Second attempt @ Kyoto...
As we actually intended to come here the week previous, but as far as we could see all the reasonably priced accommodation was booked out. Delaying it by a week and visiting Osaka first allowed us to book Bird Hostel, our very nice, and very expensive, resting place for the next five nights. €60 for two beds in a 32-bed dorm, things have come a long way from our €50 night in a 5-star hotel in Chennai. Don't think it's that expensive (at least we hope not) year round - most likely due to the cherry blossom season, which is now in full tow:
Argument over, hopefully no more paper bibs on the trip, Stu finds them too hard to navigate. Our first site visited in Kyoto was Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, which is very well named, as it is a grove that is filled with bamboo. Can't really say much more than that.
After the morning there exploring some bamboo, an afternoon of looking at cherry blossom at the more metaphorically-named Philospher's Path was up next.
As mentioned at the start, cherry blossom season is in full bloom, and the walk along the canal is pretty spectacular. There's a lovely peaceful vibe from start to finish, and the small cafe Pomme we stopped in along the way to people watch was a nice place to rest our feet.
After our walk along the path ended, Dani decided to try some Dango - a Japanese dessert:
Not bad. We did well to pack in a few things that day, as the entire next day we were rained in from dusk to dawn. Getting ourselves prepared for the next couple of days in Kyoto, as well as the next couple of weeks getting through Japan, was needed anyway.
A few games of Kaboom were had too, just to make sure we hadn't forgotten the rules. All that planning meant an action packed day the next day, as we set off for a ramen cooking class hosted by the same place that we got the Fire Ramen.
We're now certified ramen chefs; the potential menu for our first dinner party upon returning home is growing rapidly.
And of course, no trip to Kyoto would be complete without a visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine - the most famous landmark of the city. Thousands of torii gates line the paths and make for some pretty impressive views (and of course, photos):
For the evening we ventured to Gion, the area famous for having geishas walk the streets and entertain fancy dinner parties, but we had no money and didn't know what we were at whatsoever, so had a quick wander, took a photo of the Yasaka Shrine pictured below, and called it a night. No geishas to be found.
That pretty much sums up our time in Kyoto - we reached our last night and made our way back to Kyoto bus station, and dined on the best Chicken Katsu we've had, at Katsukura. Thankfully able to fill our stomachs with some decent food before another night bus, which will hopefully keep some of the discomfort at bay.
And we said goodbye to Kyoto Tower on board the dreaded night bus, due to arrive at 6a.m. the next morning in Hiroshima. We're now over the halfway point in Japan, and we've absolutely loved it so far.
Currently listening to:
As we actually intended to come here the week previous, but as far as we could see all the reasonably priced accommodation was booked out. Delaying it by a week and visiting Osaka first allowed us to book Bird Hostel, our very nice, and very expensive, resting place for the next five nights. €60 for two beds in a 32-bed dorm, things have come a long way from our €50 night in a 5-star hotel in Chennai. Don't think it's that expensive (at least we hope not) year round - most likely due to the cherry blossom season, which is now in full tow:
After getting ourselves settled in to our luxurious room shared with thirty other people, we needed some sustenance, and the nearby Fire Ramen restaurant piqued our interest - and was well worth the half hour queue - a show is put on in serving up your bowl, as they splash oil and fire over your noodles in front of you. Safety assured beforehand. They take a video of your reaction too to look back on, however the video is ruined due to the argument we had over Dani trying to fix Stu's paper bib, so it's not fit for public consumption. Also videos are a pain to upload on hostel WiFi, so this picture will have to do:
Argument over, hopefully no more paper bibs on the trip, Stu finds them too hard to navigate. Our first site visited in Kyoto was Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, which is very well named, as it is a grove that is filled with bamboo. Can't really say much more than that.
After the morning there exploring some bamboo, an afternoon of looking at cherry blossom at the more metaphorically-named Philospher's Path was up next.
As mentioned at the start, cherry blossom season is in full bloom, and the walk along the canal is pretty spectacular. There's a lovely peaceful vibe from start to finish, and the small cafe Pomme we stopped in along the way to people watch was a nice place to rest our feet.
After our walk along the path ended, Dani decided to try some Dango - a Japanese dessert:
Not bad. We did well to pack in a few things that day, as the entire next day we were rained in from dusk to dawn. Getting ourselves prepared for the next couple of days in Kyoto, as well as the next couple of weeks getting through Japan, was needed anyway.
A few games of Kaboom were had too, just to make sure we hadn't forgotten the rules. All that planning meant an action packed day the next day, as we set off for a ramen cooking class hosted by the same place that we got the Fire Ramen.
We're now certified ramen chefs; the potential menu for our first dinner party upon returning home is growing rapidly.
And of course, no trip to Kyoto would be complete without a visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine - the most famous landmark of the city. Thousands of torii gates line the paths and make for some pretty impressive views (and of course, photos):
That pretty much sums up our time in Kyoto - we reached our last night and made our way back to Kyoto bus station, and dined on the best Chicken Katsu we've had, at Katsukura. Thankfully able to fill our stomachs with some decent food before another night bus, which will hopefully keep some of the discomfort at bay.
And we said goodbye to Kyoto Tower on board the dreaded night bus, due to arrive at 6a.m. the next morning in Hiroshima. We're now over the halfway point in Japan, and we've absolutely loved it so far.
Absolutely terrified for the journey ahead
Big love,
Dani & Stu.
Dani & Stu.
Lucky bastards.
ReplyDelete