Kyoto Part I: Life Here

Overlooking Kyoto

Kamo-gawa

We left Kyoto two days ago and are still processing the goodness we experienced during our stay. It's been difficult to blog for a few reasons: (1) we walked a lot; (2) when we weren't walking, we were talking with new friends about what it's like to live here and what we were experiencing; (3) when we weren't walking or talking, we were asleep; and/or (4) we couldn't tear ourselves away from the game shows. Or maybe it was the news. We're still not always sure.

We're starting with the easy stuff about Kyoto -- background, where we stayed, how we get around, and what our days were like.

A Little About Kyoto

Women wearing kimono

Kyoto (population: 1.5 million) is the cultural center of the country with many universities, museums and more than 3,000 shrines and temples. It was the capital of Japan for 1,000 years before Tokyo became the capital.

Door of the row house

We felt incredibly at ease in Kyoto -- it’s quite easy to get around the city and there’s something beautiful or historic to see on every corner. While Tokyo feels a lot like New York, the energy of Kyoto is hard to define or compare. It's a highly fashionable place -- many of the exclusive stores have signs that say "London, Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo, Kyoto" on them. But there's an easiness to Kyoto that we haven't felt elsewhere. It feels more laid back. More comfortable with itself and its place in history. And lots of positive, creative energy flowing.

Most people wear western clothing, we also saw women who opted to wear kimono, especially to/around the temples and shrines. (Men also wear kimono, but we didn't see many doing so.) 

Machiya Living

Girls' bedroom and tea room

We stayed in a machiya (traditional, small two-story row house) in the Gion district —the entertainment district featuring restaurants, teahouses and tree-lined walkways. For reference, the book “Memoirs of a Geisha” is set here; it's as idyllic in person as described in the book.

We're six blocks from the Kamo-gawa, which is the main river running through Kyoto. We love to sit and people (or river) watch in the evenings while we have our daily intake of ice cream.

There's no wasted space in the house. Downstairs is a family room with tatami mats (where Mark and I slept on futons), a small kitchen, and a bath/laundry area. We climbed steep (!) steps to get to the upstairs bedroom, which had a western-style bed for the girls and a tea room. After lots of family time, the girls loved having their own space where they could hang out and relax.

The Neighborhood

Tiny kitchen

We were five blocks from Shimbashi, which (according to Lonely Planet) is "arguably one of the most beautiful streets in Asia." It's a gorgeous, tree-lined street with part of the river curving through it surrounded by traditional period architecture. It harkens back to simpler times and took our breath away regardless of the time of day we visited. We walked that street as often as we could with the girls leading the way.

Our bags

Walking and climbing

We were also central to many of the other things we wanted to see in the city. While we didn't visit every temple and shrine, we were able to see many of the most significant ones on Mark's list (a future post).

Okonomiyaki

What We Carry

Kara eating "street food"

The deal was that we had to be able to carry everything on our backs that we wanted during our month away from home. We each have one small backpack (Mark has a large one since he was here longer), and we have one small rolling suitcase. We still feel like we overpacked and shed things we don't need as we go.

What We Do

Family portrait at aqua duct

Each day was a little different, but we tried to get out of the apartment by 8 or 9 am. We typically ate a simple breakfast before leaving. Generally, we've had an idea of what we wanted to do for the day, but left room for serendipity -- stopping in at an art exhibit at the local college, hitting a nearby historical landmark, or strolling in a garden.

We ate lunch and dinner out, and have tried lots of new foods in Kyoto. Octopus on a stick was a one-time thing for the kids, but we've all expanded our horizons and really like "street food" for lunch. Two other unlikely sources of great food -- convenience stores (Family Mart, 7 Eleven and Lawsons) where you can get fantastic grub on the go. (Typically, there isn't "take out" here in Japan.) Second, our friend Angus turned us onto the basement of department stores in Kyoto where you can find almost anything you'd like to eat. Our favorite was Takashimaya, which was within eight blocks of where we stayed.

Dinner was almost always at a restaurant unless we were so tired that we feared falling asleep in our miso. We've had a lot more meat than we typically eat (except for Kara, who is still a full-on vegetarian), and fewer vegetables. Sushi here is amazing,  and we really like cold and hot soba noodles. And there's nothing like cold biru at the end of a long day.

At night, we read, wrote, played cards, washed clothes and planned the next day's adventures. It's all good, and every day, it got better and better.