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.

Kyoto, Day 8 - The Sun Is Out and the Blossoms Are Blooming

It was significantly warmer than it was in Seoul (high 50's) and the sun was shining.

From my internet research, I had made a list of potential markets to visit, so we started the day with some market hopping. The first market we hit was within walking distance at the Toko Kuni Shrine. Being accustomed to the massive markets of Thailand, Cambodia, and Seoul, this one was very, very small.

Like, this small. But very pretty.

The next market we hit was at Bishamon-do, just behind the Kennin-ji Temple, and it also turned out to be very small. But sometimes size doesn't matter. I found a beautiful pale pink pin of a woman in traditional Japanese clothing, and another charm with a green floral pattern, both made of cloth. I plan on wearing the pin with scarves and putting the charm on a bracelet or thin belt. By chance, the vendor threw in a hair clip I'd been eyeing for free. Love when that happens.

My souvenir appetite satiated, we walked through Gion and boarded the subway to get to the Daigo-ji Temple. From my internet research pre-trip, I thought that the temple would be right next to the subway, but just a warning, it's a bit of a trek.

Since we visited Kyoto during the cherry blossom bloom, there were special festivals going on. Daigo-ji was holding an annual reenactment of a cherry blossom processional in the 17th century, where the rich were literally carried through the temple grounds.

We couldn't see very well. We foolishly hadn't anticipated so many spectators and, like a parade, you had to get there early to have a good view. We did see some parasols and a few people being carried.

After flowing the with crowd back down the hill, we ate on the third floor of the plaza that houses the subway at a restaurant named Katsu-ya. It had the most people waiting out of the floor of restaurants, so we figured it was a safe bet. We both had panko crusted pork.

Hubs - covered with an interesting sauce

Mine - served with fried sweet potato, asparagus, and cauliflower

2 meals = 2289 Y.

As would be reiterated during our trip, Japan knows how to do their fried food. Always crisp and crunchy, never greasy. They put the U.S. to shame. 

Plates clean, we took the subway back to Gion and walked to the Maruyama-Koen Park. People had been picnicking all the day in the cherry blossom filled park. Almost every inch of ground was covered with blue tarp.

It looked fun, a great family and friend activity. Besides cherry blossom trees, the park also has food stands serving almost anything you can imagine. We noted it as a great dinner option for later in our trip. We weren't hungry, but we still ate green tea ice cream.

On the way back to our guest house for a rest, we stopped at 7-11 and bought milk, cereal, and some snacks.

Unless you have a peanut allergy, you should be eating these.

We had a community fridge, bowls, and mugs at our guest house. Eating breakfast there every morning was perfect. We saved money, time, and sanity, as we didn't have to wander around hungry every morning trying to find an open restaurant. 

After relaxing for a bit, we headed back near the Kennin-ji Temple to a restaurant we had passed during our market hunting that looked good. Our host in Korea had told us multiple times that we had to try okonomiyaki. This restaurant advertised serving it and was cute in it's tininess, only three tables. Unfortunately, all the tables were full when we got there, so we waited.

The young owner/chef ran the restaurant by himself. It was reminiscent of a great restaurant we dined at in Paris, L'Auberge des Deux Ponts. Okonomiyaki is a thin crepe-y crust, covered with various toppings, and cooked over a flat grill on our table. A sort of Japanese pizza that has not one component that is similar to pizza, flavor-wise. This okonomiyaki had green onions, calamari, an egg, and a bunch of other umami tasting things. We liked it.

We also had beautiful ponzu assorted mushrooms.

And fried noodles with cabbage, beef, pork, and squid. I hadn't meant to order this, but the loss in translation ended up being to my benefit because these noodles were better than whatever I had intended on ordering.

It's fun to watch your food cook in front of you. Add two large Asahi drafts and the bill was 3500 Y.

Near the restaurant, we walked down a touristy, restaurant-lined street on our way to Pontocho. Right in front of us, a maiko (apprentice geisha, we assumed she was a maiko because she looked young) hopped out of a cab, waved goodbye to the man in the cab, and disappeared inside a door.

The magical appearance of geisha can occur at any moment in the night streets.

Thrilled from our maiko siting, we walked down busy Pontocho, browsing in all the restaurants and admiring the beautiful cherry blossoms dancing in the street lights. There were a lot of people, and the street had a wonderful electric energy at night.

We took the subway, in attempt to see the Nijo Castle at night. Unfortunately, we arrived after the closing time of 9:30 pm and all the lights were off. Since we were in a new part of town, we walked the dark, quiet Kyoto streets, removed from the tourists of Gion, to the next subway stop over before calling it a night and heading back to Tanaka-ya.

*The subway in Kyoto was 210-280 Y one way, depending on how many stops you were travelling.

Seoul to Kyoto, Day 7 - Goodbye, Seoul. Hello, Kyoto.

I heart you, Seoul (lover's locks at the Seoul Tower).

I'm not going to tell you that Seoul is the most magical city in the world and that you must drop everything and go there. However, if food plays a large part in choosing your next destination, I think Seoul makes a decent argument to move near the top of your travel list. Like I said in an earlier post, Seoul gives Paris a run for its money in the cuisine department. But it's a lot cheaper.

If you love truly great cuisine at a truly affordable price, Seoul fits the bill. It's also an enormous city with a million things to do and places to see. The public transportation is top notch. I love how everything in Seoul goes up. Stores and restaurants are often located on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors, so you're constantly looking all around you instead of just straight ahead. It was a refreshing change of perspective. All in all, there's nothing bad I can say about Seoul.

After an emotional goodbye to our host (she's my best friend and I never know how many years will pass before I see her again), we took the shuttle back to the airport and flew on Asiana Airlines to Osaka. They served us salmon salad sandwiches. You know you're not in the U.S. when you get a salmon salad sandwich on an airplane.

We bought these goodies for the flight.

From the Kansai International Airport, we took the JR Express Haruka straight to Kyoto. I think it cost about 4000 Y per ticket, but it didn't make any stops and only took 70 minutes. From the Kyoto train station, we took a cab to Tanaka-Ya, the guest house that would be our home for the next few days.

Tanaka-Ya was located in Migawacho, only a few blocks away from Gion, the major geisha district. We were about a ten minute walk from the subway, which ended up coming in handy many times. Our room was a traditional Japanese bedroom with mats on the floors.

It was extremely quiet and comfortable in at Tanaka-ya. There are four guest rooms and two bathrooms upstairs. The shared shower was downstairs, and we never had to wait too long to get in. The woman who runs the place was very kind, and I would highly recommend staying here based on comfort, location, and the unique experience in staying in a traditional Japanese home.

We walked around Gion, searching for a place to eat. We were tired and settled on the cheapest place we could find, which happened to be sushi. I think after the long day we mostly just wanted the hot sake. For some reason, I thought sushi would be cheap in Japan, but it is still a luxury item, just like in the rest of the world.

Our plates of sushi were 1000 Y each.

We left the restaurant, still exhausted, and happily crashed on our mat at Tanaka-ya.

* When we visited Japan in April 2012, 1000 Yen equaled about $12.