Kyoto 7 to 10 January 2016


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January 10th 2016
Published: January 10th 2016
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Kyoto 7 to 10 January 2016



What a fantastic city Kyoto is – more beautiful gardens around stunning temples, cultural entertainment, very interesting food and kilometres of market malls. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over a millennium, and carries a reputation as its most beautiful city.



What we are loving about Japan is the attention to detail, its delicacies in special features (gardens, food, shops), the orderliness of the community, and the humbleness and helpfulness of the people.



The weather has been very clear and crisp (close to zero degrees overnight) with the sun shining and not much breeze. Between the JR train lines and the $5 full day bus pass and excellent transport maps, it was very easy to get around.



Kerrie is wearing a ‘Fitbit’ on her wrist which measures the number of steps she does. It has recorded 20,000 – 24,000 steps per day so that will give you an idea of how much walking we did….. and Gemma kept up with us to the end.



There has been so much to do and see.



The order of the 2 days was:



Friday 8 January



· Booked into the Hotel Keihan just after 5.00pm which was a minute’s walk from the Kyoto train station. This was fantastic because we soon saw it was very central and close to shopping centres and lots and lots of restaurants. The way restaurants advertise their menus is to put samples of all the dishes in the windows, but the meals are made of hard material – great for language interpretation.



· Had dinner at nearby restaurant. We had a massive skewer of BBQ chicken, leak and beans, washed down with a boot-shaped glass of local beer or wine.



· Next morning, we headed south to see the Fushimi Inara-Taisha Shrine which is extraordinary. It has literally 1000s of Tori Gates all lined up to form extensive paths to walk through. These lead us up the hill for a magnificent view over the city.



· We then headed NE to see the Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Pavilion) with its beautifully landscaped gardens which included sand that was shaped in various patterns. The gardens were immaculate. The entry path was lined with very high, well-trimmed camellia bushes. This was a Zen temple which was established in 1482 by the 8th Muromachi Shogunate



· It was then off to the Philosopher’s Walk which was along a canal. It was beautiful with mini shrines seen on the way (rocks ‘dressed’ in what looked like white aprons). It was very relaxing viewing.



· The handicraft and sumari sword outlets were next on the list with both Kerrie & Adam making purchases. Gemma received an origami bird and a book with paper and instructions to make more shapes. It’s a very complex, intricate skill.



· We had organised a bus tour which included a traditional Japanese dinner. We then went to a theatre at Dion Corner, where we saw a traditional tea making ceremony, listened to the koto (Japanese Harp) being played, watched Gagaku (Court Music and acting), Kyogen (Ancient Comic Play), and a dance by Meraiko dancer (training for Geisha dancers). It was truly a cultural experience. After the show the bus took us up to the Mt Kyomizudera lookout to see the city at night. The Kyoto Tower was the central site that stood out. I love cities at night.



Saturday 9 January



· After breakfast we headed for Kinkaku (The Golden Pavilion) using the JR Line and then bus. This pavilion, a Buddhist hall contains relics of Budda. This site was originally a villa and later owned by the 3rd shogun of the Muromachi period since 1396. Gold foil on lacquer covers the upper two levels of Kinkaku, and a shining phoenix stands on top of the shingled roof. We caught the viewing time for the Temple at a perfect time for photography with beautiful reflections in the surrounding pool. We all loved the Temple and surrounding gardens.



· Catching a bus to the Ryoanji Temple which was known for its rock landscapes was also very special. After taking our shoes off before entering the main pavilion (Kuri) we were struck by the serene beauty of the simple landscaping. This Zen garden measured only 24mx10m, constructed in the Middle Ages (around 1500). No trees are seen but only 15 rocks surrounded by white gravel. The surrounding walls are made of clay boiled in oil. As time went by, the particular design was made of itself by the oil that seeped out. It was lovely just to sit for a while.



· Next was lunch (never a shortage of places to choose) after we caught a metro closer to our next destination Nijo-jo Castle. The castle was built in 1603 as the official residence of the 1st Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. There were displays of meetings with the Shogun where they used life-sized model. Many murals were seen on the walls of the pavilion. There was high security in the building with video surveillance to make sure no photos were taken inside, so hence no photos.



· It was then time for a coffee so we caught a bus to the Town Hall. Kerrie went off to look at a calligraphy shop and Adam went back to buy some imitation samurai swords while Tom, Gemma and I sat down for coffee and hot chocolate. Kerrie saw a group of traditionally clothed people who were blessing various shops (we saw them later) for prosperity. They had a horn which one man was blowing and several others had bells, all of which were played while others chanted.



· We then went to the biggest, longest market mall we have ever seen. It was the Nishiki Food Market which included every outlet you can think of from live and dry fish to shoes, clothes, nick knacks, bags etc, etc. We walked, and walked and walked!!! And then we all ‘hit the wall’, well our feet did. It was at this stage we found a place for dinner which revived us then it was off home, particularly for Gemma. Secretly, the 4 adults weren’t disappointed with going back to the hotel.



During the evening we adults sit around chatting and enjoying each other’s company over a red or beer or something.



The next morning, we were off to Hiroshima by the bullet train. After a breakfast at the train stations with 5 suitcases in hand we had no trouble finding the right train platform. We were now a very well oiled machine.


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