Overwhelmed
Oct. 21st, 2019 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Some of that is my own fault. Some can be laid at the foot of Google Maps.
Sort of managed to get a decent night's sleep in a very hard bunk, despite the time change. Was up and out of the hostel early enough to start walking to Shorenji temple. Not being hungry, I skipped breakfast and just had some water. (Mistake #1.)
Google Maps having sent me in circles last night, I double checked that it was set for walking directions and not driving. Nonetheless, it managed to send me down a lot of streets without sidewalks and I suspect there were a couple of needless loops before I got to Shorenji. (Approx. 3km, I allowed half an hour.) I had enough time to walk around the tiny garden and snap some photos - James will be pleased that I used the 35mm prime lens for just about everything.
I have to admit being slightly disappointed about the sutra copying class. I was ushered in by a smiling Japanese lady in lay clothes, given the option of floor or desk seating (I wisely opted for a stool and desk, knowing my knees would not be up to it), given about two minutes in English which amounted to, "Here's a fude pen, copy this, put your wish here, ok in English, your name, where you're from, copy that last character." No instruction, no information on the meaning of the Heart Sutra. She did sprinkle powdered incense on my hands, then bustled away to give the other students the same treatment. To my left, two older Japanese ladies had opted for the draw-a-Buddhist-image experience.
My hands were shaking as I picked up my fude pen. (See Mistake #1 above.) The light was only so-so and even with my glasses it was difficult to see the characters under the tracing paper, but I soldiered on, trying to sit quietly and keep my brush strokes smooth. Outside the serene patch of garden in the window came the incessant cries of small children and plinky musical instruments playing the same tune over and over. Evidently there is a school close by. I tried to ignore it and brush away. It took me the full allotted time to get through it. We were served matcha and some small sweets. (The pressed sugar and cinnamon one was particularly nice with the tea.)
And I knew I said I wasn't going to, but I took a picture of my horrible, shaky calligraphy anyway, quietly picked up my bag, left the sutra as an offering, and made my exit.
As I was sitting outside adjusting my shoes, one of the older ladies who had been sitting near me came over and asked where I was from in hesitant but good English and we wished each other a good day.
It was now time to hike back to Kyoto Station and deal with the train ticket mess. I should mention that it was humid as all get out and I worked up a fair sweat in my lightweight cardigan and tee shirt. I arrived in somewhat better time than it had taken to head out from the hostel, mostly because I knew what direction to head in once I'd gotten to the river. The JR ticket counter wasn't too busy. The young lady who served me didn't know what to do, so she talked to one of the other clerks, then promptly picked up a phone. There was a lot of nodding and bowing and she'd periodically look over and give me an uncomfortable smile and I would smile back as reassuringly as I could manage. Finally she put down the phone, smiled for real and gave me a vehement "O! K!" There was a great deal of paper shuffling and stamping, but I now have a rail pass I can use, and she booked me a reserved seat for Osaka on Wednesday morning. (I decided not to push for a credit on the Shinkansen ticket from yesterday. That one is on me.)
I got a cold half-size Coke from a convenience store in the station and plugged Toji Temple into my phone, figuring I'd get lunch at the flea market. I then spent nearly an hour wandering in recalibrated circles until I finally found a subway station and gave up. I headed back to Kyoto station, footsore and realizing I really needed to eat something, but nothing appealed. Finally found a little grocery place, picked up a random onigiri - and I swear the cashier saw the state I was in and motioned for me to open my change purse while she fished out the right amount.
I found a pillar to lean on - they're not great about benches in public places for some reason - wolfed down my rice ball, which turned out to have a nice salty piece of salmon in it, drank the rest of the Coke, and thought about trying to get to Toji via mass transit, then gave up.
Knowing that the hostel has a mid-day cleaning schedule I walked a couple blocks up from the station and went to Higashi Honganji Temple, took a few photos and then just sat on the steps for awhile.
Came back to the hostel, crawled in my bunk and crashed out without supper again. Woke up long enough to take off my clothes and put on a night shirt, then went to sleep again.
I think we get rain today, so it's a good day to do a museum or two. Kyoto National Museum opens in a few hours...
www.flickr.com/photos/70104978@N00/albums/72157711442150553