Laundry Day

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8:30am JST

The hour has come, he said solemnly! Not who’s hour but what’s hour, the hour of laundry. I’ve piled my dirty clothes into a plastic recyclables bag and am now setting off to the coin laundry! The 7-Eleven is on the way so I pick up a quick breakfast of onigiri, a banana, and vitamin drinks. No need to buy a box of laundry detergent since that is usually provided by the coin laundry from a vending machine or fed into the wash by the machine automatically.

9:00am JST

First impression upon entering the coin laundry, they expect you to remove your shoes and put on slippers just as at home or to use the toilet. Pairs of slippers are provided at the door on a strip of carpet. The entire coin laundry is raised above street level. There are piles of manga and magazines piled in plastic bins for your reading pleasure while you wait for your laundry and a bin of umbrella’s in case it rains.

I’m still not sure if you can “borrow” these umbrellas and return them on an honor system or not.

[ First-Time Travelers Tip: While Japanese remove their street shoes and wear slippers at home, you do not wear slippers while walking on tatami mats. Slippers actually damage the tatami mat! ]

This coin laundry has a vending machine for softener (called “Softer”), a coin changer, a sneakers washer and dryer and a stand alone washer which is fed detergent automatically, thus explaining the lack of detergent vending machines. A single wash plus detergent for only Y300. On the opposite wall we find banks of dryers (some with softener, some without) and combination washer / dryers, alleviating the need to transfer your wet clothes to the dryer in two steps as I’m about to do.

I load up my laundry, dump three Y100 coins in the machine and we’re off and running! I settle back and munch on breakfast of onigiri and vitamin drinks.

[ First-Time Travelers Tip: The Y100 coin is used for everything in Japan so I try to stoke on them by purchasing something at the local conbini! ]

9:30am JST

The coin laundry attendant arrives and fastidiously tidies up the place, sweeping the floors and cleaning the dryer filters. Other than the fact that she has keys to the machines, you can tell she works there by the big button displaying the name of the coin laundry.

We strike up a conversation beginning with the usual topics of “where are you from” and “are you here for business or tourism?” We begin forming a common basis for communication, teaching other words in our respective languages although we both already know the basics. We also discuss baseball (I’m a huge Hanshin Tigers fan who are based in Osaka at Koshien Stadium).

I was aware that the dialect , or Kansai-ben, spoken by people in the Kinki region of Japan is much different from the dialect spoken in Tokyo, but today I learned that instead of saying “Arigato Gozaemasu,” Kansai-ben speakers say “Okini” which literally means “very much.” Also the dialect in Kyoto is much softer than in Osaka where they don’t say “Okini.”

This is what I love about (most) Japanese people, they’re warm, friendly, welcoming, eager to learn about you and exchange ideas and knowledge.

10:30am JST

It has started raining.

I’ve run my clothes through the dryer twice for a total of 16 minutes at a cost of Y200, and pack them into my day pack for the return walk home.

I say my farewells to the coin laundry attendant and we wish each other “Okini” and “Goodbye.”

10:45am JST

I happen across a family bakery with baked goodness smells wafting into the side street. I have to stop in for some fresh baked goods and emerge with a hot azuka bean paste filled bun.

So simple even a ten year old can do it…

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4:50pm JST

I catch the next number 17 bus from Nishi Honganji-mae and head home to Kawamachi Matsubara.

17:00pm JST

Yikes! Overshot my stop and have to bail at Shijo-Omeya, and now the story gets really strange…

I’m staring at my bus map when (and I am no making this up) a boy who couldn’t be more than ten years old, volunteers to give me directions. Not only did “The Prince of the Streets” take me to the nearest public bus map and try to explain the system to me, but he then led me across the street to the station where I could get a connecting bus back to Kawamachi Matsubara station. This child is like something straight out of 1960’s anime, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a watch that could summon a giant robot.

I love these people, always so ready to help a pathetic, wet kitty in a cardboard box.

17:30pm JST

Per the instructions of “The Prince of the Streets,” I am now riding the number 3 bus to Shijo Kawamachi. I give up my seat to two elderly women who are surprised and overly grateful in Japanese polite language. Scored karma points for that one but Buddah probably wasn’t watching.

[ First-Time Travelers Tip: Learn the difference between casual and polite language, the situation might depend on it! ]

At Shijo Kawamachi, I successfully catch the number 17 bus… but in the wrong direction… and ride straight through Sanjo Kawamachi, Kyoto’s vibrant shopping district. Not a problem, I just get off the bus, run across the street and catch the number 17 bus in the opposite direction. This works and I find my way back to Kawamachi Matsubara.

Hey, I’m actually getting good at this.

[ First-Time Travelers Tip: Purchase a one day pass, they save you money if you ride the bus more than a couple times! ]

6:30pm JST

I spent way too much time riding the bus tonight, however I did gain a greater understanding of the bus system and neighborhoods, and now I know how to get to Sanjo Kawaramachi.

7:00pm JST

Hustling up the street to the 7-Eleven for chocolate cream filled eclairs, chips, drinks and recycling bags to carry my dirty clothes to the coin laundry. I love 7-Eleven although this one doesn’t seem to carry “Match.” It’s clear that not all stores in the same conbini chain carry the same products.

Picking up dinner from the carry-out place down the street, what will it be tonight?

8:00pm JST

Kicking back on the couch with Japanese TV and tonight’s dinner of pork tonkatsu and tamago on rice… hey NHK is showing “Today’s Closeup” a program I watch back home. And now they’re airing an Enka program! Here’s a female singer playing Shamisen. This is good!

http://www.nhk.or.jp/program/utacon/

Nishi-Wonhanji Temple

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12:30pm JST

I now understand the bus system well enough to ride the bus to Nishi-Wonghanji Temple. Smart travelers use the city bus day pass, which lets you use the city busses for the price of the pass, 500 yen. I walk out onto the street and step right on the number 4 bus to Kyoto Station where I pick up a transfer bus to Nishi Hongonji-mae.

1:48 pm JST

I’m waiting for the number 28 bus and am cornered by a crazy woman who wants to exercise her English language skills and show me where the correct bus platform is. だいじょおぶ、だいじょおぶ …

2:00 pm JST

Arrived at Nishi Wonhanji, an extensive complex of temples and buildings to serve the Jodo Shinsu Pure Land sect of Buddhism. As you walk through the gates there is a collection box for earthquake victim relief. Entering through the Amidado gate you are immediately confronted with the great hall of the Amida Buddha. To the left is the larger Goeido hall where I spent a half hour in meditative prayer. Approaching each of these halls I couldn’t help but be struck by the age and massiveness of the wood beams and planking. This is the largest wooden structure in Kyoto and was built in the 13th century.

As in most Japanese spaces, to enter the hall you must remove your shoes. The halls are floored with REAL tatami mats.

There are also gardens, carefully manicured trees, what appears to be an heirloom botanical library, and a large fountain in the shape of a lotus.

4:00 pm JST

At 16:00 hours, one of the temple bells is rung. Sadly, I was unable to video tape this impressive event or record the lovely sound of that temple bell.

[ First-Time Travelers Tip: I’m traveling light on this photo shoot, with only the video camera in tow because it doesn’t do well to lug all your photo gear into a UNESCO World Heritage site! ]

The sun is setting behind the Amida hall so it’s time to say goodbye and pick up the City Bus back to the hotel…

In Search of Coin Laundry

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8:00am JST

Shooting some video footage with the new stereo microphone I purchased specifically for this trip. The location is picturesque and just around the corner from the neighborhood but suffers from an over abundance of noise. Also a lack of camera presence on my part.

11:00am – 12:00noon JST

I am now in search of the rumored neighborhood coin laundry. Google Street View found an empty building where the hotel flyer says there should be a coin laundry, but this doesn’t surprise me since the Google Car has probably been down this street exactly once in the past decade and stores come and go overnight in Japan.

[ I later learn that the coin laundry opened in March of this year ].

As I walk up the street I see we have a Daily Yamazki on the corner, where I pick up a vitamin drink and onigiri for breakfast. Not more than five minutes later I find a 7-eleven where Google Street View showed another empty office building. Another five minutes down a cross street I find the fabled coin laundry where Google Street View showed only empty space!

I also now have a five minute, as opposed to 20 minute, walk to the nearest 7-Eleven!

12:00noon JST

Note the coin laundry hours of operation: 6:00am – 12:00noon.

[ First-Time Travelers Tip: Forget the hotel laundry service and be adventurous, try a coin laundry! ]

Sunset at Lake Biwa

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4:10pm JST

Its a little late for more temple hopping so Eric suggests we visit Lake Biwa, where we see many people fishing from the sides of the lake. The municipal authority actually encourages you to fish for certain species and eat them, or if you don’t like fish, at least destroy these invasive species one of which is the black bass.

5:00pm JST

Lake Biwa is ringed by mountains, making for gorgeous sunsets, which I am quick to capture on video and in still photography. As the sun sets, the wind picks up and creates a steady breeze that is delightful, as is the entire experience of peace and harmony with nature. After sunset, its time to leave… Eric drives me to the Minami Kusatsu station and plan to meet again for drinks in Osaka.

5:30pm JST

Dig out change, purchase ticket, insert into turnstile, walk to platform, train magically appears within a minute or two. Damn this is easy.

5:00 – 6:30pm JST

Ok so I’m hungry and have no plans to eat in Kyoto so I try out the noodle restaurant on the platform at Kyoto Station, and I do mean right on the platform. You first get a ticket from a ticket machine which represents your selection and give it to the cook inside, they make your meal and hand it to you from behind the counter. I selected curried rice bowl and a side of udon noodle soup. Busy commuters are horking this stuff down within minutes and then are quickly off to catch their trains, for them eating is tanking up. I have to let my food cool off first. Water is free from a water dispenser with plastic glasses and they even have a small sink where you can freshen up before leaving. This place is the canonical, stand up commuter noodle shop and they want you in, chowing down and out as fast as possible.

6:30pm – 7:00pm JST

FInding the right bus back to the hotel was difficult at Kyoto Station. There are at least nine different platforms and many city bus lines to choose from and its unclear which platform services which bus line. At a loss, I walk into the Bus Information Office and ask one of the bus ticketing agents which platform the number 17 bus stops at… “A2” and I’m back in the running. I think I’m getting the hang of how this works although I am making mistakes in selecting the clockwise or counterclockwise leg of the same line.

もんだない!