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Published: March 24th 2017
Sunday 19th March A day of waiting and travelling by train today. As usual we awoke early and after showers, breakfast and cleaning the unit we were still too early. We made the decision to go to the station and catch an earlier train. This was a good idea except today is the Sunday of a long weekend and everyone seemed to be out and about. We were told by the ticket office that all the reserved seats had been filled. We therefore took the chance for a seat in the unreserved carriages only to see that they were packed also. Therefore we sat back and waited for the next train, coming in an hour, where we had reserved seating.
Three and a half hours later we arrived in Shin-Kobe where we had to wait another 30 minutes or so for our train to Kyoto, our destination for the day. The station here was incredible. High steel structures above us and 15 stories of shops and offices in the main building. There were people everywhere, unlike anything we had seen since leaving Tokyo. It must have been a combination of it normally being busy plus the long weekend. After
Kyoto
In our VERY small room.finding the Tourist Information office where we obtained some brochures for the area plus directions to get us going in the right direction, we set off for our lodgings. We couldn't afford not to find it as the Tourist office had signs up that no hotel had vacancies. The trusty iPad and the directions the host had given us, soon had us in our little BnB. And little it was, 2 large single beds filled most of the living area, leaving just enough space for the suitcases on one side and the sink, fridge and microwave on the other. Sort of in the hallway to the small toilet and bathroom, were squeezed a small table with two stools. Still, it was clean and really all we needed.
A short snooze was in order for us both, after which we returned to the railway station to get more information from the Tourist office, as well as to find something to eat from one of the many cafes and eating places there. We managed both, our dinner being a curried udon noodle dish and a small container of warm sake for each of us. Very tasty and well worth the search.
Nijo-jo Castle
At the entrance Rags is really enjoying the cuisine here, when he returns home he intends experimenting with Japanese recipes. We may have to bring home some sake as well to make it more authentic.
We dropped into a supermarket on the way home to get some milk and yoghurt for breakfast, and of course a can of black beer and some sweets for later. We found the room a little noisier than what we have become used to but we'll close the window when we go to sleep.
Monday 20th March Last night we planned the day, visit the Nishiki Market first, then go on and explore the grounds of the Nijo-jo Castle. We had already purchased our day ticket for the bus, this we felt was the best way to travel as we could see sights on the way and stop and continue as we wished. On arriving at the bus terminal we found that there was already a long line for the buses going in the direction of the markets. However the line shortened quickly as buses going to different places took up their passengers. "Our" bus was an express bus, only a few got
on and we were away. Then we found out that it was going to the castle, not the market. Quick change in plans, castle first then market.
The Nijo was created in the mid 16th century and is now known for its ornate interiors and so-called nightingale floors. The floors were designed to make a bird-like squeaking sound when walked upon, warning of possible intruders. Sure enough, they definitely made a sound as we walked through the passages! The ornate features were the large paintings decorating the walls of the complex and even though what we saw were only copies, photography was not allowed. Rags' camera must have a fault as it took several photos!! The highlight of the visit was walking through the gardens with its shaped trees, and the peaceful lakes and rockeries. Many workmen were preparing the gardens for the spring growth and flowering of the apple and cherry trees. Lawn was being rolled out and men were pruning the trees to make the various shapes. In one tree we counted 10 men snipping away, some hidden by the dense foliage around them.
Using our trusty iPad and Google maps, we caught a bus and
Nijo-jo Castle
There are palm trees under the straw 'hats' which protect the the trees from the cold. made our way to the Nishiki Markets. This is set in several long arcades and has hundreds of little stalls selling all sorts of foods, both cooked and unprepared. Many had free samples and we enjoyed trying the various pickled vegetables and meats on sale, as well as purchasing one or two items from a stall if they seemed appetising. By the time we had gone about halfway round we had sufficient not to need a lunch. Rags had his mind set on buying a ceramic cooking knife as these are not only extremely sharp, they hold their edge for longer than steel. We found a couple of knife shops (apparently there is a side-street full of them but we didn't find it) but none sold ceramic knives. The steel ones looked interesting, but with prices ranging from about A$200 to over A$2 000 he decided he would stick with his original plan and buy from one of the big department stores.
With bus pass in our hands we hopped onto a bus, which appeared to be going to an interesting destination, just for the fun of it. It went uptown through an interesting area and when it stopped
Nishiki Market
Undercover area which goes on for a distance. and most of the passengers alighted, we joined them. The bus had stopped outside of the Yasaka Shrine, set in Maruyama Park, which also has several other shrines, temples and memorials in it. A food stall at the entrance caught our eye, selling what looked like large potato chips. They even tasted like potatoes too so the batter they were made from must have been based on them. Delicious! Groups of young Japanese girls and boys walked around in traditional dress, we decided it must have something to do with the public holiday being celebrated today. The shrines and temples were interesting but as our energy levels waned from climbing the endless steps we spotted the Kyoto Tower far in the distance. The walk down the hill towards this was also most interesting, most of the buildings retaining the look of the past. Dozens of tourists walked in the streets and about halfway down the hill we saw row upon row of tourist buses lined up.
Rather than walk the 30 minute or so walk back to our unit we waited for the local bus. The first one had enough room for about half a dozen to squeeze in,
Yasaka Shrine
The lanterns are lit at night the second had no room, and after almost giving up waiting the third came. Somehow we got on, Rags only just being able to leave enough space for the door to close. Even so, the bus stopped at the next few stops and somehow we all managed to move enough to get more people in. There would have been enough seating for about 30 people on that bus but there must have been 60 or 70 that got off.
Rags managed to get Judy away from the bargain stalls near the front of a large shopping centre and we went looking for knives. He found just what he was looking for, picked the most expensive one to show Judy, then relented and changed it for a cheaper one but added a ceramic sharpening rod. Everyone was satisfied, Rags had what he was after, Judy didn't have to look at knives anymore.
Dinner was in a Food Hall of the huge 15 storey railway terminal. For a change we steered away from the typical rice or noodle dishes and went to the Japanese version of a steakhouse. Judy had Hamburger Jambalaya, a hamburger with an egg, chips and rice,
Nijo-jo Castle
Apple or Cherry Blossom? Rags a steak plus two hamburgers with chips, salad and bread rolls. A pleasant change but back to more Japanese food again tomorrow.
Tuesday 21st March Rain woke us up early in the morning and this continued as a steady drizzle. We had no more enthusiasm to go shopping or to view shrines and temples making our original idea of seeing the monkeys in the wild the only option even if it was raining. By the time we reached the park it was only raining lightly and the shared umbrella sufficient for us. It was a long climb, zigzagging along the track to the top of the rise on which there was a viewing platform to see the Japanese Macaques living there. This troop has been studied since the early 1950s and the family tree of each monkey is recorded. Feeding is prohibited outside of the enclosure as the monkeys can be quite vicious when it comes to food. Interestingly, we were in the cage the monkeys free outside.
Off the hill we had coffee in a pleasant cafe overlooking the river from where we could watch the passing parade of cars and tourists. We
Monkey Park
These Japanese Macaques were sheltering from the rain under the eaves. joined them later and soon found ourselves at the Arashiyama station where we purchased some pork dumplings on a stick each. These were eaten sitting on a bench at the station as people hanging off umbrellas continued passed. One thing we have found in Japan is that there are always sparkling clean toilets at hand when needed - often with heated seats. So of course these were used before we joined the throng of people with umbrellas. We walked to a bamboo forest before arriving at another train station where we found everyone else was going. So we soon found ourselves alone and wandering past temples and shrines before discovering a quiet suburban area with free-standing houses and garages with expensive cars in them. This was obviously the affluent part of town. Luckily we had Google Maps working and we could see exactly where we were and which way we needed to be heading.
We joined the queue for the bus and just hopped onto the next empty one and using Google tracked where we were going. When it diverged from our intended destination we got off and walked the last section back. Judy is certainly building up her
Bamboo Park
We walked through hectares of bamboo record of steps taken in a day, the Fitbit giving her an incentive to continue.
A bit of relax time followed, with both of us putting our feet up, before going out for dinner at the cafe next door. We had seen this place before and thought we'd give it a go. Each couple had their own grilling plate in front of them and it was a little like a Japanese version of our BBQ. The gentleman next to Judy gave some advice on what to order and we had small helpings of beef and pork. A slice of onion and some cabbage was included but we had to ask for some rice to help pad out the little food given. It was an experience, but not one we would do again in a hurry, the most expensive we have had in Japan and not as replete as we would like to be!
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THELMA
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JAPAN
THANKS FOR THE INTERESTING BLOG ENTRY. IT SEEMED TO TAKE ME AN ETERNITY TO READ IT WITH MY EYE-SIGHT. YOUR BNB ACCOMMODATION MAKES YOUR OWN BNB IN PERTH LOOK LIKE LUXURY !!! WAS THERE ANY YUMMY WELCOMING GIFTIN ANY OF THE BNBS ? I WAS SORRY TO READ THAT YOUR VISIT TO THE MONKEY PARK WAS SO WET. THE MONKEYS LOOKED VERY MISERABLE HUDDLED UNDER THE LITTLE SHELTER. YOU MUST BE ALL TEMPLED OUT BY NOW !! YOUR STORY OF THE CROWDED BUS REMINDED ME OF SEEING THE GUARDS PUSH PEOPLE ONTO THE TRAIN THAT IS ALREADY FULL THAT I SEE ON THE COMPUTER EVERY NOW AND THEN !! DID YOU SEE ANY OF THAT ? THANKS FOR KEEPING ME UP TO DATE WITH YOUR TRAVELS. I HAVE QUESTIONS TO ASK BUT THEY CAN WAIT UNTIL YOU ARRIVE HOME. LOVE MUM XX