[RD] Exploring Japan

[warpus]

I think that empty bowl was meant to be somehow used with the soup. I can't tell you how, though.. And I could be way off on that. I honestly can't remember, but I am about 80% sure I did not order anything else other than the soup. It's possible it came with an appetizer, but I don't think so

 

[amadeus]

Warpus why is there an empty plate ?
Did you get given some free umm finger food ?

I see condensation on it so I’m going to say it was the lid that came on the bowl.

 

[Truthy]

This temple has one of the finest surviving examples of karesansui (dry landscape rock garden). I didn't get any great pictures of it, because I was unaware of the significance of this at the time. And to be honest, I was more impressed with the karesansui pictures you've already seen from a previous temple. I'm obviously not an expert though.. Here is a picture of the garden:

My girlfriend and I spent at least an hour looking at those rocks. We imagined they were a small archipelago and each island had its own economy and culture. We came up with names for them, as well histories and mythologies and fishing, hunting, and agricultural practices. One of them was full of polygamists, another really liked astronomy and tea, another was full of warmongers who liked dancing and could never manage to keep their war canoes from crashing into reefs. The populaces of the two rightmost islands would amicably swap islands every few generations. And so on.

 

[warpus]

I see condensation on it so I’m going to say it was the lid that came on the bowl.

Hmm I think you're right.. even though the bowl seems too small for that purpose. Could just be an optical illusion.

 

[warpus]

Old locks and new friends
aka The end of day 11

The bus back to my hostel took about 40 minutes. It was a friday, but I was ready to kick back on one of the couches at the hostel and read a book or something. I was tired after a long day.. and my hostel had a very quiet and cozy common area in the building they put me up in. There were several couches and even a kitchen and a decent collection of books. And I always bring at least one paperback sci-fi novel with me, so I was sort of daydreaming about that on the bus ride back..

I got back to the hostel and took a well deserved shower. Changed into a fresh and cozy set of clothes, and then locked up my stuff in the storage locker assigned to my bed.. In went all my noteworthy possessions that needed to be secured while I was reading.

Then I got a message on my phone. A backpacking traveller from the U.S. had messaged me, after we had matched on a social media app earlier on in the day.. and wanted to meet up for a beer in about an hour. This was an unexpected turn of events. I had about a half an hour to get ready and then I had to head out.

I changed into something a bit more appropriate and when I was ready I tried to open the storage locker to grab some things I'd need.. which is when I realized that the only key to the lock was in the backpack.

I ran to the front desk and asked for advice. After a couple minutes we were headed back to the other building and to my room with a set of one of those large wire cutters.. So I'm covering my eyes and this guy is huffing and puffing and after a couple minutes admits defeat.. I was feeling pretty negative at that point, so I was not at all expecting to succeed as quickly as I did

Only about 20 minutes late, I ran to the subway station.

Turns out a traveller from Ireland had joined us, and they were late as well. Two girls, so in my mind this was totally still a date. Our plan of action was to walk up Pontocho Alley and stop in for assorted eats and drinks at establishments that smelled and looked like the sort of place where we should be eating and drinking at. Pontocho Alley is a popular and rather picturesque street that runs right by the river. It is lined with many shops, restaurants, and other pretty looking buildings

The only picture from the rest of the night is this

 

[FriendlyFire]

Those pad locks can be easily picked using a lock pick kit
Most of them only have maybe 3 tumblers in total due to the small size

Still its better then no lock, though Japan is considered to be extremely safe

 

[amadeus]

Hmm I think you're right.. even though the bowl seems too small for that purpose. Could just be an optical illusion.

The lid is smaller than the bowl. I see them all the time when I’m served something with a lid on it like this.

 

[warpus]

Those pad locks can be easily picked using a lock pick kit
Most of them only have maybe 3 tumblers in total due to the small size

Still its better then no lock, though Japan is considered to be extremely safe

Yeah, on one hand it is very safe, but on the other you don't know who is travelling through the hostels either. Better safe than sorry. If there's a storage available, I will use it. Same with a safe in a hotel room to store my valuables

The lid is smaller than the bowl. I see them all the time when I’m served something with a lid on it like this.

Ahh, okay! That explains a lot then. Because I was certain I didn't order anything else

 

[JohannaK]

I have a combination padlock. Impossible to lose the key. It can be as easily picked or broken as any other tiny padlock, but the point is to dissuade. It does me fine.

 

[warpus]

I have a combination padlock. Impossible to lose the key. It can be as easily picked or broken as any other tiny padlock, but the point is to dissuade. It does me fine.

When I was packing for the trip what I happened to have available was this and a much bulkier combination lock. It's literally the only time this has ever happened to me. Usually I'm on top of this and/or have an extra key.

I blame the sun and the long day and so on. In the end it made for a fun story to tell my new friends - it was a good way to break the ice - and I had proof that I wasn't just making it up

 

[Ironsided]

I found it funny at first, they locked their umbrellas with padlock but often left their bikes unlocked. Then it rained and I questioned it no more.

 

[warpus]

I found it funny at first, they locked their umbrellas with padlock but often left their bikes unlocked. Then it rained and I questioned it no more.

I believe it's not so much as a theft deterrent, but just because so many umbrellas are so similar. It'd be easy to grab one that wasn't yours.. But if you're forced to lock it up, you're 100% guaranteed to have your umbrella back when you're done at the museum (or wherever)

 

[warpus]

Day 12 - Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyōto-gosho)

The palace is situated in the Kyōto-gyoen, which is a large rectangular part of the city that used to be walled back when Kyoto was the capital of Japan (before 1869). These days most of the Kyōto-gyoen (1.3km x 700m) is open to the public. It used to house residences of high court nobles, but all of that was demolished during the Meiji Restoration in 1869. The Imperial Palace and several other buildings were left standing and the rest was turned into parks.

Here's picture I stole from wikipedia to help you visualize the Kyōto-gyoen. You can see the Imperial Temple grounds inside, it is a rectangle in the top-left part of the Kyōto-gyoen

This is what the Imperial Palace outer walls look like

There is only one way inside the inner courtyard from what I remember

The above is the Shishinden, the most important ceremonial building at the imperial palace grounds. Several high profile emperors were enthroned here.

 

[warpus]

Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace Garden

There is lots of beautiful greenery near the temple.. Plants, bushes, lawns, and trees, all meticulously maintained to a high standard.

 

[warpus]

Shimogamo Shrine

The formal name of this shrine is Kamo-mioya-jinja. It is one of the seventeen historic monuments of ancient Kyoto, and one of the oldest Shinto shrines in japan, dating back to the 6th century. It is about a half an hour walk away from the imperial temple, and not too far away from a subway stop, making it an appealing destination for me at the time.

To get to this shrine you walk through the Forest of Correction (Tadasu no Mori). The forest is a sacred grove and a last remnant of a primeval forest which supposedly has never burned down or been replanted. The forest is left to grow in its natural state and trees are not pruned or planted.

 

[warpus]

Issen Yoshoku

After doing a decent amount of walking and temple exploring, it was time for a meal. I decided on a restaurant that only served one dish which it was named after - Issen Yoshoku.

This dish is a type of the savoury pancake you saw me eating on day 7, the okonomiyaki. An issen yoshoku is a bit different though - The ingredients are different and it is prepared a bit differently maybe (I'm not really sure, but it does look a bit different) At this restaurant each pancake you order is made from scratch after you place your order.. so you have to wait a while for your meal, but it is well worth it!

Unfortunately I don't have any photographs of this dish.. I must have been hungry when they finally served me my meal... You can see some google image search results here

I'm not sure if that is a typo or an alternate spelling of yoshoku.. but either way as you wait for your food you get to read a bit about it

There weren't any other patrons in the restaurant at the time except me.. and this lady who wouldn't stop staring at me for some reason

 

[JohannaK]

You should have made a move, man, she clesrly got the hots for you.

 

[amadeus]

I'm not sure if that is a typo or an alternate spelling of yoshoku.. but either way as you wait for your food you get to read a bit about it

It is an alternate spelling in Japanese.

Romaji (ローマ字) is the Roman character transliteration of the Japanese language. Sometimes “sho” is spelled “syo,” “shi” as “si,” and some others.

All children learn romaji at some point in school and is used largely for typing on phones/computers with a slightly-altered QWERTY keyboard. Japanese has no spaces between words like European languages so the spacebar is cut down in size to make room for more function keys. Personally, I type as much in English as I do in Japanese so I prefer the longer spacebar on the American keyboard layout.

 

[warpus]

It is an alternate spelling in Japanese.

Romaji (ローマ字) is the Roman character transliteration of the Japanese language. Sometimes “sho” is spelled “syo,” “shi” as “si,” and some others.

All children learn romaji at some point in school and is used largely for typing on phones/computers with a slightly-altered QWERTY keyboard. Japanese has no spaces between words like European languages so the spacebar is cut down in size to make room for more function keys. Personally, I type as much in English as I do in Japanese so I prefer the longer spacebar on the American keyboard layout.

Awesome, thanks for the extra insight!

 

[warpus]

Torikizoku

My new friends from the previous night wanted to hang out again, so I took them to this place recommended to me by several people at my hostel.. We had to wait about 45 minutes to get a seat, which was a drag, but once we got seated it was well worth it.

Torikizoku is a casual yakitori chain restaurant. The gimmick is that everything costs 280 yen, which is about $2.50 USD.. and they serve a lot more than just chicken skewers

I think we spent almost 2 hours here. Not only is every single item on their food menu 280 yen, but every single drink is 280 yen as well. This includes all the beers, whiskeys, and other spirits.

After it was all said and done we had ordered about 35 individual items, including dessert