I think i will split this into 2 separate posts, im not really sure why. I guess i have a fairly short attention span and its easier to concentrate one two smaller things than one massive chunk... right? And i guess Jo and i also spent 2 days there.
right now my camera is importing, and i now see that i took 124 pictures, bless digital.. right?
So a quick intro, Kyoto has many effects on you, and i would definitely put the idea that it makes you feel like you are IN Japan. At least the Japan a lot of people think about, quiet gardens, impressive temples and zen.
Day one began around 9:30 / 10:00 am, after a fun fulled night of evil dead 1 and a bit of evil dead 2! The original plan was for Jo to go early and for me to follow after my class. We were also originally going to take a JR train that would take us about 2.5 hours Nagoya to Kyoto with one transfer.
Instead i decided to skip class, it didnt look like it was anything i couldnt just drill and learn on my own. And then we decided to hit the shinkansen! Which takes about 40 min Nagoya to Kyoto, direct. It's fast, and it's awesome!
After we found the Shinkansen vending machines we got our tickets (go english friendly machines!) we found our way to the platform. Neither of us had eaten yet so i bought some Pretz sticks (kinda like the non-pretzl combo coating) and some chili flavored odd crisp things (very tasty). Then we found a little booth that did soups etc, i decided to get a quick something before the train. So again with the vending machines!
so, funny story, i can semi-read katakana, the character set for foreign words, and Jo is pretty good at it too. Both of us work out it says something like topoungu -> topping. but i still proceed to get the ticket from the machine and then i hand it to the woman working and she shows the other woman and then tell me no. well more they mightve said something iie (no) and then we realized that i actually didnt order anything except a topping, kinda like going into pizza hut and ordering pepperoni but no pizza! good times
the soup was delicious though, and i finally figured out what those odd little shaving are that go on so many things, dried fish shavings!
ok so the shinkansen trip was spent planning the day, looking through the Lonely Planet Japan etc.
We got in and, wow, Kyoto station is really really cool, i shouldve taken more pictures. just super cool.
imagine 1.5 lambeau fields in size, and the escalators are so cool, instead of the usual go up, turn and go up again
you just go up walk forward and go up, it might sound lame but its cool when you do it, and you can see so far into the station
anyway, we hit the kyoto international center area for non japanese speakers, which is conveniently located way behind everything and on the somethingth floor. they help us out with hotel, give us directions, and we're off, we get to the bus area and buy some day passes.
the busses in kyoto are 220 yen per ride, but you can buy a day pass for 500 yen that's unlimited, a very good deal.
we went to the hotel, paid and dropped off a bag, check in wasnt for another hour or so. and we were off, at least to the hotel lobby area where we finalised our plans. oh no, did anyone catch the s in finalized, the British english is taking over, damn.
our first destination was
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Sanjuusangendou Temple:
features include 1000 statues of Buddha, full human size each having like 30 arms and hands
1 statue of buddha, massive size also having 30 arms
all of them are made of Japanese cyprus
I think i read that it took 70 people over a hundred years to finish, yeah
Powerful and dynamic statues of the Thunder God and Wind God at each end. Dynamic meaning crazy facial expressions, bulging muscles with veins and craziness
28 life size statues of divine generals and other deities, some borrowed from hindu faiths, some just plain awesome.
one interesting point is that they were all made in parts and tehn assembled coated and colored, when you see them you'll understand
its awesome, and no its not hot dog awesome, its truly AWESOME
you should check out the pictures on flickr, the outer area was very nice
very quiet, despite the roads just outside the gates, there was a little pond and an interesting bell tower. And who can forget the nifty fish in the water!
next->
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Kiyomizu Temple via a mosoleum
we then took a bus to a stop near Kiyomizu temple and wandered into something else, some sorta shrine or temple, who knows there everywhere in Kyoto. We realized we were not where we thought we were and started climbing up a road. We took the road less travelled and walked up a narrow road surrounded by graves, i think. Im not sure on the burial practices here, but look at the pics
my better photos were corrupted for some reason... go digital!
ill try to get some from Jo, but the scope of this area was intense, if you've ever been to or heard about Arlington cemetery in VA. kinda like that. I doubt it has the same historical significane, but it was massive.
We arrived at Kiyomizu and it was very strange after having been so secluded on the way up, foreigners everywhere, japanese school kids everywhere, crazy.
We went in and it was a nice change from Sanjusangendo. Kiyomizu is spread over a large area, many structures and some nice scenery and views from the hillside,
japanese architecture is fun to look at and wander through. Kiyomizu has this area that is devoted to matchmaking,
theres a crazy rabbit and guy and then there are these two rocks that you are supposed to walk from one to another with your eyes closed, if you do it and dont die you're supposed to find that special someone.
there were some nice flowers
and a little water fall/fountain thing that you got to drink from. it tasted a little funny, but maybe it was the ultraviolet
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after Kiyomizu we wandered down some streets, and one of the cart carrying guys asked us if we were lost. Which was funny, cuz we didnt know where we were going, but didnt care, so it was hard to answer.
we decided to goto Gion, an area famous for nightlife maybe and geishsa, i think.
we wanted to goto a restaurant that was supposed to have good tenpura, and they wake it right there while you eat/chat.
The place is called Ozawa, and it took us a while but w found it, when in doubt, just go up and down every crossroad till you find it!
so the set cost 3800 yen and you got a small pickle appetizer, tenpura (we got shrimp sandwich, quail egg, shiitake, prawn, fish, asparagus, eggplant, i think squid wrapped in something [tasted like soap], corn, some other things too) a very dark and tasty miso soup, and then fish/prawn tenpura over rice. it was very tasty.
Then we wandered to find an atm, which was largely unsuccessful, went to an irish pub, apparently the first in japan, or maybe kyoto. i wasnt impressed.
then it was back to the hotel, a japanese tatami mat room,
[pi
shoes off right after entering the room, they had a public bath on the first floor, we didnt try it though
they had our shower area locked too, who knows, the guy was very nice and unlocked when jo went to ask, she lost the rock paper scissors round!
and then it was bed time.
and now it is bed time, hopefully ill post this in the morning before work.
hope you had fun
and ill do the next installment soon
out
