We planned to spend a week in Kyoto, which has worked out wonderfully. It has allowed us to feel relaxed staying in one spot and allowed us plenty of things to do in the day-to-day. In our time, we feel like we conquered the bus system and definitely made ourselves feel at home in the city.
Asa and I had the chance to experience a tea shop and sample some various teas from around Japan. He opted for a matcha and I opted for a red tea and sweeter green tea. It was a very relaxing, yet intentional, experience. We discussed how we could, if we could, ever replicate the setting back home. The cup volume is always smaller in Japan, requiring refills, which leans itself to be a bit inefficient during a work day, but maybe it becomes a Sunday morning ritual. In any case, the tea was delicious, strong, and earthy.
Following tea, we checked off a bingo card item for myself – a Japanese pancake. They’re taller and a bit cakier than what we have in the US. But it was a nice afternoon treat following tea.
From here, we took a commuter-filled bus back towards our Airbnb to have what ended up being the best sushi of our entire trip. Extremely fresh, large pieces of raw fish – some just melting in your mouth. The three of us sat on the tatami floor, shoveling one piece after another into our mouths. Sean couldn’t get enough and made a reservation for dinner the following day.
We had a nightcap to end the evening at a gin bar, which was located in a food hall. Unfortunately, we were too full to try anything else. But the drinks we had were all unique in their own way. Asa had an Asian Pear Mojito – a minty and fruitful refreshing drink. I had a cocktail called the Lime Light, which consisted of Japanese sake, gin, some yuzu ingredients and brown sugar. It was a light and spritzy, yet flavorful drink. Sean opted for The Roots – gin, dandelion roots, burdock, and black pepper, an earthy and spicy taste.
During our drinks, Sean had shared how he almost lost his credit card. It got stuck in a parking machine and he was unable to retrieve it on his own. He had to go to the nearest convenience store and buy some tweezers in hopes that they would be more helpful in retrieving the card. However, when he returned to the machine, he found his credit card to be sitting on top of it. The kindness of a stranger is what ultimately led to a fortuitous outcome.
Wednesday had arrived, our last full day in Kyoto. Asa and I had made reservations for the morning to visit Saihoji, or more commonly known as the moss temple. But to start, we needed our usual morning Solkatt coffee. With the owner leaving the following day for Tokyo as well, this was our last visit and called for a final goodbye.
After coffee, we headed towards Saihoji. We arrive to the Buddhist temple and can feel the serenity surrounding the area immediately.
We scan our tickets and are instructed to maintain quietness during the visit to allow for an optimal, peaceful visit for ourselves and others. We begin with copying a sutra script in the Main Hall and completing a small meditation for mindfulness. Every visitor at the temple remained so quiet and respectful. While copying the sutra, you could hear the various squeaks and brush sweeps made from the pens onto the paper. This set our minds for the remainder of the visit as we took in the gardens – they were so green all over, from the moss on the ground to the trees overhead. We loved looking into the pond and see where nature continued to grow through Japanese maples making their homes on isolated rocks.
We exited the temple with a feeling of peace that we have missed probably the whole adventure so far. The busy cities keep our nervous systems on alert and aware of our surroundings, helpful to navigate and make sure we always have what we need. But this visit to the temple was so restorative – an experience we will always cherish.
To end the our green morning, I had a green matcha latte. Matcha has really grown on me during our time in Japan.
We take a bus back towards the city center and meet up with Sean for another Japanese delicacy – shaved ice. Sean found what we believe to be is the most decadent shaved ice eatery in all of the city. A mound of ice with sweet cream in the center, flavored with a sweet syrup, and topped with things like cookie pieces and fruit. We continued to talk about this sweet treat throughout the rest of the trip.
We enjoy some tonkatsu at a mom-and-pop shop to wrap our lunch, we have come to love these Japanese set lunches. They include a main protein, a side salad, side pickled veggie, and miso soup. A fulfilling, but still light, meal.
A lazy afternoon allowed us to find a Jdrama show called Tokyo Tarareba Girls on Netflix, a show about three girlfriends trying to find love in Tokyo. Like Sex in the City, but in Japan. We enjoy a couple of episodes, laughing at the manga-like, theatrical antics of the main characters.
For dinner, we opt for an Indian-Nepalese for a change. We love Japanese cuisine, but we also love many other international cuisines as well. With the place to ourselves, we order a chicken curry, naan the size of our torso, fried rice, and a mutton kadai dinner set.
Following dinner, we check back into the airbnb for our final night in Kyoto. We enter our final days in Tokyo next!
Kyoto Scenes:
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