Changing Times

We went back to central Japan, to Kanazawa. Once a rich and artistically influenced castle town, today it is both traditional and modern. Some cultural backgrounds drove us here....the myths of samurais and geishas! In Kanazawa, we had the opportunity to dive into these past times. We were allowed to take a look into the living room of a samurai and get an idea of what geishas actually do. Well, what can we say....at home they seemed to prefer it a bit more "sparse". Simple and plain. Did they lounge around on the tatami floor all day long?? 😉 Hm...in any case, they did it with style and a certain aesthetic! - You have to give them that!

No, samurais were of course called to higher things and are still the great heroes of the nation. A geisha lived in a geisha community, right in the "entertainment district". But "entertainment" doesn't always mean just "the one thing". Embarrassed, we had to listen to an American guest asking the Japanese receptionist: "Did geishas work on the street??" The poor woman didn't know how to react! ....So...geishas are neither prostitutes nor do they work on the streets!...Well, the American....but what can you expect from someone who unfortunately mostly has no clue about his own culture and history...(...evil...but it had to be said!)

Geishas are simply entertainers. They preserve the traditional Japanese arts and go through a tough school, which used to start in childhood. They master various musical instruments, dances, singing, and the art of calligraphy. Their movement is always graceful and elegant, their conversation is witty and fluent. There are not many real geishas left today, even though you can still come across some ladies in kimonos in certain streets. However, the "real" ones truly stand out with their grace. The chance of encountering them is very small, unless you have the money to attend a typical Japanese tea ceremony, which was and still is very expensive and exclusive.

The profession may no longer be contemporary, but the garment "kimono" is still very popular! These wonderfully colorful garments are still displayed in abundance, used as wedding attire, or simply popular "dressing-up outfits" for any selfies in the world 😉 ...Kanazawa's Japanese garden seemed to be a preferred place for this form of self-presentation. A wonderfully green spot with a love for order!

In addition to this beautiful garden, there was also a small day trip to the vicinity of the Japanese Alps....by local train, which was quite nice but honestly a bit unspectacular. A visit to the 21st century art museum was almost as interesting...where one often had to ask the "Is-this-art-or-can-it-be-removed" question! ...Well...whatever...in the end, even with such activities, you can still find something exciting...like the paintings by Ikeda Manabu (you have to google it, photography was not allowed)....and a walk-in pool 😊