kyoto

Kyoto-a-go-go

29th October to 2nd November 2016

If Tokyo's words are neon, zany, and modern then Kyoto's are laid-back, welcoming, and traditional.

We arrived here on a cold, Saturday evening after our stop at the Snow Monkey Park in Nagano and Kamesei Ryokan in Togura. After getting settled in at our Capsule Ryokan, we went off in search of food and eager to get a feel for Kyoto's personality.

When you read about Kyoto in most guidebooks, you'll see the words "temple" and "shrine" dotting the page like commas. It does seem like there is a temple or shrine on almost every street in this, one of Japan's most historic cities, but we discovered that there is so much more to Kyoto than incense and Buddhas.

These are our Kyoto best bits...

Gion District

Gion is the 'old town' of an old city. As we crossed the Shijo-Bridge into Gion, we noticed wooden buildings in the old style, and had a distinct feeling that maybe we had stepped back in time a little (though just a little, as tourists were plentiful and there are a few Starbucks dotted around).

This area is where you're most likely to spot geisha, flitting between appointments at teahouses in the narrow lane ways. Personally, I spent a huge amount of time in Kyoto seething with kimono envy...

We walked around here on our first evening, after the sun had just set. We ended up at the Yakasa Shrine at the end of Gion's main street. In the dark, it felt just on the edge of eerie, but in a good way that gives you tingles and makes you think "crikey, I'm in Japan".

Komachi Craft Beer Bar

We continued on from Gion that first night to find Komachi Craft Beer Bar down a few narrow alleys.

Small and cosy, with just a large plastic curtain for a bar front, this place made us smile as soon as we sat down. We had just eaten, but the smell of their bar food was good enough for us to want more food in our full tummies. We had some of their special chocolate cake (mmmm!) to go with Nick's craft beer and my sake. We sat here chatting and enjoying the background hum of chatter and fun mingled with Brazilian Cafe covers of 90s classics (I'm not joking, Mmmmbop was in there).

Nijo Castle

Time to get all cultural... After a post-beer lie-on the next morning and pancakes and coffee to kick start us, we headed to Nijo Castle to begin our Kyoto education.

This awesome structure was built by a powerful shogun back in 1603 as a base in Kyoto, and a symbol of just how badass he was. Walking around the castle and its grounds on a sunny October day, I was pretty bowled over by how beautiful it was, so I suppose he was actually quite the badass...

Tenryu-ji Temple and the Kimono Forest in Arashiyama

So the bamboo grove is the superstar of Arashiyama. It's one of the most photographed images of Kyoto and one of the things that made me excited about visiting.

We spent a morning in Arashiyama (an area in Kyoto), and I have to admit that the bamboo grove was my least favourite bit. It's beautiful, really it is, but it's probably one of those things that's spectacular if you're there by yourself in the quiet, not with thousands of other tourists. I'm not being a hypocrite here - I am well aware that I myself am one of those thousands, and we did indeed take selfies and photos galore. I just think that some places feel more special with stillness, and the bamboo grove is one of them.

That being said, my favourite thing in Arashiyama was the Tenryu-ji Temple, which is smack-bang in the middle of the bamboo grove, so you could just think of the bamboo grove as a super walkway up to the zen temple.

We didn't go into the temple here, opting instead to walk around the gardens. Although also packed with our fellow tourists, this was a place that could take it and still make you feel still and happy, dwarfed by nature and fascinated by the autumn colours.

The last grove we walked through in Arashiyama was the Kimono Forest installation at the train station. This is a walkway filled with pillars of different kimono materials, which made my fingers itch for colouring pencils and paper.

Shika Deer and Nara

About 40 minutes from Kyoto, you'll find the city of Nara. This was recommended by our guidebook as "the ancient birthplace of Japanese civilisation". Interesting... we read more and saw there were loads of tiny deer in the park, and we were sold.

We loved Nara for its huge park with the impressive Kofuki-ji Temple, and other-worldly Kasuga Shrine nestled in a darker, almost reverentially quiet part of the park. But the deer were absolutely the main event here. They roam all over the park and are so used to humans giving them food, that they walk right over with inquisitive little faces wondering if you have a deer cracker for them. Luckily, we resisted bringing one home with us. That would have been great craic in customs...

Fushimi Inari Shrine

This did feel a little bit like the bamboo grove for me - as if it required less people and more silence to give me goosebumps - but the 10,000 vibrant orange torii gateways against a clear, blue sky at Fushimi Inari won me over after a few minutes.

This shrine is dedicated to Inari Okami, one of the main Shinto gods. Upon reading a little about Inari Okami, it seems that he / she (has been known as both) is the god of all things good really, so this was probably a good choice to walk around. There are lots of fox statuettes around the shrine, representing messengers to Inari. They range from tiny, cute figurines to large stone carvings, with sharp faces you wouldn't cross.

Kyoto Snapshots

• Smiling Kyoto locals, who readily offered help if we looked a bit lost.
• Eating our first okonomiyaki at Chabana, sitting around the counter as the chef cooked with laser focus and served them to us with the most solemn face.
• Belting out more karaoke on our last night and secretly wishing for a karaoke machine at home.
• The geisha android at our ryokan (we really should have gotten a photo of that!)
• Sheer disappointment at our first Irish pub experience while travelling.... ah here lads, tragic attempt at a glass of Guinness... and Celine Dion is not Irish.
• Never ending market stalls with every kind of food at Nishiki-koji Food Market, and ever-changing sounds and smells to accompany them (even a stall that specialised in Snoopy-themed snacks).