Digging for Gold in Kyoto
Wed 07 Aug 2013Arriving to Kyoto at midday after the first exhilarating bullet train ride could seem a little of a let down.
The city so celebrated in the guide books and the home of the odd protocol is well known and well directed to. The city at the train station at least appears as any other in Japan. Busy, people, and a rather un-imagined streetscape of nondescript buildings.
Bags stored it was time to dig for gold.
Trusty Google maps on the iPhone with the 3g wifi in the pocket set us off in search of Kinkaku-ji, where there is a palace of plated with Gold. The 101 buses are a little intermittent, but maybe we had just missed one.
The ride there took about 40 minutes, and gave the chance to stare out the window at a city that was saved from bombing during WWII, so many of the buildings are older. They are still crammed together and not thought about. Someone had told me prior that there are no design rules for filling your land space with constructions, so that seems to be the general rule (fill your land).
The Golden pavilion at Kinkaku-ji was worth it though. 400 Yen to get in, and its there in front of you - with about 100 tourists every 5 minutes, its a cracking pace to get the photo and then continue through the gardens. Bamboo railing lined, and security guarded, there is little you can do but follow the path to the gift store waiting for you at the end.
Along the way toss some tourist Japanese at the old lady gardening in the hope of striking up an amazing new friendship and invitation over the bamboo barricade, but its no use.
Next down the road, on a real short bus ride, and you are at Ryōan-ji gardens. Famous for... wait for it.... a rock garden - this is the 2nd most popular thing in town. You will find a similar number of people coming to stare and wonder why they would put just rocks in the garden. Sure enough, I found a quite cool corner overlooking a moss garden and passed out for 15 minutes kip before rejoining my travel buddy.
Google to the rescue again, and the Maps app correctly predicted the bus and walk path exactly to "Biotei", a small vegetarian-sh place upstairs just off a main avenue. The set menu was 1500 Yen ($15) and very tasty. Washed down with organic ginger beer and day done.
(Post note: Both of the attractions today had a tripod ban. A policy that seems to be spreading the world's attractions, I have now encountered 5 places since the Sagrada Familia that must have decided that we take up too much space, or make a trip hazard (or perhaps make better photos than they sell :)
Related Links:Kyoto attractions on Google
