Japan - Day 7

Day 7. I actually had the best nights sleep since we'd arrived in Japan thanks to a memory foam mattress and lack of the following;

Snorlax
Pachinko Parlour Pillows
Futon Mattresses

Dan and I had epic plans today. These were to see the Kinkaku-ji (aka Golden Shrine), Nijo Castle and the Nishiki food market. We dressed and head downstairs for breakfast which our hostel provided free. I was extremely happy to see two massive tubs of Skippy Peanut Butter, one of my favourite brands next to a large basket of bread for toasting. I am a simple man who needs only simple things to keep me happy and peanut butter on toast is one of them. I ate two large slices smothered in the stuff and also a side of miso soup (A Japanese breakfast staple) just to remind myself I was still in Japan.

We head out to our first stop by bus using passes we'd bought from our hostel reception. 500 Yen for an all day pass all around the city, which was good value seeing as a single journey was 300 Yen alone. After a short wait we boarded a crowded bus headed for the Kinkaku-Ji Temple. In Kyoto, bus station drivers had a policy to say "arigato gozaimasu" (thankyou) over the tannoy to every person who exited the bus at each of the stops on the route. This bus was literally crammed full of people, therefore you can imagine one would get a little bored of saying after a while and our bus driver was a textbook example of this. His mumbles were barely audible over the mic and was said in such a dreary tone that I feared he would fall asleep at the wheel.

We arrived at the temple and walked up the gravel pathway, passing wooden huts, bonsai tree gardens decorated with ponds and perfectly trimmed grass up to the entrance to the shrine. As we entered our eyes were immediately rewarded. The Kinkaku-Ji shrine's golden walls gleamed in the morning sunlight and stood at the end of a large pond with a single bonsai tree on an island in the middle. You could see this picture upside down in perfect symmetry if you looked at the water. I was blown away by its beauty and took many photos, hoping to get the perfect shot. The shrine was so picturesque it was hard not to take a good photo so I knew I'd have trouble back home deciding which one to put in the album. We spent the remainder of our time here feeding the koi fish in the ponds and walking around the perfectly kept gardens before heading to our next stop, the Nijo

Castle.

Nijo Castle was really impressive, but couldn’t compare to the showstopper of a temple we’d just come from. I got some great shots of the moat and the architecture of the castle itself. Unfortunately both Dan and I were feeling a little nauseous from the heat and a bad diet for a week so we didn't stay ages. The gardens and ponds here were equally awesome and I was also able to get some shots of Kyoto up high on one of the castle walls.

It goes without saying that I was feeling hungry again after our castle visit, and what better way to cure that by visiting the Nishiki food market, held daily in Kyoto's center. This was a never ending arcade of stalls selling street food (takoyaki, yakitori, cucumber on sticks, crepes, waffles, Japanese sweets such as mochi, pickled vegetables, cooking utensils, some pretty mean looking knifes and more. Here I picked up something on a stick which had first been deep fried then steamed until it is ready to be eaten. You could choose from sweet potato and onion, octopus, squid, a mushroom based one and some others. I went for octopus to try something authentic. It was very meaty and fishy but not much else taste wise for me. Bish wasn't feeling well still so he passed up on food. At the market I picked up a present for my mother (very important I didn't forget to do this) and decided to call it a day after this and head back to our hostel to chill out.

Dan went to bed after arriving back at the hostel still feeling unwell, leaving me to my own devices. I spent some time on the computers,

practising my Japanese with the receptionists and planned on where to go for dinner. After last night's okonomiyaki I had a craving for more and asked where the best place to go was.They directed me to a place about a mile from the hostel called Donguri. Sorted. I would have never have known it was a restaurant had they not told me. It was a small wooden building with only a cloth covering the entrance and a white lantern that hung from ceiling. I walked through and was greeted by one of the waitresses who then went about seeing if a table was free. I should note the time now was about 10pm and the fact that she had to go see if a table was free told me I was in a popular place and was in for a treat. She beckoned me through a narrow corridor and into the main restaurant where I walked past a row of chefs frantically chopping vegetables, throwing out eggs flour, cabbage and various meats onto large metal slates to grill the okonomiyaki. I kid you not they all saw me walked past and in perfect unison yelled "Irasshaimase! (welcome!)" to greet me. I smiled and bowed, then head to my table where I browsed the wonders I could order. Basically you could build your own okonomiyaki from a large selection of toppings including beef, pork, squid, noodles, egg, kujo leek (like spring onions), tofu, sweet potato, green vegetables and more. On the other hand you could pick a ready made one and add your own toppings. I went for a beef one and added an extra egg and kujo leek hoping to top up on my "greens"

intake. They must have realised I was deprived of these because when my okonomiyaki arrived 20 mins later it was literally drowning in kujo leeks. But man it tasted immense. They even gave me extra sauce to smother it in. I spent the next 30 mins enjoying every bite and chatted to an Italian couple who were on their honeymoon next to me. Upon leaving after a cheap bill of about 1200 yen I made a note to come back with Bish the next evening, completing my okonomiyaki hattrick.

I returned to our hostel full and satisfied. I stayed up for a while to let my meal digest and eventually hit the sack around 1am, braced for another day of sightseeing.