for cooking and baking, and even those plastic food clones, what they use in shop-windows.
I wanted to buy a special form for takoyaki, but it turned out, it is a heavy iron stuff, even could not lift it with one hand :) Not really ideal for overseas transportation. Thus I bought a baking form, no clue how I will create the takoyaki in it :)
Amazing that people know Hungary here: the old seller asked me where I am from, and when I said Hankari, his eyes started dazzling and he yelled "Chain Bridge"! :)))

And if we are already on the food platform, let me introduce you a Japanese hamburger chain: MOS. The burgers are very tiny, but so delicious! The size is great for me, am fed up with the European XL portions.
The shit-like soup on the picture is mochi pieces in sweet bean sauce. And exactly tasted as it looks like :D