old and new

I arrived in Kyoto yesterday and tomorrow I will leave; a quick trip to Kyoto for a quick trip to Japan. The more days that go by here in Japan, the more I realize a longer trip would have been better.

My impression of Kyoto is a little bit strange...depending on how you want to look at it, you get a good sense of the conflict or harmony between old style Japan and the new. You see sites and shrines that have been around for over 1000 years right next to modern department stores and shops. You walk down market streets filled with visitors, both Japanese and foreign, filled with all kinds of clothing, accessory, and gift shops only to breeze past ancient shrines that are almost forgotten (these have been one of my favorite spots in Kyoto).

The popular tourist sites are just that...popular. And extremely crowded. Like the golden pavillion (Ginkaku-ji). I definitely prefer the less crowded, lesser known places. I think it may sound a bit...arrogant...but I can't really understand why someone would travel to Japan to only visit popular tourist sites. I see many foreigners here in Kyoto and I just don't understand why. Of course, this comes from a tourist, so it's a bit hypocritical of course. I suppose my advice in all this is, if you come to Japan and especially Kyoto, I highly recommend you seek out non-traditional places. Especially if you go to a Shinto shrine, I don't think you can get a sense of what the shrine is really all about when you are surrounded by others.

While this is the last (and only) full day of the trip, I did make it to:

• Kinkaku-ji
• Nanzen-ji
• Kamigamo-jinja
• Nishiki Market
• Kyoto Imperial Palace
• Kiyomizu-dera
  

And really, I am happy with that list.