Kyoto Day 5

We visited the Nijo-Jo Castle which was the center of the Edo Shogunate from 1603 - 1867.  It is designated as a World Heritage Site.  

The wood carving over the door was very beautiful.

 We had to remove our shoes to tour the temple and no photos inside the palace were allowed.  

The screens that make up the walls of the temple painted gold as they were intended to impress visiting shogun.  China and Korea were major influences upon Japan as it became a country. Tigers, sacred in China and Korea, are painted on the assembly room walls.  They are meant to be intimidating.  The shogun greets his guests from a raised platform and beneath a raised ceiling.

In another room a female tiger nurses her three cubs and a leopard, who they believed was also her offspring.

The last shogun ceeded power to the Emperor thus ending the period and in a final act, committed ritual

Following the tour through the palace, we walked through the massive garden.  

We climbed a huge staircase to get a panoramic view of the complex.

uying it

On the way back to our hotel we stopped at a department store to look around.   They sold bicycles and there was a test track so that you could try a bike before buying it.

In the evening we attended a performance at the Gear Theater (Jerry found the recommendation on TripAdvisor).  No photos are allowed so we will try to describe one of the most extraordinary theater experiences we have ever seen.  We climbed four narrow flights of stairs in a 100-year-old building.  The entire 90 minute show was in mime.  The characters were robots working in a factory.  A box containing a doll shows up.  She comes “to life” and engages with the characters.  There is both humor and pathos.  There was juggling, magic, break dancing, and more.  After the performance we were allowed to take pictures of the stage.

 

The show used extraordinary lasers effects to accent the performance.  You can find a sample of the show on Youtube@geartheaterkyoto.