When you gachapon a star: Tokyo Disney and Japan 2019 - Day 14

[Gr8WideSomewher]

Hi chaps,

A much shorter day today and you'll probably never want to look at another picture of a red archway again...sorry But I'm powering through, determined to get this trippie finished! Should have another one for you soon

Day 14 - A truly spectacular shrine and relaxing in an onsen

It was an early start today - up at 6.45 in order to be at Fushimi Inari before it got overrun by tourists. Despite still not being sure what we were doing later in the day, we knew we had to see Fushimi Inari, and we wanted to be some of the first people there.

We caught the local train from the train station and were at Fushimi Inari by 8.15. If you’ve ever looked at a guide book or seen a Youtube video about Japan, you’ve probably seen Fushimi Inari. It is a huge shrine at the base of a mountain with countless torii gates making a path up the mountain. The gates are extremely photogenic and the shrine is also free to visit, so it’s naturally one of the most popular spots in Kyoto.

There were already people there when we arrived, but not too many.







Most of the people hung back at the bottom of the hill, taking pictures of the main gate, but we hurried on to the walkway, so we would be in with a chance of getting some pictures of the torii without other people in them.





This turned out to be a good strategy. We got a good number of pics without other people in them, which would have been impossible if we’d arrived barely half an hour later. The torii were absolutely gorgeous, and we started the walk up the mountain, taking pictures every few minutes.








As you can see, the shrine is absolutely breathtaking. It is also a bit of a hike!




Part way up there was an awesome kind of mini-Fushimi Inari with tiny little versions of the torii. It was overrun with cats, which of course made me love it even more.






We hiked up the mountain, along the walkway, for about 45 minutes, until we came to a viewpoint with wonderful views across Kyoto. We then stopped for some water and to take some pictures.







I had thought we must be about halfway at that point and, even though I was extremely hot and sweaty I was all for going on and completing the whole loop. However, a quick look at the map showed us that we were, in fact, barely a quarter of the way round. It quickly became clear that we were never going to do the whole loop if we wanted to do anything else that day. Also, it was becoming so busy on the paths that taking pictures wouldn’t be possible any more. We decided we’d seen Fushimi Inari and headed back down. Many other people seemed to have made the same decision.





The walk back down took about 30 minutes and when we reached the bottom we decided to try and go to the onsen. Bex lured me in with talk of relaxation rooms and a tranquil forest location. I agreed we could go, so long as I could get some breakfast first!

Before leaving the shrine, we played a Fushimi Inari-themed gashupon (because of course we did!) and I won a little red fox which now sits on my desk at work along with all my other ones. There were various statues of foxes in the shrine, as they are viewed as sacred messengers in this branch of the Shinto religion.





We caught the local train back to Kyoto station and then went to hunt down some breakfast. We’d seen a gorgeous bakery we really wanted to try the previous day, so now went to try and find it. As usual, we got a bit lost in the maze of the station and it took about 15 minutes to find the bakery! When we eventually found it, we ordered a breakfast pastry and a French toast and two iced coffees and sat down to eat them. It was about 10.30 by this point so Bex was getting a bit antsy. Let’s just say I didn’t get long to enjoy my breakfast! However, the pastries were delicious, and it was really nice to have a proper breakfast for once.




From this point on, I’m afraid, my pictures pretty much dry up. We were on various forms of transport and then we were at the onsen, neither of which are good locations for taking pictures (there are strict rules in Japan, of course), or really for taking notes. I’ll describe what I remember, and hopefully, it won’t be too boring without pictures!

We caught our third train of the day from Kyoto Station to Kurama and then a bus from there to the onsen. The whole journey took about 90 minutes, but it wasn’t too difficult and we arrived at about 12:00. The onsen was set up in the mountains in the middle of a forest. It was really nice to see some more rural scenery and to feel like we’d gotten away from the hustle and bustle a bit. Although the journey was long, Bex had been right: it was totally worth it - the onsen was heaven!



The onsen is sort of a complex, with a main building, indoor pools and outdoor pools. I think there were different access levels you could purchase, but we went for the whole enchilada: indoor pools and outdoor pools, slippers and yukata. It cost 2500 yen (£18.54), so quite expensive, but very much worth it. As you can see, the yukata really suited me!



The areas were, for the most part, separated along gender lines. We went straight to the outdoor pool first, which was awesome, but too hot for me. I have a tendency to go somewhat puce in hot water, so I was probably a delightful sight.

The indoor pool was wonderful too, and I preferred it because, alongside the hot pool, there was a freezing cold pool, so you could alternate. I am very drawn to cold water for some reason so, although Bex mostly luxuriated in the hot water, I jumped from one to the other happily.

We later went to the relaxation area, which was just a big room with windows so you could look out over the mountain and mats so you could lie on the floor if you wanted to. This we did for an hour or so and it was extremely relaxing. We also tried the massage chairs, but they were somewhat less relaxing. Being poked repeatedly in the back is not my idea of fun.

I think I had a doze in the relaxation area and Bex went back to enjoy the hot baths for a bit. We left about 17:30 and had no trouble catching the bus back. We’d checked beforehand what time the bus went past, because it wasn’t very frequent, and left plenty of time to catch it. Our mum called us while we were on the bus so we were able to talk to her and Dad for a bit, but we were worried about going over our limit on the internet dongle, so we kept the conversation short.

Once back in the town (village?) we caught the train to Kyoto and were back by 18:30 which seemed like a good time to go and grab some tea. We went down a couple of levels to the Ramen Street again and this time found a place that served udon noodles. We sat on stools at a counter and ordered a starter of chicken wings. Then I ordered duck noodles and Bex ordered prawn.

As usual, the food came quite quickly, but unfortunately, it wasn't as nice as other food we’d had in Kyoto Station. The chicken wings were not bad, but we only got two so we had one wing each and they weren’t as nicely cooked as the chicken we’d gotten from 7-Eleven.

The noodles really weren’t great. Mine were way too salty and, though I thought Bex’s was better, it wasn't to her taste at all. The food came to 2332 yen (£17.29) so it was one of the more expensive meals we’d had and we felt like we’d been a bit shortchanged. The food wasn't great, the serving of chicken wings had been small and they hadn’t even filled up our coke glasses all the way. In general, not a great last meal in Kyoto.




After tea, we went back to Yodobashi for a final go on the gachapon. As usual, it took us ages to find our way out of the station, but we managed eventually.

Yodobashi was a bit busier than our previous visit, so we made it quick. Bex tried out a fox-themed gachapon (she won a fox obviously) and another Kyoto sites-themed one, where she won a Fushimi Inari figure. This was what she’d been aiming for, so she was delighted. I played the same Toy Story 4 gachapon that Bex had played on our previous visit because I also wanted to get one of the mini Toy Story gachapon machines. I got a Forky-themed one and was extremely happy with it.




After that, we headed back in the direction of our hotel. We picked up some dessert from the 7-Eleven and then headed to the hotel bar for some drinks before going up to our rooms. I haven’t written down what the desserts were, but I’ve got a feeling one of them was a fluffy, layered cake and the other a cookie.

The drinks from the hotel bar were free. You were entitled to one free welcome drink each during your stay, but we just hadn’t gotten round to claiming ours yet, mostly because I had been so tired and footsore every evening. This was our last evening, however, so we ordered a tequila sunrise for Bex and a sake violet for me. We both enjoyed them very much.



It was about 21:00 when we went up to our room. We ate our desserts while watching Stranger Things and then tidied up and packed as much as we could. Then it was a bit more Netflix and finally bed at about 23:00.

I didn’t write down how many steps we did that day, but it was a lighter one because we’d spent all afternoon at the onsen.

Only 3 more days to go, folks! I’m getting there!

[Nesbits]

The onsen sounds right up my street. What a great holiday