Japan 2018 - Good Old Kyoto

Yay...it's summer and we are off for a vacation to the land of the rising sun, Japan. Our first stop in Japan is none other than Kyoto, the city that embodies the Japanese aesthetic concept of "wabi-sabi" - the art of finding beauty in transience or imperfection. Personally, my impression of Kyoto is a city full of temples and geisha.

We've got only 2 full days to explore this beautiful city and hence we are going to places that most first time visitors would visit. 

1. Tour the temples 

There are many temples in Kyoto and the famously featured one is none other than the beautiful golden temple, Kinkaku-Ji. To get to this temple, you can take a train from Kyoto Station to Emmachi Station and then take a local bus number 205. Total travelling time to the destination would take approximately 30 mins. 

Although Kinkaku-Ji has graced the covers of many travel magazines, nothing can quite prepare us for this unique sight - and all the selfie-taking tourists surrounding it. To get an uninterrupted view of this golden temple, I would urge you to travel there as early as possible before the crowd arrived. While this place is very touristy, our Kyoto trip wouldn't be complete without making a trip here because, truth is, the temple is really stunning!

Tokufuji temple is another one that we've visited. This temple is one of Kyoto's oldest and most famous temples, easily accessible from Kyoto Station via JR Nara Line. This temple is renowned not only for its historical architecture and the artistry of its gardens, but also for a deep ravine filled with maple trees that runs through the center of it grounds. In all seasons visitors can enjoy the spectacular sight here from the wooden bridges perched high above the trees. I would think that the landscape would be most beautiful in Spring or Autumn. This temple is located near to Fushimi Inari that is famed for its red torii gates. It is thus advisable to plan a visit to these two sites in a single day. 

Tenryu-ji temple is located in Arashiyama, at the foot of the mountains on the western outskirts of Kyoto. There are quite a few attractions inside the temple. As we have limited time, we only zoomed into the Sogenchi Teien (Sogen Pond Garden). Indeed, the garden is very beautiful and still retained its original appearance as laid out by the Zen master, nearly 700 yrs ago. 

Looking directly across the pond, viewers can see an arrangement of several large standing rocks which I was told they represent the Dragon Gate Falls, a waterfall on the Yellow River in China. I really feel zen or at peace while sitting by the garden admiring the beauty of this garden. The tranquility in this garden is truly amazing!

Do however note that all visits to the temples are not free and require a minimum of 500 yen per visit. 

2. Fushimi Inari Shrine 

Famed for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, Fushimi Inari Shrine is the most important spiritual ground dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Most tourists come to Fushimi Inari to follow the mountain path though the wooded forest of the Mountain Inari. We were no exception as we started our hike from one of the two dense rows of torii gates. The first part of the trail is always very crowded with tourists however, the higher we climbed, the crowd got lesser. Along the way, we came across many young ladies dressed in kimono taking pictures along the torii gates. I must really applaud them for making their way up the steps in their wooden slippers. Anyway, do look out for them and stop walking when they are taking pictures. 

While the ascend up the to the top was not difficult, it certainly requires some good stamina. I must admit that my legs ached badly when I reached the top. Nevertheless, it was a good walk as the scenery up there is really spectacular. Have a break when required where you can take a rest, have an ice-cream or even a bowl of cold soba noodles at the restuarant located mid-point. The red torii gates have been donated by either individuals or companies and dates back to the past. The inscription on the back of the gates represents the name of the donor, alongside their wish for wealth, health and happiness. 

After making our way down and exiting the temple complex on its northern side, we chanced upon the Vermillion cafe shop that is owned by a Japanese who has spent 18 years living in Australia before returning to Japan to open his own coffee house. The interior of the cafe is relaxing and the best place to relax is to grab a spot on the terrace over-looking the small garden. Relaxing and sipping our coffee here is really a luxury after our exhilarating climb! Not to mention, the coffee here is one of the better one that I've had in Japan.

3. Arashimaya Bamboo Grove 

Again, the bamboo grove is an  attraction that is widely featured in Kyoto for a good reason - standing amid these soaring stalks of bamboo is like being in another world. Yes, I agree with this statement only if there are lesser crowds visiting the bamboo grove. In fact, the walk in the bamboo grove is shorter than expected and hence I personally thought that it is not as spectacular as the pictures shown on the website. But, given the right lighting, the bamboo trees make a perfect backdrop for amazing photos, only if the crowd is lesser. Nevertheless, if you have yet to see any bamboo grove before, a visit here is still a must. Overall, the place is cooling enough for a walk to eliminate the summer's heat.   

Another attraction at Arashimaya is the Togetsu Bridge. After crossing the bridge, turn left and walk along the riverbank until you come to a small pier with lots of rental boats. Here, we decided to rent a boat to experience the beautiful views surrounded by hills. Boat rental cost 1,500 yen for an hour.  It's a pretty fun experience!

Direction: From Kyoto Station, look for JR Sagano Line and board the train that goes towards Saga Arashiyama Station. 

4. Gion 

Gion is a traditional entertainment district lying north and south of Shijio Street, and stretching from the Kamo-gawa River in the west, as far as Yasaka-Jinja Shrine. As I walked along the streets of old Gion, I was hoping to see the Geishas rushing off for their performance to the tea-houses. Nonetheless, I only managed to see a young geisha draped in pink flowery kimono who walked pretty fast and was soon was out of sight. 

We had our dinner at Gion, Mikaku restaurant. We decided to splurge for our dinner since a taste of the grade 5 Kobe beef has been highly raved about by my friend who had recently visited Kyoto. Our dinner turned out to be an extravagant one, Kobe beef cooked by our professional skill in teppanyaki style. We tried two different kinds of Kobe beef and personally,  I feel that the taste is really exquisite and different from other beef that I've tried. It's quite tender and soft, and I could feel the richness of the fats and juice oozing from every bite on the meat. The chef stood before us and cooked the meat in the most skillful way. As he poured wine onto the meat, the smell of the grilled beef filled up the whole dinning area. Other than the beef, we were also served grilled vegetables that tasted heavenly, appetizer comprising of scallops, rice served with beef powder and lastly sweet yuzu ice-cream to complete our meal. While the meal cost us a bomb (i.e. almost the price of an air-ticket to Bangkok), the culinary and dinning experience is truly amazing! Once, is really enough :) Given the hefty price that we've paid for the beef, I've had high expectation for the beef. While the taste is really exquisite, my opinion is that Kobe beef is really over-priced. 

5. Where to stay 

I personally recommend staying near Kyoto JR Station as it is more convenient to travel around. We stayed at Almont Kyoto Hotel, which is located within a good 15 min walking distance from the station. The room was clean and comfortable for us, although small in size, which was common for any hotels in Japan. Hot bath is also available at the hotel, which is good for us after a tiring day visiting the various attractions. 

6. Matcha Matcha

Lastly, having the matcha ice-cream is a must in Kyoto. It was heavenly! Other than ice-cream, I love the matcha latte as well as the cold soba. It's perfect for the start of the summer. 

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