warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I didn't end up there, unfortunately. Maybe next time!
[RD] Exploring Japan
- Thread starter warpus
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- exploration food japan travel
I didn't end up there, unfortunately. Maybe next time!
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Fushimi Inari-taisha (continued)
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Tōfuku-ji
Tōfuku-ji is one of the five great Zen temples of Kyoto. It was founded in 1236.
The temple grounds contain Tōfuku-ji sanmon, one of the national treasures of Japan.
The main temple building:
My favourite part of this temple was the Zen garden
Tōfuku-ji is one of the five great Zen temples of Kyoto. It was founded in 1236.
The temple grounds contain Tōfuku-ji sanmon, one of the national treasures of Japan.
The main temple building:
My favourite part of this temple was the Zen garden
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
Some parts of Kyoto get clogged with a lot of tourists. I've been to temples and shrines and my honest opinion is that they're not all terribly dissimilar from each other to the standpoint of the average foreign tourist.
dusters
Emperor
I would suggest when visitng Japan, to go to small thrift stores. They are cheaper, and you can get beautiful weird things here.
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
Smaller thrift stores as opposed to?
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I'll keep this in mind when deciding which pictures to post. So far I'm pretty much going by "What looks cool/interesting". The further we get away from Tokyo, the less busy city life type stuff you'll see though
Yeah, after about 2-3 days of looking at temples most people have enough.. It was the same in Siem Reap, Cambodia for me.. I do notice some minute differences between the temples, which is what keeps me wanting to go to the next one.. But if I knew more about the religion, history, culture, architecture, etc. though I would probably have been tempted to stay in Kyoto longer.
I don't mind the crowds, and didn't find them that bad during my stay in Kyoto. The worst crowds were at that golden temple that's out on a lake.. and you won't even be able to tell once I post the pictures. People would just crowd around the most popular photo op spots, but I don't care about selfies so it was really easy to navigate.. Plus I have the benefit of being a bit taller than most people there, so I could easily take pictures over people's heads
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Oh the Golden Pavilion, I thought that wasn't a temple but some sort of palace/resort thing?
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
It's a Zen Buddhist temple. Many people say to skip it, because it gets so busy.. I didn't listen to those people and it ended up being my favourite of all the temples in Kyoto. The place was packed with people, but that didn't bother me too much.. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other structures at the premises have other functions, including what you mention. I'll figure it out when I get to those pictures
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Oh, wiki tells me it was built as a pavilion in 1379 for the Shogun to retire to, but was turned into a temple as early as 1409. Something like that.
I wasn't trying to tell you what to post, but if you got some of rural Japan, I'd like to see them.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
It's good to hear what people want to see, especially if it goes against what I would usually want to see more of. Maybe I can be more balanced in what I show, so I will keep it in mind!
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Tōfuku-ji (continued)
Unfortunately I can't show you what was inside the Zen temple.. but I can show you my slippers
Nearby is the Tōfuku-ji tsutenkyo bridge. It is a popular place for people to come to watch the changing colours of the trees in the fall. I was there a bit too early for that..
Once you cross the bridge you get to Tōfuku-ji Kaizando. A kaizando is a "Founder's Hall", and usually includes images of the temple's founders, and honours them once a year in a ceremony.
Unfortunately I can't show you what was inside the Zen temple.. but I can show you my slippers
Nearby is the Tōfuku-ji tsutenkyo bridge. It is a popular place for people to come to watch the changing colours of the trees in the fall. I was there a bit too early for that..
Once you cross the bridge you get to Tōfuku-ji Kaizando. A kaizando is a "Founder's Hall", and usually includes images of the temple's founders, and honours them once a year in a ceremony.
dusters
Emperor
General places of interest to tourists I mean.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Tōfuku-ji (continued)
A couple more pictures from the surrounding gardens. There's cool wooden bridges and walkways that give you nice view of the surrounding greenery. This probably looks a lot better when the leaves are changing colour, but it was beautiful nevertheless
A couple more pictures from the surrounding gardens. There's cool wooden bridges and walkways that give you nice view of the surrounding greenery. This probably looks a lot better when the leaves are changing colour, but it was beautiful nevertheless
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Yasaka Shrine
Yasaka Shrine is a Shinto shrine dating back to 656. It sits at the eastern end of Shijō street, which runs right through the centre of Kyoto. Below you can see a picture I snapped of the neighbourhood (and not the shrine)
Here the street ends and you can see Nishiromon Gate, which acts as the western entrance to the temple grounds.
The following structure is the Maidono, the part of a Shinto shrine where the sacred kagura daces are performed. You can see the Yasaka shrine right beside it to the left
Yasaka Shrine is a Shinto shrine dating back to 656. It sits at the eastern end of Shijō street, which runs right through the centre of Kyoto. Below you can see a picture I snapped of the neighbourhood (and not the shrine)
Here the street ends and you can see Nishiromon Gate, which acts as the western entrance to the temple grounds.
The following structure is the Maidono, the part of a Shinto shrine where the sacred kagura daces are performed. You can see the Yasaka shrine right beside it to the left
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Yasaka Shrine (continued)
At this point I was walking through the adjacent Maruyama Park. In the distance you can see the Higashiyama mountain range, which acts as Kyoto's eastern border. The city lies in a valley and is surrounded by such mountains on 3 sides.
I was hoping to explore further, but it was raining on and off.. Eventually I opted to head back towards Shijō street in search of food
At this point I was walking through the adjacent Maruyama Park. In the distance you can see the Higashiyama mountain range, which acts as Kyoto's eastern border. The city lies in a valley and is surrounded by such mountains on 3 sides.
I was hoping to explore further, but it was raining on and off.. Eventually I opted to head back towards Shijō street in search of food
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Shabu-shabu & Sukiyaki Japanese hot pot
I found a nearby restaurant that got rave reviews and specialized in something I had not yet tried - Japanese hot pot. I was also quite hungry, and this place offered "All you can eat" options
At first I was quite confused about the egg, and not sure how to use all the sauces properly, but it was all explained to me by the friendly waitress. There were further instructions included in my menu:
I went with the option that allowed me to try both kinds of Japanese hot pot.
The top contains the shabu-shabu hot pot, while the bottom is the sukiyaki. Shabu-shabu is considered to be more savoury, while sukiyaki is a bit sweeter.
The raw egg is used as a dipping sauce for the cooked sukiyaki beef. It sounds curious, but it was actually quite delicious. You throw some beef into the hot, and after it's cooked you dip it in the raw egg, and then put it in your mouth. Along with the beef I also had veggies at my disposal, the best of which were the various types of mushrooms.
I stuffed myself full at this place. I just couldn't stop asking for more and more of that delicious beef..
I found a nearby restaurant that got rave reviews and specialized in something I had not yet tried - Japanese hot pot. I was also quite hungry, and this place offered "All you can eat" options
At first I was quite confused about the egg, and not sure how to use all the sauces properly, but it was all explained to me by the friendly waitress. There were further instructions included in my menu:
I went with the option that allowed me to try both kinds of Japanese hot pot.
The top contains the shabu-shabu hot pot, while the bottom is the sukiyaki. Shabu-shabu is considered to be more savoury, while sukiyaki is a bit sweeter.
The raw egg is used as a dipping sauce for the cooked sukiyaki beef. It sounds curious, but it was actually quite delicious. You throw some beef into the hot, and after it's cooked you dip it in the raw egg, and then put it in your mouth. Along with the beef I also had veggies at my disposal, the best of which were the various types of mushrooms.
I stuffed myself full at this place. I just couldn't stop asking for more and more of that delicious beef..
FriendlyFire
Codex WMDicanious
Waygu twice three times the cost of US beef.
Did you not see the 500Yen unlimited pork option ?
The broth can also be drank at the end as it becomes flavored by cooking the meets and vegetables.Normally enjoyed with rice
Did you not see the 500Yen unlimited pork option ?
The broth can also be drank at the end as it becomes flavored by cooking the meets and vegetables.Normally enjoyed with rice
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