Kyoto Again and the Joy of Being with Another Writer

It seems ages since we spent the weekend in Kyoto and I posted the last set of photos - heck I've been to England and back - and I'm off again tomorrow! But i did want to share some of the photos from our last day in Japan.

We walked through a wonderful bamboo forest. I can still hear the clacking noise of the bamboo as the wind pushed the tall stems together. It was almost like a symphony of percussion.

We wandered through a beautiful garden that was filled with so many plants that reminded me of our garden in Cornwall - made me quite homesick for it. I hope this week that the wisteria will still be in bloom.

Colour abounded every where even on a grey wet day. In fact I think the dullness of day made the vibrant colour more alive.

Last night I was lucky enough to have Janet Gover (Little Black Dress author - Farmer Needs A Wife) over for dinner. Poor dh had to put up with two writers chatting away about unreal worlds and plot problems. It certainly helped me to hear that she thought there was more than enough meat in the story to continue going. So another day of reading Maass and maybe I will write on the plane tomorrow with better results than the last time and definitely no champagne as I am in my normal stop in the back of the plane.

Kyoto Explored

I had been told that Kyoto was a beautiful city. Yet on arrival on Thursday night all I saw was evidence of the concrete era - so prevalent the world over in large cities. Beauty was absent from this landscape of tower blocks in dull grey. However I kept an open mind - after all I had just come off a long flight and it was night. My first glimpse of the beauty appeared as we spend through the city in a taxi to the area of town where the geishas are trained. Here the street lights were beautiful and buildings were low. The night was light intermittently with lanterns glowing red and white in the darkness. It was here that I ate the infamous raw chicken and drank my first sake. Kyoto's had begun to work its spell.

On the Friday we woke to beautiful weather. Our perfect guides, Mark and Yumi with their knowledge of the city designed a flawless day of sight seeing. We began at a temple with a glorious garden then followed the Philosopher's Walk and ambled through the city stopping we we felt 'called' and for lunch. I love seeing a place on foot and at my own pace - moving slowly and trying to absorb. I love looking at the little things.

My thoughts on the day - the scent of wisteria hovered around all day as it flung itself down the hillsides clinging to trees, appeared in pots by doorways, and hung heavy by temples. Colour abounded - coordinated and clashing joyously. Gardens small and large were carefully tended. Everything seemed to be prepared with such thought even the loos (but that is another story all together). Of course the politeness of everyone (I wish I could bottle it and shake over the rest of the crazy world we live in).

By the end of the day I didn't see the concrete any more, but the beauty in all the exquisite details.

I am off to London tomorrow and will be attending the Romantic Novelists' Association Summer Party. I will have my trusty camera with me and hope to report back fully on what I know will be a brilliant evening. I don't when I'll be able to connect so you may not hear from me until I reach the airport on Thursday.

The Feast

Now I can't say I was looking forward to lunch. I had survived the raw chicken but I knew that the wedding feast would be something extra special. That fresh fish would be sourced in the morning and that the exact nature of the meal wouldn't known until then. This is, of course, was what worried me.

We walked from the shrine down to the river in light rain. We were all on a high and I admit to even singing and dancing in the middle of the bridge (no, the one sip of saki during the ceremony hadn't made me drunk but the glow of happiness did). If the photos appear of my rendition of singing in the rain appear - I promise I will post!

The scenery shrouded in mist like rain was beautiful, as if a photographer had put a soft focus filter on the lens. The hills' spring green rushed down to the river which was spanned by a bright orange bridge. The contrast in colours was stunning. However I can't provide a photo as the battery on my camera had died.

The walk to the restaurant took twenty minutes and I tried to take all the wonderful happy vibes to prepare myself. I didn't want to let Mark and Yumi down. (SueG - I don't think I explained why I was at the wedding or the relationships - Mark is DH's best friend. They went to university together. Mark was the best man at our wedding and the godfather of ds1. I met both DH and Mark on the same day 20 years ago tomorrow. Therefore when he told us that he and Yumi were getting married we wanted to be with them. He was such a special part of our wedding almost eighteen years ago it was a privilege to attend his.)

I digress. The garden leading to the restaurant was beautiful and now I realize very Japanese. We were greeting by beautiful women in kimonos and led to a special room. Each place setting was laid out precisely. Everything bar the chop sticks themselves had meaning including the chop stick 'rests' which were in a special knot shape to represent that the bond marriage cannot be untied. This knot was also used on the chopstick sleeve/envelope.

Each step of the feast had meaning from the opening toast. To Yumi filling Mark's sake cup - it was her first act for her husband as wife

The seven courses were exquisitely presented. Many times the fish was shown to us before cooking or not. I am sure by now you realize that the not cooking was what I was dreading. However, swallowing my fear and some sake I did eat my way through raw just about everything which included the extra special extra fat tuna, flounder, sea bream, lobster, abalone, pregnant octopus, and finally the sperm of sea bream.

Let's just say that I focused on the beautiful presentation (even plates that they were served on - each one specifically chosen for wedding feasts) and really enjoyed my sake!

PS - Until this trip I'd never had Japanese food and had avoided it like the plague. Now I realized I have missed out some wonderful but I'll continue to pass on the sperm of sea bream and a few other delicacies