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Published: April 12th 2010
Overlooking Kyoto
Taken at Gokoku ShrineLast Monday (April 5th) I got invited to Kyoto with my friend's Eikawa class. I happened to fill in for her one week and the group was super nice. They're mostly older and very eager to use their English skills so I knew it was going to be a fun trip! One of the ladies who runs the class/organizes the trips is actually a certified Kyoto tour guide so we didn't have a thing to worry about.
Our morning started out at the crack of dawn - literally. Mitzi and I had to catch a 6:15 train to meet up with the rest of the gang further down the line. Taking local trains to Kyoto from my place is actually pretty inexpensive, only around $20 each way, but it takes about 2.5 hours. We made all of our connections (lucky thing!) and found ourselves in Kyoto Stn just before 9.
First stop was to the former residence of a famous Japanese author. Tomoe told us that she was dubbed "The Queen of Mystery" for her novels. She died sometime in the 90s but her daughter took over her house and has preserved it as a museum for visitors. I
Overlooking Kyoto 2
Taken at Gokoku Shrine haven't read any of her works, but I did enjoy the early-90s hair she was sporting in her large glamous shot 😊
The rest of our day was spent exploring the history of Kyoto during the Meiji Revolution. We headed to Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine which looked like a massive graveyard. The grave markers are meant to commemorate the 1043 samurai who died during the revolution. In the entire cemetery there are only two bodies - Ryoma Sakamoto and his wife, Oryo. Having an entire cemetery to yourselves is pretty cool I thought.
Conveniently enough, across the street is the Ryoma Sakamoto museum where you can learn all about the role he and others played in the Revolution. It was pretty interesting stuff. They even have the sword that killed him (with his blood still on it) and bloodied shirts from battle. I guess it's getting popular in Japan again now because NHK just recently put out a TV drama about Ryoma Sakamoto called "Ryomaden". Fukuyama Masaharu plays Sakamoto and I gotta say he's pretty cute. 😉
We were on a pretty tight schedule so we didn't stay long at the museum. Our group had reservations at
Nakaoka Shintaro Bronze
He was assassinated at the inn Omiya in Kyoto in 1867. this really nice restaurant that was situated along the river. It was connected to Ryoma Sakamoto somehow... it might have belonged to him or his gf/wife originally but I couldn't be sure. It was certainly impressive though. Before lunch they took us down to this sitting room and explained the history of the house to us. The room we were in had a ceiling that was originally weighted down by heavy stones. The owner explained that it was designed to drop down and kill any enemies who might have found their way inside. Dangerous times (and so badass!) He also told us a story about how Ryoma Sakamoto hid in the large futon trunk they had on display to avoid being killed by an assassin. His wife distracted the assassin by playing her shamisen and playing dumb until he left. It was a really interesting story! Unfortunately Sakamoto was assassinated anyway and died at 32. Sad times 😞
After the big long story though we had lunch which was AMAZING! There were so many different foods I hadn't tried before. Most of them I can't even start to explain WHAT they were, I just know that they tasted good
hahaha. Mitzi and I both ordered up some umeshuu and were plesantly surprised to find that after only two small drinks we were totally buzzed. Whatever they gave us must have been some really good stuff! (It tasted great too!)
Once lunch was over we made our way to Maruyama Park. It's famous for this giant weeping sakura tree that stands in the center. We lucked out and happened to be in Kyoto on a day when the trees were all in full bloom. It was stunning! Everywhere you looked there were beautiful sakura trees looking pink and pretty. Tons of people were enjoying little hanami picnics under the trees and tourists were everywhere. We got lucky and happened to see a Maiko. I wasn't sure if she was legit at first since I know there are places everywhere where you can dress up as a Maiko or Geisha for a few hours and walk around town but the rest of the group assured me she was legit so I thought it was pretty cool. Apparently catching them during the day is a pretty rare thing.
After visiting a few small shrines and historical spots where important people
1043 gravestones...
And no one buried under them. Graves to commemorate the 1043 samurai who died during the Meiji Revolution. died, we visited Sanjusan Gendo Temple. According to the pamphlet it's Japan's longest wooden building. Not bad for a building that's been around since the 13th century. It's amazing how soft the wood feels after 800 years of exposure. It almost feels artificial. They have archery contests there each year and you could see holes in the doors from where archers had missed the targets and hit the doors instead hahaha!
Anyway, inside the temple is a giant statue of "The Thousand Armed Kannon", the Goddess of Mercy. Surrounding the statue are 1000 smaller statues of Kannon all built in the 12th and 13th centuries. They're made of Japanese cyprus but have been painted to look like they're made of gold. It was pretty neat to see so many all in one place like that. The room was just so incredibly long! The incense smelled fantastic too. I wish I could buy it and bring it home with me!
Of course, a day of touring around Kyoto wouldn't be complete without dessert 😊 We headed to this little place, don't know the name, for some traditional Japanese desserts. Kyoto is famous for its matcha and its parfaits so
Ryoma Sakamoto Bronze
He was assassinated just before the Revolution when he was just 32. I thought, why not get both at once? I got myself a matcha parfait and it was delicious! I could have done without the small squares of green gelatin that didn't seem to have any taste to them, but apart from that I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Even though it was only 6 we were all exhausted from a long day of walking around looking at stuff so made our way to the train. It was almost impossible to keep my eyes open on the way back! Especially once they gifted us with some more umeshuu! hahaha! But I managed and found myself getting home just after 9. Talk about a long day! It was totally worth it though. Between the beautiful sakura, the company and the history it was pretty amazing. I can't wait to go back!
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yosh
non-member comment
where is site of omiya soy shop
I know there is a stone marker, but do you know exactly where it is located?