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Published: April 14th 2008
Shijo-dori
Shijo-dori (street) in KyotoSpring is finally here!!! The past few weeks have been absolutely beautiful. Of course, it's the most beautiful time in Japan because of all the
cherry blossoms. They're everywhere you look! Unfortunately they only are in bloom for about 2 weeks before they fall off...so I really had to make the most of those 2 weeks and enjoy them while I could. (and that's also the reason why I haven't posted anything lately, sorry!)
First of all, you should know that I have a slight obsession with cherry blossoms, or sakura. That's one of the main reasons I decided to study here for the spring semester, so that I would get to see them! I think they're sooo pretty and they just make me happy 😊 Oh and just a warning...there A LOT of pictures of sakura, so be prepared...
Kyoto is one of the best places to view the sakura. They are all throughout the city and at all the temples, making them look even more amazing! So of course we had to go to Kyoto while they were in bloom. We actually decided to go on a Thursday instead of the weekend because we had heard that
Shijo
Right beside the bridge in Shijo the city would be extremely crowded on the weekend. We figured we could beat the big rush if we went on a weekday. So I went with Lani and Anton...Anton had told us he was going to visit the Kinkakuji, or Golden Temple, so we decided to join him. By the time me and Lani were actually ready to leave, it was already about 2:30 (only an hour and a half late!) so we got off at Shijo Station around 3:30. Interesting little bit of info: there's always something going on outside the Shijo Station. That day there was some guy playing an instrument and dancing, and another day there was another person performing. And everytime we go there they have cats...just people with a couple of cats, just hanging out by the station. I don't know what that's about...
Well, we had to wait for a bus to take us to Kinkakuji. And the bus ride ended taking about 30 minutes, which we weren't expecting! So we arrived at Kinkakuji around 4:30. The Golden Temple is one of the prettiest temples, I think. It's completely surrounded by a pond and has gold on all sides. And it was
Statue
A statue right outside the station such a beatiful day and the sun was shining...but unfortunately all that sun made our pictures look really bad! It was so funny, I think me and Lani took about 50 pictures between the two of us in front of that temple! We just couldn't get one that we liked...either the sun would make weird shadows or the wind would start to blow right when we took the picture! I think Anton got annoyed by us because we were taking so long. He just shook his head. It didn't take us very long to go through the temple, it wasn't a very large one. So after we left the temple we went back to the bus stop to go back to Shijo. And this time, the bus was extremely crowded. Me and Anton managed to get a seat, but Lani had to stand in front of us. The bus was so packed that at one point Lani was pretty much sitting in my lap! And for some reason we started laughing a lot...perhaps just because of the situation, I don't really know. But everything seemed really funny during that bus ride, and I'm sure the people around us were a
Performer
There's always some kind of performance going on outside of Shijo Station little bit annoyed by it. But oh well, we had fun!
So after we got back to Shijo we decided to get some dinner...and we wanted to eat Mos Burgers! So we walked down the street to the Mos Burger and on the way we found this nice little street with a bunch of sakura trees. So we stopped to take some pictures, the continued on our way. Of course, the Mos Burger meal was really good. Me and Lani ordered this interesting green drink called lemon soda, and it was a bit strange. By the time we were finished eating, it was already starting to get dark. Anton mentioned that there was supposed to be a special thing at the Kiyomizu Temple that night because of the sakura so we decided to check it out! We walked back the other way and started the long walk towards Kiyomizu...went through the shrine, which was beautiful at night, and then through the Gion area, up the huge stairway until we finally came to the Kiyomizu Temple.
The Kiyomizu Temple was so amazingly beautiful, I can't even describe it with words! The sakura trees were lighted up to make such
Down the Street
Look at all the sakura! beautiful colors...some were white, others had an orange shade, and others were pink. All mixed together they were absolutely gorgeous! I was so mad because cameras don't take very good pictures of them at night...the pictures don't even do them justice. I was so unsatisfied with the pictures that I eventually just stopped trying to take them. Instead, I just enjoyed seeing them for myself and tried to take it all in. It was by far one of the prettiest places I have ever been. I wish my pictures were able to show everyone just how great it was, but I guess it's just one of those things you have to see for yourself. But trust me, it is definitely worth it! The Kiyomizu Temple at night during sakura season is one of my favorite experiences in Japan...sooooo beautiful!
And it was so pretty that I guess me and Lani got too caught up and we actually lost Anton! We were taking pictures and when we were done we looked around for him so that we could move on to the next area, but he was nowhere to be found! It didn't help that it was dark and there
Bus
Our bus to the Kikakuji pulling up were a lot of people, AND he was wearing all black! So after looking around and waiting for about 15 minutes, we decided to just keep moving. We never found him...
But we made it all the way through Kiyomizu and then started walking down the street...It's a good thing I had paid attention on the way there or else we wouldn't have been able to find our way back. Of course we did get a little sidetracked along the way...we came to this sweets shop that had free samples of everything. So we went in and took a cup of hot tea they were serving and sampled for a good amount of time. Then I bought a sakura-flavored ice cream and it was the best ice cream I've had so far! So I was happy, enjoying my ice cream (even though it was pretty cold that night!) as we walked back towards the city. But when we got the big stairs, something horrible happened...I DROPPED MY ICE CREAM! I think I actually screamed when it happened. It was so sad. Lani just started laughing as we looked at my cone just laying there on the ground. It was
On the Bus
Lani and Anton on the bus actually a pretty funny sight, but I was still really mad about it. It was such good ice cream! And I'm determined to get another one next time I'm in Kyoto!
Slightly depressed, I finally got back to Shijo Station. We were so tired and had been walking so much that day, we were so happy that we were able to jump right on the train. So we took our seats for our 25 minute train ride back to Kuzuha...or so we thought. Looking out the window, Lani saw the Kuzuha mall. Then a few minutes later she said, "I'm pretty sure we just passed Kuzuha Mall." We were trying to figure out why the train hadn't stopped at Kuzuha because the mall is right next to the station. And it still wasn't stopping. So we figured, ok we'll just get off at Hirakata Station and take a train back to Kuzuha. But when we looked out the window we saw Hirakata...and then it was gone! By this point we were starting to get worried and were really confused! All trains are supposed to stop at Hirakata! But ours just kept going, and going, and going...for about 30 more
Entrance
Walking towards the temple entrance minutes. We had no idea where we would end up.
Then FINALLY our train stopped and it turns out that we're all the way in Kyobashi....
OSAKA. We couldn't believe we had gone all the way from Kyoto to Osaka just then. We were so tired, and our feet hurt so bad from all the walking, we could barely walk down the steps to leave the platform. We were holding on to the rails and took one step at a time, very slowly. And we were laughing the whole time because it was so funny that we were in Osaka...these Japanese guys kept looking at us and I'm sure they thought we were drunk. I guess it did kind of look that way...
But like I said before, we have learned a really good lesson...to always expect the unexpected! And this trip definitely didn't turn out how we had planned at all. And it's usually our own fault (at least when it comes to the trains)...we're such bimbos sometimes lol. But it's ok because we always have fun.
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