The Military and Guam

As fits the irony that defines much of Guam, the beach we discovered this weekend may now be threatened by the US military's plans to move much of the Marine base on Okinawa to Guam.  But, first some quick background.

Guamanians are fiercely loyal American citizens.  Their experience before and after World War II, when their tolerant paradise was turned into a virtual slave camp by the Japanese occupation, and the subsequent liberation by American troops, has led to Guam having the highest rate of voluntary military enlistment of any American state or protectorate.  The rate of enrollment is not just higher than any other state, it's almost twice as high.  Of course, part of this is driven by economics, but most of it is out of a true sense of loyalty.

But the relationship with the military bases on Guam has always been more complicated, beginning with the re-occupation of Guam in 1944.  Guam was retaken in July of 1944, and in December of that year, there were race riots between occupying white and black soldiers in Agana, resulting in multiple deaths.  This was shocking to the tolerant sensibilities of the Chamorro and other Guamanians.

After World War II, Guam became a key strategic asset for the American military, and Guam itself was, in effect, a military colony until 1950, when the Guam Organic Act passed Congress and Guam became an official unincorporated organized territory of the United States, and Guamanians became U.S. citizens.  But Guam's road to self-government was still dominated by the military as Guam's governor, until 1970, was actually appointed de facto by the military.  Not until 1970 was Guam allowed to elect its own governor.

And, although the footprint of the military on Guam has shrunk in the last 20 years, it has left behind issues of contaminated water, land, and air.  Guam's water supply is a typical example: the water provided by GovGuam's system conforms to all EPA standards.  But in the south of the island, much of the water is provided by the U.S. Navy's system and their water quality has often been frequently out of compliance with EPA standards.  Guam's rate of diseases tied to environmental contaminants (various cancers and chronic conditions) are significantly higher than on the mainland, and the incidents of these diseases increases in the areas closest to the military installations.  While this correlation by no means provides proof of causation, it is certainly a major concern for many Guamanians.

The U.S. military presence on Okinawa has been a political thorn in the side of the Japanese for many years.  Okinawa, unlike Micronesia, has always been ethnic Japanese, and the continuing presence of a major U.S. military installation on Okinawa has created significant problems in the Japanese-American political alliance.  Instances of rapes and even murders committed by U.S. military personnel on Okinawa have created terrific tension.

Over the past five years, the Japanese and American governments have negotiated a series of compromises that call for removing a significant portion of the U.S. military presence on Okinawa, and moving the Marine base there to Guam.  The initial plan, which called for relocating 8,000 Marines and 10,000 dependents from Okinawa, was scaled back because of serious public concern on Guam about the impact.  Infrastructure services on Guam are fragile to begin with; roads, power grid, sanitation, etc. move from financial crisis to environmental crisis too frequently.  The military does not provide adequate impact funding, and the additional pressure on island housing resources would likely drive up the already high cost of living on the island for non-military personnel.  And, promised impact funding from the military is ultimately up to Congress and Guam has much previous negative experience with Congress failing to keep funding promises.  Additionally, military personnel have access to the military PX system, which provides groceries and necessities to military personnel at significantly lower prices as the merchandise is not subject to Guam's GRT taxes.  Thus, a double whammy for Guam: no tax revenue from military personnel purchases, and no military purchase money entering the local economy.

Thus, the irony of the new plan, which endangers the most pristine wildlife refuge remaining on Guam.  And the military's history of stewardship of the Guam environment has been terrible;  from Wikipedia:

"In March 2009, the base (Anderson Air Force Base) announced that it would look into allegations by a whistleblower of environmental violations within the protected area of the base (Ritidian). The allegations include poaching, illegal trapping of coconut crabs and resale of trophy deer, and paving beaches and stripping vegetation used for nesting by endangered hawksbill turtles and green sea turtles.  Public Employees for Environmental REsponsibility (PEER)  stated that, "The Air Force program for protecting Guam's natural resources has utterly broken down." The Department of Defense Inspector General (DOD IG) determined that the Air Force responses to the PEER allegations adequately addressed the issues raised. Consequently, DoD IG determined further investigation was not warranted."

Note the results of the investigation: the Department of Defense is its own watchdog; no agency on Guam, or, for that matter, outside of the military (i.e., the EPA) has any authority over the Department of Defense.  Thus, Guamanians are understandably skeptical of the continued military stewardship of environmental resources.  And, thus, one of Guam's crown jewels of natural beauty is endangered.

Guam North

We discovered yesterday the Guam National Wildlife Refuge, Ritidian Beach, and Mt. Machanao.  This area, wedged in between the Northwest Field of Andersen Air Force Base and the ocean, is at the northern most tip of Guam and includes ancient ruins and petroglyphs (via walking trails), World War Two historic sites (a cave where US radiomen, smuggled onto the island before the US invasion, were hidden by the Chamorro who had escaped the Japanese), and the most beautiful beach we've seen so far on Guam, with warm, coral filled waters, pristine sand, and plenty of shade.  We'll be back to explore further when better equipped.

Above, approaching the beach, the wildlife refuge below, and Mt. Machanao on the right.

The beach, on a beautiful Saturday - probably about as crowded as it ever gets.  The beach is laid out almost like a campground - you can drive along a narrow dirt road that runs parallel to the beach and find evenly spaced parking spots with benches and sometimes tables in the shade.

A view of Mt. Machanao, from the beach parking area.  The mountains on the north of the island are not as high as the south; Machanao is about 600 feet high.  The southern mountains are much denser and twice as high.

We also made it to one of the top tourist attractions on Guam (which is all of five minutes from our apartment; go figure why it took us so long....): Two Lovers Point.  The legend goes...well, I don't have to explain - does every tropical island have a tall point where ill-fated lovers chose suicide rather than living apart?  Probably.

Above, looking south, with, well, two lovers in the foreground?  The area is a very popular wedding site, too, with plaques listing all the names of the hundreds of couples that have been married there, overwhelmingly Japanese.

The same view, looking south.  Ypao Point is in the foreground; south mountains in the background.

Looking north from Two Lovers Point.  The coastline becomes dominated by cliff faces.

Another view south.

The hotels lining Tumon Bay, from Two Lovers.

Guam History, Politics, Economics, and Culture

 

"Wow!  It's jammed here today; I wouldn't expect this mid-week, mid-day."

Grocery carts around us were piled with 40-pound bags of rice, groaning under the extreme weight.  Families, raucous children in tow, were stuffing their carts with staples and treats.  While the Pay-Less had some unusual specials (your choice of free Cornish Hens, or various snack foods if you spent over $100), it didn't seem enough to drive this customer onslaught.

"Wait, what day is it?"

"Tuesday?"

"No, day of the month?"

"The first."

"Didn't Margaret warn us about shopping on the first?"

Our friends Margaret and Jeff (Jeff, a Chamorro, with ancient roots on Guam has lived here his whole life; Margaret was an Air Force brat and had moved with her family to Guam when she was very young and stayed) had told us that the first was when food stamp credits were issued on the island and families, at the end of their monthly supplies, re-stocked their kitchens.

Almost 50,000 people on Guam receive food stamps, or close to one-third of the population.  This is a significantly higher percentage than even Mississippi (at around 22% of the population who receive food stamp benefits), the poorest state on the mainland.  But like much of Guam, there's another story if you look beneath the surface.  This story has to do with the Compact. 

The Compact is technically, "The Compacts of Free Association between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and Republic of Palau."  The federal law, passed in 1986, allows citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau to come to Guam without needing visas and to work, take advantage of public services, and collect government benefits, like food stamps.  Compared to most of the surrounding Pacific, Guam is the land of opportunity, and, even more importantly, United State federal government benefits, including minimum wage and labor laws, which do not apply elsewhere in Micronesia.  Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau all exist in a sort of political limbo under the United States Government umbrella: they have limited and complicated rights that aren't clearly defined and remain essentially autonomous protectorates, whereas Guam has official status, completely self-governed, and Guamanians are full US citizens and protected by federal law.  Sort of.  As you get to know Guam, you find quickly that there's a great deal of wiggle room on how you read which federal laws apply and when.

But that's a different thread; back to the Compact.  If you talk to the average employed Guamanian, the Compact is much to blame for the government's continuing debt, the high cost of housing on Guam, and low wages.   When Congress passed the Compact, there were provisions by which "Gov Guam" (as everyone calls the government here) would be reimbursed on an annual basis for the cost of providing benefits for these immigrants.  But very quickly, the federal government stopped providing full funding for the impact, or, at least according to Gov Guam, which compiles a legally mandated yearly report on these costs.

Gov Guam, which is the only tax collecting body on the island (no local school districts or other political entities have taxing authority), gets revenue from a strange hybrid system.  Citizens of Guam pay federal income taxes, but the money goes straight to Gov Guam, and Gov Guam is responsible for tax refunds, not the federal government.  Indicative of how government "works" on Guam is the way Guam got through the 2008 recession: by not issuing tax refunds.  In fact, only in the last 8 months or so has Gov Guam caught up on tax refunds.  (Gov Guam also has about $1 billion in long term bonded debt, although the actual amount is a subject of political controversy.)

Income tax funds about 50% of the general fund.  Additionally, Gov Guam assesses a "gross receipts tax" (the GRT), basically a tax on everything imported to the island (but, there's no sales tax in Guam - the GRT acts as a sort of "value added" tax.)  That accounts for about 40% of government revenue.  Then there are federal government grants and programs, the same that any state would be eligible for and with the same kind of criteria as well as the aforementioned Compact reimbursement program; that's the last 10%.  Guam also assesses a small property tax, although they don't do a particularly good job of collecting it.  And then there are dedicated taxes, i.e., gas taxes for roads; hotel taxes for tourism; etc.

Gov Guam has only one legislative body: it's senate, with 15 at large, elected representatives, who serve two-year terms.  Additionally, Guam has a full judicial system to administer its locally passed laws.  And, Guam has 19 villages (see map at the beginning of this post), ranging in population from under 2,000 to over 40,000 and each village (none of which have any taxation authority) has an elected Mayor and Vice Mayor who are full time, highly paid employees of Gov Guam, as are the elected senators of Guam.  The Mayors report to the Executive branch and have limited official powers, other than the ability to hire people to do park and "village" maintenance with funds coming from Gov Guam.  However, because of their ability to hire constituents into plum jobs, the mayors wield huge political (and, ergo, economic) power.  Gov Guam is the largest employer on Guam (now larger than the military) and the average pay for a Gov Guam employee is around twice the average pay of people employed in the private sector.  Gov Guam employees (which include public school employees) also receive full health, pension, and other benefits, which are extremely rare in the tourist driven private sector of the economy.

Nothing is ever as simple as it first appears on Guam.  On an island, in this part of the world, culture, politics, and economics are really all part of the same puzzle.  And, to better understand the puzzle (no solutions promised), you have to look at history, all the way back to ancient history.

Guam and the surrounding islands were settled originally around 4,000 years ago by the Chamorro, a stocky, seafaring group that probably migrated from the Malay Peninsula via outrigger boats (called "Proa.")  Chamorro society was highly organized and successful taking advantage of nature's bounty in the sea and the jungles.  It was also a rigid caste system with no movement among the three groups, and almost no interaction between the top caste and the lowest caste; the middle caste served as intermediaries.  You were born into power or not, and you stayed in power for generation after generation.

Even in ancient times, Chamorro society was formed into insular, well-organized villages, with the upper castes on the coast, closest to the abundant fishing grounds.  The Chamorro would mine the volcanic and coral limestone rock and create large, cone-shaped pillars that would narrow, and then widen to a circular platform called "Lattes."  These were used as cornerstones for the platforms that comprised Chamorro structures, found throughout Micronesia, and date back as far as 2000 years (from carbon dating.)

Magellan visited Guam, and was very impressed by the Chamorro Proas and how they sped across the water.  He named Guam "Islas de las Velas Latinas" ("Islands of the Lateen sails".) With its abundant resources and strategic position between their burgeoning colonies in the Philippines and Mexico, Spain realized the importance of Guam and claimed it for its crown.

In the mid-seventeenth century, Spain had perfected extending its global power through the Catholic Church.  Missionaries arrived on Guam and forced the Chamorro into a different village structure, each centered on a local church.  They tried to break down the caste system and install only Jesus (and the Spanish crown by divine extension) as the power to worship.  Chamorro social life already was organized around ritual feasts to celebrate family, social, and celestial events.  These celebrations, laden with food, were one of the key binders of their society.  The Spanish priests adapted to these traditions, bringing them into the village church settings, and dedicating them to Catholic saints.  As the Chamorro came to adopt Catholicism, these became Fiestas, and now are celebrated not just on saint's days, but also for births, marriages, birthdays, and funerals. 

Every weekend, driving around Guam, you see tents set up next to churches, in school parking lots, in clusters of village housing compounds.  Everyone is invited, including visiting strangers like us, in this case, after Silvia had met Margaret at work, to her best friend's niece's daughter's first birthday party.  We asked if we should bring food, but Margaret said no; just bring a small gift for the birthday girl.

We were asked to meet Margaret and her husband Jeff at the entrance to Macy's, at the Micronesia Mall, Guam's biggest, at 6PM.  It was late Saturday afternoon and the parking lot was jammed and the mall car lanes were filled with the various private buses catering to the oriental tourist trade; shopping is serious entertainment on Guam.  We had offered to meet them directly at the Fiesta, but Margaret said we'd never find it on our own, and she was right.

About half an hour late, Margaret and Jeff met us at the appointed spot with their sweet, beautiful, one-year old grandson, Damian, in tow.  Jeff, a stout, always smiling, gregarious retired fireman extended a strong handshake and we were off to the countryside.

We headed north to one of Guam's rural villages, Yigo (pronounced "jee-go".)  North Guam is dominated by Anderson Air Force Base, the US's largest Air Force base in the Pacific.  But the land adjacent to the borders of the base is covered with modest concrete block residences on narrow broken asphalt roads.  We threaded our way through heavy traffic following Jeff and Margaret into a warren of dark side streets.  On the way, we passed at least two other fiestas, tents standing awaiting the celebrants.

Even though we were relatively early for the party, the street was already filled with parked cars.  Jeff motioned us to park even further off the road as it was Saturday night, and as the evening wore on, many drivers with impaired navigation skills would likely be weaving down the narrow lane.

A short walk took us to a driveway, slightly wider than a path, that led to three small houses with an open space divided into 3 areas covered by tents around a middle space with long, portable tables.  A DJ played under one tent where coolers filled with beer, soft drinks and water sat.  Another tent covered an area where a photographer had set up with costumes and a backdrop.  The third covered area had rows of folding chairs set up facing the middle area.

We were greeted warmly and introduced to the mother and her birthday daughter, and chatted amiably with the baby's grandmother and great grandmother.  Guests were arriving, over 100 people before the evening was over, many bringing covered dishes to the central table which quickly filled to overflowing with homemade Chamorro food (red rice, fried rice, white rice, barbeque chicken and pork, mixed vegetables, fried fish, marinated fish, marinated chicken, fried chicken, salads, and a specially prepared suckling pig.)  The DJ played popular tunes, with a nice mix of Reggae, Motown, and more recent artists.  Babies (including the friendly and sweet Damien) sat on laps and were passed around when fussy; older children roamed in noisy packs and took turns dressing up and having their pictures taken.  A short prayer was recited and people lined up on both sides of the table to fill up their plates; several times.  A large bakery birthday cake (chocolate, of course) supplemented home-made sweets on a separate dessert table, which was invaded after a rendition of "Happy Birthday", followed by a verse of the same tune with "May the Good Lord Bless You" lyrics, the same as we'd always sung with Silvia's Catholic family on birthdays.

The mix of people reflected Guam's beautiful diversity: Filipino, Chamorro, Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese, Mainlanders, African American.  We weren't the only "friends of friends", and the hosts treated everyone as honored guests.  You could almost sense the lineage of this tradition, its ancient roots, its more recent adaptation to Catholic culture.  We felt truly part of Guam.

We could not leave without first helping ourselves to plates full of the remaining food.  Refrigeration is limited on Guam, and even the 3 or 4 families that were sponsoring the fiesta would not have room to store the mountainous leftovers; thus everyone as a matter of course filled plates with their top choices and covered them with the provided foil.  And, in ancient time, there was no refrigeration, so this tradition likely stretched back to the original Chamorro.  We ate well for the next few days.

And food is central to island culture; whenever there is a gathering, there is ample food, often heavily fried.  This is reflected in public health statistics, unfortunately, as Guam has the third highest rate of diabetes of any American state or protectorate, right behind two other island cultures: Samoa and Hawaii.  Some of this is genetic disposition, as Asians and Pacific Islanders have hereditarily higher rates of diabetes, but Guam's public health problems aren't limited to diabetes.  Life expectancy on Guam, at around 76 years, while significantly higher than Micronesia, Samoa, and the Philippines, is lower than on the mainland, and even lower than Puerto Rico.  If Guam were a state, it would rank around 45th in life expectancy.

But quality of life isn't just about public health and life expectancy; it's about strong social ties and sense of place and being.  Guamanians, not just Chamorro, place high value on family and social connections, as well as acceptance of others.  Gifts of money and tokens of gratitude are commonplace at major family milestones: births, marriages, and deaths.  Traditional Chamorro culture, with its roots in rigid social structures, required a careful "bookkeeping" of such gifts from family to family and a precise reciprocality.  While this preciseness is quickly disappearing from modern Guam culture, the monetary gift tradition is still quite strong.

Guam family life has also traditionally been matrilineal.  The brother of the mother is often the key father figure for the children; aunts and uncles often are as important and revered as parents.

And, as with the Philippines, family is also the source of power and influence on Guam.  Perhaps the tradition is a direct descendent of the ancient rigid caste structure of Guam; regardless, Guamanians know well the powerful family names: Camacho, Cruz, Calvo, Flores among others.  They are over-represented in every aspect of Guam political and economic life and command allegiance through a familiar system of favors and nepotism.  For someone like myself who grew up in and around Chicago, this system is quite familiar.

Guam struggles with social problems, some the makings of an often indifferent government (abandoned buildings left to rot; feral dogs, descendents of World War II army beagles and shepherds roam everywhere; litter and graffiti; serious problems with invasive plants and animals; recycling is virtually non-existent; on a tropical island with abundant sun and wind, there is virtually no solar or wind energy generation except for a few individual residences; etc.); other problems are more a direct result of low wages, poor quality schools, expensive cost of living, and heavy alcohol and drug use.  Rape, especially, has become a serious problem.  Prostitution is tolerated, often with police looking the other way, perhaps in return for payoffs or other favors.  A recent scandal, in which police acted as enforcers to keep forced labor prostitutes in line, ended up with several high profile police officer convictions and long sentences.  The main tourist area is lined with massage parlors and strip clubs that are heavily patronized by Japanese tourists and the military.

But for the average middle class resident or tourist, Guam is extremely benign.  There are occasional tourists victims of purse snatchings and any belongings left in an unlocked car, or too long in a locked car if visible, are likely to disappear.  And, although there was a notorious incident three years ago during which a local, mentally ill man went berserk and killed 3 innocent tourists with a knife, violent crime against tourists and middle class residents is pretty much unheard of.  By far the biggest danger for tourists is the ocean: swimming beyond the reef can be extremely dangerous, and drownings are not uncommon, although the victims are usually locals who are drunk and should know better, not tourists.

Sitting here, viewing out my office window at Tumon Bay, large puffy clouds, high-rise hotels, and verdant hills framing the bay, I find myself loving Guam.  I guess I could complain about the monotony of the weather (never cold, a bit hot during the day; trade winds usually blowing; tropical rains occasionally giving us a quick drenching), but no one would care and would be irritated at my lack of appreciation for never having to think what jacket to wear outside.  (The toughest decision is bring the umbrella or not; usually yes; and, will the inside of where we are going be over-air-conditioned?)

Above all, Guam's natural beauty is stunning and her people among the most interesting, diverse, charming, and accepting in the world.  And, it's not just a surface friendliness - perhaps it's a product of island culture, where natives don't have much opportunity to leave (although there is a significant Chamorro Diaspora on the mainland, especially on the West Coast), but Guamanians are truly interested in visitors and if you move here, you are quickly embraced regardless of your background or culture.  Even after only one or two visits, staff at the restaurants we frequent remember us, even our names, and it's not good training - even the best restaurant on the island, Proa, has a hard time getting everyone's food to the table at the same time.  You adjust to and learn to appreciate "island time": how can you be in a rush when there's so much natural beauty, good food, and so many people with interesting stories all around you?  The answer is simple: you can't be in a hurry, not if you want to enjoy the trip.  And, isn't that what it's all about, experiencing the journey?  Puzzle solved, I guess.

Kyoto Part 2

We felt like veterans getting our train tickets to Kyoto and finding our reserved seats on the train (after only one day in Japan.)  That is, until we arrived in Kyoto station.

The mad dash of commuters and tourists around us made us feel like we were moving in slow motion.  The building was overwhelming, the size of a large airport terminal, but much more confusing in its multi-purpose intent.

We had been advised to take the all reserved Bullet Train from Kyoto to Osaka airport: a quick, 30 minute ride; and to buy our ticket in advance.  Since we knew that most of the places of interest to us in Kyoto were not near the train station, we thought it best to buy our tickets immediately.  We also knew we needed a better map than the ones I'd printed out from Google Maps.

We decided to first find the English language tourist help center, something we had the opportunity to do at Osaka Airport and regretted not doing.  Elbowing our way (politely, as the Japanese do) to the second floor location, we could barely get into the small tourist office.  The line to actually get help was way too long for consideration, so we browsed the brochures looking for any kind of decent map.  No luck.

So, to the ticket office, which we had thought we had seen back on the first floor.  Signage wasn't clear, it was mainly machines, and once again, the ticket agent didn't understand English very well.

"Bullet Train?"

"Yes, yes, ticket here."

"Schedule?"

She wrote down the numbers and it seemed a much longer trip than we had expected, 90 minutes, not 30 minutes.

"Fast train?"

"Yes, yes, ticket here."

We got the tickets, they were reserved seats.  But we found out later we had bought tickets for the "Haruka Train", not the fast train.  But it didn't matter.

There was no way, with the rain having moved back in, that we were going to try to walk to Tamahan, our Ryokan.  We found the taxi line instead, which was long, but moved fast.  I pulled my printed Google maps out, knowing that the taxi driver was unlikely to speak English and would also not likely know exactly where our very small Ryokan was situated.

The driver was polite and patient.  He studied my maps for a while, looking puzzled, but after exchanged gestures, he pulled out confidently and we began our journey on the wet streets of Kyoto.

Traffic was heavy in spots, but our driver maneuvered expertly, finding well worn short cuts as necessary - narrow streets that looked like they should have been pedestrian only, but were filled with lines of taxis taking the same route.  We found ourselves on a beautiful old narrow street, filled with people, lined with stylish shops, and a fantastic gate to one of the shrine complexes just in front of us.  We looked around for some sign of our Ryokan, but couldn't see anything obvious.  Our driver requested one of our maps again and got out to question anyone on the street who might know exactly where was our Tamahan.

He returned and took off confidently.  We soon found ourselves on a similar narrow street and this time we spotted the sign for Tamahan before our driver did and gestured him urgently to pull over.  We got out, pointed to the sign, retrieved our luggage, and paid our fare: less than $20, even with the heavy traffic and the time spent lost. 

Below - one of two entrances to Tamahan at night:

Once again, we were early and wet.  We entered the narrow alley leading to the courtyard and immediately were transported to a different world.  Seeing the shoes before the stone threshold, we knew to take ours off before entering and extending our greeting, "Konichiwa!"

We were met immediately by our gracious hostess who spoke enough English to communicate to us clearly.  We acknowledged we were early for the requisite 3PM check-in and, although we asked only to leave our bags, she politely led us to our room and allowed us to settle in.

The warmth of the woven mats on the floor, the paper screens, the elegant woodwork, and expansive views of the meticulous rock, tree, and water garden put us immediately at ease.  There was one small table and two chairs to sit at, but otherwise, one sits, eats, and sleeps on the floor.  Two of the paper screens hid closets, one for hanging clothes, the other held our futons and bedding, which would be prepared for us after our Kaiseki dinner. 

Below, one of the seven courses from our dinner.  The picture just can't do justice to the food:

 Parts of our room at Tamahan - note the garden in the background: 

We asked our hostess if she could provide us with a map of the surrounding area so we could plan our afternoon excursion and she did even better: she gave us a book that a previous guest had left, the magnificent "Kyoto: 29 Walks in Japan's Ancient Capital", by John H. Martin and Phyllis G. Martin (publisher: Tuttle, 2010), which included a detailed map in the back.  The next day, when we checked out, when we tried to return the book, our hostess insisted we keep it.  It proved a valuable companion for the rest of our trip to Kyoto and we HIGHLY recommend buying this book if you are planning a visit to Kyoto.  It covers all the key shrines and history in detail as well as providing an excellent approach to exploring Kyoto.  It does NOT provide either hotel or dining advice, but that's easily found from other sources.  One of the key sources for us, was a terrific website that provides great food and lodging advice, as well as suggested tours and more information about Kyoto than I could ever put in a blog.  I would use this website rather than Trip Advisor for hotel suggestions:

http://www.insidekyoto.com/

I will not attempt to do in this blog what the guidebook and the above website do much better: provide a comprehensive overview of Kyoto and its world heritage sites.  Instead, to give a general impression, I will quote from the back cover of the Martins' book:

"Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital and modern-day center of tourism and traditional culture, is one of the world's most beautiful and historic cities.  Founded nearly 1,300 years ago and undamaged by war, Kyoto today is the home of over 1,600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines, countless national treasures and 17 World Heritage sites....

"To experience the essence of Kyoto, you must walk its avenues and streets, its alleys and byways.  Only in this way can you appreciate the true spirit of the place - it's quiet lanes and bustling main thoroughfares, and the juxtaposition of traditional and modern houses and shops, serene gardens and holy temples and shrines."

The streetscape of Kyoto, on the surface, feels like a dense, modern Japanese metropolis.  Except, as you wander, perhaps in a quiet, modern, business district, you might suddenly find yourself at the gate of an ancient castle complex, or outside the high wall of an unknown Shinto or Buddhist shrine.  Main thoroughfares lead to narrow pedestrian streets (often with cars impossibly trying to squeeze by), or long, covered streets lit brightly at night, lined with curious shops (such as one shop where you pay 1000 Yen, or $10, to get a bubble tea and sit in a room full of cats and pet them for half an hour), galleries, restaurants, bars, gentlemen clubs, not just on the ground floor, but often vertically four or five or six stories.  The main part of Kyoto sits on a flat plain between two ranges of low mountains where many of the most beautiful shrines and gardens lie.  On the east side, the streets become narrow, steep, granite surfaced pedestrian ways lined with green tea ice cream shops, ceramics shops, shops with hand painted paper fans, and other classic souvenir stores.  Tearooms and noodle shops often sit behind hidden courtyards or above busy stores. 

At one such upstairs noodle shop, we took the elevator at lunch to the crowded waiting area and were seated politely after only a ten-minute wait.  The picture menu (an English version available because we were in a main tourist area) made the food look delicious, and it was.  But we sat patiently waiting for wait staff to attend to us and were puzzled as table after table, many seated after us, had their orders taken and food quickly presented. 

"Do you think they are discriminating against us, because we're the only westerners in here?"

"No, that can't be; and we're not the only westerners."

"But the others are with Japanese friends."

Finally, we caught the waiter's attention and he came over puzzled.  We indicated the menu and pointed to what we wanted and he, in turn, indicated the buzzer on the table that we were supposed to push when we were ready to order!  A lesson learned, that we were able to apply at other restaurants later in the visit. 

(Press the button, silly tourist!)

Some practical advice for Kyoto:

·      Wear good walking shoes and prepare to walk and walk and walk.  I'm a runner, and in good shape, but the street surfaces are hard and the paths in and around the temples are often steep and uneven.  We walked a good five or six miles every day and I felt it at night.  Luckily, our hotel had a wonderful soaking tub and I used it every night.

·      Get a good map and study, study, study!  Kyoto is a great city to get lost in, and it's general geography is quite easy with a river dividing the east and west halves of the city and wide, well marked, grid like boulevards.  But finding specific addresses, restaurants, and shops is a challenge without careful pre-planning; actually, even with careful pre-planning!

·      If and when you get lost and/or tired, taxicabs are plentiful, reliable, and very inexpensive.  However, most cab drivers don't speak English, so if you have something written with your intended destination, give it to the driver.  For instance, we always kept the little folder with our hotel key, which had the hotel name and location in both English and Japanese, with us.  Thus, we could just hand that to the driver to get back to our hotel.

·      Speaking of hotels, Kyoto has several beautiful Ryokans like Tamahan, but they are expensive and usually include dinner and breakfast, and there are so many good culinary options in Kyoto, that I recommend staying just one night in one for the experience.  Frankly, sleeping on a futon on the floor is fine when you're in college and for one night, but for, ah, older travelers like myself, one night is plenty.  The other two types of hotels in Kyoto are "Japanese Boutique" hotels, and western chains.  The western hotels tend to be filled with conventions and/or businessmen and generally have small bathrooms.  The boutique hotels are not fancy, but they are very comfortable, with spacious bathrooms (ours had two showers and a soaking tub; in Japan, you wash in one of the showers before getting into the tub - bathtubs are not for washing) and very helpful and attentive staff.  I would highly, highly recommend our hotel, the Hotel Sunline Kyoto Gion Shijo, which was perfectly located in the midst of the Gion district, the most pedestrian friendly area of Kyoto, and easy walking distance to many of the most impressive shrines.  Below, the view from our sixth floor hotel window - we were very lucky - not all the rooms had views.

·      Go out at night.  The streets are lined with lanterns, many shops, restaurants, and shrines are open, and the nightlife areas near the river are impressive.  The Japanese are not uncomfortable with gentlemen's clubs that cater to many, ah, habits of gentlemen.  They are mixed in with jazz clubs, elegant restaurants, bars, all you can eat shabu-shabu places (sort of Japanese fondue), and strange shops.

·      Toilets are varied and interesting in Japan.  You will find in most hotels and upper end restaurants, bidet toilet seats that wash you - but the controls aren't in English usually, so prepare to experiment.  Public washrooms are sometimes stoop-type toilets and rarely have towels to dry your hands and often don't have toilet paper: you either buy some or bring your own.  The Japanese usually also travel with a small cloth towel to dry their hands after washing.  In general, Japanese public toilets, although often spartan, are also usually quite clean.

I will at this point, let the pictures do my talking.  I'll caption as best I can, but please forgive mistakes in advance.  We covered a great deal of ground in four days, and, although we got to almost all of our top choice destinations, there would be plenty to see and eat on a second trip.  Also, Kyoto is nothing short of spectacular when in full blossom and we were definitely a couple of weeks early, although the third week in March could have been peak blossom; just not this year.

Kyoto is filled with artists, some traditional, some, well, maybe a bit eccentric?

Only in Japan - how convenient.  We had been warned that Japanese were heavy smokers and drinkers, but, truthfully, at least in Kyoto, where we hung out, the scene seemed pretty moderate.  As in the US, more young people than old people smoked.  And, Japan hasn't yet embraced the idea of no-smoking in restaurants.

A typical view on the narrow streets up the hills on the east side.  The neighborhoods around the west side shrines are quieter, with fewer shops and tourist areas.  However, we did find a beautiful artist's shop selling wood block prints at very reasonable prices on the west side.

Flower arranging is still an art form in Japan.  This is from a contest where all of the entries were lit at night and the lighting was part of the judging for the competition.

Young Geishas, probably in training.

Giant bronze bells are part of most of the major Buddhist shrines.  Ringing them is meant to get Buddha's attention so that he will listen to your prayers.

A light fixture in one of the smaller Buddhist retreats we visited.  Frank Lloyd Wright was greatly influenced by Japanese design and art.  Here, you can see the direct connection to Wright's Prairie School style.

Sanjusangen-do - this is a MUST destination for a visit to Kyoto.  Inside, where no photos are allowed (and I followed the rules for a change), are 1000 intricately carved golden wooden guardians (yes, 1000) surrounding Buddha.  It is mind-boggling.  Here is a picture of the statues, not taken by me, that a friend found on the internet:

The dragon ceiling, done in modern times, in the Chinese style, at one of the ancient shrines.

Sacred waters.  Almost all Buddhist shrines have sacred waters for ritual cleansing and drinking.  At the main shrines, the line can be quite long to partake.

Nijugo, one of many fabulous Zen gardens in Kyoto; this one, modeled after a very famous painting - see the second photo for a full explanation.  By the way, explanatory signage in English is not all that common at many of the shrines, thus the Kyoto guidebook we recommend is essential.

Shohogi (I think?)

The massive San-Mon Gate to the Chion-in Temple.  This gate is also beautifully lit at night.

The Golden Pavilion.  This is actually a fairly recent reconstruction of an ancient pavilion, in a spectacular, original setting.

An ancient, hand painted screen.  These are common in ceremonial and reception rooms in the temples, as are Zen gardens.

The Philosopher's path, a great walking path near the Silver Temple lined with expensive houses and inexpensive, interesting shops and small eateries. 

A modern house, with a traditional entrance, on the path.  The rumor is that David Bowie lived or lives in Kyoto - maybe this is his house?

Zen gardens.  The last two at one of the best, where you can't see all 13 stones in the garden at once.  But it's well worth sitting and contemplating for a long time.  Peace, peaceful....