Day 19: Ninja Temple and the Geisha District
This morning we went to visit the ninja temple in Kanazawa also known as Ninjyadera. Despite it's name it actually has nothing to do with ninjas. The reason why it is known as the ninja temple is because even though there are only 3 floors there are seven layers. The entire place is a maze of stairs, secret passage ways, trap doors and hidden alcoves. A total of 23 rooms and 29 stairways contributed in making this place architecturally beautiful even though it lacks in other aspects. The various secrets it hides, the various access points to views never seen anywhere else. It is a little how I imagined my own house that I wish to build to be.
Inside the temple we were taken on a guided tour in Japanese (no English available except for a booklet). Photos are also forbidden inside.
Once we were out of the temple and walking around locally I also found investigated this wall a bit more closely. We see the formation for the castle bases and some residences and in general they tend to be very beautiful.
After a brief respite from the cold and rain we headed towards the Kutani Pottery Kiln. A place whose owner is currently the 5th generation of the family to be looking after the place. They had many beautiful samples that took months to make and showed the process of making these beautiful pieces.
From here we took a taxi from the nearby train station to the castle entrance. To try and keep warm we ate some yummy hot cooked beef from this beef seller.
Whilst munching away we came across a wedding procession with the bride in her silver white uchikake kimono.
After a quick rock paper scissors match we took Jose's route to Kanazawa castle. The wind blew really hard and despite the mountain fleece I was quickly very cold.
Luckily for me the sun came out and warmed me up a little. Enough to take this photo at least. The cherry blossoms really are beautiful and there are so many of them!
We wandered in and out some of the shops in this area looking at the various pieces of pottery. I got myself a small tea cup though I saw a really cool tea pot. Sadly I can't bring back too much stuff with me!
From the castle we walked to the Geisha district to visit an Okiya where the geisha used to live and perform. It functions as a small museum now and sadly no photos are allowed inside except for mobiles (which I don't understand). I'll post the mobile phone photos later when I get back to the UK.
Day 14: Traditional Japanese Arts, Geisha, Maiko and the Miyako Odori
Today we went to the Maiko dress up experience. I was prepped like a Maiko and Jose was prepped in traditional mens kimono. The Maiko outfit has layers upon layers of clothes all strapped, clipped and tied together. It's so elaborate and beautiful their kimono but it is also quite heavy and when you combine it with the wigs and the hair ornaments and restricted movement, you can see how much effort the Maiko and Geiko put into walking as gracefully as they do. (The geisha use their own hair).
Still it was a fun experience. I noticed they missed some aspects which I saw later on it the geisha performances but the time it took to prepare was well over an hour. To do every preparation would take even longer.
Afterwards we went to Gion to go watch the Miyako Odori. Before we sat down in our seats we had tea ceremony with the maiko and geiko. They performed it beautifully. However the amount of tourists standing up and taking photos it was like the paparazzi. They did very well to stay calm and not get too startled by all the flashes. I managed to take one beautiful shot before several tourist heads started bobbing endlessly in front of me.
We finally went inside and the lavishness of it all reminded me somewhat of Her Majesty's Theatre which performs Phantom of the Opera though only in lavishness. The style of it of the Gion theatre is all Japanese though.
As the lights dimmed somewhat and many attendants prowled the aisles with "no photo" and "no mobile" signs. I waited in anticipation when suddenly blinding light shone at the sides of the the theatre and curtains sprung up and there are the geisha sitting with their instruments. On the other side of the theatre there are I believe the school instructors who sing and play also. Then more geisha file out through a curtain and the music is absolutely beautiful. Watching them and the occasional yips and yo's from the side they glide and stamp their way to the main stage. It was a wonderful performance!
Walking down Gion in the evening we saw the area come alight and life and I was reminded that this area was for the wealthier with meals starting at 10,000 yen (£60) in many places. Jose kept looking for Ramen even though I explained that we wouldn't find ramen here.
We walked further out and stumbled onto this great sign. It was so great, I figured I'd go in and with my limited Japanese had a small conversation with the owner. He was kind enough to give us some of his artwork (nothing too big!) Today was a truly good day and I hope to see more like it.
