- Life in Kyoto
- Fri. Mar, 4 2005
As planned since a long time, this Friday was booked to visit Western きょうと京都 with Yukiko, the guide who made me visit なら奈良 last year. This year, she agreed on making me visit the Western きょうと京都 as she is student there and Friday was a day off. So, we planned to visit quite numerous spots and spend all the day together...
We firstly went to ぎんかくじ銀閣寺, the Golden Pavilion. Last year, I didn't find time to reach it and I only enjoyed visiting きんかくじ金閣寺, the Silver Pavilion. Despite the weather wasn't as nice as the year before when I visited the きんかくじ金閣寺 (anyway that was crowded as well), I really appreciated this little promenade. I just regret that, finally, the path is quite far from the building... Fortunately, it also gave me the opportunity to buy some more postcards in order to send them as soon as possible, at least before being in Sweden (and continue the action launched these last days)...
Then we went back deeper in the city to have a quick lunch at a coffee where the speciality was とうふ豆腐. Still very good (but still a bit light for a complete day of walk). Once we finished to sip our coffee (in order to wait for the rain to stop falling), we headed to きたのてんまんぐう北野天満宮. There, we enjoyed the view (and the numerous statues of ox in honour of Mitizane Sugawara who was said to curse きょうと京都 after his banishment to きゅうしゅう九州, during IXth century and who died during the ox year in Chinese astrology) and the flowers beginning to blossom. The tour was quickly achieved since the sakura garden didn't worth a visit at that early period of the year. In more, we had to go to あらしやま嵐山 park a bit outside きょうと京都 for a very nice tour in the forest, after a quick trip in tramway.
This part was particularly delightful since there was almost tourist around. So, we walked high on the hill to Okochi-sanso and we could enjoy a nice view of the きょうと京都 city before going back to the JR station through the bamboo forest and take a tourist train going along the hills and showing us some very interesting views (and the joy of being almost frozen under our coats). We took the train gain to reach きょうと京都 for 8pm where I have to meet Makoto for a long night downtown...
A night that starts at やきとり焼き鳥 restaurant where we enjoyed good food and good beers for just a few (1000えん円 bills). As a bonus, we had two pairs of eyes on us as the two -shy- girls next to me were interested in our French/Japanese discussion... Once we have finished our 10th or maybe more order, we paid, thanks the waiter and headed to a bar that Makoto wanted to try: Meno Mosso. At my greatest surprise, I was able to drink French cider and crêpes. As the only gaijin of this small bar, in more talking a bit Japanese, we spent all the night talking to the bartender and the customers about France, Japan and so on... Very nice to stay there until 4h30, having some free glasses (I realised I wasn't used to anymore, after 2 years in Sweden). Only the sun and the planning of the day after made us come back home for a small but excellent night. In more, as a reward of such a good night, I have been called ごぜんさま午前様 #2 by Kaori! うれしい嬉しい--- ....
