Kyoto, Day 12 - The Perfect Walk

Our last full day in Kyoto was warm and sunny. We started out at Nanzen-ji and walked down the Path of Philosophy, along a canal blanketed with cherry blossoms. After the rain yesterday, fallen white-pink petals colored the ground.

A couple miles of this is never a bad thing.

The path led to the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji. The pretty landscaping was covered with the most vibrant, lush green moss.

We ate lunch at a small noodle shop. I had udon and fried tofu in broth. I'm not a huge broth fan, but when in Japan... The noodles were good and the broth was flavorful.

Hubs had beef and rice with an egg.

2 satisfying and warm bowls of food = 1900 Y.

We walked back down the Path of Philosophy to the subway. For me, the Path of Philosophy would qualify as a must-do. As its name suggests, it's beautiful and peaceful, the perfect stroll on which to let your mind wander. The length of the path only takes about a half an hour if you walk at a good clip and don't take any photos. Needless to say, our walk took significantly longer.

As we walked back to the subway, helicopters gradually filled the sky. At one point, I counted nine hovering in our vicinity, though not close by. I thought it was a military exercise, especially since no one on the busy path seemed alarmed by the number of helicopters. We learned later that a man driving a van possibly suffered a seizure and drove through a busy crosswalk in Gion, killing eight people, including himself (his family said he was epileptic, I can't seem to find any autopsy reports).

It was a crosswalk we have passed over a few times along the main drag in Gion and it was immensely sad. I'm glad we weren't in the area when it happened and didn't learn of the tragedy until evening, so it didn't cast a somber cloud over our beautiful day until after nightfall.

We took the subway to Nijo Castle and walked around the beautiful grounds.

Hubs took photos.

I found a bench to journal on, relaxing in the warm sun. It actually felt like spring.

This castle had a great moat.

Castles just don't seem like castles unless they have an impressive moat.

We decided to have sushi at a fancy looking place on Pontocho. We ordered a few pieces of sushi, which weren't spectacular. The best thing we had was a very interesting mixed seafood spring roll covered with roe and sweet and sour sauce. It was unlike anything I've ever eaten.

Not wanting to abuse our last dinner in Kyoto, we left the restaurant with our bellies only half full and decided to go eat at Maruyama Park. On the way across Gion, we crossed the river, a spectacularly romantic sight just after the sun has set.

At Maruyama Park, a giant tree filled with cherry blossoms was lit up at night.

We walked past all the food stands and did our fair share of people-watching. But we were still dreaming about the fried chicken we had last night, so we went back to our beloved itzakaya bar and ordered it again.

The best bar in Kyoto.

This time we also ordered chicken livers.

So good. And the chicken was just as good as we remembered.

Ironically, our last night was the only night we failed to see a geisha walking down Geisha Row. But walking around, we probably saw ten pass by us inside cabs. On the street where we had our first okonomiyaki, a cab stopped and three geishas climbed out. They were much older than any of the other geishas we'd seen, much older than anyone who had performed in the dancing show. These women were geishas for life and I felt honored to watch them gracefully exit their cab.

This honor is the best way I can sum up my emotion towards Kyoto. The sense of tradition is strong here. Though it feels like a modern city, there are signs of ancient tradition everywhere you look, whether it be a small corner, or a shrine jutting up into the sky. I am honored to have been a part of it, if only for a few days.

Kyoto, Day 11 - Tea and Photography

This morning we woke up to rain, not pouring, just a soft rain. We walked down this small street along a canal that was normally flooded with tourists. The rain scared most away today. Such a gorgeous street, and I loved the ladies with their umbrellas.

It wasn't too cold so we took the train to the Arashiyama bamboo forest. Since we had to change trains a few times and the rain picked up when we got off at our stop, we decided to eat lunch before going to the forest.

Yummy food, but we mostly appreciated the restaurant for its warmth and lack of moisture.

The forest might have been better in the rain, less people and the quiet the rain brings. We loved being there, surrounded by the towering bamboo, the fresh rain scent clinging to us. We were there for quite awhile and took a ton of pictures. This was my favorite.

By the time we got back to Tanaka-ya, it was pouring. We unsuccessfully tried to dry out before going back out to see Miyako Odori, literally Kyoto dances. These dances, performed by geisha and maiko, are only held during cherry blossom season, so we were very fortunate to be able to witness one.

This performance was held at Gion Kobu Kaburenjo. Before the performance, we were served tea at a traditional ceremony.

We were allowed to take photos of the geishas and it wasn't perceived as disrespectful.

The performance we saw was not allowed to be photographed, but we snapped a shot of the theatre beforehand.

The dances were beautifully choreographed. The dancers' movements were fluid with a certain stiffness to them, every gesture performed with purpose. The music was performed by geishas and maikos sitting in balconies along both sides of the theatre. We were directly below a flautist.

The costumes and production design changed for each season. The older geishas wore amused expressions on their faces throughout their performances, though I would not consider it smiling. It seemed like a learned expression acquired by years of practice. The younger maikos just looked stern with concentration.

All in all, the show was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone lucky enough to be in Kyoto during the cherry blossom bloom.

After the show, we walked up Yamatooji-dori to a small bar where I saw a smiling couple emerge from the day before. The bright red, oblong lanterns hanging outside the itzakaya bar lit the way.

The rain had finally stopped, but hot sake was in order. Plus, a ton of amazing food.

I don't remember what kind of meat was blanketed by this cheese.

Everything was cooked over coals on a small hibachi at the bar.

Pork!

I ordered yams thinking sweet potatoes, but these were crunchy and looked like scallops.

Chicken, mushrooms, a meatball, and an egg yolk for dipping sauce.

The best fried chicken I've ever had! Cue light beaming from heaven and angels singing. Served with a honey mustard-ish sauce.

And dark beer (along with an Asahi or two)! Yebisu rocks.

Perfect meal. Easily our best meal of Kyoto, definitely one of the best meals of our trip. 4000 Y.

Taking a stroll down Geisha Row on our way home for the night, we saw a few businessmen posing for a photo with the two geishas who had entertained them that evening.

Kyoto, Day 10 - No Sushi For You

Today we took a train and then a cab to the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji. I don't know why, but I wasn't crazy excited about seeing the Golden Pavilion. But as soon as I laid eyes on it, I was glad we made the trip. It's very serene and surrounded by beautiful grounds.

Afterwards, we were on the hunt for lunch. A few blocks from the Kinkaku-ji entrance, we saw a huge restaurant called Volks that looked like an American diner. We couldn't resist an Asian diner. Plus, their logo looked a little like In-N-Out's, so I think positive association kicked in a little.

When we first stepped inside, I noticed there was a salad bar. Sold! I'm a Midwestern girl, and consider myself a salad bar connoisseur, so this was very exciting for me. Much more exciting than my anticipation of Kinkaku-ji.

A proud helping of salad bar any Midwesterner would be pleased with. The Japanese know how to do a mean potato salad.

Okay, the food wasn't spectacular, but we weren't expecting it to be (though the salad bar was excellent). Eating at a place like that in the middle of Japan, I felt like I was in a David Lynch film. A little person could've wandered in at any second and I wouldn't have batted an eye.

I had black curry, which was rich and tasty. Very comforting.

Hubs had sausages and hamburger steak (Salisbury steak). On a cow!

There were even forks and knives. Surreal. Two meals + salad bar = 2300 Y.

We took a cab back to the subway (1600 Y) and went to Tofuku-ji. Tofuku-ji has lovely grounds filled with streams and a grand wooden bridge.

I don't know if spring is the best time to visit Tofuku-ji. Unfortunately, it doesn't have many cherry blossoms, and the trees were all barren. It was still lovely, but I think summer or fall would be better. Though, hardly anyone was there, so we did feel isolated, not a common feeling in a public place in Kyoto during cherry blossom season. Lots of pretty bird songs being sung and no human voices to compete with.

In a corner of the grounds was this magnificent pavilion. The stones were cultivated to look like a chess board.

We left Tofuku-ji and walked down the street to the Fushimi-Ihori shrine. This turned out to be my favorite site we visited in Kyoto.

The Road Not Taken

There is a two mile long trail that circles up the hill and around the grounds. The entire trail is arched with orange torii, wooden markers with engraved dedications.

The trail has a lot of stairs, so be ready for a workout.

Along the trail, a number of graveyards extend in narrow passageways, lined with shrines and statues of foxes. We were there in the late afternoon, an overcast day, the sun low in the sky. The graveyards were empty and eerie in the silence and grayness of the darkening sky.

The hike to the top of the hill was a little spooky, despite the birds chirping the whole way. I must admit, the trail felt a little haunted. I loved it.

View from the top.

We didn't want to leave, but since the sun was setting, we resigned and walked back down to the train. We consoled ourselves with a homemade ice cream cone which had a very strong soy flavor and wasn't as loved as the sesame cone from a few days ago.

We took the subway back to the Nijo Castle to eat dinner at the renowned Owariya restaurant. We walked in, the chef looked at us and said "no" in a manner that made us hastily turn around and leave without asking any questions. Shrug.

Prepared to spend a hefty load on our dinner at Owariya, we decided to go in the opposite direction, and settled into a table at a sort-of fast food type place that served a lot of rice and pork dishes.

The food wasn't spectacular, but it was cheap, hot, and filled us up. 2 meals = less than 900 Y.

On our way back to Tanaka-ya, a geisha was walking in front of us down, where else, Geisha Row.

She stopped and asked a store owner for directions. Even geishas ask for directions.

Kyoto, Day 9 - Wondrous Streets & Mystical Reflections

One of my favorite outings in Kyoto was the walk uphill on Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka.

The roads are lined with little shops selling souvenirs, pottery, stationary, and food, of course. Hopping in and out of the shops, you forget that you're walking uphill, all the while buying trinkets and indulging in treats. Such as a custard filled pastries.

The Yasaka Pagoda is a short stroll off the main drag.

At the top, Kiyomizu-dera juts out from the side of the hill and provides great views of Kyoto among the cherry blossoms.

Kyoto is packed with UNESCO World Heritage sights, but I think between the architecture, the views, and the unique shopping experience, Kiyomizu-dera is a must-see.

A couple more pretty shots from the Kiyomizu-dera grounds:

On the way back down the hill, we had a sesame-honey ice cream cone.

Seriously, might have been the best ice cream I've ever had. Never thought the best ice cream in the world would be in Asia. However, I still have a few more continents to hit.

Also on the way back down, we saw Samurai Dog.

This Pekingese comes fully equipped with a Samurai sword.

So cute. A co-worker went to Kyoto last year and showed me a picture of Samurai Dog, so I was especially happy to see that he continues to battle on, bringing a smile to tourist faces.

We ate lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall place, the sign on the door merely said, "grill." The man that ran the restaurant was an excellent photographer and he was kind enough to let us browse his impressive photo books as we waited for our food. He told us which temples' cherry blossoms were in bloom, helping us to choose possible itineraries for our days to come.

And, fortunately for us, he was also talented at his day job, running the restaurant.

I had a crab croquette, fried sole filet, and egg-coated shrimp. I love variety.

I don't remember what Hubs had, something inspired by the "grill" sign on the door.

2 meals = 2000 Y.

After lunch we relaxed and napped at the guest house and slept for longer than we intended. It was dark by the time we went back outside. We walked to the Kodai-ji temple, which is lit up at night.

The grounds are lovely, and perhaps night isn't the best time to see them, but there are strategically placed lights, which make it unique. There was a small pond that was stunning.

Yes, that is a reflection. For some reason it felt like Christmas to me. Adding to the Christmas feel was a bamboo garden, which was truly magical at night.

A little eerie and surreal.

If you go to Kodai-ji at night, be sure to take a stroll down nearby Ishibe-Koji, a cobblestone alley that leads to a quiet, traditional neighborhood. If you like that romantic nonsense. I love it.

No tourists. It reminded me of Venice in the winter, after midnight (the way it felt, not the way it looked).

And then it was time for dinner. We didn't know what we were in the mood for, so we relied on our fail safe,  okonomiyaki. We walked into a small basement restaurant that was filled with locals.

Customers were watching a game show.

We sat at a table with the flat top grill in the middle. This okonomiyaki was extra saucy with pork.

And potatoes with lots of ooey-gooey cheese.

We also had 2 Kirin drafts. I loved the vibe of the place. It felt like a townie bar.

On our way back to Tanaka-ya, we saw another geisha on the street that we dubbed Geisha Row. It was the street one block east of the Kamo River on Miyakawa-cho Dori, north of Matsubara Dori until the road ends.

We saw a geisha almost every time we walked down Miyakawa-cho Dori at night. They usually caught us off guard and we wanted to go unnoticed as we photographed them. We didn't want to be disrespectful and chase them around.

Ghost Geisha

Thus, our geisha photos aren't going to win any Pulitzer's. I'm just thankful for all the geisha sightings we had. Even without photography mishaps, there's something otherworldly about them.