in order to get to kyoto from osaka's kansai airport we needed to hop on a train; easier said than done. once you narrow down all of your options and decide which rail pass makes the most sense, you quickly realize that none of the train ticket kioks take credit cards. i brought some american cash and converted to yen and we were on our way. a little under 2 hours later and we were in kyoto.
it was overcast, a bit chilly, and the train station was crowded AF. it didnt take long to get oriented and we quickly found our way to our airbnb. the place was tiny but comfy. all i wanted to do was nap, which would've been a wrap on the day but i was also starving. brianne and aron weren't quite at the same crossroads as i so we began to walk towards kyoto's main rail station, which is also a massive underground shopping mall filled with delicious restaurants. we had something that i really cant recall, i was exhausted and hungry and everything was a blur. after dinner we kept walking through the mall then headed back to our place. sleep quickly settled in
the following morning i felt like a new man. i was well rested and after surviving the tiniest shower in my life, i felt like i could take the world. aron on the other hand was not. aron stands at 6'3 and if the shower was too tiny for me, i could only imagine what kind of cirque de solei moves he had to bust in order to get things properly washed...
also, i apparently have a snoring problem, which was never that bad but by the morning looks of my travel mates its taken a turn for the worse as...the trip would prove later on.
a cloudy, chilly and now rainy morning greeted us, you mix that with hunger and chemistry tells that you automatically get ramen for breakfast; you just cant disupute the science. and we just so happenned to find thee best ramen spot in kyoto: daiichi asahi.
totally unassuming and a few blocks away from the beehive of kyoto railstation.
we must've gotten there a few minutes after they opened. the patrons were mostly locals, the place was small and intimate with a rectangular kitchen in full view with one cook manning the dull pans sitting on the burners spewing steam like locomotives. put simply, it was the best damn ramen i've ever had. there were no pieces of paper to fill, the only choice to be made was the type of meat you wanted and then it was brought to you. ive never not finished my ramen, in fact i usually order extra but not this time. there was a point when i didnt know if the ramen would end. the broth had a great balance, not too thick and not too thin. the noodles were thin but hearty and had a fresh quality that i really cant describe.
the rest of my eats in kyoto can be described the same way. everything tasted fresh and there really wasnt anything i didnt like.
after ramen we spent the next 2 days hopping from cab, bus and trains to the many temples and shrines all strewn across kyoto prefecture. brianne, being the planner that she is already had a list of the best temples we should hit like enko-ji, kinkaku-ji, tenryu-ji along with the bamboo forrest, and fushimi inari-taisha just to name a few. every single temple was beautiful in its own respect (my favorite being fushimi-iinari), some more grandiesque than others, but each one had its one serene and tranquil vibe that everyone needs from time to time.
one thing that you will find yourself doing alot in kyoto, besides the eating of course, is walking. unless you're a baller and have money to spend on cabs from shrine to shrine, temple to temple, it would be wise to buy a local kyoto bus day pass. its not that expensive and they go pretty much everywhere in the city. the local subway does not as we later found out. also, if you're american or if you're using an american debit card, the only places that you'll be able to take out cash will be in two spots: 7-eleven and the japanese post office.
in short, my stay in kyoto was great. it was sad leaving all of that serenity behind but something tells me that ill be back.
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