Rajeev's World: Kyoto

Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Sayonara, Japan...

We completed our tour of Kyoto and headed back to Kansai International Airport, from where our Japan trip began a few days ago...

Thanks to JR Japan Rail, we hopped on to a super convenient two hour train ride direct to Kansai Airport!

And what followed was an exciting hour of Plane Spotting At KIX...

And a long hour of Plane Spotting left us craving for a quick dinner...

And we had a healthy meal of a salad with Japanese dressing with miso soup...

As we end this trip of Japan, we can't help but bow with respect to the Japan rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Second World War. There is nothing that justifies the Japanese brutality in the war but the nuclear attack on Hiroshima was a blow to the country - to the millions of innocent Japanese who had nothing to do with the war machine.

Japan could have whined about it for years and decades and could have potentially gone insane like some nations have in today's world. But they didn't do that. They remained sane, painstakingly rebuilt their economy and gave it back to the United States economically!

And their people stand out for their positivity and industrious nature, while being extremely soft spoken and respectful. And more importantly, they love India and Indians - ancient bonds are being cemented by recent initiatives...

We have fallen in love with Japan! Head over heels in love! And a five year visa with a short one hour hop across the Sea of Japan or the Eastern Sea (whichever way you like to call it!) certainly helps!

Till we meet again, Sayonara, Japan...

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XX - Delectable Kyoto...

Kyoto did not disappoint us when it came to food. I must say that in the last two days while we were on a whirlwind tour of Kyoto's temples and historic sites, we did get to experience some delectable culinary surprises...

Pork cutlet, Japanese curry and rice...

This was my meal in the food court of Kyoto station last night...

And Neeti took a mackerel with ramen alongwith some nice hot miso soup. The oddest thing here was that the food court closes pretty early - it's shutters down by 9PM. Unfortunately we were quite late...

Most places were shut or were closing for the day by the time we reached...

A typical Japanese breakfast thrilled us no end, with Japanese omelette, scrambled eggs, grilled mackerel, steamed vegetables, boiled pumpkin and lotus stem, seaweed and miso soup...

Natto - fermented soyabean - a healthy Japanese start to the day...

After visiting Ginkaku-ji, we stopped by at the Bear Cafe - a teddy bear themed cafe...

Bear themed meals are on offer - sometimes the Japanese do get weird...

All are I see are teddys everywhere...

Teddys on our table...

Neeti's vegetable noodles with miso and rice...

My meal is a teddy-themed meal - rice, chicken cutlet and Japanese gravy - it looks like a teddy lying in bed with a blanket on top...

After visiting Heian shrine, we stopped by at the Lipton cafe in the Kyoto station premises for a hot cup of tea...

Goodies galore...

Chocolate and green tea cheese cake - man, I am drooling now...

Cold water - just what we needed on his warm afternoon...

"Get off your phone and enjoy the dessert..."

Here comes our poison...

The golden nectar...

And a slice of our green tea cake...

And now we head to take a train to Kansai Airport. It's time to say goodbye Kyoto, but if I could I would stay here forever, to explore more of Kyoto's hidden culinary delights, because "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"...

The Finale At Heian-jingu...

The last stop of our visit to Kyoto was the Heian Shrine located in the Sakyo district...

The shrine is located in the vicinity of the public library, Municipal Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Kaikan - a concert hall and the Kyoto Zoo...

The main entrance to the shrine...

Kids having a great time in the gardens at the main gate...

Sake barrels - I guess these are messages of goodwill...

Heian Shrine is regarded as a Beppyou Jinja which denotes it ranks among the top rank for Shinto shrines...

The shrine isn't too old. It was built in 1895, as a reproduction of the Heian Palace from days of Heian-kyo, the medieval name of Kyoto. It was constructed to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of Heian-kyo and more specifically for the the industrial exposition fair that was held in Kyoto that year. The replica of Heian Palace was to be the main monument. Inability to buy enough land meant that the monument was constructed on a smaller scale.

When the capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, residents of the city were shocked and the mood in the city was that of despondence.

After the Second World War, the revival of Kyoto received a fresh impetus. The replica the Heian Palace was converted into a Shinto Shrine and came to be regarded as a symbol of revival of the city.