Monday, December 25, 1989
Villas Transformed
Today we visited, Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion, which turned out to be my favorite spot. The strolling garden was beautiful and tranquil. I was very impressed with the moss. JQS and I stood on a little bridge over a little stream and the koi immediately swam to us thrashing about begging for treats.
We also visited Nanzenji, another villa that became a temple after the death of its owner, which had a beautiful waterful. I enjoyed watching the deerchaser fill with water and then empty with a satisfying thwack. JQS took the special tour up the steep stairs to the top floor of the Sanmon (triple gate) which was built in 1628.
Although cold and rainy, the advantage to visiting Kyoto in the off season is that the common tourist stops are almost empty. We actually sat and enjoyed the gardens, often having them entirely to ourself. This slower pace suited all of us. I think Murakami-sensei underestimated the difficulty of travelling with us.
We took the bus back uptown and went to an English-language bookstore. Six floors of books! We were in heaven. I read MacUser (the laptop Mac is out!), Time, and Stereo Review. I also bought two conversation textbooks, the screenplay for "Back to the Future" and two novels for JQS: "The Three Musketeers" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles". I left JQS there, reading contentedly, while I did shopping at my own pace in the shops up and down the Karawamachi-dori (street).
JQS had his very first MacDonalds hamburger ever today. I never let him eat at MacDonalds in the states, but it seemed somehow significant to do it here in Kyoto. Funny, too, because just afterward I read an article in Time magazine which described how surprised many Japanese students are to find MacDonalds in America. Says Time, "They think MacDonalds is as Japanese as, well, baseball!"
We didn't find anything that could pass for a traditional Christmas dinner so we splurged and had sukiyaki. This was my first time. It was delicious.
Accounts
500 breakfast at ryokan 1450 all-day bus pass 600 Silver Pavilion 100 can coffee 960 2 hair ribbons 150 Sanmon at Nanzenji 550 Nanzenji 150 garden at Nanzenji 670 JQS lunch MacDonalds 5289 various books 750 molasses 927 film 200 2 Aquarius 5253 sukiyaki dinner
Posted by M Sinclair Stevens
December 25, 1989
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JQS eats his first MacDonalds hamburger.