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KYOTO RETURNS
I have had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, possibly the best so far. A day of very successful transport and time management. But I'm quite tired now so the words won't flow as easy as yesterday. I decided to go back to Kyoto as there were a few more things I wanted to see, and yes! It stopped raining!
I got up late again, and was worried there would not be enough time to do the things I wanted to, but there was (mostly). I travelled to Kyoto, taking half the journey by subway and the other half by train. Upon arrival I was glad to see the familiar sight of Kyoto station, the weather was just lovely; warm with a breeze. With a little help I just about caught the bus going to Arashiyama area, it was a long journey (about an hour) with many stops and starts, but the buses are a convenient way of getting around Kyoto.
After getting off near Tenryuji Temple I had no bearings as I hadn't been to this area before. Somehow I managed to walk off the beaten track, down pebbled streets and alongside a river. The only sounds were rushing water and birds singing, and the only people I passed were a few cyclists and two boys skimming stones across the water; this made a nice change from the usual crowds. I wanted to walk through the Bamboo Grove, but also see Ginkaku-ji (silver temple), but the temple closes around five and it's all the way on the other side of Kyoto. There is also Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama which would have been cool (but I saw wild monkeys on the roof of the Ryokan in Hakone). I knew the bus going from west to east would take ages so decided to skip the bamboo and monkeys and head for Ginkaku-ji.
The Silver Temple is usually just as packed as the Golden Temple, and I read that the best times to visit are just after opening or just before closing. I "purposefully" got there at about half four (I wouldn't have found it all if it weren't for tons of signs) and it was remarkably quite quiet, sure there were tourists but no where near as many as I expected, actually it was probably the most non-Japanese people I have seen in one place since I got here. The reason I chose to come here was because I read the gardens stand out among the hundreds of gardens in Kyoto, and sure enough they were stunning, the pictures really don't do them justice. It was so relaxing to just slowly walk around without too many people about, this was the Japan I dreamed of before coming. I imagine it would look even more beautiful filled with red leaves in autumn or covered with snow in winter, or especially cherry blossoms in spring.
Contented that I had seen the Japan of my imagination, I strolled back down the side streets and was recommended to walk the Philosopher's Path by two Dutch ladies, so I did. Along the way I met a nice Russian lady from New York whose feet were killing her, I sat with her for a while and we chatted; she's also on a Gap Adventures tour! After parting the only sounds were once again birds and water, until I found an antique kimono shop tucked away behind some bushes, ran by a really friendly, kooky old lady. There were piles upon piles upon piles of fabric all crammed into a tiny room, I knew enough Japanese and she enough English to converse for a while, admiring the kimono's, haori's and obi's. Unfortunately the one I wanted to buy was ¥38000. She pointed me in the direction of bus stops and I headed back towards the city.
I took a bus back to the familiar sight of Gion district to have dinner and meandered the city for a while. As I headed back to Kyoto station it started to rain.
So, one more day to go and I'm thinking either trying to find a table tennis club in Osaka or going to Himeji, the latter sounds more doable. Or both.
Oh, and crap, I just remembered the subway closed at midnight, thank god for the Namba-Walk!
Bai bai,
Lee-san
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