Sorry it’s been a month since I updated! It’s been the quickest month ever! I spent about two weeks battling with a cold, so I just spend time resting. Last weekend I went to Kyoto with my friend Hannah, a trip we planned last month. Kyoto has been coined as the most beautiful city in Asia, and it’s easy to see why. I visited it briefly back in 2008 when I first came to Japan, so I was looking forward to spending a few days exploring. Friday was a national holiday here, so the school was closed and many people were off work- many people chose to travel to Kyoto, as I discovered.
Kyoto is the other side of Japan from me, so firstly I had to take my usual three trains to Tokyo. Or I should have, but upon arriving in Taetaybashi, my 2nd stop, I saw there was an express train going to Asakusa, a district near Tokyo. Deciding to take a risk, I hopped on. I had no ticket, but the conductor didn’t even check despite the journey being an hour. I had to stand because the seats were prebooked. On refection, it would have be smarter to take my normal route because there would have been a chance of getting a seat. Of course I adjusted my fare when I got off the train, so I still paid for the journey.
I then took the underground to Ueno, which I was pretty proud I managed to negotiate myself, seeing how busy it was. I arrived at to pick up my ticket an hour early. My boss had prebooked the tickets the day before for me, warning that it would be very difficult otherwise. However, I waited for forty minutes just to pick up my ticket, only for the girl behind the desk to tell me I had no ticket booked for the Shinkansen! My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Her English was poor and she basically made out I couldn’t go to Kyoto. I was close to break down, but I managed to get her to fix it, though suddenly I went from having a reserved seat to non reserved. I had no time to argue as I had to rush through the crowds and get on the train. I just made it, but because I was late due to the hold up, all the non reserved seats were taken. As a result, I had to stand for another two hours. A total of three hours standing in knee high boots was no doubt why my knee locked later on that night, and remained painful the rest of my trip.
My friend Hannah was already in Kyoto, so I decided to change into my Lolita to save some time. The reactions of my fellow passengers was priceless, and made up for the journey so far!
Kyoto station was huge and crowded, and despite Google Maps, I couldn’t find the bus I was supposed to take anywhere. After finally finding someone who worked at the station, I discovered I was at the totally wrong end of the building. I found my bus, but then the (over friendly) conductor tried to stop me from getting on because I told him where my hostel was. I finally convinced him I knew where I was going. The bus, like the rest of Kyoto, was packed, and I was squished against the door, unable to see anything. Using Google maps and IM-ing my friend, I finally got off. The good thing about Kyoto is the fare is always 220 Yen. You get on at the back of the bus, and get off at the front, paying your fare as you leave.
I got off a little too early (damn Google maps, it wouldn’t be the first or last time!) but walked a little along the road and met my friend Hannah. She was drawing a lot of attention and was just accosted by someone for a photo as I crossed the street! It was quite funny!
She’d already found the hostel so I dumped my bags. It was basic, we were in a mixed dorm. I was glad we got the top bunks because they were squeaky as anything! It wasn’t as clean as other Japanese hostels I’ve stayed in but it was just a place to sleep.
After freshening up we headed Kizomizu temple, which was a handy five minute walk away. It was about half five, and was still a little bit light. We were there for five minutes and before we managed to get someone to take our photos. He was a really nice Japanese man, and after using our cameras he started to take pictures on his own! It was pretty funny. Lots of people complimented us (I loved the old ladies the best) and we got some great photos! It became dark very quickly though!
There wasn’t as many red leaves as I had expected, but we were told it was because summer had dragged on so long this year, the seasons had been jumbled a little. Still, we saw many pretty trees, especially as the lights came on an illuminated the leaves. 
There was a mystical and magical feeling walking around the temple grounds in the dark, with the red trees lit up. I guess because we were wearing Lolita it added to the fantastical factor!
We drank from a fountain that was said to give you good health, love or money- not sure which one I picked! We also wrote our wish on a wooden sign that are popular at Japanese shrines. After we had walked around the whole temple, we came out to see a massive queue forming! It seems we arrived at the perfect time and missed the rush for the illuminations!
We took some Purikura and went around the local shops. I bought a cute pink Hello Kitty backpack for £20, cheap considered to how expensive they are back home! We then headed back to the hostel to change for dinner. After some sake, we ended up in Marui 01 in Gion, and everywhere was so busy! We settled in a Japanese restaurant and had some soba noodles that Kyoto is famous for. They were good, but the portion was rather small!
Then we headed to karaoke. We had a lot of fun singing old cheesy boy band songs and some Disney duets! I ordered an ice cream because I was still hungry. It was amazing- it even had a whole bar of white chocolate in it! Oishi!!!~
The rain suddenly came down and typically I’d left my umbrella at the hostel. We took a taxi, but still got soaked walking to the hostel- I had to actually dry my hair it was dripping so much!
The next morning we got up bright and early for showers. The hostel owner never really seemed to be about, so we asked a regular where we could rent towels (as it said we could on the website). She said there was none, we had to go buy some. Not wanting to walk cross the street in my PJs, we just ended up using the sheets- they were fresh as they’d been given to us the day before. I wasn’t really impressed with the hospitality!
We bought some combini breakfast (and I bought supports for my knees- funny how this always happens to my in Kansai!) and found a local shrine to eat it at. We luckily just arrived in time to see a traditional Shinto wedding. We thought it was a funeral at first because of all the black suits and sombre expressions! It was great to be able to see it though. 
We headed back to Gion, and followed the crowds to another shrine, where a festival was taking place. There were many food stalls, and we ate something delicious on a stick, as well as candy strawberries and cherries. I was happy to pick up a white kitsune (fox) keyring. There were some beautiful red leaves and we got more photos. Afterwards, we tried to find the place where we were getting our Maiko (Geisha in training) make over. Thanks to stupid Google maps, we ended up no where close. We jumped in a taxi and still made it. It was busier than I expected, with many floors, and lockers and changing rooms. First we changed into a pink, almost light dressing gown type outfit. Then we had our make up down- it was surprisingly fast, not even lasting ten minutes! We looked pretty cool with just the make up done! Due to our light coloured hair, we had opted for the full wig. I’ll be honest, I thought I would look a bit silly, but I was really taken aback how different I looked! My wig was pulled a little too tight though, and it started to give me a headache!
Next was putting on the kimono. I had picked a red one with white and black flowers. You could tell they were very old and worn but they still looked beautiful. There were many layers and it was like wearing a corset, with many cords and obi tightening the waist. Then it was back down stairs to get our photos taken- I was a little disappointed by how small the room was, and there were many groups of us crammed in. Still, we managed to get many good photos! Overall a good experience for just around £50!
It was difficult to smile, because the wig was so tight! It really made me feel for the girls who were Maiko many years ago, and had to have their hair styled and sleep in it!
The make up was a nightmare to get off, so we went back to the hostel like ghosts! After washing up, we left (there was no check out as such, the owner still wasn’t around, was pretty strange!)
We headed for food, and found what was advertised as an Italian. It was a tiny restaurant with four tables, and the menu was pretty small too. We both ordered a “mixed pizza”. It was full of things I don’t usually eat, and it arrived covered in cheese, but it was actually very tasty! The owner, an old man, was so friendly and shocked to learn we were English teachers and had travel to Kyoto.
We headed back to downtown Gion. With the strip of shops, cafes and restaurants, it was a very different Gion from what I remembered! It was super busy and trying to negotiate with our luggage was not easy! We rested in a small cafe, and had hot cakes (pancakes) and I had cinnamon tea. Then it was time for us to part ways as Hannah was going to meet her friends in Osaka!
I headed to my next hostel, once again aided by Google maps. I was shattered, my legs were aching and my phone was dying, despite using my portable battery charger. I nearly cried when the owner told me I was booked into their sister hostel, a fifteen minute walk away. It was about 9 o’clock, pitch black and I had no energy left. They gave me a massive map, and I set off once again. My sense of direction is terrible, never mind in a city full of tiny streets. I finally gave up and went into a 7/11 to lift money for a taxi, but was out of order. Desperate, I tried to buy a new phone charger, but in my tiredness bought the wrong one. Ready to give up, I managed to swap the batteries over, and walk the next ten minutes to my hostel.
I was ready to give the owner hell, but she was so lovely. Yuko-san sat me down next to a heater and got me a hot cup of tea. She immediately called me Keara-chan, which I thought was sweet. She was disappointed I was only staying for one night, and gave me a tour of the hostel. It was lovely and traditional, and I wished we’d stayed there the night before too! I was exhausted, so I happily unrolled my futon. The walls were paper thin shouji screens, but luckily I had packed my earplugs, and I fell into a deep sleep.
I set my alarm for 8am and struggled to get up. But I only had a few hours left of my stay and wanted to make the most of it. I had some tea in the hostel then headed to Nijo Castle which was a five minute walk away. I just had enough money in my purse for the entrance fee, which was lucky because I couldn’t see an ATM or combini anywhere.
It was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies, which made it a little difficult to take pictures. There were many beautiful red leaves and filled up my camera with shots just of trees! 
Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the castle. There were so many beautiful wall painting, of trees and birds and landscapes. It’s hard to believe people painted such things by hand hundreds of years ago, they were so perfect. There were wax dolls demonstrating the Shogun, Lords and ladies in waiting, it was really interesting to see. The info was all in Japanese but it was still amazing to see.
I planned to go to Kinkaku, the Golden Pavilion which I visited before, but my knees were both locked and I was very tired. I found a combini, got heat packs for my knees and had a large brunch in a local restaurant- fried chicken and rice, and a large bowl of soba with pork. I wanted to fill myself up so I wouldn’t need to take food onto the train with me.
Wanting to make sure I didn’t miss my train, I checked out after a warm farewell from Yuko-san. I jumped on the bus to the train station, which was prettily done up for Christmas. I visited some of the many shops to buy my boss a present- she loves the Moomins, so I found her a cute tote bag. I also got her some white plum incense. I hadn’t spent much money, so I treated myself to a pretty hair clip, a statue of Kinkaku since I didn’t visit, Hello Kitty socks and a keychain.
I arrived at the Shinkansen terminal in plenty of time, then panicked when I couldn’t see the number of my train. The place was packed, and the boards were constantly changing from English to Japanese. There were many trains leaving at once, so I discovered mine hadn’t been announced yet.
The only seat my boss could get for my return ticket was in the smoking car, but it wasn’t too bad. Not many people smoked around me and it wasn’t stuffy as I expected. I got to see out the window for the first half an hour, then a couple came and sat next to me. I arrived in Tokyo, and if I wasn’t so tired I would have done some shopping. As it was, I took the train to Ueno, then three more trains back home.
Although tiring and at some points stressful, my trip was great and I really enjoyed seeing Kyoto again! Special thanks to Hannah for making it so fun! Kyoto is the type of place you could visit year upon year and never become bored!
For those of you who are interested, here’s roughly how much a long weekend in Kyoto cost-
-Shinkansen return from Gunma- £200
-cheap hostel one night £15
-traditional Japanese hostel/ guesthouse £40
– bus fares: always 220 Yen, no matter how many stops. £1.75
-food: varies on what you eat. You can get a typical meal for under £8
-admission: the temples and castles are usually £4
– taxi: not too expensive, but depends where you go. A ten minute journey cost about £10
Google maps, although a pain, is essential for any trip to Kyoto. Not only does it help you walk to places but it can tell you what bus you can get and what time- though when Kyoto is as busy as it was when we were there, these are a guideline only!
kawaiikekechan.wordpress.com 