Memoirs of Nippon (4)

A new morning! I made a conscious effort to have breakfast with the office crowd at a cafe named Caffe Veloce by the train station. I had walked past a couple of times and it appeared to be constantly busy. I went in and surprisingly the staff spoke better English than I thought. I ordered a green tea latte to go with a crossiant and then found myself a table to people watch as I ate. It was about 830am, and a lot of them were chilling with their breakfast, some reading a book or paper before heading to work. The Japanese men in suit were very good eye candies too :)

That day, my plan was to head to Arashiyama on JR line, it was very accessible. Once I alighted, there was a map right outside the station, but I decided it was easier to follow the crowd. So I walked behind a group of Japanese and eventually surpassed them when I spotted Tenryuji temple. It was very scenic and serene (fortunately tourists hadn't flowed in yet at 10am), I managed to spot more leftover cherry blossoms. The temple was not that huge, you could easily finish in 30 minutes, there were also many flowers in full bloom besides the cherry blossom. I also met a nice Japanese uncle whom always offered a hand to take my pictures. Arigato! It's also useful to note, once you exit from the other end (that goes right to the Bamboo Forest path), you're not allowed to re-enter even if you have a ticket.

I enjoyed the stroll along the Bamboo Forest, but it started to get really crowded as tourists started to come in by then. I don't know how to describe it, but both sides are filled with tall green bamboos, and when you manage to get a glimpse of sunlight coming through the chunk, it is really pretty!

After getting lost for a while, I walked into a Japanese Spa to ask for directions and as usual, kind Japanese whom couldn't speak English would always get someone to help me - touched! I managed to get back to the train station past noon, right besides the station is the where you could take the Sagano Scenic Railway, rumoured to be a romantic 7km sightseeing ride. I missed the train when I arrived and was indecisive on whether to wait for the next one, which would mean less time for me in the aftenoon. I hate my fickle-mindedness in this instance. Anyway, I decided to skip (perhaps will be back again to take this next time), and continue to visit the other temples I had in plan.

Next, I went to Myoshinji temple (a maze of about 50 sub-temples), it wasn't one of the highly rated must-go but after reading about it, I got interested and decided to keep it in my list. It was interesting, many of them seemed to be private gardens and I couldn't go in anyway but it was like a maze, there could be a surprise at any corner. One bad point about it was I walked to one end and it wasn't connected to the other, it almost crippled me with the amount of walking I did at this place. I didn't regret coming but would skip this next time as not many temples were open to public.

Seriously, after this, I was exhausted. But I knew I just had one more temple to go! Kinkakuji temple! This magnificent temple is covered with golden leaf but it was so touristy I did not enjoy it as much as the others. Queues were forming to take pictures or to buy souvenirs, tourists and lots of Japanese students on excursions flooded this place. I very much prefer Ginkakuji over this.

Then I had to find a bus back. This was one of the days I didn't get a bus pass because I was taking quite a few JR trains. And unfortunately, I boarded the bus headed in the wrong direction!!! I got off at the next stop, and was embarrassed when I couldn't explain I took the wrong one and didn't have any extra cash to pay for it! I was lucky the driver didn't make a big fuss and drove off. What a day really!

I couldn't wait to get back to rest, and that 5 minutes walk back from the bus-stop seemed really far this time. I was so grateful when I finally got back. It was then I met Selwyn, a black guy from London at the lounge... We spoke briefly and he invited me to join him and another guy to go to Fushimi but I rejected because I was just dead tired and only wanted food.

I guess it just wasn't the day for me. I hunted down the Yakitori restaurant (Onishi) near the hostel, only to be chased out because it was full and they didn't know when the next table would be available. Is that the norm in Japan, to chase people out when they are full??? I never heard of that, because in Singapore, we sure can queue! Anyway, I had a backup (phew!), so I ended up at this Okonomiyaki place for dinner. It was quiet with only one other customer, and I ordered something with grated yam and a hot sake. The chef and the other customer (a Japanese guy) were making conversation all the time, while I waited patiently for my food. Thinking that it would look like a pancake, it was another surprise when it was served. Anyway, it tasted good and kept my tummy happy, so all good!

Also, I noticed the chef was staring at me all the time when I was eating, and I read that I had to keep the eye contact to acknowledge that I was enjoying the food! Something to learn eh. After a bit of "googling", I realised the dish I had should be yakisoba instead of okonomiyaki!

So with a happy stomach, I headed back, quite relieved how the day had ended. Then Selwyn came back with Ron (American Japanese guy), then we all got introduced and chatted the night away. They were so funny and relaxed, at the end of the night, we exchanged our Facebook contacts!

One more day in Kyoto before I head off to the next city...