After recovering from sleep deprivation and an exhausting day 1, we embarked on our second day in charming Kyoto. This time, we opted for taxis to take us to some of the sights. Good thing too because our first stop, to the iconic Golden Temple, was a solid 20 minute ride from our hotel. We could have taken subways and buses but given our previous day's experience, we chose expediency and ease instead.
The famed Golden Pavillion (aka Kinkaku-Ju) was a jaw-dropping sight to behold. This Buddhist temple is one of Japan's best-known sights. The main hall, which is covered in brilliant gold leaf, shines above a beautiful reflecting pond that sits below. It's simply spectacular to take in.
After that we took another taxi to nearby Ryoan-ji, another Buddhist temple - and quite a yawner by comparison. It is supposedly well known for its rock garden - an austere collection of 15 rocks set in a stretch of sand.
The designer, who is unknown to this day, left no explanation. I have no explanation either, and can totally understand why the designer may have wanted to remain unknown. LOL! I just wasn't feeling it, though I guess it's all about the Zen meditation principles of simplicity and harmony. I'm sure some folks find it mesmerizing and attractive. I found it stark. To each his own I guess.
Next we ventured to Tenryu-ji, yet another temple with world-renowned gardens, where we had lunch reservations at Shigetsu, a large temple-style restaurant that serves shojin ryori (Zen vegetarian cuisine).
In Zen, cooking and eating are regarded as forms of spiritual practice. Shojin ryori is a cuisine that incorporates Buddhist ideals, creating purely vegetarian meals from fresh seasonal vegetables, herbs, and wild plants while sparing animals' lives. I'll say this - it was surprisingly satisfying and both Paul and I were absolutely full after consuming the rice, soup and five side dishes.
For the most part, we didn't know what we were eating (except for the occasional pieces of mushroom, tofu and broccoli). There were Jell-O-like things that wiggled, dumplings of sorts, and slimy, soft-textured items that oozed when we poked into them with our chop sticks.
It was certainly a culinary adventure, and totally worth it. Honestly, it all tasted quite good. There was only one part of one course that I left on my plate. I simply couldn't stomach it, whatever it was.
Afterwards, we walked our lunch off in the beautiful adjacent gardens and the nearby Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - another awe-inspiring sight!
We finished up our tour of Northwest Kyoto by stumbling upon three lesser-known temples, and by that point, we started suffering from temple fatigue! So we returned to the hotel and regrouped for a late afternoon walk through nearby Nishiki Market, Japan's version of a poor man's Faneuil Hall. There were shops, restaurants, food stands, retail stores, etc. - but one section was solely dedicated to street food.
There were spice, seafood, poultry, Wagu beef, tea, confections and beer/sake stalls - literally anything you could imagine - featuring many exotic foods being cooked to order such as blowfish, grilled eel, fried pigeon, squid, etc. I let Paul do most of the tasting, though I did force myself to sample a few items. Then, after becoming a bit queasy, I decided Wendy's was in order and had a much needed burger for dinner...
The evening ended with a stroll down Ponto-cho, a quaint, narrow street that backs up to the river, lit with lanterns, and home to many upscale restaurants, bars, and clubs. Then we walked to the Gion district to see if we could catch a glimpse of a Geisha or two, but to no avail.
Time to get another decent night's sleep before winding up our trip with visits to a few more iconic temples. Look for my blog about day 3 in the coming days.
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