Japan #4: Temples and sushi

As heavy snow fell, I departed Takayama and headed back to Nagoya to catch the Shinkansen onwards to Kyoto.  I'd booked myself into a more traditional style hotel for the last stop on the trip, similar to the ryokan houses that Japan is famous for.  On checking into my room, I was pretty surprised at how basic it was - tatami mats on the floor (no shoes), hardly any furniture, and most importantly - no bed!  I discovered a futon mattress in the cupboard, which would later be rolled out and made up on the floor for me to sleep on.  Despite wanting to get into the traditional way of Japanese living, I hadn't appreciated that this would essentially involve student-style sleeping on the floor, so was pretty glad I hadn't booked these traditional places for the whole trip...

After knocking back a green tea I set off out into the city.  Kyoto is laid out on a grid much like Manhattan or similar, so is pretty easy to navigate.  (That said I did walk three blocks the wrong way with my suitcase in the pouring rain on the way from the station trying to find the hotel).  The place is no less busy than Tokyo, although there seemed to be more tourists around.  Kyoto is Japan's ancient capital and cultural hub, so therefore on most visitor's itineraries.

Ginkaku-ji temple

Day two in Kyoto and it was time to check out some temples, which is one of the main reasons why people visit the city - there are loads of them.   Luckily the rain had passed and the sun was out, so I set off on the bus (an interesting experience in it's own right - no oyster cards here) to Ginkaku-ji, one of Kyoto's premier sights.  It's a pretty impressive temple set in a beautiful garden up on a hill, with great views down over the rest of Kyoto.  The temple itself, which dates from the 1400s, is pretty compact, and made me wonder what they were building in Dubai around the same time.

From there I wandered along the so called 'Path of Philosophy' to Nanzen-ji temple.  Much larger and part of a collection of temples at this particular site, it's a pretty impressive construction.

Nanzen-ji temple

Along with the temples, Kyoto is also famed for the geisha - female Japanese entertainers.  Despite the many misconceptions about geisha, they are performers who practice Japanese arts like classical music or dance.  There are far fewer geisha in Japan compared to around 100 years ago, but one of the best places to see them in Kyoto is Gion.  The district is made up of winding streets and old wooden houses which looked especially beautiful in the dusk light.  I had a good wander around for an hour or so, but there were no geisha to be found, just lots of tourists with cameras.  They are known for being pretty illusive and it seems today was no exception.

Shimbashi street

The food in Kyoto was great too.  That evening I headed to a packed Yo-style sushi restaurant with fully plated conveyor belt, complete with serve-yourself green tea taps.  Some of the plates whizzing past looked pretty dubious (ie very raw), so I tried to stick to the ones that looked vaguely cooked.  With not a word of English spoken and not really knowing the etiquette or the price, it was a fun experience and a pretty good authentic feed.