Japan 2013: Kyoto Revisited

Tired as we all are, we still managed to get out of our comfy beds and got ready to leave for Kyoto. I love how checking-out was as easy as checking-in. Talk about hassle-free! We even asked for a couple more laundry bags to keep our Sesame Street plushies safe. Hihi

Bye-bye Hotel Universal Port!

I'm honestly going to miss being pampered in our cozy hotel room. Of course, we couldn't leave without taking pictures at the hotel's amusing outdoor decorations. Yes, even with luggage in tow.

Mug shots at the USJ seal of approval.

Hole in a wall. Literally.

We then sprinted as we crossed the street to get to Universal City station. Today was extremely cold, even the Japanese were complaining!

KYOU, SAMUI!!!!*

After struggling to fit our luggage into 2 huge coin lockers, we're finally ready to leave Osaka. At least for now. Today, we're going back to Kyoto! We've been there before but you just don't run out of things to do in Japan, you know.

Hooray, it's my favorite train again!

I got giddy after seeing the HP train again. It ain't no Hogwarts Express but that will have to do for now. So yay, I finally had my picture taken with Ron. Oh the perks of being a tourist! Haha

All aboard the double decker train.

Just when I thought I've seen the most amazing train ever, here comes our ride to Kyoto - a double decker train!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! Sorry for being from a third world country but this is all so fascinating to me. I couldn't stop gushing about it, I was actually relieved nobody could understand me except for my family. Haha Wait, what is it with me and my new found love with trains. Am I turning into a geek??

Hello, Kyoto!

Unlike in Singapore and South Korea where I can easily find my way through their subway, I am absolutely clueless when it comes to Japan's railway system. Sure, I can read Hiragana and Katakana but there's no way I'm going to survive in their crazy big railway system! Karly, Daddy and I literally followed Nee-chan around like little ducklings.

At Fushimiinari-taisha Shrine.

It's no secret how much I love Japan but Kyoto has got to be my favorite city in the country. In contrast to the fast-paced and modern Tokyo, being in Kyoto takes you back in time to traditional Japan. It's oozing with culture and I love basking myself in it. Just seeing people in traditional clothing brings a smile to my face. And being in the midst of traditional infrastructures brings a calmness in me. Call me a geek for loving cultural tours but I do. I feel closer to the people of the nation I'm visiting by revisiting their past and learning about what made them what they are today.

Before the hike.

I absolutely had no idea what to expect in Fushimiinari-taisha Shrine since Nee-chan created our itinerary. All I know is they shot a scene for Memoirs of a Geisha here. But upon seeing the main torii**, I was immediately in awe. I was literally seeing vermillion everywhere! Who knew we were going to spend the next couple hours hiking up a mountain? In a dress. Haha Had I known, I would've worn the proper attire!

Channeling our inner Chiyo (from Memoirs of a Geisha).

So let me give you a bit of a background here. Fushimiinari-taisha is an Inari shrine. According to Wiki, Inari is the kami (god) of foxes, of fertility, rice, tea and Sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, and one of the principal kami of Shinto. Basically, Inari represents success in any possible way you can think of. Typically, an Inari shrine has a lot of torii which are donated as gratitude by successful individuals or businesses.

So the bigger the torii, the more expensive its construction is. The smallest and cheapest torii costs 175,000 円 (roughly Php 76,423.90). Not cheap at all, eh? The biggest and most expensive costs as much as 1,302,000 円 (roughly Php 568,593.82). Whew pretty steep, right? Well, I guess if you have that much money to spare then you definitely have something pretty major to be thankful for.

Break please!!!

Fushimiinari-taisha alone has thousands of torii. Walking through them was definitely a spectacular experience. I was already satisfied with what I've already seen so far but Karly and Daddy were still up for a challenge. We agreed to walk for a few more minutes until we reach the main shrine or until we get tired. But after walking and walking, we still couldn't find it until we reached a resting spot. I immediately bought some water since I'm already tired from all the hiking. Nee-chan was asking for directions when Daddy saw a sign leading to the Top of the Mountain. Gaaahh!! I was already thinking of just staying behind but they all wanted to go see the Top of the Mountain since we're already there. Huhuhu I reluctantly agreed and took out my onigiri*** from our backpack to motivate me.

WE SURVIVED!

After what seemed like hours, we finally reached the Top of the Mountain!!! And I finally ate my onigiri as a reward. I didn't care who saw me, I just need to regain my energy for the walk back. Haha After resting up a bit, we were off for a long walk. Again. At least, it's downhill this time so it was easier.

Omamori**** in all shapes and sizes.

Along the torii-lined trail are several sweets shops and souvenir shops. Wishes lined up the walls near the shops and omamori can be found in all shapes and sizes. And there's one for any situation you can think of. I love looking through their descriptions as Engrish can almost always be funny. Here are my favorites:

• Migawarimamori - When you met a bad happen, this will save you.
• Enmusubimamori - This will hope that you will make have a boyfriend or girlfriend or marry.

Seems legit, eh? I wanted to buy the second one for a friend but decided not to and just leave it to fate. Chos!

These men got skillz!

As we made our way back, we were lucky enough to see workers in action. One was repairing a torii while another was painting the inscriptions onto a new one. Pretty cool!

More photo ops!

To make the long walk back interesting, we occasionally stopped for photo ops and for quick breaks as well.

Daddy proud of what he achieved.

So how far did we have to walk/hike to get to the Top of the Mountain? Let Daddy show you! The map says 233m but I have no idea which distance that covers because what we walked through definitely felt more than that. Whew!

Taiyaki!

On our way to the exit, we passed by a taiyaki stand and I just had to buy some. Hey, we deserve some reward after all that cardio! Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped pastry with sweet filling. We ordered one custard and one red bean taiyaki. They were both warm and tasty - perfect for a cool spring day. South Korea also has a similar snack, bungeoppang, which is equally yummy but unlike in Japan, I think it only comes in red bean paste with or without ice cream. The Japanese obviously likes variety so they offer taiyaki in different flavors. After all, they're the ones who introduced the snack to South Korea.

Goodbye, Fushimiinari-taisha!

We went to Kawaramachi next to check out the shops and to find a place to eat. Nee-chan was so hungry, she wanted to eat at the first restaurant we saw which was First Kitchen but the three of us declined. We were so tired from our activity, we wanted to have rice (again) for lunch. Daddy and Karly dropped by a 100 yen shop to buy gloves (yes, it was that cold) but they ended up buying more than they wanted to. Nee-chan and I got impatient so we went ahead but not without hoarding some Kitkat green tea at the nearby store. When Daddy and Karly finally caught up with us, we still haven't decided where to eat until we reached the end of the street. Tempers were already rising when we spotted a restaurant right across the street. The sign was in Japanese but I had a good feeling they serve rice there so we crossed the street and found ourselves in Matsuya - one of the three largest gyudon-ya chains along with Yoshinoya and Sukiya. HALLELUJAH! It was a cafeteria-style restaurant where you select and pay for your food via an interactive menu. We ordered three bowls of gyumeshi (gyudon meal that comes with miso soup) for as low as 350 円 each. After punching in your orders, the cook will prepare your meals for you as the server sits you at a table and offers you complimentary tea and hot towels. Ahh~ this is the life! When our bowls arrived, we wolfed it down without hesitation. I think I burned my tongue a little from eating way too fast. It was definitely the best gyudon I ever had in my entire life! Yes, maybe even better than authentic Yoshinoya. *tears*

Sakura overload!

Next stop: Philosopher's Path (哲学の道). We got a bit stranded on our way there because of the rain. We didn't have an umbrella and it was pouring pretty hard so we waited for the rain to stop. When the rain turned to a mere drizzle, we decided to go ahead. Now Philosopher's Path is a popular spot during spring. People go there for hanami or sakura-watching as the entire street and nearby stream is lined up beautifully with sakura trees in full bloom. But since it rained a lot the weekend before we arrived, only a few sakura trees were still in bloom. Nevertheless, they were breathtaking. How I wish we were able to see the sakura-filled street and stream. :(

Kimono everywhere!

We then went to Higashiyama to look for our favorite Japanese treat - yatsuhashi! We couldn't remember where we bought the strawberry-flavored yatsuhashi with chocolate filling so we spent quite a lot of time walking along the streets of Kyoto. We even went back to Kiyomizudera to check but came back empty handed. Since it was already starting to get dark, we just settled for the shops along the street where we found Nishio, a cute little shop selling chocolate-flavored yatsuhashi. They've been around for years and their samples were good. I also love the complimentary hot tea to fight off the cool night breeze. After hoarding a bunch, we went to the station to catch the train back to Universal City.

We were running a little late when we got back in Osaka. Since we have a night bus to Tokyo to catch, we made a game plan. We sent Daddy and Karly out to buy some McDonald's dinner while Nee-chan and I looked for the Willer Express Terminal at Hotel Kintetsu. After successfully locating it (after several failed attempts), we finally found one of the bus operator's crew and confirmed our reservation. Daddy and Karly made it to the terminal even before the bus arrived. We didn't have time to eat though when the bus set out for departure. It's an 8-hour ride to Tokyo so it's going to be a long night. Eating is prohibited in vehicles in Japan so we planned on eating during one of the stops. However, we slept all throughout the trip as we were all beat from our Kyoto adventure. By the time we woke up, we were already in Tokyo which means it's time for another adventure!


* Kyou, samui (今日、さむい) - a casual way of saying, "It's cold today!"
** A torii (鳥居, lit. bird abode, /ˈtɔəri.iː/) is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred.
*** Onigiri (おにぎり) are triangular rice balls wrapped in nori (seaweed) which may or may not contain a filling. **** Omamaori (御守 or お守り) are Japanese good luck charms usually sold at shrines.

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Traveling party: Daddy, Karly, Nee-chan (organizer), and Sera
Travel date: April 11, 2013 [Day 2]
Photo credits: Karl