We realised we have been away for a full week as at today – so much and all so fast – and yet not. Anyway this day was a cracker. Early breakfast, more awesome coffee and then straight out before the temperature climbed into the brain melting zone.
Today we headed south. Kyoto is located in a kind of flat basin, but at least as far as I can tell it is surrounded by hills and mountains. And that’s where we headed today to the amazing Fushimi Inari Taisha. The guide book describes the site as “vast” and they ain’t kidding. It’s a 4 km circuit of vermillion (they looked orange to me – is that the same as vermillion) Tori – which are shrine gates. There are thousands of them and they snake up and around the hill. We made it around the full circuit – and it was so worth it. Little shrines dotted here and there and thousands of stone foxes everywhere. The fox is sacred to the Japanese and is the god of cereals – wheat etc – not Nutri Grain.
After that we braved the midday heat and visited the huge Tofuku Ji Shrine which is nearby. It really was way too hot to be doing anything but it was worth it. The complex features 24 subtemples and a huge main hall. We came across a group of buddhists chanting at the entry to the main hall and the sound was… well… eerie. This was our first experience of a Zen Temple and the beautiful raked gravel gardens and minimalist layout appealed to my inner (and outer) OCD.
After a thorough frying, we headed back to Kyoto station complex for a set meal lunch thing and a little more air conditioned shopping. We weren’t up for much that night so we visited an upstairs craft beer bar called Bakujun which was a little subdued, so we gave up on that and ducked downstairs to the hip and happening “standing bar” downstairs. It was packed with young Kyoto hipsters all standing and drinking (and eating) as the name suggests. There was no English menu so we took pot luck and ate a bunch of delicious stuff including raw pickled octopus with wasabi, edamame with wasabi, whole fried mackerel and a cheese omelette. Sleepy time!
flyeelookee 