Day 6
Kyoto Leg 2 Tour
Kinkakuji (金閣寺), The Golden Pavilion
This is probably the mother of all pavilions in Kyoto. The Kinkakuji has been renowned for its reputation as the most beautiful temple in Kyoto. With the aid of the sheer sunlight, the Kinkakuji looks like it glows as it reflects back the sunlight within the area. In front of the temple is a pond where several pelicans and other birds visit the area. So far, this has been the most exotic temple I have ever seen in Kyoto.
Random gaijins take turns in taking pictures where the Golden Pavilion is in the background. A beautiful combination of golden yellow and nature green plus the blue horizon adds up to the magnificent composition of the picture. Annoying thing again within the area is the battalion of group tours that literally destroy the serene scenery of the area. This temple is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Imperial Palace Grounds
We went to Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds around 2PM and we have seen nothing except gates closed and numerous sakura flowers in full bloom. We only walked for less than an hour then left as there is nothing much interesting again except flowers of sakura.
Lunch
We had lunch in this side street Japanese yakimeshi (焼飯 / fried rice) shop.
I was very hungry for fried rice and we ordered a huge plate of fried rice. A hefty price of 700 yen was quite expensive for us. While eating, I was able to read the city-wide drainage plan within the area. I learned that on the side of the street, a river will be made and parks alongside with it are stores will be put up in the area. After eating and walking several steps ahead, we discovered that there is a Matsuya Gyudon shop, which is obviously more filling and less expensive than what we ate.
Kyoto Traffic
People who probably have lived in Tokyo for a long period of time would find out that the traffic problem in Kyoto is worst, probably in Japan. Because there are no trains plying major routes, people get stuck in traffic and as people use cars, then it aggravates the problem, especially in days where a sudden influx of local and foreign tourists come in. From the nearest station up to Kyoto Station, it took us more than one hour. Our next destination was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Upon arriving at Kyoto Station, we figured out that it will be the fastest if we go there by train.
Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷神社)
Have you seen the last part of the movie entitled”Memoirs of Geisha?” In Japan the film was “Sayuri.” It was shot in this shrine. The shrine is 2 train stations away from Kyoto via the JR Nara Line. We arrived there late in the afternoon. The shrine is an endless path of torii or orange-colored Shinto archways up to the summit of the hill. We hiked for about 30 minutes, taking short stops for photos, and then we reached the summit. The entire area was lit up until the evening. Many people climb the hill to offer prayers and to see the night scenery of Kyoto’s metropolis during the night. It was a good timing for us in the summit because we practiced taking long exposure photos of entire Kyoto.
This is probably the mother of all pavilions in Kyoto. The Kinkakuji has been renowned for its reputation as the most beautiful temple in Kyoto. With the aid of the sheer sunlight, the Kinkakuji looks like it glows as it reflects back the sunlight within the area. In front of the temple is a pond where several pelicans and other birds visit the area. So far, this has been the most exotic temple I have ever seen in Kyoto.
Random gaijins take turns in taking pictures where the Golden Pavilion is in the background. A beautiful combination of golden yellow and nature green plus the blue horizon adds up to the magnificent composition of the picture. Annoying thing again within the area is the battalion of group tours that literally destroy the serene scenery of the area. This temple is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.Imperial Palace Grounds
We went to Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds around 2PM and we have seen nothing except gates closed and numerous sakura flowers in full bloom. We only walked for less than an hour then left as there is nothing much interesting again except flowers of sakura.
Lunch
We had lunch in this side street Japanese yakimeshi (焼飯 / fried rice) shop.
I was very hungry for fried rice and we ordered a huge plate of fried rice. A hefty price of 700 yen was quite expensive for us. While eating, I was able to read the city-wide drainage plan within the area. I learned that on the side of the street, a river will be made and parks alongside with it are stores will be put up in the area. After eating and walking several steps ahead, we discovered that there is a Matsuya Gyudon shop, which is obviously more filling and less expensive than what we ate.
Kyoto Traffic
People who probably have lived in Tokyo for a long period of time would find out that the traffic problem in Kyoto is worst, probably in Japan. Because there are no trains plying major routes, people get stuck in traffic and as people use cars, then it aggravates the problem, especially in days where a sudden influx of local and foreign tourists come in. From the nearest station up to Kyoto Station, it took us more than one hour. Our next destination was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Upon arriving at Kyoto Station, we figured out that it will be the fastest if we go there by train.
Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷神社)
Have you seen the last part of the movie entitled”Memoirs of Geisha?” In Japan the film was “Sayuri.” It was shot in this shrine. The shrine is 2 train stations away from Kyoto via the JR Nara Line. We arrived there late in the afternoon. The shrine is an endless path of torii or orange-colored Shinto archways up to the summit of the hill. We hiked for about 30 minutes, taking short stops for photos, and then we reached the summit. The entire area was lit up until the evening. Many people climb the hill to offer prayers and to see the night scenery of Kyoto’s metropolis during the night. It was a good timing for us in the summit because we practiced taking long exposure photos of entire Kyoto.
After our last destination, we headed back to Kyoto station and had some dinner in an Italian restaurant. There, we met a retired Japanese chemistry teacher, and a history teacher from Fukuoka, who were very good in English conversation. It was a nice chat. They were even surprised to know that we came all the way from Saitama, and of course using the Youth 18 Tickets.
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