Autumn Kansai Adventure: Kyoto

Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

12-14 November 2016

Almost as soon as we got well acquainted with the train lines and train stations in Osaka, it was time to head to Kyoto, where we fumbled our way through the bus routes and bus stops. Despite there being reliable train lines in Kyoto, Claire and I deemed it more practical to take the buses as we explored the city. A lot of the bus routes were nearer the sites we wanted to visit, and the buses were more widely available, especially in the outskirts of Kyoto.

Self-explanatory bus routes and stations - that's the dream

Plus GPS-enabled buses that arrive on the dot - that's the dream :))

 Day 4: Nishiki Market and Downtown Kyoto

After settling down at our hostel, we had time to spare before night fell so we went to downtown Kyoto and looked for Nishiki Market. The tita in me was very pleased with the variety of goods sold in the famous market, ranging from dried seafood, confectionery, herbs and spices, and many fresh produce. I actually enjoyed just walking through the throng and looking at the stalls. Along the way, we tried some street food and soft serve. Claire had grilled baby octopus and black sesame soft serve, while I had grilled scallops and matcha soft serve.

Partly confident about Kyoto's grid-like streets, partly dependent on Google Maps, we detoured to the shopping streets nearby: Shinkyogoku-dori and Teramachi-dori. How well-lit and convenient it is to do shopping in these arcades, indeed.

We continued walking directionless around downtown Kyoto, and then went to the quaint and famed Pontocho Alley and the surrounding streets in the Gion area. There were loads of tourists, but the traditional atmosphere of the area was still palpable. The bigger streets were crowded, but the small alleyways were very charming, with their red lanterns and decorated shop windows.

Walking along, we reached what was probably (😂) the banks of Kamo River. We came across what seemed like a fastfood restaurant that takes order with a vending machine. It's one experience we wanted to try in Japan, and so we had our fill of the full (but relatively cheap!) meals. Too bad I forgot the name!

Day 5: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera, and Chion-in Temple Complex

We headed for Mt. Inari the next day, which was a ways away from the city proper. On our way, we took time to stroll a bit around our hostel's quiet neighborhood.

We had a peaceful early morning walk in the Ginkakuji area

Through the centuries, Kyoto City has maintained its Old Japan charm.

Breakfast! :))

How characteristic of Kyoto, in my opinion, to have shrines on the bend of a main thoroughfare

After a train ride which stopped directly at the entrance of the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, we were welcomed by the towering red torii gates and scores of tourists milling about.

Visitors to the shrine had to wash hands and mouths before entering.

From the foot to the top of Mt. Inari, thousands of shrines and torii gates are placed in honor of the deity believed to bring about bountiful crops and good business. Since the old days, people visit the shrines to pray to the god of harvest. Today, visitors trek Mt. Inari to pray and see the imposing facade made by the numerous vermilion torii gates lining the mountain.

On the way up, there were shrines where visitors can pay their respects. For a minimal fee, we had the chance to write our petitions on a thin wooden block, which will be included in the fire pit to be lighted for the Inari festival in May. The smoke from the fire is believed to be a way to send messages to the heavens.

 

 

Aside from the torii, there were numerous images and iterations of the guardian foxes, kitsune, throughout the mountain path. Foxes are believed to be the sentinels of holy grounds, earning them a place of honor in the shrines.

 

There was a notable hint of Buddhism mixed with the Shinto shrines.

Some detours from the main torii path lead to more rows of Shinto shrines 

It was about 1PM when we reached the restaurant halfway up the mountain path. The menu was almost entirely in Japanese, so we decided to just order the best seller and hoped for the best. :)) Thankfully, the bestseller turned out to be piping hot udon with fish cakes. Paired with a cup of tea, it was a relaxing lunchtime in the middle of the mountain.

Deciding that we better get a move on to our next destination, we trooped back down the path. There were less people on the way down. Most have probably halted their journey up the path before we did, while others continued on their way to the end of the torii path.

 

It was late afternoon when we arrived at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and its surrounding areas from Inari. As usual, we had to rely on Google Maps to direct us, although the swarm of people heading to the famous temple was enough of an indicator of where we should head to. 

We never really got to the inside of the temple's complex. Instead, we contented ourselves to exploring the part of the Higashiyama District leading to and from the main temple. As one of Kyoto's preserved districts, the uphill paved path was lined with traditional shops - from food to clothing and other trinkets. It really felt like being transported back to the old capital, minus the throng of tourists. :))

We wandered around the temple complex and back to the paths lined with shops. Because we really had no exact destination for the rest of the night, we followed the directions in the maps posted in the area illustrating the different "paths" and "lanes" to reach certain landmark temples. We decided on the "Path to Wisdom," which headed to the Chion-in Temple.

Along the way, we came across another fortune wall, where we drew a fortune based on our birth date.

We finally reached the complex, not without wrong turns and sudden "ooh's" and "aah's" at the beautiful things we saw as we walked through the streets. There were rickshaws pulled by men in happi, the traditional straight-sleeved coast/vest usually worn as team uniform. There were groups of both local and foreign tourists milling walking around in the area, heading to the various temples in Higashiyama.

Sanmon (Main Gate)

At last, we found Chion-in Temple, brightly and beautifully lit for Autumn Illumination 2016. From the entrance we went straight to the Yuzen-en Garden, a modern garden that consists of two types of gardens - one which features a pond that draws water from a spring, and an ornate dry rock garden following the style called karesansui.

We were quite dazzled by the effects of the illumination on the rocks around the pond, and the leaves of the trees surrounding the water form, in the middle of which was a statue of Kannon, the Japanese Buddhist god(dess) of mercy. The deep red color of the maple leaves fading into orange gave a certain depth to the scene, paired with the greenery from the rest of the foliage. Too bad I couldn't capture it well.

 

Exiting the garden, we followed the path and reached a temple where a ceremony was being held. There were gongs and chanting, and for a moment, we were transfixed. It seemed like the ceremony was open to the public, as some people went inside after being provided a plastic bag in which to put their shoes. After a few minutes, we walked again and saw what seemed to be another hall, which also appeared to house Buddhist statues. 

 

We circled back to Sanmon, where visitors were allowed to climb to the top for a view of the Higayashima District. We had to remove our shoes at the foot of the gate before climbing about three flights of steep wooden steps. (I was so scared I would slip on the steps! They were steep and too smooth from centuries of use, I guess.) As Chion-in's main gate, Sanmon  is about 24 meters tall and 50 meters wide, which makes it the largest wooden tower gates in Japan. 

Onna-zaka (Gentle Stairs)

After reaching the deck, which overlooked the entire complex, we headed out and went to find our bus stop. On the way back to the thoroughfare, we were lucky to spot a maiko. She was walking down the street accompanied by two other people in modern clothes, in stark contrast to the maiko's flowery orange kimono and the ornate side-buns hairdo of the geisha novices.

With a bit of difficulty, but with immense gratitude for the safety of Kyoto's streets even at night, we found our bus stop and headed back to our hostel.

Day 6: Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Nishiki Market

On our last full day in Kyoto, we headed to Tenryu-ji Temple amid the drizzle. Like Chion-in, the Tenryu-ji Complex is big with paved paths leading up to the main structures. It is made up of a number of structures, including the main hall (daihojo), the garden, the quarters, and smaller halls for meditation and other ceremonies.

Visitors were allowed inside the tatami room on the first floor of the Main Hall. 

 

 

Garden goals. :))

Crowd at the Sogenchi Teien (Sogen Pond Garden)

Cloud dragon facing the Sogen Garden

Laid out nearly seven hundred years ago by Zen master Muso Soseki and still retaining its original appearance, the Sogenchi Garden was the first place in the country to win designation by the Japanese Government as a Site of Special Historic and Scenic Importance (Shiseki, Tokubetsu Meisho). It is designed as a strolling pond garden, in which a level path surrounding a picturesque pond allows guests to appreciate the scenery from a variety of perspectives. The Sogenchi Garden also employs “borrowed scenery” (shakkei), in which nearby mountains are used to give the garden a sense of added depth.  

― Tenryu-ji

On we walked north, passing through streams and bushes and many flowering shrubs, which turned out the be what is called the Hyakka'en, or the Garden of a Hundred Flowers.

We reached the northern boundary of the complex towards the famed Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Not sure if I got too hyped about the place, or if the thick crowd along the path lessened the mystique of the area for me, but I felt kinda underwhelmed about it - a first, in this trip full of awe-inspiring and picturesque scenery and experiences. Nonetheless, it was still quite a lovely sight.

After getting lost a few times in the outskirts, where directions to the right bus stops were a bit harder to get right, we finally managed to get back to downtown Kyoto for a late lunch at the popular (and super inexpensive) conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Musashi Sushi. I had fun eating, trying out variants that I was only 50% sure of what to expect. 

Since it was still early and we had nothing else in our itinerary, we decided to go back to Nishiki Market and the nearby shopping streets to get souvenirs. It was quite a shopping experience, indeed. We stumbled upon a hyakuen shop, and our lack of better judgment made us hoard so many things from the store. I think I bought about 14,000 yen-worth of stuff. That was okay, if only the shopping bags we ended up having weren't so heavy and huge, aside from the fact that it was raining, the buses were full, and our hostel was a little ways away still.

#TitaDestination, Kyoto edition: Nishiki Market!

Struggle is an understatement for what Claire and I did to ourselves that night. :)) We had to walk back to the crowded downtown streets full of poised and fashionable yuppies, with their sleek coats and stylish umbrella and boots, while we trudged along carrying our plastic bags and covered with our red/green plastic ponchos.

We swore that next time, shopping will be an activity that we will plan very carefully. In Japan, you simply cannot not buy a lot of things. You just can't not hoard. Or maybe it was just us, impulsive as we are.

Day 7: Back to Osaka, Departure

After a night of MacGyveri-ng the stuff we bought into our luggage and bags, we said goodbye to our hosts, left our hostel and headed back to Osaka, then to KIX.

The trust-worthy vending machine in front of our hostel. Saved our sorry ***es a couple of times.

We took our last bus and train rides, a farewell to the on-the-dot schedule, cheery female PSA voices announcing in friendly Japanese, well-maintained units, and professional staff and crew of Japan's amazing mass transport system. 

At KIX, what better way to bid good bye to the distinct Japanese culture than to down chicken nuggets, the golden fries, and shrimp burgers from McDonald's?

The whole experience went as well as we could have hoped for, although we certainly would do a few things differently when we get back to Japan. The trip was an eye-opener of some sorts. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself and learned things along the way.