Kyoto—time travel to the past (for old souls). Part II

Arrived at Arashiyama, west of Kyoto. They say that this area is touristy, but the scenery made it a well worth visit. If you want to avoid the crowds, kameyama-koen Park is in the area, and supposed to be prettier. Had I known, I would have skipped the temple visit and opted for the park instead.

Togetsu-kyo Bridge—A long bridge that crosses the Katsura river. As I walked from the train station to here, I was pleasantly surprised to find the stunning views. My picture doesn’t do it justice.

Tenryu-ji Temple—Zen temple in Arashiyama.

The Sogenchi garden here is lovely, especially in fall and spring.

A painting of Bodhidharma –The legendary Buddhist monk who established the Zen branch of Buddhism.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Moving through here is mesmerizing. Even among tourists, there’s an earthy and solitude aura about this place as you stay in your own personal space while strolling and getting inspired.

Tea break with my tour guide. Hojicha is a roasted green tea. It does not look green and has a pleasant mild flavor. I prefer the taste of this to the green tea we drink in the U.S. 

The tea ceremony. Even though the hostess was friendly and polite, I thought this was meh… There is no talking. You basically sit in a silent room where you can hear a pin drop. There are a series of rigid steps and rituals your host will go through and you have to watch her carefully because she will ask you to repeat what she did. I kind of zoned out at some point and failed my exam! I’m a fidgety person by nature and this did not work well for me. Couple of things: show up at least 15 min early. Don’t tip your hostess or she will be insulted. I would have to say if your time in Kyoto is limited, skip this. You will not be missing much.

 

I took a free public tour in the Gion district which happened to be one of the best tours I had. Gion is historic with a lot of character, narrow streets and old architecture. This is the area where Tessa meets up with her fellow activists to prepare for the Dolphin protest for the next day.

A Maiko, an apprentice Geiko (Geisha) in the picture moves about at a fast pace. They don’t like it when you run after them for a photo opportunity. I filmed this from far away.

Shinkyogoku shopping district, in case you need that kitschy souvenir. And then on to Osaka. Taking the train form Kyoto to Osaka was overwhelming. It was crowded. I was tired. People were walking back and forth quickly. I moved to the side, to get out of their way. Between the crowd, the Japanese signs, and feeling lost, I was starting to get an anxiety attack. But at the end, I figured my way around and was off to Osaka.

 

Some advice: Don’t get caught up in too many touristy things, and don’t try to see everything. There’s so much history and background information that you will not remember everything. My best times in Kyoto were spent walking around the river, the Gion district, and hanging around with the locals. There are simply too many temples in Japan and after awhile they all blend in together to a point where when you come home, and look at your photos, you forget what you did, and have to look things up. Pick a few things that are important to you, and enjoy the rest of your time checking out the local areas.

Kyoto—time travel to the past (for old souls). Part I

Tokyo to Kyoto: My tour guide told me which side of the train to sit on so that I would have a view of Mount Fuji. I think I sat on the right side.

  

My not so healthy breakfast…

The place where I stayed had a view of the Kamo river, and in the mornings, I watched people riding their bikes to work.

On one of the days, it rained, and I noticed men and women in suits biking as slow as molasses with their messenger bags/backpacks, and umbrellas in hand. Now, that’s what I call being able to maneuver through traffic.

On that same rainy day, I discovered that my wonderful waterproof backpack was not so waterproof. My money and phone got soaked. My phone stopped working completely and I had to use a hair dryer and a lot of praying to the universe to get it to function. Lucky for me, by the time morning came, it was working. Lesson learned: Don’t trust labels and test out your backpack before you go on a trip. 

I had one of my not so healthy breakfasts as I sat by river, enjoying the view. There is also a Starbucks in the area with a perfect view of the river. I wish there was one like it in Los Angeles.

If you go to Kyoto, it’s well worth getting a hotel by the river. You can go for long walks, meditate, and enjoy time slow down. Take a book to the unique Starbucks with lovely views. Also, the Gion district is within a walking distance.

There are restaurants with balconies with views of the river, open at summertime. This is where Toshiro and Tessa have dinner and make plans to meet up again in Osaka. Here are some more scenes where Tessa and Toshiro spend an entire day together.

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)—a retirement villa in Northern Kyoto turned into Zen temple. I talk about this more in my book.

My guide took me to a room which felt like a workshop with long rectangular tables and chairs. He pointed to one of the notebooks on the table and showed me how to write in Japanese by tracing the paper. If you look closely at the notebook in the photo, you’ll notice a tracing paper over another paper with writings. You can trace the letters/words. I asked him how did I do? He said good, which translated to: “Well, you have a long way to go.”

Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) – upon entrance, there is a Sand Garden and sand sculpture that represents Mt. Fuji. This was also a retirement villa turned Zen temple. It belonged to the grandson of the Shogun who owned Kinkakuji.

The grounds of the Silver Pavilion will take your breath away more than those of the Golden pavilion. Highly recommended.

Philosopher’s path – where Tessa and Toshiro take a stroll. The path extends from the silver pavilion to Nanzenji Temple – a famous Buddhist temple.

It’s a relaxing path and is easy to get lost in its beauty and serenity. My tour guide wanted to show me Nanzenji Temple, but it was getting late, he looked tired, and I told him no we should go back.

He guided us into a bus, even though I would have gladly paid for a Taxi. The ride was a big mistake. It was rush hour. The bus was packed. I managed to barely stand to the side on the steps because I didn’t want to be smooshed. My suggestion: do not take public transportation during rush hour. It’s an incredibly unpleasant experience. Besides that, I had a fun day and I really appreciated my tour guide who went out of his way to accommodate me.