Kyoto 2

Another Day, another Yen! (okay, okay, bad joke)

Actually, I'll start off this post with the rest of yesterday since I left you guys a hanging after the Plum Blossom festival. 

Tuesday

I made my way to the nearest bus stop and discovered that I wasn't too far from the Golden Temple (Kinkaku-Ji), and it was definitely on my list.  Fueled by chocolate banana and mystery food, I pushed onward.  (Side note, there are absolutely NO trash cans in Kyoto.  I walked around with leftover leek bun and half eaten chocolate banana for at least 20 minutes trying to locate one.  Don't tell anyone, but I surreptitiously stuffed it in a recycling bin next to a drink vending machine.  I feel guilty, but what was I gonna do?!) (Side, side note, why put a recycling bin next to the vending machine?  Do they really expect people to stand there and drink the drink? Okay. Rant over.) 

Newly freed of my garbage and with a little twinge of guilt, I boarded the bus.  500 yen later and I had bought my entrance ticket to the Golden Temple.  And IT WAS SPECTACULAR.  I was there at probably 3pm and the lighting was fabulous.  When they say the Golden Temple is Golden, they aren't joking.  It's plated in gold! You aren't allowed to go inside for obvious reasons, but it was beautiful to see from the outside.  There are also some nice gardens that you can peruse.  I could've stayed much longer, but I was tired from the Plum Blossom festival so I headed back to the hostel for a nap. 

At the entrance to the Golden Temple

Really, Really Gold.

As gorgeous as it was, I'm sure it'd be prettier in the autumn or spring when the leaves are turning or cherry blossoms are out in full effect.

No selfie for once!

Last night, I searched "things to do in Kyoto at night".  Most of the options were karaoke or clubbing, both of which I was most definitely not up for.  I saw, however, that the Gion district, famed for its Geisha, is particularly beautiful at night, so I headed over there.  On my way, I found a review for a good conveyor belt sushi place (Musashi Sushi) in the train station I would leave from, so I gave it a try.  Verdict - very good for what it was - cheap, fresh sushi with no frills.

I've been surprised, actually, at how inexpensive things are when I'd been warned that I'd be burning cash like it was my job.  I probably spent less than $10usd for my entire meal which included 6 plates of sushi and a beer.  Boom.  Also, I was seated next to an adorable older Japanese couple and the wife of the couple had to help me figure out how to dispense the hot water for the make-it-yourself Green Tea.  She chucked at me (in a very endearing way) and helped me out.  Again, friendly, awesome people. 

Musashi Sushi - cheap, cheap, cheap, but delicious.

After that, I headed to the Gion district.  I, by complete chance, got dropped off almost immediately in front of the Yasaka Shrine, which I had not heard of and had no plans to visit.  But it was so spectacularly lit up that I had to go and have a look.  I appreciated a couple of things about this shrine.  First, it was almost empty, but also, it had a serenity that I haven't experienced at other shrines.  Perhaps because it's off-hours and not jammed with tourists.  I spent probably an hour just wandering around.  I loved exploring it - and I'd definitely recommend going at night.  In fact, this was much better than the rest of Gion, which turned out to be a mild disappointment.

The front that drew me in.  So beautiful all lit up at night.

A pavilion with hundreds of lanterns around the outside. Spectacular.

A sub-shrine - lots of hearts with inscriptions on them.  Maybe praying for love? Who knows.

After that, I walked down the main road of Gion, Shijo Dori, but it was honestly just a huge tourist trap.  I decided to hang a right off of the main street through some narrow alleyways and that was a much more interesting experience. 

Very narrow alleys

There are loads of these nondescript shopfronts.  Occasionally, I'd hear a burst of laughter or music from inside.

Could be a Geisha house...I read that the Okiyas have the Geisha's names above the door like this.

Street Corner and traditional architecture

I enjoyed walking through the Gion District, though not as much as I thought I would.  If you're wide-eyed and idealistic like I was, you'll be expecting Memoirs of a Geisha to come to life, but sadly, the area has been gentrified just like a lot of other areas.  Though there are patches and a few streets of buildings in the old style. Here's an interesting tidbit - the old style houses were built to take up as little frontage to the road as possible, because in yesteryear, property taxes were calculated based on a house's frontage to the street.  Lots of houses extend far, far back, but have relatively narrow fronts.  So there's your bit of trivia for the day!

Wednesday

I have been so incredibly lazy on this trip, I'm afraid.  I slept in and didn't get a move-on until 11:00 this morning.  Nonetheless, I had a pretty packed day that mostly consisted of eating and pretending I was in Memoirs of a Geisha.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First up today was the adventure that I planned for yesterday and that is the Torii Gates.  Cliché, but true nonetheless, I wanted to see them ever since I saw Memoirs of a Geisha.  There is a scene where little Chiyo, bolstered by her meeting with the chairman and probable sugar-high from the shaved ice she eats runs through the gates enroute to a shrine (which I discovered to my dismay today) is actually not at the Torii gates at all, but across town.  Nevermind. The Torii gates were what I was really there to see, so without further adieu:

The entrance to the shrine.  So fabulous.  And SO MUCH ORANGE.  (I love orange)

 I was a bit disappointed at first because there were hordes of people, which dashed my dreams of getting photos of the gates without people in them. I walked on past the point where a lot of people seemed to drop of and there were ample stretches with no people to be found. 

 

 

Throngs of people on the way up, but peaceful on the way down

Each gate is inscribed with the name of the donor. 

This one was just being painted and hadn't had the characters filled in with black yet.

One of me! So happy!

Really, really peaceful.

Hopefully those photos give you a brief glimpse into the area.  I chose to do about half of the hike, which amounted to a moderately-strenuous 25-30 minute walk, ending in some steep stairs.  There is, however, plenty to see if you're not the stair climbing kind.  I turned around at the point where you can look out over Kyoto.  The weather was a little hazy today, so I didn't even bother taking pictures.  It was a nice resting place, though.

I had been craving some udon and after my nature hike, I was ready for something warm.  Omen Udon was one of the top-rated places in Kyoto and could be easily reached by the metro, so I headed that direction.  I was seated at a bar area and handed an English menu, which was really helpful.  I chose to order Udon with crab and sushi on the side.  It was a bit on the pricey side ($20 for lunch) but I was so excited that I thought the price was justified.

The sushi came, and I took one bite and could not eat any more.  It was a very strong mackerel with skin on draped over rice.  I am normally a huge fan of sushi, but the piece of fish was extremely thick and one of the fishiest tasting pieces of sushi I have ever eaten.  I felt terrible, but I could not eat any more of it.  The guy sitting next to me got his udon which included a side of tempura and I began to regret my decision.  My Udon arrived and it was not at all like what I was expecting.

Sushi that I regrettably had one bite of and could not finish

If you've ever had egg-drop soup in the Chinese style, you can imagine what the soup was like, in consistency, at least.  And actually, it did have egg in it.  The udon was really tasty and a good texture, but the whole thing left me underwhelmed.  I was actually coveting the guy's next to me.  His tempura looked delicious.  Oh well.

Udon noodles were great, but the soup was just so-so.

I spent a bit of time after lunch in the Pontocho district, another well-known Geisha district where I did see a Maiko Geisha scurrying down the street, presumably to get away from the throng of tourists who were stalking her.  It's a shame that people won't leave the Geisha alone - I mean, I understand the fascination, but they're people just like anyone else and being chased by crazed tourists is probably disconcerting.

I headed back to the hostel for my customary afternoon nap.  I have been exhausted this week, so it's been nice to have a place so near to JR Kyoto Station that is easy to get to for naps and such.

Tonight, I decided to venture up to one of the main shopping areas in quest for another of the top-10 rated restaurants in Kyoto via Trip Advisor, Gogyo Ramen.  It is tucked down an alleyway in the former house of a fairly famous Kyoto Geisha, so that was already intriguing.  But more so than that, this restaurant is famous for its Burned Ramen, both in Soy and Miso varieties.  The interior of this place is spectacular, and I would rate the ambiance probably near the top of anywhere I've eaten in Asia.  The bar area (which I would absolutely recommend sitting at if possible) overlooks an open kitchen where you can see the flames violently bursting up the sides of woks as noodles and other yummies are added to the pan.  Really an interesting experience and GREAT food.  I had the Miso Burned Ramen.  The flavor was incredible, but I could not finish the whole thing.  Some of the reviews said that it was a bit oily for them (the noodles are cooked in 300°C lard) and I would agree with this.  I had about half and I was done.  The Kirin Beer I drank with it was a great compliment as it cut through the oiliness of the dish. 

So delicious and really unique

Bar seating adjacent to the front door.  Sit here if possible for a great show!

Loved watching the chefs cook and the fiery explosion that would happen each time he added sauce to the pan.

From the outside.  Really great experience.

All in all, it was a great choice and I would say definitely my favorite eat so far in Kyoto. 

Alright, that's it for now.  Rain tomorrow, who knows what will happen??

Til next time,
-The Adventurer

Kyoto 1

Hello, everyone!

It's been approximately two days since I left Hong Kong and the realization that I'm not going back hasn't really hit yet.  I decided some time ago to take a couple weeks of break in between HK and moving back to America, mostly for my mental sanity, and I am so glad I did.  It has been great to sleep in, sightsee, and just be on my own for a few days to recover.

On to the interesting stuff.  Let me summarize in case you don't want to hear any more of my rambling - I LOVE Japan.  It is a beautiful country with lovely, lovely people and I have had a great time so far.  The first couple of days, I've been in Kyoto, where I'll be until Friday.  I'll then fly to the North Island of Japan, Sapporo, to meet a friend for some skiing in Niseko, one of the snowiest ski resorts in the world.

But for now, here's a short introduction to my time here so far.  I took a red-eye flight that might have been a mistake, leaving Hong Kong at 1:15am.  I was already emotionally maxed out and exhausted from saying goodbye to everyone that day so I thought that I would definitely sleep on the 3 hour flight.  But not so much.  So, I arrived at Kansai Airport in Osaka on almost no sleep and I was DEAD.  Like, night after a lock-in dead.  I waited around for a coffee shop to open (keep in mind, flight landed at 5:30am).  After getting a bit of a caffeine boost, I bought my ticket for the Haruka direct train from Kansai Airport to JR Kyoto Station, which is a short 75 minute journey and then ends up being about a 10 minute walk to the hostel I'm staying at.  Not terrible.  At one point, I fell asleep on the train and awoke to the conductor tapping me on the shoulder.  I was sure he was going to tell me I'd overslept my stop and was now being deported, or something, but alas he just checked my ticket and I noted that we still had about 15 minutes til my stop.  Phew.

I shlepped out of the station and towards my hostel with grand plans to not only tell but show them how exhausted I was in hopes they'd let me check in early and sleep.  But to no avail.  They had no empty rooms, so they informed me that I could come back at 3.  It was around 10:00am at this point.  It took literally every ounce of strength for me to get up and off of the couch, but I did.  On the recommendation of one of the girls at the front desk, I went back to the train station and had lunch on the "Ramen Floor".  If you go up to the tenth floor of the Kyoto Station Building, there are literally Ramen shops upon Ramen shops.

I mistakenly tried to get in line behind several other waiting customers when I realized that they all had a ticket in their hand.  I went back to the hostess at the front and she gestured to a machine with pictures of food and prices with a money insert and push buttons to make your selection.  She gestured and pointed to the money slot and just like that I had ordered some delicious-looking ramen.  Getting back in line, I was seated at a bar looking into the kitchen.  I gave my receipt from the machine to a waiter and waited.  Loud greetings anytime someone came or left were on tap, and I sipped my ice water in between two businessmen who looked like they knew what they were doing.  Eventually, I my ramen came.  IT WAS AMAZING.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Japanese food, and having it authentically was freaking amazing.

Pork Ramen.  SO GOOD.

Ordering Machine

I decided to do something with my afternoon, and after reading a few reviews, it looked like there was a temple that was really easy to get to by bus, so I went ahead and did it.  I am so glad that I lived in HK because before living there, I was really scared of taking buses - I was worried I'd miss my stop and be in the middle of nowhere, but it isn't a problem now.  I took the 50 bus from Kyoto Station and after a short walk, ended up at Ryoan-Ji zen garden.  This had pretty good reviews online and I enjoyed walking through the gardens and seeing the rock garden, but it was probably only a 5/10 on my list.  I'd say if you don't have more than a couple of days in Kyoto, don't bother with it.  There are many more spectacular things to be seen.

Funny Clog-shoes that I had to change into

Zen Garden...

At that point, it was almost two and thankfully, I figured that by the time I got back to the hostel, it'd be 3 and I could CRASH.  Which is precisely what I did.  After a hot, hot shower, I crashed almost continuously until 8am the next morning.

Tuesday dawned and after getting to sleep in,  I set out on what was to be my mission for the day: the Torii gates.  As I was downstairs having breakfast, I checked out the wall-sized map of things going on the in the city, and noticed that there was a plum blossom festival on February 25.  After consulting my phone, I realized that today was the 25th.  I ran up to my room to research the festival (was it REALLY worth it?) because I had been up in that same area yesterday to go to the zen garden.  I read many rave reviews and read that there was a tea ceremony with Maiko geisha (the real kind, not tourists dressed as geisha) and the decision was made for me.

I went to catch a bus at Kyoto Station and arrived to a mob scene at the bus area I needed to leave from.  I tried to ask the man in uniform lingering around the area which bus I should take and he pointed to the back of the gaggle of people loosely organized into a line.  A lady had apparently seen the exchange because she took pity on me and said in broken English, "Kitano-Tinman Gu?" (The temple I was trying to get to).  I enthusiastically said "YES!" and she mentioned that she was going there, too and that I could follow her there.  SO NICE.

The bus pulled up and hordes of people crammed onboard.  When there were about 10 people in front of us, I felt sure that we wouldn't make it.  But make it we did, and about 15 people after us.  I have never been more jammed into a bus before, even in Hong Kong.  It was insanity (and I was sweating like a prize fighter in my long down jacket).  Finally we got there, and my friend led me to the temple (along with half of Kyoto).  When we got there, I regretted that I had nothing more to say to her than Arigato, and we parted ways.

I made my way up through lots of food stalls and finally got into the temple area.  I found a tent that was selling tickets and eagerly joined the very long line.  I'd estimate that I waited about an hour before I got into the cordoned off area that was for the tea ceremony.  It was beautiful though.  The plum blossoms were not in full bloom yet, but some had appeared on a few trees and they were really gorgeous.  After snaking through the line in the gardens, finally it was my turn.  I went in and took a seat on benches as geisha went around and served everyone Matcha Tea (frothy green tea) in bowls.  I had been given a pastry when I bought my ticket, and I saw the guy next to me eating his with the tea, so I followed suit. 

A real, live Maiko!

Pastry with red beans inside - pretty good

Matcha Green Tea

And just like that it was over.  I left the area pretty overwhelmed by all the awesome culture around me and feeling so thankful that I stumbled upon this festival.  I would ABSOLUTELY recommend it to anyone who is in Kyoto over February 25, because it really is a sight to behold.  And probably the only time you'll ever get to see a Geisha do Japanese Tea Service unless you're a gazillionare or a a Japanese businessman.

Next up was a meander through the temple grounds and they were breathtaking.  I have a soft spot for Asian culture (I mean, I studied it in college), so it's particularly meaningful for me.  I loved seeing people go to the shrines and clap and ring the gongs then throw their money in.  Japan has very rich culture and has done a great job of preserving their historic sites for people to enjoy.

Lanterns

Plum Blossoms

I was very excited for the next part of my adventure - trying some of the food stalls.  I stopped and watched a guy roasting nuts, and though I didn't buy any, he was nice enough to let me take a picture.

 I had seen these guys cooking these balls made of some kind of batter with octopus when I walked up, and there was one almost immediately after I left the temple.  I ordered 6 for the low price of 300 yen (about $3usd).  They were really delicious, actually, and came with a brown sauce (maybe eel sauce?), mayo and dried meat on top.  I ate in a small tent behind the stall with a few Japanese people who looked very amused that I was availing myself of the local fare. 

I'm officially Chinese now.  I took a picture of everything I ate today.  No joke.

Here the guy is at work.  That's a very large bowl of octopus and where I ate over his shoulder. 

Next up was a chocolate covered banana.  I'd give it a 6/10 on the tastiness scale.

Next up. a steamed bun.  It was filled with a very savory filling that was porky and leeky.  It was a little strong for me.

Finally, some roasted corn.  Because you can't go wrong with corn, and I liked this guy.  He smiled at me a lot.

 That's gonna be all for now, folks.  Stay tuned for Sushi, the Golden Temple and the Gion District, all of which I did this afternoon and evening.

Lots of love to you wherever you are in this beautiful world,
-The Adventurer

Eating and Drinking in Hong Kong

Yet another charming photo blog on the way for you.  I will admit that I haven't been nearly as adventurous in the eating department as I could have been since coming to Hong Kong.  But I've taken pictures of some of my favorites.  Nom Nom!

(Disclaimer, before you judge me - let me mention that the pictures and things below are generally NOT a part of my daily life.  If they were, they'd be far too commonplace for me to notice enough to take a photo.  These are the extremes)

Where Does Food Come From?

This is for reals how a lot of chicken gets delivered.  Right out in the open.  In the heat of the summer.  I try not to think about it.

Wet Market - asians swear that if you buy your seafood fresh (aka, still alive) it tastes better.  Hence wet markets where you can buy a very alive fish and take it home still flopping in the bag. 

Breakfast - the Most Important Meal of the Day

Chinese breakfast - noodles in soup with really yummy dried meat from Macau (okay, yes and a coffee)

Dragon Fruit - looks like a fruit from the Aliens on the outside, but is pretty awesome on the inside (this is a peeled and cut fruit)

Most of the time, Starbucks is my morning ritual.  All sorts of name problems - here's Winky.

I think this says Wisney, but I couldn't be sure...

And this Starbucks champ...Whi......eh, what the heck, W is good enough.

It took 6 months of going to the same Starbucks EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. But, alas finally, we made it.

Every, week, we have a mini staff meeting at the restaurant around the corner from my office.  It's called the "Jackpot".  My boss always orders this combo of food.  "Sai Doh See" (deep fried french toast with peanut butter inside and condensed milk on top) and "Yoon Yong" (Half Milk Tea Half Coffee).  It's shockingly bad for you, but he doesn't seem to have died yet. Thanks to Julie for modeling this marvelous combo.

And if you're craving some sweet Vermont maple syrup with your waffle, well, you're out of luck.  You get this - "with syrup".  I shudder to think about what the rest of it is, but after taste testing it, I think I've settled on brown high fructose corn syrup, light on the maple.

Lunch and Dinner

There is some food in HK that's better doused in sauce and downed with a beer.  Just to, you know, kill whatever might be lurking inside.  This is at the infamous "Mr. Wongs" in Mongkok.  This restaurant is known far and wide for its horrible food, terrible ambiance (tables are arranged in an alley) and all you can drink beer for for about $5USD per person.  This is a situation where it's better just to not ask what you're eating.

When winter comes, there's only one thing to do and that's to go for hot pot.  Communally cook various things tableside in broth.  Nothing will make you feel like a hardened killer more than skewering a possibly-still-alive shrimp and boiling it to death.  Clearly I was impressed by the experience.

"Xiao Long Xia" I have no idea what this is called in Cantonese, as I actually ate it in Beijing.  Basically, Crawfish in a SPICY OILY sauce.  You eat them with your hands.  (Thankfully, they provide gloves for the experience).  Burned my mouth off and was a lot of work to eat, but I'm glad I had the experience...once...

Snacks and Desserts

The most horrifying thing I've seen since coming to HK. Dog jerky.  Not for the dog, but... well, you get the point. I'll mention that it was bought in Mainland China, but still, eeeeeeeeeek.

No, this cake hasn't gone off, it's actually meant to be that color.  The first time someone tried to feed this to me, I thought they were punking me.  This, friends, is Pandan Cake.  It's pretty popular in SE Asia, specifically in Malaysia.  I can't say that I love it, but lots of people here do.  Try it once and see for yourself. 

Dessert.  Red bean pudding with cream and glutinous dumplings.  Not terrible, in fact.  The brown part of the dessert is hot and the white part is cool.  This kind of thing can be found at any local dessert shop.  I also ate durian shaved ice that night which was the most horrible food I have ever tasted in my life.  Red Beans are considered a dessert type of item here, so you'll see them in everything.  Bubble teas, starbucks drinks, stuffing for buns, etc.

Charcoal nuts.  They look pretty horrendous, but actually taste quite nice.  They have a mild flavor and don't taste charred or pooped out at all.  (Don't look so shocked, I know that's what you were thinking.) Jury's still out if they actually ARE charred or pooped out. These are from Taiwan, I think.

Alllll the Seaweed things.  Seaweed fries, Seaweed Seaweed, Seaweed Wings.

Green Tea Kit Kat.  Clearly Kit Kat is nailing the Asian market.  It doesn't taste too bad.

Ordering Food 

 

"The Cashew Fries The Shrimp"

"The salty fish & minced pork flesh fries the eggplant broken" AND "Red Ka Crisp Meat Parched Beans Angle"

Counting those calories?  Better go with the "Lightly Options"

"Stay Ostrich Meat"

Ever wonder what people in China say in lieu of this old exchange? "Finish your food, there are people in China who are starving!" Here's this clever solution, folks.  Wonder if you could institute it in your household?

How to be a Proper Hong Kong Person

Take pictures of ALL the food.  ALL the time. 

Un-categorizable

And finally, this.  Not what you want to see when you walk in a restaurant, eh?

Hopefully this little journey into the culinary oddities of Hong Kong has been informative.  If you ever find yourself in HK, try the food, it really IS delicious! 

Oh and also, 7 days from today, I will leave HK for good.  It doesn't feel real yet. 

More later this week.  Til then,

-The Adventurer