Kinkakuji, Gion, LL Bean, and Going Home (Sunday, part 2)

 Japan, Photos, Travel  Comments Off on Kinkakuji, Gion, LL Bean, and Going Home (Sunday, part 2)
Nov 272011
 

It was an interesting bus ride to Kinkakuji, since I had to stand the whole trip. It was kind of like surfing on a whale in choppy seas. A very crowded whale.

I saw a group of American guys on bicycles doing some kind of tour of Kyoto while I was waiting for the bus. It looked like something that would be fun in the off-peak season, whenever that is.

By the time I got to Kinkakuji by bus, I stopped off at a place full of benches outside of the temple to take a short rest break, because I had been on my feet for most of the day so far, and I saw the guys on bicycles come riding in. So the bus was faster this time, but I’m sure bicycling in Kyoto has its own charms.

Right outside of the temple grounds, there’s a good view of one of the big characters they light on fire on the top of one of the nearby mountains.
Dai Character

It’s Still Made of Gold, and Tourists!

Visiting Kinkakuji is always a bit of a stuggle. It’s a struggle to get there, and when I get there, it’s a struggle for a good spot with a good view for a good shot. Sometimes it feels like too much work.

Coming in, even though the sky was gray, the leaves added some nice color. And there were some big crowds there, too!
Entering Kinkakuji

Getting closer to the entrance:
Entering Kinkakuji 2

The map of the temple grounds:
Kinkakuji Grounds Map

Entering the main gate:
Entering Kinkakuji 3

For 200 yen, you can ring the bell!
Ring the Bell

I got there, and it was gold, pretty, and full of pretty red leaves. So naturally the crowds were amazingly packed in. (I think it was also in one of those popular magazines, but it’s Kinkakuji anyway. It’s one of the most famous buildings in Japan.)

But it was beautiful, in the only way a golden building sitting in the middle of lake can be.

Don’t believe me? Have a look!
Golden Pavillion

I like this shot with extra Japanese Maple leaves in it:
Golden Pavillion 3

Detail of the phoenix on the roof:
Bronze Phoenix Ornament

A close-up shot of the side of the pavilion.
Golden Pavillion 4

And everyone is lined up to take a 記念写真 (きねんしゃしん kinenshashin) or souvenir photograph.
Tourists lining up for the souvenir snapshot.

On the way out, I got an omikuji, which is a slip of paper with a fortune on it you can buy at temples and shrines in Japan. I got a 吉 きち kichi, which means “good luck” fortune. This was a good omen.

Kyoto is sometimes a mess, and it’s often a battle with frustration, but it can be an incredible experience if you’re willing to put up with the little annoyances. Just understand that that’s the nature of the city. It’s the traditional cultural center of Japan, so you’re not just going up against foreign tourists, who were pretty thin on the ground here this time, but you’re really going up against large crowds of mostly Japanese tourists.

I Don’t Think We’re in Freeport Anymore

Done with Kinkakuji, I grabbed a cab to Kita Oji station, figuring that a cab all the way to Kiyomizu temple would be insanely expensive.

I got to the station (cost: 1,050 yen for ~ 1 mile), and what do I see?

An L.L. Bean store! YES! Score! Thanks 吉! I owe you one!

Why am I excited about seeing an L.L. Bean store when I could instead be looking at some more temples and shrines and getting more cultured?

I’ll tell you.

I’ve been freezing my tail off for the last 4 weeks or so, mainly because I can’t find clothes that fit me. I wear an XL in US sizes. An XL in Japanese sizes is closer to a skinny L or a fat M in US sizes. A US XL is more like a fat XXL or a skinny XXXL. Good luck with finding that at 99% of clothing stores here. I can’t find any clothes that fit me in the Japanese stores around Okazaki. Even the North Face store in Nagoya was a bust.

And it’s not like I’m particularly big for an American guy. I’m pretty average, but I have a big chest and big shoulders, so I’m kind of screwed.

I decided to check out the L.L. Bean store, and they still had about half of their men’s clothes in US sizes. (Oh, thank GOD!)

Sadly, they were converting a lot of their wardrobe to Japanese sizes. Don’t even bother to try to buy shoes there if your shoe size is over 10 (US) — you’re out of luck. Not that I needed shoes, but it’s a useful thing to know.

I found a plaid polartec button-down shirt, a sweatshirt, and a polartec hat. Woot! But now I had another problem. I had a bag full of bulky clothes to carry around with me, and that simply would not do.

Omiage Means “Thinking of You, and How to Fulfill My Societal Obligations to You”

I headed back to Kyoto Station, in search of another locker.

When I got there, I remembered something important: I needed to buy お土産 おみやげ omiyage (souvenirs) for my fellow classmates and teachers. It’s just what you do here, and the students at Yamasa, even though they are from all over the world, have all picked up on this tradition.

So what should I buy for classmates and teachers? Well, it turns out that there are whole shops in the train stations devoted to providing the best omiyage to meet every conceivable social obligation.

I went to the store near the escalators and found some lovely rice crackers with a fall leaf design painted on them with some kind of edible frosting, I think. So I bought a box of 20 individually wrapped rice crackers for about 2,000 yen, and I was done.

Yep, I was done. I’ll give everyone a cracker on Monday, and they’ll be pleased. It’s not the present, it’s the fact that you went to the trouble to get people a little something. Of course, with other kinds of gift-giving, you have to put a lot more thought into it, because gift-giving here can be a minefield. But that’s not an issue today.

Food makes the best omiyage, because people can eat it and not worry about it taking up space. Space here comes at a premium.

Then I dumped everything in a locker, and checked the Shinkansen departures board for trains to Nagoya. They were starting to fill up fast. I got in line at the ticket office, and got a ticket on the 8:52 pm Hikari bound for Nagoya (and Tokyo, but I don’t care about Tokyo now.)

My only mistake was getting a window seat. Otherwise, it was brilliant to get my ticket now.

Goin’ to Gion

I used Wikitravel on my Nexus One to find a place to eat. I found a yakitori chain popular in Kyoto, and went to their Gion branch. It took a while to find it, because it wasn’t at street level– it was on the 5th floor of a nondescript building. Dinner on a stick was great. I had yakitori, yakiniku, a salad, and onion rings all for 1400 yen. Not bad. That was really my first full meal of the day, because I had been running around so much before.

After that, I headed to Gion to do some sightseeing. Gion is famous for expensive restaurants and geisha, among other things. It’s also famous for tourists and the shops that cater to them. It’s a lively and fun area. I stopped at a few shops here and there.

As soon as I crossed the bridge, I spotted the Minami-za Kabuki Theater, so of course I took some photos:
Minami-za Kabuki Theater

A few closeups:
Minami-za Kabuki Theater Close-up 1
Minami-za Kabuki Theater Close-up 2
Minami-za Kabuki Theater Close-up 3

The main road (Shijo Dori) through Gion goes for about half a kilometer or so, then ends at a shrine, Yasaka Jinja. Here’s a shot of the road from the front steps of the shrine.
Wandering around Shijo Dori

When I got to the shrine, all of the lanterns were lit up for the evening, so it looked really pretty. I took some photos, of course.

Entering the main gate:
Yasaka Jinja Main Gate

Heading to the stage:
Yasaka Jinja

One of the many lanterns at the shrine:
Yasaka Jinja Lanterns

Artsy shot as I get closer to the stage:
Yasaka Jinja Approaching the Stage

A few shots of the lanterns surrounding the stage:
Yasaka Jinja Stage 1
Yasaka Jinja Stage 3
Yasaka Jinja Stage 4

I really like this shot:
Yasaka Jinja Stage 5

The south gate of the shrine:
Yasaka Jinja Southern Gate

At this point, my Canon 60D’s battery crapped out, and I switched to the tiny little Canon IXY I kept in my pocket.

Another couple of shots of the stage, this time with the IXY:
Yasaka Jinja Stage 6
Yasaka Jinja Stage 7

A lantern with some tied up fortune slips (omikuji) to remove the bad luck from bad draws.
Yasaka Jinja Lanterns 3

Cool looking vending machine area:
Yasaka Jinja Vending Machines

Heading out and back to JR Kyoto Station:
Leaving Yasuka Jinja

It got to around 7:30, so I decided it was time to head back to the station so I don’t miss my train. It took 45 minutes or so just to get to the station, with all of the changing trains.

At one point, the subway car I was in just stopped at Shiyakushoumae (the station in front of the Kyoto city hall), and said, “That’s it. End of the line.” I needed to go one more stop. Vexing.

But I did get a good shot of the calorie-counting stairs!
Calorie-Counting Stairs at Shiyakushomae Subway Station, Kyoto.

I got back to JR Kyoto at 8:20, and headed to the restroom to freshen up. When I was done, I was in for a rather nasty surprise– there was no TP in the stall! I had to go back to the front of the restroom and buy toilet paper for 100 yen.

The joy of travel. I learn all kinds of new things every time.

I picked up my luggage from the various lockers I had stuffed it in, and made my way to the Shinkansen platform. I had time to kill, so I got an ekiben, which is short of 駅弁当 えきべんとう eki bentou, which winds up as えきべん or ekiben. A bentou is a meal served in a box. Sometimes it’s in a flashy, expensive box, and sometimes it’s just in a plastic box you recycle when you’re done. Ekibens are specialty bentous only sold at certain train stations. Every station has its own specialty.

I got mine, and waited for the train. It showed up, we got on, and then we had to wait 10 minutes for something to get cleared up, because someone somewhere hit an emergency button.

We all got lectured on how we should never do that.

The window seat was a terrible idea. The person in the aisle seat had built a fortress of luggage and crap that made it impossible for me to get to my seat without her having to move it all.

So when we were getting close to Nagoya, I almost killed myself falling over her crap trying to get to mine and get off of the train on time. My jacket got caught on something and everything just tumbled all over the car.

I’m never ever getting a window seat again.

I usually get aisle seats, no matter how long the trip is. I like being able to get out of my seat without too much fuss.

I managed to get off the train in Nagoya without any further incidents, took a moment to get sorted out, headed to platform 2 to catch my train to Okazaki… and promptly missed it by 30 seconds.

I had already used up that 吉 at L.L. Bean, it seems.

Or did I?

I managed to get a good waiting spot (I could lean on a post), and when the train came in, I was first in line, so I got a seat all the way back to Okazaki. Yay.

Don’t put your shinkansen ticket in the local train wicket. When I got to Okazaki, I had to go to the ticket office to get my tickets all sorted out because I did that. Oops.

I grabbed a cab home, and had a nice chat with the cabbie about the four seasons. In Japan, they are firmly convinced that they invented the concept of four distinct seasons, each with its own unique flavor.

Well, it’s interesting to point out that we have four very distinct seasons in the US, even more so depending on where you live, because there’s so much climatological variation here. How we celebrate the various seasons really does depend on where one lives.

In North Carolina, for instance, we have our own leaf-peeper season in fall, too. Just try to get a hotel room in Asheville in mid-October. I dare you. Summer is crazy hot here, spring is wonderful, and winter… well, winter can vary a bit, but it’s generally cold. Not much snow, but we get it. (In 2000, we got over two feet of it where I live.)

I got home, started up the washing machine, and crashed. It was a successful trip in all sorts of ways.

I want to go back to Kyoto and spend some serious time there drinking it all in.

But next time, I think I’ll do it in spring.

Nijo Castle (Sunday, Part 1)

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Nov 272011
 

Wow. If yesterday was busy, today might just have been busier. It’s a tough call.

I got up at 6:30, took my time getting ready, and then got stuck thinking about where I wanted to go to first, so I didn’t check out until 9:00 a.m.

When I got on the train to Kyoto at Shin-Osaka, it was jammed, so I had to stand all the way to Kyoto.

This was the start of a trend.

I got to Kyoto, and had to find a locker. This was a problem. Yesterday, I got to the station nice and early, around 8:30, so there were plenty of lockers to choose from.

But today, I only got in at around 9:45, and by then, about all of the lockers were gone. It was a fight to find something to cram my bags into. I really recommend getting to the station as early as possible if you want to use the lockers on the weekends. They fill up fast, especially the big ones Americans like me like to use.

I managed to find a locker eventually. B1F of Kyoto Station is your friend, locker-seeking people.

No Leaves? No Worries!

After that, I decided to go to Nijo Castle. My logic went like this: it’s historic, a World Heritage Site, and should be relatively devoid of leaf gawkers. Nijo Castle was the Kyoto residence of the Shoguns for over 200 years, so it’s a good place to visit in Kyoto if you want to see some history, and you’ve already had your fill of shrines and temples.

It was perfect for what I wanted. The grounds were great. Very attractive, but not full of fall colors to attract huge crowds. Well, there were some trees to look at, but since it wasn’t in any of the magazines, there wasn’t a huge crush of people.

Entering the main east gate:
Entering Nijo Castle

There was one guy who created a small stir around him– he was taking pictures of some kind of action figure around the castle. As long as it’s fun, keep on keepin’ on.
Photographing a Toy at Nijo Castle

The main castle was interesting. The main attraction for me were the “Nightingale Floors,” which squeaked like crazy so that nobody could sneak up on you.

Coming to the Kara-mon, which is the entry to the Ninomaru Palace (where the “Nightingale Floors” are.):
Kara-mon
Entering the Kara-mon:
Kara-mon
The old Carriage Receiving Area in front of the Ninomaru Palace:
Ninomaru Palace Carriage Approach

After my tour of the interior of the Ninomaru Palace (no photography allowed), I saw these two bells outside of the entry/exit:
Bells

I turned down a path that led into the Ninomaru Palace Garden, and turned back to look at the palace building:
Ninomaru Palace

Looking down at the Kuroshoin:
Kuroshoin

The main pond at the Ninomaru Palace Gardens:
Ninomaru Garden

After that, I headed to the Honmaru portion of Nijo Castle. Here’s the bridge over the inner moat, leading to the main gate to the Honmaru:
Bridge to Honmaru

Right after passing through the gate:
Entry to the Honmaru

The Honmaru is actually a building from the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It replaces an older castle building here that burned down:
Honmaru
Another shot of the Honmaru, as I’m walking by:
Honmaru

After that, I climbed up the remains of the old donjon, where there’s a neat viewing platform, and took this photo of the Honmaru area:
View of the Honmaru from the old Donjon

Here’s a shot of the western gate leading out of the Honmaru, over the inner moat, from the top of the old Donjon:
Western Bridge out of the Honmaru

When I finished up the main route through the castle and grounds, I wound up at the far corner of things, about 1 Km away from the entrance, so I had to hike all the way back to the entrance. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds.

On the way to the exit, I found the Koun-Tei. (I think it’s a place to have tea?):
Koun-Tei
It looked beautiful reflected in the pond:
Koun-Tei Reflected in Pond

The landscaping was nice. The ginkgo trees were especially pretty, because their leaves were a brilliant shade of yellow:
Gingko Tree
Some gnarled-looking trees:
More Gnarled Trees

After all of that, I headed to the bus stop outside of the Castle. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next until I saw a bus go by that said “Kinkakuji” on it, and figured, “What the heck. I haven’t been there in a few years.” Then I looked inside the bus, and it was jammed all the way to the entrance doors. There was no way to even get on the bus, unless you just pushed your way on.

The people ahead of me in line were apparently not familiar with the concept of just cramming yourself in the bus, which is as applicable as it is on subways. It’s not like the next bus is going to be any LESS crowded, so you’re going to have to suck it up eventually if you want to get anywhere. There is no magically empty bus waiting for you, my dear princes and princesses. This is the height of tourist season, and everyone is on that bus, and everyone else is going to be on the next bus.

I met a nice guy from India while standing in line for the bus who went to the University of Michigan, so we chatted while waiting for the next bus to show up. Then we gritted our teeth and shoved our way on.

I’ll continue this in a “part 2” post, too, because it’s getting long.

Arashiyama (Saturday, Part 2)

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Nov 262011
 

I was in Kyoto Station. I headed over to the platform to grab a train to Arashiyama, but first I grabbed some sandwiches at the shop there, and gobbled them down on the platform to save money on cafes. I almost missed my train.

I made it to Arashiyama, and headed out of the station there. The crowds were massive. As I headed out of the station, I saw a bicycle rental shop right there. I wasn’t interested this time (because it’s impossible to bike in these crowds), but it’s something to keep in mind for next time.

I headed towards the main street in Arashiyama, and it was jam-packed with people. That was almost more interesting than the shops and the few street performers I saw.

Arashiyama Main Street

Arashiyama’s main street is full of restaurants and souvenir shops that are designed to separate you from your cash. If you like browsing and eating, it’s definintely worth a trip.

I decided to head on over towards the giant bamboo forest I saw in one of the brochures for Arashiyama, because it looked interesting. In reality, it looked okay, but didn’t quite match up to the level of the magazines and brochures. (Of course.)

Sagano Bamboo Forest

I lowered my camera a bit, and you can see the crowds!
Sagano Bamboo Forest

One amazing thing: I spotted trash cans in Arashiyama! I could toss out my sandwich box from Kyoto Station there. Awesome. (No I did not take a picture. I probably should have.)

In the middle of the bamboo forest, I walked past a beautiful Shinto shrine, Nonomiya Jinja. It had great fall colors around its front gates, so there was a huge crowd trying to take pictures.
Nonomiya Jinja

Getting around was kind of difficult at times, because there was a rickshaw service whose rickshaws were pretty big, and they would force the pedestrians out of the way so one or two people could get by. One guy would run in front of the rickshaw to clear the mob of people out of the way so the rickshaw could go through (although usually it was 2 or 3 rickshaws), and then another guy would bring up the rear.

It was really annoying.

Train Spotting

After that, I came upon the main JR line, and had to wait for some trains to pass, so I took some train photos as they went by. I wasn’t the only person doing that. Trains are a bit of an obsession for some people here. It stands to reason: there’s a huge variety of models, and some of them look kind of cool. And there are enough varieties of trains and railway lines that fans can probably argue for days on end about which is the coolest.

I love this woman’s body language as the train approaches:
Train Crossing.

Yup, it’s a train all right!
Train Crossing.

Back into the bamboo forest for a bit more.
Sagano Bamboo Forest

My walking had an objective, and that was Nision-in temple. But I saw a lot of pretty sights along the way, like this cottage:
Cottage

And this really big field:
Open Field near Nison-in Temple.
Open Field near Nison-in Temple.

Looking back at the way I came (same really big field!):
Open Field near Nison-in Temple.

Nision-In Temple

I did some more walking, and then I finally wound up at Nision-in temple, on the side of a mountain. The views were great, and the foliage was pretty, too. I climbed the steep stone stairs up the side of the mountain for some great views of Arashiyama and Kyoto in the distance.

Entering the temple grounds:
Nison-in Grounds
Nison-in Grounds

Going through the gate (I like this photo a lot):
Nison-in Gate

Inside the temple grounds:
Nison-in

The Honden, if I remember correctly:
Nison-in

A big bell you could ring:
Nison-in Bell

Then I climbed a bunch of stairs into the cemetery on the top of the hill, and saw this beautiful view of Arashiyama and Kyoto:
View from the Cemetary
View from the Cemetary
View from the Cemetary

To give you an idea of how steep the stairs were– going down was a little scary:
Going Down is Scarier than Going Up

All in all, it’s a beautiful temple, and the walk there from the main street was also gorgeous as well. There were lots of fall colors and great scenery along the way. Another nice part about it: it wasn’t as crowded as the main street, and it definitely wasn’t as crowded as Kyoto.

Then I headed back towards the main street in Arashiyama again (still busy!):
Arashiyama Main Street

I took a short break on a bench by some vending machines. That was a lifesaver. I had a Coke. It was in one of those oil can style aluminum bottles I only see in Japan:
Have a Coke and a ...

Revived, I headed down the main street, all the way towards the Togetsukyou bridge, another famous Arashiyama landmark.
Heading Towards Togetsukyo Bridge.

The sun was starting to set, so the scenery around there was especially pretty. The sun goes behind the mountains pretty early in that part of Arashiyama.
Togetsukyo and the Oi River
Shops along the Oi River.
Shops along the Oi River.

After all of that, I decided to head back to Kyoto Station. I had some fun trying to find new ways to get to the JR station in Arashiyama, but I eventually got there.

Dinner Time

In Kyoto, I decided to have dinner at Kyoto Station, on the 11th floor in a place called The Cube, where you can find a bunch of different restaurants. Tonight I decided on an Italian restaurant that I had eaten at 4 years ago. The food was good then, and it was still good now.

500 yen got me 3 pieces of cheese, 3 slices of tomato, and some basil. Yikes. But I got a decent pizza for 1200 yen. I ordered a slice of cake for dessert that was only slightly more challenging than a Rubik’s Cube to open. It was bound in some kind of plastic that was apparently also used to seal away demons, but the cake was delicious.

Generally, food in Japan is expensive. Add to that the crappy dollar-yen conversion rate, and it’s even more expensive.

OMG Osaka!

Sated, I headed down to the lockers to get my bags out, and headed to Osaka for the night.

The train ride from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka only took about 23 minutes, then a 10 minute wander through the maze that is Shin-Osaka station to the subway, and 1 stop to Nishi-something-or-other to the hotel.

That’s an interesting neighborhood. I got a weird vibe as soon as I left the station, but I shrugged it off. I got to the hotel, settled in, cleaned up, and headed out to get some food: breakfast for tomorrow and a late evening snack.

As I was looking for the 7-11, I was propositioned by not 1, but 2 very eager “massage therapists.” Yeah, it turns out it was that kind of neighborhood. They were aggressive, too. But I just kept on walking, got my food, headed back (alone!), and passed out.

Long day, but lots of stuff done.

Tofukuji (Saturday, Part 1)

 Japan, Photos, Travel  Comments Off on Tofukuji (Saturday, Part 1)
Nov 262011
 

Today was a very busy day.

Before I headed out for sightseeing, I tried begging at the APA Hotel for another night. No luck.

So I grabbed my stuff, and raced to Kyoto Station and managed to grab one of the last lockers in the basement area. They were pretty much full by 8:30 a.m.

Soft-sided luggage is a godsend, because I can squish it into a smaller locker. The softer, the better. The less of it, the better, too.

Then I grabbed a local train to Tofukuji to see the temple there.

On the way to Tofukuji, I saw my first pretty red leaves:

Fall Colors on the way to Tofukuji

As I was walking, I saw a place called Rikkyou-An, and it had a lovely garden inside.

Rikkyoku-An Gate/Garden

Rikkyoku-An Garden, Last Shot

The sign says, “Do not enter to take photos:”
Rikkyoku-An Garden and Gate

In Japan, people tend to follow the rules:
Shutter Chance! (Rikkyoku-An)

Then I arrived at the entrance to Tofukuji. It was packed, and the line was huge.

Outside of Tofukuji, Stading in Line.

Tofukuji

It seems as if all of Japan has descended on Kyoto to stare at red leaves. I started my day by going to Tofukuji Temple, which a number of magazines recommended as a top place to see the fall colors.

That was my first mistake: relying on popular Japanese travel magazines. Japan is a group-oriented society, and everyone reads the same things, including the same travel magazines, so everyone was at the same place.

It was insane. Scores of people cornering some random trees with red leaves, shooting photo after photo.

Yes, they’re pretty, but are they that pretty?

We’re surrounded by 1,400 years of culture, countless UNESCO World Heritage sites, and nobody cares. It’s all about the leaves.

It’s somewhat mystifying.

That said, I managed to get caught up in the leaf frenzy too. I found myself taking lots of pictures of red trees and their red, red, leaves.

Have a look:

This is the Tsutenkyo Bridge, from the entry to the temple:

Tsutenkyo Bridge, Tofukuji Temple

A little closer in:
Tsutenkyo Bridge, Tofukuji Temple

I finally got into the temple complex proper, and it was busy:
Tofukuji Temple, Main Buildings

We had to line up for all sorts of things:
Tofukuji Temple, Main Buildings

The crowd was crushingly heavy. Folks were pushing, elbows, shoulders, bodies, all straining to get the same perfect shot that everyone else has of the same red leaves.
Wandering around the temple grounds, Tofukuji
Tofukuji Grounds from Tsutenkyo Bridge
Tofukuji Temple, Fall Colors, and CROWDS

Looking back at the entryway I came across from my vantage point on the Tsutenkyo Bridge:
Entryway to Tofukuji

I wandered over to the Kaisando Hall:
Kaisando Hall
The Kaisando has a Wet Side:
Kaisando Hall-- The Water Side
And a Dry Side:
Kaisando Hall-- The Sandy Side

Then I started to head back. I saw this lovely gate. I forget which one it is, though:
Gate.

One last trip across the Tsutenkyo Bridge, fighting the crowds:
Tsutenkyo Bridge

And after an hour of that, I left. Tofukuji is a very nice place to visit just about any other time of the year. The do leaves make it really pretty. It’s just the crowds that make it unbearable. Pick a weekday or come some other time of year.

I ran into a couple from the U.S., and we engaged in that usual activity of foreigners in Japan, which is a bit of head-shaking at the things we don’t quite understand. I’m sure everyone does it a bit when they travel somewhere.

Goodbye Welcome Inn

I headed back to the station. It was 11 a.m., so I stopped by the Welcome Inn Reservation Center for the last time. They are closing it permanently after the 30th. Shoot. Anyway, I tried to see if I could scrounge up a western-style hotel room, in a 40-mile radius, but didn’t have any luck. The lady suggested that I try the travel agencies in the station.

I decided to give Nippon Travel a shot, and waited a bit to see an agent. He managed to find the last hotel room in Osaka, at the Business Hotel Consort. I took it for 5,000 yen. What the heck. It’s not the most exciting name for a hotel, but beggars can’t be choosers tonight. My only other option is sacking out at an internet cafe, and while I’d like to try that sometime, I’m fine with being in a regular hotel, too.

After reserving a room for the night, I went to the Kyoto City info center for ideas, because after dealing with the morning’s crowds, I was stumped for what to do next. I didn’t want to go to another temple or shrine that was as crowded as Tofukuji and fight leaf peepers all day.

I asked one of the consultants there if there was a way to avoid the crowds and still soak in some of the Kyoto atmosphere.

He laughed.

Then he recommended Arashiyama. It was actually a pretty good idea, because Arashiyama has enough room to spread out.

Sort of. Anyway, Arashiyama is pretty.

This post is already long because of the photos, so let’s continue it in part two.

First Night in Kyoto

 Food, Japan, Japanese Language, Photography, Photos, Travel  Comments Off on First Night in Kyoto
Nov 252011
 

Man, I’m tired. I raced back to the apartment after JBPP, frantically packed, tossed out anything I didn’t need, repacked, still had too much, but left anyway. Yuck. Too heavy. I tried to take the bike to the station, but realized instantly that that was a horrible idea. The walk to the station wasn’t much better.

I really want to be one of those dudes who can just travel with a toothbrush and a spare pair of underpants. Seriously, how do they do that?

I managed to get a seat on the train to Nagoya, then grabbed a Nozomi to Kyoto.

PINning Down My Tickets

Here’s a tip: if you want to use a credit card, and you don’t have or remember your PIN number, buy your shinkansen tickets at a smaller station and talk to a human, if you can speak Japanese.

If you can’t, then go to the bigger stations, like Nagoya or Tokyo, and stand in line. The people working the counters there speak excellent English, or can find someone who does. (I learned this in 2007.)

If I had gotten my ticket at Okazaki instead of Nagoya, I would have saved 20-30 minutes of standing in line.

If you have/know your PIN, just use the machines. It’s a LOT faster. But if you’re trying to do something complex, humans are more helpful.

Hello Kyoto

I got to Kyoto at around 6:30, then headed straight to the APA Hotel, which was right outside of JR Kyoto. Fortunately, I had my confirmation number with me, because nobody in either Japan or the US can spell my name to save their lives.

The room was okay, but pricey: 10,000 yen.

I checked in, crashed for a few minutes, then headed over to Bic Camera to finally get a circular polarizer. I’ve been putting off buying one for too long. I looked around a bit, and found one.

Then I headed up to the restaurants on the 11th floor of Isetan, because it was starting to get late.

The Christmas decorations are already up:

Xmas Decorations, Kyoto Station

I found a good okonomiyaki shop, and had a good modern yaki with bacon. That’s good stuff!

After that, I headed down to the second floor of the station, and went to Cafe du Monde for a beignet… only to find out that the Cafe du Monde in Kyoto Station does not serve beignets. What the hell?? It’s Cafe freakin’ du Monde! They do sell hot dogs and coffee. But no beignets? There was a Mister Donut next to it, so I waited for 10 minutes and ordered some donut-looking things from them.

It Has a Hole in the Middle

As I headed out of the station, I took a couple of photos of the Kyoto Tower Hotel, which was very purple tonight:

Kyoto Tower

Kyoto Tower

Then I went to the Lawson outside of the station, and it was jammed full of people. It was a madhouse. I decided to go ahead and get breakfast as well as beverages, because I wanted to save a trip here in the morning. (Seriously, it was nuts.)

I headed back to the room.

My room if full of amenities. See?

The Hotel's Amenities!

Then I ate my donuts. The MisDo (as they call Mister Donut here) donuts were really mediocre, like not very good grocery store donuts that had all of the flavor chased out of them by the bland police. Frankly, Harris-Teeter’s chocolate donuts taste better, and they’re average at best.

Now I understand why the lines at Krispy Kreme are so long here; these people haven’t been eating proper doughnuts! (There’s a difference between donuts and doughnuts, but I don’t want to get into it right now.)

The MisDo chocolate donut just tasted like it was… brown flavored.

I called home to let them know I was still alive, then I sacked out early. Gotta get up early, too. Tomorrow will probably be chaotic on a level I haven’t seen yet.

Oct 292007
 

For my last night in Kyoto (which was last night), I went back to Isetan’s 11th floor. This time I went back to my chicken and pizza places for a second raid. Good stuff.

Later that night my stomach paid me back in spades. That’s why I bring the Pink Stuff with me on a trip. (In pill form so I don’t have to taste it.)

I don’t think I’m going to be eating any weird sushi anytime soon.

I Ship and Ship, and Nothing Changes!

Today was a travel and sightseeing day. But first, I shipped another 20 lbs. of stuff I don’t need back home.

I keep sending these giant boxes home, yet my suitcase doesn’t get smaller. I don’t understand it at all. I’ve sent 40 pounds of junk home. 3.5 cubic feet. Where did I carry it all?!? It’s a mystery that bugs me, and it also frightens me a little.

Getting to the post office was fun. The hotel let me borrow a bicycle for 30 minutes for free, and I put the giant box in the basket. I had to hold on to the box while I tried to steer.

Good times.

Checking Out

I checked out and went to the tourism office in Kyoto Station to reserve a hotel in Osaka on the nights of the 2nd and the 3rd of November. I found a nice and cheap hotel, which makes me all warm and fuzzy. Thank you, Welcome Inn Reservation Center! The only downside is that the only Internet is in a “Business Room” I have to go to to use. I don’t know how much I’m going to use that, so I’ll probably be incommunicado.

I think I’m going to go to Beppu after all. I know, I’m cutting it way too close, but I think I should be able to swing a room somewhere.

Off to Nara

It took about 45 minutes by train to get to Nara from Kyoto. I met some nice Americans on the train. They were a couple who live in Kyoto traveling with their twins, and the husband’s parents. They were nice people, and the screaming toddlers kept me from sleeping and missing my stop.

Right now JR Nara Station is pretty basic. There are no escalators, and no elevators. I think they’re in the middle of renovations or something.

Either way, it was a pain to lug the big case up those stairs. Down is easy… that’s just a controlled crash down the stairs. Since I got there 2 hours before I could check in, it was time to scope out some coin lockers. (コインロッカー in Japanese, by the way. Just say “Coin Rocka,” and you’re close enough.)

I lucked out as a couple of Australian guys were unloading their big locker, and snagged it. One of them even gave me 100 yen because all I had was 300 yen and a 500 yen coin, and I needed 5x 100 yen coins.

But I was still 100 yen short.

Let me go back to Japanese money for a second. Should you choose to go to Japan, hold on to as many 100 yen coins as you can. They are THE most useful coins. Everything else will betray you at one point. Take my 500 yen coin. Even though the locker costs 500 yen, it doesn’t accept 500 yen coins. Nor will it accept anything other than 100 yen coins. And getting change can be troublesome. Some places won’t give you change for even small things like a 500 yen coin. Very annoying. So hoard those 100 yen coins.

After a few tries, I finally found someone who would give me change, so I got a locker. Then I realized my other bag wouldn’t fit, so I decided to try the electronic lockers, but I couldn’t get the machine to read my plastic. I went back to the other lockers for an old-fashioned one that took coins.

Why all the talk about lockers? Because if you travel a lot in Japan, you’ll probably need them at some point. They’re very, very handy.

My luggage secured, I went in search of the main thing I came to Nara for: some NICE calligraphy brushes. Nara is a traditional home for good calligraphy brushes in Japan. I found 2 nice medium-sized horsehair brushes for about 6,300 yen total, and a nice big one for 5,000 yen. I’m set for a while now.

I strolled some more, then when it was time to check in, I went to my hotel, the Nara Royal Hotel. This is a very nice place, with a low price for the luxury you get. 8,500-9,500 yen a night for a single, and it’s big for a Japanese single hotel room. There’s even an onsen/spa in the basement, which I’m going to try out very soon.

It also has HDTV in the room. It’s not a crummy one either; it’s a Sharp Aquos.

Then it was off to see some sights.

Sightseeing in Nara

Someone decided centuries ago that the deer here were a sign of good fortune, and they became sacred. Sacred animals lead a charmed life, and can merrily poop and act out wherever they want to. This is a Bad Thing, in my opinion. It’s bad because the animals become pampered and spoiled, and act really obnoxious.

And did I mention the poop? It’s everywhere. I had to dodge it constantly, so instead of looking at the sights, I was watching my feet.

Watch Your Step

From now on, whenever I think of Nara, I will always think of deer poop, and the smell of lots and lots of deer poop. It’s kind of hard not to.

Anyway.

I took a train to Kintetsu Nara Station, and started taking pictures and walking towards Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

The platform:

Nara

A fountain with a statue of a Buddhist priest whose name escapes me:

Fountain/Statue

A shopping arcade along the way:

Shopping Arcade

Deer warning signs, two varieties:
This one warns of deer jumping into the street:
Deer Warning Sign

This is just telling you not to mess with them. Period.

Another Deer Warning Sign

And finally, some deer!

Chillin’

Sacred Deer

Fightin’

Fighting Deer

A shrine entrance that looked interesting, but I had to skip it for time reasons. Himuro Jinja:

Shrine Entrance

And a really pretty lantern with some fall colors:

Lantern

Kasuga Taisha Shrine

I made it to the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, another World Heritage Site, just in time. It closes at 4:30 p.m., so I had to hustle to get there. I made it in time to see most of it. It was gorgeous.

Pictures!

The entrance:

Kasuga Taisha Shrine Entrance

Rows of lanterns:

Kasuga Taisha Shrine

A deer-shaped washing area:

Deer Statue Purifying Area

The entrance to the Honsha, where you go pray:

Honsha Entrance

Lantern Detail:

Honsha Entrance Detail

A tiny bridge nearby:

Bridge Near the Honsha Entrance

Another lantern-lined path:

Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Nara

This path takes you to Wakamiya Shrine. I didn’t follow it:

Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Nara

Heading out:

Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Nara

Moss!

Moss

A Komainu, one of the stone shrine guardians:

Shrine Guardian-- Komainu

Heading to Todaiji temple:

Leaving the shrine

Todaiji Temple, or The Reason Why I Travel

I walked to Todaiji Temple, home of the Daibutsuden Hall, where there is an enormous wooden statue of Buddha. This place was awe-inspiring. This is the reason I travel, and put up with things like insanely-heavy luggage, deer poop, and weird food making me sick. It’s hard to put into words. It’s just… wow. This is a definite must-see. I lingered there until they kicked me out at 5 p.m. sharp. I was the last one out of the temple as they closed the doors.

And now, pictures!

Approaching Todaiji, there’s another row of shops. Busy doing business. You can already see the outer gate (the Dainanmon). It’s massive.

Souvenir Shops in front of Todaiji Temple

Getting closer (lots of deer around here):

Todaiji Temple Entry Gate (Dainanmon, Or Great South Gate)

The Dainanmon up close and personal:

Todaiji Temple Entry Gate (Dainanmon, Or Great South Gate)

Inside the Dainanmon, there are two giant wooden statues. Here’s one of them:

Statue inside the Dainanmon

Past the Dainanmon is an area around the central gate, or Chuumon. You can see the Daibutsuden behind it. It’s the bigger building.

Todaiji Temple Grounds

And here’s the Chuumon. Can’t go through it. Have to pay admission.

Chuumon (Central Gate)

And here’s the Daibutsuden, where the giant wooden statue of Buddha is located:

Todaiji Temple Daibutsuden

Sexier angle:

Todaiji Temple Daibutsuden

Roof detail:

Todaiji Temple Daibutsuden Detail

Almost there:

Todaiji Temple Daibutsuden

Incense burner outside:

Todaiji Temple Incense Burner

The Daibutsu. This photo just doesn’t do it justice.

Daibutsu

Neither does this one. But it was the best I could do. The light was wretched, and I’m using a point-and-shoot camera.

Daibutsu

Change the angle? Not really helping. Losing the light in a dark place. Go and see it yourself! It’s massive and incredible!

Daibutsu

Time to go. They’re shutting the gates behind me. No, really, they’re shutting the gates!

Todaiji Temple Grounds

Last shot:

Todaiji Temple Grounds

Lots of good pictures again. I’m up to well over 1,700 total.

Then it was back to the hotel for dinner. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. Maybe I’ll hit the spa.

One not-so-good part–there’s zero cell reception in the hotel for either network. Not much I can do about that. I’d say of the hotels I’ve stayed in so far in Japan, this is the nicest one so far, although the Comfort Inn and the other business hotels all had coin laundries, this one doesn’t, and I need to do some washing again. Temps are still in the mid-70s, and I’m sweating like a pig. (In case you needed to know that.)

Last photo, because I love this cup:

Washed Up

Be relieved, and use it!

Tomorrow is a big travel day to Hiroshima. I’ll be there two nights, then if I’m lucky, I’ll go to Beppu. (Fingers crossed on that reservation…)

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!

It’s Made of Gooold!

 Japan, Photos, Travel  Comments Off on It’s Made of Gooold!
Oct 202007
 

I just got back to Okazaki from Kyoto, and today was great.

Sun! Beautiful sun!

I dumped my luggage in a locker at the station, and talked to the very helpful ladies on the 9th floor of Kyoto Station in the tourist office: by all means, go there.

Try to get to Kyoto well before 6 p.m. and use that office. They’ll tell you how to get around, they’ll give you maps and all kinds of useful information. They’ll even hook you up with a cheap hotel, if you need one. It would have saved me so much headache if I had gone there first on Thursday night, but it was closed.

The best thing they taught me was how to ride the buses in Kyoto. Generally, it’s cheaper to get an all-day ticket if you’re going to ride more than one bus. The fare covers the route, not the distance traveled, so the fares are all the same.

Kinkakuji

I took a crowded bus to Kinkakuji, which was incredible (it’s also called the Golden Pavilion, if you’re scoring at home), then I walked to Ryoanji to see the impressive Zen rock gardens there.

Kinkakuji is a gorgeous temple. First, the golden pavilion itself is stunning:

Oh yeah, this is why I came here...

Golden Pavilion

Asking people to take your picture is kind of risky. Not that they’ll steal your camera, but that they won’t be able to figure out how to get you in focus:

Golden Pavilion obscured by a Dork

Not that I was looking all that dapper, anyway.

The crowd waiting to take pictures:

Golden Pavilion

This one came out really nice:

Golden Pavilion-- This one came out nice.

Here’s where I would put the rocking chairs and wave back at the crowds:

Golden Pavilion

And here’s a shot of the back:

Golden Pavilion

I figured out what everyone does with their 1 and 5 yen coins. They throw them here:

Where 1 and 5 yen coins go...

And here is where you pray:

Altar

Altar closer up

At Kinkakuji, I bought some souvenirs, then spied a Haagen-Dazs vending machine, and purchased an almond-vanilla bar.

Another World Heritage?
Refreshing.

I finally sucked up my courage and got an omikuji (it’s a fortune they sell at shrines.)– I drew a shoukichi— which means I’ll have a little luck. That’s fine for me. Friday I would have pulled a daikyou— big bad luck. No thanks.

The Road to Ryoan-ji

Ryoan-ji is pretty close to Kinkakuji. It’s about a 15 minute walk away, and definitely worth it.

I started by going down this road:

On the way to Ryoanji

I saw these flowers by a utility pole. I guess they do roadside memorials in Japan as well.

Flowers by the road

I passed a place that had a lot of those stone (or maybe concrete?) statues that I’ve seen a lot:

So that's where they come from...

Lots of moss on the walls. It was really pretty:

Rock wall

I thought this garage door was cool.

Your Hobby Adviser Should Be a Freak 2

Ryoan-ji

Ryoan-ji is gorgeous in a different way from Kinkakuji. It’s a wonderful contrast between the two temples. Kinkakuji is hectic and crowded, while Ryoan-ji feels more tranquil.

Ryoanji Grounds

Ryoanji Grounds

There’s a large pond, or a small lake on the temple grounds, and it’s very nice to look at.

Ryoanji Grounds

There’s a small island on the lake, and a small shrine on the island:

Ryoanji Grounds

Ryoanji Grounds

Ryoanji Grounds

Here is the place where you wash your hands and mouth to purify yourself:

Ryoanji Grounds

As you enter the main building where the rock garden is, you have to take off your shoes. Then as you enter, there are two really stunning pieces of calligraphy:

Calligraphy

Calligraphy

And then you come to the famous Zen rock garden:

Wide shot:

Zen Rock Garden

Some closeups:

Zen Rock Garden

Zen Rock Garden

Of course it’s crowded. It’s pretty famous:

Zen Rock Garden Crowds

I went around the back of the main building, looked at some of the other scenery. I really liked this water feature:

Ryoanji Grounds

Here’s a shot of the rooms around the rock garden. There were a lot of really pretty screens on the walls:

Ryoanji Grounds

On the way out, you walk around a lot of the grounds again, about a 15 minute walk. I thought this Japanese maple tree was especially pretty:

Ryoanji Grounds

Persimmons and ducks on the way out:

Ryoanji Grounds

Back to the Station (More Kyoto Station Photos!)

Back at Kyoto Station, I took some more photos. The Kyoto Tower, reflected on the side of the station:

Kyoto Tower Reflection

One of the main facades of the station:

Kyoto Station

 

Inside the station, things are hectic on a Sunday!

 

Kyoto Station

 

Going up to the roof.

Looking Down on the Station from the Roof

 

Roof detail. I love detail shots.

Kyoto Station Roof Detail

 

Here’s a panorama I took of the roof area.

kyoto station pano

 

Look! Another band! I’m a old band nerd, so I’m always happy to see kids learning to perform music:

Kyoto Station

While I was at the station, I made some hotel reservations with the help of the Welcome Inn people at the tourist office on the 9th floor. I got a room for 6,300 yen a night for the 26th, 27th, and 28th. That’s a weekend in October. Amazing. I couldn’t find anything available on my own.

October is leaf-viewing season, so it gets booked up here pretty fast.

Next weekend, I’m going back to visit all the places I couldn’t get to, like Gion, Arashiyama, Eiga Mura (it’s the cinema village they use to shoot samurai dramas… I want to see it if time permits), plus I want to look at some handicraft stuff.

After that I’ll go to Nara, Hiroshima, Beppu, Osaka,  and then we’ll see.

I’m up to over 1,050 photos so far.

And I have learned a ton about traveling.

Rick Steves was right. You are always carrying too much crap.

You can always find one thing to get rid of.

Two bags is one bag too many. Three bags is insanity.

Digital anything is great.

Now I’m going to take a shower, go to ZigZag, then do some laundry.

Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head

 Japan, Photos, Travel  Comments Off on Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head
Oct 192007
 

I managed to salvage a nice evening out tonight. I thought about going to Gion (the place with all the geisha), but I’m going to save that for when I return to Kyoto later in my trip. I have to return here to see everything I want to see.

First I stopped by the local conbini (convenience store) and bought an embarrassing clear vinyl raincoat to make up for the terrible umbrella I bought this morning. Between the two, I was almost dry.

Sort of.

Dinner at Kyoto Station

Instead of Gion, I went to Kyoto Station for dinner and some gawking.

Inside Kyoto Station

It’s definitely worth checking out. It’s sort of inside and outside at the same time, and there’s a giant department store and a mall there, too. The department store is Isetan, and it has all kinds of stuff in it. (The mall is in the basement, and also has a lot of little stores.)

Japanese department stores are fun. They have things like Dolce & Gabana, Dior, Gucci, etc., then they have a grocery store in the sub-basement.

The real reason you want to eat at the station is the 11th floor. It’s a food court on steroids, with all kinds of different restaurants with all kinds of different things to eat.

So it’s time to climb the stairs:

Large Stairs at Kyoto Station

Yeah, I took the escalator.

I hadn’t eaten all day, so I went to three different restaurants, each of which had something that looked delicious.

The first place had a really good chicken sandwich, with odd-looking Crunchy Things served on the side. (The Crunchy Things were good.)

The second restaurant had a really good little Margherita pizza (it was really little), and the third was Vie de France, where I picked up dessert and carried it back to the hotel.

The Kyoto TV tower is really pretty at night, but I decided not to go up to the observation deck. Here are a couple of shots I took of it:

This one is through the walls of the station:

View of Kyoto Tower through Kyoto Station

And here’s a shot from outside:

Kyoto Tower Hotel at Night

I wandered around the station just a bit and took this photo as well:

Kyoto Station Surrounding Area at Night

I’m going to try to visit Ryoanji tomorrow if it’s not raining, but odds are it will be, so I’ll probably just head back to Okazaki. I’ll check out of here, then dump my backpack in a locker at the station and do some gawking, if the weather is even halfway decent.

10-Yen Enemy?

My real arch-nemesis in Japan (besides the toilet paper that feels like 100 grit sandpaper) is the currency. Everything under 1000 yen (~$10) is in coins. As an American, I’m used to bills, even for trifling amounts of money.

So my goal every time I go out is to get rid of as many coins as possible, but every time I come back, I wind up with more coins than when I left.

The true scourge of my pockets is the 10 yen coin. It’s big, like a quarter, but only worth about 1/3rd of one.  There are no 25 yen coins. Just 1, 5, 10 and 50.

Ticket and vending machines don’t take 1 and 5 yen coins.  So they’re even more worthless than 10 yen coins.

Every time I get rid of n 10 yen coins, somewhere else I’ll wind up with n+1 more. (Assuming that n is the number of 10 yen coins I started with.) Oddly enough, I haven’t amassed too many 5 and 1 yen coins. Individual items seem like they’re priced so that the numbers come out round. Or maybe I’m just hallucinating.

What Does This Button Do-whoooa!

I finally tried pressing the button on the toilet today. Wow. That’s just funky, a little disturbing, but a whole lot better than the toilet paper there. Those of you who have done it know what I mean. Those who haven’t, well… there’s this button, and it has a picture of a butt on it, with a little jet of water aimed right at it. And if you push the button, it pretty much does what it says. It is pretty sanitary, if you think about it. It just feels ten kinds of weird. But the other choice is the toilet paper, so I’ll take a slightly damp butt anytime.

Speaking of butts, it looks like the Chunichi Dragons (the local Japanese Baseball League team in Nagoya) are kicking those of the Yomiuri Giants. Go Dragons!

I think the winner plays the Nippon Ham Fighters, who won the divisional playoffs last night. (I think they call it the Climax Series?)

I’m not really up on J-Baseball.

While I was taking a break this afternoon, I was able to watch some of the Boston-Cleveland game live from the States, which was kind of cool, but also felt kind of weird.

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