Due to the week long school holiday, we decided to skip Universal Studios. No point queuing the whole day just to sit one ride and take a few pics. Moreover, the heavy rain and strong winds yesterday meant we had to skip Kyoto. So off to Kyoto we go today. Again, hurray for the unlimited rides of the JR pass!
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| Kyoto Station |
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| Kyoto 1-day bus pass |
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| Bus Station |
There's a 1 day bus pass for unlimited rides. There's also an option for the subway but the bus alone would suffice. Bear in mind that the last bus is quite early, around 6pm i think. Our plan for the day is to visit Kiyomizu temple, lunch at the 100 year old Kyoto style sushi restaurant - Izuju and maybe end at one of the castles.
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| Maiko |
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| Pathway up to Kiyomizu Temple |
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| Matcha Cream Puff |
However, we underestimated what there was at Kiyomizu Temple. There was a uphill slope leading up to the temple that was lined with shops. Naturally we had to try everything. A few Maikos and Geishas were walking around, attracting crowds trying to take pictures. We spent an hour there and we still hadn't even caught a glimpse of Kiyomizu before the girls were distracted by something else.
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| Ad for a Kimono rental shop |
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| Popular with the tourists! |
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| Lots of people playing dress up |
Yup, previously when the guys suggested that they dress in Kimonos, the girls vehemently rejected the idea. Once at the temple though. seeing many girls wearing Kimonos and they were tempted to try it out. The whole process of choosing the Kimono, wearing the Kimono, choosing accessories and getting the hair done took more than an hour. The packages start from 3100 yen for the basic (i.e simple) Kimono but the girls chose the 5000 yen package for the more elaborate ones.
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| Main Gate of Kiyomizu |
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| Shrine |
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| Jishu-jinja |
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| Otowa-no-taki |
Very big temple, this Kiyomizu. Lots of people. A lot of ang-mohs as well. It seems like more of a tourist attraction than a religious place though.
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| Izuju entrance |
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| Pickled Mackerel Sushi Wrapped with Kelp or Sabazushi |
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| Pickled Mushroom and Tamago Chu Maki Sushi |
Due the time spent at the Kimono store, we just had enough time to visit Izuju for dinner. This is a 100 year old Kyoto style or Oshizushi restaurant. It's very inconspicuous though and had no english signs. We had to ask around before we found it. After trying Oshizushi, we came to the conclusion that we prefer Nigirizushi or the kind that we are more used to in Singapore, hand formed with fresh ingredients. Oshizushi used pickled food as Kyoto is inland and does not have access to fresh food in the olden days. Plus, the pickled mushroom just tastes funny.
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| Yasaka Shrine |
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| Giant sticks of BBQ beef |
Just across the street from Izuju is the Yasaka shrine where there is a sakura park. By the time we finish dinner, the sun had set and we had a quick look at the night market instead. There was a huge variety of food, giant burgers, Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki. But what caught our eye was giant sticks of BBq beef that smelt delicious. So Ivy and I had 1 each. First bite i had was so tender but some of the rest were really tough. Oh well, good beef is really expensive and this was cheap.
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| Tebasaki |
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| Ebi |
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| Torikawa |
Supper time! There's just too much good food around. This time we went to a Yakitori restaurant near the hotel. Freshly grilled chicken and seafood with tare sauce and shio. Perfect end to a perfect day.
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