Japan: Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto

Our welcoming band in Kobe

Bunraku Theater poster in the subway station

Bunraku Theater performance in Osaka

Nijo Castle main building, home of the shogun

Nijo Castle

Zen dry gardens

Bell at Ryoan-ji Temple

Buddha at Ryoan-ji

The Golden Pavilion

After a couple of days at sea, teaching classes between China and Japan, we arrived in Kobe, Japan on November 19th.  We were greeted at the dock early in the morning by a small brass band that played "When the Saints Come Marching In"!  Kobe is an industrial port with not much to see in terms of culture, so many of the field trips in Kobe involved train or bus trips to nearby cities.  On our first day we traveled to Osaka for a performance of the National Bunraku Puppet Theater.  I really did not know what to expect, but the performance was fascinating.  Bunraku is a complex form of puppetry that dates to the 17th Century.  Three puppeteers manipulate the puppets in extremely complex and subtle movements, while narrators tell stories passed down from generations.  We were able to see two very different performances.

The second day in Kobe involved a day-long trip to Kyoto.  Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 1,000 years, and many of the best temples, gardens and palaces are there, making it a very popular destination for both foreign tourists and also Japanese tourists.  We first saw the Sanjusangen-do temple which has 1,001 statues of a Buddhist goddess of mercy.  Next we toured the extensive Nijo Castle, home to the shogun and his samurai.  Photos were prohibited inside the temple and palace, so we bought postcards to remember our visit.  The third visit was to the Ryoan-ji Buddhist temple, which features a Zen dry garden for meditation.  We also were able to wander around the tranquil lake and gardens that surround the temple.  Our last stop for the day was the Kinkaku-ji temple, containing the famous Golden Pavilion.  It was a holiday weekend in Japan, so the temple was crowded, but we were able to stroll around the gardens for awhile and take some wonderful photos.