Memoirs of Nippon (3)

That morning, I already had a full day plan. I'm still amazed I survived it. It was my first time in a public bus in Kyoto and it shocked me that the driver was so polite and had to "talk" or "thank" passegers when they alighted.

My first stop was the largest handicraft market held once a month at Chion-ji temple, it was a fascinating trip. I am so glad I went. It was past ten when I arrived and by eleven, I almost couldn't make it out due to the crowds and many delicately handmade things were sold out. It was filled with stalls selling handmade pastries, accessories, earrings and necklaces, bags, dolls... almost anything you could imagine. I didn't think I manage to see them all, it was huge and a big maze. After one and a half hour in there, I called it quits. I could no longer stand being sandwiched between people. I found a few good buys and left happy. Then I continued my journey to Ginkakuji temple. Along the way, I spotted some leftover cherry blossom trees and got over excited. 

The weather was perfect, cooling and I was glad I could wear a lot of clothes I normally couldn't back home. At some point, I found it even too warm for me, I should be living in freezing weather! I was also fascinated by the all sorts of vending machines, selling a huge variety of drinks and even ice cream. I had my eyes on so many of the drinks everytime, and soon it became obvious which were my favourites. Orangina & bitter lemon!

I personally adore Ginkakuji temple, I find it more charming than Kinkakuji temple. It was a very short visit, easily within an hour, so I decided to make some sketches while I was in some of these temples. Most of them have a zen garden where you could sit down and appreciate them but I didn't have the patience for it :P

After then, it was a long walk down Path of Philosophy where I was told I would get glimpses of cherry blossom trees. And indeed, all the camwhoring was a little embarrassing. It was a long walk, much longer than I anticipated. But luckily, I picked up a drink and some pastries from the handicraft market earlier and did my own picnic under a tree. There were also some cool cafes along the way, spotted a maple tree, cute mini temples and lots of kitties.

After lots of walking, I finally found my next destination - Nanzenji temple. It was very peaceful on a Monday, I didn't pay to go to any of the garden or buildings but instead took a stroll and did a sketch. This is what I called relaxing. There were many precincts within the temple, very scenic too. I skipped a few temples I intended to visit as they seemed to look the same after a while and more truthfully my legs were breaking!

It took me a long while to locate a bus-stop that could take me somewhere. Even with a bus pass, it was a chore to find a bus in Kyoto. It is really big and lots of walking are inevitable. I took a bus to Shijo, a shopping district area. I found a cool lane like Bugis Village (Singapore) or Carnaby (London) but less funky and selling a lot of food, clothings and lined up with convenience stores. I bought a crepe from a stall for dinner and communication was horrible as the young girl serving me did not speak much English at all!

There were also mini temples tucked neatly in an alley along the shopping lane if you noticed. I saw one and went in, apparently it was praying for safe delivery or pregnancy so I did a little prayer for my friend.

As the night fell, the streets lit up and it was a lovely sight. But I grew tired of walking and getting lost, and so wandered about finding the bus-stop meant to take me back. I chanced upon a cats' cafe where you can go in and play with the kitties when you dined. I like cats but I had no more energy left. I was seriously just dying to go back and rest my legs. The bus dropped me off near Kyoto station but it was still a 15 minutes walk back, and I was almost limping!!! I was just dreading repeating the same the following day...