Although logistical concerns with checking out of the hostel and getting out limited my range of mobility on my second day in Kyoto, I managed to get my primary targets in, along with some surprises, and even a couple of "ordinary citizen" activities.
As with yesterday's adventures, I bumped into a couple more unexpected places in this history-packed city. One of them, which I encountered on an early morning walk through a residential area (top left), was the neck-up grave site of Akechi Mitsuhide, identified by a plaque (top right).
Akechi is known for launching a sneak rebellion at Honno-ji that resulted in the death of the first great Sengoku lord, Oda Nobunaga, as well as Oda's eldest son and heir, Nobutada. While his rebellion succeeded in decapitating the Oda clan, retaliatory strikes by Oda's loyal daimyo and their samurai armies ensured that it was short-lived; he was routed, and died while fleeing.
Even so, he had a major impact on Japanese history by ensuring the demise of the Oda clan, and giving two of Oda Nobunaga's subordinates, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, opportunities to rise in rank and eventually shape the future of the shogunate government. His followers are said to have buried his head at this location, now marked with a "cabinet shrine" (bottom left) containing a simple altar (bottom right).
As the sun broke past the horizon, I headed to my first of two major destinations of the day: the Heian Shrine. This Shinto shrine, like Osaka's Sumiyoshi Shrine and the Fushimi Inari Shrine to the south, is one of the 1st-ranked shrines of Japan. It was also built as scale model of erstwhile imperial residence Heian Palace, which is a good thing from a sightseeing perspective, because there is nothing left of the original palace.
I accessed the shrine through the main (naturally, southern) path, walking the bridge across the Okazaki Canal (top), and passing under the grand torii (bottom). Towering at a height of over 24 metres, it is one of the tallest torii in Japan, and its imposing height, bright vermilion surface and gold embellishments make it look especially resplendent in the morning sun.
The shrine itself is located at the end of the pathway, which is flanked by various art museums, one of which I will visit later. Unlike the shrines I visited previously, and perhaps as a consequence of the aforementioned architectural precedent, it is mostly "whole", with one huge courtyard (bottom), level and clean but for a dragon fountain (top right), encircled by shrine buildings (left top and left centre) painted with liberal splashes of vermilion and most outstandingly roofed with tiles of a beautifully contrasting blue-green color.
And today was an especially good day to be here, because Heian Shrine is the starting point for the Jidai Matsuri, one of Kyoto's annual grand festivals, or matsuri, celebrated with a fabulous parade of everyday people in traditional costumes, marching or riding from here through the city to the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
I did have other plans for the morning, having only found out about this festival the previous night, but the experience was worth clearing out a couple of hours of schedule. It was a visual buffet of history in living color and on living persons. Samurai, priests, attendants, nobles, even early modern era characters -- you name it, they wore it.
After watching the parade depart, I spent the late morning and early afternoon at Nijo Castle. This large, doubly-fortified, Tokugawa-built complex is one of the major destinations of Kyoto. After crossing the outer moat (top right) and entering the main gate (top left), I took a look around the outer grounds and the towers (bottom left), including some reconstruction displays of life here during the age of the samurai (bottom right).
A grand karamon gate (top left), decorated all over with gold, welcomes visitors to the beautiful Ninomaru Palace (top right). Its magnificent rooms' walls are covered with fine gold leaf floor-to-ceiling paintings, and its doorways are decorated with intricate wood carvings (bottom left). An especially interesting feature of this place is the so-called "nightingale" flooring (bottom right), named for the way the floors are built to chirp when walked on by, say, intruders. Encircled by the inner moat is Honmaru Palace, but that palace is only open for special viewings.
Even so, there was plenty to explore, such as the lovely gardens (top left and top right) and ponds (left centre), the inner moat (right centre), and various vantage points from which I could take in great views of the castle buildings and the serene landscape (bottom).
Last but not least in the daylight itinerary was the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts (top), located near the Heian Shrine grand torii. This building featured extensive exhibitions of the traditional cultural arts and crafts of the country, and also had a special showcase of tradition-based design for modern uses (bottom) in one of the lower levels.
As I typically do when I visit other countries, I slotted in some time to eschew tourist sites and experience some citizens' entertainment. To that end, I spent the early evening in BiVi Nijo (top left), a fairly large shopping complex, at the theater (top right) of which I watched the very well-made film, Like Father Like Son (top centre). After that, I went over to the huge gaming area to try my luck trying to win Hatsune Miku figurines (bottom left) and other knick-knacks (bottom centre), as well as playing a really awesome mecha combat simulator in a sealed cockpit controller environment (bottom right).
I spent my last hour before departure in Gion, a neighborhood known for its geisha/maiko patronage and the architecture. Didn't do much there other than walk around and grab a light dinner, though.
Having woken up super-early, with plenty of time to spare before anything on my agenda opened, I started the day with a leisurely Japanese breakfast (left top) of rice, nori, raw egg, soup and natto. I suppose the sliminess of natto might put off first-timers, as I heard it would, but I did not have a problem, having eaten weirder things on my travels past; frankly, the raw egg was of bigger concern to me. I was also looking forward to trying this dish, as it was highly unlikely to make it to a menu in Dubai. Other than this meal, I stopped by a few cafes between places, including the adorable bear-themed cafe (left bottom) near Ginkaku-ji, and tried some Japanese cinema concessions (right) at BiVi Nijo.
Aside from BiVi Nijo, I did not see much of modern Kyoto, as I had plenty of historical places to visit. I did make an exception, though, for the area around Kyoto Tower (left). But it was a short one, as I had to then make a quick stop at the central station left luggage lockers (automated, of course) before boarding my first Shinkansen train (right top) for a short, comfortable, airplane-like ride (right bottom) to Nagoya.
(top left) Cute cartoon Shell bear.
(top right) Calorie count for taking the stairs.
(bottom left) Multiple pronunciations for the same character (here, '大') -- something kanji shares with hanzi.
(bottom right) You couldn't find an Indian-looking mannequin, so you took a White one and painted him dark brown while leaving the blue eyes and red hair intact. I have no words.
And it's goodbye to Osaka. Kind of, because I'm still in Keihanshin, and Kyoto is a short ride away. It was also my first workweek day in Japan, so I got a little experience of the legendary morning subway squeeze on my way to the intercity trail transfer station.
I alighted in Kyoto's Fushimi ward, where I would spend the rest of the morning, at the foot of Momoyama ("Peach Mountain"). Momoyama, a few kilometres south of Kyoto's city centre, has some urban areas around its base, but much of it is densely forested with trees old (bottom). This made the long walk up the tracks to Fushimi-Momoyama Castle gorgeously scenic (top).
The interior of the reconstructed castle (top left) is closed to visitors, but the grounds are open for ambling. Two main keeps (top right) tower over the smaller structures and gates (bottom left). The castle was constructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and while not particularly large, is a little extra-luxurious on the inside, having been also intended to be his residence after retirement. The Toyotomi clan crest of the paulownia/kiri, which was also adopted as the seal of the present-day Japanese Government, can be seen in some of the castle's decorative components (bottom right).
A short distance away to the west is what I consider a major historical landmark for Kyoto: the tomb of Emperor Kanmu. The tomb is forested over and fenced off, but it's a beautiful place to walk around and pay a visit to the resting place of the emperor who not only created the title of shogun, but also put Kyoto on the map. Yes, Kanmu establishing Kyoto as his imperial capital, starting the Heian period. From then on, it was where emperors would remain for over a millennium -- even after the ascendant shoguns reduced them to figureheads a few centuries later -- all the way to the end of the 19th century and the shift of the re-empowered imperial dynasty's capital to Tokyo by Emperor Meiji.
Incidentally, Meiji's own tomb is a short walk southeast of Kanmu's. It's also fenced off, but the grey stone-covered tomb mound is clearly visible (top right). One can see the golden imperial crest of chrysanthemum/kikka on each door of the inner gate too (left centre). Visiting in autumn, I could enjoy the sight of the rich and diverse hues of the trees at the site (bottom). The tomb is located at a substantial height, with one cleared side facing the southern city, which afforded me a good view down (left top).
Walking southward down the very long flight of stairs (right) leading out from the Meiji tomb, I ran into a small shrine complex (left bottom), dedicated to some major figures in Meiji's administration (top left and top centre).
Another place I came across unexpectedly on the way to the station was the tomb of Emperors Komyo and Suko, the second and third emperors, respectively, of the Northern Court (the so-called Ashikaga Pretenders). They ruled from Kyoto during a period in which the imperial line was temporarily split into two branches, the other ruling from the Southern Court at Yoshino. Fukakusa no Kita no Misasagi, another important imperial tomb, is also in Fushimi, but I did not have the time to locate it.
Due to the dense schedule, morning activities were powered by a salmon onigiri (top left) and a boiled egg (top right) from a convenience store. The egg was borderline hard-boiled and was seasoned within the shell, so it had a slightly salty taste without the need for addition of the seasoning. The uniquely Japanese lactic acid beverage, Calpis (bottom left), is not really my thing, but it had an interesting taste. I also grabbed a genuine Japanese Pocky (bottom right) before heading up the next mountain destination. I have fond memories of these from my anime days.
After a train ride a little further up north, I entered the centrepiece of my day's agenda: Fushimi Inari Taisha. The gargantuan shrine complex is dedicated to Inari, the patron kami of the mercantile class (among other patronages), and is the focal shrine for Inari enshrinement. One of Inari's manifestations is the fox/kitsune, beautiful stylized statues of which appear at many places (right and top left) in the shrine complex. Par for Inari shrines, vermilion torii straddle every turn (left top and left bottom).
Apart from the requisite cabinet shrines (top left) and enclave shrines (top right), there are some large central shrine buildings in a variety of architectural forms (bottom left and bottom right), mostly of the later styles.
The place is also loaded; gold-plated decorative finials and other parts abound (top left and top right), aesthetically in harmony with their vermilion-painted backdrops. Shrine visitors also leave walls of votive icons, including some in the shapes of torii (bottom left) and kitsune faces (bottom right).
I decided to go for the full shrine experience, and walk the entire mountain trail circuit, which took about three hours even though I ran about half its length. The trail is paved, so it's not a bad walk, assuming you don't get lost; sometimes, you come across a platform that seems like the end of the road (bottom right), only to notice another path leading even further up.
The trail's most distinctive feature is the thousands of torii (top left) that straddle it every couple of metres, creating a tunnel effect. Most are vermilion-painted wood, but a few are stone (bottom left). I also passed by numerous roadside shrines (top centre) and small shrine buildings (top right) branching off the trail, each of a unique design.
I finally reached the top of the mountain (top left) and its peak shrine (top centre), and rested for a while to enjoy the view (top right) before descending via the return path (bottom), also lined with thousands of torii.
Having only had the aforementioned Pocky, and then an Asahi beer at a cafe (top) to fuel my ascent, I decided to grab a bite at one of the restaurants that can be found -- usually in clusters -- along the trail on my way down. The specialty of this area is kitsune udon (bottom), a dashi soup of buckwheat noodles with pieces of fried thin-cut tofu called aburaage -- said to be a favorite of the kitsune, and therefore very appropriate for an Inari shrine.
The trek took up most of my afternoon, so hurried down to the city and spent my last remaining slot of the day at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. The museum is comprehensive, covering the history of manga from its origins to the present day, and featuring a number of special purpose rooms and activity areas. It also has a lawn where people can relax and read from their collections.
I spread dinner over three spots. Two of them were yakitori houses (top row), and at one of which I also tried some lovely Japanese fruit liqueur (bottom right). Most outstanding, though, was the stewed pork strip (bottom left). After tasting this awesome savory and tender dish in Osaka, I hopped around the neighborhood until I finally found a place that served it.
(top) Dog is happy to be prohibited from entering Emperor Kanmu's tomb grounds
(bottom) Automated parking warden only folds down and lets your wheel pass over it when you pay the required amount
