Kyoto. What a trip. I squeezed this vacation in when booking tickets for my Christmas trip, almost as an afterthought, and went alone for Lunar New Year. I can say I came back broke and happy. What a dreamy place. The most unexpected part of Kyoto was how it had become a bit of a bustling tourist spot at some point, and now that architecture is left there, leaving an odd vintage 60s feel mixed with the 200 year old streets, mixed with the temples.
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200 year old streets in Kyoto
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Tradition is heavy there, and although I didn't find much in the way of nightlife (or at least affordable night life), Kyoto is an excellent introduction to Japan. It's history blends seamlessly into what Kyoto is today, and I'm glad I took the time (and money) to go experience everything it had to offer.
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| Airplane Food |
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| Fully stocked fridge in the hostel. That's what I call service. |
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| Oh............ well, okay. |
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| You the BOSS, Tommy Lee Jones. I'll buy your drink. |
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| Shijo Street with the Yasaka Shrine in the distance. |
YASAKA SHRINE
I spent a lot of time here, seeing as it was just steps from my front door. I spent some time drawing the grounds and relaxing with a coffee before setting off on my daily treks. It wasn't one of the most amazing temples, but it was one of the most pleasant and relaxing, I found.
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| Yasaka Shrine |
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| A purification fountain. You're meant to fill a ladle with water and rinse both your hands and mouth before approaching the shrine. |
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| Omikuji are fortune telling paper slips found at many shrines. They contain predictions of luck, and tying them to a tree's branch will help avert bad luck or affirm good luck. |
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| The grounds of the shrine are very quiet, despite the bustling of people and cars just beyond the entrance. |
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| At the Yasaka Shrine: octopus balls for sale. |
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| A woman praying shortly after ringing the bells via the long ropes with tassles. You can see the brass bells above; the sound is similar to a tin can rattling around in a big, cheap, cooking pot. They are used to get the Kami's attention (the Shinto gods) before praying. |
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| A wedding was being photographed while I was there. I assume these women were family of the bride or groom. |
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| My Japanese buddies... the guy on the far left was staying in my hostel. They're all musicians, and I came out of our meeting with a few new CDs ^^. |
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These horses were in one of the structures behind chicken wire. They couldn't be seen from the outside, so I poked my camera lens through a hole and snapped, just to see what was in there. Nice surprise!
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CHION-IN TEMPLE
HEIAN JINGU SHRINE
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| No idea what these little tents were for, but they reminded me of something you'd find in the desert, and I completely loved them. |
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| Gardens behind the Heian Temple. These photos speak for themselves. |
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| I think these stepping stones are called Garyu-Kyou... |
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| Shobikan Guest House |
All those temples certainly made me hungry. Here's what I got to try while I was in Kyoto:
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| Went for Tempura Soba, and got the set with a veggies buffet. I could only identify what about half of this was, but it was completely delicious. |
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| My tempura soba AFTER I devoured it. Whoops! |
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| Ice cream?! Okay. |
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| Green tea soft serve with green tea powder. A tad bitter, but definitely delicious. |
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| Conveyor belt sushi. Quite a challenge, seeing as the entire touch screen menu was in Japanese! |
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| Somehow, I figured it out...... |
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| Best coffee EVER.. Brewed coffee in a"siphon bar". They use something like a bunsen burner to heat the water. The grounds are hand-stirred into the perfect whirlpool using bamboo paddles. The cost for Americans to buy and import this contraption? $20,000. Siphon coffee is supposed to be very delicate. It’s sweeter and juicier, and the flavors change as the temperature changes. Sometimes it has a texture so light, they say it’s almost moussey. Whatever, it was the cheapest coffee I bought while in Japan--maybe about 3 bucks. Most cups of joe cost around 4 to 7 bucks, which seemed fairly standard. Ouch. |
The first night I was there, I stumbled upon Gael, an Irish pub with a mixed western/Japanese crowd. They served comfort food and were putting on an open mic night. I had the pleasure of listening to the brew-master for Blue Ribbon play an electric mandolin, got to talk to a bunch of local expats, and see some sub-par Japanese belly dancers. Very eventful!
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| New friends at Gael sharing a cocktail... charming :) |
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| That white lantern in the bottom left of the photo is a street sign for a restaurant. All businesses use the same uniform signs throughout the historic area. At night they light up and make for a very soothing glow. |
Afterwards, a nice local took me on a walking tour through the 200 year old streets and gave me all the history he had to offer about the city and the buildings. All these building were made of wood due to their ability to withstand earthquakes. Stone was used at times, but those never survived. Also, I was told that even he couldn't simply walk in to these exclusive restaurants. Only the elite could partake, and that was by invite only. He also explained that the reason all the cleaning was going on around the city was for the holiday. Lunar New Year is a fresh start, and all of last year's "ick" should be removed. Hence, every drain, gutter, nook and cranny were being scraped, cleaned, and scrubbed. You could EAT off those streets.
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| Oooh... what's going on in there.... |
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| You can look, but you can't go in! |
There were some fun Spaniards in my hostel, and we had a good time in the common room with that beer-stocked fridge, and then I was invited to those Japanese musicians' shows on my last night, but couldn't attend because I had to catch my plane back to Seoul! Sure it would've been great, though.
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| Testing out my language skills with a Spanish novel on his Kindle. |
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| Old Kyoto streets |
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| The Palace, which I could not find the entrance to until it was too late to go in. Ahhh well! |
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| Bar/Restaurant streets in the downtown. Bit expensive, so bring your pennies! |
Travelers beware: expensive Kyoto bars have a habit of charging a seating fee. So be careful before you splurge on that single drink! You may be paying for almost three.
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| The old cabs were great--they all looked like vintage British cars, and had these whimsical little glowing signs on top. Don't dare take one, though. Their minimum fare starts at around $40-$60. Buses and subways are your best bet. |
KIYOMIZUDERA
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| From the balcony, overlooking Kyoto. |
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| My new friends. Check out girl on the left. Wow. |
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| Quite a view. |
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| If you have a completely disposable income, you can spend tons of money and enjoy tea and desert outdoors in all the scenic temple areas. Most guests, including myself, did not have this kind of money, so I just took pictures of the tables. |
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| A mural downtown Kyoto |
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| Birds getting a meal from a nice old man. |
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| The old canal that runs through the Gion District. Think: Spirited Away with the little bridges over the water to exclusive invite-only restaurants and tea houses. |
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| Bamboo to keep snow away from the base of the buildings. |
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| Friend. |
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| His winky is there for all to see as well.... |
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| Having a Taiwan Reunion with the guys somewhere between Kobe and Kyoto... |
Kyoto was a great introduction to Japan--full of tradition and beauty. After visiting, I have new appreciation for those old Samurai movies. It was such a friendly place. I had a sweet couple not only tell me directions, but walk me the 5 minutes to get to my destination. I think if I have the opportunity to travel to Japan again, Tokyo will be on my itinerary. If you choose Kyoto, there are more temples and shrines than are possible to see in four days, so you won't be bored. However, Kobe and Osaka are just quick train rides away, so keep them in mind as well, considering most travelers fly into Osaka anyway. On that note, Syonara!
