We left on Thursday, April 2nd. We took the 7:08am Super Hakuto, which is a direct train from Chizu to Kyoto, so its pretty handy. The train trip was just under 3 hours. The cherry blossoms have bloomed this past week, so we enjoyed the scenery along the train tracks.
We arrived in Kyoto Station and put our luggage in a coin locker. Then we were back on the train [the first of many uncomfortably packed public transportation rides] for our first stop, Arashiyama! Arashiyama is most famous for the bamboo forest. It was about a 10 or 15 minute walk from the station, but it was easy to find by just following signs and masses of tourists. We strolled through the forest for a little while, but we didn't spend too much time here because we had plenty of other things on the itinerary. We took the train back to Kyoto Station and ate lunch there, at Subway [sorry].
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| Bamboo Forest |
After lunch we took the subway to Nijo Castle. "Castle" is a bit of a misnomer, as it actually refers to the grounds inside the fortifications, which include gardens and two palaces. Only one palace, Ninomaru, is open to the public. We walked through a very specific route and were not allowed to take photos. Everything was dark inside, so we could barely make out the wall paintings which were being protected by the lighting. The paintings were pretty incredible, though. Also, the floor squeaks loudly like a bird when walked on, which gives it the name "nightingale floor". It was to protect the palace occupants from any intruders. We also walked around the outside of the other palace, Honmaru, and through some of the gardens.
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| Nijo Castle |
Next, we caught the bus to Kinkaku-ji, a Kyoto must-see. It was ridiculously busy there, and we had to fight our way through hoards of people, just to get a view of the golden pavillion. Near the end, we stopped to get fortunes. Yana got excellent, I got very good, and Justin got fairly good.
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| Kinkaku-ji |
Then we got on a very full bus and endured an excruciatingly long ride back to the station. We actually missed our planned train, so we had to take one with a connection. Our hotel was actually in Nara, about 45-50 minutes away from Kyoto. It was a great location, though - right across from the station! We checked in and then went and ordered some pizzas from Pizza Hut! We haven't had real pizza since we arrived, so it was quite the treat. Unfortunately, I was so tired that I couldn't even finish!
The next day we headed out early, on the 7:39am train. Even though we arrived in Kyoto pretty early, there was already a huge lineup for the bus. Luckily the bus came every 10 minutes, and we ended up getting cut off at the front of the line, meaning we were one of the first ones on the next bus and we actually got a seat this time. We got off when the bus told us to, but it took a bit of blindly wandering around before we found the way to Kiyomizu Temple. We walked up the hill towards the temple, nearly getting hit by cars several times. We spent some time exploring the temple, as well as Jishu Shrine, which is one of many shrines within the temple grounds. Jishu is famous for two rocks, and if you walk from one to the other with your eyes closed, it is said you'll have good luck in love. Also, the shrine is related to the same legend of the white rabbit, which is famous here in Tottori.
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| Kiyomizu Temple |
After walking around the temple grounds, we headed towards Maiko Experience Studio Shiki. I had booked a photoshoot for myself. Unfortunately, due to the rain, I couldn't take photos outside, as I had planned, though. The whole experience took nearly 4 hours. I first had to go upstairs and change into kimono underwear. Then I waited for a while before they were ready to do my makeup. The makeup took maybe 15 or 20 minutes. It began with some kind of sticky wax which was rubbed all over my face (lips included). Then I had the whitewash applied, again, all over - in my nose, over my eyebrows, on my lips. Next, the makeup was smoothed out with a bit of powder. Light pink powder was also applied around the eyes and chin. I had my eyebrows re-drawn on, eyeliner, mascara, and red applied to my eyes, and bright red lipstick painted on. At the end of it, I felt like I was wearing a plastic face. Then I got to choose my kimono. I decided on a red and black one, because I liked the pattern. I had to wait for a while, but next I had my wig fitted. I chose to wear a half wig, so some front parts of my hair were heavily waxed, smoothed over the wig, pinned into place, and literally painted black with ink. Also, the wig was ridiculously heavy. The last step was to wait to get dressed. I was wrapped up in about million layers of underclothes and collars, then finally the kimono and obi [sash] - all of it held together with about 10 strips of fabric. Although the back support was nice, it was definitely hard to breathe, move, and sit down. I had to wait for a few minutes, but then I was taken down to have my photos taken. At this point they also brought in Justin and Yana, who got to watch and also take a photo with me. Lastly, I had to go and have everything taken off. I then went back to the changing area, where I had to use about 1/2 a cup of baby oil to get the whitewash and makeup off my face and wash my hair three times to get the ink and wax out. There was a bit of a wait to get my photos, but in the end we left a bit earlier than was planned, so all was good!
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| Maiko Experience |
Our last stop of the day was Miyako Odori, a famous dance put on every year in April by maiko and geiko. We bought special tickets, which allowed us to see a tea ceremony performed by two maiko before the show. We also got to drink green tea and eat a traditional sweet [mochi filled with red bean]. We weren't allowed to take photos during the show itself, which was too bad, because it was amazing and gorgeous. The dancers were incredible - especially so when you consider they do this show four times a day for an entire month.
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| Maiko Tea Ceremony |
After the dance, we walked to a bus stop and took the bus back to the station. We ate dinner at the station and then took the train back to our hotel.
On our last day, we arrived in Kyoto Station in the morning and put our luggage in a coin locker to store for the trip home. We also bought our tickets home and stopped at Starbucks for some breakfast [we don't have any in Tottori yet!]. Then we waited in an even longer line for the bus to Heian Shrine. The entrance to the shrine is marked by one of the largest torii gates in Japan. The shrine itself is based on the architecture of an ancient Kyoto palace. Its also a popular place for weddings, and there was one being held when we arrived. We were a bit short on time, so unfortunately we didn't go into the gardens.
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| Heian Shrine |
We were going to take the bus to Nanzen-ji, but a helpful lady told us that we could walk there faster. It was a stroke of luck, really, as we ended up walking along the most beautiful path of cherry blossom trees. When we got to Nanzen-ji, we paid 500 yen to climb to the top of Sanmon, the big gate, but my fear of heights kicked in, so Justin and Yana went alone. Afterwards, we wandered around the grounds until we found the aqueduct. The aqueduct is pretty neat, but really looks a bit odd in the middle of the temple grounds.
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| Nanzen-ji Aqueduct |
Next we headed from Nanzen-ji along the Philosopher's Walk [with a stop for crepes along the way]. The walk follows a canal lined by tons of cherry blossom trees. It was really gorgeous. We didn't walk the whole path, but instead stopped to visit Honen-in. Honen-in is a very serene temple, hidden away in the woods. It really felt like another world.
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| Honen-in |
After Honen-in, we walked back to a bus stop and rode the bus back to Kyoto Station. We had some time, so we looked through some souvenir shops and ate dinner at a katsu restaurant in the station. And then we took the train back home to Chizu!
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