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Newsletter #4 - July 11-17, 1959 |
| Newsletter #4 Mailed from Tokyo July 22, 1959 Received in Wilmington, Delaware July 25, 1959 O-genki-desu-ka? (How do you do?) This is our second week in Japan and we feel more at home each day - even beginning to know about yen (Japanese money) without looking on our conversion table. We started this third week away from York by being guests on a day cruise to the Japanese island of Oshima. We sailed from Takeshiba Pier at 6:30 A.M. on the Tachibana-Maru - a very old ship. As soon as the ship was underway it began to rain so we had our coffee and doughnuts with a few drops of rain. We did this because we preferred to be on deck since the cruiser was so crowded. Had a grand time for four hours but then the ocean began getting rough and I began to feel like three-fourths of the people aboard - seasick! Everyone was glad when we landed at Oshima and, as soon as my feet were on "terra firma11, I was fine once more. (Meredith, of course, felt fine the entire trip.) We had a bus trip on the island to a tea house and walked about the shops. However, photography was out of the question as the mountains were in the clouds. The bus was waiting to take us back at 4 o'clock and we had a wonderful buffet dinner, floor show, etc. on our return trip. Fortunately, seasickness did not return to me on the voyage back to Tokyo. Sunday [July 12] we went to the Chapel Center in Tokyo and heard a very good sermon and a wonderful all-Japanese Christian Choir. Prom church we went to the famous Kimono Mart and bought five kimonos and two Happy Coats, an obi (a Japanese sash) and several other items. After lunch, Roberta drove us to several places with which she was familiar and we did more shopping. Later we went to another lovely tea house for sundaes and coffee. This tea house had an orchestra which was on a moveable platform. The moveable platform enabled the orchestra to move from floor to floor in order for customers on each floor to hear the beautiful Japanese girl soloist who had a lovely, trained voice. For dinner, we went to the popular Hungarian Restaurant known as Irene's where I had hard-boiled quail eggs served in my clear soup. The quail eggs were about the size of a marble. Later after a hot bath, a masseuse from the hotel gave me my first professional massage. She gave me a one-hour workout which was simply wonderful and made me feel at least 10 year younger. My only regret is that I cannot afford to have this treatment regularly |
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On Monday [July 13], we left Tokyo by Express #101 for Nagoya and this was certainly a "plush" train. The train had the same elegant Interior as did the jet plane and was most comfortably air-conditioned. We had a delicious breakfast in the club car and arrived quite relaxed in Nagoya by noon. We took a 4.5—hour tour of Nagoya and its suburbs and saw such points of interest as the Nagoya Castle which is being reconstructed as it was reduced to ashes during the war. The castle is not entirely completed, but was still very picturesque and feudal in appearance. Our next stop was the Atsuta Shrine. This is said to be the most sacred shrine in Japan next to the Grand Shrines of Ise. We then saw the Koshoji Temple which is famous for its five-storied pagoda. Then we stopped at Higashiyama Zoo which is regarded as one of the best in the Orient, but does not begin to compare with the Bronx Zoo or Washington Zoo in our own U. S. After a short tea house stop for drinks, the tour took us to the Nagoya TV Tower which is the world's second tallest tower - the other being Tokyo's. You can see wonderful views after going up to the observation tower by elevator. However, it was impossible for us to see the Japanese Alps on this particular day. We visited a few more shrines and gardens and completed this tour tired and hungry since "old Sol" was hot today even with the help of steam towels which are served on the bus by sweet Japanese girls. Tuesday [July 14] and we go to Mikimoto's (king of pearls) Pearl Farm at Toba, Japan. We left Nagoya and changed trains twice and finally took a bus and then a boat to visit this island. We rode on our first vista-dome train in Japan today and it was a nice treat. By the time we got on Pearl Island, it was not only raining, but pouring in torrents. However, another couple and ourselves were given the tour by a very accommodating English-speaking Japanese guide. I am sure this island could be very picturesque, but in the torrents of rain it seemed a little dreary. It was on this island that Kokichi Mikimoto succeeded, after many years' efforts, to pick up his first cultured pearl. This was in 1893. Nowhere else in the world can you see, at one place, the entire process from pearl culture to completed necklace. This is done by a unique process and involves first collecting the larvae of pearl oysters which are found freely in the water during breeding season and depositing them in spots on the ocean beds for three years. At the end of three years, the diving girls plunge to the bottom of the sea and bring up these three-year-old oysters to be sent for the operation. The irritant (a tiny bead), which forms the nucleus of the pearl, is inserted into the ovary of each living oyster. These oysters are then put into wire cages so that fish cannot molest them. The culture cages are then suspended from the crosspieces of wooden rafts floating in the sea. Pearls then grow around the inserted irritants and, after a lapse of several years, they reach the full-grown state and are removed |
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from the lovely mother-of pearl shell. I purchased a very interesting case to show the types of pearls cultured and the sizes of insides of pearl shells at different ages to help explain this interesting process to all of you and my pupils. You see Japanese girls sorting pearls for color, luster, size, etc. Next a market tells the cutter where to drill the hole for stringing the pearls, then another girl sizes and gets the pearls ready for stringing, etc. It was all most interesting - especially the process of inserting the irritant for making the pearl. In all the pouring rain, the girl divers performed for us and they were dressed in pure white and used masks and caps so that their hair would not hinder their vision. We bought two shells and three pearls were in each one. I will, of course, send them home with my other collected items. I do wish that everyone could have seen us in the wind and rain going through the small town of Toba for we were splashing and trudging in water six to eight inches high. The winds were so strong that it blew the rain all over us and we looked almost like soaked pearl divers by the time we reached the bus which was about four blocks from the boat landing. We were lucky to keep our shoes on as they seemed to slip with each step. However, even with all these trials and tribulations, our spirits were not dampened as we had seen something most unusual. Wednesday [July 15], we left Nagoya and our lovely hotel room for Kyoto. Kyoto is 320 miles west of Tokyo and was the capital of Japan for more than ten centuries. Kyoto is still a priceless depository for Japan's ancient art treasures and has many Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces, gardens and historic spots. The kimono predominates over Western clothing and the customs are more traditional here. Even Meredith and I are staying Japanese style at a strictly Japanese hotel. It is Seikono Hotel and we have a handsomely decorated suite of rooms with teak, lacquer ware, brocades, silk screens, etc. as the decor. During the day, a very gorgeous low teakwood table is placed in the center of our main room. Our meals are served on this table while Meredith and I sit cross-legged on the floor on cushions. Our shoes are always left outside and we walk either in hotel-furnished slippers or barefooted - depending in which room we are. You use special shoes for the bath, etc. Kimonos also are furnished and you use these as soon as you've had your bath. You soap outside the tub and later rinse off the soap with hot water in a small tub. Then you get into the main tub. We certainly feel green at living in this type of a hotel, but I'm sure that each day we will feel more at home. |
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At night the table is removed and thick, soft bedding called "futon" is spread out on the floor. The springy "futon" and the light silken quilts induce you to comfortable sleep. All doors and windows are sliding ones. Everything is different from our Western style of living ... even the toilet tissue.
We took the afternoon tour of Kyoto and went to Higashi Honganji Temple which is for Buddhist worship. Then we went on to Nijo Castle which has splendid architectural beauty and gorgeous interior decorations. From this lovely structure we went to the Old Imperial Palace whose buildings, though not so brilliantly decorated, are very fascinating in their noble simplicity. The last shrine of this tour is my favorite - Kinkaku-ji Temple, or the Gold Pavilion - which is internationally renowned as a masterpiece of ancient Japanese architecture. It was so named because the walls and transoms are lined with gold-leaf. The garden, of which the pavilion forms the principal figure, is in very good taste and we were lucky to see wonderful reflections.
On this same evening, after a good dinner, we joined the Cormorant Fishing Tour. On this tour, we experienced the ancient way of catching "ayu" - a trout-like fish. This is done by using trained cormorants long-necked, webbed-footed, wedge-shaped tailed birds) wearing rings around the base of their necks so that they will not swallow the fish which they catch. This is done at night on the Uji River and the lanterned boats are beautiful on the water. When at work, the cormorants dive and duck with wonderful swiftness as the astonished fish come flocking towards the blaze of light from the flaming torches. The fishermen have quaint costumes and are kept extremely busy maneuvering the strings attached to their cormorants and removing their catch. We sat Japanese stale in boats handled by oarsmen. This is done for only three weeks in the summer. It is done as a sport and tourist attractive and we felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this.
Thursday [July 16] we left Kyoto for the day to go on a day-tour of Nara, which is 26 miles south of Kyoto. Our first stop was at the Kasuga Shrine. This is one of the most famous and oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. The shrine buildings, painted in bright vermillion, have fine architecture and an enchanting setting. Some 1,000 lanterns are seen here and they are quite impressive. There is a special ceremony once a year when they are all lighted. Our next shrine is Fushimi Inari Shrine and even the gates are almost as artistic as the temple itself and are painted red. The most outstanding feature of this temple is the rows of brightly painted Inari torii which go up a hill for two miles and stand only several feet apart. They have been donated by the Japanese people as gifts to the gods and I was told that the Geisha girls donate quite a few.
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They look like this and are in various sizes as they go up the hill and are really impressive. Then on to Nara Park where you see hundreds and hundreds of tame deer which you feed or they just might eat your dress or trousers. This park covers an area of 1,250 acres and is finely wooded with various species of lovely trees. The Shinto religion is a nature religion and all the shrines and temples of this religion are located in this type of wooded area or park. The bus stopped near a five-storied pagoda which was very unusual. From Nara Park we went to Todaiji Temple which was founded in 745 and is well known for its chief object of worship - the Daibutsu - a colossal Buddhist image. This large Daibutsu statue is the largest bronze statue in the world and is housed in the largest wooden structure in the world. The statue represents Buddha in the act of preaching a sermon. His face is 16 feet in length, his eyes are 3 feet 9 inches each, the mouth is 3 feet, 7 inches, the thumb is 5 feet, 3 inches and the 966 curled locks of hair are simply beautiful. The entire height of the Buddha statue on a pedestal is 71 feet, 6 inches. Our last temple for the day after being at Nara Hotel for lunch and viewing its gardens is Daigo Sampoin Temple. Here we once more remove our shoes and see its lovely interior. The ponds, rocks, plantings and well-placed ornaments in the garden are most outstanding and, after a long day of looking and observing (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), our bus starts back for Kyoto. Now we were ready for the spectacular Gion Festival which takes place tomorrow. After our return to Seikora Hotel, we saw quite a few Geisha girls and their pupils - the Maiko girls. The elegant appearance of the Maikos - dancing girls of Gion - with their silvery head ornaments, dangling sashes which are embroidered intricately and their lovely painted, powdered and mask-like faces, is truly a thrill. Their grace and elegance is due to their long years of training by their seniors, the Geishas. Maiko girls are versed in the accomplishments of flower arrangements, tea ceremonies, dancing, waiting on and entertaining guests with their intricate and elegant fan manipulation and gracious smiles. After a long period of probation, they become known as Geisha girls when they reach the age of sixteen. We saw them dance the Cherry Dance at our hotel and I forgot to mention we are enjoying our Japanese style of living here in Kyoto. [July 17] We awaken on our "futon" and find it is raining on festival day. But, by the time our Japanese girl served our breakfast, it had stopped raining and seemed to clear. We taxied to our Gion Festival Tour and started the day at 9:30 to go to Ryozen Kannon which is a most impressive Kannon image. This has been erected at the foot of an evergreen, peaceful and quiet mountain range to commemorate two million Japanese war deed who sacrificed themselves during the late World War. This monument, erected in 1955, is dedicated to all - irrespective of friend or foe — and regardless of their status in the human race or religion. It is dedicated from man's sincere and deep love for a belief of universal brotherhood. Needless to |
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say, this place was very impressive and I certainly hope it will be a help for world-wide peace.
We now went to the middle of the city and found our seats for the festival which past about 10:30 just in front of our seats. All of Kyoto is in a festival mood as this festival is celebrated in July on the 17th and 24th when 29 floats form the procession along the main streets. The floats in the procession are classified according to the manner in which they are moved. A float of the larger type, placed on four massive wooden wheels and pulled by about fifty men, is known as Hoko. The smaller float is one carried on the shoulders of about twenty men and is known as a Yama, or mountain. This Gion Festival, in Kyoto, is one of the three greatest local festivals in Japan. It is the one day in. the year that the local people bring out their most elaborate screens and entertain their friends. The festival dates back to the 9th century when the head priest of the famous Uasaka Shrine allowed a large number of men and women to form a procession to escort the decorated shrine cars to their destination. This was as a means to seek the protection of the gods against the pestilence that was then ravaging the city. I must admit that we were both very disappointed with the parade itself, but were glad we were there to view the festive mood of the Japanese.
Our tour next took us to Nanzenji Temple which was founded in 1293 and is located in a pine grove which is famed for its typical flat garden. The planning of this garden was greatly influenced by Zen philosophy and its simplicity really makes it more appreciated. We were able to watch Shinto dancers and their unusual musical rhythms. The Shinto dancers perform very seldom and we felt that we were again fortunate to be able to view this.
We had a delicious lunch at Miyako Hotel and then saw Yasaka Shrine. Then we motored on to a high mountain where we saw a panoramic view of the city of Kyoto. Then on to one of the customs I most wanted to see - the washing of the silk in the Katsura River. I was afraid I'd miss this because of all the rain and the muddy streams, but fortunately, I didn't. Our last scenic visit was to the Kakedesa or Moss Temple which was quite different from any of the places we had seen thus far. This temple is completely covered with all types of moss and wild flowers. We again were caught in a terrific downpour of rain, but waited in a building for about an hour and, when the rain subdued, returned to Kyoto by bus.
We had dinner, roamed around the shops and then returned to our lovely Japanese suite of rooms and hospitality. Thus ends another wonderful week in Japan and we are still happy and looking forward to another week in this scenic country. We have only one fault to find with Japan and that is its poor photography weather. We leave for Tokyo tomorrow afternoon [July 18].
Hope everyone is in good health and happy.
Our love,
Sayonara --
Charlotte and Meredith
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