Travelogue: Kyoto in 3ish Days

We went to Kyoto with our full family (10 people, ages 5 to 75) - it was quite a production! I decided to hire a tour guide, so I could also have a vacation.  A splurge, for sure, but it was worth it alone just to have someone else the kids could pester for what the schedule was. 

Day 1:

We left Tokyo on an 8:20am shinkansen arriving in Kyoto at 10:30.  Our tour guide met us on the platform and took us to Toji Temple which has an open air fair on the 21st of every month.  Everything from fresh fruits/vegetables, to old kimonos and obis at Y1000 per item, to new art.  I found a shawl remade from old shibori cloth. 

Lunch was chicken sukiyaki in a restored home: http://chisouinaseya.com/menu/index_en.html Though quite centrally located near the Kyoto town hall, we were glad to have a guide to show us it - I would have never found it on our own.  Our visitors tried fu (麸), a protien-packed wheat gluten cake.  Some loved the chewy texture that soaked up the sukiyaki sauce - and for others, one nibble was enough.

In the afternoon, we walked through Shijo and Nishiki Market, checking out food stalls, shops run by the sixth generation, and stopped for a donut snack.  Then it was on to Gion, ending up at Yasaka Shrine at sunset when the lanterns were lit.  

Dinner was a simple yakitori.  I wanted to take everyone out for kushiyaki (fried things on sticks), but most places wanted us to  order a set menu for 10 people.  No one was that hungry being two days off the airplane, and Americans also aren't really a fan of "course menu" abdicating choices with no substitutions to the restaurant.

Day 2: 

We started at 9am and went first to Kiyomizu Temple - by the time we left around 10:30, it was really filling up so going first was a great call.  

We then we Kennin-ji, a temple i had never been to before, though it is apparently the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.  Also interesting is an area with some of the first tea plants brought to Japan - and it is very flat, so easy to walk through for old and very young legs tired from walking up the Kiyomizu Temple.  After that, we tried again to spot a geisha walking through Gion, but it wasn't our lucky trip.  

For lunch, we headed to the north of the city for some udon and soba - the hot noodle soup was so welcome to warm up after a chilly morning walking around.  The kids menu, including onigiri (rice balls) and vanilla ice cream was a hit. 

No stop in Kyoto is complete without Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion).  A full remake of the walkways during low tourist traffic due to closed borders during COVID has led to a much more comfortable experience with such crowds.  Actually, the light rain during our visit kept away most of the crowds - and thankfully was light enough not to bother us too much.  

We were able to squeeze in a walk through the Imperial Palace gardens.  So strange to be able to walk in without an appointment - when I studied in Kyoto over 20 years ago, it was a long process to apply for permission which had to be done by mail (ahem, only nascent Internet at that time) at least three weeks in advance.  

Through arrangement with our tour guide, we then split into two groups for an experience, having already seen so much.  I took the kids for a taiko (Japanese drumming) lesson with a guy who (before COVID!) performs internationally.  We had some good rhythms going!  

Greg joined the adults at a sake brewery tasting at Kagura Brewery, reportedly Kyoto's oldest.  Our tour guide explained to me it used to be one of the biggest breweries in Kyoto, but some years ago when the market wasn't so great, the family removed the large brewery and on their land built rental properties.  They now generate most of their income from real estate, allowing them the flexibility to keep making sake in a traditional (labor intensive, expensive) way and also experiment with new flavors.  They've also hired a retired American finance guy to help expand their appeal to foreign customers.  Our crew left with three bottles, so I guess their taste is good!

At dinner, we reconnected with friends of ours from Ho Chi Minh City over pizza.  Three meals in a row of Japanese food was about all some of the group could take :) 

Day 3: 

I was too ambitious with Days 1 and 2 above, forgetting about jet lag and small five year old legs.  Thankfully, I had sensed that might be the case a week before the trip, so I had already cancelled the tour guide for that day, and had a few things in my back pocket, depending on moods.  

We opted for Nijo Castle and then to take a lunch time shinkansen home.  Nijo was a great morning activity - it opens at 8:45 and is self-guided.  Kids can run around the gardens, getting their energy out.  Because it had frozen over night, pockets of frost on bridges and benches meant some opportunities for drawing pictures in the frost, too.  Note to future visitors: as you have to take off your shoes to see the inside of the castle, if you visit on a day when it is freezing, bring an extra pair of socks or some slippers.  Our toes were more than a little chilly by the end of seeing all the rooms (the castle is not heated).  

We were looking forward to showing our visitors all the "eki-ben" (train station bento boxes) to choose one for the ride home.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find where they were in Kyoto station, so settled for unexciting options.  Once we finally got our whole crew with new tickets for the earlier train through the ticket wickets ... we found the stalls *inside* the gate.  Sadly we didn't have time to browse for a better lunch selection before our train, so I noted this for the future.  We did have time, though, to stop at a convenience store for the niece to buy a super soft cotton shinkansen kids mask to wear on the shinkansen.  Have to travel in style!