Tokyo -> Kyoto 17.07

Kiyomizudera tempel

17ndal kontrollisime üle, et kõik oma sai kohvrisse, sõime veel viimase hommikusöögi Nishitetsu Inn Shinjukus ja asusime kohvrite vurinal tuttavat teed pidi Shinjuku jaama poole teele. Shinjukust Yamanote (JR) liiniga Shinagawa jaama ning seal edasi Shinkansenile ja ca 500km teekond Kyotosse võis alata. Kuna me olime nõrgad ja ei jaksanud oma kohvreid pea kohale tõsta, andis vagunisaatja väga viisakalt teada, et tagasi sõites peame broneerima kohad tagumises reas, kus on kohvile suurem ruum. Mul reisi lõpuni kohad broneeritud, aga sellest hiljem.

Igatahes. Reis kulges sujuvalt. Jälgisin aknast loodust ja linnasid. Bambus😍 Kaks tundi ja kakskümmend minutit hiljem (12:05) olime Jaapani endises (ja kõige pikemaajalises) pealinnas, Kyotos. Kuna järgmise majutuse, Luck You Kyoto sissepääsuni oli veel veel paar tundi aega, oli minu mõte kohvrid mündikappi ootele panna ja need sealt hiljem välja võtta aga ema eelistas majutuses ära käia ning pagasi sinna hoiule viia. 

Nezameya raamen

Seekord läks õige bussipeatuse leidmisega natuke aega aga bussile saime ja majutuse läheduses maha samuti. Mis aga oli täielik üllatus, meie Suica ei toiminud kuigi enne reisi uurides lubati, et IC kaardid (st ka Suica) kehtivad terve riigi piires. Ju meie kohvrid ja üllatunud nägu veensid bussijuhti ja ta lubas meid maksmata maha. 

Siiani piiksutasime Suicat bussi sisenedes ja sealt väljudes (viimane alati bussijuhi juurest). Ja bussiga sõitsime ainult Nikkos ja Kamakuras (ja korra Tokyos). Aga Kyotos tuli piiksutada ainult bussist väljumisel. Meie kaarti ei lugenud. 

Andsime oma kohvrid majutusse hoiule ning vurasime tagasi Kyoto jaama, kust Nara liiniga (JR) suunduda ühe Kyoto pildistatuma pühamu, Fushimi Inariga tutvuma. Enne veel tegime lõunapeatuse Nezameya toidukohas. Minul oli väga huvitava ja maitsva kalaga raamen. Pool kala korraga supi peal. 

Fushimi Inari pühamu, mis on pärit 8. sajandist (peahoone 15. sajand) ja mida II MS ei puudutanud, on üks pildistatumaid sihtkohti Jaapanis, võludes oma lõpmatute punaste torii väravate, võimsate pühamute ja kauni ümbrusega. Mis mulle eriti meeldis, oli päikeseline ilm, mis muutis kõik sedavõrd säravamaks. Fushimi Inari külastamine on tasuta, erinevalt paljudest teistest Kyoto pühakodadest. 

Torii väravate alleeni jõudes avastas ema, et oleme seda juba näinud (Tokyos asuv Hie pühamu, mis siis, et natuke väiksem). Kuna pühamu on äärmiselt populaarne, tasuta, ilm oli võrratu ja kellaaeg ei olnud varahommik või hilisõhtu, oli võimatu hingamisruumi leida. Inimesteta piltide tegemine oli samuti võimatu. Kahju, et üks väiksem väravakompleks, kus saime praktiliselt omaette olla, oli renoveerimisel. 

Kiyomizudera

Lühike rongisõit ja väikene tõusvas suunas jalutuskäik viis meid päeva teise sihtkohta, Kiyomizudera ehk “püha vee” templisse (budistlik). Kiyomizuderat (UNESCO nimistus) loetakse samuti üheks tuntumaks templiks Jaapanis. See rajati samuti Fushimi Inariga 8. sajandil ja praegune peahoone, mille ehitusel ei kasutatud ühtegi naela, pärineb 17. sajandist. Nime on tempel saanud kompleksil asuva kose järgi.

Edo-perioodil (1603-1867) oli traditsioon hüpata alla templi 13-meetriliselt sillutiselt, et ellujäämisel loota soovi täitumisele. Edo perioodil dokumenteeriti 234 hüpet, millest 85,4% jäid ellu. 1872 see komme keelustati (wiki)

Bussipeatuse poole jalutades kulgesime mööda ajaloolist Sannenzaka tänavat ning hüppasime sisse mõnda suveniiripoodi.

Lõpuks jõudsime tagasi oma majutusse, milleks oli kolm järgnevat ööd ryokan (traditsiooniline Jaapani majutusasutus, kus saab magada futon matil) Luck You Kyoto, kus meid ootas ees äärmiselt soe vastuvõtt. Nii nagu tavaliselt, tuli sisse registreerida aga seda sai teha mugavalt laua taga, kus serveeriti tass matchat ning oamaiust (mis ei ole minu maitse järgi). Kohvrid oldi juba tuppa toimetatud. Samuti küsiti, kas soovime ise voodid ette valmistada (mida me ei soovinud) ja mitu futon matti soovime (mina üks, ema kaks).

Jätsime võõrustajad toimetama ning suundusime õhtusöögile. Halvaks üllatuseks oli väljavaadatud koht juba sööjaid täis aga positiivseks küljeks kujunes see toidukoht, mille tagasiteel avastasime - Daikichi Horikawa Takatsuji. Järjekordne tilluke toidukoht. Istud leti ääres ja vaatad Cokat juues, kuidas süüa tehakse. Antud õhtusöögiks olid erinevad grillitud asjad, mis olid ülimaitsvad.

Aga päeva päris viimaseks külastuseks oli Luck You Kyotost üle tee asuv Goko-yu sento. Jaapanis on teatavasti kuumaveeallikad. Nendes saab supelda onsenis (loodulik) ja sentos (tehislik). Kuumaveeallikas oli samuti üks must-vist koht Jaapanis aga kuna meil mõlemal on tatoo, siis neid enamik kohti ei aktsepteeri. Seega arvasin, et onsen jääb igal kujul külastamata. Nagu selgus, siis antud sento neid ei keelustanud ja saime suplemas käia. Jälle omamoodi kogemus.

On the 17th, we made sure that everything ours was in our suitcases, had one last breakfast at Nishitetsu Inn Shinjuku, and took the familiar route to Shinjuku station, rolling our suitcases behind us. The Yamanote line (JR) took us from Shinjuku to Shinagawa station where we located our Shinkansen and the approx. 500km journey to Kyoto could begin. Since we were weak and could not lift our suitcases above our heads, the attendant very politely informed us that we should reserve back-row seats on our way back to Tokyo because they provide more room for luggage. I had already booked all the seats for the rest of the trip, but more on that to come.

Anyway. Our journey to Kyoto went surprisingly swiftly. I gazed at nature and passing towns from the window. Bamboo😍 Two hours and twenty minutes later (12:05) we were in the former (and the longest) capital of Japan, Kyoto. Since we had a couple of hours until we could sign in to Luck You Kyoto, my initial idea was to put the suitcases in a coin locker and take them out later, but my mother preferred to go to the accommodation and store the luggage there.

This time it took some time to find the right bus stop, but we did and got off comfortably near our accommodation. To my utter surprise, our Suicas did not work, although when I gathered info prior to our trip, it was assured that IC cards (including Suica) are valid throughout the entire country. Fortunately, our suitcases and surprised faces convinced the bus driver and he let us off without paying.

Until then, we registered Suicas when entering and exiting the bus (the last one always next to the bus driver). We had only travelled by bus in Nikko and Kamakura (and once in Tokyo). But in Kyoto, you only had to beep when getting off the bus, and our card simply didn't work. 

We left our bags at the accommodation and headed back to Kyoto Station, from where we took the Nara Line (JR) to visit one of Kyoto's most photographed shrines, Fushimi Inari. Before we did that, though, we had lunch at Nezameya. I had ramen with delicious fish. Half a fish was placed on top of the ramen bowl. 

Dating back to the 8th century (the main building 15th century) and untouched by II MS, Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the most photographed sites in Japan, captivating with its endless red Torii gates, majestic shrines and breathtaking surroundings. What I especially liked was the sunny weather, which made everything shine. Fushimi Inari is free to visit, unlike many other shrines in Kyoto. 

When we got to the Torii gates, Mum discovered that we had already seen them (Hie Shrine in Tokyo, which is a tad bit smaller). Because the shrine is extremely popular, free, the weather was amazing, and it wasn't early morning or late in the evening, so it was impossible to find any room to breathe. It was also impossible to take photos without others in them. It's a pity that one of the smaller gate rows, where we could almost be on alone, was under renovation. Understandable, but a pity. 

A brief train ride and a short walk uphill brought us to our second destination of the day, the Kiyomizudera or “Holy Water” Temple (Buddhist). Kiyomizudera (UNESCO) is also considered one of the most famous temples in Japan. Similarly to Fushimi Inari, it was built in the 8th century, and the main building, which was compiled without a single nail, dates from the 17th century. The temple is named after the stream located in the complex. 

In the Edo period (1603-1867), it was a tradition to jump off the temple's 13-metre stage in hopes of being granted a wish in case of survival. During the Edo period, 234 jumps were recorded, out of which 85.4% survived. In 1872 this custom was banned (wiki)

Walking towards the bus stop, we wandered along the historic Sannenzaka street and popped into a few souvenir shops.

We finally made it back to our accommodation, a ryokan (a traditional Japanese accommodation where you sleep on a futon mat) Luck You Kyoto, where we would spend three following nights. We received an extremely warm welcome. As usual, we had to check in, sitting comfortably at the table, where we were served a cup of matcha and sweets made of beans (which is not my cup of tea). Our suitcases had already been delivered to the room. Additionally, we were asked if we wanted to make our own beds (which we didn't) and how many futon mats we preferred (one for me, two for Mum). 

We left our hosts to prepare our beds and headed for dinner. To my surprise, the place I had in mind was already full. On the bright side, on the way back we discovered Daikichi Horikawa Takatsuji, which is a tiny dining place.  You sit at the counter and are able to observe the chef. We chose a bunch of grilled things and they were just to die for. 

But the very last visit of the day was to Goko-yu sento across the street from Luck You Kyoto. Japan is known for having hot springs. You can bathe in onsen (natural) and sento (artificial). The hot spring was also one of the must-see things I wished to experience in Japan, but since both of us have tattoos, we aren't welcome in most places. So I thought that the onsen would remain unvisited in any form. As it turned out, the given sento did not mind tattoos and we were able to go swimming. Another fun experience.