This morning we were graced with the most beautiful view of the way to Kyoto! There stood Mt. Fuji towering above the landscape beneath it with its snow capped peak. It was finally a clear day today! Today was the day we should have gone to Hakone for the view of Mt. Fuji but oh well. Our passes were even valid for today but we did not have the time. I was very grateful for the view of Mt. Fuji so now I can say I have seen it.
The first thing we did after arriving in Kyoto was head to the Inari Fushimi Shrine area. There we ate at a small noodle joint called Teuchi-udon Kendonya that specialized in hand pulled Udon noodles. This was our first Udon and it was much needed. There was a small queue outside we stood in as we braved the cold. The Udon was well deserved after that. The Udon noodles were amazing! The noodles were thick and so chewy. Hand pulled noodles always hit differently than the machine made ones. Kyoto is known for its Japanese style omelets called omurice and with my hot bowl of Udon came a bowl of omurice. I ate the egg on top of the rice. It was so yummy but I did not have space in my tummy for both the Udon and the bowl of rice. The Udon really hit the spot. We really have been eating well.
This Inari Fushimi shrine is a huge shrine with a hike to the top of Mt. Inari. It is known for its 10,000 iconic red torii gates. I was told to go early in the morning and hike 2-3 hours to the top. If anything I had to at least bike 40 minutes past the crowds. There is one big red torii gate in front of the shrine with the shrine behind it. The shrine was set up as a temple complex. There was the main shrine surrounded by many smaller shrines. It was a beautiful site with plenty of areas to explore! There were tons of torii gates everywhere you looked! There were even miniature ones that people had purchased and left for good fortune. We passed by several other iconic red and white shrines that led us to the beginning of the hike. The torii gates here were massive! The red gates towered at least 15 feet in the air creating a walkway under which people filed through. It was decently congested with tourists everywhere trying to take photos. On each of the torii gates there was an inscription facing the way up. You couldn't see them going up but we were able to see them if we turned around. As we walked some more and more the torii gates decreased in size and became miniature so our head barely fit. It was very cool how it went from extremely big in size to a small tunnel. At the end of the small gates was another temple complex that we took time to walk around and explore. From that point onward the torii gates were medium sized and a little more spaced out.
The torii gates were endless as they stretched on and on. In a clearing there was a large cemetery surrounding a lake. It was very quiet and peaceful. Finally we had escaped the tourist noise and immersed ourselves in the tranquility of nature. The cemetery was old with moss grown over the whole area and graves but the red gates remained bright and shiny. I was at peace here and it had been such a long time I had been on a trek so I was extremely happy.
Up and up we climbed for a gorgeous sunset! It was golden hour now as the sun cast a glow on the red gates. From the lookout point you could see the entire city below under the sun's rays. The remainder of the hike up to the hill was through a dark forest area. You could hear the birds singing in the woods. It was so still. The best part was there were hardly any tourists remaining who had made it this far. Most of the way up there were steep stairs to climb up but at times it alternated with flat parts. The hike was an amazing experience and definitely a highlight of the trip for me! Both Suyi and I loved it!
We were hungry by the time we made it back down the mountain and there were so many street stalls selling seafood we stopped to try a crab stick. I thought the crab stick was going to be real crab and I was wondering how they had managed to get such a huge chunk of crab meat. It was imitation crab that they grilled. Still it was yummy!
I had seen a viral mochi dish on Instagram that was near the Tsukiji fish market we were on our way to so I insisted Suyi and I stopped there. By the time we reached, it was dark outside and all of the streets were quiet. Gion Konori was a traditional teahouse where they had us remove our shoes and sit on the floor on a tatami mat. First they served us green tea while we ordered. I knew exactly what I wanted - matcha mochi with sweet soy sauce. Amina had brought me back something similar when she was in Japan so I was determined to taste those flavors again. The matcha mochi came in a bowl of 7 mochi and were very delicate. Matcha powder covered the mochi that was filled with red bean paste. I poured the sweet soy sauce over the mochi and it immediately fell off to the sides. I delicately picked up the mochi and tried the first one. The mochi melted in my mouth! It was so soft and delicate! It was also so fresh and I loved every bite. The matcha was bitter but well paired with the sweet soy sauce to take the bitter edge off. I decided from that moment on I was a huge matcha fan. I offered a bit to Suyi and he hated it. The boy only likes sugar so unsurprised he did not like it. He also did not like the agave jelly he ordered with soy sauce and left it after a few bites.
I had decided that for dinner we should just snack our way through Kyoto and grab small items at the Tsukiji fish market. However, by the time we arrived at the fish market it was all dark and all the vendors were shut. It was such a sad sight because it was barely 6 pm. Everything in Japan closes so early it is hard to plan evenings! Instead I found a restaurant serving Omurice, the traditional Japanese omelet so Suyi could try it. The tiny joint we ended up in barely had any tables in it and when we entered the host tried to deter us from sitting down as he didn't have any English menus and didn't speak English. Well, that's how we knew we had found an authentic place. The restaurant called Kunton Akutagawa served omurice. Over a bed of rice there was an egg that had been dropped over and then fish stock that had been poured over to create a glaze. The fish stock was very flavorful and was good to keep the rice moist. Accompanying our meal we had some sake. The guy brought out 3 massive bottles of sake from which we chose a sweet dry one. I discovered I actually really liked sake! It didn't taste like alcohol at all and it went so smoothly down. It may not have tasted like alcohol but the alcohol sure hit! It was a very fun night as Suyi and I poured out all the gossip as we poured more sake!
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