Day 170 - Kyoto day 2: Fushimi inari, Kiyomizudera and Kaiseki cuisine

Hey everyone! 

Hope you are all feeling a bit more energised as we start to move out of the cold winter and into spring! I can certainly feel it warming up a bit over here even if there still is the odd left-over pile of snow here and there.

February 21st was our second day in Kyoto and I was eager to explore all the exciting places I had researched with Kento!

As usual the day started off with our short walk to Kyoto station. Kyoto station is pretty big and filled with cafés, restaurants and shops selling delicious snacks and bentos. I can only imagine that daily commuters have either grown sick of the tempting smells or that they have the self-control of a monk because I wanted to eat everything!

Our first destination of the day was Fushimi Inari shrine! Fushimi Inari shrine is known for it's hundreds of torii gates. Torii gates are the red archways that you often see at Japanese shrines, however they don't always have to be red, there are also other types of torii gates such as those made of stone. Torii gates mark the entrance to a sacred place.

In fact, a scene in Memoirs of a Geisha where the character runs through many torii gates was shot at Fushimi Inari shrine.

Before the entrance of the shrine is a statue of a Kitsune fox. As Fushimi Inari is a shrine to the kami Inari so there are many kitsune which serve as Inari's messengers who also act as protectors. As explained in a previous post kami are kind of like gods, however, it is probably more accurate to consider them sacred spirits.

In the first section of Fushimi Inari shrine there are the main shrine structures. As usual there was a 手水鉢 chouzubachi to perform 手水 temizu, the ritual of washing one's hand's and mouth before entering sacred place. I described this in more detail in my post on Kamakura. 

There were many gorgeous Shinto structures to see in this area of the shrine.

The steps had two kitsune, one on each side. There were lots of kitsune statues at this shrine!

Further on into the shrine is another torii gate accompanied by two kitsune, one on each side. This marked the entrance to another area of Fushimi Inari shrine. And in this area was the start of the tunnels of many torii gates that make this shrine so famous.

The beginning

Inari is a patron of business and so throughout time Inari has been worshipped by merchants and manufacturers. The many torii seen at the Fushimi Inari shrine are actually donated by Japanese companies. The torii vary in size slightly reflecting the size of the donation from the companies. The names of the companies are written on the back of each torii in black and is visible from behind, giving the walk back a slightly different atmosphere. Also in one row the age of each torii seemed to vary significantly, from bright red shiny torii that looked brand new to faded, almost pink torii with obvious weather damage that looked any number of years old. It was interesting having a mix of old and new as opposed to a gradual gradient.

The seemingly endless lines of torii were pretty magnificent and so was the atmosphere. The torii lined up so close together gave the feeling of a tunnel or cave.

The first set of torii gates was not so long, but wait, there was more!

Two kitsune marked a new set of torii. Here, there were two tunnels of torii, they were thinner and lower than the previous set making it feel much more enclosed and cave-like. I really liked the atmosphere here.

Round two....

The dates of when each torii was built

The two tunnels of torii gates led to another shrine area where you could buy お守り omamori, charms for various good luck and protection. You could also purchase kitsune shaped 絵馬ema. Ema are little wooden plaques on which you can write down your wishes, you then hang this up at the shrine where the kami can receive them. In this case many of the shrine-goers had decorated their kitsune ema, giving them cute expressions or more detailed designs. There were also おみくじ omikuji, the paper fortunes, you could see the unlucky fortunes tied up on a little stand in the corner. 

Unlucky omikuji tied up in the corner

It doesn't stop here!

From here there was another row of torii gates. Not wanting to go at this half-heartedly we resolved ourselves to finish the walk. Kento especially wanted to make sure we did the whole thing! But we weren't prepared for the walk that awaited us!

And so it continues...

Not only were the torii gates really pretty but the surrounding environment was as well. As we walked further into the shrine the surroundings became decidedly more forest-like, with lots of trees and little streams.

The walk began to get a bit more challenging as went up the incline. We started to climb the first of many, many steps.

Fushimi Inari is actually situated at the bottom of Inari mountain, who's peak reaches 233 meters above sea level. The shrine has trails up the mountain which lead to lots of smaller shrines. This, was the walk we were embarking on.

view between two torii gates

one of the many little shrines on the way up the mountain

On the way up we saw this girl sitting by the side near one of the small shrines at the bottom of some steps. She looked pretty creepy and Kento even asked me if I could see her! Luckily she wasn't a spirit but probably a child fed up of being made to walk by her parents!

The little shrines up the mountain path were all really atmospheric and all amazingly decorated.

A funny thing we noticed while walking up the path was that the higher you went the more expensive the drinks in the vending machines were. Yes, there were vending machines all up the mountain. This is Japan after all!
There were also little shops at various points up the walk that sold food, drink and charms.

It took us maybe around an hour from the entrance of the shrine to get to the pond, and by this time we thought we were maybe nearing the end of the walk... Oh how wrong we were. We checked one of the maps nearby and it looked like we had barely moved since the last time we had looked at one which was probably about 20-30 minutes previous.

But we just had to do the whole thing!

Onwards!...

This cute little fountain was for carrying out temizu handwashing

Boiled eggs!

We made a short stop to try some of the boiled eggs being sold at one of the small shops. There was also nice hot tea to go with the eggs.

It was good to take a break because it had become really cold and was even hailing very tiny hailstones!
While eating our eggs we met some nice ladies who excitedly tucked into their eggs and tea and started talking to us.

Once we had finished our eggs and tea we set off to continue our walk to the top!

And on...

I really loved the atmosphere around this point. It felt really Spirited Away somehow.

Finally at the top!!

Finally we made it to the top! Here there was another shrine and a shop where you could buy offerings for the kami. The ladies we saw earlier while eating eggs were putting offerings on the shrine. 

A nicely adorned kitsune at the top shrine

From now on was the long, but slightly less arduous walk down. The walk down was not so long as we didn't go through all the paths as we did on the way up. On the walk down you could see the other side of the torii gates, which each had their construction date and the names of the donating companies written on them.

The kitsune omamori

We finally reached the bottom! We went a slightly different way but eventually reached the initial shrine area that we started at. Here we bought some omamori charms. Kento and I both bought a cute little kitsune charm and Kento also bought a charm for traffic safety for our journey back!

Taiyaki parfait

To the side of the shrine area there were  a few little food stalls selling things like takoyaki fried octopus balls. I was very tempted to try a parfait taiyaki but I resisted at the prospect of other yummy snacks throughout the day. Taiyaki are a fish shaped baked sweet, that is usually filled with red bean paste. However these taiyaki were filled with various fruit flavoured parfaits.

Fushimi Inari was an amazing experience, not only was it beautiful and the shrines were interesting but it was most certainly our exercise done for the day! All the stair climbing was definitely a workout!

I would recommend a trip to Fushimi Inari shrine for anyone thinking of going to Kyoto.

The only thing was that Kento and I had perhaps expected the visit to Fushimi Inari to take around 30 minutes to an hour, but if you decide to walk the whole route than it will take much longer. We were at the shrine for at least two to three hours if not longer. We certainly didn't regret doing the whole walk but it meant we weren't able to do as many other things as we thought we might be able to that day. Fushimi Inari took up around half the day in itself. But if you only do the first one or two set of gates then you could easily make it a short trip to Fushimi Inari shrine.

Next, we headed straight off to Kiyomizudera 清水寺 which meant going back to Kyoto station and then purchasing a day bus pass. The day bus pass was only 500 yen and allowed us to travel on as many Kyoto buses as we liked for one day.

The first thing we did upon arrival at Kiyomizudera was to take a break to snack on some green tea dango dumplings along with a nice cup of hot tea.

Kiyomizudera is a Buddhist temple and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was founded in the Heian period, and not even one nail was used in making the structure. The temple complex also includes smaller shrines. 

When we went to visit Kiyomizudera there was some extensive maintenance work taking place so unfortunately, we couldn't see the the temple in all its glory, but it was nonetheless magnificent. They are currently in the process of renovating 9 of the temple's buildings.  So if you can see any plastic sheeting etc. in the photos you know why.

One of Jishu shrine's Love stones

One of Kiyomizudera's smaller shrines, The Jishu shrine 地主神社, contains two "love stones" (恋占いの石). It is said that if you can walk the 6 meters between the two stones with your eyes closed you will find true love. Jishu shrine is dedicated to the kami Okuninushi who is a deity of love and matchmaking, so if you're in Kyoto and looking to up your chances of  romance don't forget to check out Jishu shrine where you can also buy charms!

The trees surrounding Kiyomizudera will be covered by Sakura blossoms in a few weeks

At Kiyomizudera there was a little area where you could try picking up these ceremonial metal poles which used to be carried by hand. The smaller one could be picked up with some effort but the larger one couldn't even be lifted between four people trying!

Below the main hall the Otowa waterfall is channeled into three streams which run into a little reserve. Visitors queue up to catch and drink the water using the ladles. Each stream is said to give a different benefit to the drinker: Longevity, good grades and a successful love life. Of course, drinking from all three would be too greedy!

The view from below

One of the must-do things if you are visiting Kiyomizudera is to walk through the Higashiyama District streets which run between Kiyomizudera and Yasaka shrine.

These streets have a great atmosphere, as although many of the buildings have been renovated over the years they still retain their traditional design. The streets are really geared towards tourists selling many different kinds of locally made souvenirs such as pottery, crafts and typical Kyoto snacks. Not only can you buy tonnes of omiyage but there are also lots of shops and cafe's selling tasty Kyoto treats. 

Although I didn't get a photo of it, there was one shop that is especially worth mentioning. It was definitely a hot spot and was crammed with people. When you walk in they offer you a cup of hot tea, this tea is to accompany the smorgasbord of omiyage tasters that lined the surfaces in front of the tills. All the different types of souvenirs were arranged along a line in front of the tills which stretched the length of the shop and in front of each souvenir were taster boxes. You could taste most, if not all of the omiyages on offer in the shop and there seemed to be no judging on how many you tried. It seemed like most people - along with myself - were trying most of what they had on offer. This could seem like a bad idea business wise as the workers were constantly topping up the boxes, but this was not the case. It definitely seemed like the most popular shop and I know both Kento and I left the shop with a fair few boxes of omiyage! Kento said that he always comes to this shop when he visits Kiyomizudera. I was glad he introduced it to me! The products were all delicious, and I left feeling notably fuller than when I had entered!

We went into one souvenir shop that was selling crafts where Kento decided to pick up these really adorable pieces of pottery that he had wanted the last time he had visited. He bought cute spoons that were made too look like a twig with leaves on and two tiny little dishes that looked like leaves.

We found a shop selling these choux pastries that were featured in my magazine, that I really wanted to try. I was not disappointed! Not only did they have the green tea choux but they had a seasonal sakura choux too. The pastry also had the special cinnamony flavour of Kyoto's Yatsuhashi (one of Kyoto's special regional snacks). Both pastries were gorgeous and the flavours in the custard really came through. I often find green tea flavoured sweets lacking but this certainly hit the mark! The Sakura custard was also really good and for some reason tasted very nostalgic but I couldn't quite place my finger on why.

Look at that green!

A tinge of pink for the sakura custard

One of Higashiyama district's streets

After buying our weight in omiyage we decided to head off to Gion, however upon arrival we decided it would be best to head back to the hotel room to drop of  the souvenirs and take a short rest while we decide where to eat dinner.

We settled on going back to Gion and walking up to pontacho to find a restaurant where we could eat Kyo-ryori (Kyoto food).

Pontacho

The feeling of the Pontacho streets were traditional, with wooden shop fronts and glowing lanterns. Many of the restaurants seem very anonymous, with no visible windows or signs. This is because, many of the restaurants are invite-only. These restaurants are sort of like private clubs, you can't actually patronise these establishments without being invited by an existing member.

In the end we went to a restaurant the Kento had been to the last time he visited Kyoto. The room we were seated in had tatami flooring with cushions that you could sit on. Initially we were sat by the wall but after some other clients had left the waitress offered to move us to a window adjacent table which overlooked the river. The waitresses here were really friendly and it was a great experience.

My first course

Kyoto is well known for its Kaiseki-ryouri which is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal that usually consists of beautifully presented small dishes. Kaiseki-ryouri is often served at ryokan traditional Japanese inn but it is also served at some restaurants.

Kento had a hankering for Shabu-shabu a Japanese hotpot dish so he ordered the Shabu-shabu Kaiseki course. Whereas I went for the cheapest of the suggested Kaiseki courses. There were three recommended Kaiseki courses, with the cheapest starting from around 6000 yen. While Kaiseki-ryouri is not cheap, it is definitely an experience worth having!

My first course came with a cup of sake to drink which I wasn't expecting! The first course was gorgeous and left me excited for what was to come. Along with my first course I was also given a little sheet of paper showing me the courses that were to come.

Kento's courses also looked delicious as it was also Kaiseki-ryouri, I thought I had snapped some photos of his dishes too but they were either accidentally deleted or I was too bowled over by the fare in front of me.

Another set of dishes!

Fish with Japanese vegetables

A new dish appears!

The dishes just kept on coming! I couldn't keep up! By the time I had finished one dish, another two had arrived!

The blue dish was absolutely delicious and consisted of vegetables and fish tempura.

Sashimi!

Ochazuke

This was an ochazuke set. Ochazuke is a Japanese dish where green tea is poured over rice and it usually comes with a variety of savory toppings. Mine came with fish and pickled vegetables.

Kento's final course was the Shabu-shabu, they brought out a huge metal pot of boiling seasoned water,a large plate of meat along with a plate of vegetables and noodles and sesame and ponzu dipping sauces. Kento was kind enough to offer me some Shabu-shabu to try. I had never tasted it before, but as expected it was tasty! You take the meat with your chopsticks and swish it up and down in the boiling water until it is cooked. The meat is sliced very thinly so this takes no time at all. When it is cooked you can then dip it in one of the sauces and direct it straight into your salivating chops! The vegetables and noodles are just put directly into the pot to boil. The name shabu-shabu actually comes from the onomatopoeia of stirring the ingredients in the pot.

I also had some miso soup and a dessert of mango and jelly to finish but the restaurant was near closing so I unfortunately didn't take the time to get photos of them!

Kento also had a dessert which looked delicious and it was served in a nicely decorated mug.

My course menu 

After the meal we had short walk around Ginza where we stumbled across this curiously decorated restaurant. This place was actually featured in the magazine I bought.

After a little walk we headed back to the hotel and in usual Japanese style headed up to the top floor to take a nice hot bath. It was our last night at the hotel so I was glad that was able to try the sauna this time!

The second day was great and I hope that Kento enjoyed it too! I went to bed looking forward to enjoying our last day in Kyoto!