Follow our trail, starting in Hokkaido, followed by Miyajima and Hiroshima, Kyoto and Amanohashidate, Kobe and Osaka, finishing in Tokyo.
We spent the better part of a week in Kyoto, staying at a lovely ryokan west of the Kamo river and east of Shoseien Garden. We had breakfast in our room every morning before heading out to the adventure of the day.
We were in walking distance of the main train station. This suited our purpose of using Kyoto as a base for sojourns farther afield: to Kobe, to Osaka, and to Amanohashidate, to complete my personal quest of seeing the “Three Views of Japan”.
While in Kyoto we tried different restaurants near our ryokan: an Indian place, a Laotian place, and a Yakiniku joint. There were all more than adequate. Yakiniku is thinly sliced meat, slightly seasoned, that you cook over a gas grill at your own table; similar but not the same as Korean BBQ. We decided that the Laotian place was the best in terms of vibe and flavor; at night overlooking the river, we ordered off a tablet until we were full.
Amanohashidate is a small area with a fair amount of tourism. Supposedly one of the “Three Views of Japan”, it’s a long sandbar cordoning off the Asoumi Sea from an inlet on Wakasa Bay. We took a couple of trains to get there, then got out and walked a bit, then rented bikes to go across the sandbar. Once there, we walked a ways and then took a ropeway up the mountain.
Here, when I say ropeway, it might be closer to an initial understanding of the term. These were not cable cars, nor chairlifts with safety bars. Imagine elementary school lunch chairs attached by a pipe to a moving cable above, with no buckles.
There are cable cars available, but the line was slightly longer and we were feeling adventurous.
The thing about Amanohashidate is that it’s easy to transpose sea for sky; look at it long enough and you can convince yourself you’re viewing it upside-down. Hence, bending over to look backwards at the view is a bit of a tradition. They even set up viewing decks for it.
Our day devoted to Kyoto crammed a lot into a little amount of time. We started off walking to Kiyomizudera, a temple complex overlooking the city from the east. We walked uphill, past a cemetery, and entered.
One thing we did that I hadn’t done on my previous trip was to visit the Tainai-meguri, part of the Zuigudo temple. Holding a handrail, I descended a staircase into total darkness, following the handrail blindly until coming to a room with a stone. This was the Nyoirin Kannon, a stone that grants a wish. The entire experience is meant to represent rebirth, and Zuigudo is a temple dedicated to childbirth and family.
Kiyomizu-dera is famously home of a wishing deck, about five stories above the ground, where people would make a wish and throw themselves off the cliff in the hopes of being granted their wish. Most survived, but there isn’t a lot of data on long-term injuries or efficacy of wish-making.
The temple also offers a great view of the city.
Walking down, we stopped at the former home of a master potter, now turned into a museum. Neither of us are pottery experts, but the work was interesting, and massive multi-level kiln was impressive. The house itself was interesting in its construction, and the second floor was built around an open area in the middle overlooking the ground floor, like a square donut.
Moving on, we visited Nishi Hongan-ji.
There was a ceremony happening at one point. We (and the other tourists) held back while that completed. Like churches and cathedrals, these temples and shrines are still used for religious services, even as they are open to tourists.
At night, we went to the Kyoto skyway – the rooftop deck of the shopping center built over the station. It was beautiful. I’m sorry I missed it the first time around.
We went to the Kyoto rail museum, stopping there before heading to Osaka. It was interesting, if you like big machines and networks, which we do. Mostly it was a chance to take pictures of ourselves in front of various trains and play with a toy that taught the importance of interior camber on banked rail turns.
There was a brewpub near our ryokan, but a little further afield was a proper bar. I continued my quest to try Japanese whisky, checking the Miyagikyo. Good, but not my style.
We devote a full day to Kyoto and another day to Amanohashidate. We spent an additional day apiece in Kobe and Osaka.