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Japan Dispatch #4
Jun. 27th, 2008 05:46 am(Written as of two days ago, posted in Yokohama)
We’re now in Takayama and out of Kyoto, with one more night here before we go over to Yokohama where my great great great (I think that’s the right number of greats) grandfather worked for the British Consulate, and hopefully while we’re there we’ll clear up exactly what he did there, since we’ve heard he was the Consul General, but facts have a way of being distorted when passed down through families.
Since I last updated we went to two places: first to Nijo Castle, the seat of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the other Edo Shoguns in Kyoto, and then to Mt. Hiei the next day. Njio Castle was very impressive and rightly imposing, and one of its more interesting features is something called a Nightingale Floor in the living area that “sings” when people walk over it because of the way the nails on the underside of it are set up. Ieyasu put it in so no one could sneak up on him and try to assassinate him without being heard, as like most Shoguns he became very paranoid later in life, though I think his way was a particularly clever method of dealing with it.
The difference in weather is very noticeable up in the mountains here, since in Kyoto it was very humid (while not necessarily hot) but up here it’s very cool and pleasant. We also happen to be staying right on the river (as in I can look out my window and it’s right there, meaning I could throw something out the window and it would land in it) so that adds to the coolness and lets us have a nice white noise that has probably been helping me sleep.
This is a very interesting city so far, and as our guidebook said the food has been excellent. One of their specialties out here is Hida beef that’s raised in the hills around here, and they have their own style of soba. I happen to love soba, so I’m especially happy about this.
They also have quite a few interesting wood carvings around here, since wood was the primary export of this area and what put it on the map, since people in Kyoto wanted the wood for their houses and for other crafts. The connection to Kyoto also explains why I keep seeing the wheel that’s Kyoto’s symbol around here.
Today we’re going to go up to a place called Furokawa up the river that’s supposed to be full of old houses and temples, and then putter around here for a bit.
On a random note, I wish we had canned coffee in the States that wasn’t that watered down Starbucks crap. The stuff they have over here is really good, though I can’t figure out why one brand (“Boss” Coffee) has Tommy Lee Jones as its spokesperson. We actually took a picture of that one along with our “random weird things” that we’ve been photographing along the way.
Next one more day here, then off to Yokohama for two nights to find out about my great-great grandfather, then one night in Nara, and then home. *phew*
We’re now in Takayama and out of Kyoto, with one more night here before we go over to Yokohama where my great great great (I think that’s the right number of greats) grandfather worked for the British Consulate, and hopefully while we’re there we’ll clear up exactly what he did there, since we’ve heard he was the Consul General, but facts have a way of being distorted when passed down through families.
Since I last updated we went to two places: first to Nijo Castle, the seat of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the other Edo Shoguns in Kyoto, and then to Mt. Hiei the next day. Njio Castle was very impressive and rightly imposing, and one of its more interesting features is something called a Nightingale Floor in the living area that “sings” when people walk over it because of the way the nails on the underside of it are set up. Ieyasu put it in so no one could sneak up on him and try to assassinate him without being heard, as like most Shoguns he became very paranoid later in life, though I think his way was a particularly clever method of dealing with it.
The difference in weather is very noticeable up in the mountains here, since in Kyoto it was very humid (while not necessarily hot) but up here it’s very cool and pleasant. We also happen to be staying right on the river (as in I can look out my window and it’s right there, meaning I could throw something out the window and it would land in it) so that adds to the coolness and lets us have a nice white noise that has probably been helping me sleep.
This is a very interesting city so far, and as our guidebook said the food has been excellent. One of their specialties out here is Hida beef that’s raised in the hills around here, and they have their own style of soba. I happen to love soba, so I’m especially happy about this.
They also have quite a few interesting wood carvings around here, since wood was the primary export of this area and what put it on the map, since people in Kyoto wanted the wood for their houses and for other crafts. The connection to Kyoto also explains why I keep seeing the wheel that’s Kyoto’s symbol around here.
Today we’re going to go up to a place called Furokawa up the river that’s supposed to be full of old houses and temples, and then putter around here for a bit.
On a random note, I wish we had canned coffee in the States that wasn’t that watered down Starbucks crap. The stuff they have over here is really good, though I can’t figure out why one brand (“Boss” Coffee) has Tommy Lee Jones as its spokesperson. We actually took a picture of that one along with our “random weird things” that we’ve been photographing along the way.
Next one more day here, then off to Yokohama for two nights to find out about my great-great grandfather, then one night in Nara, and then home. *phew*
