If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home. - James A Michener
We were determined to try all kinds of Japanese food. Nonetheless, little did we expect to come across our most interesting dining experience when we made our way to the second destination i.e. Kinkaku-ji.
Delightful Dining Experience: Okonomiyaki
Sandwiched between a row of shops along the street is an obscure little restaurant that serves okonomiyaki i.e. Japanese pizza. The word okonomi is translated as 'what you want', while yaki means 'grilled', so the literal translation should be 'grill whatever you want.' Others know it as Japanese pancake/pizza. I would term it as a massive omelette with anything and everything you like.
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| A small intermediate lot selling okonomiyaki |
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| Okonomiyaki = Japanese pizza |
I usually do not fancy having to cook my own food once I am already in a restaurant but this was an entirely new experience. We were absolutely clueless but the waiters and waitresses were very helpful, paying extra attention to us because they knew we were first-timers. Or perhaps, they were just afraid that we would destroy their cooking utensils! =)
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| A hotplate/grill |
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| The ingredients for okonomiyaki |
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| Stirred into a batter |
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| A mini hour-glass as our timer |
We were one of the few adult patrons in a restaurant crowded with school children, yet we behaved like little kids who were introduced to the art of masak-masak for the first time. We had a blast cooking this traditional dish on our own.
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| Step by step |
After our hard work, we were rewarded with our own pancakes.
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| A slice of bacon okonomiyaki |
It was one of the most satisfying and filling meals we had. We then proceeded across the street to one of the most famous icons of Kyoto, the Kinkaku-ji, also known as The Golden Pavilion.
Kinkaku-ji a.k.a. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion
This has been listed as one of the top tourist spots in Kyoto. The top two floors of this temple were made of real gold.
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| Ticket to Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto |
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| A very picturesque scene of The Golden Pavilion and its surroundings |
Although we had initially planned to follow the route as suggested on TripAdvisor http://www.everytrail.com/guide/highlights-of-kyoto, we decided to give Ginkaku-ji (The Silver Pavilion) and The Philosopher's Walk a miss seeing that our parents were already tired. We decided to head straight to Kiyomizu Temple.
Kiyomizu-Dera
Our choice to take a cab instead of the bus to Kiyomizu Temple proved to be practical because the slope up the hill was quite steep and far. Nonetheless, it was exceptionally thrilling as we walked past colourful, busy, and to some extent, rather claustrophobic little stalls along the street. One can find snacks and souvenirs along the way to the temple.
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| I wish I had taken a better photo of the stalls along the street but this is the closest |
The entrance to the temple seemed pretty impressive. We were, however, disappointed that the temple was undergoing some maintenance/construction work.
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| Spot the crane at the top right? |
This temple is supported by 40-feet tall pillars and was built without a single nail. If I had known this earlier, I probably would not have been as confident climbing all the way up and down.
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| 40-feet tall pillars that support the temple |
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| Endless steps |
Kiyomizu is literally translated as 'pure water'. Little wonder, then, that people queue up to take a drink of water that runs down the nearby hills.
It has been said that, "Ignorance is bliss" and to the tourist, this is sometimes true. I have never really studied how cherry blossom trees were supposed to look like, so in a country such as Japan and during winter (when trees are void of leaves, anyway), it is extremely easy for one to imagine that each tree he/she sees would be flooded with cherry blossoms come springtime.
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| The fact that these trees have no leaves certainly leaves me with lotsa room for imagination |
We have been told that this was the best place to view sunset in Kyoto. Although I am a die-hard fan of sunsets, we were too exhausted to stay on and be caught in the evening rush hour once more, so we decided to make our way back to the hotel.
It was then that we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the sunset, not in Kyoto but in Osaka, and it was SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL. Yet another day well spent, indeed!
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| Photo of the sunset taken near Hotel Monterrey, Osaka |
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