Russ, I am reliving much of my trip (nearly 7 full months home now) through your outstanding report. I LOL'ed at your comments regarding my temporary tragedy with the Fuji-san pictures from the bullet train. I'm glad my mistake saved you the crazy thought of EVER deleting trip photos. When a 20 gig card can hold something like 2000 photos, why even think about deleting anything!

I am very, very glad you had both clear weather and a still prominent snow cap for your Fuji visit. You couldn't have described that view from the ropeway any better...something so iconic that it could only be that and nothing else. I don't recall seeing whether you sampled any of the hard boiled eggs at Owakudani or not?

Really enjoying your report and looking forward to your days in Kyoto.

Russ, yes the smiles and welcome were very charming! As was the marshmallow!

May 22 – Day 10 – Koyasan to Kyoto

We awoke at 6:00 AM the next morning so that we could go see the monks chanting in the temple at 6:30. Although I was there at 6:30 sharp, the chanting was already in progress and the few benches provided for guests were taken, so I stood in the corner next to the door with a couple of other stragglers. There were two monks chanting, sometimes alternating, sometimes in unison, sometimes varying their respective pitches enough to be pleasingly dissonant. Although I wouldn’t say that I achieved a meditative state, it was easy to lose one self in the repetitive drone of the chant and the overwhelming scent of incense. The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes after which we went back to our rooms to prepare for breakfast at 7:30.

Breakfast was a slightly less elaborate affair than dinner, but still amazingly good for what amounted to tofu, prepared in a variety of ways. We checked out early because we want explore the town before heading to Kyoto, however, we didn’t realize that the bus that conveniently stopped directly in front of the temple only came once per hour until 10:00 AM, so despite our 8 kilometer walk through the cemetery the night before, we found ourselves walking two additional kilometers into town. Fortunately, we had brought our overnight bags to Koyasan, and not our suitcases.

Reaching the center of town, it didn’t take long to make a round of the major sites which are mostly gathered in the same general area. The highlight was the Konpon Daito. This is a towering pagoda built in 1937 with a shiny red lacquer finish, and which contained one of my favorite interiors of any shrine on this trip. Because of its relative newness, the four Buddhas inside were still a bright shiny gold, and the columns were painted with colorful designs. It gave a great idea of what some of the other shrines might have looked like before the accumulation of several centuries of incense smoke and general grime.

After a cup of tea and a pastry at a tea house across the street, we caught the bus back to the station for the trip to Kyoto. This is the one part of the trip about which I was a bit apprehensive, because it required a subway line trip from the Namba Station to the Osaka Station. According to Hyperdia.com, we then had 4 minutes to get out of the subway, enter the train station, find our correct Shinkansen track and board the train bound for Kyoto. Fortunately, we were leaving Koyasan an hour earlier than originally planned, so the pressure was off.

Stepping off the subway in Osaka station, we were especially grateful for the extra time, since it did take us well over 4 minutes to figure out that we had to go outside of the subway station to get to the train station (or maybe we didn’t have to, but regardless, that’s what we ended up doing). Now that we had found where we needed to go, it was time to seek out some sustenance.

There were only a couple of uninspiring choices on the ground floor of the station, but we noticed signs for many restaurants indicating that they were located on the 14th floor. Not realizing that we were in the bottom of a tower, we took the elevator up to what I would describe as a very glamorous food court. There were probably a dozen restaurants of various nationalities, as well as a variety of Japanese cuisines. We decided to try something we had not had before, and landed on Kushikatsu, which were skewers (kushi) of various types of seafood and vegetables, dipped in egg and covered in panko, and deep fried. Yum!

We thought that we had ordered a reasonable amount by getting a 7 piece meal each, but with the obligatory soup and rice, it turned out to be quite filling. What I really liked is that they brought out a plate divided into 6 different sections, with a different sauce in each area. Then when they brought out the fish-laden skewers, they put them in another dish of the same design. The server then mimed that each skewer was to be dipped into the sauce corresponding to the same location on the other plate. So a skewer in section #2 of the fish plate was to be dipped in the sauce located in section #2 of the sauce plate. So organized!! As they brought out each course, the non-English speaking server would bring a list that had all of the fish listed in both Kanji and English, so that she could point to the English word to describe what we were eating. It was really fun, delicious and fast, which is really important when you have a train to catch! Well sated, we made it to our shinkansen with time to spare, and were whisked away for the quick 30 minute ride to Kyoto.

KYOTO: Which I believe is Japanese for, “No matter how much time you have planned, it’s not enough!”

I’m very grateful to the Fodorites who suggested that I needed to plan more time in Kyoto. Originally we had booked four nights, and were planning to devote one of my three full days to Nara, but after adding an overnight in Nara earlier in the trip, we were able to devote three full days to Kyoto. Like my Tokyo plan, I had divided Kyoto geographically, with the idea to see one of three regions per day: Eastern Kyoto one day, Central and Southern Kyoto the next, and Northern Kyoto/Arashiyama the last, but we know what they say about the best laid schemes…

Before getting to sightseeing there’s the matter of our hotel. Originally I had booked four nights at Hotel Granvia Kyoto, located atop the train station, for both its good reviews and its central location. I had previously checked availability at Hotel Mume, but given their stellar Trip Advisor reviews, and having only seven rooms, they were sold out. However, MinnBeef’s recent trip report inspired me to ask to be put on their waiting list in the event of any cancellations. Less than a month later I received an email saying that they could accommodate three of our four nights, if I would not mind a change of rooms. We jumped at the chance, with the understanding that we would remain on the waiting list for our fourth night. We must have done something nice in a previous life because a month before leaving we were informed that another night had opened up, but only if we could change rooms a second time. Done! This was one of the best decisions of the trip.

It’s hard to describe just how phenomenal the staff is at Hotel Mume. In a country in which kindness and good service is the norm, they take it to the next level. Because we are fairly independent and self-sufficient, sometimes it was almost uncomfortable how nice they were. For example, although we walked to dinner most nights, one night when it was raining we took a taxi to and from dinner. Although we didn’t know it at the time, taxis are not allowed on the street where the hotel is located after 9:00 PM. As a result, the taxi driver had to drop us about ½ a block away from the hotel. It was still raining, but we were sharing an umbrella so all was fine. So imagine our surprise when Miyuki met us on the street halfway from the taxi to the hotel, umbrella in hand. All I can imagine is that she asked the restaurant to call her when we left so that she could meet us on the street. We are not so fragile that we require this level of service, but this type of kind gesture was repeated three or four times per day for the duration of our stay; whether it was asking directions to a nearby pharmacy, only to have them write a detailed note in Kanji to hand to the proprietor explaining everything we needed, or asking for a recommendation of a nice garden to see, only to have them provide us with a map, annotated with the most efficient route to the nicest gardens in the area.

The other fantastic benefit of the hotel was the location. Looking at a map before we left, it appeared that it would be too far east of downtown to be super-convenient; however I can’t think of a more ideal position in the city. It was half a block west of Higashiohji-dori, making it a five minute walk to the Yasaka Shrine, which is really the gateway to Maruyama Park, and some of the most important temples in eastern Kyoto. Walk 10-15 minutes south from here and you can be at the Kiyomizudera Temple. Walk 10 – 15 minutes north -and you can be at the southern end of the Philosopher’s path, and another grouping of important temples (these are both up hill, so do what we did and take a taxi and walk back).

Going west from the hotel for two blocks brings you to the Gion –Shijo stop of the Keihan train line, convenient for going to southern Kyoto to see Sanjusangen-do Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine, and even to Nara; as well as for connecting to the subway for Nijo castle. Continuing one block past the river brings you to the Pontocho, a narrow alley filled with restaurants one side of which has outdoor seating along the riverside. Just south of this is the Takashimaya department store. This might also be a great area in which to stay in if you want the hustle and bustle of the city, but the street where we were staying was super quiet, filled with antiques stores that were closed at night. Looking over a small tributary of the Kamo River, it was a nice peaceful oasis to wake up to each day.

Walking south from the hotel will bring you to the central area of Gion, filled with preserved wooden buildings, restaurants, and lots of tourists, some of which we would see dressed as Geishas and being followed by photographers taking their photos. We saw real Geishas too (Geiko, as they say in Kyoto), but they were outnumbered by the tourists.

So anyway, in case I wasn’t clear…we liked our hotel.

That evening we had reservations for a kaiseki dinner at a place called Karyo, which had been recommended by the hotel. We walked to the historic area of Gion, just across the street from the Gion Corner Theater where you can see traditional Japanese performance. Unlike our other kaiseki dinners, where we had had private rooms, here we were at a bar facing the kitchen, seated on low upholstered chairs that were incredibly comfortable. It was fascinating watching the chefs prepare our meals. While I imagine most restaurnant kitchens are noisy and frenetic with activity, this one was so quiet, more like a laboratory, scientists calmly and precisely executing formulas that they knew by heart. It was clear that hours of preparation preceded our arrival, because with each order, plates were assembled quickly and perfectly using chopsticks as their only the utensils. It was like a temple to gastronomy, a Zen kaiseki. Oh, and it was delicious.

That evening we retired to the Flower room, the largest (and most expensive) room at Mume, our home for one night. Located on the top floor, it was nice and bright and had a balcony, which was nice for watching the river rush by below.

Next up: Philosopher’s Path, beautiful gardens and allergy attacks

"KYOTO: Which I believe is Japanese for, “No matter how much time you have planned, it’s not enough!”" -- well said!

I love it. Photo advice to avert disaster and now another success from the wait list at Hotel Mume. Russ, you owe me a drink if you ever get to Minneapolis. <G>

kja: I can't say that you didn't warn me!

MinnBeff: It's a deal, although I think that you are more likely to be passing through LA than I am through Minneapolis. BTW, we did not eat the eggs in Owakudani. We had just eaten lunch, and the sulfer odor was a bit much for us .

But not everyone listens, Russ! I'm glad you heeded my "warning" and had such a good time.

Oops, sorry about the typo MinnBeef.

How lovely.
We too arrived on time (that we had been given on arrival) at the monk's morning session, but found that they had already started, clearly some time earlier as other guests were quietly sat on the benches.

Hotel Mume was one I looked at too but it was fully booked. I chose Shiraume Ryokan which is very nearby, on the same stream, I think, and agree the location is excellent. Perhaps on another trip, I'll be able to try Mume too.

Hi Kavey,

Based on the reviews and the photos, Shiraume looks like an excellent choice as well, and definitely a more traditional experience. The locations are almost identical, and in fact, Shiraume is on a more "preserved" historic street. Mume was great, but I think they might be about equal as far as service.

ok, i am caught up with your wonderful TR.

and then what happened?

Yes I was very happy with Shiraume and indeed, when we returned to Kyoto last autumn, we went to visit Tomoko-san with a gift, a belated thank you for her kindness in taking me to the local hospital, translating, sorting out the transport and even leaving us a little meal in our room because she knew we'd miss dinner being in the hospital (we'd not booked a meal that day).

We didn't try for Mume on the second trip as were working to a budget and I found absolute steal bargain on room in Kyoto Rotal Hotel and Spa, also a superb location.

May 23 – Day 11 – Kyoto

At 7:30 AM we were the first to come down for breakfast, which meant we were fortunate enough to snag a table with a view of the canal. Breakfast each morning was ample, consisting of a delicious pureed vegetable soup, such as asparagus or kabocha squash, which varied each day. There was also a fruit salad with yoghurt, a hard-boiled egg, juice, coffee or tea, and an assortment of fresh baked goods which also changed daily. The jams and preserves seemed artisanal, with varieties such as apricot, kiwi, and even avocado, which was surprisingly good.

We had saved Kyoto for the end of the trip because we had heard so many good things about it. In a way this plan may have backfired a little because all the energy we had expended over the past 10 days was finally catching up with us. With this in mind, we decided to take a taxi instead of public transport to Ginkakuji, or the Silver Pavilion, and walk along the philosopher’s path back to the hotel.

We got there just as it opened, along with 400,000 schoolchildren who arrived at the same time. The architecture of the pavilion was beautiful, but what really struck us was the garden. The dry garden at the beginning was really interesting because, in addition to the raked designs that we were expecting, there were also some three dimensional “sand sculptures” in unique geometrical shapes, such as a 5-foot tall cone with the top chopped off. To be honest, they appeared too unstable to remain that way for long. I don’t know what held them together, or if they were even still standing at the end of the day. The other feature of the garden that struck us was how much moss played a decorative role, and how impossibly green it was. It was as if the entire landscape was painted in fuzzy, green, fluorescent paint, and then somebody turned on a black light. It was iridescent.

As beautiful as it was, if the purpose of a garden is to induce a meditative state, then this was certainly not going to happen in this crowd. With that in mind, we decided to proceed down the path toward some of the lesser known temples which were blissfully devoid of people. Honen-in made for a pleasant stroll through a bamboo forest, where the path was flanked by two large mounds of sand in a kind of 3-D trapezoidal shape, like a long skinny square pyramid, with the top chopped off. This plateau had been raked into designs of overlapping concentric circles. We had read that these mounds were altered regularly, and were meant to symbolize the changing of the seasons.

Perhaps our favorite stop along the path was Anraku-ji, a small unassuming temple, about which we had debated whether to even enter. Walking onto the grounds, we could see that there was some sort of meeting happening inside the main building, so we were hesitant to walk by the door in case we might disturb someone. However, a monk walked by and urged us to continue into a series of tatami matt rooms, with wide open doors that beautifully framed a gorgeous azalea garden, with carefully shaped bushes just beginning to burst into color. Sam shot one of my favorite photos of the trip, a lone woman seated on a red rug, bordered by rice paper screens, and looking out to the garden beyond. It was a calm and serene moment, and we stayed a while to enjoy it.

Among the other highlights were Eikando, with some amazingly colorful and well preserved columns and cornices, and Konchi-in, with its famous dry garden (although I still preferred the “wet” ones). Along the way we stopped at a small shop where a pleasant Japanese woman offered us tea, while Sam tried on a yukata, which he ultimately purchased. The best part was as we were leaving when we thanked her with, “arigato gozaimas”, and she responded that in the Kyoto dialect one says, “okini”. I asked her if this was less polite, or inappropriate for us to use, and she said that it was not. You can’t believe what delighted responses we got for the rest of the trip whenever we thanked someone with this phrase: smiles, bows or comments that we spoke just like someone from Kyoto! It even opened up further conversations in shops, restaurant and taxis that we might not have otherwise had - another favorite moment from the trip, which cascaded into a dozen more.

We didn’t go into Nanzen-ji temple, as it was mostly covered in scaffolding, so we had lunch at a restaurant on the main street leading up to the temple which was lined with many options. It was a beautiful day, verging on hot and sticky, so we decided to sit at western tables outside facing the street. It was not until the end of the meal that we noticed that there were also Japanese-style outdoor tables facing a beautiful pond and garden. This was a recurring theme in Kyoto restaurants, where we noticed that the best views tended to be from the Japanese-style seating areas.

Sometime in the previous hour, Sam had started having an allergic reaction to something and his itchy eyes were driving him mad, so we decided to a taxi back to the hotel so that I could try to buy some eye drops and antihistamine. As I mentioned earlier, the staff at the hotel was extremely helpful and wrote down everything I would need to request at the pharmacy. It was quite warm and humid by the time Sam started feeling better, so we decided to take a taxi to the Heian Jinju Shrine, since we seemed to be really enjoying the gardens at this point, and it was highly recommended by Mume.

The complex of buildings was quite large, with the largest red tori gate found anywhere in Japan, but it was the gardens were here to see. They seemed to be broken into three distinct areas, the first of which was a series of meandering paths through filtered shade, which helped cool things off a bit. We passed several areas with irises that had yet to bloom, or water lilies that had only buds. Were mildly disappointed because we could imagine in a week or two when the garden would be a riot of color, so we were super excited as we rounded a corner to the back of the shrine, where we were confronted with a large pond filled with hundreds of irises topped with deep, concord grape colored blooms, and dozens of water lilies, looking like floating candy hearts. Crossing the pond was a series of stepping stones in a lazy s-shaped curve, which we walked onto so that we could get up close for some of the best garden photos of the trip.

Continuing to the largest expanse of the garden, we could see a wooden covered bridge crossing the lake, which even had benches from which we could enjoy the view. Throughout the garden you can see the occasional couple, dressed in a suit and kimono, having wedding photos taken. Sitting next to one such bride, I looked up the word for “beautiful”, so that I could pay her a compliment. I didn’t want to sound creepy by telling her that she was beautiful, so I pointed to her kimono and said, “Utsukushi desu”, to which she replied, “thank you”… in perfect English.

After an aperitif at Hotel Mume, we walked 10 minutes to dinner, in an area just west of the river, on the narrow Pantocho pedestrian street. It was quite comfortable outside, without need of a jacket, and the riverside was filled with people enjoying the warm evening, as well as all the outdoor terraces of the restaurants lining the riverside. We had an enjoyable dinner of kushi, similar to what we had had for lunch today before, but sitting at the counter so that we could enjoy explanations of what we were eating as it was being served. We enjoyed walking along the Pantocho after dinner, as it was very atmospheric and lively. One could probably eat at a different restaurant every night for two months and not hit them all.

Walking back I commented that, up to now, I had budgeted almost exactly the right amount of time for each of the areas and cities that we visited, but today we had done just about half of what I had hoped to do. We had only two full days, and some tough choices, ahead of us.

Up Next: Higashiyama, Sanjusangendo, and Fushimi Inari Taisha

I hope you loved Fushimi Inari. It was one of the highlights of my time in Kyoto.

Oh lovely lovely.

Completely off topic, but we just finished watching the Japanese film called Departures which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film in 2009. One of the most moving films we've seen in a long, long time. If you have not seen it, rent it now! Keep a hanky handy.

May 24 – Day 12 – Kyoto

So we got an early start, trying to beat the crowds to Kiyomizudera, and to make up for lost time from the day before. We arrived about 10 minutes before they opened and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t already mobbed. We had no trouble making our way to the famous veranda to enjoy the views, and loved exploring the shrine up the hill above, and watching people trying to walk with their eyes closed between two stones placed 59 feet apart. Although succeeding is supposed to ensure that true love will materialize, I think that it really proved that you don’t have to be drunk to fail a field sobriety test. Afterwards we walked down the path, past the waterfall where the line was quite long to drink the water to ensure longevity. We opted instead to make the best of the time we had left by enjoying the views of the temple from the trail. A spur in the trail led us to a red, three tiered pagoda, from which there were also fabulous views of the temple, and even better, no crowds.

This was in the southern of portion of the stretch that we had intended to see the previous afternoon, in an area called Higashiyama. We proceeded downhill through cobblestone pedestrian streets lined with preserved wooden buildings, similar to the ones we saw in Gion. Although it was just as touristy at that part of town, we found this area more enjoyable to wander in. We were surprised at the quality of many of the goods for sale, much of it comprised of expensive lacquer ware or ceramics, in addition to the normal tourist fare.

As we rounded a corner, we saw up ahead a massive Buddha statue resting a on a single story building. This turned out to be the Ryozen Kwannon, which is the shrine to the Unknown Soldier from WWll. Upon entering the shrine we were given incense which was lit for us so that we could place it into a large metal receptacle in front of the 80 foot tall Buddha. We were the only people there, so it was a nice peaceful break from the more popular attractions. Right next door was the Kodaiji temple, with a stunning garden, as well as a bamboo forest. We enjoyed the views of the rolling green moss covered hills from the temple, and glimpses of the giant Buddha next door between the enormous stalks of bamboo. There was a beautiful series of prayer wheels spinning out front which were powered by the wind. We watched for a few minutes as a bride and groom had photos taken in their traditional attire.

After Kodaiji, we continued down as the cobblestone path to Maruyama Park, which is supposed to be a prime spot for seeing the cherry blossoms in the springtime. After a spin through the park we continued downhill to the Yasaka Shrine, one of the most recognizable buildings in Higashiyama, just to the east of Gion. The main building had hundreds of paper lanterns hanging from it, and we were surprised to be able to witness a wedding ceremony going on inside. Nearby, in a juxtaposition of ancient and modern, it was amusing to see three geishas in their beautiful kimonos, texting on their mobile phones.

From this point, it was only a 10 minute walk to the Shijo Station of the Keihan Railways line, which would take us to the Shichijo station near the Sanjusange-do temple, famous for its 1000 golden statues of the many-armed Kannon. Today was by far the hottest and most humid day of the trip, so we’re grateful to be underground for a few minutes while aboard the train; however, arriving at our destination was the first time in the trip that I felt a bit frazzled. Maybe it was the heat, or fatigue; or perhaps I had gotten too used to Tokyo and its orderly subway riders who wait in line for the escalators and always stand on the left and walk on the right, but for the first time on the trip the crowd seemed chaotic. I then got a bit flustered when I discovered that my Pasmo card would not let me out of the station because it needed to be reloaded.

After managing to escape the station, the four-block walk to the temple seemed much further in the heat. But we arrived at the temple, along with many tour buses, and placed our shoes in one of the thousands of cubbyholes which lined the entrance. It was imposing sight, seeing the 1000 golden life-sized statues which filled the main hall, but too soon the overwhelming scent of incense, and the push of the crowds, compelled us to move on. Once back outside, we enjoyed walking the perimeter of the grounds under the bright red covered walkway with green painted window screens which made for some striking photos. Overall, if this had been one of the first things we had seen on our trip, I think it would have made a much better impression, but in the end it felt a bit like an obligatory stop. I’m glad we saw it, and I don’t need to rush back.

Although we had planned to take the train to the Fushimi Inaria station, it was easier to just take a taxi. The driver dropped us off at the bottom of the street leading to the entrance of the shrine, which was lined with small shops and restaurants. We chose a particular noodle house, because you could see the chef making homemade noodles right in the front window. We were the only ones there at first, so we were a little concerned that maybe we didn’t make a good choice, but it was air conditioned and we were there, so we sat. Sam ordered a rice bowl with pork and egg, and it came with a side of homemade udon noodles. I had cold soba noodles with shrimp tempura. Much to our surprise it phenominal! It turned out that the egg on Sam’s bowl was raw when it went on, so the heat from the hot rice cooked it just enough to turn it into a nice thick sauce, sweetened slightly by the rice, and his noodles had that nice, toothy, starchy quality that you could really dig into. I’m so happy that his portion was so large that I had to help him finish it. This was exactly the recharging that we needed. After lunch we walked up the hill past dozens of vendors selling street food which looked so good that I almost regretted having already had lunch.

So, what can I say about one of the most famous and photographed shrines in Japan? It was fantastic! With over 10,000 red torri gates lining the paths that snaked up the hillside, I was surprised at how densely placed they were, creating an almost solid tunnel for us to walk through. Thank goodness that it was a few degrees cooler in the shade that they provided, because it was a good steady climb and it didn’t take long to heat up again. Fortunately about 2/3 way up, right after the point where the paths split to the left and the right to create a loop, we stumbled upon a couple teahouses where we could stop for some refreshment. After far too many pics of the incredibly photogenic torri, we slowly headed back down, stopping to get a closer look the dozens of small shrines along the path.

We thought for 2 seconds about taking the train back. The station was right there and it would have been easy, but suddenly a taxi materialized and the decision was made for us. We were quite surprised when we got into the cab, only to hear the driver listening to a Willie Nelson song. When we commented on it, he proceeded to tell us how much he loved American country music, and then he started thanking us for helping rebuild Japan after WWll, which I wasn’t expecting at all (especially after what had transpired to necessitate the rebuilding). So we told him how much we were enjoying Japan, and I was able to use my new word from the day before when I said, “Nihon utsukushi desu”, Japan is beautiful, to which he responded by thanking me, and bowing deeply…while driving. It was surprisingly moving.

That night for dinner we had yakitori at Wake Wabe, back on the Pontocho. We sat at the bar where we are served by Toshi, the owner. He explained that we were going to eat virtually every part of the chicken, and then presented us with a platter of five appetizers that included chicken skin, chicken feet, chicken liver, and I don’t remember what else, pretty much everything but the feathers. I have to admit that there was nothing that I didn’t like, although I may not go rushing back next time were are in town. However, Toshi was charming, and an expert at social media, as he took our picture and posted it on his Instagram site on the spot, and we took his photo and posted it on ours, and then we all friended each other on Facebook. He was a lot of fun, and since returning home, we’ve had the privilege of watching him get married via his postings. The world keeps getting smaller.

Tomorrow: Last full day in Kyoto – Kinkakuji, Arashiyama, Nijo Castle

"Afterwards we walked down the path, past the waterfall where the line was quite long to drink the water to ensure longevity. We opted instead to make the best of the time we had left by enjoying the views of the temple from the trail. " LOL! It's tricky to weigh things out, isn't it? How much time "lost" to standing in line for how much time "gained" by sipping the water??? I remember reading once that for every 20" workout, one added 20" to one's life. Hmm.... So I can extend my life for the length of time through which I endure mindlessness and discomfort, giving up this time when I am reasonably fit both psychologically and physically, to have more time in my decrepitude? Interesting. My workouts have been a bit less committed since then. ;-)

ooh, I can't wait to hear your thoughts about Nijojo!

May 25 – Day 13 – Kyoto

We awoke to cooler temperatures and a dark foreboding sky. Taking a taxi to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, we arrived about than 10 minutes before opening, along with every schoolchild in the greater Kyoto prefecture. It started to rain just as the doors were opened, and a river of umbrellas flooded through the gates. Despite the crowd, the first glimpse of Kinkakuji was breathtaking, with the misty rain creating an impressionist painting out of the reflection in the lake. We enjoyed the garden immensely, along with the different views of the pavilion from various points along the path.

We briefly contemplated going to see Royan-ji’s famous rock garden, but when we saw the bus loads of people we decided that our time might be better spent going directly to Arashiyama. We had the taxi drop us off up the hill at Adashino Nembutsu –ji. As soon as we entered the grounds we knew that we had made the right decision. Spread out in front of us were over 8000 small stone Buddha statues, packed together into the cemetery. Walking in the deserted garden in the drizzling rain, it was another one of those magical moments that happen when you least expect it. Circling around to the back of the temple, we discovered a lovely bamboo forest, with stone steps bordered by a bamboo railing leading up the hill. Stopping on our way up, we could hear nothing but the soft whisper of the water as it filtered through the trees. We spent several minutes watching leaves float slowly to the ground, creating drifts along the path.

The road leading downhill from the temple toward the town was lined with well-preserved wooden buildings. Through one of the shops we could see a small beautiful garden in the back, so we entered to get a better look. Since we were the only customers, the proprietress showered us with attention, bringing us cups of hot tea as we looked around. Normally when I shop I like to get in and get out, while Sam can linger for hours, analyzing every item in the store; but the staff was so hospitable, and the setting so inviting, that even I found it difficult to leave. We were impressed with the quality and prices, and managed to take care of all our gifts in one fell swoop. We laughed with the owner as we practiced our bad Japanese while she beautifully wrapped each individual gift.

After an ill-advised detour to see a temple that looked much closer on the map, we found ourselves a the entrance to the famous bamboo forest near town. We were hungry and decided not to enter it at that point, thinking that if we walked straight ahead it would lead us into town, but somehow we ended up in a large park along the riverside with no idea where the town was. My guidebook had recommended a restaurant called Sagano, which specializes in the traditional yudofu cooking, so I asked a man in Japanese if he knew where to find the restaurant. He gestured for us to follow him into a non-descript building, down the corridor of what appeared to be a senior center, passing a group of folks socializing. Coming up to a door on the other side, he pointed to a restaurant just outside. He had resourcefully had taken us down the most direct route, through the middle of the building next door, and right onto the doorstep of our destination.

We were seated at western style tables next to a wall lined with clay jars decorated with kanji script. The table had a burner built into it, onto which was placed a ceramic bowl with large white squares of tofu. The meal had some similarities to the cuisine that we had eaten at Koyasan, but with a few upgrades. For example, one of the items was a ball of tofu and chopped vegetables sitting in broth. In Koyasan, their version ended up disintegrating into a soggy mound in the bowl, whereas here it maintained a firmer texture, similar to a matzo ball. In addition, the middle had a nice crunchy surprise of a gingko nut filling. After lunch we noticed that there was an incredibly beautiful garden in the back, so we strolled down the paths filled with wet moss positively glowing in dazzling shades chartreuse, jade and emerald green.

Once we left the restaurant, we realized that we were a minute away from the Tenryu-ji temple. I felt like I should have bought a guide book called, “It’s the gardens, stupid,” because here was yet another stunning example of that which Kyoto seems to excel. Is it possible to overdose on too much beauty? Exiting the garden, we realized that it had led us directly onto the path through the bamboo forest that we had bypassed earlier, although we had taken an extra-long and circuitous route to get there.

Since we were trying to fit as much in as possible on our last full day, we decided to walk to the JR train station that would take us to Nijo Castle, back in central Kyoto. Just as it had in Arashiyama, the sprinkling seemed to suppress the crowds a bit, but did not detract from our enjoyment. We loved the gold and multi-colored gate, leading to the palace, which reminded us a bit of the decoration at Nikko. Inside we were able to view the cavernous rooms lined with reproductions of the beautiful screens, which we would enjoy at a closer proximity at the museum next door. As we walked through the castle grounds, we asked ourselves how this had not ended up higher on our to-do list in the first place. The gardens were beautiful and the azaleas were in full bloom. It was a great way to finish up what turned out to be our garden tour of Kyoto.

After the castle, we enjoyed a little shopping in central Kyoto, which eventually led us to the food halls at Takashimaya. We decided that we would buy a couple of cream puffs to take back to the hotel, but we were having trouble understanding the question that the lovely young saleswoman was asking us, something about, “how many times…” Although we had not understood, she wrapped up the pastries in a box, and then placed them in a gift bag. Arriving back at the hotel, we discovered that she had also put in a small container filled with dry ice. It then occurred to us that she was trying to ask us how long until we were going to eat them, and not knowing the answer, she considerately packed them to stay cool, just in case. Wow!

That evening, we had a final blow-out kaiseki at Kikunoi, in a private room with a gorgeous view of the garden outside our window, and the soothing rain tapping on the window pane; a fitting end to our final evening in Japan.

Tomorrow: Chion-in and Shoren-in temples and homeward bound

Still following along, enjoying your observations!