Kyoto Day Two
I got up early again and met Andy in his neighborhood for a morning hike. We started at a temple at the base of the ridge. I did not get the name - there are so many here!
We hiked through the woods and barely ran into anyone, save for a jogger.
Along the way, we passed another temple, with a big wide deck and views of the city. Not a soul there, except for us. I was so lucky to have Andy showing me around!
Our hiked wrapped up at the Kiyomizu-dera temple. Lots more people, it’s one of the top tourist destinations in Kyoto and a UNESCO world heritage site. Stunning.
Andy was gracious enough to wait in line with me for matcha lattes. This spot in particular seemed very popular and every single person who ordered (me included 😳😆) took a video of the matcha barista preparing their drink. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to be recorded by strangers all day long. They seemed to accept/encourage it as part of the deal, even waiting to start whisking until you held up your camera.
I said so long to Andy, and meandered my way back to the hotel. After all that hiking, I needed to chill. I did laundry at the hotel (one of the many excellent benefits of Japanese hotels.) For dinner, I had… a salad from the mall ☺️. I was craving vegetables. While doing laundry, I noticed that the hotel offered in-room massages for a fraction of what any massage would cost at home. So I ended my day with a Shiatsu massage to work out my tight calves and shoulders. I slept so well last night, the best sleep since I got here.
I could easily spend 5 more days in Kyoto. There is so much I didn’t see. There are tons of museums, day trips, neighborhoods and meals to explore. I had to talk myself down from fomo and just accept I would only get a fraction of the Kyoto experience, which was also more than enough. I would love to go back.
This morning the weather turned to rain, but it’s very light. Perfect for a travel day. I’m taking two trains northeast to Kanazawa. More soon!
