I made it to Kyoto! It snowed! Fortunately, though, by the time we got from Tokyo to Kyoto on the shinkansen (only delayed fifteen minutes!) all the snow had gone and I was so relieved!

Kyoto is weird, the last time I was here it was quaint and now there is Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Gucci next to random temples, Daimaru and more Starbuckses than I know what to do with! I’ve wandered around and the layout is the same, the Movix is still there and Teramachi and Nishiki are still mixes of serenity and brand-name stores.

© 2022 Asha Bardon
My hotel is small but delightful, with comfy futon and all the amenities I could ever need for like £20-25 a night.

I’m staying in a very cheap capsule-style hotel, with a comfy futon on the (raised) floor and a lobby which includes places to work, as well as a manga library. Oh and I’ve started reading Spy x Family, mainly because it is EVERYWHERE: animate, TV, gashapon machines… I got here and was so frazzled by the experience that I decided Ise can wait until the next trip (September) and better weather, so I’m firmly ensconced in my little hotel and loving the experience. Today, for example, I’m just chilling out, thought I might go and see Kagami to Kojo later on.

I’ve been trying to go somewhere new every day, though I have visited Sanjūsangen-dō, as well as re-aquainting myself with the area around Karasuma and going up to Seimei Jinja. This area is super central and severed by two subway lines, as well as the city bus service which pretty much goes everywhere (especially if you’re heading to Kyoto Station, in fact, buses might be required to go via there by law or something.)

I’ve seen Suzume twice more since Tokyo (and scored the bonus short story!) and found a number of tiny shrines and temples. I also went to see Kagami no Kojo (The Lonely Castle in the Mirror) which I knew little about but which also managed to be a mix of teenaged troubles, time travel and the power of friendship.

© 2022 Asha Bardon
It’s said that jumping off the stage at Kiyomizudera *won’t* kill out. I would like to disagree. Also it’s very cool that you get to go up to the stage and then back down underneath it…

Today I did the Big Thing™, also known as climbing up, out of the city to Kiyomizudera temple. I knew this was going to be a bigger trip so decided on two things from the outset: It would be the only thing I did today and I’d be getting a taxi back. I’ve done this hill before and it’s a micro-mountain on top of an actual mountain so I knew when Google said ‘ten minutes’, it actually meant ‘forty-five up a hill via a money shoot of shops who want your money’.

Ohhh boy…

I’ve done it before and I knew that if I was going to climb, it was going to take my time and be qt my pace. I also knew there is a point by the bus stop with all the traffic where it would take less than five seconds to hail a taxi home. But I do love this temple, even with alllllll the tourists. It was pretty much back to pre-COVID normal levels which was horrifying.

But the climb, it was worth it. It’s not quite on a par with my desktop picture of choice, but it’s awesome to literally see Kyoto (on your phone, with the zoom function set to ultra-max) spread out below you.

Yeah, I still can’t see for shit…

© 2022 Asha Bardon
That white thing is Kyoto Tower! I do love how the city just shimmers in the distance…

I restocked my omamori stash and stood in line for twenty minutes to get my gōshuin-chō stamped, as well as buying a couple of specialist items (this is a Kannon temple and is particularly special to me, up there with Sanjūsangendō).

Tomorrow is year’s end, I’m basically planning on spending it quietly and just enjoying the days, as well as trying to get to a jinja for hatsumode (probably Yasaka Jinja, as it’s down the street. But I also want to go to Kamogami Jinja or Fushimi Inari Taisha… Both are bus or train-close…) I’m here until the 6th and then it’s back to Tokyo for the final leg (aka the souvenir run…) before I return to the UK on the 12th. I have a feeling I’m going to be spending next week planning a return trip for September!

The Great Japan Trip 2022-3: Kyoto, Mysterious and Modern

‘Suzume’ Review