Day 20 31st October 2015 Kyoto
Yoshimizu Ryokan After a night of slippers on – slippers off as I went on several expeditions to the toilet we woke up to our beautiful room with view of the garden. Out to a lovely simple breakfast where we discovered one of our fellow residents was an artist Mariko Hirasawa. Postcards around the Ryokan showed a delightful crane drawing advertising her exhibition in Kyoto.
We had planned the day around major temples and sites we had found out about and this turned into a walk our legs off kind of a day. After breakfast we set out for stop one the Shinto shrine- Fushimi Inari Taisha.
After finding our way to the right station and the right stop we followed the crowds of visitors and pilgrims up to the shrine. A photographers dream. A Selfie heaven.
While the 1000’s of Tori gates and the abundance of Vermillion are popular the shrine is set on a mountain side with many walks. The beginning of the walk up to the summit is the wonderful walk through the Torii gates.
Returning to the station we could not pass through the many stalls lining the way without a snack. Shared Gyoza and Okonomiyaki a Japanese Pancake / Omelette
We also passed a Chopstick shop – I had decided I wanted a nice pair so I did not have to continue to use the endless disposable little wooden chopsticks. Mistake. Mistake. This was a shop that sold ONLY chopsticks of every shape, size and hue. I am what Gretchen Rubin described, accurately in my case as a Maximizer I was there for a very very long time. I did get a pair and a little cloth bag to wrap them in. A PostNote – we did it all again when a day later Chris decided he too wanted a pair.
As we arrived back at the station I asked whether my Pasmo card had been handed in, having discovered I had lost it somewhere between the station and shrine on the way in. Not found. No replacement possible. Note to self – don’t put too much money on the card.
Next stop the Tofukiji temple and garden
After a long map questioning walk we found the Sanjousebgendo temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon and home to 10001 Buddhas carved in the 12th-ish centuries. Despite the crowds of people it was a peaceful and incredible experience. At the centre of the dark wooden temple displaying the statues you can find Monks issuing stamps and signing Temple passports.
After leaving the temple we headed for the main street in the Higashiyama district the “old town”. Along with the Inari shrine the Higashiyama district seemed filled with girls in rented Geisha outfits. By the time we ventured into the old district many of these young women were suffering the effects of walking in Getas – the traditional wooden shoe
We intended to find a place to eat in Higashiyama but ended up walking out of the district before we found dinner. We kept walking. Getting a little tetchy we finally stumbled upon a treasure – the Beer hall at Komachi
