Good Morning Kyoto

Sunday May 3 Day 5

Day 5 Part 1

Good morning Kyoto! I literally shout it from the window and our neighbor echoes back. This is going to be a good day once I get some breakfast. My stomach has been growling since just before dinner last night. Today’s itinerary is the busiest of the trip. We meet with our guide out front of the hotel just before 8 am. One of my favorite parts of this trip is that we are taking public transit; you really get the “lay of the land” this way. When you mingle with the commoners it gives a glimpse into what life is like in a city. Thankfully we have a guide that knows the route and the native tongue, so we get a taste of the town without the stress of having to navigate.

Our first stop of the day, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and to get to it we must climb the mountain. Well not really, the Japanese have thought of everything and there are streets comprised of shops leading most of the way. Now that’s how to motivate a girl. Impressed, I skip past, making note of a few places to stop in on my way back down.

This place is like a fortune themed amusement park equipped with a Magic Mountain, games, and a fountain of wish water for drinking. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get any better than this.

I try my hand and heart at a game of luck, or love, or both. The object is to successfully walk from one rock to the other, which is 18 meters away. With your eyes closed. Without bumping into anyone. Or else what? If I did make it across I would find true love (or at least that’s how I interpreted the English translation). It didn’t mention what would happen if I didn’t make it though.

I made it across! Albeit with a little unsolicited help from the sidelines. I thought those do-gooders had jinxed me forever, but thanks to my faithful friend Wikipedia, I now know different. If someone guides you than there will be a “middle-man” (or woman) that assists in the process. Hey, I’m not fussy, I’m just hoping this true love will come in something other than dog form, middle-person or not.

On the way back down Magic Mountain I pick up a Kimono clad Hello Kitty stuffed toy for my niece and look for a Gundam Wing Toy for a friend. I make it back to the meet spot on time and we are off to the next destination, Nijo Castle.

This is a far cry from the bright lights, big city vibe of Tokyo and more in line with what I was hoping to see in Japan. The structures are so elaborate and well designed. This castle even comes fully loaded with a “nightingale floor” that sings when stepped on. Maybe sings is not the word, since it’s more like a creek. Whatever the sound, it’s effective and was devised to give warning of intruders.

Time for lunch. I finally get to add Ramen to my authentic Japanese meal schedule. The ladies and I pick a happening joint to indulge. It’s delicious, no surprise there, not for Bestie and I anyway. Roomie has a bit of a different experience. I need to add here that she is a vegetarian because that becomes important now. After the meal we are told that though the ingredients in the bowl might not be meat products, the broth is pork based, and that goes for all authentic Ramen folks. Needless to say Roomie was not impressed.

The last stop of our day is a mad house, crowds of people packed tightly along this narrow path leading around a pond. Everyone is moving at a very slow pace, so it takes a few minutes to get far enough in to see what the crowd draw is. Kinkaku-ji, another temple, but a golden one. The trail gives us a 360 degree view of it, and an opportunity to take some great photos. Even the monks can’t resist.

I don’t know how it’s possible but I’ve wandered off on my own again, and am the last to join our group on the other side of the temple. We are now on a sprint to Kyoto station to catch a bullet train back to Tokyo at 4:56 pm. It is not the first time I am told that the trains are so punctual you can set your watch by them, and it is no joke.

I grab a nap again on the train, and once back in Tokyo Bestie and I go impromptu shoe shopping in Shibuya before heading back to the hotel. We execute the same plan as before; to sleep until midnight, get up, get ready, and stay out until dawn. The nightclub Womb is hosting UK DJ Mark Knight and I intend to be there. With alarm set for eleven we lay down for some shuteye.

Day 3: Part 1

Friday May 1 Day 3

No matter which way I try to put it, Day 3 cannot be told in a single post.

Day 3: Part 1

Where to start, where to end, what to tell?

The alarm goes off at 5 am. I’m not one who likes to get up in the morning so my alarm criteria are lengthy; loud and obnoxious definitely top the list. It’s not just waking me up but everyone else in the room, and maybe a couple of neighbours. Needless to say it’s 5 am and I’m up and ready for the day. The itinerary is packed, which is exactly how I like to see a city. My outfit plan has already been sorted weeks before when I decided what to pack, so I was on autopilot for the rest of the day. Our group of 20 meet in the hotel lobby for 9ish to start on the day’s journey. First stop – Harajuku. I am expecting to enter a world catering entirely to Lolittas. Although I am not disappointed when we arrive, I am surprised at how Disney everything feels.

Harajuku

Even the Disney store feels more Disney, the sales girls holding teddy bears that practically come alive with their touch. With gestures, not words, it is explained to me that each bear is the likeness of a well-known Disney character and only available in Japan. I know right! Check them out:

http://www.disneystore.co.jp/shop/u_page/giftunibear.aspx

I want one of each, but there’s no time to shop because we are already late to meet for our next stop on the itinerary, Meiji Shrine. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to take pictures of everything, it is just so different from what I am familiar with at home. I have to pry myself away from the camera to seize the day, these are moments I want to be present in, this is what it’s all about.

Meiji Shrine

Good thing because this place needs attention, everything has a meaning, a ritual, a tradition and I want to know it all. Although I consider myself to be without God, I can’t help but feel drawn to the spiritual vibe of this place.   I like the idea of fortunes and lucky charms, and I grab a few of each from the shops. Of course I grabbed one for love and another for success,; really I’m open to improvement so could use a charm in every area of my life. I also received a fortune that could not have been more appropriate. To end our time at the shrine we were witness to a traditional Japanese wedding. I’m not sure if there are any superstitions around weddings and luck, but it felt like we had been chosen to witness this event, and that felt lucky to me. Grateful, I snapped a picture.

Meiji Shrine

Our next stop was the Tokyo Sky Tree. I looked forward to finally catching a glimpse of Mt. Fuji and seeing how the largest metropolitan in the world compares to some of the biggest cities I’ve seen. Japan continues to exceed my expectations, it makes my heart beat fast to see a city that sprawls farther than the eye can see, whichever direction you look. I decide from this vantage point that I could never live here, but would have to return to finish what this trip starts because it is way too big to see in only 3 days.

Skytree view of Tokyo

Our last spot of the day takes us to Senso-ji in Asakusa, one of (if not the) oldest Temples in Tokyo. Leading up to it, rows of souvenir shops, some of the best knick-knack shopping that I’ve ever done. I got so carried away picking out a Samurai sword for my nephew that I completely lost track of time and my Bestie. I had to run through the Temple (which for the record is at the very end of all these awesome shops), but managed to make it to the meet spot on time. The pictures are blurry as a result though.

Senso-ji in Asakusa

Reunited as a trio; Bestie, Roomie, and I head back in the direction of our hotel, grabbing dinner at a place we had picked out the night before. A cool spot, walking distance to our place where we sat on the floor to eat and were required to remove our shoes before entering. This was not a problem; our feet welcomed the rest after pounding the pavement all day.

Shinjuku dinner

I hatch a plan over dinner electing to go back to the hotel and sleep now, waking up at midnight to start our day. Rather than staying up all-night and grabbing a couple hours when we get in at 5 am. That way we could sleep 4 hours, wake up at midnight and stay out all night, we just need to be back in time for breakfast at 7 am. The other girls are in, so we finish eating and head to our beds. The alarm is set for midnight.

P.S. Meiji Shrine may have happened before Harajuku Day 3. It has only been 2 weeks and I have already started to forget major details. Good thing I’m getting it all down now, because at this rate I won’t even remember going to Japan at all.