Japan Day 12: Kyoto
January 12.
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I'm not gonna lie, waking up in a city and not having to leave immediately is a real blessing, but the only problem is that it makes me want to sleep in late. My hotel is close to Nijo Castle, which is where I'll be meeting up with Boo and his family. My plan for the morning is to pop my bag in a storage locker, and then meet them over by the train station, but I woke up early enough that I can sneak into the Manga Museum before all this.
The Manga Museum in Kyoto is a no photo museum, and it is packed to the brim with Mangas spanning from the early beginnings in the 1950's to current volumes being published today. I'm not 100% sure if some of the museum is closed off today or I just completely missed something, but the entire way through the museum is every manga in alphabetical order... except it stopped at the letter G. Either way, you can stop and read anything you want in the entire museum, as it acts as a library, you just can't take books home. There was also a cool exhibit where there are plaster molds of 140 manga artists hands, and only five of them were left handed like me.
Boo and the family messaged me to let me know there were arriving at the station, so I walked around the corner to meet them. It was Boo, his wife, their two kids, and one of their cousins. They were in the mood for something to eat, and where little ones are famously picky eaters, there was a MOS Burger across the street. I haven't had a burger yet in Japan, but it's arguable there are as many burger places in Japan as back home. Boo and I ordered the same thing, and he taught me about the greatest beverage in Japan: Melon Soda. It's green and tastes like Heaven, it's my new Mountain Dew replacement until I get home.
Following our meal together, we made our way down to Nijo Castle to walk around the grounds and the palace. Honmaru Palace is a shoes-off area, and Boo has a secret technique: elastic shoes. I should probably ask him what brand they are, because I can't seem to find them online, but they're normal looking sneakers with laces, except they have an elastic on the side, back by the heel, to make them easy to slip on and off, while still holding tight for long-term walking comfort. Meanwhile, I'm slowly untying my shoes now, and having to tie them again later.
Honmaru Palace is gorgeous, and it's massive. It's four buildings, and room after room after room of artwork, ornaments, and Edo period architecture. I wouldn't be opposed to living in a place like this. One of the finer details we noticed is the rooms closer to the doorways and walls showed noticeably more wear than the rooms more centralized, and it turns out that typhoons over the years have caused water damage. One of the pieces of wall art that I loved was a hawk perched on a pine tree sitting on a lone rock, and I'm now 100% sure we'll be tattooing this somewhere on my body.
Following our time at Nijo Castle, we made our way over to Nishiki Market and Teramachi Street, which are the fun open-air markets in Kyoto. We picked up some bread to go with dinner, crunchy rice crackers that were surprisingly spicy, and octopus on a stick. We walked through clothing stores, music stores, and book stores looking for fun new things to bring home. I scooped up a Gorillaz shirt featuring Murdoc's butt.
Boo and I stuck around Kyoto a little bit later than the rest of the fam, so by the time we arrived at their house in Nara, dinner was already served, so we got to have all the delicious leftovers. The cousin had left to go back home, and I was introduced to Boo's wife's parents, Ojiisan and Obaachan. Dinner was curry with rice, and man was it good, so good I asked for a second plate even though the first one filled me up nicely. Boo's oldest daughter, who is four, introduced me to their cat Hana, who is very well loved by Ojiisan.
Today was much more of a casual day, and my body was definitely happier with the slower pace, especially after the marathon of a day I had in Osaka.
I'm not gonna lie, waking up in a city and not having to leave immediately is a real blessing, but the only problem is that it makes me want to sleep in late. My hotel is close to Nijo Castle, which is where I'll be meeting up with Boo and his family. My plan for the morning is to pop my bag in a storage locker, and then meet them over by the train station, but I woke up early enough that I can sneak into the Manga Museum before all this.
The Manga Museum in Kyoto is a no photo museum, and it is packed to the brim with Mangas spanning from the early beginnings in the 1950's to current volumes being published today. I'm not 100% sure if some of the museum is closed off today or I just completely missed something, but the entire way through the museum is every manga in alphabetical order... except it stopped at the letter G. Either way, you can stop and read anything you want in the entire museum, as it acts as a library, you just can't take books home. There was also a cool exhibit where there are plaster molds of 140 manga artists hands, and only five of them were left handed like me.
Boo and the family messaged me to let me know there were arriving at the station, so I walked around the corner to meet them. It was Boo, his wife, their two kids, and one of their cousins. They were in the mood for something to eat, and where little ones are famously picky eaters, there was a MOS Burger across the street. I haven't had a burger yet in Japan, but it's arguable there are as many burger places in Japan as back home. Boo and I ordered the same thing, and he taught me about the greatest beverage in Japan: Melon Soda. It's green and tastes like Heaven, it's my new Mountain Dew replacement until I get home.
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| MOS Burger Melon Soda, Kyoto. |
Following our meal together, we made our way down to Nijo Castle to walk around the grounds and the palace. Honmaru Palace is a shoes-off area, and Boo has a secret technique: elastic shoes. I should probably ask him what brand they are, because I can't seem to find them online, but they're normal looking sneakers with laces, except they have an elastic on the side, back by the heel, to make them easy to slip on and off, while still holding tight for long-term walking comfort. Meanwhile, I'm slowly untying my shoes now, and having to tie them again later.
 |
| Nijo Castle Gate, Kyoto. |
Honmaru Palace is gorgeous, and it's massive. It's four buildings, and room after room after room of artwork, ornaments, and Edo period architecture. I wouldn't be opposed to living in a place like this. One of the finer details we noticed is the rooms closer to the doorways and walls showed noticeably more wear than the rooms more centralized, and it turns out that typhoons over the years have caused water damage. One of the pieces of wall art that I loved was a hawk perched on a pine tree sitting on a lone rock, and I'm now 100% sure we'll be tattooing this somewhere on my body.
Following our time at Nijo Castle, we made our way over to Nishiki Market and Teramachi Street, which are the fun open-air markets in Kyoto. We picked up some bread to go with dinner, crunchy rice crackers that were surprisingly spicy, and octopus on a stick. We walked through clothing stores, music stores, and book stores looking for fun new things to bring home. I scooped up a Gorillaz shirt featuring Murdoc's butt.
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| Spicy Rice Crackers, Nishiki Market, Kyoto. |
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| Octopus on a stick, Nishiki Market, Kyoto. |
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| Nishiki Market, Kyoto. |
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| Giant Crab, Teramachi Street, Kyoto. |
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| ESP Ouija Guitar, Kyoto. |
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| ESP Angel Guitar, Kyoto |
Boo and I stuck around Kyoto a little bit later than the rest of the fam, so by the time we arrived at their house in Nara, dinner was already served, so we got to have all the delicious leftovers. The cousin had left to go back home, and I was introduced to Boo's wife's parents, Ojiisan and Obaachan. Dinner was curry with rice, and man was it good, so good I asked for a second plate even though the first one filled me up nicely. Boo's oldest daughter, who is four, introduced me to their cat Hana, who is very well loved by Ojiisan.
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| Boo, his girls, and me! Nara. |
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| Curry with rice, and Kirin! Nara. |
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| Hana the cat, Nara. |
Today was much more of a casual day, and my body was definitely happier with the slower pace, especially after the marathon of a day I had in Osaka.
January 12 by numbers:
- Photos: 94
- Miles walked: 11.5
- Steps: 24222
- Total Calories Burned: 4325
- Bowls of Ramen: 0
-Joe
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