Kyoto More than temples

Friday, October 10, 2014
Kyoto, Kinki, Japan
The last two nights of the trip was in Kyoto, we have been there many times with Owen, so we declined the Temple and Railway Museum tour and instead went to Textile Museum. This turned out to be more shop than museum however still interesting.

Just after we arrived there was a kimono fashion parade, where 7 models came out to show different types. One very ornate others plainer.

There was an excellent display of how silk is produced complete with silkworms feeding, and obtaining the thread from the cocoon. Also there was a full size Jacquard weaving machine which used perforated wood strips to raise the warp in a predetermined manner. Was this the first computer?

On the way back we went up the Kyoto Tower. I had went up in the late '70's after I worked at Hong Kong. I do not think it had changed much.

A simple dinner at a nearby the hotel only about 15 seats. A very vegetarian dish plus some meat on small sticks. Good quality

Next day was a trip up to a temple up a mountain via a cable car. We thought we were going to the same we went with Owen & Takako but that was south of Kyoto and this time we went north. Every mountain around Kyoto has a temple.

We went up the Eizan Line to the temple complex the link below gives a good summary

http://www.keihan.co.jp/travel/en/whattodo/03.html

and then back via the Sakamoto cable car. All very scenic
If you look at the link you see a Eizan cable car and rope way
The cable car is on the ground and pulled up by cable and the ropeway is suspended on pylons above ground and you sit or stand in a 'car'.
Note that all these places can be reached by road but of course we hate buses.

We had very hazy views of Lake Biwa

This was our last day with the group - we and Kay were leaving- so Owen organized another group dinner this time a Shabu Shabu. This is like a Singapore Steamboat, the only difference is that as you pick up the raw meat to put in the broth you say 'Shabu Shabu' and then take it out of the broth.

Next day we said good bye at breakfast had a lazy morning catching the 12:48pm Shinkansen to Shinagawa (our first few days) and then to Narita airport

Another great holiday with Owen





 

Comments

2025-02-14

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank