Kyoto: Lunch in Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari-taisha

After visiting the Tenryu-ji Temple Aina wanted us to go to a restaurant there in the town called Hanana, as a friend of Aina's said it was her favorite restaurant in Japan.

 

We all ordered lunch menus and you can get an idea of the meal in the photos below. The menus came with delicious steamed and pickled vegetables. Aina and her mom had a sashimi fish with sesema sauce that they combined with rice and then poured warm green tea on top before eating. I ordered a menu with a grilled/smoked fish that a very light sweet savory sauce it seemed. The dessert was a sort of gelatin served with a ground powdering of roasted sesames with a strong tea on the side.

 

After lunch we headed back into Kyoto and as I was tired and feeling it would be good to rest I headed back to the hostel. Aina and her mom headed to Fushimi Inari-taisha. A shrine known for its many iconic gates.

Aina explained the torii gates are a source of good luck and they saw many representations of foxes, again a symbol of good luck.

While on the topic of gates and entrances, I really like the Japanese characters in the elevators for open or close the doors.

I am convinced the symbol for the open doors is related to the temple gates that are similar in structure and appearance. To me it is a smybol of openness and welcoming to anyone. Either way I am (extremely) slowly learning Japanese characters.

In the evening Aina and I decided it would be good to finally try the Japanese curry and something we had both been wanting to try.

We headed to a restaurant called CoCo Ichibanya and it seems to be a fairly popular curry house here in Japan.

The servings were large as neither of us could finish all our rice, but we really enjoyed the curries. Aina and I both ordered a chicken cutlets with curry and Aina had a side of wasabi sauce included with her meal, I forgot to try it haha, but Aina seemed to really enjoy it.

The food is not colorful but the flavors are delicious and I really liked the curry and especially the spice. I had been expecting a sweeter curry, as I had heard it described, but felt it was not very sweet at all and thoroughly enjoyed it as there was a slight peanut flavor underneath it .

Kyoto: Bamboo Groove and Tenryu-ji Temple

Cary asked me to write today´s post and although he says this is our blog it is more his than ours and I am OK with that! I actually wanted an Instagram :P

Today we woke up very early and headed to Arashiyama which I think it is actually a suburb from Kyoto City. This neighborhood is actually known by tourists for the place you go to take pictures surrounded by bamboo and so we couldn´t be any different.

I was actually a bit unimpressed as the bamboo area was not as large as I thought but  it was pretty nice although full of people wanting to take the best shot: by themselves. This last point is just as critical - also for me - as it is difficult. You don´t wan a random face spoiling your picture. I understand...

We also visited two more sighseeing points in the area. A beautiful private Japanese garden where we were offered a green tea, and a UNESCO World Heritage temple of Tenryu-ji. Here some pics of both.

Cary also wanted me to include this photo he found funny.

Although we are techbically not yet in cherry blossom season we get to see some blooms here and there and it is actually very nice to see their colors and feel their smell. I am sure it must be gorgeous if you can visit in April, but I cannot image how difficult it has to be with crowds everywhere and also paying premium because "´tis the season".

Another fact is that we are encountering a lot of national tourists and a loads of young girls dressed with traditional gowns that take pictures everywhere. It is nice to see them as they go so well with the landscape but the selfie game is strong.

Kyoto: Nijo-jo Castle and Gion light festival

We woke up this morning to head for the main attraction of Kyoto the Nijo-jo Castle.

It is a site of considerable importance as this is where the tranfer of power from the Tokugawa shogunate transfered rule back to the Imperial Court ending the Edo period in Japan. It was also here that the Tokugawa established their power along with the peace and prosperity that would follow.

The main palace gate:

Unfortunately photos were not permitted inside the palace. Entering the palace a visitor would first come upon imposing images of tigers and leopards, representing the shogun's power. Interestingly leopards were intially thought to be female tigers and are protrayed in this manner (cue tigers and leopards flirting). As the visitor progresses more images of landscapes with pines and chinese scenery are encountered in the decorations of the rooms. It is interesting how much influence there is from China and the insistance, such as at the National Museum, that in certain instances there was no chinese influence and explicitly states the point and at other points is cool with the influence.

Further information from wikipedia. 

A view of the main palace. The aerial design of the palace was to represent geese taking flight

After visiting Nijo-jo Castle we headed for a tonkatsu lunch. The entire lunch was an experience. We were first presented a small bowl with toasted sesame seeds and a wooden pestel. The bowl has a raised pattern design allowing for the seeds to be ground down and then have a sauce of our choosing added. All the sauces were a savory sweet containing various fruits as a base flavor. Accompanying the sauces was a pickled cucumber and cabbage with sesames that was delicious and an extremely spicy mustard.

 

The meal itself was delicious as we were served pork filets that are fried and are accompanied by a cabbage salad, miso soup, and sticky rice. We also tried a vegetable croquet that was, you guessed it, delicous. Aina declared it our best meal so far and it definitely did not disappoint. A fun part was that it was like the never end soup or salad from Olive Garden! haha but seriously we had seconds on the cabbage salad and miso soup. 

In the evening we headed to the Gion neighborhood of Kyoto. This neighborhood dates from the middle ages developed in the surrounding areas to the Yasaka Shrine. The area is known for its geishas or geikos as they call themselves. Tonight the streets were lined with lanterns for a light festival and the shrine was kept open.

There was even a parade celebrating the fox's wedding. People wore masks and made their way through the temple. Apparently, foxes are crafty folk and thereby the floating lanterns are a trick on us humans or something along those line and has a spirtual / mythical connection. More information.

It was rather beautiful and I took many pictures. I will let them explain themselves.

Imperial Palace and train to Kyoto

Yesterday was the end of our first leg in Tokyo and plan to spend another two days there at the end of the trip.

We decided to visit the Imperial Palace Gardens / Park that is located in the city center as it is next to the main Tokyo train station and would allow us to easily head to Kyoto.


The day was beautiful and we had time to walk at a leisurely pace and was necessary from all the walking we did the day before. I am trying to avoid aggrivating an old sports injury... just kidding I actually managed to tear my groin muscle hiking in Austria nearly 11 years ago now. Fun stories from those days with Catesby (Super big bro, both literally and physically). This is a blog from his European tour of 2007 when we met up in Barcelona: http://igtgb.blogspot.jp/2007/09/parque-guell.html. I like to think back on those times when Catesby and I were in Barcelona and wonder what Aina was doing when we were there. Funny, as I definitely never thought I would be living in that city when I visited it. I wonder what other cities will hold the same thought in the future for us.
 
The park was not crowded at all surprisingly and we were able to sit and relax on the green for a while.

Tea house:

A view of the Imperial Bridge (not my image), a popular spot when visiting the Imperial Gardens.
Credit: https://japanthis.com/2013/05/13/nijubashi-tokyos-most-famous-bridge/

We then headed to the Tokyo Ramen Street for lunch and is an area beneath the station. This ramen was not nearly as good our first ramen we ate when we arrived in Tokyo (http://kikanbo.co.jp/). The ramen there in Kanda was soooo good. The succelent pork, damn we really set a high bar quickly.

In general the ramen joints we have gone to have all used vending machines to make your purchase. You first order from the machine to get your ticket and then get in line and wait to be seated once there is space for you and your party.

An example below showing an example of the machines and the possible confusion over what you have ordered.
Credit: https://seachangeokinawa.blogspot.jp/

After finishing up our ramen we headed upstairs to get our bags from the storage of the JR Line Service.

We purchased the JR (Japan Rail) passes online in advance for the trip and it has made life really easy, as we used it also for the main metro line of Tokyo too. The ability to store our luggage there was great as all the public lockers were taken. We then had an easy walk to the platform to catch our express train. The trains are super comfy with leg room that tall people dream of at night when traveling. The unfornate part of the trip to Kyoto was the two hour delay because of a power failure. Aina and I slept mostly and Montse did her thing, laughing at me when I would make a loud snort, awaking myself and followed by the sheepish peek about of all snorers, the most classic being that of Andrew Crone (The legend of Little Rock or GACD).

We arrived late in Kyoto and got ourselves situated, making plans for the coming days in Kyoto.

North Tokyo Continued...

We last left off here in Senso-Ji, the temple in north Tokyo.

I really enjoyed the experience at the temple, as it was interesting being mixed in with the national tourists of Japan. The spiritual parts of the culture I enjoy and appreciate as temples are open to everyone and it does not feel closed off or seperate from the world so speak as with Christian or Islamic places of worship.

Walking around the neighborhood and surrounding area of the temple was the first experience with what felt like normal life in Tokyo compared to the business district we are staying in and Shibuya.
In particular we are noticing how everyone is extremely friendly and I absolutely love the slight bowing of recognition and interaction with people and one another. It might seem small but this respectful exchange I think is important in how everyone treats one another with respect.

After the temple we headed for a tempura lunch.

We ordered a menu and thought we had ordered what everyone else was eating. We hadn't, but it was extremely delicious. The sauce is the highlight and is sort of a lighter soy sauce that is accompanied by finely minced onion that nearly dissolves in the sauce.

We then waddled over to Ueno Park with our bellies full.

Ueno park is gorgeous and has a beautiful path lined with cherry blossoms leading to the central area of the park. When all the trees will be in full bloom it will be an amazing sight.

The photo below is from a temple there in the park. We visited many temples throughout the day.

 

There was also a funeral monument to the Shōgitai, who fought at the Battle of Ueno and were nearly all killed in the battle. The Shōgitai were an elite corp of the shoguntate and the monument was very emotional. I did not take a picture as I did not feel comfortable doing so, but there were also depictions of the battle at the monument from a survivor and it looked incredible and something out of a movie.

After walking through the park we arrived at the National Museum and proceeded to exhaust ourselves.

Check it out... I forgot to take awesome photos of samurai garb, but did snap this one of the saddle and stirups.

After museum we walked into a neighborhood near the university there for coffees. We bumped into this nice temple below.

Good night from Tokyo :).

Shibuya Evening & North Tokyo

The evening from our first night here in Tokyo sent us out into the Shibuya neighborhood. This is an area most prominently known for its square with a major cross walk that turns into a sea of people when everyone is permitted to cross. We also walked around the area and had dinner at a small out of the way sushi restaurant.

Here is my favorite photo from the walk through the area. There were a large variety of shops and stores and some dedicated to Japanese photo booths, which allow the customers, namely teenage girls, to do simple photo shop edits to photos before printing them out.

The Shibuya crossing is sort of like Piccadilly Circus or Times Square. I thought it would be larger than it was. I always imagined it being a great expanse that took a lot of time to cross. I think the thing I liked the most were the advertisements and how they run across screens with audio accompanying the experience. The ads here are actually interesting and I really enjoy seeing them on the metro which on some trains has the same experience of the ads running across the screens. More or less the ads are designed with multiple screens in mind to create a cohesive experience. On a large scale it really impressed me and made me want to buy things.

 

Today we spent the day in North Tokyo visiting Senso-Ji, Ueno Park, and the National Museum. 

Senso-Ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo dating from 645 and is located in Asakusa, an area also known for the beer Asahi. We crossed over the river on a brief walk before heading toward the temple.

The picture above is looking back at the main entrance to the temple. There were a variety of activities for soul purification, good fortune, and cleansing. Aina and Montse were most interested in the good fortune. No soul purification needed here folks.

Aina working on some joojoo to get that good fortune.

The hexagonal container contains many long wood sticks. You shake the container, while projecting good thoughts, then turn it up side down and out from a small slot will fall one of the wooden sticks. Each stick has an individual marking that corresponds to one of the wooden drawers in the photo. Aina and I each received "regular" fortunes. It's sort of akin to "just keep on trucking, homie" and the one I received below refers to me as a general, which I guess in this case is just a "regular" one, but I did like the part that said "It is good to start a trip". But really this fortune friggin' knows me; first the general and followed by it knowing that there were changes in my life... crazy.

Montse received a "Bad Fortune" did not snap a photo of that one. Also all the bad fortunes must be tied to a stand while they are cleansed or something or until there are too many and need to be thrown away.

Spirit smoke. Get some. It smelled good.

Yakitoris were next door. Get some of those too. They taste better than the spirit smoke. There were a variety in the photo below and they are your run of the mill meat products (chicken, beef, pork) with squid thrown in for good fashion.

 

Arrival in Tokyo

Warm ramen, warm coffee in a can, & warm commode seats.

We made it here. Got to the hotel and immediately headed for lunch at a ramen spot near our hotel. This shop specialized in spicy ramen. The pork that accompanied it was the highlight.

 Montse looks great and I actually feel much better than I might appear in the photo. The bibs were needed and as this was a lunch spot people were in and out of there quick.

The 7-11 stores here are great and mix of a kinkos, a coffee shop, and what seems like decent lunch food. There was a guy in a suit, as it seems every guy wears one here or at least in this area, making copies when we walked in.  The coolest thing to me were the warm cans of coffee that are really good and less than a euro. I just feel bad for Japanese people when they come to US, see a 7-11 and then are immensely disappointed with what they find inside.

The Japanese toilet game is on point. I had always heard about the intricacies and I am again not disappointed in what they have to offer. The warm seat makes it easy to want to linger. The doodads and extra buttons were a fun family friendly experience, but those on the prudish side might otherwise disagree.

That is all I have so far... we have more plans in store, but so far just from these small experiences of this afternoon we are really enjoying it.

Oh and the umbrellas are clear and see through and huge. It seems everyone has one, as we also purchased one to fit in while it rained today.