Kyoto Shrines and Geishas

We had an amazing time in Kyoto! I still think that I might actually prefer Tokyo (which surprises me), but only because Kyoto is a bit touristy. On our last day in Kyoto, we finally went to the botanic garden, which was gigantic. Particularly impressive was a bonsai showcase. The bonsai club was having a competition (I think? nothing was in English) which had the most insane bonsai I’ve ever seen: growing all around a rock, huge unidentifiable fruits on tiny twigs, craziness. The ones outside, part of their permanent collection, were only slightly less impressive.
Tofuku-ji Temple had a particularly cool zen garden. They used lots of moss in unique ways and geometric patterns. The rock garden (which are generally fully re-raked every morning) had a lot more complexity to it.

The Torii gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine basically cover a mountainside. We spent a few hours hiking up and down, and were surrounded by gates the whole time (and crowds of tourists too).

We went to the oldest restaurant in Japan. When they first opened their doors, the Renaissance was in full swing! They used to only sell buckwheat flour sweets, in the 1400s, and recently started focusing on soba noodles in the last 300 years or so.

Old school buckwheat mochi that we got. Tasted good, but texture… not my favorite.

Conveyor belt sushi place. They always have matcha and hot water taps right at the seat, which we think is pretty cool. And pots of pickled ginger which Priscilla scarfs up.

The Gion district of Kyoto is where they had (and still have) Geisha performances and dinners. A bit too upscale for us, but awesome to walk around. I don’t know why people try to drive on this street (or anywhere in Japan actually, public transportation is way easier). It was fascinating to see this old neighborhood tucked into the modern surroundings. It was also one of the (many) places where people love to dress up in kimonos and see the tourist sights.  The entrances to many of the shops were very welcoming and atmospheric.

Shorenin temple and gardens:

Mesmerizing and colorful Koi pond.

Another huge temple gate, 500+ years old:

Got some Okonomiyaki (basically an egg and cabbage pancake?). Sounds weird, but they are stuffed with noodles or meat or whatever you want and the barbecue/mayonnaise topping was amazing.

In downtown Kyoto we stopped at the Nishihongwan-ji and Higashi Honganji temples. Two huge temples that are still centers of Buddhist practice and teaching. At one we were lucky enough to see a whole class of monks chanting and singing in the temple.

We took the bus to the Arashiyama bamboo grove on the west side of Kyoto. It was probably the most touristy area in all of Kyoto. Pretty good reason for it, as there were a bunch of cool gardens and temples.

An actor from the 1930s made his own big garden with strolling paths. We loved it! There was also a more modern meditation building tucked down one of the paths in the garden, so it felt like a surprise discovery stumbling upon it and we had it to ourselves.

View of Kyoto from one of the garden hilltops:

Giouji temple gardens were another one of our favorites. The whole place is covered in moss and very photogenic. Musical instrument and singing performance was a pleasant surprise as well.

Priscilla spotted an owl cafe, which I guess is above the cat cafe? Those are real owls in the window.

Someone has amazing rock stack balancing skills. Dunno who, we just happened upon these one day. When we passed again later that day, the one on the left had fallen over.

Nishiki market street is all covered and goes on forever with stalls full of all kinds of dried fish, mochis, matcha, traditional crafts, and food.  We’ve found covered streets that function as pedestrian-only markets are actually pretty common in Japan, most of the cities we’ve been to have at least one area like this.Priscilla got insanely excited at the Nishiki market when she found a shop dedicated to pickling everything you can think of. After market browsing we stopped at a green tea shop and cafe. We learned about the different types of green tea and were able to sample a couple of them and learn how to prepare them.

 

Highlights of Kyoto Part 2:

• Historic Gion district. Particularly all the houses and business along the waterways.
• Giouji temple gardens were one of our favorites (along with Eikando from part 1).
• Doorways. We think we know what makes them so cozy looking. Ornate wood designs, Noren (fabric over the doorway) back lit with yellow lights, a window and greenery.

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