Thursday, July 26, 2012

Arigato, Japonia! 44. Uji / Arigato, Japan! 44. Uji

Uji, a little town with 190000 inhabitants, is to be found between two imperial towns: Nara and Kyoto. I was there together with my blogger fellow Kumiko, from Yoshino.

Uji is a place where the tradition meets modernism. It is well known for the tea cultivated in this area, but also as being the scene where the last part of the oldest and longest novel - The Tales of Genji - took place. A special museum was organised, on 1998, to present this story. Statues representing the heroes and the writer are scattered in town.


Byodo-in Temple and Ujigami Shrine, both UNESCO protected, attract many tourists, and so do the other temples. Uji is a place where nobility choose to erect their vacation residences.

The river Uji crosses the town, and hills are all around. The blooming cherry trees along the river make this place a nice promenade. I even encountered a coffee shop bearing my name, Adriana! The owner, who traveled in Europe, especially in Italy, seems to like this name.

 Uji, un orasel cu 190000 de locuitori, asezat in calea istoriei intre doua orase imperiale: Kyoto si Nara, are destule lucruri de oferit turistilor. Am fost acolo impreuna cu Kumiko, bloggerita din Yoshino.

In primul rand e un oras vechi in care strazile traditionale coexista cu cele moderne.
In al doilea rand, Uji este vestit pentru ceaiul cultivat in zona. De aceea, pe straduta care duce la Templul Byodo-in, gasesti - alaturi de magazinele de suveniruri - si o gramada unde se vinde si se degusta ceaiul.
 cutii pentru ceai
 ceainarie
In al treilea rand, aici se petrece actiunea ultimei parti a celui mai vechi si lung roman, "Povestirile lui Genji" (Genji's Tales), apartinand scriitoarei Murasaki Shikibu. De aceea, orasul a dedicat romanului un muzeu, inaugurat in 1998. In interior, ilustrarea romanului se impleteste cu cea a prezentarii vietii nobilimii in perioada Edo. Prezentarea audio-video este doar in limba japoneza. In oras, sunt mai multe statui, reprezentand eroii romanului.
 Muzeul Tales of Genji
In al patrulea rand, in oras se afla doua monumente UNESCO, Templul Byodo-in si Altarul Ujigami. Despre primul, voi scrie in postarea urmatoare. Uji, fiind o zona in care nobilimea isi construia case de vacanta, in imprejurimi au aparut si numeroase alte temple.

Ordinea de prezentare a atractiilor orasului este aleatorie, dar reprezinta si zig-zagul nostru prin Uji.

Peisajul frumos este intregit de raul Uji, traversat de mai multe poduri. De-a lungul sau, printre ciresii in floare, oamenii au iesit sa se plimbe, atrasi de vremea frumoasa.
Cautand muzeul, am ajuns intr-un cartier frumos, de vile, una mai frumoasa ca alta (pentru cei care gusta acest stil).
Aici am avut surpriza sa vad o cafenea care imi purta numele - Adriana. Mi-am exprimat fata de o doamna care trebaluia pe acolo mirarea - prin intermediul lui Kumiko - si dansa l-a chemat pe proprietar. Ne-a povestit ca a calatorit in Europa si mai ales in Italia, unde a intalnit acest nume, care i-a placut mult. Cand si-a deschis cafeneaua, i-a dat acest nume. Era si el uimit ca a gasit, in Japonia, pe cineva care purta acest nume. E una din micile intamplari care apar intr-o calatorie.
 impreuna cu proprietarul cafenelei
cafeneaua se afla pe malul raului Uji
Dupa ce am vizitat si Byodo-in ne-am grabit spre gara, de unde in 20-25 minute se ajunge cu trenul la Kyoto.
 tineri in mijloacele de transport in comun

15 comments:

VP said...

A nice mix of quite different and interesting images!

Traveling Hawk said...

Thanks, VP!

Helma said...

Again a very versatile blog Traveling Hawk, again with many beautiful photos. I read that you were there ALONG with a fellow blogger and that is always fun. Now I understand why you have captured that wonderful tea caddies Uji is famous because of the tea. I loved your photos and your story there.

Warmest regards, Helma

Traveling Hawk said...

Thank you very much, Helma, for the nice words!

Randy said...

Nice series of shots. I like that sculpture.

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

I sure like the opportunity to run around on streets of Japan !

Traveling Hawk said...

Thanks, Randy! I don't know what represents that statue, as it was no explanation there.

Traveling Hawk said...

Thank you, Wong!

ruma said...

Hello, Traveling Hawk.

  Your exquisite work leads my impression.
  The passion for the art.  It is universal.

  Thank you visit to my garden.
  The prayer for all peace.

Have a good weekend. From Japan, ruma❃

Traveling Hawk said...

Thank you, ruma, for your visit here!

Rama Ananth said...

It is always a pleasure to come here, as I can feast on some of the most beautiful pictures of different parts of the world.
It gives an opportunity for people like me to see these places through the pictures and articles written by you.

Traveling Hawk said...

Thanks, rama, for the considerate words!

Piipsy said...

Nice work!

Traveling Hawk said...

Welcome, Piipsy! Thanks for the comment.

Traveling Hawk said...
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