Japanimawesome: Kyoto

Kyoto!!! This city is simply amazing. Everywhere you turn there's something beautiful to see, with ancient temples nearly every block and shrines nestled in the hillsides. It was peaceful and clean there too, which was brilliant: the Kamo river, which runs through the city, was cleaner than most in Canada and was also designated a wildlife reserve for the fishies and birdies that reside there.
Pretty much you could sum it up by saying that it was absolutely stunning. The architecture was gorgeous, the sites ranged from 800AD to 1500AD and were still standing and stunning. We both want to go back and see and chill some more.
The hostel we were staying at, Uno House, was just that: Uno's house. It was a traditional Japanese home but it smelled like 1970 and felt like a beatnik hostel. It was cheap, but itchy as a monkey and the showers (and everything) were like 75% sketchy. It was... interesting. But it did give us a roof over our heads so that was nice, and the people there were very nice as well.

So ANYWAY... on with Kyoto.
We got lost trying to meet up with Sara but, trooper that she is, she found us first. We hit up some sushi-train action and talked about our adventures thus far, then decided to walk around a bit. And for the next 3 days straight, that's all we did: walk around. Our legs were killer by the time we moved on to Tokyo, but it was great to walk so much because there is seriously SO much you can see there.
We visited a Shinto shrine near Gion, on the East of the Kamo river, and it's neat cuz wherever you go, there are always these little washing stations on the grounds. So cute. We had to use them.We strolled around the city a bit, looking for some place to eat, and we kept coming across these adorable little venues that were just so Japanese we couldn't resist taking a picture. Like really, a Japanese maple tree infront of a Japanese store thing! Kablamo!And then, because we had both read Memoirs of a Geisha, we made our way to:No Geisha sightings on our first night though. I have to admit, I felt a little creepy hanging out in this one alley, waiting expectantly for a geisha to show... along with 100 other tourists. There was something quite paperazzi-ish about it, and I lost all my nerve. There are certain things that make me feel all ick inside, and hanging out trying to take a picture of some ladies in their wares is definitely one of those things. At least now I'm aware of it. Hil had no problems with it, and that's good; I think it's because she's a girl and she's tough. Yeah, probably.

The next day, we walked again to do some temple viewings. We saw Kiyozumadera (sweet), this one below (big and also sweet) and, um, something else. I forget. Anyway, this one below was beautiful and expansive; it kept going up and up, and we even saw a 'service' in one of the temples. It's amazing that these buildings are 1000 years old and still being used. And they're made of wood. Spectacular.There were lots of dog-goyles around the shrines throughout the city.

And here's Sara, looking in the wrong direction.
Now I remember what else we did: we looked around the city more: up and down quaint little alleys, following our noses for some sweet meats and noodles, and simply admiring all that we could see. That night we met up with the 'Kyoto dudes' for some food and next-day planning. They were so sweet to come all that way to hang with us, and they provided a day full of cool sights for the next day: we saw the Golden Pavillion, a very famous rock garden, a cool in-the-distance cemetary and, uh, Starbucks where we also saw my friend Andrew Mack from Summerland BC! It was so great and random to see him! But yes, our pictures with the gals need to be posted later because of 'technical issues'. Needless to say, it was another day of beauty, gold and fun had by all.

On our last day in Kyoto, Hilary and I rented bikes to save us from walking, and we scoured the land for more pristine sights: temples, the Path of Philosophy (which is hard to find, by the by) and the Silver Pavillion, which is actually just old wood. At the Silver Pavillion, there was some beauuuuuuuuuutiful sand sculptures, one of which was a rendition of Mt. Fuji. A little small, but otherwise pretty accurate.The Kyoto girls saw us off, and gave me pre-birthday presents of my favourite Japanese treat, which is like a soft rice dough around different types of paste in the middle. Like a sweet, raw, tasty perogie, but better to snack on. Then we said goodbye, hopped on the bullet train, and took off for Tokyo.

We're both convinced that Kyoto was by far the best part of the trip, and fascinating in all regards. It's such a city that you know you have to go back and visit it, and that's exactly how we feel.