phlebas

Beijing in recent times have changed much from the old Beijing. There are construction projects everywhere and the night life is bustling with brightly lit shops and teenagers looking for the next big thing. But of course, the city on the whole retains the unmistakable aura of an ancient Chinese city. There are quite a few palace remains and tombs around, which might open the eyes of some people with very dim understanding of the magnitudes of these ancient civilizations. The newer constructions and people in rush hour (who mostly drive around in cars now) might also help some people understand the changes that are taking place in the present.

All in all, I found ancient sites merely interesting, while the modern backdrop and the people living in it provided much fascination and curiosity for me. I think the place is worth visiting at least once, if for the sake of understanding of international markets and their truths and facades.

My stay in Kyoto was a short but memorable one. Something you should know about Kyoto before going there is that this is a city with a lot of history. And the people living there know it. You are bound to run into some tourist attraction that does a good job of attracting but doesn’t do as well on satisfying, as you would on every famous place in the world including my home city of NYC.

With that out of the way, I must tell you that I’ve fallen in love with Kyoto. I did not pay much attention to the individual historical sites (although I still loved some of the museums and temples in the place). The one thing that gripped me the most was the atmosphere I felt while walking around the city. Far from bustle of Osaka or Tokyo, this city had distinct and persistent color and light, like a masterpiece of a painter. All the while I was there a faint and refreshing aroma of pine forest was in the air, calming my nerve and recalling some sort of distant nostalgia, from a city I’ve never before stayed in my life!

I still keep my memories of the place fondly, and the atmosphere and the air of the place is still very vivid in my mind. I hope anyone planning to visit Kyoto can have the same mystifying experience I had.

It’s a beautiful city. I especially loved all the museums and the Osaka Castle. The night scene is standard Japanese. It is quite interesting, but those who aren’t used to that sort of thing (bar-girls pulling at you to their bars or whatnot, or if you are a lady, bar-boys pulling at you to etc…) might take offense. Just like any Asian city the way they look at foreigners might not be so kind, but then I’ve run across plenty of people willing to go out of their way to help me, it’s life I guess.
An old man for some reason approached me and exlained to me the history of the Osaka castle, and I’ve never thought the place had such a rich background. Of course, he was talking in Japanese and I in English, but we basically understood each other, strangely enough. Even if you don’t speak a word of Japanese the places are international and helpful enough to get by without problem.

Oh, and the city is so clean! Years of living in New York city made me insensitive to what a infestated mess cities can be, but those Japanese cities certainly put my home to shame, at least in terms of cleanliness! (and Osaka’s not even a clean city by Japanese standards!)

One of the more culturally interesting sight was Osaka’s rush hour. People everywhere, and everyone, men, women, and children (but not the old folks :)) dressed in semi-identical black suits. Even during the night time it’s not hard to see dozens after dozens of ladies wearing the same thing that happen to be the fashion of the times. Well, at least most of them are dressed nicely.

If I have one complaint, it would be about the eateries in the city. While there are quite a few decent places in the city, try to avoid tourist attractions and surrounding restaurants. They are usually overpriced and generally not worth it. Be prepared to spend a fortune if you plan on dining out everynight. Though even corner convenience stores sell sushies in Osaka, for incredibly cheap price. (and don’t worry. They are safe. Just not as good as masterful hand-made sushies that cost a fortune!)