I had heard so much about the ancient city of Kyoto.
Many of my friends and clients love this part of Japan and it hasn't
disappointed me at all. Kyoto is a very charming city which has both a
modern side and an old city which makes it very interesting. We stayed
in Kyoto for 5 nights and totally fell in love with this city, with its
incredible history and architecture, and like the whole of Japan, where
everything works perfectly and a very friendly atmosphere exists.
I
love the real contrast of taking a bus from the centre of Kyoto for 20
minutes to the north. Compared to the bustle of central Kyoto, I could
feel the quietness of the old part of the city, where we enjoyed
strolling along 'the Philosopher's Path' past and through the different
shrines and temples. The walk along the canal was really great. There
are many small cafes where they make their own cakes, great coffee and
fresh juices. The beautiful and simple design in each shrine made each
one very special and I was really taken by the red color of those
shrine's gates. So impressive!!!
Food
is the main part of our travels and there's no reason to be unhappy
with Japanese food. I have to admit that the food of this city really
agreed with me. I didn't mind standing in queues for 30 minutes and
sometimes up to 45 minutes just for a bowl of amazing Ramen or Udon
noodles. I love the way Japanese queue for everything here, even for a
fancy popcorn or ice cream. It's such a weird thing for me, probably
because I'm from Vietnam (we're not that good at queuing) where we will
just find another vendor if one is too busy and we don't have time to
wait. Most of the people in the queues in Japan were teenagers and it
seems that there are many food fads there. It's a fun place to eat and
see what people are lining up for.
We spent the
next 2 nights before heading to Osaka at the hot spring town north of
Kyoto called Kamura. It was a magnificent place where we experienced
true Japanese-style hospitality. They served amazing food with so many
small dishes, some too good to be eaten. I admire the Japanese chefs who
spend so much time not only cooking but also on the presentation of the
food.
To help digest all of the food, we hiked
a few hours across the mountain from Kurama to Kibune, a nearly town
with a beautiful river running through it. The hike took us through a
number of temples and statues of Buddha on the top of the mountain. The
walk and the scenery was fabulous. I'm not normally good at this kind of
activity but I enjoyed it so much that the time passed without me
knowing. I'd heard about the famous Japanese hot springs (onsen) but was
not so keen that you have to be completely naked. I got over it and
kept coming back for about an hour each day to relax in hot natural
water after long days walking and eating.
Kyoto and Kurama - look out - because we will be back!
