Kyoto

The next stop in our Japan adventure was the cultural captial of Kyoto.  We jumped on the Shinkansen from Osaka and pulled in at Kyoto station 15 minutes later.  Although geographically close, these two cities are miles apart.

While Osaka was gritty and busy, Kyoto is more traditional.  Although it has a bustling city centre, there's a certain air of refinement.  There are more cultural and historical sights in this city than anywhere else in Japan.

We stayed at K's House hostel, about a 15 minute walk from the station.  Our room was small but clean and the facilities were great.  We hired some bikes to explore the city, stopping at temples and castles along the way.  My favourite sight was Nijo-Jo Castle in northwest Kyoto.  The castle was built by the shogun in the 17th century, complete with 'nightingale' floors that would alert the shogun and his bodyguards to any intruders.  I had just finished reading "Across the Nightingale Floor" by Lian Hern, an alternative history/fantasy about Japanese samuri and ninjas which made reference to the nightingale floors popularised by Nijo-Jo castle.  For me, it was almost like stepping into the story.  Yes, I know I'm a colossal nerd.

 

I had to put this one in.  I loved the English translated signs in Japan.  I still don't know what this means.

Ok, so there's oodles to see. We took our bikes and visited Kiyomizu-Dera, a huge temple in the southern part of the city.  The hills are incredibly steep, so we parked our bikes in a designated parking area (which you have to pay for!) and strolled up Teapot Lane to the temple.  It was a sunny day in the mid 30's, and I was sweating profusely.  I couldn't get over how many tourists were there, all dressed immaculately.  The girls were wearing high-heels and makeup, and I felt like an absolute bogan in comparison, what with my thongs and slouchy jeans...

We ambled down Ishibei-koji, a quaint little lane lined with teahouses and inns.  I saw what I thought were real geisha girls, although they might have just been there for the tourists...

There's so much to see.  We checked out an antique market at To-Ji temple in the southern part of the city, where I bought a set of hand-painted tea cups.  I had no idea how to haggle in Japanese - I'm sure the guy gave it to me in the end to get rid of me! 

We saw so much in Kyoto, almost too much to list here. I recommend to anyone visiting the city to hire out some bikes and explore the city at your leisure.  I loved riding on the path alongside the Kamo-gawa river, which cuts right through the heart of the city. You see things from a different perspective, a side most tourists might not see (for instance, the homeless people living under the bridges in their makeshift huts, with their shoes lined up neatly by the 'door').

Any visit to Japan is not complete until you see Kyoto...