Kyoto Day 4

by Brianin Japan, Kyotoon Posted on

Day 4 in Kyoto (Wednesday), I covered the North Eastern part of town. There wasn’t a whole lot of bike riding this day because everything was relatively close to each other. It was one of the more productive days in terms of everything I got to do but it was also probably the hottest day there…. Here we go!

First stop of the day, Heian Shrine
It was so hot this day, I didn't even bother walking all the way to the shrine... might as well have been a desert away. This is the closest I got to it.
After Heian Shrine, I made my way east over to the Philosopher's Walk which follows Tetsugaku-no-michi up north to Ginkaku-ji. This little cat home is at the beginning part of the path.
This is what the stone pathway looks like... it follows the stream north-south. I walked my bicycle the entire way.
Even the fish were staying in the shade hehe
End of the Philosopher's Walk
The street leading up to Ginkaku-ji was filled with school students and shops.... so crowded
Green tea flavor cream puff and a citrusy drink that tasted like super lemonade.... sooo good.
Made it into the temple grounds...
Most of the grounds consisted of their garden
There's a small hill side you can walk through as part of the gardens that opens up to this view.
It's not exactly silver but it is about the same size as the golden pavilion from Kinkaku-ji (golden pavilion)
After Ginkaku-ji, I rode my bike back down the Philosopher's Walk to Maruyama Park. This park is supposedly famous for its cherry blossoms however since that season was already over, the park was a little plain...
To be honest I was a little disappointed but maybe I can go back during the right season and everything will be much nicer. If you google Maruyama Park images, you'll see the comparison.
I was surprised at how much ground I was covering and it was still early so I decided to go to Nishiki Market. A small covered street running east-west with mostly food vendors selling their goods
Tried the octopus with quail egg in the head... I don' t know how they get it in there but it was great. Also tried the dry fish which reminded me of home a lot...
Poke! sort of... closest thing I've seen in Japan so far (except for copycat Hawaiian restaurants in Japan). So ono!
Riding along the Kamogawa after eating all the vendor food
Old kabuki theater, Minami-za. Didn't get to watch a show on this trip.... actually wasn't even sure what was playing because I couldn't translate the signs... next time!
After a short rest at the hotel, headed back out to Gion District
Purely out of curiosity, I decided to see what this building was because there were tour buses parked outside of it. Turned out to be Gion Corner, where they have performances at night of various traditional arts. Just so happens I got there ten minutes before the next show and I was able to purchase a ticket! This turned out to be one of the luckiest surprises of my trip...
Tea ceremony
Music and flower arrangements
Comedy show
Maiko performance, two different dances
Puppet show
Wanted to treat myself to a nice tradition meal in Kyoto on the way home... stopped by this fancy restaurant on Hanamikoji-dori where people try to see all the geisha/maiko running around.
Kaiseki Meal! The most expensive but also the best meal of the trip... not 100% sure what everything was but that doesn't matter
Soo good!
After eating all that good food, decided to go home straight. On the way, these people snuck up on me at the crosswalk... thought I'd take a picture. Hard to say if this was real or not.

Strava link!

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