Japan 2008 (3) - Kyoto (金閣寺)

Day 4
According to our plan, we should go to Kyoto today. So after eating breakfast at our little noodle shop again, we packed up and checked out of the hotel. From Osaka train station, it's a 30-minutes train ride to  Kyoto. The train ticket cost 540 Yen one way per person. There were many people on the train. We had to stand the whole way.

We planned to stay 4 nights in Kyoto, including taking a day trip to Nara. I already knew where I wanted to go in Kyoto, which were:
1. Kinkakuji (金閣寺)
2. Ginkakuji (銀閣寺)
3. Kiyomizudera (清水寺)
4. Ryoanji Temple (龍安寺)
5. Nijo Castle (二條城)
6. Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社)
7. Arashiyama (嵐山)

But I wasn't sure what's the best way to go to all of them, and what kind of passes we should buy. So after arriving at Kyoto train station, the first thing we did was going to the tourist information office located on the second floor. They were so helpful. Not only did they provide good maps, they also answered all my questions in simple understandable English. For my itinerary, the girl suggested that we go to 1/4 in one day, 2/3/5 in a second day, and 6/7 in a third day. As for passes, she said the 500 Yen Kyoto City Bus One Day Card fits our needs for visiting 1-5. For visiting 6/7, it's better to take train.

Armed with all these information and Bus Pass for the day, we headed out toward our hotel. Guess what I saw outside the tourist information office, a kiosk selling everything Atom (阿童木), known as Astro Boy in the U.S. If you grew up in China in my days, you know how important Atom was to us. The animation series brought us so much fun. I was looking longingly at an Atom T-shirt until I saw the price: 4,095 Yen. What! That’s a rip off. No way I'll pay that much for a T-shirt. So I left without even looking at the other stuff much, thinking they'll be there whenever I have more time to look. Wrong! The next day, the kiosk was removed for setting up some display for the upcoming weekend. I never saw anyone selling Atom stuff the whole time I was in Kyoto. I can't tell you how much I regretted for not looking at the Atom stuff longer.

1. Atom in front of Kyoto train station.


2. Our hotel, 3 minutes walk from the train station. Thanks to the pathetic exchange rate, the hotel cost us over $200/night.


3. And the room was small. This is about all we had. With two suitcases laying on the floor, we barely had room to walk around.


After dropping our luggage at the hotel, we headed back to the train station, which is also the bus terminals for Kyoto city buses. 45 minutes later, we arrived at Kinkakuji Temple. The main attraction here is the Golden Pavilion, originally built in 1397, was burned down in 1950 by a monk, and rebuilt in 1955.

4. Entering Kinkakuji Temple.


5. Golden Pavilion. Yes, it is covered in real gold.


6. Mirror Pond.


7. Golden Pavilion.


8. Golden Pavilion.


9. Golden Pavilion.


(To be continued)