Kyoto, Japan -October 2007

I was surprised to find that there was no hint of the speed we were traveling once we were on the shankisan. It didn’t feel any faster than Amtrak, but I know it was. The train was comfortable and gave me time to read up on Kyoto and do some serious people watching.

I was surprised at how incredibly fashionable everyone is in Japan. All the women looked like they belonged in a fashion magazine and even the men were well dressed with great shoes. Perhaps it was the lack of flip flops (which abound in Thailand) and Birkenstocks (which popped up everywhere in Oregon) which gave me this impression. The train speeds through some interesting but very suburban areas of Japan giving me plenty of time for watching and reading.

We arrived late afternoon then settled into the Ryokan Kyoraku where we would spend the next three nights. It was good to have one location for a few days. We ended up in Western beds with our own bathroom because the traditional rooms were full but the place was nice and the folks very friendly. It is a newer ryokan in the Welcome Inns listing (which is probably why they had a vacancy when no one else did) close to the Kyoto JR station.

We saw the city on bikes the first day, subway the second day and on the morning of the third we squeezed in a few more sites before we left for Nara. I think we could have spent a week here and still not seen everything.

Here are the things we saw:

• Kyoto Train Station: Opened in 1997, this place was highly underrated in our books. You can take escalators all the way to the 15^th floor observation level. Inside a building an escalator to the 15^th floor isn’t that big of a deal. But this is an outdoor atrium and it was lovely at night.
• Kiyomizu Temple: This temple is not for anyone with a fear of crowds! It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was full of tourists from Japan and beyond. The grounds have some spots which are a little off the beaten track if your agoraphobia kicks in somewhere around the “love stone.”
• Kennin-Ji:The oldest Zen temple in Kyoto was one of my favorite places in the city. You have to abandon your shoes at the entrance and pad your way through many lovely little rooms, over rock gardens and through moss gardens (they provide you with little rubber clogs for this part of the journey). This place was so peaceful and lovely. Be sure to check out the dragon paintings on the ceiling created for the temple’s 800^th anniversary.
• The old streets around Gion Corner. This is a good place particularly if you’re traveling with an architect or anyone interested in traditional Japanese arts. I think there are approximately 200 photos of this street on my husband’s computer now.
• Nishijin TextileCenter: This place was a tourist trap. I expected a museum but it’s really exhibits surrounding salespeople. I wouldn’t have wasted my time if I’d known.
• Kinkaku-ji: The golden pavilion is picture perfect and full of about 1000 Japanese school children on any given day. This is one of the “must sees” in Kyoto and when you’re there you do see everyone.
• Ryoan-ji: This is a temple famed for its rock garden. It was lovely and (when we were there) full of fat American tourists with a fascination for the inane. We overheard one guy asking his tour guide what this car with writing on the side was. Her answer, “That’s a taxi.” Wear ear plugs and try to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
• Konchin Temple: We didn’t get to see much of this except for the aqueducts. The place was lovely but be careful on the slippery gravel walkway path when going downhill. Particularly when you’re tired. I’ll heal.
• Nijo Castle: This place was interesting to visit but, honestly, the best part was the “nightingale floors” which the Shogun had installed to protect him from sneak attacks. We expected the floors to creak or squeak like the wooden floors in our old New York City apartment but instead it was like hearing tiny birds chirp at every step.
• Area around the Museum of Modern Art: There is a tiny park near the Museum with art installations that was very quirky and fun. Everyone needs to have seen a 10 foot long duck made out of tissue paper complete with fairy wings and buxom breasts at least once in their life.
• Covered markets in the Nishiki area: Shopping and food. A great place to people watch. Be sure to try the Takoyaki if you eat octopus.

and the places we ate:

• Kane-yo: This place is listed in the Lonely Planet so I feared a tourist Mecca. Instead, we found a local tea house frequented by mainly older Japanese couple serving only delicious grilled unagi (eel) on rice. This place is highly recommended for all those unagi lovers out there! Alas, the barrels of live eels were gone.
• Misoka-An Kawamichiya: These folks have been making noodles for 300 years. I think they may have figured out how to do it right by now... Delicious! Had some fantastic sake here too.
• We stopped at a little cafe in the Gion area because a lady outside lured us in with a free sample of sweet Yatsuhashi (which were delicious!). The food was good and the price wasn’t bad but I didn’t catch the name.