Today was an early start. Even though we set the alarm super early—despite planning to get up at 6:15 to make the most of the morning—we ended up getting out of bed at 6:50. Still, since we went to sleep early, we had a great rest.
Our first stop was Toji Monastery and its five-story pagoda—a beautiful visit, and we really enjoyed it because, since it was still closed, there was no one around. That meant we could take some stunning photos.
As we were leaving, we happened to catch students arriving at a nearby high school. Can’t imagine going to school in this heat… From what we gathered, they go on summer break at the end of July, so they must be in their last week of classes. And in this weather… brutal.
Next, we decided to visit Gion and the Geisha district. It’s an absolutely stunning neighborhood, with gorgeous low wooden houses and charming cobblestone streets. Unfortunately, due to past incidents, photography has been completely banned throughout the area. Apparently, tourists had been bothering the Geishas so much that they had had enough. There are warning signs everywhere, and if you get caught taking pictures, you’ll be fined 10,000 yen. Still, it’s an incredible place, and we loved the visit.
Afterward, we headed to Kiyomizu Temple, which is quite nearby—though we struggled a bit to find it, as we were a little disoriented with the map. The whole district is breathtaking, and while the main street leading to the temple is beautiful, it’s packed with souvenir shops. Naturally, we couldn’t resist buying a few things. And given the scorching heat, the occasional shop stop was a nice way to cool off.
After strolling down this street, we finally visited the temple itself. It’s a gorgeous spot, with many women (and a few men) dressed in traditional kimonos. The crowd was massive, though—by the time we were leaving, it was nearly impossible to move through the flood of people heading toward the temple..
Since it was getting late, we decided to take a taxi. The driver, an elderly gentleman, didn’t speak a word of English, and with my 116-day streak on Duolingo, my Japanese skills weren’t exactly at the level to hold a conversation—just enough to say “yes” and “no.” Communicating was a challenge. At one point, the driver called someone—probably to ask for help with the hotel address, which I was showing him on my phone, but he couldn’t see it properly (even though he pulled out a magnifying glass—poor guy). In the end, after checking the map, he figured it out and got us there without any issues. Thankfully, both our phones and a voice translator helped us along the way.
Once we arrived at the hotel, we picked up our suitcase, which we had shipped from Tokyo, and I put in a load of laundry to wash the clothes we’ll need for the rest of the trip. While waiting for it to finish, we grabbed lunch at a nearby café, where we tried some classic dishes—curry rice, beef rice, and Japanese-style hamburger steak. Then, we headed back to the hotel to rest while the laundry finished. Most of it came out nearly dry from the dryer, so after collecting our clothes, we waited for the heat to ease up a bit before heading out again.
This time, we took a train to Fushimi Inari Taisha, the famous shrine with thousands of torii gates that lead up Mount Inari. It’s a spectacular place, and although we didn’t get to see it in full daylight, the heat was so intense that I can’t even imagine what it would’ve been like earlier in the day—probably unbearable. The upside was that, since it was already nighttime, there were hardly any people around, and we got to enjoy the walk in near solitude.
After descending, we headed back toward Kyoto Station, where we grabbed dinner—more traditional food. Olivia went for the hamburger steak again, Blanca had breaded chicken with lemon juice, and I tried a breaded hamburger. Everything was absolutely delicious. I honestly wonder if it’s even possible to have a bad meal in this country.
And that’s it for today! We walked back to the hotel while enjoying an ice cream. The temperature outside was finally a bit more bearable, but we were exhausted. And tomorrow, another early start awaits…