Work of art
Fusing ceremony, tradition and modern innovation, Japan’s endless beauty is an artisan’s delight.
Her brilliant red lips are mesmerising in their colour and perfection, a perfectly proportioned scarlet slash against the white foundation covering her childlike round face. Mysterious brown eyes don’t give much away, the deep pools so dark that it’s almost impossible to distinguish the pupil from her iris. Tomitsuyu has wanted to be a geiko (the Kyoto name for a geisha) all her life, and after three years of training as a maiko (an apprentice geiko) seven days a week, is still unsure whether she will pass the test to become fully qualified in two years’ time. But under the steady hand of Reiko Tomimori, who owns the Tomikiku teahouse she inherited from her grandfather, Tomitsuyu will continue her maiko training in dancing, music, calligraphy and tea ceremonies. An only child, born and raised in Kyoto, she is impossibly poised and polite. When asked whether she misses her parents, who she sees just twice a year, the first sign of emotion flickers across her face. “Of course,” she demures, “but they are proud of me.”
At just 19, Tomitsuyu has already travelled to Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, with hopes to travel much more once she becomes a geiko, commanding rates of up to $2,500 a booking. Tomitsuyu is a symbolic face of traditional Japan, loyal to beautiful Kyoto, where her favourite time of year is autumn, as the streets and gardens become awash with the seasonal reds, purples, yellows and gold of the city’s tree-lined streets and parks.
She’s clearly a local in Gion-machi, greeting and
acknowledging local shopkeepers and neighbours, but casting her eyes downwards as fascinated passers-by stare shamelessly at her silk robes and red parasol, beaming only as she looks directly into the approved camera lens; the consummate professional.
Much like the sunshine and beauty of Tomitsuyu and her blue- kimonoed maiko sister Tomitae, Kyoto’s charming good looks are steeped in tradition, the former capital famous for its five geiko districts, cobblestoned streets, temples, shrines, carefully preserved buildings and a mere 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
By day, the city is an endless treasure trove of history, Edo-period architecture and opportunities to uncover the artisan traditions that have held the city strong for thousands of years. At night, the unmarked restaurants, tiny bars and teahouses come to life with lantern after lantern punctuating dusk and the narrow streets.
In a small workshop in a nondescript lane, brothers Shun and Ryo Kojima are continuing the 10th generation of their family lanternmaking business, one of just three traditional workshops in Kyoto, with a history dating back 220 years. To watch them work is mesmerising: Shun splits the thick pipes of bamboo into the thin strips that will form the backbone of the lanterns, while Ryo’s steady hand fixes the opaque paper to the lantern’s frames with a traditional glue. Together they have taken over Kojima Shoten while at the same time launching their own brand, Ko-Chube, which offers a new style of lantern suited to modern lifestyles.
Their custom hand-made lanterns, available to order in over 100 shapes and sizes, illuminate many of the streets of Kyoto, including guesthouses, restaurants, bars and the Minami-za theatre, famous for its kabuki performances. What stands them apart from their mass-produced competitors, however, is their distinctive lantern-making method of jibari-shiki (“affixing style”), which requires considerable craftmanship and time, a method they learnt as apprentices under their father Mamoru’s eagle eye and unequivocal dedication to perfection.
After the lanterns are crafted, Shun and Ryo work with local artists and calligraphers who decorate the delicate washi paper with unique imagery and script by hand; each design unique to their customer’s request and painted directly on to the lantern using brush and ink.
Kyoto quietly boasts a wealth of artisans like Shun and Ryo who have stood the test of time, long after the capital was relocated to Tokyo (visit kyotoartisans. jp/en to find and book an artisan experience). Compared to Tokyo, Kyoto is a relatively small city of around 1.3 million, divided by two rivers and a multitude of bridges. Getting around the main areas is relatively straightforward, but the luxury of a private guide and interpreter makes it even easier to experience the best the city has to offer (both in Kyoto and Tokyo).
Local guide and interpreter Hiroko Inaba, who works with Chris Rowthorn Tours (chrisrowthorn. com), is the ultimate companion when visiting the city, offering a unique insight into daily Kyoto life, with her quick thinking and local knowledge helping to negotiate little-known entrances to popular sites such as the Fushimi Inari Taisha, a shrine in southeast Kyoto. Entering the woods, it’s a steady climb up the northern forested slope of Mount Inari with not even a local in sight. After a network of strange lichen-covered stone foxes, shrines and shady tableaux, it’s a gentle merge into a stream of visitors flowing through the mountain’s arcades of 5,000plus vermilion torii, a sacred Kyoto tradition dedicated to business success, with large companies paying over a million dollars to have the huge pillars inscribed with their names.
Apart from the myriad temples, shrines and landscaped gardens, Kyoto is also home to hundreds of restaurants and bars, with over 100 Michelinstarred restaurants. Sample the specialties of the region, including tofu, tea ceremonies with Kyo-gashi (Kyoto speciality sweets), dumplings of rice flour on skewers ( mitarashi dango) and Kyo-kaiseki, the pinnacle of multi-course dining which could only be described as food art. Not for the faint-hearted, Kyo
kaiseki’s intricate dishes offer a memorable foray into local delicacies such as sea bream, octopus eggs, abalone, pickles and sea urchin. Presented with formality and quiet respect, a Kyo-kaiseki meal can take several hours to be served.
From the carefully served kaiseki dish to the carefully wrapped bento boxes served in the heart of Kyoto at lunchtime, the genuine expression of
omotenashi in Japan is felt at every turn. A heartfelt expression of hospitality, it’s a spirit that so aptly underpins many experiences.
The very nature of omotenashi makes it a difficult word to define: with no literal translation in English, it’s an attitude and a spirit that has been woven into Japanese culture for centuries. To be aware of it before a visit deepens an experience; a new appreciation for the bow of the head, the careful presentation of a card or the taxi driver who steps forward in his white gloves to open the passenger car door.
At the elegant Ritz-Carlton, built on the banks of Kyoto’s Kamo river, the Japanese principle of
omotenashi is alive and well. Close to downtown Kyoto, its style easily makes it the most luxurious of Kyoto’s hotels, with beautifully appointed rooms subtly furnished with Japanese prints, lacquerware, cherry blossom motifs in the bathroom and a signature
bonsai. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the river and village aspect, creating a powerful sense of place, with the high-end rooms boasting private gardens.
Seated at Sushi Mizuki’s sushi counter overlooking the hotel’s meticulously manicured gardens, sit back and watch as the head chef prepares mouthwatering sushi with nimble hands and impeccable English. He humbly attributes his skill to his Tokyo training and the sharpening of his well-worn knives every night. His precision is clear: the local scallop with a delicate lemon cream almost melts in the mouth. Sushi Mizuki is not to be missed.
Around 30 minutes from the Ritz-Carlton, at the base of Kyoto’s western mountains, is the famous Arashiyama Grove, a twisting winding narrow road that’s sheltered on either side by towering green bamboo that creates a shaded tunnel-like effect, with the sun streaming through to create surreal lighting. For bamboo appreciation minus the masses, head to the area early in the day for guaranteed solitude.
The nearby Tenryu-ji Buddhist temple is the headquarters of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. While it looks simplistic from the outside, the small gate and office belie the discreet beauty hidden inside, with a large carp-filled pond mirroring the maples and botanical variety of the Zen-like worldclass gardens. In autumn the gardens are a riot of colour, while in sakura (cherry blossom) season the show is just as beautiful.
One would be hard-pressed to visit all of Kyoto’s temples and shrines in a lifetime, so to find a handful of quiet ones in between the guidebook must-sees is a necessity in this picture-book town.
Above a wealthy residential area in the back streets is Komyo-in, one of the Buddhist sub-temples of Tofuku-ji. Sculptured pines stand proudly in the front
garden, while inside the tatami mats are devoid of visitors. In socks and with hushed voices, the scene is one for quiet contemplation, the pavilions looking out on the carefully raked dry garden with a gentle mist of summer rain. The name “Komyo” consists of two kanji characters meaning “bright” and “light”. Combined, it alludes to the light given off from the mercy of Buddha. There’s quiet beauty everywhere here, even in the naming of the shrine. Central to the garden design is the group of three stones that is thought to represent one of the Buddhas, flanked by two bodhisattvas, a placement common in Buddhist gardens.
“In socks and and hushed voices, the scene is one for quiet contemplation”
From Kyoto to Tokyo it’s just over a two-hour bullet-train journey. Travelling between cities in Japan this way is a civilised and memorable way to move. The gentle rocking and hum of the tracks is a soothing soundtrack as the shinkansen speeds past rice paddies, thatched homes, farms and modern towns. Crossing rivers, the trains wind up past mountain ridges punctuated by tunnels cut through the rock, emerging to a new landscape and an expanse of sky.
Some of the shinkansen routes also offer luxurious “Gran” class reserved seating complete with bento service, plush reclining seats and a dedicated carriage attendant. Passengers are shown to their seats upon boarding and treated to slippers and an eye mask, although it’s a shame to sleep on these journeys and miss the beguiling scenery. Rail passes need to be prepurchased before leaving Australia – go to railplus. com.au – and can be used for shinkansen trips (although you’ll need to pay extra for “Gran” class).
Pulling into Tokyo Station, the rhythm of the city is immediately evident, a phenomenal network of trains above and below ground moves millions throughout the city’s neighbourhoods every day.
Just five minutes by taxi from this enormous transport hub, Palace Hotel Tokyo sits on the banks of one of the Imperial Palace’s numerous moats, its highrise views looking back across to the tree-shrouded palace gardens. One of Tokyo’s most iconic luxury hotels, its location in exclusive Marunouchi (with a handy Otemachi subway entrance directly accessible via the hotel basement) makes it the ideal base to uncover all that this fascinating city has to offer. Steps away is nearby Marunouchi Naka Dori, a treelined shopping and dining street very much like New York’s Madison Avenue.
Tokyo has been Japan’s capital since the Meiji restoration of 1868, taking over from Kyoto with a powerful confidence. For first-timers and return visitors alike it’s arguably one of the world’s most energetic, playful and vibrant hyper-modern cities, with good manners at every turn. It would be hard to have a bad time here. The Palace offers a quiet sanctum from the buzz, with 290 elegant rooms offering sophisticated design restraint and generously proportioned rooms in a city where real estate is at a premium. The independent Japanese-owned hotel