Today was another early start, as first on our hit list was Fushimi Inari – a temple located at the base of Mount Inari. Having limited knowledge of the history and significance of the shrine, other than “big pretty red gate”, so we will include a brief history of the shrine:
The History of Fushimi Inari Taisha
The shrine was founded in 711 making it one of Kyoto’s oldest and most historic landmarks. It was founded on Inariyama hill in southwestern Kyoto by the Hata family, moving to its present location in 816. There is a fascinating story attached to the origin of the shrine. The legend goes, a rice cake was shot into the air, which turned into a swan and flew away, eventually landing on a peak of a mountain, where rice grew (an auspicious omen in Japan). This led to the deity Inari Okami (the god of rice) being enshrined on the plateau and the start of Fushimi Inari Taisha. At the shrine’s entrance stands the historically significant Romon (tower) Gate, the shrine’s main gate, which was built in 1589 thanks to donations from samurai warlord and ruler of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the rear of the shrine’s main grounds is the Senbon Torii (thousands of torii gates), the entrance to the torii gate covered hiking trail. It marks the start of two dense, parallel rows of gates that are the main reason most foreign visitors come to Fushimi Inari Taisha. People of all ages have gathered at the shrine to pray for bountiful harvests, success in business, and the hope of their wishes and dreams coming true. It draws thousands of people, seeking blessings, especially for the first prayers of the New Year. The popular shrine is believed to have over 30,000 sub shrines scattered throughout Japan.
We woke up around 6:45 and headed out as soon as we could so that we could beat the massive crowd that is known to frequent the area later in the day. We took the rail with only one change of lines, and noted that the Kyoto rail stations seem to be more challenging to navigate as compared to Tokyo’s.
We arrived nice and early, with the shops at the base of the shrine just opening their gates. Caitlyn wanted to grab a quick breakfast before we make our journey, as we weren’t sure if there would be any options for food along the way, and there were tons of signs saying eating/drinking prohibited. She found a glazed strawberry (just like the one we loved in Tsukiji market!) and decided that would be a great start to a hiking day. Unfortunately, the first bite proved that the strawberries were completely frozen and there was no way that we would be able to sink our teeth into them. With the crowd starting to grow, we nervously tried to find a way to either consume or dispose of the dish before entering. We went back to the shop to ask if it was supposed to be frozen, and they quickly apologized and gave back our money, not accepting “no” for an answer, and telling us to keep the strawberry icicles. We walked down the street some, and finally David said “give them to me” and started breaking the strawberries in half with his teeth so that Caitlyn could at least get them in her mouth in an attempt to defrost them. In a turn of events, it got extraordinarily hot quickly, and the dish was actually nice to help keep us cool for a few minutes.
We finished up and headed up the street towards the shrine. The first portion we walked through had several temples and shrines as well as a few of the large famous red gates.
We exhausted this area in no time, and excitedly proceeded to the famous rows of gates. We spent the morning exploring and making our way further up the mountain, typically walking on a path under the rows and rows of gates.
We stopped a few times to explore some of the side hiking trails that had fewer people, and a lot of surprising artifacts and structures that you couldn’t see from the main trail.
Up dozens and dozens of stairs and through many trails, we finally got to a beautiful overlook of the whole city of Kyoto, and even were able to catch a nice view of Osaka in the distance, as it was a very clear day out.
After snapping a few pics and enjoying the view, we made the downward trek to the base of the mountain. The journey up and down only took about 2.5 hours, but with the steep nature of the trail and the intense heat, we felt like we got a good workout in. At the bottom, we found a cute cafe for a quick pick-me-up, with caitlyn grabbing an iced matcha latte and David getting an iced latte.
Those didn’t last long, and we decided to make our way back to central Kyoto for some lunch. We said our final goodbyes to the stunning shrine, and made our way back to the rail station.
Along the way, we realized that the rail station was right next to Kyoto Tower, so we exited to briefly catch a view before hopping back in. We have learned on our trip so far that sometimes “briefly” turns into a change of plans entirely. We ended up entering building a block over from the tower after seeing signs for a sky bar/observatory with views of the tower. We entered the 11 floor building and shot to the top floor. It turns out that this floor was the lobby of the hotel in the building, and the observatory was reservation only. With our stomachs growling, the signs for “B1 – Food Hall” caught our attention. We rode to the basement and were greeted with delicious smells of Asian cuisines: Japanese fried chicken, ramen, Bahn Mi, Yakisoba, Bimimbap bowls, and tons of other choices. We grabbed a small drink to cool us off, and sat down at a communal table. We met a wonderful solo traveler from the U.K. named Pamela who asked us if we had a SIM card key, and proceeded to have a great conversation about traveling while we finished our drink. We eventually decided to get back to our plans, and while David was waiting for Caitlyn to use the restroom, decided that this was finally his moment to try a piece of Japanese fried chicken. David ordered one boneless leg, which came out piping hot in around 10 minutes. The chicken had a wonderful crispy outside that lacked the excessive salt and grease of American fried chicken. The meat was so tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor. It didn’t last long and we headed back to the station to briefly swing by our room and grab the iPad before heading out to Nishiki Market.
We found Nishiki Market quickly, and realized that it was actually the streets that we had seen last night that we were intending to wander through! The market was semi-indoors, and lined with so many vendors of mostly prepared foods and non-food goods. This is a little in contrast to Tsukiji, which had more groceries and raw seafood. With our stomachs still rumbling, we decided to eat our way across the market, sampling many of the delicious foods.
The first stop was a piece of GIANT shrimp tempura with a tempura sauce. It was crispy and delicious!
Next, we got a skewer of grilled squid, which was perfectly tender and absolutely delicious (and maybe one of David’s favorite new foods).
Continuing through the market, we passed by a woman selling “rolled chicken thighs” that were glazed and grilled. With a eye-grabbing price tag and delicious smell, we had to indulge. It was unreal, so juicy, and a huge portion.
Caitlyn had been wanting to try more dango (sweet Japanese rice dumplings), and found a vendor offering four different flavors on a skewer. Caitlyn enjoyed it, but not as much as the first dango in the department store in Tokyo.
We finished our food tour with two torched butter scallops on a skewer. They bring out raw scallops, brush melted butter on them, torch them with a blowtorch, and repeat the process 3 times before handing them to us golden and ready to eat. We both enjoyed them, but noted that they are cleaned different than how the restaurants in the US do, as they still had the sex organs attached. The flavor, however, was very nice!
David’s favorite food was the rolled chicken thighs, and Caitlyn’s was the grilled squid on a stick. On the way out of the market, we stopped by a booth set up by the tourism board and played a true/false trivia game about the market, and then filled out a quick questionnaire regarding our experience, and were offered Japanese snacks to take with us as a “thank you”.
By this time, we were ready for our mid-afternoon break and blog time. We found a nicely rated near-by izakaya to tuck in to and grab a drink. Lucky for us, they were offering a happy hour from 3-5pm with 99yen highballs and sours (this converts to $0.67 in USD). Caitlyn ordered a lemon sour while David tried the highball (we have noticed throughout our travels that highballs and sours are amongst the only cocktail or liquor-based drinks on 90% of menus). The drinks came out, and while Caitlyn’s was delicious, David’s left something to be desired. In looking at their menu, Caitlyn decided to try two of their Japanese fried skewers at $0.80 a pop- lotus root and garlic. They came out hot and crispy, and the kind waitress directed us on which of the different salts would go best with each of the skewers. The garlic in Japan is very different from the garlic we have in the US, as it has no bite and is an overall very mild flavor. After enjoying our first round, we decided to make the plunge and order round 2 while we continued to work on our blog.
We left the izakaya happy, and feeling accomplished having been able to publish our day prior’s page. We made our way down towards Pontocho alley, which is known for being a small alleyway with bars and restaurants adjacent to the Kamo river. It reminded us greatly of Tokyo’s Omoide Yokocho, except the restaurants were higher end, sleekly decorated, and there was enough room allocated at each restaurant to allow all of your limbs to be within the establishment, and not hanging out in the alley. We did make note that there seemed to be a higher percentage of tourists here as compared to Omoide Yokocho in Tokyo.
The exhaustion from the physically demanding morning was setting in, and we decided to grab a drink at “Bar Liquor Museum Pontocho Japanese Whisky”. As you can tell from the name alone, we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but figured the name said it all. It was actually a very nice bar, with a beautiful outdoor seating deck that overlooked the Kamo River. Seated options were two small side tables with even smaller chairs, or a cushion on the deck with your legs free dangling over the edge of the balcony. We opted to let our feet dangle, however, we also noted that this location had an extended bar-top in front of you, which we figured would allow us to use the iPad without risk of it toppling over the edge.
David ordered a Japanese old fashioned, while Caitlyn took up the chance to try the custom cocktail- the waitress asked what she typically enjoys, to which she requested a gin cocktail, citrus forward, and with traditional Japanese flavors. Soon after, two beautifully crafter cocktails were placed in front of us. While we had intended on continuing our work on the blog, the beautiful surroundings, setting sun, and overall atmosphere sucked us in, and we put away our devices to just enjoy our time.
Sitting next to us was an English couple, who we began chatting with. We spent a lovely evening having conversations about travel, UK vs US differences, and the healthcare industry. We enjoyed sitting, sipping, chatting, and watching the sun set over Kyoto. Before we knew it, it was dark and our stomachs were telling us it was time for dinner.
We said our goodbyes to our new friends, Emma and Henry, and we proceed on through the rest of Pontocho, eventually making our way back to the main drag of Kyoto. Along the way, we bumped in to Pamela (from the food hall earlier) in which we exchanged information as fate seemed to dictate. While many of the restaurants along Pontocho were inviting and the menu looked delicious, they seemed to be outside of the budget we felt comfortable spending at one meal.
We had spotted a cute ramen restaurant a few doors down from our hotel earlier in the day, and decided tonight would be the night to try it out. Making our way back towards our hotel, we stopped at Mensho Takamatsu. David was INCREDIBLY excited to see that it was a “vending machine” ramen restaurant. This is not the kind of vending machine that Westerners are familiar with- the ramen is not dispensed from a machine. Instead, you select your items on a screen, pay for your meal ahead of time, and are dispensed tickets for every item that you selected. You then enter the restaurant, handing over your tickets to the attendant for them to run back to the kitchen to start preparing your meals as you find a comfortable seat. We opted to share one ramen, but purchased the “extended” topping addition so that each of us had enough toppings (sliced pork, soft boiled egg, scallion, sliced chicken ((??)) and bamboo shoots) for our split ramen. The bowl came out quickly, and smelled absolutely delicious. We divided the noodles and broth amongst the original and second empty bowl that was provided, and dug in. The ramen had a wonderful savory umami flavor with perfect tender noodles and a rich broth.
We have noticed that our appetites have waxed and waned significantly, and meals that would have previously been one serving had now become shareable plates for the two of us. We left the restaurant full, happy, and ready for bed. As you might have guessed, we picked up our usual coffees to have in the morning, and headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow’s schedule was lighter as compared to today, so we were excited to head to sleep without an early morning alarm.
Caitlyn’s thoughts of the day: No one in Japan jay walks. There are pedestrian lights at all street intersections, no matter how big or small, and all Japanese people will stand and wait for the green light to proceed across the street, even when there are no cars in sight, and the street is only 5.5 feet wide.
David’s thoughts of the day: Every restaurant and bar in Japan, while not always having bag hooks, has a solid place to store your bags while you sit. Whether a small shelf by your knees, a grocery basket that fits perfectly under your chair, or the occasional hook, they are very intent on having a separate place for your bags rather than being visible in front of you. Luckily, back in Tokyo, we saw someone go to the corner and grab a grocery basket for their bag, quickly informing us of this custom, as to not embarrass ourselves later (the basket placed under the chair is by far the most common form of storage).
Total steps walked: 17,551
Total miles walked: 8.47
Bluming Travelers 