Today was a "free" day. That meant our guide could do some serious proper work and not having to herd us around. So we had to fill the day with something. People went everywhere. For me - I wanted to see a very special Temple, south of Kyoto. But first I took a long walk from the hotel up to Shijo Dori - largest shopping street in Kyoto. First I wanted to check out potential shopping places. But 9am was too early as everything was still closed. So I went to Gion Station as I had spotted on my map that the train to Inari passed through here. Put 200 yen into the vending machine and got my slip.
Took the Keihan railway line southward to Inari. It was a quick 8 minute trip. Or should be! This area are trafficked by many different lines. Some are express lines, some are semi-express lines and then you have your other three different lines.. All going the same way. Just not stopping at the station I wanted to get off. Luckily I could jump off the train and get on one of those versions actually stopping at Fushimi-Inari.
Yeah! As always with a temple; room for great shopping along the walk up to the temple. Shopping and food. Great Okonomiyakis but I didn't yet know this was Great. This day - I just thought it was too much and too weird for me. My huge mistake, as I learned later on.
Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine is a special one. First, it is Shinto. Secondly, thousand of vermillion Torii gateways and a lot of small shrines and stone monuments makes this impressive on a different kind of scale. I just wanted to sing "What does the Fox say" when I got up. Kitsune (Fox) statues were everywhere. All dressed in red. Continuing upwards you started to see the Torii gateways. At the bottom of the hill, you enter through the main gate - the "tower gate". Then you have to squeeze yourself through the crowds with cameras. All trying to the The Selfie Photo with the torii gates as backdrop. These gates are all privately sponsored. For a nice sum, you get a small gate. The more you sponsor, the larger gate you can get.
You then continue to walk the mountain, singing jolly well on some catchy tune. Squeezing through the crowds and the narrow gates. At several points you can turn off the path to the top and return down. But it took about 75 minutes to the stop. If I include all the pit stops to buy some Pocari Sweat and to catch my breath. The pathway was most of the time stairs leading upwards. But I did it!! I climbed the mountain - conquered the dragon. This the day AFTER a long nature hike! I was impressed by myself. Fat white middle aged and still managed to reach the top. Sure, if all those old Japanese men and women could do it.. I HAD to keep on walking. The way down was quick and easy and I laughed at all the other fat, white middle aged tourists on their way up. I just hope I didn't look that silly; beet red, tongue hanging down the chin, an empty glassy stare.. All in all, I spent four hours here and it was great.
Another 200 yen later I was back in Gion and walked around the area now that I had time. Spent the rest of the day exploring the northern side of Gion and the huge shopping street Shjo Dori. There are also some shopping complexes here with a food market. Spent many hours but no money. Unless you consider money used to buy food as "spending". I don't - it is an investment; in myself!
Back to the hotel to recover a bit and then back out on the streets, towards a "budget diner" I saw earlier. I finally got my first proper Tonkatsu.
Train station and Yodibashi shopping building were how I finished off the evening. At the station, a Disneyfied event was happening; a water fountain danced to Disney Christmas music. In any Disney event, everyone; young and old, stood frozen with their smartphones taking The Snapshot of some water spurting a meter up in the air. Sure, there were some colored lights as well. But come on..
Took the Keihan railway line southward to Inari. It was a quick 8 minute trip. Or should be! This area are trafficked by many different lines. Some are express lines, some are semi-express lines and then you have your other three different lines.. All going the same way. Just not stopping at the station I wanted to get off. Luckily I could jump off the train and get on one of those versions actually stopping at Fushimi-Inari.
Yeah! As always with a temple; room for great shopping along the walk up to the temple. Shopping and food. Great Okonomiyakis but I didn't yet know this was Great. This day - I just thought it was too much and too weird for me. My huge mistake, as I learned later on.
Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine is a special one. First, it is Shinto. Secondly, thousand of vermillion Torii gateways and a lot of small shrines and stone monuments makes this impressive on a different kind of scale. I just wanted to sing "What does the Fox say" when I got up. Kitsune (Fox) statues were everywhere. All dressed in red. Continuing upwards you started to see the Torii gateways. At the bottom of the hill, you enter through the main gate - the "tower gate". Then you have to squeeze yourself through the crowds with cameras. All trying to the The Selfie Photo with the torii gates as backdrop. These gates are all privately sponsored. For a nice sum, you get a small gate. The more you sponsor, the larger gate you can get.
You then continue to walk the mountain, singing jolly well on some catchy tune. Squeezing through the crowds and the narrow gates. At several points you can turn off the path to the top and return down. But it took about 75 minutes to the stop. If I include all the pit stops to buy some Pocari Sweat and to catch my breath. The pathway was most of the time stairs leading upwards. But I did it!! I climbed the mountain - conquered the dragon. This the day AFTER a long nature hike! I was impressed by myself. Fat white middle aged and still managed to reach the top. Sure, if all those old Japanese men and women could do it.. I HAD to keep on walking. The way down was quick and easy and I laughed at all the other fat, white middle aged tourists on their way up. I just hope I didn't look that silly; beet red, tongue hanging down the chin, an empty glassy stare.. All in all, I spent four hours here and it was great.
Another 200 yen later I was back in Gion and walked around the area now that I had time. Spent the rest of the day exploring the northern side of Gion and the huge shopping street Shjo Dori. There are also some shopping complexes here with a food market. Spent many hours but no money. Unless you consider money used to buy food as "spending". I don't - it is an investment; in myself!
Back to the hotel to recover a bit and then back out on the streets, towards a "budget diner" I saw earlier. I finally got my first proper Tonkatsu.
Train station and Yodibashi shopping building were how I finished off the evening. At the station, a Disneyfied event was happening; a water fountain danced to Disney Christmas music. In any Disney event, everyone; young and old, stood frozen with their smartphones taking The Snapshot of some water spurting a meter up in the air. Sure, there were some colored lights as well. But come on..
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