 |
| The onsen (I could take photos as there was nobody else present) this one had a fountai at the back, but you can't quite see it for steam. |
I left for some sightseing shortly after, and got chased down the hill by the concierge who thought I had checked out without paying! After explaining the misunderstanding, I returned to the temple as promised, unable to resist photographing the Sakura and fluffy deer as I went.
The temple was quite unusual in that the complex was full of little nick-nacks - Jizo statures adorned every flat surface, and almost all bore hats, bibs, even plastic jewellery. There were also dolls, little animal figurines, even a plush Winnie the Pooh! It was kind of adorable. I knew all of these gifts were tokens to protect the giver's children, either on earth or on the other side though, especially with Hiroshima not far away.
After leaving the temple, I checked out of my hotel, and took my stamp book back to the locations I missed (I am concerned I'm becoming a little obsessed, but I hardly had any stamps that day!) and then I took the JR ferry back to the mainland. I was not surprised that this was not only the cheaper, but also the easier option to get back, but I didn't really care.
It was a long journey to Kyoto. The train tracked back through Hiroshima,Fukuyama, Okinawa and Osaka on the way. I kept dosing off but the child behind me would helpfully scream or kick the back of my chair every twenty minutes or so, to ensure I never fell asleep and missed my stop.
Kyoto station was as busy as Miyajima ferry port. Not only with the usual domestic tours and backpacker couples, but also trains of older westerners (mostly American) with enormous suitcases and lost expressions. I ovverheard one lady ask her companion if they had missed the cherry blossom or it was about to begin, and was astounded that she had so little knowledge of where she was visiting!
My exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, and despite the clear numbering system, I took the wrong metro stop three times,and ended up walking about a mile to my hotel.
This was exciting, as I was staying at the 9hours capsule hotel, another very Japanese experience!
The hotel was styled to be very clean and clinical. All of the rooms were white and brightly lit, with no natural light. The dorm also had no natural light, but was black. One wall was filled with two storeys of capsules. I thought they looked like ovens. A friend compared it to a morgue. What they actually were was beds. The beds were full size so I fitted comfortably inside capsule 425 with room to crawl in and out. My locker was just big enough for my backpack, so I crammed it in, picked up my daypack, and headed out into (what was now) the dusk. Kyoto followed the same rough formula as all Japanese cities that I had started to observe: The station 'city' shopping centre with the optionally attached department store, and further out in town there was a covered shopping arcade. The ultimate of these was of course Osaka's Dotomburi, but Kyoto had a massive series of interconnected arcades , and most of the stores sold gaudy polyester kimonos. I had a delicious 'Kyoto style' tomato curry and Sophie style slice of chocolate cake on the expensive side of the river in Gion district, and was casually perusing said kimonos (trying to get an idea of the price of my own yukata to take home) on the way back to my hotel, when a friendly voice asked if I was looking for a full on Kyoto. It was an American girl, from Arkansas, who took me to a second hand kimono shop. We spent ages sorting through the kimonos. I tried one on and fell in love with it, but I didn't have enough cash on me. By the time I'd collected my money, the shop had closed, although was only 8pm! I couldn't understand why everywhere in Japan (including Tokyo) shut so early. The shop didn't re-open until 11am either, so Arkansas and I agreed to re-convene then.
In the meantime, there was a particular Japanese evening pastime that was calling out to me.
Arkansas and I dove into a Kareoke bar. They take Kareoke very seriously in Japan, even more so than Glasgow, and we passed through a corridor lit by chandeliers before booking a room for an hour at a hotel reception style desk. We ordered drinks to our room (White wine for Arkansas, Peach Mojito for me) and collected our room key. We were shown into a huge booth with two tables and a TV. Arkansas dug out two microphones, and as soon as our drinks arrived she found a switch for disco lights and we sung our hearts out! We spent an hour screaming the place down with our Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson renditions, we were having a whale of a time! All too soon though our time was up, so we paid and went our separate ways, ready for kimono buying tomorrow!
The capsule itself was not a problem for me, but the pillow was rock solid and heavy, filled with something more sand-like than feathery, and the mattress was thin and uncomfortable. Every noise in the dorm echoed loudly, and many of the 24 other girls sorted through their backpacks inside their capsules. It was not a great night's sleep!
After leaving the temple, I checked out of my hotel, and took my stamp book back to the locations I missed (I am concerned I'm becoming a little obsessed, but I hardly had any stamps that day!) and then I took the JR ferry back to the mainland. I was not surprised that this was not only the cheaper, but also the easier option to get back, but I didn't really care.
It was a long journey to Kyoto. The train tracked back through Hiroshima,Fukuyama, Okinawa and Osaka on the way. I kept dosing off but the child behind me would helpfully scream or kick the back of my chair every twenty minutes or so, to ensure I never fell asleep and missed my stop.
Kyoto station was as busy as Miyajima ferry port. Not only with the usual domestic tours and backpacker couples, but also trains of older westerners (mostly American) with enormous suitcases and lost expressions. I ovverheard one lady ask her companion if they had missed the cherry blossom or it was about to begin, and was astounded that she had so little knowledge of where she was visiting!
My exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, and despite the clear numbering system, I took the wrong metro stop three times,and ended up walking about a mile to my hotel.
This was exciting, as I was staying at the 9hours capsule hotel, another very Japanese experience!
The hotel was styled to be very clean and clinical. All of the rooms were white and brightly lit, with no natural light. The dorm also had no natural light, but was black. One wall was filled with two storeys of capsules. I thought they looked like ovens. A friend compared it to a morgue. What they actually were was beds. The beds were full size so I fitted comfortably inside capsule 425 with room to crawl in and out. My locker was just big enough for my backpack, so I crammed it in, picked up my daypack, and headed out into (what was now) the dusk. Kyoto followed the same rough formula as all Japanese cities that I had started to observe: The station 'city' shopping centre with the optionally attached department store, and further out in town there was a covered shopping arcade. The ultimate of these was of course Osaka's Dotomburi, but Kyoto had a massive series of interconnected arcades , and most of the stores sold gaudy polyester kimonos. I had a delicious 'Kyoto style' tomato curry and Sophie style slice of chocolate cake on the expensive side of the river in Gion district, and was casually perusing said kimonos (trying to get an idea of the price of my own yukata to take home) on the way back to my hotel, when a friendly voice asked if I was looking for a full on Kyoto. It was an American girl, from Arkansas, who took me to a second hand kimono shop. We spent ages sorting through the kimonos. I tried one on and fell in love with it, but I didn't have enough cash on me. By the time I'd collected my money, the shop had closed, although was only 8pm! I couldn't understand why everywhere in Japan (including Tokyo) shut so early. The shop didn't re-open until 11am either, so Arkansas and I agreed to re-convene then.
In the meantime, there was a particular Japanese evening pastime that was calling out to me.
Arkansas and I dove into a Kareoke bar. They take Kareoke very seriously in Japan, even more so than Glasgow, and we passed through a corridor lit by chandeliers before booking a room for an hour at a hotel reception style desk. We ordered drinks to our room (White wine for Arkansas, Peach Mojito for me) and collected our room key. We were shown into a huge booth with two tables and a TV. Arkansas dug out two microphones, and as soon as our drinks arrived she found a switch for disco lights and we sung our hearts out! We spent an hour screaming the place down with our Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson renditions, we were having a whale of a time! All too soon though our time was up, so we paid and went our separate ways, ready for kimono buying tomorrow!
The capsule itself was not a problem for me, but the pillow was rock solid and heavy, filled with something more sand-like than feathery, and the mattress was thin and uncomfortable. Every noise in the dorm echoed loudly, and many of the 24 other girls sorted through their backpacks inside their capsules. It was not a great night's sleep!
No comments:
Post a Comment