Konnichiwa Japan - My very first trip to the land of rising run

[rbjhan]

Sigh

The memories.

As soon as it's safe to travel overseas again I'm going to Japan!

 

[AIRwin]

As soon as it's safe to travel overseas again I'm going to Japan!

Hai! I was originally booked on the inaugural VA flight to HND and am hoping I still get a chance...

 

[rbjhan]

Hai! I was originally booked on the inaugural VA flight to HND and am hoping I still get a chance...

I booked a VA flight in November.....

 

[rbjhan]

Lunch at Kawakami
Back then it was much easier to secure a reservation at good restaurants, sigh.


10 counter seats, there were a group of 4, another group of 3, and 3 solo diners. Amazingly the old gentlemen and lady sitting to my left and right both spoke very good English (Yet I didn't know how rare it was!), we had great fun chatting for 2 hours. The gentleman came from Nagoya, his son worked at Olympus so he was ecstatic to see my camera The lady was from Hiroshima and she used to work in Thailand, which accounted for her language abilities...they both tried to explain everything to me as the chef couldn't speak English.

Starter


Sashimi


Soup

 

[rbjhan]

Grilled fish


Chawanmushi


Crab


Rice and miso soup


Fresh fruit


I had fond memories of this meal but more to do with the company than the food.
Still, a great introduction to Japanese fine dining.

 

[rbjhan]

Shorenin




This one had been my desktop wallpaper for a long time

 

[rbjhan]

Afternoon tea at Saryo Tsujiri


Evening in Gion
Very proud of this picture as I didn't have a tripod


End of day 3.

 

[craven morehead]

Kinkakuji
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It was splendid in the afternoon sun
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Another angle.
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You've never had a problem taking good photos that's for sure.

 

[rbjhan]

You've never had a problem taking good photos that's for sure.

Thank you!

 

[rbjhan]

Day 3

The day before I didn't have time to visit Kodaiji...




some interesting take on the dry garden?

 

[rbjhan]

Entokuin just across the street from Kodaiji

 

[rbjhan]

Yasui Konpiragu
This is an interesting shrine.
Apparently if you crawl through that hole, it can break off bad relationships! and don't forget to write down your wishes and put it on that thing....



No, I did not have need for this....

 

[rbjhan]

Kenninji
In the centre of Gion, yet so quiet...






Then walked to the Kamo River, it is the heart of Kyoto IMHO.

 

[rbjhan]

Lunch at Sushi Matsumoto in Gion

*Sushi we think about today, is probably raw fish served on cooked vinegar rice, right? That is called Edomae Sushi, originated in Edo period Tokyo. And only one of many different types of sushi in Japan (google narezushi if you are brave).
Kyoto being a landlocked region, fresh fish was rare in the old days. Even now, sushi is not that big here.

I managed to find this restaurant serving Edomae sushi in Kyoto. But honestly, won't do it again.
The sushi here was very good of course, but you will find better ones in Tokyo, like this.

 

[JohnM]

No, I did not have need for this....

But a lot did..

 

[rbjhan]

But a lot did..

Clearly!

 

[rbjhan]

Continue with sushi, the traditional sushi in the Kansai region is pressed sushi, also called box sushi.
A wooden box is lined with fish, then covered with rice. The lid is then pressed down to create a compact block of sushi. It is cut into pieces later.
Particularly famous is saba zushi, 鯖寿司

 

[rbjhan]

Oaky enough of sushi

This was a Friday. As mentioned in the openings, I couldn't find accommodation in Kyoto for the weekend - not reasonably priced ones anyway. APA hotel where I stayed first 3 nights was completely sold out, only a handful business hotels had availabilities and they were asking between 25 to 30K Yen per night

So I looked a little further away and found Kadensho.
Kadensho is not a traditional ryokan, more like something in between a ryokan and a hotel? It is managed by the same company behind Dormy Inns.
Friday night was 28K Yen, including dinner and breakfast. Vastly better value than the business hotels in city centre!

I shipped my suitcase to Osaka, took a weekender to Arashiyama.
Kadensho was just opposite Hankyu Arashiyama station, location was very good.




Lobby

 

[rbjhan]

My room was compact.


Bathroom, didn't use it of course. There's a big public bath and 5 private onsens.


A basket was prepared for you to take to the onsen.

 

[rbjhan]

Went out to the Katsura River.