day 15: kyoto to narita airport and back to los angeles

Our mini zen garden in daylight.

I couldn't believe it but after an amazing two weeks in Japan, we were finally heading back home to Los Angeles!  Part of me wanted to stay and vacation more; but part of me was also a little homesick.

day 14 in japan - kyoto: nishiki market, yamazaki whiskey distillery and kaiseki dinner at hiiragiya ryokan

(Kyoto, Japan).  After a quick breakfast of tasty treats from the local convenience store, we checked into the Hiiragiya Ryokan (review here) before heading out to the Yamazaki Whiskey Distillery for a tour.  (Tip - Reservations are required for the free tours.  We had our concierge do it for us since there didn't seem to be a way to book online.  If you don't get a reservation, you can't go on the tour but you are still able to go to the gift shop and the tasting room.)

A tasty donut - how do they keep them so fresh and yummy?

During the walk between the ryokan to the train station, we cut through the Nishiki Market - which is a food lover's haven!  Although we had a train to catch, I still managed to have a yummy fishcake (with sweet potato) snack and I made a mental note of all the places I wanted to try later.  If you love trying different foods and treats, you should definitely spend a few hours at Nishiki Market.

  

hotel review: hiiragiya ryokan in kyoto

It looks unassuming from the outside - but wait until you step inside!

(Kyoto, Japan).  Whenever I do an international trip, I like to end with a luxury and/or spa hotel to fully relax before returning to the daily grind.  I knew I wanted to try one of the traditional Japanese inns with hot spring baths and formal kaiseki meals.  After a LOT of research, I chose Hiiragiya Ryokan - which if the rumors are correct, was where John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed, among many other notable and celebrated individuals.  While that seemed cool, what really sold me were the consistent reviews of the delicious kaiseki meals and the amazing service; not to mention their thoughtful and detailed website.  

So how was my stay?

day 13 in japan: kyoto municipal museum of art, exploring gion and more kobe beef at teppankappo sou

(Kyoto, Japan).  The day started off well with more Family Mart pancakes for breakfast.  I think the ones at 7-eleven are better but these are still quite tasty.  Why do they not have these magical pre-packaged treats in the U.S.?

Crazy good pancakes.

We didn't have any real plans other than meeting up with Kinji Nakamura-san (the artist) in the afternoon for coffee and dinner reservations at Teppankappo-sou, so we decided to check out a museum.  My husband saw an advertisement in the subway station for a Rene Magritte show at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art so we mapped out directions and headed out.  (FYI - Both the apple and google map apps worked really well in Japan for walking and public transit directions.)

day 12 in japan: kyoto (golden pavillion, lots of temples, bamboo forest and meeting kinji nakamura-san)

A "wishing well" near the Golden Pavillion.

(Kyoto, Japan).  Today was our main "tourist" day in Kyoto where we planned to visit a large number of the key attractions in Kyoto with a private guide.  I ended up using the same company I used in Tokyo  (www.chrisrowthorn.com).  The reviews were good and we were pleased with our guide in Tokyo despite our tour getting partially rained out.  

For the Kyoto full-day tour, I had asked if we could customize slightly because I wanted to meet up with a Japanese artist (Kinji Nakamura-san) whom I met over 9 years ago in the Bamboo Forest.  He was selling postcards and didn't speak much english but I was immediately drawn to his beautiful artworks.  I had tried writing him previously to purchase some original pieces, but communication was difficult.  I was hoping our guide could not only facilitate the meeting, but also act as an interpreter.  The guide Sato-san promptly met us in our hotel lobby at 9am and he called the artist to schedule an afternoon meeting.  (For the entire story of how I hunted down this artist to purchase some of his beautiful artwork, please go here.)

hotel review: kyoto brighton hotel in kyoto, japan

The front of the Kyoto Brighton Hotel.

(Kyoto, Japan).   For our first few days in Kyoto, I chose to stay at Kyoto Brighton Hotel based on the favorable Tripadvisor reviews without understanding where anything was located in the city.  In hindsight, I probably wouldn't have picked this hotel since it's a bit remote from everything other than the Imperial Palace.  It would have been more convenient to stay closer to the Gion area or near Nishiki Market (a fabulous foodie heaven!).  Regardless, our room was comfortable and clean, and the service was good but a bit stuffy.

day 11 in japan: tokyo to kyoto (bullet train, manga museum, geisha and yakitori)

Last tasty breakfast at the buffet at Westin Tokyo.

Today we were leaving Tokyo and heading to Kyoto!  I was excited but also a bit sad.   We had another tasty breakfast at the Westin Tokyo before doing a final check of our hotel room to make sure we didn't leave anything behind.  Since we had sent most of our luggage ahead to Kyoto via the Takuhaibin service (review here), we didn't really have that much to search through or to carry.  Can I say again how much I love luggage delivery in Japan??   

Waiting to board our bullet train.

We had pre-ordered our tickets on the Shinkansen (i.e., bullet train) through the hotel concierge (with fees, approx. $110 per person).  I think it was the Tokaido Line which takes you to Osaka and then Kyoto in about 2 hours!  It's cheaper if you get tickets directly at the train station but we wanted the convenience and the reserved seating.  (Also, we noticed our concierge got us the roomiest row of seats.  Go concierge!)

Here it comes!

Fortunately the concierge had advised us to catch the train at Shingawa Station (instead of Tokyo Station) since it was a bit closer to our hotel and less crowded than Tokyo Station.   The taxi driver that took us to Shingawa was an old pro and took us into some secret underground tunnel route and got us to the station in no time.  He didn't speak English but was super helpful and got us to the closest entrance for the bullet train.

We had time after breakfast to pick up some bento boxes from the fancy food markets at Ebisu Station to take with us on our train ride.  (As an aside, there was a bakery stall that sold this amazing layered pound cake - absolutely divine!)  

If you see this cake (and this brand), buy it!  You won't regret it.

But back to bento boxes - eating bento box lunches on the train is probably my favorite thing about riding on the bullet train ... even more so than the amazing speed and cleanliness of the bullet train.  Not sure what that says about me...  Every station we went through had stores or kiosks that sold bento boxes so there's no need to buy them in advance like we did.  At Shingawa, there is also a quiet and clean lounge area to sit in while you wait for your train.

When it was time to board, we found our seats (just look for the correct carriage/seat number) and settled in for the ride.  At some point, a conductor came around to scan our tickets, so I would advise keeping your tickets somewhere handy and not in your luggage.

Bento Box Lunch - with pork katsu, rice and pickled vegetables.

Bento Box Lunch - with grilled salmon, braised veggies and rice.

The ride was very comfortable.  We feasted on our bento box lunches (which were very tasty), listened to some music on our Ipads, and then before we knew it, we had arrived in Kyoto!  

Scene heading out of Tokyo.

Since we only had our backpacks, we easily got on the subway (our SUICA cards work here!) and then looked for the hotel shuttle from Kyoto Brighton Hotel (review to come next week).

Lobby of Kyoto Brighton Hotel.

My tea and mochi (covered in soy powder).

Our room wasn't quite ready yet so we had some refreshments in the lobby cafe - a beer for my husband and green tea (matcha) and mochi for me.

After settling in our room (with all our luggage safely delivered), we took a walk to the Imperial Palace, but we did not have reservations so we couldn't go inside.  The grounds were still worth visiting however - but if you want to see the inside, remember to make reservations in advance.

Manga Museum in the distance.

Energized from our walk, we decided to take the subway and visit the Manga Museum.  They didn't allow pictures instead, but basically there were shelves of manga (comic books), an exhibit showing the history and evolution of manga, and some smaller exhibits of art work.  It was actually quite interesting but most of it was in Japanese so we couldn't enjoy reading the manga.  I did pick up Howl's Moving Castle in English but have yet to break the plastic on the set.  There was also a preview of the live action Attack on Titan movie that looked super cool.  I hope they show it in the U.S. soon.  Overall I would only recommend this museum for avid lovers of manga.

Typical alleyway in Gion.

After our manga fix, we took the subway to the Gion area to explore.  Without any particular goal, we roamed around the many alleyways of bars and restaurants while I tried to explain to my husband that geisha were not bar girls or prostitutes.  I explained that it was quite rare to see geisha and they would not be found at a bar with a logo of legs coming out of a martini glass.  

A dessert shop in Gion - and no, that lady is not a geisha even though my husband insisted.

Soon we were hungry and we decided to be adventurous and pick a restaurant at random.  Yakitori Torise seemed pleasant from the outside and when we first walked in, there were only a few Japanese gentlemen seating at the bar.  We grabbed seats at the bar also and was immediately greeted by the owner/chef, who was very friendly.  He didn't speak much English but found us the one English menu so we could order.

With this logo, how can you not order chicken?

Our english menu, with some helpful pictures.

Give me some sake!

The chicken wings were delicious!  We ordered two or was it three orders?

Chicken and scallions, and chicken on lotus root.

Grilled pork belly - mmmm

Grilled shiso peppers and bonito flakes.

Smoky grilled mushrooms.

We ended up ordering tons of tasty small plates and sake.  The restaurant soon got packed, so we were lucky to find it when we did!  If you are in the area, check this restaurant out!  Everything was delicious and the owner made us feel very welcome.

After dinner we were stuffed and had to walk around to digest a little.  And lo and behold, after all my protestations, we actually saw some geisha (or perhaps maiko - geishas in training) crossing the street!  We tried to take some pictures stealthily - unlike the rude tourist lady who ran up to them and stuck a camera an inch from their faces.   Don't do that people!  

An elusive sighting!

When the excitement of the sighting passed, we stopped to rest in Rigoletto Bar and had some tasty calvados, which admittedly, is a more fun way to aid digestion.

Nightcap at Rigoletto Bar.

Our first day in Kyoto was a success!  Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

travel zen on friday: whiskey tasting at yamazaki whiskey distillery in kyoto

Sipping whiskeys in a lovely park-like setting.  Too bad even the distillery didn't have any Yamazaki 12 or 18 for sale.  Boo.

takuhaibin - luggage delivery in japan was AWESOME

Sorry I have no pictures but I wanted to share this amazing travel tip because it made my life so much easier!  I'm talking about the awesome luggage delivery service in Japan which is super reliable and convenient.

I had heard about this magical service years ago from my cousins in Taiwan who regularly used it when they were traveling through Japan.  They would ship their luggage between their hotels so they wouldn't have to drag their luggage through the train stations and/or on the bullet trains (which, in case you didn't know, do not have a lot of luggage space).  For any tourists who plan on shopping a lot, this service is a godsend!  I did a lot of research but this link was probably the most helpful.  

So how were my actual experiences?

day 10 in tokyo: ramen street, character street and whiskey at tokyo station, teddy bear ice cream and afuri ramen

(Tokyo, Japan).  On our last full day in Tokyo, we had very little on our agenda.  The list was simple - (i) eat ramen at Rokurinsha - the famous dipping ramen joint located on Ramen Street in Tokyo Station, (ii) buy some Yamazaki Whiskey, (iii) get a cute teddy bear ice cream and Japanese Ice Ouca in Ebisu and (iv) meet up with an artist friend for happy hour.

travel zen on friday: fushimi inari-taisha shrine

A glimpse of traditional garb amongst the famous red pillars of Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine.

Happy Friday!

rokurinsha - popular dipping ramen at tokyo station's ramen street

(Tokyo, Japan).  I normally prefer tonkatsu ramen (soupy noodles in a milky pork based broth), but after reading David Chang's glowing review of the dipping ramen at Rokurinsha (located on Tokyo Station's Ramen Street), I had to give it a try.  On our last full day in Tokyo before heading to Kyoto, we trekked over to Tokyo Station early because we had heard that the lunch line would be crazy long.

The rumors were correct - here's the line around the corner.

day 9 in tokyo: searching for hakuhodo brushes, shopping on omotesando, tea at aoyama flower market and discovering harajuku gyoza lou

(Tokyo, Japan).  After multiple days on the go, I was looking forward to a day of leisure with no real plans other than buying some souvenirs.  We slept in and had a lovely breakfast at the Westin Hotel buffet.  After last night's kobe beef meal, I needed to be "healthier" and have some green juice.  But good intentions quickly flew out of the window when I got sidetracked by the mini french toast ... so tasty!

Someone told us these parades/festivals are quite common in Tokyo.

I had planned to nap after breakfast but unfortunately the housekeeper was cleaning our room so we decided to go out for a quick stroll around the hotel in the Ebisu area.  We ran into some sort of celebration or festival - there was lots of praying, drumming, chanting, etc.  Very cool even though we didn't understand what was happening.  During our stroll, my husband said he wanted to visit the Yamazaki Whiskey distillery when we get into Kyoto, but as usual he forgot that reservations were required.  Fortunately our concierge was able to get us in.  (Tip - if anyone wants to visit the Yamazaki Whiskey distillery in Kyoto - remember to make reservations or you won't get to do the tour.)

 

So how did I miss this sign more than 10 times???

Since we had free time today, I decided to continue my search for hakuhodo makeup brushes.  I had thought they would be very easy to find since they are relatively famous brushes - however, I struck out at almost every department store.  I had heard they had a flagship shop near Omotesando so I set out in search.  Oddly enough my husband said he would accompany me - which turned out to be a good thing since it took me over an hour to find it based on the faulty directions I received.  At least we were lost together.  Several lovely Japanese people tried to help me, but to no avail.  I did ultimately find it and realized that I literally passed the shop (which was on the 3rd floor) 10 times!  During our run-around, I noticed a lot of New York / California eateries opening up in the area - Clinton St. Bakery (from New York), Blue Bottle Coffee (from Oakland, CA), Luke's Lobster Rolls (from New York), etc.  It's crazy how global everything is becoming.  Later on I heard Shake Shack was also opening up in Tokyo!

 

Blue Bottle in Tokyo!

But I digress... back at the Hakuhodo shop - when the elevator doors opened, we entered into a clean, pristine shop of white.  Everything was minimal - almost like a gallery - and the only things on display were makeup brushes.  The shop clerks were very helpful and spoke a little bit of English, but they were clearly nervous as I - once again - stomped around like a bulldog in a porcelain shop.  I ended up buying three brushes - they were really soft and well made.  In fact they are all handmade with the utmost skill.  However, they are kind of expensive and there's really no need to buy such expensive brushes.  It's not like I end up looking like Jessica Alba because of these brushes.  But regardless, I am really glad I got them, and everytime I use them, I remember my visit to Tokyo. 

Feeling very victorious we headed to the main Omotesando Street where there was a good mix of highend-luxury and boutique souvenir shops.  My poor husband had had enough of shopping just from my makeup brush adventure so he decided to head out to look for some other museums and/or antique book stores.  One of our tour guides had recommended Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando for quality Japanese souvenirs, so I headed over there first.  I'm so glad I took his advice - the items here were beautiful.  There were ceramics, silk purses, kimonos, stationery, towels, fans - all lovely and well-made.   After a big purchase, I decided to just take my time enjoying the cool window displays etc.  I was quite tempted by the Commes des Garcon T-shirts (which are a lot cheaper in Japan), but alas, I restrained myself. 

I was feeling rather exhausted again and I had read about a lovely flower and tea shop called Aoyama Flower Market.  I had seen it earlier when I was walking around and noticed a line to get into the cafe, but fortunately when I headed back over the line was gone.  The cafe is hidden inside the flower shop and it's absolutely lovely.  I ordered a tea and dessert set (rose jelly) and happily relaxed there for a bit while waiting for my husband. 

 

Totally adorable!

So pretty and yummy!

He arrived an hour later after purchasing a beautiful antique print.  It was so carefully wrapped and sealed that I didn't get to see it until we returned to the U.S. a week later.  After discussing our options, we decided to stay in the area and explore some more and pick a random place for dinner.  I went onto yelp and found a restaurant called Harajuku Gyoza Lou which seemed perfect for what we were looking for.  And in fact it was!  What a splendid find - we absolutely loved it!  (See review here)

 

I wish I could have gone on eating forever...

Anyways as we headed towards the restaurant we found more amazing boutiques and my husband got lured by the siren call of the Burton store.  I knew he would take forever there so I left him to check out the vintage shops nearby.  If I had known there were so many treasures in Japanese vintage stores, I would have done this earlier in my trip.  Now, aware and wary of the diminishing space in our luggage, I couldn't justify buying much more...  So I controlled myself and went back to find my husband, but he was still awash in a sea of indecision.  I left again to explore some more but I told him I didn't want to keep going in and out of the store because in Japan - the shop clerk have to bow to you when you enter and exit the shop.  I didn't want to be the jerk who kept going in and out repeatedly .. not that they care, but I felt very weird about it.

 

Fabulous vintage shop.

Finally my husband called me and said he was done, but he needed my passport for the tax free benefit.  I returned to the shop and sheepishly went past the bowing clerks again.  My husband insisted he had to buy new snowboots and a backpack because these were the "newest" things and they were not available in the U.S.  This coming from a man with at least 3 pairs of snowboots and 15 backpacks at home.  But who was I to deprive him of his joy?

Fed and happy, we returned to our hotel ... and yes, we had more snacks.

 

These were quite spicy .. and no, they did not go well with red wine.

Tomorrow was our last full day in Tokyo.  I can't believe we've already been traveling for 9 days!  And each day I find something new to love about Japan! 

Omotesando in the sunset - so pretty!