Lost in Japan...: Kyoto....A Golden Trip!

(This post relates to a trip we made in July 2010. It's a little late but records a fabulous mini journey we made with the Thompson Clan!!)

With the current 'aliens' in town and adventures to be had, we headed off on a bullet train. Destination......Kyoto. Duration....three days.

Kyoto lies 507 kilometres south of Shinagawa, but on a bullet train it only took about two and a half hours to reach. Travelling by Shinkansen (bullet train) is not exactly cheap and each adult ticket cost 13,220 yen ($165.00AUD) one way. We caught an early morning train from Shinagawa Station and arrived in Kyoto at about 11am, giving us a full afternoon to explore. Our group consisted of the 'Thompson Clan', Steve Brown and Steve and I. After a very social Friday night, young Steve was a little tired and nearly missed the train. Fortunately, travelling with toddlers meant he was able to have a good rest on the train journey!!

Leaving Tokyo and Yokohama behind we even glimpsed Mt Fuji in the distance!

Kyoto, formerly the imperial capital of Japan, has a population close to 1.5 million. Over the centuries it has been destroyed by many wars and fires, but due to its historical value was spared during World War 2. Kyoto Railway Station is the second-largest in Japan and has a shopping mall, hotel, movie theatre, department store and several local government facilities all under one fifteen-story roof. The Shinkansen and JR lines all connect at this station. As Kyoto is dotted with so many temples and places to visit, in my opinion, it is impossible to see in a three day visit.....but that was all the time we had!

Once in Kyoto we purchased two day Kyoto City Bus passes for 2,000 yen per adult and then made our way, on foot, to our lodgings. 'Jenny Lost in Japan Tours' had made an on-line booking at the Kyoto 'Ryokan Style' Budget Inn during the week. With five adults and two children in the group, we had too many people for one room so we also booked two capsules just around the corner. The two Steve's were allocated these and the rest of us had the traditional Japanese style room. We couldn't check in as it was too early so we left our luggage and headed off again to begin exploring.

Back at the station, there was momentary indecision over which direction we should go and, for a while, it even looked a little like everyone was telling young Steve where he should go!!! With so many experts how could one argue?

The Golden Pavillion (Rokuon-ji Temple) was on Steve Brown's 'Wish List' so we made that our first destination. Consulting the map, we established which bus we needed to catch and began our exploration of Kyoto.

Kinkaku (Golden Pavillion) is the popular name for the building, which is properly called Rokuon-ji Temple. Nearly 800 years old, the building consists of three types of architecture. The first floor is Shinden-zukuri (palace style), the second floor is Buke-zukuri (samurai style) and the third floor is Zen temple style. With the 2nd and 3rd floors covered with gold leaf on Japanese lacquer and the roof thatched with shingles, it is a very impressive structure.

Like so many beautiful places, the property was made into a Zen temple, in accordance with the last owner's will, to be enjoyed by all. The Golden Pavillion extends over a beautiful pond, Kyoko-chi (Mirror Pond), which contains many small and large islands and is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling garden (kaiyuushiki teie). With the temperature and humidity so high it was a welcome relief wandering along the shaded paths.

Typical of most ponds, lakes and waterways throughout Japan, there were large numbers of giant carp gliding gracefully through the water of Mirror Pond.

Gardeners meticulously pruned, weeded and even rested on the little islands scattered across the pond.

In spite of the heat and the many people wandering through the gardens, the serenity and peace could still be felt.

After leaving the Golden Pavillion we wandered around the nearby streets but the heat was beginning to take its toll. The tourists were tiring and needed to regroup. Returning to the Inn, it was time to cool down and, for some, to lie around on futons and enjoy a refreshing beer or maybe take a bath.

Before heading out for tea the boys checked out their capsules. Late evening drinks were enjoyed by the 'fellas' on the roof top balcony (with no balustrades) of the Inn, while two very tired little girls were put to bed. The two Steve's were quite smug in the fact that they had their separate 'capsule' style accommodation around the corner. Capsules that were each complete with TV and computer access points!! Having only been completed in February they were pretty fancy! No sleeping on the floor for them or sharing a room with early rising toddlers.

Our traditional ryokan style accommodation cost us 3,200 yen ($40) each per night and the capsules were 3,990 yen ($50) each per night.

The next morning, at the request of 'Miss Sophie' (and just quietly young Steve), we set off in search of monkeys. Initially, we were all a little 'nonplussed' at the prospect but what a magical day it turned out to be. Making our way to the Kyoto Station we caught the appropriate bus to Arashiyama Koen, where we were greeted by an absolute tropical downpour.

After hiding undercover for a short while, we made our way along the river and then through a beautiful forest dotted with bamboo and maples. It was still drizzling and in places the path was very slippery and muddy underfoot.

Iwatayama Monkey Park (popularly called "Monkey Mountain"), on Mt Arashiyama, is a place where monkeys roam freely. The park is inhabited by a troupe of over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys (snow monkeys). After paying the admission fee of 550 yen, we walked up a steep hill, at the top of which was an enclosure where visitors could go in and safely feed the monkeys.

As there are no fences at the park, the monkeys can come and go as they please, but they are especially tempted by food such as apples or peanuts. Even though these animals are wild, they have become quite accustomed to humans, and are not afraid to come close to tourists bearing food. We were amused by signs along the way which warned us quite clearly how to behave when near the monkeys.

A warning, naturally, that Steve (the one who should have known better) and Paul ignored! Consequently, much to our amusement, they experienced where the term 'going ape sh%#' comes from! Staring deliberately into one monkey's eyes, they quickly turned tail as the angry male ran at them, with his lip rolled back and teeth bared.

At the top it continued to rain but our spirits were not dampened. The baby monkeys were very cute and the grumpy males were pretty funny. We also had a wonderful outlook over Kyoto from our viewpoint.

It was after we had made our way back down the hill and decided to continue upstream rather than go back down to the town, that our day turned into 'something else'. The beautiful Oi River was still and shrouded in mist, like something out of a movie set.

As we wandered along we spied boats tied along the edge where people were cooking fish. We made our way down some steps and came to a little eating place sheltered under the overhanging foliage. It was here that we stopped for lunch!

After ordering, I was intrigued to watch my meal prepared. A mini waterfall cascaded down the hill and filtered through a tank filled with fish, then overflowed into a catchment which kept the beers cold. I watched as my fish were netted, dipped in batter then tossed straight into the pot. Brilliant!!

The boys were pretty impressed with how the stream's energy was harnessed to chill the beers!

Sophie enjoyed playing with a little Japanese girl and dancing on a wooden platform. We spent a delightful hour or so there and experienced something none of us will ever forget!!!
No fancy furniture or building, no fancy crockery just a pure 'down to earth' Japanese experience. Our restaurant may have had wet seats and a leaking roof but the view was spectacular!

Young Steve had to return to Tokyo, for work on Monday, so we went back with him to Kyoto Station. Later on, Paul and Sophie had tea together in Kyoto and Bek, Harriet, Steve and I went to Gion for our tea. We wandered around the brightly lit streets, visited a couple of temples and enjoyed experiencing sites we recognized from reading the novel, 'Memoirs of a Geisha', before eating. By the end of the evening we were quite ready to hit the 'futons' complete with, the not so soft, 'wheat pillows'! What a day it had been!!


The bank of the Kamo River that runs through central Kyoto. The terrace links over 100 restaurants. In Summer, patrons can enjoy the cool breeze that comes across the river.

Gion offered an interesting combination of different eras....the old and the new!!

The next day before returning to Tokyo, we headed out of Kyoto, on a train, to Otsu and took a paddle steamer cruise on Biwa-ko, Japan's largest lake. It was a nice break from the bustle of Kyoto and Gion and the heat. On board we had a snack and even live entertainment.

We enjoyed wandering around Otsu before heading back to Kyoto and our bullet train back to Shinagawa. Kyoto is a very large city and we had only touched on the many sites it has to offer. Without a doubt you could easily spend a week there.