Waking up a little sore (turns out rental bikes don't have the most cushioned seats), Alex and I left the bikes behind for a self-guided walking tour of Kyoto on Monday. First stop: Nishiki Market. Similar to Tsukiji Market in Tokyo - minus the massive fish market and warehouse - we walked past a number of shops selling everything from hot food, local produce, Japanese delicacies, fresh seafood and artisan crafts.
Strolling through the market, which we had actually unknowingly walked into the previous night (one block from our dinner restaurant) but it was dark and nothing was open!
After sampling a few items - yes to okra chips, no to unidentifiable pickled vegetables - we were ready for a proper meal and started walking to a gyoza spot for lunch. Unfortunately, as has been the case a few times for us in Japan, the place was closed so we found a fast ramen chain instead. Warmed up after some hot soup, we continued the walk east toward the Yasaka Shrine.
We've spotted many lions - and other animals - greeting fellow visitors to the temples in Japan.
Standing in front of the dance hall at Yasaka Shrine.
Trying to get a shot of the shrine without so many tourists!
After checking out the Yasaka Shrine and surrounding area, we continued east to Eikan-do Zenrin-ji where the fall colors - and tourists - were in full effect. Zenrin-ji was definitely one of the most beautiful spots on our tour through Kyoto. In addition to the incredibly colored trees, the shrines and surrounding areas were very intricately designed and well landscaped. While there were pushy people everywhere, we were able to walk through the temple (barefoot) and witnessed some of the prayer services taking place.
Serene pond and garden within the temple walls.
View of the temple after we walked through it.
Incredible shot Alex took of the nearby bridge.
We loved these little guys on our way out!
This small pagoda overlooks the entire site – pretty spectacular!
One last shot of the bridge.
A little tired from a full day of walking, we headed back to our hotel to rest for a couple of hours before our scheduled evening event: a Japanese cooking class! I knew I wanted to try either a sushi-making course of kappo class while in Japan and once I read about Cooking Sun, I knew we should try it out. Our instructor, Akiho, was super friendly, very informative and spoke excellent English - we really felt like we got a great firsthand look into Japanese cuisine! And our homemade dinner was delicious too! Cooking Sun has only been around since April and already they are ranked #3 of all activities in Kyoto on Tripadvisor – definitely check it out if you are ever in Japan.
Carefully dropping the vegetable tempura into the boiling hot oil.
Alex expertly chopping the spinach while our instructor, Akiho, prepares the dashi.
Alex and I ready to eat our homemade Japanese dinner.
Wednesday morning we woke up early, left our bags at our hotel and headed south for a brief hike up Mount Inari, known for its bright orange arches and Fushimi Inari shrine.
Alex in front of the Fushimi Inari entrance.
I love the beautiful paper cranes we have seen at some of the temple entrances.
The bottom of the mountain was pretty crowded so we hoped that the throngs of people would thin out as we ascended (and others grew tired of the hiking). We were right – it was much easier to take pictures once we got closer to the top!
The arches are each donated by individuals or businesses (at ~US$4,000 – US$10,000 a pop) and they were everywhere along the various mountain paths; definitely one of the more unique temple sites we have visited.
Almost the entire path was covered with these orange arches.
Our view up and down the mountain for 90% of the time.
Finally found a fellow tourist for this shot.
Inside one of the shrines. This particular site had two foxes guarding almost all of the temple entrances.
Once we reached about two-thirds of the way to the top, we were treated to panoramic views of Kyoto (and a brief rest!).
No monkeys this time, but at least the sky cleared up!
The view coming back down the mountain.
I loved the Buddha statue near the end of our hike.
The whole hike took about two hours so we were easily able to head back to our hotel, grab lunch and get on the train to Nara by noon. We had a great time in Kyoto and are gearing up for our final five days in Japan!