A day exploring train bus taxi feet. First grumpy employee. “This is a train station, you cannot buy a bus ticket here”. Always worth a punt. More Westerner tourists today than we’ve seen hitherto. Maybe that explains the grumpy person.
What to do? Honey pots. Didn’t disappoint. Lots of bees. Fushimi Inari Taisha was up first: a Shinto shrine shining satsuma coloured 1000 gates. Very important place, dating from 711. It led to a chain of shrines which later diversified to small stores to generate income.
Although crowded it was an interesting walk through the gates, dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari’s messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Inari is also the train station.
Kinkaku-ji (golden pavilion) was next. Originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it was converted into a Zen temple after his death in 1408. Though burned down by a fanatic monk in 1950 it was meticulously rebuilt in 1955. It is famous for its top two stories being completely covered in pure gold leaf, so they stop people with ladders from coming in. It would make a unique Airbnb. The gardens are somehow relaxing even with all the bees around.
Nishiki Market rounded the day. Thronging with food stalls and shoe shops absorbing the vapours. Running parallel is a street with upmarket Western labels. Luckily Pearl Izumi is a Japanese company so I had to indulge in a cycling top I don’t need: not often I get to be XL.
Today finished on a stressful note. Ever since I cycled Dover to Durness with Peak Tours, my go-to grazing bag is mixed nuts, raisins and peanut M&Ms. Turns out the latter are difficult to get in Japan for some reasons you can look up. Oh no, an alternative is needed. Here’s hoping Peak Tours stock for my September 2027 Lejog with them…maybe I should check?
Tomorrow we start towards Tokyo.
Travelling reflections 