Kyoto and TV Pt 2

Kyoto was just as spectacular the second time around, I've never seen a city like it. The heart of Kyoto is unremarkably urban. But a short bus ride can take you to so many fascinating places. Kinkakuji with its shining goldleaf walls stands in sharp contrast to ginkakuji. Ginkakuji is accidentally wabi sabi. It was intended to be the silver version of kinkakuji. . . but they ran out of money. It's almost funny, but the mountain views and incredible works in sand is enough to stop your mirth. Ryoanji has a very odd Zen garden, with 15 rocks that can't all be seen at once. No matter what angle you set yourself at, you can only see 14. . . contemplate this, my dedicated readers.

Japanese television continues to be mind-numbingly boring, but we managed to find a few gems hidden within the um. . . excrement. The first was a pretty funny comedy show called The God of Entertainment; short performances by all the major Japanese comedians. The only ones of real note to Bunny and I are Kojima Yoshio and these physical comedians who might be known as the Ninja (we were unable to read their names). Kojima. . . well I could describe him but you wouldn't understand. http://youtube.com/watch?v=H49FapieZ1I Just click the link. The Ninja were extremely gifted at physical comedy, doing short jokes such as sumo wrestlers on trampolines and the dangers of falling asleep in a car.

Similarly interesting was a cowboy play that we saw on television the other night. We tuned in around a duel that was an obvious rip off of For a Few Dollars More. They had the music from the watch playing and they drew when it ended. But the duel was between two heroes, and rather than shoot each other they shot the bad guys standing nearby. After this was the resurrection of some character who we think was assumed shot to death earlier in the play but turned out to be faking it. He was scary. Not in any normal way but. . . he was a Japanese Kevin Klein. Now I want to make this clear, it wasn't like he was the Japanese equivalent of Kevin Klein but more like a clone given some Japanese DNA. Imagine Kevin Klein in any comedy. He has very distinctive way of gesturing and talking. This guy not only looked like a Japanese Kevin Klein but had all of his mannerisms. It was scary enough to have Bunny and I in stitches watching him. Japanese television is proof that enough monkeys at a typewriter will eventually produce something watchable, if not intentionally entertaining.