After the ryokan stay, we spent the rest of Christmas day in east Kyoto. First we walked to the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Handicrafts and looked at fans, wood pieces, wall hangings, kimonos and more, then headed to the "Path of Philosophy" at the foot of the mountain Higashiyama. On the way, we ate lunch at a small cafe that was essentially the elegant kitchen of a mother-daughter team. I had the best bean and beef curry and the daughter pulled out a map of America and insisted we show her our home towns. The Path of Philosophy or Tetsugaku-no-Michi is a beautiful path that was once the regular walking path of the 20th century philosopher, Nishida Kitaro. The path ended at Ginkaku-ji, a beautiful temple built by shogun Yoshimasa in the 1400s as an escape villa from the ongoing civil war. We walked back to the hostel late in the day and ordered pizza for our Christmas dinner.
Today we began our day with sushi, a must-have here in Japan of course. We also hit up a bakery and split yummy strawberry shortcake, pistachio strawberry pie and a chestnut chocolate pastry. We then rode the bus to northwest Kyoto and saw Kinkakuji Temple, the famous golden temple and we also visited a nearby rock garden for Zen meditation. For dinner, we ate at a Japanese vegetarian restaurant which turned out to be one of the most interesting experiences we've had yet. The restaurant is found through a tiny nook of a pathway in the middle of a large street, a nook we wouldn't have found without the recommendation of our hostel staff. The place is owned by a Japanese nun (who drinks beer and has long hippie hair and plays the shamisen and cooks a mean veggie curry). The walls are covered in concert posters and scraps of paper with Japanese writing and there's jazz playing from the stereo. Cats running everywhere and the clientele are mostly older men who probably can't cook for themselves and come here every night. They're friendly and give us their business cards and try to talk to us in English and we meet this beautiful pair of old Japanese men who are best friends and used to be business partners in the kimono business. A man starts playing the guitar and singing traditional Japanese songs and the nun pulls out her shamisen and starts playing along in between cooking. It's the most wonderful, familial situation with great food and company. Afterward, Annie and I visit the old geisha and entertainment district down the street from our hostel. There wasn't much for us there. It seems like a modern-day version of what it used to be, full of businessmen and young girls dressed in too much makeup and glittery prom-like dresses. Afterward we head back to the warm common room of our hostel.
Tomorrow is our last day in the beautiful Kyoto before we head to Nagano, a smaller onsen (Japanese hot springs) town in the Japanese Alps.
Today we began our day with sushi, a must-have here in Japan of course. We also hit up a bakery and split yummy strawberry shortcake, pistachio strawberry pie and a chestnut chocolate pastry. We then rode the bus to northwest Kyoto and saw Kinkakuji Temple, the famous golden temple and we also visited a nearby rock garden for Zen meditation. For dinner, we ate at a Japanese vegetarian restaurant which turned out to be one of the most interesting experiences we've had yet. The restaurant is found through a tiny nook of a pathway in the middle of a large street, a nook we wouldn't have found without the recommendation of our hostel staff. The place is owned by a Japanese nun (who drinks beer and has long hippie hair and plays the shamisen and cooks a mean veggie curry). The walls are covered in concert posters and scraps of paper with Japanese writing and there's jazz playing from the stereo. Cats running everywhere and the clientele are mostly older men who probably can't cook for themselves and come here every night. They're friendly and give us their business cards and try to talk to us in English and we meet this beautiful pair of old Japanese men who are best friends and used to be business partners in the kimono business. A man starts playing the guitar and singing traditional Japanese songs and the nun pulls out her shamisen and starts playing along in between cooking. It's the most wonderful, familial situation with great food and company. Afterward, Annie and I visit the old geisha and entertainment district down the street from our hostel. There wasn't much for us there. It seems like a modern-day version of what it used to be, full of businessmen and young girls dressed in too much makeup and glittery prom-like dresses. Afterward we head back to the warm common room of our hostel.
Tomorrow is our last day in the beautiful Kyoto before we head to Nagano, a smaller onsen (Japanese hot springs) town in the Japanese Alps.
We order sushi from the "English menu," which is on an Ipad!
The sushi restaurant with our friendly chef and a rotating serving line.
Trying squid for the first time!
Kinkakuji temple, the Golden Pavilion.
A beautiful lake outside the rock garden. Everything was orange, brown and evergreen, except the brilliant white of two ducks.
Some type of fruit tree beside the lake.
The Zen rock garden.
Vegetarian restaurant owned by Japanese nun.
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