(Yoshimasa-san, Mari, and me, at the French restaurant where Fumi-san had planned his surprise birthday celebration.)April 3rd: Ever since my trip to Itoya in the Ginza district of Tokyo, I've been hankering to visit some Japanese stationery shops to purchase the beautiful stationery that I know can be found in Japan. (I'm a bit of a fanatic about beautiful stationery.) Since I feel so much better when I awaken today than I did the night before, I convince Kentaro that I don't need to go to a clinic. Instead, I could be spending my time more wisely, getting to know Kyoto and buying souvenirs!
So after breakfast, we leave our second traditional hotel and drop our bags at our next hotel, a modern beauty with a joyful waterfall inside. Kentaro remarks, "My Dad picked this one out. When he does, it always turns out this way." (Great taste!) Then we all set out; Fumi-san, Mari, Kentaro, and I, to visit the delightful little stores that I love. Fumi-san as always knows exactly where to go, and soon we find ourselves in a charming little area where beautiful stationery abounds.
In addition, I realize that this is my chance to get rice paper to repair some of the shoji screens and lamps that were injured by some of the cats who have lived with me through the years (back when they were kittens). I had called the store where I bought the shojis, and was told all I could do was put clear nail polish over it and hope for the best. Not good enough for me! Now is my chance to get the real thing!
(Little did I know, until later, that this hotel itself had a large gift shop containing almost every single thing I went out looking for. But, the walking was great.)
We stop in store after store, and in each I find some stationery slightly different than the last. Also, the rice paper. Soon my bag is full. As we walk along we find a cappuccino shop, so we stop for the Italian coffee and a Japanese pastry (they are the best! So light and tasty, not heavy and dripping with grease as pastries in America often are. Although I do not ask what the "kcals" are on these delicacies, I assume by their taste that it's within my acceptable range.)
We also walk down a street where, according to Fumi-san, there is the school where young girls begin training to be Geisha. At this stage, the girls are called "Maiko" which literally translated means "dancing child" (mai = dance, ko = child). I believe the age at which they start is about 12, and thereafter train in the arts of geisha for 5 years. It is very strict and intensive, and many girls do not stick it out. Those that do, go on to learn to be Geisha (or "Geiko" as they are known in Kyoto). I am by no means an expert on this, and in fact Mari had to correct me that Geisha are not courtesans or "high class" prostitutes, as I mistakenly believed. For more on Geiko and Maiko, this site, http://www.immortalgeisha.com/faq_geisha.php#faq05, has much information.
Whereas Geiko wears a wig and shoes that are much lower to the ground, Maiko must wear their high, elaborate hairstyle for a week at a time. I know from my own experience how uncomfortable trying to preserve a hairstyle can make one's sleeping, so I can only imagine what Maiko must go through. Also, Maiko wears a very high version of the traditional shoes. These are a couple of the differences (we learned these fascinating facts from the guide for our tour of Nara, an earlier capital of Japan, on April 4th).
Back to Kyoto. After a fun-filled (for me, anyway) day of souvenir hunting, which included a shop selling equisite pieces made from bamboo, I decide I want to get my hair done. Having voiced this wish earlier, Kentaro had scoped out a place, so we walk back. He and Mari find out the cost for what I want, then leave me at the salon. My stylist does an incredible job of washing my hair (I know that may sound funny, but anyone who gets their hair styled at a salon understands that there is a big difference in stylists' approach to the hair washing portion of the service. He has strong hands, and when he is done I know my hair has never been cleaner.
Then, although I said no haircut, he cut my bangs and styled my hair in the way that is popular in Japan: bangs across the forehead, and hair straight and flat around the head, curving slightly at the bottom. I protest that I want more "poofiness," so he takes out hot rollers, which really is not an improvement on his original idea. I should have left well enough alone! Oh well, at least I know my hair is clean.
Kentaro showed me a shop called "Evisu" from which, he says, Beyonce once bought jeans and wore on a Destiny's Child album cover. We go in to check it out, and I end up buying my son a very expensive T-shirt with 7 Japanese gods on it (not sure from what religion, but it's a cool shirt), and myself, a scarf.
Kentaro showed me a shop called "Evisu" from which, he says, Beyonce once bought jeans and wore on a Destiny's Child album cover. We go in to check it out, and I end up buying my son a very expensive T-shirt with 7 Japanese gods on it (not sure from what religion, but it's a cool shirt), and myself, a scarf.
I love the style of dress in Japan! There are so many beautiful girls and they have the coolest style: lycra style leggings, very short skirts, and heels. They all seem to have gorgeous black hair arranged generally in the style described above (or if longer, like Mari they twist it and pin it up in back so that it flops around), and scarves. The scarves may have been due to the cold weather, but it was a cool look, nonetheless.
I also got some crazy socks from a place called "Tutuanna" including some with pom-poms, and one with toes (like foot gloves). This isn't so crazy in Japan, where socks are worn with sandals.
We get back to the hotel just in time to welcome Yoshimasa-san, who has just arrived to join the festivities. Fumi-san explained that it was his birthday the day before, and she has made a reservation at a beautiful French restaurant (Fumi-san knows the places that serve the most exquisite food, how? I do not know). The first thing I said when I saw Yoshimasa-san was "Happy birthday!" then realized I might have blown the surprise. Graciously, Fumi-san said no, I did not.
It's very close to the hotel, so we all walk over there and enjoy a sumptuous meal. At the end, they bring out a special desert for Yoshimasa-san, and he seems to enjoy it very much.
It's Saturday night, and unbelievably Kentaro announces that he is going to visit his friend in Kyoto. I'm astonished that a young man in his twenties would rather hang out with his buddies than the fam, but I understand. The rest of us decide to try some karaoke. I love singing, not because I have any talent but just because I love to sing. Mari, who brought her guitar along on the trip, used to play drums in a band and sing, and she is a real "pro" at the music scene. She knows just where to go.
I've done karaoke before, in a bar and on board a cruise ship. But I've never done it this way, where you rent a private room and look at a TV screen, which displays the words to your selected tune while you sing along (2 microphones are included). Kentaro is the most fluent in English in his family, and I know only about 5 phrases in Japanese. So one might think that the language barrier would be a problem. Not with this group! In fact, we started out renting one hour and expanded it to 2, such fun we were having. At one point, Mari sang a beautiful Japanese (or Korean?) folk song, playing guitar and singing a sweet soprano.
It's Saturday night, and unbelievably Kentaro announces that he is going to visit his friend in Kyoto. I'm astonished that a young man in his twenties would rather hang out with his buddies than the fam, but I understand. The rest of us decide to try some karaoke. I love singing, not because I have any talent but just because I love to sing. Mari, who brought her guitar along on the trip, used to play drums in a band and sing, and she is a real "pro" at the music scene. She knows just where to go.
I've done karaoke before, in a bar and on board a cruise ship. But I've never done it this way, where you rent a private room and look at a TV screen, which displays the words to your selected tune while you sing along (2 microphones are included). Kentaro is the most fluent in English in his family, and I know only about 5 phrases in Japanese. So one might think that the language barrier would be a problem. Not with this group! In fact, we started out renting one hour and expanded it to 2, such fun we were having. At one point, Mari sang a beautiful Japanese (or Korean?) folk song, playing guitar and singing a sweet soprano.
Like most, there are so many songs in this karaoke book that it's a bit overwhelming. But just as I was floundering for what to sing next, Yoshimasa-san came up with an international favorite: The Carpenters! Luckily, we all knew them and sang our hearts out with song after song made famous by Karen. Finally, the fun-filled night had to end and once again Yoshimasa-san came up with a winner: We Are The World by Michael Jackson. I will always remember the wonderful time we had that night at karaoke. I returned to my hotel room with my heart full of happiness and joy.
Of course, much as I loved the music, what really made it so special was my hosts. If I could have picked anyone in all Japan to show me around, I could not have picked anyone more gracious, generous, and perfect than Kentaro and his family. I have never felt so welcomed and catered to in all my life. I hope they have even the smallest idea of how much their hospitality meant to me.
Pictures: (1) Restaurant menu; (2) Fumi-san at the table (3 and 4) Vegetable appetizer (5) Soup (6 and 7) Meat entrees (8, 9, 10, 11) Desert! (12) Us, standing outside the restaurant.
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