Day 2: Kyoto, Tired Feet

Due to jet lag we could only sleep about four hours or so during our first night.  We were up bright and early the next morning to start our one-day tour of some of Kyoto's most famous shines, temples, and other sights.  Stuffing our essentials into our packable daypack, we began by wandering south back toward Kyoto Station from our ryokan and then east toward the southern Higashiyama area.

Part of Chion-in Temple

Kyoto is an extremely dense city whose beauty is either hidden in the side streets or on the outskirts near the temples and shrines.  I was struck by how a temple will be just in the middle of a residential neighborhood and the locals who pass by stop and offer a quick prayer.  There were also streets with intricate cobblestone patterns and manhole covers that featured a beautifully forged piece of metal.  The architecture on everything from the most common household to the most ornate temple is a sight to behold; one that does not truly convey until you are surrounded by it.  The woodwork alone on every door, window frame and roof is something to envy.

Something we noticed about the residential streets is that they probably persisted from a time when automobiles did not exist.  Each of these streets is wide enough only for one car and yet they all seem to be two-way streets!  When two cars meet, one must pull to the side and let the other pass.  We saw a lot of bikes for this reason and just about every bike is equipped with a headlight and a basket in front for purses/backpacks. 

Nakamachi street that leads up to Kiyomizu Dera Temple

Although the temples and shrines didn't open until 9 AM, we got a private glance at much of the outside architecture because we were there so early.  We also took the less popular path to Kiyomizu Dera Temple through a cemetery and mausoleum built into the the hills of Kyoto.  It was quiet and peaceful and beautiful.  We hope it wasn't disrespectful to take pictures.

Kiyomizu Dera Temple

Fushimi Inari

Sites
1. Sanjusangando
2. Hojuji Temple
3. Chishakuin Temple
4. Myohoin Temple
5. Nishi-Otani Mausoleum
6. Kiyomizu Dera
7. Yasaka Shrine
8. Chion-in Temple
9. Gion distrist
10. Fushimi Inari Torii Gates
11. Arashiyama Monkey Park

Lunch at Cafe Luce in Southern Higashiyama

My favorite area in Kyoto was the Arashiyama area.  The light was fading and we didn't have enough time to see both the bamboo grove and the monkey park so we chose the monkey park with the crazy hike up to the top.  From the top there is a gorgeous view of Kyoto city that was too hard to convey in pictures due to the fading light and overhead clouds.  What I liked about the Arashiyama area was that it was a vibrant place that local young people seem to flock to at night due to all of the restaurants and shops.  There's also a river that we saw people just sitting beside and enjoying.

Arashiyama Monkey

Our feet felt like they were going to fall off after the monkey park so we headed back to the ryokan for a nap and got horribly lost trying to find it from the west side of town.  We woke up around 10:30 PM and headed to the Gael Irish pub in the Gion area that was suggested in our guidebook.  Unfortunately, the kitchen was already closed at this hour but we enjoyed a drink or two.  This pub was very friendly to foreigners but was pretty dull on a Saturday night.  So we decided to ask for suggestions for nearby karaoke and food places.  Our server suggested the karaoke bar next door and took us over there to introduce us.  She said that the owner was celebrating his birthday today.

Kazuki, the owner, holding up his bottle of Dom Perignon

James and I were nervous upon entering because it looked like a modern upscale bar that could fit maybe 16-20 people max.  Also, the karaoke system was for the entire bar--very different than what we had heard about karaoke in Japan.  After the introductions and sitting down, they placed menus and microphones in front of us!  Asking about this bar turned out to be a great decision.  They showed us how to work the karaoke request machine and James belted out some Bon Jovi to get things going.  Request for other American songs quickly followed.  As it was the owner's birthday, there were many toasts and well wishes.  We're not sure, but we believe he paid for the first bottle we took part of which was about a $300 Dom Perignon.  Our first ever.  I even ventured to sing one Japanese song I knew.  The owner asked about where we were from and so forth.  He was very generous and helpful.  As more of his friends floated into the bar we continued to run up our tab and sing songs and cheer the others on as they sang.  We didn't leave until 4:30 AM!  They all wished us farewell and asked us to come back the next night.  The owner shook our hands and gave us business cards for his website and some candy.  This place, Sanctuary, was definitely not a place we would have felt comfortable wandering into on our own without a Japanese friend or without introductions.  At this bar more than any other place in Kyoto we felt very welcome.

We got back to the ryokan and fell asleep around 5:30 AM.  It was more than we could ask for as a first day in Kyoto!