Day 12: Exploring Kyoto
Day 12:
ダイヤモンドのように明るい神社
Today was our only full day in Kyoto, and we only had 2 things scheduled. Welp, that turned out not to be the case and it became a fully packed day.
First, some background on Kyoto. It has a population of roughly 1.5 million people, but is part of the greater Osaka metro area. Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan and is a major tourist destination. The agency for cultural affairs of the national government is headquartered in the city. It is home to numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and gardens, as well as Nintendo world headquarters.
Kyoto isn’t a city of high rises like Tokyo or Osaka. It’s get a small town feel, with adorable light posts illuminating the way to the Nishiki market. They’re renowned for their knives here, but, super expensive. This is also the birthplace of sake. Theres also the famous geisha district and Gion which we just didn’t have enough time to see. Now to what we did do.
Eerie moment, the train station was absolutely empty at rush hour, quite the contrast to what every other station we’ve been in. But when the first subway car arrived, people were packed in like sardines.
There was also these 2 kids waiting to go to school. Every child has to wear a uniform.
It was an early morning (which didn’t make a difference we’ve both been waking up around 6 anyway), as everything we’ve read said to arrive as early as possibly to avoid the crowds. Where you ask? The Arashiyama Bamboo grove.
You’re surrounded by tall bamboo stalks as far as the eye can see, located on hill. You enter through one of the Torii gates, and there are numerous shrines located throughout the forest.
It’s a magical sight to behold. The breeze blowing, sun shining overhead, and we arrived just about 815am mostly beating the crush of tourists.
Even at that time, be prepared as everyone is hustling for the perfect picture. It’s a true testament to patience, but visually worth every moment.
We went back to the hotel to freshen up, then out rather quick. Dan went and got a massage! I stopped at the Rio Cafe, a dog cafe. Of course i had to play with Yoshi the frenchie.
On deck, the Fushimi neighborhood. This was the home, the birthplace of Sake. The Fushimi Sake District is located on along the Horikawa River in southern Kyoto. Revered for the clean, soft water that flows from the river's underground springs, the district is home to nearly 40 sake breweries.
Headquartered here is world famous Gekkeikan which was founded here in 1637. Interesting side note, their American HQ and distribution facility is located in Folsom! Many of the district's buildings preserve their traditional appearance with wood and white-plaster walls. Gekkeikan has a tour abd museum, but sad to say, it was closed on Mondays…..whomp whomp.
We did run into Miss Kyoto Sake 2025, who walked us over to a brewery that was open. We were able to see the history of how it’s made, the silos used, and of course, the tastings!! So. Good.
Back on the metro we went, to the hardest ticket to get for our entire trip. The Nintendo HQ, museum and interactive facility. You had to enter lotteries 4 months in advance, and you either got one or you didn’t. There’s no reselling, or 3rd party sites like Viator that have them. Once purchased, not transferable. Well, I didn’t get them . The only other way it’s to purchase at 1pm Japan time, when any extra slots not claimed or cancellations are released. And that’s when I scored, not the time slot but the day I wanted. It ended up being a great time.
The Nintendo site is somewhat discreet, looking like any other office complex. The give away, the big Nintendo logo on the side. Once you walk in, wait in line, have your passport checked and go thru security, experience time! The main entrance leads you to a tunnel (similar to that at Space Mountain, and no, its not a ride) is a history of the company from its humble beginnings to its soon to be released switch 2.
Childhood memories flooded back, of countless hours playing Super Mario brothers, Duck Hunt, Metroid and Legend of Zelda. There was the Wii and how it tried to get people to exercise, and the onslaught of online interactive gaming. The tour then takes you back to the first floor, where you get to use the personalized card with 10 credits on any game activity available. We both played multiple games. For those who went to the Metreon in San Francisco back in early 2000s, the setup was similar. The adrenaline from playing was intense, and as you looked around, you saw nothing but smiles.
It was now 530pm, and we had to decide. Do we go back and rest and go back out?
Or knock out the 1,000 Torii gates that was on the way back. As tired as we were, we both knew we wouldn’t go back out. With the transit time, we arrived around 615, which was supposedly a low crowd time. If this was low crowds, I (and Dan even more) would’ve hated it.
There were people everywhere, jockeying in the small space to get that perfect picture. People would stop and block people from passing, causing backups. While the place was beautiful, seeing it light up in the dark, the crowds made it unbearable. We didn’t spend much time here which was disappointing as we were both looking forward to this.
Now time for the trek back to the hotel, we did want something fulfilling for dinner.
We found another Wagyu beef spot which hit the spot. Looking back, 1 extra day in Kyoto would’ve been great with its laid back vibe.
And that’s it, our last day of sightseeing and wandering and eating and living Japan. What an incredible 2 weeks so far. I’ll have a recap once the entire trip is done.
Final step count was 22,609 and 10.36 miles.
