The train ride to Kyoto went smoothly but by the time we were settled into our hotel it was already early evening. We cleaned up for a bit, then headed out to see some of the city and grab an early dinner.
Temples are nestled among modern streets throughout Kyoto. Here, we stopped at the Bukko-ji Temple on our way to dinner.
We never found the restaurant where we were originally planning to eat dinner because we stumbled upon a great looking sushi place with a line out the door (always a good sign when locals are queued up to eat!). We grabbed a drink across the street while waiting for the crowd to die down a little, then feasted on delicious sushi and sake.
After dinner we headed home to bed early - there's a ton to see here and we want to be well rested for our final days in Japan!
We woke up early on Monday and headed over to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, one of Sarah's favorite places we visited in November. It was just as crowded as we'd remembered...but we also knew that once we got further away from the main shrine, the crowds thinned out dramatically. Fortunately, we were right! The slow hike up to the top and back took about three (very sweaty) hours but we all loved seeing the thousands of orange arches with only a few other tourists passing by.
A statue of a dog guards the entrance to the shrine.
Sarah and my mom loved the multicolored cranes.
Me and mom at Fushimi Inari.
One of the main shrine buildings. We had to wait about 10 minutes for this shot to clear...
...but there were no tourists to worry about among the arches.
As the sun came out the light reflected off of the shiny orange paint, making the arches look even more impressive.
Some mini arches were left by other visitors as an offering.
We were all so hot from the hike that afterward we headed back to our hotel to shower and take a short rest. Once we were feeling like normal humans again, we walked over to Ichiran to introduce my mom to one of our favorite Japanese foods: ramen. She was a little hesitant to order a bowl of hot soup on a day like today, but the A/C was blasting and she managed to enjoy the whole thing without breaking a sweat. I think we have a convert!
Re-energized from the ramen fill, we got on the subway and went to explore a new temple in a new part of town. We stopped on the way for green tea ice cream - always a great way to cool off on a hot day in Japan! We arrived at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple with only a little time to explore, but all of us were wowed by the giant pagoda near the middle of the complex.
Quite an impressive structure.
Another corner of the temple complex.
Extremely detailed tile work on the pagoda, which Sarah loved.
Next stop for us in Kyoto: a cooking class. Sarah and I also did this - albeit with a different company - when we were here before. We enjoyed it so much that we though my mom would also have fun with it. Turns out she had more fun than anyone! We're especially glad because I think we can expect to see some of these dishes at home in New Jersey when we're back...
The beginning stages of dashi, a staple of Japanese cooking.
Showing off my knife skills.
Enjoying our dinner after a couple hours of prep / cooking.
After dinner we headed to Pontocho Alley to do some people watching and relax with a drink outside. Like we remembered last time, the alley was lit up with beautifully decorated lanterns, creating an amazing atmosphere to walk through.
En route to Pontocho Alley.
One of the many colorful corners of Pontocho Alley.
Our first stop on Tuesday was a site that Sarah and I missed the last time we were here, but it is world renowned for its beauty: the Golden Pavilion. The compound was very crowded with other tourists but the sight of a temple completely covered in gold leaf was incredible. Definitely worth a brief stop in Kyoto!
The Golden Pavilion.
To escape the tourists, we walked a few blocks south to check out the Hirano Shrine. Though not as spectacular as the Golden Pavilion, this shrine was a nice change of pace for us: we were the only ones exploring the grounds, giving it a more calming feel than the chaos at the Golden Pavilion.
Exploring the gardens of the Hirano Shrine.
The Hirano Shrine.
By this point in the day we were all getting hungry, so we headed to Kyoto Station to try the tonkatsu at Katsukura. As expected, the food was amazing...but we all needed a little siesta to digest it!
After re-grouping at the hotel, we walked a few blocks - through the pouring rain! - to see a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I tried to emulate our very methodical host as best as I could but she clearly has many years of practice!
Making my own cup of whipped green tea.
Don't think any of us are experts but it was a fun way to wrap up our time in Kyoto.
Fortunately the rain stopped while we were making our tea so we headed up to CRafTMan for some drinks, then over to Sugar Hill for dinner. Both were great local spots - a perfect end to Kyoto. Tomorrow we take the train back to Tokyo, where Sarah and I have one more day to see the city and mom heads back to the US.