Over the past few months we have been detailing our travels across Japan that took place just over a year ago. In Part 1, we arrived in Tokyo, and in Part 2 we made our way to Fujisan and Yudanaka’s hot springs. This, is Part 3.
It had been six hours worth of train rides from Yudanaka to Kyoto and we arrived just as the sun was starting to set. We hopped off of our train and walked under and through Kyoto Station’s marvellous architecture, rushing over to the taxi stands so we could acquaint ourselves with the city in the little bit of daylight that was left.
In our time there, we came to realize that Kyoto is a city donning many different hats, and at its core, is the melting pot of Japan’s past and present.
Kyoto is probably most famous for its over 1600 temples — the very reason we found ourselves in Japan’s former capital. But in our time there, we came to realize that Kyoto is a city donning many different hats, and at its core, is the melting pot of Japan’s past and present. The result is historical landmarks surrounded by modern architecture and sophisticated shopping districts, a duality that makes for some always interesting, occasionally jaw-dropping walks. For us however, it was the city’s intricate network of alleyways that really stuck out and where we spent most of our time exploring. The truth is, if you’re not on a main street in Kyoto, you’re probably in an alleyway, littered with hundred of bicycles, residents, shop-owners, and the occasional mini-truck trying to make its way through.
We checked into the Mitsui Garden, a sleek little boutique hotel off of one of these very alleyways. Like Kyoto, it blends modern design with Japanese cultural elements to create a really unique aesthetic. Small warning: if you constantly flip your pillow to the cool side throughout the night, you won’t be doing that here because they fill the underside of their pillows with a thin layer of rocks. It’s an interesting concept. continue reading
