Expensive socks

Thursday painting class. First 2nd year class since the paint incident last week. Two of my professors were there, asking me what I wanted to do. What was my vision with my painting, where did I want it to go? They asked me to draw using colored pencils the color I was looking for. After a bit of back and forth, I was able to explain to them how I saw that painting, as an exercise, as learning. The japanese style of painting, the layering and the process, it was all new to me, unfamiliar, and before I worry about the specific aesthetics of what I'm doing, I need to understand something of the big picture. This was not going to be my only painting, and I really don't care how it turns out. It felt good when they understood, and they simply made choices for me, mixed up colors, showed me ways of using the brush. That is what I wanted, because I can't fully understand verbal instruction, I wanted demonstration. After work on the background, I mixed up some white and highlighted the leaves. Followed by a lighter green base color. Talked awhile with my classmates while waiting for paint to dry, then I left to go home.

I went into Kyoto, up the Hankyu line to one of the shopping areas. I wanted to get socks, of all things, I needed another pair of hiking socks. From the train I headed north and went through an obvious night-time area with bars and restaurants and clubs. I'm curious if a 'shot-bar' is what it sounds like. I made it to the outdoors store, and anything outdoors oriented in japan is super expensive! I had known this before, because everything is imported, but when the cheapest pair of hiking socks is $20, it really highlights the difference. They also had some rip-resistant hiking pants that were $230! After that I wandered around the area a bit, then back on the train to Nagaokakyo.

Deeper?

1st year painting today, continue with our onion/pepper still life. The pencil drawing I did at the beginning I spent a lot of time on, longer than I would normally with a simple still life. But I've been trying to take it into heart the whole idea of 'look deeper' that I keep hearing in the nihon-ga department. Today was about color, we had done the shadows with sumi-e and a put on a base-color of ochre. Sensei had some difficulty explaining things, obviously, so he demonstrated a lot of the technique. But still, I kept looking and working, and he'd come along and say just to put a whole 'nother coat on. I'm still trying to understand whats possible using these japanese paints, what colors I can use with which other colors, if I can layer dark on light and light on dark and everything in between, to make it look right. I keep thinking I have a grasp on it, then one of my Sensei will come along and demonstrate something that completely voids my thinking. Theres a formula, but the language makes it hard to figure out. I was told japanese paints are not watercolors, which I understand why it was said, so I guess there's that!

I was asked if students work with paints like these, where you combine the pigment and the glue. Nope. Tempera painting at it's finest.

Kibune

Kibune is a popular escape from Kyoto, especially in the summer when the restaurants there serve lunch on shaded river platforms. As I walked north up the street, I saw them building these platforms and imagined sitting above the cool river, listening to the water sounds all around. Pleasures of that sort don't come cheap though, as lunch at places like this cost around ¥5000, so I'd be just as happy with a bento sitting on some grass at the riverside.

I walked north and purchased a mochi from a vendor, there were a few different flavors, but I just chose one at random. Passed some more giant cedar trees, then saw a small parking lot to the right, with a posted map and a trail leading up. Looked like a small loop, and going up the trail I was the only one around. It was very steep climbing, and the trail was slightly overgrown. I had great views of the opposing mountains and was excited to see where I was going, but then it all came to an end and the trail was blocked. Turning around, I went back down and again, continued to follow the road north. As I went past a small shrine on my left, the area became more secluded, no more houses, no one around and no traffic.

I followed the road up, with the river beside me. Eventually I came to a turn off, with the main road going left, and a smaller, somewhat muddy road to the right. You can guess which way I went. The river had become a stream to my left, and above me on the slopes all I could see were endless cedar trees. The muddy road became a muddy path, then a muddy trail. I disturbed a crane and it flew away ahead of me, only to be disturbed again a few minutes later. The trail became more challenging, steep, slippery, and covered with fallen ceder branches. I passed a sign that allowed me to see where I was on the map I had, but by then I was pretty hungry and only had a few more hours of daylight, so instead of continuing into unfamiliar terrain on an unfamiliar loop, I turned around the way I came. I made MUCH better time going downhill.

Back through Kibune, along the road and to the train station, I exited at my transfer point and had a cheap dinner. Then back to Kyoto station and home.

Kurama-dera

Being a holiday, the trains were somewhat crowded as I headed north of Kyoto into the Kitayama mountains. I had to transfer a few times, but knew it'd be worth it when I saw the view as I exited the train at Kurama station on the northern Keihan line. I passed some obvious tourist shops on the short walk to the temple gates, and a shuttle bus advertising Kurama Onsen. I've noticed little packets like these, of... something, in many shops, it looks kind of gooey, maybe even fishy, the packaging is so plain as to give no clue and I haven't stopped to translate the signs yet. Continued up the road, to the temple entrance, paid a ¥200 entrance fee, then started walking up. And up. It was stairs and switchbacks going higher and higher and I passed multiple gates, shrines, giant cedar trees, and few different buildings. One building had a scale model of the mountain and temple. There was also a trolley part of the way, but I passed that by. Eventually I came to an overlook with benches.

From the overlook it was all stairs to the top and the main temple. The inside of the temple was all glitter and gold, japanese art, incense and candles. I was not allowed to take pictures, nor would I have anyway. It was a nice clearing, views all around and people were eating their bento lunches. Made me wish I had brought one. The wind picked up and blew the cherry blossoms from the trees, a little girl ran around catching them in her hat. Off to the left, the trail continued to the summit. There was a bin here with hiking sticks that anyone could use and leave at the other end. The stairs were well worn, steep in parts, and it was popular day to be out. There were only a few parts along this trail where I wasn't in sight of at least 2 other hikers. Passed a few smaller shrines along the way, and the main bell tower. Reaching the summit there was a clearing covered with the exposed roots of sugi trees. A slight detour took me to the remains of an ancient cedar tree, my picture does not do justice to its size and majesty. The descending trail was quieter, less crowded.

I passed some smaller shrines on the way down, and hikers on their way up. Also a pilgrim with his bell. Almost to the end of the trail there was an old fuji tree, ancient and impossibly twisted. I crossed a small bridge and I was in the town of Kibune.

Cash

Japan is a cash society. You can use a ¥10000 bill to pay for a ¥300 meal from a street cart and nobody will blink. Few places, even big stores, accept credit cards. BIC Camera, which is a big electronics store by Kyoto Station, frequented by many tourists and foreigners, is the only place I've seen with credit card logos by the register.

I paid for utilities today by taking my bills (which they had mailed) to FamilyMart24 (a convenience store), where they scanned the bar code on the bill and rung it up just like any item in the store. Super easy, very convenient.

hirugohan

Had an interesting lunch today. The cafeteria has specials each day, one tends to be asian the other more western. I still can't really read everything on the food-ticket machine (which by the way I've seen elsewhere, especially at restaurants in stations, quick easy way to separate the money exchange from the food preparation), but I can usually figure out which button to press, or in a pinch I know which one is the ramen. The dish today, they made me a vegetable omelet, put it on top of a pile of rice in a big bowl, then poured a thick soup on top. I enjoyed it.

Worked in the library for awhile, then Japanese class felt pretty good, then I went home. Tuesday is a holiday so I'm deciding what I'll do.

Showa Day (Showa no hi):
April 29 is the birthday of former Emperor Showa, who died in the year 1989. Until 2006, Greenery Day (see May 4) used to be celebrated on this day.

Nothing really

I almost went hiking, but I just wasn't up for it. Spent most of the day cleaning up and studying. Playing with my new japanese dictionary. Of course not all work, and I watched Ghost in the Shell, a classic of japanese animation. It was too bad the only version I could find on torrent was the english-dub version. For dinner, went and got some discounted sushi at the coop. All grocery stores have some kind of prepared food, a bakery, or stir-fry or sushi. About an hour before close, all the prepared food gets marked discounted, so if you wait to have a later meal it's a good deal. Another time I had gone out and stopped at a larger grocery store, around markdown time. There were maybe two dozen shoppers crowded around the grocery employee, just instantly grabbing up the marked-down food as she put the discount sticker on each container.