Day 10 and travel to Kyoto

 

Day 10 and Travel to Kyoto

Lots of exciting options at breakfast today and I went all out. I had hot tofu, pickled prawns, marlin wrapped in seaweed, followed by pancakes with maple syrup, all washed down with a lovely drink of mustard seed, spinach & pineapple juice. I expected my stomach to rebel but it was all ok.

Taxi at the door whisked us off to Kanazawa train station where we would catch a fast train to Tsuruga and then transferred to the limited express Thunderbird train to Kyoto. The trip was super smooth and fast. Kyoto is a super modern city but on the taxi ride to the hotel we saw at least one enormous temple compound that seemed to cover a whole city block. No doubt we will get a chance to visit on the guided tour.

Our hotel in Kyoto is very modern. As you arrive two enormous red doors slide open and you see out into a massive walled garden. We were too early to check in so we left our luggage and set off to explore. We walked down to the river that runs behind the hotel then crossed back to the main street and grabbed a sandwich and drink to take across to the park. Across the road from the hotel in the forecourt of the Kyoto City Hall there was a big commotion with lots of tent stalls and food trucks etc. Of course we went over to see what was happening. Apparently it was the 2026 Czech product festival… glassware, cars, beer etc. A bit random, but everyone was enjoying themselves and we were happy to join in.

Then on what can only be called a perfect sunny day, we headed towards a central market area, that ended up being as big as the whole of Melborne CBD! We expected a cool day of 21C degrees and dressed appropriately, but it turned out  a 26C day. There were all sorts of fabulous specialist shops, food shops, clothes shops,  shrines, etc etc. at one of these temples, there was an enourmous bell and hammer. A man was offering a prayer and ended by hauling back the hammer and giving the bell and almighty ring. Of course as in eevery Japanese city so far there is no shortage of the weird and wonderful. Today we passed a place where you can go upstairs to a place set up to look like a forest and you can pet captured owls. Sounds a bit mad, but there you are. Then of course there were two greyhounds being led about by their owner, but they were dressed in jackets and had colour matched crash helmets. Then of course there was the bottle shop where for next to nothing you could buy, in a handy half gallon platic container, 37% proof vodka or whiskey. Hmmmm.  

As in other cities, in Kyoto there were several kimono making establishments. one in the window cost a mere $130,000. We spent the next nearly three hours there. It was a terrific introduction to the city. Towards the end, we found a specialist doughnut shop and recharged with doughnuts and iced coffee. It was also a chance to rest and make some plans for dinner. I tried to find some tempura as Johnny missed out on having some in Kanazawa. Not only did I find a highly recommended one, but it was close to the hotel and I managed to make an online booking. Lets see how we go.

I have to tell you about Liz. She is the English lady leading her sister and their two deaf friends on a Japanese tour. We met them in Tokyo on the Mt Fuji trip. Then we met them at the railway station. Then we saw them as we lined up for the day trip from Kanazawa. Today they were there on the same train, and even though we went our own way, they were there again during the market wander. I’m starting to think they are stalking us. We may meet again on the Kyoto & Nara tour tomorrow.

There has been a torrent of photos and messages from Britt and the kiddos. Those kids are having an amazing time.. Bounce in the morning, followed by café lunch and tie dying workshop to finish off the afternoon. God knows how she is keeping it up.

Dinner was an experience. When we arrived, a smiling young woman asked us if we had a booking. She looked ready to say that they were full. Booking ahead is certainly the way to go in Japan. It was a 10 course tempura degustation. It was a shock when we arrived. We were asked where we had come from and suddenly the whole wait and kitchen staff shouted "Welcome to the Australians". This is what they do apparently. Every course came with explanations. Even the final course, a dessert of vanilla ice cream over sweet potato, was a tempura dish.  The food tasted very nice. By the end we were so full! The staff sent us off into the night with another group shout, and an Ipad printed of us. It was an experience. 

Day 9 Kanazawa and Shirakawa-Go

 

Day 9 Kanazawa and Shirakawa-Go

We woke to a glorious sunny day. The locals warned us that that this area gets heavy rain and this week of sunny weather is unusual. Breakfast was a banquet that extended over four rooms. The staff were very solicitous of us escorting and explaining endlessly. Honestly, if you couldn’t find something the tickled your taste buds then you were probably just being awkward. All tastes, Asian and European were catered for.

The solicitous attention extended to the taxi driver, who on hearing us comment about the weather, downloaded a local weather report  and passed her phone back to us. She knew exactly where to drop us off. That was the end of the smooth passage, as the tour companies all took their tour passengers from the same place and there was mass confusion as to which bus to get on. No-one would answer a question unless you stood in a long line, then you would find that you had to go to some other line. This went on and on, till finally we boaded bus 11 with a cheerful young man that was our tour guide. We were much luckier than Liz and her family who had their tour cancelled without any warning.

The trip out to the UNESCO heritage village was wonderfully smooth. We drove through an area known for its high rice production and the landscape was incredibly green. Up on the hills we could just see some of the autumn colours coming through in the distance. In a couple of weeks, those hills will be ablaze with yellow and red.

The village is still a working place with 120 homes. Each one was carefully preserved. Even the thatched roofs were maintained. We saw photos of midwinter here and the houses are almost totally swallowed up by snow. The whole village was soon swamped with tourists as this was a three day holiday for the locals. We had arrived by 9 so we had got a long walk in before  the car park filled and the shops had opened by 10. Still, when we went to get a bit of food at 11, the lines were very long. I got a stick of freshly BBQd wagyu beef and then we bought a Japanese potato cake to have on the bus during the return trip. Johnny is a creature of habit and  couldn't stop looking for a coffee and cake place. We felt sorry for the cars that arrived at the village after us and after an hour and a half drive, had another hour’s wait to get into the crowded car park.

The returning bus dropped us off an hour and a half later near the castle in Kanazawa. Rather than going straight in, we got some ice creams and headed into the Geisha district. On the way over, next to the river, we diverted to walk through the cluster of tea houses that lined the river walk and the nearby streets. The geisha district was so interesting. The whole little enclave of houses, shops and temples had been preserved. The locals have a strange but lovely tradition. Some couples come down to the kimono rental shops, select their kimonos and undertake the walking tour in costume. It’s so nice. We took a winding route through the laneways, eventually ending up at the street that led us over the bridge and back to the castle. Again, the area was heavy with tourist traffic. On the way back the castle we passed a vast specialist confectioner. This was the sort of place that makes Johnny's heart flutter. They even had a museum that included all the moulds they had used since the Edo dynasty. Only Johnny could think this was astonishing and wondrful.

Even though the feet were throbbing by this time, there was still more to see so we walked back over the bridge to the castle precinct. This covered an enormous area and consisted of many buildings. There was a massive restoration program in place to rebuild one of the major palace buildings that had come down during an earthquake.

While our plan was to then go through the magnificent Kenroku-en garden opposite the castle, there was just no more fuel left in the tank and we headed back to the hotel for a rest and a call home, before setting out for dinner.

After last night we thought we would be super organised. We went out early. We knew where we were going and what we wanted to order. Can you believe it. They were booked out. Bloody public holiday! We tried several others nearby and they were either booked out or just closing. This time, we had some idea about other options so we found a sprawing basement place, and they had a table! We ordered two steaming bowls of ramen and they tasted delicious. Beer was the perfect accompanyment. Then it was back to the hotel to pack for an early start tomorrow. We are off to Kyoto by train, with a change of trains from shinkansen to Limired Express Thunderbird at Tsuruga.