Six years ago, I went on a tour group to Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Of the seven days, Kyoto was the shortest, only half a day, but it was the most memorable.
I've always wanted to have the opportunity to visit Kyoto again, but I haven't gotten what I wanted, but now that I have this copy of "A Year in Kyoto", I feel that I have fulfilled some of my extravagant expectations.
The author Lin Wenyue uses her skillful writing, keen eyes and broad knowledge to peel off this quiet, elegant and romantic ancient capital to reveal to readers little by little.
Speaking of Lin Wenyue, it can be said that she occupies a very important place in Taiwan's cultural circles. She is a researcher, a literary creator, and a translator, and has made great achievements in all three fields. "A Year in Kyoto" is her first collection of essays.
She was one of the earliest pioneers in Taiwan to engage in the study of Sino-Japanese comparative literature, and has translated classical Japanese literature, such as The Tale of Genji and The Diary of Izumi Shikibu. This can also be used to estimate the reliability of the book "A Year in Kyoto" in promoting Japanese folk customs, history and culture.
Speaking of Kyoto, it is impossible to mention the first samurai regime in Japanese history, the Taira regime. This regime ruled Japan in the 12th century and set up its capital in Kyoto, which was known as Heiankyo in ancient times. Unfortunately, the Taira regime lasted only more than 20 years before it was replaced by another major samurai group, the Genji, and in 1192, Minamoto Yoritomo established the shogunate in Kamakura, and Japan entered the Kamakura period. During the Kamakura shogunate, Japan moved its de facto political center to Kamakura, but Kyoto remained the largest city and the residence of the emperor.
Even in modern times, Kyoto Prefecture has been the spiritual homeland of the Japanese people, the birthplace and symbol of Japanese culture, and is known as the "thousand-year-old capital".
In 1969, Lin Wenyue was sent there to conduct research, and lived there for ten and a half months, where he could see the four seasons of Kyoto and enjoy the famous sights of Kyoto. In addition to cultural research, she wrote about her impressions, which were not only published in journals at the time, but also invited by publishers to publish a book more than 30 years later, which shows the charm of this book.
Her Kyoto, as she said, "is like a young woman with all kinds of charms, the more she comes into contact with her, the more she realizes her loveliness, which makes people deeply fascinated!"
01. Kyoto, a modern civilized city that strives to preserve tradition
Lin Wenyue said: "...... Kyoto today is a city that retains the pride of its classical heritage and at the same time generously compatible."
This is the most prominent feature of Kyoto.
So, among the high-rise buildings made of steel and concrete, we can also find low, old Japanese wooden houses, where you can dance to jazz in jubilant bars, you can hear the strings of shamisen in the aroma of tea and rice, you can see maiko wearing high buns and kimonos, and fashionable girls with dyed red hair and miniskirts......
All of this makes Kyoto look different from Tokyo and Osaka, and is what makes Kyoto a Kyoto.
No matter how the times develop, the people of Kyoto will never want to abandon their traditional culture, because their blood and roots flow there.
Of course, the most well-known is Kabuki performances. Lin Wenyue mentions her two viewing experiences in the book.
The first time was in December. This month is a year-end festival featuring some of Japan's best kabuki performances, a tradition that has been maintained for more than 300 years, and many people in Kyoto feel that it would not be a good year if they didn't see it.
On this day, it is almost a grand meeting for ladies from all walks of life in Kyoto and even from all over Japan, so they will dress up themselves in a fancy way, and some noble ladies and celebrities will even spend a lot of money on this grand event, and completely show the heroism of "wearing in Kyoto".
The second time Lin Wenyue saw a kabuki performance was during the cherry blossom season, when she and her friends went to the famous Gion Garden. Every year from April 1 to mid-May, there are four performances – the Metropolitan Odori, Kyoto Odori, Kamogawa Odori and Kitano Odori – and Kyotoites only survive the middle of winter by seeing the songs and dances of Gion.
These two events show the status of kabuki performances in the minds of the people of Kyoto.
02. The beauty of the garden is the most proud of the thick moss
The Japanese often boast that God creates the beauty of nature, while the Japanese create the beauty of the garden. This is not narcissism at all, and Japanese garden design is already a specialized discipline that has been admired by Westerners. The richness and beauty of Kyoto's gardens are one of the best in Japan.
Therefore, visiting Kyoto's gardens must be one of Hayashi's schedules.
On this day, she and her friends went to visit Katsura Rikyu Shrine in the suburbs of Kyoto. In addition to the three seowon houses, the most famous pond is the pond, which occupies one-third of the total garden area.
This pond gave Lin Wenyue the most intuitive understanding of the beauty of Japanese gardens. Whether it is the changing shape of the pond and the small island, or the small bridge with different styles and building materials, as well as the colorful moss marks, the clumps of reeds, and the strange rocks all over the place, together create a unique art palace.
The longer she stayed in Japan, the more Lin Wenyue's love for the garden grew, and even became a place for her to express her nostalgia and relieve her loneliness.
So, she began a tour of the gardens, visiting famous gardens in the city and suburbs of Kyoto. One of the most noteworthy is Xifang Temple.
Xifang Temple is famous for its moss garden. Of course, moss is an indispensable feature of every garden in Japan, and it is one of the characteristics of Japanese gardens, but the moss of Saiyoji Temple is the best, and there are more than 40 kinds of moss.
All the scenery is set in a thick layer of moss, and the steps, ponds, and paths are covered with dense moss.
"In that thick moss, I don't know how many stories of rise and fall are hidden!"
03, Kyoto's food is not eating, but more visual enjoyment
When it comes to eating, Osaka is the top food in Japan. But in Kyoto, there are also gluttons, who focus more on delicate and delicate dishes and more on visual enjoyment.
Hayashi told us that if you want to eat a truly Kyoto-style meal, you can't find it in the downtown area, but you need to go to the bungalows in the small alleys to find the places called "cooking pavilions".
The restaurant is a place to eat an authentic solar eclipse, and it is a wooden Japanese house with a narrow façade and a blue batik curtain hanging from the wooden door. This kind of scenery is also very common in Japanese dramas.
When it comes to visual enjoyment, we have to start with tea bowl tableware. The tea utensils used in a good cooking pavilion are all very elaborate ceramic utensils, and a set is worth more than 1,000 yen.
The first course is a cold cut, most commonly sashimi, garnished with seasonal vegetables. For example, in spring and summer, they will pluck the most tender part of the newly grown taro stem, blanch it with boiling water, and put it in a delicate light-colored porcelain plate, which is both pleasing to the eye and refreshing.
After the cold cuts, the waiter will serve a soup and a dish served in a wooden bowl. "The bigger the restaurant, the larger and more delicate the container, and the more 'small' the food inside looks in comparison."
In addition to the visual beauty, Kyoto's cuisine is also known for its plainness, and it has even been ridiculed by Tokyo and Osaka people as "light and tasteless", but this is the secret of Kyoto's pursuit of the original flavor of food.
A famous dish that brings out this mild flavor to the fullest is called "yutofu". You have a chance to try it.
The recommendation of this travelogue book on Douban is very accurate:
"Slow down, go on a trip, be still, for life. Following the delicate brushstrokes of the author, it seems that you can faintly breathe the breath from Kyoto and enjoy the beauty of Kyoto together. ”
If you're going on a trip there, this book is certainly not to be missed.