Kanazawa & Gokayama
15 October 2024
Kyoto has a reputation for beautiful temples and atmospheric bamboo forests. It seems that many tourists have heard of the city’s reputation, and Kyoto’s streets are packed full of tourists. It’s a city rich in beauty and history, but you have to work a little to find the quiet moments.
Día 1
- Nijō Castle
- Kodaiji Park
- Kiyomizu-dera Gate
I didn’t wake up until almost 10:00 am. We checked out of the hotel at noon and walked to the bus station to take the bullet train to Kanazawa. The bullet train was expensive at $50 a ticket.
When we arrived, it was raining, so we looked around the mall next to the train station for an umbrella. I am still hopelessly bad at converting yen to USD, so when I bought two umbrellas and saw the credit card charge for $40, I turned right around and returned them.
Nijō Castle
Nijō Castle in Kyoto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a well-preserved symbol of Japan’s feudal era. It was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence for the first shogun of the Edo period. The castle is famous for its elegant architecture and “nightingale floors,” which chirp when walked on to warn of intruders.
Kodaiji Park
Kōdai-ji Park surrounds Kōdai-ji Temple, a peaceful Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district. The grounds feature walking paths, bamboo groves, teahouses, and a serene pond that reflects the changing colors of the trees.
Kiyomizu-dera Gate
Kiyomizu-dera is a large temple complex full of beautiful architecture set on a hill that offers sweeping city views. We visited in the evening to watch the sunset over Kyoto. There were a lot of people there that had the same idea, but they cleared out shortly after the sun set. We didn’t explore the whole complex; instead, we stayed by the gate. We decided to save the rest for the following day.
Our happy host Tommy suggested a local place for dinner. We walked to the small izakaya and found some very happy people (related to happy Tommy?) who served us good food. Indi loved her eggs so much she attempted to ask how they were made, but the language barrier thwarted her efforts.
Like in the guesthouses we had stayed in before, we slept on futons laid out of tatami mats. Our room had a small zen garden outside, which was cool.
Día 2
- Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Tōfuku-ji Templed
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Fushimi Inari Taisha
In the morning, we took the train to Fushimi Inari Taisha. It’s famous for its endless paths of bright orange torii gates. The hike up Mount Inari was pretty crowded, but the higher we climbed, the quieter it got. We hiked all the way up and down the mountain. There were some good viewpoints higher up, but the best part was moving through the picturesque torii gates. The hike was pleasant despite the crowds and not overly difficult.
Tōfuku-ji Temple
From Fushimi Inari Taisha, we walked to Tōfuku-ji Temple. Tōfuku-ji Temple is known for its Zen gardens and a valley of maple trees that turn brilliant red in autumn. It was a warm autumn when we visited, so few trees had started to change color in mid-October. It’s quieter than Kyoto’s bigger-name temples. The entire area felt calm and thoughtfully designed.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
After lunch, we decided to go back to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple complex, where we had been the previous evening. Indi wanted to walk the 30+ minutes, and I didn’t. I had lost my flip flops in Thailand and was left with some Tevas that have no arch at all. So my feet hurt pretty badly after walking so much. I took the bus, and Indi walked. We met up at the foot of the first shrine. We didn’t end up seeing much more than we had seen yesterday, but it was a nice walk. Indi finished her audiobook along the way, and so did I. She was listening to a YA book called Fourth Wing. I was listening to We Have Always Lived in the Castle to get in the spooky season spirit. It left me feeling melancholic, just like the first time I listened to it.
We decided to get some pizza on the way back. I had heard Japanese pizza is very good. I found a pizza place online, not far from the temple. It had standing room for no more than 6 people in front of a tiny bar. There was one tiny oven in which the owner cooked pizzas. We shared a pepperoni pizza, and it was excellent.
From there, we walked to a bus stop and took a bus back to the homestay a little early to have time to plan. We got showered and ended up lying around on our phones for a couple of hours. Once it got pretty late, we finally planned the next few days. At this point, I just couldn’t be bothered to lay out a meticulous itinerary.
Día 3
- Kinkaku-ji Temple
We packed and checked out of the guesthouse, saying our farewells to Tommy the giggler. We walked to the Nijo train station and put our backpacks into lockers there for 300 yen. Indi took a train to Osaka to get a haircut and a perm. I brought our clothes to a coin-operated laundry machine shop just down the road. It turned out to be super cool and high-tech.
Kinkaku-ji Temple
I set a timer and took public transport to a golden temple. Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen temple covered in gold leaf, reflecting off a still pond. It’s undeniably beautiful. You can’t go inside, but the view from the path is enough to make it memorable. After walking around the temple garden, I went to a conveyor belt sushi place that was way better than Kuna. I can’t be sure now, but I believe it was Hama Sushi. I then took the bus back to the laundromat and folded our clothes and stashed them in my locker.
I love Japanese 7/11’s. One of my favorite guilty pleasures was a chocolate ganache popsicle. I ate way too many of them.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
I sat in a grocery store charging my phone for a while and then took a train to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It’s one of Kyoto’s most photographed spots, and it’s easy to see why. Walking through the tall, swaying bamboo feels otherworldly—even in the midst of a crowd. It was small and crowded but undeniably pretty and unique. I’d love to find a natural bamboo forest somewhere and wander through it.
Tenryu-ji Temple
Tenryū-ji Temple is one of Kyoto’s major Zen temples. The real highlight is its garden, designed to frame the surrounding mountains perfectly in every season. It’s calm and well-kept, and enjoying the manicured garden makes for a pleasant afternoon.
Sagano Scenic Railway
I stumbled upon the Sagano Scenic Railway train station, which I had seen signs for when we arrived in Kyoto. It’s an old train that offers a slow, picturesque ride along the Hozugawa River through forested hills near Arashiyama. The train ride was pretty nice. It lasted around 20 minutes, going along the wall of a canyon.
Indi and I met up at a Kuna sushi place for dinner next to Nijo station. I had thought it was the same restaurant I had gone to for lunch. It’s mid or downright bad in my opinion. The tempura was good, though.
We couldn’t check into our hotel until 11 pm, but there was a movie theater on the 4th floor of the mall around the station, and we decided to watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It was surprisingly good! I love Halloween movies.
After that, we got our stuff from the lockers and took a train to the hotel. We walked about 20min and checked in. It turned out to be a love hotel. I had my suspicions because of the check-in time, but I wasn’t sure until we got there. There was a full-size vibrator set on a display pedestal right next to the bed above a pile of condoms. There was a lube vending machine on the wall, and the TV had some strange pay-per-view options. There was a massage chair and a hot tub-style bath. The door locks and cannot be opened from the inside or outside. You have to call the front desk to have them open it for you. I thought that part was pretty weird, and I can’t see why they have that. It was an experience.
Next time
On our next adventure, we dodge most of the crowds to visit a lesser-traveled area of Japan – Kanazawa and Gokayama.
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