Day 10: Honganji Osaka Home

We had McDonald breakfast near Kyoto station. The breakfast menu in Japan is very different from here; no big breakfast nor pancake there; the egg muffin comes with bacon! yummy! Price: ¥390

We strolled through the grounds of Higashi Honganji (Eastern Temple of the Original Vow) - head temple of the Otani faction of Jodo-shin Buddhism. Its main hall, the Goeido, is Kyoto's largest wooden structure and dedicated to Shinran, the sect's founder.

Our last night in Japan and we decided to spend it in Osaka, Japan's third largest and second most important city. KYOTO ----- 29min JR Special Rapid Service -----> OSAKA, ¥540
where we transferred to another line to get to...

...our hotel - Hotel Sun Plaza 2. That's our bed in a small room, shared bathroom, and to our horror, there was no heater! Gotta close the window at night, else we would freeze, haha. Oh well, you get what you pay for; 1 night at ¥2,520 (SGD 40)

First stop in Osaka: Kuromon Ichiba Market (Black Gate Market) has a total length of close to 600 meters with 170 shops, where majority of the stores specialize in the freshest and best quality meat, vegetables, eggs and other ingredients from around the country and abroad. Subway Sakaisuji Line Nippombashi Station, exit No.5 and 10.
It's pretty fun to walk around here as we got to marvel at the gigantic live crabs/fish, huge organic fruits, delicious snacks, groceries, etc on display... Just look at the price tag for the watermelon!! Super expensive man, ~SGD40 for a normal size watermelon, gosh...

As we came a bit late (almost 1pm-ish), most of the stores have closed... I'm sure the place would be very buzzing in the morning, so if you intend to check out this place, do come earlier.

We were lost and were trying to find our way back to the train station when we chanced upon this teppanyaki restaurant which was packed with happy customers busy eating, drinking, laughing and talking. Packed restaurant = Good food! And so we decided to have our lunch here.

The menu was in Japanese, the chef doesn't speak English and thus we had to point randomly at some items and 'prayed' that good food would come! hahaha... Luckily for us, the random items we ordered were noodles (yakisoba) fried with cabbage and sliced beef (top left) and vegetable pancake (bottom left). It's very enjoyable to watch the chef cooked in front of us (though the area was kinda warm) =) Bill came up to ¥1080 for two. Place is highly recommended!

It's shopping time! We wondered into Takashimaya shopping centre (at Namba Station) and checked out the various brands (cos we were contemplating whether we should get Burberry Blue bag here), wondered into the underground shopping mall where I spent at least an hour hunting for a list of cosmetics items in the cosmetic store, and returned to the street.

We walked along the main street to look for Amerikamura, a well-known haunt of expatriate Westerners, and is identifiable by a small-scale reproduction of the Statue of Liberty that looks down on the streets.
There are many retail stores here and mostly punk fashion which isn't suitable for us... haha... It's interesting to walk around the area to see see, but if you are on a tight schedule, I'll recommend that you can give this area a miss.

Finally, we found ourselves at Shinsaibashi-suji, a very very long street arcade with many many shops all leading off one huge long roof (yesh, it's sheltered and pretty cooling here!). Crap! we should have come here much earlier to do all the shopping... Definitely a paradise for shoppers.
From the sidewalk stone bridge, you can see enormous neon advertisements and billboards which covered the entire buildings. Above is snack/candy manufacturer Glico's giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line, a very famous landmark... Ah, this is the Japan that we were expecting and looking for!! Surprisingly, we didn't see such scene in Tokyo...

Dotonbori is a single street running alongside the Dotonbori canal and is the main destination for food travel in Osaka. Ah, we should have looked for a restaurant here to try out okonomiyaki (pan-fried batter cake) or takoyaki (octopus dumplings) for dinner... There's alway a next time!

Next morning, we took a train to Kansai Airport (¥890). Airport is poorly designed (in our opinion) cos there is no sheltered linkway from the train station to the airport terminal and we gotta braved the strong chilly wind and light rain to reach the departure terminal. Really cold and freezing!
We had lunch at one of the few available restaurants (it's 11am already and most stores are still closed lor). AG was disappointed with his plain cold soba, cos he thought it'll come with seafood or meat since it costs so much... I had claypot rice with a tiny piece of crab meat for ¥1080.

The first Daiso that we saw for our Japan trip... and I cannot go in to shop around cos it's almost boarding time for us!

At last! We managed to find Hokkaido White Lovers chocolate (which is really delicious! A box of 12 pcs for ¥740) and Royce chocolate (slightly cheaper than what it'll cost in SG) at the airport... and we bought ~SGD100 worth of chocolate home! Just look at our luggage!

Home sweet home! Our short Japan trip was really fun and I'm sure we would be back for more. I want to see cherry blossoms during Spring!! Anyway, hope you folks have enjoyed the photos =)

Day 9: Kiyomizu Gion

We ordered egg muffin breakfast meal (similar to Mac's muffin meal) at Lotteria, a fast food chain, located in the underground mall of Kyoto station. Price: ¥390
First stop: Kiyomizudera (The Clear Water Temple) is the main temple of the Hosso sect of Buddhism. It was founded in 807 but its present buildings were rebuilt in 1633. Nearest bus stop: Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-zaka. Open daily, 6am-6pm. Admission: ¥300.
We walked up a gentle sloping street (Ninnen-zaka and Sannen-zaka walk) lined with souvenir shops and restaurants and found ourselves at the entrance. From here, we walked under the Nio-mon or Gate of the Deva Kings. The Deva Kings, along with Korean lion-dogs (koma-inu) protect the temple from any evil that may enter.

View of the nearby town from the 2nd gate (the structure on the right of the previous photo)

This is Hondo or Main Hall of Kiyomizu Temple and is dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of compassion.

Butai (dancing stage) is held up by 139 wooden pillars (each 49 feet high) that extends the stage 10 meters over a 12 meter cliff and offers beautiful views of the city. Note: Due to the high popularity of the place, it is impossible to take pictures of you and the main temple's platform without an extra human body, arm or head appearing!

Nurete Kannon (Water-soaked Kannon) - to pour water over the image is considered an act of purification. Actually, we thought it's for good luck... hahaha... We collected water from the small spring fountain, walked about 3m and poured the water over the image of Kannon in a water basin. Did it three times lor (cos we followed the person in front of us, haha)

Beneath the main hall is the Otowa-no-taki (Sound of Feathers) waterfall, where three channels of water drop into a pond. Visitors to the temple collect the water from the falls in metal cups with long wooden poles (they are sterilized via UV ray, so no worries) and drink it to bring health and good fortune. Just look at the queue!! We queued to drink the water (erh, no special taste; it's just water...) and if you are lazy to queue, you can buy the bottled version from the vendor.

Jishu-jinja, dedicated to Okuninushino-Mikoto, a god of love and 'good matches', sells countless charms to help you snag the one you love. There are two 'love stones' positioned around 18m apart which the lovelorn must walk between with eyes closed to confirm their loved one's affection. PS: With so many people around, I don't think it's a good idea to try this!

We left temple and strolled around the area. Right photo: Bought a bun with green tea powdered paste (¥300) which tastes average. Top left: Japanese geisha figurines for ¥1050 each; i bought one as souvenir! Bottom left: Green tea-flavored Kit Kat is only found in Kyoto and is an excellent (and expensive) gift to bring home.

We bump into geisha! White make-up and elaborate kimono and hair of a maiko is the popular image held of them.

Strolled through Maruyama Park to enjoy the lovely autumn scenery

Top: Cute dog in samurai custom. Bottom: Street performance in the park

The entrance to Chionin Temple is through the two-story San-mon (main gate) and then up a steep flight of stairs. Standing 24 meters tall and 50 meters wide, it is the largest wooden gate in Japan and dates back to the early 1600s.

Chionin is the head temple of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism. Top: The massive Miedo Hall houses the temple's principle object of worship: a statue of the priest Honen, who founded the Jodo sect. Bottom: Gardens On the Chion-in grounds. Open daily, 9am -4pm. We didn't manage to explore the temple as we came too late and the place was closing...!! =( Gotta rush over to the next temple since everything closes at 5pm!

Admission to Heian Shrine is free. The torii before the main gate is one of the largest in Japan, and the main building, or shaden, is designed to imitate the Kyoto Imperial Palace on a three-fourth scale.

Yasaka (Gion) Shrine is open 24 hours. Top: Many lanterns decorate the shrine's stage and are lit after dark. Bottom: Honden (spirit hall), a single-story building with a wooden shingle roof. Here worshippers wake up the god with a rattle of the pan shaped bells at the front of the building, then pray before the altar.

We bought snacks from the street vendors in the park. Yummy takoyaki (aka octopus balls, 6 balls for ¥350) and tempura fishcake (¥250)

We walked through Gion, the most famous geisha district in Kyoto, and is filled with ochaya (tea houses where geisha entertain), theaters, shops and restaurants. The main attraction are its traditional wooden machiya style merchant houses, built in a design characteristic of Kyoto. Due to the fact that property taxes were based upon street frontage, the houses were built with narrow facades only five to six meters wide, but extend up to twenty meters in from the street. Food here is really expensive! and we had to settle dinner at one of the cheaper restaurants opposite. hahaha

Day 8: Imperial Nijo Nanzenji

We signed up in advanced for the 10am English guidance tour (duration: 60mins, free) for Kyoto Imperial Palace, took a train ride to Imadegawa Station (nearest station to the agency's office, fare ¥250), walked 10mins to arrive at the agency's office, handed over the confirmation slip for registration and were directed to a waiting room where we watched a short introductory video clip (~15min).

Entrance to the agency's office

Rich in tradition, Kyoto Imperial Palace preserves the look and ambiance of the Palace as it had been in the time of Japan's ancient imperial dynasties. The current Palace was rebuilt in 1855 and comprises several structures that reflect the architectural styles of various periods. Timber and cypress-bark roofing being the building materials of choice in ancient Japan.
Sliding door with paintings

The Heian-period technique of garden landscaping known as Go-shintai was employed as a way of paying homage to the 'unique and extraordinary' that exists in nature.

Beautiful display of autumn leave color!

We had lunch at this fast food outlet (guess it's a rival of Yoshinoya). Beef set going for ¥420 and the food tastes really similar to Yoshinoya.

Next: Nijo Castle (Nijojo) consists of two concentric rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. Admission: ¥600. No photography inside Ninomaru Palace.
Ninomaru Palace is built almost entirely of Hinoki cypress. The decoration includes lavish quantities of gold leaf and elaborate wood carvings, intended to impress visitors with the power and wealth of the shoguns. The sliding doors and walls of each room are decorated with wall paintings by artists of the Kanō school. The most famous feature is the "nightingale floors" in the corridors: To protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins, the builders constructed the floors of the corridors in such a way as to squeak like birds when anyone walks on them.

Honmaru Palace

The garden has a large pond with three islands and features numerous carefully placed stones and topiary pine trees.

The bridge over the moat will bring to you to Honmaru compound. Here, we can have an overview of the Honmaru Palace from the ruined donjon.

Nanzenji Temple, whose spacious grounds are located at the base of Kyoto's forested Higashiyama mountains, is one of the most important Zen temples in all of Japan. Nearest bus stop: Nanzenji, Eikando-michi. Nearest subway station: Keage. Open daily, 8.30am-5pm.
Beautiful autumn color along the path towards Sanmon Gate. The temple's distinctive two-storey entrance gate is a classic "gateless" gate of Zen Buddhism that symbolizes entrance into the most sacred part of the temple precincts. PS: You can pay ¥500 for admission to the 2nd storey for pleasant views over the surrounding area of the city.

Nanzenji Temple and its interior

The garden is particularly spectacular with autumn leaves and it's definitely very relaxing and enjoyable to walk around the temple complex!

Inside Hojo - the abbot's quarters are sliding doors (fusuma) with impressive 16th-century paintings which divide the chambers. These wall panels of the Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety and Hermits were created by Eitoku Kano (1543-90) of the Kano school. Admission: ¥500

It's finally dinner time!! AG's starved and tired look changed immediately when food arrived, haha. There are many restaurants at the underground mall of Kyoto Station and Bus Terminal which can cater to your budget. Food is good here, a bowl of ramen at ¥680.