21st November 2011
Had a really bad night sleep, so we were kind of like zombie. But the 2 culprits (drunk and making noise the night before) were actually fresher than us. So unfair!
Anyway, we continued our journey. Went to Kyoto Station to store our luggages first. Then, we took train to Nijojo Mae Station 二条城前駅. Then, walked a small stretch of road to Nijo Castle 二条城. My friend said that there were autumn festival on that day and we were excited. However, surprise came later.
The castle is like normal Japanese castle. While the biggest surprise was that the autumn festival was actually a market that sold Kyoto's souvenir. Anyway, I love a walkway lined with trees. It was in autumn colour, so beautiful! Plus, the crowd here was lesser than Tofukuji and Kinkakuji, so we could enjoyed the view leisurely without the need to pushing around.
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| Nijo Castle 二条城 |
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| the plants inside Nijo Castle |
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| Nijo Castle 二条城 |
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| Red leaves in Nijo Castle 二条城の紅葉 |
Then, we took train from Nijo 二条 to Saga Arashiyama 嵯峨嵐山. The aim was to take the Torokko トロッコ scenic train. However, the tickets from Saga 嵯峨 to Kameoka 亀岡 until 4 pm were all taken. Even the standing seats were sold out. So, we decided to take JR train from Saga 嵯峨 to Umahori 馬堀. Then, walked to Kameoka Torokko Station. From there, took the Torokko train to back Saga. Luckily, the standing seats were still available from Kameoka Torokko Station.
(※ I think when there are a lot of people, standing is better because one could see the view from both sides, the people who sit could only see the view from their side only, blocked by those standing people)
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| Saga Torokko Station 嵯峨トロッコ駅 |
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| 嵯峨野観光鉄道 |
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| the view from Umahori Station to Kameoka Station |
Anyway, we had curry rice as our lunch that day and I felt uneasy after I learnt that the curry in Japan is cooked using beef! Omg! I thought it was just pure spice and the meat is added after that. I stayed clear of Japanese curry rice after that. Anyway, I ordered red tea and it came in a teapot and teapot warmer. It was so cute! I tried to find the teapot warmer in 100 yen shop, but couldn't find it.
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| I like the teapot warmer in a curry house |
Initially, we wanted to take the boat ride around the town, however, the weather was really cold. So, we just walked around the area. First, we went to Tenryuji 天龍寺. The Japanese style garden in that temple is very famous. However, my photo taking angle was not right, so it was not as beautiful as the one on the brochure.
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| Tenryuji 天龍寺 |
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| Tenryuji 天龍寺 |
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| Japanese style garden in Tenryuji |
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| red leaves near Tenryuji |
Then, we walked quite some distance to bamboo grove. The bamboos were in different tones of green. It was beautiful. However, I think the area gave me a creepy feeling, maybe it was due to the colour of the sky (gloomy weather).
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| Bamboo Grove in Saga Arashiyama 嵯峨嵐山の竹林 |
Then, battling with the cold weather, we went to Togetsukyo 渡月橋, it was kind of beautiful. However, it was too cold, so I just snapped a few photos and told my friends that I really had to find a warm place to rest.
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| Togetsukyo 渡月橋 |
However, there was nothing to do anymore, so we went back to Kyoto Station. For dinner, we had Tokushima Ramen 徳島ラメン, it was funny, we tried to have that when we went to Tokushima last time, but couldn't. Now we had Tokushima Ramen in Kyoto. The speciality of the Tokushima Ramen is the raw egg, after the ramen is served, just break an egg (free flow) into the bowl, it is tasty! Then, we admired the Christmas illumination and the big Christmas tree in Kyoto Station before I bid farewell to my friends, they took night bus to go back, while I went to Kobe and stayed for the night before taking flight to come back to Kumamoto. The end!
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| Tokushima Ramen in Kyoto Station 徳島ラメン |
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| Christmas illumination in Kyoto Station |
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