Spring Break Day Five: Kyoto
Nothing starts a day off better than a good American, I mean Hawaiian, breakfast! Bryan and I started off March 31 with a stop by Eggs n' Things, where Katie enjoyed a strawberry-themed breakfast, and Bryan had a meat-filled omlette!
With full bellies, we hit the closest train station and train-hopped all the way up to Arashiyama, home of the famous Bamboo Forest! First stop: Kimono Forest. The Kimono Forest is a permanent art display that showcases local fabrics that are used to make traditional kimonos! While I had read it's best to visit at night when the kimonos are all lit up, we knew we wouldn't be here at night, but they were still stunning to look at!
Next on our Arashiyama day trip was Monkey Park Iwatayama. Now, I knew we had to visit the park to see some wild monkeys. What nobody told me was that you had to hike a mountain to see them! Whew!
Noonday sun + mile uphill hike = miserable climb
BUT once we made it to the top, we had an amazing time taking photos of the troop of over 120 Japanese macaque monkeys! (For my San Diego Zoo fans, the zoo has many types of macaque monkeys!) These Japanese macaque monkeys are known as "snow monkeys" because the most famous Japanese macaque monkeys live in Nagano and like to sit in hot springs while surrounded by several feet of snow! (Don't worry, visiting Nagano during the winter is on my Japan bucket list, so hopefully, next winter there will be a blog post about that experience!)
Anyway, the coolest part of this experience is that we were free to walk around and feed these wild monkeys! Unfortunately, Bryan refused to spend ¥100 to buy me peanuts so I could feed them, so instead, I just stood behind others as they fed the monkeys and snapped tons of photos! (woe is me.)
After our trek down the mountain, we stopped in a 7/11 to grab some chuhais, which we enjoyed by the river! After a nice relaxing drink, we packed up our empty cans and headed back into town to explore the local shops for a few minutes!
Now here is the world-renowned Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. This is one of the top-rated places to visit in all of Japan; it has been featured on global travel blogs and numerous times on National Geographic. Yet, we both agree, that this place wasn't as awe-inspiring as we were led to believe.
Now don't get me wrong- the place is beautiful and serene. It's peaceful, quiet, and stunning. BUT Bryan and I visited a smaller bamboo forest in Takeo, less than an hour from our home in Sasebo, and got similar vibes with fewer people in the background. If you don't live in Sasebo, definitely add this to your list to visit when you travel to Kyoto; otherwise, go to Takeo.
As you can tell from the pictures below, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was packed with visitors! We saw a couple having engagement photos done in traditional Japanese wedding attire, tons of girls in kimonos enjoying photoshoots, and way too many TikToks in the making.
Time for a snack- Bryan and I thoroughly enjoyed a cup of Japanese sweet potato chips! We were surprised that they were sprinkled with sugar, not salt, but they definitly fulfilled our snack need!
We ran across another 7/11, bought some more chuhais, and then took a bathroom break. Now, you are probably thinking I must have been pretty desperate to use a convenience store bathroom. BUT I can tell you, I have never used a Japanese bathroom that wasn't spotless. To prove my point, below is a photo of the 7/11 bidet bathroom AND a train station bathroom. The western toilet bathroom is pretty standard all over Japan, but washikis, or as we call them "squatty potties," are also found in most public bathrooms! As you can see from my photo, you stand on the yellow tiles and squat- there's even a handrail to help you balance if needed!
I will admit, the first time I used a washiki, I didn't have any other choice; some public parks only have washiki-style toilets. Since that first awkward experience, it is now a new normal! Now you know: Japan may be famous for inventing the heated, butt-massaging, water-spraying robotic toilets of the future (AKA bidets, which are standard in all western-styled public bathrooms) but they are also known for their washikis! Now you know. Jeopardy knowlege- you're welcome.
To end our day in Arashiyama, we took the Saga Romantic Train, also called the Sagano Scenic Railway, up through the mountains and along the Katsura River up to Kameoka. From my earlier research, I had read that this was a beautiful ride and worth the 45-minute train ride there and back, and I would probably agree if we experienced it during the fall with the leaves changing and if we didn't have to stand the entire time! Bryan and I didn't know this train only offered reserved seating, and by the time we bought our tickets, there was only standing room left- so we stood. The entire 45-minute train ride.
It was a pretty ride and the older-styled train reminded us of the Easter train we rode during our visit to Pennsylvania Amish country with the Johnson family! We also reminisced about our summer Brevard camping trips with the Kimble clan for most of the ride! The river looked about as deep as Brevard's, but we could tell the river has been dredged so tourist boats can make their way back down to Arashiyama!
Once we reached the end of the line, we disembarked and began the hike into town to the closest JR train station that would take us back to Kyoto! Now you know the only way you are going to get me speed-walking uphill is to hand me a chuhai, so Bryan and I cracked open some cold ones we had in our book bag and began to boogie! I always travel prepared!
Now, one of my top highlights from this trip was GEAR, a non-verbal theater group! As you know, Bryan and I are huge theater people, and we have missed attending shows since the start of COVID! Lucky for us, GEAR just started back their post-pandemic performances, so we were sure to snag tickets! Take a look at their promo video to get a taste of what the show was like:
To say we loved it is an understatement! This theater is on the second and third floors of a building in the middle of town! While the theater probably could seat about 50 people, the set was amazing! For two and a half hours Bryan and I forgot we were in Japan and the only English speakers in the room. It was such a unique show that really showcased the creativity that can surpass spoken word!
In short, the show follows four robots who live in a dystopian end-of-the-world setting in the future. One day, they find a doll (the only girl character) who comes to life and "awakens" their human personalities! Each of the half-human, half-robot male characters have a special ability- breakdancer, mime, magician, and juggler.
After our show, we were beyond hungry, so we headed to a pizza joint Bryan found! Hand-tossed pizzas made by a chef who studied in Italy- need I say more?
On our walk home, we took a detour into the train station to get Krispy Kreme donuts. Yep, you read that right! Bryan enjoyed two original glazed donuts and we split a chocolate crunch donut. They may not have been as fresh as when the hot sign is on back home, but this taste of NC made for a happy Bryan!
Spring Break Day Six: Nishiki Market, Shimogammo-jinja Shrine & Nijo Castle
While our final day in Kyoto may have been a rainy one, we weren't going to let that stop us as we met up with Shohei Yamamoto from Cooking Sun Tours! This tour came highly suggested by some friends back in Sasebo, and we began our tour by visiting a fancy grocery store that grows some of its own produce in the rooftop garden. Yeah, you read that right! Yamamoto san also walked us through the grocery store and pointed out local foods that we weren't familiar with; foods like takenoko (bamboo shoots), daikon (Japanese radish), and Gobo (burdock root.)
As we headed towards Nishiki Market, our guide took us to a local granola shop, where Bryan got some spicy nuts, and to a handmade chocolate shop, where we each got to try a single piece of beautiful chocolate! Yamamoto san also walked us through an underground shopping area, where we each got to try Inarizushi, a rice-filled tofu wrap. Bryan tried the wasabi & shrimp inarizushi, while I had the limited-time sakura inari! Both were surprisingly sweet, but pretty tasty!
Eventually, we made it to the main attraction, Nishiki Market! Nishiki Market is a narrow, five-block-long shopping street filled with more than one hundred shops and restaurants. As we entered this district, I was so relieved that we had a guide to explain the foods, drinks and cooking tools we were seeing! The narrow street was packed with people and new smells, but we were open to trying all kinds of new foods or, I should say, most of the new foods! During our tour, we tried Taiyaki (sweet potato-filled pastry shaped like a fish), nori komi furikake (sesame seed & seasoning mix that you put on top of sticky rice), tamagoyaki (rolled egg), korokke (potato and beef fried patty), and zenzai (red bean soup.)
Some of these new tries were surprisingly good: the taikyaki, nori komi furikake and korokke, while others tasted like, well, bean water (yeah, we are talking about the zenzai.) We happily skipped trying the cooked sparrow and baby octopus, but you know I got pictures!
We also learned about some traditional Japanese cooking tools, like the oroshiki, a grater made out of shark skin that is used to grind wasabi into a fine paste. Our guide also took extra time to teach us about kazuri-bushi, better known as "fish flakes" which are used as toppings for lots of Japanese dishes. Yamamoto san explained that the Japanese dry out huge chunks of tuna, then boil them for two hours, debone them with tweezrs, and then smoke the chunks of tuna for several days. The final product is katsuobushi, known as the hardest food in the world. The chunks of katsuobushi go for several hundred dollars each, and need a special type of grater to shave off the fish flakes for everyday meals! I know I wasn't a fan of the taste, but I have to respect the process!
We ended our Cooking sun tour around 1 pm and killed some time in a local tea shop. The coolest thing about this tea shop was that their tea was packaged in a small, flat box that resembled a postcard! Locals could slap a stamp on the tea packets, write a sweet message and drop it in the mail to their families! Too bad we couldn't mail these postcards to the states that easily, but we were happy to get some fresh Kyoto green tea to try once we got home to Sasebo!
By this point, it's time for our final tour with the Good Samaritan Club and we were so excited to spend some more time with local college kids! (If you missed Bryan's post about our first tour with this group, click here!) Yusuke and Kyohei are both sophomores at Doshisha University, a smaller private university in Kyoto, and they started the afternoon's adventure by giving us a tour of Nijo Castle!
Fun Facts about Nijo Castle:
The castle was originally built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period, so he integrated his family crest, three leaves that are shaped like a clover, into a lot of the designs around the castle. When the emperor took over the palace, he removed the shogun's family crest from the main entryway and replaced it with the imperial crest! As we walked through the castle, we looked closely and found many "hidden" shogun crests detailed in paintings, door hinges, and woodwork throughout the castle walls! (Things we wouldn't have known had our tour guides not enlightened us!)
As we entered the castle, we had to take off our shoes and store them in the entryway. As we walked through the castle, we heard chirping sounds, like birds, with each step. Kyohei pointed out the noise and later showed us, outside the building, how the carpenters purposely angled the nails in the floorboards to scrape together when pressure was added from above! The scrape of the nails made the squeaking sound, and warned the royal officials how far off their guests were from the main sitting room. This purposeful design also helped protect the shogun (and later emperor) from ninjas that may try to sneak in and assassinate the rulers- what a creative alarm system "installed" in the year 1603!
After a short photoshoot in the Nijo gardens, we headed to Shimogammo-jinja Shrine, where we were able to participate in the shrine's fortune telling. For ¥300, we purchased our fortune paper and took it to the "healing waters" that run through the shrine. As we submerged our fortunes in the river, our fortune magically appeared and our tour guides-turned translators- translated our fortunes on the spot!
Bryan and I both received similar good fortunes, but Yusuke and Kyohei's fortunes were less fortunate! They taught us that, if you receive a good fortune, you are supposed to take it home with you so it comes true. If your fortune is bad, you are supposed to hang it on the shrine's posts so the gods see it and help prevent it.
Again, this was a cool experience that we never would have known to do, had it not been for our local tour guides' knowledge!
Here we are soaking our fortunes in the "healing waters!"
We ended our tour with Yusuke and Kyohei by walking through the Tadasu no Mori, a forest that contains trees that are up to 600 years old. As we walked through this forest, we even found a newer shrine memorializing sports. I kid you not. Bryan found his shrine! There were even photos and a signed rugby jersey on display!
At the beginning of our tour Yusuke and Kyohei seemed nervous and quiet, but as I asked more and more questions, they began to open up about their life in Kyoto! It was fun watching these college guys act goofy and play around with each other- it was a good reminder that kids will be kids, no matter where you are in the world! By the end of our tour, Kyohei was sharing a bunch of places to visit in his hometown, Nara, where we were planning to visit the next day on our way to the airport!
Our tour guides made sure we got on the correct bus and then we headed back into the heart of the city for dinner: more Mexican food! Maximo was a tiny Mexican restaurant that could sit eight people max, but boy, was that food to die for! I got another margarita, Bryan got a giant mug of beer and we split a nacho appetizer, an enchilada, two tacos, and a quesadilla! We left this place stuffed and happy!
We waddled our way back to the hotel, where we showered and packed in preparation for our early morning departure. Bryan and I loved exploring Kyoto and this early, historic city. We can now mark off the final "big Japanese city" that was on our must-do list! Now we begin praying the country opens for international travel!
Sayōnara, 'til next time!
Katie
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