We got settled on the train and managed to stow our suitcase behind the last row of seats in the train (there is no space for luggage really). Even though the train left before 6 am, it was packed - we weren't able to get seats together. This actually worked out well because we were both mad at each other... so we could sleep and wake up in better moods LOL I didn't sleep so much on the train though. Since it is winter, visibility is quite good and Mt. Fuji is easy to see. We had a great view from the train and I was able to take several pictures. (See more pictures of Mt. Fuji here)
We made it to Nagoya and suddenly things got snowy! It was the first time (other than going to Nagano several years ago) that I have seen snow on the ground in Japan. But then things started to get even snowier... and in fact the train ran into a snow storm. Later we learned that the storm dumped 2 meters overnight in some areas. Since we were the first train of the day, our train went really slowly. I imagine because the tracks weren't clear and hitting a hidden obstacle on the tracks over a hundred km / hour would probably have derailed us. Anyway, it ended up taking an extra hour to get to Kyoto (normally it is just over 3 hours). This is quite unusual in Japan - the trains are never late, and especially not by that much. The snow did finally give me a bit of a Christmas feeling though. This is what it looked like out the window of the train. (For more snowstorm pics, look here)
Once we arrived at Kyoto station, we made our way down to steet level to get our shuttle bus to the hotel. Our timing was perfect because we got it just before it left, so we didn't have to stand around waiting. Surprisingly, there was very little snow in Kyoto, but it was cold outside compared to Tokyo. We arrived at the hotel shortly after and I tried to check in early, but we had to wait until 1. It was just after 11, so we decided to just have lunch at the hotel and lounge around in the lobby instead of going anywhere. We were able to stash our luggage with the concierge though for later.
We hit one of the restaurants for an overpriced lunch and took our time eating and relaxing... and drinking some coffee to wake up. The lunch wasn't that good, but the restaurant had a nice view of a waterfall through some large glass windows. After we finished eating, we hung out in the lobby for about 30 minutes and then checked in. They just gave us the key and took us upstairs - someone had already brought up our luggage from earlier.
The hotel we are staying at is the Zenniku Hotel, which is also known as the ANA Hotel, and is located directly across from Nijo castle. We were totally surprised to get a room facing the castle - when we booked, the travel agent said it was unlikely. So that was a nice surprise. The hotel is supposed to be a four-star hotel, but while the restaurants charge 4 or 5 star prices, it is not a 4 star hotel. The hotel only has like 3 double rooms in the whole hotel - meaning we got two single beds. Kind of kills the romantacism of a weekend away. I had brought my workout clothes to go to the gym, but you had to pay $15 a time to go! I think not. Oh well - the beds were comfortable, the bathroom had excellent amenities (lots of little samples of herbal shampoos and stuff), and we had a good view so nothing to complain about really.
As soon as we got settled Hiroshi decided he needed a "little" nap. This turned into a 2-hour nap. So much for a day of sightseeing LOL He did eventually get up and going and we headed out to Kiyomizudera temple, which is on the east side of town. It turned out to be a great time to go because we got to see the sunset with a great view of Kyoto.
Kiyomizudera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is built into the side of a hill, so the main temple has a series of wood supports (like scaffolding) to hold up decks overlooking the city. There is a spring at the temple which has very pure water. After watching the sunset we went and made our way through the queue to drink some. There were cups attached to long sticks that you held out into water falling from a spout above you into a pool below. After drinking, you returned the cup to a sanitizer and moved on. For me, the water just tasted like metal cup unfortunately. (For more pictures of Kiyomizudera go here)
After walking through the temple compound we walked down the roadway to the temple and checked out all the souvenir and snack shops. As we were going out to dinner, we couldn't sample too many of the snacks, but it was interesting to see them. Then we walked down a big hill, that I thought was in the general direction of an old cobbled street called Sannenzaka, but we got totally turned around. We were supposed to come out near Gion, but ended up a 20 minute walk away from it. There wasn't enough time to go to Gion and make it to dinner on time though, so unfortunately, my quest to get a picture of a geisha was foiled.
We ended up just hopping in a taxi and going to the restaurant. The restaurant is called Hyotei and specializes in kaiseki which is gourmet Japanese food. It is a series of dishes prepared with the best ingredients and served with beautiful presentation. Kaiseki is extremely expensive - this was a once in a lifetime meal for us - so this was our Christmas present to each other.
We pulled up in the cab very early (not good) but a kimono-clad women came rushing out to open the door and to take us to our private tea hut. We walked along a pathway with beautiful gardens and enterred into our room. It was small, but for two people, you don't need a big space. It was decorated like a typical tea house with shoji (paper doors), an alcove with a scroll and seasonal flower arrangement and tatami floors. One thing I didn't think about when making the reservation was that it is cold! They had set up a heater in the room, so we were soon warm, but we couldn't open the shoji to look out on the garden (except for a quick second to take a picture). Seeing as it was dark out, we also couldn't see the garden very well - so my recommendation is go in spring or fall when the weather is comfortable and make a reservation during daylight hours so you can appreciate the garden while you eat. Despite not thinking about these two things, the experience was still great. I have never eaten in a private room before.
We got all settled and our server came in and took our drink order. We got shochu made from potato (you can get shochu made from different things - shochu is just a kind of Japanese liquor). It actually had a cool name - Dream Watcher. I'm not a big fan of shochu, but I can't handle sake (I get sick) and beer seemed a bit low-class for the occassion. The shochu actually grew on me as I continued drinking it though.
Anyway, our server left and we got up and took a bunch of pictures before she came back. It was kind of funny because we were peaking out the windows spying on a group walking by and trying to take pictures of the garden without letting in too much cold air... all the while at the ready to jump back to our places and look like we weren't doing anything. When our server came back with our drinks, she brought our first course which was tai (snapper) sashimi and a kind of herb with crushed pine nuts. The tai was so good - it was nice and firm and fresh.
Our next course was a white miso (unusual) soup with daikon (Japanese radish). This was followed by a mixed plate of appetizer like things.
It had some fish pates, which were really good, and two pieces of sushi. The sushi had a green garnish on top and was then wrapped in a thin film of something so that they didn't fall off. The presentation and attention to detail were amazing. There was also a soft boiled egg. Apparently when the restaurant first opened, eggs were served raw and they were the first to serve them cooked, so they are considered a specialty of the restaurant.
The fourth course was a soup with a few pieces of duck, mountain potato and spinach with yuzu (a citrus fruit) garnish. The yuzu on the potato was delicious. This dish had a great balance of flavours. This was followed by a piece of fish that had an incredibly shiny glaze on it and a piece of turnip carved to look like a flower.
The sixth course was another soup. It had turnip, a bit of carrot and what we though was a fish ball, but it turned out to be quail. This course came with rice and pickles, as well as a pot of tea.
At this point we were starting to get full, but it was time for the first dessert - fruit. We had two slices of pear that had such intense flavour, absolutely delicious. In addition to the pear there were a couple strawberries, and a black bean and some clear jelly as garnish. This would have been enough, but there was one more dessert, the traditional Japanese one. Our server brought in cups of macha (tea ceremony green tea) with a rice and bean dessert. The dessert was a little ball made to look like a snowball - it was amazing. The macha wasn't bitter like I have had before, and I enjoyed it. It prefectly matched the sweetness of the bean paste in the dessert.
And that was the end of the meal. We were totally stuffed! I was surprised because I had read some reviews where people said they were still hungry afterwards. I'm not sure how they could be - there was tons of food. After dinner we just relaxed and drank some tea and enjoyed the ambiance. Our server ordered a taxi for us and then took some pictures of us together (none of which turned out well, so you don't get to see them). When the taxi came, we were escorted through the gardens and got the bowing sendoff.
Overall it was a really nice meal, and everything was presented beautifully and the service was perfect. Eating in a private room was a great experience, as was having a private server. It was a lovely way to start our trip in Kyoto. (You can see pictures of all the courses here)
So that was our first day. We didn't do too much, but it was a great start to our weekend away. Just a couple more things to mention for this entry - one of the first things I noticed in Kyoto is how wide the streets are. It is also a planned city, meaning the streets are parallel and perpendicular to each other. This makes figuring out where you are so much easier. Secondly, I had a horrible time understanding anyone. The dialect is quite different, so even when people repeated things a couple times, I still couldn't get it. I suppose I was surprised that the language was that different.
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