Day 5 - Kyoto - Tempura on sticks

W: Slept in until 6.30 am, amazing but we were both shattered from Saturday. Futon is very firm but good. Buckwheat pillows seem to be very good for the neck which has been an irritation for weeks.

As we were up so early we seized the opportunity to visit Kiyomizudera (pure water temple) before the tour buses set in. It was the best way too as it was almost deserted.

It rained all day today.


T: The temple looked quite magical in the drizzly morning light, you could barely see Kyoto in the distance. We walked around the temple and down a mossy path, then back up to the main temple hall and bought some postcards. Also in the Kiyomizudera compound is a shrine Jishu-jinja dedicated to the god of love and "good matches". The God's messenger is a rabbit and there were several rabbit statues around the shrine including a very large fluffy white bunny.

Headed back down the laneways lined with souvenir shops and past a traditional sweet shop where we're offered samples of sweet potato confectionery - they taste like sweet uncooked ravioli. I don't think we'll buy any, but it was very nice of them to offer. Walked into town through the traditional cobbled backstreets, past Yasaka-jinja, to Starbucks for coffee. I'd never been to a Starbucks until we got to Japan.

Wayne recommended the Americano as closest thing to a long black, so we rocked up to the counter and asked in our best Japanese for amerikano futatsu kudasai. Did we want a short one? Hai. And did we want it hot? Hai. So I'll know what to ask for next time. Went down the main street and found the big Takashimaya department store which was about to open. This will be fun. We saw a few Japanese department stores in Hong Kong, but I was waiting for the real thing.

We find our way to the basement food hall which is, as expected, amazing. Spend some time looking at the weird and wonderful, then as we're feeling a bit peckish we decide to buy something to take away and eat. Spot a tempura stand selling individual bits of vegie tempura - on sticks for easy eating. How Japanese. Buy a few different sorts by pointing because I can't remember any of the Japanese words for the vegetables, but we get potato, sweet potato, eggplant and pumpkin. The sales lady is especially friendly and helpful and offers some free dipping sauce.

W: Continued down Shijo-dori, the main shopping strip to Daimaru (memories of the old store in Melbourne). Bought the first of many Japanese souvenirs, plus some wonderful rubber stamps of dogs. Next year is Year of the Dog so these are for making new year cards.

I found a basement CD shop and commenced my education in the Japanese filing system (based on Japanese kana alphabet and "sounds" of artists: eg., Carpenters and Kameda would be filed in a similar spot). Found a Fantastic Plastic Machine which I will probably buy before leaving Kyoto.

T: Explored the Teramachi arcades with lots of little shops, before stopping for lunch at the Sunshine Cafe which we'd spotted last night. We each had a different vegetarian teishoku (lunch set). I thought Wayne's looked better than mine.

After lunch we wandered some more through the arcades. We tried to find a Japanese confectionery store Wayne had spotted last night but couldn't find it (in fact we never saw it again despite looking several times). Bought a great Japanese language guide at Kinokuniya bookstore so now we can ask for vegie tempura without pointing.

Steady rain now, but we walked back down Shijo-dori to Karasuma-dori, then headed towards Kyoto Station. Bicycles everywhere... one woman cycles past with two kids - one on the front, one on the back - two shopping bags and holding an umbrella.

W: On the way to the station we passed Higashi Hongan-ji. There are two vast halls, although one is being rebuilt and is enclosed in an enormous tin shed. We took off our shoes and went in the other which smelt beautifully, rather intoxicatingly, of incense and cedarwood.

Then to The Gap and Kintetsu department store where we again hit the food halls to look for a snack. Almost bought some yuba wrapped vegetable rolls until the serving ladies told us that you had to boil them. Sumimasens from us and much giggling behind hands from them.

Then to Isetan department store in Kyoto station. Decided we'd buy some goodies to take back to Hanakiya for dinner: agedashi dofu, spinach, braised root vegetables, seaweed, beans and rice. Got an umeboshi onigiri to snack on now, made fresh while we waited. The ladies in the food halls are so friendly and helpful.

Got a maple choc scone, then coffee at Starbucks and popped into another CD shop before the long walk back to Hanakiya. Although it was brand new, my umbrella had collapsed so bought another one at a Y100 shop (which is still going strong!).

Night in with our store bought goodies for dinner and TV with crazy Japanese game shows.

Next > Day 6 - Kyoto - Nightingale floors