West Japan in a Week Part 6

Day 3 continuation....

Osaka
Afterwhich, we set for Kyoto via Shin-Osaka. We slept again for 3 hours then arriving at Shin-Osaka. From there, we drank Starbucks Coffee. Took a short stop, rested and rode again another train bound for Kyoto. From Kyoto to Shin-Osaka, it was only about 35 minutes via JR Rapid Train.

Kyoto (京都), The Metropolitan Capital
Finally, we arrived in Kyoto. My friend’s house was in Shugakuin Station near the Eizan Dentetsu Line (叡山電鉄線). We took 3 change trains from JR Nara Line (奈良線), then at Keihan Line (京阪線) and then finally in Eizan.

Eizan Railways (叡山電鉄), The Kawaii Train
Eizan Railways is probably the cutest train in Japan. This is only a single coach train with one operator. There are three ways how to pay to this train. First is using the conventional tickets. Second is to use the Surutto Card Pass, a SUICA/ICOCA-like card only exclusive to Eizan and other forms of transportation in Kyoto. And last, is paying by cash by getting tickets in the machine near the entrance upon boarding. The third scheme is similar when riding a bus. I only rode this train twice I have had not much enough time exploring the outskirts of these train line. Perhaps some other time. Also, stations along the way have no ticket inspection gates so the third method in paying is followed by most passengers. SUICA and ICOCA cards do not work in Eizan Railways. The train operators are not really strict as compared to Tokyo. If they see people running wanting to catch the train, they would patiently wait for you to board. Afterall, when we rode the train, it seemed like all people knew each other. So it’s like a small community with a small train operating.

Kyoto Home Sweet Home

It was our first night to crash in to my friend’s apartment. It was a 3-day home sweet home away from home. Double bunk beds are in store for us and a wide room was very comfortable. Mike’s wife, Che, gave us a tour map of Kyoto. The sightseeing map of Kyoto was very overwhelming. It was like touring Japan the whole Japan in one place. There are lots of temples, shrines, castles, and anything but the same banana doubled, tripled and probably quadrupled.

Day 4

Kyoto Leg 1 Tour

We decided to target only four sites within the day since we figured it out that we may feel wanting to regurgitate after seeing endless temples and castles. So our target was the famous and the ones that are UNESCO World Heritage designated sites. Riding the bus was easy. My training in riding a bus in Tokyo was very useful in Kyoto. The problem with riding the bus in Kyoto, which proved to be annoying for me, was 1. traffic; 2. complicated change bus routes, and; 3. delayed busses. Traffic, especially during the peak of travel season will consume your time in commuting. Also, the bus does not have any change bus information (乗換案内) when you get off the bus stop. The result? You would be embarking on a guessing game where is the correct bus station of your destination in any of the side of the street. If you bus stop is only within a one-way area, then not too tough, but if it is within an intersection, then good luck. The worst, no signs would tell you where is bus number XX and where it is located. However, bus fares are very cheap. For a 500 yen one-day unlimited ride card on green (government) and Raku Bus (semi-maroon colored), it’s a real value.

Ginkakuji (銀閣寺), The Silver Temple
The Ginkakuji is currently under restoration, but we went there just to see it. A lot of my Japanese colleagues have been talking about this temple so we visited it out of curiosity. We went there in an uncooperative weather. It rained slightly and out photo op was not very good. The Silver Temple actually looks like gold. Since it’s under restoration, the windows are covered with white cloth. Wooden support frames were installed within the walls of the temple. Along side with it, a circular garden, called karesansui (枯山水) can be found with beautifully arranged pebbles.

Heian Temple (平安神宮)
The temple is remarkable because of its huge bright orange Shinto arch spanning the two sides of the street. About several meters from the arch, a Nikko-like Shinkyou bridge can be found in perfect red-orange color. Furthermore, sakura blooms anywhere within the area. A serene gush of river can be photographed on both sides of the bridge. Furthermore, a lot of women, in their kimonos (着物), stroll the area, paving a way for a perfect Japanese sightseeing experience. The huge archway is probably the only interesting thing in that area. The Kyoto Design Museum, Kyoto International Exhibition Hall, and the nearby Art Museum can be found within the area.

Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺)
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Kiyomizu Temple. From the bus station, you have to walk uphill to about 10 minutes from Kiyomizu Bus station. The narrow road that leads to this famous temple is a hotpot of omiyage shops, and restaurants. Photos here, photos there, photos everywhere. That was all what we did. The temple resides just below the summit of the hill and from the top you can see the bustling city of Kyoto. While taking some pictures, we met two Filipinas from Singapore who had their 4-day vacation in Kyoto. I offered them to take their pictures and it was nice talking to them. It was nice to hear different impressions from Filipino tourists about sakura season in Japan. The temple entrance is decorated with huge pale orange gate which welcomes the visitors of the temple. Slightly above it is the main temple which is very huge and quite old. From there, a uplifting scenery can be seen. Troops of people also take in turns photographs of themselves and in pair and groups. Trying to capture the beauty of this old and great temple maybe is as the same as visiting several temples in Kyoto. After the tiresome walk up, we descended from the hill and had a cup of coffee before going to Nijo Castle.

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き)
After lost where is the nearest bus stop bound for Nijojo, we passed by a local okonomiyaki shop Kiraku. I was excited to see live demonstration on how to prepare okonomiyaki. We were seated in a table with a hot teppan (鉄板) or hot iron plate. The okonomiyaki chefs prepared the mixture along side with sliced veggies and everything. Ernest ordered yakisoba (焼蕎麦) with fried rice and bits of meat and anything. It was a perfect meal.

Nijo Castle Illumination (二条城)
Kyoto has almost been gridlocked due to traffic. I reminded me of commuting by bus in Manila. The only difference was Kyoto was a bit cool that time. Traffic, crowded city streets, bustling shops and lost people were some of the things I have noted during this time. There was an illumination event in Kiyomizudera but we have chosen Nijo Castle for a change. We arrived around 730 in the castle gates. Upon entering, the façade of the castle gate was wonderful as the light has catalyzed the gigantic aura of the structure. This was a test for my camera for the night photography. It was truly breathtaking as I played with the night’s colors which were mixed with the flowers of sakura. We left the area around 930PM and it was slightly drizzling.

Last Trip
I have realized that buses in Kyoto have early last trips. Most buses are only up to 10 to 1030PM depending on the route. Upon arriving on our last change bus station, we realized that our bus had already ended its last trip by 1020PM. Oh God! I forgot that this is not Tokyo. Most buses in Tokyo have their last trip even up to 1110PM. So we were in panic mode as we knew that taxi from that opposite side of the city was quite far and would cost us even more than the usual 740 yen. Until I figured out an alternative route so we quickly searched for that hard-to-find bus stop. It was in an intersection and damn, it was really difficult to find. I hope someone in Kyoto would realize that their bus stops are not friendly for non-Kyotoites. It was totally troublesome to find the next bus station plus the mere fact that it was drizzling already that time. Finally, we reached the last bus station…. Only to find out that our bus has already gone…… in its last trip. So we actually had two options, to walk or to ride a taxi. Of course we chose to ride on a cab. Before riding the cab, we bought something for our late dinner and breakfast. We only paid for the flag-down as our area is not really far from the house. By then, we felt totally relieved.