Japan – Episode 6 (Kyoto)

Today we walked a lot. We walked to the top of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. We walked to the top of Monkey Mountain at Arashiyama. We walked to Tenryuji Temple via the bamboo forest. We walked to dinner and we finally walked home. We walked 38,760 steps, 17.2 miles and 260 floors!

The walking was worth it as tired feet and knees were refreshed again and again through beautiful scenery. The Fushimi Inari Shrine was a must see for us coming in. Its’ winding hill path has thousands of red arches over it. These arches have been donate over the centuries by families and businesses seeking prosperity. The path is marked at 17 different places with small restaurants and tea shops. The arches and these shops as well as the many small shrines along the way create a festively peaceful atmosphere. It took us a bit over 2 hours round trip to enjoy the shrine and it was fantastic.

Out next stop was lunch on the outskirts of the Arashiyama area. A quiet lunch with tofu cooked several different ways. On a food note, we’ve come across very few vegetables but pastries are aplenty however pastry shops generally don’t sell coffee or have seating which is odd. Also, smoking in restaurants here is common. Lunch was tasty though!

With full bellies it was on to Monkey Mountain. We somewhat hesitatingly paid our $5 apiece entry and thought maybe we wouldn’t see any monkeys. Asking a couple along the way we asked, ” do you see monkeys?” They quickly replied, “yea, tons of them.” That was the truth. Atop the mountain there were at least 23 Macaque monkeys milling about a loosely constructed shed. You could walk right among these wild animals and we’re just asked not to, 1. Stare them in the eye 2. Touch them 3. Feed them. While the latter 2 were easy the first was difficult as they didn’t shy away from eye contact and I was interested in getting close up photos! No trouble though and a memorable experience.

Having gone 20,000 steps at this point we were a bit tired. The Arashiyama Area proved to be quite large and the map was a bit difficult to make out so we only made it to a couple places. The bamboo forest was a real highlight as the poles of bamboo stretched high and enclosed the path with a warm green glow dappled by filtered sunlight. We also visited Okochi Villa which was constructed by a Japanese movie star in the late 1800’s. It contains a finely kept garden that allows a 15 minute stroll through laid rock steps, unite shrubs and views of the mountains and structures of Kyoto beyond. At the end of this walk we were given a cup of whipped matcha and a biscuit which was tasty.

From here we faltered as I couldn’t decipher the map in time to make it to Gioji temple before its’ 4:30 close time. It was okay though as our marathon site seeing had us feeling ready to take a rest. We made our way via rail , subway, and, of course, walking, back to our home.

After some relaxing it was off to Manmarutuki restaurant per our hosts suggestion. They are famous for their okonomiyaki which is a fancy omelette. Sitting at the bar watching 3 chefs furiously working we enjoyed a Sapporo and then ate too much. The food was especially tasty!

It was a grand day of sites and personal record setting steps! Tomorrow one last stop in Tokyo before we head back home!