Friday - January 24, 2020
We wake up relatively early since we were meeting our guide Beto at 8:55 am in the lobby. Our hotel rate came with breakfast, and we were given 2 choices: a traditional Japanese breakfast or a Western breakfast buffet. We thought we'd try the Japanese breakfast because we'd never had one before. It was...not exciting. 😂 I thought my mom would enjoy it more as she is very Asian-centric in her culinary preferences...but the Japanese eat very different breakfasts than the Chinese/Taiwanese. Japanese breakfasts, the traditional ones, have small plates of marinated or fermented vegetables to pair with a bowl of rice and topped off with miso soup. While I'm glad we tried it (the restaurant clearly catered to an older Japanese population because that's who was there. Everyone else went to the Western buffet), it wasn't my favorite. But part of traveling is seeing how other people live, and I'm happy we got the opportunity to have a real Japanese breakfast, even if it wasn't to our taste. We ended up eating at the Western style buffet for the rest of our stay, and we were much happier with the food and selection there.
After breakfast we went back to our room to pack our bags for the day - extra sweaters, water, etc before meeting our guide Beto downstairs. I found Kyoto Daily Tours through Tripadvisor, and they had excellent reviews and were fairly priced. Originally I was going to try to do it on our own the way I usually do - just use Google maps and get from place to place...but once I started researching Kyoto, I realized that doing it that way wasn't super feasible. We could do it, but it would be really stressful (for me) and much harder than doing it in Tokyo. Because Kyoto is so old, they are not allowed to just dig as there is a lot of archaeological treasure buried in centuries of dirt. Kyoto is also zoned very strictly, where buildings in the historic districts can't be taller than 15 meters. In other parts of the city the code relaxed to 100 meters, but there really aren't any high rises there. As such, because they can't build high rises to recoup their money, most corporations don't see a point in digging very carefully through very old and important soil in an archaeologically correct manner (re: expensive as crap) to create a subway system if it will be super expensive to do so, super slow to do so, and they can't even make the money back with high rise buildings and expensive rent. So Kyoto, unlike Tokyo, relies on a system of buses instead of subways. There are a few JR lines above ground, but that's it. As such, the thought of navigating a LARGE city by bus alone was daunting, especially in a city whose sights are as spread out as Kyoto's. After discussing it and weighing our options while planning, my mom and I decided that we may as well pay for a guide. It would take the stress out of planning, we wouldn't get lost, and we'd have someone there to explain to us what it was we were seeing and why.
Our guide Beto is actually a post doc researcher at Kyoto University who moonlights as a tour guide when he's not teaching. He lives in Kyoto with his Japanese wife and son (who is adorable!) and was punctual, knowledgeable, easygoing and fantastic. We had him for two days and he made our short time in Kyoto fun and easy. Not physically easy, because they were two LOOONG days and there was a ton of walking, but easy in that I just had to follow him around and not have to make decisions or plan anything at all.
The first place we went to was Sanjūsangen-dō (三十三間堂), and there were unfortunately, no pictures allowed. The present building dates back from 1266 (the original was destroyed in a fire) and houses 1001 life sized Kannon buddha thingies. I don't think that's the official term, but not being Buddhist, I'm not sure of all the names. Today's tour was focused on the history of Kyoto - and Kyoto is an incredibly culturally religious city. While most people there are not devout, they strongly identify with the religions of the city (Buddhism/Shintoism) and the history and culture of the city are strongly linked with its religious history. This is the oldest of the temples, and the statues look much more Indian, as the guardians of the temple originated from Sanskrit literature in Hinduism. So in learning about the history and religion of Kyoto, we went through a progression of temples from when it was fresh off the boat (pretty much straight from India a thousand years ago) to the zen gardens of today.
In the middle there was a ginormous Buddha, and there was a monk praying when we were visiting. Our of respect, the entire place was very hushed and quiet, and like other temples, we had to take off our shoes.
Apparently there were many samurai movies that were filmed outside because of it's authentic (it's oooold) and distinct architecture.
 |
| This was the main gate - the one the shogun/emperor would enter the grounds from. The main gate that tourists enter from nowadays used to be the kitchen if I recall correctly. Directly facing the main gate upon entering is...👇 |
 |
| The entrance the emperor/shogun would enter the temple from. The big buddha figure is right behind the main center doors. |
 |
| there's a little Shinto shrine on the grounds too |
 |
| This is what's inside they don't let us take photos of...the zillion of Kannon buddha dolls |
From here we crossed the street and hopped on a bus taking us to the Higashiyama District. We didn't get off where everyone else got off, which is what Google Maps and the guidebooks say. We got off one stop over and avoided a lot of the crowds, something only a local would know. Yay for Beto! This historic neighborhood was gorgeous! Busy, filled with tourists the closer we got to the Kiyomizudera Temple, but still beautiful.
 |
| Yasaka Pagoda behind us |
We saw a %Arabica and of course Raymond had to stop. But we all decided to grab a drink and take a load off before we made the climb up. Their lattes (and they had almond milk! 😋) were actually very good. I don't like acidic coffee, I prefer a bitter note, and this was perfectly balanced and didn't leave a weird sour aftertaste in my mouth. We managed to find seats and sat and sipped our coffees and chatted for 15 minutes before we continued up the hill to visit the temples.
We pass by Yasaka Koshindo, a colorful monkey shrine - all these little colorful balls are actually stuffed monkey shaped dolls. People would write their wishes and prayers on them and hang them up.
The Yasaka Pagoda was closed (as usual, once in a while they open up and you can visit), so we admired the architecture from outside.
And we prepare to enter the temple complex, we join the crush of crowds.
The main hall was still undergoing some restoration (I think in anticipation of the 2020 Summer Olympics...that were just pushed back to 2021 - but this was in January, and the threat of the coronavirus was not widely felt or known yet), so there were some parts that were covered. I did take off my shoes to approach the shrine area inside just to look at all the buddhas. The view from the main stage (still shrouded though) was pretty cool!
We hiked a path around to get a view of the whole complex, and even though it was in the middle of winter and there was still restoration work happening on the main hall, I still loved the view.
 |
| Koyasu Pagoda, dedicated to love. |
We looped back towards the historic neighborhood of Higashiyama and see the prettiest Starbucks ever!
 |
| the wooden building right behind the chick posing for her insta is the Starbucks in this area. |
 |
| look at this lamp! |
My parents needed a break, as we've been walking (and climbing) for hours at this point, so we stopped for lunch at a tofu restaurant called Rengetsudya, which specializes in different preparations of tofu. Because they are at the front door of the Chion-in Temple, the restaurants here used to cater to the vegetarian monks, so tofu was a big deal. It's a very distinctly Kyoto cuisine. For lunch they had a 10 course tasting menu for 3,000 yen and that's what we all got - it was worth it. The food was delicately made, well balanced, and surprisingly filling.
My parents wanted a comfortable place to sit down and rest awhile, and this hit the spot. I wasn't super excited at the thought of eating a whole meal with tofu, but if you're gonna visit, you gotta see what the people eat. But I was pleasantly surprised, I really enjoyed the food.
We got a little private tatami room where you leave your shoes outside, and best of all, clean restrooms. Yay!
 |
| first course |
 |
| bean curd hardened with agar - it had a chewy texture, but the light sauce was tasty |
 |
| crab tofu (this was my favorite - it was silky and incredibly flavorful) |
 |
| cooked raw wheat. Kinda chewy. Kinda salty |
 |
| it also came with a bean curd hot pot you can see in this photo - soup with tofu and veggies |
 |
| fried wheat with miso...it was kinda like mochi, chewy and savory. |
 |
| tofu gratin - baked tofu with white sauce. It was tofu cheese. I ate Raymond's because he hates cheese. Even fake cheese. |
 |
| Vegetable stuffed yuba (tofu skin) and koya tofu |
 |
| mochi with red beans for dessert |
 |
| rice and pickled seaweed and pickles |
After our leisurely and relaxing lunch, we visited Chion-in Temple. It was gigantor! But it was also very peaceful, and when we arrived, low crowds. My parents opted to sit this one out, so they found a bench in the park across the street to play on their phones while Raymond and I followed Beto in. It wasn't as flashy as the prior temples we visited - Beto told us this was the result of the evolution of Buddhism in Japan, which started as the similar versions practiced in India and China and slowly mellowed as it integrated into Japanese society and culture to what it has become today - where the temples don't focus on the Buddha statues and idols, but on spirituality and nature. The Japanese are more spiritual people rather than religious, so the newer temples now focus on zen gardens as opposed to the larger and historical temples and shrines that have a bunch of buddhas in them.
 |
| Apparently this very steep staircase (it's the entrance, but we went backwards, we started from the exit on the other side closer to the restaurant) was in the film The Last Samurai. Now I kinda want to rewatch it just to say, hey! I was there! |
 |
| the main gate as seen from the park across the way |
From Chion-in Beto took us to the Philosopher's Walk, which would be incredibly scenic during cherry blossom season. While beautiful then, he said the crowds are so big that you could barely move and it was much harder to enjoy the beautiful scenery when you're being squashed from all sides.
 |
| the beginning of the Philosopher's Walk |
 |
| you can see all the bare cherry tree branches (sigh). Just imagine what this would look like filled with blooms. |
From the path, we ended up at the Silver Pavilion, Ginkakuji.
 |
| map of the grounds |
 |
| our tickets to the Silver Pavilion |
It was beautiful, and very restful. The gardens, even in winter, were beautiful, and the carefully raked zen garden was a welcome respite.
 |
| this is literally a cone of sand. |
There's a path that loops around the complex, and it took us about 20 minutes to walk through the path at a leisurely pace stopping for photos of the grounds.
Beto then took us to Gion, hoping to see some geishas or maikos (geishas in training). We didn't see any, but that's okay. I'm not that fascinated by geishas. But Gion was a beautiful, atmospheric, and historic place that I'm glad we got to walk through. There were literally hoards of tourists in street corners just waiting for geishas and maikos to arrive to begin work. Each bar/restaurant that had a lit lantern outside signified that they would have entertainment from a geisha or maiko. Some apparently are private and require a membership, and it's very expensive to be entertained by a geisha. There's a show you could pay for, but eh. It's not my thing.
At this point my dad was super tired and super hangry. Beto recommended a unagi restaurant and showed Raymond and I where the bus stop was that would take us back to the train station. We then said our goodbyes and headed back to the restaurant for dinner.
It's in the middle of a tourist district, so it's not surprising that half the people in the restaurant were Chinese tourists. I wish they were quieter though 😐. No one was as loud as the fobby Chinese tourists there. We're lucky we got there just after 6 and didn't have a wait, because as we were leaving an hour later there were lines to get into the restaurant.
The food was tasty, they had clean restrooms, the service was quick and hushed, and we had no complaints. Thus revived, we strolled to a drugstore so my mom could buy some heat patches because she hurt her tailbone pretty badly. Then she and my dad took the bus back to the train station while Raymond and I strolled through the malls and stores in the area. I saw a Disney Store and bought myself a mirrored compact that featured cherry blossoms since it's something I could only get in Japan. No regrets! Especially since I didn't find this in either of the parks later on.
We took the bus back to the train station, walked to the 7-Eleven through the dodgy alley to grab more water and snacks, and made our way back to our room. We spent the rest of the night showering, eating snacks, and watching TV.
It was fun, but SOOOOOO tiring! We walked over 30,000 steps, a feat so rare that I had to document it.
No comments:
Post a Comment