Japan Trip - Part 4: Kyoto

Fancy temple roof.

Kyoto Tower.

A crane on a roof.

So unfortunately Osaka got a bit of a bad rap from me in the last post. I'm sorry to people that live here, or to people who think it is a cool city, but I just felt that it was 'just another city' after the lively and happening city of Tokyo. Osaka is full of huge buildings, all with shopping centres, filled with wealthy teenagers buying from Western brand clothing stores, and sucking down Starbucks coffees. I felt that Osaka was trying to be something else, something western. Tokyo on the other hand is a weird mix of traditional and neo-Japanese, as well as Western fashion, music and food, and quite unique. I only stayed a day and a night in Osaka, before catching the local train and moving on to Kyoto.

2 businessmen enjoying an ice cream after visiting a temple.

A cool cafe in Kyoto.

Chef at your table.

Kyoto was the Imperial Capital of Japan for more than a thousand years until 1868, when the Japanese Government and the Emperor moved to Tokyo. It's nickname is 'The City of Ten Thousand Shrines,' and although I didn't count them, I think the name is pretty well deserving! Home to 1.5 million people, Kyoto feels a lot smaller than it actually is - walking around the city you don't get the feel of a large city - Glasgow, for example, is only 600,000 people and feels much busier. There are small streets just off the main roads, and you feel like you are in rural Japan - traditional houses, people of bicycles everywhere, and it is quite peaceful! A recent law here in Kyoto was enacted and it restricts the building height to 15m and 31m (or 10 storeys) in the centre, as well as a total ban on rooftop advertising - and you see the difference! This city was a wonderful feeling about it - no huge shopping centres, busy crossings, but parks, small craft shops, and an open fresh feeling - you can actually see the mountains from the city too! No noisy adverts or huge screens on buildings here, but there was an earthquake early warning system on the street - although a good thing, it made me a little nervous!

Okonomiyaki and beer!

A man and his cat.

Crossing the road in style!

First night out in the city called for a local specialty - Okonomiyaki - Japanese Omelette. I say 'local' but to be honest it is made all over the country, but everyone does it differently, and I was told it is the best in Osaka,and since I blew that popsicle stand, this was the next best thing! I sat down in the restaurant, and 3 other foreigners were there. Great, I thought, this is the place for tourists, and not the real deal. Oh yeah of little faith! The chef cooked the meal right there in front of you, tepanyaki-style (even a 'warm' hotplate that you eat off!), and he was making several things at once, all with a smile! Beers came, meals were diced and flipped on the hot plate, and when it was served it was a masterpiece! It took a good 10 - 15 minutes to make my omolette, but a lot of love went into it - including the sauce that was applied using what look like a big fat paint brush (I'm sure it wasn't...), and then sprinkled with shredded tuna so fine that half of it blew off before I got my chopstick near it! It looked small, but it was so tasty (even more so when mayanaise was slopped all over it), and very, very filling! There are a few choices you have have (the actual translation of it is: OKONOMI = what you want, and YAKI = cooked) and I think I had a beef one, but you as the name suggests you are spoilt for choice!

Kinkaku-ji - The Temple Of The Golden Pavilion.

The Zen gardens.

Walking around the temples in the shade.

After a not-so restful sleep (I forgot how noisy backpackers are... and someone was snoring for most of the night!), I headed out on a hired bike (Y800/day) with a Dutch guy I met at the hostel. The plan was to cycle as much as possible, and take in the temples around the city. With so many temples and shrines to choose from, the typical ones had to be done. It was also Friday, and with no accommodation in Kyoto for the weekend (apart from sleeping on a temple lawn somewhere), I only had 1 more day in the city, so the well-trodden path it was. The first temple on the list was Kinkaku-ji Temple, or the Golden Pavilion, and boy was it gold! The building dates back to 1397 (not a typo!), but the original building was rebuilt in 1955 following an arson accident in 1950 by a monk. The monk tried to commit suicide after the incident, but was caught and thrown in prison, and released 7 years later because of mental illnesses. The building that stands today is supposed to be as it was, but some people say that it is more 'golden' that it used to be... all the better I say! While snapping away, and enjoying the serenity of the temple, the gardens and the lake, we were approached by a group of Japanese school kids, who, reading off their notebooks in perfect unison, asked us to complete a survey, and then "let's take a photo" at the end - how could I say no!

Smile!!

A real Geisha!!

Reach for the sky!

After visiting a few more temples, including one that had a 30m long stone Zen garden, we headed off for the bamboo forest, the Arashiyama. Free to get in and walk around, you follow paths through huge bamboo that really do reach for the sky. The sun is mostly blocked out, and the way through is filled with soft light, and the quiet swishing of the bamboo. This is one of the most famous sites in Kyoto, and so the crowds were here, and also packing the town that had become a tourist trap - selling ice creams and various tourist junk. We happened across a wedding, and more than a dozen girls walking around in hired Geisha outfits - and even 1 real Geisha, who saw me and my camera and run off, her 'bodyguard' telling me "no, no!" and leading her away. They really are scared of tourists! The forest was a pleasant break from the 30c heat, and was quiet and relaxing, but not much to see. With the sun going down, and plenty of cycling to do before getting home, we headed off, stopping off at a few more places on the way.

After a hard day's work, you deserve a 'sweat' drink!

Yummy Ramen! And beer of course!

After a hard day of cycling and slight sunburn, I thought I deserved a hot bath - or a Japanese Onsen! Although not the outdoor traditional ones you see in the Lonely Planet and on travel programs on the TV (and there weren't any monkeys either!), it was still an experience! Getting naked in front of a room full of blokes is not the most comfortable thing to do as a Westerner - it's just not natural to see Grandpa waddling around in his birthday suit! First thing you need to do is get buck naked (the towel I was giving wouldn't wrap around my wrist let alone my waist!), then put your things in a locker room (where you can also smoke completely naked too), then go into the second room and sit on a tiny plastic stool and soap up and scrub yourself. I couldn't help laughing out loud - you had a mirror in front of you, and the whole thing seems so strange and so undignified at the same time you just have to laugh and love it! In the baths I got, including one with purple water, and every single one of them was far too hot for my soft skin! Although it wasn't really busy, I wanted a tub for myself, so picked one with nobody else in there - and soon found out why. At first, I thought the water was far too hot (again!), and my feet went a little numb - much like a monkey bath (you know, when you put your big toe in and screech EH EH EH!!), but as I got half-way in, I knew there was something wrong with this tub! It was electrified!! All of my muscles tensed up completely, and I nearly dropped in like an electrified rock... luckily I managed to pull myself out - either no one saw me to help me from drowning, or it was just too funny to see a Gaijin (foreigner) nearly do himself in while completely naked... The sauna was also too hot, so I just decided to call it quits. I did try the 'special' pool again (just in case I liked it this time...), holding on tighter this time, and still was not impressed. Overall, a strange but relaxing experience!

Be at peace!

I had one more day in Kyoto, and I have to say that 3 days in this cool little city is far too short. With so much to do, so much to see, I had to make sacrifices, that and I couldn't find any accommodation in the whole city for the weekend, even the expensive Ryokans were fully booked! I had a good sleep, after the bath and dinner (and a snore-free room!), so I grabbed my backpack and jumped on the train to the Inari Shrine.