3 Years in Sendai - 23 - Kyoto pt. 2

With my primary intention of  being in Kyoto squared away that being the fact that i got my four pieces of foam boards covered with the Japan Times News paper cuttings of every article related to the Environmental issues of the whole whole year globally safely installed in the convention center in the care of an NGO group from Washington DC, I was free to check out Kyoto.

True to my taste I ventured alone the next few days seeking out the historic remnants of the cultural city of Kyoto which  I had envisioned in so many of my dreams in the past even before i eve thought of being in Japan itself.  It was like venturing into mini- museums of cultural history of a city that was in its hay day the center of the Japanese cultural world. 

I was transported in time and space, my mind drifted from the present into the past as I walked into every small homes  that was well preserved as if it was still being in use with all the utensils and various household items still on display transporting my spirit into history like i was there when these things were being used. 

The Japanese to me were the most meticulous people in their everyday life creating objects for their basic usage like they were pieces of art works. Their lives must have been a mixture of hardship and a sense of  satisfaction when one saw the amount of time and dedication spent to produce items that were utilized in their homes. 

I tried very hard to imagine what it must have been like in the winter months for these people having to keep the house warm and to make sure that the supply of food is readily available and  how did they spend their time while trapped in their homes during long period of cold and  wet seasons.

Considering that that the Japanese today are the world's leading producers of washing machines and various other electrical appliances  when looking back at how they had fared in their past it is a wonder; how have they evolved from these  wooden stoves to an electrical rice cooker. 

Wood and bamboo played a vital roll in the implementation of household items and fortunately these were readily available so much so the the Japanese had mastered the technique of using these materials in the best possible ways. The paper screen sliding doors were to me symbolic of Japanese aesthetic touch that reminds man of the transitoryness of all life and how fragile we all are behind our walls.