Japan III: All Around Kyoto!

In terms of old-school Japanese culture, Kyoto is where we knew we’d focus our attention. After all, Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years—much longer than any other location. The city certainly didn’t disappoint.

To keep in the whole old-school vibe, we decided that while in Kyoto we’d stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn (i.e. the places with tatami mat floors, rice-paper sliding screens, etc.). Having said that, I confess that we didn’t go completely traditional. Our inn, Ryokan Shimizu, is categorized as a “modern ryokan,” meaning that, even though the rooms do retain a traditional feel, they also have modern heat/air conditioning, television (which wasn’t crucial since it was all in Japanese), and private bathrooms. We really appreciated that last one. ;) The place was really very pleasant. In traditional fashion, you had to take off your shoes when entering, and every day the staff brought you a tasty beverage that seemed to be hot green tea mixed with orange marmalade. It was nice.

Of course, it was a little tough to find the ryokan. The Japanese aren’t especially good at labeling their non-major streets, and this place was definitely tucked away on a non-major street. We did have a couple maps to help us get there, but again, they aren’t that helpful if you don’t know which street is which. Fortunately, we came across an extremely nice lady that offered to point us in the right direction. I would guess she was in her late-50’s/early-60’s, and I think she had the best English out of everyone we met, including all the younger folk. With her help, we found the place pretty easily. ;)

I got the impression that Kyoto is a city with a bit of an identity crisis. It wants to keep one foot solidly planted in the past and one foot solidly planted in the present. I mean, there are centuries-old temples and shrines all throughout the city, mixed right in with the apartment buildings, 7-11’s, and department stores. Even the population seemed to be a bit confused. There were lots of ladies who wore traditional kimonos, while also donning name-brand purses and modern jewelry. So, yeah, Kyoto definitely wants to have it both ways, and I think it’s as successful at it as any city could be.

As you can imagine, the majority of the sights in Kyoto are old, old buildings…and they really are spread all over town. Fortunately, our ryokan was within walking distance of Kyoto Station, the city’s transportation hub. And, since Kyoto thrives on tourism, their bus system was perfect for travelers. During our first bus ride, though, we learned an important lesson: do not sit down if you’re not sure how far away your stop is. Otherwise, you might be sandwiched in such a way that you can’t get out when the time comes. The second thing we learned in the buses was that the ideal temperature for the Japanese is somewhere in the mid-80’s. Those buses were HOT! And so was our room at the ryokan (prior to our daily adjustment of the thermostat). I mean, oppressively hot. Not to mention that, in all that heat, we were the only two people that would take off our coats. Everyone else stayed bundled up in coats, overcoats, and scarves. I don’t know how they stood it.

Anyway, back to the temples. Like I said, the bus system helped us maneuver the city, but you know, we still had to do a fair bit of walking. For most of the sights, the nearest bus stop was still about a mile or two away…usually with a hill to climb somewhere in there. ;) Regardless, the places didn’t disappoint. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about them, but I’m already running pretty long. To sum it up, there was great architecture (including the longest wooden building in Japan and a temple totally covered in 24K gold), tranquil gardens (with babbling brooks, zen rock gardens, and koi), and exquisite statuary (like a collection of 1,001 Kannon statues—each one with its own set of 40 arms), as well as Gion, Japan’s most storied geisha district (and we did see a geisha!).

There are a few more random tidbits I want to share about Kyoto. At one of the temples, Ross and I were approached by a friendly, older gentleman. We both were a bit wary at first, because he was a little too energetic about starting a conversation, but he ended up being harmless. It turns out that he’s an English professor who’s writing an English-Japanese dictionary; wisely, he seeks out Westerners to help proofread it. So, we each took a page and gave it a once-over. All in all, a pretty surreal event.

Speaking of surreal stuff, I would never in a million years expected to see a Café du Monde right in the middle Kyoto Station. Yep, THAT Café du Monde...from New Orleans...that doesn’t have any U.S. locations outside of Louisiana. The only other franchises in the entire world are in Japan. Crazy! Unfortunately, the beignets weren’t the same. :(

Lastly, I can’t close my post about Kyoto without mentioning that Ross and I both had bouts of unwellness while we were there. :( Mine hit the first day in Kyoto. The combination of some sniffliness (probably from the cold night in Nara), the lingering fatigue/jetlag from my flight, and the exertion from walking around Kyoto made for an overall sense of blech. I definitely verged on dehydration, along with the sinus mess. Ross was really understanding at our first dinner in Kyoto, as I sipped broth from the noodle bowl. Fortunately, that night was as bad as it got. I was on a steady track upward after that. Ross’s own bout with near-dehydration happened the next day, as we frustratingly searched around midtown Kyoto for dinner. Another lesson learned: travel guidebooks offer great info on restaurants, but they don’t always tell you how to find them. We finally just threw up our hands and went with the first decent-looking place we saw. It actually turned out to be a pretty good place, and Ross felt much better afterwards.

Well, after 3 ½ days in Kyoto, it was back to Tokyo! So, we hopped aboard the shinkansen and headed that direction! The sky was clear enough that we got to see Mt. Fuji on the way! :)