Kyoto, 2019

🏮 Kyoto is so darn beautiful I cry.

After our day trip in Hakone, we hopped off the shinkansen and found ourselves in the city I always knew I’d fall in love with. When I visit a place that has history, culture, beautiful architecture and gardens that integrate seamlessly into a modern cityscape I am in heaven. Kyoto was all that and more.

🐙 Nishiki Market

We only had two and a half days to see as much as we could, and I made sure to waste no minute of it. After we stored our luggage in the cutest coin lockers ever, we just started exploring on foot. Nishiki Market greeted us with amazing street food options, from tako tamago (octopus stuffed with quail egg) to takoyaki to cuttlefish on a stick to matcha ice cream.

👘 Gion

We then strolled across the Kamo River to the Gion district, where perfect serene alleyways and groups of girls in kimonos shopped (and I followed, mesmerized by such pretty fabrics!). Following Paolo from Tokyo’s dessert recommendations, we ended up in the most scenic Higashiyama district, where teahouses, street food shops, and souvenir stores line the charming pedestrian walkways. Hordes of people dressed in kimonos stopped to get a picture of the Yasaka Pagoda in the background and we shuffled around the crowds, unfazed by the commotion. We stopped at the new one-of-a-kind Starbucks located in a traditional Japanese house. Reinventing a frequented tourist stop into a cultural destination - I am here for it.

🎍 Old Kyoto

Literally we just wandered around, enchanted by the narrow streets and wooden buildings that resemble old Kyoto. I could not stop admiring the distinctive wooden lattices and machiya facades. The picturesque traditional merchant shops still retain their original design and I really applaud the preservation efforts here in Kyoto.

Stray observations:

Shrines are everywhere in Kyoto! It’s so beautiful.
Many of these private streets don’t allow photography. Good thing we didn’t see any geishas or I would’ve been really tempted to take all the photos.
Unlike Tokyo, Kyoto has a curfew. Things closed in the evening.
Despite how narrow and crowded the alleyways are, large trucks still made their way down.
Japan burns their trash. I have to read up on this some more.
While shopping I’ve also observed how generous they are with plastic bags and wrapping paper. Every item is wrapped up, taped, placed in multiple bags for your convenience.
Schoolchildren (always in groups of 4 for some reason) wander the streets everyday, perusing shops and hanging out at tea shops. Why are they always in groups of 4?
There are commuter express trains that skip the tourist stops. Don’t get on those trains.
There are also women-only cars in front of the trains. Don’t get on those if you’re a dude.
Google Voice translate works really well.
Cats are just a general theme everywhere I guess?

Unintentionally dressed like a miko, a shrine maiden.

⛩️ Gates gates gates

The next morning, we got up early to catch a sight of Fushimi Inari before crowds arrived. I had seen these gates in so many travel photos, but never really knew of their ancient origins and how they’re donated by individuals and businesses. We started our hike towards the summit, stopping to take pictures and admire the sacred forest. (Memoirs of a Geisha vibes for days!) We even got to witness a new torii gate get assembled. After a mile or so, Simon got hungry and started admiring the vending machine options instead of gates, so we headed back down the mountain to catch our next appointment.

🍵 Tea Ceremony

I had to find an excuse to wear a kimono in Japan so we booked a tea ceremony experience, where we got to don kimonos and listen to a tour guide teach us things. We arrived at Maikoya, where the staff so graciously dressed us and escorted us to our tea ceremony room. The tea master educated us about the history and culture of a Japanese tea ceremony and taught us how to whisk matcha tea and drink correctly. The tea paired perfectly with yatsuhashi sweets, and afterward, we tried squeezing through the small crawl-in doorway entrance designed for samurai to rid their swords before the ceremony.

🍁 Maruyama Park

On our last day, we decided to take advantage of our last early morning to take another stroll to the relatively empty park nearby. Serene, quiet Maruyama Park was jaw-droppingly beautiful as expected, but what really surprised us was Chion-in Temple. The Buddhist temple’s main entrance, Sanmon Gate, was downright massive. It’s two stories! Like how did they lift those beams up during construction back in the day?

Anyway, since I’m old now, I really enjoyed strolling through the park and admiring trees. I love how well Shintoism and Buddhism intertwine within the urban landscape and Japanese culture. Conservation is part of the culture and they take such good care of nature and their trees. I can’t wait to come back during cherry blossom season.

We spent the rest of the day walking back into the Ninenzaka area and perusing souvenir boutiques. After one last heavenly tiramisu at Maccha House, we headed home.

🏠 Teramachi-dori

Last but not least, a few snaps from the place where we spent all our evenings. We stayed an an Airbnb near Teramachi Street, so we spent a lot of early mornings and evenings exploring the nearby restaurants and shops that attracted tourists and locals alike. We grabbed breakfast buns at Melon Pan, and enjoyed not one, but two tempura dinners at Tendon Makino (the most amazing tempura). We went knife shopping at Artisugu, browsed plenty of well-curated secondhand stores, and even followed some schoolgirls to The Alley, where we discovered amazing brown sugar matcha milk tea. I loved that this arcade was covered and pedestrian-friendly during nighttime and rainy days. This downtown area is definitely the place to stay.