From Kyoto to Tokyo (With Kids) Part III

When traveling in Japan, don't take for granted that website information is accurate. It's often not, and it's just a fact of living in a country that stubbornly refuses to become primarily web-based even when it has the capacity to do so. Besides the occasional bout of frustration, this is actually a little charming. It takes away the frenzied pace of life and work that I felt in the U.S., where everything online is updated to the minute and response time is measured in minutes, not hours or days. 

So anyways, I woke up on our third and final day in Kyoto with a mission to squeeze in Kinkaku-ji (the famous gold temple), the Fushimi Inari Shrine (iconic torii gates), and souvenir shopping at Kyoto Station. The mission was entirely mine, as the goal was to lead my family through these three activities before our 5pm departure without making them feel rushed. But my plan was thrown off track first thing in the morning when the breakfast place I had chosen near Kinkaku-ji was randomly closed. The problem was that neighborhood didn't have any alternatives. Luckily, it is easy to find snacks here and there at nearly every tourist site in Japan, so we nibbled on what we could and headed to the entrance of Kinkaku-ji. 

The real wonder wasn't the temple but the number of visitors waiting for it to open. Without stopping for breakfast, we were early, though apparently not early enough. We waited in line for a few minutes before realizing that it was a line designated for group visitors. Everyone realized at the same moment, leading to a mass exodus from that line to another. This is also life in Japan: waiting in line is never as straightforward as one might think. 

The scene inside the gate was one of hundreds of people lined around the pond, snapping photos of the temple. It was comically touristy. But it was a site that we would have regretted not visiting. 

The Fushimi Inari Shrine was located between Kinkaku-ji and our hotel, closer to the latter. The plan was to see its Torii gates, have lunch in the area, and return to the hotel to gather our things. By metro, the shrine was 30-40 minutes away from the temple (in case you are wondering - shrines are part of the Shinto religion while temples are Buddhist). On the way there, we ran into two families from E's school, which had a half-term holiday not aligned with local school holidays, making for a great time to travel. 

The Fushimi Inari shrine is iconic for its thousands of red torii gates. It is dedicated to the Shinto god of rice Inari and predates Kyoto's time as Japan's capital. You will see statues of foxes, who are Inari"s messengers. The path that leads up into Mount Inari alternates between stairs and smooth paths. At 233 meters, it is not a difficult climb, but not an easy one with a toddler and a stroller. As an important shrine and a major tourist attraction, there are plenty of rest points with snacks and souvenirs huts on the way up. The kids enjoyed these mini pit stops. However, we didn't make it all the way up on account of carrying the stroller, my parents' flagging energy, and the increasingly pressing concern of lunch. 

There are many restaurants and shops around the shrine's base. It is a bustling area. My research didn't account for this last lunch, as I wasn't sure where the morning would land us. The restaurants here all looked more or less the same, so we chose one somewhat randomly. It was decent. They served primarily soba, fish rolls, and rice bowls. One note about soba in Kyoto: although it was still early in the season and got warm during the day, all soba served was hot. My mother-in-law posited that since Kyoto is famous for dashi, Kyoto-ites like to showcase dashi in this way. Cold soba, on the other hand, is eaten with a dipping broth with a soy sauce base, which is more prevalent in Tokyo. 

We arrived in Kyoto Station in the early afternoon with a couple of hours to spare. M was conveniently asleep in her stroller by then. It was the perfect time to enjoy a break at a matcha cafe, which my parents loved. We then went shopping for both souvenirs and for bentos to eat on the Shinkansen (it's the best part of riding the Shinkansen!). 

Returning home always feels shorter somehow. The return journey was a blur of bentos, naps, and a taxi ride. Then a slurry of unpacking (I won't unpack for weeks if I don't do it immediately), showers, tuck-ins, and finally, a good night's sleep after a great trip. 

Traveling to Kyoto (With Kids) Part II

    My husband thinks that there is nothing better than waking to a hotel breakfast, but I don't know. On the one hand, it is definitely convenient, especially with kids. On the other, you can't help wondering if there is something out there that is better and more interesting (there usually is). Since I planned this particular trip, we ended up having breakfast across the city. This takes a fair amount of planning, because it takes at least half an hour to get everyone ready and the travel time, even by taxi, was about 45 minutes. That's over an hour of being awake with no food for two young children. The longer this goes on, the worse the mood. 

    So we woke up to a couple of small pastries I had bought the night before and headed to the Arashimaya area for breakfast. Most of the major sites we wanted to visit were located in this area far from the hotel. The plan was to spend the entire day to there. This cafe has a Tokyo location, which bears no resemblance to the Kyoto one we visited. 

I forgot to take photos inside. It was all tatami seating. It felt like what a cafe would have been like a hundred years ago if there had been cafes like this. The overall style is traditional but the details and ambience are definitely modern. Most importantly, the food was really good. We ordered a few egg sandwich sets, which come with coffee and bits of this and that on the side. Before I could protest, E moved quickly to order a french toast set, which turned out to be incredibly good. How glad I was to have chosen this over the hotel breakfast. 

After breakfast, we walked to Tenryu-ji, the famous 14th century temple belonging to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Like so many temples and shrines in Kyoto, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was  Friday, and the crowd was still thin. On the temple grounds, the path changed from smooth to gravel with stairs interspersed. We ditched the stroller early on. Anyways, both kids were fascinated with their new surroundings - particularly the pebbles for some reason.  

A beautiful day for temple-going.

The temple's exit feeds into the iconic Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Even having seen it once before in person and hundreds of times in photographs, the cool serenity is still striking. We walked through the forest path, which led us back to the banks of the Hozu River, where my pick for lunch was located. 

Now it was only 11am. Having known how much there was to see in this one area, and wanting to take my time in each location, I had herded everyone out of the hotel early (early for us, with kids, which is 8:30 am). Living in Japan has taught me that you have to think two steps ahead, especially when it comes to eating out. The price you pay for not doing so is a one hour queue at best and a missed opportunity at worst. So 11am was actually the perfect time to find lunch.  

The lunch spot was inside an old house repurposed as a restaurant (I think). It served traditional Japanese food - tempura, soba noodles, rice bowls with various toppings. The second floor had semi-private seating, and since it was early, we had the entire room to ourselves. As with so many Kyoto establishments - and much to my parents' bewilderment - they had only floor seating. But floor seating is convenient for little kids, and we had a stunning view of the river. The restaurant had a nostalgic air about it, transporting you back to the 70s or 80s of the Showa era. 

Our afternoon itinerary included the Arashiyama Monkey Park and the Sagano Scenic Railway. The park is perched on top of a mountain, big enough to get your heart rate up but small enough for M to make her way up on her own. Inside the park, the monkeys are just chilling in an open space. They don't mind the humans, and in return, human visitors are strictly prohibited to bother the monkeys. Our kids were rewarded for their climbing efforts by a few play structures and a panoramic view of the city. 

The climb up to and down from the monkey park took two and a half hours, and by then, the kids were ready to be refueled. At the foot of the mountain is a rather touristy area filled with small shops and cafes. It was the perfect time and place for a snack. Despite the cool temperatures, it got warm around midday, especially with the climbing. We bought an ice cream and took a little break before boarding the Sagano Scenic Train. 

The train ride was a perfect conclusion to an active day. I bought tickets in advance, because it can get crowded - even on a weekday. Dinner was in Gion, but I won't bore you with the nitty gritty. It was recommended by the hotel and tasty enough but not memorable. The next and final installation will be short and sweet, because that is what our last day was. It was our only weekend day and for that reason and others, it was a little different.