12/17 Japan Diary #4 - Kamakura
Going to Asakusa had been fun, but I was looking forward to going to Kamakura because it would be a nice group of us - Roxanne and I, the American international students, and the "tutors" from the International Studies Department, Kanako-san, Eriko-san, and Miho-san.
All of us met at Tokyo station, and I'll admit, it felt like something straight out of an anime. I'd gotten so used to seeing Japanese landmarks in pictures, it felt just a little bit magical to see them right in front of my eyes. We boarded the train to Kamakura, passing double-level trains and shinkansen, which I'd never seen before, on the way. I made a mental note, to try those trains next time I had the chance. I suppose because it was Sunday morning, the trains were pretty empty. The five of us were able to sit down all in row.
On the way, Roxanne and I chatted about different things we'd learned in our time here, the struggles of learning the language. In particular, we wondered about the equality of Japanese women. In our Politics and Society class, we learned about the phenomenon of JK, joshi kousei, or the culture of "high school girls." You can watch this short documentary from VICE if you'd like to learn more about its nefarious side: Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan. In addition to JK, I learned about J-pop idols in my Japanese music class. It's so true that "high school girls" are used to sell everything in Japan. Even just riding the train in the morning you'll see an up-and-coming idol plastered all over the carriage in advertisements. You can't escape even if you wanted to.
Of course, Roxanne and I are outsiders, and while we're well-versed in American feminism, it's difficult to pass judgements on Japanese women's rights since we don't know the subtleties of the situation. We would just like to see improvements because we're so fond of Japanese culture; we want the best for its people.
When we arrived in Kamakura, it was like we arrived in a different world. It was obvious that we were in a smaller, slower-paced town from Tokyo. The trains at the tiny station were more like San Franciscan trams than central Tokyo's metal behemoths. They only moved about as fast as a bicycle. It was refreshing to see so much greenery outside the window though.
We walked along the stone-paved streets past quaint restaurants, bakeries, and souvenir shops. We slowly climbed the hill to see the great, green face of Daibutsu, the Big Buddha of Kamakura. That was another strange experience - to see something I had only previously seen in pictures. We went about our way girlishly - taking cute pictures and making wishes. We also went inside the Buddha, which none of us knew we could do. It definitely felt more like a tourist trap than a temple though.
At this point we were all pretty hungry, but didn't want to be late for our kimono rental appointment, so we stopped briefly for snacks - kurokke and jakoyaki. I had to laugh eating the jakoyaki (a similar snack to takoyaki, but with tiny dried sardines on top instead of octopus) imagining my brother's leery eyes watching me eat those tiny fish. He'd be polite about it in front of others, but as the world's pickiest eater, I know in private he'd shout, "How could you eat that?!"
We ran to catch the train that would take us downtown to Fuji Kimono Rental. Everyone was fine as far as fit was concerned, except Roxanne needed a longer robe due to her height. I surrendered the first kimono I found attractive to her since it was one of their few longer ones. Although I initially wanted one of those bright, pastel kimono that I'd seen other young girls wearing on the street in Asakusa, I settled on a more subtle one. I like the subdued color that I felt was appropriate for winter and, I liked how it looked yellow or green or brown in different lights.
Of course, part of the fun of renting kimono is the actual act of dressing up in them. Who knew there were so many layers? Even though the day was very cold, it was easy to imagine staying warm.
In addition to wardrobe, we also had our hair done with shiny bits and bobbles. We chose handbags and sandals. After the whole process, I had a newfound understanding of why ladies back in the day needed handmaids - if this was how you got ready everyday, there was no way to get dressed by yourself!
It's funny how a change in outfit changes your whole comportment. I felt I was carrying myself differently. Even though these kimonos weren't super expensive, we still felt pretty fancy. And, even if it was little troublesome at times, I quite enjoyed the little shuffle we had to do to walk in our tight robes and sandals!
Once we were properly dressed, we went for a late lunch, and then hopped on a bus to Hokokuji Temple. We wandered through patches of tall bamboo and contemplated the Zen garden. Unfortunately, we arrived too late for the matcha presentation, but just being in that gorgeous environment chatting and giggling was enough.
I had lots of fun and learned a lot, but there's a small piece of me that wishes my loved ones could be here. I wish I could show this to them; that would make the experience just that much better.
All of us met at Tokyo station, and I'll admit, it felt like something straight out of an anime. I'd gotten so used to seeing Japanese landmarks in pictures, it felt just a little bit magical to see them right in front of my eyes. We boarded the train to Kamakura, passing double-level trains and shinkansen, which I'd never seen before, on the way. I made a mental note, to try those trains next time I had the chance. I suppose because it was Sunday morning, the trains were pretty empty. The five of us were able to sit down all in row.
On the way, Roxanne and I chatted about different things we'd learned in our time here, the struggles of learning the language. In particular, we wondered about the equality of Japanese women. In our Politics and Society class, we learned about the phenomenon of JK, joshi kousei, or the culture of "high school girls." You can watch this short documentary from VICE if you'd like to learn more about its nefarious side: Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan. In addition to JK, I learned about J-pop idols in my Japanese music class. It's so true that "high school girls" are used to sell everything in Japan. Even just riding the train in the morning you'll see an up-and-coming idol plastered all over the carriage in advertisements. You can't escape even if you wanted to.
Of course, Roxanne and I are outsiders, and while we're well-versed in American feminism, it's difficult to pass judgements on Japanese women's rights since we don't know the subtleties of the situation. We would just like to see improvements because we're so fond of Japanese culture; we want the best for its people.
When we arrived in Kamakura, it was like we arrived in a different world. It was obvious that we were in a smaller, slower-paced town from Tokyo. The trains at the tiny station were more like San Franciscan trams than central Tokyo's metal behemoths. They only moved about as fast as a bicycle. It was refreshing to see so much greenery outside the window though.
We walked along the stone-paved streets past quaint restaurants, bakeries, and souvenir shops. We slowly climbed the hill to see the great, green face of Daibutsu, the Big Buddha of Kamakura. That was another strange experience - to see something I had only previously seen in pictures. We went about our way girlishly - taking cute pictures and making wishes. We also went inside the Buddha, which none of us knew we could do. It definitely felt more like a tourist trap than a temple though.
At this point we were all pretty hungry, but didn't want to be late for our kimono rental appointment, so we stopped briefly for snacks - kurokke and jakoyaki. I had to laugh eating the jakoyaki (a similar snack to takoyaki, but with tiny dried sardines on top instead of octopus) imagining my brother's leery eyes watching me eat those tiny fish. He'd be polite about it in front of others, but as the world's pickiest eater, I know in private he'd shout, "How could you eat that?!"
We ran to catch the train that would take us downtown to Fuji Kimono Rental. Everyone was fine as far as fit was concerned, except Roxanne needed a longer robe due to her height. I surrendered the first kimono I found attractive to her since it was one of their few longer ones. Although I initially wanted one of those bright, pastel kimono that I'd seen other young girls wearing on the street in Asakusa, I settled on a more subtle one. I like the subdued color that I felt was appropriate for winter and, I liked how it looked yellow or green or brown in different lights.
Of course, part of the fun of renting kimono is the actual act of dressing up in them. Who knew there were so many layers? Even though the day was very cold, it was easy to imagine staying warm.
In addition to wardrobe, we also had our hair done with shiny bits and bobbles. We chose handbags and sandals. After the whole process, I had a newfound understanding of why ladies back in the day needed handmaids - if this was how you got ready everyday, there was no way to get dressed by yourself!
It's funny how a change in outfit changes your whole comportment. I felt I was carrying myself differently. Even though these kimonos weren't super expensive, we still felt pretty fancy. And, even if it was little troublesome at times, I quite enjoyed the little shuffle we had to do to walk in our tight robes and sandals!
Once we were properly dressed, we went for a late lunch, and then hopped on a bus to Hokokuji Temple. We wandered through patches of tall bamboo and contemplated the Zen garden. Unfortunately, we arrived too late for the matcha presentation, but just being in that gorgeous environment chatting and giggling was enough.
I had lots of fun and learned a lot, but there's a small piece of me that wishes my loved ones could be here. I wish I could show this to them; that would make the experience just that much better.
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