Japan: First impressions, Kyoto, October 24, 1981

from my journal

Little old women walking pigeon-toed

In dark kimonos and haori coats

Mumbling to themselves.

 

Strolling along the narrow streets

Crowded with colourful shops

Purple and orange pickles spilling out into the traffic

Deisel buses roaring past

Motor-scooters, toy trucks and cars, bicycles.


Two men gutting eels by the side of the road

Next a sweet shop with neatly arranged packages

Of pastel candies.

 

from my journal

Coffee shops, restaurants, all with wonderful plastic models

Of the ‘specialities’ they offer.

Tomatoed spaghetti cascades from a spoon,

Magically suspended in mid-air – the wonders of plastic

(I feel sure it’s all real food, sprayed with some clear preservative…).


 

Roadside temples adorned with flowers,

A cup of tea, some rice…

Or a new building, carefully constructed 

Around some little family shrine or grave-markers.

 

Hordes of people – everywhere

School children, in navy uniforms at all times of day

Crowding onto buses, trooping through temples, museums, shops.

“Hello hello! Bye-bye, bye-bye!”

 

Children, like little mannequins

In brightly coloured skirts and tops

Centres of attention

Wherever they go.

 

Young women, impeccably dressed, the latest styles from Europe

Matching handbag and shoes, make-up and jewelry

Yet somehow a distinctly Japanese elegance and sophistication

Men all in suits, dress shirts and ties

Bowing to each other as they meet

Not quite obsequious, but only because they are Japanese.

 

The five o’clock throng – shoppers, cars, bicycles, buses,

Children, school children, tourists, old ladies, old men

Have the goods of the stores right out in the sidewalk

Jostling, scurrying, shuffling along

Packed into buses, squeezed into subways

The little old ladies scurry for the seats –

Everyone else, it seems, would rather stand,

Sardines in a can, than sit while they ride.

 

from my journal
Temples and gardens, shrines and lesser monuments

Scattered liberally throughout the city

Bright orange Shinto shrines

Their gaudy splendour almost overpowering,

Especially on a sunny day…

 

The beautiful simplicity of wood and white-washed plaster

Twisted pines and soft green mosses

A quiet pool with brightly coloured carp,

Willows hanging over a stone bridge

Water lily, lotus, rustling bamboo.

 

Outside the frenzy of the city

The cars that don’t stop

The constant din of back-up beepers,

Road-crossing whistlers,

Bicycle bells, car horns, automatic warning buzzers

Tape-recorded messages

Ding-dong, ding-dong

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beepr

Clack clack clack clack clack clack

Shuffle shuffle shuffle shuffle

Creak…. Creak.

 

from my journal

Wooden sandals on pavement

The shuffle of ill-fitting slippers

Approaching on a polished wood floor

The slow creak of a sliding door

Opening…closing…


Shoes off, slippers on

Slippers off, socks on

Slippers on, slippers off,

Shoes on, slippers off…





Note: This post is exactly as I wrote it on October 24, 1981.

Location: Kyoto, Japan

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