This Tuesday’s presentation will provide some insight into the life of a Westerner (me) who has been working at Kyoto University in Japan for several months.
Japanese woodworking
Asian woodworking in general and Japanese woodworking in particular is a work of art.
When I’m out on my bike, I like to stop near construction sites and study the meticulous work that goes into building a house in Kyoto.
I recently experienced house building firsthand in Australia and while the construction companies were first class in every way, the Japanese carpenters were next level.
Joint work is both complex and very precise.
They build the frame from scratch rather than pre-building it on a truck.
This photo was taken at a house construction site in western Kyoto.
Unintended consequences of superior varieties
Kyoto is organized on a rectangular grid with major roads defined.
But between the main roads there are countless winding little streets, gutters, stairs that I rode my bike along instead of using the main roads.
As a result, every now and then I stumble across some gems that I didn’t expect to find.
Last weekend we cycled from east Kyoto, where we live, all the way through town to the western edge.
Our purpose is to go to the Zen Temple— Ryoanji Temple – Located in the northwest of the city.
The temple is famous for its features – Japanese dtry garden (karesansui or karenansui) – captures a scaled-down version of some landscape in a limited space, in this case a rectangular (25m x 10m) space flanked by walls of clay boiled in oil and painted on the building Buildings surround the other two sides.
Over time, the oil seeps out of the clay, creating in the process very unique visual patterns that are worth seeing in their own right.
The garden contains 15 rocks of various sizes and shapes, carefully arranged in five groups, surrounded by a small circle of live moss and embedded in a large rectangular area of white pebbles that have been carefully raked into various patterns.
A visitor sits on the terrace adjacent to the longer side and studies the garden.
It’s serious, yet somehow contemplative.
I’ve read many reports about this garden – yes, I study gardens in my spare time – and there have been countless attempts to give “meaning” to what we see.
However, I think one reviewer is right (translated from Günter Nitschke’s 2003 book “Le jardin japonais: angle droit et forme naturelle”):
The garden of Ryoanji Temple does not symbolize anything, or more precisely, to avoid any misunderstanding, the garden of Ryoanji Temple does not have symbolic meaning, nor does it have the value of recreating the beauty of nature in reality or mythology. world. I think of it as an abstract composition of “natural” objects in space whose function is to inspire meditation.
Anyway, here’s part of the rock garden:
But once you leave the actual shrine and start wandering around the gardens, unexpected results appear.
This place is not mentioned in the official guidebook you get at the entrance.
But past a small pavilion and set in the most beautiful garden is the smaller temple – Ryoanji Saigen-in (龙安 temple Saigen-in) – which houses a delightful vegetarian restaurant – Ryoanji Yu Astoria – (or the most sumptuous lunch at a real restaurant) at a reasonable price.
As you approach the building you see it through the garden.
The cafe’s name refers to its only dish – yudofu or yudofu – which is hot boiled tofu (soft) mixed in a broth of seven herbs.
It comes with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and ginger, plus rice and some pickles.
This is what the service table looks like:
This is what you see while eating lunch.
While vegan food isn’t hard to find in Kyoto, it’s rare to find one in this (COVID-safe and peaceful) environment.
Most vegan cafes are small and crowded, and I’ve avoided them since the start of the pandemic.
Earlier in the day we were complaining about how we would love to find a good vegetarian cafe and whether we should venture to a cafe we knew here before.
Then out of the forest, this gem appeared.
This happens often if you’re walking or biking outside of Kyoto’s main tourist areas.
In the small back streets, gems can be found.
A distinguishing feature of the city is that industry, small manufacturing etc., housing and shops are mixed in each location, rather than dividing the suburbs by use.
I like that Kyoto shopping mall has more bicycle parking spaces than parking lots
Sometimes I ride north along the Kamogawa River to the Kitaoji shopping mall where Muji is located.
It sells a wide variety of stuff at very reasonable prices – perfect for buying shirts when you don’t have enough luggage!
In Australia, shopping malls usually have reserved parking spaces, and underneath the mall you can find bike parking.
Kyoto is a great place for cycling.
Another week in Kyoto.
Next week I’ll report on how to get lost in Daimonjiyama and how to avoid getting lost – tip: don’t ask the locals using the latest map apps!
That’s enough for today!
(c) Copyright 2023 William Mitchell. all rights reserved.
