Day 1
Kyoto was once the old capital of Japan. The capital was moved to the east to Edo which was renamed to Tokyo. We traveled swiftly from Nagoya to Kyoto. Arriving at Kyoto station we took the subway line to our hotel (Solaria). Our hotel was situated near the river. The river is shallow, you can walk along its banks. Hungry, we headed out for food after depositing our belongings in our room. I located a Soba shop not too far away. We walked there along the river, pausing to snap some shots. I ordered the cold soba set. Dipping my noodles in to the wonderful sauce/broth, I relished the taste.
Our next task was to view Kyoto from its tower. We made our way through the neighborhood toward the subway. We stopped by Nishiki market briefly, which was packed with tourists. We headed up the tower to take stock of the city at night. The observation floor, offered a 360 view of the city. We trained the telescope on a busy intersection and a McDonalds. From our view I noticed stairs that were lighting up with vibrant colors and people climbing them I took note of this.
After we descended the tower, we looked for the glowing stairs. Our search lead us back to Kyoto Station. On the second floor is where the glowing steps begin. At the base of the steps was a Christmas Tree. People were taking pictures of it and of the steps. We ascended the colorful steps. At the top was a rooftop garden. Couples were sitting on the benches some holding hands. The colorful and vibrant energy juxtaposed with the dark rooftop garden made for a great place to bring a date.
We saw a Sky bridge that connected both sides of Kyoto Station. We made our way through the shop floor to find it. The Sky bridge is illuminated with colorful lights that animate. We took some shots here as well. We made our way to the street and stopped at a McDonalds. Hungry again we order some food here. In Japan fast food really is fast but more impressively the presentation is much the same as the advertisements. In addition the staff is very polite. After eating we called it a night and headed to the hotel to rest.
Day 2
The next day we reviewed the sites we were going to visit. We split them by location. The main sites where either on the east of the city or the west. In the east was the Buddhist temples Eikan-do Zenrin-ji, Kiyomizu-dera and the Sanjusangendomawari. Lastly there is a Shinto shrine the Fushimi Inari. The Arashiyama bamboo forest is in the west. Since the subway lines did not provide the best connection between the sites in the east we decided to rent bicycles to travel between the sites. We headed to Kyoto Rental Cycle. We arrived early and waited to be served. We selected bikes with gears as our transport method. It costs 1300 yen/ day. The return time was 5:30 pm. We paid the fee and was off with our bicycles.
The first stop was the Eikan-do Zenrin-ji. We turned on our google maps and placed our phones in the basket. Cycling through this part of Kyoto was a joy. The sidewalks are large and can be shared with bikes. We cycled toward the hills of the city, crisscrossing between the streets and sidewalks. There’s something liberating about cycling that no other mode of transport provides. We dismounted at the temple gates. We followed the sign for bicycle parking and parked our bikes.
The temple grounds are decorated with Buddhist statues, and images. There is a pond in the middle which is typical of many Zen gardens. We explored the grounds and made our way up the stone path to an overlook. At the top we were gifted with a view of the city. We headed inside the temple. We took off our shoes and entered. Inside there were ancient artifacts, signs explained their use and history. There was even a ceremony going on, the monks were preaching the sutras while a family sat by the side. The familiar scent of incense filled the air. We left the temple and headed to the Kiyomizu-dera.
The path to the Kiyomizu-dera was busier than our first leg. The sidewalks became very narrow and thus forced us to ride on the road. We took a stop at a park. During the spring the park is known for its cherry blossoms, however the trees are bare during winter. We sat down and enjoyed our conbini lunch. There were people in the park dressed in kimono.
We got back on our bikes and resumed our journey. As we neared the temple the streets became steeper and the sidewalks crowded. We dismounted and walked our bikes up the hill. We found a coin op bike lock station. We locked our bikes and continued on foot. The crowd was thick. Along the street were shops selling foods and souvenirs. At the gate we are presented with a towering pagoda. There is also a view of Kyoto from this location. We examined the grounds and headed in. The interior of the temple itself was similar the Eikan-do Zenrin-ji. We hurried through to save time. The temple has hiking paths to explore futher up the mountain. We stuck to the regular route which loops around the site. All in all the Kiyomizu-dera was not very interesting. Nearing the entrance we headed left instead to explore a different path. We discovered a cemetery with thousands of stones layered in terraces. It was an incredible site to behold. After exploring the cemetery briefly, we headed back to collect our bikes.
We set out for the final buddhist temple Sanjusangendomawari. We did try to come here the first day we arrived in Kyoto, however it was closed then. This time we entered the gated complex on our bicycles and parked them in the designated area. A man directed us to the entrance. We paid the fee and entered the temple grounds. The grounds were not remarkable. The other temples were much more beautiful in that regard. However, we entered the main chamber and was treated with a wonderful sight. Inside the long hall were 1001 buddhist statues. Each of them were unique, and had their own faces. They were situated in rows that increased in height. At the fore were statues of buddhist and hindu deities. An epitaph describe the being’s role and name. In the middle was a giant statue of the Thousand-Armed Kannon. There were candles surround the statue. You can smell the burning of incense in the air. Unfortunately photography is not allowed but you can find images of the hall online. As we were exiting a chamber, a woman was carefully dusting the statues in smaller hall.
We decided to head back to the bike rental shop to return the bicycles. We didn’t want to have to rush at our last destination and the next shrine is easily accessible by subway. We speeded back, dodging cars and pedestrians. A downside to the old city is the lack of sidewalks on its more narrow streets. Pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers all share the road. We got back and was greeted by a different woman. We collected our deposit. The woman showed us an image of us that was snapped earlier. It was posted on their Facebook. The woman offered some matcha, and we slowly sipped it. We also received a souvenir pro bono. If you need bikes this place is definitely the place to go to. Famished from a long day we found the nearest ramen shop, Ippudo and headed in.
We sat at the first table we saw, it was big table with multiple groups sitting at it. A man noticed our UMass sweatshirts and sparked a conversation. Him and his family had just arrived for vacation from Washington State. I ordered some ramen, ice-cream, and dumplings on the side. We consumed our meal. The man and his family left and we said goodbye. The woman at the register was nice enough to take our 1 and 5 yen coins. We paid for the meal and got higher denomination coins which are far more useful as 1 yen and 5 yen coins are not accepted in subway and vending machines.
We headed back to the hotel to recoup and rest. There were 2 more places we wanted to see, Fushimi Inari and Ashariyama Bamboo Forest. We decided that we would go to Fushimi Inari since it was closer and see Ashariyama tomorrow. Both places are open 24 hours. We took the subway from our hotel to Fushimi Inari. A long road leads to a torii which marks the shrine. We examined the main grounds and found a map. The path to the top forks and is essentially a circuit. We took the right path and headed up. The first area we encountered was the beginning of the thousands of torii. The torii were placed so close together here that it felt like were inside a tunnel. It was very dark since no light source was installed in this area. We kept moving forward and, continued to gain elevation. Along the way we saw statues of foxes adorned with ribbons. Foxes are the messenger of the kami Inari. There are a lot of stone epitaphs meant for placing offerings. There are vending machines situated along the route to the top of the mountain. We stopped to replenish and met a photographer who was taking a long exposure shot. It seemed like there were homes in the mountain as well, which was surprising but not too surprising given Japan’s population density. We reached a clearing and was presented with a magnificent view of Kyoto at night. We stopped and took pictures. There was still more to go to reach the very top of the mountain. We pressed on and saw more of the same stone ornaments. When we reached the top we explored one of the densely packed stone areas. We headed back down which felt much quicker. We also took more direct route since it was getting late. We were startled by a rustling sound. The area is known to have wild boar and monkeys. Quickening our step, we made it back to the main shrine.
The next day my brother and I split ways briefly. He left early to go to Yamanashi, where the Suntory Whiskey Distillery is located. He was able to secure a single ticket for the museum. Being a Whiskey connoisseur, he had to go. In the mean time I chilled at the hotel, taking my time to leave. Checkout was at 11. I checked us out of the hotel and left my bag at the hotel storage. I walked along the river and headed to Starbucks for breakfast. The inside was very clean and was not unlike the Starbucks you would find in America. I ordered a hot Yuzu tea and some food. After eating I headed to the BAPE store. In middle school I was into streetwear. I spent all my money on Ecko and Sean Jean. I came across the Bapestas sneakers on an online store and was intrigued by the brand. I promised myself that I wouldn’t leave Japan without buying some BAPE. The store was not too large, there were two floors, the second was for bape kids. Admittedly , a lot of the clothes were not appealing to me. My fashion sense had become more refined since middle school. There was a windbreaker that was plaid with pink, red, and blue patterns. It had BAPE embossed on the back. Unfortunately they did not have my size. I settled on a more tamed windbreaker, it was solid black except for the camo shark hoodie and camo along the back of the sleeves. I’m personally not into wearing camouflage but this was the most appealing piece I could find. I purchased it for $320. After purchasing the item the clerk carried the bag and escorted me to the door. I immediately felt some buyer’s remorse since it’s out of my character to spend so much on clothes but I was able to get over it.
By this time David had returned and was chilling at Kyoto Station. I headed back to the hotel to get my bag and meet him there. I found my brother in front of a 7-11 and deposited my luggage into a coin locker. We got on the train to Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a small town on the outskirts of Kyoto. We stopped at a conbini for lunch. We headed to the bamboo forest.
As we neared the entrance, we could see the bamboo jutting skyward. Although it was noon, the bamboo grew so high that they provided considerable shade. The amount of tourists was high, some sections were difficult to traverse due to people stopping for pics. We broke through and headed up a hilly path. We came upon a cliff with a splendid view of the river valley underneath. We continued down the path, it lead toward the river. We went down the steps and walked along it. The river is not too wide, there were people riding on boats. Further down was a tiny fall and a bridge. We stopped to take pictures at the bank of the river. Afterwards we hopped on the train to get back to Kyoto Station. We collected our bags and headed on the JR train to Osaka