The Eye of Patrick

So I had one of those busy weekends, and I was not expecting it either. It started Friday during Japanese class when I was talking with my friend and classmate Phil about what he was doing that day and he said he was going to go to Kyoto to see a pottery fair and do some stuff in Kyoto and I thought I would tag along and see Kyoto. It is a town that is only 45 minutes away from me but I do not normally visit it as I go to Osaka mostly to do stuff. But hopefully I will be able to make more trips to there in the future.

So we met at 1 pm in front of our rez to begin our journey. We biked to Makino and decided to catch the train to Kyoto, but just as we were about to we realized that the sub-express stopped at every stop to Kyoto and that would take us a long time. So we decided to go to Hirakata and take the express train to Kyoto. That was a good idea as we got to Hirakata an Express train rolled into the terminal and we hopped on and rode the train to the end of the line in Kyoto. Phil had a small idea of how to get there, but he thought it would be best that we hitch a bus. But we were unsure of the direction of the place so when we got on the bus I decided to take a chance and ask the bus driver whether this bus went to the temple or not, that was were the flea market was being held. I asked him in Japanese and he replied no this one did not go there, but to go to the other side and take that bus. It was moments like that which made me feel happy that I am learning Japanese, I may not be multilingual like some, but even then a little Japanese goes a long way.

We then switched buses and were on our way, it was a long bus ride and during that bus ride I questioned whether we had or had not passed the place as my mind was tired and I worried during my periods of eyes being closed that somehow. But just as I was starting to worry we saw a place with a bunch of tents and decided that most likely that is where a flea-market would be held. So we got off and begun our flea market experience.

While we were walking around I saw little stuff, which I would like to buy later, like for the longest time I have been trying to see stuff that I would like to buy for my friends but I have been unable to do that. Either it was too expensive or it was too tacky, but at the flea market they had many things that I want to buy for gifts. But I was so overwhelmed by ideas that I decided that I would go next month with a better idea of who I need to buy gifts for.

Here are some pics from the temple

Then after we went to the temple we had a lot of time to kill as it was a Friday and nothing to do the next day, so we decided to explore Kyoto. We tired to find some Geisha’s but we only knew they were in Gion. But we did not know when or what part of Gion we should find them. So we decided that it was more of an exploratory venture to see the area and to know where to hit when we went there next. But it was funny when we were looking for Gion, we went and asked a police officer and one of those many police stations located in most Japanese city. They did not speak English that well and we did not know Japanese that well, so we reverted to the international communication language of using hands and making hand motions. I wish I had gotten a picture of them as they were so friendly and kind. So after we asked them we went and looked for Gion and walk around there. It was interesting as I was reading about Kyoto and supposedly the Japanese during World War II destroyed a lot of the historical or older looking districts of Kyoto for use of materials in the war. This could explain why most historical places in Kyoto are located on the outer areas of Kyoto.

Photos:

Then after we explored the Gion and downtown area we decided to go to a bar that my friend wanted to visit, so we headed towards the subway. We got on the train and started riding it when the train stopped at one of the stops and did not continue forward, so we were confused why it stopped going. But just as the confusion was about to get to us we were met by a kind Japanese stranger who decided to inform us that the train stopped here but we had to take the next train. Little did we realize that he was drunk hehe…. so he was a “little” more friendly then most Japanese people. He started talking to us, he asked if we spoke Japanese and we would say a little or stuff like that. After that began a 20 minute train ride filled with laughs and other interesting moments as he guided us to the station we required. During that trip he told us he was 73 years old and was just returning from a night of drinking. It was amazing as he did not look 73. He then said I was tall and he hit me on the head friendly. It was funny as he would speak in fast Japanese to us and we would try or pretend to understand what he was saying, and after he was done talking he would say “do you understand” and we would be like chotto or something like that and then he would laugh hehe… he had one of those laughs that at first you see nothing funny but you start laughing because his laugh is so great. He told us about his family and where he studied English. Then he tried to explain what we could find once we got to the station. Sadly our ride with the special stranger had to come to an end and we got off promising to say hi if we ever ran into each other. All through the trip I wanted a photo of him, but I was only able to get a reflection shot of him.

In Japan there is a problem of people killing themselves by jumping in front of trains so to counter that they have installed doors and other devices used to prevent people from being able to jump. This was just one of the many I have seen in Japan. This was the most advance one I have seen.

We found the bar that my friend wanted to find, but not after we walked left instead of right on the exit of the station and explored a different district of Kyoto. It was a more residential area. We were asking people where to go and they would try to help us but we kept on getting lost. Just as we were about to give up we found it. But before that we found Kendo club and we were scared to go near and take photos so we took them from afar.

At the bar we were the only ones there and so the women who owned the place came and talked to us. She was 37 and had visited Canada in her high school age. She and the old man are so far some of the most unique and cool people I have met in Japan. For many people the perception of Japan is of a country that is conservative, but when we found these two people they brought so much joy to my heart as they were people who were living their own life to the rules that they thought were best, whether people thought it was correct or not. She is 37 and her parents wish her to be married so when friends or family ask why she is not married they say she is sick because for them that can be the only reason why she is not married. But she said maybe I never will marry and I thought that was cool as she was doing what she thought was right and not what others made her believe. As we were leaving we checked the bill and realized that it was only 3100 yen, when it should have been closer to 4000 yen, because she had given us the teas for free. That just made me respect her more and more. Even though I may not use the device my friend was using, I will go there to drink Tea as she seemed friendly.

We had to leave sadly as we would have missed the last train back to Hirakata if we didn’t. So we caught the train, as it was so late we had to local train it back to makino. This turned a 10 minute train ride into a 30 minute train ride, but I did not care as it was blast. I think it was one of the most fun days I have had in Japan.

Sorry for long post, but I wanted it to be good, leave comments please.