Kyoto, Japan
Japanese Inn
In this city, we decided to try to stay at a Japanese Inn. Finding our Inn was difficult since every sign and ally looked similar in the dark. Standing with our phones out, a man peeked out of one of the doors. Luckily, he was our host! We were led into a small entrance where we had to take our shoes off. In Japan, it is costume to where slippers inside and out of the question to keep our shoes on. Toilets also have slippers to be worn when going in. The house was beautiful with its sliding doors, soft floors, and futons to take out when needing to sleep. Our room had a small tea table with some chocolates waiting for us. It was perfect.
Temples and Gardens
The next day we found a small coffee shop to have our breakfast. It was a magnificent show to see the coffee being made. They used the Vacuum coffee brewer and lined 15 at a time while the coffee master made fil each after ordering. With this, we had a Tonkatsu sandwich and some coffee jellies. Being complete and excited for the day, we went on. We first went to see Shoseien Garden; it was a beautiful garden. It had Bonsai trees and little streams flowing through.
Furthermore, old tea houses and a tree storage room on a set of pillars. After, it was on to the most significant temple we have seen so far, Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. It was beautiful! When we walked in, we were told to take off our shoes and were given a small bag to carry them in. at a small display, you could read about how they transported the massive pillars down from the mountains in the old time and what the risks were. Like in wintertime, there were quickly snow ravines that would whisk away the buffaloes and people dragging the pillars, which was a challenging job.
Gion and an overload of cuteness
Just arriving at the station at Gion, there started to come even more people dressed up in kimonos and wearing wooden sandals. We followed them through a small shopping center into the old district. It was breathtaking! The first road was more extensive, with police guiding us further in. Into a labyrinth of small narrow streets with wooden buildings all around us, small shops, restaurants, and coffee/tea shops. We spent most of the day wandering around, taking it all in. In the evening, we took the challenge and went for Fugo. You are right; we are trying the fish that could kill you if not prepared correctly. Yikes! However, it was not as scary as I had thought. In Japan, you must have a license to serve Fugo. Even the fish were not that great. It was a little stringy and not that flavorful. So, I am not sure I would do it again.
The next day was spent cuddling with the cutest Shiba. They had a café you visited and then paid to cuddle for an hour. After we also went to an otter café. They were also super cute but very noisy and smelly as well. So, I would not have one as a pet, but cute, though—worth the money. In the evening, we tried to have the famous Youtube Omurice, but unfortunately, it was temporarily closed. We instead went for Zeitaku Bukkake (Curry Udon soup), which was also really good, but Udon Noodles are a little too big for me.
Castles and 1000 gates
At the castle, we were not allowed in some of it because the government used it. There was a guided way to walk inside, so following the arrows around, we were led into beautiful gardens with small ornaments and streams. The buildings themselves had been emptied, but their architecture of them was still stunning. Here we met two other Danes. We fell into conversation and hit it off, so deciding to go together to Senbon Torii (Thousands Torii Gate) it was amazing how they have made a tunnel system out of the gates leading up a mountain to offering sites. On the way up, we got intrigued by some of the roads leading away into a bamboo forest. It showed us up a hill into an area with just us and some spider web with giant yellow garden spiders. We managed to duck under. After a while, more offering sites appeared with mini gates and fox statues; it was magical. Then at the very top back in the tunnel, we came to an opening where it had a full view of Kyoto. Here we stayed watching the sunset.
Arashiyama
The last day in Kyoto was spent a little out of the city in a smaller district. Here we went to see a monkey park. It was quite a hike up a mountain to get there. But amazing how the monkeys ran free; they could leave if they wanted to. They did not like where the snacks (we all know the temptation) were in a small house; there was a cage you could go into and feed the monkeys with peanuts and apples. It was a different experience being the one in a cell and the monkeys looking in on you and interacting with them in this way. Just down the mountain, they had a famous bamboo forest, I liked the wild one better, but it was beautiful with the giant bamboo rising on each side. We spent a lot of time walking around, ending down at a small stream leading us back to the city. We could have taken one of the running bike taxis, but we decided to walk. At last, we went to an Onsen to wash up and relax. They had Sauna Gus and Hot and cold baths, just what you need after a challenging hike.
The next city is Osaka.
For more photos, click on the button below.