Kyoto is bigger and busier than I remember, but it retains its charm in many of its corners. I like particularly the area that we are staying in, close to the silver pavilion, the philospher's path and the shrine close by. The streets are narrow and curved and many old houses, or at least houses ethat look old and unchanged grace both sides of the road. Our BnB owner suggests we visit he flea market at a nearby shrine, so our morning was devoted to piles of old kimonos and dishes that appeared to have been stored at the bottom of a chest for a very long time. The smell was unmistakable. I liked the shrine and felt relieved to buy an umbrella for protection from the sun. It was 95 degrees with 99 percent humidity; I am not sure I have ever been in such an uncomfortable environment, and that altered our experience here in Kyoto today. Just walking through the flea market and sticking to the shady sections or under the umbrella was exhausting before we even ventured further to the temples.
We had taken a bus to the flea market, which was not far from the golden pavilion. The bus system in Kyoto is excellent, and best of all, the buses are air conditioned and not too crowded, so getting on the bus meant cooling off for a bit, and sitting down for a rest from the sweltering conditions outside. The golden pavilion was more golden than I remember, astonishing after the contrast with the silver pavilion which was not at all silver (the owner of the pavilion had never gotten around to covering it with silver as he had planned). I don't believe the golden pavilion was supposed to be gold all over; perhaps only the top floor was originally gold, but after begin burned down and destroyed more than once, each time it was rebuilt, more gold was used. We were unable to enter the structure, so satisfied ourselves with the view across the pond. The gardens were lovely, and the perfect place to linger, except that we were boiling in the heat and eager to be cool.
Being cool was soon more important than any monument or experience. The bus to the Kyoto Imperial Palace was a few stops of relief. We could not get into the palace; the 'Imperial Household Agency' had room for guests only on Monday, so Emily made an appt with her family (we would be gone by Monday). We walked around the grounds for a short while, but again the heat interfered with our enjoyment. We were not too far from the Textile museum and shops, so took a short bus ride to get there. We paid 500 yen for an all day bus ticket, which is a great deal, and we took advantage of it, not only for transportation, but also for relief from the stifling weather. A kimono fashion show was happening as we arrived at the museum, with Japanese tourists snapping away throughout the display. The museum was less a museum, and more a shop with genuine Japanese products (not Chinese!) and expensive; kimonos, ukatas, bags of all sizes and shapes, and every which way textiles can be used. I did buy a few items, but prices were high.
I was eager to see more temples, and was hopeful that we could manage one more as the sun was setting. I remember how stunning Kiyomizu-dera had been when I visited many years ago, so we rushed onto a bus to the temple; it was far away from the palace, and we had little time to enjoy the temple, but it was impressive and beautiful and we had a lovely view of Kyoto from our position a little higher on the eastern foothills. Kyoto is surrounded by hills (mountains?) and most of the shrines and temples are located a little higher than the town. Because it was so late in the day, the crowds were thinning, and we could enjoy the temple with less competition, although we were rushed through as 6 PM neared. The main hall of the Buddhist temple has a huge verandah supported by pillars and juts out precariously over the hillside. Eric drank the sacred water from the waterfall nearby, so presumably his health will improve!
The area walking down from the temple was charming and entertaining. The streets are lined with old wooden houses, shops, restaurants, teahouses, and cafes, which are a bit hidden and have to be searched for. There is a secret side of Japan that forces one to look harder and check more. Nothing is all that obvious, especially if one does not speak Japanese. A huge pagoda suddenly appeared before us, shining red from the descending sun, called Yasaka-jinja ( same name as the shrine in Gion). The walk from Kiyomizu to Gion felt like quintessential Japan, and I would have been happy to explore more (more temples, more shrines, more statues, more surprises), but my appetite for this sort of thing is insatiable. We took taxis to Pontocho, an area in Gion next to the river where the restaurants have terraces for outside dining. We were unable to find a restaurant with room on the terrace, so found instead a traditional establishment with a very limited English menu. The Japanese one was pages and pages, but with no one to translate for us, we were obliged to try the several course meals offered. Eric and I shared a 5500 yen menu, which was the least expensive offered. There was an 8500 and a 12,000 yen choice as well. Every course was delightful, just a little taste, with pickled vegetables, soft tofu, soup, sashimi, fried fish, grilled fish, and fruit for dessert. It was more than enough for Eric and I. Emily chose the larger version, and had a meat dish and a few other courses, which she could not eat because she is allergic to shellfish. I thought the food was delicious, and was happy to try the more refined sort of Japanese food, after having had soba noodles with tofu, tempura with rice, tempura with noodles etc a few times too many. I was surprised how filling the food was, even though it appeared to be small amounts of food. Eric and I were entirely satisfied.
Afterward, while walking through the streets of Gion, I was determined to find mochi ice cream. Unfortunately, we did not find what we were looking for. I did see a geisha in her white face makeup and long obi, but she shuffled by so quickly that I had no time to take out my camera. I hoped to see more, but it was hot and sticky (how does the makeup stay on anyway?) and we all decided to take a cab back to our undocumented bed and breakfast.
Our taxi followed Emily's taxi, but we were all lost near our shrine. 'Shinnyo-do otera seimon mae' (in front of the Shinnyo-to temple', but our cab driver was focussed on following rather than leading and finally, after taking a narrow road up further than the entrance of the temple, both drivers stopped, asked a bike rider where we were and how to get to where we were going. They all discussed this for fifteen minutes outside of the cabs, utilizing 300 yen or so to have this discussion, and then turned around and went to the bottom of the hill to our BnB. Whew. The BnB was quiet and as hot inside as outside, but thankfully, with some AC, we were soon comfortable. No one would take a shower at night because of the presence of 'Georgette', our resident spider, who apparently, according to Divyam, our BnB owner, is a pet and kills mosquitoes. So back to our tatami rooms and our double futons on the floor with our AC on, cooling off from a another stifling hot day, with no chance for cooling off tomorrow.
I think if it was 10 degrees cooler, we would be perfectly happy.
We had taken a bus to the flea market, which was not far from the golden pavilion. The bus system in Kyoto is excellent, and best of all, the buses are air conditioned and not too crowded, so getting on the bus meant cooling off for a bit, and sitting down for a rest from the sweltering conditions outside. The golden pavilion was more golden than I remember, astonishing after the contrast with the silver pavilion which was not at all silver (the owner of the pavilion had never gotten around to covering it with silver as he had planned). I don't believe the golden pavilion was supposed to be gold all over; perhaps only the top floor was originally gold, but after begin burned down and destroyed more than once, each time it was rebuilt, more gold was used. We were unable to enter the structure, so satisfied ourselves with the view across the pond. The gardens were lovely, and the perfect place to linger, except that we were boiling in the heat and eager to be cool.
Being cool was soon more important than any monument or experience. The bus to the Kyoto Imperial Palace was a few stops of relief. We could not get into the palace; the 'Imperial Household Agency' had room for guests only on Monday, so Emily made an appt with her family (we would be gone by Monday). We walked around the grounds for a short while, but again the heat interfered with our enjoyment. We were not too far from the Textile museum and shops, so took a short bus ride to get there. We paid 500 yen for an all day bus ticket, which is a great deal, and we took advantage of it, not only for transportation, but also for relief from the stifling weather. A kimono fashion show was happening as we arrived at the museum, with Japanese tourists snapping away throughout the display. The museum was less a museum, and more a shop with genuine Japanese products (not Chinese!) and expensive; kimonos, ukatas, bags of all sizes and shapes, and every which way textiles can be used. I did buy a few items, but prices were high.
I was eager to see more temples, and was hopeful that we could manage one more as the sun was setting. I remember how stunning Kiyomizu-dera had been when I visited many years ago, so we rushed onto a bus to the temple; it was far away from the palace, and we had little time to enjoy the temple, but it was impressive and beautiful and we had a lovely view of Kyoto from our position a little higher on the eastern foothills. Kyoto is surrounded by hills (mountains?) and most of the shrines and temples are located a little higher than the town. Because it was so late in the day, the crowds were thinning, and we could enjoy the temple with less competition, although we were rushed through as 6 PM neared. The main hall of the Buddhist temple has a huge verandah supported by pillars and juts out precariously over the hillside. Eric drank the sacred water from the waterfall nearby, so presumably his health will improve!
The area walking down from the temple was charming and entertaining. The streets are lined with old wooden houses, shops, restaurants, teahouses, and cafes, which are a bit hidden and have to be searched for. There is a secret side of Japan that forces one to look harder and check more. Nothing is all that obvious, especially if one does not speak Japanese. A huge pagoda suddenly appeared before us, shining red from the descending sun, called Yasaka-jinja ( same name as the shrine in Gion). The walk from Kiyomizu to Gion felt like quintessential Japan, and I would have been happy to explore more (more temples, more shrines, more statues, more surprises), but my appetite for this sort of thing is insatiable. We took taxis to Pontocho, an area in Gion next to the river where the restaurants have terraces for outside dining. We were unable to find a restaurant with room on the terrace, so found instead a traditional establishment with a very limited English menu. The Japanese one was pages and pages, but with no one to translate for us, we were obliged to try the several course meals offered. Eric and I shared a 5500 yen menu, which was the least expensive offered. There was an 8500 and a 12,000 yen choice as well. Every course was delightful, just a little taste, with pickled vegetables, soft tofu, soup, sashimi, fried fish, grilled fish, and fruit for dessert. It was more than enough for Eric and I. Emily chose the larger version, and had a meat dish and a few other courses, which she could not eat because she is allergic to shellfish. I thought the food was delicious, and was happy to try the more refined sort of Japanese food, after having had soba noodles with tofu, tempura with rice, tempura with noodles etc a few times too many. I was surprised how filling the food was, even though it appeared to be small amounts of food. Eric and I were entirely satisfied.
Afterward, while walking through the streets of Gion, I was determined to find mochi ice cream. Unfortunately, we did not find what we were looking for. I did see a geisha in her white face makeup and long obi, but she shuffled by so quickly that I had no time to take out my camera. I hoped to see more, but it was hot and sticky (how does the makeup stay on anyway?) and we all decided to take a cab back to our undocumented bed and breakfast.
Our taxi followed Emily's taxi, but we were all lost near our shrine. 'Shinnyo-do otera seimon mae' (in front of the Shinnyo-to temple', but our cab driver was focussed on following rather than leading and finally, after taking a narrow road up further than the entrance of the temple, both drivers stopped, asked a bike rider where we were and how to get to where we were going. They all discussed this for fifteen minutes outside of the cabs, utilizing 300 yen or so to have this discussion, and then turned around and went to the bottom of the hill to our BnB. Whew. The BnB was quiet and as hot inside as outside, but thankfully, with some AC, we were soon comfortable. No one would take a shower at night because of the presence of 'Georgette', our resident spider, who apparently, according to Divyam, our BnB owner, is a pet and kills mosquitoes. So back to our tatami rooms and our double futons on the floor with our AC on, cooling off from a another stifling hot day, with no chance for cooling off tomorrow.
I think if it was 10 degrees cooler, we would be perfectly happy.
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