Central Kyoto

 

So far, my Japan entries have been chronological. But with so much to see across so many parts of Kyoto, in such a short amount of time (3.5 days), my travel planning required a different strategy.

Typically, I pin everything I want to see in a city using Google Maps. Then, I color-code sites by neighborhood, trying to keep realistic expectations of how much I can see in one day. Kyoto had a few sites that weren't really close to anything else on our list - like Fushimi Inari, which I took care of by scheduling for our first, half day.

As I started to arrange my pictures by category for blog posts, there were just too many to do a post per day. So here's what's left over! These sites aren't in the order we visited them in, but a pattern did emerge - aside from the Golden Pavilion, these places are all close to the center of Kyoto, and could be done in a day, together.

 

We started several mornings in Japan with a visit to Starbucks. It was a safe choice for fish-averse Monica, and the Matcha donuts and drinks kept me satisfied. The Starbucks we visited in Kyoto was not too far from our Airbnb, in a bookstore next to the ROHM Theater. A huge crowd was gathering for something, the line snaking around the building. Monica tried to figure out what the event was by Googling; she ended up discovering Kodai-ji was open and illuminated at night instead.

 

We also started several days at 7-Eleven - after one such morning, we caught a cab to Kinkaku-ji. It was a grey, drizzly morning, but I was thrilled that my camera was working again. The Golden Pavilion was possibly the most packed site we visited, even on a rainy morning. After walking around the grounds and snapping a few photos, we wandered through the gift shop. Both myself and Monica bought a small container of sakura blossom tea - the actual flower buds open in hot water - from a small cart outside.

 

Skipping back to our Starbucks day - after breakfast, we walked up to Heian Shrine. We hadn't planned to visit it, so we just walked through the courtyard. The entire thing is immense, down to the bright orange Torii gate, which we had a nice view of from our Airbnb balcony.

 

Following a sunny morning spent at several temples, we decided we were hungry and headed to Nishiki Market for lunch. I had some duck on a stick and one of the infamous quail egg-stuffed octopi. (The texture was so strange, but overall, it was good!) We both bought freshly squeezed citrus drinks from a stall and some fried dough things that looked amazing, but were just okay. I bought some lovely, shiny red cherries to take back to the apartment.

 

On our last afternoon in Kyoto, we headed over to Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka. It had already been a long, hot, exhausting day. Monica was skipping meals in fear of secret-fish-additions and I was verging on hangry. I suggested we split up and meet again in a couple hours.

 

I think it ended up being a good thing. Monica had time to wander and shop. I immediately found a soba place and had a peaceful meal before heading up to crowded Kiyomizu-dera. The main building was under restoration, but between the gorgeous architectural details, the way different parts of the temple clung to the mountain or plunged into valleys, and the warm, incense-filled darkness of the shrines made it worthwhile.

 

The line for Otowa-no-taki was too long to bother with, but I had fun watching families and school groups catch the falling water in ladles and make a wish as they drank. I grabbed some ice cream before happily rejoining Monica at the Ghibli Store.