Day 8 - Family Japan - "Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera, Ramen and Teramachi-dori"

Day 8 (December 21, 2018)

We get an early start; eating breakfast at the house and making it to the station by 7:45AM.  Lucky us, we were going the opposite way of rush hour and arrived on the outskirts of Kyoto within 15 minutes, it was instant countryside on our short ride over to Fushimi Inari Taisha, I was really surprised by the sudden change of atmosphere! A bustling Friday rush hour in Kyoto, turned upside-down within a 15 minute train ride. There were still a few major sites to still see on our last day in Kyoto and the first stop technically never closes, so early was best for the first time in a week.  As a little back-story, on our first trip to Japan in 2010, I missed the iconic pictures of the rows of gates you tend to see in all of the Kyoto (or any traditional Japan) tourist's pictures.  It was simply a matter of overlooking the correct spots and time constrictions.  This time, it was a point I hit early while planning the agenda and came up with one defining answer, Fushimi Inari Taisha, luck would have it that going out on a crisp morning made it all that much better.

We study the maps and guides upon entry (I will admit, I didn’t do as much in depth research as I should have) and decided we only had the stamina, cold weather clothing and time to do the “short” tour, which took out climbing up the mountain trail and through the back of the property to the last set of gates.  We instead took a stroll through the rows upon rows of sponsored gates, halfway through was a stopping point to purchase and fill out a prayer plaque (aptly shaped like a fox!). Probably due to it being a Friday morning and closer to the holiday season, we had more people/tourists to contend with than in previous outings. With that in mind, Matt was irritated on more than one occasion while trying to take pictures, but myself and Terra did our best to enjoy the time we had in this area, we were finished long before Japan started to operate (10AM in case you haven’t caught that yet). Entering into a few early rising souvenir shops before leaving, most selling specialty fox charms, plushies and the like, some of the cutest items we would see the entire trip.  It was a pleasant morning as we head back to Kyoto Station at 9:15AM to hop a bus to Kiyomizu-dera and a more trying walking experience.

One of my favorite views the entire trip

We arrived at our destination with little issues, other than at Kiyomizu-dera, you get dropped at the bottom of the hill/mountain.  It made for one heck of a trek up during such a crisp morning. With it being a Friday at one of the most popular tourist spots in Kyoto, we were also greeted by droves of people, I should have known things were on a upswing from how many people were in the countryside.  The entire grounds were as breathtaking as could be, with most of the buildings either newly restored or in the process of restoration (look at those colors).  Once at the top, you are treated to some extraordinary views, there is no doubt why this is in the top 3 must visit spots for the region.  We later learn the tower (seen in the large picture above) was where mothers go to pray for a safe delivery/healthy child birth.  How mothers are expected to MAKE the trek, I am not sure.  Perhaps just being able to get to the tower to will prove you are up for the challenge of a healthy delivery!  We never made it out to that tower and instead took a stroll through the nearby grounds, to include a short walk into the cemetery area (serene and beautiful, but a few minutes there was enough for me).  After the obligatory waiting in line to drink from the stream, we were off to find lunch.  Looking back on it, I wish would could have allowed 3-4 hours at least, we took around 2 hours total without really stopping and did get to visit any of the snack/tea shops on site either.  Most of which have significant background and acclaim.

With it well into lunch time, we were all starving.  Seeing many advertisements down the nearby shopping street for Udon, we decided to be the difficult people we are and that we would eat Ramen instead.  This prompted a quick look to the Google in order to set our next destination, because, of course, there were no ramen shops nearby! After quickly picking up a few souvenirs and popping into the the first Ghibli shop we saw of the trip (there would be more to come) it was on to what was according to Google the top rated Ramen shop, but it was still all of the way in Gion and we were walking!

Trusting our lives and stomachs to Google Maps, we walked the winding path down through Kyoto where it seemed no travelers had been before. 26 minutes later, I know because Google tells me so, and we arrive at a non-descript ramen shop. I was relieved to see a classic ramen “vending” ticket machine to order from, complete with English menu and one full table in the back of the empty restaurant (we were smack between lunch and dinner time at this point).  Musoshin in the Gion district (Trip Advisor Here) was about to live up to their reputation. Within minutes, the best ramen of our lives was delivered!

With bellies full and a little bit of the afternoon left, we head for the last huge mark on my agenda for the area.  Going to Teramachi street specifically to see the Torii gate that was built before the shopping street and now juts into it based off poor construction measurements.  It was one of the oddities I saw on NHK and really wanted to see it for myself for some odd reason!  After some train switching and a lot of walking, we succeeded in finding the exact spot!  

The area on the right here goes into a second hand anime store. The owner even built his own shrine/offering to the gate intrusion as it has brought customers into his business for years now, very interesting indeed!  His prices were super fair and there were a lot of treasures just hiding in the packed store from anime series out of print for 20+ years, lucky on a weekday afternoon we had plenty of time to slowly browse, being the only customers in the shop.  Was a super fun place, the exact opposite of what Akihabara and now even Nakano have become in Tokyo (hectic and overpriced in many shops).

With the last item marked off my list of must-sees, we end up walking through the streets of Kyoto aimlessly for awhile and happened upon one of their many small playgrounds.  With Terra being horribly patient with our shrine visits all morning, not only did I reward her with some anime goods in the aforementioned shop, but a trip into the park to get some energy out as well.  Seisho Children's Park was a great little stop, it was a nice little area where we could swing, use a REAL slide and teeter-totter for a few minutes. 

I miss REAL slides!

Walking towards the nearest train station, we end back up in the middle of a shopping district, this time with a more American feel.  There was a Disney Store and other outlets abound, most of which had their own Japanese flair of merchandise. Again, we do a lot of browsing, but not much buying. With nightfall coming within an hour and packing to do, we decided to head back for the apartment via train.  We still needed dinner and I promised Terra one more visit to the arcade (we had stopped in two or three times already), so it was to Aeon mall for one last trip.  Matt was tired/busy thinking about the logistics, so myself and Terra went off to roam the mall one last night, this time by ourselves.  Always dangerous (for our wallet) in such places!  After scouring the food floor for a place Terra would actually be excited to eat at, I happen to take a second look at a location in the toy/arcade area instead.  I should have known if it was located in such a place, it was kid friendly!  We go in hesitantly as the front of the cafe was a literal hobby/train store.  Upon further inspection, someone offered to seat us at a table and we sit down to find we are in a train cafe, with real working model of Kyoto!  To include the fire festival, lighting up each mountain during our meal, it was super cool and all I could think is “Matt should be seeing this”.  I took plenty of photos and Terra was sure to rub it in his face….er….show them to him later.  She got some of those REAL octopus sausages (unlike the ones I attempt from hot dogs in the States) and I got a pretty darn good cheeseburger.  The service was slow, but the food was good and we were watching the trains anyway.  We were the only customers in the place until the end of our meal, which made me think the staff was slacking off with the service a little.

We finished the night by playing a few rounds of arcade games (Taiko and Mario Kart were becoming fast favorites and with no lines and 100yen for 2 player games, it was hard to say no).  Then back we went to finish our nightly routine, packing and sleeping for the long ride back to Tokyo in the morning.