京都 Kyoto!

Last weekend, I spent the weekend in Kyoto with a bunch of my fellow foreign students. We took a bus Saturday morning and tried to get right to the fun stuff, but the rain made Saturday a really terrible day.

Kyoto Station

Merry X-mas

After dropping our stuff off at our hostel, we headed to a popular Buddhist temple called Kiyomizudera to see some Autumn leaves. The Japanese love to go out and enjoy the red leaves (called kouyou 紅葉） in the Fall season. I thought it was a little strange how excited they were about some trees... that is, until I actually saw them for myself. It's incredible how red these leaves get! It's really beautiful. I also heard that the leaves only get this bright once every 10 years, so we're very lucky.

Kiyomizudera was nice, but at this point we were already pretty soggy, so we didn't really stick around and see everything.  We decided to head to Gion for some lunch and try to find some geisha. We didn't see any geisha, but we did find a nice noodle restaurant to help us warm up. After lunch, we tried to find some indoor activities, but it was already getting late, so museums were closing for the day. We eventually decided to go to Nishiki market because it was covered. The market was huge, with lots of traditional food vendors as well as modern groceries, clothes, and souvenirs. We stopped in a cafe where our small group met up with some others, and we basically spent the rest of the evening wandering around that area until we went back to the hostel.

We didn't spend much time at the hostel, but it was very nice. The staff was friendly and tried to explain everything to us in English or simple Japanese.  And, the bunk beds were tatami with futons! I am glad I can say that I've slept on traditional Japanese-style bed.

Sunday was infinitely better than Saturday. The rain stopped, and we were able to do and see a lot more. We got up early and went to a place just outside Kyoto called Arashiyama (嵐山）to see some more Autumn leaves.  There, we went to Togetsukyo Bridge, which was really, ridiculously beautiful. The water, the bridge, and the mountains were just amazing to see.

Walking to and from the bridge, we saw many rickshaws being pulled around. It seems like riding a rickshaw around Togetsukyo Bridge is kind of like the Japanese version of riding a horse-drawn carriage in the U.S.; it's not a practical way to get around anymore, but it's nice for tourists or for special occasions. The rickshaw runners were very impressive. I saw one stop and point out some interesting things to his customers. He was running around carrying full-grown people in a cart, but still had enough energy and breath to be a tour guide, too.

Next, we took a scenic train ride through the mountains. It was really lovely. The crew was very silly and fun. The train would stop at spots that were particularly beautiful, and when something especially  perfect would happen (like the breeze gently blowing red leaves as they fall above the river) the conductor would point out that it is a special service they provide. 「特別サービスです」And, at one point, a guy with a demon mask walked through the aisles, taking pictures with people and cracking jokes. Random.

The train dropped us off at a cute farm area where we walked to the real train station to head back into Kyoto.

Next up was Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Temple of the Golden Pavilion). Also amazing.  The temple is actually painted gold, and with the water and red leaves, it was absolutely beautiful.

After wandering around in the gardens of Kinkakuji, we headed back to Gion district. We still didn't see any geisha, but did get some yummy green tea ice cream parfaits before hopping on a bus back home to Nagoya.

Saturday was pretty miserable, but Sunday more than made up for it. I had a wonderful experience. I am already planning to come back once or twice for hanami (花見）which is the viewing of the cherry tree blossoms in the Spring. Seriously, before coming to Japan, I've never been so into trees.