A Day with the Alums

Sunday those of us Wellesley people who were studying abroad or living in Kyoto were invited to join an alumnae tour that was coming through town. We were supposed to meet the group at their hotel near Shichijo station, from which we would proceed on our tour. Unfortunately, due to a variety of misunderstandings about which trains to take and from where, one of the girls and I wound up getting very far off course, eventually having to meet the group at their second stop of the day, the Kyoto National Museum. At least we got our share of exercise with all of the walking that we did. The Museum was very nice, though, with many objects well over a thousand years old, and kimono and lacquer ware that was well over 200 years old. After that, we visited the preserved home of a famous potter named Kojimo Kawai (…I think), which was very spacious and had a number of unusual sculptures. Next was lunch, which was a variety of small dishes including various types and preparations of fish, pickles and tofu. I found it to be quite good, but, like seemingly most Kyoto cuisine, it was very subtle in flavour, and thus probably a bit of an acquired taste. After that, we went to see tea ceremony performed at the beautifully maintained mansion of a famous Kyoto painter. The tea ceremony itself was lovely, though it was a little difficult to adapt it to serve more than 20 people. The gardens of the house are beautiful, but unfortunately, we didn’t really have time to stroll in them. Our last stop of the day was at the antiques district, which had some truly amazing things, including a 200-year-old screen, for sale that were completely out of my price range. So, after a wonderful day provided for us by Wellesley College, we returned home. On our way back, we stopped at a department store rumoured to have Chinese mooncakes (a favourite food of mine). Sadly, when I actually got my mooncake all the way home and unpackaged, I discovered it to be filled with coconut and sesame seeds instead of anything remotely mooncake-like.
-There is no Chinatown in Kyoto, and apparently no Chinese bakeries.
-Americans will go out of their way, it seems, to mispronounce foreign (in this case Japanese) words. In this way, the word ‘Meiji’ (pronounced May-G) becomes ‘Maijai’ (My Jai).
-Proper tea ceremony guest procedure: When you are presented with the tea bowl, bow to the tea master, lift it with both hands, look at the design on the side facing you. Next, holding the bowl in your left hand, use your right hand to turn the bowl clockwise in two short turns. Raise the bowl to your lips, drink the entirety of its contents, finishing it off with a distinct short slurping noise. This done, bow your head slightly and use two fingers on your right hand to wipe where you have just drunk the tea, and rotate the bowl again in the same matter as before, only counterclockwise this time so that the same design that was facing you when you received the tea is facing you again. Put down the bowl with both hands and bow again. There is a more complex procedure as well, but this is the basic part.
-Try anything once. I this isn’t really something I’ve learned recently so much as it has been a philosophy passed on to me by my parents. Some foods will look strange, even unappetizing, but might actually be amazing.