Kyoto Trip: Part 1

We're backlogged about 2 weeks on the blog so I'm going to try and bring everyone up to speed as quickly as possible....

So, two weeks ago my usual travel buddies (Nick, Craig, Harry, and Chris) and I, finally made the trip down to Kyoto for the long weekend. We had the Monday off due to a Japanese National Holiday - "Sport & Health Day" where everyone is encouraged to go outside and engage in some physical activity. The Friday right after we were finished with classes, we collected our bags and got over to Tokyo station to board the Bullet Train (Shinkansen, as they're called in Japan). We would be spending 3 nights and 3 days in Kyoto and sleeping at a small Japanese style inn (ryokan) that Nick made reservations at - good work buddy!

The bullet train from Tokyo takes about 2 1/4 hours until it arrives in Kyoto and it's a really smooth ride. Some of the guys commented that the bathrooms were really luxurious, but I slept for most of the ride down. We got to Kyoto around 8 pm and headed over to the subway that would take us up to our ryokan. Kyoto station itself was remodeled and expanded in 1997 with a very futuristic design - leading to many complaints from the residents who wanted a more traditional style to mirror the history of the city.

I personally think it's a cool design and very distinct; also it's interesting to have a little clash of style, considering Kyoto has mostly old buildings. Anyway, we found our way to the ryokan with some great directions Nick wrote down and dropped our things off before going our for some dinner. entrance to our ryokan
interior

We ended up getting 3 nicely sized rooms with 2 decks and an individual bathroom all for the low price of $40 a night. We had plenty of space and the location was very close to a bus stop so it was very easy getting around the city during the day. The manager spoke English very well and recommended a nearby izakaya (Japanese-style pub) for dinner.
It was a small little restaurant with space for only 20 or so but they had great Tempura & side dishes for reasonable prices. After dinner we decided to walk around the area for about an hour before heading home and getting some sleep.

Saturday we got an early start and set out to visit a number of famous shrines & temples. First up was the Heian Shrine (recommended by Mom & a number of travel books)which is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the first and last emperors that reigned from Kyoto, Emperor Kammu and Emperor Komei. We looked around the interior for awhile before entering the garden grounds behind the buildings.
The gardens were magnificently maintained, and we had a clear day to enjoy them with temperature in the low 70s. They had a number of small ponds filled with these huge cod-like fish called koi. Besides us tourists, many Japanese families were out enjoying the gardens with their little kids for the weekend.
They even had a small traditional tea house nestled in the garden. Craig, Harry, and I all ordered some natural Matcha - powdered green tea.

As we neared the end of the trail, we saw a large gathering of people attending a classical-style Japanese wedding.
Bride & Groom

Up next was the Silver Pavilion - Ginkakuji Temple, only a short bus ride away. The path up to the temple grounds was cluttered with various omiyage (souvenir stores) such as: craft shops, confectioneries, ice cream parlors, and fabric merchants.

The Silver Pavilion - which by the way isn't actually silver because they never finished construction due to fiscal difficulties - was actually under renovation when we went. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see it in its full glory but we still got some nice views of the cityscape from the hills.

temple grounds

view from the hills above

Our last major destination for the day was the Kiyomizudera, one of the most celebrated temples in Japan, over 1200 years old, and a World Heritage Site. I had actually visited the temple over new years with Dan & Masa but it's definitely worth seeing again, so I had no complaints.

entrance

On the area right below the temple they have a few restaurants and praying areas for visitors. Probably the most famous part besides the main temple itself are the 3 waterfalls. Each visitor is allowed to drink from one of the three spouts, promising either health, longevity, or success in studies.
On the way out we ran into some young Japanese temple-goers, one of which had a samurai sword and shirt on. After talking with him briefly, he allowed me to try on the shirt and take a picture with the sword! I managed to scare a few people in the process when I pulled the sword out of its sheath but no one was hurt.
We hurried over to the Sanjusangendo temple, which is known for housing 1000 + human-sized wooden carvings of Buddhist figures, but it had closed for the day. We went back to the ryokan to rest up and vowed to return before leaving Kyoto.

After dinner we went downtown to meet with an old classmate of Nick's who had graduated and was working as an English teacher in Kyoto. He showed us around a few bars and told us some things to check out in the city.

Me & Craig

Very busy day, and just the tip of the ice berg. Up next - day 2