Sayonara

Kyoto on Sunday morning

2 November 2014

One last Japanese breakfast, and then with a few hours to spare, we walked over to the Museum of Traditional Crafts and then to the Museum of Modern Art in between downpours.  We watched an artisan painting silk and another embroidering with fine silk thread.  At the Modern Art Museum, there was quite a fascinating collection of pieces from the 1930's curated with the idea of showing western influences on Japanese artists.  (Of course there was the reverse trend in western art as well...)  Then a quick lunch and off to Kyoto Eki and the airport for the long, but mercifully uncomplicated trip home.  Since I am writing this from home, I am sitting with a stick of sandelwood insense burning so as to keep the fleeting sensations of Kyoto with me a while longer.

  But of course it is also nice to be home.

Painting Silk

National Museum and Soba Noodles

1 November 2014

As predicted, a rainy day, necessitating the purchase of clear plastic umbrellas at the combini.  Kyoto is a sea of umbrellas on a rainy day - just two drops and everyone puts up their umbrella.  We met Berg and Somdev by the Kyoto National Museum, open after 5 years of renovations.  Actually, the permanent collection is housed in a new building, very large and light, with a bamboo garden in the back and a reflecting pool in the front.  It houses a wonderful collection of National Treasures, of which the ceramics and the 15-16th century painting of birds and seasons particularly stood out.  The old part of the museum, a grand Meiji era building, will now house special exhibits, but the current one (the famous frolicking animals) would have meant a two hour wait in the rain...

We had a good lunch, caught up on news etc.  Berg will soon get her PhD on ancient Sanskrit poetry, and they may stay on beyond 4 years in Kyoto.  We had tea later at Ipodo do, which I will greatly miss (the ritual of cooling the boiling water to 80 degrees and brewing for 50 seconds to make the sencha just so).

At dinner time we met Akiko and went to a terrific Soba restaurant (Goji dori and Marutamachi dori but I can't remember the name).  They grind buckwheat and make the noodles there, and use the noodles to make a silky broth for cooking fish and vegetables and then for cooking the soba.  Soba "nuts" are used for garnish and then finally soba tea.  Very nice and fun to be with Akiko who has her first job teaching, as well as doing clinical work in several locations.  A good last night!

Transparent Umbrellas in Kyoto

Frolicking Animals

Picnic by the Kamogawa and A Temple Walk

Chrysanthemums

31 October 2014

     An overcast day, but warm and only the least bit of rain.  We met up Nami san at Dimachi yanagi and walked down to the Kamogawa for a lovely picnic lunch she provided.  We were joined by her friend, Mariko san, a graduate student and Buddhist nun, and by Masao Imamura and his wife, Jackie.  Masao is an anthropologist, historian of East Asian studies and had investigated the role of missionaries in Burma, among other topics.
     We also met up with a psychiatrist at the Kyoto University health services whom Win had met while here in 2011.  He had grown up in the area around the University and was our guide for a lovely walk up in the hills to see Yoshida  Jinja (shrine), Shinnyo do (a favorite temple of Win's), and  finally Konkai Komyo ji.  Leaves beginning to change and no crowds, so it was very peaceful and leisurely.  Also in that area are the old graves of a number emperors.  We stopped for coffee and the little shop also served individual hot sweet souffles!  Very delicate and delicious.
     After a short rest we again met Nami san for a nice Indian vegetarian meal.  Much discussion of the life of a graduate student at Kyoto University and the state of Japanese education etc. which Nami san would like to influence in some way...We hope we will see her again before too long.

We send love and hugs to all.

..., Win and Nami san

B and W at Yoshida Shrine

Maple leaves at Sinnyo do

    

Kuri and Kappa

30 October 2014

     Our first free day!  Warm and sunny.  We had our last breakfast of milk bread toast (a Japanese favorite, sort of like Wonder Bread only much thicker)  and fried egg at Clark's Coffee and moved out of the Shiran Kaikan, back to the Kyoto Royal Hotel and Spa.
     Since the hotel is centrally located, we were only a short walk from Nishiki Market, a favorite place to learn about Japanese food, much of which I can only guess at.  Many foods are prepared right there, such as tea roasting, matcha grinding, mochi making, soy skin preparation, etc.  And of course always free samples of pickles!  We had our favorite Nishin Soba for lunch (dried herring in soup),  did some shopping and ended up at Ipodo do for a cup of fragrant sencha tea, lovingly prepared at the table with water of exactly 80 degrees C.  and of course a fall sweet.
    In the evening we met the Oyama family for dinner in the Fushimi area.  Delicious meal, even though we were very exhausted.  The restaurant is called Kizura Kappa Country in an old sake brewery.  (A Kappa is a horrible mythological creature, sort of a scaley, beaked, humanoid about which there are many legends, notably that it pulls humans under water, does nasty things, and people drown.)  We talked about ghosts in Noh plays and Shakespeare - but no Kappas to be seen.  We also received a kind invitation to return to Kyoto in early March!  Win and Satoki chan bonded, and English was not in the least necessary.  By the end they were holding hands on the way back to the train.
   We quickly collapsed thereafter.

We send love.
 

Win and friend

  

Kappa

The GSS Meeting (Global Survivability Studies Program at Kyoto University)

29 October 2014

A combination of internet problems, fatigue and a busy schedule has kept us from writing.  But today is the third and last day of the GSS Conference, so we will be more relaxed for the next few days.  To catch up briefly, we had dinner Sunday night with Emanuelle, Nicholas, and Peter as well as Nicholas' new Japanese girlfriend, Akiko.  Went to an Izakaya restaurant, Waraya, and had many varieties of grilled chicken, mushrooms etc.  It was a nice reunion.  We missed Giovanni and Emilie!

Monday was the start of the Conference.  The GSS program is a large and complex interdisciplinary program that includes 9 graduate schools and 3 research institutes from the university, and offers extra opportunities to graduate students with a goal of developing international leaders and researchers (eg in public health, environment, climate, economy etc).  The full name for the program is "Inter-Graduate School Program for Sustainable Development and Survivable Societies." It is funded for 7 or 8 years by the Japanese government to improve Japan's presence in the world scene.   We gave one talk on "Global Mental Health" among many presentations by "experts" and by students.  I think it went quite well.  I was the only invited woman speaker. 

The students are quite delightful and a highlight of the experience.  Topics ranged from public health related subjects to technology, climate change, leadership, etc, etc.  There was more information about "Sustainable Development Goals" than anyone could possibly assimilate.

Last evening there was a reception by the students in which they provided food and entertainment, including  dancing, and all wore traditional clothing from their native counties.  I include photos a few favorites.  It has been delightful to talk with the students about their work and experiences. 

Will write more but shouldn't be late for the morning meeting.

Sending much love.

GSS students at the party

Christina fromYemen

Hiba from Sudan

Our Presentation

First day in Kyoto 2014

25 October 2014

We finally arrived in Kyoto last evening, 24 hours behind schedule due to mechanical problems on our first flight causing us to miss the plane to Osaka.  So we spent an only moderately comfortable night at the Comfort Inn in south San Francisco and (after a decent if long flight) arrived finally at the Kyoto Royal Hotel and Spa which we have already left (due to complicated university arrangements).

This morning was magnificently clear and summer like.  We were picked up by our friend Yasu (Oyama) who brought us to Satoki's nursery school which was having a fund raising fair.  The highlight was the opening ceremony in which the the 5y/o class performed on the drums with magnificent timing and style.  See photos.  There were the usual garage sale type activities, and lots of games and food.  Everyone seemed in great spirits.  We were so happy to meet their new baby, Kaya, 21/2months old, and see Mayo san again.  After a short walk to a near by shrine (Fushiminomori) where many babies seemed to be having their one month blessings, accompanied by their parents, some traditionally decked out and some "modern," we went to a local sushi restaurant and had delicious soup and nigiri sushi, then left to change hotels and rest.  We are hoping to go out to dinner tonight with Nicholas, Emanuelle and Pete...more updates tomorrow.

With much love to all.

Yasu sensei and Kaya chan (21/2 months)

Satoki chan (age 5) drumming

Preschool drumming ceremony