Getting across town to the cable car station at Mt. Hiei took a little longer than expected because the very last train connection is on a glorified street car that operates at a fairly slow speed. We have been feeling increasingly wiped out by the non-stop sight-seeing so we paid round-trip fares on the cable car and ropeway service to the top. The ropeway uses a single track except for one loop in the middle where the ascending and descending cars do a little dance around each other. It was very similar to the famous tram in Wellington, New Zealand.
We elected to add garden admission to our transport tickets, not knowing what to expect. The Garden Museum Hiei turned out to be a lovely European-style garden that was dotted with easels holding replica paintings by Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. The restaurant on the grounds was called Paris Cafe.
From the rope way there is a pretty good view of Kyoto
One area of the garden had a water lily pond and it was strongly implied that
they were trying to replicate Giverny in France.
When we did a map check it suddenly dawned on us that the various temples that are scattered on top of Mt. Hiei were further away from the ropeway than we initially anticipated and it was already going to take about an hour to get back to downtown Kyoto. Normally this would not have been an issue except that we had theater tickets in the late afternoon.
The shuttle buses running between the three temples weren't circling often enough so we walked about 30 minutes through a pretty cedar forest to Temple To-do. Sai-to and Yokawa temples were a ways away however collectivley the three temples are part of a World Cultural Heritage Site knon as Hieizan Enryakuji. It is a significant area because it is the site where Japanese Budhhism offically became a separate sect 1,200 years ago. Many well-known priests have been educated and trained at Hiezan Enryakuji.
The mountain top overlooks Kyoto on one side and Lake Biwa on the other. There used to be many more temples on the mountain but most have been lost to either accidental fire or warfare.
Hokke So Ji-in, a training and ceremonial hall
Dai ko-do, a dojo for academic training
Kaidan-in, where Buddhist priests are ordained
Later we made our way back to Kyoto, had a quick lunch of conveyor belt sushi (they are so fast and convenient).
After lunch we located Pontocho Kaburenjo, the alley theater! We were here to see Kamogawa Odori, two short plays performed by real Geishas and a selection of their younger apprentices. The chance to see Kamogawa Odori is special because it is only performed in the springtime. Japan's capital city was moved to from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1868, therefore the city began the annual Geisha performance tradition in 1872 at Pontocho Kaburenjo in order to preserve their cultural heritage.
Geishas are professional entertainers and hostesses who attend guests during banquets, meals, or other occasions. Their job is to make guests feel welcome through musical performance, easy conversation, and even drinking games. They begin their training usually at the age of 15 and live in special houses during their training. In Kyoto there are a lot of fake geishas standing in touristy areas so that they can be paid to have their photo taken with vistors. I found it was easy to spot the real ones because they were much more neatly groomed and well-dressed men in business suits would silently nod and bow in their direction as they passed in the street.
When we were seated at the theater I saw than many of the attendees were also in the company of geishas. Of course neither Hans or I understood any of the singing or spoken lines but it was a facinating and enjoyable performance nonetheless. All of the acting was done with pantomime singing and the accompaniament of traditional musical instruments. It wasn't until the second act when they opened a wide curtain on one side of the theater that I realized a live band and chorus of singers had been present the entire time. Interestingly, the geishas performed all roles including male ones. The costumes were all made of beautifully embroidered and billowly fabric. The best performer turned out to be a geisha that was cast as several men but she had the BEST facial expressions and most graceful movement.
It turned out we were following a geisha to the theater (building seen in the background)
No photos allowed, obviously. Here is the beautiful stage curtain.
Below are some screen shots from the theater's website:
Going for a stroll after the show
After the show I said that I wanted to walk through one of the historic geisha districts which was right across the river. We saw one very severe sign that said photography was not allowed unless you had an arm band that marked you as a photographer who was "approved by the committee". I'm not sure if it was made up or not but I think it was due to the horde of tourists at one intersection who we observed as they paparazzi-ed a couple of geishas as they crossed the street. I told Hans that it's a little bit like harassing someone with your camera as they are just on their way to work. Still, as we made our way to the top of a hill that is a favorite photo spot I did not see any more of those warning posters. Good luck with trying to police a policy like that anyway...
At the end of the day we had dinner at an udon noodle restaurant in one of the pontochos downtown. Our menu had instructions on how you're supposed to eat the cold noodles but by the time our food arrived we forgot them. I was glad that I had soup instead! We probably had the worst table manners by Japanese standards during that meal. I ordered a sake that was made with local lemons and it was delicious over ice.
Kyoto is beautiful at night from the river.
Many restaurants have decks protruding from the street level over a canal.
The back of Pontocho Kaburenjo
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