Kyoto – segu iidsest kultuurist ja yrgsest loodusest // Kyoto – A mix of ancient culture and primeval nature

Kyotosse j6udsime me hommikul imevara, p2rast bussis veedetud 88d. Reis polnud sugugi hull, t2nu bussijuhi rahulikule s6iduviisile ja Jaapani korrap2rasele liiklusele. Esmamuljed Kyotost aga polnud just see mida me ootasime -  jalutusk2ik l2bi kesklinna hosteli poole viis meid l2bi igavate linnaosade kus leidus hulganisti suur ja koledaid maju. Me teadsime, et Kyotot peetakse Jaapani kauneimaks linnaks, seega olime p2ris yllatunud. Hostelile l2hemale j6udes aga muutus vaade t2ielikult ja me sisenesime kaunisse vanalinna ja olimegi Kyoto lummuses.

Kyotole pandi alus 794. aastal, kui ta valiti keisririigi uueks pealinnaks, mis varasemalt oli olnud l2hedalasuvas Naras. Kuna tegu on linnaga, mis algusest saati loodi suurlinnaks (st et ta ei arenenud loomulikult), oli linnaplaneering h2sti l2bi m6eldud. Arhitektid kes linna disainisid, v6tsid eeskujuks Hiina Chang'ani linna (t2nap2eval Xi'an), mist6ttu tegid nad linna t2navad yhtlaseks ruudustikuks – st t2navad jooksid kas p6hja-l6una v6i ida-l22ne suunas. Seet6ttu on t2nap2eval linnas v2ga lihtne orienteeruda.

Teine huvitav aspekt Kyoto juures on see, et linn on kolmest kyljest ymbritsetud paksult metsastunud m2gedega – iidsetel aegadel oli selline asukoht linna kaitsmiseks ideaalne, t2nap2eval aga saavad linnaelanikud seet6ttu h6lpsasti imekaunitesse looduslikesse paikadesse minna. Kui sellele lisada jaapani kultuurile iseloomulik austus looduse ilu vastu, on tulemuseks see, et kogu linn on t2is kauneid parke, aedasid, templeid ja metsatukkasid.

Kyotos leidub hulganisti ajaloolisi ja kultuurilisi v22rtusi, mis on j2tkuvalt seal t2nu sellele, et Kyoto p22ses Teise maailmas6ja ajal pommitamisest (muuseas, huvitav fakt on see, et Kyoto oli ameeriklaste esimene valik aatompommile, ent yks n6unikest oli linna kylastanud ja teadis ta ajaloolist v22rtust, mist6ttu veenis ta neid muud kohta valima – asjaolu, mis sai Hiroshimale saatuslikuks). Me veetsime Kyotos vaid kolm p2eva, enamik millest me jalutasime niisama erinevates huvitavates linnaosades, v6i siis kylastasime kauneid looduslikke paiku. Esmalt uudistasime me Gionit, kaunist ja vana linnaosa, kus siiani leidub hulganisti traditsioonilisi jaapani puumaju. Tegu on yhtlasi linnaosaga, mis olevat kuulus geishade poolest, ent meie ei n2inud paraku yhtegi. Mida me aga n2gime, oli hulganisti noori inimesi traditsioonilistes r6ivastes – naised kaunites ja kirevates kimonodes ja mehed tagasihoidlikumates ent soliidsetes hakamades. Tuleb v2lja, et Kyoto noored on oma kultuurip2randit taasavastamas ning kannavad uhkusega oma rahvusr6ivaid – ja seda mitte ainult erilistel puhkudel nagu Tokyos n2iteks.

Kuigi Kyotos on hulganisti kuulsaid ja kauneid vaatamisv22rsusi, sh hunnikute viisi templeid ja keiserlikke ehitisi (Kyotos on 14 ehitist mis on UNESCO Maailmap2randi nimekirjas), me jalutasime pigem niisama huvitavates naabruskondades rahulikult ringi, ilma yhest templist teise jooksmata – muidu oleksime templite yledoosi saanud niikuinii, r22kimata sellest, et sissep22su eest maksmine oleks rahakotile liiast olnud. P2rast Gionit (mis oli yhtlasi piirkond kus asus meie hostel ning kus kandis oli ka hea 6htul syya ja juua), l2ksime me kesklinnast idas asuvat L6una-Higashiyamat uudistama. Meie jalutusk2igu keskpunktiks oli kuulus Kiyomizu-dera tempel, mis oli kyll v2ga kaunis, ent t6eline p2rl oli ymberkaudne piirkond ise. Palju kauneid kitsaid t2navaid, hulganisti k2sit88poode ja lugematul hulgal pisikesi peidetud aedasid. Ja ei mingit liiklust (kuigi meeletult palju jalak2ijaid). Imekaunis.

J2rgmisel p2eval l2ksime me linna idaosasse, et kuulsat Arashiyama bambuslaant kylastada. Bambuslaan oli ilus kyll, kuigi mitte nii suur kui me arvasime ja puude vahele jalutama minna ei saanud – mets oli aiaga ymbritsetud, jalutada sai ainult asfalteeritud k6nniteedel. Seega ei olnud tegu meie jaoks eriti p6neva kogemusega, kuna olime Austraalias juba saanud umbes sama suures bambusmetsas t2iesti omap2i tundide viisi olla – seda HelpX v66rustaja Trevoriga, kellega koos me bambusmetsas puid maha saagisime, et nendest talle aeda ehitada. Ent Arashiyama linnaosa ise oli j2llegi superilus. Me jalutasime Katsura j6e 22res, nautides sooja ja p2ikesepaistelist p2eva, ning imetlesime j6ge ymbritsevaid m2gesid ja metsa. Hiljem tol 6htul kui me kesklinnas tagasi olime, ostsime me pudeli veini ja istusime Kamo j6e 22rde (mis voolab l2bi kesklinna), et seal enne 6htustamist veidi veini juua, j6ge ja kaunist 6htut nautida ja uudistada noori kyotolasi, kes samuti oma reede 6htut j6e 22res alustasid.

J2rgmisel p2eval kylastasime me ainsat templit, mille puhul oli t6esti tunne, et seda ei saa me n2gemata j2tta. Fushimi Inari Taisha tempel ei ole tavap2rane budistlik jaapani tempel, vaid tegu on hoopis hiigelsuure loodusliku alaga, mis on pyhendatud jumalanna Inarile, teravilja kaitsjale (st siis riisi, ja yhtlasi saket). Terve suur, metsaga kaetud m2gi on templi alaks, ja koha k6ige silmatorkavam osa on sajad punased toriid, ehk traditsioonilised jaapani v2ravad, mis 22ristavad m2e ymber jooksvaid jalutusteesid kogu pikkuses. Peale toriide, saab templi alal n2ha ka lugematul hulgal rebasekujusid, mis pidavat pyha paika kaitsma. Rebane ise on jaapani kultuuris mystiline loom, kes pidavat suutma inimeste hingesid vallata. Nende lemmik sisenemispaik kellegi kehasse olevat kyynte all! Igal juhul, vaatamata sellele, et templit oli meiega samaaegselt kylastamas tuhandeid inimesi, ei kaotanud koht seet6ttu oma sarmi, ja v2ravate all jalutada oli eriliselt meeldiv. Tegu oli v2ga ainulaadse ja maagilise kohaga, ja kui meil oleks olnud rohkem aega, oleksin ma tahtnud seal tunduvalt kauem olla. Fushimi Inari oli minu jaoks kindlasti kogu meie reisi kultuuriline tipp.

Ja sellega oligi meie Kyotos veedetud aeg l6pul, ja nyydsest ei kylasta me enam yhtegi uut kohta (v2hemalt mitte selle reisi jooksul). Hetkel oleme me shinkansenis, jaapani kiirrongis, ja s6idame Tokyo suunas, et seal veeta oma viimased kaks 88d Aasias.

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We reached Kyoto at the crack of dawn, after a night spent on the bus. The voyage wasn't half bad, thanks to the driver's calm driving and orderly Japanese traffic. First impressions of Kyoto were not what we expected though – our walk through the center towards our hostel took us through nondescript neighbourhoods with lots of big, ugly buildings. We knew that Kyoto is considered Japan's most beautiful city, so this was a bit strange to say the least. Once we got nearer to our hostel though, the city changed and we entered a beautiful, old part of the town, and our enchantment with Kyoto had begun.

Kyoto was established in 794, chosen as the site of the new imperial capital, which had until then been in the nearby Nara. Since it was a city that was established with the idea that it will be a big metropolis, (ie it did not evolve naturally), a lot of thought was put into city planning. The architects who designed ancient Kyoto took the Chinese city of Chang'an (today's Xi'an) as an example, and therefore made its streets follow an even grid pattern, with streets running either on a north-south or east-west direction. This makes it very easy to navigate today.

Another striking feature of Kyoto is the fact that it is surrounded by thickly forested mountains on three sides – a great position for defending the city in the ancient times, but today it allows for people in the city easy access to amazingly beautiful natural areas. Add to that the Japanese culture of respecting the beauty of natural areas, and you have a city full of gorgeous gardens, parks, temples and woodlands.

Kyoto is rich in historic and cultural places, which are still there since it was spared being bombed during WWII (btw, interestingly, the Americans' initial target for the atomic bomb was Kyoto, but one of the people in the council had visited the city and knew its historic value, and convinced them to pick another place, therefore dooming Hiroshima instead). Our stay in the city lasted only three days, most of which we spent simply strolling in different neighbourhoods of interest, or visiting beautiful natural areas. Firstly, we explored Gion, an ancient and beautiful area which still has tons of traditional Japanese wooden houses. It is also a neighbourhood apparently known for geishas, although we didn't happen to see any. What we did see though, all over Kyoto, were young people dressed in traditional garments – women in beautiful and colourful kimonos, and men in the more sober, but still striking hakamas, the traditional Japanese men's clothing. Apparently young people in Kyoto are rediscovering their heritage, and proudly, and regularly, wear their traditional garments – and not just for special occasions like in Tokyo. It's a very nice sight indeed.

While there are tons of famous and beautiful individual sights in Kyoto, including myriad temples and imperial buildings (Kyoto has 14 buildings that are listed under the UNESCO World Heritage List), we enjoyed visiting the neighbourhoods around places of interest, and skipping just going from one famous temple to the other. We would have no doubt had a temple overload in no time, not to mention that it would have been quite steep for our pockets. After exploring Gion, which was the area around our hostel, and also a great area for going out for dinner and/or drinks, we went to explore the Southern Higashiyama district to the east of the city centre. While we concentrated our walk around the famous Kiyomizu-dera temple, which was beautiful, the real gem was the neighbourhood around it. Beautiful tiny streets, lined with artisan shops and countless little hidden gardens. And no traffic (although quite a lot of foot traffic). Just gorgeous.

The next day we went to the eastern side of the city, to see the famous bamboo grove in Arashiyama. While the bamboo grove was indeed very beautiful, it wasn't as big as we expected and you couldn't actually go into the forest, which was fenced off (albeit nicely, with straw), keeping walkers of paved paths. It wasn't therefore quite as impressive for us after having spent hours inside a bamboo grove of a similar size in Australia, all on our own – that was with HelpX host Trevor, who took us there to cut down bamboo for his fence. But the area around Arashiyama was simply gorgeous. We walked along the river Katsura, enjoying the gorgeous warm and sunny day, and the lush forested hills surrounding it. After having returned to the city centre that evening, we bought a bottle of wine and sat on the banks of the Kamo river for a while before dinner, which runs through the city centre (and eventually joins the aforementioned Katsura river), and drank while enjoying the lovely evening, watching the river go by and checking out all the masses of young people who also started their Friday evening on the riverside.

The following day, we went to visit the one temple that did seem like something we definitely had to see – the Fushimi Inari Taisha temple. This is not a conventional Japanese Buddhist temple, but instead it is a whole huge area dedicated to the goddess Inari, the protectress of cereals (i.e. rice, and consequently sake). A whole lush, forested mountain is dedicated to appeasing the goddess, and the most striking feature about the place are the hundreds upon hundreds vermilion torii, traditional Japanese gates, that line the paths that go up the mountain. Apart from the torii, you can also see lots of statues of foxes around the place, meant to protect the sacred place. The fox itself, in Japanese culture, is considered a magical creature, able to possess people. Apparently, their entry point of choice into someone's body is from underneath their fingernails! Anyway, despite the temple area having masses of people visiting the place, it did not lose any of its unique charm, and it was an absolute joy walking around the place. This place is so unique and magical and I wish we could have spent more time there. Definitely the cultural highlight of our entire trip.

And with that, our stay in Kyoto was finished, and we will no longer go to see any new places (not as part of this trip in any case). We are now on the shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train, on our way back to Tokyo for our final two nights in Asia.

Tyypiline kaunis jaapani aed // Typical gorgeous Japanese garden

Veel yks kooligrupp kes meid intervjueeris // Another school group who interviewed us

Kaunid t2navad L6una-Higashiyamas // Beautiful streets in South Higashiyama

Kiyomizu-dera tempel // Kiyomizu-dera temple

Jaapani templite sissep22sude juures on alati voolav vesi kopsikutega - palvetajad peavad enne templisse sisenemist pesema k2ed ja loputama suu. // All Japanese temples have running water with little cups at their entrance - visitors to temples must always wash their hands and rinse their mouths before entering.

Vaade Kiyomizu-dera templist Kyotole // View of Kyoto from Kiyomizu-dera temple

Naljakad 'pudip6lledega' Buddhad :) // Funny Buddhas with 'aprons' :)

Kamo j6gi Kyoto kesklinnas // Kamo river in central Kyoto

Iidne sild yle Katsura j6e Arashiyamas // Ancient bridge across Katsura river in Arashiyama

Kahepalgeline Buddha (kui on Buddha?) // Two-faced Buddha (if it is indeed Buddha?)

Arashiyama bambuslaan // Bamboo grove in Arashiyama

Kaunid metsateed Katsura j6e 22res // Beautiful forest roads along Katsura river

Paadid Katsura j6el // Boats on Katsura river

Meretoidurestoran Kyotos. V2hk oli motoriseeritud ja liigutas oma jalgu! // Seafood restaurant in Kyoto. The crab was automated and moved its legs!

Ilusad v2iksed t2navad Gionis // Beautiful tiny streets in Gion

Traditsiooniline ramen - nuudlisupp sealihaga //Traditional ramen - noodle soup with pork

Fushimi Inari Taisha templi sissep22s // Fushimi Inari Taisha temple entrance

Esimene rebane! // First fox!

L6putud toriid // Endless torii

Siin templis kirjutati soovid rebasekujulistele plaatidele - ja said rebasele n2o ka joonistada. // In this temple, they write wishes on fox-shaped boards - and you can draw the fox a face.

Mida k6rgemale jalutasime templis, seda metsikumaks l2ks // The higher we walked in the temple, the wilder it got

V2ikesed altarid v2ikeste toriidega // Small shrines with small torii

Eriti kuri rebane // Particularly mean fox

L6putud read ka miniatuurseid toriisid // Endless rowes of miniature torii as well

Altar kaheteistkymnele Aasia sodiaagim2rgile // Shrine to the twelve Eastern zodiac signs

Kyoto viimase 6htu alustuseks v6tsime aperitiiviks grillitud kaheksajalga ja k6rvale jaapani viskit koos mineraalveega // For our last night in Kyoto, we had an aperitif of grilled squid and kimchi, washed down with Japanese whisky and soda