I've been riding around Kyoto on bicycles borrowed from the hostels that I've been staying at. Some advice: if you are ever sightseeing in a medium sized city such as Kyoto, do it on a bike. It's easier and more time efficient than public transportation, you get a better sense of the layout of the city, and it's very satisfying when you whizz by tourists who are sweating their butts off waiting for a bus. Here are some photos from the past few days.
I visited the International Manga Museum in Kyoto, but I was rather disappointed because it was more of a giant manga library than a museum. (note: in Japan, manga reading rooms and internet cafes are usually combined) They did have a nice temporary exhibition that traced the evolution of Yokai, which are mythical monsters in Japanese folklore, from medieval prints to contemporary manga. For me, the real treat was getting to see some actual prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, my favorite Japanese woodblock print artist. I managed to snap a few shots, even though photography was not allowed.
Ian - looks like you are having a great time. Hope you can continue appreciating the everyday experiences in this awesome trip of yours on top of finding your inspiration. Sometimes those two things aren't so different. Cheers,
ReplyDeleteRyu.
Ha, you look like a local. I love your photos, they are exquisite. Tell us more about Kyoto and Japan.
ReplyDeleteYes, no one will think Ian is a foreigner. An ethnic Korean becomes invisible in Japan. It was a strange feeling that I experienced when I first went to Japan in 1985 from America. In Canada and America, where I lived for more than 15 years up to 1985, I "felt" my skin color, especially in the 1970s. As soon as I arrived in Japan (with my family), I/we disppeared in crowd. Despite having just arrived in a foreign land, the racial skinship that felt there was a comfortable feeling, like having come "home." Japanese would approach me in a busy street asking me for direction even though I just arrived there. But the longer I lived the less home I would feel. We lived there for 4 years. That was more than enough for me. It was time to go "home." But where is that "home"? I am now in Australia. Tell us your thoughts along this line. Uncle Sejin
ReplyDeleteYes, I do feel more or less anonymous here, that is until I open my mouth. Then it's clear that I am not Japanese. However, my experience so far is that Japanese people are extremely polite and helpful, so I feel very comfortable approaching them with my broken Japanese.
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