Day two!

Hello! You found the compass!

       We had a busy day today! Becky, Kristen, and I woke up at about 6:45 to get ready and go downstairs to eat breakfast. The others had the same idea. We all went to the lobby and enjoyed a breakfast buffet!

Kristen, Tess, Bridget, Becky, Tim, Eric (with a funny face) and Franco!

      After breakfast, we left for the Silver Pavilion. Before getting on the bus, we made a stop at a shrine near the hotel. When entering a shrine, you first are expected to wash your hands using a ladle and some fresh water. Below is the one we used:

 
      After washing, we approached the shrines and took turns praying. The proper way to pray is to bow twice, clap your hands twice, and bow again. Apparently the shrine was often used by students who would pray for good grades. Given that midterms are coming up, a prayer seemed appropriate.
 

       Once we finished our prayers, we caught the bus to the Silver Pavilion! Built in 1482, it was originally a villa for a Shogun and was built when the power of a Shogun was in decline. It was supposed to be covered in silver, but there was a lack of funding and it remained like it is today.

Behold: The Silver Pavilion

       According to the pamphlets we received, the bronze phoenix on the roof (difficult to see in this picture) guards the pavilion and is dedicated to Kannonbosatu, the Goddess of Mercy. Along with the pavilion itself, the grounds held shrines, paths, and spectacular views of the city. The grounds are meticulously kept by caretakers who will pick out any pieces of grass. 

Just a bit of the beautiful grounds of the Silver Pavilion.

      After the Silver Pavilion, we took a walk along the Philosopher's Path. (The name is not dedicated to any single philosopher. It's just a path to find inspiration!) Had we gone on this trip later in the year, the path would have been surrounded by cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, it is still too early in the season for them.

     During our walk, we ran into two cats sitting on a bench. Someone explained to us that there are many stray cats in Japan, and that they were probably stray too. Let me tell you though, these cats didn't act or look stray. They were extremely calm and very friendly.

Tess wanted to take this one home. It just snuggled right up to her and stayed there.

 
      We thought that would be the end of the cats for the remainder of the walk. Then we ran into an entire family of strays. No matter what exotic location you may put us in, we WILL stop to play with kittens. Shrines can wait.

Kono neko kawai'i desu! (It is a cute cat!)

      When we were finally pulled away from the kittens, we went to another shrine. Nobody can remember a specific name, nor did we get any booklets about it, so as far as we know it was just a general shrine.

A HUGE general shrine.

      This was the main building, but the grounds were much bigger than in this picture. To the left of this picture is a path that leads up to another building that is closed to the public. In front of that building is a large barrel-like stone structure filled with burning incense that smelled very relaxing. Even though the building is closed, there are windows to see inside. It looked like there were sacred artifacts. The picture I got doesn't do justice to the inside of the building (then again, I don't think any of my pictures do justice to the places they depict).

      Once we were done exploring this shrine, Dr. Huang said that we were going to find something to eat. We took a bus to the shopping central of Kyoto, and we were let loose for two hours to eat and shop. We found that there were a lot of claw machines up and down the alleys of stores, and I tried (and failed) to get something. The group decided to eat in a little place that served noodles. (I got noodles with chicken!) We ate on those traditional mats with low tables, which was a fun experience.

There it is! Our first restaurant!

That's the alley we shopped in.

           

There was a life-size Colonel Sanders outside of the KFC.

      When our two hours of romping around came to an end, we regrouped with the chaperones and made our way to the Golden Pavilion. It was a long bus ride (twenty three stops) and we were packed in to the point where it was surprising when someone else managed to fit in the bus. We arrived at the pavilion and realized that our next stop closed at 5, so we had to rush. However, we did have time for photos! When there, we saw two maiko (apprentice geisha) accompanying a few older men in suits. There was an older woman in a kimono that walked behind them, mostly conversing with a woman in a business-like suit. The older woman was probably a mature geisha, but of course I can't confirm that. Perhaps she was just a woman in traditional garb. One of the maiko looked very young, and the other one looked a few years older than me. (Fun fact: The well-known image of a geisha with the white face makeup and elaborate hair ornaments are actually maiko, the apprentices. Mature geisha do not wear the white make up or as many hair ornaments as the apprentices. Surprisingly, I did not learn that here. I learned it last Spring in Culture and the Body!) One of the chaperones got a good picture of the older maiko, but I only got an in-passing blurry one. I'll post it anyway and try to get the chaperone's picture later.

The Golden Pavilion. Yes, it is painted with real gold.

The mature geisha in front, followed by the older maiko.

      I have to say, I liked the Silver Pavilion better. The Golden Pavilion is quite something to see, but I liked the more natural simplicity of the Silver Pavilion. Plus, the Silver Pavilion had much nicer grounds surrounding it.

      Our last stop of the day was Ryoanji Temple, home of a famous Zen garden. The Zen garden was made by a respected monk around the 1500s. The garden is made with fifteen rocks surrounded by white gravel. It is very pretty! We sat by it and contemplated life for a little while.

      We took the bus back to the hotel. By then we were all worn out, hungry, and cold. (The temperature dropped suddenly and harshly.) As ashamed as we were to make this decision, we decided that the cheapest and quickest meal would be from the McDonald's near the hotel. After we went there, I was glad we decided to. It was worth seeing once. They had an advertisement for a burger called the Big American, which looked like a cheeseburger with guacamole, lettuce, onion stick things, an egg, and some sort of mayo. We had a fun time trying to figure out how to order before the cashier flipped over a menu on a mat and revealed the English side. From there, pointing sufficed. Interestingly enough, that McDonald's had the most delicious french fries I've had out of all of my visits to fast food places. They were quite salty, but the potatoes tasted wonderful. It was far better than even the very best fries I've gotten in the U.S. I don't know why, but they tasted so much fresher. For that, and the discovery of the Big American burger, it was worth entering a McDonald's just once.



      That's about it for day two! I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures and stories!

      Oyasuminasai!