The Road Less Traveled

I got up around 8:30, sat down in the common room to breakfast, and chatted with a man from Singapore who was taking his family to Nara. I took the bus directly to Kyoto Station, this time taking a different bus and passing some new temples along the way. I got on the 11:20 train again towards Nara, but this time I would get off halfway at Uji.

I walked through three different cars looking for a completely empty seat, and instead I ran into the couple I’d seen at Higashi Hongan! They recognized me and invited me to sit down with them. It was nice having familiar face to chat with, even if only for 20 minutes. I got off the train and went to the tourist center, where a worker gave me an English-language map and highlighted a recommended walking route and sights for me.

Uji was a breath of fresh air. Pastoral, tranquil, and small, more so than Nara in my opinion. I walked down a narrow passage of shops and restaurants. The food was starting to look good, and it was nearly lunchtime. I ended up in a restaurant where I could see a man making green tea soba noodles by hand. I stared at the pictures on the menu for several minutes before settling on a simple green tea soba plate. The soba was cooked and served on a bamboo mat, similar to the kind used to roll sushi but round (to fit in the bowl) instead of rectangular. On the tray was also a small cup. The lid of the cup held a small egg (quail, perhaps?), green onion, and wasabi. Following the lead of the nearby diners, I lifted the lid, poured everything into the cold liquid below (miso or fish broth, I’m not sure), and mixed it up. I then picked up the noodles with my chopsticks, dipped them in the liquid, and ate. Simple but delicious!!! At the end of the meal, a server poured hot water into the remaining liquid so I could drink it as a soup. All of that cost 800 yen, and it was worth it.

After I lunch, I paid the 600 yen to enter the Byodin Temple. I walked around the grounds and took pictures outside the Phoenix Hall rather than paying the extra 300 yen to enter. My ticket included admission to the Byodin Museum, a glass and stone building that was home to an exhibit on the restoration of Phoenix Hall and a collection of statues depicting “Bodhisattvas on Clouds”.

After the temple, I walked along the Uji River. There were food and tea shops on the trail (if I had realized how special Uji tea was, I would have stopped and tried some), and boats floating by slowly. I walked to the stone pagoda, crossed a bridge, walked up to Eshinn temple and then to Ugami Shrine. My words, however, can’t do justice to the natural beauty and serenity of the surroundings. I thought I’d never want to leave. All good things must end eventually, though. I headed down the hill, across the wooden bridge (which is actually reinforced now with concrete), and back to the JR train station.

Afternoon in Kyoto

I caught a local train to Kyoto instead of an express train. This time, nothing seemed familiar when I got off the train. It took me a while to find my way to the usual train station exit. To build up my energy for the afternoon round of sightseeing, I decided to stop for 4:00 coffee and cake at Café Veloce, a bustling coffee shop next to the central post office. I then went back into the train station and, per the instructions at the tourist center on the second floor, took the elevator inside the adjacent department store to the 9th floor for the tourist center for foreigners. I got directions to Kiyomizudera temple, a building strongly recommended by the man from Singapore and Manami and Koichi because it is set in the hills and has a great view of the city.

I hopped on bus 206 and got off at the Gojozaka bus stop. I walked 1 kilometer up a steep and narrow hill with all the other tourists. I agree the pagoda complex and its hillside view were breathtaking, but I was too cheap to pay the 300 yen entrance fee. I took pictures of what I could outside the entrance and found a quiet place slightly downhill to write my journal.

I walked back downhill past souvenir shops hawking silk, jade, pickles, tea and more. I ended up once again walking through the Gion district, but again I didn’t see any geisha. Oh well. I reached the main shopping area, and decided to go up to the “Bistro” floors of the Hankyu department store because I was trying to conserve cash and was desperate to pay for something with a credit card. A very American approach I know, but I couldn’t help it. There were several restaurant to choose from. I immediately ruled out the Italian food at “Miami Garden” and the dim sum at the Hong Kong restaurant (I’d be eating Hong Kong food soon enough). I settled on a restaurant serving different kinds of omurice (cooked rice with a thin omelette wrapped around it). For about $14 I got a “dream set” (combo): omurice with ketchup, salmon salad, and “ice tea” (tea with ice cream in it). I know it was expensive, but each course was delicious.

I headed to the bus stop to get home. When the bus came though, it was very crowded. I decided to wait for the next one. I walked on towards the next stop, and ended up finding a shopping arcade (covered shopping walkway) I hadn’t seen before. The Shinkyogoku Arcade had several stylish clothing stores, restaurants, a movie theater, a bookstore, and souvenir shops. I was glad I had missed that bus.

I got up in the morning, had the free guesthouse coffee and a granola bar I’d brought from home, and got ready to go out. Kazo asked where I was going; I said Daitokuji temple (near the guesthouse), Shimogamo Shrine (recommended by Junko), then on the train to Nara. Instead, Kazo suggested I visit Nijo Castle, which is on the way to Kyoto Station. I took his advice and was happy I did. The castle had rooms where feudal lords were received by the shogun. The grounds were lovely, too. After Nijo, I got on the bus to Kyoto Station. On the way, we passed a great big building that looked like a temple or shrine. At Kyoto Station, I got off the bus and walked back towards that building. It turned out to be the Higashi Hongan-ji, a shrine which is the headquarters of the Otani branch of Buddhism. Even half- covered by aluminum during its restoration and renovation, it was the most peaceful and spiritual temple I visited on the trip.

I finally left around 11:00 a.m. and headed to the station to go to Nara. On the way, I stopped to by my first bento box (lunch box that comes in a cardboard box). For 800 yen (less than $8) I got cooked salmon, egg, shrimp tempura, 3 salads/pickles, 2 kinds of rice, and dessert. Although I probably could have eaten for less in a restaurant, I was happy to get so much variety and the convenience of portability for the price.

Nara

The express train to Nara only took 45 minutes, and the ride was free with my Japan Rail pass. I got out and walked along Sanjo-dori, a cute street of clothing stores and restaurants. I tried on some clothes, but a Japanese large is more like an American small or medium. Oh well. I walked to the information center and asked where I could rent a bicycle (another of
Manami and Koichi’s recommendations). They said the cheapest place was near the train station! I hadn’t even noticed it. They kindly called and asked if there were bikes left; there were one or two. I walked back to the train station with a map of where the rental place should be. I saw no shop. I even tried looking for a sign with a phone number that matched the rental agency’s phone number, but no luck. I asked a man guarding a “bike parking lot”, and he pointed me towards the train station (he was the first person I met all day who could speak no English). I went inside and asked at the train station information center, and based on that I found the rental agency. It cost 500 yen for the whole day. The bike came with a lock built in, and I was really happy to have a bike with a basket to put down my big bag.

At first, I was a very scared rider. Do I ride on the sidewalk or in the street? With traffic or against? (In Japan, they drive on the left, which complicates this last question even further). There was no one around riding their bike whom I could model my behavior on. All I could do was take a chance and hope no one got hurt. No one seemed disturbed by my riding; in fact, no one seemed motivated to get out of my way. The bell didn’t always work well either. By the time I got to edge of the city, I had to take a break. I parked in front of the 7-11 and went in to buy some Pocari Sweat, an odd name but a good drink. The clerk spoke English, then told me she is studying intercultural pragmatics in the university at Nara and hopes to get her Ph.D. We exchanged email addresses.

I made it into the entrance of Nara Park, and the first thing I saw was deer. Lots of deer. I kept riding until I reached the entrance of the great Buddha hall. It’s the largest Buddha statue I’ve ever seen in my life, and was definitely worth the journey. After the temple, I rode around the park grounds and was soon very glad I could enjoy it all from the comfort of a bike seat. I rode through the shadier part of the park and ended up at the entrance of another temple. I would have had to go up stairs, though, and I didn’t see any “parking lot” for the bike. I was too tired to walk up. I headed instead towards a place selling soft serve green tea ice cream (with an area to park a bike). A deer stood by looking at me while I paid for the ice cream, so for an extra 150 yen I bought a packet of wafers to feed the deer. It practically ate the first wafer right out of my hand. As another deer came over, I started throwing the wafers on the ground to get some distance. I saw another deer take a brochure right out of a woman’s hand; she managed to get it back but it was definitely dog-eared (or should I say, deer-eared). When the deer looked at me again after I gave out the last wafer, I gave it the paper that had been used to wrap the paper. The deer ate it right up. When I finished my ice cream, I gave it the rest of the cone complete with paper wrapper. No problem. Maybe we should consider domesticating deer to solve the environmental waste problem.

I hopped on the bike and rode back towards Sanjo-dori. This time I saw a pond with turtles and a view of the 5-story pagoda. I stopped there to rest and enjoy the view, then rode back to the train station. On the train to Kyoto, I recognized the Kyoto tower near the station before I saw signs that we had arrived. It felt good to see familiar landmarks in such a foreign place. I got off the train, looked at my arms, and realized I was sunburned. This was a mixed blessing—June is normally the rainy month but the sun was shining strong.

Dinner in Kyoto

I walked back towards Higashi Hongan temple. Even though the giant doors were closed, it was a great place to sit for a while and write my travel journal. I chatted briefly with a Columbian-Japanese couple on vacation from London who were looking at the temple and wondering what it was. I walked to the nearest bus stop, but soon realized the bus I wanted wasn’t going to stop there. I walked on towards Gojo street, where I saw a Japanese curry house. It’s thicker and not as spicy as Indian curry, but I have good memories of eating it with Manami in America and by myself in Korea, so I was happy to be able to have it in a restaurant. There was a wide variety of curry dishes; I stared blankly at the Japanese menu until a wise worker gave me a multilingual menu. I chose regular-spiced, regular-sized curry (not “lady sized”) with a fried cutlet of edamame, and some oolong tea. It was delicious, and worth 830 yen.

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