The old capital…Kyoto (Part 1)

Lazier start to the day than usual on Thursday as our train wasn’t leaving until 10.30 and it is all of 4 minutes to get to the station. The Shinkansen system continues to amaze and impress…as does the luggage forwarding system, both of which are easy, seamless and effective. Ourselves and our bags, although separated, always arrived at the same place at about the same time without incident. So impressive.

With our vast distances, we need this type of travel in Australia 

Arrived at Kyoto about 1pm and to our amazement found that the Hotel Granvia is actually “in” the station. Yes the hotel straddles the whole station which is another example of a shopping mall with trains in it…but this time a luxury hotel as well!!! And it is plush.

Our hotel is in here. The lobby is on the first level up the escalators.
The ticket machines are on the right and the people are the commuters.

From a walkway to the lobby.  The ticket gates are underneath us.

Spent the afternoon before we could get into our room orienting ourselves and finding some shopping spots for Wendy. Google maps is a wonderful app and she was able to find an OK craft/sewing store in another mall down the street. These Japanese like to eat and shop!

We were seated, Japanese style, around the kitchen of this restaurant.
It was fascinating to watch them at work. Hot, noisy and frantic.

Kyoto Tower is a clear land mark that helps us navigate around.

There is much to see in Kyoto and we had to be selective, so the first “sightseeing” day was a morning tour of Nijo-Jo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple and the Imperial Palace from the time when Kyoto was the capital. We opted for morning tours as our stamina is not what it was, and also, it’s hard to process everything you are experiencing. 

At the castle we learned about the Tokugawa shogunate that dominated the area in the 17th Century. It was huge, ornate and very impressive….especially the decoration of the walls inside. We were fascinated by the story of “Nightingale Floors” which made a sort of bird like chirping sound as we walked along the corridors. It is actually made by nails and clamps rubbing together under the floor but, it took us back very quickly to the 60’s when the guide said the sound was deliberate so the residents knew when the “Ninjas” were sneaking in! 

Who’d have thought that Shintaro, Ega Ninjas and star knives would enter our thoughts after all these years.

The Kinkaku-ji temple is dominated by a golden pavilion, on a lake and in a beautiful garden. The gold is real gold leaf applied to the building and I can’t remember the weight of gold applied….but it was quite a bit. 

It was an early Shogun’s folly and when he died his son had it made into a Buddhist temple as per his father’s wishes. Buddhism and Shintoism place great emphasis on the natural world and it is more than evident in the way they they anchor their shrines, castles and palaces in beautiful surroundings.

But the most beautiful gardens were in the Imperial Palace. It was large (acres) and imposing but the gardens were what made it a special place to visit for us.

Water, pines, rocks and Autumn foliage…all the elements.

Timeless.