Day 7.14th May 2016. Saturday.

That title is Zach's doing . So I'm going to stick with it :)

We had our last breakfast at the Sheraton. Godwin went to the chapel with the boys and they saw a wedding in progress while I went to the room to pack the overnight. Our suitcases had been forwarded to Kyoto already so there wasn't much to pack.

Then we were off to catch our Shinkansen to Kyoto from Tokyo Station. Zane was super excited about the Shinkansen. So we set off on a myraid of transportation options to get to Tokyo Station on time to 11.03 train for which I had made reservations already. Unfortunately, I didn't under-estimated how long it would take to catch shuttle bus, monorail and then local rapid from Keiyo station to Tokyo Station. And so yes, we missed the 11.03. Fortunately, it was quick and easy to make reservations for the next available train which was at 11.33 which wasn't too bad and gave us time to pick up some bento boxes for lunch! Zane was absolutely thrilled when the train took off, on the dot, 11 .33. It was relatively empty with only a few other Japanese people in our carriage. The Japan Rail Pass is not valid on the Nozomi trains which are just a tad bit faster and completely non-stop. We were on a Hikari.

Anyway, soon after, after the boys had done some colouring, played with their ipads, and had a bite to eat, the novelty wore off and they both fell asleep. So I tucked the Ipads into the seat pockets in front of me and settled down with Zane in my lap. Kyoto arrived soon after and I had to quickly wake the boys up and exit the train because it usually stops only for a few minutes before continuing on. So we got off, I was still carrying Zane and were lazying making our way towards the exit on the platform when, horror of horrors, I realized the Ipads were still in the seat pockets of the train. I yelled at Godwin, dropped Zane and bags down and told him to jump back into the train and retrieve them! There was a poor American backpacker woman who was all concerned, and picked up the bag that Godwin dropped and brought it to me and all of us looked worried at the train and hoped against hope that he would make it back out in time before the train left. Next stop Hiroshima and the rail passes and all other information was with me. He jumped into the train with nothing on him including his passport. I think all of us were crowded a little too close to the train, craning our necks to see if the doors were closing because this railway guard kept blowing his whistle at us . Just then, we saw Godwin jumping out the train at the far end where the guard was standing and we all sighed a collective sigh of relieve. Crisis averted. We thanked the American woman, gathered our belongings, and left the station.

We had to take a bus to get to our hotel. There were bus numbers and a small queue waiting to board the buses. We got on and it was quite crowded. I found a seat for myself and put the boys on one seat across a while. I told them to stay put and that I would get them as our stop approached. After a while I couldn't see them, but I could see a girl in a lovely pink kimono and a monk wearing these wooden clog like sandals called geta. They're like a cross between clogs and flip-flops and make this weird clicking sound. I was amused. Soon enough I found Zane making his way to me through the crowd to sit on my lap. He was scared he would get left behind on the bus. It was about the 10-15 mins to our stop, Gion, from where it was a 2 minute walk to the hotel - Hotel Sunline Kyoto Gion Shijo. The check in was smooth, the hotel was clean and comfortable, but I didn't let the boys linger for too long. Quick wash and change our clothes, and we were out again.

The plan for the evening was to get to the Kiyomizudera Temple, which by bus, was just a stop away. Well, except then there was the steep climb up the hill to get to the actual temple. The lane leading to the temple is called Chawan zaka or Teapot Lane and is part of the Higashiyama District, filled with little shops selling souvenirs and snacks. Half way up there, we found an icecream shop and of course Zane wanted some. So I got a cone for each of them. Godwin had already sprinted up the hill ahead to us because he didn't want to miss the sunset. He was also worried the place would close. We were standing outside the ice cream shop, eating the ice cream, when we encountered the only rude Japanese person on the whole entire trip. We were on the pavement just outside her store when a tiny dot of Zane's ice cream fell on the road. The road, where people were walking. And she started gesticulating and grumbling in Japanese, pointing to the speck of ice cream that I hadn't even noticed had fallen. Weird woman. At first I looked at her puzzled, and after all the pointing, I saw the tiny speck. Of course I had wet wipes in my hands, and I quickly wiped it up, but that woman scarred Zane for life I think. He took many many days to forget the incident.

Anyway, we ran up the rest of the way, and found ourselves at the ticket counters. Godwin was waiting for us to get in. Grandma decided to wait it out while we headed inside. The temple is a Unesco World Heritage site and Godwin was really keen on getting some sunset pictures over Kyoto so he was in a bit of a rush. The boys and I ambled on, and even sat on the wooden cypress floor planks polished from millions of bare feet that juts out from its main hall for which the temple is famous. There is a 13 meter drop from the stage to the hill below and it was said that if you jumped and survived the fall, your wish would be granted. The practice is of course forbidden now, so we didn't see any daredevils taking the plunge. The views, though, are truly spectacular, the lovely cherry and maple trees on the hills and then the city of Kyoto in the back. The temple's main object of worship is Kannon.

We finally found Godwin who was happy with his pictures, and then agreed to take a few more with us in the frame. It was closing time and we kept hearing some announcements in Japanese on the loud speakers and Zane was worried they would lock the gates and we would have to spend the night here if we lingered too long. So we made our way to the Otowa waterfall at the base of the main hall for which the temple is actually named - The Pure Water Temple. So legend has it that the water has three steams you can drink from for longevity, success at school and good love life. If you drink from all three, you are considered greedy and its bad luck. Zach thought it was amusing so of course he had to try it. We also saw a big pile of stones, like shrines with pieces of cloth tied around them. Zach was convinced they were gravestones.

After that was done, we wandered around the area, and the narrow streets and the atmosphere was simply spectacular. Godwin was in a bit of a hurry to get to the Yasaka Pagoda though, so I quickly consulted googlemaps and pointed him the right direction. We got to the spot he needed to be to get the shot he wanted, only to find 2 more photographers also poised with tripods. There was room though, so Godwin set up while the boys and I found a place to sit on the cobblestone street, right next to wear a girl in a geisha outfit was doing a photo shoot. I didn't realize how long it takes to do a photoshoot - of a pagoda or a girl in a geisha outfit, he he. We sat in between the two shooting sessions for what seemed like ages. The girl kept coming and touching and talking to the boys in between her shoot. Finally, Godwin was satisfied with what he got and we headed towards the hotel. On the way, we found a restaurant with the plastic food displayed outside that you punch a button at, and then you go inside with the paper that comes out and pay. I have no idea what we ate, just that it was interesting. We also stopped at the convenience store opposite the hotel where Zane found a weird snack that he loved. We used the translator on the phone to find out what he was eating. It said potato butter.

Coming up: More Kyoto - thinking Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha!
Steps walked: 12,274