Kyoto: Day 2

Day 2 was cruel. It was mighty cold and mum wasn't too keen on the elaborate Japanese breakfast provided by the ryokan. But after sipping hot coffee in a cold room, we bundled up and headed out. First stop was the post office, where Lorraine had a fight with a stubborn cash machine and me and mum waited patiently in the wrong queue to change some money. All good fun!

First on the agenda was a bus ride to Nijo Castle, a beautiful castle in the heart of Kyoto. Alas, hopping off the bus we were greeted by a few lost looking tourists and a 'closed' sign. Unfortunate. So, armed with my trusty map, I decided that the Imperial Palace was only a short walk away. However, as mum'll tell you, my short walks tend to be a bit of a hike. So, after walking until thoroughly chilled to the bone, we took refuge in the strangest little cafe, decorated in a less than appealing grandma's-old-curtains retro style. Surprisingly, it served fantastic toasted sandwiches! But as time ticked away and the grey clouds showed no signs of clearing, we abandoned our Imperial Palace plans in favour of Kinkakuji, arguably Kyoto's most famous sightseeing spot (personally, I find it a tad gaudy!!). Just a short walk to the bus stop...

We made it! This is Kinkakuji. It's decorated in gold leaf, very elaborate, but a little harsh on the eyes! Notice the piles of snow and Lorraine's lovely wooly hat - it really was cold!






To stop my constant shivering and pathetic whimpering about the cold, we opted for some pure tourist-trap marketing and popped into the little 'tea-house' style building for a hot cup of macha (powdered green tea) and cake (which actually looked and tasted distinctly like a sugar cube, perhaps we were swindled...?). Three dishevelled ladies - don't look too closely!



Following another 'short' walk (up hill), we found Ryouanji Temple ('Peaceful Dragon Temple'), a beautiful temple with a quaint stone garden and an even more beautiful garden. Here's me and mumsy on a bridge.





Here's the temple building. The glistening sun, the ascending steps, the entwining trees - check my photography skills!







A rock. Ok, it's more than a rock. This is part of one of the most famous, zen-inspired gardens in Japan. It's supposed to induce a meditative state of calm. However, the construction work taking place somewhat diminshed any sense of anything (except the cold)!




Our next target was a bus trip across town; Ginkakuji. But stomachs were rumbling on this trip, so we hopped off the bus in a lively looking place to find a place to eat ramen - steaming hot noodles! Yes, Queen Victoria had decided that she needed noodles, and would not be satisfied by anything else! Another dodgy-looking cafe and some tasty noodles later, we were off to Ginkakuji. Just a short walk...

Approximately 1 hour later, we made it to Ginkakuji... at closing time. Oops! So what did we do instead? We went shopping! Of course we had to do a little walking first. We wandered down the Path of Philosophy (which at dusk is a little creepy), then hopped on a bus to the centre of the action and disposed of a few thousand yen! And then we walked some more, following the canal until the pretty little tea houses ended and we lost our bearings. Time for another bus trip! Two stops later, off the bus, into the convenience store, back to the hotel, and into the bath - done for the day...


...but not before indulging in a fine feast of random pre-packaged convenience store foods and red wine drank from tea cups! First class!

Off to Kyoto!

Up bright and early after overdoing it slightly on Christmas Day, on the old orange train at 8am, then the super-duper fast train at 9.30am, we were all ready and raring to go, bouncing around with the energy and excitment of kids on Christmas Eve... ok, the picture to the right tells a different story! As much as I would have loved to join the two old birds in a quick snooze, I have a severe inability to remove my eyes from the window when travelling; drinking in the beautiful, clear-skyed, sun-bathed countryside, until I was suddenly greeted with...


...THIS! It seemed this is what we were headed for. Ice, snow and blizzards. Yikes. But it passed, and instead we were greeted with...






...this. Lovely. After a little wander to find the ryokan I'd booked on the net, and a little apprehension that I may have booked us into a cold, dark cell, we we're pleasantly surpirsed to find...





...this. A wonderful little ryokan with a little garden, tatami mats and duvets to die for. Splendid. Greeted by a jolly little man who looked like he might just keel over at any minute, I tested out my Japanese, and he tested out his English. Bless him, he kept repeating 'My name, my name' whilst handing me a pen and gesturing to the sign-in book.




After chilling over a cup of steaming green tea, fussing over the pretty little paper doors, and photowhoring around the ryokan like only digicam-armed tourists can, we set out to conquer Kyoto. We walked. And walked. Then walked a little more. But it was worth it when we found...



...this. So, this was not our target. Our target was a very famous place called Sanjusangendo. We arrived at 3.30pm. It closed at 3.30pm. Fiddlesticks! So, we crossed the road to the little-temple-who's-name-I've-forgotten. Pretty, but nothing too special. Although they were showing a video of Japanese history inside. In Japanese. Pass. So off we went to Kiyomizu and were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of...



...this beautiful little lady. A maiko. A rare sight for those not part of the flower and willow world. So of course, we did as tourists do best; squeeled and whipped out the cameras. Damn paparazzi!! Then onwards and upwards, as I charged the old birds up the hill to reach our final destination...



...this. Impressive, huh? This is Kiyomizu. It's right dead famous, it is. And right dead big. It just keeps going. We were both blessed and cursed arriving there at dusk, stumbling along the cold unlit path to be greeted by the wonderful view of Kyoto city in lights.

Rounded off by a trip to Gion for a spot of window shopping, a clumsy subway journey back to Kyoto station, and a windy hike to the 11th floor of the station building. Day one was declared a success!

A rather unusual Christmas Day!!

So, xmas day 2005 didn't really feel like xmas day. No tree. No snow. No hangover. No grandma sleeping in the corner. But I still got a mass of presents that I'm sure I don't deserve!! Xmas day was spent in Harajuku and Shibuya, mine and Gwen Steffani's favourite places in Tokyo!! First stop on the Harajuku tour is the freaks, sorry, 'individuals' around the station. They just come here and 'hang' in their delightful little ensembles. Love 'em!


Then on to Meiji Jingu. A beautiful shrine that is home to the god of..., hang on...., oh wait, it's 'a Shinto shrine dedicated to the divine souls of Emporer Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken'. Emporer Meiji invented milk. I jest. So here's Mum and Lorraine just after they threw in their pennies and bowed their heads, just before the man started banging the big drum (I'd make a fine ethnologist!).


Then, after a traditional xmas dinner (TGI Friday's BBQ Chicken Salad, finished off with 3 large frozen fishbowl cocktails of the frozen margerita variety), it was off to karaoke. Hooray! The pros amongst us dived straight in with Gwen Steffani, U2 and Duran Duran. Mumsy and lol, whilst no strangers to the mike, had a little trouble acclimatising to the confines of the strange little box we were in. But they were soon in their with Richard Marx - 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you...........'. Why don't they give out karaoke Grammies?!

As usual, I was a little tipsy at this point, so my memory's not up to scratch, but I do recall mumsy being less than impressed by my volume levels! Was their one song in particular that made your ears bleed mum? Evanescence? I know you enjoyed Love Shack!!!

The adventure begins....

So, mumsy and her friend, Lorraine, came to visit me this xmas, and oh what fun we had! My mum might tell you different, she might say I marched her around Tokyo like an army general, but don't listen to her - she's fibbing!

This is me and mum with my former manager, Kumiko (yes, I know she doesn't look old enough to be out of nappies, but I promise you she's 24!). Kumi was our guide and chauffeur for the day, but dear lord I've never experienced driving quite like it!! This one, lovely as she is, can't keep on the left side of the road, and has a tendency to scream when large vehicles are coming the other way!! Even with in-car-navi, which shows you where you're reversing, she had a small panic attack and had to be instructed on which way to turn the wheel!!


Ah yes, you may be interested to know where we are, we're in a place called Musashi-Itsukaichi, a beautiful little place right on the west end of Tokyo that most folk living in Tokyo have never heard of! I used to live near there (that was pants - took almost 2 hours to get to a nightclub!). Gloriously sunny winter day.





And look at this - a frozen waterfall! I ain't never seen nowt like this before! Well, I'm not exactly well travelled, but I though this was damn cool, very cool, freezing actually - cold enough to freeze the nuts off a squirrel. After ambling around this pretty little place for a while, dragging little mumsy behind us in her heels (!), we stoppeed at a little shack to eat jellied potatoes and hairy potatoes. Yum. God bless the countryside.



And this is just day one of Jen, Lol and BicBic's adventures in Japan, the tip of the ice-berg (literally, we spent the rest of the holiday shivering, quivering and complaining about the damn cold - winter's just rude, really).

Problem?

I like this photo. Took it a while back, but it makes me smile. Clearly, I need more - there's floor space!

Come on ladies, Cat, Janine, Steph, Amy, Caz, Vic M - I know you can beat me!!

Merry Xmas!

Now this was a much better crack. Beer and sake helped. Give people all-you-can-drink and look at the smiles - simpletons! I loved being Santa, until I was practically raped by students who decided they wanted to be the fat man in red! And then we spilled out into the street, crammed into karaoke, and abused the mike with compulsory but damn awful xmas songs (yes, Mariah Carey was done, and Band Aid, bit of Wham, the memory fades a little after that...).

However, the highlight has to be when me and my northern buddy, Gareth, ditched the baggage and headed off to the local for a few more. One Mancunian in reindeer hat, accompanied by one Doncastarian in Santa hat, equals instant celebrity in a tiny bar in Kunitachi - fab!!