From Fukuoka’s Hakata Station, we took a Shinkansen train to Kyoto. It traveled the 661-kilometer distance in 2 hours and 14 minutes. Meanwhile, Bah and Mah flew from Taiwan into Kaisai Airport, and then took a hour-long train to meet up with us. Thus began our 3-day visit in Kyoto.
Kyoto’s Top Attractions
Hong and I had been to Kyoto 14 years ago. Bah, too, like 45 years ago. We kinda had to hit up these top tourist attractions, though it’s not like any of them changed much for a new experience. It was interesting to see what Mah and the kids had to say about them though.
The first was Kiomizudera. The view was nice and the crowd was energizing. I had most fun watching Ting going for these experiences that most of us in the family wouldn’t. Both the metal staff and the wooden bowl striker were way too heavy for her to pick up, but it was hilarious to try.
Day 2 was spent in Arashiyama, famous for the bamboo grove and the Togetsukyo Bridge over the Katsura River. This place was scenic as ever but would be more enjoyable if it were 10 degrees Celsius cooler.
Then on our third day, we did a short hike at Fushimi Inari Taisho. I found this site the most fun, perhaps because the trees and the endless toriis provided plenty of shade. Of all things Kyoto, I wouldn’t mind coming back here again. Perhaps one day I could hike the whole way up Mount Inari instead of turning around after 1/4 of the way.
Gion, Kamo River, and Kiyamachi-dori
Kyoto’s status as a romantic historic capital is heavily preserved in these districts on the east side of the city. Like most “storied neighborhoods” around the world, this area is now a major tourist attraction full of souvenir shops, eateries, and ice cream vendors. For what it’s worth, the most well-known store here is a Starbucks.
Despite the hostile weather, I really enjoyed walking around in these districts. Gion was great for people watch, with the most amusing being the subset of tourists dressed in poorly fitted wafufu. Kiyamachi-dori was lined with restaurants and bars, and we got to witness several groups of partygoers (still) having fun at 6am.
Sagano Romantic Train
In researching things to do in Arashiyama that did not require extensive outdoor walking, I came across this tourist train converted from an old-school cargo railway. That was something new! We managed to snatch six tickets ahead of time before everything sold out.
We initially learned about this train as something based in central Arashiyama that went to and from the river valley to the west. Instead of doing that, we opted to ride an JR train all the west to a small place called Kameoka, and take the Sagano Romantic Train one-way into Arashiyama. A small walk was necessitated to transfer between the trains at Kameoka, and we got to see some legit rice fields along the way. That view was among my favorite on this entire trip.
The train was equipped with wooden benches and no AC. It came with a tour guide that talked intensely the whole half-hour trip. He sang a folk song at some point, too. I believe that fewer than half of the passengers knew Japanese so it was a shame that the narration mostly fell to deaf ears. It was also a bit puzzling that they sent a human being to do this live multiple times a day, instead of relying on an audio recording.
The train ran along a small river, among a lot of trees, through some tunnels, and over some bridges. The view on a summer day was almost a surprise because photos on its official website were mostly of spring and autumn scenery, and a little bit of winter.
Soup Tofu for Lunch
Most meals that we had in Kyoto were not exactly special. One exception was a small yudofu restaurant in Arashiyama. Yudofu, large chunks of tofu boiled in light broth, was a local Buddhist monk specialty. It was excellent to try something (mostly) vegetarian and culturally Japanese. We all enjoyed the simple yet satisfying flavors on light and clean ingredients. Though it felt rather pricey for a small quantity of some basic foods.
Fun Stores: Pokemon, Nintendo, and Disney
Right along Shijo where our hotel was located, there were a bunch of fun stores. We weren’t terribly into these cartoon and game characters, but it was still neat to see the highly dedicated theme stores.
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