03/04/18 To go to Kyoto, I had to go back to Osaka first so I stopped for 1 night. arrived early so I could drop my bag at the hostel. I went straight to the Kuromon market which is a cool covered market. A lot of fresh fish, fresh fruits and whole baby octopus on sticks (I just can’t eat it when it still has its whole shape and body, feels too cruel – even though I know it is just a question of perception). I bought some food for dinner and breakkie tomorrow and went back to the hostel for check-in. As I was updating the blog in the common area, Kenyu introduced himself to me as a trip advisor. He is working with the hostel to boost the social image and make guests happy about their stay so they can promote it. He is Japanese, 26, was born and raised in Osaka, studied a few years in New York so his English is good. He gave me some recommendations and offered to take me to his favourite bar (for free, as he usually charges an activity fee) where I could try a few different sakes. We met at 9pm at the hostel and we dropped another guy, Turkish living in Norway (meeting a Belgian who lives in Australia, quite funny), at the best sushi place in town according to Kenyu, then went together to the bar (Apakabar) which was really cool, very different to most places I have been so far. It is dark and friendly, Toshi the bar tender is nice and speaks a bit of English too. We chat for a bit then we started a card game with Kenyu as the place has a few games available. Later, 2 other customers joined us in the game. It was fun, the rules are simple and based on the guess of your opponents hand. It is true that the Japanese like to play, in Sydney, in some Japanese cafés you can also play chess or backgammon. Back in Belgium, I used to play regularly with my friends, I do miss that time very often (I am sure if you read this, you know I miss you).
Sitting next to me, a couple, 2 professional S&M practitioners (they even brought a rope to play with), super friendly. Thanks to Kenyu who played the translator we were able to chat a little too. They were both dressed quite formal and classy, so you would not guess what their job is. The girl has her back covered in tattoos and her partner did not hesitate to show us in the middle of the bar. Kenyu mentioned that tattoos are not common at all in Japan. Quite the opposite of Sydney, which I found interesting, as Japan is well known for its art and calligraphy. I get to try 3 cocktails made with flavoured sake, a lot smoother and sweeter then expected, as my last try back in Belgium was not to my taste at all. We left around midnight and Kenyu walked me back to Showacho metro station. Straight out of the bar, the smoking smell of my clothes reminds me how good it is that we banned smoking in public places in AU and in BE. I will join Kenyu again on Thu for a bicycle tour of Nara with a few other people, if the weather is good, as it is not too far from Kyoto where I go tomorrow.
04/04/18 First thing I do is to go to the cup noodle museum, where the visit is free but you can pay ¥300 to make your own cup of noodles in the noodle factory. You can design the packaging (seems like adults enjoy drawing on the cup as much as the kids), choose your ingredients then participate in the wrapping process. They expose hundreds of cups sold from the first generation to today (founded in 1958) and you can buy some too. Check the pics for my work of art ?. After the visit I took the train to Kyoto.
I only had the time to go to Maruyama park hoping that a few cherry trees would still be blooming but I arrived too late. The blooming has started very early this year and most petals are already gone. It starts to rain so I quickly run through the food stalls and souvenirs shops and I go back to the hostel.
05/04/18 Today I meet with Kenyu again, the tour guide, and 2 other guys for a bike tour in Nara. 2 confusing train stations, distant by about 2 min walk got me almost late as Google map didn’t seem to know the difference. We rent bicycles at Asuka station where I realise that some bikes have some ‘mechanic support’. As I am with 3 guys and I have the fitness level of a couch potato I decide to pay a little extra to be comfortable. What an awesome trick! I need to google how it works but basically the mechanism kicks in when you ride and every ride is really easy, it is like someone is pushing you from the back. I highly recommend it, it made the ride so enjoyable. For about 4h, Kenyu took us to a few places, away from the crowded touristy spots, but still worth seeing. Temples, shrines, fields, hill with beautiful views,… it was great! The 2 other guys were cool too (a Spanish and a Californian) so I had a good time. In the afternoon, I initially thought I could check Nara city but as I had to leave Kyoto the next day, I decided to check the bamboo forest instead (which was harder to reach then expected) before going back to the hotel. Kenyu also recommended the sake brewery literally in front of my hostel, but I came back late and didn’t feel like going alone and smelling like tobacco again. I took the opportunity to prep for the next day and do some laundry. It is already time to pack for another city tomorrow – Nagoya. If I have the time before or after the show I have booked, I will check the Inari Taisha temple, where there is a long walk made of thousands of shrines, popular spot among tourists, but I am afraid it will be too crowded to be able to take a picture without photo bombers. Will see when I wake up.
Kenyu also made a video of our tour!
