Reflecting on Kyoto
As I have expressed aloud many times these past two weeks, I will say it again in writing… Japan has been my favorite country I have traveled to thus far. My love for Japan has pleasantly surprised my friends, family, as well as myself, even after spending so much time in Singapore, Malaysia, and of course my home in the States. Kyoto is much a part of this reasoning.
Since arriving in our Kyoto guest house, SEAS has been continually greeted with cordiality by shop keepers, tour guides, waiters, student assistants, strangers on the street, etc. This hospitality has been integral to the group’s enjoyment as we have explored Kyoto’s many venues, such as the arcade within Teramachi Street, the Kamo River, the many shrines and temples, museums, and other venues of memorialization. Aside from the arcades, food kiosks, and trinket shops that help characterize Kyoto, it is Kyoto’s countless number of shrines and temples that separate it from other cities in Japan. Kyoto was the political and cultural capital of Japan for more than a thousand years. Throughout the period, monumentalism became a virtually apparent trait of this great historical city. This evidence of monumentalism, apparent through the shrines and temples than adorn the city, reflects upon the lives, status, and influence of many Kyoto’s many rulers. During its time serving as Japan’s capital in the pre-modern era, Kyoto was established for the purpose as an inert venue of imperial government and ritual, a place to accommodate the lives of emperors and elite officials, leaving little room for anyone else. According to Stavros, “These and other ideals made Kyoto and its architecture powerful symbols and constant reminders of the authority of the state and power” (Stavros, XVII). As much organization and control the many powers and shoguns of Kyoto tried to implement into creating a city of defined order and hierarchy, this this left crippling effects. Rather than establishing order or unify Kyoto politically, this construction or “material manifestation” led to even greater degrees of political and urban fragmentation. Premodern Kyoto, for all of its cultural brilliance, was a dangerous, unfitted, dirty place to live. “Fires frequently wiped out large portions of the cityscape, and civil strife was common. The many famous temples and shrines so celebrated today were poorly maintained, ad the Kamo River was notoriously strewn with rubbish and rotting corpses” (Stavros, 184).
However, this turmoil has faded from Kyoto as time has passed on. Kyoto’s countless shrines and temples stand as beautiful monuments, rich with Japanese history and traditions. Kyoto currently contains seventeen UNESCO world heritage sites, drawing tourists and scholars from all around the world, targeting the city as one of the number one tourist populated sites in Japan. According to Stavros, “Aggressive preservation campaigns have stemmed the tide of… destruction, inspiring a trend to convert many into fashionable shops and restaurants. Even the built-up commercial areas have beacon to take on more of a ‘traditional’ appearance as new laws ban the construction of high-rises and the use if bright cities and gaudy signs’” (Stavros, 184). This has been visually present in my eyes as well. Although less of an urban jungle like the great economic cities, such as Singapore and New York, Kyoto today is more beautiful than it ever has been. In Stavros’s words, “It is truly one of the world’s great historical cities” (Stavros, 184).
Citation
Stavros, Matthew. “Kyoto: An Urban History of Japan’s Pre-Modern Capital”. Honolulu: Univeristy of Hawai’i Press, 2014. Print.
I truly agree with your idea that the things have changed drastically since the past. It’s really remarkable how much it has changed from the dangerous city it was to, like you said, one of the most culturally rich countries in Japan, and possibly in the world. The most amazing part for me is that we got to see this cultural hub through our own eyes, which made the experience and the area that much more real.
