We were in two minds as to whether we should spend the morning in Nagoya or move on straight away, but decided to jump on the train and head south to start our 4 days in Kyoto. We missed the first shinkansen by 30 seconds, but the next "Hikari" was only a few minutes afterwards, and faster. It's 33-37 minutes by train, or just under 2 hours by car. We've only booked a few critical trains, the rest we sort out as we go, it's much less stressful that way. The little cellular modem we are renting for the month is fantastic. For about $4/day we both have internet access 24/7, anywhere. It makes sorting transport so easy; we can work out on the move whether we have time to look at a few more sights, or can just chill. Better still, we have access to Google Maps for directions.
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| It's Easter Sunday, so we had a nice chocolatey Japanese-style hot cross bun |
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| Kyoto Station |
From the station we jumped on the #206 bus, and we were soon at our accommodation, though way too early to check in. Bags were dropped, and we headed off on a temple trail, then into the city centre. The streets are so quiet, even just one street back from the main roads. You'd have no idea you are in a huge city. The main clue is the number of nice old temples.
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| An ordinary little Kyoto street |
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| And a more upmarket traditional house, with tiny front garden and traditional gates and screens |
Kyoto was the capital from 794AD for 11 centuries, so it's no surprise it became so full of fabulous buildings. Today we started with Rokuharamitsuji Temple.
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| Another tiny corner-shop shrine/temple |
We passed through the Ken-nin-ji gardens, and found ourselves in old territory from 2019 - the Gion district where geisha lived and worked. It was nice being back, and knowing more about what we are seeing makes a big difference. There were dozens of Japanese uniformed men waving orange batons and directing traffic and pedestrians. Something you'd never see in New Zealand, where they'd use hundreds of traffic cones instead. The area is completely built up in dark wooden 2-storey houses, with mainly entertainment such as bars and restaurants on the street frontage. Food prices are higher, as you might expect as it is tourist central.
We walked back to the arcades of the Nishiki Market. Some tourist shops for foreigners, but mainly for locals. Something new since last time is upmarket secondhand clothing stores, among the dozens of more normal fashion stores. There are many cafes where you can sit and have your drink with miniature pigs or ridiculous fluffy dogs.
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| Nishiki Mall |
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| Gift bonsai |
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| A tiny shrine in the mall |
We found the print shop where we'd bought our Hiroshige print of Magome (on the Nakasendo) back in 2019. We had a good look for an equivalent print for this trip's Hakone (on the Tokaido), but couldn't find one, which was a little disappointing. Hiroshige's drawing of Hakone is a bit odd though; it wouldn't be our favourite.
I was flagging by then, too many hours on my feet, so we stopped at a cafe for a breather, before trying and failing to find a Japanese paper (washi) shop from last visit. I afterwards pinpointed it using Google.
Heading back to our room, we walked through the pretty little lane of Kiyamachi-dori. This was, and really still is, a nightlife area with many little bars and restaurants running through to the river. It is very narrow, and clearly very old. It's remarkable it hasn't burnt down, as everything is old wood. Or perhaps it has many times and has just been rebuilt each time.
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| Kiyamachi-dori, also known as Pontocho |
Near our room, we stumbled on what advertises itself as the best vintage kimono shop in Kyoto - Vintage Kimono AN Kyoto. Kimonos from $6, Obi belts from $12. I find it almost criminal that such beautiful things made of superb fabrics with great skill are now so lowly valued.
We have a lovely little apartment for the next four nights. Just a few doors down the road is a 7-Eleven, so we popped in there to check out their extensive range of food. It is so easy to buy miso soup ($1.80), plates of stir-fried udon noodles & pork or a vege stir-fry ($6) or any number of other options. They can be heated up on the spot behind the counter, and come with chopsticks, or you can heat them up at home. We did the latter and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. It's virtually the same price or only a little dearer to eat out, but it was easier to 'eat at home' tonight. We are very much enjoying the range of food on offer here.
Having walked another 13km today we were feeling a little weary. Today was our first really sunny day, and it was lovely. Blue skies and sun on our backs - a very welcome change and the good weather is set to continue for a good few days. We are both enjoying being back in Kyoto and in the neighbourhood we know quite well.
