Hot and cold, temples and more temples, and deer cuddles in Nara

We have gone through some pretty crazy weather changes recently! We arrived in Magome from Matsumoto to find the weather in Magome to be miserably rainy and cold. Nonetheless since we really wanted to do the 8km hike from Magome to Tsumago, two post towns in the Kiso Valley region, we sucked it up, dressed warmly and borrowed umbrellas from our guest house.

The trek took us mostly through the forest where we saw some great waterfalls and bamboo trees. We occasionally walked through smaller post towns as well. Unfortunately the photos don't properly illustrate the wetness of the day but trust me when I saw we arrived in Tsumago wet damp and slightly miserable. Since it was so junky out we managed to grab the first bus back to Magome for dinner, which ended up being steamed buns (one had curry and was delicious) and convenience store treats (convenience store food has become a staple for us since there is always a great variety of surprises for cheap!).

The guest house (Magome Chaya) is absolutely lovely. It's a more traditional japanese style accommodation with hardwood floors throughout, tatami mats in the room and an amazing wooden soaker tub/mini hot tub (never mind it kinda looks like a coffin). The cover of it is always on and you take it off in sections.

After a low key night (everything closes at 5!), we set out the next morning for Kyoto. Such a welcome change in weather! It's about 28-30C here. It feels amazing to finally bust out my tank tops and shorts! On our first day in Kyoto we checked into the Kyoto Piece hostel. We are here till we leave for Nagoya on the 18th to meet our friend Rheanne. It's a brand spanking new hostel that opened last month. Our twin room is super tiny but we are making it work. Thankfully we have really comfy bunk beds and a REAL pillow! My head isn't loving the bean bag pillows I have been sleeping on, which apparently are that way because back in the day women would have their hair done and the hard pillow would help keep everything in place for days.

So, on our first day we toured around some temples nearby. Kyoto was the capital before Tokyo so it's the hotspot for temples. You could probably spend a month here looking at all the temples and not see them all! After a couple temples we went for dinner on the lower level of a nearby department store. After walking around we settled on okonomiyaki, a Japanese omelet that basically translates to leftovers. There is a special sauce though that is quite tasty. You can get all kinds of toppings: mine had sausage, potato and cheese, while Yosha had seafood an cabbage.

(Note: in one of the nearby sushi restaurants I saw horse sashimi was on the menu,  a local delicacy. Thankfully "horse" is one of the characters I recognize from my mandarin class days. As curious as I may be to try it my love for horses will always be stronger than my curiosity!)

Yesterday we ventured out for a full day of sightseeing. We got a day pass for the subway and saw the imperial palace. Thankfully the timing was right and we managed to squeeze in on a free English tour that has a limit on the number of participants every day. The palace was where the emperor used to live before the capital was moved to Tokyo. The palace burned down a number of times but they kept rebuilding it. It has stood there since 1855.

From there we went to a confectionary museum that had exhibits made of sugar art, had some tasty curry for lunch and saw the Nijo-jo castle, which was built in 1603 as the official residence of the shogun Ieyasu. As a safeguard against treachery, Ieyasu had the interior fitted with nightingale floors, which squeak like birds when you walk on them. Very cool! The inside was gorgeous and had a number of beautiful paintings of tigers, trees, birds and other animals and sights. The gardens around the castle were gorgeous too and well worth the price of admission!

We walked around the Nishiki food market as well, a huge market in tue shopping district of Kyoto. It was really hard to not buy some funky shoes but we still have a lot of the trip to do and I would rather not carry around too much stuff if I can avoid it.

Side note: I have been fortunate to travel a lot and have always done it with a suitcase. For the first time I am really regretting it and which I would have brought a backpack. I feel like we are always going up and down stairs for the train so it's not the most convenient thing to be hauling around. Thankfully Yosha has been a great help!

After our touring we met up with our American friends for dinner at an izakaya, a Japanese pub. We had a number of tasty dishes and plum wines then walked around the geisha district. It's an absolutely gorgeous area with narrow streets, red lanterns hanging from the restaurant doors and even narrower side alleys. We managed to spot a geisha on the street and were all so much in awe that we couldn't snap a picture. According to my lonely planet book, geishas (or geiko, the Kyoto word for geisha) are not prostitutes or escorts. They are highly skilled entertainers who are paid to facilitate and liven up social occasions in Japan. They receive years of training in various Japanese arts. Because of this extensive training, a geiko is like a living museum of Japanese traditional culture. It's therefore not surprising that both Japanese and foreigners consider a meeting with a geisha to be a magical occurrence.

We checked out a karaoke bar after, which are much different from the ones at home. Here you rent a room with your friends, grab some drinks and pick the songs you want to play. It was hilarious and confirmed in me that if my career as a public servant doesn't work out, singing would NOT be a career change I should consider! On the walk back Yosha and I spotted another geisha. I guess we are really lucky! :)

Yesterday we took a day trip to the city of Nara, which was the first capital of japan from 710 to 785. We spent the day walking around and checked out a couple temples. One of the highlights for me was definitely the deer. In one of the parks we visited, there are over a thousand wild deer that live there. In Buddhist times, the deer were considered messengers of the gods and today they roam the park and surrounding areas. They mostly hit up pedestrians looking for food but I must have pet over a dozen of them! They were  so gentle and sweet. Walking in the woods lined with stone lanterns and hanging out with the deer was a memory that I will cherish long after we have left this beautiful country.

We are heading out shortly to check out Aoi Matsuri, a parade to celebrate the hollyhock festival. It's supposed to be a really big deal so we are looking forward to that!

More updates soon!

On the way from Magome to Tsumago. The photo is lovely but doesn't quite capture the fact it was pouring rain! 

At the top of Nijo-Jo castle

In Nishiki market...No shortage of seafood here!! 

Outside an izakaya with our American friends

In front of the five-tiered pagoda in Nara

Outside one of the shrines in Nara

Outside one of the shrines in Nara

I loved these lanterns! They were all over the place in the forest. They added an air of mystery to the park

Getting cute with some deer (a young Japanese student gave us a cookie to share with them)