Last Day: Nagoya and Tokyo

It was hard to believe that we had finally arrived at our last day in Japan. Our flight back to the States wasn’t until late that night, so we had the entire day to make our way from Kyoto to the airport in Tokyo. Our plan was to stop in Nagoya to see Marchelo’s cousin, Tyler, for lunch on the way.

We enjoyed one more meal at Mr.Doughnut with Kate and Jon before heading to the station. Once again aboard the bullet train, Nagoya came up pretty quick. Marchelo and I said our final good-byes to Kate and Jon. We really owed them so much for hosting us in this strange and wonderful country. I know we will be back soon.

We didn’t have to wait at the Nagoya station long before we met up with Tyler. While this wasn’t a city we had planned on seeing, it was so nice to have a personal tour guide. We enjoyed walking around and hearing about his experiences living abroad.

After a fabulous meal we got back on the train and keep making our way northeast to Tokyo.

So, little tip for anyone looking to travel in Japan: if you want to save money and you just need a seat, the ‘open seating’ car on the bullet train is fine, especially if it’s dark outside and there is nothing to see. However, if you are hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt.Fuji I recommend you pay extra for an assigned window seat. I wasn't able to secure a window seat in our ‘no reservations’ car, but Marchelo was able to spy the iconic mountain before it disappeared behind a veil of clouds.


We still had a little time to see more of Tokyo before we needed to head to the airport. While the hustle and bustle of a major metro area at the start of the trip might have been overwhelming, now that we had been in Japan for over a week I felt much better about exploring the city for a few hours. Just enough time for one more adventure: The Mega Tokyo Pokemon Center in Sunshine City.

Soon we were back on a commuter train, making the loop around Tokyo to take us to Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City. Think: Times Square / Third Street Promenade / Universal City Walk. It was the Saturday evening before Halloween and the place was packed.

After navigating our way around a truly dizzying landscape, we finally arrived at our destination.

The mascot of this particular pokemon store is my favorite: the dragon Charizard (aka ‘Lizardon’ in Japanese) so I definitely didn’t want to miss out this one.

Marchelo has been replicated by a ditto  O____O

I was hoping to find a newly released pokemon version of the classic 'sukajan', or Japanese 'souvenir jacket', with charizard on it instead of a more traditional Japanese dragon. It was clearly very popular and all the stores were sold out. I did still get a special pin to complete my set of one from every city we went to.

From left to right: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto

Back in Tokyo Station, we wandered past scores of shops and kiosks on our way toward the train platform. When I spied a tiny Pokemon store I just couldn’t resist one last look around. I had just about given up when low and behold there is was: what I can only assume was the very last Charizard jacket in all of Japan, and it was even in my size! What a fantastic cherry on top of an already wonderful trip.

Wearing my new prize, we boarded the last train home.

Good-bye, Japan. Thank you for the hospitality. We truly had a Grand Adventure.

Until we meet again.

~ M+M

Kyoto Night: The Summit

It was dark and starting to drizzle by the time we arrived at the very foxy Fushimi Inari train station, right outside the shrine.

 

 

Just like we had imagined, seeing the temple grounds all illuminated at night was a real treat, especially now that most of the crowds had dissipated.

 
After walking the little ‘bunny slope’ torri gate section, it was time to make our way up the mountain. Once we had gone down the trail a little ways, we could appreciate the sensation of having this special place all to ourselves.

The rain drizzled, but the tightly packed torri gates covered our heads. In addition to the red gates, the mountain path is lined with thousands of stone shines. Up and up and up we climbed, until finally we pulled over to look at a map. Surely we must be close to the summit by now? Maybe halfway there? Nope! We were still laughably far away from the top.

At this point we parted ways with Kate and Jon, who were justifiably tired from the long day and ready to head back. We bid our farewells and kept climbing.

Step by step, in the dark and the rain, we made our way up the mountain.

Along the trail there are several elaborate shrines and viewing spots.

Some had a view of the city, though for most of the hike you can forget it's even there.

Finally at the mountain top, with no more gates to shield our heads from the rain, we paid our respects.

One of the benefits of making this journey during the day are the food vendors to help fuel the effort. Since everything was now closed, I was super glad I had held on to a box of doughnut holes from our late breakfast! There we stood, on top of Mt. Inari all by ourselves, surrounded by thousands of ancient shrines and the silent prayers of millions of people...eating doughnuts in the rain. It was awesome.

Refueled, it was time to make our way back down. Marchelo took a timelapse of the descent:


Absolutely exhausted from our 15 mile day wandering around Kyoto, I was glad to be back at the house and off my feet for our last night in Japan. We sat around the small table and enjoyed a bottle of ‘Golden Temple’ sake. Cheers for the fantastic trip. Cheers for family, and that we all got along the entire time! Cheers for the beautiful weather and great experiences. Cheers that we are all safe and sound. Tomorrow we make our way back to Tokyo, and finally, home.

Kyoto Day: Canal walk and Gion District

From Mt. Inari we were only a few miles away from the famous Gion district, so we left the mountain and keep walking north along the beautiful canals and waterways of the old city.

As we made our way, we found ourselves walking along a large canal with a wide footpath on either side. The bird watching here in the shallow water ecosystem was fantastic. Herons, egrets, hawks, eagles, crows, ducks and songbirds.

Never before have I seen so many eagles in one place. This was something else about Kyoto that I did not expect, but I was so glad that our wandering feet brought us here.

The buildings and architecture began to change as we approached the more urban sections of the city. What is so interesting about Kyoto is the juxtaposition of ancient temples nestled in between modern buildings. In America we seem to have an unfortunate habit of tearing everything down in order to build something new, while the people of Kyoto have struck a balance between the two.

Before going to see the street lights of Gion, we stopped by the Kyoto Pokemon Center. The mascot for this store is Ho-oh, a large mythical bird. After spending time in Kyoto, I know why! The abundance of eagles, as well as it’s history as the Emperor's seat of power, makes Ho-oh a fitting representation of the city.

As per usual, the Pokemon Center was in a big fancy mall in the uptown district. On the top floor was a huge market of fresh food with a hundred vendors selling both prepared meals and ingredients. The place was packed for the dinner rush, and after walking the floor, Marchelo made his selection: a bento box stuffed with crab meat, scallops, and salmon roe. Yum! He got in line behind two people, waiting for the old woman working the stall to take his order. His presence did not go unnoticed, however, and instantly the line ballooned behind him to well over a dozen people! Clearly everyone wanted to try whatever it was that the only Westerner was having. We waved to the vendor on our way out and the old woman gave Marchelo a thumbs up: he was great for business! ;)

After our meal we walked back over the bridge that spans the large canal into the Gion district. This area is famous as the heart of Japanese Kabuki theater. There are many old ornate buildings alongside modern ones; a blend of neon colors and ancient aesthetics.

You can be walking down the main drag, as busy as Times Square, and yet still turn down a clean, dimly lit alley with no one around. It feels a little bit spooky and a little bit like magic.

I texted Kate to tell here where we were and it turned out they were only a few blocks away. We met up at an Irish pub, of all places, and enjoyed a round of Guinness as we caught up on our days.

They had a fantastic visit to the Golden Temple. We had loved Mt. Inari so much we were excited to go back with them. After walking around the picturesque canals of Gion, we made our way to the train to take us back to Fushimi Inari.

Kyoto Morning: the Vermillion Gates of Fushimi Inari

Now, I know this might sound crazy, but what I really wanted to do was go for a nice long walk with Marchelo around Kyoto. It had not even been a week since the Iheya Marathon, and despite all of our wanderings around Okinawa, Miyajima, Hiroshima, and Osaka, my feet were still itching to explore.

From our little house we were only about 3 miles from Mt. Inari and the famous red torii gates: #1 on my list of things to see in Kyoto. Kate wanted to visit the famous Golden Temple, which is situated on the north side of town. There is so much to see in Kyoto that instead of trying to do it all, we decided to go our separate ways and enjoy different sights at different speeds. The plan was to meet back up at Mt. Inari after sunset. Just like Miyajima, Mt. Inari is a very famous tourist destination and is always crowded. What many people don’t know is that the entire mountain is a shrine and is therefore always open to the public, 24/7. Going back to see the shrine at night would not only thin the crowds, but it would also give us the chance to experience this special place illuminated at night.

Marchelo and I stepped out the door with no real plans; only a destination on the map and the whole day to get there.

There is so much to love about exploring a new place by foot. Before our walk I really had no idea that there were so many canals coursing through Kyoto. We wandered over bridges and along waterways, just as the fall leaves were beginning to turn. It was so tranquil that you could easily forget the bustling city center only a few miles away. When riding the train in the bigger cities the presence of a couple of westerners is barely noticed. Strolling through these small intimate neighborhoods, however, earned us a few sideways glances from the locals. This is clearly not an area of town that sees a lot of tourists. Perfect. Just the way I like it :)

We hadn’t gone too far before needing a cup coffee, so we pulled over into a tiny little shop operated by 1 old lady and her friend. We were the only patrons, so we sat at the bar to chat with the owner. I had my google translation app up on my phone while she had a giant English phrase book on the counter. Together we relished in our mutual desire to communicate. We told her were were from California and that we had run a marathon ("sugoi!"), that we had traveled from Okinawa to Hiroshima to Osaka to here (also "sugoi!"). The best laugh was when she asked how old were were (35?! No, can’t be!). I told her how beautiful her country is, how kind and thoughtful the people have been. She was so thankful to hear it, and was glad that we had come into her shop. Once we had our coffee, it was time to keep walking.

Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社) is dedicated to the Shinto god of rice, and is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates straddling miles of trails that lead to the summit of the sacred Mount Inari. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, which is why there are statues all across the shrine grounds, some of which carry keys in their mouths which represent the key to the grain silo, i.e., good fortune.

At the shrine's entrance stands the famous Romon Gate, which was donated in 1589. Fushimi Inari Shrine itself has ancient origins predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794.

At the very back of the shrine's main grounds is the entrance to the torii gate covered hiking trail, which starts with two dense, parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"). I personally like to refer to this section as the “bunny slopes” of Mt. Inari. While most tourists walk through this section for the torii gate experience, it doesn’t begin to adequately prepare you for the miles of trail hiking it takes to summit the mountain top.

We walked the temple grounds and joined the other tourists in Senbon Torii. The number of people taking selfies was a bit maddening, so I was glad to see a small side trail leading away from the throngs. Down aways we found much older shrines, with torri gates and foxes made of stone instead of wood.

I am a firm believer in taking the path less traveled, and in this case it lead us to sections of the shrine that no one else bothered to visit or see. I could almost feel the fox spirits smiling their toothy grins as we gave in to our curiosity. There we were, at one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Japan, and we had this beautiful bamboo forest trail and stone shrine all to ourselves.

We decided to wait on climbing to the top until Kate and Jon joined us that night and the crowds would be gone. Until then, it was time for some green tea ice cream with little fox wafer cookies.

Good-bye to Fushimi Inari for now. We'll be back tonight. For now, it's time to keep walking.