Winter Vacation Part 2

Hey all,

As promised here is part 2 of the Wolfish Winter Vacation mini-saga. I'm feeling well rested and ready to go after the usual weekend breakfast treat, a Dunkin Donuts bagel with cream cheese and OJ. So, without any further hesitation, let me continue.

December 28:

For the first time on our vacation we awoke to rain instead of sunshine. But, we were all alright with the weather because we would be in transit from Hakone to Kyoto via Odawara. We were picked up by a Japanese driver who looked like a bigger version of Oddjob from Goldfinger; all he was misising was the bowler hat, which I guess is a necessity if you want to look like Oddjob. Anyways, we were taken from our hotel in Hakone to the train station in Odawara, where we caught the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. Like most train stations, Odawara was filled with delicious bakeries and gift shops and we decided to pick up baked goods from the Hakone Bakery. Dad and I got chicken tandoori buns, which were incredible, absolutely delicious. The train ride was great, it took about two hours to get from Odawara to Kyoto, a trip that would've taken roughly 5 1/2 hours before the bullet train. We arrived in Kyoto in time for lunch and after we checked in to our hotel, we walked to the Nishi Hongwanji (the western temple), which is the mother temple and headquarters for the Shin Buddhists. The temple was built in 1591 and is a wonder to behold. It has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The grounds are spectacular and it really was something to behold. After the Nishi Hongwanji, we walked around some traditional neighborhoods until we got to Higashi Honganji, the eastern temple, which was as magnificent as its western counterpart. For dinner we settled on one of the thousands of restaurants located in the station and the adjoining mall complex called "The Cube" because of its unique design.

December 29:

Today was our big day of touring. We explored Kyoto during the morning and in the afternoon we went to Nara. Our guide for the morning and afternoon sessions was a nice, older man named Yoshi, who, for lack of a better example, could only compare to Fozzy Bear. He was full of bad jokes for everyone, whether you were Australian, American, Spanish, Canadian, etc... you couldn't escape the wrath of Yoshi. At one point, he even busted out a "Todah Rabah" to the slumbering Israeli couple on our bus. Very well versed in world languages. The tour itself was very enjoyable. First we went to Nishi Hongwanji, which we had already seen the day before, but it was good to see it a second time. Next we went to the Ryoanji Temple, which is known for its Zen garden and the surrounding park. The Zen garden at the temple is different than many Japanese garden, mostly because it lacks trees. The garden consists of 15 larger rocks and white gravel. The idea of the garden is to try and find all 15 rocks, but the longer you stare at the garden the more varied your vision becomes. In the middle of the grounds is the Kyoyochii Pond, originally made in the late 12th century and home to many mandarin ducks until recent years. Halfway across the pond on the bank, they had a tire swing for the monks! After the Ryoanji Temple, we made our way to one of the most amazing and beautiful structures I have ever seen, the Rokuon-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavillion. The building is spectacular. The area was built up in the late 14th century by Yoshimitsu, the 3rd Shogun of Ashikaga, with the intention of creating a breath taking site. The area was breathtaking and the pavillion gleamed beautifully against the pond that surrounded it. This was definitely one of those places where a picture speaks 1000 words, so I won't bother writing much more about it. We had lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Center and then continued on to Nara, which is a little under an hour away from Kyoto. In 710, Nara became the first permanent capital of Japan and it served as the birthplace of Japan's arts, crafts and literature. Today, Nara serves as a city that connects modern Japanese with their ancestors. When we arrived, we first toured Nara Park, which is famous for its policy towards the city's deer, who roam free throughout the park, much to Robyn's chagrin. The park was huge and there were some temples and pagodas on the grounds as well. After walking through the park, we arrived at the Kasuga Grand Shrine, our last stop on our tour of Nara. When we got back to Kyoto, the four of us were hungry and ready for dinner, so we made our way to Shijo Dori, the main street in downtown Kyoto, where we found an excellent udon restaurant that has been in operation for over 100 years.

December 30:

Our last day in Japan was definitely a good one. We spent the majority of the day exploring Kyoto some more. Unfortunately Nijo Castle, which Dad and I had wanted to go to, was closed, so we missed out on that, guess we'll have to go back. We started off at Maruyama Park in eastern Kyoto, a large park that included the Chion-in Temple and the Yasaka Shrine. Unknowingly, we came upon what appeared to be a Japanese funeral. Throughout the park it appeared that they were setting up for a huge New Year's celebration. After leaving the park we explored the Gion neighborhood, famous for being the home to the geishas. Given that it was the middle of the day, we didn't see any geishas out and about, but I'm sure if we had gone back that evening we would've seen them in action. For lunch we stopped at a noodle restaurant by the Kamo River. Robyn continued to have her fill of shrimp tempura, I can't remember what Mom had, and Dad and I had a noodle soup with duck and rice cakes, which was excellent. In the afternoon we quickly explored Pontocho and then hustled to the train station to catch our train to Osaka. We flew out from Osaka to Seoul, which is where I'll leave off for now. Part 3 of the mini-saga can be expected in the next day or so and will chronicle our time in South Korea.

iPod A-Z song update: "A Punch Up At A Wedding (No No No No No No No No No) by Radiohead