We’ve achieved a lot. We have been ticking Japanese experiences off our list in record time. It’s quite remarkable. Today, it’s raining. Not just a light drizzle but the kind of rain that soaks you through and doesn’t stop once it’s achieved total saturation. And, it’s cold. And, I hurt.
On this day of rain, cold and tiredness we thought we’d try the Manga museum... but when we arrived there, it was closed. And then we were wet, cold, tired and grumpy. Needing to find some shelter, we headed to Nishiki Market and Teramachi Kyogoku Shopping Arcade. It was (understandably) very busy so after mooching around for 20 minutes or so we headed to Starbucks to warm up. After a hot cup of coffee and a cake we hatched a new plan and headed back to the hotel to put on more jumpers and extra socks.
Fully layered up and braced for the cold, we headed off to Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Pavilion). The temple was fine. As you can guess, the rain didn’t exactly enrich our experience of the Japanese gardens. I think, if I am honest, we were feeling “temple saturation” (as well as physical saturation). From here, we took a walk down Philosopher’s Walk (Tetsuaku-no-michi) before heading back to the cute little shopping district around Hokanji Temple we had visited yesterday. It turns out that Japan is pretty much closed on Wednesdays… and when it rains… and after 2pm. So we hid in a little coffee house and drank tea. Which brings me to the title of this post.
The Good:
Kyoto has…
amazing temples and lots of them;
beautiful, thought provoking Zen gardens; and
immersive experiences (tea ceremony).
The Bad:
However…
there is no easily accessible transport system in Kyoto, you can either rely on buses (which take forever) or take taxis;
there is no rhyme or reason as to when things open or close (some sites close on Tuesdays, others on Wednesdays, some restaurants are open until 12pm, some until 3pm and some tell you they are open when in-fact they are closed);
its impossible to find the good restaurants without a recommendation - you can’t just wonder along and look in the window as there are little curtains across the door blocking your view… so you can’t see inside until you walk in (and then your heart sinks when you realise it’s a bit grubby);
the area we are staying in (don’t get me wrong, our hotel is lovely but it’s just in the wrong location), has no real amenities in the vicinity - restaurants, shops, etc.
The Ugly:
Pain! We are walking an average of 6.2 miles per day and, despite all the medication I am taking, I am in bits. Phil is aching too (but he says that’s from sleeping on the floor not the walking). Also, the lack of tables and chairs is now becoming hard work. This Ryoken style of living does start to tire and we are both looking forward to the Sheraton hotel in Hiroshima.
So we are feeling a little sorry for ourselves this evening despite, overall, having an incredible time.
- Hippie -
