7,845 Shrines + 1 Festival + 1 Typhoon = A Darn Good Time

see all photos »

We headed away from Nagoya in the rain at 6am to meet friends in Kyoto.  Unfortunately, the only instructions we had to go on was "We will meet you in the train station."  I pointed out to Nick that the Kyoto train station was a big place and this just "might" not be enough information, but surprisingly we walked off the train and there was Rika.

I've known Rika since college but last summer I ran into her at a friend's going away dinner and she mentioned she was going to Japan to teach for a summer. Of course I said "I'll come visit!"  She may not have known at the time that I was serious but I guess she's figured it out since then.

see all photos »

Anyway, Rika, her boyfriend Aaron, and her friends Belinda and Kate met us in Kyoto for the Gion Matsuri.   Matsuri is just the name for a festival in Japan and apparently they have festivals for just about everything.  Luckily, one of Kyoto's biggest lined up perfectly with our trip.  Unluckily, it also lined up with the biggest typhoon to hit Japan in the last 60 years.

To us this meant that we were touring Kyoto in a constant torrential downpour.  I finally broke down and purchased an umbrella.  I felt much better about the weather after this.   Rika and Belinda had already seen the "must sees" in Kyoto so we spent the day and some of the less popular shrines and temples.  (And maybe there aren't quite 7,845 shrines, maybe there are only 7,844 and I'm exaggerating, but I think you get the picture that there are a whole lot of the suckers.)  I'm very glad they were there though because after seeing a lot of Kyoto, it was the less popular shrines that I liked the best.  They were quieter and peaceful and actually quite nice in the rain.   A lot of the must sees (like the gold pavilion) should certainly be on the itinerary but once you've had a glimpse you are done.  Although I did enjoy the Nijo Castle complete with it's intentionally squeaky floorboards so the samurai could hear the ninjas sneaking in.

see all photos »

I was also loving being able to follow someone else around town.   For the past 2 months, with a couple of exceptions in China, I've spent almost every day figuring out the big questions- "What will I do?" and "How do I get there?" and "Where will I sleep when I'm done?"  For 2 days in Kyoto, I just followed and it was great.  Well it was great until we got to the hostel which officially ranks as worst place I've ever stayed (that is really saying something, too).  We walked through the bathroom to get to our one room and outside to get to the other.  At least room #2 was sans roaches (even if it was also sans AC) and we ended up with most of us staying there. Aaron has been studying in Africa for a while and I think his comment of "There would never be anywhere this bad in Tanzania!" pretty much summed the place up.  (To give Rika credit during the Matsuri it is very hard to find a place to stay.)  We were staying in this lovely, sturdy (note the sarcasm) construction when this massive typhoon was supposed to hit.  Apparently though, it made a turn at the last moment and missed the city.  Shelly 1 Typhoon 0.

see all photos »

The Matsuri was a dream of street food on sticks.  I had fried chicken, noodles, frozen bananas dipped in chocolate, candied strawberries (picture candied apples), shaved ice, meat kebabs, and many, many more things.  Washed down with good cheap beer and I was in heaven.   Even with the rain, the streets were jammed and the big floats were set up all over Gion with men playing bells and drums.  Very festive!

Overall, Kyoto was my favorite city in Japan.  It is beautiful, it has great history, a very efficient bus system, and pretty amazing sites.  We spent 2 days there with Rika and then came back for another day a little later.