Papa forgot to turn his alarm off so up he went at 6:15 am. I manage to doze off again for a bit while he showered. We ended up heading downstairs pretty early for breakfast. My good mornings apparently convinced the staff enough that I understood Japanese so I got the buffet explanation in Japanese, whoo. It was really yummy! Made to order pancakes, waffles, and eggs, smoothies, salad, fruit, yogurt, bread, and other breakfast items. I ate a ton. We checked out shortly before 10 am and I said my goodbyes at the station. They headed off to the airport and I got on a train to Kyoto again. (I didn’t check their train schedule, and apparently they got on the wrong train!)

My first stop was the KyoAni shop on the outskirts. The studios for Kyoto Animation are also there - they make Free!. The shop was absolute heaven. I’ve never seen so much beautiful Free! things in one spot before. All the posters as well. I manage to restrict myself to a mousepad, postcard sketches that came in an eight pack, and a pin of Makoto. If only I had more money… There were two other girls already browsing when I came, and they were still busy when I left, ha. Next up was the Kyoto Pokemon Center - center #5 for me. It was really tricky to find. It had just opened a week or so ago, and there were no signs nor was it on google maps. I managed to find out it was inside of a Takashimaya department store on the 5F. Even then I thought I was wrong, because I had to wandered through the whole floor before I found the center. It was definitely small and tucked away.

The temperature kept as I took the bus to Nanzenji Temple. I came in via a back way through old streets filled with traditional Japanese villas. The Buddhist temple itself was amazing. Everything had just sprouted and was a fantastic shade of bright green. The temple grounds were huge and extremely restful. There are several buildings you can pay to enter, but I only went inside the main temple building that has some famous rock gardens. I sat by the garden for a while, relaxing. There’s also a brick aqueduct from the Meiji era on the grounds which seems out of place next to the temple buildings.

From Nanzenji, I walked to Heian shrine, past the zoo, a huge toori gate, and the art museum. I took a break in a park by the shrine. All the walking and heat. The shrine itself was modeled after the imperial palace. Afterward, I walked over to Chion-in, a huge Buddhist temple complex. I entered via a tucked away path lined with lanterns. Took another break here and relaxed in the sun with a tank top on. The hottest day yet! Apparently the temple was closed for a private event, but some others and I were in the middle of exploring and exiting. There were almost no people till I came out by the main entrance and temple. Most of the grounds were under construction so it wasn’t that interesting. I then walked through another park and Yasaka shrine to emerge back at Shijo Dori shopping street.

I stopped at the most famous matcha cafe, Tsujiri, and only had a 30 minute wait before I got a spot. The parfait was delicious, but I think I enjoyed the first cafe I went to with A in September more. Then I went to get okonomiyaki for dinner at a tucked away, traditional place. The food was meh, I’ve had better, but it was a nice atmosphere. A quick stop to H&M to kill some time - big city shopping - before I headed back to the station to grab my things and wait for the night bus back to Tomioka.

 
At midnight, I boarded the bus for Kyoto. Once again I got little sleep, but managed to feel awake enough upon arrival. I planned to meet my dad and his two work colleagues at 8 am in Kyoto station. After changing clothes (from freezing Tomioka to 75 degrees Kyoto) and dropping my stuff off in a locker - where I had to pay twice because I locked my phone inside - I killed time at McDonald’s. It was the only place open before 7 am with outlets. Yum, egg mcmuffin and hash browns. City shock - already the guy taking my order spoke English to me. I found Papa and his colleagues easily enough by the west gates as his head towered over the others. It didn’t feel like we hadn’t seen each other in 9 months.

We headed to the bus depot where we bought day bus passes for everyone before boarding the bus to Ginkakuji, the silver temple. We got there shortly after it opened so it was crowd-free! Last time I had been here was during Silver Week, and there were so little people this time, it was even more peaceful.Then we walked back to a bus stop along the Philosopher's Path. The sakura were long gone except for a few straggler blossoms. We caught the bus to Nijo Castle. The castle gate was even further under construction this time. The gardens still had some blooming sakura and almond trees.

We had such great weather too! It actually got really hot in the sun. We made a pit stop to buy some sunscreen, before finding lunch. They wanted to eat ramen so with the help of tabelog, I found a tiny ramen shop. It was very traditional with counter seats only, run by a couple, serving their family recipe. They were so friendly! She helped us order outside with the pictures on the door, although I could actually read the menu. Moments like this make me realize my progress. Last September, I was helpless, and now I actually know katakana and some kanji. One of my dad’s coworkers is from China so she knew kanji well. We got a delicious, filling lunch. So much food as per usual. The sweet owner kept offering us extra pickled things, and showing us how to eat the food with the raw egg.

Our next stop was Fushimi Inari shrine. Once again, the lack of people astounded me. It was busy, but not unbearable. We walked partially through the woods and all the little tucked away shrines. Then we headed over to Gion, the old part of Kyoto. We took a break at a matcha cafe that sold the famous Tsujiri matcha products. We didn’t want to wait in line at the other places ha. We each got some ice cream. It was very yummy, but I think my local cafe’s is better! While walking through Gion, there was a lot of traffic and people in uniforms. Apparently there was an old car “race” going on. They drove from Nagoya to Kyoto. Got to see some sweet cars.

We took the bus back to Kyoto station before getting on the rapid train to Osaka. Five minutes after we left, Papa asked me about my luggage. I realized I had forgotten to swing by the locker with my stuff. Whoops. I get off at the one stop the rapid train stops at before Osaka, and take a local train back to Kyoto. Of course, at this point my Suica card was all confused and it didn’t let me through the gates. Luckily, the attendant was sympathetic that I forgot my luggage and had to return and he cleared my card. Finally, I’m back on another local train to Osaka and I get there at 7:10 pm, about an hour later. My dad was staying right by the Shin-Osaka station at a fancy Marriott. I found our room, and we met his colleagues again to head out for dinner at a sushi place.

The English menu is sketchy and the staff barely speaks English, but between their efforts and mine in minimal Japanese, we get our food ordered. It was really yummy! We got a variety of things to share like sushi, sashimi, and tempura. Afterward, Papa and I crashed pretty hard. So exhausted from all the walking and jet lag for him.

Friday evening, I took the night bus to Kyoto again. This time I didn’t walk, but managed to find a spot to park it for the next couple days at the bank right by where the bus stop is located. The walk back was awful last time when I just wanted to be in bed at 4:30 am. The bus was more comfortable this time since there were only three rows of seats with aisle between and I had a window that I could lean up against with my pillow jacket. Plus the sun rose an hour later so it didn’t get bright too early.

I had plans to meet A at Tofukuji station at 8 am, but my bus arrives earlier than that, at about 6:45 am. I rented out a locker (of which there were a bazillion) to dump my stuff in. The main train stations I’ve been to in Japan are huge. Compared with Germany, I’ve seen much more tracks there, but the high rise (16 floors!) shopping malls that are a part of the major stations are astonishing. I decided to walk the twenty minutes to the station in the beautiful weather. I stopped by a convenience store for breakfast which I then ate by the river. I got there shortly before 8 am, when A said she’d be delayed for a bit. I enjoyed strolling through the neighborhood. There was a nearby high school so many students around. I made some girls giggle and say kawaii by replying to their hello. Also got some stares especially from this guy walking his dog whom I passed three times. I think he thought I was lost, ha. But as I proved to A again during this trip, I luckily have a great sense of direction, hehe.

Not my photo.

After we met up, we walked to Tofukuji, a temple known for its maple trees. It has over 200 of them and is only popular in the fall. Luckily, we were there pretty early so it wasn’t that crowded yet. The trees were a bit past their peak, but still quite beautiful especially in that soft morning sunlight! I love the strong reds of momiji. We passed by one of the halls where they were chanting nonstop. We went inside a special exhibition that was just open during the fall in another temple. It had some interesting rock gardens including one with rare red rocks. On the floorboards on the veranda, we could see what they called red maple wood. With the sun shining through the red leaves, it reflected, leaving a reddish glow on the wood. Quite cool!

We stopped at a small local place for lunch, located on a lower floor. It was definitely not touristy. They all seemed really interested that I was there and talked to A and even to me a little in English! We both got udon, and afterwards, the waitress brought us ice cream on the house! We even got a little card with the restaurant on it at the end. Ahh, so kind. We were on a 40 minute walk to Kiyomizu-dera when we realized we’d pass right by Rengeoin Sanjusangendo. Sanjusangendo has 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Measuring 120 meters, the temple hall is Japan's longest wooden structure. In the center was a large, wooden statue of a 1000-armed Kannon that has 500 statues of human sized ones standing in ten rows on each side. The actual statues only had 42 arms because you subtract the two normal arms and multiply by the 25 planes of existence to get the full thousand. It was stunning, but we weren’t allowed to take any photos inside. We took a walk around the grounds as well. The front gate is painted a pretty red.

We continued on our walk to Kiyomizu-dera which was built in 780 (everything we visit in Kyoto is so old!). The sun started to go down while we were there so again we had such beautiful sunlight on all the autumn trees. The crowds were intense. Part of the temple was under construction which was sad. I ended up buying my temple book here! I had heard about this recently from a friend. At any temple in Japan, they will place their “seal” in your book, usually for a fee. Basically it was a combination of several stamps and calligraphy to represent the temple. Lovely! I only wish I’d gotten it earlier after having already been to so many temples. We also stopped by the love shrine area. There are two rocks there and it’s legend that if you can find your way with your eyes closed from one rock to the other, you will soon find your perfect match. At the bottom is a waterfall, that gave the temple its name, clear water.

We got dessert on the way down along the touristy streets. This cafe did some art on plates using kinako which is roasted soybean flour. Beautiful! I had dango with a black honey sauce. We headed back via bus to the station. The bus line was insane. It took us five buses before we could even board. Once back at A’s stop, we popped by the grocery store to get breakfast together. There were a bunch of pretty lights outside her station. She said she couldn’t understand why there were so many because her area is not a hotspot for lovers, ha. Christmas for Japanese is a romantic holiday with Christmas cake and eating KFC. Why???? We had a late dinner at an Italian place near her apartment, quite yummy! The decor was really nice with high ceilings, and a wooden board floor. My phone died rather early on during the day so no photo of the yummy pasta.

I woke up at a decent hour. A quiet, good night’s sleep at the hostel, but my legs and shins hurt so much! I’m really wishing I hadn’t left my sneakers in the US. Walking in Chucks all day is hurting. I left my stuff in a locker there as it was a flexible check out time. Saved me 300 yen for a train station locker ha. I then headed off to my first stop, Tenryu-ji and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Got some breakfast from a conbini and ate outside near a stream. The train station was right nearby. This was the first time I’d encountered JR machines that were only in Japanese. They had some English instructions printed out, but googled only showed me the romaji, not the kanji of my destination, eee. I decided to trust Google’s price estimate and just bought the ticket for that. Luckily when I disembarked, I got through the gates no problem with the big herd of tourists.

The walk from the train station to the temple was quite pretty! We crossed over a big river filled with birds. Saw a heron type one and several egrets. So common here. I’ve seen more in the two months here than in my whole US life, ha. While crossing the bridge, I saw some photographers with a geisha and snuck a photo. This temple is known for its gardens and their design that date back to the 1400s. I wandered the gardens first, some gorgeous landscaping with a pond.

I actually got to go inside this temple as well! You had to remove your shoes at the entrance. It was cool to see the large wooden beams, and paintings inside. I can’t imagine how people stayed warm though. Afterward, I headed to the bamboo grove. A fantastic atmosphere again: calming, with a bit of wind rustling. Bamboo grows freely around here, but I’ve never seen so much in one spot.

With a train ride, I was off to take a bus to Kingaku-ji, the golden temple. I had to wait for a second bus because the first one was so full! Luckily, I managed to by a day bus pass from the driver. You only go in the back doors so I wasn’t sure how to buy it from the driver. Asking him if he had any from outside the bus worked, and then I just walked to the front to buy one from him. I don’t know if you normally buy it at the end, but I hate holding up everyone disembarking. By the time we got there, I was pretty hungry. I ended up finding a pizza stand by the temple and had some flatbread pizza that was quite yummy. No English required, point and pay XD

There were a lot more tourists here than at Gingaku-ji. The temple itself was quite stunning. Two levels of the building wrapped in gold leaf with a gold phoenix on top. The gardens weren’t as nice though, so really it was an expensive entrance fee for just the temple. I was still on the hunt for omiyage for my co-workers and ended up buying something outside the temple from a tourist stand. But dumbly enough, I later realized I hadn’t bought enough so I had to find some more before I left that night.

I then took a bus to Nijo Castle! One of my absolute favorite parts of my trip. I really enjoy historical sites. It was interesting to compare the Japanese style castle to those I’ve visited in Europe. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside. They kept everything pretty dark and dim to preserve the paintings. Most of the original wall screens had been moved to a gallery. Almost no décor besides tatami mats, wood floors, some wall alcoves that used to hold relics, and beautiful paintings (with gold) reaching two stories. Very high ceilings. The floors made an interesting sound when you walked across them. It’s called nightingale floors: “Dry boards naturally creak under pressure, but these floors were designed so that the flooring nails rubbed against a jacket or clamp, causing chirping noises. The squeaking floors were used as a security device, assuring that none could sneak through the corridors undetected.” I love walking among places where major events in history have occurred. The rest of the gardens and adjoining buildings were interesting to see too. The castle has two moats.

Itinerary completed! I headed back to my hostel to pick up my backpack. I stopped by McD’s for early dinner as I had some time to kill before catching my bus and my feet and legs were not up for more sightseeing. They even spoke some English! I can’t get over how different big city life is ha. My cheeseburger tasted quite different than those from the US. Much less greasy, and the bun was made of better bread. Got to charge my dying phone too. Afterward, I decided to brave a French styled café for dessert. No English this time, but I got enough of what was being said. After a brief wait, I got a table with a menu all in katakana so I knew at least it was English names. I planned on just ordering in accented English, but the waitress brought me an English menu! I ended up with a cake set with lemon tea and a lemon tarte. The cake was delicious, and had a blackberry glaze. A nice dessert for me! I hung out by the banks of the river again once I was finished and did some reading.

I caught the bus to the train station and wandered around inside. Bought some more omiyage, ha, and then checked out the whole department store they had for food omiyage. The gift giving culture here is so strong! I then went to the rooftop gardens on the top floor and passed a cool light show built into the stairs. The escalators for me though. There was a pretty awesome night view and some benches amongst bamboo. So many young people making out in the dark shadows haha. No PDA here. I hung out here next before it got too cold and I descended into the station to sit on the lit stairs. Finally I decided it was time to find my bus home. I stopped by a bakery for a late dinner cutlet sandwich snack and milk tea. My bus was already there and I managed to board without problems. The ride back was rough again. I was exhausted but I’m not sure how much sleep I got. I walked the twenty minutes home at 4:30 am and fell into bed. The walk woke me up in the brisk air, but I got about an hour of sleep before I had to wake up and go to Shimonita.

Woke up with rather sore muscles. All that mountain climbing yesterday. I knew I should have made my sneakers fit anyway. I need to buy some here. While getting ready, Ayaka had the Japanese news on. It’s quite interesting to see the differences in the crime report. Everything was detailed, mapped, and plotted out. Any witness or person being interviewed never had anything but their upper body shown. Reminded me a lot more of a 60 minutes report. We took the train to Kyoto, about an hour, full ride, and dropped my backpack off at a locker close to my hostel. Afterward, we continued on our schedule to Gingaku-ji, the Silver Temple. We had to take a bus from the station (my first one). The street was covered in vendors, especially many selling yatsuhashi. The hard kind tastes kind of like flavored fortune cookies or waffles. The soft one has a paste filling and a rice flour covering. It comes in many flavors: strawberry, green tea with chocolate, banana with chocolate, sesame, red bean.

Inside the temple, it was rather peaceful. Such a serene atmosphere and there were less tourists. The gardens were covered in moss. A good site to begin with. I definitely want to come back in November though when all the momiji (Japanese maple) are red! We walked a bit along the philosopher’s path, also quite calming before getting lunch on the way back to the bus stop. We ate at an udon place. I had kitsune (fox) udon which had fried pieces of tofu in it, yum. Ayaka pointed out how the broth differs here in Kansai. It’s lighter than in Kanto.

Next stop via train, Fushimi-Inari Taisha (Shrine)! This was on my Japan bucket list! It featured in two of my favorite manga/anime and they actually had posters everywhere for the one. So many people again, but that’s what I get for going during Silver Week. Each tori (gate) can be sponsored, but it’ll cost you about $1500 for the smallest size! I read that turning around at the crossroads point gets you a good view without having to make the whole 2-3 hour hike up. After yesterday, my legs were not ready for anything more. This was already exhausting. The map kinda tricked us in the beginning as it was not too scale at all. Made the distance seem short, but the higher you got the longer it actually was. All the steep stairs up and then back down. Really impressive and amazing to see.

We picked up my luggage from a station and went to check in at my hostel. Ayaka acted as translator again because the family barely spoke any English. Super sweet though! Our reward for the hike today was tea time with matcha (green tea) parfaits! Kyoto is famous for all the matcha parfaits. We first tried to go to Tsujiri tea house which is the most well-known, but it was an hour wait so we went to an imitation café that Ayaka had been to before. The parfaits were amazing. I will continue to dream of it. Sometimes matcha can be too bitter or sweet for me, but this was a perfect blend of tastes and textures. Drooling right now thinking of it.

After tea, we went to Hanami-koji which is old Kyoto where you can find geisha. Really cool to see the old buildings and cobblestones. We didn’t see any Geisha, just a lot of expensive restaurants, $150 meals! Ayaka didn’t feel well so we took a break and sat by the river. Apparently this a big lover’s spot so Ayaka said she had never sat there before. Very pretty and peaceful. We wanted a small dinner since the parfait had filled us up so she recommend a Showa Era chain restaurant. It was super cool! The walls were decorated with posters and flags, and they played the coolest music. It sounded a lot like our WWII and pre-war music, but in Japanese! As ladies, we got free soup and ice cream, yes! Ayaka just ordered some things off the menu as it was huge and of course all in Japanese. My favorite thing was cheese hanpen – deep fried cheese on a stick. Sadly, we had to say our goodbyes with several hugs as she had to catch the train back to Osaka.

I headed off to my hostel which was a close 5 minute walk. I met a Chinese girl who was a Tokyo student and staying in the same room. She spoke great English and Japanese. She was very friendly and shared some peanut brittle snacks from China with me. It was off to bed with me. Two other girls from the Netherlands came in shortly before midnight.