In spite of everything

In spite of everything I have arrived in Kyoto.

In spite of the fact that my initial plans for the journey to Japan seemed to be altered at every turn, starting with being advised in Melbourne I would not be able to take a bottle of Australian wine through Singapore, which made me very grumpy.

In spite of the total of thirteen hours flying time, a stretch of time which allowed more than enough time to remember forgotten items; not to mention the tiresome business of sleeping whilst sitting, I was seated beside two interesting fellow travellers on both flight legs and the time passed quickly enough.

In spite of the late departure from Melbourne and the inability of the crew sitting in the cockpit, who, no matter how fast they pedalled, still couldn’t make up for lost time,  the connection for the Singapore-Osaka flight was made with only 15 minutes to spare.

And last but least, the prize-winner in the ‘in spite of’ category: the officious young man in Osaka immigration who returned my passport, then directed me to a bare white laminex table behind a column in the arrivals hall to await my fate because I did not fill in the telephone number of the hotel on my entry card, I have arrived in Kyoto.

Gathering my scattered wits I negotiated the ticket buying business at Kansai station, found the train and there I was, as happy as a pig in mud, as the Haruki Express sped towards Kyoto. Totally absorbed by the passing view the time flew by: densely populated areas; tiny pockets of agricultural land tucked into any available space; Osaka, a stern grey industrial city; concrete lined waterways; backyards crammed with rusting junk and most delightful of all, an unexpected glimpse of a solitary small cherry tree in full bloom.

Artificial cherry blossom at Kansai airport, for those visitors who might miss seeing the real cherry blossom.

The Haruka Kansai- Kyoto express waits to whisk me to Kyoto.

After arrival at Kyoto station and before trekking off to find the hotel I paused to examine a mosaic work at the end of the platform.  It is the work of Hideo Nashiyama and was sited at Kyoto station in February 1977 on the occasion of the centenary of the station’s opening.

   Four views of the Nashiyama mosaic.

After tossing down my luggage burden in the rather compact room in the south wing of the hotel and resting for a short while, I returned to the labyrinthine Kyoto station, successfully negotiated my way through to the far side and set out to find the Higashi Honganji Temple. 

Temples and shrines are to be found almost at every turn in Kyoto and many of them are described, in that done-to-death phrase, as 'must-see'.  Time was short for me so I chose to take advantage of a temple within easy walking distance.

Temple details - roof and lamp

Padding around the temple entries in my socks, I was astonished by the enormous wooden sledge used to bring huge logs, needed for the construction of the temple, down from the forest. This was a hazardous business and many lives were lost in winter when the hauling of logs created avalanches  Even more astonishing was the display of an enormous woven coil of human hair; the quality of rope in those times was very poor and woven hair made for a stronger and more reliable method of fastening timber together. How such a huge quantity of hair was collected and woven into an immensely thick coil defies the imagination

This temple is considered to be the largest wooden structure in the world.

The old and the new - a building inside the temple grounds and behind it the Kyoto Tower.

Tomorrow is an out-of-Kyoto day; an early start and late finish and in between a whole world of new experiences.