Kyoto Day 1

We cooked our own breakfast before heading out for our first day of exploring Kyoto on our bikes.

We initially had to cross from well west to well east of the city. Kyoto is a busy town and we were a bit worried about the roads, but we need not have been. No helmets required and riding on the footpath fully accepted. Plus when you do go on the road the vehicles are very courteous. There are bicycle lanes as well, plus a good track along the river.

Our initial ride took 1 1/4 hours, but no problems - all flat. Our first port of call was Ginkakuji Temple, also known as the Silver Pavillion. It is a zen Buddhist temple built in 1489 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were lots of girls in kimonos and boys in samurai clothes as we approached (indeed as there were all over Kyoto- maybe because it was a Saturday).

The shops lining the entranceway had some interesting fast food, plus souvenirs. We liked this shopfront - totally Japanese.

The gardens were stunning.

We then walked/rode the 2 km Tetsugakuno-Michi (Path of Philosophy) named after a famous philosopher who liked to walk this route along the canal while pondering the mysteries of the world. We stopped here along the path to admire a kimono shop and fishing teddy bears!

Next stop was Honen-in Temple, again very beautiful surrounds..

..plus we came across these ladies having an origata lesson, paper folding but making little parcels and envelopes. A tradition going back to samurai times apparently. For our troubles we received an origata gift.

Back onto the track..

..to its end point at Nazenji temple. It started as an Emporers Palace in 1264. It had an outer gate?...

...then the temple itself, with a Tibetan style incense burner..

..and a wonderfully painted ceiling inside.

In the grounds was a very solid old aqueduct.

We then rode down into Gion - tourist central - and you couldn't imagine a more startling contrast to the zen gardens in the temples. This is pontocho, a bar/restaurant strip on the river, seen from the front..

..and the back, by the river.

Next stop Nisiki food market...

We were looking for something simple for lunch but our preferred selection of ramen was hard to find - the only one a 30 min wait. We had a fast food lunch in a nice a/c cafe, it was 28 degrees outside, then walked to Hanami dori - Gion central.

We were a little underwhelmed, it didn't have the charm of Tsumago or even Takayama, but we did come across a proper geisha scurrying by. We only had a chance for a rear view - and then it turns out she was a maiko (literally a dance child), or trainee geisha (the red collar is the giveaway).

We decided that we could manage one more temple for the day so visited Yasaka Jinja Shrine in Gion.

This is a very popular shrine to visit to pray for prevention of illness and disease so was very busy. Being predominantly orange coloured it was quite photogenic..

Plus we couldn't resist photographing all the kimono wearing ladies.

There was also a dressed up family posing for professional photos..

..and a very serious samurai musician.

It was now 3 pm and very hot. We decided to head for home, a 45 minute bike ride. We managed to find a route by the river and canals, but still had to take on some busy roads. Undaunted we pressed on, eventually entering the home stretch. 100 m from home is a very French (but Japanese run) patisserie.

 We decided we deserved a little treat! We will leave you to decide what we chose.

Having spent nearly 8 hours touring Kyoto on bike and foot, we couldn't summon the energy to go back to Gion tonight. We opted for a visit to the local supermarket and set out our own gourmet Japanese dinner, plus beer and sake. Cost....$30...who said Japan was expensive.