Wednesday 28 June
Day 9
We had a slow start to the day, with a lay in til just after 8, which was wonderful. Once we were ready we were out on the street and following google to the underground of the city hall building, which is just up the road.
We hopped on the tokkaido line, heading for the region of Arashiyama, which has a number of interesting attractions. We made a stop and changed to an above ground little electric, old school train. We were up the front so could watch the driver and the upcoming track. This train took us all the way to Arashiyama station and the kimono forest that lines the platforms. We checked out the many poles wrapped in colourful kimono material and Perspex. These poles are lit internally, so create a romantic mood at night.
After leaving the station, we entered the main street and proceeded towards the Katsura river. There were plenty of vendors wanting our cash. Many food stalls had free samples, so we gladly tried what they had on offer.
Once at the river, we made our way over the Togetsukyu Bridge. The wooden bridge is over 400 years old and is often used in movie sets. We watched the river slide by beneath us and the people using boats. As we reached the other side, the rain began, so we sought the shelter of our umbrella. Thankfully it didn’t last too long and we could continue to explore.
On this side of the river is the monkey forest and this was our next destination. The forest is home to the native Japanese snow monkeys or Japanese macaque. There is a population of about 120. They live at the top of the mountain, which means a serious climb! 30min of stairs, slopes, welcome bench seats, the occasional industrial fan and a litre or two of sweat and we were finally at the start of the park and an air conditioned room. Thank goodness! Paul’s shirt felt like a floating piece of material on a pool surface and he was able to ring out the sweat from his hand towel. It was stifling. We met our Melbourne girls from our Hakone trip, as we started the climb, but they were far more agile at getting up the pathway, so we didn’t see them again until we were checking out monkeys at the top. Small world stuff.
Once we were somewhat energised, we continued up the last incline and onto a flat section, where we were could see many monkeys. We wandered around watching the macaques just go about their day. Some had little bubs with them, others were harassing the visitors for food. You could buy fruit to feed them, but you had to go into a caged enclosure to ensure your safety. I watched the monkeys at this building, some sitting on the feeding ledges, other lessers, were on the floor hoping for scraps. Some were scurrying over the roof and causing havoc.
It wasn’t just the monkeys that took your attention, the view over Kyoto was also pretty special. After taking it in and wandering the flat section, we continued on. We watched a nervous monkey drinking from a pond, a couple preening each other, one in a tree that was happy to pee and crap from his high perch and then shake the branches like a mad man, before jumping to different tree branches. It was all happening.
Satisfied we had seen it all, we began the quicker and generally easier journey down the path, empathising with the tortured faces of those making the journey up the hill. 15min later we were back on flat ground and ready to find something for lunch. We crossed back over the old bridge and walked a short distance up the street, finding a small ramen restaurant in a back street. It was perfect. The food was awesome, the service was attentive and it was air conditioned!
Happily sated, we made our way to the next destination, the world heritage listed site of, Tenryu-ji Zen Temple and it’s surrounding Sogenchi Japanese garden. We got lost entering at first, but once on the right track, we walked part of the entrance, taking in the small gardens glimpsed between gates. We decided to only pay to enter the garden. You could choose to enter the temple, but it means shoes off and from what I could make out, much of it was open air and could be viewed from the garden anyway.
The garden was what you would expect to see with, ponds, beautiful foliage on various plants and raked gravel areas with precise lines. I wondered who was paid to keep this in check or is a machine employed now? There were beautiful lotus flowers, and hydrangeas in bloom to add a spot of colour to the bright greens. I imagine this place would look very different across the seasons; with reds and oranges added in autumn, cherry blossoms in spring and snowy touches in winter.
We meandered along the one way path, once again climbing stairs to a lookout area, thankfully no where near the height of the monkey forest. There were many beautiful spots to take in the views, before continuing the path back to the starting spot, where we exited and walked down the whole of the entrance path.
From here we had one final destination, the bamboo forest. Back on the main road, it wasn’t long before we were encountering the crowds and following a road into a different area, this time lined with bamboo. I was lead to believe this place would be crazy busy, but it was fairly reasonable and I was able to get some decent pics at one point. We avoided a temple area, as that was crawling with a school group and continued to take in the scenery. I could imagine this place being very peaceful when the crowds are non existent, and as it is open 24 hours and is free, early morning would give you just that.
We passed another entrance to the gardens and then realised the bamboo forest was only just beginning and the crowds were nuts! We stood at the bottom of the hill and I could see Paul was baulking at the idea of going any further. Satisfied that I had got the gist of the place, we opted to make the return journey and stop in at the Nonomiya-jinga Shrine, now that the kids had moved on. You can pay to sit in a rickshaw, which is pulled by one person, who runs on the road. We were very impressed with the fitness levels of many of these operators. Once they get their speed up, you don’t want to get in their way!
With the last activity ticked off, we returned to the Main Street where I was keen to try the rice dumplings covered in a sweet, honey like sauce. You get 3 on a stick, that sit in a cone. They were really yummy. Finished, we wandered back to the train station and boarded our train, before alighting to catch the subway. Once back in our patch, we walked to the YaMaYa to pick up some cheap alcohol. We picked up a bottle of Kahlua, Drambuie and four stubbies of beer for $55. Bonus! Next stop, the seven eleven, for mixers and breakfast and then it was back to the hotel, just in time to watch the rain come down and the kids get wet in the school yard, as they trained in the rain.
We both rang home, to catch up on news there. While it has been hot and very humid here, it was the coldest Perth day in 8 years. We enjoyed our time just relaxing in the cool of the aircon. Paul’s neck and ankle were still giving him grief, so there was plenty of deep heat to be used.
When dinner time finally arrived, we headed out to the Dublin, which is just down the road from the hotel. We were ushered to a back table, which we didn’t really want, as we wanted to watch people go by, but they were adamant it was the back table for us. We ordered drinks, crumbed and fried oysters and a pizza to share. Before making our way to the seven eleven once more to get dessert, which we enjoyed back in our room.
Another big day of exploring behind us and with Paul not feeling 100%, we called it an early night.
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