After dissecting Osaka, I’m off to imperial Kyoto. A major cultural heritage of the Japanese archipelago. A visit that arouses my curiosity as much for the discoveries in itself as for the atmosphere that emanates from it, to compare it to Osaka. I think I’d enjoy it a little less, but I’m waiting to see it with my own eyes to confirm that 😉
Table of Contents
Day 41 Osaka - Kyoto Pause 4
I head to the Hell Temple, Senkoji, in a charming little neighborhood with cute, unpretentious places like a little local market. I grab some fried snacks from an old lady.
The temple is more like a theme park, showcasing various representations of heaven and hell. Naturally, I don’t follow the instructions and do everything backward… starting from heaven and ending in hell, LOL.
For a small fee of 100 yen, a lady gives me an explanation sheet and my entrance to Enma’s realm (hell). The statues inside are quite grim, haha. I learn that our entry into hell depends on the points earned/lost in our earthly life.
The paradise area is for meditation/prayer. The other statues are interesting too.
I then end my visit to Osaka by admiring it from the heights of the tallest skyscraper in the archipelago: Abeno Harukas. At 300 meters high, the 360-degree view of the region is well worth the 11 euros!
I recommend visiting the place 30 minutes to an hour before sunset to enjoy a beautiful hour or two 1/in the daylight, 2/the sunset, and 3/the nighttime view of the city—it must be wonderful. It’s quite amusing to see all the places I’ve visited over the past few days from above.
On the way down, I visit the park and gardens next door. Leaving the city, I think that if there’s one city in Japan where I could see myself living, it would be Osaka—the people, the atmosphere, the quickly found tranquility, etc. It would be a great combo.
But that’s not all; my train takes me back to Kyoto. On the journey, an unlikely encounter: Abdullah, a young Saudi night-lifer, chats with me and praises visiting Saudi Arabia. The funny part is his explanation of his lifestyle to enjoy, which is the opposite of his country’s customs. He makes the most of it when traveling abroad.
I finally retrieve my bike and check in directly at the hostel. I hurry because I’m finally going to meet my VINCENT for these last two days! YES!
We meet at the bike parking of Fushimi Inari Jinja and go to see its array of Torii gates. It’s really crowded; we line up to move, like a queue for a movie. It’s still super impressive, with the gates succeeding one another with every step. When we reach the heights, the paths clear out—the elderly aren’t motivated for such efforts, a blessing in disguise for us. We walk through the stone lanterns and Torii gates and quickly admire the sunset over the city. A moment where time stops, we look at each other, awestruck, and admire. Silence reigns despite the large number of visitors. Returning in the dark with the lanterns lit adds a mystical touch to the place.
We part ways to our respective accommodations, and I head to a restaurant, a Yakiniku (grill restaurant) to taste some Wagyu and a Korean dish (Bibimbap). I’ve almost tried everything Japanese except sushi and multiple seafood dishes.
I’m a bit lost to eat the Wagyu at first but looking around and taking inspirations; they give us a kind of fat to spread on the grill so our meat doesn’t stick. With the accompanying sauces, my God, it’s delicious. In the end, I’m really full, almost too much—it hurts my stomach. The servers are also adorable, and again, for such service, it’s only 2800 yen, meaning 18 euros.
I reserve the night to post on Instagram and free up space on my phone as the memory starts to saturate from all the photos. I’ll handle the postcards to write and send in the next few days.
Off to bed.
Day 42 Kyoto Pause 5
I meet up with Vinc again.
We head to a little vegan café he found, overlooking the watercourse that runs through the imperial city. I have a kind of peanut butter and banana toast, it’s very tasty and energizing.
We then head to another iconic place in the city, Kiyomizu-dera (meaning “pure water,” representing the fall that passes through the complex). On the way, we encounter many foreign tourists but few Japanese in kimono—you can sense the trend in such places. We soon see the famous colorful pagoda, which is magnificent, and the rest of the temple is truly massive. In crowded places, the mystical and spiritual side, which I’ve experienced many times, clearly loses its importance.
With vincent we take our time to enjoy our last moments together. We talk about our couple experiences, life in general, with more personal and intense topics. It feels like these few weeks together have forged something more than just travel partners but a true friendship. We say “Tschüss” with a tear in our eyes, and I let him head to Nara. I’ll continue exploring Kyoto tomorrow and then head north. Anyway, I can say you’ve been a real classy guy with your positive energy and quirky humor. Farewell, Champion <3 !
I then cover the entire eastern side of the city, a real “fast food” of temples in a row by bike: Yasaka-Jinja, Heian Jingu, Nanzen-Ji, the Philosopher’s Path, and Ginkaku-Ji. The array is impressive.
The Ginkaku-Ji (Silver Pavilion) with its summer (almost autumn) moss gives the place a very verdant look. The visual play on the sand to create ripples on “static” water gives life to something immobile—the concept is quite nice. And it’s this gray sand that makes it called the Silver Pavilion. I hurry myself as I do the visit right before its closing.
On the way back from my spiritual feast, I cross the city center, which once again shows me how visited this city is, so I go off the beaten path to find a very good Chinese restaurant. A few gyozas and a ramen, and I’m satisfied.
I also want to try the sento, public baths (less strict on tattoos and such than the onsens), but aside from the very local ambiance, I don’t feel very welcome and even take a man’s soap without knowing it’s not to be shared; he snatches it from my hands instead of speaking politely. I’m a bit confused and don’t want more from this day marked by nostalgia for the past weeks with my Aussie buddy.
A good night awaits me.
Thank you message to my Aussie Vincent
When I go to bed and the nights that follow, I think back to those moments, so recent and yet already seeming so long ago.
WHO would have thought that an unexpected encounter in the Fukushima bush would give rise to an epic of two warriors riding mechanical steeds.
What a kick we got out of it. I’m not going to hide it from you or Vincent, from time to time I might have wondered why we’re both here, whether we’re doing the right thing by following each other, whether one of us is influencing the other’s decisions, and so on.
But that wasn’t the main thing, we were a breath of fresh air in a solitary adventure for both of us. There were some great exchanges, some great expressions of frustration and motivation, and a lot of good humour. It was an emotional rollercoaster that got us to where we are today, safe and sound with a great friendship.
I just hope we can keep in touch, cherish the moment we met and hope to see each other again in the near future, despite the thousands of miles that separate us. See you again, you’re a great guy Vincent <3
Day 43 Kyoto Pause 6
I head northwest without knowing exactly what I’ll do there.
I stop to visit Nijo-Jo Castle, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu after his rise to shogun. The gate is majestic (slightly less so than the one at his shrine in Nikko, Day 20) and the palace is filled with beautiful murals. Photos are prohibited, as usual. The tigers are there to impress guests and signify the Tokugawa clan’s status. The rooms depict different seasons, so you can see pines, plum trees, and cherry blossoms. The visit and its anecdotes are truly worth it. The gardens are also very nice, reflecting traditional Japanese art. It feels like every material on this site holds significance, and the emerald green at the bottom of the pond gives the water a very vegetative appearance. Shinto animism is well represented here, where each element could be inhabited by one of their gods.
Afterward, I quickly cross the Imperial Palace Park, but I have other ambitions for the rest of the afternoon. I visit Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, a sanctuary for students who come to pray for exam success. It’s more pleasant and less crowded.
My lunch is at a renovated former onsen (Sarasa Nishijin) run by a sort of franchise with different concepts for each of their restaurants. My dish is Turkish rice for 1300 yen, and it’s delightful—the omelet, rice, meat, and even my sweet potato drink are delicious.
I finally reach Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion! An old villa turned temple after its owner’s death, like Ginkaku-ji from yesterday. It’s absolutely stunning with the setting sun, the light reflecting perfectly. I’m glad I chose this time instead of earlier in the afternoon when the lighting wouldn’t have been as impressive. The golden phoenix on the tip adds even more majesty. Unfortunately, you can’t visit the interior, which supposedly has a room entirely covered in gold—it must be impressive. The crowd moves in a single file line like at Fushimi Inari Jinja.
I meet a group of schoolchildren who want to practice their English. They target non-Asian-looking people and ask questions, quite an efficient strategy. I explain my trip and receive a set of origami cranes in different colored papers as a reward. I’m very touched and moved.
I return to the hostel with a light heart and extend my stay by another night. I have to switch rooms and end up with a group of partiers who invite me to join them. I’d be up for it, but I want to leave early tomorrow and call my parents, so I skip it.
While on the phone with Mom, I visit a shrine with a golden torii in the middle of nowhere in the city—very cool, I can describe her what I see on the other side of the world.
Today, I cook for myself, which doesn’t happen often with convenience stores for quick food or incredibly cheap restaurants along my route. I must have covered a good 45 km throughout the city today. My break wasn’t such an effective one, time to sleep and really rest.
Day 44 Kyoto to Fukuchiyama (87 km)
I rush out at 9 AM to send postcards and participate in a prayer at the large temple (Higashi Hongan-Ji) next to my hostel—it’s immensely impressive.
The place is massive, and the spirituality of the sutras makes you feel small. The beginning, with the monks chanting the texts, is quite nice. Then, I feel like I’m going crazy—they seem to repeat the same thing for more than 20-30 minutes (Amida Buddha). You either enter a trance or lose your mind; there’s no other option 😀 Sitting cross-legged or on my knees hurts, but I endure. Regardless, the experience was 100% worth it. I’m a Buddhist now, 😀
The rest of the complex is also interesting, showing the site’s history and reconstruction.
I then head out with all my belongings to leave Kyoto, but first, one last stop at the bamboo forest. The keyword for this Kyoto trip is mass tourism.
The forest is teeming with people, making it hard to move around and admire it. I think it’s better to arrive very early in the morning or find other unique and intimate spots with local tips.
My opinion on Kyoto is mixed—it’s beautiful, but better visited when the crowds are less, maybe 1-2 months before my visit in October which already gets back to popularity.
I now head to the rest of Kyoto Prefecture and embark on the final part of my trip, heading west of Honshu.
My legs are more or less okay, but I feel that a nearly week-long break has made my mind soft and lazy—it’s a bit tough.
My afternoon consists of pushing as far as possible despite low motivation. I camp next to a dirt road where a downpour is about to start; my night in Fukuchiyama will be long…
Day 45 Fukuchiyama to Toyooka (Hyogo) (86 km)
I start early this morning to make the most progress (86 km). Unfortunately, before reaching my next destination, the rain becomes torrential. I stop to take shelter once and then, during the second downpour, I decide to go to a small fish restaurant.
The local fish is appetizing me.
I reach the Amanohashidate coast, the second top view in Japan after Matsushima near Sendai (see Day 14). The little chairlift adds a fun/cute touch to the experience, even though you could hike to the top, but I’m too lazy for that. I enjoy the view and a sweet treat.
To see a dragon, you should bend your head between your legs, which I do, but I probably lack the Japanese imagination.
The rest of the afternoon proves that I’m still weak physically and mentally; the climbs are tough, but I keep going.
I opt for comfort by arriving in Toyooka, the only area in Hyogo Prefecture I’ll visit (of course, there’s Kobe, but that’s for another time).
I take a small train to Kinosaki Onsen, a little hot spring village on the north coast, specifically to Gosho No Yu, the stylish local hot springs. I relax for over an hour, I recommend it, its pretty nice for its price.
I wanted to try a seafood restaurant, but nothing was open except a crowded place, so I’ll only eat convenience store food—what a pity. The rest of the village is super cute with little lanterns along the canal. These kinds of villages seem perfect for a romantic getaway, staying in a ryokan, strolling in yukata/kimono, relaxing, and enjoying. A true little idyll for lovers.
However, I have to hurry to catch the last train back at 22:00; missing it would be quite a predicament. The hostel managers and the British couple present are really nice; we have a short, friendly chat. I go to bed quickly as a big day awaits me tomorrow to start the northern coast of the Chugoku region and thus follow the Sea of Japan.
