JAPAN Day 9

October 29 - Le Trop Nuit

Words: Sebastian + Images: Araceli

As would become customary in Kyoto, our mornings were dedicated to temples. There are two reasons behind it: catching the morning light and avoiding crowds. We would fail at the latter. First up, the Ryoan-Jo , Kyoto's most famous Rock Garden. We arrived early to the premises. We didn't know that the current garden was a small part of a large estate. We got the good surprise that we had extra grounds to explore.
Arriving at the main wooden building, we take off our shoes and stroll down an open corridor before arriving at the rock garden. It is small, yet huge. 15 rocks, spread out in clusters amidst a sea of ​​gravel. The walls around the open-air garden are low enough to make you feel within an enclosed space but not high enough to block the view from the greenery beyond. The walls are made from clay boiled in oil. The dark patterns being oil seeing out throughout the ages.
As we're pondering this, pensive, seated on the deck, in came the disturbances. A literal busload of Italian tourists poured in, the tranquil scene transformed into a loud public forum. The second busload, French this time, was the only signal we needed to run away and explore the outer gardens.

Kinkaku-ji , the golden pavilion, was next. By the time we arrived, it was too late. The crowd was as bad as it would get, one gets trapped in the flow and can only inch forward according to the giant mass' whim.
The pavilion is gorgeous and impressive, but the whole experience is a bit daunting. Once released, we charted our path to the next destination: the Raku Museum . A poster seen a few days ago in a store caught our eye. An old lady in a tiny antique store pointing insistently at a tea bowl and saying Raku was incentive enough. We had to know more about Raku.
We stop at Tentation d'Ange , a bakery, for a morning snack. It's 10:52, they open at 11:00. We see bakers taking the last breads out of the oven, they go on trays at 10:56, they are placed in the store in their respective displays. At 10:57, the front porch is organized, the signage placed. People line up. At 11:00, doors open.
It's so simple, yet it happens so rarely in our world (outside of Japan), that it never stops surprising us. We appreciate this a great deal.
The Raku Museum was a treat. Little did we know hat they had a special exhibit, a retrospective of the 16 Raku Heads throughout the ages, one tea bowl per era. This is where it really hit us, we had come across something special. The first bowl, dating back to the 16th century, sets the historical path for this school of pottery. It is gorgeous, simple, black and glossy. From then on, each generation innovates a little, while maintaining tradition in form and technique. It was extremely helpful to see all styles across the ages to understand the appeal behind these pieces. Dating and originating back to Raku's first head, and Sen no Rikyu, the Japanese Tea Master.
The afternoon was for extra luggage purchases, our initial suitcase starting to burst at the seams.
Then, off to Naito , a venerable Geta supplier in Gion. Araceli was on the hunt for wooden getas and this looked like the place to get them. Sadly, the enthusiasm would be drained by the attendant declaring: We make these to order, it will take 4 months for yours to be ready...Delayed gratification yes, but that's too long. We'll have to try somewhere else.
Pit stop at the hotel before heading to Muromachi Wakuden , for our final kaiseki dinner in Kyoto. It was in the end the one we would enjoy the least. It felt less intimate, less personal. The counter was much larger than what we had seen so far. The cooking area is large as well. Plenty of cooks busy themselves around the grill and steamer before taking the food to the front for chefs to serve.
The quality was top-notch, the glassware beautiful and the plates precious. It felt expensive, but lacked a soul, in some sense. It was also the fourth Chawanmushi of the trip, with an extra dose of shirako at the bottom. Enough for Araceli to veto any future kaiseki meal out of the possible options. They did send us home with incredible onigiris. Thank you, we are blessed.