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.
When you live abroad for a long time, you start to observe seasonal patterns, not just in weather, but in social practices and customs.
But sometimes it takes a while to understand what one is observing.
Yesterday, I went out very early and ran to—— Kamogawa – then follow its path (see pictures of this morning’s run in the morning mist in the mountains) and return along the canal that comes down from the mountain.
Although it was still early, it was deathly quiet here.
It took me a while to realize it was a public holiday – no school kids, no cars, no people.
I discovered that this is an annual Sports Day (the second Monday in October) that started in 1966 to commemorate the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Its purpose is to “promote sport and active lifestyles”.
All kinds of events take place – athletics carnivals, tug-of-war competitions, obstacle courses and more.
So I was actually getting into trouble without even realizing it.
The only problem was that it rained a lot in the morning in Kyoto, so I didn’t see a lot of tug-of-war or any physical activity for that matter.
river
As shown in the previous photo, the Kamogawa River and its tributary, the Koya River, branching north of where the photo was taken (Konoe-Tori Bridge), are one of the wonders of the world.
It stretches along the east side of Kyoto.
During this period – Heian period – When Kyoto was the imperial capital, rulers changed the direction of the river.
The map below shows the approximate starting point of the diversion – just to the north near Mion Bridge, with the red line roughly depicting the Horikawa River, which is now a canal west of the Imperial Palace and Gardens (that big green rectangle on the map above) .
Apparently the Emperor, like you, wants his palace to remain where it is now and believes that a large river flowing through the center of the capital’s territory would be divisive.
You don’t need to know much about Japanese history to understand that rulers are always worried about attackers planning to usurp their power base.
this – Nijo Castle – Right next to the palace, it was actually built with creaking floors and decks so that those sleeping inside could hear any intruders during the dark night.
On my run this morning, I stopped upriver from the Kuramaguchi Bridge, just north of where the previous photo was taken, and took this photo of the mist hanging over the majestic Mount Hiei to the east.
There is an observation deck on the mountain just east of where the photo was taken – the Yumenooka Deck – which offers incredible views of Kyoto to the west and Lake Biwa to the east.
As autumn progresses, nature’s colors are revealed throughout the city, and Mount Hiei is a great place to see them.
If I had known I would have avoided it!
Last Saturday, a beautiful day in Kyoto, I rode my bike to Okazaki Park, which is just south of where I live.
There are often events there, and sometimes I watch baseball games at the ballpark near the park.
It’s not about watching a baseball game, but rather a way for teams to show respect for themselves, their opponents, officials and spectators at the end of each game – through collective celebration through bowing, clapping and chanting.
When I went to Melbourne to watch a football match (AFL) I had never seen anything like it.
Okazaki Park also has some vegan food stalls that are open on Saturdays, so you can enjoy food cooked in the Zen tradition (COVID-safe) outside the park.
They often play music in the square.
It seems that this time, local Christians came out in large numbers, which is rare in Kyoto, and they were full of enthusiasm.
There was an old guy in the front who had really had enough.
I only sang one chorus! !
I tried to understand what they were singing in Japanese but couldn’t identify any words until I realized they were singing in English – the Jesus part gave it away.
I took a video but it’s too big to upload here.
Picture this.
reunite the band
Last year, I was a guest artist for a local rock band – Kyoto band Kazuchika Misawa, which has some of the best local players as members – at one of Kyoto’s top music venues.
Last Saturday we played rock ‘n’ roll (or “lock and loll” as the locals call it) at one of Kyoto’s oldest and best live music venues, the “live house” – famously – Shide – In the Shangjing District (not far to the west of the Imperial Gardens and Palace complex).
This is an old sake brewery, and the tables and chairs are all recycled sake barrels.
This is a view of the room from the stage (note that since COVID, they have put up plastic screens on all the tables and limited the number of people who can attend the show).
I wrote about this in this article – Kyoto Report No. 5 (November 8, 2022).
Well, I must have done something right because they invited me to play with them again on October 31, 2023.
Anyway, I’m borrowing a Fender Telecaster right now and we’ll go get it at 11 o’clock.
Here’s the October show schedule (the last part of course), advertising the shows.
I’ll report back later if I still hear anything!
A trip to Kyoto is worth it in itself.
Another week in Kyoto.
That’s enough for today!
(c) Copyright 2023 William Mitchell. all rights reserved.
