I'll post a link to the photos first, but the video to me is the best part:
A day in Kyoto with Britta
So, we started off just taking a bus to the Gion area since there was an artist that lived around there that had some crazy sculptures I wanted her to see. But, what we didn't expect to come across was a massive group of women dressed as Maiko having professional photoshoots being done of them. It was fascinating to watch. What I loved the most was seeing one couple though that went together in these old outfits and showed open affection for each other. It's not a common thing really I've noticed. It seems couples are very conservative in public with their affections for one another. I rarely see a kiss. Never a kiss. (Images of the couple are in the Flickr link above)
As we passed this pagoda I've been by quite a few times now, it was randomly open. It's never open! So, Britta kindly took a photo of me inside the pagoda area and we moved on from there. Nothing exciting to really say about that. We made our way through the mazes of back streets and just continued on finding some amazing places along our random route. We ended up sampling mochi and drinking hot green tea to get out of the cold for while. Then we went off again in the cold to explore some more.
She loves this small stretch of a street that is more of an alley than what you would call a street. It's one of the oldest in Japan and leads to the bar area in Kyoto. Along the way through we found the sweetest and daintiest cat I've ever met, found a tiny playground, and rode the see-saw! From there we just went on and decided to try and find a record shop.
I've been wanting to start my own record collection for a while now. I never have because my dad already has over a few thousand records, so I thought that it would be dumb to buy something that might already be in his collection. Well, it doesn't help he also happens to live in PA and so it's not like I am going to be able to see or use this collection anytime soon. He is one of my greatest influences when it comes to music. When we entered that record store, it was like stepping back to when I was a little kid and accompanied my dad on his album excursions. The smell of old records hit me with a forceful wave of nostalgia and I instantly became hooked. I decided to start my own collection.
Of course, I have to start with the essentials. I have to begin with albums that are my must-haves. I ended up pulling out about 7 or 8 David Bowie albums, but thankfully Britta was there to tell me to start off with just 3 and not get too carried away. So, I picked the three I thought I most needed to begin with.
And there you have them. When I get home to the states, I plan on inquiring about a good record player from my dad. He owns one that I believe is quite expensive, but I know he'll know essentially what would be a good start up record player. I feel like such a noob to something that's so essential to a music lover, but I have to start somewhere. Yeah, I can get it online for free. But, where is the fun in that? I can't put into words what it felt like to buy these today. It seems so ridiculous to most people and I know I sound like a fanatical idiot, but I feel like I'm just beginning to understand something that I think my dad began so many years ago. I get it now. The tangible feel of a record in hand is so much more than the feel of your ipod stuck in your pocket.
I will always remember putting on records on my dad's player before he was taken out of the home. Music was like water in my house. We couldn't live without it. If I didn't come home to hear some sort of music being played on the record player, radio, or TV (when they still played music videos) something felt off.
I'll always fondly remember the nights when I used to live on a street in south Austin when my dad would open all the windows, throw on some colored bulbs in the lamps, and blast the music so loud that you sometimes had to walk through the house with your fingers in your ears. It's funny to think that what I remember most of those nights were the red or blue glow of the lamps because my dad had some fascination with setting up some sort of atmosphere in the house. If it was a party, those bulbs would go in. The fiber optic lamp and lava lamps would also be switched on. I'm surprised we never got a noise complaint honestly. But, we did live on a pretty amazing street with great neighbors who seemed to appreciate music as much as our family did. At least the ones in close proximity.
My favorite night like the one above was when my parents were having a party and everything I just described was put into action. For some reason, my friends were over and we opened my window and spent the night going in and out of my window to go play hide and seek in the middle of the night. My neighborhood friends (and were once my bullies) Casey and Travis were there crawling through my window and exiting through the garage where my parents and their friends were just jamming out. Sometimes, even when the music was blasting in the house, my dad's friend Ricky would be in the garage just playing his guitar. I still remember Ricky fondly, though I found out later that he was a cocaine addict and many people that entered my garage were as well. It's not a knock on them at all. I won't judge a cocaine user, but knowing what effects it's had on my life, I don't agree with it. These were good people. Cocaine users or not.
Wow, way to go off on a tangent. Anyways, besides all of that, Britta and I went around to various Izakayas and bars. We were trying to find a place in Kyoto that would fit our personalities. We were hoping to find somewhere that either played good music while you enjoyed your drink or had a good atmosphere. I think we found one place called Japonica, but it was fairly expensive for one drink. We tried an Irish pub and as soon as we walked in, it felt like a thousand eyes were glaring at us. It was awkward as all hell and so we left because right across the street was a Noise bar. Unfortunately, no noise was going on in there. The bartender made us laugh because we double checked with him by asking simply "Noise bar?" and he replied "Well, now silence bar" with a crooked smile. He was extremely helpful though in finding out where a few other options were for places to go. He also gave me a flier for their rock nights on Wednesdays. Not too bad. We finally settled in for the evening at an Okinawan bar that was playing old Okinawan music and had cheap, but strong drinks. The tendency to water down drinks here is ridiculous. You pay so much for so little. This place did not follow that trend, thank god. The bartender was a sweet University student named Rina who really got into it with us about the US since she has many friends who live there and she visits often. We ended up exchanging numbers and information and I'll probably see Rina again.
Anyways. This entry has gotten so long and I'm still up when I should be asleep. But, the day has been a long fun one and I had to get it all out there while it's still fresh on my mind.
The one thing that I have come to the conclusion of though is that Kyoto nightlife may be a bit lacking compared to Osaka. But, when it comes to everything else, I sincerely prefer Kyoto.
And here's me and Britta being 5 again:
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