Day Trip to Kyoto

Three Saturdays ago (December 12) we woke up early and drove to Gifu, the nearest JR train station, and set off for Kyoto. It is a great city to visit because it embodies both “countries” of Japan~”The Old and “The New”. Japan has a unique traditional and historical to it, but also is on the cutting edge of technology, fashion and everything non-traditional. Kyoto takes these two different countries and seamlessly blends them into an unforgettable city. If you ever visit Japan Kyoto is a must!

The trip from Gifu took just under two hours and included two transfers. We used our “18 Ticket” and spent only ¥2,300 (about $24) each for transportation. The 18 Ticket allowed us to return home at no additional charge. The city shows off “the New” the instant you step of the train. Kyoto station is an impressive site. Its busyness is rivaled only by Tokyo and Nagoya, but it has a much more modern feel than that of other Japanese cities. The station sits just south of most of the key landmarks throughout the city and serves well as a point of reference.

Kyoto Station: 2nd Largest in Japan

Using the station as our starting and ending point we were easily able to navigate the city in part because it is laid out on a grid system. Those familiar with NYC rejoice! The other two landmarks that made getting around the city easier were the Old Imperial Palace and the Kamo River (The Kyoto TV tower can also be used, but it sits right across from the JR station).

After arriving we set off to the East until we found the river. We walked along its East side on a paved walking/bike then crossed back over into a busier part of town. Here we found a nice little hotel with a cafe/restaurant. They had a nice little breakfast consisting of soup, small sandwiches and coffee. We also sat next to a woman wearing a kimono (not uncommon in Kyoto). This made for an interesting photo (on the right) with a traditional kimono and a colorful display of modern stripes on the wall. We had planned to visit the Efish Cafe, but it didn’t open until 11a.m. which seems to be a national phenomenon (stores open late and close early). We ate our fill and walked straight East, back across the river, and explored the many temples that rest on the foothills of the mountains. Here we saw Kiyomizu Temple, Kodaiji Temple, Yasaka Shrine, Chion-in Temple and also the famous Nanzen-ji Temple. We walked all of this way and climbed up (and down) mountains of stairs. There is so much east of the river that two full days could be spend at the many museums, temples, and more. Kyoto University is also on the east side and sits North of Maratamachi-Dori.

Then we headed towards the busy streets of Sanjo Dori and Shijo Dori. There are many shops, both high end and small local shops, along the streets and under covered streets. Although busy and fun, our feet were so tired from the temples we tried to find somewhere to eat. Sanjo and Shijo Dori were so busy we left them and headed towards our next stop and found food on the way.

Our next stop was the old Kyoto Imperial palace. There is a charge, but it is well worth it. There are many castles/palaces in Japan and sometimes we feel like another castle will put us over the edge, but we’re glad we paid for the Imperial palace. It takes over an hour to walk through the building and complex. It is surrounded by beautiful walls and peaceful gardens.

For dinner we ate udon noodles at Sarashina (recommended by a 2005 ‘Rough Guide’ to Japan). Alyssa ate Tempura (shrimp) Udon and I ate Udon with Beef. Both were fantastic! As a tourist destination Kyoto has many people and business owners that speak English. However, Sarashina goes the extra mile and makes sure any one can enjoy a meal there. If you’re uncomfortable speaking Japanese and want an easy way to relax Sarashina has menu in most major languages. They make the communicating process as easy as pointing to a phrase or dish on the menu. Of course if you want to practice your Japanese they allow that too.

It was a fabulous day trip, but Kyoto is certainly worth much more than a single day. We’re hoping to visit again in the Spring when the cherry blossoms are in full swing. Then we’ll have a more full experience,  but at a cost everyone else will be filling the streets to see Kyoto in its Spring garb.

Click below to see all of our photos.

Day Trip to Kyoto

 

Facts of Life #21

FoL #21: Tokyoites

We just got back from our Tokyo trip. We’re a bit backed-up with blog posts since we’ve traveled to three different cities in as many weeks. Here’s our weekly Facts of Life though. Look for our posts about Kyoto, Ise City, and Tokyo in the next week.

A Tokyoite:

1. A person from or living in Tokyo.
2. Extremely busy.
3. Dedicated to work, their company and their own achievement.
4. Fashionable and functional.
5. Comfortable with pushing, shoving and doing whatever it takes to get on the train.
6. Comfortable paying high prices for food, clothes, etc.
7. Despite being all of the above, s/he is extremely kind, helpful and personable.

 

Merry Christmas from Tokyo!

We’re in the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo. The intersection around the corner is one of the most famous intersections in the world. It’s the Times Square of Asia. So far our trip in Tokyo has been wonderful! We started off the trip by meeting Alyssa’s old roommate. We joined her at a fabulous dinner with some her friends. It was a pre-Christmas Eve dinner that will be impossible to forget! We were welcomed with open arms into a cozy house full of cute kids and lots of food. Since then we’ve done lots of shopping seen the sights and experienced the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. It’s truly incredible in both size, breadth and speed. We love it! We’ll write more later about our travels! For now: Merry Christmas! Christmas Day is almost over here!

Ginza..Intersection of Light

 

Facts of Life #20

FoL #20 Christmas in Japan

When this is posted it will be Christmas day in Japan and we’ll be in Tokyo. We wrote this before hand because we’re not sure what internet access will be like while we’re there.

Merry Christmas to YOU!

1. Christmas is most often written and pronounced X-mas. It has nothing to do with taking Jesus out of the season at all. It just happens to be that way.
2. X-mas Cakes are huge. We’ve seen lots of advertisements for these the past few weeks.
3. Ask someone if they are putting up Christmas lights and they’ll get confused…but ask about illuminations and their face will light up. Even though technically Christmas illuminations are no different than Christmas lights it threw us off the first time we heard it.
4. White Elephant gift exchanges are very peaceful. Unlike Americans who like to steal, take and strategize Japanese are happy to keep the gift they open even if something else better is on the table.
5. On Christmas day kids wake up open presents and head to school. It’s not a national holiday here. (Gifu-ken, where we are, is one of the few prefectures that still has school during this time. Other prefectures don’t have school on Dec. 25 but it isn’t on account of Christmas).
6. For us Gaijin (foreigners) December and Christmas brings an unfamiliar sound English! English songs are everywhere thanks to the majority of Christmas songs being in English. We’ve enjoyed being able to sing along to the songs wherever we go.
7. Christmas is a minor holiday. New Year’s is the big one and gets the most attention of the two holidays.

 

Telephone Pictionary

Even though we use this for fun in the classroom it is a great game for any occasion. We played for the first time 3 years ago at a Christmas party. We’ve heard it called Crazy Cats, El Gato, and Telephone Pictionary. We’d love to know if you have a better name for it!

At one of my schools I (Alyssa) decided we would play telephone pictionary. I had no idea the commitment I was agreeing to…

1. I had to cut out 8 small sheets of paper for every one of my 300 students.

2. I had to come up with the easiest way to explain the rules of the game (Christmas Carols don’t make logical sense to a student who knows limited English).

3. Last I had to explain why the game was so fun at the end of the 8 turns.

I think I lost a few of my students but most enjoyed the game throughly.

TELEPHONE PICTIONARY

Players: Strangely enough, an odd number is best. 7 is perfect; 5 or 9 works OK, and 6 or 8 is manageable.

Materials: A blank sheet (sheets) of paper and a pen/pencil for each player.

Setup: Everyone writes their name at the bottom right of a sheet of paper. Then on the top, write a phrase or sentence. Song lyrics, sayings, quotes, or random thoughts are all fine. (I used Christmas Carols)

Play: After writing the sentence, each player passes the paper clockwise. Upon receiving the paper, each player draws the phrase or sentence as best as possible.

When finished, that player folds the paper so the original sentence cannot be seen—only the drawing. The paper is then passed to the right again, and the next player has to interpret the drawing as a sentence. That player then folds the paper so the drawing cannot be seen—only the new sentence—and passes it again. Repeat passing the paper, writing a sentence or drawing, and folding until the paper comes back to its originator. (With an even number of people, skip the last drawing.) Unfold the paper and be amused at how your sentence changed as it was interpreted and re-interpreted by your fellow players.

Below is a gallery of the T.P. games my students played. Most are in pencil and are a little difficult to see. You’ll have to click on a picture to make it bigger and visible.