Sun, May 17
This morning we walked the mile from our B&B to downtown Kyoto. Breakfast at Smoothie, etc. I had a spiced smoothie and Chris did a green smoothie. Each came in a bowl topped with nuts, berries, and other goodness. Then we meandered across the street to our first stationary store of the journey, where we stocked up on small souvenirs and useful items.
After the stationary store we wandered our way toward a traditional matcha shop, ducking in and out of small shops along the way.
One fun thing about the public restrooms here is that when you sit on the toilet, nature sounds come on to mask your own natural sounds.
One notable stop was the 7-11 where we were relieved to get a tube of bug repellant (I’ve noted several stray mosquitos), replacement batteries for our air-tags that *of course* started chirping in the echoey silence of the national Museum of Tokyo, and a giant bottle of water.
At Ippodo Tea, we each ordered a matcha drink and drank them in the lovely tea house, admiring all the fine architectural details like the rice paper softening the rays coming through the sun roof, the wooden beams that are polished smooth but still maintain their natural forms and knots.
This morning I learned how to say “how do you say it in Japanese” (nihondenantoimasuka) which has been helpful for filling in a pause when I can’t come up with the right word for something. Chris was delighted by his matcha. He chose one explicitly marked as ‘not for beginners’ which had a decently pungent flavor. He also got a long droopy mochi. I just got a tried and true matcha latte and it was delicious.
After Ippodo we walked back toward Azukiya, and a woman waved us into her shop with a small art gallery upstairs. It was a delightful surprise to find a handmade fiber and plushy art exhibit, including posters that would animate if you scanned the QR code and… a handmade plushy keychain vending machine!!
I ended up with a sunflower, which I thought was hashbrowns at first. Some of the other options included a stone, a poop, an alligator, and more. We regrettably never made it back during open hours to try Chris’ luck, although we liked to imagine he would have ended up with a stone.
https://awaji.work
Back at Azukiya, Chris poured way too much detergent concentrate into our laundry and had to call staff to advise, fearing the worst. However, it turned out to be a “Wazawai tenjite fuku to nasu” or “a disaster turned into a blessing” when the woman who lives on the property showed up, said it was definitely fine (daijobudesuyo) and instead got into a conversation with Chris about a nearby temple within the Soto zen tradition that he was hoping to visit. She actually insisted on calling them up to see if it would be alright if we come by, and Chris is over the moon about it.
After a brief spell at Azukiya we took the subway and then walked the last stretch to Itatekizen vegan restaurant for an outstanding multi-course dinner. We did not hold back, ordering four appetizers, two glasses of local junmai ginjo sake each (Tananohikari for me and Kyoto Special for Chris - both made in Kyoto), and main courses. It was delicious; especially the Bibimbap. On our way out we chatted with a German couple who had been curious about our illustrated recommendation guide that Anna made.
Leaving the restaurant we caught the 201 bus for a 25 minute ride back to Azukiya. The bus, as with every other public transit we’ve taken, was right on time. We climbed on through the back door, rode until we reached our stop, and swiped our Suica cards (the same ones we used for trains in Tokyo, and now subway and busses in Kyoto). The Suica app is all in Japanese but we were able to add the Suica to our Apple wallets directly by searching and adding it, and adding money to it from any other card already in the Apple wallet. It’s been such a convenience!
On the final leg of our journey back, we stopped in at a Lawson convenience store for snacks and other goods like the famous Japanese convenience store socks.
Back at Azukiya I called my mom for her 66th birthday, and we wound down for the night. Chris took another bath while I opted for a shower and got under the covers to journal and fall asleep for our last night at lovely Azukiya.
Mon, May 18
Woke up at 7 and spent the next couple hours having coffee and convenience store snacks (nori wrapped rice crackers and dried mango) that we picked up in our way home last night, in our Japanese garden. Chris wobbled around in the wooden clogs provided for use in the garden.
We checked out of our beautiful Azukiya b&b around 10 and set out for the Kyoto Botanic Garden via subway. The garden was cash-only and we got our tickets via a vending machine, then proceeded inside to marvel at all the Japanese plants - some familiar as ornamentals (or pervasives) in the USA and many that were new to us!
The conservatory was so cool, and many plants were in full bloom. I particularly loved the Pelican and Green Bird plants. Orchids and any carnivorous plants are always a hit as well. The rose garden was also immaculate, and made me think of my Grandma Pat (both a rose gardener and Rosacrucian).
It’s pretty warm today. Carrying an umbrella for sun shade is customary here, and we are the odd ones out in this regard, so we bought an umbrella at the visitor center that instantly made improved our lot in life. After making the loop we ate an orange we had picked up the day before that stated it was grown in the wakayama prefecture, where we’re headed next. It was a good orange!
A school group (kindergarten or maybe pre-k) all in uniform and wearing bright yellow hats, chimed in unison to the garden staff, “Arigatogozaimasushitaaaa!” 😭 (a polite past-tense thank you)
Upon leaving the gardens we went to CHOICE for lunch, a vegan restaurant down the street from Azukiya. We ordered two oishi (delicious) personal pizzas and a cheese taster plate. The cheese was a firm herb, and a soft rum raisin, made in Kyoto.
From there, on a quest for gardening tools, we found ourselves at an anarchist gardening supply/apparel shop called Brodism. The designer himself was there. Much of the store was his line of clothing products called Sassafrass, and the totem store is in Philadelphia! He proudly showed us a photo of one of the Eagles players wearing his clothing line. He was very curious how we found the shop and we did our best to explain in Japanese that our host Chieko, at Azukiya, recommended us. We came to learn that he had been to Atlanta, Georgia and knew of Athens, even saying “bulldogs”! I bought a cool illustrated shirt.
From there we visited mont-bell, a famous Japanese outfitter that is very expensive in the States, to stock up on backpacker meals and a couple other sensible items for our upcoming trek. I’m sure I will regret not taking advantage of the tariff free shopping at such a high end backpacking store but we got overwhelmed quickly. By afternoon we began to see an other side of Kyoto… absolutely overrun by tourists. It honestly doesn’t seem sustainable and some of the romance of the city has worn off a bit as a result. Now very much looking forward to being in the countryside of Wakayama Prefecture in two days time.
We also ~regretfully~ moved into our new lodgings this afternoon. Gion Ryokan Q-beh is far inferior to Azukiya and for the same price, due to the ‘desirable’ neighborhood. And while it is quite an interesting historic area it is just inundated with tourists and souvenir shops. We are still pleased to get to experience a ryokan and see another part of the city.
For dinner we ate at Vog, an Indian food restaurant with a vegan-friendly menu, after being informed the sushi place we intend to eat at had run out of food. “Line stops here” the server said, drawing an invisible line at my and Chris’ feet as the couple who had rushed to get in line in front of us looked on guiltily. Vog was much needed comfort food after a busy day so things worked out the way they needed to.
Back at our ryokan we showered and turned in.
Tues, May 19
Coffee at our Ryokan and headed to Gion-Shijo station for a train to Mount Inari. We mistakenly boarded a premium train and rode it halfway to Osaka before we were able to get off. We found a conductor to ask how to retroactively pay for our mistake, and between my broken Japanese and a couple verbal translations of more complex phrases with the help of Google translate, were kindly informed “daijobu desu” (it’s fine) and to just get the next train headed back for Kyoto.
When we arrived at the gates to Inari, the signs of over tourism were still evident. Despite the crowds we pushed on up the mountain through the many tori gates until we reached the top of mt Inari! Crowds of course thinned the higher we went, and we branched off a couple times to explore the subsidiary shrines, some of which were quite extensive and maze-like.
I particularly enjoyed all the kitsune (fox) statues, frozen in various action poses. We also got several spectacular views of Kyoto against the backdrop of the mountains north of the city.
From there we took the train to the southeastern corner of the city to find a particular shrine rooted in the Soto zen tradition. However, due to confusion around the name we ended up at a similarly named temple (koshoji vs kosho-ji) which brought us through a quiet neighborhood and to an equally quiet temple tucked in the woods, with a beautiful cemetery behind it.
We also stopped at a 7-11 for snacks and hydration, and ate a smattering of Japanese convenience store delicacies, including a pickled plum rice ball wrapped in seaweed, a chewy bean rice ball, crispy herbed lotus chips, and a green tea. The 7-11 had lovely landscaping as well, full of flowers. From there we decided to pivot and head across the city to catch an afternoon ride on the Sagano Romantic Train, another recommendation from Anna’s illustrated guide ♥️
We arrived at the Torroko Kameoka embarkation point for the train just in time! The train was a vintage, open air train with wooden seats. Our train car was only 1/4 full so we had the pleasure of moving from side to side to lean over the railings through the windows on either side to catch the best views of the gorge below. We saw several large water birds and Chris spotted some largish creature at the river’s edge! When the ride ended at Arashima Station, about 3 miles back east toward Kyoto, we took a stroll through a forest of giant bamboo, and then back to the train/subway to head back to Gion to make another attempt for Sushi!
Sushi Taka was delicious. This time we managed to get in by arriving before sundown. We shared the fatty tuna wasabi rolls, cucumber rolls, ginger, 2 miso soups, then sake, and Sapporo beer to wash it all down.
Back at the hostel we got organized for our departure for Kii Tanabe tomorrow, organizing everything we don’t need on the backpacking trek into a duffle bag for storage at (hopefully) Shin-Osaka station where we’ll pass back through on our way to Tokyo after the trail.
Lessons: try to book lodging near the subway lines • don’t get on premium trains • get up earlier to avoid heat/crowds. Better yet, come in off-season, if there is one • always have bug repellent and sunscreen/sun shade (umbrella preferred, hat acceptable)
Wed, May 20
Out of the Ryokan by 9:30 for a final stop by a different Mont-bell location, and to check out a vegan bakery, before our journey to the Kii peninsula.
Mercy vegan bakery was delicious and we ordered extra for the road! The pit stop at Montbell was also a success as we were able to secure our remaining gear items. My rain jacket from the Appalachian trail was wetting out quickly (and there looks to be lots of rain in our future), we couldn’t bring our trekking poles since we didn’t check a bag, and I needed a bug head net just in case we encounter mosquito hatch season. Chris also got a puffy to replace his 20 year old Western Mountaineering puffy that had survived multiple thru-hikes.
All in all ridiculously huge savings on a high quality backpacking brand that’s already expensive in the states but especially now with the trump tax. I also had my most successful/lengthiest japanese exchange yet at the checkout counter with a friendly cashier. Outside the Montbell we crammed the new gear into our packs and headed out to catch the train to Osaka (shin-Osaka station).
This is the same station we’ll be passing through after we’re done walking the Kumano Kodo so the first order of business was finding someplace in the station where we could store our bag of souvenirs and urban clothes. Chris carried that stupidly heavy duffle bag all through transit from our ryokan this morning until we finally found “Luggage Station”. 13,000 yen later (1,000 yen a day) Chris was infinitesimally lighter.
We had a couple hours to kill before our next limited express JR train to Kii Tanabe in the Wakayama Prefecture, where we’d be staying the night, so we left Osaka station, attracted by a vegan Taiwanese hole in-the-wall called RAZUKEN, a short subway ride away.
The Taiwanese spot was some of the best and most nourishing food of the whole trip. We ordered the lunch special which included a wide array of small bowls of various fare including pickled vegetables, miso soup, roasted burdock root, tofu/mushroom soup, vegetable soup, and rice. We paired the lunch with a mango smoothie and medicinal tea.
The hot medicinal tea was loaded with various berries neither of us had seen or tasted before, and one of the tastiest teas we’ve had. We were the only ones in the restaurant the whole time and the owner, an older Taiwanese woman, was very sweet. It was just what we needed as a break from the chaos of the stations. I’m worried I’m coming down with something, as is Chris. Hard to say at this point if it’s just allergies/dehydration/fatigue/dry air or if we’ve caught something on public transit. Many Japanese (10-20% perhaps) wear masks on the trains so this may have been a rookie error on our part.
When we got back to the station we purchased a ticket on the JR Limited Service train for Kii Tanabe, where we will spend the night on the coast at a small cafe guesthouse before bussing to Takijiri-Oji tomorrow to begin our pilgrimage. A peaceful train ride and a very kawaii leaflet about what to do if a large earthquake occurs.
The guesthouse is lovely, and I’ll stop repeating myself now about how crucial some minimal grasp of basic Japanese language has been for this trip. Our host, Miho, checked us in and showed us to our cozy room. We are separated from the other pair staying here - a Taiwanese mother and her adult son - by a thin sliding partition.
After Miho left we set up our futon and each got a shower. Mine was cold because I couldn’t figure out the handle but it was welcome after a hot day of transit. A/c is kept to a minimum in public spaces, and to my shock the heater even came on in the Taiwanese restaurant! The bath room had a lot of character.
I like how this house is laid out, with a main entrance and kitchen, then two rooms in the center of the home that are fully enclosed by sliding glass/rice paper doors with entrances/exits on all four sides. Then the hallway wraps all the way from the living room around those two rooms to find the bath and toilet rooms.
Thanks to the multiple warning systems on the train ride here about evacuation protocols in case of a major earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and bulletins all around town pointing which way to run in case of tsunami, I realized we should sign up for public safety notices. We did so through the following website, which let me add up to 5 travel destination for which to receive disaster warnings:
https://www.jnto.go.jp/safety-tips/eng/app.html
The next town over has a multi-story tsunami shelter but Kii Tanabe doesn’t seem to, so I suppose worst case scenario we evacuate inland, as we are only a couple blocks from the ocean. Soon to be slightly less of an issue as we head inland tomorrow for Takijiri-oji to begin the Nakahechi leg of our honeymoon pilgrimage.
