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Published: October 21st 2008
Our last day in Japan. It was a good day! We headed out early to go back to Kyoto. At first it was a bit of a buzzkill to have to go back to the city we thought we finished yesterday, but it turned out to be one of the nicest days of the vacation for me. Once we got there, Nick headed off to the Kiyamizu temple (to buy something for Megumi) while Mike and I ventured out to visit the golden pavilion (Kinkaku-ji). We all started by buying a $5 all day pass for the bus. I'm actually starting to be able to get around a little bit on my own (when Mike and Nick are otherwise engaged and I actually try to do something on my own). The girl behind the bus info counter was so rude though that even when Mike was speaking Japanese she just brushed him off. The funny thing is that rude Japanese people are hard to spot. I had no idea she was being rude until Mike told me after we walked to the next counter. They just smile and keep repeating something. In actuality, they're smiling and saying something along the lines
The Golden Pavilion
There were tons of carp in the pond. Ruined the ripples but made a cool pictureof "get out of my face you stupid foreigner" in not so many words. Ok, she wasn't that bad, but she really was giving us the brush off even though Mike speaks Japanese. Rude.
Once we got on the bus it was pretty easy. Took FOREVER though. By the time we got to the golden pavilion it was about 11. It was beautiful though! Inside is rumored to be a bone from buddha, so they covered the pavilion in gold. The whole place is pretty big, and there are plenty of temples you can go in and take tours etc. We were on a bit of a schedule though, and weren't really feeling the another-temple vibe, so we just saw the golden pavilion, took some pics, got accosted by some school kids on a field trip (they had to interview an English-speaker), and made our way to the exit. On the way, we passed by a few little booths that were sampling some Kyoto treats. On the way over, I had the time to finally read the guide magazine/book that we borrowed from our host mom. It lists the top 100 things to do/see in Kyoto. Really cool! A
significant portion were food items. Mochi is all over Japan, but is especially prevalent in Kyoto. They have these yummy little triangles of mochi filled with either a bean jelly or (yum!) chocolate. They also have little flavored mochi balls and a few other special treats.
We walked back through the beatiful sunlight and warm breeze to the bus stop. A half hour later we were down at the Nishiki market. Another luxury of time, I was able to read the little Kyoto guide we picked up the day before. A nice overview of everything in Kyoto! That combined with the magazine and I had a big list of things we could do in Kyoto. Too bad we wasted that Sun -- could've seen a lot more. The Nishiki market was high on my list though. It's basically just a street in Gion lined with shops. Turned out to be a gold mine for shopping! Lots of food stalls (cooked foods and groceries) and stores with nice Japanese stuff (most of the touristy souvenir shops are on the bigger street just next to Nishiki, so this one was more authentic). It was perfect! We got there by walking down
the tourist trap street, which allowed me to buy a few tourist trap items. But first, we stopped at a nice crepe stand and enjoyed a luscious fruit, ice cream, and whipped cream filled crepe for lunch. MMMmmm I heart crepes even more than I heart mochi. Mike might actually open a crepe store in Pennington. I think that is possibly the best idea ever! Could've only been better if I'd thought of it first 😉 I hope he does -- I want free crepes.
Along the tourist trap street, I was able to find my favorite Japanese candy so far: these little wafer and chocolate cookie-like ice cream cones. Not cold. Hard to explain. Anyway, as a purveyor of foreign candy (I think I expounded on that in a previous entry), I can certainly comment on a good portion of Japanese candy. I also found giant pocky! It's such a great idea! If you ever see it in a store -- buy it! I also found a couple of other things I was looking for. On Nishiki street, we met up with Nick. We had a little bit of time for some shopping before having to catch the
The Golden Pavilion
Obligatory tourist poses train to Kobe. We had given up on doing Himenji (the castle, which is an extra 2 hours round trip of travel time). The street reminded me a little of a market the likes of which you'd find in most 3rd world countries (lots of food and fish stalls) and a little of a mall. Very fun. Many of the shops reapeated themselves, and sometimes the smell of fish was a bit unpleasant, though not overpowering (though looking at tentacles, giant squid, and lots of other gross things that people eat wasn't too appetizing either), it was a definite must in Kyoto. And doing it on the last day turned out to be perfect. Since I had read both Kyoto guides that morning, I was well-versed on what makes good souvenirs, what Kyoto is known for, what foods are unique to the area, etc. I also took advantage of Japan's reputation and history of having great knives. We stopped in a nice knife store and I bought myself a VERY nice santoku knife. It'll add to my collection at home (I already had a decent one, but now i have 2!) but this one has my name inscribed in Japanese.
The Golden Pavilion
Obligatory tourist poses If I move here or come back, I might get another one and start collecting the set. I got a couple of new foods to try (one was called Mikasa and was a little pancake and bean mix sandwich -- not bad) and a lot of the places had samples -- even better! Also bought something new to me called yakimochi (literally, cooked mochi). Haven't tried it yet though so can't comment. We meandered down the street popping in and out of stores. I finally bought a yukata -- a more casual version of a kimono. It's nice! Not sure if I'm gonna wear it out, but at least would be nice around the house (and looks good with jeans). I think I managed to get everything I was looking for before we got on the train. The trip to Kobe was pretty uneventful, and we made it there by 4. Our main destination was the sake museum. Little did we know, but it would seem that there are a huge number of sake museums and breweries in and near Kobe. We went to the one we had heard about -- Hakatsura. It was awesome! Was a very nice, concise,
Nishiki Market
Can't mention the market and not include the gross pictures... but interesting breakdown of how sake is made. And had a free tasting at the end! I still don't like it -- too strong, like drinking whiskey. I was nice and cold though. And the tasting version was something you won't find anywhere else -- it's fresh, unpasteurized, and hasn't even been prepared for bottles yet. I think if I did like sake, that one would have kicked ass. Having closed out all the sites in Kobe (any other museums or breweries were closed by then) we had nothing left to do but strike out for some kobe beef for dinner. We ended up walking pretty far to a different train station, but on the way we passed a cute little old man who was selling takoyaki (grilled octopus balls -- that is, balls with octopus in them, not octopus testicles). He had this little van with a grill and it smelled fantastic. Mike and Nick swore by them, and I hadn't tried it yet, so I went for it. It was pretty good too! Had the same sauce on it as the okinomiaki had. Like some sort of rice ball with I think cheese inside and a little piece
Nishiki Market
Here's lookin at you, squid. heh heh of cooled octopus (I guess they can put anything inside, but usually put octopus). It was pretty incredible actually.
We got off in the middle of Kobe, our destination the restaurant recommended by the woman who worked at the sake museum. We didn't have to go far. Turns out that one was ridiculously expensive, but right across the street (and as we saw later, tons more lining the entire neighborhood) was another one that looked pretty good and was about half the price. The deal was sealed when a passing cabbie showed us his vote of confidence with a thumbs up as he drove by. In retrospect, we probably should have wikipediaed kobe beef to have a better appreciation for what we were eating. Something about they massage the cows or something so the meat is super tender. And really, who knows if that's what we were really eating, as opposed to cows from kobe. Mike assured me it translated.... Anyway, it was the best steak I've ever had in my whole life! And at $50 a 250gram steak with a couple of sides and a salad, it wasn't really THAT expensive. We each got different cuts and tried
JR Train
We were on the last car -- and that deserved a picture them all: tenderloin, sirloin, and tournadeu (wrapped in bacon). Each had different flavor and tenderness, but the tenderloin was absolutely incredible!! They only gave us butter knives, but turns out that was all we needed. Could probably have cut the tenderloin with a fork. My mouth is watering just remembering it. Medium-rare, not really bloody, but just the freshest pink in the middle, the juice just explodes when you take a bite, and it's so tender you barely even have to chew -- just savor.
We chased our incredible steak dinner with Hagen Das -- the perfect ending to any good really expensive Kobe Beef meal. It was pretty good though. And with that, we were back off home to Takatsuki. It was about 8:30 when we got back, and we just prepared for our respective trips tomorrow. I'm currently watching another English movie 😊 The Holiday while I sit at the kitchen table writing. This house and the warm feelings here actually remind me a lot of the house on Stillwell Ave in Brooklyn. Anyone from my family reading this will think back on all the good memories of that house. It was a big apt building that
Hakatsuru Brewery
I can't believe how life-like the statues were in the museum! has been in our family for a couple of generations and housed many parts of our family over the years. But that kitchen in my grandmother's apt was always the warmest and most comfortable center of the house -- a real home. If there ever was one place that you had to think of where you were the most comfortable and the most happy, and had the most happy memories, it would have to be that apt for me. Countless holidays, family gatherings, vacations, and just hours and hours spent around that kitchen table. The kitchen was the center of the apt. Here, in Japan, the house is very big, and built like an apt with many floors, and each room on a different floor (the staircase spirals around the middle of the building with a room on each half-floor or so. The bottom, though, is the kitchen and living room. Very cozy and warm with a tv, table, and couch. It's the heart of the house. At night, the tv is on in the background while everyone sits around the table or on the couch. Sometimes our host dad will just sit and watch the news. I had such
Hakatsuru Brewery
Even up close they were so life-like -- a little eerie... an image of grandpa sitting in front of his tv watching the news when I saw him last night that the nostalgia was almost overpowering. Fond memories of a great family.
And with that, I prepare to begin my adventure back home. Tomorrow we three will all set off for Tokyo, there to part ways and begin each of our own long voyages, and to return to old life and new beginnings -- my move to Florida in 2 weeks for flight school, Nick's leaving Japan and moving back home in 2 weeks, and Mike's opening a crepe shop. haha just kidding, I don't think he's gotten that far yet. (but I'm still holding out hope!) From Tokyo, Nick begins a long trip back up to Sapporo by train, but fortunately all free since we're on the last day of our rail passes. Mike heads of to Narita airport for a very long flight home. And I head back to Yokota AFB to hopefully catch the flight back to Seattle on Thursday. Still haven't gotten anyone to answer the phone there, but it sounds like the same flight I took to get here (the military-contracted Northwest flight "Patriot Express"
Yakitako
Octopus balls... or "Freedom Bird") leaves from Yokota on Thursday. Too bad it didn't work out differently because it would have been nice to visit friends in Okinawa. However, I should get back and start getting my affairs in order before I move. Not much time left! (By the way, if anyone knows someone who needs to rent a condo in Rockville please let me know!) Here's hoping all the flights work out and I can get back to DC without too much trouble. It's Major Tom....and I'm coming home!
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Great description. I could almost smell the foods. I remember Kobe from 1953. It sounds very different now, but I recall that they have experienced a couple of major earthquakes. Can hardly wait to see you home again.