By this time, my head was aching so bad due to the cold. So we stopped and sat down on one of the stone benches along the canal. There were many shops, small teahouses and cafes along the path, but as it was winter, there were almost nobody patronizing them. Some of them were even preparing to close for the day, as it was getting late (ard 3.30pm, and the sun was already going down). As the Japanese have a high standard of "Kawaii-ness" to everything, their shops were also decorated in a characteristic "Kawaii" style like this display in front of a restaurant:

Anyway, we walked on after I recovered a little from my headache. We hoped to reach Ginkakuji before it was closed at 4.00pm as it was the winter. Ginkakuji is located right at the northern end of the Philosopher's path. We did make it - about 15 minutes before the last admission time. There were a similar street-lined-with-souvenir-stalls at a section of the path leading to the pavillion, but most of them were packing up to call it a day. The admission to Ginkakuji costs ¥500. The pavillion itself was under construction when we were there, but the zen-style garden itself was worth the trip.

The moss garden in Ginkakuji, and its inhabitants:

Then we took a bus back to downtown area, to catch the evening mass at Kawaramachi church. The church was at the Kawaramachi-Sanjo intersection. To our relief, the bus stop was almost right in front of the church, which saved us the trouble of searching. It was still an hour before mass started, so we went around the shopping arcade and looked for dinner. The bustling downtown was a total opposite of the peaceful northern area we just came back from.

As it was getting really cold in the evening, and I was still having a little bit of a headache, we went inside a shopping center to warm ourselves up and use the bathroom. As usual, the toilet were extremely clean and quiet, with nice calming music playing. The toilet seats were warm, and there is an "equipment to clean the buttocks with warm water" installed. It was almost like a spa resort in there. I spent almost 15 minutes just sitting inside the cubicle. If poor Mike weren't waiting for me, I would have loved to spend the whole hour just sitting there, or probably even take a little nap.

We couldn't find anything within our budget for dinner in the shopping center, so we went out to the streets, and checked out the alleys. We found a small restaurant selling ramen, and settled there. We ordered a bowl of ramen each. It was heavenly in a winter evening, especially after a whole day of travelling and surviving on onigiri on the go. It's hard for me to describe the restaurant, it was downright simple, with narrow walkways and elongated narrow tables where everyone sit in a row. But the way everything was setup there gives it a neat and cozy atmosphere.

After dinner, we went for mass - our first one in Japanese language. Cool! Though we could only understand less than 5 words throughout the entire mass (e.g. Jesu-sama, kami-sama, alleluia), the melodies of the hymn were almost identical to churches anywhere. Ah! The joy of being a member of a religion that's so universal! Not many people were at the mass that night, probably because of the late hour, or perhaps religion would be the last thing on the minds of people immersed in the dreams of the floating world. Whatever the case, the Catholic mass we attended gave us the feel of old Meiji era christianity. Most women attending mass were wearing white headscarf which somehow reminded me of old Catholic practices. It was as if time froze since the Meiji period in that church.

After the mass, we explored around. We came to Pontocho, the nightlife district of Kyoto, lined with fine-dining restaurants and stylish-looking bar. There was a canal running at one side of the street, adding a dramatic touch to the scenery. Nevertheless, we found the area to a tad too upclass for our liking, so we moved on.

Pontocho at night.

We continued along sanjo-dori and came to sanjo-ohashi over Kamo river, another landmark of Kyoto. The river dates back to the Heian era in the 9th century, being featured in several legends as well as serving as the site of several historic events. Walkways are constructed along the riverbanks, making it popular for a stroll especially during the summer. Rows of expensive traditional Japanese style restaurants with balconies facing the river is one experience to go for when you have a good amount of extra ¥ to spend.

Restaurants along the banks of Kamogawa.

By the time we reached Gion, it was already 9 pm. This area is THE geisha district. We were hoping to see a real one, and we did, at one corner of the street. She seemed in a hurry though, so we couldn't get a good picture. I can't really describe it, but from her disposition and the aura she emits when she passes by, I can tell that this is definitely not some tourist who paid ¥13,000 to dress up like one. This one definitely looked pro.

There was nothing much to see apart from the elusive geisha we just saw. I guess we were rather late, the shophouses were closed, and only late tourists like us loiter around the streets with disappointment. I guess they were also hoping to spot some geisha in action. Nevertheless, we took our time for a quiet stroll around the area. Walking around Gion, it feels as if we were in the setting of an old samurai movie. The stone-paved roads and the wooden sliding doors of the low-rise shophouses reminded me of the how the streets look like in Kenshin anime (and other Japanese movies).

It was getting quieter and colder as we walked towards our bus stop. We found an Indonesian restaurant along the way. It would be interesting to visit the area again the next time we're in Japan. Ending our adventure for the day, we took bus 206 back to Kyoto station, bought some onigiri for breakfast, reached our hostel at 10 pm and washed up a little before we went to bed.... with the beloved heater placed as close as possible to, without burning, ourselves.

1 Comments:

Beautiful, beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing this!

By  a0z0ra, at 5:38 PM  

Post a Comment