Nasty Crunchy Yellow Things; Wait Your Turn; Keep Left

 Japan, Photos, Travel  Comments Off on Nasty Crunchy Yellow Things; Wait Your Turn; Keep Left
Oct 272007
 

Here’s my nightcap report.

After I got back and recharged for a couple of hours, I headed back to Kyoto Station and Isetan’s 11th floor.

FYI– The mall stores and the stores in Isetan in Kyoto Station close at 8PM, and the restaurants all close at 9PM. I made it in time to go to another sushi restaurant.

This time, I went for the 2,600 yen chef’s omakase plate. The chef decides what you should eat, and puts it on a plate for you. The first few were great. Shrimp, some eel, a little squid, some tuna, salmon. Then he decided to put some weird stuff on there. And by weird, I mean weird I don’t like.

But a dare is a dare.

Next was some sort of brown thing with little spikes on it, with sauce on it. No idea, but it was fragrant. Not one of my favorites.

Then came the sea urchin. It didn’t taste bad, but the meat just sort of melts in your mouth, and the texture just turned my stomach. I don’t usually have texture issues with food, but sea urchin got me in an unexpected way.

There was also fish roe. I’m not sure which kind, but it was another one that texture-wise didn’t work for me, because the little eggs all just sort of burst into juice in your mouth, kind of like the sea urchin.

Finally there was this crunchy yellow thing. I have no idea what it was, but it had the texture of cauliflower, smelled fishy, and was hard to choke down.

I had saved a couple of pickled plum rolled sushi to clear my palate, then one last piece of tuna and some pickled ginger.

Oh, and beer.

Lots of beer.

It was a good meal. Kind of a mixed bag, but Japan isn’t fun without trying some of the weirder stuff. And the normal stuff was awesome.

OMG Beignets!

Then after that, it was a trip to Cafe du Monde (yes, they have one in Kyoto) for beignets and iced chocolate milk. (Which is the BEST DRINK EVER.) It did wonders to cleanse my palate, although my stomach is a little upset from the yellow crunchy fishy thing, I think.

I went up to Shijo-Dori, which translates to 4th avenue, except that it runs East->West. Shijo-Dori is a fun place to stroll, because that’s where all the action is. I’m staying on Gojo-Dori, which is relatively dull. (Or quiet, if you like dull places.)

Shijo-Dori is definitely a place to visit if you like to shop and people-watch. I saw my first clump of gothic lolitas tonight, waiting for a club to open. It’s an interesting look. Hey, whatever floats your boat. (Gothic Lolita is a fashion trend in Japan. It’s often just called goth loli. Google it.)

Then I stopped by a convenience store for some food, since my room has a fridge in it.

The Comfort Inn here rocks. It’s cheap, they have a decent free breakfast, the rooms are nice, and they have a “Drink Service” from 3PM-midnight with free drinks. Who doesn’t love free drinks?

The people working the front desk speak pretty good English, if your Japanese is lacking. The location isn’t ideal, because it’s a bit of a hike to the nearest subway station, but it’s good enough for saving a few thousand yen a day. AAA discounts, work here, too! (Use the website to get those AAA deals.)

Random Observations

A few general Japan observations: everyone keeps to the left.

Subway Sign: Keep to the Left

(Visual aid from my later trip to Tokyo.)

The same way that Americans all keep to the right when driving, walking, etc., in Japan, you keep left. That’s how you can spot the Americans and Canadians. They keep bumping into people because they all keep right. Generally. There are times when everyone keeps right, but it’s not as common.

One thing I had a lot of problems with were the raised bumpy areas and channels in the pavement for the visually impaired. I do not begrudge them the help, and I think it’s great that they’re all over the place, but my wheeled luggage got caught in them all the time. My suggestion: get a backpack. Or get wheeled luggage with giant honkin’ wheels.

(Another visual aid from the future. This time, Hiroshima.)

Bumpy Yellow Things.

In Japan, you line up for everything and wait your turn. It sounds silly to Americans, but I think it’s great. It means that when you’re at an attraction, say, Kinkakuji, and you want to take some pictures, you stand behind the people in front of you, and wait patiently. Then you do your stuff, and the people behind you wait for you to do your stuff. It’s very nice, actually.

Here, a visual aid from Kinkakuji. Everyone lines up to take photos, and waits for their turn patiently.

Lining up to get the photos

Same goes for trains. There are marks on the platform where the doors are going to be, and everyone lines up at the marks and waits for the people to get off, then they get on in an orderly fashion.

Tomorrow is a laundry day, then I’ll try to go to Arashiyama and Eiga Mura, then maybe go to Ponto-cho for some more shopping, then I’ll hunt down the cardboard box I need to send a bunch of stuff back in, so I don’t die lugging my stuff to Nara.

TV here is still pretty meh.

Oh, one last thing– they have an interesting way to deal with porn–err, “Pay Per View.” Instead of embarrassing charges on your hotel bill, you go to the vending machines, and buy a 1,000 yen “TV Card” that will dole out 150 minutes’ worth of “Pay Per View” TV. At least that’s what the hotel directory says.

One last weird moment– I flipped on the TV on to see if anything was on, and I stumbled on to old Star Trek in English on BS-2, one of the NHK networks. We learn Japanese from Doraemon, they learn English from Star Trek?

Set phasers on educate!

Oct 272007
 

Wow. I’m totally wiped out. I saw a bunch of stuff after all, in spite of a persistent light rain that wasn’t more than slightly annoying.

Ginkakuji

For starters, I took the subway and then grabbed a bus to Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion). On the bus ride there, I saw a great sight I wish I could have photographed. A large group of guys wearing fundoshi (traditional Japanese underwear that kind of looks like a loincloth) were moving a portable shine across a river. It looked cold. The couple next to me were chuckling, and I asked (in Japanese) if those people were college students, and they replied “Yes,” so I laughed along with them. Ah, college.

I got off the bus at Ginkakuji-Mae (Mae is Japanese for “In front of.” This is a handy word to know.) I was looking at an area map, and it hit me– in Japan, North on maps isn’t always up. North is sometimes anywhere but up. This is very confusing when you’re trying to go somewhere, and it explains why it took me so long to find that martial arts exhibition in Nagoya. The map was upside down to me. Let that be a lesson! Find the “N” first, just in case.

Here’s an example map, just for Kyoto tourists on Gojo Dori. It looks innocent enough:

North isn't always up.

But if we look closer, we can see that the “N” for North isn’t pointing up!

North isn't always up. See?

After struggling with the map a little, I found the famous “Path of Philosophy,” which I’m sure is even prettier when the cherry trees are in bloom, and walked to Ginkakuji temple. The “Path of Philosophy” was famous with Heian Era thinkers who liked to walk along it while thinking about Philosophical Issues.

Path of Philosophy

Path of Philosophy

Path of Philosophy

As I got closer to Ginkakuji, I started to see a large clump of souvenir shops:

Shops outside of Ginkakuji

Hello Kitty is working hard to sell souvenirs here!

What, you didn't think you wouldn't see a Hello Kitty?

Ginkakuji is not really silver, but the grounds are pretty. Apparently at one point, the guy who built it wanted to cover it in silver leaf, but died before he could get started on the project. Lots of stairs to climb to get to scenic views of Kyoto, and lots of pictures to take.

As I entered the grounds, it just sort of jumped around a corner and surprised me.

It’s still not silver:

Ginkakuji-- this is it.

There was a beautiful pattern in the sand next to it:

Ginkakuji-- sand garden

Ginkakuji-- sand garden

The grounds are beautiful, and I quickly didn’t care that the building wasn’t silver. It’s a beautiful old building in its own right, and it mixes in with the scenery really well:

Ginkakuji Grounds

The lake in front isn’t as big as Kinkakuji, but it’s charming:

Silver Pavilion

Some of the other buildings on the grounds are very attractive:

Ginkakuji Grounds

Ginkakuji Grounds

And the grounds themselves are a feast for the eyes:

Ginkakuji Grounds

I finally found some fall color! It’s late October, but everything is still pretty green. I was hoping to catch Kyoto in fall colors, but I’m a few weeks too early:

Ginkakuji Grounds

Here’s the million-dollar view from the hill behind Ginkakuji. Incredible.

View of Kyoto and Ginkakuji

A little tighter in shot of the pavilion itself from the hill. Gardeners are hard at work to keep everything looking gorgeous:

View of Kyoto and Ginkakuji

And here’s the sand garden from high up:

Sand Garden from High Up

I really liked this shot:

Silver Pavilion and Fall Foliage

Here’s a side view of the pavilion:

Silver Pavilion

And then I left. Here’s the view as you leave and head back to the shopping area:

Fleeing Ginkakuji

The shopping street on the way out:

Shopping Street in Front of Ginkakuji

Honen-In

After an hour or so at Ginkakuji, I walked back to the Path of Philosophy, and on to Honen-in Temple.

Path of Philosophy

Honen-in is very pretty, but very small. There wasn’t a whole lot to do there, but I took a few photos before moving on:

Honen-In Temple Gate

Another sand design:

Honen-In Temple Sand

There wasn’t much I could see, but I liked this building detail:

Honen-In Temple Detail

And this stone had some nice calligraphy on it:

Honen-In Temple

And then I left:

Honen-In Temple Gate (again)

The Path of Philosophy to Nanzen-ji

Back on the Path of Philosophy, and here’s a helpful map!

North Still Isn't Up

Okay, maybe not so helpful if you don’t speak Japanese. North still isn’t up! Now it’s off to the right.

The Path of Philosophy itself is a beautiful walk through residential neighborhoods:

Path of Philosophy

And there are all kinds of interesting buildings along the way:

Path of Philosophy

It really is beautiful!

Path of Philosophy

As I was getting close to Nanzen-ji, I saw this stream or drainage ditch coming straight down a mountain. I think it looks pretty cool:

Path of Philosophy

Nanzen-ji

I arrived at Nanzen-ji, which has a great big massive gate, and a lot of pretty painted screens. I sat and rested for about 10-20 minutes. My feet were killing me.

The gate is really massive:

Nanzenji Temple Gate

And since it was raining, everyone was taking shelter:

Nanzenji Temple Gate

It’s hard to get a sense of scale with this: (this is on the way out, but it’s the gate still.)

Nanzenji Temple Gate

From the other side:

Nanzenji Temple Gate

The brick structure is an old aqueduct that runs through the temple grounds.

Old Aqueduct

Nanzen-ji has its own Zen rock garden, like Ryoan-ji:

Rock Gardens

And there’s another rock garden over here:

Rock Gardens

No shoes while you walk around the main buildings on the covered wooden walkways:

Nanzenji Temple Grounds

The grounds are very pretty:

Nanzenji Temple Grounds

And here’s a giant bell:

Nanzenji Temple Grounds

Heian Shrine and Rainbows

Onward to the Heian Shrine. On the way, I saw an awesome rainbow over a fountain.

Fountain and Rainbow

It arched back into the hills:

Rainbow over Kyoto

And wound up “over there.”

Rainbow over Kyoto

There are some canals in Kyoto. This is one that’s close to the Heian Shrine. It’s beautiful at this time of day:

Kyoto Canals

And now I’m entering the area of the Heian Shrine:

Gate

Later, I saw another rainbow over the shrine. Heian Shrine is pretty cool, actually. It’s big, but not “waste an hour here” big. It’s a place you can spend 15-20 minutes, savor, and move on. I drew an omikuji, which I have just translated as “end luck.” I knew it. Too late to tie it to something today. I’ll have to do it tomorrow. (In Japan, if you draw a bad omikuji, you’re supposed to tie it to a branch to keep the bad luck away. Instead there are poles provide to tie them on so you don’t kill the trees.)

Here’s the main gate:

Heian Shrine Main Gate

Close-up:

Heian Shrine Main Gate--Close-up

And a place to wash your hands and mouth before entering, because it’s a Shinto shrine.

Heian Shrine Purifying Area

The buildings are beautiful, but I couldn’t go in most of them:

Heian Shrine Grounds

Heian Shrine Grounds

 

Heian Shrine

Look, the rainbow is back!

Heian Shrine and Rainbow

Ah, the rainbow is heading to the main shrine area:

Heian Shrine and Rainbow

Ema full of wishes:

Ema

Bad fortunes go here:

Unlucky fortunes go here

With my luck ending, I went to the Kyoto Handicrafts Center, where I learned how to spend a lot of money really fast.

I bought some prints, some postcards, and a cute wooden ichimatsu-style wooden doll because I liked her expression. Then, since I spent enough, I got to try the raffle. It’s a Japanese-style raffle, where you spin a big box full of little colored balls, and if you get one that isn’t white, you win something. I got yellow, which means I won a pair of chopsticks.

I will treasure them forever.

I took a cab back to the hotel, and I’m in my room again. I need to rest a bit, and then I will head out and find someplace to eat. Probably Kyoto Station again.

If I had this trip to do over, I’d spend about 10 days in Kyoto, minimum. So I’ll just have to come back to Japan again and spend more time here.

Tomorrow is probably going to be Arashiyama, Eiga Mura (where they film the samurai dramas), and Gion/Ponto-cho.

It’s Raining Again…

 Japan, Travel  Comments Off on It’s Raining Again…
Oct 272007
 

It’s raining in Kyoto today, and it’s supposed to rain all day. 

I guess I’ll head to the station and ask the information desk people for some ideas for things to do that won’t get me soaked. I’ll try to visit some temples/castles tomorrow, and just do city stuff today. Monday I travel to Nara, so I only have 2 full days here. (And of course it has to rain on one of them.) So far, I’m only 1/3 on nice weather in Kyoto.

Dangit, I thought that typhoon was only supposed to be a problem around Tokyo…

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