Japan Part 1: Kyoto

I finally made it to Japan. I really wanted to go to Japan last year during winter break but it ended up not happening. I really wanted to go with another person or a group, but my schedule is a little different than a lot of the other ETAs because the bulk of my vacation time is when most of them are going back to school to desk warm. And, I didn't really feel that comfortable going solo. I was just starting to feel really comfortable traveling around Korea by myself, and I can (sorta) speak the language. I wasn't so sure about going to another country where I didn't speak the language at all. Though it ended up not being as difficult as I had originally thought.

This year I was determined to go. I'm not missing out on my last opportunity to go where it's only a two-hour flight and barely 200 dollars for a round trip ticket, including taxes and fees. What I didn't know was going to happen when I bought the tickets, was the Coronavirus, or Corvid-19, outbreak. The virus started to become a problem while I was in Busan, but it hadn't really come to Korea. There were only one or two cases, and they were only at the airport. So when it came time to go to Japan, only a week later, there was a lot of nervousness going on. But this was not something I was going to miss.

I stayed in Seoul the night before since it was a morning flight. While I was there, I actually went and saw another comedy show, like the one I saw back in October. It wasn't quite as good, but I enjoyed it, and it was a good way to spend the evening.

The next morning, I got up and went to the airport. It wasn't too difficult to go, and I was also flying out the Gimpo, which is the smaller of the two airports in the north, so that was good. The flight was short, and before I knew it, I was in Japan. Kansai Airport to be exact. I made my plan to have the first half of my trip in Kyoto, which is a more traditional city, known for its temples and shrines and lots of culture, which I was really into, then the second half of my trip to be in Osaka, a more modern city with a touch of the traditional. I know, I know, 'why did you go to Tokyo?' Well, the truth is, I'm just not that much of a city person. I'll go back one day with another person and we can go to Tokyo, but for now, I was perfectly happy just going to these smaller cities.

Kyoto- Day 1
Once I arrived in Japan, got my phone data all figured out, and made my way to Kyoto from Osaka, I still had a few hours before I could check into my hostel, so I hung out at Kyoto Station (which is huge), and then decided to go to Kyoto tower and a temple that were both just across the street from the station. The tower was pretty cool to be the first thing I check out in the city because it gave me a panoramic view of everything I was going to see in the next several days.

The Hostel I stayed at was fantastic and the man who owns it is super nice. It really seemed like he really cared about the place and he was really easy to talk to. He even rented me a bike on my third day of exploring for much cheaper than the places nearby.

Day 2
My plan, the whole time I was on vacation, was to not waste the day away. I knew I was going to get to sleep and relax plenty when I got home, so I got up at the same time as I do for school the whole time I was there. Besides, most of the places I wanted to go seemed to all close at 5pm so I had to try and get as much as I could get in, in the time that I had.

My first stop was Nijo Castle, which had a lot of history, as it was an imperial palace for a while. and inside was also Ninomaru, home of the Nightengale floors. They were named this by the sound that they make when you step on them.   This place was a significant place in Japanese history.

After Nijo, I went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which was much more expansive, and included several more buildings. This was the home of the Emperor when Kyoto was the capital, and until recently, was the sight of each emperor's coronation. Even in the middle of winter, the garden in this area was so beautiful.

After a quick break for lunch (and my legs), I headed to the Heian Shrine. This is a famous shrine that was built for the anniversary of moving the capital of Japan from Nara to Kyoto and is recognized by the massive red tori gate.

Nearby, there were several other temples and shrines located in and around Okazaki Park and Maruyama Park. Each of these was relatively small, but what I found significant about these and a lot of the temples that I visited is that they are actually still active. One that I visited was actually holding service as I was walking by.

By this point, most of the cultural places were closing, so I walked around some shopping areas like Hanamikoji Dori, Pontocho Alley, and Shinkyogoku Shopping Street.

Day three
Today actually started a little late because I actually had signed up for a class and tour at a local Ninja and Samurai Museum. I got to throw ninja stars, try on a samurai outfit, watch a samurai demonstration and learn a bunch about their history.

After this, I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. This is probably one of the most recognizable places in the city because of the lines of orange gates going up the mountain. I actually walked most of the way up the mountain but decided to turn back because I wanted to get to some other places before they closed, and I knew I was going to be climbing up a mountain the next day as well. But it was beautiful all the way up.

Next, I went to the Kyoto National Museum briefly. They had a lot of the history of the city but also had a lot on Buddhism in Japan, with a whole room dedicated to Buddhas.

The last place, which was probably one of the more beautiful natural places I visited was Ginkaku-ji. This is also called the Temple of the Silver Pavillion. I didn't have much time there, as they were just closing when I left, but it was small and beautiful and I'm glad I went.

Day four
This was my last day to really tour Kyoto, so I decided to bike everywhere today. That seemed like a good idea until I really got started. I'm not sure why I chose to bike on the day that I was going the furthest away.

My first stop was Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. And it was really golden. I walked around the temple for a bit but then I moved on. When I left this temple, I actually was really happy to have the bike because most of the roads between where I was and my next few stops were downhill. That was fun.

On my way to Arashiyama, I went by Ryoan-ji temple which is famous for its zen rock garden. There are several larger rocks and no matter what angle you look at the garden, it is arranged in a way that there is always one rock out of sight.

The Arashiyama area was something I was really looking forward to. There was the bamboo grove, which was pretty, but I was really excited about the Monkey park.

The Arashiyama monkey park is up the side of a mountain where wild monkeys roam free without cages and are cared for by the park workers.  It's about a 20-minute hike up to the main area, and you are given a card you can read on the way with the rules of the park. You can't look directly into the monkeys' eyes, get within 2 meters (it's okay if they come to you), pet them, feed them, or squat to take pictures. Apparently, they would think a lot of these things are acts of aggression. They did have an indoor area where you could indirectly feed them through the safety of some fencing.

When I got up there, I made it just in time for the feeding frenzy. It truly was a frenzy. It was really cool to watch. When I finally turned around, the view from the park was also so beautiful, it made it okay that I didn't get all the way to the top the day before.

Leaving the park wasn't the last thing to do that day, though. I did go to one more temple in the area, then I rode the bike all the way to the other side of town to watch a nonverbal comedy show, called Gear. It was actually phenomenal. I enjoyed it so much and unlike the ones I've seen in Korea, this actually was completely nonverbal.

By this time, I was exhausted, and after getting something to eat, I went back to my hostel to get ready to go to Osaka the next day and look thought the multitude of pictures I had taken over the last few days.