Suyi and I were so excited to explore Kyoto in a Kimono today! We had seen many tourists all over the city doing it, especially at temples, to take photos and could not wait to twin! I had found a place called Vasara Kimono Rental right next to the station and our hotel so first thing we went to pick out Kimonos to wear. The only thing I was concerned about was the footwear as the flip flops with the split toes did not seem comfortable. As we entered the store the woman presented to us the different packages available ranging from 5 thousand yen to 20 thousand yen with so many add-ons. The sign outside had advertised less than 3 thousand yen but when is an advertisement ever accurate. What matters was it was enough to get us inside the store
The price covered a standard kimono rental, simple hairstyle, a bag, shoes, and kimono insurance. First, I picked out a kimono from the selection she had hanging. I wanted a pink one but none of the all pink ones were calling my name so I settled on a blue and pink one. I was really hoping Suyi would match me but he wanted a gray one with black lines. The next step was to pick out an undershirt and middle pattern fabric. I went with all the free options for everything since it was already expensive. The lady had me step in the dressing room to put the kimono on me. She didn't speak English so I had to decipher what she meant along the way. I had worn about 4 layers and she kept telling me to remove the layers as I tried to explain to her that it was very cold. I eventually just said I was from India where it's hot and she let me keep 3 of the 4 shirts I had layered. I even kept a thermal pant. The kimono was too long so she carefully pleated and folded the fabric around my middle. She tied rope after rope and fabric after fabric around my middle. There was even a towel and hard pieces of plastic placed around my middle. By the end it was rock hard and honestly could have been a bullet proof vest with the amount of fabric I had on me. I selected a bag to match my outfit and she put the flip flops on my feet for which I had to also wear split socks. Then we were on our merry way.
I had a feeling the shoes were going to be the most uncomfortable part of the outfit and I was correct. Originally I planned to just wear my tennis shoes but I mean you gotta do it right for the culture at least once. Suyi definitely hated the shoes more as he had never worn flip flops in his life. He started complaining immediately and even threatened to head back early.
I had been dreaming of matcha souffle pancakes and today I finally made my dreams come true! There are several famous cafes for the famous souffle pancakes, one of which was Micasadeco & Cafe Kyoto. One of the things Micasadeco had was a triple souffle matcha pancake stack complete with matcha whipping cream. It was divine! The pancakes were so fluffy and soft! It was everything I had imagined and more. The matcha syrup and whipped cream went really well too. It was a ton of sugar but the matcha helped take the edge off of it. I definitely loved it and highly recommend it!
All dolled up in our kimonos we decided it was mandatory to take photos somewhere. We didn't have much time to go anywhere too far like the Golden Pavilion or bamboo garden so we settled on going to a park about a 20 minute walk away. Maruyama park was the park we settled on as it was also on the way to the area we would have our tea ceremony at. I expected the park to be a Japanese garden like the one in Tokyo but it was much colder in Kyoto so all the leaves had fallen and trees were bare. It was still a peaceful garden to walk through and a nice backdrop for photos. I had kept my shawl but my hands and face were freezing as the winter cold nipped at my face. The garden had a nice river flowing through it and a weeping willow which painted a very Japanese picture. Some Japanese lady stopped us and was obsessing over us and insisted she take our photo too! The Japanese old ladies are just the cutest!
To get to the Japanese garden we passed through the Yasaka shrine. Similar to the shrine yesterday, it was built in the same Shinto style with the iconic red architecture and roof with scales. I love temples so I was more than happy to be at another temple even if they all look similar. There is so much beauty found within temples and they are all pretty huge complexes with smaller shrines too.
Our walk continued to one of the most famous photography spots in Kyoto - the Yasaka Pagoda Photography Spot. It is even titled that in Google maps it has become so popular. Nestled in the Gion district, the area is full of traditional onsens, tea houses, and small shops selling sweets. The streets are made with cobblestones and we knew we were in the right spot as the Pagoda towered above us. We found the spot with no worries at all and were able to get some good shots with the pagoda in the background. The pagoda is a 5-story Buddhist temple and is the last remaining artifact of the 6th century temple complex. The original pagoda had been built in 589 but has since been destroyed and burnt in wars throughout history. The current restored version dates back to 1440 which is still quite old. On specific days you can even climb up to the top for a view of the city. The pagoda has the typical Japanese style of roof known as the honkawara-buki.
Suyi was hungry so we stopped and got dango rice dumplings with sweet soy sauce. He then saw a cart selling candied strawberries and tried those. The sugar coating on top gave them a gloss and had hardened to create a hard exterior. I decided I wanted to try the matcha soft serve with matcha dusted on it. It was surprisingly good even though it was about 30 degrees outside.
The Yakasa pagoda was right where our tea ceremony at Tea Ceremony Camellia Flower. The tea room was nestled in between the small lanes hidden from the busy street. Immediately upon entering, we removed our shoes and we're led to a room covered with bamboo mats where we sat on our knees. This was a traditional tea ceremony with about 5 other tourists to learn how to make matcha. The tea master was extremely adorable and started off by explaining the significance of the tea room. She mentioned that despite performing the tea ceremony several times a day for 40 years she has never gotten tired of it since it's the visitors who bring her such joy each time. She started by first explaining a brief history of how matcha came to Japan. Originally from China, matcha uses the same tea leaf as Chinese green tea. However, matcha is blended into a fine powder. The seeds grew very well in Japan and for centuries Japan has become known for growing matcha.
The order of the tea ceremony went as follows: first the tea master performed the tea ceremony, and then she allowed us to try our hand at making our own tea. In the tea ceremony there is a lot of bowing involved to show respect. Everytime she does an action she bows. First, she poured hot water into the bowl to clean it. Then, in slow motions she put two spoons of the fine matcha into a bowl and added hot water. The whisking process was most interesting. Rather than move in a circular motion, you move back and forth until the end when you give a final stir in a circle. The bamboo whisk used in the matcha making process is made from a single stalk and has more than 100 fine cuts to create the bristles.
Before preparing tea, it is customary to eat a sweet. The sweet we ate was crackly on the outside and soft on the inside creating the perfect balance of crunch and smoothness. Now we were ready for our tea! I whisked and whisked my tea in a back and forth motion until it was nice and foamy. The matcha was pretty strong and a little bitter but I enjoyed the taste very much as I am a big matcha fan. Matcha has very good medicinal properties and I remember my mom drinking it as a way to prevent cancer and promote overall health.
We had worn our kimonos to the tea ceremony of course and the tea master and tourists could not get enough of us! They were obsessed with how cute we looked and took many photos of us. What can I say? We dress well and look good together.
We were dying to get out of the Kimonos, mainly the shoes and it was getting dark. There was no time for the golden temple or bamboo garden so we headed back to the rental place. Once we were free we decided to spend the rest of the evening at the Fushimi Inari Sake District. The sake district was in south Kyoto and you can guess what it was famous for. There was a huge shopping corridor which we of course had to stop at. I don't think I have ever done as much shopping as I have here in Japan. I don't usually even buy souvenirs but everything is so darn cute here.
For dinner we ate at a bar restaurant in Sake Village Ramen Monsen Fushimi Sakagura-ten. In Japan at a lot of restaurants and bars it is obligatory for each person to order their own meal and drink so I was drinking tonight! The menu was entirely in Japanese which was a struggle as Google translate just doesn't get it right most of the time. The bartender also didn't have the best English so we had to work with what we got. We asked the waiter for a sake recommendation to start with using the criteria of fruity, sweet, and smooth. She gave one very sweet recommendation that wasn't bad at all and went down very smoothly. The restaurant carried 18 different types of Sake which they offered to taste in an 18 shot tasting flight. Suyi wanted to order the tasting flight and I had to put my foot down and say there was no way he was going to be able to have 18 shots and still be able to get us home. I also really did not want to deal with a wasted Suyi. Plus, 18 shots is basically a death sentence given that we both are lightweight. He was not very happy that I forbid him from having that much Sake but it was for the better. For the main course we were really struggling to decipher the menu so we told her we wanted sake lees ramen. The recommendation she gave was extremely good. Sake lees ramen is made with the same byproduct used to make sake so it smells like sake and has a similar taste. The ramen was very rich and creamy. It was our best ramen yet and it was also so unusual. I really loved it!
The night was still young by the time we ate our ramen so we decided it would be fun to go for karaoke. After all, how can you go on vacation with a voice major and not do karaoke? Woopy karaoke came with free soft drinks and Suyi and I belted our hearts out to Christmas songs such as Mariah Carey. Suyi knows tons of orchestral music but not much lyrical music so it was hard to find songs we both knew and could sing along too. At one point we were both attempting to sing “Oh Mio Babbino Caro'' as a joke. It was a good night. One of our best.
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