Kyoto/Osaka Weekend

I know, I know -- LATE. Again. This time by more than a month. But let's not bicker about the little things.

As you may have guessed from the title, this post will feature my trip to Kyoto and Osaka, which took place on the first weekend of October.

Monday was due to be a holiday, so my JET friends in other prefectures and I decided to meet up to explore Kyoto and Osaka. For me, this was the first trip I had ever arranged and taken on my own. It was also a trip I decided to join at the last minute. As you may well imagine, the result was a trip rife with uncertainty and adventure.

I set off on Thursday afternoon, driving 1.5 hours to the nearest train station to train into Kumamoto City. There, I bought my bullet train ticket, which I was lucky enough to catch just 5 or 10 minutes after my purchase.

Just a heads up to people who plan to travel in Japan: while it is possible to get tickets for the Shinkansen at the station before you leave, it is usually unadvisable to do so on the weekends (or so I've been told) since many people are (supposedly) traveling.

You can also buy two kinds of tickets: Reserved and Non-reserved. Buy "Reserved" and you will have a specific seat assigned to you. You will, of course, pay more for that seat. Buy "Non-reserved," and you will pay for the chance to get into one of the three or so "Non-reserved" cabins, where you can pick your own seat, but which will also mean that you run the risk of not getting a seat if everyone in the city decides to leave at once (not that likely...)

 Luckily (perhaps because I was traveling on a Thursday), my non-reserved cabin was comfortably empty with the exception of a few sleepy business men and women in suits, so I had a row to myself for most of the trip.

Training Interlude

I say MOST. After I changed trains, I had a row to myself. About half-way through, a man whom I had seen sitting in a reserved cabin entered. He looked around, and then asked me if he could sit in my row. Not wanting to be rude, I gave him the go-ahead. He inquired politely as to my nationality, and immediately started talking to me in considerably good English. I figured he was jumping at the chance to practice, since his English was pretty good and the conversation was pretty normal (standard "Where are you from"  "Where are you going,'' "How do you like Japan," etc.) As soon as he mentioned he had twin daughters and a wife, I was more at ease. that is, of course, until he looked at my ring and asked me if my BOYFRIEND had given it to me.

The rest of the conversation was strange. When I said "No," he proceeded to ask me if I had a boyfriend. When I said "Yes" (a default answer when you want to ward off men), his response was "Oh, I hear that long-distance relationships are easy for men, but difficult for women."

My red flags were fluttering in the wind.

While I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt, I've learned to be wary of conversations like these in Japan, as I've already mistaken people's words and intentions.

Everyone I told this to thought it was strange; in Japan you don't typically ask such personal questions to someone you've just met.

I answered straight-away that it was the opposite and that my "boyfriend" and I were fine, then changed the conversation. After that, I kept my answers concise and occupied myself with mails to my friend who was picking me up at the station. That was the end of that.

When I finally got to the station, I had to change trains twice to get to my friend's stop. They were small stations, so it should have been simple enough...except I acidentally went one stop too far, had to get off, cross the platform, and wait for the next train to come to take me back one stop. Then get on the right train, and go to my friend's stop. At 10:45pm ( -__-;)

Anyway, I finally made it to the correct station, and I met my friend, who walked me half an hour through the streets of Kyoto to the apartment I was staying at.

Since I decided to go on this trip last-minute, everything was booked for  two of the three nights I was in Kyoto, so I stayed at my friend's apartment on Thursday and Saturday nights (thank GOD), and at the very nice and VERY cheap Kyoto Hana Hostel on Friday night.

Friday - Ginkakuji

Friday morning, I woke up refreshed...and alone in Kyoto for the day, it seemed. My friend was busy, and my other friends weren't coming in to the city until nightfall. So I walked to a little cafe and had breakfast.

Then I plugged Ginkakuji in to my phone gps and walked 40 minutes through residential areas to the famous temple...

Tio Pepe: A random Spanish resturant in a residential area!

Ginkakuji, or The Silver Pavilion, is one of the more famous temples in Kyoto.
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My friend met me at around midday, and we had lunch before going to Honen-in, a seemingly unassuming temple next to Ginkakuji. It's up the road from Philosopher's Path, nestled on the side of the hill amongst the woods. When we entered, it seemed almost like it was just a Buddhist cemetery, but then we went to the actual temple, which is actually very relevant to the history of Buddhism in Japan. It was particularly nice, because it was shady and quiet, with very few other people around.

My friend Masafumi

We then went in search of espresso...and wound up at this nice French themed store, where we got a three dessert cake set and some coffee - the perfect way to end the day!



Saturday - Kinkakuji, Yasakajinja, Kyomizudera - My Fortune is Told!

My friends came in on Friday night, and after an unassuming dinner and beer, we all hit the sack at our hostel. Saturday morning, in order to beat the crowds, we got up extra early and went to Kinkakuji, The Golden Pavilion. This is perhaps one of the MOST famous temples in Kyoto, although there are MANY. And when I say "many" I mean an uncountable sum. I was honestly surprised myself...

I paid 200 yen to ring a bell...

We met with our other Japanese friends, and had Ramen for lunch...


Then went to see the Imperial Palace....Only to realize that we couldn't see the imperial palace!

Dreams dashed  - and legs sorely tired after schlepping back for nothing - we persevered and went to Yasakajinja (Yasaka Shrine). This was honestly one of my favorites - colorful and HUGE. Also, there was a Buddhist wedding ceremony going on within the temple. We couldn't take pictures, and couldn't see much beyond the designs cut in the wooden doors, but what I did see was pretty cool.

After Yasaka, we went yet another temple. To go to this one, we left through the back of Yasaka and through the streets of Gion, the "traditional" neighborhood of Kyoto where you might just see...

A GEISHA. Or two.

Or...A NINJA DOG.


There were many lovely shops, the general attractive tourist traps, but somehow nicer than in the States. When we finally got to the temple, Kyomizudera, it was amazing. Nestled in the mountains, held up by these huge wood stilts, it has a few different parts. It has a Love shrine, where you can pray for love and such. It also has these three waterfalls - wisdom, wealth, health -  where you can drink from one. It is said that if you take a sip, you can gain some power...but for each additional sip you take, you dilute the initial power you got. So be careful!

Also at this temple, you can get your fortune. I paid 100 yen, shook a box full of sticks, and poured one out. Turns out the stick I got was the best fortune you can possibly get. Apparently, I won't be dying any time soon, can have many children, and don't have to worry about building a house...?

Oh, and it mentioned I should carefully plan things from now on. Like trips. My friends laughed at me.


That's all to report for this trip to Kyoto. STAY TUNED for "PART II: OSAKA"