Days 5 and 6-Bar crawl and adventures
Ok, so where I left off was right before my bar/izakaya crawl that I found on AirBnb…It was such a fun night! I met up with our guide Taiga, a university student here in Kyoto, who took us (there were 11 of us in the group, all from the US, Canada and China) to his three favorite spots in Kyoto. Our first stop was an izakaya that was ironically next door to my AirBnb! They served beer, cocktails, highballs, and bar food that included sashimi, fried chicken, fried fish cakes, and fried chicken cartilage.
We then went down the road to a sake tasting room and got to try the three common sakes in Japan-cloudy (less filtered), sweet, and dry. I can now say with certainty that sake is not my thing. I have tried it in the States and it tasted funny to me then, but I know I had to try it while here in Japan. At least I know now!
After the sake tasting, we went to a bar that was above a Mexican (I know, right?!) restaurant. It kind of reminded me of what I had seen about the “pocket sized” bars (the ones that fit maybe 6 people) with obviously a little more room for all 12 of us to fit comfortably. We finished the tour here with a couple drinks and a little karaoke!
The next morning I ventured out to find some breakfast. I had heard so much about Japanese fluffy pancakes and discovered on one of my walks that there is a pancake shop around the corner from my AirBnb! So, off I went to go grab some…
I ended up having to wait almost an hour to get a seat (they were BUSY) but it was so worth the wait! I ordered the tiramisu pancakes with a cup of English Breakfast tea and it was heaven!
I then took a little break before going to my washi paper making class. Ok, hear me out-I know it sounds like it was mundane, but it was a lot of fun! My creative brain got to see how traditional paper is made and even got to go through all the steps to make my own! The owner of the shop, Miwako, was the sweetest lady and comes from three generations of paper makers in this traditional way. Her husband even constructed a vacuum to suck out excess water from the paper, that way it can dry faster! If you’re ever interested, her shop is called Kamitowa and she is always there!
One thing that nobody talks about when solo traveling is that it is excruciatingly lonely at times. Normally I can combat those feelings, but after the paper making class I was overwhelmed with those feelings. I didn’t want to do anything and I wanted to wallow in my AirBnb the rest of the night. Instead of doing that, I went next door to an (I know, I know) Italian restaurant and got myself some bread and prosecco. It may not have been the best move in my book, but it made me feel a little less sad and I was able to (as Cher would say in the movie Moonstruck) “snap out of it”.
Today I got to enjoy much cooler temperatures (75 degrees and ONLY 70% humidity) and set forth to the Gion district to explore and visit the Yasaka Shrine. It was so beautiful walking around the grounds, and I was able to get a picture of myself from a lovely couple from Tokyo who spoke little English, but knew enough to ask if I wanted a picture! A win in my book!
After exploring, I decided to go to Fushimi Inari Shrine and the associated torii gates. The grounds at the shrine were so busy with people and food stands, almost like there was some sort of festival happening? Not sure, but I got around to the torii gates and walked partway up. I would’ve done the entire hike, but it was so incredibly busy, and my poor Alaskan body was starting to melt in the humidity. Instead, I wandered around the grounds and got to see a little forest-like area that was less crowded and just as beautiful.
While I was walking back to the metro station, I stopped by a couple of shops-one sold chopsticks that I could have engraved, and a food stall that sold sticks with wagyu beef and something called “strawberry candy”. I purchased both items, but honestly the strawberry candy was the winner for me. The wagyu beef was overcooked and super chewy, which was a bit of a letdown.
Now, I am relaxing in my room, gathering laundry together so I can do a load tonight. I have another food tour this evening, then will come back to pack my bag as I am headed to Osaka tomorrow! I’ll report back as to how that will go.
Until next time!
