For my third Sunday in Japan, I took a day trip to Kyoto with three other undergraduate students in my lab. The best part about living in Osaka is its proximity to local cultural hotspots; Kyoto is a cheap, 40 minute train ride away from where I live.
Many of our destinations on this trip are planned for my November visits to the city, when the leaves change color. Regardless, the sights were still very picturesque, and we had an extremely enjoyable day overall.
After an hour-long trip involving a train transfer and a subway transfer, we arrived at Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo), which was the residence for the Tokugawa Shoguns in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Outer moat of Nijo Castle
The Kyoto Exploration Crew
The lavish Karamon main gate to the interior castle grounds
Ninomaru Palace, where the Shoguns took care of their shogun business (no photos allowed inside!)
Ninomaru Palace Garden
Looking out over the grounds from a spot along the castle walls
Afterwards, we took the subway to Kyoto Station, where we had lunch on one of the upper floors. Delicious tempura, even if it was a little expensive! The actual layout of the station is very impressive, as giant open-air stairs and escalators cut through the center of the 14-story building. I didn't get any pictures this time around, but maybe next time!
After lunch, we started walking towards the historical Higashiyama district, but before we arrived there, we stopped by a small traditional-looking house for a lesson on wagashi-making (traditional Japanese sweets, especially popular in Kyoto). Our particular set of sweets that we made were essentially small balls of sweet red bean paste enveloped by colorful sweet dough. We made 3 different kinds: one shaped like a flower, one shaped like a colorful maple leaf, and one resembling a little ball of pine needles.
Our instructor was a really nice old man who has been making these sweets for almost 40 years. His expertise was clearly visible; the speed and accuracy with which he worked looked like magic! It took us a solid hour to get through the lesson, but it was ridiculously fun and the results were worth it. Afterwards we enjoyed the extra "flower" we made with some homemade matcha tea.
Enjoying our handcrafted sweets with some bowls of concentrated matcha tea
The technique seemed difficult, but in the end we all felt like master sweets-crafters!
With bags of sweets in hand, we continued to climb up the eastern slopes of Kyoto city towards the historical district. Midway up the mountain, we finally arrived at Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu-dera), a large Buddhist temple dating back to the 8th century (although the present buildings were constructed in the 17th century). Since it was a holiday weekend, the place was extremely crowded with local tourists. Nevertheless, we were able to enjoy the awesome architecture and views!
The temple is most famous for its large wooden balcony with a beautiful view of Kyoto city and the nearby wooded slopes. The entire structure is built out of wood, and not a single nail was used in its construction! For a temple of that size, it really felt impressive!
The temple is most famous for its large wooden balcony with a beautiful view of Kyoto city and the nearby wooded slopes. The entire structure is built out of wood, and not a single nail was used in its construction! For a temple of that size, it really felt impressive!
The entrance gates to Kiyomizu temple
One of the many beautifully decorated temple structures
Kiyomizu's famous balcony (packed to the brim with tourists) overlooking Kyoto city
Catching glimpses of the temple through trees while exploring the temple grounds
As the sun set, we descended from the temple and strolled through the historical Higashiyama district. It was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists, so at one point we ducked out of the crowd to take a break and enjoy some local matcha ice cream!
In the last rays of the sun, we walked through Yasaka shrine (Yasaka-jinja), one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Kyoto. It's composed of multiples buildings and a multitude of smaller shrines connected by paths and surrounded by trees, which almost made it feel like a little "shrine park".
Finally, we ended the day by returning through the Gion district, famous for its Geisha performances. The area is also a huge center for restaurants and souvenir shops, and is home to the "Udon Museum", a restaurant which has a unique type of udon for nearly every prefecture in Japan. We chose this as our dinner spot and had two small bowls of udon each. I tried their Osaka and Aichi udon, which were both pretty adventurous for me. The Aichi udon had a small clump of dried fish flakes, and the signature ingredient of the Osaka udon was beef intestine. Nevertheless, I finished both of my bowls and even considered them somewhat tasty!
In the last rays of the sun, we walked through Yasaka shrine (Yasaka-jinja), one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Kyoto. It's composed of multiples buildings and a multitude of smaller shrines connected by paths and surrounded by trees, which almost made it feel like a little "shrine park".
Finally, we ended the day by returning through the Gion district, famous for its Geisha performances. The area is also a huge center for restaurants and souvenir shops, and is home to the "Udon Museum", a restaurant which has a unique type of udon for nearly every prefecture in Japan. We chose this as our dinner spot and had two small bowls of udon each. I tried their Osaka and Aichi udon, which were both pretty adventurous for me. The Aichi udon had a small clump of dried fish flakes, and the signature ingredient of the Osaka udon was beef intestine. Nevertheless, I finished both of my bowls and even considered them somewhat tasty!
Walking through the busy Higashiyama district
Buildings of the Yasaka shrine under an emerging moon
A delicious end to a successful adventure through Kyoto!
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