Summer Nights in Kyoto

Summer is a special time in Kyoto, especially during the Gion Matsuri festival. While the festival technically covers all of July, we were too early for most of the festivities. I noted one ritual would be taking place while we were there - Mikoshi Arai, which involves carrying a portable shrine from Yasaka Shrine to the Ohashi bridge and cleansing it with holy water. There's also a gigantic torch involved - I decided we should make a point to experience it.

At Starbucks on our first morning in Kyoto, Monica discovered that Kodai-ji Temple was open at night and illuminated for Tanabata. That evening, after a Mexican dinner, we caught a cab to Kodai-ji. The moon was full and the temple grounds were beautiful at night. The deep shadows left so much more room for the imagination - it felt like you were walking around in the 1600s, when the temple was first built. We paused at the rock garden, its gravel ridges made even more dramatic by the lighting. The hill-side bamboo grove was positively magically, and in hindsight, probably made the Sagano bamboo forest a little less spectacular by comparison. Finishing our walk-through, we paused to get shuin. We decided to walk back to our Airbnb through Maruyama Park - still open after dark and almost completely empty - and saw Chion-in's grand gate, all lit up.

The following evening, we wandered around Pontocho. I knew Gion and Pontocho as the places where you might possibly be lucky enough to see a Geisha. We didn't, but I was a little surprised at how very different Pontocho and Gion felt. They're often spoken about in one breath in travel writing, but Pontocho (or at least, its surroundings) struck me as a little seedy - still fun and safe - just in comparison with the rest of Kyoto. Meanwhile, across the river, Gion felt more traditional - though to be fair, we only visited Gion during the day.

One street back from the river, we found loads of restaurants and bars. We ended up choosing a chain chicken place called Torikizoku. You can sit at booths or along the bar, which is sectioned off for small groups. The pictorial laminated menu is great, as is the fact that almost every dish is 280Y - or about $2.80. It featured loads of different yakitori options - we tried garlic chicken, curry chicken, plain grilled chicken, and beef - as well as side dishes like cheese, pickles, fries, and eggs.

 

They also had a great selection of drinks, from beer to whisky to shochu - which were all $2.80 as well! Once you were ready to order, you tapped what you wanted into your individual console and your meal was delivered shortly. You could continue to add more or request your check via the computer as well. This is seriously a franchise that needs to come to America - they would make bank.

 

For our final night in Kyoto, after picking up our SD card at Yumeyakata, then walked to the Ohashi Bridge. When we arrived, there weren't too many spectators, but you could hear noise coming from the area closer to Yasaka Shrine. Within fifteen minutes, the bridge was packed and then the shrine arrived, complete with chanting and fire. It was pretty neat.

 

Afterwards, we walked down Kawaramachi Street again. Monica chose a basement bar where the bartender wore a maid outfit and bunny ears. After some plum wine, we found a gyoza place to round out the night. Our time in Kyoto had come to a close.