A Visit to the Cultural Heart of Japan

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and its largest city, but most Japanese still consider Kyoto to be the cultural heart of the country. On Saturday, I had a chance to visit Kyoto.

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program has kept us busy with a wide variety of interesting and informative cultural activities, but on Saturday, we were given the day off and allowed to explore any area we wanted. I decided on Kyoto because it is one of the world’s most culturally rich cities and a lot of Japan’s history played out there.

Kyoto served as the capital of Japan for over 1000 years. The city is home to more than 1600 Buddhist temples and more than 400 Shinto shrines. Almost anywhere one looks in Kyoto, there are reminders of Japan’s cultural heritage.

The best way to travel to Kyoto to glimpse Japan’s past is to use some of Japan’s most advanced technology – the famous bullet train. The Shinkansen bullet train reaches speeds of up to 186 mph. At times, I almost got dizzy watching the countryside whiz by.

I road the express train, which covers the 230 mile trip from Tokyo to Kyoto in two hours and 14 minutes. Remember, that's including several stops along the way. No, it doesn’t take two hours and 15 minutes or two hours and 16 minutes. Bullet trains arrive on the dot. In 2003, the railway line announced that the average arrival time was within six seconds of schedule. I believe that trains running on time is one of the manifestations of Japan’s attention to detail. (By the way, if you are hungry, there is a breakfast cart on the train, but you won't find any cereal or eggs on the menu. Trust me. You haven't lived until you've had sushi and coffee at 6 a.m. for breakfast.

One of Kyoto’s most famous sites is the Golden Temple (Kinkaku-ji). It was built in 1397, but, unfortunately, it burned down in the 1950s. The building was reconstructed following the original design.

Another famous site is the Ryoan-ji Temple.

The highlight is the temple’s rock garden, which consists of just 15 rocks surrounded by white gravel. The garden is said to have been laid out by Soami, a painter and gardener who died in 1525. The garden is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Japanese culture and the quintessence of Zen art. Zen Buddhists come from around the world to meditate here.

I toured the temple with two unexpected guides. The girls are studying English at a local university. One of the requirements of their program is that students go to popular tourist sites once a month and practice their English. I got a free guide, and they got to talk with a native English speaker in return.

There is so much in Kyoto that it would take weeks to see it all.













After a few hours of taking in the sites, I needed to clear my head, so I headed to the famed Tetsugaku-no-michi “The Path of Philosophy.” I didn’t get any inspirations, but it was a peaceful 30-minute walk along the canal.

One of my last stops of the day was to the Kiyomizu-dera temple. The site contains numerous halls and shrines.

Japanese especially flock to the Otowa-no-taki waterfall. Visitors drink the sacred water because they believe it has therapeutic properties.

Before leaving, I had an encounter with one of the most recognizable but elusive facets of Japanese culture – the geisha.

The geishas are known for their singing, dancing and art of conversation. Men pay thousands of dollars a night for the geishas to dine with them and perform for them. Despite the popular perception, geishas are NOT prostitutes. Although geishas were once a very recognizable part of Japanese culture, it is believed that today there are less than 1,000 geishas left in all of Japan.

Before leaving Kyoto, I visited the oldest shrine in the city, the Yasaka Pagoda. The wooden structure was built in 1440.

As many of you know, I love to travel throughout the world. So far, I have these insights to offer about my visit to Japan.

First, and foremost, the people are extremely friendly. I have been treated with nothing but kindness and respect. On one of the buses in Kyoto, I sat next to an elderly Japanese woman who knew no English, and I only know a handful of Japanese phrases, which are rough, at best. Yet, she took it upon herself to find a way through her smiles and gestures to make sure that I got off at the right bus stop, even though I didn’t ask for her help. If you’ve been to a non-English speaking country, you’ll understand when I say how moving of an experience it is for someone to reach out to you and help you when you are in an unfamiliar spot thousands of miles from home.

Two, Japan is an extremely clean and efficient country. It is obvious that the Japanese pay close attention to detail and have pride in their work. It is easy to understand why the Japanese educational system is so excellent.

Three, the Japanese children are very interested in Americans. I can’t tell you the number of
photographs that kids wanted to take with me just because I am from the United States.

Finally, magic things happen when people make the decision to travel. I am no linguist, and I am certainly no expert at traveling, but I’ve managed to visit places around the world, even though I didn’t know the language. Somehow, travelers are all able to communicate, despite the language barrier.

On Saturday, I booked a train ticket to Kyoto, even though the clerk didn’t know English. I got around on the bus and subway system, even though I don’t know Japanese, and I found my way back to the hotel, safe and sound.

I can’t explain how it works. It just does. I would encourage all of my students and friends to travel as much as possible. Not only will you collect many wonderful experiences. You also will get to see another side of life. Finally, you’ll break down some of the barriers that divide our different cultures. It’s hard to hate or distrust any foreigners when you get a chance to meet them up close and spend time enjoying their culture, especially when they make sure you get off at the right bus stop.