With my Mom, Aunt, and cousin
Autumn in Kyoto, one of the finest sceneries in Japan, and well known as the most congested part of Japan with people from all over the world. Usually, I don’t like congested places, so I feel reluctant to visit Kyoto in Autumn leaves season, but for this time, my aunt with her daughter living in Kyoto invited my mother and me to visit some shrines and temples to see the autumn leaves, so I decided to go to Kyoto in the most congested season.
When I was a child, I spent a lot of time with my cousins to play with. My mother and my aunt lived close each other, and children easily come and visit the homes each other. Me and the cousin visited Kyoto together for this time are the only two girls among me and her brothers. And she is 8 years younger than I, and she liked to stay my home, so I’ve taken care of her as if she was my younger sister when we were children.
Old historical shrines and temples bring out a unique atmosphere
When we visit a historical places like Kyoto, a little knowledge about the places makes our trip much much more interesting. For example, a historical building itself has worth to see, but if I know some stories about what happened there, the scenery I see could turn to be much more impressive to me.
In Kyoto, there are a lot of restaurants and cafes make use of renovated old folk houses. In those places, we can feel the fusion of modern and ancient atmosphere while having a good cuisines.
Felt an Artificial Japanese Atmosphere
A thing I’ve been disappointed is, actually everywhere there are similar shops selling similar mass-produced souvenirs especially for people from overseas. We are surrounded by mass-produced small stuff that have the touch of traditional Japan, not that expensive, things that are good as a souvenir for friend if I were a traveler from overseas. But for Japanese people those who know Kyoto since before, it seems like the genuine and historical things are hidden, and the imitations are put to the front.
The decollations for public places such as some stations are also placed to bring out “Japanese atmosphere”, using plastic-made bamboo, paper-shade lanterns, and printed calligraphy expressing old saying. For me, it looks artificial, and not necessary to be placed there..
I think that kind of impression might be in common with the people who know a spot for sightseeing since before. For the tourism industry, they prioritize the market size. I mean if we compare the number of people come from overseas and Japanese travelers, the number of people from overseas are apparently bigger than Japanese. So for the shops, it is better for them to sell stuff that are pleased by the foreign travelers. And this mechanism works everywhere. So when I enjoy shopping souvenir for my friend at a sightseeing spot, in the meantime, someone may be feeling disappointed with the scenery I’m enjoying. Mmm, this is a kind of bitter sweet story.
*This article is about the trip I had in Autumn 2020.