Japan Part 2 — Kyoto

Well, Riley and I told a bit of a white lie since our last post. We, in fact, did not post more regularly like we said. We, in fact, did not post within a month of our previous entry. We, in fact, left Japan a little over two months ago and since then, have traveled to Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, and now we are in London, England. Oops!

Riley and I have quite the backlog of blog posts (dare I say, “backblog?”) but we are working on catching up as much as possible. Take this with a grain of salt :) Most of the posts will follow the same format that we have been using — photos, videos, captions. We admittedly have not been writing our reflections as much as we would like and are going to try to change that when we head to Africa in a few days. Make that two grains of salt!

I’m going to stop making promises about how often we post.

Anyways, we continue to absolutely love traveling and keep pinching ourselves that we are fortunate enough to have been able to make our crazy dream a reality. Although Riley and I are sad to have left Asia after traveling throughout the continent for the past three months, we know we won’t be saying goodbye to Asia for long. Everest base camp round two (shoutout to Katherine White)? The memories we have made will last a lifetime.

That said, the comforts of the western world are welcome! We can drink tap water and brush our teeth without using a bottle of water — it truly is the little things that we have missed the most.

Although London isn’t our actual home, we feel as if it is our second home and we are so excited to be here. I’m currently sitting at the bar at the Tate Modern overlooking the Thames, Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral, drinking an espresso, and listening to Bon Iver. Yet again, another “pinch myself” moment!

Now, time to snap myself out of introspection and start uploading photos and writing captions that I hope are interesting. We hope you enjoy experiencing Kyoto through our eyes!

Friday February 10

After a wonderful night out with Andrew, Riley and I woke up and checked out of our AirBnB so that we could catch Riley’s dream train, the Shinkansen! Riley was as excited as a little kid on Christmas and kept providing train facts as we made our way to the station. Although sad to be leaving Tokyo, we were thrilled to see a new city in Japan. Everyone told us that Kyoto was a must-see, and we soon found out that the rumors were true. The day was spent traveling to Kyoto, taking naps, and getting a little way too excited about snow. A leisurely day indeed!

1. Time to take the Shinkansen! As mentioned above, Riley was SO excited to take the Shinkansen. Although we could have taken a less expensive form of transportation (i.e. the slow train), we decided to bite the bullet and go for it. We made the right choice! We were in Kyoto in a short 2.5 hours on the smoothest train on which we have ever been. I think the sights outside our window were beautiful — I couldn’t really tell as they were a constant blur due to the speed of the train! | 2. Riley wanted to see what max speed was and it clocked in at a swift 171 MPH. Impressive, to say the least!

1. So fast! So snowy!

1. Master commentary about the weather by yours truly.

1. I was excited about the snow! Lucky for Riley, I came up with an original song.

Saturday February 11

This was our first official day in Kyoto! Riley and I decided to do a little sightseeing and visited the Arashiyama district to walk through the famous bamboo forest and then ventured to Kinkaku-ji temple. My, was it cold! After a quick stop in a cafe to warm up, eat mega toast, and drink tea and Irish coffees, we headed to a yakitori dinner and discovered Riley’s “favorite bar in the entire world.”

1, 2, 3. Photoshoot at the Togetsukyo Bridge on a cold winter day. The wooden bridge was built 400 years ago and spans the Katsura River.

1. Although a bit difficult to see, the man in the black jacket has employed a unique yet innovative way of transporting his child — a wooden platform on his back holds the daughter in the pink hat. Riley and I might try this back in San Francisco when we have kids! :) | 2. The walkway along the Katsura River became much less crowded the further we walked from the bridge.

1. A little taste of our walk along the river and Riley’s questionable umbrella style choices.

1. Quick selfie on our walk. The water was so blue! | 2. We hadn’t walked much the previous day and thought we were falling behind in our Everest Base Camp trek training, so Riley and I decided to hike up to the view point along the river on our way to the Arayashiyama bamboo grove. The muted colors of Kyoto in winter were beautiful. I wouldn’t mind having a place along a river one day! A girl can dream.

1. The view looking up in the Arashiyama bamboo grove.

1, 2, 3. We thought that the bamboo grove was going to be much larger, but the path that led through the grove was short and crowded. I can’t imagine how peaceful it would be without anyone else around and would prefer to go back early in the morning. Regardless, the Japanese sure know how to instill a sense of serenity in their landscaping.

1. A short video to show how loud and creaky the bamboo was when blowing in the wind!

1. We then hopped on a train and rode a bus to make our way to Kinkaku-ji temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. The top two levels of the temple are completely covered in gold leaf. I was blown away with the beauty of the temple and landscaping — the reflection in the water was stunning and, cliche as it seems, this picture does not do it justice.

1. Selfie in front of the temple! Unfortunately we couldn’t get a great picture due to the crowds but this was the best we could get.

1. These are the crowds to which I referred. There were huge groups of tourists all around making the experience a bit less serene, but I suppose that is to be expected when visiting a popular tourist attraction. | 2. We were luckily able to move to a less crowded area to bask in the winter sun, as it was very cold out! As the sun was setting, it touched upon the temple and cast a golden reflection in the pond.

1 & 2. I was absolutely freezing and it started to snow, so Riley and I ducked into a cute little cafe to get some tea and warm up. Little did I know that they offered my favorite thing in the world (of which I had been craving) — TOAST! I ordered an Irish coffee to spice things up a bit, as well as a piece of toast. As you can see, this toast wasn’t just any toast. This was the largest piece of toast I had ever seen and was thus christened “mega toast.” As you can also see, I was absolutely up for the challenge and devoured it. Thumbs up indeed. | 3. The teacups they served our drinks in were so pretty! I had to take a picture.

1 & 2. We made our way back to the area where we were staying in Kyoto and grabbed a quick dinner at a smoky yakitori joint that we later discovered was a chain. It wasn’t nearly as good as the yakitori dinner we had in Tokyo, but we can’t complain about barbecued meat on sticks. Because the night was young and we wanted to grab a drink and play cards, Riley looked up a few bars on Lonely Planet and opted for a dive bar called Rocking Bar ING that was described as having great classic rock and an owner that looked like the Japanese Mick Jagger. Of course Riley would want to go there. I started having second thoughts as we walked up the stairs of an extremely sketchy building and down a hallway with one flickering light. I changed my mind as soon as we walked into the bar as it turned out to be a Rolling Stones themed dive bar, and true to the Lonely Planet review, a Japanese Mick Jagger ran the place. After a few rounds of Gin Rummy, a beer or two, and a lot of great music, Riley deemed it his “favorite bar in the entire world” and we headed back to our AirBnB with the sound of Mick Jagger’s not-so-silky voice singing us to sleep.

Sunday February 12

We didn’t have as jam-packed of a day as we had the day prior, mostly due to moving from our AirBnB to a hotel. The AirBnB we had chosen had a terribly uncomfortable bed — it was basically a futon with a huge rod raised in the middle of the mattress so that we were sleeping in an inverted “V.” Riley and I spent two nights alternating between one of us sleeping on the futon and one of us sleeping on the couch cushions on the floor. We decided, due to Riley’s back and our desire to actually get sleep, that it wasn’t worth staying there any longer so we cut our losses and we booked a hotel room instead. Unfortunately, we couldn’t check into our hotel until 3 PM, so we spent the day wandering around the area and planning the next leg of our trip! We topped off the day with some conveyor belt sushi and a ferret. Don’t worry, it will all make sense in a second.

1. Another example of gorgeous architecture we found while walking in a rather boring business district near the train station. Japan is full of little surprises! | 2. The way they blocked off the street to indicate a construction zone was through little pink plastic bunnies. This is just another example of the dichotomy between old and new Japan, which was a constant during our time there.

1. This was our first time trying conveyor belt sushi! Our hotel was across the street from the train station which happened to have a ton of restaurants. This one turned out to be quite good! I suppose it isn’t surprising, as we were in the country that invented the cuisine.

1. We ate at an Italian restaurant for lunch — a pasta place that had fake food outside so that we could visualize what would be served. The level of detail that goes into this fake food art is astonishing. In case anyone is wondering, I had the spaghetti with white balls. Riley’s dish is unfortunately out of the frame. | 2. This is the damage that was done after conveyor belt sushi — guess whose plates were on the left vs the right? True to form, Riley ate double compared to what I ate.

1. But of course the night wasn’t over and we would stumble into a random and odd surprise, which is one of the things we loved most about Japan. While walking through the train station to head back to our hotel, Riley and I encountered a man with a ferret who offered to let us pet it. Not ones to back down to a challenge (although he wasn’t actually challenging us, I just viewed it that way), we started petting the furry rodent and a little boy decided to ham it up for the camera. God, I love Japan.

Monday February 13

We wanted to make our last day in Kyoto a memorable one, so we spent the morning wandering up and down the hills of the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine, pretending to protect Nijo Castle, fording the Kamo River, and rocking out at Rocking ING bar for the second time in three days. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

1. We arrived at Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine early in the morning but a lot of people had already started congregating. We were stuck in a crowd for a good thirty minutes as we walked through the torii (gates), but luckily, we had decided to hike all the way up the mountain for some Everest Base Camp trek training and the crowd thinned as we continued up the mountain. | 2. We encountered people pulling luggage around at touristy places and on the sidewalks in both Taiwan and Japan. I really could not and admittedly still cannot understand it. Why does one need luggage everywhere he or she goes? As a fast walker who dislikes crowds, I became very frustrated as they slowed the walking pace, but hey, it is a cultural aspect of these places and I needed to buck up :) I looked this up because I knew I could not be the only one who was completely flummoxed by this trend and learned that they are likely cross-border shoppers or traders. If anyone knows otherwise, please tell me!

1,2,3. As you can see, the crowds disappeared as we hiked higher up the mountain and we were able to get a little weird.

1. Inari is seen as the God of rice and the patron of business. Thus, businesses donate money to have a torii built in their honor. The torii will either be smaller or larger depending on how much money is donated. | 2. We would often come upon small restaurants and homes built into the mountain with smaller shrines across of them used for worship.

1. A closer view of one of the many smaller shrines that we passed as we walked up the mountain. We would often see a lone worshiper praying — it was a beautiful sight. | 2. Statues of foxes are often found in Inari shrines as they are viewed as messengers and hold things in their mouth. Riley and I couldn’t tell what this one was holding but it had a pretty cool forward-facing cape/bib and thus warranted a picture.

1. We rarely saw dragons along the pathway, but this one stood out to us. I love the mossy green covering and its intimidating look as you come upon the purification fountain. It almost looks as if it is guarding the fountain, growling and waiting to pounce as soon as you touch one of the ladles.

1 & 2. Obligatory photos along the torii-lined pathway up the mountain.

1. We next made our way to Nijo Castle. The subway had fantastic tunes.

1. Ninomaru Palace, within Nijo Castle, was the home of the Imperial Court of Kyoto and was built as the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns. It was huge!

1,2,3. Although we weren’t allowed to take pictures, Riley snucks some in. There were numerous rooms and each had a different function, with gorgeous silk screen murals meant to illustrate the power of the Shogunate and to intimidate the guests that were received in the rooms. The receiving rooms had two levels so that the Shogun would sit higher than his visitors, thus asserting his power. I had to look at Wikipedia for the correct phrasing — it is an “excellent example of social control manifested in architectural space. Low-ranking visitors were received in the outer regions of the Ninomaru, whereas high-ranking visitors were shown the more subtle inner chambers.” We also had to remove our shoes when walking in the palace to preserve the floors. These floors are known as “nightingale” floors and would chirp like birds as we walked. Their purpose was to alert inhabitants of any intruders and possible assassins. Brilliant!

1. Riley and I trying to do our best “this is OUR castle, we must protect it” impression. One aspect of the palace that we loved was that it was not gaudy — it was actually quite sparse compared to castles we have seen elsewhere. There is power in subtlety. | 2. Taking a selfie in front of the Ninomaru garden. I can’t imagine how beautiful this place would be when the flowers are blooming!

1. We consistently saw gardeners pruning trees and tending to the various plants in the gardens in both Tokyo and Kyoto. It looks like such a peaceful job — I’m excited to have my own garden one day and will take notes from the Japanese gardens we encountered! | 2. The pathway to Honmaru Palace, which was part of the Imperial Enclosure before the Imperial Court moved to Tokyo in 1869.

1. Honmaru Palace, where the enthronement banquet of Emperor Hirohito was held.

1. Riley has a big imagination: here, he fights off the ninjas attacking the castle with his bow and arrow.

1. Selfie time overlooking Honmaru palace. | 2. Riley doing his best to mimic anime fighter man. Though he has no sword, he has a plastic bag that, when not properly recycled, does a lot of damage to the environment. I suppose that’s not the damage we want. Recycle the bag, Riley!

1. I decided to ford the Kamo river — it was a risky move as there were great rapids and stone turtles blocking my way, but I managed.

1,2,3,4,5. Riley and I had a bit of a photoshoot while fording the river. This may or may not have been the result of an espresso stop at a cafe about 30 minutes before taking the pictures. We don’t have fun with each other at all.

1. We continued to walk down the river and watched some little kids playing what appeared to be “avoid the soccer ball at all costs.” I’m not sure if this was teaching the kiddos how to play the game, but it sure was cute.

1. Stepping back and taking in the moment is hard to remember to do sometimes, but this was one of those moments that was too perfect not to document. The sun falling behind the mountains, the sound of the river, the little kids playing soccer, some off-key music, and walking with the man I love so dearly was one of those moments I will remember forever.

1. We ate dinner at a sushi restaurant that we had passed a few times before. We decided to eat there mostly because of the impressive number of fake food dishes on display. I think I had the plate on the left, second row from the top :) | 2. This photo is proof that I actually ordered something more adventurous than an avocado roll or a spicy tuna roll. I’m not normally a big fan of seafood, but I was converted in Japan. This was a set meal of various tuna nigiri and maki and it was some of the best sushi I have ever had! Riley had tempura, spicy tuna, and unagi. Yum!

1 & 2. We had to make one last stop in Kyoto to lift our spirits and what better place than Riley’s “favorite bar in the entire world” (may I add this was a bold claim considering we were only one month into traveling the world? Though Riley IS a bold man). Because we had to wake up early the next morning, we got there quite early and we were the only patrons in the bar with Japanese Mick Jagger serving us beer. It was a perfect way to close out our time in Kyoto.

1. Opting to walk for 40 minutes instead of taking the train (have I mentioned Everest Base Camp training?), Riley and I came upon these two cute little girls with matching backpacks. I had to take a picture!

Tuesday February 14

We were off to Saigon, Vietnam! Riley and I had a VERY early wake-up call at 3 AM because our bus to the airport left at 4 AM and our flight to Hong Kong was at 7 AM. We arrived in Hong Kong and hung out at the airport lounge for six hours before we boarded our next flight at 6 PM. All in all, we traveled for over twelve hours but we were excited to start the next leg of our journey, sleep be damned. Arriving in Saigon was an enormously different experience and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how different the countries were. More on the sensory overload of Vietnam to come in the next post!

1. Happy to get our seats on the bus at 4 AM! This is what we look like with little sleep haha.

1. This is, by far, one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip. We made it to the airport and had turned into zombies at that point. While waiting to board, we turned around and saw this little guy just completely and utterly zonked out. Riley and I were very jealous of his sleeping arrangements. Seeing this picture still makes me laugh haha!

1 & 2. After the long layover in Hong Kong, we made it to our VietJet Air flight! We celebrated the next leg of our journey with some Vietnamese beer. It wasn’t very good, but that’s beside the point, right? :)