KYOTO, JAPAN

MAY 18 – 22

It is really difficult to choose a favourite city from all of the places we visited but we found Kyoto full of character and there was definitely no shortage of places to go and things to do both in the city itself and within reach as a day trip. 

The foyer of Kyoto station was impressive.

We stayed at a terrific hotel in Kyoto both because of its location and because they were so helpful. No matter what we asked them, they had a pamphlet or printout with all the information we needed, be it buses or trains to catch or things to see. We stayed at Kyoto Inn Gion which is right in the middle of the geisha district and again, within walking distance of lots of local attractions as well as the bus stops to take us to train stations etc. It was also reasonable value at around $155 a night including a cooked breakfast.

Kyoto Inn Gion

We arrived at the hotel around lunchtime and our room wasn’t ready. But there was no drama as the concierge spent quite a bit of time explaining to us which places within walking distance we might like to visit to pass the couple of hours and he even gave us a detailed map outlining what was where. Our room was cosy but that wasn’t really a problem as we didn’t spend a great deal of time there. While our room was being prepared we walked to two nearby temples and a pagoda. There is also a major shopping street nearby so we found plenty to do.

It was not far to some of the local temples so we took a stroll just down the road to Yasaka Shrine and the surrounding park. 

A little further on is Hokanji Temple, a five storey Buddhist pagoda nestled tightly in between houses and shops. Maruyama Park contains several shrines and it was here in Kyoto that we discovered the difference between a shrine and a temple.

In the simplest terms, temples are Buddhist, while shrines are Shinto. The easiest way to tell the difference, however, is to look for bells, incense and cleansing waters at a shrine.  You will go through a torii (a sacred barrier made of stone or wood) to enter a shrine. It is said that a torii acts as a gate between this world and the world of gods.

Shinto is considered the religion of earthly matters and shrines are often used to host weddings and are where one would go to pray for success in life or business. Buddhism, on the other hand, is considered the religion of spiritual matters and temples usually host funerals. You would normally go to a temple to pray for your ancestors.

After a couple of hours we wandered back to our hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon familiarising ourselves with what was in the near vicinity and getting our bearings so that we could plan what to do over the next few days. The reception desk provided us with excellent details of transport, maps etc for each of the places we planned to visit.

Gion district is full of contrasts, with modern buildings like the hotel above and quaint little shrines such as the one pictured below.

Later in the afternoon we walked to the local laundromat where we did our one and only lot of washing for the trip. While I watched the washing, John went exploring and discovered a great little shop that sold second-hand kimonos and other old items. We found a lovely old print and an old okina mask which we bought as our souvenirs of the trip. That night we opted for a 7-11 dinner and early to bed so we could be up and off to Nishiki Markets first thing in the morning.

You would think we would have learned from our time in Kanazawa that most shops and markets in Japan don’t open until at least 9 a.m. In the markets it is unusual for them to be open before 9.30 so despite arriving at the markets at around 8.30 we had some time to kill. We opted for a stroll through some of the narrow alleyways where there are the usual shrines as well as some interesting niche cafes.We then walked back to the main shopping street and indulged in a coffee at Maccas.

Nishiki Markets have all of the seafood that you would usually expect e.g. baby octopus on a stick but these markets had lots more to offer.

Even at the markets there are temples and shrines nearby.

On the way home we strolled along the riverbank and then through the backstreets of the Gion district where there are lots of interesting shops and some lovely little shrines. One of the staff at our hotel conducted tours of the district, focusing on the Geisha culture and we spent the early evening learning lots of really interesting information about the teahouses and boarding houses where the girls live and work as well as lots about the philosophies and rules that they abide by.

While the term Geisha is commonly used, there are actually two distinct names in the world of geishas. When a girl commences her training she is known as a Meiko. She  will spend 4 years training while living in a boarding house with a number of other meiko. Boarding houses can be recognised by a timber board by the front door which contains smaller timbers slats, each of which has a name on it – one for  each meiko in the house. Meikos do not earn much but are looked after by the boarding house. When they finish their time successfully, they become a Geiko, or fully fledged Geisha. She can then work independently and will earn considerably more money.

Our guide took us to a theartre called Geisha Central where nightly shows are performed. We waited outside until about 7.45 and managed to see several meiko leaving the theatre. People seem to hold geisha in high esteem here and are certainly very respectful of them.

We were up bright and early next morning and on the train headed to the Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine, probably one of the most photographed shrines in Japan. It is no wonder either, as it is quite spectacular, with over 1000 torii gates winding up Mt Inari. We managed to walk all the way to the top (I had lots of breaks along the way) and it was well worth the effort. Of course it was hard to stop clicking away with the camera.

Inari is the Japanese kami of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake and of agriculture and industry.

Almost at the top and the view of Kyoto is great.

From Mt Inari we walked back down the hill to the railway station and caught a train to Nara, which was about an hour away. Nara is famous for two things – deer roaming the streets and parks, and the largest Buddha in Japan, housed in the largest timber building in the world. On the way we called into a couple of other temples just off the main street, including Kojukuji Temple which was established in Nara at the same time as the capital in 710. At the height of Fujiwara power, the temple consisted of over 150 buildings including a five-storied pagoda which is Japan's second tallest wooden pagoda.

Even though it was a week day, Nara was still crowded. We noticed that in Japan students regularly visit places of cultural significance and Nara is definitely a popular destination. As with all of Japan though, people are polite and considerate. 

Entry gate to Todai-ji Temple, home of the Great Buddha

The great Buddha is flanked by two golden Buddhas.

Everything in the temple is big!

Two fierce warriors stand guard at the rear of the temple.

This delightful buddha sits outside the temple proper. Theory is that you make an offering then if you have a sore right knee for example, you touch his right knee then your own and you will be cured. Seemed to work for a day or two!

We saw these statues everywhere. They are another take on the fox deity, thought to be mischievous and lucky. I thought they looked more like bears.

On the way back to the station we visited one of the many gardens which are open to visitors. Check first however as some have quite expensive entry fees.

Despite the crowds, we really enjoyed Nara and getting there and back on the train was really easy.

That night we strolled around the corner to a great little bar that John had come across the night before. It was called Silver Wings, and each night it featured up to five local musicians and bands, giving them a platform to strut their stuff. It featured a very eclectic selection of artists and most of the patrons seemed to friends of those performing. While most of the acts sang in Japanese, we really enjoyed the atmosphere, and returned here on three occasions, enjoying Japanese beer and saki. Only drawback was the thick cigarette smoke.

On Tuesday, we had another busy day. First up we jumped on the bus and headed to the north-west of the city to visit the Golden Pavillion, one of Kyotos iconic royal buildings. Like all of the royal buildings we had visited, the gardens surround ding the building were very beautiful and of course the Golden Pavillion itself was impressive.

Next it was the nearby ‘stone garden’, on of Japan’s most famous artistic Zen gardens in the grounds of the Ryoanji Temple. I must say though that while it is very tranquil and I’m sure has great significance to the Japanese, I was a bit underwhelmed. We found the gardens in the outer area much more aesthetically pleasing. Guess we’re not quite Zen enough yet.

The gardens in a nearby temple seemed a lot more attractive to us.

In the evening we wandered back across the river to Ponto Cho, a street reknowned for its bars and nightlife. I guess we must have been far too early or it was the wrong night to visit, as it was a bit quiet and most of the bars were empty. Walking along the river was lovely though and again we really enjoyed wandering through the Gion district back to Silver Wings and another group of great entertainers.

Saki barrels on Ponto Cho

It was up early again next morning and off on the train again to Arashyama. We initially set out planning to take a rafting trip down the Hozugawa River. Unfortunately there was some confusion about where the trip started so we ended up back at Arashyama. If you want to do the trip you have to go two stations past Arashyama to Kameoko where you just follow the rest of the tourists down to the river and book your seat.

Arashyama is a busy little town, most famous for its bamboo grove and gardens. Again we just followed the signs and the other tourists down to the river and then to the extensive stands of huge bamboo. Across the river there is also a monkey forest but to see the monkeys you have to climb almost to the top of the mountain.

The river at Arashayama.

That's one big bamboo shoot!

We discovered more lovely gardens in Arashayama.

Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese omelette and on our last night we headed to a little restaurant near the canal not far from our hotel. We had seen several people lined up there the night before and our hotel staff had recommended the place to us. We were lucky that we got there early as when we left, there was a long line of people waiting outside. The dinner was delicious and very reasonably priced. Before going back to our hotel we went back to Silver Wings for a quick drink and some more entertainment. Yes we really liked that bar and admission is free for foreigners.

Next morning we were up very early as we had quite a long train journey to Hiroshima.