Romantic Kyoto

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Still hungover, I went to Kyoto on the rainy Sunday morning. I figured since it was raining in Tokyo, it may be nicer in Kyoto. So I took the bullet train - 'Shinkansen', which took roughly 2 hours, and was a nice change from my constant bus rides from the previous trips. The bullet train has a long loooong pointed nose, which in my hungover state amuzed me for quite some minutes, so I took almost 20 photos of the train. The seating rows where generously far apart, about 80cm leg room. Not bad!

Each time the conductor entered or left the 'car' (carriage), he would turn to face the people and bow before leaving or upon entering. Oh, too cute! It reminded me of having to bow to the teacher when he/she would come into the classroom when I was in primary school. The Japs also hand you and receive things always with 2 hands.

So I got to Kyoto, and it was still raining there. sigh. Never mind, umbrella in hand and a very light bag (since I left my 16kg backpack in Tokyo), I went walkabouts north of the station to Gion and the temples lining the east side of Kyoto. Even overcast, Kyoto immediately appeared romantic, with the mountains surrounding the city. Kyoto used to be the capital, and is now the cultural capital. There are parts of the city similar to that of Tokyo - ie: crowded and busy with many buildings and shops, but still not to the full scale of Tokyo, which is nice. In the morning, I visited the Silver and Golden Pavilions, which are absolutely stunning, with their many Bonsai trees (not the miniature ones), and lakes. I walked along the 'Philosopher's Path', which is along a small river (or canal), lined with cherry trees. Although the cherry blossoms were no longer in bloom, there were small cherries on the trees, and I imagine it to look beautiful in Spring. I walked south and the central towards the Imperial Palace. There were many more temples and shrines along the way, including a temple for Mice (!)

I liked Japan immensely, because the people are polite, friendly and genuine. They take pride in the way they look, and appear respectful to others. They have a strong sense of tradition, which I find really impressive. The children are well behaved, and I didn't see any running amok crazily in shopping malls or the trains.

Of course, I'm a tourist and was only there for 7 days ... this is just my outside opinion.

Anyway, since I'm not made of money, I had to take the night bus back to Tokyo, which took 7.5 hours, and I saved money on a hostel *yawn*.

I highly recommend a visit to Japan - I didn't expect much before I came, because I didn't educate myself enough prior to the visit - but it left a lasting impression, and there is so much to see here.

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Comments

[Nigel and Margie in Australia]

what a pace!
Konbanwa Sylvia! You saw such a lot again in such a short time; after the wide expanses of South America, a ride on the Bullet Train must have seemed like a luxury. I'm glad you saw Kyoto, the old capital with all its wonderful temples and shrines. What different cultures you are encountering in your interesting adventures. Blog on, dear girl, blog on so we can ride along. X Nigel