Kansai - Day Four (Nara and Kyoto)

Day four, and again we stopped for onigiri at the conbini on our way to the station and Nara.

Nara is famous for its deer. They are messengers from the gods and are allowed to just wander around. You can buy food and feed them. THIS IS VERY SCARY. They are kind of aggressive, so they sometimes fight over food and bite at you to get food and back you into corners if you don't give them food fast enough. It was kind of terrifying, but still cool enough that we did it twice.

I don't recommend Nara as a place to take kids; we saw so many kids crying because they were scared of the deer. One little girl just took off screaming when one came near her.

We visited Todai-ji temple which is the home of the largest wooden building in the world which houses a big Buddha. I think it's bigger than the one in Kamakura, but it looks smaller, I think because it is indoors. Anyway, it was lovely. And I got my fortune there, and it was a very good one.

We thought about heading back to Fushimi Inari, but found we were too tired, so we just went back to Kyoto station and ate okonomiyaki and then hung out around the station checking out the shops and the views and the Starbucks until it was time to catch our bus.

おおきに、Kansai! I had a great time!

Please enjoy deer and Todai-ji in Nara.

Kansai - Day Three (Kyoto)

Day three started with another trip to the conbini for onigiri. Then we headed to Arashiyama. We first visited a bamboo forest. There were a lot of people there, but it was still really peaceful and had a nice atmosphere.

We headed towards Togetsukyo (a famous bridge) next and wandered around taking pictures for a while before going to our ultimate Arashiyama destination, Iwatayama Monkey Park. First we had to hike up a little mountain. Then, all of a sudden, there were monkeys everywhere! We went into a hut and fed some monkeys from in there, and then we went back outside and totally just hung out with monkeys for a long time. There were some baby monkeys! They were so cute!

We ate some udon before leaving Arashiyama and then headed to Kinkaku-ji temple (the Golden Pavilion) and Ryoan-ji temple (famous for its rock garden). After a very long walk back to the station from Ryoan-ji (we thought it would be maybe 20 minutes, but it was at least twice that), we headed back home and enjoyed the public bath again.

Please enjoy the cutest statues I've ever seen (in Arashiyama), a couple views of the bamboo forest, a couple views around the bridge, some monkeys, a couple pics of Kinkaku-ji, a big pile of money at Kinkaku-ji (people try to throw it into the bowl), and the pond and rock garden at Ryoan-ji.

Kansai - Day Two (Kyoto and Osaka)

Day two started with a trip to the conbini to pick up some onigiri for breakfast. Then we headed to the Fushimi Inari shrine (maybe you recognize this place if you have seen Memoirs of a Geisha). It was super awesome and really beautiful and peaceful (even with a crowd of people), but we didn't realize how big it is. We could not take the path through the torii all the way until the end because we had to head to Osaka to meet my friend's friend. But it is okay; it gives me an excuse to go back to Kyoto. I will finish it!

I really liked Osaka. Maybe it is similar to Tokyo, at least where we were, but I thought it had a nice atmosphere. It was lively and fun! We got bubble tea and delicious takoyaki there and then wandered around a few shopping areas, did purikura, and rested at Mister Donut.

I also got culture shock in Osaka! They stand on the wrong side of the escalator there. I knew about that, but I was still unprepared for the weirdness of it. Especially since when I say "wrong side" I mean on the right, so the side I stood on for most of my life until I came here. But we stand on the left in Tokyo, so I am used to that now, and it was weird and uncomfortable standing on the right!

We heard that the green tea dessert place we had tried to go to the day before had another location in Kyoto station, so when we got back we found it and waited in a long line (but not hour and a half long) to get in. It was worth the wait. So so good! My parfait had green tea ice cream, green tea jelly, green tea whipped cream, and mandarin oranges. We could also enjoy a nice view of the city while we ate.

Then back to the hostel to crash for the night.

Please enjoy a bunch of pictures from Fushimi Inari, the famous Glico man in Osaka, and the display case at the dessert place. Sorry I don't have more pics from Osaka to share, but I honestly didn't take that many there. We were really mostly just in shopping areas, not places where there was stuff to take pictures of.

Kansai - Day One (Kyoto)

We arrived in Kyoto on the night bus early Sunday morning and ate breakfast in the station (soup, which is a totally normal thing to eat at 7 in the morning here), waiting until we could drop off our luggage at our hostel. After we could do that, we wandered around for a long while, checking out the Ryozen Kannon (a World War II memorial) and a lot of shops (and eating a lot of free samples of sweets). We also maybe saw maiko - you can, like, rent a costume and wander around looking like a maiko, and we definitely saw some of those, but there were a couple who seemed more genuine.

Our ultimate destination was Kiyomizu-dera temple. It was crazy crowded, but I really liked it. Really beautiful area - lots of trees and a nice view of the city. We waited in a very long line to drink the spring water that the place is famous for - if you pray while drinking it, your wish will come true. And also you will have a healthy and long life. So hopefully that works out for me.

We wanted to go to this famous green tea dessert place nearby, but when we got there, the line was an hour and a half long, so we just got sushi instead.

Afterwards, we checked into our hostel and crashed for a while on the super exciting mattresses. Then we checked out a nearby public bath. It was super cheap, and we could enjoy different kinds of spas and a sauna, and it was very relaxing.

Then we went back and crashed for the night. It had been a really long day!

Enjoy pictures of a random river, me and some lovely ladies, the backs of some lovely ladies, the Ryozen Kannon, a random street view on our way up to Kiyomizu, a dragon thing at Kiyomizu, a view looking down at the crowd of people waiting to drink from the spring, the view of Kiyomizu that is on every postcard, a closer view of the spring, and another random street view.

KANSAI

IT IS SO GREAT.

Early yesterday morning, I got back from four days in the super fantastic Kansai area (we visited Kyoto, Osaka and Nara). It was an amazing vacation, but not nearly long enough! I need to go back! I will maybe try to go back for a weekend in November to enjoy the fall colors and hit a few places we didn't have time for.

We took the night bus there and back, which was exhausting, but cheap. Stayed at a hostel that was cheap and convenient and comfortable (I got to sleep on a mattress for the first time since I got here!).

Some things that we did: walked around a lot (and maybe met maiko), visited Kiyomizu-dera temple, enjoyed part of the Fushimi Inari shrine, enjoyed takoyaki, shopping and purikura in Osaka, walked through a bamboo forest, fed and hung out with monkeys, visited Kinkaku-ji temple, visited Ryoan-ji temple, visited Todai-ji temple and fed and were scared by deer, and really enjoyed the public bath near our hostel (cheap and so relaxing). More details and pictures will come over the next few days. To start with, have some pictures of food.

Okonomiyaki with takoyaki and yakisoba, takoyaki, Mister Donut, a green tea parfait, and udon. ALL DELISH, although the pictures didn't all turn out great.

Grocery Stores: Part II

Sorry, I fail at taking pictures in the grocery store. Even though I was at the store at a time when it was pretty quiet, there were still always people around when I wanted to take a picture. And I don't want to look like a weirdo gaijin (foreigner) by wandering around the store snapping pictures when people can see me, so I gave up.

I managed one though. And it's pretty awesome. I mean, you have a product with the encouraging slogan of "Let's Make Dessert With Milk," and on the shelf above it, an orange box featuring the adorable face of Iron Chef Chen Kenichi (sorry you can't see this better). In spite of Chen-san's smiling face, I did not purchase that product because I think it was almond jelly or something. I'll eat it if they give it to me in a Chinese restaurant, but it's not my favorite thing. But I did purchase the orange flavor フルーチエ. It is very weird! Like, it tastes nice and orangey, but the texture is not what I expected. It's a little jiggly like Jell-o and a little puddingish and kind of looks like yogurt. Strange. But not in a bad way.

I'll try again someday, but for now, this is the only glimpse of grocery shopping I've got for you. Um. Just go to Uwajimaya or something; it's basically like that.

All Mixed Up (for Aunt Lisa)

Subway stations are not usually as empty as the one in this picture, but I took it pretty late at night. And there were people, just not where I was. Anyway, seems a fitting picture to post as I answer questions about my commute!

Do you always take the same subway to work or do you mix it up?
Same subway line - only one goes to where I work - but I don't always go at the same time. Depends on if I'm running late or if I want to get there early to grab a doughnut or coffee or something before work!

Do you try to sit in the same car or do you mix it up?
Same car, just so that I end up right by the escalator when I get to my stop.

Do you see the same local people coming & going in your commute?
Occasionally. I see a lot of the same people when I'm walking to the station on my way to work, but not so many familiar people actually on the train. It seems like at night I see more familiar faces on the train. Don't know why that is!

Do you ever speak with them?
Never. It's just not really done. People keep to themselves here, and especially so on the train. Anyway, on the way home at least I'm usually with co-workers and talking to them.

What flavor of toothpaste is in your bathroom?
Aquafresh. I don't really like it, but it was a toothpaste I recognized, and I'm scared of toothpaste here. Some brands have sugar in them (to make them more delicious so kids will want to brush their teeth...nevermind that it just seems like you're asking for cavities).

When you drink sake do you get all mixed up?
I like sake, but I don't usually drink so much of it to get all mixed up. But I've certainly witnessed other people getting all mixed up from it!