Day 14

Today was mainly a travel day by 'Bullet Train' back to Tokyo. This was a three and half hour journey, but this time we ended up in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo.






This is a far busier area than where we stayed before. It has all the shops and eateries you care to name, all lit up in neon when the sun went down.



After our check in we headed off to explore the area on foot. We found a noodle bar to have a quick bite to eat, then had a stroll. It was incredibly busy with both office workers and tourists from both Japan and abroad.









We went into a couple of stores - watches and cameras!!! Needless to say I resisted the temptation to buy anything - mainly as the items were more expensive than at home!





As it got dark the lights started to come on and the whole atmosphere changed. The place really started to buzz and around 5pm the swell of humanity increased dramatically . As the pedestrian crossing changed the tidal wave of people swept across the road - it was hard to stay still as the mass of people moved in unison!





We returned to the hotel for a freshen up and a hot drink - the temperature is at last starting to drop and makes walking around more comfortable. One Japanese lady told us that the weather has been unseasonably warm, hence the autumn colours being delayed, much like the UK.

Tonight we are off for our last dinner with the group before we all start heading back home on different flights early tomorrow morning.

So what are my conclusions after our trip about Japan?

• The country is spotless clean and runs like clockwork.
• The people are polite and live by a strong moral code.
• There is a strong link to the past, but the country is certainly looking to the future, both in the terms of technology and the way the country is linked financially with the rest of the world.
• The food is amazing and of excellent quality - but western influences are creeping in, however I believe the Japanese love their fish too much to be converted to a meat,veg and bread diet!
  
• Do the people loose their individuality? Perhaps, but I think there are more benefits than minuses in my opinion.
  
• I have thoroughly enjoyed the trip and have witnessed and learnt a lot. Japan has much to offer and be very proud of and the West can learn much about self discipline, consideration for others and keeping faith with ancient beliefs and practices.
• Would I come again? Yes definitely!
  

Day 13

After a hearty breakfast we had another stroll by the river, this time 30 minutes south. This took us to a national monument called Sanjusangen-do.





This is comprised of a large 11 metre Buddha statue with 500 5ft tall statues of Kannon either side of it . These are covered in gold leaf and have multiple hands holding various tools to assist mortals in different ways. In front of these are 28 deities, some taken from Indian mythology. The 1000 plus figures are housed under cover in a huge wooden building - which itself is hundreds of years old. It truly is an impressive sight.

















From there we walked to Kyoto railway station to catch a train for a short hop south. The station is ultra modern and covers a huge area. Opposite is Kyoto Tower, which you can ride to the top for a view of the city.







We had a 5 minute journey and arrived at our next stop of the day, Inari. The attraction here is Fushimi Inari Shrine. It is not so much the actual shrine that people come to see, but the tori gates lining the hillside one after another. They form a red tunnel as they lure you up the hill and actually stretch for about 4.8 kilometres and number in the thousand. In the light they are a great spectacle.





After a short visit we headed off again to Kyoto station and after seeing the shops are now decorated for Christmas(!!!), we caught a bus for a 45 minute cross city journey. This took us to Ryoanji Temple - better known as the Golden Temple.



This is a must see sight in Japan, so was quite busy. The pavilion of the temple sits beside a lake and is, as the name suggests, golden in colour. With the light shining on it and with the reflection in the water it really is a magnificent sight. As you move around the path of the lake you get different views and the pavilion changes colour as it loses its light. The gardens around the lake are also very nice, but the pavilion steals the show.







We still had time to fit in another bus journey and another temple complex. This time we were really going for the garden, but arrived too late to fully enjoy it as it closed within 30 minutes of our arrival. However, we did get to see a lovely bride in her orange wedding outfit posing for her wedding photographs. She looked stunning set against the red of the temple woodwork.



Another bus journey took us back to our hotel area, but we had time for a quick Mos Burger - (Japanese McDonald's) and a prawn burger, and to see some of the local fashion sights, before returning to our hotel to freshen up and finish our sake!





We then headed out for a stroll along the alleyways of Ponto-Cho, the night life district, hunting for somewhere to have dinner.The alleyways are very narrow and lined with many different eateries. In the end we settled for a very local place and had some excellent dumplings and stir fried rice, followed by a red bean ice cream as we walked back to the hotel!







Tomorrow we leave Kyoto and head back by 'Bullet Train' to Tokyo. We are staying in a very busy district this time so it will be interesting to see the difference from our gentle introduction almost two weeks ago now.

Day 12

This morning after a leisurely breakfast we took a stroll by the river that runs through downtown Kyoto on route to our first stop, the Nishiki Food Market. The river was busy with herons, egrets, cormorants and ducks and made a lovely introduction to our day.





The food market was fascinating. It is housed within an arcade of shops and runs in a straight line for about half a mile. It is crammed with all sorts of stalls selling lots of food stuffs, vegetables, meat, spices, tea, take away snacks, but above all fish - some still alive!



We slowly walked through, stopping to gap at all the different types of sea creature on offer and how professionally it was displayed. It looked amazing and being so fresh there was no actual fish smell.





The vegetables we scrubbed clean and again displayed with precision and care. It was noticeable that there was only two or three butcher shops and many dozen fishmongers, a real sign of what the Japanese like to eat!





After an interesting hour and a half we made our way by public bus to Ginkakuji Temple - better known as the Silver Pavilion. This was a revelation and had the most beautiful garden. On the lower level was an amazing sand garden. Hard to describe, but beautiful to behold. This was bordered by two small ponds leading to the pavilion itself. You then had a walk to the upper moss garden which gave wonderful views over the lower garden. It was peaceful and an excellent place to sit in the sun and contemplate life!





Close by was the start of the Path of Philosophy. This was a tranquil stream side path lined with private dwellings and a few shops and cafes. It was a great place to stroll and while away an hour or so. Clare had brought some figs from the market which she, Richard and George ate as a fruit lunch as we strolled. They were apparently the best they have ever tasted!





We the visited the Kyoto Craft Centre, which houses on four floors all of the various souvenirs that you could ever hope to buy. From Samurai Swords at many thousands of pounds to Geisha dolls and post cards, you can find it all here. We did succumb to a nice sake flask and cups, as we have really developed a taste for it during our travels!





It was time for another bus now back to Gion, where as we jumped off the bus we saw many kimono dressed girls and yukata dressed boys heading for the Gion Temple. We joined them and found out that it was some sort of dance event. I think the equivalent might be some sort of teenage prom? Whatever it was it made for a great colourful spectacle. There were many different colours of kimono and obi (the bow detail on the back of the kimono). The girls looked stunning and were positively glowing with pride and were really pleased to have their photograph taken. They were very happy to be dressed up and off to their dance!










Time was rushing by now and it was almost dusk by the time we made our way back to the Gion Geisha district a short walk from the temple. We were hoping to see a real Geisha making her way to an appointment - and we did, just! Clare spotted two shuffling their way across the road we were on and disappearing up an alleyway. I got to the alley as they we disappearing around the corner and only got a hurried shot or two. As much as we waited we didn't see anymore, so we headed towards our chosen dinner spot - only to see a Maiko waiting at a road crossing! She was patient for a short time as a few people took pictures then hurried off across the road.






From there we headed to the Yak and Yeti Nepalese Restaurant for a well earned meal. A lovely girl served us who was from a town in Nepal we went to on one of our trips - Pokhara. We had a great meal with momo's, curry and garlic nann bread - a real change to sushi!!!





We then took a stroll along the neon streets to our hotel for a well earned rest and a sake! Tomorrow is another free day left for us to explore more of the sights of Kyoto - lets hope it's as good as today!